Corless Coeur d' Alene Vacation 2008: Day 1

I will now attempt to post about our trip. Sorry in advance for the length.

Technically, our vacation started on Friday the 11th, but we were driving that day and the next, so it didn't really start till Sunday.

Sunday, July 13th

Church

On the way out to the cars after church, Audrey, Logan, and Kierra just took it upon themselves to hold hands through the hallway and out in the parking lot. I thought it was so cute so I had to run after them, dodging people, while rummaging through the diaper bag for the camera. So cute!


Since we were still in our Sunday best, we took the opportunity to take family pictures. Plus, we had such good backdrops with the beautiful plants, so we couldn't pass it up. There wasn't anybody else around to take a picture of all 20 of us, so we split it all up.

The Wilson's: Me and Jeromy, Jacob (8 months), Audrey (4 years), and Kierra (2 years)


The Thurgood's: Shelly and Justin, Parker (10 months), Logan (3 years), and Kailey (6 years).



The Hamblin's (minus a twin, just imagine Heather holding 2 babies that look the same) : Heather and John, Ashley and Emily (I think this one is Emily?) (1 year), Abigail (2 years), and Hannah (4 years). And yes, they are very busy parents:)


The Corless Kids: Me, Shelly, Heather, Laurel, and Cameron (oh, and Abby too). Hey, how come we didn't take any pictures of Grandma and Granddad??


Logan and Kierra playing


All right, this tie's comin' off!! Nice curtsy, Kierra!


(One of my) Favorite nephews. He's beyond hilarious.


Okay, sorry, another pic of Logan, but seriously, everything he does makes me at least chuckle.


It's hard to get a picture of Dad without a camera attached to him when all the cameras are out.


Rockband

Jeromy and I just recently acquired a Rockband set for our Wii, so we brought it with us, yeah! Everyone was itching to get it out by Sunday afternoon, so we did, and then of course got addicted to it and wouldn't leave it alone the rest of the day. (I know, not a great Sabbath activity, but we were doing it together as a family, so there's some justification in that, right?)

Dad, on the mike, using his nice choir voice to sing Nirvana? Hmmm...


Heather on guitar, Cameron on drums, and John on camera.


Oh, ya, so lets just say that "You are my dirty little secret" are NOT the words you want to hear come out of your 4-year-old's mouth when she happens upon a microphone. I'm thinkin' this becomes an after-kids-are-in-bed game from now on:) And after playing all those heavy rock songs and learning the actual lyrics for awhile, we decided that we can't wait until some other types of songs come out for it.


Gone Fishin'

That night after dinner, the kids wanted to try their hand at fishing, and they did pretty well! Kierra caught her first fish! Jeromy was so proud.

Isn't it beautiful there? We were at the end of Twin Lakes, which is right next to Coeur d' Alene. And we had a private dock and everything at the home we rented.


My little fisherwoman (I love the pigtails!!)


Jeromy pulling Kierra's fish out of the water.


THE fish.


Kierra (she's so stinkin' cute, I can hardly stand it!) reeling it in. Since just about all the kids were able to catch a fish in a relatively short amount of time (20 minutes or less), Kierra thought she'd give her Uncle John a few pointers (since he was out there for about an hour with no nibbles). She said, "You have to say, 'Here fishy fishy fish.'"


Uncle Cameron showing Audrey how to fish.

Memories

Okay, so we're back now from our trip! We got back last night, and I've been tackling groceries and laundry all day, soooo the trip pix are gonna have to wait. But I thought I'd post this idea I found on my friends' blogs and thought I'd give it a try.

Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time, or a long time, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. Ready, Set, GO!

(I feel like listening to that song from Cats:)

Trying Something New

We had a ton of errands to run yesterday, and the kids were surprisingly very good! I was amazed! We went to several places, most of which were down in Provo too. I commended the girls for listening to Mommy and being so good, and I treated them to McDonald's for lunch.

Last night we all went to the Stake Center so Jeromy and I could have our temple recommend interviews. Since we had to bring the kids with us to the church, we also had to bring them in with us for the interviews (crazy!). Jeromy brought Audrey in with him and she was very excited to tell the counselor all about her day. The conversation went something like this:

Audrey: Guess what!
Counselor: What?
Audrey: I tried something today I've never tried before!
Counselor: Oh really? What?
Audrey: I listened to Mommy!

I'm pretty sure it wasn't the first time you listened, Audrey (although some days it feels like it), but I'm really glad you're so excited, sweetie! So, let's do it more often, okay?

Sweet Potatoes and Turkey

I was feeding Jacob his lunch and out of nowhere he decided to blow raspberries and cover me with sweet potatoes and turkey (not unusual, but it just surprised me). So I gave a small shriek of surprise and said, "Oh Jacob, you got sweet potatoes all over me. Yuck." Then Kierra reprimanded me. "Mommy, that's what baby's do, you can't get mad at him." Oops, sorry, didn't know I was mad at him. Thanks for keeping me in check, kiddo!

Crawler

It's official: Jacob can crawl!

Hike in Alta Ski Resort

Yesterday we went exploring. We went up to Alta Ski Resort to have a picnic and a short little hike. The girls loved it, especially going on a hike with Daddy while Mommy fed Jacob in the car. It was such a beautiful day. Then we went exploring our new hometown, Draper, showing Daddy where the library is and then we drove by the temple that's being built. What an amazing view up there! If there wasn't any smog, I think you could see the SLC temple, as well as the Jordan River one and the new Oquirr Mtn. one in Daybreak. It was a great day!

Watching The Fireworks

We had fun with fireworks this year, as much as the wind allowed us! We tried to do sparklers, but had an accident that left a gruesome burn on Audrey's cheek, so Jeromy threw them away. We're sure glad it wasn't an inch or two higher! Yikes!


Messy Popsicles


One Messy Girl!


Jeromy was so excited to do fireworks, he wasn't even watching them.


Watching the Fireworks

4th of July Party

Our ward/neighborhood put on an awesome pancake breakfast (complete with dutch oven eggs- yum!) yesterday morning. They even had a bounce room thingy which Audrey beelined for right after she finished eating.

Then after breakfast they had a children's parade and they even brought a whole bunch of cool stuff for the kids to decorate their bikes. They had streamers, flags, windmills, noisemakers, party horns, you name it (we were very sad to find out that during the water fight, someone stole Audrey's flag and windmill, but left the noisemaker and party horn. Why couldn't they have stolen the loud things?).


Decorating Audrey's Bike


The only wheels Kierra owns belong to her baby doll "schtroder." She was very happy with only 2 balloons on her stroller.


Like Audrey's fancy helmet, blowing in the wind?


(Sigh) My Rambo


Here's the crowd at the start of the parade. Audrey is the one in purple, checking to see how many people were behind her. We waited there at the beginning for her to loop around the neighborhood with everyone else, like a big girl. When she finally came near the end, Jeromy found her pedaling as fast as she could and in tears, saying, "I'm not as fast as them, Daddy. I'm not winning." Poor thing thought it was a race! We felt so bad!



There she is, almost to the "finish line." She didn't give up!

Happy 4th

2 Months In Draper

Well, we've been here a full 2 months, so I thought it was about time to get the "what we miss/what we love" list on here.


Things We Miss About Our Old Place

-Great friends
-Great community we felt a part of
-The home we became parents in (I am a very nostalgic person)
-Our awesome "on-the-ball" ward
-My old Albies (Albertson's for you non-couponing folk) that took all my prescription coupons and loved us couponers-- I think I'm alone here in Draper :(
-The Provo Library- they are so involved with kids there! I loved sitting with Kierra in the story bowl pit while Audrey went to the big kids storytime. Plus, it was nice to win the grand prize (a computer!) a couple years ago in their summer reading program!
-My awesome hair dresser, Jamie, who I will still go to as long as we live in the same state!
-Hard water (we have a water softener here, and we loathe soft water)


Things We Love About Our New Place

-It's Huge! It has 4 big bedrooms upstairs, each with walk-in closets, and a huge loft! (pictures will be posted soon!)
-Jeromy can get home in about 10 minutes! Rather than an hour!
-I can do dishes etc. while watching the kids play or watch TV
-The loft: I can do coupons, blog, crafts, etc. while the kids play on the other side of the room
-Our yard! We have an awesome swingset and enough lawn for the kids to run around and play ball, plus we have a garden! Yeah!
-Proximity to Ikea- it's such a great store!
-Room to grow in basement (whether that means finishing it for more bedrooms or expanding our food storage down there :)
-My very own library! I have my big red couch and reading lamp next to 2 bookcases filled with my favorite books
-Our neighborhood Albies is right next door to Rite-Aid and Walgreens (and Smith's- but we don't like them too much), and a hop skip and a jump from Costco and WalMart. What more could a coupon-freak ask for?
-Draper recycles! From shopping bags and newspaper to plastics and small appliances. I'm very excited about this!!
-My new washer and dryer, they're front loaders with so many different functions that you really have to read the manual before you do anything. It has an internal water heater to extra-heat the water for the awesome sanitary function. This comes in very handy with a potty training little girl, let me tell you!

My Night

So I didn't get to bed till midnight, at which point I took the girls to the bathroom so they won't wet their beds. As soon as I got to the potty with Audrey and pulled down her pants, she flipped out. She has a hard time figuring out what is reality in the middle of the night, and so she started screaming. For a HALF HOUR! Neither of us could calm her down or fully wake her up. She kept saying things like, "Kierra lied!" "I want fish!" or other gibberish. Yikes!

Between 3 and 5 (I don't remember) I fed Jacob.

At 7, when Jeromy was leaving for work, the girls started screaming because they heard the garage door go (which is just underneath their room) and didn't want Daddy to leave. So before I could even wake up, they were down in the garage flagging down their Dad. He gave them a hug and I told them they could cuddle with Mommy in my bed. So we all piled up in my bed to sleep a little longer (they usually don't wake up till at least 8).

At about 8, Jacob and Kierra woke up, so I sent her in to his room to play with him so I could buy more time.

At 8:30, I got a swift kick in the back, on purpose, because apparently I was taking up too much room on the ONE foot edge of my QUEEN bed. Whatever.

Needless to say, we didn't really start the day off right. And now I'm really regretting staying up to read last night for many reasons. And I think we've decided that Audrey just can't handle being woken up in the middle of the night, so if we do take her to the bathroom, it will be only a short while after she's fallen asleep. We CAN learn from this!!! I must!!!!

Determined To Be Irreverent

So tonight during family scripture study, I was feeding lines to Audrey to say. She was supposed to say, "...because of us." Instead, she said, "because of Kierra," and then snickered a little bit. Kierra (not paying any attention to the giggling and Mommy and Daddy reproving her sister) said, "I'm in your scriptures, Mommy?" She was thrilled. Well I'm glad one of them was listening!!

Then a few minutes later, Kierra was saying the family prayer with Audrey's help (we have Audrey help Kierra when they're fighting over whose turn it is) and Audrey was determined to get her parents to laugh, I guess. She had Kierra bless everyone in the family, then, "Bless Daddy, and please bless Daddy's car, and please bless Mommy's silly car, and her head..."

I'm not sure if she's testing her boundaries or what, but ever since we started family scripture study a few weeks ago, it's been crazy. We thought they'd be able to handle a whole chapter, then it turned into just a single page, now we're lucky to get a column and still feel sane enough to put the kids to bed. Me thinks we're being tested to see if we're actually serious about this goal. Baby steps, keep thinking baby steps.

Do any of you have any tips and tricks regarding family scripture study or prayer you'd like to share?

Wall-E

Let me just say that this movie was super cute! So much fun! And I'm so glad that I picked the dentist that I did because every quarter he has these types of events, for free, with tons of prizes (ok- plus he was great with the girls when they went in for their checkup). Audrey won a $5 gift card to 7/11 and Kierra won a T-shirt with the dentist's logo on it (a toothbrush superhero). They were thrilled!

This afternoon Audrey got her crayons out and was wondering what she should draw, and I told her to draw a picture of Wall-E. She said she didn't know how, so Jeromy told her to close her eyes and remember what the robot looked like, and then open your eyes and draw what you remembered. This is what she drew:



Isn't she a great artist for 4-years-old!?!? She had no help with this, but she was able to make him have block-ey kind of feet (she colored in the track lines on his feet so now you can't see them) and clamp-like fingers. Okay, so the girl robot is actually white, not green, but I guess that's a hard one to do on white paper. And she didn't have feet or hair. Oh well, creative license. But she even put a little door on Wall-E's belly for the trash-compacter part. Oh, and if you're wondering, the yellow line is the cricket friend.

Bottom line: my daughter is talented (yes, I am biased and I'm okay with that), and you HAVE to see this movie!

Jacob Giggling to Audrey

Apparently, he thinks pulling on his feet and yelling is hilarious. I wouldn't. But he was giggling so much that we had to get the camera out. Believe me, he was giggling even harder before we got the camera out. Love these kids!!

She's Very Inventive!

She just couldn't quite reach that high shelf, so she made herself some stairs.

Engulfed In Books

I've got a problem. I seem to enjoy acquiring and talking about books better than reading. Well, that might not be altogether true, but it's just so hard to find regular time for reading. I am able to cram a book in the couple of days before a book club, but then my kids are neglected, and I feel guilty, so I don't open a book for awhile, yada yada yada. Meanwhile, I keep collecting and adding to my to-read list and the books pile up.

It doesn't help that I'm a very slow reader. Neither do my I've-got-to-get-out-of-the-house-by-myself shopping trips to the book store.

I guess I like to surround myself with great books that I'd love to read, but don't seem to have the time for. So, in a way, they're sitting there on hold till the kids are in school, or we're empty-nesters. Now that's just silly thinking! I want to read now, dag-nab-it!!

I've GOT to find a solution to this crazy cycle, and not buying any more books does not really appeal to me. So, Jeromy and I have decided that every Wednesday night is going to be my night to get out of the house and do whatever I want. I can go couponing/grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or most importantly, go to the library to read!!! I am very excited about this. I hope it works out. I'll just have to be very good as I walk by the For Sale book counter in the entrance of our library (my newest guilty pleasure- the hardcovers are 50 cents and the paperbacks are only a quarter!).

But I still need your help. How do you all find a regular time to read? How do you make it a habit? How do you put a good book down to deal with life (i.e. kids)? I need some good ideas!!

Great Kick!

This was Audrey's first kick in the first practice! She's such a natural!!

Audrey's First Soccer Game

Audrey started soccer today! She sooo needed an outlet for all her energy and is very athletic, so we've been looking very forward for when she could finally sign up for soccer.

We are so proud of her for how hard she played tonight! It was so much harder than she thought, but she stuck with it, after running off the field several times to tell us she was done and wanted to go home, but she stuck with it. For the first half, she was practically the only one on her team that was aware of where the ball was and that you were supposed to try and get it (and I think she was the best kicker and runner on our team, but that's just my opinion;). She was trying really hard not to get frustrated that whenever she got the ball, someone either took it from her, or she couldn't get it quite in the goal. Put she kept going, and finally she asked the coach if she could be the goalie. She loved it! Good job, sweetie!!


Nervous Anticipation


A Few Pointers (I think she's listening)


Our Firecracker


Can I kick it now?


In The Lead


In The Lead Again


Great Catch!


True Calling


So does this make me an official soccer mom now?

We're So Lucky!

There was a drawing at the girls' new dentist for tickets to go see Wall-E and we were one of the families to win! Plus, there will be more prizes at the movie! Rock on!!!!

Whew!

It's official: I'm all caught up with everyone's blogs on my Google Reader!! Yeah! (It only took me a week of diligence!) And for those of you who haven't converted to the wonderfulness of Google Reader and RSS feeds, I'll try to get to yours soon.

Friends Are a Gift

We made some friends!! Yippee! A gal in our ward that I have come to know in the Mother's Room at church, invited us to dinner at their house last night (isn't that one of the easiest and greatest places to make friends, the Mother's Lounge?). They are such an awesome couple and we had so much fun chatting and eating fabulous food (I have no idea how I could even come close to that to invite them over here for dinner:). So now I just hope they didn't think we're really boring or weird (I sound like I'm in Junior High, don't I). And we're going to the neighbor's house tomorrow to play, so that'll be fun too.

Plus, the Wilson's from our old ward came and visited us this weekend and we had so much fun catching up and playing. Thanks for visiting us guys!

The hardest part about moving was leaving so many good friends behind. I know, I'm whining again, sorry. I just have to have a pity party every other day or so until things gets better I guess. Our neighborhood and ward felt so close and this new one does not (I'm still miffed that the 3 new sisters that have moved in since we have were cheerily welcomed and introduced in Relief Society and I was not!). But Jeromy and I have been trying really hard to get out of our comfort zone to make it work here.

Anyway, we're loving our house now and wish you all could come and see it! If you can afford the gas, you're all welcome!! Until then, I'll try to start posting pictures as more and more areas of the house become more presentable.

Okay, Obsessed

I will admit that I'm a fanatic of Psych! So that's why we created this awesome cool widget for the most awesomest show ever!!!!! Yipeeee!!!

Obsessed?

Some may think I'm a fanatic about these books, but seriously, I think I'll be able to live for the next 42 days, 2 hours, and 4 minutes. I just happened upon this widget today and thought it was cool. (I am excited though!)

Audrey win's an Oscar

Tonight I was putting Audrey down for bed and she wasn't going quietly. After 5 books, 4 stories, and two songs I was ready to make my exit. That is when the following scene took place:

Jeromy: Audrey, It's time to go to bed.
Audrey: But Daddy, just one more story.
Cue puppy dog eyes, suddenly long flapping eyelashes, longing gaze, and hypnotizing powers.
Jeromy: Audrey, it is late. You need to go to bed.
Audrey: But Daddy...
Jeromy: No Audrey, lay down and go to bed.
Cue eyes filling with tears, slight quiver of the bottom lip, ease into a frown, prepare to cover face with hands, start line strong - but end it nearly in a wisper.
Audrey: Daddy, you're breaking my heart.
Cue shocked expression from "Daddy" followed by a:
Jeromy: What?
Audrey: Daddy, you're hurting my feelings.
Cue 5 more books, 4 extra stories, two verses, and 1 lecture followed by a promise to be stronger.

The Best $100 We've Ever Spent

When we bought our couch at RCWilley, they were doing a promotion for this swing set for only $100, so we got it. It takes up a good chunk of our yard, but it's worth it. We're so excited to be able to send the kids out back and play! And the girls are so excited too! They're so willing to do anything for us if it means they can go play out back. Boy, it was a bear to put together though, I'll tell ya. Oh, and since we got it just a few days ago, Audrey has learned how to pump her legs! Yeah!!!





And speaking of spending money, this is the best $60 we've ever spent. Jacob just loves his Big Toy! And I just love how he "devours" the star he's chewing on. I could just eat him he's so cute!

New Couch!

I can be so gloomy sometimes, yikes. Sorry 'bout that. So here's something a bit more cheerful. Our couch finally came!! We're so excited! It even has feathers in the cushions so it's way comfy. Now we're just waiting on the ottoman. What do you think?

Note to Self

This is more for me than for any of you, but I thought I should post it here so I can refer back to it later, and maybe even learn something new by writing down the old. Plus, maybe I'll get some kind-hearted, tried-and-true tips from other parents? (hint-hint;)

In an effort to figure out my strongly stubborn daughter, I want to make a list of things that I've learned work well with her, but can't exactly recall on our hardest of days (why is that?). So here's a list of them, in no particular order:

-The power of choice: if it's okay for her to decide about something, then by all means, let her decide!
-Give her responsibilities so she feels like Mommy's Big Helper.
-One-on-one time with her on a regular basis is vital. Make sure many of these are very silly!
-She gets cranky when hungry and/or tired. Just be prepared.
-Although it takes much more effort, a happy-go-lucky tone works so much better than a you're-in-trouble-missy tone
-Routines help her feel more in control
-Her temper is a mirror of my own. She learns how to deal with frustration from watching me, so set a good example, would ya Hil?
-Discipline immediately after the offense, have the punishment fit the crime, follow through, consistency, yada yada yada. (it's getting late and I can't remember anything else)

I know these sound pretty basic to you all, but they were hard ones for us to learn. I'm ashamed to admit how crazy it's gotten, but feel like I need to announce it so we can build a support system. Great, now she sounds like such a monster child, and she's not. We love her and are so glad to have her. Our lives seriously wouldn't be the same. She's such a great big sister to her siblings and (usually) loves to take care of them. She is always so honest with us. I'm amazed at how at just 4 years of age she can explain her feelings so well and get to the root of what's really bothering her. I know adults that can't do that. And by golly is she smart! She remembers practically everything that is told to her (we just wonder what she repeats back to her Primary teachers;). We love her dearly and that is why we are working so hard to be good parents for her.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. I'm probably not making much sense anyway because of the hour.

(By the way Megan, the chart idea for her "accidents" problem worked like a charm! We hardly have to use the chart, because the threat of taking stickers off if she makes a mess was enough. Thanks!)

Frustration

I've been dealing with a bit of frustration lately and need to get it out. (Sorry in advance.)

-I don't get to blog near as much as I would like. I have a bunch of pictures I want to post, but by the time I get the kids in bed and clean up a bit, I'm done. I just want to go to bed so I can keep my goals of waking up early and exercising. Ugh. And I really want to keep current with friends' blogs, but I have something like 120 new posts on my Google Reader account; I don't know, I'm too scared to look anymore.

-I've got 3 book clubs going on this month, and normally I'd be lucky to finish 1 book in a month, but 3? Plus, there's the ones I want to finish before the summer's over that are sitting there, taunting me each time I pass them. Oh well. Maybe when the kids are in high school I'll be able to read all day??? It's just so hard not to get too involved with a book that I neglect the family all day long or stay up ALL night. Does anybody have any tips on how to step away from the book you're reading?!?

-It has been a very difficult week with Audrey. Okay, it's been longer than that (by about 2 years, maybe?), but this week especially. She had a hard time moving and acted out a bit because of the stress. That was to be expected, and we tried to focus on happy things with her to distract her. She was very excited about the new house, so that helped. But lately she's just been so defiant and it's really hard for me to control my temper when she openly rebels against us like that, so we've been spiraling. Why is it that I seem to be able to figure her out only to forget all that I learned a few months later when we both regress? Yikes. But today was a pretty good day. I was able to stay calm and we both made it through a tantrum okay and actually happy. But by bedtime I was emotionally tired and had Jeromy deal with her for me, and in so doing it took ALMOST TWO HOURS to get them into bed! Mount on top of this that I was trying really hard to get everything done (laundry, dishes, etc.) before bedtime so that I could finish my book tonight for my book club tomorrow night, and... you get the idea.


So, here I vent to make myself feel better, and my sweet husband is making me a snack in the kitchen because I've just told him that I need a break and so I'll be up late. Did I mention that he has to wake up in 5 1/2 hours? Thanks, hon, you're the kindest person I know.

Can Shelf Plans

Wow, I didn't think so many of you would be so interested in making a can shelf like mine (sometimes I feel like I'm the only one with a passion for storing food). I'm so happy to share these plans with everyone! Here is the link to the plans for my can shelf.

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_503.pdf

It's a big pdf file, sorry, but just scroll down till you get to page 92 (or 10-7). You basically need: 4-2x4's, a bunch of plywood, little strips of wood so the cans don't roll off the shelf, strips of cardboard (I've got a bunch of leftover boxes if anyone needs them!) to separate the different rows of cans, lots of nails, a few L-brackets, screws, thin wood strips for the sides of the shelves, and your food storage. We didn't do the little cut outs at the end of the shelves because it was too time consuming and we figured we were adult enough to know how to get a can off the shelf without pinching our fingers. I know the plans look intimidating, but where there's a will, there's a way! Please let me know if you get stuck or have any questions!

If you have a minute, you might want to check out the rest of the document (I know, it's huge, but most of the pages have huge fonts). It's designed for a food storage course complete with handouts and transparencies. It's got some great information if you're interested.

Since we're on the subject of food storage, does anybody have any ideas, recipes, websites, etc. they'd like to share?

Our Seven-Month-Old

Jacob is now 7 months old, can you believe it?!?! He is growing so fast: rolling over, always wanting to stand on your lap, not sit in it (we just can't get him to bend his legs!), eating solid foods, starting to scoot on the floor, and on Monday we noticed his first tooth! Time flies. He is such a delightful little guy. We're so glad he's joined our family. We love you, Jacob!

Here are some random pictures we've taken of him in the last month or so.

Jacob fell asleep while my Mom and I were unpacking. Poor guy!

His first pear! An actual slice of pear in a mesh bag thingy. He devoured it, putting the whole thing in his mouth and sucking on it till it was just a little bit of brown pulp, ew.

Jacob's first Rice Rusk (a cracker-like wafer that dissolves really easily). He liked this as well, lunging his head towards the cracker in impatience. And they're so dry that once we put it in his mouth, it would stick to his lips!

Uuuuurrrrrrggh!

What do you do with a fully potty-trained 4-year-old that doesn't seem to be able to make it to the potty in time? She waits till the last minute then sprints for the bathroom, but doesn't get her panties off (or more correctly, princess/ballerina paraphernalia) fast enough, and then she yells for me to come clean her and the floor up. I am really getting sick of this!!

My Can Shelf

Isn't it a thing of beauty? I'm so excited that I finally have my cans up and can cook with them now without having to go on a scavenger hunt in the basement. But after spending a whole day putting those cans away, I found a couple more boxes of stuff that needs to go on there, so I'm hoping it fits (crossing my fingers!). I love food storage!!



By the way, if you want the plans to make a can shelf of your own, let me know. It's fairly simple and only about $50 worth of lumber. But you need to have rafters or something to attach it to.

Little Brother

This morning I asked the girls if they would watch Jacob on my bedroom floor so I could finish getting ready for the day. This is what I saw when I came out. I almost got upset at Audrey for picking up her little brother when she's not supposed to, but then I saw how cute they were together and had to run and get the camera. So cute!





They are definitely brother and sister, are they not?

How Do You Find a Preschool?

Audrey told me how:

Audrey: Mom! We need to find a preschool for me!
Me: You're right! We do need to do that. Well, how do you think we could find one?
Audrey: We could follow the school bus!

What a smartey.

I'm So Thankful For Blogs!

My dear friend Megan said it best when she posted her Blogimony here. I must agree with her 100%! Please read and become converted:) (I should also add that blogs have made this whole moving transition a WHOLE lot easier!)

We Can't Wait!!

1 month and 3 days till Pysch Season 2 comes out on DVD, and 1 month and 13 days till Pysch Season 3 premieres on USA. This is the sole reason we have cable right now. Yeah!!

Apple Tree

We are so thrilled to actually have a backyard now! Well, I guess we technically had a backyard at our townhouse, if you can call a cement slab a yard. Anyhow, the girls have been loving the lawn, and I'm so excited to plant vegetables around the sides of the yard. Today we had a little FHE about gardens and then planted an apple tree. So fun! We hope to get a lot more done the rest of the week, and I hope to take lots of pictures. Right now the part of our house that looks the best is our lawn, so that's what I'm posting pictures of. Pictures of the inside are going to have to wait a little while, sorry!

New Callings

So yesterday Jeromy and I got callings. They called us, sustained us, and set us apart and gave us our visiting teaching/home teaching routes too. I was telling Jeromy that it's hard to feel part of a ward until you have a job. And he said that Pres. Hinckley said every new convert (which I kind of feel like lately) needs a responsibility, a friend, and nourishment by the good word. So two down, one to go. Oh, ya, our callings. We're on the activities committee. Cool, huh.

Lazy Excuses

I said I was back to the blogging world, and then I didn't do anything. I didn't post anything, I didn't read others' blogs, nada. I'm such a liar. I've also been pretty lazy around the house lately by reading instead of unpacking (in all fairness though I had just a few days to read a book for a book club).

But it's all about to change!! (Hint: This is my way of giving myself some motivation, if I tell people what I hope to do, then I have to do it or else I'd be lying.) I miss blogging so much and my friends even more, so I'm desperate to get back into it.

I guess I haven't been that lazy, actually. We've been to EVERY furniture store in a 30 mile radius in the last couple of weeks, and finally purchased a cute brown couch last night (it's a cloth sectional with feathers in the padding!). The sad part is it won't be here for about a month:( And we went to Jeromy's parents' house for Memorial Day weekend and had a lot of fun up there for 3 days.

To top off all of these excuses, Audrey has been learning the wonders of the internet. I was trying to think of things for her to do to stay out of my hair so I could unpack, and so I showed her the Wiggles website and all the cool games and stuff on it (and after a week of me getting sick of the songs, I showed her Playhouse Disney's website). It took her about an hour to figure out how to use a computer, and now she can navigate herself around those websites pretty well. Pretty impressive! Anyway, we only have the one computer unpacked right now and she's been hogging it. And now she's broken off the H key on the laptop's keyboard. It's a good thing I don't use that one much ;)

So there you have it. Lazy, full of excuses, and dying to get back into the swing of things. That's me. I hope I'm making sense right now, cuz I'm actually pretty tired. Well, I better go read others' blogs now!!

I'm back!!

I can finally blog again after not having internet, phone, or TV for a week and a half. Yikes! I hope I don't have to do that again. It reminded me how dependent we've become of the internet. Crazy. Anyway, now that I've got internet, I can finally check everyone else's blogs! Get ready to hear a whole lot of backlogged comments from me!

Well, we're all moved in and all unpacked! Just kidding; I wish we were all unpacked. My mom flew in last week and she was an amazing help! We got a ton unpacked and lots of stuff done, so now I just have the miscellaneous boxes of junk left that I don't feel like even opening, plus all the food storage. That'll probably take me awhile.

We are loving our new house! We've got a huge loft upstairs that all the toys are in and that's where I'm going to put my computer, craft stuff, coupon stuff, etc. in so I can do whatever while the kids play. I'm really excited about that. And it's really nice to have Jeromy home by 6pm every night, and he doesn't have to go to bed super early in order to get up super early to beat traffic. Yeah!!!

But alas, our ward isn't the same. We had such an exceptional ward in Provo, that I'm afraid it's hard to beat, or even match. The Primary consists of over 100 kids, so that's good, the girls will have a lot of friends. But the Relief Society only has about 20-25 women attending each week, and they didn't even introduce me the first week. I had to make that happen our second week. It's just strange. Hardly anybody has introduced themselves, so I kind of feel lost in the crowd (although our next-door neighbors have been really nice). Oh well, the church is true and they offer the sacrament and teach my children. What else do I need?

With that said, we miss all our friends like crazy!! Please come visit us if you can! I'm keeping my hairstylist and pediatrician in Provo because they're great and because then I'll have an excuse to go down and visit everyone. Love ya all!

Packing, Packing, and More Packing

My life consists of packing right now, and not much else. Although I've found a moment to blog a little, I don't have time to check everyone else's blogs :( So in a couple of weeks expect to hear from me on your blogs when I try to get current again.

We are all so excited to get into our new house. Tomorrow we close and then this weekend we move in. Everything is happening so fast that I feel like a whirlwind. Thanks to all who have offered to watch the girls so I can pack!! They are loving being able to see their friends one more time before we leave.

Yesterday was our last Sunday in our beloved Slate Canyon 11th ward. I tried really hard to not get emotional. It was hard. We've had 4 years, 3 babies, 2 jobs, and a ward split, not to mention many great and wonderful friends, all in this wonderful little area. It's hard to go, so lately I've been focusing on how exciting a new big home will be that's close to Jeromy's office, so I don't have to think about how sad I am. But I don't think I can hold it in much longer.

Audrey is pretty sad too. I wasn't sure how this move would affect a 4-year-old until we had a nice little conversation yesterday. Audrey didn't want to eat her dinner because she said she was tired. Exasperated, I sent her to bed (I thought just the threat would get her to eat, but she surprisingly and obediently went up to her bed). A few minutes later Jeromy went up to talk with her and he asked her what was wrong. She said she was sad because we were moving and she wouldn't see her friends ever again. He assured her that we will still live close enough to visit, but she was still sad.

So I went and had a little talk with her. I tried to cheer her up by telling her that she could write messages on the computer to her friends any time she wanted to, and maybe we could invite all of her friends up to the new house for a party once we get moved in. It cheered her up a little bit, and then she asked why we were moving. I told her that Daddy's work is kind of far away, and it takes him a long time to get home, but our new house is really close to his work, so he will be home faster. She was still sad so I thought I'd leave her alone for awhile.

A few minutes later she came downstairs and announced sadly, "I'm okay that we're moving now." I asked her why. She said, "I'm ready for Daddy Time." That just about broke my heart. I am so proud of her that she's so brave and selfless that she's willing to put the needs of the family above her wants. She constantly amazes me.

So thank you all for being wonderful neighbors and friends! Indeed it is hard to say good-bye, but I am so grateful for blogs and emails and phones so we can all keep in touch. And hey, it's not like we're moving that far away. We'll probably come down for various activities and such. And you are all welcome to come up and visit us anytime!!

We Found A House!!

Wow, they don't call it house-HUNTING for nothing! We really had to hunt this thing down and grab it before anyone else did. It's all happening so fast! We saw the house for the first time last Saturday, made an offer Tuesday, they officially accepted on Thursday, and we hope to close the deal in a week and a half and move in on the 3rd. Crazy!!!

So that means I have 2 weeks to pack, find renters, pick out appliances, etc. etc. (so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for awhile!). I really hope the kids are good for me so I can pack like crazy- knock on wood.

We are really excited for our new home. It's right next to Ikea (yeah!) and is only 3 years old (double yeah!) and HUGE (triple yeah!)!!! But the main thing that I'm looking forward to is seeing Jeromy more often since he can probably get to work in 10 minutes. Awe-some! And I can send the kids out to the backyard to play! We're all very excited. The girls were actually confused when we pulled up to the church today because they were hoping to go to our new church already. And they aren't understanding why it's going to take more than a day to pack all of our belongings. They are very anxious to get into their new home!

We have LOVED this place so much. It's been perfect for our little family. And we've made the best of friends here. We are definitely going to miss you all!! It's very bittersweet to leave. And it's happening so fast that it's hard to process it all. Like our realtor said, "Sometimes it's better to just rip the band-aid off and be done." We'll see if that's true for us or not. At least we can all keep in touch through blogging, right?

I'm very grateful that everything seems to be falling into place now. And very grateful for the 4 wonderful years that we've had here. Thank you!!

Handsome Jeromy

I didn't want Jeromy to feel left out. I love you too, hon!

Strong Jacob

A week and a half ago, Jacob rolled over for the first time!! Both directions on the same day!! Man, he's growing so fast. I love him!

Brave Audrey

Last night I had a planning meeting for my new calling, and I had to leave right when the kids were getting ready for bed. Apparently, Kierra had a hard time that I was gone, so Audrey tried to comfort her. She told me about it when I got home. "Kierra was really sad when you left, and she wanted a hug. So I was brave for her and cuddled with her so she wouldn't be scared anymore. I was brave, huh. And then you came home and we could hug you!" I love her!

Compassionate Kierra

We were watching a movie with our babysitting group kids tonight, and it got a teensy bit scary (a turtle flying through the air holding onto a garden hose). One little girl said, "Mommy!" So Kierra tried to comfort her, saying, "Oh, it's okay, your Mommy will be back soon" (rubs her back) "It's late, huh. She'll be back soon, huh." By this time she was completely ignoring Kierra and watching the movie, but Kierra had to make sure that she was okay. I love her!

It's Been A Sad Day

Last week is behind me! Yeah!!! With all the cleaning for company, entertaining company, preparing a lesson for a mini-enrichment class, and planning a surprise birthday party for my dad, I was pretty well beat by the time Friday night was over. Whew! But it's all over and now I can resume house hunting (ugh).

Here's a recap (I'm sorry this is quite lengthy, but I'm treating this sorta as a journal page):

My dad's brother and his wife stayed with us last week (from Tues. to Fri.) while they visited their son and his family who are attending the Y. It was really nice to see them. The girls loved all the attention!

On Thursday night, I taught a mini-enrichment class on food storage and how to start obtaining your three-month supply of everyday foods. It's a topic that I'm pretty passionate about, so it was fun to prepare for, albeit stressful and bad timing. I am really loving my new calling!

Thursday was also a big day for Jeromy at work. He gave a 7 hour presentation to their biggest client and pulled it off so well that the boss gave everyone Friday off (partly because Jeromy was able to get through everything they needed to, and partly because they had all been working past 10pm the whole week). Way to go, hon!

So Friday was spent running errands for the big party (luckily, I had Jeromy there to help and wonderful neighbors to watch the girls- thanks again Wendy!), and getting the house ready for a new batch of company. My sister drove all the way from WA to make it just in time for the party (and I MEAN just in time- she got there a half an hour before my dad:). My dad had no idea! He showed up at the library expecting to take the girls to a cool puppet show. The library even put signs up and everything! He walked into one of their rooms to find: his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband, his mother, his sister-in-law and her husband, his in-laws, a few of his nieces and nephews, us, and even more surprisingly, his daughter and her children from Washington! It was great!! Happy 60th Dad!!!

Saturday was spent watching conference, going for a hike near Bridal Veil Falls, spending quality time with relatives, etc. etc. The guys went up to SLC for the priesthood session while us gals ordered chinese (one of my favorite family traditions!). My sisters and I even got to do a little shopping while Grandma watched all 6 grandkids. She's a trooper!

Sunday, more conference and hanging out.

On Monday, my sister and I took the kids to the Children's Museum at the Gateway up in SLC. They have a Sesame Street exhibit on The Body. It was really fun! We thought it was a little overpriced at $12 per person (over age one), but the kids had a blast.

Shelly and I went (with the kids, I might add, and yes, we're crazy) to Ikea on Tuesday. Loved it! They take your potty trained children for an hour for free! So we just had the babies and Kierra while we roamed the store. Then we picked up the other kids and had lunch at their cafe (yummy Swedish meatballs, mmmm). Awe-some! Then Jeromy took Audrey, Kierra, and my sister's 3-year-old home so we could go to Tai Pan Trading for awhile. And Cafe Rio for dinner! What more can a girl ask for?!?

So today my sister headed back home. And that is why it has been a sad day. We've just been kinda moping around all day because all the fun and excitement is over. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for visiting, everyone!!!