Here is the mommy-mobile we went with. A Toyota Sienna. I am still loving it by-the-way. It is so family friendly and I can fit so many groceries in the back!
Ava had her first dance review on Friday. It was so adorable to see her up there tapping her toes. At this age the little girls are just a big mass of red glitter with each girl pretty much making up their own dance as they go. I was proud of Ava though because she actually remembered a lot of the moves and she wasn’t even scared! We only had one costume mishap when her shorts fell off during the first dance! Of course I am to blame because I knew with her skinny condition these days from being sick for the past four weeks she needed a safety pin. I swear I am the worst mom because I never remember essential things like safety pins. Oh well, I’ll get it right eventually. And it gave the audience a good chuckle!
I have been in a quandary about what to do with the MILLIONS of papers and craft projects Ava and Lauren color, bring home from preschool, bring home from church, etc., etc. So, when I saw this idea in a magazine I had to give it a try. Our Creativity Corner will be a work in progress, but at least I can recycle about 10 forests after the photoshoot! Does anyone else have any ideas about what to do with their children’s plethora of papers?
You can see from these photos how dark our apartment is. I had every light on and every window and door open and it was the middle of the day!
My joys today…
(Popcorn Popper)…a little piece of Heaven I ordered on Ebay. We popped some last night and it brought back so many childhood memories. It even looks like the one we had growing up with the yellow and black base.
(Spacious Driving with automatic windows)…we have crossed over into two car kingdom as of yesterday. We purchased a mommy-mobile to prepare for our third child. I must it admit it’s like driving in the lap of luxury. Soooo many perks that the little Kia does not have. I am in driving HEAVEN!
(Candles)…just comforting and nice.
(Talking)…with Steve. It is so fun to just chat and visit about life. I love our times together.
Here are some photos Steve took and I couldn’t resist posting them because I thought they were so adorable!
Here are some photos from the week of Halloween. Of course I’m posting them a month later! That tells you how much I love Halloween. I read about the holiday and it seems pretty pointless. I guess it is fun to dress up and kids love getting bagfuls of sugar, so I’ll enjoy it because they enjoy it. I’m just not creative and I don’t like all the sugar. So I’m the scrooge for Halloween. Don’t tell! Overall the week was fun. It started with the Aggie Parade on Saturday and the famous Pumpkin Launch in College Ward. That there is some good redneck fun. Three guys in College Ward built these gigantic pumpkin launchers and tried to hit an old car and a target with the pumpkins. You have to see it to believe it. And don’t forget the Pumpkin Walk in Hyde Park. It’s all the rage at Halloween. Another night we carved pumpkins with our little family. On Halloween we ate at Dave and Laura’s house and went trick-or-treating with Sarah and Jake von. Lauren was a witch and Ava had two costumes. For a few of her many parties she was Snow White. Then on Halloween when we were getting ready she had a surge of creativity and wanted to be the dancing version of Strawberry Shortcake. So she wore a black skirt over her pants. It was a fun filled night!
Aggie Parade
Pumpkin Launch
Pumpkin Walk
Carving Pumpkins
Halloween
At the beginning of October my mom, my sister Emily, Ava, Lauren and I took a trip to visit the Buxtons in New Mexico. They live close to the indian reservation, and they said the people lovingly call it “the rez.” We had such a blast. Here are a few highlights…
* Lily’s Fancy Nancy Party…It was truly FANCY! We all dressed up in dresses and boas and earings and painted our nails and had our hair done by Ruthie and ate parfaits. It was fabulous!
* Pumpkin Fun…We went to a big pumpkin farm where the girls rode a train, went through a corn maze, played in a huge playground of corn kernels, and picked their own pumpkins. It was good fall fun!
I have been thinking since I went to Time Out for Women that I need to notice the joys in my life more. I have so many, but when I’m honest with myself, sometimes the days blur together and I am not too joyful. The routine of my days and the sheer exhaustion that comes with having small children cloud my view of how joyful my life is. So I am going to periodically write down the joys in my life so they won’t pass me by. I hope my cousin Jo will forgive me for using her creative formatting style for this post.
(Yellow Leaves)…I love the crisp autumn air and the beautiful fall leaves in Cache Valley right now. Today Ava and I walked home from church and it was joyful to see the beauty all around us.
(My Mom)…lets me do my laundry every week at her house right now because we don’t have laundry hook-ups at our apartment. I HATE this apartment situation with a passion, but my mom is a joy in the midst of this dark hole that I get to look forward to every week! Hopefully we’ll be in the house before the baby is due!
(Ava)…taught me the power of prayer the other day and it was a joy hear. She had a headache and said she needed to say her personal prayer “right now so my Heavenly Father can take away my headache.” She proceeded to go in the other room and ask Heavenly Father to make her head better. When she was done I asked if her prayer worked, and she said “yes.” It was a very tender and joyful moment in my mothering book.
(Lauren)…watching her dance makes me laugh every time. She especially loves to dance in front of any mirror she can find so she can see herself. She throws her arms and legs around and flips her hair in the most spontaneous manner. It is truly joyful to watch.
(Running Shoes)…when I put them on in the morning and exercise I feel like I can conquer the day. I feel invigorated and joyful. If I can run or swim in the morning I feel like I can actually move. It’s a great feeling.
OK, more to come later…
We are very excited that our sea of estrogen will get a wave of testosterone in February! We are having a baby boy and are thrilled!
My grandmother Morris and my sister Sarah celebrated their birthdays this month. This year they both reached milestone years. Sarah was so excited to turn 12 so she could be in Young Women’s and get one year closer to being a teenager. Sarah started middle school and is growing up so quickly. We love Sarah!
We celebrated Sarah’s birthday with the famous chocolate mint cake and a trip to Jamba Juice.
My grandmother is not excited to be 80, but I think it’s a great milestone and something to celebrate! She is coming into her own at age 80! This year she got her ears pierced, practiced driving again, and went on a trip to London. And she has got to be the most beautiful 80-year-old woman living. She is an inspiration to me!
We celebrated Grandma’s birthday at a big bash at the Copper Mill.
Previous
