merry christmas

It's 1:30 am. The house is dark except for the glow of the Christmas lights. Everything is quiet--even John gave up on me and went to bed. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve. We spent the day visiting friends and neighbors, and then had a very peaceful celebration at my parents' house. It has been years since I've spent Christmas Eve with my parents, and I was only mildly surprised that the routine for the evening is still the same as when I was growing up. We sang Christmas carols, then sang Silent Night in German. We recited Luke 2 from memory, and then read the same verses from the German Bible. My mom added a slide show this year that she had made for a Relief Society class she taught. It set pictures of Christ's life to Behold the Lamb of God from the Messiah. It was very moving and really set a nice tone for Christmas.

When we got home, we found a package left by one of our sweet neighbors. It was a bag of oatmeal and glitter, along with a little poem about Rudolph finding his way to our house. We went outside and sprinkled the oatmeal in our yard. Then as Katelyn and Carter got in bed, we heard sleigh bells outside. Katelyn got a lot more excited than Carter, and actually went to sleep right away with the knowledge that Santa was on his way.

I am so excited to see the kids' faces when they see what Santa has brought for them. Katelyn is at a really fun age to experience the magic of Christmas, and we're trying to make the most of it.

I have so many things I want to write about. We have done some really fun things with the kids this month. But it has been very busy, so I'm quite behind on my blogging. So expect a lot of catch-up posts later on. For now, I'm going to bed to try to push the excitement from my mind and get some sleep. I wish you all a fun and peaceful Christmas with your families.

Looking the gift horse in the mouth

John's Radiology Department Christmas party was last week. We got a babysitter, got dressed up, and went to the Marriott in Research Park to eat yummy food and gamble. Gamble, you ask? Yes, it was casino night at the Marriott. We were each given points to exchange at the various gambling tables. John and I aren't so into gambling, so we sat around and chatted. Finally we decided we should get some chips and play roulette. John wanted to throw all of the chips on one number, but I wanted to make them last a little longer. My first success came when I put a couple of chips on 00 and it hit. The odds are pretty good on that one, so we were excited. A few minutes and a few wins and losses later, it was time for the last bet of the night. I put everything on the number 8 and, you guessed it, we won big! Our winnings were converted to raffle tickets, and we got 20 tickets! Man, am I an awesome gambler! (I know this wouldn't hold true if I tested it in reality, so don't expect to see me in Wendover or Mesquite anytime soon.)

We wrote our names on all of those tickets and put them in the box. The prizes ranged from pencil sharpeners, to $100 Amazon.com gift cards. We waited in anticipation. Each guest could win only once, but our odds were so good, we had to get something! But we didn't want just anything. We're greedy. We wanted something good. C'mon, we had earned it, right? About 3/4 of the way into the drawing, when we were started to think we'd go home empty-handed, my name was called. I had won.................a portable, rechargeable spotlight! The side of the box reads, "Ideal for use in trucks, boats, hunting, construction, camping." We mocked. We ridiculed. We even felt a little sorry for ourselves. When John's name was called and he won a $25 Target gift card, I claimed it as my own and gave him the spotlight. Even then, I offered to trade it for a candelabra we have no use for. We went home with our gifts and put the spotlight in the garage.

Two nights later, we returned home from John's mom's house at 10 pm to a dark street and an even darker house. The power had been out for some time, and who knew when it would be back. Luckily, John had plugged in the charger for our new gift, and we used it to put the kids in their beds. That spotlight has the power of 3 million candles! It almost blinded me when John pointed it at the wall in front of me! And it has enough power to last for days if you use it right!

We called the power company and 65,000 people in the Salt Lake valley were without power. Yikes! So we sat in candlelight and talked. When we needed to go into another room, we carried the handy-dandy spotlight and had more light than we needed. We marveled at what a wonderful gift we had been given and how useful it was really going to be. No more searching the grass with a tiny flashlight for Thomas the Train so that Carter can go to sleep. Now I can light up the whole yard and find things in a jiffy. It would have really come in handy a few months ago when I planted bulbs in the dark for 3 hours and kept having to stand up to activate our motion sensor lights in the yard.

The power came back on an hour or two later. We had a wonderful chat with no need for electricity, and we were ready to go to bed. And we had a new appreciation for our spotlight, which now has a special place in the garage.

I know, I'm an ungrateful dope!

Do you want to see my new white kitchen?

We did it! All of the cabinet doors are painted and rehung, complete with new hardware. Here's how the kitchen looked before:

This is what we did: John textured the ceiling and I painted it. I painted all of the cabinet doors, and John painted everything that didn't come off. We used an antique white, and it actually blends really well with our newer bisque appliances like the new fridge and stove. As for the yellowing old microwave and dishwasher, maybe someday we can replace them and it will all match better. John also painted the green strip above the cabinets. I wanted it to look like there was a wall above the cabinets, instead of cabinets to the ceiling, like they were before. Also, it wouldn't look good with all white connecting to a white ceiling.

Here's the new look:

Obviously we have a lot of work left to do. The ugly yellow strip above the countertops is our unfinished wall. John ripped off the sheet of laminate and the wall beneath it is covered with glue. My job now is to scrape it all off and mud and sand until it's smooth. Then I'll paint it green. The countertops look super ugly now because they're too light. We'll eventually get new laminate. I'm picturing something like this:

Once we get the countertops in, I'll probably tile part of the way up the wall. Our floors are here and ready to install as soon as we're done with the walls. They'll make the biggest difference of all. They're a semi-dark oak with a hint of red to them. The kitchen can definitely use some contrast now. But we can't believe the difference the cabinets make! The dark wood used to soak up all of the light. Now when I walk into the kitchen, day or night, the white reflects light and it is so bright and happy!

Thanks for putting up with all of the house pics. We're making progress, but it takes a long time. Can't wait to post the next update!

Winter is here!

We had our first real snow storm on Tuesday night. The kids and I were driving home in the dark with big snow flakes falling everywhere and Katelyn suddenly shouted, "It's Christmas!" Carter joined in and the two of them repeated it excitedly as they looked at Christmas lights on the houses we passed and watched the snow fall. I felt myself getting excited, too. How could I help it? It's so fun to see the holidays and traditions through the eyes of your children. I've been working on an advent calendar that I started 2 years ago and I'm determined now to finish it in the next couple of days. It's one where the kids get to move Mary and Joseph on a donkey, moving toward Bethlehem. On Christmas Day, they get to put Baby Jesus in the manger. Of course, each day also has a little pocket with a treat in it (I'll have to put 2 little treats in so they can each have one). My sister, Stephanie, and I patterned it after the calendar we used growing up, and I have fond memories of waking up and being excited to move Joseph and Mary forward on their path. Anyway, I'm anxious to get it finished so that I can share the tradition with the kids this year.

I have yet to put up Christmas decorations, so we're going to do it this weekend. I'm so excited to put lights on our first home! I wanted to hang lights outside in Spokane last year, but I couldn't justify the expense in a rental home. I hope we can make it look really cool and I'll post pictures!

When the kids got up Wednesday morning, they were so excited to see the snow everywhere. They stood at the back door and named everything that was covered with snow - the trampoline (oops, need to take that down), their scooters, their playhouse, the swingset, the sandbox, etc. (It was pretty neat to see our yard covered with snow. Each season brings a view of our yard and house that we've never seen before.) I'm not too keen on spending time outside in the cold, but I felt like a good mom would take the kids outside to play. So we got all bundled up and headed outside to make a snowman. It turned out to be a snow girl, as you can see, and the kids weren't that interested in helping me. They just sat and ate snow, despite my pleading with them to stop. They did like it when it was finished, though, and have enjoyed watching it melt and eventually topple over. And I felt good that I had gone out with them and played.

Poor Carter! He gets to wear pink boots and mittens this year. I might have to

break down and buy him his own, since the pink ones are pretty small anyway.

That night, we watched the Shrek Christmas special on tv. Once again, I remembered my excitement as a child. I loved watching the Christmas specials on tv! Carter sat in my lap through the entire show and pointed out every character. I got to sit between the kids before bed for How the Grinch Stole Christmas and I just loved watching the kids' delighted faces. We snuggled in a blanket with hot water bottles and had the best time.

I'm guess I'm kind of rambling with this post. I just want to say that I love being a mom so much! My cousin Coralee recently wrote a posting about the same thing. I am trying to remember every day how special my time is with these little people. I love to hold their hands and kiss their cheeks. I love to hear their sweet little voices (when they're not yelling or arguing with each other), especially when they're singing. I love to watch their faces when they discover something new. And I love to be the one helping them to learn something that they'll use throughout their lives. My kids challenge me every day, and I lose my patience all too often. But I love them more than I could ever have imagined and I feel so blessed to have them and to be able to stay home with them. And, I'm excited to share the magic of Christmas with them this year!

Katie's special trip

Because Katelyn's birthday is two days before Christmas, we try to celebrate about a month early. That way, she's about sick of her birthday presents just in time to get new ones for Christmas. I have been waiting since before Katelyn was born to take her to Build A Bear. Purely for her enjoyment, not mine, in case you're wondering. I was really tempted to do it last year, but I wanted to make sure that she was old enough to get the most out of the experience. So on Saturday, John and Carter and I took Katelyn to the mall to create her new best friend.

It was so hard to pick an animal. Especially because every time she fell in love with one, we gave her the stuffingless body and she was severely disappointed. She did not want to take home a lifeless shell of a pet.

She was mesmerized by the stuffing machine.

Look at her face! She so tenderly brushed her bear in the fake bathtub. She loves to tell people how she gave her bear a bath and fluffed him up with the brush.

Dad helps her try the princess dress on her bear.

This is Lizzy. She was set on naming her Katelyn, but we convinced

her to share her middle name (Elizabeth) instead.

As we should have expected, the box was the most exciting part! She is still carrying it around with a collection of toys inside, despite its broken handles and dilapidated condition. John and I thought this was the cutest thing ever:


By the way, these days I find myself wondering daily if Katelyn is turning 4 or 14. Tonight she called to me from her bed and asked me if she could get out. I said no, and she did her best to reason with me. "I have to tell you something. It's just better if I tell the truth." (You can tell that we've been working on the truth vs. lying issue.) "Sometimes people just need to hop out of their beds." This was said in all seriousness, and when it didn't work, she tried this tactic. "Just listen. It's really simple. You just have to let kids hop out of their beds." I had to put my head down and shield my face with my hand so that she couldn't see me laughing. It cracked me up, especially since she sounds so much like me!

A Sizeable Dilemma

Just moments ago, Tanner came running in yelling, "Pooh Bear's stuck in a Rabbit hole!" I ran outside, camera in hand, to find this :


(OK, I may have manipulated the situation just a little for the photo op.)

Little Nothings

"I'm a princess!" That was Carter, walking out of Katie's bedroom after dinner with her flowered princess headband on his head and pretty silver beads around his neck. John, Tanner, and I were still at the table finishing up our dinner and we all burst out laughing. I'm glad my hubby isn't too masculine to get a laugh out of things like that. If I had been thinking I would have snapped a photo. We'll be teasing him about that forever, I have a feeling.

Obviously I don't have anything earth-shattering to blog about. The potty training is going really well. Carter had the beginnings of an accident this morning, but then lasted the rest of the day through two separate trips to the library, a trip to Walmart, and an hour in the car driving to pick up Tanner and bring him back here. He's a little stud.

I'm very grateful for friends today. I had a really meaningful conversation with a new friend in my neighborhood today and that felt great. I also had several much-needed talks with one of my sisters on the phone throughout the day. Then one of my best friends called me tonight just to check on me, and I think it was inspired, because I really needed talk to her.

On another, very random, note: Check this site out. Flylady.com It's super fun to read if you're nerdy like me. My friends have no need for such a thing (this means you, Elise, if you're reading this), but it's still fun to see how other people organize their lives.

Day 2 O' the Potty

Yesterday I wasn't so sure if this whole potty thing was going to work out. Carter is so young! But after today, I'm feeling better about it. We kept up the same routine, where I have him get on the potty every half hour or so. I tried to keep stretching the time between trips. He did so awesome. He insisted on wearing underwear to bed for his nap, and he stayed dry for the whole 2 1/2 hours! The only accident of the entire day was right before bed, when I let him run around naked before bath time and I wasn't really paying attention. He was able to stop himself and finish on the potty. Maybe I'm getting too detailed. Anyway, I think Carter is actually getting the hang of it.


I just have to say, it was a hard day. The second day in a row of staying home all day. The second full day of struggling to accomplish anything because most of my time was spent in the bathroom. I found myself thinking once, as I sat on the floor in the bathroom doorway while Carter did his business, "Am I contributing anything at all in this world?" I was able to reason that it is something to help a member of society learn good bathroom habits. With this attitude, I started dinner and turned it into a cooking lesson for Katie. Now she knows how to peel carrots and wash celery.


I had this feeling all day that I am a big fat nothing. I was obviously feeling pretty down. Luckily I had a good experience right before putting Katie to bed. We were going over her letters, and to shake it up a bit, I had her write them instead of reciting each letter and its sound. She can write almost all of them with no help. We practiced the ones that are difficult for her - z, w, s - a couple of times. I was amazed at how smart she is. I don't know how she's internalized all of this stuff so quickly, basically on her own. This was the first time I've actually sat down with her to show her how to write, and she already knows it all!


I'm really not trying to brag - I know that those of you whose children are past this stage are thinking, "Yeah, that's how it works. They're pretty smart little buggers." I remember watching Alisa's little Maryn and being amazed at how quickly she picked up reading. And I remember thinking Elise's Sam was so smart when he could write his name in chalk on their patio. I'm very excited that it's my turn to watch my little girl learn.

I know I'm rambling. I guess what I'm trying to say is this. I know that what we do as mothers is so important, and that we really make a difference in the world with what we teach our children. I just wish that it wasn't so hard to feel important as a stay-at-home mom. There is so much more recognition and validation when you have a career outside of the home. I'm very lucky to have a husband who supports what I do. He has spent the evening pointing out all of the things our kids can do because of my teaching and guidance. Thanks for that, sweetie. I really do love being a mom. Sounds like I should get out of the house tomorrow, huh?!

A Whole Lot O' Potty

Before we found this book at the library, Carter didn't know who Ernie was. (If my kids watch Sesame Street, it's only for Elmo's World.) But who can resist that huge orange head with the little black tuft of hair on top? Seriously, Carter fell in love with Ernie! He had shown interest in sitting on the potty a few times after seeing Katie do it, but this really made it interesting for him. So for the last 6 or 8 weeks, Carter has gone #1 on the potty at least once a day. He can take off his pants and climb up onto the big potty all by himself!

I went to get a diaper for Carter when he woke up this morning and realized that we're down to our last 1/4 of a box (that's about 44 diapers in the giant Costco box). Being the cheapskate that I am, I decided today was the day. I'm going to train him before I have to buy diapers again. So we put on his Thomas the Train underwear and got started.

What a day! I set a timer for 20 minutes after the first potty trip. For the rest of the morning, I had him go and then set the timer for 20 minutes again, over and over and over and over. I put a diaper on him for his nap. After naptime, we went to 30 minutes. He only had two accidents all day, and I consider them my fault because I ignored the timer for a few minutes both times.

I was way behind on laundry this morning, so I also had a timer going off every hour to change loads. So you can imagine my day - laundry from dryer to basket, laundry from washer to dryer, new load in washer & scrub out the stains from the kids' clothes, take Carter to potty, fold and put away laundry, try to work on other cleaning projects, take Carter to potty, start laundry regimen again. It was actually a productive day. I cleaned and organized my bedroom (which has been a dumping ground and completely ignored while I've been focusing on painting), including the closet, and cleaned and vacuumed the van.

I hope I'm not going about this potty training thing all wrong. I really messed it up with Katelyn, starting and stopping and using Pull-Ups and then not. This time I just want to do it once and make it stick. I've been holding off, but he really seems to want to do it. I know he's little, so I hope it's not too soon. Wish me luck! We'll be doing the same routine tomorrow!

Patience is a virtue

I was putting Carter to bed on Thursday night when my phone rang. It was the plain old ring tone that I've designated for callers who are not in my phone book. When the caller identified himself as a member of the bishopric, it didn't occur to me at first that I was getting the dreaded phone call. I was actually caught off guard a little when he asked me to speak in Sacrament meeting. I haven't been asked to give a talk since I was a teenager. I asked him what the topic would be, and he told me that I could choose a topic. That scared me to death, so he started listing topics. When he said "patience," I knew it was meant to be. For the past few weeks, I have really been focusing my efforts on being a more patient, kind mom. I am far from mastering it, but I feel like it helps just to keep it in mind as I go about my day. Well, believe me, it's hard to yell at your kids when you're preparing a talk about patience! I wrote my talk on Friday while the kids napped, so I had the rest of the day and Saturday to go over it, out loud, and in my mind. I made changes here and there, and felt pretty prepared when I woke up yesterday. I wish that would help me to not feel nervous, but I have a real problem with performance anxiety! By the time it was my turn to get up, I thought I would fall down just getting from my seat to the podium because I was shaking so badly! It went ok, besides the fact that I spent far too much time with my head down - every time I looked up I was afraid I'd lose my place.

Anyway, I'm glad that I said yes and challenged myself to speak in public on a topic that I really need help with myself. It really is a growing experience, isn't it? Thanks so much to my sweet husband for being there to support me, and to my sister and my good friend Becky, who drove all the way to my neighborhood just to show me they care.

My smart little pre-schooler

Katie wrote her name for the first time today! A few months ago, she started noticing letters everywhere, so I decided to take advantage of her interest. I bought her an alphabet chart with pictures above the letters, and we started going over the letters and their sounds every night before bed. (We have a number chart that we go over as well.) From the beginning, she was the one reminding me that we needed to "do her letters." She gets to put stickers on a chart every time, working toward a prize at the dollar store when she fills up a row. It has been fun to watch her learn and have fun doing it.

A few weeks ago, she decided that she wanted to write letters. She got out her chart and some paper, and traced the letters with her finger before writing them on paper. This was her own idea, and I was so excited to see her form the letters with her pen and then show me her work. I suggested that she write words - she knows how to spell her own name, and mom and dad - but she didn't like that idea. She's been writing random letters all over coloring books and every paper in the house ever since then. But tonight, sitting at the table waiting for dad to get home for dinner, she wrote her name. She didn't ask for any help - I didn't even know she was doing it until she was done.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled! I haven't pushed anything, and I'm not in a rush for Katelyn to start reading. But she has a mind of her own, and she's ready to use it. We're already sounding out words in the books I read to her, and we bought some flash cards with sight words that we're starting to go over at night in addition to the other stuff. It is so rewarding to see that what I'm doing is working. And of course, I think my child is the smartest 3-year-old ever!

Daylight Savings

Before we had kids, I thought daylight savings was great. Switch things up a little bit, it's darker or lighter at night than you're used to. Especially in the fall, when we could stay up an extra hour on Saturday night and not pay for it the next morning. But once we had Katelyn, I saw it differently. Suddenly my neat little schedule was thrown off. The last two years have been more difficult because Carter is not a good sleeper to begin with. In fact, he has gone through another phase of waking in the middle of the night over the past couple of months. We finally had our first full week where he slept through the night - a week before the time change. The good news is that he's still sleeping all night long. The bad news is that he now wakes up at 5 am. I should use this as an opportunity to get up and get a jump on the day. But I don't. I try to encourage him to stay in bed until 6 am, which is the earliest acceptable wake up time in my book. And then I lie in bed until 6:30 when John leaves for work, mourning over my lost sleep. I know, I'm a big baby. I think that once his body adjusts - he is going to bed an hour later than he was used to - he'll be back on track, and hopefully sleeping until 6. There is hope.

On a happy note, the fall weather here has been just beautiful. The last two days have been so mild that the kids have spent almost the entire day running around the back yard with sweatshirts on. They're having a blast with the new trampoline, and they're making the most of the track John made for them to ride their Power Wheels on. I will be sad when it's too cold for them to last very long, and when the snow is too deep for them to play with their toys. For now, we'll enjoy the nice autumn weather, and I'll get as much done as possible before I have to start entertaining them inside again.

Free Stuff

My husband has a new addiction. It requires access to the internet and a cell phone at all times. It prompts him to call me in the middle of Carter's nap and ask if I want to drive 30 miles and disassemble a shed and try to fit it in our van. As you can tell, I've been a little poopy about my husband's new hobby. But I should have a better attitude, because it has really benefited us. For the last few weeks, John has been checking the "free stuff" sections of Craig's List and KSL.com (our local t.v. station has a website with a classified section) religiously. He has found that if something really good is posted, you have to call within minutes or you miss out. I think he got our trampoline by calling 7 minutes after it was posted. (Maybe it was sooner, I'm not really sure.) Yes, we have a trampoline. It's a nice one - not a hole or even a scratch on it. And, at John's insistence, we set it up while the rest of the state is taking them down and storing them for the winter. But my husband is a genius, and the kids are in heaven. Carter was outside before 8 am yesterday, jumping his little heart out (dressed in his Halloween tiger costume, of course). It's so cute, because he barely makes a dent in the trampoline, no matter how high he jumps.

Here are a few more free things we've gotten over the last week or two:

This Rubbermaid storage shed sells for more than $200 at Home Depot. And it's in perfect condition. You'd never even know it's been used.

John has been wanting a gas grill since last year in Spokane, when we tried to barbecue for everyone on our tiny charcoal grill. This one is definitely used, but in great shape. It worked perfectly for grilling up the fish he caught this past weekend.

This Thomas the Train toddler bed was Carter's favorite thing before we got the trampoline. He absolutely loves it, and last night he slept the entire night (at least until 5 am) in it for the first time! We still have his crib set up in his room, and that's where he's been sleeping because he usually won't stay in his Thomas bed.

It must seem like we're beggars or something, but I don't feel bad about taking things from people who want to get rid of them and saving money in the process. As long as we don't fill our house and yard with too much stuff. Sorry I've been such a brat about it, John. You've gotten us some awesome things.

My best buddy

On Wednesday I got a call from John in the middle of the day. He asked me if I would go on a date with him Friday night. He had already arranged for his mom to take the kids - overnight! The excitement lasted the rest of the week, and I could barely stay focused yesterday as I took care of the kids and cleaned the house and got myself ready for our big date.

We had a blast! We had planned dinner and a movie, but we were running late, so we skipped dinner. We saw American Gangster, which was 3 hours long! But it didn't seem that long because it was a good show, and we got to hold hands and eat candy and popcorn and not worry about a thing. On the way home, at 11:30, we grabbed our favorite mexican food - Albertos. We sat in front of the tv eating super nachos and watching Scrubs and Survivor, and we were giddy with the excitement of having no responsibilities. We went to bed much to late, knowing that we wouldn't be awakened in the night and that we could sleep in.

By 8 am I couldn't sleep any longer, so we got up. Since we saved money on dinner last night, we decided to go to breakfast. Before we had kids, we always went to breakfast on the weekends. We really enjoy eating monster-sized portions of super unhealthy food and talking and talking about nothing and everything.

The whole experience was so wonderful. John and I try to have alone time every night, but there's something special about really being alone. I am so grateful to my awesome mother-in-law, who sacrificed sleep and her clean house to take the kids for so long. And the kids had more fun than they would have with us at home, so it was good for everyone! If you haven't done something like this in a while, I highly recommend it.

Pictures of the house!!!!

I have been wanting to do this for so long, but I haven't taken the time to post pictures of the progress we've made on the house. So hold onto your hats, and here we go....

This was the living room when the former owners lived here. (That's actually my realtor on the couch.)

Here's our version of the living room. Note that the fireplace no longer extends to the ceiling. We still need to build our mantel, and I'm hoping to do that before Christmas, so that we can hang our stockings on it. (It will be the same color as the fireplace, but wood.) The wall color is a warm beige. Also notice the absence of the popcorn ceiling. You probably can't tell, but John did a great job with the new ceiling texture.

This may seem like a small thing, but I get excited every time I use the front door because I love the look of the new light switch and outlet covers, and the clean trim and white door against the beige paint. Unfortunately, new door handles aren't in the budget yet. And the linoleum floor you see in the entryway door will soon be wood!
And now for the kitchen. This little office space has been invaluable. I sit here for hours working on our finances, checking emails, blogging. This is what it looked like before.

And now. This is the first part of the kitchen to be completed with new antique white paint and sleek new handles. We still need to finish painting the upper section green. And unfortunately the counter will be ugly for quite a while. But we're very pleased with the overall look. The rest of the kitchen is getting close, with just a few doors to paint and hang. I can't wait to post those pictures!Here's one more picture. This is what it looks like standing in the dining area looking into the living room. When we finish the mantel, we will also put a small ledge on the hole in the wall between the two rooms. Does that make sense? If not, you'll just have to wait for the pictures of the finished product.

John was skeptical about painting the kitchen green, but the color is actually very bright and happy. It's hard to get a feel for it with these pictures. It looks very yellow in the first picture, and too cool and minty in the second. The actual color is somewhere between the two. It's almost the color of a Granny Smith apple, but not that dark. I guess you'll just have to trust me that it's cute.

Now you have proof that we've been working hard. I wish that everyone could come visit us and see it in person!

Can't they just stay little?

Little kids do the cutest things. Katelyn is in a particularly sweet stage. She loves to help me with all of the household chores, and she frequently hugs John and me and tells us how much she loves us. She even helps Carter buckle his seatbelt before climbing in and fastening her own. Don't get me wrong, she still sits on the naughty mat at least once a day, but we're having a lot of fun with her right now.

Last night after the kids gorged themselves on candy, I asked them to get into jammies. Katelyn put hers on, but Carter was disinterested. So I asked Katelyn to help him pick out a pair and bring them out so I could put them on. After a few minutes, I went into Carter's room to see what was going on. This is what I found:

She laid out his jammies on the floor so he could choose a pair. Isn't that the cutest thing?!

Happy Halloween!

I have to admit that I really don't get into Halloween. It's not my favorite holiday, so I don't put a lot of effort into my kids' costumes. The only thing that really excites me is seeing how much fun the kids have dressing up and going trick-or-treating. I've had more fun with it this year because of the Cherubs-like music group I do every Thursday (I'm calling mine MusicMakers). I had to buy all sorts of Halloween paraphernalia and really get into the ghosts and goblins stuff with the kids. I try to channel Adrienne and her fun and enthusiasm when I'm interacting with the children - it really is fun to be a child again when you let yourself go.

Anyway, here are my sweet kids in their costumes. They got to wear them in the morning to storytime at the library, and John and I took them around the neighborhood after dinner. It was fun to trick-or-treat for the first time in our new house. We introduced ourselves to the neighbors we don't know yet and had fun showing off the kids in costume to all of their surrogate grandparents (the majority of our neighbors).


Katelyn insisted on being Spiderman again this year, so I had to buy a costume since last year's was borrowed from my cousin. I just love the muscles! I wanted to find another superhero costume for Carter, but this one was super cheap, and so am I. He was pretty excited, though. All day he kept saying, "I ti-guh!"

I have to include a picture of my one and only Halloween decoration. I have had to fight John for my right to keep this on our last two moves. It's the "bowl" I use to hand out candy.

You have to try this

I'm sure by now you've all seen the movies you can create on JibJab. If not, you have to try it. You can paste your own heads into the clips they have and it's hilarious! This is what your kids will look like watching a movie starring themselves. Click below to see my kids' favorite.

http://www.jibjab.com/starring_you/receipt/1842849

My baby is 2

Carter turned two last month! I took him to Kiddie Candids to get our annual I'm-a-cheapskate free picture, and I can't believe how old he looks! I purposely chose a picture that shows off his missing front tooth, since that was a pretty big event for us this summer.

Carter is getting so big! He talks a ton - sometimes I can't get him to stop talking. And he makes me laugh all day with the funny things he says. Katelyn has a collection of coins that she carries around with her, so there's often money on the floor. Anytime Carter sees a coin, regardless of denomination, he says, "Wook mom, fif-teen dawas!" I don't know where he got fifteen, but that's what everything is. We went to McDonalds last week, and now he asks all day, "Go to McDono's mom?" He also points to every wall in the house and says, "Pain dis waw, mom?" He's seen us do nothing but paint for months now. Oh, and I love that he sings now. He sings Twinkle, Twinkle all day and the way he pronounces the words is adorable. He also loves to ask, "Guess what, mom?" He doesn't understand that he's supposed to tell you something when you ask him "What?" so he just moves on to the next person and repeats the question.

Carter adores his big sister. If she's not in the room, he's asking where she is. He wakes up before she does, and when she comes walking out of her room in the morning he goes into hysterics yelling, "Katie's awake!" He wants to do everything she does. He even goes on the potty now. He's not potty trained, but at least once a day he tells me he needs to go. He can take off his pants and diaper and get himself up onto the big potty. He delights in flushing when he's done and then climbing onto the stool to wash his hands like his big sister. (We got him underwear, but he refuses to wear it, and he's really not ready, so we're not pushing the issue right now.)

One of my favorite things about my little boy is how lovey he is. He always asks for hugs. If he hugs one of us, he has to hug everyone, so we'll be walking into a store and he'll say, "Hugs, dad. Hugs, Katie. Hugs, mom." He has to get a hug from everyone at least once, then kisses, before he'll stop the cycle. He's getting more independent, and insists on walking most of the time, but when he's tired he'll come up to me and say, "Hode you, mom." He stretches up his little arms and this means that he wants me to pick him up. It just tugs at my heartstrings.

Of course I can't help but get nostalgic on my kids' birthdays, so I've been looking at all of our pictures of Carter from the last two years. I thought I'd share a few with you.

I am delighting in watching my children grow and develop. They fight a lot now, but for every minute of fighting, there's a minute of enjoying each other so much. Katelyn reads Carter a story almost every night now. They'll sit on the couch together while I get ready to put them in bed. It's so sweet to hear Katelyn's version of the story they've chosen, and to see how attentive he is while she turns the pages. I love being a mom.

Happy birthday, Carter!

This is how I want my life to be

It's 9 pm. My house is clean, my children are asleep (thanks entirely to my awesome husband!), and I've got laundry going, not because I'm behind, but because I'm trying to stay ahead. John even has a closet full of ironed shirts to choose from. I worked out on the elliptical machine this morning, read to the kids, spent the day doing little activities with them, walked to the park (with Lucy - yeah!), did the grocery shopping, and made a yummy dinner. I wish every day could be like this, but for me, that's a pretty lofty goal.

I know that we all feel the same pressure that has been weighing on me so much lately - to be the perfect wife and mother, a "mother who knows" and can distinguish between "good, better, and best." My biggest concern right now is that I'm letting my children down, that I'm not nurturing enough. I am trying to figure out how to be the best possible mother to them. I'll get into this more later, but it explains why I have gone almost a month without posting to my blog. I'm trying to find the perfect balance in my life between taking care of my family and doing things for myself.

Now with that said, I have some things to catch up on. Happy reading!

Happy 35th, Sweetie!

In honor of my cute husband's 35th birthday, here are 35 of my favorite things about him:

1. John delights in playing with the kids, and they love it more than anything!
2. He’s the smartest man I know.
3. He is the ultimate optimist.
4. He has a green thumb, and has turned our dead, dry lawn into a lush carpet of green.
5. He is very modest – he’ll hate this list!
6. He shares my love of nice shoes.
7. He’s always on time (unless I make him late).
8. He’s a cautious driver.
9. He pretends that every meal I make is the best he’s ever eaten.
10.He always lets me choose the restaurant when we go out.
11.He loves to learn. This has led to 3 post-graduate degrees and a ton of student loan debt, but it will be worth it someday!
12.He’s a very talented writer.
13.He’s always trying to make me laugh – and usually he succeeds.
14.He’s passionate about fishing.
15.He makes waffles almost every weekend.
16.He spends time with me every night, no matter how tired or busy he is.
17.He never complains when the house is a wreck.
18.He’ll make a fool of himself if it will make me laugh. He once put on a ridiculous outfit and walked all the way across TJ Maxx to find me. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life!
19.He is the best travel companion. We have awesome memories of trips to Mexico, Europe, New York, and Boston, to name a few. My favorite memories are of the Czech Republic.
20.He is a very thoughtful gift-giver.
21.He watches stupid t.v. shows like The Bachelor with me, just so that we can spend time together.
22.He loves movies!
23.He’s a very sharp dresser.
24.He is so handsome! I have thought he’s the best-looking man in the world since I first laid eyes on him 12 years ago.
25.He is very health-conscious. He works out regularly, and is better at eating healthy than I am.
26.He supports me in everything that I do.
27.He is a hard worker! He comes straight home and gets to work on the yard and the house, then studies until the last hour of the night, which he spends with me.
28.He loves great literature, and has influenced me to read great things that I may not have otherwise.
29.He writes poetry for me.
30.His car is always immaculate, inside and out.
31.He loves his mother – he talks to her almost every day and would do anything for her.
32.He babysits my friends’ children so that I can go do things with my friends minus the kiddos.
33.He’s very athletic. He takes the kids running regularly. He’s also an excellent golfer and a great snowboarder, but he rarely does these things because they cost money and take him from his family.
34.He’s a loyal friend. He still sees his best friend from high school and keeps up with people he used to work with.

35.He always puts his family first.

I love and appreciate you so much, hubby. I hope this list doesn't embarrass you. I just wanted to share with everyone what a wonderful guy you are. Happy belated birthday!

Just for fun

This is what happens when:

• You finish eating and decide to work on your fun new blog posts while your children take 45 minutes to finish their dinner


• Your 3-year-old drops her spoon and repeatedly asks for a new one but you're busy so you keep nodding and mumbling "uh-huh"


• Your 2-year-old decides to pick up the slack for mom and get out of his booster seat so that he can get a clean spoon for his poor, neglected big sister


• You don't notice your 2-year-old carrying piles of silverware from the drawer to the table

Note the giant collections of silverware next to the kids' plates while Carter finally decides to eat his pasta.

Tagged Again!

I'm so excited! I've never been tagged before, and now I have been twice in one day. This is really cool because I've been so stressed out this week and sick the week before, so it's been forever since I've blogged. This is a fun way to put something new on my blog. Thanks for the tag, Becky!

Four jobs I've had:
1. cashier at Shopko
2. shirt presser at the BYU laundry
3. bank teller
4. Assistant branch manager @ WAMU

Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Man from Snowy River
2. Notting Hill
3. Best in Show
4. Say Anything

Four places I've lived:
1. Brigham City, Utah
2. Columbus, Ohio
3. Spokane, Washington
4. Salt Lake City

Four favorite t.v./reality shows:
1. Big Brother
2. The Office
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Trading Spaces

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Lasagne
2. Brownies
3. Steak
4. Snow Crab

Four websites I check daily:
1. WAMU for our bank accounts
2. My friends' blogs (actually about 10 websites)
3. Salt Lake County Library (I'm a library junkie, too, Becky)
4. Juno for email

Four hobbies I enjoy:
1. Music (playing the piano & singing & listening)
2. Sewing
3. Walking
4. Watching t.v. & movies with my husband

Four people I'll tag:
1. Julie
2. Stephanie
3. Alisa
4. Becky Cole

My Better Half

OK, Elise, I'm not sure if you meant to tag me, because you have two Melanie's on your blog, but I'm going to pretend you did because this looks fun. So thanks for the tag, and here goes:

What is his name? John William (When we were first getting to know each other, he told me his middle name was after William Shakespeare. I'm not sure if that's what his parents intended, but it sure fits him.) How long have you been together? We've known each other for about 13 years. We've officially been a couple for 9 years, and we've been married for 6 years. How long did you date? Off and on for 4 years, then 3 years exclusively before we got married. How old is he? He'll be 35 next month. Who eats more? Definitely John. I eat a ton, but I can't even compete with him. Who said I love you first? I did. Who is taller? He is, by about 7 inches. Who sings better? He would agree that I am the musical one. Who is smarter? He is. Don't tell him I said that. Whose temper is worse? I think I'm quicker to anger, but we seem to be about even. Not sure if he'd agree on that one. Who does the laundry? I do. I actually really enjoy folding laundry, just not climbing up and down the stairs with it. Who does the dishes? Me, but more often than not, he has to pick up the slack for me. So maybe I should say that he does? Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? John. Who pays the bills? I do. Who mows the lawn? John does all of the yard care (at least until next year when I have flowers and a garden) and he is awesome! He brought our yard back from being basically dead and he's gotten grass to grow where there was just dirt a few months ago. And he edges and everything. We get lots of compliments on our yard. Who cooks dinner? Usually me, but it's my turn since he brought us lots of dinners all year in Spokane. Who drives when you are together? We share the driving, depending on who is tired or who feels like driving. Who is more stubborn? Both of us? Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? Hands down, John. But I'm working on it. Whose parents do you see the most? His. They live closer. Who kissed whom first? He kissed me. I was playing hard to get. Who asked whom out? I think my sister kind of did it for us. It's a long story. Who proposed? John. He wrote me a long poem, in iambic decameter, and read it to me on Thanksgiving in front of his whole family. Who is more sensitive? I am. Who has more friends? I think we're about even. Who has more siblings? I do. Who wears the pants in the family? I'm with Elise on this one. We both wear pants! And I absolutely married my soul mate. We are so different in so many ways, but we are a perfect match!

I tag: Becky Kump, Stephanie, & Cassie

Try this diet - it works!

I lost a few pounds this week and I'm so proud of myself! It's called the gastroenteritis diet. It involves a lot of stomach cramps, and absolutely no eating for 4 to 5 days. The good part about it is that you get to lie around and do nothing and let your house turn into a disaster zone.

OK, on a serious note, I feel like I've been missing for a long time! My children have been without a mother, my huband misses his best pal, and my house is in dire need of its maid. I started feeling sick on Sunday night, and by Monday afternoon I was in the throws of the stomach flu. It's been a long week, but I awoke this morning feeling somewhat human, and I am excited to get back to my life. So of course the first thing I need to do is to update my blog! You know I'm not feeling well if I can't even blog. Yesterday was the first day I even had the energy to sit at the computer, and I realized how much I had missed when I started catching up on my favorite blogs. This led me to some pretty cheesy thoughts, so allow me to wax sentimental for a moment.

I was reminded this week that there is nothing more important in this life than people. I haven't cared about clothes, or possessions, and I'm sick to death of television. I haven't even had interest in food! But my relationships have been so important to me. My sisters took my kids for a full day, even though they've got their own hardships right now. My husband exhausted himself rushing home from work and doing absolutely everything for our family. My poor children were basically orphans all week, and they were so good! I spent the day yesterday just watching them and smiling. They are so precious, and I was in the perfect state of mind to enjoy watching their personalities unfold without getting frustrated with behavioral issues.

I can't discuss relationships without mentioning blogging. I have really missed the friendship and support that comes from reading my friends' blogs and getting feedback on my own blog. And with that, I'm done being cheesy.

We finished painting our living room on Saturday, and got it all cleaned up and put back together Sunday night. Since then, I've been dying to post pictures! Hopefully I can do that before the day is over.