Christmas Cheer

Brad found the most gorgeous real tree this year! Makes for a great background when I want to take pictures of my little ones!

 Afton dances to Christmas music in front of the tree.

Ready for a day full of parties and fun!

She asked for this picture...

 My handsome boy MC-ing for his Christmas party-in Mandarin! So proud.

 Breanna lighting up the stage. I can't believe that pretty thing is my daughter :) Sorry to brag but it's true.

Brad and I at his work Christmas Party

Breanna sending a letter to Santa after our annual Santa picture.

 Making snow angels on the way home from school.

And they asked for this one too (after Jesse's basketball). 

YAY! CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE!!

Afton's 2

Little Afton,being pregnant with and delivering your chubby 10 pound 10 oz body was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But bundling your tiny hands and little precious head every day to pick up Breanna from preschool is easy. I patiently return stuffies that make their way upstairs daily and endlessly pick up books and pencil crayons you scatter all over the floor. I change your diaper 10 times a day and put you back into your bed 25 times a night before you finally close your eyes in exhaustion, and that's easy too. Because I just adore you.

My favorite is when you say "Oh goodness!"

And I love it when you steal stuff from your brother and sister so they will run after you.

When people do things you don't like you point at them and say "shoot! shoot!"

I love how you say thank-you for everything and that you cuddle me and still love your teddy bear.

You say the best prayers, and thank Heavenly Father for pumpkins every day.

You are funny, a good jumper, a good dancer and are especially good at spreading lotion all over the bathroom.

Luckily you have an older brother and sister who also adore you and put up with you pestering them! :)

Happy birthday my precious 2-year- old!!!

Breanna is 5

When Breanna was born, I looked and her and I was amazed. I thought she was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen. I didn't expect her black hair and was overcome by the feeling that filled the room when she was born. The only way I could describe it was "sweet". She still has that calm and easygoing yet powerfully sweet spirit. She is still gentle and her big eyes and long dark eyelashes still melt my heart. Now she is also funny and quick-witted and quietly stubborn and wise. She doesn't talk about what she knows but I see it in her eyes-she gets it. Happy Birthday Breanna-I'm so grateful Heavenly Father gave you to me! You are a gift!

Birthday morning! Super Loopers for breakfast, at her request.

Who knew-this book has become her obsession-she just loves it. She says it's the "best birthday present ever." Perhaps it will make more sense when you see the picture of dinner. Paper horses. That's all it takes sometimes!

She got to wear a dress to school. Pretty much all she wants in life. She was so proud! I also made pink cupcakes for everyone in her class. Yum!

After school we went to a play place for a few hours. This is her being a horse, although she is really running like an ape. She can go so fast. I have never seen someone go as fast like this.

We had French Toast with real french bread, bacon and eggs for supper- again at her request. See all the colorful horses on the wall behind her? Yah, I basically print and help her cut out at least one horse a day. 

After supper when daddy was home she got to open her second present, a painting for her room. Growing up I had a picture of Jesus in my room and I loved to look at it and feel peace. I explained to Breanna that this picture reminds me of her because Jesus is so gentle with the lambs and because she is one of his lambs and he watches over her. I am such a spaz so she needs to know that Jesus is gentle and always loving and never yells. She does not respond well to spazzing and I try not to but you know, it's a process.

What she liked even more than the picture of Jesus, the bubble wrap it came in.

And finally, her cute little cake.

Breanna, your family seriously loves you!!!

Today when I woke up I prayed that I would feel like a good Mom. Of course I wanted to be a good Mom too, but when I sometimes worry that I'm failing at it it's nice to feel like it too. This little episode was the answer to my prayer. First, because she must have learned to be that sweet from somewhere; and second, because, well, three is a lot to handle :)

(Be warned-this little video is quite long and will most likely be entertaining to parents and grandparents only :)



Breanna just loves, loves the snow! She came home from school and refused to come inside. So instead I bundled up Afton and sent her out to play too. Half an hour passed of peaceful kids-playing-outside bliss before I heard the door open and Afton come inside. She only wanted me to kiss her little hands and put her mittens back on, then she went back outside to play for a while. I garnered up my courage and went out to take a photo.

~And Hot Chocolate with lunch~

Winter is such a quiet, comforting place to be. Today Afton sat at the window, silently entranced, watching the snowflakes fall. It was beautiful. I keep my calendar pretty open these days. I like to tend to my home and feel the calm draw my thoughts heavenward. I have so many goals and things I want to change about myself and things I want to do and decisions I want to make. It's hard. I'm working on it.

Candy and Ghosts

I have eaten so much candy today I am seriously bouncing off the walls. Yippee for Halloween! Ghosts and ghouls and pumpkins and monsters and candy!

Speaking of Ghosts-I've been exploring my genealogy lately. It makes me look at my life in a new light. I wonder if my Great Great Great Grandfather and his wife knew when they made that trek to America from England after being baptized that someday their offspring would be living such a charmed life. A house that is always warm, a school across the street where they learn a second language, a constant supply of nutritious food, lessons in music, dance, and sports with endless books to read and lots of parties to go to, lots of family around and especially the gospel.

We had so much anticipation for this halloween-a haunted house! A Halloween party! Halloween crafts! Halloween sugar cookies! Halloween library books and Halloween movies! (my kids' favorite was Scooby Doo.)

I am grateful for the life we have here.

 

P.S. I really want to start updating my blog more often!

Yesterday I ran down into Fish Creek park and as I ran up along the ridge, feeling healthy and strong, looking at the blue autumn sky and the mountains in the distance, listening to the leaves fall around me, and breathing in their musty smell, seeing the stream running beside me...I felt so much gratitude. First of all, that Heavenly Father gave us this beautiful world, but also that he gave us this world so we could grow and be happy and become like Him. It's all a gift, an amazing gift from a Father who loves us so much. I felt so much gratitude for the plan of salvation. Then I walked out of the crisp outdoors into my warm home and had a long hot shower.

This is the outside of the new temple in Calgary. I didn't think I could love another temple as much as Cardston, but this temple is so beautiful and elegant-and so different from Cardston-it stole my heart.  Here is where I learn about the plan of salvation and where I bind my family together eternally. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father continually forgives me and loves me even when I'm foolish and rebellious.

 Every day after Afton and I kiss my kids good-bye and send them out the door they come back to the window to wave and blow kisses. Then they walk off together holding hands and I watch as they cross the street very carefully.

And Afton stands here until she can no longer see them, waving.

How lucky am I that I get to spend my days with this adorable little sugarplum? She dances around, she jumps off whatever she can, she finds things that are pink, she colors in her coloring book, she reads and says things like "Mom a cat! See?" and "A star! See Mom?" She has a little lisp that I pray never goes away. She asks for things and says "'kay Mom?" and when I say no she says "'KAY!" She has started watching TV and she loves Dora or as she calls it "Map". Thank heavens for TV. She counts to 10 and loves stuffed animals and did I mention she screams at the top of her lungs every chance she gets?

Many days I have lots to say-lots to complain about, lots of opinions-but for today, for the weekend, for General Conference and while I'm with my family this holiday eating lots of delicious food-I'm just going to be grateful.

Love this month

Well it's September, my favorite month of all! I just got over being sick for two annoying weeks but now I am free to enjoy every perfect thing about this beautiful month.

Starting with my favorite photo of the month: (especially since I took it while my sweet husband was building my Mom's deck for her and since it has my currently-reading book in it.)

Since school began I've had this amazing thing happen. Suddenly, I feel like I've got time. Just, EXTRA time. I can't wrap my head around it. I still run around being all busy until I don't know what else to do with myself and then I just sit and waste time. It's going to take my brain some serious convincing: You are not stressed out anymore! Time to do something important. A lot of this is as a result of my new lazy attitude toward housework. It's amazing how much time you can create not worrying about having a perfect house.

Now on to my favorite topic, my kids.

Today Afton was wearing a little backpack, which she loves. I was at the park after picking Breanna up from school, when I noticed Afton glance at me from the corner of her eye. She wanted to see if I was watching as she walked quietly towards the large field by the playground. I don't know if she saw that I saw, but now I know exactly what she does before she takes off on me. She is totally cognizant. I smile to myself thinking, there's a lot of space between here and anywhere you could get out of my sight going that direction. So I continue watching Breanna with delight as I always do and what seemed like 10 seconds later look around for Afton. No sign of her! I stand up nonchalantly so as not to alert the other parents of my neglect and wander over to her usual stomping grounds, a little ramp on the other side of the school. No Afton. Was there seriously enough time for her to get over that hill WAY OVER THERE before I noticed she was gone? I saunter, then walk, then RUN over to the hill, knowing behind it is a road and then a long pathway. At the top of the hill I see an old man with a cane talking to a little dot across the street and down the path. It was Afton, with her little backpack. I call to her, then run to get her. The old man said "she looked both ways before she crossed the street." I'm not surprised. That's Afton. I'm pretty sure that girl could take care of herself if necessity required it, with the Winnie the Pooh book and the sippy of water in her backpack.  I said (while admittedly laughing and beaming with pride) "Afton, no-no!"

"OKAY!" she said, in the tone of a teenager finally agreeing to some exasperating rule. Then she happily followed me back to the park.  I'm proud of her and I just love her to death. Walking home after dropping the kids off on their first day of school:

 Jesse and Breanna on their first day of school. They walk together to school and it's the cutest thing watching them.

One of my favorite fall activities, the food drive. And the kids love it. 

Last of all, to demonstrate the different personalities of my kids:

Today during family home evening I asked everyone to tell about a time in their lives when they felt less than special. Afton was outside by herself jumping on the trampoline. Jesse told me about TWO times he had felt less than special and Breanna batted her long eyelashes and her bright eyes beamed as she said matter-of-fact: "Never." Never Breanna? You've never felt bad about yourself? "No. Never."

Then we talked about specific things we could do to overcome our fears, Jesse's being people laughing at him or making fun of him. We talked about how you can laugh with people and laugh at yourself and how it's disarming to others. Later that night the kids were being silly and disobedient (they are, these days) Brad told the kids in a stern voice to get their teeth brushed and Jesse kept laughing. Brad got angry and said "right now!" to which Jesse replied, "Dad, laugh with us!" :P

This week Breanna starts ballet, next week my kids start music lessons, and the next week Jesse starts basketball. I'm feeling free. It is going to be a wonderful year.

Lake Days

For our final getaway this summer took us to a beautiful little lake resort in Montana. The water was so warm. One unicorn short of a fairy tale.

 Picturesque

The boys hanging out on the dock.

Misty mornings

One of my favorite pictures. Oh to be a kid again.

On the boat

Brad wakeboarding. This picture actually shows the color of the lake.

My awesome wake boarding skills :/

Breanna on the EZ ski she just loved this!!

Brad surfing behind the boat-now he just needs to let go of the rope!

One of the hilights of our trip was watching these two wrestle all the time. They took it very seriously but I couldn't stop laughing. They had a point system-2 points for getting your opponent on his back, 1 point for getting him on his stomach. 

The kids did this for hours and hours. Breanna especially could hardly wait to take her turn.

Afton being a good sport as always.

Maybe he spent too much energy fanning the fire with his frisbee?

And the living is easy...

Tinfoil dinners-the only way to go. Let me share: frozen hamburger patties or chicken (I like bone-in chicken breast) lots of cut up veggies (I prefer sliced carrots, parsnips, onions and broccoli-also I try to prep the veggies before I go). Spread some cream of mushroom soup on the bottom and top it with everything, add some seasoning (BBQ mesquite, steak spice, whatever) wrap in tinfoil and stick it in the fire. Gourmet! :)

Another cute one of the boys.

The final day we stopped at the waterslides. Afton loved the pool-special time with Momma. Here she is jumping-jumping jumping is Afton's favourite thing to do.

 Jesse had so much fun doing the waterslides all by himself. Breanna also loved them. She said: "I LOVED it!"

Stopped here on the way home. One time, and one time only.