Rain Dance.....

Emma loves taking a shower, and she has a pretty funny ritual that she does every time. When she first gets in, she puts her head down and lets the water fall all over her.
Then she puts her hands up in the air, stomps her feet, and says "Ahhhhhhhh", while walking in a circle.
Then she slaps her tummy a few times,
She turns a few more circles,
and then she looks for the soap so she can play with it.

She seriously does this every time and always in that order, that's why we call it her Rain Dance. It is the funniest thing to watch and she loves that I laugh while she does this. Her binky always has to be part of it too!

Gobble-Gobble

Keslie and Jack both had programs at school for Thanksgiving. I am just glad that they were both at different times so I could be at both. All of the kindergarteners were dressed up either as Pilgrims, Indians, or Turkeys. Keslie was more than happy to wear this awesome hat and say "Gobble-Gobble" whenever it was her turn.

They sang 5 or six songs and my favorite was the one called "Five Fat Turkey's Are We". Keslie has been singing it non sto, and now Jack has been singing it too!

Five fat turkeys are we.

We spent all night in a tree.

When the cook came around,We were no where to be found

And that's why we're here you see!

Jack's school had a program and a Thanksgiving feast. He loved dressing up as a pilgrim and singing his songs in front of everyone.

The food was great, but Jack wouldn't know because he only ate a roll, 1 piece of cheese, and a cookie. He may be a picky eater, but I'll forgive him cause he's so cute!

Are you a Gleek?

This is hands down my new favorite show. It's so funny and I love Jane Lynch, she is hilarious. Have you ever seen "Best in Show" - so funny! The music is amazing and I'm hoping I will get the soundtrack for Christmas (hint,hint Brandon).

I killed a snake today....

It was gross, and I have no pictures. I had loaded Jack and Emma into the car to go get Keslie, when I looked down and saw a snake by the back of the car. It took me about 5 seconds to decide what to do, and then I quickly grabbed the broom from the garage. Jack wanted to see what was going on, so he came over to investigate. He was so excited and shouted "Cool, can I keep him?" "Heck no" was my answer. I quickly explained that snakes can be dangerous and plus I just don't like them! I told him I was going to kill it so we wouldn't have to worry about it. He was ok with that because he's a boy and well boys like that sort of stuff right?! I smacked it a couple of times with the broom and it tried to bite the broom while I was doing this. A couple more whacks and the job was done. Jack was cheering me on by yelling Dead it Mom, dead it!!" My neighbors probably think I'm crazy now, but at least the snake is dead!

**I probably should add that it was only a baby snake and probably only about 8 inches long, I actually thought it was a worm at first! I had to kill it though, because it was going to get bigger and a broom wouldn't be able to kill it at that point!**

Blessed Are They Who Teach....

Last week Keslie had a school fieldtrip to the Zoo. She got to ride on the bus for the first time, which I think was her favorite part. I volunteered to Chaperon, so I brought along Jack and Emma. I only had my kids and 1 of Keslie's classmates, so it was pretty easy, and the kids were all really good.

Here they are checking out the rabbits. Keslie's teacher gave each of them a journal that they were supposed to make notes about what they saw. They were totally into their assignment and probably took longer writing or drawing about the animals then actually looking at them!

They had some very big goats that were obviously well fed, and they enjoyed getting even more food from the kids. I was standing by with a big bottle of hand sanitizer.

Keslie and her friend had the chance to feed the giraffes. They each got to feed them 2 pieces of lettuce. They all thought it was pretty funny that they had long purple tongues. Jack could have fed them too if he wanted, but he decided to watch from a safe distance instead.

After feeding the giraffes, they each took a turn posing like a giraffe. For some reason they all stuck their tongues out the same, and it was pretty funny!

This was the best shot I could get of all 3, cute isn't it?!

Even though the fieldtrip was fun, and the kids were all really good, I was exhausted when it was over. I didn't even have to ride the bus with all the kids either. I don't know how Keslie's Teacher does it everyday, and she seriously has the patience of a Saint! Teachers have a tough, tough job, and I could not keep up with those kids like they do!

Caught up....

I am finally caught up with my blogging! Honestly I have not been very interested in blogging lately, but I know that there are several Grandparents that like checking our blog. I've also been really bad at checking other people's blogs and leaving comments - I promise I will leave more comments, and keep up with regular posting!

Halloween 2009

The countdown had begun weeks before Trick or Treating was to happen. Jack was going to be Spiderman, Keslie was going to be a Princess, and Emma was going to be a Ladybug. You can tell by the pictures that a few people changed their minds at the last minute.

Jack decided to be Robin again and that was fine with me since I couldn't find his Spiderman mask anyway.

Keslie decided a few days before Halloween that she wanted to be a witch, so I quickly put together an outfit for her. She loved it and really got into her character.

Emma was our little ladybug. Keslie wore this on her first Halloween, and it was fun to see Emma in it too.

She stayed home with Brandon and helped him pass out candy while I took Kes and Jack out. The kids got sooo much candy and it was a good thing I had brought along an extra bag, because I had to empty out their buckets twice!

Jack-O-Lanterns

Kes and Jack were really excited to pick out pumpkins and carve them. They both picked out little pumpkins which worked out great because they were so easy to clean out and carve. It took half the time!

It's so crazy to me that as much as Keslie looks like me, she looks so much like Brandon too!

Jack didn't like "scooping the guts" out too much. I ended up doing it for him because he thought it was too yucky!

Emma watched all of the excitement from her highchair while she munched on a cracker.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Parties....

Last week both Keslie and Jack had Halloween parties at school. Keslie had a Fairytale Ball where all of the Kindergartners dressed up as Fairytale characters. The kids had so much fun playing in a bounce house, doing a cupcake walk, painting, hearing stories, dancing, and eating yummy treats.

Brandon says Keslie looks a little "Goth" here because her hair was sprayed pink and her mouth was black from eating a cupcake.

Emma had fun dancing with Kes, and it was fun to watch her with all of her cute friends.

After Keslie's party I headed over to Jack's school for his party. The kids decorated cookies and played some fun games. Jack was so excited for me to be there in his classroom with all of his friends.

This is one of Jack's friends, and I always smile when I see him because he is so stinking cute!

Jack's favorite game was Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin. He played it over and over and over.

We had a busy, but fun day!

Hot Dog Dinner....

Keslie's school had a Hot Dog fundraiser last night, and she has been talking about for weeks. All of the kindergartners sang "Step in Time" and "Hakuna Matata". Hakuna Matata is her favorite and she has been singing it non-stop for the past few weeks. She did such a good job, and she really got into the performance.

Kes and Jack loved running around playing with friends. It was so cute to have Keslie's friends from her class coming up to me asking where she was so they could play.

Emma was such a good baby and sat in her stroller almost the whole time just watching everyone. She wanted to get out after a while, and she was happy to sit on our blanket and play with a ketchup packet.

We also got to see some of Keslie's artwork. She is such a good little artist or "Arter" as she calls herself. She loves school and is doing really well. She was sick a few weeks ago and had to miss 4 days of school. She cried for the first few days because she wanted to go to school even though she didn't feel well!

No Internet

Our Internet is down right now, so I am usung Brit's computer to update. I am hoping it should be back up next week, and then I will be back to posting. Have a great weekend!

Can I live here?

-I want to live in this house
-I love Thomas Kinkade's paintings
-Yes, I know I am a dork

Helmet Head....

Brandon put Jack's old bike helmet on her yesterday and she has been wanting to wear it ever since. It's probably a good thing because she is walking now, and she's still a little unsteady, so this gives her some extra protection!
Her favorite rooms in the house are the kitchen and Keslie's room. She loves to pull out the tupperware, and pots and pans. She looooves Keslie's room, and heads straight in there whenever we are upstairs.
She really likes to make a mess and pull everything off of the bookshelf. Keslie doesn't mind as long as she isn't the one that has to clean it all up!
She's pretty proud of her little mess.
She's off to make a mess somewhere else.

I'm sorry Emma!

I gave Emma her first haircut, and I feel really bad! Her hair in the front was really long and always in her eyes, so I decided to give her a little trim. I only trimmed the front, but it does not look good! I took off a little more than I should have, but I am hoping it will grow out quickly. At least it's not in her eyes anymore right?!
Dear Emma, I will leave all of your future haircuts to the professionals - Love Mom

Hope.....

This was on my cousin's blog and I have seen it on Facebook too over the past few days. I loved it and wanted to pass it on.

HOPE

This is why I love blogging.....

I came across this blog as I was blog hopping this morning, and it caught my attention right away. I have been feeling the same exact way, and I truly needed to read this today. If you know me, then you know that I am a perfectionist and I have such high expectations for not only me but my family as well. This is something that I am aware of, and trying to change, but it is a process, and it doesn't happen easily.

This is what she wrote.....

****All week I've felt a little out of sorts. I've been working and working and accomplishing good things, but have felt frustrated because there is always MORE I should do. Even though my life is everything I want, I haven't felt calm or at peace. Last night I finally broke down to David and told him that I just wasn't feeling happy and could not figure out why. Nothing he said helped, and we went to bed even more frustrated.

Then today I watched a BYU Womens Conference talk on TV. It was an arrow to the heart. Daniel K. Judd told following story that hit a little too close to home:

"There was a woman named Esther who wanted to be the perfect wife and mother. Every morning she would wake up and say, 'This is the day that I will be perfect. The house will be organized. I will not yell at my children. I will finish everything important that I have planned.' But every night Esther went to bed discouraged because she had failed to accomplish her goal. She became angry with everyone-- especially herself-- and she began to wonder what she was doing wrong. In time, Esther began to pray and ask the Lord for guidance. And during this time a startling thought came to her mind. She realized that in focusing on her own perfection she was focusing on her own self and failing to love other people-- particularly her husband and children. She was not being loving, and therefore not like Christ, but essentially focused on herself. She was trying to be sweet to her children, but not freely out of love for them, but because she saw it as a necessary part of her own perfection. Furthermore, she was trying to get a feeling of righteousness by forcing her husband and children to meet her ideal of perfection. When her children got in the way of her perfect routine, she blamed them for making her feel imperfect and became irritated with them and treated them in a most unloving way. Likewise, if her husband did not meet her ideal of perfection when he came home from work, she judged him as failing and was critical of him for reinforcing her own sense of unrighteousness. But as time passed and revelation came, she came to understand the Savior's commandment to be perfect 'even as He is perfect.' And she realized she was pursuing the wrong goal."

Ouch.

In a physical world it is very easy to get caught up in pursuing physical perfection. I want my body to be attractive, my home to be clean and organized and beautifully decorated, my kids to be cute, and my husband to be a tool to help me accomplish the tasks I cannot do myself. All so my life can be a perfect example of righteous accomplishment. I have been doing good things with the wrong motivation.

Love was the hallmark of Christ's ministry and is the "divinest attribute of the human soul" (David O. McKay). Pride is a malevolent counterfeit. Try as we might, we will never become perfect "as He is perfect" unless love becomes our motivation. Pride is selfish and indulgent and empty. Love is selfless and pure and satisfying. I realized today that I had succumbed to pride. Everything was about me and my pursuit of "perfection." But by shifting my focus a burden has been lifted. I'm realizing that being perfect in Christ has more to do with HIS abilities than mine. Instead of waking up in the morning with an impossible to-do list, my goal is to LOVE. I'll still try to take care of the physical things, but my goal is to do them out of love and not pride. And when I fall short-- and I will fall short-- I will quickly repent instead of beating myself up and agonizing over my failures. And by remembering Christ and keeping Him at my center, I will hopefully have the Spirit to sanctify me and to help me become truly perfect in Christ.

It won't happen overnight. I will probably continue to struggle with with feelings of doubt, pride, and discouragement. But at least for the moment I have a clear focus on what I need to work towards and who I need to become.****

Just the Boys.....

Last weekend, Brandon and Jack flew to Colorado for a quick trip. Brandon had some time off from school, and since Jack wasn't starting school yet, he took him too. I think it was a much needed trip for both of them to spend some time together since Jack spends 99% of his time with just us girls.
They had so much fun and got to do lots of fun things. My Father in-law took them up to the Mountains where Jack got to go fishing for his first time! He caught 2 fish!!! My Mother in-law cooked them for him to eat, and he did try one bite, but he spit it right back out. He's a picky eater like his Dad, so I am not surprised that he didn't like it too much!
He got lots of cuddle time with Mimi. Jack is the BEST cuddler and will happily sit with you for as long as you will let him.
He's also a very funny kid!!! I cracked up laughing when I saw this picture because it is totally Jack. I love this kid!
He is the BEST traveller too! He is so mellow and content. He just needs his thumb, and his favorite movie and he is good to go.
They did get home really late on Sunday night and Jack was a bit jet lagged (grumpy) for a few days, but I am really glad he got some one on one attention and that he had so much fun!

It was really nice for me to be able to have some girl time with just Keslie while they were gone. She loved getting so much attention, but she kept telling me she missed Jack. They didn't see each other until we picked Keslie up from school on Monday afternoon, and it was so cute to see her run up to him, give him a big hug, and say "I missed you Jack!" They do have their moments, but they really are best friends, and I wouldn't want it any other way!

*Thanks Greg and Annette for having Brandon and Jack, they had a blast! xoxo*