Such a pretty pony---Micali's best friend

Micali has recently developed a new love for her pretty pony she got for Christmas last year. She rocked on it all the time when she first got it and even had to kiss little Denali goodnight before bed. Then we moved houses and Denali found a home in the play room downstairs. She would ride him and listen to him sing occasionally but now.....her relationship with Denali is at an all time high. There is no where she goes around the house that Denali isn't right at her side. Denali even has a special blanket and pillow and sleeps right at the foot of Micali's bed. The other day I was upstairs feeding Eli and Micali was playing downstairs. Next thing I know she has Denali cradled in her arms and was bringing him upstairs with her. It is fun to see her little imagination run wild. She used to hold a little stuffed animal and rock it while I was singing to Eli before naps and bed. Now she picks up this pony and rocks him back and forth--it doesn't really bother her that it is almost hersize. Well, as you can see from the pictures of her on Denali last year she has grown quite a bit. Especially that crazy blond hair she has. I should also point out in her recent pictures she has also started dressing herself. Mommy can't help(this is only allowed when we aren't going anywhere). This morning after showering she put her pajamas back on all by herself. Both of them inside out and backwards.

 

pink eye 11 months

 

My poor little boy has had a rough week. Monday he woke up with Pink eye and he has also been try to cut a few teeth. He is on the mend now and we are hoping for two healthy weeks while daddy is home with us for TWO WEEKS of Christmas break. Have I mentioned I LOVE being married to a school teacher? Back to Eli--I am thinking he is going to be on the move anyday now. He is trying the backward inchworm and started a little army crawl today. We seriously need to get the rest of the flooring done so we can get all the tools out of this little boys reach. Watch out world ELI is coming!

Kindergarten art class

 

I feel like a little kid in art class every time I get out my sculpey clay to make ornaments. I am only able to make these by looking at a picture. Actually the ornaments that have step by step picture directions are even more helpful. I first learned how to make these at a craft day at church about 2 years ago. My first experience wasn't that great but, I did ask for more for Christmas that year in hopes that someday I would be able to make a masterpiece. I had a lot of fun making these ornaments this year and compared to my first ones these look pretty good. I made a chubby baby under a blanket for Eli, a ladybug for Micali, and a Penguin family sledding on a candy cane for all of us! We will have to wait and see if anything else gets made this year.

10 am SUNRISE!

 

I remember my mom coming in and waking us up in the morning SUPER early and telling us it was time to get busy we were burning daylight. I think if I were raised in Alaska it would have been sweet to be woke up at 10 o'clock in the morning because we were finally burning daylight. Only two more days until the shortest day of the year and we will again be gaining hours that the sun will grant us with its presence!!

A new toy for my boy!

 

I found these cute stacking vehicles at Fred Meyer last weekend. I was looking to see if there was anything I could find that Eli might like. I was so excited when I found these and just knew he would love them. So, I thought why make the poor kid wait three weeks to play with them. I opened them up as soon as we got home and he has LOVED playing with them. I did save the box so I can get a picture of him unwrapping it at Christmas!

Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 

Micali enjoyed helping me make these cookies. She loves helping me make anything but this is the first time I have got her to try the dough. I loved the looks I captured as she tried it.
I also learned a lesson while making these cookies --- Don't mess with the best! I have enjoyed this recipe since Luke and I have been married. This recipe is the one his mom uses and, she is famous for them. Well, this time I tried to make them a little more healthy-whole grainish. I substituted some wheat flour and added in some oatmeal and peanut butter. They did turn out okay and, I felt better about Micali eating lots of them. However, when you are wanting the real deal this just didn't cut it. It was worth the try though. Next time I want a nice whole-grain cookie I will go for Oatmeal-Raisin.

Paint and flooring!

I have been holding off on posting these because our house is still a mess and stuff is everywhere so it is hard to get a picture. The carpet is gone now from the living room, hallway, and Eli's room. We have finished the wood flooring in Eli's room and the living room. I got a couple pictures of Eli on the new flooring so you can see what it looks like.
We painted our Entry way red. The ceilings are all white. The rest of the living room is antique white except for the back wall which we painted the color the ceiling used to be. We were surprised how much brighter it makes the house. We are still working on touching up and recoating some spots but here are some pictures of the work in progress!!
You can click on the collages to make them bigger!

 

 

Growing like a WEED!!!

 

When Micali wore this dress yesterday I remembered getting a few pictures of her in it when she first got it from Aunt Lois. I thought it was fun to see how much she has grown!

Instead of taking a nap......

I decided instead of taking my normal Sunday afternoon nap I would download my newest pictures to share. I took these of Micali and Eli today as soon as we got home from church. Micali wanted nothing to do with it so I was surprised that a couple of them actually turned out. As shown below Eli was his calm self and just smiled away!

 

Micali is talking so much now. The other night Luke and I went to some friends house to play games, so we got a babysitter. Micali just loves Sasha. She calls her on her play cell phone everyday to see how she is doing. She of course doesn't really talk to her, but she always tells me Sasha is good. Well, the other night I was getting ready, so Luke went to pick her up. Micali came in and said, Where is daddy? And I said, Sasha is coming to play with you. She looked at me and said, "Daddy is going to get my friend Sasha?" I told her he was and she went to wait for her with anticipation. Later I was telling Luke about it and we wondered what Micali would think if she knew Sasha was being paid to be her friend. We really do love having Sasha come over. It is nice to have someone that Micali loves so much!

Eli is still rolling all over the place. We thought with the hardwood floor he would have to learn not to do it but it doesn't seem to bother him. However he is working on a new move right now too. It is the backward inch worm. He holds himself up on his hands and then his little bum comes up and he scoots backwards. It was HILARIOUS to watch!

Our BIG Helper!

Well after ripping out the carpet we decided now was as good of a time as any to put a new coat of paint on the walls. The paint for some reason was peeling off on the ceiling and places on the wall it would just rub off by touching it. Luke talked to and "expert" painter at Home Depot and decided the best fix would be to prime it all and repaint it. So we are in the middle of that right now. The upstairs is all white with primer and now we just have to decide what color to paint it. Micali of course wanted in on some of the action. I got the camera just in time to show Micali's first masterpiece. She could be famous someday with this much talent! She wanted to take Daddy's brush so we decided we would find a brush Micali could help with. I came down to my craft box and found her a little foam brush. She was so excited! I purposefully showed the other wall. That was her work before I got the camera. She had a really long attention span with this project. We were quite surprised! Enjoy!

Tis the Season...

Now is the time of year when it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everything going on around us. I had seen this video clip before but I watched in this morning and decided I needed to share it. I love this time of year we have to remember the things we are most grateful for and to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I especially like the last picture where He is reaching out to us and wants us to rely on Him to take away those things that burden us. If you haven't had a chance to see this I hope you take a few minutes to relax and enjoy it. It is called Reflections of Christ.

Growing Up!

I took these pictures last week and kept trying to get on and post something but I kept getting distracted with the silly elf dance and didn't get time to make a real post. We have been busy here. We ripped out the carpet in all of the main living area upstairs. We are going to paint and put in new wood laminate flooring this week. I am hoping to get most of it finished up over this holiday weekend. However, we have learned that having two kids makes these supposedly quick projects become somewhat drawn out. They are being very good and patient with us though. Micali just wanted to get right in and help out. She really likes being daddy's little helper!
We didn't get as far as we would have liked on Saturday. So, Luke was so kind to make it as comfortable as possible for us for Sunday and Monday until we had time to work on it again. He swept the subfloor and brought up our rugs. It made it look better and I felt better having it down for the kids.

So here is Eli at 10 months old. He got another tooth so his total is 3 on top and 3 on the bottom. He tried pushing him self up on Saturday. He didn't quite get his big belly off the floor but at least he attempted it.

 

Micali is learning new words everyday. She has some funny phrases she has started saying. It makes me laugh when I hear her say them. "hmm, let's see." "Ok, How about...." "Do you hear that.....xander (stuffed puppy) is crying." She loves counting and saying her ABC's. She always wants to have paper and a pen. She will entertain herself for hours with a couch full of stuffed animals and a pile of books.

 

She has started being difficult about getting a picture taken. I have to bribe her if I want her to look at the camera. Other times like in the bottom row she will say "Cali sleeping" She will also run to get a stuffed animal for me to get a picture of instead.

Another one!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Too Much Fun!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Staying inside.

I had a plan to get a lot of things done yesterday. I was going to go to a family history class, and run a whole bunch of errands to finish picking up everything for a craft day I am sort of in charge of called Super Saturday. But, life happens and Micali was sick all day with stomach issues so we stayed home close to the bathroom. Here are some pictures I took while the kids were playing. I haven't played with my camera in awhile so I was just practicing and having a good time.

 

Elijah is nearly 10 months old now. I think I can say he sits up on his own. He was doing a good job at it yesterday. He can sign "daddy" and he has 5 teeth. He is my happy go lucky boy and I love him more and more everyday. I am worried for when he gets a little older. How could you resist this smile??

 

Micali just being cute reading with her bear. I couldn't resist the shot of her little feet. She laughed when she saw her toes on the camera.

 

This is just one of the many projects that will be featured at our Super Saturday tomorrow. I will take my camera and post some pictures of the finished products that everyone else creates.

Good Times

 

Micali loves to sing lately. I have noticed that she is very good at singing most of the words to I am a child of God and also Teach me to Walk in the Light. We sing to her before she goes to bed and she helps me sing to Eli before he takes a nap or goes down for the night. I was surprised when she started requesting her favorites and then even sang along.

 

A cute picture of my little man.

 

Micali and her friends. I just had to get a picture of her bed when I was putting her down for a nap this afternoon. Her bed is completely full of her friends. Some of them have names others are just referred to as bear, bunny, cookie man, etc. She even knows when one has gone missing.

 

Lastnight I tried distracting Micali so we could clear out her bed some and perhaps hide some of the friends so she had a place to sleep. She went in there all worried and made sure every one of them were accounted for. How does she remember that she left bunny in the basement while she was helping me do laundry? Luke did manage to get rid of the Carebear that makes way to much noise but, the others have all stayed and she likes it that way! Today she pulled a few of them under the blankets with her and signed "warm". She felt bad for them just sitting on her bed and wanted them under the blankets next to her.

Funny.

I got this email from my uncle and thought it was quite humorous. Our TV looks about as old.

My Little Sweeties

 

I tried to get some pictures of Eli's top teeth. They are coming in pretty far now and when they are fully in he is going to look so much different. I think that having teeth just makes them look all grown up. I couldn't get him to smile big enough for me though. He was really involved with playing. I figured out that I can get him to sit up for awhile if I put him infront of this toy because he just hangs on for dear life. When he is finished he lets go and rolls right on over. He still hasn't tried to crawl at all. He can pull himself in a circle to get the the things that are around him. If he spots something across the room that he wants he rolls right over to it. It is funny to watch. I need to get my camera ready so I can capture that on video. His new favorite snacks are goldfish and pretzels.

 

These pictures are of Micali enjoying her favorite things. She has quite the little personality and I love listening to her jabber with her babies and stuffed animals because now I can understand some of it. She was holding her little puppy Xander last night after Luke left to church and she brought him over in front of the TV. She said, Hey puppy wanna watch TV? OK.....uh....how bout Signin Time? Okay, wait.....sit...and then she asked me to help her put on Signing Time. It was so cute. She didn't have any idea that I was listening to her talk. Everyday now she comes up with something new that she says.
The other night for dinner we had ribs. I didn't think Micali would be into that so I fixed her something else. Well when Daddy came home and started eating ribs she was right over there next to him eating any piece of meat he would hand to her. She was all smiles and kept asking for more.
The big bowl of popcorn is also a favorite of hers. We got and air popper a few weeks ago so often after nap time I will make her a little snack. She can down this stuff but, I figure it is a pretty healthy treat. She doesn't even care if it doesn't have butter or salt on it.
I would have to say she is definitely a DADDY'S GIRL lately. She asks me all day long where daddy is but now she also answers that question for herself. "Where daddy?" Oh Daddy work? Yep! When he comes home he is the only thing she is interested in. She follows him around and teases him constantly. She takes his tie away from him, sits in his chair at dinner, steals his newspaper. Anything she can do to get daddy to chase after her or growl at her she will do.

Bob Bird For US SENATE!!

I just want to do my part in letting everyone know we have a REAL choice for US Senate. Kristen
Please visit birdforsenate.com


In all my years as a voter I have never stood up and done anything to help a candidate until now. Because I believe in the message Bob brings, and I know the integrity of this man's heart personally, I have donated money, time, and countless prayers for his bid to represent Alaska as our senator. The only reason he is marginalized by the press and the mainstream two party system is because he speaks of a true return to what this country was founded upon-the Constitution. A divinely inspired, unbreakable oath between our founding fathers and WE THE PEOPLE today. Please don't be suckered into thinking you will be throwing away your vote. Vote with a clear conscience. The choice is not between the lesser of two evils, but for the one who will remain true. BOB BIRD FOR US SENATE.
Lucas

Cute pics 2nd try...

 

Micali with her snowpants on. She likes to wear these all the time and has even figured out how to put them on herself.

 

Bundled up snug and cute as a bug.

 

Just relaxin and watching some good old Signing Time.

 

So cute together! They just love each other.

A few cute pictures.

  Micali absolutely loves wearing her snow pants any time of day. She has gotten really good at putting them on all by herself. For now they are hidden away in the closet. She thought she needed to put on all her gear every time we went outside and that just took way too long!
  Eli bundled up ready for a walk around the block.
  Micali and Eli relaxing together this morning. They were very content watching Signing Time.
  These two already have a very special bond. They love being together! Micali tries hard to be a nice big sister.


-----you can click on the pictures to see them bigger.

A lesson learned from my Mother

For those of you who haven't been lucky enough to meet my mom, you should know she is an angel. She raised and is still raising 13 of us children. This blog could go on forever and explain all the lessons I learned from my mother but for now I will just let you know one of them.
  Yesterday morning I awoke to see lots of snow coming down. It was huge beautiful flakes. I remembered a few blustery cold days like it when I was growing up. On these especially cold days my mom would declare it a baking day. It was her way of keeping the house extra warm and cozy and we all enjoyed time in the kitchen together making and eating all sorts of yummy treats.
  I am glad my mom took the time to teach us how to bake yummy treats but, more importantly, how to make a potentially gloomy day full of fun and yumminess! I love you mom!

Outside at last.

Micali has been so excited to have snow outside. She looks out the window every morning to see if it is still there. Yesterday I finally dug out all the winter gear. After Eli went down for a nap Micali and I went out to enjoy some fresh air. I wasn't sure what Micali would actually think of the snow once we got out there. She didn't hesitate at all. Here are some pictures of her totally enjoying herself.

Thanksgiving dinner?

 

Eli's bib that he is wearing in the top picture is very fitting. It has a turkey on it and says "baby's first." Well, he hasn't experiences a Thanksgiving dinner yet but he actually seems to think that every meal is. This boy can EAT. I have never had him refuse a bite of food, at least since we got passed the cold baby cereal with water in it. I thought that a baby would quit eating when he was full. So, either I am starving this poor guy (do you think he looks like he is starving??) or he just doesn't get full. I just decide when he has had enough food and then stop feeding him. The bottom pictures are of him all ready to go to bed tonight. I knew I was going to post a blog and decided to get a few new pictures of him. He was totally staring me down.