Sledding

My parents have a great sledding hill (for the "mild" sledders) in their backyard which is really convenient. We were pleasantly surprised at how brave Jaida was and she loved going down by herself. . .until Mike taught her to lay flat on her back to reduce wind resistance and she went all the way down the hill, missed my dad's orchard trees by inches, and shot over the edge of the hill and disappeared. When Mike got to her, the sled had nose-dived into the ground and shot her forward covering her in snow. It would have been great to get on video. Jaida hasn't asked to go sledding since. She did great while it lasted. Mya was pretty indifferent. She was just glad to be outside. And Mike puts up no resistance when asked to go sledding so I'm thinking he likes it just as much. And, of course, I just take the pictures. :)

Mya in the "trailer" we bought to tie behind Jaida's sled.

Jaida didn't weigh enough to pull Mya down the hill, so she ditched her mid-way! Mya didn't seem to mind.

I think Mike likes sledding as much or more than Jaida. :)

Hoofing it back up the hill. It's long. It gets tiring really fast.

Gingerbread Houses

Our friends, the Willsons (hey Jeff and Jaimi) had us over for a little gingerbread house decorating. Mike and I don't normally "craft" like that and I think it was our first time ever making gingerbread houses. You'd never be able to tell by our finished product though! ha ha. Jaida enjoyed the frosting, Mya ate lots of candy, I took lots of pictures (surprise), and mike filled in where necessary (such a sport).

Get candy, get candy, get candy. . . .



Putting gumdrops on and separating the roof. Oops.



Hmmm....I think I'll try some of these.



Mya setting the mood with a little round of "We wish you a merry christmas!" We're so proud.



Fighting Jaida for the last piece of candy. . .take a guess who won!







Jaida hard at work on her graham cracker frosting pile.







Serious concentration. Jaida got burned out on the house after putting on 3 gumdrops so I made Mike do it so I could take pictures. He's such a sport!







Jaida "helping" squeeze on some frosting.







No more candy. . .that's alright. . .i'll just munch on the crayon.





Jaida's finished production. Looks yummy.




Check out those icicles! Not bad for a first timer. :)






And i'll have some of these. . . .

Now that's funny.

Jaida came into my room earlier this morning and says "Mom. You gotta see this." "See what?" "I just drew all over my table in my room." I gave her "the look" (I really hope you're kidding look) and went into her room. Sure enough, she had drawn all over her little white table with an orange colored pencil. And when I say everywhere, I mean the table was covered. She looked up at me, took in my displeasure, and then said "Now that's funny."
Big deep breaths. Walk away from the child. Needless to say, she cleaned it up. And I think she enjoyed every minute of it. Someone please help me! :)

Binkies, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. . .

Many kids throw fits about toys, candy, etc. when you take them shopping. That's to be expected. Jaida, however, in true fashion for her, has chosen other objects in the store to save fits for. A while ago, we were in Target and generally I avoid the binkie isle, but for some reason I had to go down it this time. I did my best to hurry and not let Jaida see the binkies. If you've met Jaida, you know that's not possible. She sees and observes EVERYTHING. So she saw them. I said no binkies. She argued. I decided to walk away. So I pushed the cart out of the aisle thinking she would follow. Instead she dropped to the ground and started screaming with all her might. Then she started banging on one of the metal shelves to make more noise (gotta give her credit for that one). I stopped the cart and went back to calmly talk to her about why we don't scream in the store. By this point several people were staring, a few moms knowingly laughing. After my rationalizing with her didn't work, I scooped her up off the ground. She started screaming louder and then yells, repeatedly, "I'm bleeding. . I'm bleeding." I started laughing at that point (laugh or cry!). I have no idea where she came up with that, but it certainly got the attention of everyone around us. She didn't get the binkies.
Yesterday, we were at Target again. This time I needed more toothpaste. Jaida HATES brushing her teeth. For nearly a month, we had to pin her down (I'm not exaggerating here) with Mike holding her arms, and me sitting on her legs and then we'd brush while she screamed and sometimes threw up. (Don't be alarmed by the throwing up. . .my kids do it all the time. It gets old). I grabbed the toothpaste and Jaida saw some she wanted. Tigger and Pooh. She doesn't need more toothpaste but it's one of those things we'll always use in the future so I let her get it. I moved on and she demanded she needed a toothbrush to match the toothpaste. "No". Then came the loudest most piercing scream I've ever heard come out of her. She doesn't scream very much. Again came the stares, the moms laughing, me laughing, and Mya certainly observing for the future. Honestly, who cries about toothbrushes and toothpaste. She followed me down the next aisle sobbing. Hysterical. How can I stop someone who is so passionate about her oral health? Sigh.

Oh, Jaida.

I dropped something off at a friends house today. She wasn't home so her cleaning lady answered the door. Jaida, being the ever observant child, wondered who it was that answered the door. I explained that it was my friends cleaning lady. She then asked if the cleaning lady was coming to our house (not sure what she was hinting there) and I said that I did the cleaning at our house (sort of). She paused for a minute and then said, "You can be a cleaning lady for other people when you're older." She finally discovered my life's aspirations! ha ha. It was funny how she said it, like she had just realized my potential in the future. Groan. No thanks.
During the same car ride, Jaida finished eating the cheeseburger I had just bought her for lunch (yep, I'm a healthy mom) and I heard her crumpling up the paper it had come in. The next thing I knew, the wad of paper bounced off the back of my head and Jaida says "Boo-yah" (a word learned from her dad).
Jaida also informed me the other day when we were in the mall in between her screaming at Santa from a distance so he would wave at her--"Santa isn't bringing you anything mom. . . .you've been naughty." Hmmm.

Build-A-Bear Clothes

You know your 3 1/2 year old has size issues when she fits in build-a-bear clothes. And by "fit" I mean she can get them on! You should have seen her in the build-a-bear Santa outfit. I was laughing so hard I couldn't get a picture.

Potty Training

A few weeks after Jaida turned 3 in August I was heavily pressured into potty training her (I really didn't want to do it). This picture makes me laugh everytime I see it. "Potty training is tough. . .wear a helmet." It actually went better than I dreaded, minus the one day where Jaida stood on the fireplace butt-naked screaming "I want a diaper." I didn't give in and she finally put the underwear back on. And to think I get to go through that several (yes, Mike, I said several) more times!

Coke on the beach

One day I was chatting with my mom and somehow it came up that she used to take a 6-pack of Coke with her to the beach when she went and wouldn't leave until she had finished all the Coke. I was quite surprised by that story. It seemed very out of character for my mom. Then I realized she was much different now than she once was. With that in mind, I thought I'd jot (is that how you spell that) down some things that describe me so my kids can have a good laugh in the future. So here it goes.
I love pizza. I could eat it for every meal and still never get tired of it.
I hate pets. Any kind.
I am passionate about photography.
I graduated with a degree in history from BYU. Very useful.
I love kids. I think they're hilarious.
I am terrified of things that flutter. Wild turkeys are about as scary as anything gets. I also had a bad experience with a gaggle of geese once.
I like musicals.
I enjoy reading. Particularly historical novels and memoirs.
I like to watch NFL football and some college teams (go Cougars. . .I mean go Utes--sorry Mike).
I am addicted to reality TV. My favorite--Survivor. Amazing Race and The Hills are close seconds.
I am generally an emotionally detached person.
I don't have a favorite color.
I lived in Israel for 4 months.
I have traveled to Canada, Mexico, France, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and several states in the U.S.
I love to travel and can't wait to go to Italy one day.
I don't like fish, alive or ready to be eaten.
Favorite vacation spot--Lake Powell--no contest.
I was born in Blackfoot, Idaho.
I like to wakeboard, wakesurf (just learned how to do that), mountain bike, and play soccer.
I don't like being cold, but I love snow.
I would be happy living in Utah my entire life.
Flaky people drive me crazy.
So do people who always think they're right.
I like to brush my teeth.
I hate getting ready in the morning.
I plan to do humanitarian trips when my kids are older.
I don't mind doing dishes, but hate putting them away.
I do not like to cook, but love to eat.
I type really fast.
I like holidays. All of them. My favorite is probably the 4th of July.
I am patriotic.
I don't like ice cream. I know, I'm un-American.
I like to stay in touch with friends.
I am fascinated by people and their every day lives. (Hence I am a blog stalker)
I play the piano.
I really want to learn how to play the violin.
I am patient.
If I say it, I mean it.
I love to surprise people.
I am loyal.
I worry. Alot. (Just ask Mike)
I love to be around people. I very rarely need "alone time".
I like to sleep. My kids don't.
I don't like juice. Any kind. I'm a water, milk, diet coke girl.
I can't eat anything spicy. Mild salsa is pushing it.
I have a jealous personality.
I have good vision.
Once I looked straight at a solar eclipse and had bad vision for months. It luckily went away.
I don't like other people's feet.
My favorite number is 17. I don't like even numbers.
I am enthusiastic about life almost all the time.
I love my husband and kids more than words can describe.

My favorite sports moment!

I don't know why I can't get over this. . .but for all you sports fans. . .during the Patriots vs. Steelers football game, a flag was thrown near the end of the game. It was against the Steelers. One of the players on the Steelers defense (I couldn't find his name, but I will) picked up the refs flag and hucked it into the stands. It was hilarious. You probably have to see the footage, but it was fantastic. That's a way to get the message across that you were unhappy!!! I think the guy got fined $25,000 for it. In my opinion, it was worth the fine. I still smile about it everytime I think about it.

On or In. . . .

Mya is my monkey. She is always on or in something. Always. I have to keep a constant eye on her and it's especially hard while living in my parents house as it is hard to babyproof. Here she is on her sister. They are about the same weight but Mya's is more compact. Jaida doesn't stand a chance!





On the cat. This one's for you dad. Sorry mom, but Shadow doesn't move so I guess he likes it.




This was not staged. I left the door down on the dishwasher and she climbed right up. She loves the dishwasher door (no, Mom, I don't let her sit on it. . .but it was funny at the time) and crawls as fast as she can to get to it anytime I open the door. i now have to load the dishwasher when she's asleep. I pretty much have to do everything when she's asleep. . Sigh.



In the crayon box. She was on the table next but I figured I'd better get her off instead of take a picture and let her fall on her head. She loves to get up on things and then stand up but she's VERY unstable.



On Jaida again. I tried to teach Mya "10 cereals" but she's a little young. She just tried to poke Jaida's eyes out. Poor jaida.



On dad's phone at work. I guess I should say eating dad's phone at work.



In the doll stroller. She bottoms it out. It's hilarious. But a perfect thing for the two of them to do. So far Mya hasn't been hurt when jaida's burning around the kitchen pushing her. I probably shouldn't think things like that are funny. . .but they are.



On the stool in the bathroom checking herself out. She loves to unload the drawers and put all the stuff in the sink. Fantastic. She also likes to dip toilet paper in the toilet and then eat it. We try to discourage that one.




In the cat box. With the cat. Shadow promptly left. And Mya left with cat hair all over her. Nasty.






Standing on her little chair. This is her favorite. She gets up on it, looks for me, and then says "Get down" and laughs. Of course I do to.



On my "bill" box. She uses that as a stool to get on counters, computer desks, tables, etc. Very hazardous.



In the jeep. Luckily it doesn't work. If it did, i'm sure she'd be uncontrollably cruising around in it.



On the computer. She LOVES the computer.



On the couch. No she's not old enough to be on the couch unsupervised. But she manages to find ways up there and then crawls back and forth laughing.



In a bucket. Weird.



On the bill box and on the phone. She makes a great secretary!

I don't have a picture of her in the cat litter box. Sometimes the door gets left open to where the box is and she always knows. If I can't hear her for a minute, I know right where she's gone. And sure enough, she has thrown cat littler everywhere and is sitting in the box. Fortunately the cat doesn't use it often, but I'm always so horrified and immediately scrub her down so no pictures of that one.

Celebrate Life

Our ward did a tree at the festival of trees at the Sandy Expo Center in honor of Dustin Brockbank, a boy in the ward who died last December. The ladies who decorated the tree did an amazing job. The festival is held each year and all the proceeds are donated to Primary Childrens Hospital. I look forward to it every year. Since I usually go with my mom, somehow I talked Mike into going to the festival with me on a Friday night. It was CRAZY busy and there were people everywhere. We missed the tree our first walk through so I had to go through the whole thing again to find it. It was worth it though. I didn't know Dustin very well, but my parents did. He was in my dad's singles ward for a while. He loved music and was a very talented drummer so the tree had a music theme. Good job crafty ladies of the Crescent 18th ward and our thoughts are with the Brockbanks this Christmas season. The best part is someone anonymously purchased the tree and then delivered it to the Brockbanks home so they could have it.
After we finished looking at trees, Jaida begged to watch the dancers who were performing at the festival. Let's just say that was interesting. . . .Jaida and Mya loved them. Way more than the trees.

Thanksgiving

This one's for my Mom. Look! We set the table with CHINA!!!! And we have a tablecloth!



What better way to end Thanksgiving than with a heated game of Pictionary. I have to twist everyone's arm to play this game. I LOVE IT!!! So if there are any other pictionary fans out there, let's plan a game. I draw a mean stick figure.



Turkey in the deep fryer. Healthy!!



We've got hot oil. . . might as well make french fries!



The finished fried turkey. A little crispy but very juicy on the inside.



My and Kelli's first turkey. Looks pretty good if you ask me. We even stuffed it.



Not a surgeon's carving job, but I got all the meat off one way or another!




Shane and Jer inspecting the turkey about to be submerged in boiling hot oil. Yum.



The turkey kickin' it. Washing turkeys is disgusting. I made Kelli do it.




You're supposed to inject the turkey with some sort of marinade. We never bought an official
turkey marinator so we tried to use one of my medicine syringes I use to give the girls medicine (don't worry. . .I threw it away afterwards.) It didn't work very well. Always next year. Get excited mom!!




Shane preparing to submerge the turkey. We nominated Shane to do this, a.) because it was his idea, and b.) he has no wife or kids that would be devastated if he got marred by an explosion!!! Just kidding mom. . .it was perfectly safe. And see. . .we did it outside!!



Checking out the turkey. it was kind of exciting. I videotaped the whole thing just in case something "Thueson" style happened. It was rather un-eventful. I'm not sure if we were disappointed or thankful about that!


This was the first Thanksgiving in my life without my parents. . .sad. We really missed them. Because they were gone, it meant I had to host my first Thanksgiving. Yikes. Everyone pitched in and it turned out to be a great feast and a great day!! Shane had the wild idea to deep fry a turkey. Kelli and I were nervous so we decided to do TWO turkeys in case the deep fry one exploded. Thanksgiving is a lot of work. Sorry we never helped more Mom and Dad. We'll be better in the future.

Borrowed Post

So my brother Jeremy posted this on his blog and I thought it was funny so I'm re-posting it here. I didn't ask his permission, so I hope you don't mind Jeremy....

"This was the view from our front door this morning. We've probably had about 10" at our place over the last week (some of it melted of course) and I'm thrilled about it. I went out to shovel the walks this morning and my niece, Jaida (my sister Lindsay's oldest), insisted on helping. While I shoveled, she dusted off the cars, made snow angels, and cheered me on with comments like "You're a nice guy" and "You can be a great doctor." She definitely has a future in life coaching or authoring self-help books. When we were finished and taking our snow clothes off, she unashamedly announced "I have a snuggie and it hurts." To be three and without guile, you've got to love it."