Rub-a-dub-dub...

Rub-a-dub-dub, three kids in the tub!


And who do you think they were? Why it is Sydney, Sammy and Gracie!

What a bum view huh? (Sorry this one is so blurry.)

"Get me outta here! I can't take a bath with a bunch of girls!"

"Do I have something on my face?"

Tagged...

Okay so I have been tagged again. This time I am supposed to come up with 6 facts about myself, so here goes...

1) There is a certain time of year when I have an addiction that I cannot deny. The leaves on the trees start to change color and the weather starts to feel crisp, and I must have pumpkin! Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pancakes, even those little mellowcreme pumpkins (which don't actually taste like pumpkin at all but are in the shape of pumpkins so they count). I don't know what it is about pumpkins, but it just wouldn't be fall without them. I love pumpkins!

2) Some day I want to learn to play the guitar and ballroom dance (not together). My goal of playing the guitar I know I can make happen. It is just a matter of having the money to buy a guitar (which may not happen until David is out of school) and finding the time to play it (which is difficult while the kids are so small), but someday I am sure I can make that goal happen. The ballroom dancing goal may be a different story. I have never been very coordinated or graceful. Maybe that is why I have always envied so much people who are. Someday though, I will take dancing lessons (again this may have to wait until David is out of school... that money thing just seems to get in the way all the time... oh well). Someday...

3) Sometimes, when it is dark outside, if I am all alone, I like to sit and listen to sad songs until I cry. I don't do this every time it is dark outside and I am alone, just sometimes. I think it is a way for me to let out bottled up emotion. I do tend to keep stress and anger bottled up inside me until they explode. I guess this is just a non explosive way for me to let out emotion. "So turn 'em on, turn 'em on, turn on those sad songs. When all hope is gone, sad songs say so much."

4) I start listening to Christmas music a couple of weeks before Halloween! I love Christmas music, and movies. I think I watched Miracle on 34th St. in September this year. Last week I went to Salvation army looking for a desk for David and the best things I came home with were the movie "A Muppet Christmas Carol" for 3 dollars and a 3 foot pre-lit Christmas tree to go in Gracie's room (kind of as a night light) complete with decorations for 4 dollars.

5) I am kind of a skin flint. I get after David for turning the heater up too high in the winter and I tell him not to spend too much when he goes to the grocery store. I feel secure when I have money in savings, so coming to medical school with David has been a real stretch for me. This is the first time since we got married that neither of us has had an income (and it is really scary!!!).

6) I love love love to read! If I am just sitting there doing nothing my eyes wander and look for some kind of magazine or something nearby for me to read. At breakfast time if the cereal box is handy I have to read it. Even if I read it the day before!! I love to read children's books and novels and religious books and picture books and magazines and cook books and holiday books and anything really (except David's medical text books... I am not really interested in them. If I had no responsibilities, I would sit and read all day every day!

So that is 6 random facts about me. Sorry it has taken me so long to fill this one out Caralee. I am tagging anyone who reads this blog who hasn't filled it out yet. Have fun!

The Cider Mill and stuff.

So much has gone on that I haven't blogged about while our computer has been broken. First, I had a birthday! Happy Birthday to me. I am now 27 years old. My youngest sister tells me that 27 is half of 54 which is half of 108, so I am almost 108 years old. No wonder I am so tired! David surprised me for my birthday with a visit from my sister Caralee and her husband, Seth, and daughter, Sydney. It was so fun! I think, with all the excitement of a new place, I sort of forgot how much I missed them until she came. Their picture is on this collage. We are all at a local cider mill. We got to go on a tour there for our play group two weeks ago. It was so awesome. They cider mill is 111 years old and they have been making their cider the same way for those 111 years. We were really heart broken to hear that the cider mill burned down two days later! We were actually the last tour they held there. I really really hope they rebuild! The little girl on the third row of these pictures is Annie. Gracie LOVES Annie. She is always so excited to go to church where she can play with Annie. The other people in the pictures are others in our play group. We all really had a great time!

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone! Finally I am getting my pictures up. For some reason the pictures I took on Halloween didn't turn out so all I have is these ones from the Trunk or Treat. I am half tempted to put their costumes back on them and take come more pictures. I am not exactly sure what Gracie is doing in this picture...maybe yelling to someone? I put make-up on her because I remember my mom putting make-up on me when I was a little girl and got dressed up for Halloween, but the mascara turned out to be a big mistake. Gracie kept rubbing her eyes and scrunching them really tight before the mascara dried, so she looks a little like she has a couple of black eyes. Oh well, maybe in a few years huh?


Here she is looking very queenly and beautiful!

Sammy made the cutest little Superman ever. Gracie is SO funny about Superman. She absolutely loves him! The first time she learned anything about Superman was from the old TV show "Adventures of Lois and Clark." She took one look at Superman and said, "SuperDad!" Since then she has branched out, and now we sing songs about "Superdad, Supermom, SuperGacie, SuperSammy, Supercar, Superbag..." the list goes on and on depending on what is in her line of vision while we are singing the Superman song. Since I love Superman too I love that she sings this song.

We went trick or treating at the houses on our street. Gracie thought it was pretty fun. We almost couldn't get from house to house fast enough for her. If we stopped to talk for even a minute to the people who lived at the houses Gracie would try to go on without us. She wasn't disappointed though when it was time to go home. We told her it was time to go home and eat the candy and she couldn't wait to get home! We felt bad that we didn't have very many trick or treaters on our street though. I think only about 5 little groups of kids came. But I guess that leaves us with all the extra candy! Yummy!!!

MIA

Sorry I haven't posted lately. We have been having lots of fun, and I have been taking a lot of pictures that I want to put up, but our computer hasn't been working. The monitor has gone out. We are getting a new one (when David has time... I don't dare pick one out myself). Meanwhile, I am just stealing a moment here and there to check up on your blogs on David's computer when he isn't using it. I will work on getting more pictures posted soon!

I love FALL!

David and the kids and I went to NY for Stake Conference yesterday. This in itself was interesting to me; I have never had to drive more than 5 minutes to get to Stake Conference let alone an hour! But the drive there was so incredible! On our way home we stopped at this old cemetery. It was really really beautiful. I really don't think that graveyards are scary (I don't know how I would feel in this graveyard in the dark on Halloween night though). In fact, when I die, I would love to be buried in such a beautiful, peaceful place. The picture collage just below this is all of the graveyard.

The next two pictures are just some of the pictures we took in random place along the road. They were so incredibly beautiful!

This is of a road in Jamestown. I loved the red brick roads and as we drove down them we sang our own version of, "Follow the yellow brick road," from the wizard of oz substituting red for yellow. I just had to take a picture of one because I loved them so much!

If there is one thing that could keep me on the east coast forever, it would be how absolutely beautiful it is here in the fall. I am totally amazed every time I step out my door.

Phase Two

So here is phase two of the kitchen. The cupboards are all in, except for the shelf that David need to make at the end of the top row. We need to get the kick boards in, tile behind the counters, and paint. It is coming along though. David stayed up until 3:00 am Wednesday morning putting all the doors and drawers up. I fell asleep and didn't realize he was up so late until he came to bed. He is so sweet. He said he just wanted me to have my kitchen put together and he knew he would be really busy for the next couple of weeks because he has two big tests coming up. He really is a cutie. I didn't feel too awfully bad for him when he admitted he was watching "House" all night (which he has recently become addicted to). His parents brought him the first 3 seasons to watch because it is a doctor show. Anyway. The kitchen to be continued...

The Kitchen

So here is our kitchen. We are remodeling it, and this is what it looked like before. Actually this is what it looked like with the previous owners (We don't have pets, and I had things arranged a little differently). It was ok I guess (everything mostly worked) but it wasn't really safe for a growing family. In fact if you are cooking on the stove and happen to touch the oven, you got a shock! Also the oven didn't insulate the heat very well. I have burned myself on it a couple of times trying to get something out of the oven. Good bye old kitchen. I would not wish you back again.

This is the beginning of demolition. Our home teacher, Jeremy, came over to help. He knows a lot more than we do about this kind of stuff and was a really big help. David's parents were also in town. His dad worked REALLY hard trying to help David finish some things before they had to leave today. The Missionaries even came and gave us some service hours and helped in the demolition. Thanks everyone.

Below is my cute husband. You can see all of the colors that the kitchen used to be behind him. There is also some wall paper above the window. I always think it is fascinating to see a house's history through the many layers of paint it has had.

Anyway, I will put up the next phase of pictures later. The cabinets are being built and David is working on the plumbing (and it is a nightmare!). I guess it had many problems that we were unaware of. I think between David and his Dad they have made at least 5 trips to Home Depot trying to get the right parts. Anyway, it will all get figured out eventually. Meanwhile I am taking a break from doing dishes (I am getting desperate though and am going to have to start washing dishes in the bath tub pretty soon!).

Happy Birthday Micah!

Hey Micah! Happy Birthday! We hope it is a GREAT one! You are one year older and wiser too! (Oh yeah, and by the way, I think your idea about the corn box sounds pretty funny!!!) We love you! Love, David Julie Gracie and Sammy

Old Mcdonald had a farm...

We have had a pretty busy week here. David's sister Lindsay came to visit us and we have been having so much fun with her here. On Friday we went to this fun children's farm. It is a really fun fally place that is geared towards little kids. First we went on a hay ride to a pumpkin patch to "pick" pumpkins. Actually the pumpkins were already picked, but the did get to choose one. Gracie chose one for her and Sammy. The second picture on the top row is one of Gracie while we were on the hay ride. She didn't like the tractor that was pulling us at all. I have only found two things that Gracie is afraid of: four wheelers, and tractors. I tried to get her to smile for a picture, but she just closed her eyes and kind of grimaced (I think she was trying to pretend that she wasn't there). After the hay ride, we went to this hay maze. Sammy thought hay was really interesting! Gracie thought it was great for climbing. She climbed all the way to the highest level of hay (three bales up) and danced to the country music they had playing. Next we found some really fun slides. Then we played for a long time in the corn box. It is like a sand box with corn instead of sand in it. Gracie thought this was the best thing there, and Sammy liked it a lot too. He kept going after the tractors and dump trucks that had in it. He is a true boy. We had so much fun on Friday, I can't wait to bring the kids back again! Maybe we will go with Grandma and Grandpa when they come this week.

What a hunk!

Happy Birthday yesterday Jeremy! I love you and I miss you. I hope you had a great birthday. Your present is in the mail. (Isn't my brother cute!)

Matching bruises.

Just look at these sad kids! It is probably my fault they are so klutzy, you know, genetics and all. Gracie fell yesterday while she was twirling in circles in the living room. She hit her face on the brick hearth. You would think she would learn, but she is twirling again as I am writing this. Sammy tips over so frequently it is almost impossible to determine where each of his bruises comes from. He is trying to stand up on his own. He pulls himself up on anything and everything, and then once he is steady, he lets go. He can actually stand by himself for about two seconds, and then he inevitably tips over. But you should see the exultant look in his eyes for those two seconds! He looks so pleased with himself! It must be worth it because he continues to try. Still, I feel like people are looking at me like I must beat my kids or something. And I feel kind of guilty even though I didn't do anything wrong... unless I just should have protected them better or something (doesn't every mom feel this way at some point?). Anyway, they do look like sad little kids.

Gracie looked so adorable the other morning that we had to take her picture. Just look at that messy hair! It must have been a rough night!

This is my new kitchen (actually it is in the dinging room right now). I know it doesn't look like much yet, but just wait it will. We went to IKEA last weekend and came home with our pockets significantly lighter, but with lots of great stuff! David put one of the cabinets together last night and it looks GREAT! Good job David! He put together the broom closet which is a great investment for our family (see blog post from Sept. 19th if you have any questions as to why).

This is Sammy's new crib. Gracie slept in a travel crib for her first year of life (when she wasn't sleeping with us). She slept through the night and it worked perfectly! Sammy, on the other hand, hates the travel crib. He slept in a cradle when he was first born when I could stand to be apart from him that long, and since then he has alternately slept in the travel crib for about 20 minutes a couple of times through the night and with us. We got this great new crib and Sammy slept in it 3 nights in a row (not all night, but we are working on that). I put him down for a nap in it yesterday and he actually went to sleep all on his own. *sniff, sniff* my little boy is getting all grown up. Don't tell anyone, but he actually had to sleep on Strawberry shortcake sheets for a night (I didn't have any boy sheets for a crib this size) and it was too late and I was too tired to go get new sheets Monday night. David said after he spread a blue blanket over the sheet he thinks Sammy slept better. Now we have a nice blue boy sheet on it and Sammy loves it!

Happy happy birthday sister dear!

Happy days will come to you all year. If I had one wish than it would be a happy happy birthday to you from me! I am wearing my superman shirt today!

Happy Birthday Dallin!

We hope you have a great day!

Cute Faces

I just can't get over how cute this kids face is!!! I just think he is about one of the cutest boys I have ever seen. Wow what a hunk!!!

This is Gracie's fishy face! What wouldn't I give for luscious lips like those?

This is Gracie's bunny face. If you ask her what the bunny says she scrunches her nose up, but as you can see her lips also do something funny. Instead of her nose wiggling, her lips do. You can also see the black eye she gave herself in these pictures. She had the broom on Sunday and was "helping" me sweep. She all of a sudden ran at the couch using the broom as some sort of lance (broom end forward). Unfortunately she was the one who got lanced. When the broom hit the couch it stopped, but Gracie didn't. She ran right into the end of the handle of the broom. That little incident stopped her for about oh... 3o seconds. Then she wanted to do it again. If you came to our house you would see why most of the time the broom is kept on top of the fridge. It really is the only safe place.

No! Don't make me take a nap!!!

I had the hardest time getting Sammy to take a nap yesterday. He woke up at 8:00 am (which is pretty late for him) but then I couldn't get him to take a nap ALL day. Actually he probably took two ten minute naps while I was holding him, but as soon as I would try to lay him down he was up and ready to play again. At dinner time, I put him in his high chair and fed him some applesauce. He LOVES applesauce! He had eaten most of the container of baby food when finally it was just too much for him. He seriously fell asleep in between two bites of food... like within 10 seconds! I would have just let him sleep in his chair (because I was afraid of him waking up again), but he ended up face planting on the tray about 1 minute after this picture. David carried him into his bed after that and he actually slept for about 20 minutes. What a funny boy he is!

We also lit a fire in our fireplace for the first time last night. I was cold (David finally told me it was just me who was...but I have been sick) so I asked David to light a fire. Our fire place has a little key that goes to this hole on the side of it. We thought it was to open the flu. David got the fire started and we decided to turn the key in the whole to make sure the flu was open. He turned it and our fire all of a suddenly got about 10 times bigger. We have a gas fireplace and we had no idea!!!! It is an interesting set-up. You actually do have to light the fire because it doesn't have a starter on it, and it is just a pipe that comes out under the fire, but David's fire building skills need honing, so it ended up being pretty useful. It was so fun to see the fire crackling and popping in our own fireplace. David and Gracie roasted marshmallows for smores while Sammy and I cuddled up next to it. I love fall!

Bad Dream

So Gracie woke up at about 12:45 this morning with a nightmare. She just stayed there in her bed kind of crying. I went into her room and hugged her and she wrapped her arms around by neck and wouldn't let go. David climbed on the bed near her feet and she was kicking at him and didn't want him there. At the time I though it was because she wanted me and not David. So I sent David to bed and lay down next to her. She would fall asleep and then start kicking her legs and crying again. She did this several times. I figured that she was having the same dream over and over, so I decided to get her up for a minute. We went and got a drink of water and then we went and curled up in her bed again. We both fell asleep (I woke up when Sammy cried during the night). This morning when Gracie woke up she told me, "Leg hurt..." I looked her leg over, but couldn't find any new scrapes or bruises or anything. Then she said "pider" (which means spider) and pointed over to the corner. I am pretty sure she dreamed that a spider bit her leg. I felt so sad! But it was the first time Gracie has been able to tell me about her dreams. It is so amazing to watch her learn to communicate what she is thinking. And she is so curious about everything. She points at letters and pictures in books and says, "What dat?" or "Lookit dat!" Everything is amazing to her. I read recently that adults laugh an average of 11 times a day but kids laugh more than 100 times. It is pretty amazing to be able to see things through her eyes. What a blessing having children is!

Bathtime!

Okay, so I am usually opposed to putting pictures of my kids on my blog naked, but I just couldn't help myself with these ones. I especially love the one of Sammy's bottom! That kid is obviously not underfed. Would you just look at those rolls! Sammy has carrots all over his face in these pictures, and Gracie kept trying to spit water at me and at her brother (but she isn't very good at it). Anyway, I just think these kids are the cutest ever!

My Man!

1. Who is your man? David Stephen
2. How long have you been together? 6 years
3. How long did you date? We have been dating since February of 2001 (who says you have to stop dating once you are married).
4. How old is your man? Way old! He is 28!
5. Who eats more? That depends on what we are eating. If it is pizza David can eat twice as much in half the time.
6. Who said "I love you" first? David did, but he later told me he meant just as friends...
7. Who is taller? David by about 5 inches.
8. Who sings better? We both love to sing.
9. Who is smarter? David (at least he thinks so).
10. Whose temper is worse? Can I plead the 5th?
11. Who does the laundry? Mostly me
12. Who does the dishes? Mostly me again
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Usually me, but if I was up a lot the night before with Sammy (whose crib is on the right side of our bed) sometimes I will make David trade me places so he can get Sammy when he wakes up.
14. Who pays the bills? Me
15. Who is better at the computer? Absolutely positively David!
16. Who mows the lawn? Lately... me.
17. Who cooks dinner? We both do.
18. Who drives when you are together? Mostly David
19. Who pays when you go out? The government (we are living on loans while David is in medical school.... eek!)
20. Who is more stubborn? Can I plead the 5th again?
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I have never been wrong in my life.
22. Whose parents do you see most? Neither right now. We live on the other side of the country from our parents.
23. Who kissed who first? David kissed me first...I would never have dared to kiss a boy first (David was my first kiss).
24. Who asked who out? David asked me out first, but I couldn't go. So I asked him a few months later.
25. Who proposed first? David... on stage, in the middle of a concert...how very embarrassing!
26. Who is more sensitive? We are both pretty sensitive about certain things.
27. Who has more friends? Definitely David. He is the "social butterfly."
28. Who has more siblings? We both come from families with 6 children in them.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? We are both wearing pants today. Yesterday however, I wore a skirt. I don't think David has ever worn a skirt, but if he had a kilt I think he would love to wear it.

OK, Caralee and LeAnn. You are both being tagged! Love ya!

Potty Training... blech!

So yeah, potty training is hard! Gracie has been potty training off and on for a couple of months. And she really is doing pretty good. She goes in the potty chair oh... 9 times our of 10, but only if she isn't wearing panties or a pull-up. Actually she seems to think that sitting on the potty without any clothes on at all is best. Here she is running away because I wanted her to wear a shirt while she was sitting on the potty. But as soon as I put panties on her or a pull-up she stops caring. I am not really sure what to do here. If anyone has any great ideas let me know.

For Sarah

My sister Sarah told me that I never put pictures of myself on my blog (which is mostly true... I don't really like having my picture taken). She also told me she has forgotten what I look like (we haven't been gone that long). Actually it has been about a month and a week since we moved here. Things are pretty much settling in. Gracie and Sammy and I wish we could spend more time with Daddy. It seems like even when he is home he has to study. :( We have joined a play group. We are making friends in the ward. We have unlimited long distance and we can keep in touch with our families every day! We have a nice home, and we have each other. Things really are going good here, and we know that this is where we are supposed to be. So anyway, Sarah this picture is for you. We miss you and we love you!

Monte Cristo Sandwich Anyone?

We went to our friends Matt and Lisa's house for dinner last night. Matt is the only other first year medical student in our ward. Lisa made Monte Cristo sandwichs for dinner, and I thought they were going to be...well interesting at best, because the recipe is kind of strange! But they were really good!!! Lisa makes some kind of sandwich once a week for dinner, and I think it is a tradition that I am about to start. Anyway, I found a recipe online that is similar to what we had last night. Try it, you will love it!

Monte Cristo Sandwich
8 slices of bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch pepper
4 slices of turkey (ours didn't have this and were still delicious)
4 slices of ham
4 slices of swiss cheese
butter and olive oil for frying
powdered sugar
raspberry preserves

Make sandwiches with bread, meats and cheese. Mix eggs, milk salt and pepper together (just like for french toast). Heat frying pan or griddle. Melt 1/4-ish cup of butter on griddle and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, dip sandwiches in egg mixture and cook until both sides are golden and cheese is melted inside. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with jam on the side for dipping. Yummy!

It seems like every day when I pray, I ask Heavenly Father to keep my family safe. I know I am not supposed to pray for the same things every day, but I don't feel like I am just saying some memorized prayer every day. I feel like I am praying for something I sincerely need help with. I pray every day for David to come home safely from school. I pray for Gracie and Sammy and I to be safe where ever we may be. And I am so very glad that I do after an afternoon like today. I am still in freak out mode! If any of you don't know what that is, it is where your heart is pounding and your eyes are crying and your adrenaline is rushing and your hands are shaking. Wow... it seems like the more I think about it, the worse it gets. Gracie and Sammy and I went to the park today with our playgroup. It is a nice park with lots of playground toys to play with. But it has one really really big drawback... actually two. 1)there is not enough shade (but that is because it is right next to the lake), and 2)it is right next to the lake. If you know Gracie, you have probably guessed right where this is leading. No matter where we go, I have to keep a close eye on Gracie. A lot of moms can just sit and chat and their kids don't wander far. Not me. Gracie loves to explore everything. This time she took another little girl with her. Gracie escaped through a small gate in the fence that was out of my line of vision. Annie followed her and they went up a little hill to an amphitheatre that is right next to a pier. Gracie climbed out onto this little ledge that goes right into the lake. She is not afraid to just jump into the water either. Only this time there would have been nobody to catch her and the water is definitely higher than her head. If we had been one minute slower finding Gracie, it might have been too late. Just thinking about it makes me cry like a baby! When Annie saw what Gracie was doing she started running back to find someone to stop her (I think she is afraid of the water). Thank-you Annie! And thank-you to all of the moms that helped find and protect Annie and Gracie! And I am so very grateful to my Heavenly Father for keeping my little girl safe.

Sammy can stand up all by himself!!!

He did it! Sammy can stand up all by himself! He started yesterday. I was loading the dishwasher and he pulled himself up next to it and tried to take the dishes out (he is WAY to little to be getting into so much trouble!). A little later, I put him down for a nap on my bed. I surrounded him with pillows and a quilt. When I came to check on him a few minutes later he wasn't in the bed anymore. He was standing on the floor next to it (holding on to the matress). Wowee! How did that happen? My little boy is getting so big! Could he possibly walk before his sister did? Gracie was only 8 months old when she started walking. I guess it is time to baby-proof the stairs!

Test...

This is a test of the time zone system. I found out that I have been operating under Pacific time on my blog a while ago, but just barely figured out how to fix it. Let's see if it worked. The time is now 12:48 pm. This is only a test...

Smiley Sammy

I was trying to take pictures of Sammy and Gracie this morning and all of a sudden Sammy started climbing up my leg and he was just grinning the biggest grin ever!!! How cute is he. He is getting so quick crawling around too. And he loves to eat paper! He is just so dang cute!