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!

Family Home Evening Treat

We made caramel apples for our family home evening treat on Monday. Actually there is kind of a funny story behind that (although I didn't think it was funny at the time). I took Gracie and Sammy to the grocery store on Friday. Gracie really is getting to big to ride in the cart, but she isn't big enough to listen and stay by my side very well. Anyway, I told her if she would stay right by me she could walk. She was following me (sort of). She picked up all the bell peppers and smelled them, and she had to touch a lot of things (sorry to the people in the store...). She was right next to me, and I turned to pick up some dried cranberries for a salad I was making. Gracie picked up an apple from the display right next to me and took a great big bite! And of course it wasn't from an apple you can buy by the pound. Nooooo, it was an apple that you had to buy by the BOX! So I had to buy a whole box of apples. It was sooooo tempting to just put the apple back and pretend nothing had happened. But I didn't. So I had to think of something to do with apples. We made caramel apples on Monday, and I think I am going to make apple crisp tonight. If anyone wants some, bring some vanilla icecream and come on over.

You're it!

Tag your it!

All right, so I have been tagged. Here I am:

Jobs I have had:
1. Domestic Engineer (yay for mommies!)
2. Zions Bank Internet Branch
3. Zions Bank Teller and New accounts
4. Skywest (loved the benefits!)
5. Phone survey place (I can’t remember the name)

Movies I can watch over and over:
1. That thing you do
2. National Treasure
3. Anything SUPERMAN
4. Miracle on 34th St.
5. While you were sleeping

Favorite T.V. Shows
Actually my tv doesn’t work and even when it did we didn’t get very good reception… oh well. We just watch movies.

Places I have been on Vacation:
1. St. George
2. Church history sites
3. California
4. Is it so sad that I haven’t been anywhere else?
5. David promised me that when he graduates from school he will take me on a vacation where ever I want to go (can you say Europe!)

Favorite Dishes:
1. Anything Mexican (except corn tortillas, I don’t really like those)!!!!!
2. Spaghetti
3. Mom’s Sunday dinners (I can make the exact same things and somehow they aren’t as good.)
4. Chicken noodle soup (homemade of course and only in the winter)
5. French Fries

Websites I visit:
1. BLOGS!
2. theBank
3. Food Network, all-recipes… other random recipe websites
4. LDS.org
5. G-mail

Places I would rather be:
1. with my family
2. In bed with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate (it is only 60 degrees here today)
3. Riding my bike with the kids in the bike trailer (did I mention it is also raining here today)
4. Café Rio
5. At the top of the Empire State Building… with David

People I am tagging:
1. The Cluffs
2. The Hales
3. The Morris Fam
4. The Frontones
5. The Kohlers (that means you actually have to post something on your blog again!

My new couches.

So here are my new couches. They don't look exactly like I remember them looking in the store. Strange how that happens, but oh well. I don't know if I really love them, but David REALLY likes them a lot, so I don't think we will return them. The two end seats on both couches recline (David's favorite feature). I think somehow in my head these couches mixed with another couch that I was looking at, and my favorite features from both got mixed in my head. Anyway. They are very comfortable. The room is still kind of bare. We took the rug that was in there downstairs to the family room so I need a new rug and I still need an end table and to hang more pictures. But these are my new couches.

Carrots, chocolate ice cream, and sitting up!!!

Sammy had his first bite of baby carrots yesterday. He sure loved them, but I can't help but feel sorry for him when the rest of us were eating chocolate ice cream.

Gracie really REALLY liked the chocolate ice cream. Just look at that chocolatey grin.

Sammy started sitting up all by himself! He doesn't even need me to help him get that way. He stands on his hands and his toes and then bends his legs and falls backwards onto his bottom. What a cutie!

Sammy is so big....

Sammy thinks he is such a big boy. He is so close to crawling, but he doesn't really want to crawl he wants to walk. He climbs up on his hands and feet and tries to jump. He gets up so tall and then he falls over (not on purpose) and rolls all the way on to his back. That makes him really mad. He is so fun, I just love him SO MUCH!

The wall in my bedroom...

So here is the infamous wall in my bedroom that I have told some of you about. I really wish that I liked it because I am sure it took the woman who used to live here a long time to paint it, but I just can't leave it. I don't really like to spend time in my bedroom the way it is unless all the lights are off (it is a good thing bedrooms are used for sleeping). But I haven't decided yet what color to paint it. I am open to suggestions... Let me know what you think.

The lake

As you can see, Sammy enjoyed the lake probably almost as much as his sister. What a cute little stinker he is!