Father-Daughter Dance!

Last night the girls went to the annual Father-Daughter dance at their school. They love this event! They get to get all dressed up and have a date with their dad. This year Chris got the girls corsages and suprised them by ringing the doorbell and "picking them up" for their date. They do pictures at the dance and everything. Lots of fun. Brianna let me really work on her hair and we had her in all curls. I even had some glitter spray left from Halloween so I glittered up their hair too. Don't they look beautiful?

When the doorbell rang we all went running downstairs. A few minutes later we hear some cute little sounds upstairs and realize that we left Jenna up there! She was calling down to say, "Hey, what about me?" Chris didn't forget Courtney, though, and she was given her own flowers even though she wasn't old enough for the dance yet. After the big guys left we went to Carls Jr to enjoy milkshakes and play at the playland. For her, this was heaven! All afternoon she kept asking, "When are they going to leave for the Father-Daughter dance?"

Final Twilight Analysis

So, I decided to reserve the last two books at the library instead of buying them. I actually got the final book right away (I was 117th on the list for the 3rd) and decided to go ahead and skip the 3rd book and see how the saga ended. I will give the author credit in that she did get me interested enough to want to keep reading and see how it all ended! So, after so many people said how much they hated the 4th book I was REALLY curious how it ended.

Skip this paragraph if you haven't read the 4th book! I will keep to my original thought that it did drag on a bit long in the middle and I ended up speed reading a bit. But, I found myself actually LIKING the 4th book the best. I found that I could relate to her complete love for her daughter (rather than her unhealthy obsession for Edward we saw in the previous books) and that kept me a bit engrossed. However, as much as I was relieved that no one was hurt, the lack of a big battle scene was VERY anticlimactic! Just strange really. However, I guess the unexpected isn't always bad. I did like that Bella ended up being able to help others for a change. I also liked that she kept her relationship with her dad and Jacob.

So, in response to everyone's comments, I can see where you come from in your thoughts about love and forever and such. Tamra's comment got me thinking the most and did influence my opinions as I read the 4th book--it put things in a different perspective. It helped me to see their love in a better light. It did help that the 4th book was less focused on obsessive love.

My last thought is this: LOVE AND OBSESSION ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS! I've had friends who were obsessed over a guy and had their life screwed up. (I think this is why this book, even though it is fiction, bothered me.) Their life was defined by the guy they dated, not their individuality. Not only did it affect them, but like Bella, it effected the lives of their friends and family too. Even today, over 10 years later, they are still affected by it. I think that Edward showed love for Bella in that he wanted what was best for her and left because he wanted her to have a normal life. Bella, however, was clearly over the line obsessive. I think I would freak out if my daughter was so crazy over a guy.

Did I read the books? Yes. Do the books get people talking? Definitely. Great book club type book because it leads to lots of discussion. Do I want my daughters reading them? Not until they are beyond the boy crazy years (like maybe happily married or something?)!

I Have Finally Read Twilight!

So, after hearing so much hype about Twilight I decided it was time I read the book. Chris got it for me for my birthday and I got the second book for Christmas. I have read them both and I thought I'd stir up some opinions in my comment section by voicing my opinion! (:

I have to say, I was really unimpressed as far as the writing goes. I'd heard that the series is really popular among high school kids and I could tell it really was written at an easy level and to their mentality. It is really a straight story line. Not a whole lot to the plot, just the one brief showdown in Arizona. The whole thing is written from Bella's point of view and I found that a bit tiresome. Plus, I am really annoyed that she is so obsessed with Edward. It goes so contrary to what I hope to teach my daughters about guys. You just can't let them take over your life. She went into such a depression when he left. I just kept thinking, "Get a grip!"

Shouldn't we teach our daughters not to let a guy define who we are or depend on a guy to feel happy? She didn't begin to emerge from her depression until she had renewed a relationship with the other guy who is in love with her. On top of that, she is willing to give up everything and become a vampire for him? It reminds me of Hercules. It always drove me crazy that he gave up immortality for a girl. Isn't our eternal life and exaltation most important? Don't we want to marry someone we can share that with, not someone who will take it away?

I know that I sound so unromantic. I get the romanticism involved, that they love each other so much they are willing to give up so much for the other person. Love is a very powerful thing. I am usually a sucker for romantic stuff, but this one just goes too far for me.

That said, I did read the second book--though I found myself speed reading a bit to get to the main points. (A lot of it just reminds me of reading a long-winded diary.) I will admit that I am interested to see how it turns out--mostly because I hope she redeems herself and finds inner peace apart from Edward. I'm just not sure I want to sift through all the repetitive stuff to see what happens.

So, now it's your turn. Tell me why you agree, or most likely, disagree with me and why! I am curious what all of you think!!!

A Different Kind of Sunday

So today I had the realization that I have to get used to being the "caregiver" of my baby during church. I was released as the primary chorister (this is where I get sentimental... sigh...) two weeks ago and called as the RS Pianist. So, that means that Chris no longer has to take care of Jenna during church. My experience with tending the "baby" during church is quite limited as most of our marriage I have had a calling in Primary. So, today I got to do some hall wandering of my own. It made me very appreciative of my husband. He's had to do this with all four of our kids. Now I know why he always wanted to take the baby and "just go home" after Sacrament meeting. To his credit, he never did. I guess as parents we know that our kids won't ever learn to deal with three hours of church if we take them home. Plus, we can hope that we do absorb a bit of the spirit while wandering the halls.

After church we were finally headed out the door when Courtney got two of her fingers shut in the church entry door. The door was completely closed! My sweet girl was crying quite hard when we finally realized and got the door opened. The many onlookers rushed to her side and we had many people to help us tend her and the other kids as well when we took her back inside. Thankfully they did not get broken, just dented quite badly. We iced them a bit before we left church, had a quick exam by Sister Laird (Courtney's primary teacher last year who works in the ER) and headed home. She is feeling much better, but I'm sure her fingers will be a bit tender for a few days.

I did leave church feeling grateful for the love and concern so many showed to my little girl and for my family. What a great group of people we have in our ward. Thank you!

So anyway, a strange day at church for me. Courtney is fine and I know that I'll adjust to my new routine. I think I'll feel a longing to be back in primary for a while, though!

Baby #4, the good and the bad

THE BAD:

So, Jenna started crawling a week or so before Christmas and it didn't take long for her to start getting into stuff! I found her "sampling" the dog food. Before I swiped it out of her mouth I had to snap a photo! See the lump in her cheek? yup, dog food! She keeps going for more too! I watched Brianna like a hawk and she never had a chance to get into anything!

THE GOOD:

I am WAY more leniant on food with Jenna than I ever was with Brianna. I confessed to the doctor at her 4 month appointment and I got his blessing! "Give her whatever you want, just hold off on honey and cows milk until she's a year." This was said only because we have no family history of allergies at all.

So Jenna, maybe you get away with eating dog food, but you also get to have YOUR OWN ICE CREAM CONE! She's in heaven!

Christmas!

So it is a bit past Christmas, but we've been having too much fun playing to bother with the blog! Besides, Chris was able to take the full two weeks off from work and enjoy being with the kids. It really was a vacation even if we did stay home this year. The kids got exactly what they wanted (we limited their lists to just 2 things or so they really wanted because we were getting some "family" gifts) and we've had a ton of fun! The major family gift was a Nintendo Wii with lots of accessories and games. We've had a lot of fun with it! I got the Wii Fit to go along with it and a new bicycle! Santa brought one to me AND McKayla! I was quite suprised and very happy as I had just noticed on a bikeride the day before that I was "squeak sqeaking" down the street (it was like 16 years old)! It is VERY NICE! LOVE IT!!!!

Chris' parents were here for Christmas and we even got them enjoying the Wii. It is pretty amazing to see them having fun playing video games! Here they are enjoying some bowling.

We've also been enjoying the karaoke machine we got for the family. Chris and I have shared a LOT of laughs already with that thing! The girls got new jump ropes including long ones for double dutch and such. We took them out front and had the neighbor kids joining in. Lots of fun!

Here are the kids with their "treasured" gifts. Chris and I were woken by Jenna at 7:00 and it didn't seem right to be up without the kids, so we pulled them out of bed to go downstairs with us. They were still quite groggy (too many late nights with Grandma sleeping over!), so we didn't get that classic Christmas morning reaction (well, except for McKayla, she never disappoints), but they were obviously happy.

Courtney wanted "a rudolph with a nose that lights up, a dalmation, and a unicorn." She also got the highly advertised Littlest Pet Shop Fitness Center! You can see a peek of my new bike-it's got shocks and everything!

McKayla REALLY wanted a new bike! She wanted one so bad she was stressed out that Santa might not come through and she just couldn't bear the thought of having to ride her small one any longer! Thank goodness Santa found one, because her birthday in July would have been a long wait! (see my old bike behind it--this picture was taken later after McKayla's bike was moved out to the garage.)

Brianna wanted a bike/skateboard ramp and a skateboard. She also wanted an MP3 player from mom and dad. We got her the Sansa Clip--it is awesome! Very reasonably priced and the reviews are great. It is WAY BETTER than the Ipod Shuffle. She loves it!

Overall, a peaceful and fun Christmas!

Ode to My Husband...

Isn't he handsome? This is a picture he had to have taken for work. I just love how he looks in a suit!

Last weekend was my best friend's birthday. Yes, Chris turned a ripe old 35! Yikes! A while back I saw this tag on Leanne's blog and thought this would be an appropriate time to respond with my answers.

However, before I get on with the mushy stuff I can't help but share a hilarious story. This is one of those experiences that just help you bond as husband and wife. Someday, when we're really old, we'll look back and laugh together all over again. (Like we still do about the time we were walking to class at BYU, holding hands like always. Our hands were in his coat pocket due to the frigid weather that day. One of us hit a patch of ice and--sw00sh--we both hit the ground. We could NOT stop laughing!)

Oh yah, our current funny moment: On Sunday, Chris' actual birthday, I was going to meet Chris in the foyer after church (our family meeting place) and Brianna informed me he was "waiting in the car." Strange. However, I proceeded to the car. I sat down and Chris turned to me and our conversation went like this:

"You are supposed to take care of me."
"What do you mean?" said I.
"Look at my feet."
"What, did you wear two different socks?"
"Look again...."
I looked again--Chris was wearing TWO DIFFERENT SHOES! He was SO embarrased. Not only were they different colors, but one was a slip on and one was a lace up! Too funny. He had been holding Jenna and we were late for church. He went into the dark walk-in closet, stuck his feet in, and we were off. I don't pay any attention to those things. It wasn't until the 3rd hour of church, while he was sitting with the Priest's Quorum (the 16-17 year old boys) that one of the kids jumped back in his chair and said, "Woah, you've got two different shoes on!" Chris looked down and couldn't believe it. He was quite glad when Jenna started to fuss and he could go hide in the car.

The week before, his lesson was about Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk on learning to laugh when things go wrong.....how ironic. We laughed all the way home from church. We are still laughing. I did get his permission to post this little incident. He's such a good sport. The kids got quite a kick out of it too!

So, on to the scoop on my hubby:


1.Where did you meet your husband? At BYU, we were in the same FHE group. He was my "dad."
2.How long did you date before you got married? 6 1/2 months
3. How long have you been married? 10 1/2 years
4. What does he do that surprises you? He loves to cook and usually cooks our Sunday dinner. Also, in the last year or two he started listening to Opera more and really likes it!
5. What is your favorite feature of his? He's tall and has nice legs! (:
6. What is his best quality? He is a hard worker and is an amazing handyman.
7. Does he have a nickname for you? yes.
8. What is his favorite food? Lately-sushi, but he really likes all seafood
9. What is his favorite sport? Basketball
10. When and where did you first kiss? After going night skiing with some friends about a month after we started dating. We were cuddled on the couch in his apartment and some music was playing on the TV. We tried to remember the song the next day, but neither of us were paying close enough attention. (We had other important things on our mind.) Our roommates were totally suprised later to find out we had just had our first kiss that night. They all thought it had already happened. Another funny story: due to the "first kiss" bliss we completely forgot to return my rental skis the next morning and when we went grocery shopping together at least a week later we opened up the trunk of his car to find my skis still sitting there! We went to the ski rental place and actually told them the reason we forgot! They forgave the several hundred dollar late fee that had accumulated....only in Provo, right? I'm sure they had a good laugh after we left.
11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Go sightseeing I guess. We love to take vacations. We also really like hiking and camping and such, just haven't done it so much lately. We took a two week trip to Thailand 2 years ago and are aching to go away alone again! We had such a great time. We just love to travel and experience new places. I think we'd be all over the "Amazing Race" if we didn't have kids.
12. Do you have any children? 4
13. Does he have any hidden talents? He writes poems. He used to keep a journal of sorts with his poems in it. I think he is really good. He started to learn to play the guitar. This Christmas he sang in the Stake Christmas Choir. I thought he looked really "hot" up there singing!
14. How old is he? 35
15. Who said 'I love you' first? This is terrible. I don't remember. However, I do know that he told his brothers over Christmas break, before we had even been on a date, that he was going to marry me. I guess he had been thinking about asking me out for a while and made up his mind to do it as soon as we started school in January. He was true to his word. Good thing he didn't tell me this until AFTER we were engaged!
16. What is his favorite music? Hard to say. He likes Country, Disco, Rock and Roll, Opera, Classical, Heavy Metal...anything except hip hop and rap. Really into Johnny Cash this year.
17. What do you admire most about him? He is kind to everyone. He is always willing to help out a neighbor or friend in need. He is really good at his job. He is an amazing dad and takes advantage of every moment he can play with the kids. They just love him for that.
18. What is his favorite color? Blue
19. Will he read this? Yes--I love you baby!
20. TAG YOU ARE IT!!!! Post about your husband and show him to love him!

Remember our Troops This Christmas

So my kids came home with a permission form to be filmed in a tribute to be sent to those serving in the armed forces. They are going to film kids wishing their family and friends a Merry Christmas. We don't happen to have any family or friends in the armed forces right now, but whenever I hear those greetings sent out this time of year it really touches my heart. I am so thankful to all of those who sacrifice so much for the rest of us. It just so happend that while I was looking for new music for my blog today, I came across the first one that is playing on the playlist.

Take a few minutes to listen to it and then the next time you see someone you know who is serving or has family serving, take the time to thank them. I know I will.

Courtney turns 4!!!

My kids are growing up! It is hard to believe that Courtney (who not so long ago was my baby) is now four years old! She is so proud of herself too. Brianna and McKayla had parties with friends this year and Courtney had been looking forward to her friend party ALL YEAR LONG! But, because of our trips to Tennessee, Utah, and Alaska, I kind of dropped the ball until the last minute. We were able to have a couple friends over later in the week for a second party and she was very pleased. Do you see that smile on her face? Priceless.

When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted her anwer was, "a bird cake." So, here is what my totally un-crafty self came up with from the stuff we had in the cupboard. She was happy.

Jenna is sporting the hat Brianna crafted for her. It lasted a few minutes until Jenna figured out how to get it off and began to eat it! (Yes, she is a paper eater.)

A Trip to Alaska!

So I'm way behind on my blogging! The day after the big BYU football game Chris, Jenna, and I left for Alaska! Chris had some business to attend to and Jenna and I were there to check out the scenery. What a beautiful place! It took me the entire four days we were there, but I finally saw a moose! Chris was so sweet. I was bummed out that I hadn't seen one and it was the day we were going home. He decided to drive around Kincaid park (no joke) and give it one last try. He turned down some neighborhood streets and, lo and behold, on the corner were two! Yay!

It was a nice trip. Alaska is beautiful, even in winter. The people there are extremely friendly. The only bad part of the trip was on the airplane up there when Jenna threw up all over me--something only a mother could endure I'm sure.... But, by the end she was feeling better and other than the FIVE hour flight delay in Seattle, the trip home was quiet.

The Anchorage, Alaska temple!!!

GO COUGARS!

Chris and I got to take Brianna to her very first BYU Football game. It was so fun--at least for Chris and I. BYU smashed San Diego State, which always makes for a great game. By the end we had Brianna singing the fight song along with us. It was good to get her thinking about college and what life might be like for her someday. Brianna and I had fun with some face paint. I did her face and then she did mine.

Swimming at the Beach in October

Kevin and Helga and the kids stayed at our house while we were in Nashville. They were down visiting Disneyland. We were able to see them for a day after we got back before they went home. We took a trip to Oceanside to go swimming. I'm told that the kids said that was the best part of their vacation--who needs Disneyland when you've got a warm beach?!? The kids found a long piece of seaweed. We snapped a photo before they ripped off the leaves and used it as a jump-rope. (A cool idea we got from the Price Family when we went to the beach with them!) The kids had a great time. We discovered that Brianna and Nicole had the same swimsuit! Too funny! It is so fun to have family come visit!

Nashville, TN

In October we were able to join Chris at one of his national corporate meetings. This year it was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. We had a wonderful time! We flew in a couple days early so that we could be tourists. We saw the Hermitage, which was Andrew Jackson's home. The girls loved the audio tour and wagon ride. We were able to pick cotton out of the cotton fields and go inside slave homes. It was very interesting!

I think the girls' favorite part of the trip was dinner at the Wildhorse Saloon. There was a live band and line dancing lessons in-between sets. They had a great time and we loved watching them. Being mid-week in the off-season the place wasn't very crowded.

The hotel was huge! There were four different indoor atriums, a river with a boat ride, a shopping area, three swimming pools, and a dozen restaurants. The bellman who helped us with our luggage and showed us to our room was won over by our adorable girls. He took us to our room and then promptly decided it wasn't big enough. So he arranged for us to stay in the Penthouse Suite at no additional charge. So awesome! The girls thought that was pretty cool.

My husband is amazing!

Chris also had a project going that he completed at the same time--a new dresser for Jenna. His friend Cyrus is, at least to us, a woodworking expert and offered to work alongside Chris as they both built dressers for their kids. Chris realized that he really enjoys woodworking and began buying more tools to fill our garage and ended up finishing up the dresser in our garage on his own. I am so proud of the finished product. A dresser seems like quite a task for a first project. I think it looks wonderful! Isn't my man amazing? Check out the dovetail joints! (Yes, I have already composed a list of other items he gets to build for me!)

While I'm bragging about my great husband, I have to add how awesome it is that he can fix so many things around the house. He has fixed my dryer, washing machine, garbage disposal, vacuum, and most recently my refrigerator! I've already posted pictures of the patio cover he built. When we lived in Pennsylvania he remodeled our kitchen. I was telling the girls today that when they are grown up and choosing a guy to marry that they should try to find a guy like their dad that is so good at figuring out how to build and fix things. It is so nice that I don't have to pay someone every time something breaks. Just one of the many reasons I love him!

Finally Finished!

So funny, I just read that my good friend Natalie finished painting the last room of her house---and so did we! Yay! It is such a good feeling. I searched the internet FOREVER to find the perfect Queen size bed set that would work for a little girl's/baby's room which doubles as a guest room. I finally found one (most girly ones only come in double) and sewed a valance and crib skirt to match. I sewed up a few throw pillows half-hazardly during one of Jenna's naps, and they don't look too bad. I even successfully picked out a paint color that I like! Hooray. This room is finally peaceful.

99 Things

I got this off of some other friends' blogs and thought I'd join in the "get to know you" fun. The stuff in italics is the stuff I've actually done.


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4.Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee Jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Toothless!

McKayla has finally lost both top front teeth. She has been waiting for this moment for a long time. She just loves her new look!

McKayla's Chicken Egg Theory

McKayla used to love bacon, until we watched a movie about a pig and she realized where bacon comes from. Well, we were eating bacon the other day and she reiterated that she did not like bacon because it comes from pigs and "little piggies are cute!" Chris asked, "Well, what about eggs? They come from chickens."

She replied, "Yes, but Grandpa says the chickens AREN'T MARRIED!"

It took us a minute, but then she explained that since the chickens weren't married there was no baby chick in the eggs and that made it OK! Oh the innocence of children!

Sucking on her Toes!

I guess she got tired of waiting for us to get her some baby food and decided to serve herself some toe jam! Yuck! This kid was actually sucking on her big toe like she usually sucks on her thumb. Too cute!

A family "camp-out"

We actually prefer to camp in the mountains far away from anyone else. Somehow we haven't managed to do that since we've moved to California, though we have staked out a few places when we've gone hiking at Big Bear. After a ward activity at the park that included an adult kickball game and a movie projected on a big white sheet after dark, we had an itch to camp-out. The next night we got out the tent, sleeping bags, and portable crib and slept out in the backyard. The kids had a great time. We took a late night trip to the grocery store in pajamas to get some milk before the Sabbath and Courtney decided we needed some licorice for the tent. Chris conned Brianna into asking for Whoppers. The girls brought along some glow bracelets left over from July 4th and we had a "freeze out" with all the windows down. We even went for a late night walk in the darkness of our neighborhood. Again, really simple things and it was a night the girls won't forget!







We actually prefer