Emonsters Blog

Color with me Mommy

2009-08-26T21:09:00.003-05:00

I sprained my toe on Saturday afternoon and have found myself sitting with my foot propped up ever since. At first this seems like a welcome respite from the frenzy of everyday life, but it soon grows tedious and you begin to seek new things to do so that you don't feel quite so isolated and immobile.

This morning I thought it'd be a nice change of pace to do my reading and related writing at the kitchen table while Cora made artwork. We'd have some together time and would both have engaging activities that would develop us mentally.

I gathered up the required items, got Cora ready for more potty training (she is taking to it quite well with the others at school), and sat us down at the table.

Cora's enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself fully engaged in helping her glue foam stickers to her coloring book page and helping her to color. It was fun to watch her learn from what I was doing and attempt to color like I had. She's such a sponge for information! It was a real thrill. We must've sat there for an hour or more, her attention span never waning. I didn't end up doing any of my book work, but having that time with her was priceless. We colored the "cat queen" (Cleocatra) for most of the time. She kept coming back to that picture over and over again. I loved each and every minute of it.

Afterwards I turned on a Between the Lions dvd and did my book work on the couch while she watched. She was in heaven. She loved that I was sitting there with her. And she came back to me again and again all day long "Mommy, will you color with me?". I am flattered. :D

Slideshow

Special Time with Mommy

2009-08-26T15:29:00.004-05:00

Cora and I are settling into a new arrangement. It's just the two of us from 9am until 4pm on school days. On day one she thought she was going to be quite unhappy at home with me, however, I think she's starting to think this might be fun. (She does still talk at regular intervals about going to "Gillian's School".)

Yesterday morning we needed to run over to Oma's house for vacuum cleaner bags, we're borrowing hers while she's in China as ours broke. Cora woke up maybe 8 minutes before we left to drop off the other two at school so I loaded up sweet bed-head Cora in her cute Elmo pj's with no shoes and off we went.

We dropped the other two off and headed to Oma's house. I thought she'd enjoy having something to eat so I stopped on the way back and picked up two donuts for her. She picked them out, they had star sprinkles. She was so excited about them. She held them tightly in her lap until we got home, I guess she didn't want to eat them in the car. (And I forgot to take them out and give them to her.)

It's so much fun to get to be with her one on one and get to know her better.

School Begins

2009-08-25T14:11:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of school in McKinney. I had two children going to school this year. Liam began kindergarten yesterday, it was completely natural to him. He's been wanting to go to school at "Gillian's School" for several years now, he was beyond excited. He barely even said goodbye.

Gillian was as excited as ever, I think I sensed a little nervousness on her part about who would be in her class and who her friends would be. She was great though, when she had a friend at her table when we dropped her off.

Cora came to me before we left and requested that I dress her. Then let me know she needed a backpack, and then a lunch in her backpack. It was adorable.

However, on the way home as she realized she wasn't going to school she was completely pitiful. I felt so bad for her. She just sort of sobbed. She will go to school without turning around and looking back too, one day. I'm so not ready to have them all gone.

It's odd to just be here with her and no one else. It's a huge contrast to this summer when they were all here every day. It'll take me some time to get used to.

Dinnertime Questions

2009-04-28T01:26:00.001-05:00

I almost died laughing this evening at the dinner table. Gillian decided she needed to know:

What language do people in Okalahoma speak?

I love kids!

Pink Eye

2009-04-27T09:52:00.002-05:00

I'd love to say that after almost two weeks of Pink Eye presence in our house that it's all gone. It's not. I took one look at Liam this morning and he's definitely still got it. Either twice a day isn't often enough for the medicine to work or the medicine isn't beating it. Gillian is back at school today for the first time since last Monday. I didn't see her this morning so I am hoping they don't send her back home.

The kids have definitely been enjoying the sunny weather and have been spending hours upon hours outside. They really love the sandbox that Pop & Grandma got them for Liam's birthday. Cora mostly likes to empty it into the rest of the yard (and into my plants).

Our Alpha Wolf

2008-11-07T16:40:00.002-06:00

Gillian was honored as Alphawolf this morning. We had a great time congratulating her on her success. Papa even demonstrated the newest family trick for instant giggles. Simply hit head hard with sticky spider so that it stays on and wait for laughs. It's great medicine for anything that ails you.

Doesn't Papa look great in his new clothes? And Cora was walking backwards in that first shot.

Perfect Spot

2008-11-06T20:42:00.004-06:00

The Emonts family isn't going to lie to you. We prefer fall weather. In fact, we only seem to do parks in the fall and the spring. We just don't believe humans were meant to be outside in 100 degree weather unless we're in the water. Ha ha. So, here are some more pictures from Finch Park. Cora has decided she'd like to stay in the swing the WHOLE time we're there, but Mommy doesn't enjoy that all too much.

Taken Monday, November 3, 2008.

Many thanks to Papa who got Mommy to slide again. We had the whole park to ourselves until 5 minutes or so before we left. I am in awe of how beautiful the trees are. I think they were in there prime Sunday and Monday. In fact, our tree out front has shed most of its leaves on Tuesday alone.


Liam	Cora

Liam and Cora swinging

Wahoo!	Who can resist that smile? (I know I can't, with either of my men.)

King for a Day!	Running for hugs (Mommy just missed it)

Cora on a Mission	Boy! That climbing wall is tough.

Park Weather

2008-11-01T17:38:00.005-05:00

Since the weather today was so unbelievably perfect, we headed over to Finch Park for some fun (and to tire out little children). They all had a great time. We even learned about not following bad examples, for the older two. Cora discovered that swinging is great for when you're tired. She stayed in the swing for 10 minutes or so, when usually her average time spent in swing is 90 seconds - 3 minutes.


Cora	Gillian on the Slide

Liam walking Sideways	A Beautiful Accidental Photo of all Three

Aren't the trees just GORGEOUS!

Scene of the Crime

2008-11-01T12:17:00.003-05:00

Cora Madison Emonts has not yet come to a full understanding of the rules of the house. She feels that any activities which are permissible outdoors must also be allowed indoors.

Example One
At Oma's house the number one activity is fishing. Fishing consists of tossing floating objects into Oma's pond and fishing them out with sticks or other items found in the proximity. At home, Cora seems to feel that this activity is easily duplicated by putting one's arms into the aquarium and tossing things inside. She often ends up quite wet this way.

Example Two
Digging in the sandbox is so much fun. Why not also dig in the potted plant in the living room? Below you can see a picture of the crime and the perpetrator. Gillian did not notice this event taking place until one side of the room and Cora were covered in potting soil.

The Crime

The Perpetrator
doesn't she just look guilty

Halloween

2008-11-01T09:14:00.006-05:00

Halloween night has never been so much fun!!

The kids were all dressed up and ready to go at 6:30, just like we planned. They were all excited about getting their costumes on, which is a new thing for us. We usually have one or two that don't have any desire to get into their costumes.

Cora was great fun to watch. She quickly figured out trick or treat and her cute little 'thanks' as she walked off was sweet. She often trailed behind the other two and began to walk of with them before receiving her candy. One home on our street received a long visit from Cora, as she walked straight inside to see the dog in the next room. Luckily, the couple who lived there found her adorable. Most of the people we saw seemed to be in agreement.

Liam was really freaked out by the scary sounds playing outside one of the houses. He talked about it the rest of the evening. Gillian was very brave and walked through a scary maze with me, that luckily the teenage boys didn't jump out at her and scare her. I was quite thankful for their charity.

We trick or treated together for and hour and a half and I think the parents were more tired than the kids. At the end Cora couldn't hardly hold her pumpkin anymore, but she wasn't about to let go either. At the last house she couldn't raise it up for the candy to be put inside. It was so sweet. She also started chit chatting with people towards the end, like she thought it was more important to socialize. This saying only trick or treat thing just wasn't cutting it.

They all got to eat a few pieces when we got home and didn't make it into bed until 9:30, at which time they were angels and didn't complain one bit about it being time for bed.

Morning Sunshine

2008-09-30T17:09:00.002-05:00

Cora was so precious this morning when she woke up, 9:30am. She could smell the waffles that Patrick was so sweet to make me for breakfast. She calls them wapulls as I'm not sure she's mastered the f sound completely. She's such a joy to us and so readily embraces everything. Just a few minutes ago she was out trying to catch honeybees. She has no fear.

We've discovered that she really enjoys being home alone. She almost seems to do better without any siblings around. She seems to play longer and more imaginatively. She's our sweet ray of sunshine! My favorite part of the day are my morning cuddles with Cora. And she's such a cuddle bug.

Live and Learn

2008-09-29T20:26:00.002-05:00

I am nervous even to type these words. I'm scared to make the committment of doing this again. I fear to fail. I want to use this blog as an outlet for me. I look around and see so many well written blogs and feel the competitive drive in myself gear up and then I want to quit. I do not know why I would rather not try then try and fail, but that's honest. That's me. That's where I am. I can acknowledge that and I can go from there.

So here's to posting about our life through a blog for personal history purposes. My goal is to make a small update every day for one week.

Peter Pan Returns

2008-09-28T23:32:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to do a group theme Halloween and never have gotten to do so. This year, about two weeks ago I had an idea that we could do Peter Pan. We all love the story and it's got enough characters that we could make it work.

I had to sell it to my picky 4 year old and the 7 year old who had said she wanted to be a witch. At first the 4 year old resisted and then he embraced it. Now he just wants to know where his costume is.

So, I've never made costumes before and now I have several to make in only a month. Eek!

We're going as:

DH: Captain Hook
Me: Wendy
DD: Tigerlily
DS: Peter Pan
DD: Tinkerbell (bought)

So now I have four costumes to make and another one that needs a little embellishment. I figured at $25 that I could use the less stress of one bought costume. Hers was the only one readily available in stores.

Captain Hook's costume will be based on a discontinued pattern:

Wendy's will be based on a McCall's pattern 4948 that I scored for $.99 yesterday and I'm thinking that the bottom of the dress is too full. I'm not sure if I should modify it or not. I can't see the worth in using that much fabric to do this costume.

I'm going for Disney's Wendy. Here's a picture that someone else took at Disneyland Paris, I think.

Question: Is this pattern going to look like Wendy even though it is somewhat different? Does it matter?

For Tigerlily I bought some microsuede yesterday for half price that will be embellished with some native indian looking ribbon. I went ahead and purchased the simple McCall's pattern for a basis. I like the triangle bottom look I've seen on some pre-made costumes and I like it longer like a dress. Probably with something tied around the waist to give it shape and form.

My son's Peter Pan costume will be based on Disneyland cast picture above. I'm trying to decide how to do it. He's picking about fabrics so I wanted something soft, which seems to also mean expensive. So I bought a misses t-shirt from Goodwill yesterday, v-neck and green and I'm hoping that we can modify it to be his shirt. I'm not really sure how to do it, as I'm a complete novice, but hopefully my mil can help me make all my dreams come true.

I think he will be wearing pants and not tights, as I do not think my picky little 4yo will agree to wear them. He has a thing for clothing be done the "right" way. I'm pretty sure he will not agree that tights are something that little boys wear.

Tinkerbell I bought, she just needs a little bit of wire for her wings so they'll stand up and I'm hoping to cover a pair of her shoes with lime green fabric or something. Maybe a fluffy ball for the end of her shoes.

"I am a Turkey" ??

2007-11-15T13:58:00.000-06:00

I found this while putting away laundry this morning and it really made me laugh. This was Monday nights art project and I'm curious if it was Gillian or Samantha who added the 'a'. At any rate it's a beautiful turkey. The back is fun to read as well. I might scan it too.

I love Jane Austen!

2007-11-15T13:50:00.000-06:00

I have always been such a fan of Jane Austen. I remember the first lengthy report I got to do on an author and book of my choice was on Pride & Prejudice. I love that book. I've read it many times. So, when I saw this quiz, I just had to take it. I was pleasingly surprised at the result. For those who know me you'll be amused as well.

Take the Quiz here!

You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a little to vocal in your honesty. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.

What a day!

2007-11-14T20:31:00.000-06:00

My rose decided to have one last bloom before it gets cold. It is the most beautiful it has looked since I planted it this summer. It never had this many blooms all at once until now. I think I'll be in for quite a treat next summer. The pity is that they really fade fast. The blooms on the left of the plant really only opened yesterday. By tomorrow they will have lost all of their petals, but they sure are gorgeous while they're there.

Yesterday I spent my birthday gift card to IKEA on a new sideboard for my dining room. It was tough to choose something from there. It's where I do all of my furniture dream building. In the end the number of drawers on this bad boy won me over. Nine new drawers have now been added to my kitchen! I'm so excited!! Now my table linens, trivets, and other goodies for setting the table and serving will have real homes. And that nasty free shelf will be gone from my dining room.

The only thing left to do is to put up chair rails, paint, and change the chandelier out. Oh, and move the larger table over. It'll be splendiferous!

Patrick and I spent almost all day getting this put together. Neither one of us realized the amount of work that would be needed to finish. I think I counted 14 different things that had to be done to each of those nine drawers before they were completed. The drawers alone made us rethink our policy on having someone else assemble our furniture.

Last, but definitely not least ... The best behaved children in the world! I'm biased, I know. They were all so wonderful today! And Oma told us that last night not a single one of them complained about going to bed. They were all even more delicious today than usual, listening, cooperating, cuddling. I don't think we could have gotten through the six hours of labor on that shelf without these three to keep us smiling. Thank you Gillian, Liam, and Cora for making each day so very special. It's an honor being your parents.

How many bites ...

2007-11-13T08:56:00.001-06:00

How many bites does it take to get to the center of a Nerf ball? And why are they so yummy? I bought the kids some small Nerf balls yesterday, by evening Cora had discovered she could hold it up without her hands by only using her mouth. She was so proud! She was giggling about it and showing off until time for bed.

Inseparable

2007-11-13T08:46:00.000-06:00

I had a friend say to me that I was lucky because I was going to be having another girl while I was pregnant with Cora. We were talking about not having sisters and I thought, yes, but I don't have a sister. She told me that I was lucky because I'd get to see a sister relationship in my own home and family and experience it that way. I didn't really think that she was right. Now I know she was.

Watching Gillian and Cora together, even with their 5 years in age difference is an amazing thing. The way they relate to each other is so different than the way that Gillian relates to Liam or Liam to Cora. They have this special bond. They enjoy just being in the same room together or sitting together.

Just before I took this photo Cora had been in Gillian's chair with her, of course, once the camera was in the room she never did it again. It was quite sweet. They really enjoy each other's company. It is one of those things that makes a parent smile. They played alongside each other until it was time for prayer last night.

My Baby Doll

2007-09-14T12:43:00.000-05:00

Another bugger of a day today. Cora got some sort of stomach virus this week. It began on Wednesday with diarhea and shortly before bed she threw up. She did this once more and hasn't gotten back to solidity yet. Her poor little bum is so blistered. She's still quite upset today. I'm feeling like I have my own baby doll and I just hold her and she's limp. She only wants to be held. She doesn't want to eat anything.

She seems to be teething as well, so the poor thing is having such a tough time.

She Does Get Mad

2007-06-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

Cora is an absolute joy. We are so happy to have her as part of our family. She really does lift us all up with her happiness and fun loving spirit. Here's a photo of Cora upset, which many people seem to believe never happens, it's just pitiful, isn't it? It's hard to not give in to such a damsel in distress.

May 24, 2007

2007-06-02T08:16:00.000-05:00

The day of Gillian's Kindergarten Celebration seemed an alright day to me. We dropped Gillian off at school, went home, got all of the rest of us ready and headed back up there for the 9:30 start. However, as the music began I realized that I had forgotten the one thing I would most be needing: tissues.

They began the program by playing the Sarah McLachlan song from Toy Story 2. I'd never thought of it in that context, but it fit, and I cried. They marched the little kids in their in neatly formed lines, each of them so well behaved you'd hardly believe it. They played two sappy songs whilst the kids sat in their seats and then they began a slideshow.

The slideshow consisted of sad songs (all leaving out God on purpose thanks to a previous year's parental complaint, I found out later) and pictures of the kids in their classrooms and during school days. Priceless!

However the real tear fest didn't start until after they marched the kids across the stage one by one, carefully making sure not to mention the word 'graduate'. They simply said each child's name, posed with their student for a picture, and moved on to the next. No gowns, no hats, and no graduation.

Following this lengthy feat the kids were all filed onto the stage where they sang a group of songs for us. It was incredibly sweet, but the last song really moved me as I realized Gillian was, maybe without knowing it, saying goodbye to her teacher, and her class, and kindergarten. The last song was especially for their teachers and I believe was a little reworded version of 'I Will'. As they sang 'And you know we will remember our kindergarten year', 'Love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart' I broke down. I felt so close to her teacher and I guess I was just melancholic about saying goodbye, something I don't do well. I found it so sweet, however, none of the kids seemed sad about it at all.

They all seemed to find it was just another exciting part of life and it was all good. We should all be more like them. They weren't sad, they were looking forward to the bright things ahead of them instead of crying about what they were leaving.

Writers Block

2007-05-22T11:47:00.000-05:00

After a week, and then some, of not posting I'm at a loss of what to post. I either have too many ideas or too few in my head. So, maybe posting nothing will result in something coming into my head.

What's your favorite thing to do with your kids while daddy is at work?

Send a Smile

2007-05-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

I must say, I feel a bit spoiled by my mother-in-law. She's great with the children, plays with them, makes me work (and think it's playing), and is willing to take the kids pretty much any time day or night at a moment's notice when she is here.

Today I've been having a very blue day. I got my hair cut yesterday and was a tad hasty in explaining myself to the stylist and ended up with a tragedy. My beautiful long locks that I had finally grown to love are gone. And while I did wish some of the length away, I'm now about two inches minus what I had hoped to have today. And I now have a cut that I really didn't like on me before. I just don't feel it's a good look for me, I've felt like sticking my head in a paper sack. The only redeeming thing is that she didn't cut the layers too short to pull up, so that's what I've been doing. It's been hard to deal with.

The doorbell rang about half an hour ago and the man asked for my signature. He was holding the most beautiful bouquet of tulips I've ever seen, or at least I feel that way. They were for me. I wanted to cry, I had no idea who they were from. My first thought was Patrick, since he knows I'm having such a rough day. But they're from my mother-in-law, who is currently in Germany and wanted to send me a 'Get Well Soon' wish for my ankle. How sweet is that?!

Yep, injured my ankle last week in a step class, which I love, but now I've got this weekend ankle that I'm not sure wants to heal. I hope it well, I'd love to be stepping again soon.

On a Dark and Windy Night

2007-05-03T15:11:00.000-05:00

It's been years since I've felt the need to follow a weather forecast. Last night I was , once again, surprised by the weather. I knew that we were going to get rain, but had no idea what kind of thunderstorms they would be. After all, they've said 'severe thunderstorms' before and there was really nothing worth paying attention to.

So last night when Patrick asked about going to a 'surprise meeting' for the EQP, I said 'Yes'. Around 7:30 or 7:45 when the weather really got interesting I sent a text message to him 'WOW', which didn't go through, because there was so much weather activity where I was, moments later I wasn't thinking 'wow' anymore. I was thinking 'WHOA!' and 'Do I need to get the kids up and into the safest room in the house?'. I was terrified.

I was rolling spring rolls in the kitchen and was watching the rain and the wind. I could see it sort of pick the rain up from the roof and then spin it and let it down again. It made me a bit fearful of a tornado. The lights when off and immediately back on again. Then the sliding glass door got suctioned in and back out again. It was all very scary. Luckily, the kids were all in bed and asleep before it got here.

However, our neighborhood seems to have lost quite a few trees as a result of last night's wind and rain. And Gillian didn't have a school to attend today, thanks to there being no electricity.

Join us for our small storm damage tour.


Dogwood Trail We started on Dogwood Trail, one downed tree on their street, just a few doors down from Zoe's house.	Soccer Fields As you can see the soccer fields make a really nice play area for water fowl. My children thought it was a swimming pool.


Highcrest & Northridge This appears to be the largest tree we've seen down and it's caddy corner from us on North Ridge. Poor Paige. Someone's been out there for almost four hours now and is nowhere near finished.	It was a very large Bradford Pear tree that they've spent a lot of time on pruning over this past year. It's scary to see this kind of damage so close to our home.


Rockhill and High Crest The award for most impressive felled tree goes to this neighbor, about three houses away from us. They've always taken pride in their property, it makes me sad to see trees like this. It is their tree at the very top of this page as well. They lost two. So sad.	Rockhill Rd Yet another downed tree. About five houses away.


Central Expressway & Park View Lane A look at the height of the water under the bridges just beneath Hwy 75 at around 9am this morning.	Towne Lake If you've seen the lake very often recently you can see it's much higher. If you look in the background you'll see trucks parked 'in water', really they're on the walking path around the lake. We also saw a small backhoe driving 'in water'.


Wilson Creek You can see how high the waters are in the creek that runs beside the walking path. This picture was taken from the small parking area just to the West of the lake.	Wilson Creek Bridge The waters are still high, but evidence is that they were even higher. Taken from the same place as the picture to the left.


Walking Bridge The bridge on the East side of Towne Lake which is surrounded by water.	Parking? The parking area that runs along the East side of Towne Lake and the West side of the baseball fields.

The 'Bestest', Hands Down

2007-04-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

Each Monday evening the adults at the Emonsters house realize that, yet again, we have failed to PREPARE our Family Home Evening lesson. Ugh, again. Yes, I have to admit it, it feels a bit like work, one more thing on virtual to-do list that I didn't participate in making for myself. And I like to be the one in charge.

So, this evening over dinner I thought out an impromptu lessson, yet again. We always let them do artwork at FHE, it's become a tradition, when we've attempted to leave it out we've had to put out riots. So I based the lesson on the activity and figured 'why not let them do something different tonight?' Handprints would be a great way to tie in finger painting with a lesson Heavenly Father having a body like us.

So unfolds a lovely evening, well 20 minutes, of fun with electric blue paint, giggling, fun mess making, and learning. Cora explored the floor the entire lesson, happily learning her surroundings and becoming even more confident with pulling up and standing.

A few minutes after I sent Gillian off to get ready for bath she zipped back into the kitchen to put her arm and around me and say 'That was the bestest Family Home Evening EVER!'. Wow. Can't argue with that, can I?

Happy 10 Months Cora!

2007-04-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

What a blessing you are to us!! To me.

Happy 10 Month Birthday Cora!! You've been a wonder to have around. Over this past month you've become so much more personable, like your personality is just bubbling over to everyone and everything you see and do.

Your Favorite Things:

Using Mommy's Leg to Stand Up
Begging While Doing the Above
Crawling on ANY Bed (causing riotous giggles even if at 5am)
Explore any Room Covered with Things
Tasting ANY Random Items (preferably inedible)
Crawling to get Hugs (especially to Mama and Papa)
Giggling
Be Tickled (eaten)
Grabbing eyes, lips, noses (especially Liam's)
Tasting new Foods (variety is a MUST)
PEAS!!
STANDING!
Eating her socks on or off her feet
CRAWLING!

I Finished!

2007-04-30T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've finished my first quilt top!!! Yeah!! It also marks the completion of my 'Beginning Machine Piecing' class, which was lots of fun. I learned so much over the past four weeks. I'm excited to move on to other projects and a little weary of completing this one. However, there are people who pay others to quilt their quilt for them and only enjoy the cutting and piecing. I really enjoyed learning how to do the cutting and the piecing. And it turned out so much better than I thought that it would. Thanks Lisa, I had so much fun!! I'll miss you!

Look at What I can Do

2007-04-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

Cora has been a huge ball of fun lately. She's everywhere and into everything. She's having so much fun that you can't help but have fun just watching her.

Talking on Mommy's Telephone
April 13, 2007

Standing in my Bed
April 17, 2007

Feasting on the Ensign ??
April 18, 2007

Our Alpha Wolf

2007-04-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

Each week at Slaughter Elementary a student is chosen from each class to be the Alpha Wolf of the class. Gillian is so excited to be recognized that she's just been waiting since October for her next 'turn' at this special award. Today she was chosen Alpha Wolf and we didn't tell her that's why we were there, she was so thrilled.

My little baby has grown up so very much in the last year. I'm so proud of the girl that she is, she's so helpful, thoughtful, caring, considerate, and she's learning so well. She adores being in school and her teacher just loves having her. She seems to bring a lot of joy to others in her class as well. She makes me so proud and I am overwhelmed at how good she truly is, and I know that is not completely our doing, but that she is truly a divine daughter of Heavenly Father.

Way to go Gillian!!! We love you!!! We're so proud of you!!

Our First Field Trip

2007-04-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! Kindergarten has flown by, and now we're down to the last six weeks of the year. Time for the five year olds to show us how they've grown by going to the Dallas Zoo. The field trip was tons of fun, with perfect, almost too bright, weather in the spring with everything green and all of the animals were actually out! Hah! First time for us. We even got to see a baby anteater riding around on it's mama. Sweet!

The field trip was a 'turn 'em lose' affair. We were each given two children and told to be back at the gate by 1:15pm. I had Gillian and Samantha, which was awesome, because both of them are such good listeners! I never had a problem getting them to move forward or to stay with me, etc. They were really good as gold!

We started out with lunch, as we got them right at 10:15, which was only a few minutes before their normal 10:30 lunch. We then moved on to seeing the Tamarins and monkeys on our way to the Tiger exhibit. We got to see two of the tigers before moving on to the Otter Outpost, they weren't swimming, but we could see them lounging under the trees. The girls all posed before we moved on.

We then headed up to the giraffes, elephants, anteater, and the cats. The ocelots were actually out and were very beautiful, as was the bobcat, who I'm not sure I've ever really seen.

Following those stops we were drug to the Children's Zoo by Samantha, who only had eyes for the learning house. We went inside and enjoyed some peace for at least half an hour before moving on to the rest of the children's area. By the time we finished that we'd completely lost Grace and Destiny and it was 25 minutes until we needed to be back and I was determined we'd see the penguins. They were great!!

The girls started getting hungry about now and I asked them if they wanted to stop and eat their snacks or to walk so that we could actually get all the way over to the gorillas, they chose the latter and we were on our way. By the time we had seen the penguins, gorillas, chimps, and the crocodile, they had eaten all of their snacks and all of the extras I had. They had also drunk almost all of the water I had on me.

Finally, the backpack wasn't too heavy! LOL.

The girls acted like wild monkeys all the way back to the gate, which was funny and I was glad there weren't smaller siblings to follow suit. The girls turned it back off almost immediately when it was time to return to the proper forms as kindergarteners.

Apparently I look Asian

2007-03-29T15:19:00.000-05:00

I finally thought I'd post one of these, I've done them before, with quite a few pictures. I'm surprised Linda Cardelini didn't come up, I've had tons of people say I look like her, it's probably that 25 pounds I'd like to lose.

Cora the Explorer

2007-03-29T10:42:00.000-05:00

Cora has been crawling for a little while now. The first time I really noticed was when we were at my parents house last, which was in February some time. But it took a while longer for her to do it for anything that wasn't really interesting. She would crawl a few feet to an object she really really wanted, but aside from that she didn't see the point.

This week however, she's been crawling everywhere. She's been into the kitchen a few times and bonked her head. And all of the sudden she wants to sit as well. She's so very sweet, when she crawls to me she's so thrilled to be able to come to me on her own that she giggles with each 'step' she makes closer to me. It really breaks your heart when such a little one loves you so much! She's such a joy!

She's began something else in the past few days, she's been pulling up to her knees, something I thought she might not do for a bit since she's just got the crawling and the sitting down really good, but she's doing it quite often. A lot of times on my leg to say hello, but also on other things, usually short things. She's looked at the coffee table and thought about it, but not yet done it. The first time was on the fireplace on this past Sunday to try and reach some balloons leftover from Gillian's party.

I really have to say, I'm treasuring almost every minute with her lately. I love this age! She's so much fun, she's so sweet. She'll crawl up to you and snuggle her head against your leg or in your hands if you hold them out to her. She also snuggles her head into your chin when you're holding her. She's quick to smile and loves to babble and giggle. She's also ticklish just about everywhere and loves to be tickled. She'll also sing along with you when you sing to her. She loves to be sung to, she's really my first, so I'm way out of practice in singing to my babies, as the other two seemed to hate the times I tried. Her favorite song is "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as she has a mobile that plays that tune.

Gillian's 6th Birthday Party

2007-03-29T07:54:00.000-05:00

After a few weeks of high stress and trying to figure out how to do a party and what to do for a party, the day was finally here. Gillian had such a great time and her friends seemed to as well. We played a few games, had them decorate and eat their own pizzas, and plant strawberry plants, Gillian's favorite part.


Making picture frames to take home.	Cassie, Grace, Gillian, and Samantha pose for a picture to put in their frames.

Samantha and Gillian decorating their pizza.	Decorating sugar cookies, some found it most fun just to eat them.

Liam's 3rd Birthday

2007-02-25T20:52:00.000-06:00

** Note, I hope to add individual pics relating to this entry later, for now I chose the least number I could possibly limit myself to and uploaded them. Click on the pic on the right to see more. **

We celebrated Liam’s birthday today. It was a great event. Liam was such a blast to experience, and the other two were perfect gems as well.

The day started with Stake Conference, the plan was for Patrick to go early (8:30 am) to get us a seat and we would head up there around 9:20 am. As the morning went rather well, the kids were dressed before Patrick had to leave, they decided they wanted to go with him. I didn’t complain too loudly, but thought it was a rather long time for the kids to be at the building with no entertainment.

I arrived at 9:20 am to a fairly full building, at least the first and second overflow were fairly full and filling. The parking was atrocious, but they did well. I was just a little bad off because I was trying to get in to an entrance where they were currently filling parking places.

The kids were well behaved, Cora even let Sister Woomer hold her for a half hour or more before deciding she wanted me back. She was great, I fed her and a little later she wanted to nap so Patrick took her and Liam out, around 11, as Liam had had enough by that time. All he wanted to do was “walk”. They were both so well behaved, Gillian and Liam.

The kids were ready to start ‘the party’ as soon as we got home. We started eating lunch at 1pm and the new recipe I tried for the crockpot was actually good this time, thank goodness, as I get nervous cooking for my parents. They both are pretty stuck on eating the same stuff again and again.

Liam played with a cardboard box all last night and today, he kept calling it the bus. An episode of Blue’s Clues is to thank for that. He was really sweet playing in it as well. Liam loved his balloons and it took all night yesterday and this morning to convince him that they were for him, he was so sweet, he kept saying Gillian’s balloons, or Mommy’s balloons, so funny.

He was very excited about the cake when he heard about there being a cake. I had Audrey make it, it was fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It takes a lot of willpower to sit here and to write about it without going and getting more. Although, it is quite a bit more satisfying than cakes I’ve had before, where you just keep going back and back and back again and never seem to get enough. It was so amazingly yummy!

Liam was the best present opener a parent could wish for. Often we wonder why it is that Gillian opens things so fast, never acknowledges them and moves on. Liam did the exact opposite today, taking time for each and every one. As evidence of his good mood, I offer the following example: Present number one was a pair of pajamas with his favorites Lightening and Mater on them. He was having such a blast that he got excited about pajamas!! Not only that, he grinned at us and pulled the pants over his face, and then laughed very hard. It was a superb moment! Unfortunately, we only got the before and after in pictures.

He loves his new train set, that took us a while to decide on. We got him the Brio Smart Track Starter Set, which combines with the other track he has already. He’s been playing with the trains a lot over the last little while and we thought it’d be great to have some electric accessories to kind of bump up the overall fun level of the train. We were right on the money, he could have been perfectly happy with the train and nothing else. He wanted to take it to bed with him tonight. Mostly so that he could play with it instead of sleeping, I am sure. Those two were like two kids on Christmas night this evening.

It really makes you feel so special to know you made them so very very happy.

Precious Moments

2007-02-24T08:11:00.000-06:00

Cora awoke this morning at 6am, and as traditionally I brought her into my bed and laid her down next to me to nurse her. I always go back to sleep until she stirs. She stirred a lot this morning and kept sort of pricking me with her fingernails while eating. I switched her to the other side sometime in the middle (and changed her diaper). Around 7:40 this morning she sort of whimpered like something was wrong and didn't want to nurse anymore. Usually in these moments I get quite frustrated not knowing what she wants.

This morning I took my arm that was lying behind her and wrapped it around her and brought her in close to me, thinking I might switch sides again. She calmed right down and went back to sleep. It made me feel so special that all she needed was me to hold her and then she went back to sleep. In fact, Liam came in a few moments later and Cora slept the whole time I got out of bed with her until I managed to get back into her room and lay her down. She's now peacefully sleeping in her bed.

It really makes me feel so special and important to have these moments with my children.

Love is in the air .... well, maybe it's just sugar

2007-02-22T11:13:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day was a lot of fun this year. Cora will be 8 months old on February 30th, oh wait, there is no 30th ... so I guess she'll be 8 months on the 2nd?? Hmmm.

Anyhow, we had a blast on Valentine's Day making cookies. And Mom and Dad got to go out on a date, our first really since Cora was born. Why did we wait so long? Well, it just took that long for us to have long enough to breath and set something up. We decided on asian and finally went to PF Chang's. I think I totally ordered the wrong thing, but enjoyed it a lot anyway. I loved the atmosphere and we did have potstickers for an apetizer, they were splendid! The funny thing was I kept smelling things that smelled like what I would have loved to have eaten, but I had no idea what I was smelling.

I think it was the coldest day of the year so far, it was so freezing. We actually had snow flurries to watch as we sat and talked and ate our lunch. We're so greatful to Brenda for keeping our two little ones so we could have a real date on Valentine's Day.

Patrick bought me a ring, which had to be sent off to be sized, and instead of flowers he bought be a plant. It's a lovely Amstel King Ficus tree, it's a lovely addition to the living room. And they assured us hard to kill. Yeah! I need that.

Babies are like Animals

2007-02-18T21:07:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure when I got it into my head, but at some point I really began to think having a baby was like having a pet. Or having several small children was like having a zoo and in some moments it seems more especially true. For example, when you bring your baby home from the hospital and every time they cry you think that there's a baby Pteranodon in your home.

I took this picture of Cora on February 7, 2007. This is Cora's baby sea lion impression. The sound that goes with it is just phenomenal and every time she does it I just crack up inside as all I can see in my mind's eye is a baby sea lion laying there on the ice whining for it's mother.

It's playground weather again Mommy!!

2007-02-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. We decided to let the kids play on the playground after school. They both had a great time and I did too. I was especially happy to see so many friends there.

And my favorite photo subject was thrilled to have me photograph him the whole time. Even though I was shooting for Liam. :D


Boys love dirt ... Joshua and Liam	Joshua poses with his portable dirt

Gillian's favorite playground activity	Gillian swingin'

Secret Dirt Hideout	Liam Climbing

Liam Slides	Joshua Slides

New 'Old' Toys

2007-02-07T13:23:00.000-06:00

The kids suddenly wanted to play with the trains yesterday, actually Liam asked at first. So we got the tracks and things out for them. Last night after dinner they decided to cover the living room in train tracks. I think it was the most they'd played with them, ever! We put them away over Christmas when we changed their room, because the train table no longer fits in there. As you can see they enjoyed it and Liam even made one alone this morning. And he usually doesn't play alone at all.

Playmates by Necessity

2007-02-01T13:50:00.000-06:00

Look! I can pick on her and not only does she let me, she doesn't even complain! Wow!

No, this is how you play with it Cora!

Hmmm, I remember this toy. I like it so much that I think I'll just play with it for Cora.

Liam and Cora are beginning to understand one another. In fact, they've already begun picking on each other! At the grocery store this week Liam fell asleep in the front seat of the dual stroller and Cora had so much fun playing with his hair. She was giggling up a storm, as if she knew that it was a good oppurtunity for her to get back at him. LOL.

For his role in prior and current schemes he usually chooses that of 'Teaser'. Yep, that's Liam. "Look Cora a car." As soon as she reaches toward it he pulls it away from her.

He also has begun deciding which toys are most worthy of his sister's attention. She's taken quite well to a tiny stuffed bunny that belongs to an outfit of hers. When Liam sees her playing with it he takes it, throws it, and hands her something else, usually the jingle ball, which he seems to feel is better for her.

They do make you laugh at times, don't they?

Liam has become quite a sweetheart though. And over the course of the holidays he almost gave up tantrums entirely. It was a daily battle until then, but something suddenly clicked and he just gave it up. I have no clue why, I think it was the added personal attention from Oma, sister, and mama and papa, but I'm not sure. He's gotten to be a pretty good helper at times. However, like all small children, don't send him to fetch something, as he will most definitely NOT find it.

Cora is still such a sweet baby and just loves to look at you and smile and giggle happily. She loves music, even more so than Liam, who loved is even more than Gillian as a baby. She begins to 'sing' when she hears her mobile, but only to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. :D Yesterday she begun tapping her head to the beat of Eensy Weensy Spider, being played by her toy which Liam was swinging above her head and singing alone to.

Cora's is now getting up on her knees and rocking, which is very exciting and a little bit scary. Only if because I know the work that will bring. But it is enthralling to watch them grow, isn't it? She does manage to get around the room though, via rolling. Rolling here there and everywhere. She really dislikes the scratchy brick fireplace (mom doesn't like it much either). Aside from that, she's constantly searching for treasures which might be choking hazards.

Cora was born mad, and it is her easiest emotion to reach I believe. She doesn't spend a lot of time mad, but when she's upset, you know it!! Here's a picture of Cora having had enough and ready for a nap.

Cora

2007-01-11T14:15:00.000-06:00

Cora on December 19, 2006

Cora is growing by leaps and bounds. She's become quite attentive and loves to grab anything dangled close enough for her fingers to latch onto. She's very talkative, at least at home for us, and will smile at anyone who says hello to her. She's definitely a very happy baby and so cuddly!!

Patchwork

2006-12-23T22:30:00.000-06:00

A few months ago I really got turned on to thinking I'd start a new hobby. Actually, this is something I seem to regularly do and always end up not doing the thing for time reasons. I really started wanting to make the kids quilts. So I did the usual thing I do in this moment, I search the library for books, request them and pick them up. I started reading about quilting and within a few minutes decided that there's no way, I can't possibly figure all of this out and put enough time into it to actually have something nice at the end.

Well, this all changed for me a couple of weeks ago when Patrick's mother started trying to find quilts to buy for her family in Germany. She couldn't find any nice ones that weren't super expensive. So, having sewed for most of her life she decided to try it herself. Seeing her put them together gave me hope again and help.

So, for Christmas I did a tiny project for Gillian. Since the kids were getting new beds (and since Oma made Liam one) I made Gillian a patchwork pillowcase. I am so proud of it! I haven't sewed anything since I was 18 and that was one dress for my Laurel project. I did this without any sort of pattern, and it fits the pillow perfectly! Of course, the squares aren't all exactly alike. But I'm sure I'll get the knack of cutting soon. I'm hoping a play blanket for Cora will be next, maybe 40 x 40.

turning it right side out ... can't wait to see

Voila!

It really fits! I did it! I really did!