Prayers

It's so cute when your kids start saying prayers by them selves, and we have had some very interesting ones. Avi had a phase where she was blessing Jesus a lot. Around Christmas Santa Clause received a lot of blessings, and many innadament (sp) objects got blessings. Last night Dailynn was super hyper when we were going to bed and she was really excited to say the prayer. She jumped down on her bed (she had been climbing all over mommy) and said "Father, church, amen." Two year olds don't say all the stuff between the key things they are thanking for or asking to bless. After a little laugh from that we told her to kneel down, where she then climbed on my back and knelt on it. It took a little more work to get her settled down enough to say a prayer with some persuasion from mom.

Work Out

So I have learned that family get-togethers are very great exercise. Last night we had a party at a church near my grandparents house. (The whole family is here for their 50th anniversary.) We started by playing a few games of dodge ball. I didn't do too great in it, but what ever. The most exhausting is the balloon on your leg game where you are trying to pop everyone else's balloons while trying to save yours from being popped. I didn't have any balloons, but I was trying to salvage Dailynn's, so I would run with her to the other kids, pick her up and try to drop her on the balloons. This is hard enough, but when the kids are running around so much that I had to pick her up 2-5 times for each balloon we saw. We got done with the game, Dailynn was laughing hard and I was exhausted.

Today we went rollerskating at the local rink. Dailynn got the whole idea down great, and after a hard time trying to get Avi to figure it out we just got her one of the little skooters. Rollerskating can be a pretty good work out as it is, but then when you are trying to balance while helping a small child balance between your legs and move around all while just learning how to use roller blades, that gets exhausting. Luckily we had a lot of family there, (about 50 people) so I was able to focus on one kid, then switch off so that both got to have a lot of fun. Not only am I going to be sore from all the work out, but I wiped out pretty bad once so have a sensative bum and hip tonight. I don't want to know how I will feel tomorrow.

Smart Kids

I don't want to brag, but my kids are smart. Avi said to me this morning while I was making breakfast "Mom, 3 plus 3 plus 1 is 7 huh." Well, that makes me pleased that she is going to be a math wiz because at 4 she is already adding 3 numbers together. She loves to add when we are in the car or just hanging out at home.

Dailynn on the other had has the smarts that you worry about. Yesterday we put a lock on our fridge because she loves to get in it way to often. Well the first time she encountered it she opened it right up without any trouble. Doh!!! She also knows that reaching the top of the dresser is as easy as opening the bottom drawer.

Sleeping

Dailynn went through a phase of not wanting to sleep in her bed. I have found her in a few interesting places lately. One night I was trying to get her to stay in bed and she told me that she didn't like her bed because it was too big. We went through the conversation that the floor was much larger than her bed and that Avi was in a big bed too. From there the conversation went some strange directions. Here are a few pictures of Dailynn deciding to sleep in other places than her bed.

She feel asleep on the bottom of the stairs while we were watching a movie in the next room.
The curtains were down in her room because of repainting and such, so she climbed on the toy box in her closet after closing the door so it would be dark.

Valentines day

One thing that I have been doing the last few valentines days was help Avi (now Dailynn too) heart attach Nathan. So this year, we did it again. Here are a few pictures of the room. The large groups of them are what Dailynn did, and Avi did most of the coloring if you can tell that any of them are colored.


They wanted to pose for the camera with their work

My Valentine

Tomorrow is single awareness day, oh whoops valentines day and I wanted to give a tribute to my totally awesome valentine. I met Nathan a little over 7 years ago in my Japanese class. Sad to say it wasn't love at first sight because the first time I saw him I was so sick that all I could think about is wondering if I could make it through another class. When I got mostly better I came back to class and noticed a guy that hadn't been there before, and got put in a group with him during class. Since it was a small and tight nit class, everyone in there knew I was really sick, and he was pretty much the only one who didn't know me. Knowing that I would need some help catching up he offered to help me with my homework that weekend. I told him I would take him up on it, and when it came to Saturday that was my plan. I did make the mistake of catching up on calculus first, so by the time I got the to Japanese, I was too fried to study so I called and invited him to come hang out with me and some friends.

He agreed to hanging out, and we did a lot of it that night. After playing at the playground at the Elementary School, we went for pizza then to his sister's house to watch a movie. Before the movie he cremated me at a game of fooz-ball. During the movie some girl conversations were happening, you know the ones where words aren't exchanged and the men don't get it. That is when things started happening. I knew that I could like him and that he could do the same.

Our courtship wasn't too long, although much longer than many of our friends at the time. He spent so much time and energy trying to plan his proposal, and it turned out beautifully. Then he even put up with my families crazy antics when it came to the wedding.

For seven years we have known each other, and I love him more everyday. He always thinks about me at gift times and what I would love to have. He is a wonderful supporter, great friend, and always treats me like a princess. So to my dear sweet hubby, I LOVE YOU!!!!

Sick Family

I don't know how it happens, but luckily when a sickness hit our family it hits me first, then works it's way around our tiny family. I'm not always first, but it seems like it happens that way a lot. This time I was fortunate because it hit me, knocked me out enough to feel miserable, but not so much that I couldn't take care of the kids a little. Well, then it hit the others and they have been in bed sleeping a lot. Maybe it is the supper mom in me, or I just don't want to calm down enough to loose complete control of the house. I am on the tail end of it, but it is still holding on, and now I have to be even more supper mom. I get home from work and then have to put the house together again from the 3 sickies that have hung around. Luckily I work better under pressure, so I have gotten some laundry done (not folded) and kept enough dishes clean to be able to eat. I can tell that we are all on the mend, in another few days we will all be the perky exhausted selves that we usually are.

The Lip

So Dailynn has mastered the lip. Today I saw it several times and I wasn't home most of the day. She caught me the first time saying "mommy you made me cry" and sticking it out so far a bird could land on it. I don't know how but her face goes flat, her eyes drop and enlarge, and the lip sticks out with the perfect curl. I am almost strong enough to face it on a normal day but she has been sick the last two days and I just couldn't help it a few times. She is so easily hurt when she doesn't feel good, so every few minutes it came out and I just had to cuddle her. She won't do it on demand, but when it comes out you have to watch yourself or you will be giving her everything she wants.

Quilts

My friend Ellie is having a contest for a cute comforter that she made for a toddler bed you can look at it at http://attachedparent.blogspot.com/. I am not much of an essayist, but I will give it a try. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out a favorite that I could write about and have it seem interesting (I can't choose a favorite kid), so I will write about a favorite hobby.

When I was younger all of my mom's family would come down to the ranch for hunting season. While the men were out traipsing across the mountain looking for a deer, the women would spend the weekend working on a quilt upstairs. I remember laying under the quilt watching them work on it and seeing the beautiful patterns.

One year for Christmas Grandma Norma made us 6 kids special quilts. She put so much work into them making them very personalized. Mine had a large doll in the middle and one of the boys got one with tractors.

All of this lead to a love of quilts, but not so much a love for making them. In high school a quilting club got started and I started learning how to make one and fell in love with it. Although I didn't ever finish anything from that club, most of the blocks got disassembled later for other quilts, I learned the joy of making them. At snow college I took a quilting class that truly taught me how to put one together, and I made my first one. I even spent a year quilting it to make it special. I love that quilt. Since then I have experimented and had fun making baby quilts for friends and family, and a few more for my own little family. It is a hobby that brings me joy and enjoyment. Thanks to all who have contributed to the knowledge and love for quilting that I have attained.

Late Night Chat

Dailynn does not like to fall asleep, so 2 hours after putting her in she is still playing and talking. Luckily Avi falls asleep quick most of the time. Last night I was tutoring so she felt that she had to try to sleep in the hall. Once the student left I put her in bed, but she jumped right out and layed on the floor. So I did it again, and she jumped right out on the floor again. This time I took her in and she said that her bed was too big so she wanted to sleep on the floor. So I started talking to her (this is at 10). She started by saying that there were dogs outside, and that she was a dog, and that she was a princess dog. Then we got into a conversation about hats and how daddy, mommy, Avi, and she had a lot of hats and we were them all the time. Nathan came and jumped into the conversation for a little while. Once we were finally able to end the conversation she fell right asleep. Maybe I should be talking to her every night, but it is very hard to get away from her when she starts talking.

Half my life

So when I was 10-11, not sure it was so long ago, President Benson died and I was young enough to not really under what was going to happen. I was sad because I hadn't known any other prophet but trusted what was going to happen. I remember after Pres. Hunter died thinking that I didn't think Pres Hinkley should be put in because it seemed the media were speculating too much and that they shouldn't say it was him until he had been called. I was fine with him once I knew that he had been called. It was really strange last week when they said that Pres Hinkley had been in for 13 years because he was the prophet for more than half of my life and He was the only Prophet I really know because I was young enough to not know the others. I am excited to get to know President Monson and his councilors.

Movies and Theater

If you have ever seen Singles Ward, you must remember the crazy room mate that loved feta cheese and bungee jumping cars. Well, tonight Nathan and I watched him play a part in a play. It was fun to see him in a goofy role that he did quite well. It was a fun chance for Nathan and I to get out together and enjoy a quited and funny evening together. Those don't come as often as we would like so they are fun when they come.

Winter

Ok, so for that last few winters I have loathed them so much. I hate the cold so much and there was not enough snow at any time to make a snowman. Well this year is different. It isn't the nasty cold that freezes you while you are in your home wrapped in blankets, and with a new blanket of snow just about every day, it is a beautiful winter wonderland here. Yesterday we got about 10 in or so of snow and it was cool. Yes we did have to find the car just as much after church as before, but it was worth it. Today we will build snowmen and tomorrow we will go sledding for the first time with the girls. I am so excited to be happy about the weather and the fun it is this year. Dailynn is always excited to go outside in the snow. She thinks that the only places to walk outside are in the snow, so no matter what shoes she is wearing, she is walking in the foot deep snow just for the fun of it. She has wet pants all to often. Luckily we are getting her to stop that, it is getting too deep for her to walk in.