I am grateful for ANSWERED PRAYERS

Yesterday, I couldn't find MJ's soft top sippy cup. She has complained her teeth hurt, so filling it with ice water and letting it rest against her teeth has brought her comfort. I looked through the house three times and couldn't find it. Then I prayed. A thought came into my mind, remember when you gathered up the blankets after she wet herself. The sippy got caught in the blankets. It is in the washer. I ran for the washer and sure enough it was in there tumbling around with the rest of the clothes. I pulled it out, washed it and gave it to MJ. She stopped crying and went to sleep. I am grateful for answered prayers, even simple ones.

Laugh: Sierra has been passing out candy tonight. Every time I turn my back she is running outside and yelling, "Come one, come all, we got candy."

LAST HALLOWEEN POST, I PROMISE

There you are Tamara.

Laugh: How did toothpaste get in this picture?

CARTOONING HALLOWEEN

Yesterday was such a fun, busy, crazy, day that I could blog about it all week. Fruita does a trick-or-treat down main street every year. All the little hole in the wall shops and some of the churches pass out candy to the little kids. Sierra kept seeing kids she goes to school with and it was fun for her to see them outside of class. She was frustrated and kept asking, "Why do people keep pointing at me and giggling and saying look the Little Mermaid." I kept trying to reassure her that it was a compliment but she didn't think so. Then we went to our church Halloween party. Nate watched the little sick one so Sierra and I could go. We had a great time and got to eat chili and some delicious Halloween treats.

P.S. My sister said that cartooning pictures is lame. I am sure it is, but for Halloween? Every once in a while it is okay to post outside the box, right?

MJ 1st HALLOWEEN PICTURES

She was begging the entire time, "Please go bed." I was bribing her with a sippy cup of milk and a sucker. I still didn't get much out of her. When I asked her to smile she glared.

SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARTY

MJ is still sick, three days of fever, oh my. Today, I let Nate hold MJ while I cleaned a large portion of the house. I feel better now. I got Sierra ready for school and took her. She was beaming. Little Cinderella couldn't get enough of her costume.(She was hugging her in both these picture.) The little girls gathered around her like she was the character Ariel from Disneyland. All the mothers were in love with her little costume. I am pretty sure she was the most noticed child on the playground today. Mostly due to that glowing red hair and the rest of her brightly colored ensemble. Partly due to my mad sewing skills. ;) Can you feel braggy pride oozing from this post? I will be posting a tutorial for this costume on my refashioning blog next year. It was really simple.

OH YES, WE GOT SOME HAIR.

$10.00 for the entire costume. 5 shirts at the thrift store 3 green, 2 purple @ .99 each. The wig was $5 at Family Dollar. Finished. Now where is that Flounder doll? I think he is in my closet. Don't worry there will be more pictures.

PRESENTING: THE LITTLE MERMAID

I am hoping to get better picture in a more natural setting with her holding her Flounder doll, but this will do for now. She loves it and didn't want to take it off to go to school. Seeing something I made bring her so much happiness has made my day. MJ is still really sick and has slept through most of the afternoon. Sierra just left for school. I forgot it is all day Kindergarten today. With that blooper and her missing all those days when we went and visited my mom, we aren't on a good track for attendance. Sigh.

POOR BABY

MJ has been extra clingy the last few days and I have been dying. I have been wanting to make some progress on her and Sierra's costumes. Today I pushed MJ aside, by sticking her infront of the television, and I started sewing like a tazmanian devil on steroids. I got her costume done and the largest part of Sierra's costume done. MJ was whinning, "hold you, hold you." Finally, sighing in submission, I picked her up and layed down on the couch with her in my arms. She fell asleep quickly and her body temperature started to rise. She is very sick. I am very sad. I made her a great costume for Halloween. I hope she doesn't miss Halloween this year like last year.

Laugh: In her sick little voice MJ said, "Mom, cherios?" I got her some. Then she said, "Mom, milk ribbit. Mom, milk ribbit." Finally got it, she wanted milk with her cherios. Milk ribbit = milk with it.

WE LOVE THE LIBRARY

There was a chill in the air this morning. We bundled up to take Grandpa to the airport. We were sad to say goodbye, but none more than Madison, who said, "Go home with Grandpa." over and over again.
After we picked Sierra up from school we went to the library. I encouraged Sierra to pick out a variety of books instead of emptying out the entire shelf of Bearnstein Bear books. I was so glad she listened. I love to discover new books and we have been in a Bearnstein Bear rut for too long. Madison actually wanted to pick out her own books this time. She was very particular about the two books she wanted, one for each hand, and wouldn't give them up without a screaming fit when the librarian wanted to scan them.

PLEASE READ TO ME GRANDPA

I think grandpa wore his voice out reading to the girls tonight. He read Sierra several bedtime stories and then came out and sat on the couch. This little girl got herself a pillow and a blanket and snuggled right up next to him with her dolly. She brought with her two stories. She wanted the same two stories read to her over and over again. He was happy to comply. I think she has found a new favorite person.

TRUCK or TREAT

The city puts on an event called truck-o-treat every year. I was driving to the bank to take care of a few things and realized it was today. I flipped the car around and threw some dress-ups on the girls and ran out the door. There were all sorts of trucks; fire trucks, ambulances, school buses, stretch limos, monster trucks, cow hauling trucks (Sierra's favorite.), big rigs, tractors, and lots mores. A group of disabled adults came to the event in their disabled bus and sat on chairs infront of the bus and passed out candy. It was a long line of people and you just had to take one step to the left to get another piece of candy. Sierra loved it and from the looks on the people's faces they loved it too.

IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY SHOUT HOORAY!

Well, today was a very special day. It was this little cutie-patuties birthday. I decided I wanted to make MJ some fun things out of balloons. (You can learn how to do anything on YouTube.) I had never done it before. It was a blast. I made hats, flowers, and dogs. MJ loved it. Sierra loved it. I dressed MJ up like a princess and danced her around the house in a spirited waltz and kept singing, "It is your birthday shout hooray." She kept saying, "More birthday." Sierra frosted and decorated her cake. It was divine. MJ got her first baby doll. She loved her. She even fell asleep with her. She also got some Dora figurines and I was shocked she knew all their names. Grandpa and Grandma McKnight sent her a special present too. She was spoiled and I know her little fists couldn't have held anymore.

P.S. Does anyone know of a site that will do a good collage? The one below is fine just not what I want.

GRANDPA CAME TO TOWN

MJ got to meet her Grandpa McKnight and she is in love. I love this man too. I still remember the first time we met. Thanksgiving, seven years ago, (Side Note: When Nate and I decided to get engaged my in-laws had asked me to send a picture of myself. I searched for the most beautiful photo of myself I could find. The picture I chose was more beautiful than I was in real life and was taken at least a few years earlier.) I walked through the front door and met most of the family. Then Nate's dad came home. He threw his arms around me and said, "You are even prettier than your picture." I instantly loved him. MJ has instantly loved him too. Something she N.E.V.E.R does and I can't stress that enough. Especially when she meets someone for the first time, she clings to me. It didn't take but a few hours for her to climb in his lap and stay there. As I put her to bed she screamed, "No, my gampa. No, my gampa. No, my gamp," with little tears streaming down her cheeks.

LONG DAY

Today was a long day. I won't even go into it. I rehearsed the day to two of my sisters. One of them said while yawning, "You have exhausted me with your story." I will spare you. Needless to say it was long and I am glad both of my babies are sleeping and my house is quiet. Here is to tomorrow, we will have to do something fun because today wasn't fun. However, I did make progress on the tutorial for my refashioning blog. I am overflowing with ideas for future projects. Get excited.

A STROLLER and A CHILD

Madison will never just sit down and let me buckle her into her stroller. She fights me. I let it go today. Then she decides to get dangerous and stand up. Occasionally, she lets go of the sides of the stroller to test her balance. She gets an adrenaline rush from maneuvers like these. She starts to giggle. I warn her to sit down. She won't. I decide to jiggle the stroller a little just to throw her off balance, so she will learn the dangers of standing up. She falls forward and knocks her head on the rim of the stoller. She screams. I pick her up to inspect the damage and give comfort. Her nose swells. My mind is races, what if I broke her nose and I have to take her to the doctor how am I going to explain this. She cries harder and can't catch her breath. Her nose swells more. Crap. I touch it to see if I can feel anything. No it seems fine. After a few minutes she stops crying. An hour later the swelling is down. She is fine, just a bruise. Sigh. Poor baby.

Laugh: Sierra came home from school today and said, "Mom, there was a lady at school that I saw that has a bigger butt than you. I saw. She was bendin' down and her butt was in our face." Then she proceeded to demonstrate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATE

Nate's birthday is today. He is another day older. He fished the Green River all weekend long to celebrate. Today we were going to wake up and make him a birthday breakfast fit for a king. However, we all woke up late because of a really long exhausting day yesterday. We went to church and then came home and had a nice breakfast for lunch. The girls helped me make and decorate the cake, although I am certain they did more tasting than helping. Sierra said, "Yum this is the best frosting ever." It wasn't frosting it was cake batter. She said, "Mom how old is Dad now?" I said, "33" and she responded, "Is that like 100?" I said, "Kind of." I suppose especially to a five year old 33 is like 100.

P.S. Sierra asked if she could start her own blog today. I thought, why not. Click here for her very first post.

GOING HOME

I drove with the girls for four hours. I think that is the longest I have ever driven by myself and definitely the longest I have ever driven alone with the girls. They were good through the canyon, which I was grateful for, but the last hour CC teased MJ mercilessly and MJ screamed her ear piercing screams in defense. I thought I was going to strangle both of them. I tried to distract them by counting down land marks that reached home; the Green River, the red cliffs, the dusty gray landscape, the rock walls that curve along the highway, and finally the farms. Then the offramp. I exclaimed, "We are here. We are in Fruita." I think the girls could have carelessed, they were too crabby but I was so grateful.

COUSINS IN AN ORCHARD

Grandpa once told Sierra these fuzzy white seeds were fairies. Her and her cousins were running through the orchard collecting a hat full of them. Sierra was so focused on catching fairies that I couldn't even get her to look up at me.

COUSINS ARE IN TOWN

Well, we were headed back home and got to the canyon and the check engine light came on. Dad told me to turn around and come back. He worked on the car for another day. It is fixed now and I am certain it is in better shape than it has ever been. Since we missed the last day of school for the week we decided to stay a few more days because Michelle came in town. The cousins have been having the time of their life. They have dressed up, painted a dresser, drawn pictures, played pretend and preformed several dances for us in the living room. Tamara and Kimberly my two little sisters have been the leader of all their adventures. They love their aunts.

FUN TO BE WITH FAMILY

My father has been busily working on the 4-runner. He has repaired the mysterious noise it has been making for months and now he is working on the oil leak. At one time I walked out to see how things were going, he was under my car working on the leak and at the same time he was helping Tamara write one of her college papers. He has been covered in car oil for two days and I think he is so handsome. I always have. I am grateful for my father who would do anything and everything for his kids. My sister Emily has been playing with my daughters all afternoon. They sure love her. It is good to be close to family again.

APPLES APPLES AND MORE APPLES

My mother, and my sisters and I spent the afternoon canning applesauce and apple pie filling. Sierra once asked, "Mom someday can we have a house that has trees in the yard that grows food on them, like apples?" I was so excited this was a goal of hers too. I would love to have a small orchard someday on my property with apples, pears and peaches and a row of grapes. Sigh. Until then, it was so nice of my mother's neighbor to let us pick the apples from her yard. Then we got to make delicious canned goods from them. I am excited to make a delicious pie someday very soon.

HAND ME UPS

I called my sister the other day and mentioned Sierra's wearable clothes pile was dwindling. She has grown so much in the last few months. All of her shirts show her belly when she lifts up her arms. My sister said Emma had clothes she had grown out of. She boxed them up and sent them with her mother-in-law, who was coming to Orem to attend the BYU game. Sierra got them yesterday afternoon and she was ecstatic. Beyond estatic. You could have taken her and let her pick clothes out of a Princesses closet and she would have been no more happy. She has put on at least six or more outfits and paraded them around the house. I am so grateful for hand me downs and my dear sister.

BABY COLTON

Yesterday, we loaded up and came to Utah. Nate brought us. I am so happy. I haven't been back to see my family since we moved. MJ and Sierra played forever with Emily on the swings in the backyard. Then we went and bought a car. I know big news. I love my new car. I will have to post pictures later. LOVE IT. Then I went with my Mother and MJ to pick apples, we are doing applesauce. Yummy. Then my favorite part of the day, the temple. I love the peace I feel in the temple. Lastly, YEAH my brother and sister-in-law let me play with their Canon 5D. I took this picture of my favorite little nephew Colton. Isn't he beautiful? And yes baby boys can be beautiful. Perfect Day.

GREAT DAY

I took this little rascal to school today and my little MJ wanted to play on the playground. The school has a rule that no adults are allowed on the playground during drop off. (For saftey reasons.) I told MJ as soon as we dropped CC off we would go find the little playground next to our house and play. The bell rang, CC lined up and we blew kisses at her as she marched into class. Then we were off. The sky was a breath taking blue and it was filled with huge fluffy white clouds. The park was empty. MJ had so much fun. She giggled all the way down the slide and when her little fingers touched mine as I caught her at the bottom I would get a little shock. Then she would say, "Again." I would say, "You want to go again?" She would reply, "Alright." I love all her new words and her cute giggle.

FALL HAS ARRIVED

I love Fall. I am so happy it is here. I love October. I love Halloween. I love the crisp air and the changing of leaves.

NO MORE BA BA

Yesterday I was in a foul mood. I yelled. MJ was whinning over her bottle. She wanted her fifty-third of the day. (Okay, maybe an exaggeration but it didn't feel like it.) She refused to eat anything. She was crying and whining and clinging. Oh, I was sick of it. I looked her in the eyes and picked up her bottles and threw them in the trash and said, "I am done with BaBa. They're in the trash. They're gone. We are done." With that I tied the trash shut and hauled it out the back door. My Honey came home later and CC exclaimed wide eyed, "Mom was so mad today Dad. She just picked up MJ's bottles and threw them in the trash." And to that I say, yes I did and I don't regret it. She has whinned all day today about it but at least I didn't have to keep filling it up. She will be fine. Look at that cheesy little grin. Don't you just want to eat her up?

Heavenly Father, I am grateful for THE SMELL of RAIN

Yesterday, I was folding blankets and talking to my sister on the phone while the girls were playing dolls in their bedroom and all of the sudden I smelt a strong familiar smell, the smell of rain. Then the rain began to pour in buckets. I called to my girls and yelled, "Rain!" We go outside, not inside, when it rains. The girls immediately ran outside and into the gutter, which filled to capacity before you could have counted to five. They jumped and splashed until they were soaked. MJ came back quickly and said, "Coldy." It was a little brisk, but Sierra didn't seem to notice. I finally had to call her in to get ready for school.

Heavenly Father, I am grateful for SUNDAY DRIVES

When I was a child my parents would load us into the car and take us for a drive, usually up to Squaw Peak. I loved it. I was so happy yesterday when my husband suggested we take our little family on a Sunday drive up to see the Monument. The entrance to the Monument is a hop-skip-and-jump from our house. Sierra enjoyed sticking her head slightly out the window the whole time. She begged to listen to church songs and handed her Daddy the primary children's songs on CD. She kept begging to turn it up louder. The first song was "I am a child of GOD." She exclaimed, "I know this song." I am glad she does. If you want to enjoy this beautiful song, click here.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WEEKEND

I love conference weekend. I will let you in on a few secrets. We have discussed several times on this blog about my not so good voice, but during conference weekend I get to be a member of the mormon tabernacle choir. They are broadcast right into my very own living room and I sing at the tip-top of my lungs with every song. I love it and I love all the talks. Did anyone else weep unashamed all the way through Elder Holland's talk and laugh at all Elder Uchtdorf's jokes? I am grateful to know that we have a prophet and apostals to lead and guide us. If anyone needs there spirit boyed up this weekend, have a listen by clicking here.

1ST PHOTO SHOOT

You might be able to tell by how I cropped off the top of this truck how it went. Sigh. Photography is hard. You look at all these people's blogs and you think I could do that and then you realize it is harder than you think. So, I will check out more books and read them and get more tips from talented friends, take more pictures and figure this thing out. Watch you will see, I will get better. I am so glad Darcy invited me out to take pictures with her. The family we photographed was fun to talk to and the location was absolutely awesome. Also, it was nice to leave the girls with a sitter and get out of the house and do something just because I wanted to. Ahhh. Can you see me smiling through the computer?

THIS IS THE WAY WE TRAVEL

I am so grateful for this stroller. Nate picked it up, when I was pregnant with CC, secondhand from a girl living at Wymount. It was in that moment that a glow came back in his eyes and he realized that with the right equipment we could still enjoy the outdoors with a baby. It has been truly one of the greatest blessings of my life. I love this dirty, paint stained stroller. It will go anywhere and it has gone everywhere. Over, up and around the parks of Pittsburgh, through our small town of Fruita, and up Provo Canyon and around Orem. It has been a second car and a way to exercise and more. I am sure we will have many more great adventures with this awesome stroller. Absolutely, one of the best investments we have every made.

P.S. It is such a big part of our life it has been pictured in the last three posts. I just noticed that. Ha.