Spencer's 2nd Birthday!

Balls and Bath-tisms

Well, I'm sure everyone's tired of seeing that stupid Halloween post, but I really feel like I don't have much to say. Here are just a couple snipits.

Yesterday we were at Costco and as we passed the Easter dresses, something white and fluffy caught my eye. They had a beautiful modest white fancy dress for 15.99. So I totally got it for Emma's baptism.

Of course Kenna threw a fit, and of course Emma peppered me with questions about baptism all the way home. The one that made me laugh was when she said "Mom....I'm SO excited to get bath-tized." The other day Sean went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. I tried to explain to the girls what it was, but I don't quite think they grasped the concept. Yesterday Emma said, "After I'm bath-tized I can go to dead baptisms, like dad?" Oh....honey. Where do I begin?

Earlier in the day I made the mistake of taking Mackenna dress shopping with me. This year Sean and I get to go to the military ball (thanks Carissa! YOU ROCK.) It's in March, and I had my heart set on a beautiful dress I found online, but it turned out to be impossible to get it by the date I needed it.

So we went to Modest By Design and tried on dresses. Aside from Mackenna's tantrums over a jewelry box and a tiara I said no to buying for her, it was actually quite fun. I didn't go to my own high school prom, so I never got that experience of prom dress shopping before. I felt so girlie! I ended up getting this one in red.

And I am strongly considering getting some black satin opera gloves to go with it. (Come on....back in the day when they actually had real balls, anyone who was anyone wore gloves). They also make them in pale gold but they are like twice the price. So, for those of you who aren't fashion retards like me, would black go? My shoes are black, but the dress is too long to see that.

I have decided that despite the drama of all the estrogen around our house, I am much happier to have two girls rather than two boys. Gannon is here today, and he and Spencer have done nothing but fight. It's like watching Gladiators or Konan or something. And I have decided that boys have only one volume as well: LOUD.

Here is Mackenna with her 'purple people eater' cookie she made at preschool today. Too cute!

"I can be your hero, baby......"

Okay, so this is a bit obsessive. But those of you who know me well already know about my Halloween hysteria. So, I think I've decided on this year's costumes. That is, if I can get Sean to cooperate.

So, this year's theme is superheroes. And as far as I can tell, I won't be sewing any of these! Here is what I am thinking.

Sean - Nacho Libre.

Come on. He LOVES Jack Black and thinks the movie is hilarious even though I can't stand it. He may just end up in a Superman t-shirt cuz there ain't no way he's putting spandex on (at least that's what he says).

Me - Elektra.

Of course, a much more modest version. I am thinking probably just some red leggings and a red faux leather jacket or something. Anyone know where I can get a sai?


Emma - Supergirl.


Kenna - Batgirl. (or vice versa)


Spencer - Spiderman. Who else?

A visit from the urinal fairy.....

What is the difference, I ask you, between these two items? I think they cost about the same ($10.47 for a 14-pack). They are used for the same thing, and as my almost-5-year-old told me this morning, they feel the same. The difference is, one of them allows me to sleep through the night without having to change her clothes or bedding, and the other does not.

Let me explain.

About a week ago Mackenna announced that she wanted to stop wearing Pull-ups. I was right on board with that, since I am tired of buying them. So I told her she would have to let me wake her up at night to go potty, and then she could sleep in panties. At first she did okay. She was groggy but she willingly went to the potty. She still ended up wetting the bed at least once even though I woke her up 3-4 times a night to go. Then a couple days ago she started resisting. She would yell if I tried to put her on the potty (she's still 90% asleep at this point), and if I told her she needed to put a Pull-Up on she would yell louder. In the morning she didn't remember any of it, and since she was dry she thought she had made it all the way through the night. "Mom, I'm dry! Do I get my reward now?!" Sigh. "No, honey - you wet your bed last night." "No, I didn't. I'm dry." "Look at your pants. Those aren't the ones you wore to bed last night." Wail. "I'll never be dry, mom...never."

I feel so bad. She is so discouraged and I don't know what to do other than keep encouraging her and be understanding. So, while Carissa was over exercising yesterday morning she suggested to Kenna that she could wear the 'special underwear that you wear to bed....that it's okay to have accidents in - they're NOT pull-ups.' She readily agreed. Though this morning she came into my room and informed me that "MOM - these feel JUST like pull-ups. And they LOOK like pull-ups."
"But they're not Pull-ups, remember? They're nighttime underwear." Pause. "Yeah....I'll never get my reward, mom."

Help me! If anyone has suggestions. I haven't had to go through this before - Emma was potty trained in 3 days at age 3 and never put a pull-up on. She was dry through the night in underwear from the get-go.

Happy Birthday, Carissa!

Tomorrow is Carissa's birthday, but tonight we all got together and went to Rooster's. Afterward we went to the mall and the girls went shoe shopping while the guys went to Sports Authority.

I made her a Twilight cake, of course. What else? Here are some fun pictures from our night:

The cake:


Daron & Carissa:


Me and my awesome hubby:


I'll put all the other cake pictures on cowcakecreations. Just one thing: Becky is a rockstar! She totally did the writing on the cake for me, and she is awesome. She wrote it like she was writing on paper with a pen instead of on a cake with a bag and icing. Becky, you are my jedi master now. Please teach me!!!

Thanks for saving my tushy, Becky!

My Day at Di's

Today I went to see my best friend Dionne and her new baby, Tessa. It is so fun to hold a new baby, especially knowing I am done having them myself! Thanks to Carissa I get my baby fix twice a week now.


Here are Livvy and Kenna:


And here is Spencer in his 'mun-ee' PJs.

Hindsight........

So I had a dream about being back in my mission last night. Not back ON my mission, just going back to visit the D.C. area. I went to the temple and the visitor's center in my dream, and I woke up feeling totally nostalgic. I served in the visitor's center for a couple months around Christmas time, and it was a totally separate experience from anything else on my mission. I remember standing in the visitor's center, gazing at the positively breathtaking Washington, D.C. temple, and thinking 'this is one of the things I'm really going to miss'.
And I was right. I can't think of it without feeling an inner aching today. I never thought I would long to be back on my mission - and don't get me wrong - I would not want to go tracting or golden questioning again, ever. But I do miss the area, the people, the experience - being in the service of something greater than myself, but at the same time not being directly responsible for the people around me the way I am now with my family. There was a greater margin for error then.

My point is, if I can honestly miss my mission to the point of a pang all these years later (10 next month), then how much more will I miss this precious time with my little ones. The ones I AM responsible for? I know in my heart that this time is passing quickly, and I can see and touch the moments every day that will bring these same pangs later, though I'm sure with much more force. After all, my mission was a measley 18 months of my life. I am trying to see the joy in my life and particularly with my kids. Here are a couple of ways I am doing this:

1. Reading to my girls every day (almost). Right now we are on The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

2. Making sure I play with Spencer every day (usually tickling).

3. Trying to pay Mackenna my undivided attention as she will be going to kindergarten next year.

4. Trying to suppress the sad feelings that well up inside when I realize my kids are growing up - by seeing the things I love about their development.

If there is one lesson I have learned in life, it is that we waste today by pining for yesterday or tomorrow. I'm just glad I found this pearl before it was too late. (I may just have to embroider that on a pillow....what am I talking about, I don't embroider - "Life is the synchronicity of chance......"). Name that movie, anyone?

Here is a little something I think I'll miss about each of my kids:

1. Emma - the way she looks to me in everything and lives to make me happy (hopefully she will always want to please her parents, but who knows?)


2. Kenna - her hugs and kisses at random times throughout the day, and her round little cheeks. I already miss those - they have slimmed down a lot from her baby days.


3. Spencer - being little enough for me to squish and swing around and tickle and make him giggle. Something tells me I may also miss him screaming 'mama....mama...mama' at 6:30 every morning, but I don't know.


One more thing, and I'll be done. This is the view of the D.C. temple from the Beltway (an atrocious and potentially hazardous freeway where people drive like maniacs). You come up over the hill and the temple just pops up there. It is gorgeous.
Cloe, Mandee, Laura - if you want to comment and tell me something you miss about the mission (besides me, of course, ha ha) I would love it. I sure miss all of you.

Boy Birthdays

Yesterday was 'Dads & Doughnuts' at Sand Springs & Kenna was feeling pretty left out. She went upstairs to get dressed and came down looking like this:


I have no idea why, but the goggles made her feel better. And of course, Spencer had to give them a go too:


Thursday was Sean's birthday. We went out to Red Robin with the kids and some friends, and then came back to our house for cake and ice cream. Sean has to have the same cake every year - the german chocolate cake on the bakers german chocolate box.


Today I should have been doing laundry, which I did sort, by the way. But it hasn't made it downstairs yet. The fact that there are 6 buckets full - and another load of reds that is homeless until the first basket is vacant - is just a little bit of a deterrent. Instead I worked on Spencer's birthday presents and watched Harry Potter 1 & 2 with the girls. I am guessing I'll pay for letting them watch the Chamber of Secrets around bedtime tonight, when they complain of huge snakes in their room.

Anyway, Spencer is getting his very own church bag:


It is made out of a place mat ($1 at Big Lot's), ribbon, trim, and iron-on patches.

And his very own tie-fleece. It's not tied yet, but here are the two sides:

A little of everything

Haven't blogged in a while. Here are a few pictures I have saved on my camera for when the bug bit me again.

When Sean's parents were here right after Christmas we went sledding. Here is the cutest snow baby in the world, showing off his mittens:

I am only slightly bothered by the realization that he isn't, in all actuality, a baby anymore. He turns 2 on the 29th, and he just learned to push himself on his scooter.

And here is Sean's mom with the kids:


And me with the kids:


For Christmas Grandma & Grandpa gave the kids a WII Music game, and they LOVE it. It is so cute. Here they are playing.


Tomorrow is Sean's birthday, and this is what he requested. Isn't it hideous? But those are his teams, so what do you do?


This is kind of a boring post, isn't it? The only other thing I wanted to put on here are a couple things I wanted to work on this year.

1. Scripture study with the kids. We usually try to do this when Sean is home before we put them to bed, but truthfully neither one of us has the patience for it that late in the day. So I decided to spend 20 minutes before Emma leaves for school in the morning either reading them a friend article or one of the scripture readers. Better than nothing, right?

2. I have also been trying to lay down with the girls after we put them to bed and either have Emma read to us, or me read to them - it hasn't been consistent, though. I started reading them The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary, which was one of my all-time favorite books as a kid. We've only gotten to like Chapter 5 though.

3. Also to hug my kids every day and let them know how much I love them. I would also like to say at least one positive thing to them each day, like "you are such a good reader" or "you always help your brother, that is so nice" or "wow, i didn't know any almost 2-year-old could drool like that, buddy". Okay, maybe not the last one.