Let it snow!

Ok... I know that on Monday I DID say something about I was fine with the snow if it stayed WAAAAAAYYYY high up in the mountains and off of my yard. I KNOW I said something about that... SO WHAT IS THIS?!!??!!!??!!! Can you see the white streaks? Those are actually snowflakes!!!!

I was grocery shopping this morning and it was just sprinkling as I went in. I was very happy about our electric trunk opener on our van when I came out and it was POURING. But that's ok. It can pour. We desperately need the rain.

As Scott is unloading the van he says - oh look. It's snowing. Of course he was kidding, right? Just trying to get my goat!! Oh no...

I am lamenting. Thanks for listening.

Did I mention that it is SEPTEMBER!!??!!!

My Little Helper

We are always seeing photos of Dallin being daddy's little helper! Well, today I got some shots of Dallin being MOMMY'S little helper! I need to take while I can. Who knows how long he will WANT to mop my nasty kitchen floor!

Then we just have some glamour shots of our Mags. She has croup and really doesn't feel well. But she still looks adorable!

Circus!

We went to the circus last night!! It was so much fun! Even though BOTH our kids have croup now and there was a bit of coughing - it was so loud - who could hear it??!!??!

We started out taking the train from Scott's work to the end of the line where the circus was. Dallin loves the train.

Then we went to get something to eat. At the little food court they have these ride toys that luckily Dallin doesn't give us too much of a fuss if we don't put the money in. I think that Maggie was having fun there!

Then we got to the circus. Dallin was very excited! Scott said that he didn't think that HE had ever been to the circus before either. So I think this was a GREAT family outing!!

It was what they were calling a "Bello Bration". Celebrating this one clown named Bello. I now have a new appreciation when someone calls something a "3-ring circus". In the beginning they had 3 rings of things going on. You really couldn't keep up with it all. In the outside rings they had these guys in metal round rings and they had their hands and feet on the rings and moved somehow to make the ring go round and round... (Oh - And I took our little cruddy camera because I didn't want them to take away my nice camera. So the pictures pretty much stink - but you can get the idea)

In the middle ring at the same time they had people climbing a ladder and and jumping on the seesaw like thing and the people were flying into the air and landing on a chair or someone else's shoulders...

There was screen above us that Maggie was completely enthralled with. She didn't take her eyes off of it very often. She did VERY well - considering that it started at her bedtime. You can see Dallin's cute little happy expressions!
There were tigers, zebras, Arabian horses, elephants and dogs that would do very funny tricks!


I finally stopped taking photos because they just weren't coming out very well. But I just absolutely loved all of the things at the circus. One of my favorites were the asian ladies and girls that came out and so very gracefully moved and contorted their bodies into positions that should only be done with playdough! I REALLY wish that I could have had my good camera for THAT one! Then there were the flying trapeze people that I felt ill just WATCHING what they were doing. I couldn't imagine actually flying through the air like they were doing! And then of course there was the finale of the human cannon balls!

Basically - I would highly recommend going to see the Ringling Brother's and Barnum & Bailey circus if you have never been to a circus before! There wasn't any amount of time that Dallin was bored and Maggie very entertained as well!

Dallin's First Big Movie

OK... So in our ward we are having a home movie competition. Our neighbor's decided that they wanted to do one using Dallin and Sam (their little boy). We supplied the camera, our home, Dallin and sampling of the cookies. (Which were fabulous)

Anyway... the link is to YouTube and the movie is there. Kevin and Connie did a FABULOUS job on this. I will have to let you know if the boys win first prize or not! The movie will take about 10 minutes to watch.

Hope you love it as much as we do!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pXk3FPUfFk

Change in the Seasons

I love fall! Happy Fall everyone! It's my favorite time of the year! If you know me well - you will know that I love fall and spring. Not such a fan of the snow. So - yesterday was the first day of fall! YIPEE!!! It's been raining most of the weekend. And still kind of spitting today. It's nice. We need the rain. But Saturday I was driving to Salt Lake to get my hair cut. I was jamming to Joss Stone in the mini van just looking at the beautiful colors on the mountains on the drive. Of course I imagined that I was in a very COOL car jamming to Joss - but that is just in my imagination :) I was wishing that I had my camera with me - but of course I didn't. I decided that I would get pictures when I got home. Then it started pouring. So I thought that I would do it Sunday - still raining. This morning - this is the day! I am going to do it! (Before looking out the windows)

Yesterday - Dallin started having a really sore throat. To the point of crying while trying to drink one of his favorite drinks - hot chocolate! Last night he woke several times through the night coughing and crying. This morning we had an appointment for the doctor. We are on our way and I look at the mountains - longing for the beautiful orange, green and brown I saw on Saturday. What did I see??? WHITE!!!!!!!!!!

I could still see the orange that I wanted to - but I was not at all pleased about the color above that!

Then I looked at my temperature gauge on the van....

UGH!!! What is this?!!??!!!?? I guess it's ok as long as it stays in the mountains and away from my yard!!!!!!

So then the doctor gives me more good news! Dallin has croup. Which means that Maggie will probably get it. And - oh - that's right - I sent Dallin to nursery at church yesterday. That's just GREAT! I will have about 10 moms cussing me out in about a week! What a Monday. I guess I ought to go and try to tackle all the laundry waiting for me in the basement!

Goings on around our home

So we have had quite a lot going on lately...

Saturday my little baby sister turned 20! I remember being in 2nd period in 11th grade getting the note from the office that my sister had been born. Crazy~ Anyway... she mentioned in passing that she wanted a Barbie cake for her birthday. Well - I thought - I can make a cake like that! So I did my best. I think it turned out kind of cute! I used a Bratz doll instead... hmmmmm...

I will never get to the status of my friend Brooke though. On her blog she has a picture of her 1 year old's cake. Ya - it's nice... I will never be there. Her link is on the side of my blog somewhere if you are really curious!

Then of course we have our basement that we are still re-doing. This picture goes along with the "Anything You Can Do" song... but it's cute. Dallin just LOVES helping daddy! He is pulling the nails from the old sheet rock out of the studs so we can put NEW sheet rock in!

Here are the before and now pictures of our basement. Poor Scott. He has to put up with so many of my mind changings! I don't think that it will be done by the time it's my week to do preschool. Oh well.

This morning Dallin was getting ready for preschool. I was rushing him out to the car so we wouldn't be late. Then I noticed something... I just HAD to take a photo! Do you notice it?

He couldn't find the other sock with the red on it... So he found a different one!

I love that kid!

Anything You Can Do ~ I Can Do Better!

The tune and words to 'Anything you can do I can do better' is constantly running through my head lately. Little Miss Maggie is not one who likes to just watch Dallin play. She will want to be doing anything that he is doing. Regardless of whether she is actually able to or not.

Dallin has this dirt patch in our backyard that he loves to play in. Well, recently Maggie has decided that it is fair game for her to get into the dirt or mud too!

She watches him play on his tool bench with his little power tools... She now feels like she is entitled! She loves to play in his room!

Most recently she has been watching Dallin on his little trike for the backyard. I ran inside to get something the other day and Dallin yells to me to come and look at Maggie! So I go outside to a little half pint having straddled her way onto the littler of Dallin's trikes... UGH! She even moves it around using her feet. She gets off of it just like she's a pro too.

Then there is Dallin... Who feels that he can do anything just as good as his daddy. We have been re-doing our basement and our recent change in direction is to remove all of the paneling and not just to paint over it. So Saturday, Scott gutted our basement so it's all studs and concrete. Well, then the paneling and drywall has to be hauled up the stairs and out to the trailer! And who better to do it than our big boy Dallin!

Who wants to be wants to be just like his daddy ~

Then I just want to cry because my big boy really is getting big! He has this friend (our backyard neighbor) and they play often. The moms usually meet at the fence and hand the kids over to whichever house it is that day. Well, our boys now can climb the fence by themselves. SCARY! Well, daddy needed our buckets that were over at the neighbor's house so Dallin said that he would go and get them. What a big boy! And a great problem solver. He had both buckets in his hands when he got to the fence and I didn't have the camera in time for the troubled look on his face of how to get it done... But here is the sequence of getting it done!



The sand poured on his head...


And of course he must get it off somehow!





The look on his face is utter joy in the last one - the independence and confidence of a 3 1/2 year old!!! I love it!! If you click on the last photo it will enlarge it and you can really see his proud of himself expression!!! Where does time go?! Is he really big enough to be this independent??

Gratitude and Love

What a couple of days. For about a week now I have really felt that there has been something wrong with our pregnancy. Trying to talk myself out of thinking that it's anything but my paranoia, I never called the doctor. Yesterday though, I just couldn't take it and I made an appointment for later that afternoon. We found out that our baby is not living anymore. Yesterday I think that I went through every emotion there was to go through. Sadness, anger, bitterness, gratefulness. Then last night I self-medicated myself so I couldn't feel anything anymore and went to sleep. I kept myself busy enough today that I only had moments here and there to actually think about what I am going through. But now, in the night, while my kids are in bed and my hubby is working late and I am alone at my computer, I have lots of time to think.

I love my family. My husband is so wonderful, loving, and hard-working. We have 2 very beautiful and healthy children. We really don't have many struggles in life and our marriage. Not that I am asking for them, but this - bringing children into our family - seems to be our struggle. I find this evening that I am counting my blessings.... would you like to see them?

Tiny toes and meeting Dallin for the first time....


Meeting Maggie for the first time and then her blessing day....


Maggie's issues with bows and her mischievous looks that let me know I am going to have my hands full when she is bigger!


Outside time with both my kids and dinks!


Dallin's joy at looking at Maggie's toes and getting his fingers nipped by a swan....


Halloween and daddy's willingness to dress up and daddy the pack mule!


Dallin wanting to wear hats just like daddy and of course his disguise that he colored all over himself!


A happy and healthy family!

I have so much to be grateful for. As angry and bitter as I would love to be - I know that it wouldn't be productive. It's not going to bring our little one back to us. I just have to hug and hold the children that Heavenly Father has given to us and be very thankful for them.

Thank you so much to all of our friends and family that are praying for us and thinking of us. We will grow from this experience. I know that we will.