Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Pumpkins!
I just had to get a picture of the cookie Ains decorated after she was done with her pumpkin, I think she used a full bottle of sprinkles!
Ours is the pumpkin on the far left. Maybe I shouldn't have written that and just let everyone think that ours was one of the more cooler looking ones!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Dance!
Believe it or not, Owen spinning in circles is his dancing, with the occasional foot sway and head bob.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Trunk or Treat
We tricked Ains into thinking that she wanted to be Snow White this year so that I didn't have to buy her a costume (she was given this one fore her birthday) and Owen was originally supposed to be a chicken (Ainsley's old costume) but we realized that Owen is not a fan of dressing up. He refused to wear his chicken costume and since it was velcro he could get it off. So we rummaged this costume out of my mom's costume bin (I think Michael must have used this costume when he was little). He didn't like the bat costume any better but it tied and so he couldn't get it off. Plus it glowed in the dark...AWESOME! (Even more awesome is the fact that I only spent 34 cents on Halloween costumes this year!)
We got to eat hot dogs and the kids did their parade of costumes and then the candy hording began. Ains soon caught on and hit every trunk. Owen moved at a much slower pace since he had to stop and inspect every piece of candy that was placed in his bucket. He made it to about 10 cars and then got to hang out in our car with Dad. And now we are all sufficiently sugared up and ready for the real event on Wednesday. I guess we could say tonight was just our trial run.
I caught Owen in the back of the car taking candy out of Ainsley's bag and stuffing it in to his. Clever boy!
This next series of pictures I just thought was funny, Owen ducked his head down and gave us that crazy face every time we tried to get a picture. It was just too funny!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
A new play place.
I finally have a pantry...
Monday, October 22, 2007
Pumpkin Patch
It turned out to be a fun morning. We got to go on a hayride through all of the pumpkin fields. Then the kids got to go and color a pumpkin picture. We then ventured out into the field to pick our own pumpkin. By this point my arms were burning from lugging Owen around. We found our pumpkins, and them my arms really started to burn due to the added weight. Then all of the little preschoolers got to go into a maze made from bales of hay (a hay bale maze?). It was really cute to see all of their little heads bouncing above the bales of hay. I think Ainsley figured out the maze and then went through it a good three or four more times. Then they passed out a snack for all of the kids. It was a lot of fun. Since I forgot to bring my camera I got a picture of the kids by their pumpkins when we got home. I wonder if Owen's little foot is curled because the ground was freezing???
****I forgot a funny story. A friend that I went to high school with (Carol Mortensen (Stringham) has a little boy in Ainsley's class. She told me today that the other day in his prayers Dallin prayed for Ainsley. I'm not sure in what context. He could have been thankful for her, or just glad that she's alive, either way I thought it was cute!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Some thoughts.....
On to ward number two. Our ward in Salt Lake was better in the fact that it was somewhat normal. And when I say normal I mean completely abnormal. We lived in an apartment complex that was annexed into a ward with some FILTHY rich people. Carl Malone lived in the neighborhood that was apart of our ward. Now, most of the people in this ward were very friendly and John loved that the lessons were more intellectual. But I dreaded going to RS because I knew I would most likely sit by myself. I was on the enrichment committee and I left one enrichment activity in tears. At another enrichment activity I had a woman mad at me because I hadn't cut the carrots I brought to the activity cut julienne (I didn't even know what that meant at the time), and because at one point during the evening I sat down with a couple of "apartment girls" to talk instead of serving food. After that I think I carried a complex with me for a while. I was always nervous to go to enrichment or any ward activity and I always worried that I wouldn't have anyone to talk to.
Ward number three. This was the ward we went to for a few months while we lived with John's parents. No one ever did anything in that ward to make me feel uncomfortable, they just didn't do much to make me feel welcome. We were viewed as temporary and treated accordingly. There actually were 2 girls in that ward that did reach out and try to include me, but that's hard to do when you know someone will be leaving soon.
And onto ward number four. This was the ward we lived in when we first moved into our apartment here. And I really can't complain about this ward. I felt welcome and needed but I think this time I had the attitude that this was only temporary. We were looking for a house and ready to get out of there. We lived by 3 other families in our complex that were in the same situation as us and we just kind of stuck together and had our short term friendships while they lasted. So I guess I felt comfortable in this ward I just never felt at home.
And that brings us up to our current ward. Where I finally feel at HOME! It has taken about a year (which I think can be expected when anyone moves to a new ward) to get to know people, feel comfortable, feel like we have friends, and know enough people that if someone mentions a name I know who they are talking about. I love that I finally feel settled. I'm not nervous to go to enrichment. There are people I would feel comfortable calling if I needed a favor or a babysitter. We have a social life with the people we go to church with and I love it.
Now, this might be a little crazy, but all of this thinking was brought about last night after we went on a group date with some people in our ward. We went with 2 other couples to dinner and then met up with some more people at a comedy club here. The comedy was awful (clean but a little painful to watch) but the company was great so it was still a lot of fun. So it might be weird that a night out brought these thoughts to my mind, but I had spent most of my day doing one thing or another with people from my ward so I guess they were on my mind. And I'm really grateful that I finally have a true ward family for my family.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Binky Update
What have I done???
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The end of and era???
This is very unfortunate for Owen. He didn't understand that going to sleep without a pacifier, in combination with hiding all remaining pacifiers, gave mom and dad the thumbs up for weaning from the binky. It has been a sad day for Owen. He is currently crying in his crib waiting for a pacifier that isn't coming. The fact that I don't have any to give him makes it easier not to cave. I'm wishing I would have gotten rid of them when he turned one. He wasn't nearly as addicted to them then as he is now. So as for now, Owen will probably have a rough couple of days. I refuse to give in though, why bother starting something if you're not going to finish? And he's only a few weeks younger than Ainsley was when her pacifier habit was licked. I'm just hoping he doesn't come across the lost pacifiers before I do!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Fun Saturday!
We had a really fun day on Saturday. It was Karalenn's birthday and since she was in town we went with her family and friends to Harnival. What is Harnival? It's a party invented by Ainsley's nursery teacher that's a harvest celebration and a carnival. He did it as a party for his business, and since his company fixed our computer a while ago we were invited. It was a lot of fun. There was a DJ, face painting, cotton candy, lunch, balloon animals, a kids jump house, hay rides, popcorn, farm animals, and a few vendors with other games for the kids. We all had a lot of fun! Thanks to Karalenn and her family there was a lot of dancing going on and Ains got to learn the chicken dance too.
After Harnival we came home for a rest and then headed off to our ward's elders quorum party. I didn't take the camera but I wish I would have to get a picture of John playing flag football! The guys looked like they had a lot of fun playing, although it didn't get too intense because they let a few younger kids play too. We had a lot of fun hanging out with people and Ainsley had so much fun playing with her friends that there were more than a few tears shed when it was time to leave (and we were even one of the last to leave so there weren't that many friends left). It was so fun to see her at an age where she could run and play with kids on her own. That left Owen with me who's favorite spot was the drinking fountain...ew! I'm still hoping he hasn't contracted some weird disease. Fun day though!
Ains with her ladybug on a flower.Not sure what dance Karalenn and Sunny are doing but looks like fun eh?!?
Ainsley's lovely lady bug....well worth the LONG wait!
Owen and his beloved rock!I made him trade in the rock for a puppy balloon, although the puppy was gone by the time we got home.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Get Together!
Food Storage
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
My Turn
Today it was my turn to do some service. I was inspired by what I read here and thus here. So Ains and I made some yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies while Owen played with an empty box of butter (the things that amuse one year olds???), and then we headed out in the rain to drop off our little packages. I had a few people in mind before I left, some of which I didn't know very well. I was surprised that it took a bit of courage for me to go give a treat to people I didn't know very well. I did it though! If the person I was originally taking it to wasn't home I tried to think of someone else. So we dropped off three and I have one still sitting on my counter that I need to give away. I wonder who it will go to???
Monday, October 8, 2007
Decorating
Seeing as how this is my first Halloween in a house, and I now have a porch, I decorated for Halloween for the first time of my married life. I think it turned out cute.
I also finally got something hung on Owen's walls. Granted it's only one thing, but it's a start! Now I just need to get a few more things hanging in his room and maybe there won't be an echo in there anymore.
I also got my Tai Pan find hung. I got this cute plate hanger while we were in Salt Lake. As weird as it sounds I have wanted a plate hanger for a long time now. Ever since I saw one on Susie McAllister's wall. And now I have one...nice!
Weekend Away!!!
This past weekend I went with my mom, sisters, and Merel to Salt Lake. It was a ton of fun...so much fun that I only pulled out my camera twice, once while we were touring temple square and then in the car on the way home. Luckily for me I got the best shot of Syd and Merel ever!!! They will also not be speaking to me for the next little while for posting the lovely shot of them. I'll have to get some more pictures from Merel because she took a ton.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
I'm a Genius!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Salsa and the rug doctor...
So, maybe you are thinking that the reason we currently have this Rug Doctor unit in our home has some tie to the fact that I have spent the past 2 days canning salsa. You would be wrong. On Saturday I spent the day getting myself prepared to complete my final batch of salsa. I bought my tomatoes and other ingredients and borrowed my mom's canning supplies so I was ready to go. On Monday morning when I woke up I realized that it would not be physically possible for me to make salsa that day due to the severe cramping in my stomach that was making it impossible for me to stand in an upright position for more that 1-2 minutes at a time. With 50 tomatoes in my garage that were about to go mushy I called my mom and she saved the day. She came over and chopped everything for me, prepared my tomatoes, and got my salsa cooking. It took a good chunk of her day and I was so grateful she was able and willing to drop everything to come and help me out.
By last night I was feeling weak but a bit better. This was a very good thing because Ainsley woke up at 10:00 and threw up. It was a disaster area in her room. Her mattress, hair, pillow, comforter, wall, toys, toy baskets, shelves, box spring, bed frame, and carpet were all covered. It was very pleasant. "Mom mode" kicked in and I no longer had time to lounge about trying to recover from my own illness. John and I both started cleaning Ains and her room. The mess was so bad that I made John call Walmart last night to make sure we could rent a carpet cleaner that late. We had until 11:00 to pick it up, so John was out the door while I continued cleaning, sanitizing, and throwing all manner of things in the washer.
At about midnight last night John and I were cleaning a bed and carpet with our beloved Rug Doctor. What a perfect time for cleaning carpets! At least Owen wasn't awake! Ainsley proceeded to throw up about every hour all night long. John blames it on the strong salsa smell that permeated our home due to the salsa that had been on the stove for hours.
So this morning after a great deal of cleaning, laundry, and another visit from my mother to drop off pedialite and sprite, I was finally able to get my salsa bottled and sealed (hopefully sealed). It sure is nice how things always happen in three's.