rules of tree decorating

Part 1: lights
1. Let daddy do it.
2. Failing rule 1, check that all lights work BEFORE putting on tree.
3. Do not knock over said tree.

Part 2: replace broken tree stand
1. Make sure children are elsewhere.

Part 3: ornaments
1. Schedule 2-3 hours.
2. Invest in shatter proof ornaments.
3. Candy canes are candy, not decor, and will be eaten by small persons.
3. Move the 18 ornaments put on one branch by little girls to be more evenly distributed throughout tree.
4. Step ladder is for daddy only.
5. Take pictures.
6. Avoid glitter ornaments as little girls find the need to rub them on the rug.

...It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

In other decorating news:
1. The little people nativity set has been a huge hit and played with constantly. The wise men take turns sitting on the camel and galloping around the house. Baby Jesus has been smothered with hugs and kisses and taken to see the tree countless times. The sheep like to hide under the table. Mary is simply referred to as "jesus mommy".
2. The girls came upstairs after naptime and were shocked and fascinated by the Christmas village that appeared while they were sleeping. They stand at the table, fingers gripped onto the edge of the table and stare whispering "wow". Their favorite piece is the theatre where the people are watching a "boy movie". (not really sure why she calls it that).
3. Driving around town at night is wonderful. The girls are so amazed and ecstatic about the decorations. "look mommy! Look at the tree! So beautiful!" And even the baby joins in with a dramatic and breathy "wow!"

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Daddy tools

one of the girls' favorite toys is a set of tools. I bought it from Discovery Toys (and this is not meant to be a commercial pitch but the is one of the best toys I have ever bought). The set comes with an airplane, a motorcycle and a racecar which can all be taken apart and put back together with the included screwdriver or battery operated drill. (drill also excellent for tickling little tummies). Both of my babies love this toy! But especially because they can only play with it with their daddy. It sits on top of the bookshelf, rather than in their toy box. The girls will go stand at the bottom of the bookshelf, reaching for the little case until I remind them they have to wait for daddy. Despite being a very cool toy, I suspect that this special "daddy only" status is what has made it such a favorite. But regardless of the reason, the girls love it. Daddy gets it down and the three of them sit on the floor, taking apart the vehicles and trying to put them back together. Ladybug usually sits in daddy's lap, Butterfly sitting next to him. And I like to just hang out on the couch and watch. :)

growing up and growing fast

my little girls are growing so fast. my just barely one year old has become a toddler and my two and a half year old has become a teenager.

Ladybug is talking more and more. She has been saying "daddy", "no", "whoa" and "mama" for several weeks now. But lately she has also added these to her vocabulary: up, book, bottle, milk, cup, eat, thank you, away (as in "put away"), night night, bye, hello, wow, go and (as of last night) popcorn. She signs about half of them when she says it but my favorite is that she blows a kiss with every "thank you". She also signs "more" and sometimes "please" but doesn't say it. Another sign of her growing up: her walk has changed. About a month ago, I noticed that her feet have changed from soft baby feet to have more definition and muscle (an obvious result of walking). It was of course inevitable, but something I noticed as my baby becomes more sure-footed and instead of an adorable toddler wobble walk, its a confident and strong run. (usually away from her sister when she's stolen a toy). Her hair is long enough now that she has wipsy, gentle curls in the back. It's texture is not nearly as curly or thick as her sister's but soft, fine and mostly straight. She still has no interest in t.v. (sometimes she will watch about ten minutes of a baby einstein but that's about her limit) but plays great by herself. She will pick up a toy and play quietly for up to an hour without having to have guidance or interaction from anyone. Her older sister always insisted on that interaction and never played by herself so this has been a huge contrast in their personalities to me.

Butterfly is growing fast as well. We've entered the age of opinions, an occasional tantrum and just a little bit of sass. Probably every mom says this, but I really do think my girls are exceptional and are usually really well behaved and are very polite. But every once in a while, Butterfly gives me a little bit of attitude, as if to test her boundaries. She has perfected the typical teenager "I don't know mom" response with each syllable drawn out and dripping with irritation (curbing that one quickly). And last week I caught her pretending to be a sassy rock star with her hip jutted out so far it looked dislocated. She loves movies and knows exactly which one she wants to watch. She insists on picking it out but will sit and watch the entire movie without getting bored or getting down to play (kind of a couch potato actually). She always wants her hair to be cute and picks out a bow or clip for me to put in it. She wants to pick out her own clothes and help me cook. She insists on following the boys around when hubband has the scouts over to our house and calls all of them "her boyfriends". But at the same time, she's still my baby that wants to cuddle and be carried. She still insists on sleeping with her dolly and her tiger tucked under her arm. Her imagination is soaring as she plays more and more with her dolly, acting out meals, bedtimes, chores, etc. She loves to invite friends over to her house and have playdates. But she also occasional talks to an imaginary friend, sometimes using the name of whatever friends she recently got to play with and sometimes calling the imagined friend "Lilo".

Their personalities are so different. Butterfly is so outgoing and energetic. She jumps in with both feet into every activity and plays fast and hard. She's more prone to emotion and so interactive. Ladybug is more content, she's able to play by herself and likes to observe before trying something new. But they're both my little angels. Happy, beautiful girls, each with a mischievous streak and a great imagination. They are sweet and wonderful and such amazing blessings in my life.

Fantastic Family Day

Today was an amazing day. My heart feels so full and I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters.

We started with a quick breakfast before going out for the annual tree cutting. We cut our own Christmas tree every near in a grove about twenty minutes away. Last year was the first time we took the girls. The weather was warm, there was very little snow and we had a great time. Butterfly rode good-naturedly in the kid pack while I carried Ladybug in the baby sling, bundled up so only a sliver of her face showed (and even that covered by another blanket, so warm and cuddly that she slept the whole time). This year was quite a different story. We layered on clothes and pulled on snow gear (including snow shoes, knowing the snow was quite deep). I put Ladybug into the kid pack and she immediately let us know she was not happy. But we thought she might settle down once we started walking. So we started down a snowpacked trail, Ladybug on my back and daddy pulling Butterfly in the sled. Long story short, we turned around after less than half a mile, having decided the girls were too cold and unhappy. So daddy and grandpa stayed to find a tree while me and grandma took the girls back to town. (...after he got my vehicle un-stuck for me).

After a few errands, naptime and a quick lunch, we headed out for today's next adventure. Our little town has an old fashioned rail road and today, we took the girls on "the Santa Train". We settled into our seats (with just a bit of nostalgic excitement poking at me, I'm just that much of a history geek and this authentic railcar was just that cool to me). We had a little picnic snack with the girls as we passed through the outskirts of town and traveled through some beautiful, snow covered countryside. The girls were in a great mood, Butterfly curled up on daddy's lap nibbling at a huge chunk of turkey and Ladybug repeatedly climbed up and down from my lap to explore. After about fifteen minutes, the train slowed and Santa appeared, waving to us from outside the window as we passed him. He boarded the first car and slowly made his way down, saying hello to the kids and passing out treat. Both of my girls stared at him with wide eyed, expressionless faces. But the were estastic about the candy. Once Santa reached the last car, he turned around and came back through again (and got a great smile from Butterfly this time). And soon we arrived back home, the ride was the perfect length and the girls had a great time.

So we ran a few more errands, Ladybug napped and we then had a couple of quiet hours at home. We watched a movie, played with toys, brought our tree in and just enjoyed a rare Saturday of hanging out at home. After dinner, Daddy and Ladybug stayed home to play while me, Butterfly and grandma had a girls night out. We took her to see "Tangled" at the movie theater. (Butterfly loves movies and does great at the theater. Ladybug has no interest in movies at all and gets bored really fast. Plus, she's pretty strict about her own bedtime.) The movie was fantastic (truly one of my favorites I've ever seen Disney make) and Butterfly did great. The story, characters, animation, music, etc. were all amazing and Butterfly was enthralled. She devoured popcorn while we waited for it to start and throughout the previews. But she quickly got caught up in the movie and sat still in her seat, with occasional whispered "wow"s or giggles. Halfway through the movie, she started to wiggle a bit so I pulled her onto my lap. She cuddled into me and gathered my long hair into her hands and she watched the movie while stroking her hands down the length of my ponytail. I especially loved the moment during the climatic love song when the characters lift and release lanterns. Butterfly dropped my hair and held her hands out, palms up, and she too lifted with them. Then she cuddled back into my and began to softly sing with them, echoing their words and melody. She completely melts my heart. She loved the movie and as I carried her to the car she continued to hold tight to my hair and told me it was magic.

Such a wonderful, amazing day.

happy THANKSgiving!!

I'm grateful for the big things like freedom, faith and opportunities.

I'm grateful for the little things like hot showers, netflix and chocolate.

I'm grateful for the essentials like my home, good health and clean drinking water.

and everything in between...

100 hundred THANKSgiving (in no particular order)

1. hubband
2. my girls
3. my parents
4. my siblings
5. my inlaws
6. my crazy wonderful extended family
7. my friends
8. my hubband's job
9. my beautiful home
10. music
11. snow
12. sunshine
13. snowboarding
14. traveling
15. medical technology
16. teachers
17. custodians
18. shopping
19. tasty food
20. my dishwasher
21. electricity
22. sandals
23. my computer
24. red vines
25. toothbrushes
26. my comfy bed
27. theatre
28. cuddling
29. kissing
30. holidays
31. seeing my girls' excitement over each new experience
32. pedicures
33. books
34. education
35. toys
36. Disney
37. the spot where my head fits perfectly on my hubband's shoulder
38. kisses from my babies
39. my cell phone
40. facebook
41. my cousintwin
42. my husband's friends that become my friends
43. my cats
44. beautiful flowers
45. the beach
46. cruises
47. that my mom is one of my best friends
48. calculators
49. shopping carts that look like racecars
50. cousins that let us crash their house
51. my car
52. hooded sweatshirts
53. taking pictures
54. ice cold milk
55. ice cream
56. the mountains
57. the tv show "Friends" and "Lie to Me"
58. date night
59. when babies sleep through the night
60. when hubband plays with my hair
61. my neighbors
62. sleeping
63. josh groban
64. the color red
65. dancing
66. good health
67. rock climbing
68. fluffy pillows
69. hot tubs
70. sunglasses
71. soft lips tinted chapstick
72. good morning hugs
73. jeff dunham
74. airplanes
75. weekends
76. fuzzy slippers
77. naptime
78. butterfly kisses (especially from my Butterfly)
79. Ladybug's baby blankets and the way she nuzzles them
80. police officers
81. the armed forces
82. texting
83. reading in the bathtub
84. cooking
85. fresh baked cookies
86. spellcheck
87. email
88. my brothers' wives--and how happy they make them
89. playdates for my babies
90. baby einstein
91. chick flicks
92. bedtime stories with my girls
93. my childhood
94. doctors and nurses
95. empathy
96. being a stay at home mom
97. having been a schoolteacher
98. knowledge
99. Mary Kay products
100. second chances

grocery shopping

The grocery store is one of those places that has become so much harder with kids. Journey with me if you will...

We arrive at the store and thanks to my lucky charm, find a great parking spot (I almost always find a close spot since ladybug came along). First I unbuckle Butterfly and help her out of the car. Holding hands, we go to Ladybug's side of the car. First we have to put her shoes back on (refuses to leave them on in the car) before unbuckling her and wrestling her into her jacket. Carrying Ladybug and holding Butterfly's hand, we maneuver around the puddles and ice to get into the store where Butterfly immediately spots and races for a "car cart". I clean the cart and buckle a resistant Ladybug in and then argue with Butterfly about whether she gets to ride in the car or push the cart. (ironic, I know. She insists on the car cart but really would rather push). We compromise that she will sit in the car but doesn't have to wear her seatbelt if she will stay sitting.

Boxed stuff first, produce and cold stuff last, we make our way around the store. After her third escape, I have to buckle Butterfly into the car. But from her seat, she can still spot and beg for the much-desired sweets and treats. But I'm an experienced shopper and have learned to A.) use a grocery list and B.) distract her when needed. We usually see at least one friend from the neighborhood or from church and that's usually when I make the mistake of letting Butterfly out of her buckle.

Anyway, we shop, try to keep it under an hour and arrive at the check out stand. So far, the trip really is fun. I show things to the girls, talk to them, point things out for them to look at. But I kind of dread the check out stand. Ladybug is bored and mad by now, straining to get out of her seat and usually grabs at a magazine or two. Butterfly, once again buckled into her seat, realizes that the candy aisle is perfectly within her reach and that I am distracted by putting grocery onto the conveyor belt. She become very quiet while she carefully picks out her treat (I usually catch her before it's fully opened). I'm trying to pay attention to the prices as the cashier rings them up but really I'm just trying to keep my little tornadoes from wrecking too much havoc in the narrow aisle. Once the grocery are on the counter, we can move the cart forward and the girls are suddenly in view of the cashier. They magically turn into angels again and the cashiers can't resist. "oh how beautiful! how old are they?" and "look at that hair! is that curl really natural?" the girls smile and show off and are usually rewarded with a roll of smarties from the cashier.

With our cart loaded up, Butterfly munching on her candy and Ladybug waving the receipt, we journey out to the car. More buckling, shuffling groceries and a quick ride home where I will soon find the box of striped EL Fudge cookies that managed to stowaway home with me. I'm not really sure at what point she managed to get them into the cart. Or how I managed to pay for them without realizing it, but she has done it three times now. sneaky girl.

spider baby

yesterday, ladybug had just woke up from a nap so we were cuddling in the rocking chair (she takes awhile to really wake up). She loves to watch movies on my phone so we were going through some movies I've taken of the girls. The best part was when daddy would appear on the screen and she would giggle and bounce with excitement (such a daddy's girl).

I found one of my very favorites--spider baby. Ladybug began crawling around 8.5 months (and walking at ten). But since she was usually dressed in a summery dress or onesie, her legs were typically bare and she quickly figured out that she did not like the feel of grass. So she adapted and came up with a her own version of crawling that kept her soft skin away from the prickly grass blades. She would crawl, using only her hands and feet, sticking her round little bum high in the air. Some called it a bear crawl, some a crab walk but I think it looked most like a cute little spider. Not in a creepy, eight legged kind of way, but in the way that she held her body high and her tiny hands and feet scurried under her to move her about quickly. It was so adorable, I've never seen a baby crawl like that. And she did it all the time, even on hardwood or carpet. So I have this great video of her, wearing an adorable summer suit with a tiny print of red strawberries, ruffled red cap sleeves and a large applique strawberry off centered on the bum, bare feet, doing her precious spider crawl across a span of bright green grass.

Sitting in the rocking chair, we were having a precious moment of cuddling quietly, curled under her favorite blanket and watching our home movies... when she suddenly reached out and jabbed at the screen. Somehow, she managed to make three well placed jabs in a row and deleted the video. I searched frantically for it, even hooked it up to the computer to scan every drive and used a data recovery recovery. But alas, no video. I might have cried.

:(

shoes

Have I mentioned we are obsessed with shoes? Sandals, heels, boots, slippers, doesn't matter really. Both girls like to try on and clomp around in my shoes. Priceless moments include:

Butterfly wearing my bright red, patent leather four inch sling backs. And wearing a slip she pulled out of my drawer as her "pretty dress".

Ladybug sneaking into my closet and coming out with mismatched but equally tall strappy sandals.

Ladybug shuffling around in daddy's dress shoes while riding her rocking horse.

Butterfly wearing my knee high boots, which nearly came up to her waist. She had to hold them up as she stumbled around.

Going into a store where butterfly spotted a pair of cute white sandals. She begged, I declined, so she went to daddy. He said no, took them and put them down. She took his hand and cried quietly as we began to leave. Who can resist? He asked if they were really that important and she said, yes daddy, please. So he consented and she ran back to the exact place the shoes had been left, happily skipping the whole way. She proudly carried them to the cashier, insisted on putting them on immediately and played with them the whole way home.

Butterfly has a collection of play dress up heels (her size). She wants to wear them all day, including to the store or friends houses. (and has until they gave her blisters, now they are for at home only.) But she loves to share and will put them on ladybug, her friends, even her three month old cousin.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure she has more shoes than I do.

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dutch apple pie

CRUST:
1 graham cracker crust
1 lg. egg yolk, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of crust evenly with egg yolk; bake on baking sheet until light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove crust from oven.

FILLING:
5 1/2 c. fresh, peeled, sliced apples
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix well and spoon into crust.

TOPPING:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter

Mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over apples. Bake on baking sheet until topping is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Cool thoroughly on wire rack.

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camping

Last night was an awful sleep night for the girls. They were both up all night, wanting to be held but refusing to hold still, tired but refusing to sleep. It may even rank as our second worst night of sleep ever. (why? Because we are staying and Grammy and Papa's house this weekend so new environment plus excited to play with cousins apparently means no sleep).

But just for fun, today I will share the number one worst sleep night ever. That was when we took them camping. We went on the ward camp out, showing up Friday evening. Butterfly was thrilled to be outside and was running around like a crazy person playing with her friends. Ladybug was heaven with a simple but profound discovery-- dirt. She stumbled and came up with hands full of dirt. Eyes wide with wonder, she rubbed it, studied its texture and promptly covered herself in it. She looked like pigpen (from Charlie Brown). She was filthy and happy as a lark. So we played, sang, ate s'mores, etc. It was wonderful.

We set up the tent and the girls were so excited. They ran around investigating the tent stakes and climbing in and out of sleeping bags. They were absolutely enthralled with this great adventure. But eventually, nighttime came. Hours after their normal bedtime, they were still wide awake. Assuming they should be worn out, we tried to go to bed but they remained awake, wiggling, squirming and generally being obnoxious. Daddy finally took ladybug for a drive to help her fall asleep while I calmed butterfly. But the plan didn't work. As soon as we took her out of her carseat, she cried, and butterfly perked up to investigate. After awhile, he tried the drive again, driving for nearly an hour. By then, butterfly had drifted off and we left ladybug asleep in her carseat. So it was peaceful and quiet...for one hour. Ladybug fussed, they both woke up and the wiggling, squirming and shushing continued.

Finally, we gave up. The sun wasn't even up yet. The girls ran around happily as we wandered like zombies. Eventually we had breakfast and shortly after, we headed home dirty, exhausted and fully committed to never do that again.

At least until next year. Sigh.

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make me melt

Ladybug has a toy that has five little animals across it, each hidden by a jack-in-the-box type door activated by a lever, button, etc. underneath it. She was sitting on the floor with the toy in her lap. Each time she correctly manipulated the switch and an animal popped up, her face lit up with a huge smile. Then she leaned over, kissed the animal and closed his door again.

Daddy was trying to get Butterfly into her pajamas but she was rather full of energy. She wiggled away and began to dance. She sang "jam jams, jam jams, jam jams!" as she pranced, twirled and skipped around the room. But the best part was when she stood with her back to us, put her fists on her hips and swayed them back and forth in rhythm to her song. Our laughing just encouraged her to continue. She included some ballet like extensions and slightly awkward gymnastic like rolls but always returned to her little bum-shaking favorite move.

Recently, I began playing piano for the first time in nearly a year. Sad, I know. But with two babies, both light sleepers, its pretty much impossible to find time to practice. And by "play" I really mean sort of pick at the keys to the few songs I know. I never really learned to read music (except to sing) so I can follow sheet music to figure out the treble clef but usually just pick out and make up the bass clef. When I hit a wrong note, instead of counting out the lines to figure out what note it should have been, I usually just close my eyes and adjust it by ear. Anyway. So I sat down on the bench and began to play. Before long, I had a little girl on each side of me, delicately playing the keys on either side of me. Sounded awful but sure was cute. Everyday since then, they both make their way into the office and begin to play, never banging on the keys but playing gently as if they truly desire to make beautiful music.

We like to take pictures. A lot of pictures. And Butterfly has become used to me taking her picture frequently and repeatedly. So when she received her own (toy) camera, she was pretty excited. But the very best part is when she "takes pictures" of her sister. Always holding the camera backwards, she holds it up to her eye and looks at Ladybug. Then she tries to get Ladybug's attention, apparently mimicking every method she's seen me do. She calls her name, chirps, whistles, makes monkey noises, everything.

Sometimes the girls fight over toys (no surprise there). Ladybug has found a way to avoid this. Sometimes when she wants to keep a toy to herself, or when she is feeling overwhelmed, she will disappear. She has a few favorite hiding spots where she can sit quietly and play by herself, such as the bottom of my closet, under the table or in an empty cabinet in the kitchen (kept empty for that purpose).

I tend to go through periods of great dedication and then drift into laziness when it comes to exercise. But having re-dedicated myself to it, I was doing a pilates DVD with the girls played around me. Butterfly caught on quickly and wanted to "dance" with me. She was adorable, imitating the stretches, deep breathing and movements. She lost her balance a few times and fell over, each time with a sheepish grin and a dramatic "whoops!". Ladybug mostly ignored us and played with toys. But when I laid on my stomach for some floor exercises, she promptly sat down on my back and refused to be distracted away. Instead she remained there, interfering with many movements but happy to be part of our activity. She would smile, pat my back and giggle when she occasionally rolled off.

But at the moment, Ladybug went down for a much needed nap, sleeping "stink bug" style, tangled in a pile of five blankets (as she always does) and Butterfly is curled up next to me on the couch, watching Toy Story and clutching a fistful of my long hair (as she always does).

:)

"Gimmy-nastics"

Butterfly started a gymnastics class about two months ago. She's the youngest in the class (which ranges from 2.5 up to 4) but you'd never know. She's big for her age and actually can follow directions fairly well. We chose to put her in gymnastics to help her balance and coordination, to learn to follow directions from a teacher and help channel some of her endless energy. Lately she has been climbing on everything and imitating rolls and cartwheels that she's seen other kids do. Hopefully this class will help her learn to do it safely and be something she can really enjoy.

So far, it's been great. The students stretch and warm up with the teacher. Then they use a long mat (the length of the gym) to practice skips, rolls and jumps. They play on the trampoline and traverse obstacle course. She especially loves to do somersaults and "bridge" (lay on her back with hands next to her head, palm down and push her belly up in the air, using only her hands and feet to support her "bridge"). But her very favorite activity comes at the very end of class and only if the students have been very good. They call it "pit". A large, deep area is filled with foam blocks (about 4 cubic feet). The jump in from the side and then have to climb to the opposite edge to get out. It sounds easy but after trying it myself, it's a good workout!

day of rest

before we had kids, we fully took advantage of our "day of rest". we slept in, barely made it to church where we could sit together, holding hands, as we would listen to and enjoy the thoughts shared with us. Then we returned home for long and lazy afternoon. Usually a nap, maybe a walk, cuddling through a movie, etc.

And then we had kids. :) And suddendly the day of rest became not so restful.

After a late night of hanging out with siblings, we managed to get the girls in bed and spend some time together. But Butterfly had an exceptionally bad nightmare and ended up cuddling in our bed. So as usual, we overslept and had a morning of chaos. I dashed between the kitchen and bedrooms to get breakfast ready and gather church clothes while daddy coralled and cleaned up the girls. After a quick bite to eat, daddy dressed the girls while I did their hair and we made it to church only about 15 minutes late.

Our first meeting was sacrament meeting and fortunately was the primary program. When we have speakers, I always feel bad at missing the messages they so carefully prepared because I'm busy trying to keep my girls from being too disruptive. But for the Primary program, its easy to feel the Spirit, without having to pay too much attention. So with our Sunday bag carefully packed with the essential cheerios, fruit snacks, coloring books, open-the-flap book and magnetic pieces to noah's ark, we managed to make it through the meeting. True, daddy had to take Ladybug for a walk outside, but all in all, it was a good meeting. Butterfly sang along with the hymns, as loud and enthusiastically as she could, despite being horribly off pitch and having no sense when to pause. Her enthusiam is wonderful and I can't help but smile.

For our second meeting, I dropped Butterfly off at nursery, where she hardly even notices me leaving (thank goodness) and daddy takes the Ladybug. Ladybug isn't old enough for nursery yet but is definitely too old to sleep or be quietly cuddled through Sunday School. I suspect they usually just play in the foyer for the sake of letting other people enjoy the meeting. But I'm off to teach my Primary class. I have ten nine-year olds who are incredibly smart and well behaved for their age. We are studying the Old Testement and they ask incredibly good and insightful questions, sometimes for which, I don't even have an answer but have to go look it up. Today we talked about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abendago. Busy lesson, smart kids.

For our third meeting, smokin hot hubband passed the Ladybug to me. I go sit with my Primary class during their general primary meeting while he teaches the 14-15 year old young men. Usually he takes Ladybug with him since she's less distracting to his students than mine but for today, she came with me. My class, despite being the biggest, is usually the best behaved so I figured I would just sit in the back to play with Ladybug. Unfortunately, she didn't like this plan. She explored the whole room, had to interact with many of the kids, climb on chairs and taste everyone's crayons. But we managed okay until she pulled the piano bench over and smacked herself in the head. Fortunately, church ended soon and after some brief hallway mingling, we can head home.

At home, there's a flurry of discarding church clothes and preparing lunch. After lunch, both angel girls go down for naps with amazing ease and daddy has to sneak out for a meeting. Tonight we will go up to the Aunties' house to spend time with family--one of our very favorite ways to spend a Sunday evening. But in the meantime, it's time to relax to the blissful sound of naptime...

How was your Sunday?

Friday night favorites

these are the things I thought about last night as I lay in bed...

I love the way Butterfly sneaks up the hallway with her hands covering her eyes, as if if we can't see her that way.

I love the way Ladybug will very precisely build a tower out of her blocks, study it, and then knock it down with a grin of great satisfaction.

I love the way Ladybug's hair is just barely long enough for two tiny pigtails atop her head. Especially because they look like antennas.

I love the way Butterfly would rather read a book than most anything else. Bedtime books are one of my very favorite part of the day. She snuggles into my lap and turns the pages while I read. Even better is when daddy reads and I sit on the floor to listen.

I love the way Ladybug can sign (as in sign language) but will only do it when she really really really wants something (like candy from the trick or treat bowl).

I love they way that in the mornings, the three of us cuddle in my great big bed and watch mickey cartoons on my phone via youtube. Both of the girls, once in bed will immediately begin reaching for the phone.

I love the way Ladybug eats so ravenously. Last night she picked up her bowl of pasta and held it up to her mouth to eat, rather than use a fork. Eventually she just dumped it on her head.

I love the way that Butterfly insists on having her tiger, bear and dolly to cuddle when she goes to sleep.

I love that Ladybug has learned to identify and point to her eyes, ears, mouth and nose. without me intentionally ever guiding her on it.

I love that the girls' favorite toy is the "daddy tool"--a set of toys (plane, car and motorcycle) that can be taken apart and put back together with a kid version of an electric screwdriver. And that they can only play with it when daddy will play with them.

I love how excited the girls get when they hear the door open and know its daddy coming home. And how we race to get the first kisses. I hope they don't ever stop doing that.

I love that Ladybug will go get the rockband guitars and bring it to me and her daddy when she wants to play.

I love how Butterfly loves to brush my hair.

I love how Butterfly picks nicknames for a few of her favorite people. Like "booga" and "piglet".

I love how Ladybug loves the bathtub so much, she regularly launches herself in, still fully clothed.

I love that Butterfly makes her dolly fold her arms for prayer at night.

I love kisses from my baby girls.

I love that each of them are the perfect size. Ladybug can sit on my lap and she's the perfect height for me to be able to rest my cheek on top of her head. Butterfly will sit facing me, cuddled against me and I can tuck my head in against her head and shoulder. We are a perfect fit.

Halloween

So in the midst of our vacation excitement, I never got around to recording some Halloween memories. And this turned out to be a fantastic Halloween.

Part #1 was a family Halloween party which we hosted. we had dinner, a costume contest and some great games. For one game, I set up sveral cups in a little cluster, each filled with candy. The kids had to toss eye balls (ping pong balls) into the cup and for each successful shot, they got to keep the cup's candy. We also had a parent pair with each kid and the kids had 60 seconds to throw candy across the room to their teammate who had to catch it into their pumpkin bucket. We did our traditional "monster mash", with glow-in-the-dark bracelets and anklets on everyone, turned out the lights and danced to monster mash! and then wrapped up the evening with "kid bowling" Our house has beautiful hardwood floors (Brazilian cherry wood, truly exquisite and one of our favorite things about it) which happen to be rather slick. So for kid bowling, you load one or more kids onto a fleece blanket and with great daddy strength, send them sailing across the floor accompanied by much squealing and giggling.

For costumes, the girls were adorable. Butterfly picked out her own costume, a pretty black and orange witch dress with a pointed hat and a glow in the dark wand. With as pretty as her dress was, she looked more like a witch princess. And Ladybug dressed as...a ladybug! (shocking, I know) Grammy found a great costume for her, with a stuffed round body, made complete by black and red striped tights and an adorable headpiece with antennas that bobbed cheerfully when she ran. I suspect she even caught onto how cute she was when she laid down on her back and wiggled her hands and feet into the air like a little overturned bug.

Part #2, I took the girls to the Library's Halloween party. Best part was when Ladybug found a little pumpkin, turned around and promptly sat down, apparently having decided it was the perfect sized chair for her. Butterfly's favorite part was playing a version of "hot potato", passing around a pumpkin and when the music stopped, the holder of the pumpkin got a prize. Ladybug like the craft station, mostly because she kept scattering the crayons all over the floor and climbing under the table to retrieve them. We ran into some of our good friends, the whole family dressed as characters from Toy Story.

Part #3, ward Halloween party held in our bishop's barn. it was a little chaotic but fun. Best part was the costume parade (one of our favorite babysitters took the girls around to show them off) and the "fishing pond". Butterfly was ecstatic about catching her prize (especially because it was candy).

Part #4 (can you believe I'm not done yet?) was the Lab Halloween party. The company my husband works for has their employee party for Halloween (since Christmas tends to be a much busier time of year). And it was such a blast. The party was held in their new office facility and included dinner, decorating pumpkins plus a magic show and face painting (by the infamous "Soda Pop the Clown"). Especially fun for Butterfly was getting to play with one of her best friends who was dressed as a green m&m in honor of a recent trip to Vegas' m&m store (and her baby brother was a red m&m, so dang cute!) There were some other really ingenious costumes with the group. Grandpa and Grandma, the company owners, were each dressed as a $100 bill. One mom came as a tree, holding her baby daughter, dressed as a kitten. A father and son duo came as super heroes. Soda Pop's kids came as a scarecrow and a Japanese geisha with some amazing face painting that highlighted their costumes. Another couple simply came as "tired" (both in their p.j.s) We did a family costume for this. I dressed as Little Bo Peep, the girls were my little sheep and daddy came as the big bad wolf!

Part #5 was Saturday evening and the night we had planned trick or treating adventures (technically Oct 30th since the 31st was a Sunday). But it began raining in the late afternoon and remained cold and wet throughout the night. We had a few trick-or-treaters come to our door but being so cold, we decided not to take our girls out. Luckily, they were too young to know anyway. They put on their costumes and ran around the house. My cousintwin (one of their favorite aunties) and grandma and grandpa came over for dinner and we took turns opening the door for trick-or-treaters. Butterfly loved this part, she would race to the door with me, open it and stand staring at the strangely dressed visitors. She would help distribute candy, shut the door and then turn to me asking, "trick or treat please?" (how can I resist?)

Busy holiday and so much fun.

mama's little helpers

mama's little helpers are really not all that helpful actually but they sure are cute and I appreciate that they want to help.

Butterfly's favorite chore is to unload the dishwasher. We started slowly, with the silverware, but have now worked up to a few dishes as well. We do it one piece at a time, she picks it up and then gives it to me to put it away. It takes forever but who am I to turn down her help?

Butterfly's new self-appointed task is to help me vacuum. She used to be scared of the vacuum. I have a distinct memory of her about a year and a half old, running away as soon as I turned it on. She would go grab a large stuffed animal to defend herself. If the vacuum got too close, she would hold the stuffed animal out and glare at the vacuum. (not sure if he was a bodyguard or a sacrifice). Since then, we had to get a new vacuum which is apparently less menacing (and its red, the family favorite color). So she insists on helping. Fortunately we've channeled this desire to actually be helpful, she moves toys out of the way according to my instructions (mostly). And Ladybug, not to be left out, follows me around carrying the vacuum cord (not at all helpful but at least she's a part of it).

Ladybug's favorite chore (Butterfly did this to when she was only a year old too) is to help fold the laundry. She especially likes the silky fabrics. She picks up an item, rolls it up over and over in her hands and puts it down very precisely (and then looks up at me and grins with satisfaction).

The hardest one is cleaning the bathrooms. They really want to help but I'm having a hard time involving them in a way that I feel is safe. Any suggestions?

We are also commencing into the realm of having Butterfly help me cook. (so beware to all dinner guests). Most of the time she's satisfied with pouring in an ingredient after I've measured it out but lately she insists on stirring as well. And according to her, everything "needs more salt". Not sure where she got that.

Yesterday we celebrated a great milestone. Butterfly, at only two and a half years old, set the table for breakfast. BY HERSELF. I got the dishes and food out and handed it to her. She carried it to the table and set it down. She even set out the silverware (fork and knife) in their correct positions. (I'd think that was coincidence but she did it at all three place settings). Here's the best part: instead of putting daddy's plate at his usual seat (in between the two girls and opposite of me), she put it on the other end of the table so he would only be sitting next to her. When I said, "no honey, daddy sits over there." she replied "no. daddy sit by me."

So yes, chores tend to take much longer than they should at our house. But hey, maybe if I let them help now, it will be less of a battle when they are older. Here's hoping...

Tiger Tickling

We like to play this game (same one that most parents play) where I get on my hands and knees, and crawl with exaggerated stomping noises and mock-fierce growling as I approach, like a tiger stalking her prey. When Butterfly was only a year old, she would see me and immediately would begin giggling and squealing in delight. She would run away for me to chase after her until she was finally caught and tickled mercilessly. I try to play with game with Ladybug, but she doesn't seem at all fazed by my pseudo-menacing approach. She stands in the same spot, grinning like she knows whats coming and thinks its funny that I would make such a fool of myself for her. I finally catch her and pretend to devour her, making her laugh but she never tries to wriggle her away.

Yesterday I was playing with Ladybug and had her pinned down, tickling and eating her tummy. Butterfly stomps up to me and declares "stop it mommy! mommy! do you want a timeout?!" I stopped and sat back (containing my own giggling) and said "no, please no timeout." still with a stern face, she replies "then be good! don't be naughty."

I'm not sure where she got that, since I never ask her if she wants a timeout, I just send her. But I have to admit, being chastised by a two and a half year old was pretty dang funny. (for the record, I did reassure her that we were just playing and she responded by reassuring me that I was a good girl and she loves me...and then I chased her. ) :)

Snows!

two weeks ago was our first snowfall. The car was parked in the driveway so as I was buckling Ladybug into her carseat, Butterfly had followed us outside much more slowly. She steps outside and looks around her. She races to my side and hides against me crying "What that?! What that?!" I tell her "it's okay, look, it's snow, look how pretty." I caught a few flakes on my hand and held it so she could see. "Oh wow" she whispers and studies my hand, reaching out to softly touch a flake. She gasped as it instantly melted and vanished. She stepped back and looked up at the sky again, "Look mommy! Snows! look at snows!" Amazing how incorrect grammer can be so cute when coming from someone so small and so delighted by something as simple as snow.

It snowed again today. She opened the shutters and knelt down, resting her chin on folded arms on the window sill. "Look mommy, snows. snows so pretty."

Western Caribbean Cruise Highlights!

Long anticipated and much needed vacation time finally arrived! Let's see if we can sum it up into a top ten (in no particular order):

1. spending a whole week of just me and my smokin hot husband. We slept in past ten most days, got to walk around holding hands!, have long luxurious dinners and stay up late. absolute bliss. I absolutely love my girls and am grateful for my hubband's job but really enjoyed not having to share him for a few days. :) (p.s. "tearin' it up!", thats for you hubby.)

2. fantastic weather (for at least half the week). We spend the first day (a "sea day") hanging out on deck in the sunshine, lounging, reading, napping, swimming, etc. mid week started to get a little gray but still warm. But it turns out a hurricane hit Haiti by the end of the week. dark skies, cold wind and a rough ocean = bleh. but overall (and mostly just except for the last day) fantastic weather.

3. the food! cruise food is amazing. tons of options throughout the day including a tasty burrito bar, sushi, deli, pizza and fish n chips in addition to the regular daytime dining and our dinnertime restaurant. Dinnertime dining is always the best, offering multiple course meals of a delicious and artistically prepared feast. I even took pictures. best meal of the night was the first formal night in which I ordered stuffed mushrooms, a shrimp cocktail, roasted duck, lobster and a chocolate melting cake. I'm pretty sure we averaged 5000 calories a day. especially because there was also four different stations for soft serve ice cream cones. They're addictive! We had at least three a day. (It made me feel like I was an eight year old).

4. port #1 was Gran Cayman of the Cayman Islands. We slept in, wandered off the ship and took a taxi to a local beach called "sea grapes beach". We had brought snorkeling gear with us but being a beach, we didn't see much. (snorkleing always reminds me of "where's waldo" to find things, mixed with a little bit of underwater charades to then identify and point it out to each other). We did see the famous "sea grapes" rolling around on the ocean floor and found out that my waterproof camera is no longer waterproof. Having had enough snorkeling for the day, we lounged on the beach and played in the surf. 82 degrees, white sandy beach and bright blue skies = amazing.

5. port #2 was Roatan Isla, Honduras where Carnival (the cruise line) has built a private port called Mahogany Bay. So instead of having to "tender" (park the ship a distance away and get shuttled in on tiny boats), we pulled right up and we able to walk off into a clean and inviting shopping plaza (where hubband picked out some beautiful pearl earrings for me). After lunch we walked five minutes down to the private beach. Beautifully sculpted, the beach stretched on with relaxing lounge chairs shaded by graceful palm trees. Crystal clear water lapped at the white sandy beach and the brilliant sun shone down. We swam around the nearby point of the island for some fantastic snorkeling in the reef and saw all kinds of fun and curious fish and coral (took great pictures with hubband's underwater camera). we even found the "edge of the reef" which was straight out of finding nemo, just a sudden drop off into the vast ocean.

6. port #3 was Belize City, Belize. We had booked our one and only shore excursion here, to go "cave tubing" but due to recent storms, the water level was too high and this excursion deemed too dangerous and was canceled. So we went kayaking instead. We were bussed through the city with a chatty tour guide and taken to a private wildlife area. I relaxed in our two man kayak while hubband did all the work (he insisted. probably because he's just that sweet but now I wonder if it was a hint at my driving abilities). We journeyed down a jungle river and spotted a baby alligator and lot of bird, bats and beautiful plants. We fell behind in the group (and the guide in the front who was rattling on about the botany) and spend the time talking with the "back up guide" about growing up in Belize and how the locals talk (a lazy man's language, its a butchered but somehow charming creole version of English). This is the only port in which we had an authentic meal and it was amazing, "stewed" chicken with rice and beans, fried bananas, fresh fruit and potato salad. We also had a "un-Belize-able" Coke which is made with the local brown sugar and has a much sweeter and sharper taste than I was used to. I think the guide continued the city tour on the way back to the ship but we were both asleep.

7. port #4 was Cancun, Mexico. The ship docked in port, which turned out to be a corralled area of overpriced shops and bars. We found our way out but was disappointed to find there wasn't much of a town around the port. We couldn't even find the traditional "street tacos" that we had hoped for. So we did a little shopping, bought drums and maracas for our girls, an excessive amount of mexican vanilla and exquisite opal earrings. (we love to travel and have collected a magnet from every place we have been to together as well as a pair of earrings from each trip, I have to admit, I'm really spoiled). we heard from a few other couples that they rented scooters and toured the islands themselves having a fantastic time and finding idyllic beaches (keep in mind for next time).

8. meeting people. We signed up for an open dining time, which allowed us to each whenever we want, rather than have an assigned dinning time with a regular table, wait staff and table mates. downside: not as great of service. upside: eat when we want and meet new people every night. I even made a "cruise best friend" (another couple we sat with early in the week and then ran into at least three times a day for the rest of the week, they were so much fun to talk to.) A large portion of the ship's passengers were from the new england area. Another good sized chunk were from the south. And 250 of them were with a black gay convention. We met lots of entertaining people but very few of them were from west of the mississippi.

9. Comedy Club! the ship had its own comedy club which hosted two different comedians for the first half of the week and a different two comedians for the second half of the week. The each did a "family friendly show" as well as a late night "adults only" and they were hilarious! (Our favorite was Allyn Ball) the ship also invited a magician one night, who turned out to be better at comedy than he was illusions and even hosted Marcus Anthony for a fabulous evening of Motown and blues. The Carnival entertainment itself (singers and dancers) were talented but more appropriate for vegas than broadway.

10. hmm, might have a tie if I'm trying to limit myself to 10 highlights. Because I do want to mention that the staff is phenomenal. Going on a cruise truly is a luxurious experience. From the dining staff (three different servers assigned to each table), to the hostess who could greet us by name), to the room steward (and his fabulous towel animals--the monkey was my favorite) and more, it was a wonderful experience. Vacationing for a week without ever having to cook, do dishes, make beds, etc. really makes you feel spoiled. But I really liked coming home. I did pretty good until the last few nights where I occasionally missed the girls. But once we were off the ship, I was eager to get home and hug my babies. Turns out they had been sick the entire week (sorry grandmas, so so sorry about that). They were asleep when we got home but our baby woke up in the middle of the night and once she saw daddy, she was wide awake and refused to let him go. It took three tries of letting her fall completely asleep in her arms and sneaking her back into her crib before he could sneak out again. And then I rolled over in the middle of the night to come face to face with my little girl. Her sleepy eyes focused on mine and then shot open as her whole face lit up. She hugged me fiercely and spent the rest of the night cuddling both of us, firmly clutching a handful of my ponytail. She was warm and blissfully cuddly. This morning we played, with excited jabbering and tight hugs. We gave them their gifts and they helped me unpack. They are unbelievably adorable and super cuddly. Almost cute enough that I want to take them with us next time. Almost. :)