We're So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

Yesterday was one of those days where ALL of us were basically sitting by the door waiting for Mike to come home. Between Ainsley and Isaac I had cleaned up one shattered jar of jelly, one shattered candle holder, one splatter can of yogurt, smashed crackers, smooshed bananas, all of the books that had been thrown off of the bookshelf, and many toys!

After all of the other spills I had cleaned yesterday, Mike and I walk into the kitchen only to find the contents of a Gatorade bottle all over the kitchen floor. Michael knew the drill, he grabbed the kids and carried them off to go play. A few minutes later they come out of Isaac's room with jackets on and head for the garage.

I may be waiting by the door for Mike to get home to do a hand off, but the children wait by the door because they are so excited to get play time with Daddy. We are lucky to have such a great husband and daddy in our lives!

Praise to the Man

My family and I had the opportunity to spend some time with President Hinckley (when I was a teenager), when he set apart my Grandpa as a Mission President. Being around him you couldn't help but smile. One thing I will never forget from that experience was looking into his clear blue eyes and feeling nothing but love. I was almost scared as I felt he could see through me into my soul, and yet there was no anger or disapproval, just pure and simple love. Something that meant a great deal to a rebellious teenager. He is an amazing man, and he will be missed.

Let's Be Friends

I am happy to report that all of us are up and running again. The snot is gone and the coughing comes in short spurts early morning, making me one happy Momma!

I am also happy to report that my children are FRIENDS! They play together, they laugh together, and they get into trouble together. I am loving it. Ainsley for the longest time wanted to be around Isaac and he would just push her over when she got in the way. . . which is why I believe she has been walking since she was nine months old! (By the way I will post a video of that later on, for now use your imagination with the pictures below).

Ainsley also is quite the copy cat, and Isaac loves it. She will talk, just to repeat Isaac. She says : no, yes, bye, hi, dog, tada (magic tricks). . . here's the catch Isaac has to say the words first. NO ONE can get her to talk except Isaac. Not only does she mimic his speech but his actions. If he's riding a bike, she's trying etc.

The other day the kids were rolling around on the floor laughing SO HARD, both of them. It made me laugh so hard I cried! It has been so much fun watching their relationship grow. I love my children and hope they always remain the best of friends.

Here's the pictures that prove my children play together. . . (YES ALL OF THE PICTURES ARE BLURRY. . . sorry!)


These pictures crack me up. The first one is Isaac's face Christmas morning, the next two Ainsley. SO FUNNY! The last one is Ainsley riding her new "bike". She thinks she is pretty hot stuff, when she's on it!

10. . .9. . . 8. . .

2008, start of a new year and we are starting it off with the story of my life. Us being sick. Just the same cold/virus I am sure most have had by now. Luckily we only felt miserable for a few days, and our cough is worse than our bite!

We had a great Christmas this year. Our first year with no family around. We had fun though. Isaac understands what is going on and talked about Santa coming the entire month of December. Little sad that I have lost Santa as a bribe for good behavior. Sorry. . . it's true I use bribes when I feel I can.

There is much to write, but brain is not catching up with my fingers. Hard as I try it's not happening! So this post will be only a short recap of our holidays, but there will be more to come when I get the pictures off of my camera. We all know that stories are funner with pictures anyway! If you don't believe me ask my Sunday school class! Actually after typing that my train of thought has led me away from my original thoughts (you had fair warning that my brain is a bit mushy today!), so holidays later, sidetracked tangent now!

I teach the 16-18 year olds in Sunday school. I love my class, but I will have to say this is one of my HARDEST callings. I cannot get them to stop talking, I kid you not, unless I am reading a book with PICTURES! Even nursery was easier than this.

This year we start the Book of Mormon in my class (same as gospel doctrine). I am so excited for this year, for the things I will learn. I honestly dread teaching my class though. I want to hear EVERYONE'S ideas. Many of you I know have taught these ages in church and if not you were that age at one time. There is one catch though, no food in our building. So how do you bribe a bunch of 17 year old boys? Yeah I am at a loss.

I truly love all of the kids in my class. They make me laugh so hard, and also make me want to pull out all of my hair. Okay I will stop there because I could go into much more detail, and too many of you have all ready heard my complaints, but please bring on the advice.

I should be cleaning my house right now while my two sweet, sick kids are asleep, but I am so tired I think I want to curl up on the couch and read. Which reminds me for you Twilight fans out there. Santa brought me all three books for Christmas and I had them read by the end of the next day. Good reading, but I still don't know how I feel about the story yet. Little disappointed that it's dragging on and there isn't any closure. I want both Edward and Jacob to win the girl. Different reasons for liking both guys. But don't want to ruin the story for Sarah (yes you should read them).

I know I have been MIA for awhile. Part to Mike having over a week off of work, part because I didn't feel like blogging. Shocking, I know. But getting this post out has brought back the tiniest desire to reclaim my spot in the cyberworld!

Love ya Sis

If Life Were Easy It Wouldn't Be Hard

I know I have been MIA for awhile. . . but for good reason. This last week has been one CRAZY week. Yes CRAZY all capitalized!

Started with my sweet boy washing his hands "all by himself". I had been working on the advent calendar below, and had all of my scrapbook supplies out (all still in boxes), and sitting underneath the bar/kitchen counter. It (the bar) separates our kitchen and tv room.

Isaac's hand washing turned into a water fight with the living room (using the kitchen sink sprayer). To make a long story short Isaac won! Most of my paper was ruined, and Mike and I got to soak up a lot of water out of the carpet.

A few days later, it was Ainsley's turn. I had just finished painting over permanent marker (you remember that story) and set the half gallon of paint on the floor. I put the lid back on, but not hammered. Isaac and I then started to paint the kitchen table. Ainsley had been busy playing with toys in the other room. Isaac and I were just about done when I looked down to see Ainsley pick up the paint can and dump it all over her head, and proceeded to spill the entire contents over herself and all over the kitchen floor.

I grabbed her ran her to the bathroom, stuck her in the bathtub so she couldn't escaped and ran back to scoop up as much of the paint as I could. I then ran back to Ainsley who was screaming in the bathroom. Took off her clothes and wiped her down just enough to not get paint anywhere, and went to go clean up the other mess.

As I was rounding the corner I saw Mayzie (one of the dogs I am watching) heading my way. My heart sank. . . "Oh no, I forgot about the dogs!" I walked into the living room to see Maverick (the other dog) doing some kind of mambo with little yellow paw prints trailing behind him.

So now I had two crying children (Isaac was mad at Ainsley for crying and taking me away from our project), Ainsley was still mad about being covered in paint, a yellow kitchen floor, a yellow bathtub, and yellow paw printed carpet! Where to begin. . .

I will say I am thankful that it takes a lot for me to loose my temper, helping me to think a little more clear. I also had fresh on my mind the previous day's Oprah show. It had been about the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff", and about living life to the fullest and how you would want to spend your last minutes of your life. Meaning right then I had many choices. I could get angry, I could start cleaning, or I could help my crying children. I chose the later.

As soon as Ainsley wasn't crying and busy eating a cracker, I called Chelsea to look up some ideas to clean the mess online (I couldn't do it all!!!) THANKS CHELS!!! I recruited Isaac to help with the carpet. His job was to pour water on all of the paw prints. . . trying to keep it wet. I then sucked it up with the spot bot. Again spot bot to the rescue! EVERYONE should own one!

I am happy to say we survived. I think we got out all but two tiny spots in the carpet. The bathtub still needs some work, and so does the kitchen. . . but no worries. Give me a few days and everything will be in tip top condition!

(Okay I have pictures, but the computer is acting up so check back later for those :). . . you won't be sorry. The advent calendar turned out super cute. . . even if it is a little warped from water damage. It's no more damage than the little fingers that put up the numbers do)!

Itty Bitty Baby Steps

I know I am a little slow on this post, so I better hurry and get it written! Ainsley took her first steps without holding onto anything this past Tuesday. She has been walking around on furniture, and cruising around the house holding Isaac's bike for awhile now, but my daring girl decided to try walking without any encouragement from me.

I was sitting on the couch and she was standing by the love seat let go, and took her few steps to reach me. A HUGE grin on her face the entire time! I was just as proud as she was, but also a little shocked. Later that night when Mike got home I told him what she had done. I think she knew what we were talking about because she let go of where she was standing and walked to him. It was definitely the steps of leaning forward with your feet trying to keep up with your top half. But it was walking, and she did it!

Ainsley then took a turn walking to each Mike, Isaac and I, while we called her name. When she was done she sat down and refused to get back up. We haven't played the game again, I know she can do it, she knows she can do it, and that's seems to make her happy.

She just turned nine months old yesterday, and I am in no hurry to have her walking around. I can just imagine all of the stunts she will start pulling when she is toddling around! As in physical stunts, being the daring child she is. Also meaning, stunts of destruction. I know she has been concocting plans of improving Isaac's destructive methods around the house!

I have to admit I have been smiling just as big as she was when she took those steps just thinking about it. So much fun watching them grow and learn. Both of my children bring so much joy into my life!