New Scrapbook Pages

Okay, nothing super exciting here. Christmas was wonderful, and we can hardly believe that 2008 is arriving in about 48 hours! It came so fast, and I am sure it will fly by as 2007 did. I have recently done a few more scrapbooking pages, and thought I would post them. I realized that if you click on the page, it becomes very big, and you can read what I journaled on them. So, I will not do any extra typing (lazy...I know), and hope that you enjoy looking at the pages.

Have a Happy New Year's Eve everybody. I will be here enjoying a fondue party with my family and friends!

Thanksgiving 2007

My family spent this Thanksgiving in Michigan. It was a wonderful trip. The girls could not believe that there was so much room! We stayed with my brother, and his home is on 5 acres...at least. Bailey loved to run far away whenever we tried to put her in the car. (Okay, I'll be honest, she only played that game with Nate. She probably knew that mom was too lazy to run after her!) She also learned all about deer, and how they hang from my family's front tree. I knew it was time to come home when she started learning some other new and exciting things. Like when I pulled up to my parent's home, and I asked her "Bailey, did you see grandpa in the window?". And her reply was "Holy Craps!" Yeah...nice! Just what I want my 3 year old shouting out at her ballet recital! I'll blame that on one of my brothers. I learned a little bit on this trip also. Like how you need to work out before Thanksgiving, so that the next morning (at 4 a.m.!) you can run to the doors of Kohl's. I did not run, but I watched people do it. It was hilarious. And mom mom and sisters kept up with the best of them. Can't wait for next year.Seriously though, this was a great trip. Spending so much time with family without something like a wedding or graduation going on was refreshing. My family is amazing, I wouldn't...and couldn't...trade them for anything in the world. Hope you enjoy the video, I smile everytime I watch it.

Halloween 2007

Well, I finished my next scrapbook page, Halloween. I noticed with my last page that the writing on the actual page did not show up, so I will fill you in completely this time. Bailey was a ballerina/fairy/sleeping beauty for Halloween this year. As the night moved on, so did her costume. She added a wand, a tiara, and I am pretty sure a cape. She is creative!

Brinlee was a Carebear. We love that costume so much! It was so cute to watch Brinlee walk around, because from behind she really did look like a little bear. She loved the candy, especially the chocolate!

The girls loved dressing up, but the actual "trick-or-treating" part just didn't suit them. We went to Nate's work, and to Nate's Aunt Sue's home, and then we were done. We planned on going out and doing the neighborhood, but Bailey said "I'm done" when the suggestion was made. We will see if as she gets older if her ambition changes! Nate and I sure had fun though. I enjoy so much being a mother, and times like Halloween are some of the funnest parts to the job!

Pumpkins

I know it is December, but I am going to post in order. After September, and family pictures, came the pumpkin painting. Hopefully you can read the little blurb in the bottom left corner of the page, it explains it, and I won't be repeatative! I sure do love being a mother of two, and being able to have two completely different attitudes at the same time.

Sisters

Sisters

I always try to find quotes to go with whatever I am writing, and after witnessing my daughters getting their pictures taken today I found two that fit. The first one:

Of two sisters one is always the watcher, one the dancer. ~Louise Glück

Now let me tell you which is which. Ever since Bailey was born she was smiling, flirting, and grabbing the attention of people around her. Today was no different. I believe that at one point she was flashing the camera (in her defense, she was only trying to show her bellybutton...)! She will pose, she will smile, she is my dancer.

Brinlee would sit on the stool, or in the chair, and we would sing, dance and wave anything and everything in the air, but her eyes followed Bailey as she ran around the yard with her cousin. Sometimes I would catch her watching me as I walked around thinking I was more of a distraction when I tried to help make her smile. And even when she did look at the camera, it wasn't to smile at it, it was a look that said "what are you doing?!", and then her eyes would wander some more. She is not a show off, she takes everything in, she is my watcher.

These girls are the light in both of their parents eyes. It is amazing to see two completely different people in them, knowing that they came from the same two people, and have been raised the same way. I know that these children have spirits in them that have had long before they were born. I love watching them develop as individuals, and yet grow close in the bond that they have as sisters. That leads me to the second quote, that I will end with:

The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend. ~Cali Rae Turner

Quote of the Day

Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes. Therefore, give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths. Remain steadfast...and one day you will build something that endures, something worthy of your potential. -Epictetus

Take time to think about this, it is excellent. - JoAnn

The Perspective of a 3 Year Old

Bailey turned three this past Sunday (Sept. 2nd), and we can hardly believe it! She wanted a Tinkerbell party, that was her only request (I am sure that changes with age!), so she got it. Only now do I appreciate the elaborate cakes that my mom used to make to meet our "simple" suggestions. I asked Bailey a few questions about herself so that we could accurately remember this time in her life. Here it is (it her exact words...so no, they are not grammatically correct):

Favorite Color: Pink (and purple)

Favorite Person: Mmm...Jacob (this is her neighbor friend)

Favorite Song: I Looked Out the Window...Popcorn

Favorite Game: Matches

What do you want to be when you grow up? Tall

What is your favorite thing to eat? Macaroni and Cheese

What is your favorite thing to do with mommy and daddy? Play games

What is your favorite thing to do with Brinlee? Like to play rattles

Do you like going to church? Yep...I do. And wear my Belle dress.

What do you learn at church? Snack

Where are going to get married? In the temple

Another thing I love about 3 year olds is that they think that as long as what they say sounds like what they mean, then it means the same. For example, tonight as Bailey was saying her prayers, and I was helping her, we started with "Heavenly Father". Bailey, repeating me said "Harry Potter". I couldn't help but smile. Moments like these make parenting all too worth it.

Nebraska

The girls and I took a trip to Nebraska in August for my cousins wedding. My entire family was there, and that is the first time in a long time that I was able to spend time with all of my brothers and sisters, and all of their children. The video is of all the fun things that we did there. Meeting at my uncle Jim and aunt Lisa's home for a BBQ, the wedding, fun at the hotel pool, and our last day in Lexington. My family is very far away, and this trip was special for me and my girls to get to spend so much time with everyone. The memories that we have from this trip will stay with us forever.

I also had time to think about what really matters to me, and that is my family. I know that my family is forever. And that is bound by something that no amount of distance, and no amount of trials can change. All we have to do to keep that promise is do what we know is right. And I am so grateful for my knowledge of that.

Disneyland

Disneyland was also a stop this summer. Filled with rides, parades, and family this was a trip that we will always remember. Bailey was at the perfect age for the trip because she has just entered into the world of Disney princesses. She loves all of them. However, Cinderella has a particularly special place in her heart. The picture of Bailey is when she saw Cinderella for the first time in the parade. It was priceless! The picture of everyone (except mom) was taken on It's A Small World, and Brinlee can hardly contain her excitement.

I'm On Board

Since I am supposed to keep a jounal, and am failing miserably (well, maybe not miserably, I do scrapbook and that is pretty close) I will feel a little bit better about myself with this blog. Unfortunately for all of you, my life is pretty much the same thing day after day. You will for sure be kept up to speed with every event in my daughters lives, get a little insight into my life with Nate, and probably an occasional vent on the times that my life is out of control (hopefully there will not be too many of those :) ). Feel free to comment and let me know how I am doing. I'll end on a quote that I read the other day. Nothing deep, but something to think about. "One day you life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching."