Jan. 26, 2011
Ben, Janae and Sara are going to be in town this weekend and Sara is arriving tommorow. The kids helped me clean this morning so the house work would be done and we could fully enjoy their company the rest of this week without distraction.
Jan. 25, 2011
Amber got a buy one get one free Breakfast at Mimi's so we went there this morning. Only this time we took our boys. I was hesitant because you know... but they were Ahh-mazing! They were so busy coloring and talking they didn't have time to misbehave. Yea!
Afterward I picked up Hannah from Connie's and then Caleb, she and I went back to Amber's to continue the fun. I love being at Amber's.
Jan. 20, 2011
I went to Breakfast at Mimi's this morning with some friends from church. I had the hot chocolate and a breakfast burrito. It was fun to sit next to Stephanie Holladay, Monica Munn, Jen Garret and Cindy Rassmussen. I got to know them a little bit better this morning and they are each even more nice and more interesting than I thought. Yum... Hot Chocolate!
Jan. 23, 2011
My Dad's birthday is tomorrow but we celebrated it today because this was when everybody could all be together. My Dad isn't a fan of cake so we always have pie. He loves dutch apple so of course we have that, set in the candles and sing.
Jan. 21, 2011
We went back to the archery store this morning. Hannah fell asleep on the way there so I stayed in the car with her while Cory and the kids went inside. The owner taught Caleb how to shoot a bow and arrow and Cory said he did great. Caleb really wants one now. 
Later this afternoon we played outside with the kids on the grass by the condos and then at 6:30 I left to pick up Trish Neville and meet a few friends at Rosemary's for Ice cream. I just want to say that as good as Rosemary's is... Dewar's is the BEST!
Jan. 20, 2011
Caleb and Hannah were sitting at my Mom's kitchen table and it looked so sweet I had to take a picture of them sharing a chair and playing.
This afternoon we went to Solera Park and played in the sand. It wasn't really warm but it was warm enough to take our shoes off for a little while and feel it between our toes. Hannah climbed the rock wall and then sang, "part of your world" from the little Mermaid on a Rock.
Jan. 24 - 28, 2011
It's V week and here's what were learning...
Tuesday: Animals - Vampire Bat and Vulture
Thursday: Social Studies - Volcanoes
Friday: Craft/Activity - Valentine Heart Ring
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Poem: Vegetable Rainbow by Gayle Bittinger
Jan. 17, 2011
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Did you know that his famous, "I have a Dream speech" was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial?
I wanted to make a blanket for Hannah. Something that has her favorite color... purple in it. Well I found some darling fabric called Betty Dear by Robert Kauffman at Beverly's and went to Strawberry Patches to see if they had anything that would compliment it because it turned out to very difficult to match. The purple was very different than the other purple fabrics I looked at. Well, Strawberry Patches came through and here I am sewing some purple binding to finish. I'm using my Mom's Babylock sewing machine (she finally has a sewing machine that works and boy is it awesome!!!) and it flies!! I finish it up tomorrow along with two Pillowcases and maybe a goldenrod throw pillow for pop (Goldenrod you say? Random color choice? No it's in the print and it's fabulous).
Jan. 17 - Jan 24, 2011
It's U week
Tuesday: Animals - Umbrella bird and Umbrella tree
Thursday: Social Studies - Learn about his Uncle Ben
Friday: Craft/Activity - play with an Umbrella
Poem: "Umbrella" by Susan Paprocki
Composer: n/a (I couldn't think of one)
Jan 14, 2011
Grandma came over this morning and had Pancakes with us. I hope we do this again it was so fun. I have this secret dream where I have a breakfast party at our house one Saturday morning. We invite 2 or 3 families and each of us brings one part of the breakfast meal.. Does that sounds fun to any one?
We got ready and I went to Amber's to hang out for a little bit while Cory took the kids and got the oil changed and to the sports store. We met up again at Grandma's and shortly after the
Moreno's came too!
Cory and Jesus took down the tree and the kids huddled around the computer and watched The Little Mermaid 3. Fun, Fun, FUN!
Jan 14, 2011
Grandma took Caleb and Patrick on a date to Baskin Robbins this afternoon. So Hannah and I went on a 'date' too. We walked in the field together, holding hands and talking. It was very sweet to be with just her. When Caleb was the only one he and I did a lot of exploring and bonding. We would look for bugs and frogs and throw rocks in the lake. I would teach him everything I knew about whatever he wanted to know and we were best friends. I haven't done too much of this with Hannah. Today as I watched her play in the dirt and fill her sock with it I felt grateful for the moment. I looked at her and watched her discover how much bigger the world really is and she was more special and wonderful and miraculous than just I thought 10 minutes before. When we came back inside we made a special treat (Smores in the oven) and chatted more and then she played by herself while I cleaned up. All was quiet and calm in our house. There was no music or TV on. Just the sound of her singing and dolls' dialogue.
Caleb came home so very happy to have spent a few hours with Grandma and Patrick. He even made Hannah's bed!
Jan. 13, 2011
My Mom watched the kids while I went to a hair appointment. I left with no idea that I'd come home with "bangs." My inspiration was Anne Hathaway's character Andy (from The Devil wears Prada movie) and her makeover bangs. They look really nice but how I am going to keep them nice? I have to wash my hair at some point...
We went to the Park again only this time we came equipped with $1 swords to share with any one might be interested.
Jan. 12, 2011
Caleb made a snowflake cookie at Preschool today and was a very good boy. I mention that because he struggles in Primary, at the Mommy Preschool we do with the Pitt, Kilmer and Cola kids and in almost every other place almost every time. I have felt a little discouraged at times because I felt like we were doing all that we could to help him be his best self. I think about the Mosiah 4: 14 -15, "neither we ye suffer that they[children]... fight and quarrel one with another"..."teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another" and 1 Cor 13 :4-8 Especially verses 7-8, "[Charity] Beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth;" I believe that Caleb and Hannah were sent to me because they would best teach me how to be patient, full of love, and better love Jesus Christ because I would serve them and teach them His Gospel. Monday was not a great day at Sister Ricks Preschool. In fact after I told Cory about Sister Ricks struggle with him we felt that if his attitude did not change for the better on Wednesday we would not let him go back. We explained this to Caleb and he acted like he understood. Whenever he started to throw a tantrum or tease Hannah I would ask, "Is this how you're going to act at Sister Ricks?" He would say no and then changed. He had the motivation to be better and Cory and I had the key to unlock the change. Within 24 hours he was better (not perfect, but better). I am SO glad. He loves Sister Ricks and she loves him. When I came to pick him up on Wednesday I was prepared to say, "Well, because of the way you acted you chose not to come back Caleb" if he had not improved from Monday. I hoped and prayed that I wouldn't have to say this when I saw him. When he saw me after Preschool, he ran to Sister Ricks and said, "Tell my Mom how good I was, Sister Ricks." I looked at her surprised and hopeful and she said that he was good. Hurray!!! I was relieved and so happy for him. He loves to be at Sister Ricks and and showed all of us just how much. Before we left her house she said they read the David goes to school book (one of our favorites for many reasons). Sister Ricks said that Caleb listened very carefully and was very sill for the entire book. She looked at me for a minute, smiled and added, "Caleb's a lot like David." I laughed and said, "Yes." We went to the Park again to celebrate. 
Jan. 10, 2011
After Preschool Alison and I took our kids to University Park to play together. Even though it was cold and our little fingers and noses were red we stayed at the Park for two hours. Elena and Hannah stayed close to the swings while Caleb and Patrick ran in between and around them making up stories about dragons and being Captains of a ship.
Jan. 10 - 14, 2011
Since Sister Ricks Preschool meets on Monday and Wednesday, "mommy school" moved to Tuesday, Thursday and Stays on Friday.
This week is the letter T.
Tuesday: Animals - Bluefin Tuna and Keel-billed Toucan
Thursday: Social Science: Alexander Graham Bell's Telephone
Friday: Craft/Activity: Visit a Train Station (or we could play with Caleb's train set at home)
Poem: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (Nursery Rhyme)
Composer: Georg Phillip Telemann
Jan, 10, 2011
Caleb ran into a lamp post outside of our Church building this afternoon. It was so sad. I didn't actually see him hit the post but I heard it. He had a goose egg on his forehead within a minute of impact. He cried and cried and kept saying, "It hurts Mom." We made it home and with a little help from Mr. Tylenol and a band aid he felt much better. About an hour later Cory came home from Church and brought home two small toys that the Bishop gave to him to give to Caleb. One was a horse drawn buggy and the other an old fashioned car; both made out of metal and made well. Caleb thought they were the coolest. The box they came in had pictures of the other models that could be collected, including an old firetruck and double Decker bus.
Jan. 8, 2011
We decided to check out the Lori Brock Museum this morning. It was fun. As a kid I always found the museum to be well, boring. I never wanted to look in the old houses or shops and I never wanted to check out the old oil refinery "thingy." Today was totally different. I walked around the museum and peeked into every window I could. I imagined what life might have been like if this had been our home 100 years ago. I think being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints really gets your mind thinking about Pioneers and Ancestors. I never thought about them much when I was younger. 
After the museum we drove around to 5 different pick your part places to find a small replacement piece for the Corolla. Only lucky #5 had our part. And it was brand new and easy peezy, lemon squeezy to pop on.
Jan. 7, 2011
Caleb was surprised to see his Daddy when he woke up this morning. Cory stayed late at work last night and slept in later than normal to get a little more sleep. They ate breakfast together at the coffee table this morning and chatted. This was the first morning I had thought about how much I missed eating breakfast together. The only morning we do eat together is Saturday. Yikes! That's sad to me.
We went to Grandma's and played for a little bit. Caleb conducted while grandma played the piano and Hannah
twirled around, (but not in this picture).
Nurf gun fight! You better watch out, We're coming to get cha!
