7 years together and we love each other more and more!
Can't you tell?
Can't you tell?
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Learning a Lesson
What do you say to one of your kids, when they make a choice that they later realize was not what they really wanted?
Yesterday, Jon and I were going to a wedding. I knew that the ceremony would be short and sweet and it would okay if the girls wanted to tag along. So we gave them the choice and both Savannah and Melanie said that they wanted to go to the wedding. We all got dressed up and then drove over to Jon's parent's house to drop Spencer off. However, when we arrived at Grandma's house, Savannah suddenly decided that she wanted to stay there and play with her cousins. So Savannah and Spencer were left at Grandma's and Melanie got to be an only child for about an hour.
Jon and I came back to pick the kids up and Savannah was there in tears. She was so upset that she didn't go. Apparently she had changed her mind after we had left, but it was too late. So she was left behind. She was so upset. I tried to tell her that she was the one that had made the decision to not go and that it was not Jon or I's fault for her missing out. This only made her more upset. But it's a hard lesson to learn that it's your own fault when you make decisions that make you miss out on things. She still gave me a hard time this morning that we got to have cake and she didn't! Tough luck.
Yesterday, Jon and I were going to a wedding. I knew that the ceremony would be short and sweet and it would okay if the girls wanted to tag along. So we gave them the choice and both Savannah and Melanie said that they wanted to go to the wedding. We all got dressed up and then drove over to Jon's parent's house to drop Spencer off. However, when we arrived at Grandma's house, Savannah suddenly decided that she wanted to stay there and play with her cousins. So Savannah and Spencer were left at Grandma's and Melanie got to be an only child for about an hour.
Jon and I came back to pick the kids up and Savannah was there in tears. She was so upset that she didn't go. Apparently she had changed her mind after we had left, but it was too late. So she was left behind. She was so upset. I tried to tell her that she was the one that had made the decision to not go and that it was not Jon or I's fault for her missing out. This only made her more upset. But it's a hard lesson to learn that it's your own fault when you make decisions that make you miss out on things. She still gave me a hard time this morning that we got to have cake and she didn't! Tough luck.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Just a Reminder
I think that Jon has reminded me everyday that no one has commented on my last post; however, I really wasn't expecting that anyone would. But I would like to remind all of you that Jon will be golfing tomorrow to benefit our sister-in-law's mother's cancer recovery. My brother has spent a lot of time trying to organize the tournament and I'm grateful that Jon is willing to go and participate. I'm aware that this is a difficult time of year to ask anyone for money, but we would really appreciate any amount that you could donate, even if it is $5. Plus, everything that you donate is also tax deductible. And if you forget to donate by Saturday, then do it when you remember. Click here to make a payment online. Remember to specify Margaret Manning as the recipient. Or you can always mail a check to: Positive Impact; PO Box 8048; Chandler AZ 85246. Make the check out to Positive Impact, with Margaret Manning in the Memo line. Thank you so much for all of your help.
And do you know what the most frustrating part of this tournament is? That we're not physically collecting any of the funds, so Jon and I don't have any idea how much money we've helped raise. We've had a lot of positive feedback from friends, but we really don't know if anyone that we've contacted is donating anything. We do know that our life insurance agent is supposedly donating $50, but that's the only donation that we actually know of. So, please donate and hopefully we can get a print out of all the donations and I might actually see some of your names on it. That would really make my day to know that some of our efforts in phone calls and emails actually paid off, because Jon and I were trying to raise $1000. Hopefully, we can get somewhere close to that though. Thanks again!
And do you know what the most frustrating part of this tournament is? That we're not physically collecting any of the funds, so Jon and I don't have any idea how much money we've helped raise. We've had a lot of positive feedback from friends, but we really don't know if anyone that we've contacted is donating anything. We do know that our life insurance agent is supposedly donating $50, but that's the only donation that we actually know of. So, please donate and hopefully we can get a print out of all the donations and I might actually see some of your names on it. That would really make my day to know that some of our efforts in phone calls and emails actually paid off, because Jon and I were trying to raise $1000. Hopefully, we can get somewhere close to that though. Thanks again!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Benefit Golf Tournament
This coming Saturday Jon will be participating in a benefit golf tournament. Last March, my sister-in-law's Mother, Margaret Manning, was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, which is a rare and aggressive cancer. She began receiving treatment in April from the Burzynski Clinic in Houston, Texas. She is currently showing great improvements. However, not all of her medications are covered by her insurance and she needs to remain on them until at least March. My brother has organized a golf tournament to raise funds for the $36, 000 that they still need in order to pay for her medication.
I would deeply appreciate any help that you could give in sponsoring Jon in this tournament. He will be playing (or more likely struggling through) 18-holes and our goal is to raise $56/hole. If at all possible, we are looking for pledges of $1-$10 per hole (or more). Jon and I are covering the costs of the tournament, so all donations made will go directly to Margaret's recovery.
The donation process is really easy. You can make a donation online, through a non-profit organization called Positive Impact, by clicking here. Be sure to specify Margaret Manning as the recipient. Or, if you prefer, you can always make a check out to Positive Impact, with Margaret Manning in the memo line and mail it to: Positive Impact; PO Box 8048; Chandler AZ 85246.
And if you'd like to help out, but feel that $18 or more is a little too much for you right now, then please donate whatever you feel comfortable with. Even $5 would be a great help! Thank you so much! Your donation is truly a great blessing to me and my family.
I would deeply appreciate any help that you could give in sponsoring Jon in this tournament. He will be playing (or more likely struggling through) 18-holes and our goal is to raise $56/hole. If at all possible, we are looking for pledges of $1-$10 per hole (or more). Jon and I are covering the costs of the tournament, so all donations made will go directly to Margaret's recovery.
The donation process is really easy. You can make a donation online, through a non-profit organization called Positive Impact, by clicking here. Be sure to specify Margaret Manning as the recipient. Or, if you prefer, you can always make a check out to Positive Impact, with Margaret Manning in the memo line and mail it to: Positive Impact; PO Box 8048; Chandler AZ 85246.
And if you'd like to help out, but feel that $18 or more is a little too much for you right now, then please donate whatever you feel comfortable with. Even $5 would be a great help! Thank you so much! Your donation is truly a great blessing to me and my family.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Veteran's Day
Since Savannah didn't have school on Veteran's Day, we thought that we'd try to have a little fun. We took a little trip to the dairy farm that's just around the corner. We had a lot of fun, but man did it get hot pretty quickly! And I thought that it was November. I guess that that doesn't really mean too much here in the valley. We invited both sides of the family to tag along with us and got a small turn out from each. Here's a shot of all of the kids up in one of the tractors. 
Melanie liked climbing around on some of the tires that they had set up. 
Of course, Spencer loved that too, mostly because we let him out of the stroller. 
Here is all of us waiting to go on a little hayride, which is also a tour of the dairy. We were lucky to get both Grandmas to come with us! 
Here is my mom and the girls, once we finally got on the hayride. 
We enjoyed seeing all of the cows and learning lots about them. They have about 1000 cows at the dairy. Did you know that each cow gets 4 showers a day? They are given 2 showers before each milking, and they are milked twice a day. The thought may have crossed my mind that those cows were usually cleaner than my kids, but then again, we get a good whiff of them every once in a while over at our house, and they don't smell too clean then. 
We even got to see 2 little calves that had been born that day. Pretty amazing. 
The kids all loved feeding and petting some of the other animals. The girls really wanted to pet one of the sheep, but it was much more shy and so we had to settle for the goats. Melanie's favorite was petting the bunny. It just sat so still and let everyone touch it. That's definitely Melanie's kind of animal. 
To finish up Savannah got her face painted, a unicorn. 
And of course, we all got free milk. We had fun, despite the heat and the crowd. And hopefully we can go back to the farm some time when Daddy can come too.
Melanie liked climbing around on some of the tires that they had set up. Of course, Spencer loved that too, mostly because we let him out of the stroller. Here is all of us waiting to go on a little hayride, which is also a tour of the dairy. We were lucky to get both Grandmas to come with us! Here is my mom and the girls, once we finally got on the hayride. We enjoyed seeing all of the cows and learning lots about them. They have about 1000 cows at the dairy. Did you know that each cow gets 4 showers a day? They are given 2 showers before each milking, and they are milked twice a day. The thought may have crossed my mind that those cows were usually cleaner than my kids, but then again, we get a good whiff of them every once in a while over at our house, and they don't smell too clean then. We even got to see 2 little calves that had been born that day. Pretty amazing. The kids all loved feeding and petting some of the other animals. The girls really wanted to pet one of the sheep, but it was much more shy and so we had to settle for the goats. Melanie's favorite was petting the bunny. It just sat so still and let everyone touch it. That's definitely Melanie's kind of animal. To finish up Savannah got her face painted, a unicorn. And of course, we all got free milk. We had fun, despite the heat and the crowd. And hopefully we can go back to the farm some time when Daddy can come too.Sunday, November 22, 2009
Missionaries
My sister is currently serving a mission in the Tacoma Washington Mission. We always try to remember her in our prayers and the girls like to send her little emails and cards. I'm not sure what sparked it, but one day last week Savannah decided to make name tags for her and Melanie. They taped them on and then came running out and announced: We're Missionaries! I thought that they were just too cute.
The completed project
After lots of hours of manual labor, Jon did get Savannah's bed refinished. He completed it a little while ago, but it wasn't until this weekend that we got all of the bedding out and made it official. My mom gave us matching bedding for both Melanie and Savannah's beds that used to belong to my younger sisters. It's still in really good condition and of course the girls think that it's fabulous because it's new to them. It also took us most of the week to get the girls' room clean, so we were very proud of our final project. I think that Savannah's bed turned out great. She loves that she has a bed skirt and flat sheet, just like Mom and Dad's bed. Of course, she also likes the little decorative throw pillows too. 
Melanie really wants Daddy to get to work on her bed, so she can match Savannah. But she's happy with the throw pillows for now. 
We even got matching curtains to hang in the room. Those hadn't even been taken out of their packaging. Savannah was very excited that I let her help me iron them. And I think that they added just the right touch to the room. Now I just need to convince Savannah to leave them alone. She keeps taking the cute button ties off and letting the curtains just hang straight down. Silly little girl. 
But she was so proud of her new bed. Her and Melanie fell asleep in it together last night, and then Savannah was so excited to make her bed like a big girl, complete with pillows, this morning. I just hope that lasts.
Melanie really wants Daddy to get to work on her bed, so she can match Savannah. But she's happy with the throw pillows for now. We even got matching curtains to hang in the room. Those hadn't even been taken out of their packaging. Savannah was very excited that I let her help me iron them. And I think that they added just the right touch to the room. Now I just need to convince Savannah to leave them alone. She keeps taking the cute button ties off and letting the curtains just hang straight down. Silly little girl. But she was so proud of her new bed. Her and Melanie fell asleep in it together last night, and then Savannah was so excited to make her bed like a big girl, complete with pillows, this morning. I just hope that lasts.Inquiring Minds Want to Know
For those of you that have been dying to know how I've been feeling, well here it is.
Mostly, I've been tired. Melanie is such a little angel to just sit and look at books or color or watch a movie and let me nap. Rarely has she actually joined me, but she always lets me sleep and I don't have to worry that she's getting into trouble. Unfortunately, I've been so tired by 9:30 that I've fallen asleep while the kids watch cartoons. However, Spencer is not so nice to me while I'm napping and is usually trying to wake me up during those times.
I'm also starting to feel a little bigger. None of my regular pants fit comfortably, so I don't even bother wearing them. I drug my box of maternity clothes down. Luckily I organized it very nicely last time and was able to just grab a few pairs of pants off the top and so they are keeping me happy for now. I really do dread when I have to make the full switch to maternity clothing. Although it is fun to see some of my old clothes again that I haven't worn in a while.
Nausea is never fun, but has always been a part of my pregnant life. I have felt very blessed to not toss my cookies everyday or even close this time. I have had a number of very miserable points, mostly every evening. But I have actually been able to think of things that I would be willing to eat, lots of refried beans this time, and then keep it down. So far, I've only lost it 3 times, which is a great record for me. I used to be happy if I only lost it 3 times each week, but I'll take 3 times in total for this time around. Since I am now at 13 weeks, I'm hoping that the nausea ends soon. I know that Jon hopes so too, so he doesn't have to stay up and do the dishes every night. But I love him dearly for it and it really has helped me keep it together in the morning.
The girls are excited for a baby. Savannah says she wants it to be a boy, because she loves Spencer. Melanie was insistent that it is a girl and wouldn't let me talk of the possibility of having a boy; however, after listening to Savannah talk about having a boy a few times, I think that Melanie may have been won over to the boy vote. As for me, I'd love to have another boy so that Spencer could have another little guy to play with. He's only a year and a half and he's already rougher and tougher than Melanie by far! I think that he tackles/clobbers her at least once, if not more, on a daily basis. Of course, we'd all take a little girl in a heartbeat! You can never turn down a little sweet thing! Savannah is already asking if the baby is kicking and if she can feel it. I informed her that she's going to have to wait a while longer for that.
So that is the low-down on us. We're managing and hanging in there, some days better than others, but we're all still alive. Thanks for all of the love and concern!
Mostly, I've been tired. Melanie is such a little angel to just sit and look at books or color or watch a movie and let me nap. Rarely has she actually joined me, but she always lets me sleep and I don't have to worry that she's getting into trouble. Unfortunately, I've been so tired by 9:30 that I've fallen asleep while the kids watch cartoons. However, Spencer is not so nice to me while I'm napping and is usually trying to wake me up during those times.
I'm also starting to feel a little bigger. None of my regular pants fit comfortably, so I don't even bother wearing them. I drug my box of maternity clothes down. Luckily I organized it very nicely last time and was able to just grab a few pairs of pants off the top and so they are keeping me happy for now. I really do dread when I have to make the full switch to maternity clothing. Although it is fun to see some of my old clothes again that I haven't worn in a while.
Nausea is never fun, but has always been a part of my pregnant life. I have felt very blessed to not toss my cookies everyday or even close this time. I have had a number of very miserable points, mostly every evening. But I have actually been able to think of things that I would be willing to eat, lots of refried beans this time, and then keep it down. So far, I've only lost it 3 times, which is a great record for me. I used to be happy if I only lost it 3 times each week, but I'll take 3 times in total for this time around. Since I am now at 13 weeks, I'm hoping that the nausea ends soon. I know that Jon hopes so too, so he doesn't have to stay up and do the dishes every night. But I love him dearly for it and it really has helped me keep it together in the morning.
The girls are excited for a baby. Savannah says she wants it to be a boy, because she loves Spencer. Melanie was insistent that it is a girl and wouldn't let me talk of the possibility of having a boy; however, after listening to Savannah talk about having a boy a few times, I think that Melanie may have been won over to the boy vote. As for me, I'd love to have another boy so that Spencer could have another little guy to play with. He's only a year and a half and he's already rougher and tougher than Melanie by far! I think that he tackles/clobbers her at least once, if not more, on a daily basis. Of course, we'd all take a little girl in a heartbeat! You can never turn down a little sweet thing! Savannah is already asking if the baby is kicking and if she can feel it. I informed her that she's going to have to wait a while longer for that.
So that is the low-down on us. We're managing and hanging in there, some days better than others, but we're all still alive. Thanks for all of the love and concern!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
It speaks for itself...
I know that many of you know already. But the date is May 31st for those of you that don't know. I am at 12 weeks today. Sunday, November 8, 2009
Melanie's Sleeping Habits
I promise that this little girl has her own bed, but she hasn't spent most of her time in it this past week. Here she is sleeping in Savannah's bed. I think that they were happy to fall asleep together, but it was a different story in the morning. Savannah kept complaining about what a crazy sleeper Melanie is. 
Here she is sleeping next to my bed. I found her there one morning. By the time I took the picture, you can see that she is halfway under the bed. 
And here she is asleep on the kitchen floor. She was supposed to be in bed and was instead watching TV with Dad. Smart girl, laying behind the half-wall so Daddy couldn't see her.
And these were all just within in the last week! Silly little girl, we've got to love you even if you are a crazy sleeper!
Here she is sleeping next to my bed. I found her there one morning. By the time I took the picture, you can see that she is halfway under the bed. And here she is asleep on the kitchen floor. She was supposed to be in bed and was instead watching TV with Dad. Smart girl, laying behind the half-wall so Daddy couldn't see her.And these were all just within in the last week! Silly little girl, we've got to love you even if you are a crazy sleeper!Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Happy Halloween!
We had a nice Halloween! To get into the holiday spirit we went over to Jon's parents' for some pumpkin carving! Melanie had no problem gutting her pumpkin. I thought that it was funny that she didn't mind getting her hands all slimy! 
Savannah didn't mind the slimy hands either. 
Jon was good enough to carve both of the girls' pumpkins. Melanie wanted the exact same face as Savannah's pumpkin, so that worked out pretty easy for him. 
And the pumpkins turned out pretty cute too. 
We even got to have yummy pumpkin waffles that night! Thanks Auntie! They were really good! 
We also decided to make a few Halloween goodies. Here are our Tombstone brownies with Nutter Butter ghosts. The girls had fun helping for about 2 minutes and then Jon and I were left to finish them. I think that they turned out cute though. 
The anticipated night of Trick-or-Treating finally arrived and the girls didn't want to be what they originally planned. So here is my cute little Superman. It was about the only costume that I could come up with that didn't require Spencer to wear something on his head; he absolutely hates that. Savannah was a butterfly again, which she was 2 years ago. And Melanie decided on the Indian costume, which Savannah wore 3 years ago. Melanie insisted that she was the Indian Princess from the Peter Man movie; so there's our cute little Princess Tiger Lily. 
Jon and I also pulled some costumes together. I found almost all of the needed clothing at Goodwill, so I guess that it was meant to be. Jon went as Handy Manny and I was Kelly the Hardware Store owner. Of course, no one could tell who I was without Jon and even then it was still difficult. Oh well, we still had lots of fun and the kids got mounds of candy.
Happy Halloween!
Savannah didn't mind the slimy hands either. Jon was good enough to carve both of the girls' pumpkins. Melanie wanted the exact same face as Savannah's pumpkin, so that worked out pretty easy for him. And the pumpkins turned out pretty cute too. We even got to have yummy pumpkin waffles that night! Thanks Auntie! They were really good! We also decided to make a few Halloween goodies. Here are our Tombstone brownies with Nutter Butter ghosts. The girls had fun helping for about 2 minutes and then Jon and I were left to finish them. I think that they turned out cute though. The anticipated night of Trick-or-Treating finally arrived and the girls didn't want to be what they originally planned. So here is my cute little Superman. It was about the only costume that I could come up with that didn't require Spencer to wear something on his head; he absolutely hates that. Savannah was a butterfly again, which she was 2 years ago. And Melanie decided on the Indian costume, which Savannah wore 3 years ago. Melanie insisted that she was the Indian Princess from the Peter Man movie; so there's our cute little Princess Tiger Lily. Jon and I also pulled some costumes together. I found almost all of the needed clothing at Goodwill, so I guess that it was meant to be. Jon went as Handy Manny and I was Kelly the Hardware Store owner. Of course, no one could tell who I was without Jon and even then it was still difficult. Oh well, we still had lots of fun and the kids got mounds of candy.Happy Halloween!Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Just Hanging Around
Yesterday evening we were headed out. Spencer is usually the first one to dash into the garage, if someone will open the door for him. Savannah was kind enough to let him out and then she went out and climbed into the car. I was right behind them and opened the garage door as I came out. Spencer is quite fascinated by the garage door and how it magically opens, so I don't usually worry about him taking off and running out into the street. So I opened the front door of the car and threw my diaper bag into the passenger seat. I turned around in time to see Spencer hanging from the garage door just as it was about to reach the top! It scared me half to death and I dashed over there. Luckily, I got there just as he lost his grip and came falling down. I didn't totally catch him, but I snagged his arms just as his feet were hitting the ground. So I minimized the impact and kept him from falling over. It scared him enough to make him cry a little bit, but otherwise I think that he might have enjoyed it. I was also kind of impressed that he hung on for as long as he did. I'm curious if he learned his lesson or if he'd try it again if the opportunity presents itself. Ah, the joy of raising a little boy!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
October Break
So the girls loved Disneyland so much that we decided to go back for October Break (along with about half of Arizona). It was certainly a little more crowded than we had hoped for, but we still had a fun time. Of course we took just a bunch of pictures, but what else do you do when you spend 4 days at the happiest place on earth? So I tried to narrow it down to just some of our favorite and least favorite moments.
Savannah's favorites: Seeing all of the characters. There were so many out, we probably did pictures with less than half of them. Princess Aurora is one of Savannah's absolute favorites.
Since it was Halloween time, then they had a bunch of villains out too. She also got a picture with the Old Hag from Snow White.
Melanie's favorites: Her absolute favorite ride was It's a Small World. We went on it 5 times! She really just loved it! 
We went to Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party on Friday night. Melanie loved that she got to sit in the stroller and people gave her handfuls of candy. Her absolute favorite part was getting to see Cinderella that night. We looked for her all week and finally found her at 11 pm on Friday night. Melanie was so happy that she couldn't even take her eyes off of Cinderella. 
Melanie also does an excellent job of picking out exactly what she wants at Disneyland. She picked out a Minnie Mouse Polly-Pocket kind of doll. She absolutely loves it and was so happy that I let her play with it that night while we were waiting to watch the fireworks, that we ended up not staying around for.
My favorite parts: I love Snow White. I was totally happy to actually get a picture with her this time. My only complaint, I think that we saw her 3 or 4 times, because they just released her movie. 
And of course I loved when Spencer finally fell asleep on our first day there. Yeah, he didn't take a nap and was awful for the last 4-5 hours or so.
And you have to be totally impressed that we managed to get Spencer to sleep on the 2nd day while we waited in line. Unfortunately, this was a short lived victory. He woke up the second I tried to put him in the stroller.
Jon's favorites: Getting into the main park an hour early for one Magic Morning. You can't really tell, but they were the only ones on this ride! It was nice to be able to go on about 5 rides in 25 minutes! 
Everyone's favorites: Hanging out with old law school friends and their girls that we don't get to see nearly enough. We were so happy that they would let us stay with them and then come and go with us to the park a few of the days! 
We all loved the parades. Got to love that Pixar Parade. Where else are you going to see flames coming out of a baby's head and think that it's totally cool?
Jon also commented that he thought that the army guys were pretty cool. 
Then the Celebration Parade at the Main Park put Mickey and Minnie right in front of us. Definitely a nice way to see them up close and personal. 
And the parade was so interactive that Savannah loved it. Melanie was kind of scared to death, but she was that way a lot on this trip. I ended up holding her during the parade because the characters were a little to close for her comfort.
Our least favorite parts: Standing in line! It's always such a pain and Spencer always ups the level of difficulty.
Oh yeah, did I mention that we went on It's a Small World 5 times? Some of us were a little sick of it by the last time or even 3 times before that. 
We also hated taking sleeping children back into California Adventure for the Trick-or-Treat party. Yes, we were the ones taking sleeping kids back into the park. Yeah it was fun, but Melanie slept almost the whole time and refused to go on any of the rides. Thankfully, Spencer stayed with our friends and was asleep the entire time we were gone!
And Melanie claims that she was excited to see Aurora again, but it was just too funny, because look at her little face. She's thinking: "Aurora, get out of the way. Cinderella is standing right over there!"
Since it was Halloween time, then they had a bunch of villains out too. She also got a picture with the Old Hag from Snow White.
Melanie's favorites: Her absolute favorite ride was It's a Small World. We went on it 5 times! She really just loved it! We went to Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party on Friday night. Melanie loved that she got to sit in the stroller and people gave her handfuls of candy. Her absolute favorite part was getting to see Cinderella that night. We looked for her all week and finally found her at 11 pm on Friday night. Melanie was so happy that she couldn't even take her eyes off of Cinderella. Melanie also does an excellent job of picking out exactly what she wants at Disneyland. She picked out a Minnie Mouse Polly-Pocket kind of doll. She absolutely loves it and was so happy that I let her play with it that night while we were waiting to watch the fireworks, that we ended up not staying around for.My favorite parts: I love Snow White. I was totally happy to actually get a picture with her this time. My only complaint, I think that we saw her 3 or 4 times, because they just released her movie. And of course I loved when Spencer finally fell asleep on our first day there. Yeah, he didn't take a nap and was awful for the last 4-5 hours or so.And you have to be totally impressed that we managed to get Spencer to sleep on the 2nd day while we waited in line. Unfortunately, this was a short lived victory. He woke up the second I tried to put him in the stroller.Jon's favorites: Getting into the main park an hour early for one Magic Morning. You can't really tell, but they were the only ones on this ride! It was nice to be able to go on about 5 rides in 25 minutes! Everyone's favorites: Hanging out with old law school friends and their girls that we don't get to see nearly enough. We were so happy that they would let us stay with them and then come and go with us to the park a few of the days! We all loved the parades. Got to love that Pixar Parade. Where else are you going to see flames coming out of a baby's head and think that it's totally cool?Jon also commented that he thought that the army guys were pretty cool. Then the Celebration Parade at the Main Park put Mickey and Minnie right in front of us. Definitely a nice way to see them up close and personal. And the parade was so interactive that Savannah loved it. Melanie was kind of scared to death, but she was that way a lot on this trip. I ended up holding her during the parade because the characters were a little to close for her comfort. Our least favorite parts: Standing in line! It's always such a pain and Spencer always ups the level of difficulty.Oh yeah, did I mention that we went on It's a Small World 5 times? Some of us were a little sick of it by the last time or even 3 times before that. We also hated taking sleeping children back into California Adventure for the Trick-or-Treat party. Yes, we were the ones taking sleeping kids back into the park. Yeah it was fun, but Melanie slept almost the whole time and refused to go on any of the rides. Thankfully, Spencer stayed with our friends and was asleep the entire time we were gone!And Melanie claims that she was excited to see Aurora again, but it was just too funny, because look at her little face. She's thinking: "Aurora, get out of the way. Cinderella is standing right over there!" It was such a tiring and fun trip. We were glad that the kids pretty much done with the colds that they had the week before, so we could enjoy everything. I think that this is the only picture of all of us together. We had a good time, but I think that it will be a while before we venture back again.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Original Excuse
Savannah absolutely loves gum. We found this out on a road trip up to Utah when she was barely 2. She kept that piece of gum in her mouth forever! In fact, we had to make her spit it out because she was falling asleep in the car and we didn't want to pay the consequences later. However, we've had a few episodes where the gum has been improperly used, ending up on clothes and my favorite was when she managed to get it in her armpit. So gum has been mostly banned from the house, because Savannah used to beg for it all the time. However, I do usually keep a pack of gum in the car, especially for long trips.
Melanie has become acquainted with gum and wants to have some every time Savannah gets some. However, Melanie doesn't really understand the concept of gum, that you're supposed to continue to chew it. The gum usually lasts for a few minutes and then disappears. Savannah has taken this as a personal challenge to teach Melanie how to properly chew gum. This has led Melanie to give me a continual update on her gum. It usually goes: "Mom! Mom! My gum is still in my mouth! See!" and she continues to tell me this every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes or so. Well today, Savannah got into the gum in the car when I picked her up after school. Melanie also got a piece, which lasted about 5 minutes, and then she told me, "Mom! My stomach grabbed my gum!" That blasted stomach! Always taking things without asking! I just thought that it was too funny. Melanie says the funniest things.
Melanie has become acquainted with gum and wants to have some every time Savannah gets some. However, Melanie doesn't really understand the concept of gum, that you're supposed to continue to chew it. The gum usually lasts for a few minutes and then disappears. Savannah has taken this as a personal challenge to teach Melanie how to properly chew gum. This has led Melanie to give me a continual update on her gum. It usually goes: "Mom! Mom! My gum is still in my mouth! See!" and she continues to tell me this every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes or so. Well today, Savannah got into the gum in the car when I picked her up after school. Melanie also got a piece, which lasted about 5 minutes, and then she told me, "Mom! My stomach grabbed my gum!" That blasted stomach! Always taking things without asking! I just thought that it was too funny. Melanie says the funniest things.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Preschool
I can't believe it, but Melanie started Preschool last week! She was totally excited and was in love with her new pink tote bag that her teacher gave her. 
She has had lots of fun already. And her teacher continues to tell me that Melanie has just been wonderful. Her teacher even told me that she feels bad taking our money because Melanie is just that good, and she thinks that some of the other students should have to pay double. That cracked me up, but I wasn't surprised at all to find out that my little angel was being so good. Melanie really is quite the sweetheart and I haven't met anyone that she hasn't been able to melt their heart when she really wants to. I keep telling Jon that Melanie is just like me when I was little! I know that that is quite the compliment to myself!
She has had lots of fun already. And her teacher continues to tell me that Melanie has just been wonderful. Her teacher even told me that she feels bad taking our money because Melanie is just that good, and she thinks that some of the other students should have to pay double. That cracked me up, but I wasn't surprised at all to find out that my little angel was being so good. Melanie really is quite the sweetheart and I haven't met anyone that she hasn't been able to melt their heart when she really wants to. I keep telling Jon that Melanie is just like me when I was little! I know that that is quite the compliment to myself! I love you little Meli!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
School Stuff
We had a very nice weekend and so it made Savannah really not want to go back to school. What do you say to your 5 year old when she's crying and saying that she doesn't want to go to school because it's boring? But she was up nice and early this morning and was ready to go, so I guess that it can't be that awful.
I did want to record some things that have already come up that I hadn't quite expected. The evening before Savannah started school, Jon told her that her teacher may not always be right and if there was ever anything that Savannah didn't know if it was right or not, then she should ask us. I was kind of like: Why are you saying this to our little kindergartner? But about the 3rd day of school, Savannah comes home and says, "Mom we read this book today and the mom said to her kids, "Get in bed" and they just went and got in bed. They didn't read scriptures or pray or anything. I think we should do that." I was totally taken back and we then had a nice little talk about how that was not going to happen. Jon later informed her that our family would always be reading scriptures and praying before bed.
Also, Savannah kissed a boy at her table about the 3rd week of school. I was again totally surprised. My guess is that her teacher didn't know about it, because nothing was ever said to Savannah that she really shouldn't be doing that. I asked her why she kissed him and she said it was because she was silly. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I did inform her that the rule of keeping her hands and feet to herself applied to her entire body, including her lips. I also told her that she probably embarrassed the poor boy, which she didn't know what embarrassed meant. But after a quick definition, she agreed that he had been embarrassed by what she had done.
And lastly, it has been a real pain trying to figure out how to pick Savannah up from school. We don't live close enough for her to walk without getting totally tired, plus it's a zillion degrees outside. And the drive-through is completely insane. I waited in the car for over 30 minutes to just pick her up from school. So we've come up with the park and pick-up method. I park and drag Melanie and Spencer out of the car, then we walk over to the parent pick-up area. I'm just really glad that the kindergartners get out 5 minutes before everyone else; it's like we get a little head start on the traffic. And another lifesaver has been that we started carpooling with a little girl that is in both her primary and school class. We are taking turns driving for the week, which the week that we have off is absolutely wonderful! But the first time that I was supposed to pick the girls up, I was a little late (I was getting Melanie and Spencer out of the car when the bell rang). But when I got up to the school, Savannah and her friend came running up to me. Savannah said, "I didn't see you, but I wanted to come and look for you, so I just told the lady that I did see you and she let us go." I told Savannah that she wasn't supposed to lie and that it was important that they wait in the school until they knew that I was there, so they could be safe.
But really, whose kid is this anyways? Lying and kissing...doesn't sound like what I did in school. I guess that I have a lot to learn. And I'm sure that we'll have plenty more fun experiences. And just so you don't all feel bad for Savannah, she does really like school and she has a good time too. I do still wish she wasn't gone for so long, but we're trying to get used to it.
I did want to record some things that have already come up that I hadn't quite expected. The evening before Savannah started school, Jon told her that her teacher may not always be right and if there was ever anything that Savannah didn't know if it was right or not, then she should ask us. I was kind of like: Why are you saying this to our little kindergartner? But about the 3rd day of school, Savannah comes home and says, "Mom we read this book today and the mom said to her kids, "Get in bed" and they just went and got in bed. They didn't read scriptures or pray or anything. I think we should do that." I was totally taken back and we then had a nice little talk about how that was not going to happen. Jon later informed her that our family would always be reading scriptures and praying before bed.
Also, Savannah kissed a boy at her table about the 3rd week of school. I was again totally surprised. My guess is that her teacher didn't know about it, because nothing was ever said to Savannah that she really shouldn't be doing that. I asked her why she kissed him and she said it was because she was silly. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I did inform her that the rule of keeping her hands and feet to herself applied to her entire body, including her lips. I also told her that she probably embarrassed the poor boy, which she didn't know what embarrassed meant. But after a quick definition, she agreed that he had been embarrassed by what she had done.
And lastly, it has been a real pain trying to figure out how to pick Savannah up from school. We don't live close enough for her to walk without getting totally tired, plus it's a zillion degrees outside. And the drive-through is completely insane. I waited in the car for over 30 minutes to just pick her up from school. So we've come up with the park and pick-up method. I park and drag Melanie and Spencer out of the car, then we walk over to the parent pick-up area. I'm just really glad that the kindergartners get out 5 minutes before everyone else; it's like we get a little head start on the traffic. And another lifesaver has been that we started carpooling with a little girl that is in both her primary and school class. We are taking turns driving for the week, which the week that we have off is absolutely wonderful! But the first time that I was supposed to pick the girls up, I was a little late (I was getting Melanie and Spencer out of the car when the bell rang). But when I got up to the school, Savannah and her friend came running up to me. Savannah said, "I didn't see you, but I wanted to come and look for you, so I just told the lady that I did see you and she let us go." I told Savannah that she wasn't supposed to lie and that it was important that they wait in the school until they knew that I was there, so they could be safe.
But really, whose kid is this anyways? Lying and kissing...doesn't sound like what I did in school. I guess that I have a lot to learn. And I'm sure that we'll have plenty more fun experiences. And just so you don't all feel bad for Savannah, she does really like school and she has a good time too. I do still wish she wasn't gone for so long, but we're trying to get used to it.
What do you do in the Summertime?
Ever get just a little too hot?
For some reason, Spencer really likes to sit in the freezer or the fridge, whichever happens to get opened. Must help him stay cool or something.
For some reason, Spencer really likes to sit in the freezer or the fridge, whichever happens to get opened. Must help him stay cool or something.Monday, September 7, 2009
Workin' Hard
Savannah is majorly growing out of her little toddler bed and we have planned on getting her a twin bed for a while, but somehow we keep putting it off. But a few weeks ago, we inherited 2 twin frames from my parents. 
These poor beds are quite old and have taken a good amount of abuse, but Jon and I have high hopes for them. We are trying to continue our record of not having to purchase any bed/crib that we possess. Jon started sanding that weekend, but we've put off doing any more work on them these last few weeks. 
So Jon dedicated all of today to working on getting Savannah a new bed. That's what Labor Day is for, right? The poor guy sanded almost all day and is finally close to being done with just 1 of the beds. It still needs to be primed and painted, but at least we're much closer to a finished product now. Sorry Melanie, but it may be a while before we get around to sanding the 2nd bed. But the kids also took advantage of Jon being outside. The girls swam in the pool and totally loved it. 
Spencer tried to join in on the fun, but he had more fun just wandering around, trying to help Jon, and climbing on everything. As you can see, he also sat in the mud. I keep forgetting to buy swim diapers, so his poor little suit was totally sagging. But he had a fabulous time! 
Even when he's dirty, he's still so cute!
These poor beds are quite old and have taken a good amount of abuse, but Jon and I have high hopes for them. We are trying to continue our record of not having to purchase any bed/crib that we possess. Jon started sanding that weekend, but we've put off doing any more work on them these last few weeks. So Jon dedicated all of today to working on getting Savannah a new bed. That's what Labor Day is for, right? The poor guy sanded almost all day and is finally close to being done with just 1 of the beds. It still needs to be primed and painted, but at least we're much closer to a finished product now. Sorry Melanie, but it may be a while before we get around to sanding the 2nd bed. But the kids also took advantage of Jon being outside. The girls swam in the pool and totally loved it. Spencer tried to join in on the fun, but he had more fun just wandering around, trying to help Jon, and climbing on everything. As you can see, he also sat in the mud. I keep forgetting to buy swim diapers, so his poor little suit was totally sagging. But he had a fabulous time! Even when he's dirty, he's still so cute!
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