Teacher Christmas gifts

miss allyson, mrs. stokes and miss abby

Thanks to a link from my friend Tasha Donovan I made these little shadow box frames for the kids teachers. I must admit they were a little harder than I imagined, as I struggled with cutting and piecing together the sizes correctly, but they turned out cute. 

The kids had fun picking the colors they wanted to use, Luke especially chose carefully.

Thanks Tasha for the website linking such great ideas. And the beauty was it cost me $25 total for all 3 teachers, I got the frames for 50% off!

You like?

I got it

im not kidding you when i say i may be worse than rachel.

I had this one other time in my life. It was 4 days after Dave and I got married and just 3 days before our Honeymoon to Spain. It was terrible. It had spread to the other eye the morning we left for Spain. I remember being miserable on that plane ride. It was hours of traveling in the pressurized cabin. As if being scrunched up in those wonderfully comfortable seats, which should be illegal on trans-atlantic flights, wasn't torture enough. Which leads me to a thought. You know that proposition in CA about dairy cows and hens? That they wanted to make it illegal for farms to not have enough room in the animals cages to turn around? Well, shouldn't we pass something similar for humans?  Those airplane seats have little room to even cross one's legs.

Anyways. It was a very long flight, followed by a 3 hour train ride to the south of Spain (after we waited at the depot for 2) and then a 20 min. taxi ride to our condo. I will never forget how horribly my eyes hurt.

Well, here we are in round 2. Pink eye. Hate it. Can't handle those drops, cant deal with my eye constantly feeling irritated. Thanks Ella, who by the way delt with it 100 times better than I have been. When Dave was putting the drops in my eyes she said,"Mommy, just be a big girl and not a little baby."

Luke's Primary program

This is the day I have waited for since before Luke was even born. I know that sounds dramatic and over-exaggerated but its simply the fact. I always knew that I was going to be a Mom one day. As I watched the programs I would envision my future children up on the stand. And after I actually became a Mom I would envision my little Luke singing with all of his might. Maybe even acting a little lost or silly. That would be fun too.

Well today was that day. The first of many years in which I had a child performing in the program. Singing with all of his might, aside from some waiving happily at his sister and a short bout with the booger he has on his finger. But after Dave ran him up a kleenex and when the waiving subsided all I saw was Luke. Shining. He loved being a part of something so big and he loved to watch us beaming with pride.

At one point they were singing "Called to Serve" and I couldn't help but to get a few tears as I looked 14 years into the future.... Luke entering the MTC. Singing that same song. Maybe a little less youthfully and certainly with a deeper voice. But I would be there. Watching him and looking back on this day.

So today was a great day. No one could ever take away this precious, long-awaited memory. And I cant wait to see his siblings join him in the future.

liv's turn in the spotlight

Liv wanted a chance to shine too... though she would not perform due to an inability to take her eyes off of herself. So yes, this is an uneventful one.

... and Ella the singer

we did a video of Luke; Ella wasn't about to let him be the only one in the spotlight. Without further adu this is Ella singing, she had a little bit of a hard time concentrating while watching herself.

Lukie the reader

He has been doing a really good job at sounding out words, he's getting faster and faster. 

I can already tell this Boy is going to be a reader, just like his Dad.

CA Vacation part 4... The Beach!!!

I love how much my kids enjoy the beach. Its a part of my make up. I spent hours here growing up. I have more memories than can be counted. 

My first pier swim around  the old pier in HB, then it got knocked down by a major storm. The next year we swam a buoy and watched as they constructed the new pier. I was excited to be among the first to swim around that beautiful landmark. I remember how afraid I was to do it, that maybe some fisherman may hook me with his line. Or that Jaws was just waiting for my paddling arms. But it was exhilarating and when I was done I felt amazingly brave and accomplished. 

These are among the things that I think of on every beach trip. And now, here I am with kids of my own. Making more memories.