Blogging from the past series: Part 2 - Dec. 2007

DECEMBER 2007

Gingerbread Houses

Our community holds an annual Gingerbread House making contest and then displays all of the houses for people to come and see. We had never been but thought Ava would enjoy seeing the houses. Ava and I invited my mom to come with us. Elise took a nice nap in her stroller and Ava kept her hands off - so that made for a nice time. Ava also picked out her outfit. She insisted on wearing a dress.

I was pretty impressed with some of the gingerbread houses. We might have to try our hand at real gingerbread house making sometime, although I don't know that we'd ever come anywhere close to some of these mini masterpieces.

After viewing the gingerbread houses, we went over to our favorite bakery to visit "Baker Bob" or "Bob the Baker" (you know - Bob the Builder?), and get some yummy fresh bread. The cinnamon chip is totally addicting. I swear I could eat an entire loaf.

Playgroup Gingerbread House Making

For our playgroup, we did a gingerbread theme. I was in charge of planning it and so I ended up doing the Gingerbread Man story using my flannel board. Then, we decorated the houses. I actually made the houses, something I hadn't done before. Two ingredients: graham crackers and melted sugar. Melted sugar is a serious substance to be working with - let me tell you... After a couple batches of burnt sugar and a few scorched fingers, I successfully made 15 or so houses.

A typical observation I'm sure - more candy went in mouths than on houses. Fun was had. After the kids made their houses, we did a gingerbread hunt. When they came back to the room, they had a real gingerbread cookie waiting for them. This was also the first time I made gingerbread cookies. The cookies were great but I learned that the smell of molasses makes me want to vomit a little.

Finding that Special Tree

After several years "enjoying" our artificial tree, we opted to cut down a real tree this year. Chris is from back east and has really missed that fresh pine smell. I actually went online to find out what was "greener", cutting down a real tree or using artificial. I'm really not that "green", but it sounds like cutting down the real tree is better in the long run. You can google it and form your own opinion. It definitely seems to cost you more green - I think we spent like $50 after everything and it wasn't even that tall of a tree. We're taking our time to decide what we'll do next year. The experience of finding and cutting down your own tree is pretty neat and we did enjoy ourselves...so probably worth it.

I saw Ava from far away and it looked like she was squatting in the middle of an empty field. Coming closer I see that she found the tiniest little perch to sit on - a skinny little tree stump. Those are the type of kid things that make smile.

Elise looks so warm and snuggly.

We finally found the tree of the year after looking forever.

Here it is in all of its Christmas glory.

While decorating the tree, I got out our advent calendar for Ava to see. Boy did she have fun opening and closing all of those boxes. Maybe in a few years we'll use it as intended...or not.

Other December Moments:

Binky girls. Ava, Elise & cousin Kate


Elise in her Christmassy dress. She was in one of those stages where you point a camera at her and she's all dimples & grins.

Ava eating snow.
Mommy: Is that good snow?
Ava: Uh-huh
Mommy: What does it taste like?

Ava: peanut butter

Mommy: LOL

CHRISTMAS 2007/Elise's 1st Christmas

We tried to start some Christmas traditions this year that we thought Ava would enjoy. Here's Ava helping to make cookies for Santa. She dictated a letter to leave for Santa too. I know some people don't do Santa and that's their choice - but Chris and I have such fond memories of the Santa experience that we have to continue the tradition. Of course, we also stressed that Christmas is about the birth of the Savior as you'll see if you look at the flannel board in the picture below. Ava loved to hear the nativity story.

Christmas morning. Santa ate the cookies, the presents were placed under the tree. This was the first Christmas at home with Ava being old enough to remember it and understand it more. We had a great morning at home, just the four of us. Later, we met up with the rest of my family and had a nice time - I guess I didn't get any pics of that - although I remember coming home and looking at all of the thoughtful things my children received and truly feeling so blessed that my kids have so many people who love them.

Everyone up and still in their pjs. Present opening time. This was Elise's 1st Christmas and you probably guessed it - she loved all of the boxes, bow, bags and wrappings.

Ava's big present: a Loving Family Dollhouse.

Ava loves her dollhouse, but I have to tell the Barbie story: Whenever we asked Ava what she wanted for Christmas she didn't say dollhouse every time, sometimes, but not every time. What she wanted was a Barbie. For some reason I decided she was too little for a Barbie and told her she wouldn't be getting one. One tradition that we started this year is to have our kids pick out a toy to donate for Toys for Tots. We told Ava that lots of kids don't have very many toys and that there was a little girl her age that we wanted her to pick a toy for. What did she pick? A ballerina Barbie. She looked at it, almost hesitating but then resolved, and dropped it into the donation box...the toy that she wanted so badly.

Sadly, Santa didn't bring her a Barbie, even though she asked for one again in the note she wrote him Christmas Eve.

Later Christmas day, it was Ava's turn to open presents at my parents' house, along with all of the other grandkids. She got some neat things: paint, pjs, more stuff for her dollhouse, even a music box. Then came the best moment. I had no idea, but someone had gone against my wishes and got her a Barbie! I'll never forget her face when she opened the present, saw it was the same ballerina Barbie she had picked out for the other little girl and screamed with excitement, "A BARBIE!" I almost cried. Not because my parents & sister had pulled a fast one, but that this little girl was so happy to get a Barbie of her very own. I quickly forgot my Barbie prejudice and joined in the excitement. For Ava, this was a Christmas miracle. ;)

One other somewhat funny Christmas gift story. When Chris asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said that all I really wanted was a breadmaker and maybe some other kitchen stuff, but for sure a breadmaker. I thought for sure a breadmaker was under the tree. Nope. No boxes for me big enough. I opened my gifts which included some pretty nice diamond earrings. Do you know that I was actually a little disappointed when I got diamonds instead of a breadmaker? Am I actually that practical?? I think I was just expecting to get the breadmaker. I think I hurt Chris' feelings as he was trying to get me something more thoughtful and personal than a breadmaker. I love my earrings and wear them all the time. I also just recently picked up a used breadmaker from my friend Rebecca's garage sale for $3. Case closed.

Elise's favorite present - an apple of her very own from her stocking. This was her first time gnawing into an apple. I took (okay, I ate it off - one of the perks of being a mom ;) the peel off of half of it so she could eat it without the fear of her choking on the peel. Whenever she got close to the peel I'd take it away and turn it or something. She got SOOOO upset anytime I even touched her apple. She cried and cried when the it was finally bye-bye apple time. All good things must come to an end.

And that's the end of our 2007.

Still blogging 2007??

I'm quite backblogged so I'm going back to blog about some pretty old stuff that I want to make sure and keep some sort of record of for my family. A few will enjoy this - many will find it incredibly boring...sorry 'bout that.

NOVEMBER 2007
Ava walks into the computer room all dressed up and with plenty of bags (even a backpack), looks at Mommy and says, "Ok, see you later!"

MOM & DAD'S 35th Anniversary & Surprise Party:
November 18, 2007 - my house

My sister Gina had the idea to have a surprise dinner & party to celebrate our parents' 35th anniversary. While waiting for the guests of honor, the cousins kept busy and entertained by dressing up in costumes I picked up real cheap after Halloween. We weren't able to truly surprise my parents because my mom had signed up to feed the missionaries that night so we had to spill the beans. We still turned the lights out and jumped out and said "SURPRISE" to them. They acted surprised for the grandkids at least.

My parents sharing a laugh - it's been so long I can't remember what was so funny. It was kind of cute - we even made them feed each other cake like they did 35 years ago. Ok, so as my sister pointed out in the comments section - it was actually my parents' 35th anniversary. I had said 33 because that is what the cake had on it. However, if you look closely you'll notice two little candles by the 33. I guess we just didn't have a 5 that day.

THANKSGIVING 2007

Since all of my siblings live relatively close by, we have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner where we all get together every year. The numbers are growing...with marriages and new nieces and nephews - so there is always some sort of excitement when we get together. This year we had 3 Thanksgiving tables. Here's the kitchen table crew.

Liz always enjoys a nice visit at the kiddie table - making sure everyone eats their veggies. ;)


The other adult Thanksgiving table. As usual, the food was yummy. Everyone always especially enjoys my mom's cranberry salad. New guests joining us this year: Heidi's new hubby, Luke (first adult table), and Gaia's mom, Debbie.

Here's Elise enjoy her first real, not strained, Thanksgiving sweet potatoes at 8 months old. Looking closely at the high chair Elise is sitting in, you'll notice that it's either a modern replica of a vintage high chair or it is in fact, eh-hem a "vintage" high chair. This is actually the same high chair used with all 7 or us kids in the 70s and 80s. I can't believe my mom held onto it that long, but hey - it has obviously come in handy.

Next Update: December 2007

How often do you go back?

How often to you look back at old blog posts? Next week, I'll have been blogging for 2 years! Every so often, I'll look back at my blog exactly a year ago or longer, to reflect: to see how life was different then, and to see how much my kids have grown, etc.

Whenever I do look back, I can't stop. I have to keep looking at more. I think it's the disbelief that that was only one year ago. I also find myself smiling, laughing or sometimes even crying.

For instance, a year ago - here's what we were up to. MAY 2007 2 years ago, this was us: MAY 2006 Can you believe it?

If you haven't gone back in a while...I highly recommend it.

Ode to Motherhood

I have to take a minute before another Mother's Day has passed to express my feelings about motherhood. There are so many things to express. I think I'll do a Motherhood's Top Ten List to try to keep it to the point.

Here goes -- TOP TEN THINGS ABOUT BEING A MOTHER

10. When my little girls get a bump, a scratch or an ouchie, they look to me to comfort them and make it better.

9. "I snuggle you"...words often muttered by my sweet little Ava. Elise is starting to enjoy snuggling as well. Many days we'll all snuggle up and watch a favorite cartoon.

8. Seeing my children imitate the nice things that I do or the good things I teach them - like Ava hugging Elise and expressing great concern when she's upset. or Ava even getting a book and going and reading it to Elise, without any prompting from me. Or Elise hugging and patting the little girl at church over and over again. It melts my heart to see them expressing love and thinking that maybe my showing them love has something to do with it.

7. When Ava tells me, "Mommy, I love you." or when she looks at me and says, "You're a good Mommy." all out of the blue.

6. The lessons I've learned and the strength I've gained from all of the struggles of being a mom, especially when kids are whiny, fussy or sick. I've learned to rely on prayers. I NEED to pray, I NEED my Heavenly Father's help and guidance every single day.

5. I've learned to appreciate the value of life and the value really of every day. I've learned to not take for granted the good health of my children or the fragile nature of life. I recently went to a funeral for a newborn (of Chris' coworker) that never had a chance in this world, who the doctors knew would never survive outside the womb. I'm so thankful to know that there is life beyond this life and that this child can be with her family again.

4. Seeing the world through 1 year old or a 3 year old glasses: I love the excitement about life that my little girls show. Elise giggles and dances, says "Hi" when she sees you, runs to the door when Daddy gets home... Then, Ava, who is such a compassionate soul, gets so excited about playing outside, visiting the neighbor animals, and picking blossoms and wildflowers. I get to enjoy all of the little joys of childhood all over again.

3. Watching them sleep - There's absolutely nothing in the world sweeter than looking at my precious little girls asleep, all snuggled up, feeling safe, comfortable and carefree. (Not to mention that it's a nice break for mommy).

2. Staying home. I'm so thankful that I get to stay home with my kids. I feel for the moms who have to work for whatever reason and may not be happy about it. I feel at peace knowing that I'm always with my kids, I know they are being loved and cared for by the person in the world that knows them the best and loves them the most. I wouldn't trade it. (Of course, Daddy loves them tons too!)

1. All the little things. There are so many little things that bring meaning to my life EVERY day as a mom. I'm important, I'm needed, my attention is desired. But more than that- I give, I cherish, I teach, I listen, I laugh, I learn, I grow, I help, I love.

Sappy as it may be, it's important for me to document how special it is to be a mother on this Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to the rest of you!

Asparagus Picking

Today we went to a local asparagus farm and picked our own fresh asparagus. We had never been before so we didn't quite know what to expect. We had a blast! The kids had an especially great time. We rode the tractor to the fields and were a bit surprised at how the asparagus was growing...amidst lots of other weeds and vegetation. (These pics are from google images-our camera batteries were dead even though they were freshly charged - time for new rechargeables I guess). One of the owners showed us the ropes, instructing us to break off only the top 8 inches of the spears, that the larger width ones are more tender when talking about fresh, etc. He even had us try a fresh spear right there in the field.

Ava and Elise loved walking around in the field, picking a few of their own spears (or chompers as we started to call them) and chomp, chomp, chomping away. It was great to see them really enjoying eating the fresh, raw, asparagus. Elise had one in each hand for most of the time and cried when she ran out. I'm anticipating some "special" diapers. We also brought an extra pair of shoes for each of us due to the wet fields. Elise got especially muddy - falling over a few times and once getting a face full of wet dirt. She was happy as soon as I gave her some new asparagus to eat.

The rows of asparagus at the field we went to weren't so well defined. It was like a field of weeds with asparagus interspersed throughout. Very natural I guess. Anyway, it was a fun family outing and one we'll be sure to do again next year.

So what do you like to do with asparagus?

Afternoon Date

Chris and I had a fun date this afternoon attending the local Spring Homes Tour. It's basically a ton of newly constructed homes that are open to the public for viewing. We went to several houses, all varying prices. We saw 2 million dollar homes, one was still being constructed and the other was finished and amazing. It had 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 6 living areas, 5 fireplaces, an outdoor media/bbq entertainment area, a huge master suite and bathroom - (seriously, the bathroom is bigger than my whole living room - and I think my living room is big), and beautiful landscaping. More than once I wondered, how in the world can people fill up these huge spaces? Who needs that much room?

We both enjoy looking at houses, making our wish lists, and dreaming about our next house(s). All in all we had a great, fun, free date. (Thank you Kelly for babysitting!)

Tornadoes and stuff

It's that time of year again!

I woke up last night shortly after 1am, hearing another round of thunderstorms outside our windows. I decided I better get up and check things out. Right as I opened our bedroom door, Chris was on the other side, and said, "I was trying to decide whether or not to wake you up." Of course fear kicked in a bit at that.

I've always lived in the Midwest and have developed a pretty decent fear of tornadoes. I don't think I'm extreme about it, but they do bother me and I do get "scared" sometimes. My knowledge of tornadoes does help me to know that the likelihood is very small of a tornado actually hitting our house, and that really, the wind and debris, and not the tornado, are the main concern. It doesn't help though that Chris thinks it's kind of funny and teases me about it.

When I was a kid, I remember falling asleep one afternoon after school and then being awakened by a family member saying, "Lori, wake up, there's a tornado warning!" I come to, and hear the sirens blaring, everything is dark and the rest of my family is in the basement. There has been at least one more experience like this since I've been married. It freaks you out a bit, especially when you have children and animals you're responsible for. We also don't have a basement so there's always this moment where we have to make a decision - stay or go?

Then, there's the dreams. I've had many, many, many dreams about tornadoes. Most of them consist of me looking out and seeing a tornado coming and then running -running through buildings, trying to find somewhere safe to hide, running outside as far away from the tornado as possible...

I'm happy to say we're fine. I'm thankful for advance weather reporting - although what happens when the power goes out? I'm also thankful for prayers of peace and safety. Hopefully we'll all make it safely through another tornado season living in the Midwest. ;)

The Sleeping Conundrum

If you've read my blog or talked with me over the past few months, then you know the saga that has been playing out at our house. In case you missed it or can't remember, here's the rundown.

• Elise (now 13 months) has been sleeping in my bed since birth.
• I was still wrapping her up (yes, like a burrito), and singing her to sleep
• Shoot-self-in-foot ----yes I know.
• In the past couple of weeks, it's been harder and harder to get Elise to sleep and I'm the ONLY one that can put her to sleep. (Love my kid, but after over a year - I'm so done with it!)
• Why in the world was she still in my bed?
• Ava still sleeps in her crib.
• Ava can climb INTO her crib but has never climbed out of it (until today actually) and has been doing great in her crib so why change anything?
• We didn't want to buy another crib and didn't have a lot of luck borrowing one without having to buy extra stuff for it.
• We bought a "toddler" bed for Ava at IKEA. Didn't want to switch her yet because we were afraid of the transition, thinking she'd have a hard time staying in bed.
• Love IKEA, but beware, their "kid" or what we thought was a "toddler" bed, is a NON-STANDARD size. We bought the bed (without the mattress) last July in MN, thinking we could just use her crib mattress.
• Nope. Crib mattress too short (most if not all toddler beds just use a crib-sized mattress), must buy longer mattress only sold at IKEA. The nearest IKEA is at least 8 hours away. We swear there were no signs or notes on any packaging or even on the website stating it needed a non-standard sized mattress.
• ARGH!!!!!!!
• SKIP: (all the ideas and shopping trips and possible solutions and hair pulling)
• Solution: (for now) - Ava, tonight, is sleeping on our old queen mattress we've been storing for the day we have a true guest room. We put it right on the floor where her crib used to be and it takes up a lot of her room.
• She went right to sleep and is still sleeping.
• We're planning to go to Dallas in late June where there is an IKEA. So, we're waiting until then to pick up the mattress and special sheets for Ava's IKEA bed. (It'll work out okay in the long to have the non-standard but longer IKEA mattress, since Ava is a tall girl)
• Put Ava's old crib in my bedroom for Elise to sleep in.
• If you know Elise, you know she is a super-duper wiggly kid who lets her wishes known and wants mommy when she wants mommy (she's also very sweet and lots of other good things)
• I was deathly afraid and almost positive she'd be one to have to cry, cry, cry it out. All my fault of course because I never let her learn to fall asleep on her own.
• Nope.
• Guess what?
• She's asleep! I did my best to keep her feeling safe and loved, but left the room a few times. She cried some but not nearly what I thought...only a minute or less at a time.
• So, both kids are sleeping soundly.
• Crossing my fingers (okay, praying like the dickens) for the same good luck tomorrow and the next day and the next...

Sorry to bore with all of the minute details - but this has been such a huge issue in mine and Chris' life for many months now - when to make the switch, where are they going to sleep, what if this? What if that?....kind of mental, I know....making such a big deal about it.

Life can go on now. Our big goal is to put both girls in the same room, Ava sleeping in her "non-standard toddler" bed and Elise in her crib. Then, oh then, I will have my room back.

Spring is Here...??

It seems we've had a really late spring this year. Ava loves to go and smell her flowers just about anytime we go anywhere. So before church a couple of Sundays ago, I grabbed the camera to take a few quick shots.

Ava also loves to pick flowers. More than once she came to my side holding some very short stemmed daffodils.

My favorite flower - tulips.

Elise and I at the pond. (This really goes with the next group of photos but I can't figure out how to post more than 4 pictures using Picasa? Help, anyone?)

At the Pond

One nice evening, we headed out to a nearby pond in hopes to find some ducks to feed. Instead we found a lone goose. We started feeding the goose some bread (ok, so now I know you're probably not supposed to feed geese or ducks bread), and out of nowhere came another goose. We later learned, from a frequent visitor, that a pair of geese live there and they have several goslings too, that he thought the mama had probably left in the nest for a bit while she came down to eat. She sure acted hungry.

Don't Run Away Yet!

Okay, so I hope I haven't scared everyone away from checking our blog. It was good to get an idea of who was looking - mainly just to make sure that we didn't have any weird activity or anything.

Blogging is such a great tool for connecting to family and friends. I enjoy being able to post various things that we're up to. It's also great to read what many of you are doing and know that I'm within the spectrum of "normal", granted it's a broad spectrum. It's also a great tool for our family to keep a record for the future. I've already enjoyed looking back say a year ago and seeing how much my kids have grown (or how much messier our house gets now), etc.

So, keep reading, keep posting, keep blogging!

Got me thinking

This blog post by a friend has got me thinking. Actually, I've been thinking about some of these issues for a while now. How safe is blogging, really? What do you think? How cautious should you be with names, locations, pictures, your opinions, etc.?

The tracker on the right won't be there forever, just a wee bit longer. I'd like to get an idea of who is accessing my blog. Hopefully all friends and no foes.

I'm tempted to even take a roll call and ask everything who checks this blog to leave a comment, just this once, so I know who you are. Roll call anyone?

Sleep Issues

More than once over the last few weeks, we've found our little Ava passed out in various soft places: her Dora couch, the leather recliner, her carseat, the couch... Mind you this is late afternoon or around dinner time.

Our dirty secret: my 2 1/2 year old (3 in June) still L-O-V-E-S her binky.

24-HR JAYHAWK WHIRLWIND!

2008 National Champions!
I know some of you may be sick of all of the Jayhawk talk - but we have to add our own story of this great whirlwind of a time.
We're so excited that our KANSAS JAYHAWKS won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Chris and I are both KU Grads and have been waiting for this moment, especially Chris.
All day Monday, we were on pins and needles, awaiting the championship game against Memphis. Chris hardly ate all day long.

The game was awesome - a nail biter for sure. We definitely thought we had given the game away when we were down by 9 with 2 minutes to go. Needless to say, we were thrilled when we won. We let Ava get up and watch the end of the game.

Chris was the most excited, running out into the street yelling at the top of his lungs in celebration for his team. We've had so many great seasons with disappointing post-seasons. FINALLY - this one is ours!

Celebrating after the big win

We had to go out and celebrate - so we woke Elise up, bundled both our kids, and headed out. We drove to campus, Chris waving our Jayhawk flag out the window. Chris got lots of people honking and hollering when we drove by waving our flag - lots of people wanted to give him high-fives too - kind of funny - but hey - everyone was just so excited. Chris got out and walked down MASS St. for some extra celebrating while I drove around with the kids. We're so glad we got to experience the Hawks winning while we're still so close.
On Tuesday, we headed to Memorial Stadium to celebrate the team's return to town. Here we are doing the Park and Ride to the Stadium (which proved to be a great idea on the way there - but took a long time to get back after the celebration - oh well - we stayed positive).
At the stadium. We made sure to bring our earplugs and candy and marshmallows to keep the kids happy while we waited. Elise cried and cried when everyone cheered - but eventually fell asleep on my chest.
It's estimated that over 25,000 fans welcomed the Jayhawks home.
Walking into the stadium, a reporter spotted Chris & Ava and asked to interview Chris. So, if you caught the 4 o'clock Channel 5 news, you saw them on TV!!! My brother recorded it - so we look forward to watching it.

Another awesome thing was that we saw one of our all-time favorite players, Wayne Simeon, First-Team All American. Although he wasn't part of this championship team, we enjoyed watching him during his years at KU. Ava had a fun playing around with the flag and our friends, the Arnolds, while waiting for the "Jayhawk bus".

What an exciting 24 hours! We're slowing coming down off our high - but have made some great memories to cherish for a lifetime!

Elise is 1 Today!

Happy First Birthday, Elise!

(In other news: my sis, Heidi is working on my blog layout for me - thanks, Heidi)

Inspiration

My new picture, pillows and fabrics. I'm hoping to get real creative very soon.

What Chris made for dinner last night. Yumm.

Like Molasses

Things around her are moving like molasses and it's driving my C-R-A-Z-Y! You know that feeling you get when you really want something done but it seems like you're the only one who cares or that for whatever reasons you can't have your way??? I really like getting my way - so it's hard when I don't.

This would probably be a great time for me to look around and count my blessings - and yes, I am thankful for the many blessings in my life...however, I've been needing oodles of patience lately and just want to vent - for a second.

Things moving like molasses in my life:

1. TILE. I still isn't done. It's soooo close but the guy doing it own a roofing company and is just plain overscheduled and stretched too thin. NO money for him until it's done. His wife is a member of the church - otherwise we might be handling this a bit differently.

2. Computer. Chris did finally put in my new computer but not all of my programs have been loaded so it's not quite how ready for regular use. I'd really like to get all of my pics organized and printed off so I can scrapbook. I'd also like to get our blog caught up as well so that can act as documentation as well.

3. Organizing. We did great several weekends ago with cleaning out closets and going through lots of stuff - but everything kind of got put on hold when we started the tiling process.

4. Decorating. I've been super anxious to add some color to my living room and have spent way too much time looking at and purchasing fabric and patterns and then mulling over my ideas and options. I've yet to produce anything. I've also been waiting almost 3 years to paint our master bedroom and bathroom. I'd LOVE to get that done this spring.

5. Other Projects. We have lots of projects planned outdoors and indoors, each of which just takes time, energy, planning and money - oh, and not to mention help some sort of child supervision.

6. Children at their various stages. We haven't really tried this whole potty-training thing yet. I'm kind of waiting for her to just tell me she wants to go on the potty and then have success at doing just that. We also haven't transistioned Ava into a toddler bed yet. We have one - but she's still doing great in her crib. She climbs in sometimes but doesn't climb out. (She tried that once and fell). Elise is still sleeping in my bed. We're ready to put her in a crib but since Ava is still using hers, we're kind of at a stand-still. I have located a crib to borrow so that I can start teaching Elise to go to sleep on her own.

I'm sure all of these things bugging me are a lesson in patience - and some lessons on motivation, prioritizing, and hard work too. For now - I just want to see some progress. Please send me vibes of productivity, energy --- and patience never hurts either. ;)

My Best Friends

I've been thinking a lot lately about friends - the ones you keep, the ones you let go, and the ones you hold close. I've realized this before, but am reminded that my family is where my best friends are. I'm especially blessed to be so close to each of my sisters. (My sis-in-laws are pretty great too). We're lucky to all live so close right now - so whenever I'm bored or looking for someone to do something with, I can always call on one of my sisters (or my mom also - I call her often too).

Just in this past week or so, I hung out with my sister Heidi at least twice; one time was a shopping trip to KC, where we totally scored (pics to come), another time was a scrapbook session (mostly for Heidi). Also in that week, my sister Kelly came over and totally saved the day by cheering up my somewhat whiny toddler. I also got to have a few good phone conversations with my oldest sister, Gina. To top it all off, we all got together tonight at Liz's house (Chris' sister - green shirt), to celebrate Gina and Liz's birthdays.

A few nice words about each of them:

My Sisters:
Gina (the oldest - red shirt):
Gina is the most generous person you'll ever meet, she's always thinking about other people and continually does nice things for them. If she finds a great deal on something, she'll immediately think of who could use it, (usually a niece or nephew) and picks it up. She's also great for giving advice when dealing with other people - people or relationship type advice. The thing that I'll always remember though - is how she scheduled her vacation around the birth of Elise so that she could come down almost every day to help me. She did laundry, she cooked, she cleaned and she even entertained Ava so that I could nap when Elise napped. I don't know what I would've done without her help those first weeks. So thank you, Gina! (Gina and I also have fun doing crafts together - she's very creative and can make things just from thinking about it in her head - like puppet theater for all of the nieces and nephews) Thanks for also forgiving me for stealing your clothes when we were younger. :p

Kelly (#5 of 7 kids, I'm #4 - the one with the kissing face):
Kelly is a kind, gentle and loving soul. Animals and children LOVE her - I mean L-O-V-E her! My dogs wish she'd take them with her and my girls, especially Ava, adore her. She's creative, smart, and understanding. I always feel comfortable telling her whatever is on my mind because I know she won't judge me. Kelly has helped me sooo much with my children. She's babysat at the last minute when I had to work and my sitter's kids were sick, she's brought me medicine when I've been sick - and has even dropped by just to visit when I, or my girls, just needed some company. Thanks Kelly for always being there for me! (she's also a very talented singer) Thanks also for forgiving me for bossing you around when we were younger. I meant well - look, I became a teacher so I had to make you do all of those worksheets when we played school - it was my training. :0)

Heidi (#6 of 7 kids - in the pink striped shirt):
What I notice the most about Heidi is how obedient to the gospel she is. She always shares her testimony and heartfelt feelings on her blog and sets a great spiritual example for the rest of us. Heidi and I also enjoy many of the same projects and really enjoy scrapbooking together when we get the chance (I got her hooked). She's also been willing to just come over and hang out or help out when I've needed it. I remember when she had a short break between EFY sessions one summer but filled in for me in a crunch and babysat Ava was she was a baby so I could go to the doctor. Thanks Heidi for being a good example and for being a good scrapbook buddy. (Heidi sings very well too) Thanks for also forgiving me for bossing you around and making up stories about aliens - or doing other things to trick you or get you to do what I wanted...like doing things for a hundredth of a dollar, etc. ;)

I don't want to leave my sister-in-laws out either so a quick word about them:

Liz: (Chris' younger sister- green shirt)
Liz is one of those people who always wants to do good. I've told her before that I didn't think she had a mean bone in her body - and (other than dealing with naughty dogs ;) I don't think she does. What's awesome about Liz is that family is very important to her and she would do anything for them. She's kind and long-suffering, and has been very patient with me as a sister-in-law. She's also always been willing to help us out whenever we've needed it. I remember being very pregnant with Ava and she came over to help clean my house. She vacuumed all of the edges of the carpet and in the hard to reach corners of the ceilings and even went out of her way to bring me Taco Bell because that was what I had been craving the past few days. Thanks for always being there to help out, Liz!

Vanessa: (my brother, Craig's wife - blue shirt)
Vanessa is one of those very thoughtful people who always tries to be understanding of people's feelings. She's the one who remembers to send a thank you note to express her gratitude for what you did. Vanessa also does a great job as a mother. She has a 2 year old boy and a little girl on the way. She takes care to make sure that she's doing everything she can to keep Ryan safe, happy & healthy. She's also a hard-worker. She's always one of the few in the kitchen preparing or cleaning up after a family meal. Vanessa is also creative and has a great sense of style. One of my favorite things about Vanessa is that I can almost always count on her to laugh at my jokes, as corny as they might be. So Thank you, Vanessa!

Gaia: (my brother, Kevin's wife - one with the eyes closed)
Gaia is also a very talented girl. She is a great musician, with violin being her main instrument. I admire how Gaia can do as much as she does, being a mom, teaching violin lessons, serving in the church, and cooking her family a healthy meal every night. One thing I've noticed about Gaia is that she always tries to be helpful. With both of us having small children and living blocks from one another, we've been able to trade babysitting and also get together for playdates or to go to playgroups together, etc. Gaia has always been willing to sit in the back with the kids, especially when there are little ones - where she'll entertain them with songs, pass them snacks, and even help put in or take out car seats. So, props to you too, Gaia!

(My mom is also pictured above - gray shirt- but I think I will save writing about her for a special day like Mother's Day. )

I feel so fortunate to be able to say that my sisters are my best friends - and it's awesome that for now - we all live within 40 minutes of each other. One nice thing too is that for now, none of my immediate sisters have kids - so that means (no, I'm not going to say free babysitting - although that does come in handy sometimes) they really dote on their nieces and nephews and are more able to come over on a whim and hang out, even after my kids have gone to bed.

So I'll end this post with a special "Shout Out" to all my sisters. Yay for each of you.

Love, Lori

Something to look at

Ava had a blast sweeping the leaves on the patio. She especially enjoyed getting super dirty while picking up the leaves and covering the mud next to the patio.

I love blogger for sharing pics with family and friends. Since there has a been a picture draught lately, I thought I'd share some pics of the girls from our trip to Oklahoma this February. Unfortunately, for some of the pics, I was using my grandma's camera and must've had it on a weird setting because they are grainy or unfocused I guess. I really wish I knew what I was doing. I still like them because they capture the personality of my girls so well. (My grandma took the above pic and the close-up of Elise - not bad, eh?)

This is Ava's morning personality. She's actually quite "delightful", to borrow the word my grandma used to describe her. She really warmed up to her Great Grandma Patty this time, sitting on her lap, snuggling her, talking to her tons. On the first morning we were there (we drove in late the night before and visited for a short while before heading to bed), Ava saw Grandma Patty when she came out of her bedroom and said, with such a happy tone, "Grandma Patty, YOU'RE AWAKE! Did you have a nice nap?!"

Daddy and the Leeser - and the doggies - btw, they barely moved from their spots above the couch the entire time we were visiting.

Bathtime Elise

Post-bathtime Elise

We make at least a couple trips, usually 2 or 3, a year to visit my Grandma Patty, my Dad's mother, who lives in OKC. However, I talk to my grandma at least every other week or so it seems. She such a great person to talk to because she's non-judgemental, understanding of my shortfalls, always interested in my life, very knowlegeable and spiritual and SO POSITIVE. I've definitely learned a lot from our "talks" and refer to her as my therapist or spiritual guru sometimes. Have a problem? Call Grandma Patty. ;)

Elise close-up

Since Ava practically refuses to look at the camera for more than a split-second, I opted to take more candid photos - or at least take what I could get.

Here's Ava after a bath, I swear I saw her eyes close a few times. By the way, I LOVE the flannel quilt on this bed. I miss it every time I leave my grandma's now and HAVE to make a flannel quilt just for me....sooooo soft.

I'm anxiously awaiting a group of mega-posts. I do have a new computer but Chris is still "tweaking" it. My nagging him to finish it hasn't seemed to work - so I'm crossing my finger that he'll have time to do it very soon so I can really burn up some harddrive space.

Settle This

Is it every really possible, with 2 small children that is, to completely finish cleaning your house? It seems like no matter how much we try, we never get it ALL done.

By the way, does anyone want to adopt 2 chihuahuas? Chris is about ready to take the dogs to the pound after numerous accidents in the process of getting our tiling done (They're used to having piddle pads out and can't seem to accept that there is no longer one in the master bath - so they find another spot - even after letting them outside a gazillion times!!!...and Maya's puking incidents. Let's just say Chris is a pro at steam cleaning. (BTW-tiling still not done - patience, patience, patience.)

On a side note, I gave my "snow day" talk today and not long after I started, a little girl had run up to the stand, then ran around all of the seats up on the podium, then around the chapel. Someone helped hold the baby - so Chris could chase after her, and chase after her and then do it some more. I drifted between ignoring and not noticing it, to jokingly telling the congregation to ignore the little girl behind me, etc. What do you do in those situations?

new appreciation

Wow. I'm tired but thought I'd add a quick update. I have a totally new appreciation for tile floors. It's taking much longer than I had thought. For some reason, in my mind, I just imagined new tile floors to appear like magic. Not the case. We've run into a couple of snags, like my master bathroom not being level, a couple of chipped tiles to replace, and the guy doing the work's wife is having their 5th child tomorrow. It's also taking longer because we're having it put in on the diagonal as opposed to straight set. This means more cuts and more tricky layouts. I'm learning about patience. I seem to always be learning about patience. When it's all said and done, we'll have beautiful tile floors in our kitchen and 2 bathrooms. The kitchen is pratically done and so is the guest bath. It will all be finished soon...

In other news, Elise has been trying to walk. She's been taking a few steps here and there and is very excited to stand alone for a few seconds. Tonight, she took her first string of steps towards me. Yay, Elise! She also really likes to dance when she hears just about any music - so that is cute.

So, I think a yay list in order. I'll shoot for five things.

1. Yay for my kitchen and laundry appliances being put back and my kitchen being completely usable again.
2. Yay for Elise walking
3. Yay for Chris being willing to hand wash all of our dishes for a few days
4. Yay for Heidi & Luke letting us come over and hang out tonight so our tile could get worked on (Also, yay for my mom, dad, Kevin and Gaia for doing the same at one point or another during this process)
5. Yay for Ava loving to go to church. She was soooo disappointed when we ended up not going today because we had to get the house ready for more tile work and sealing so that the guy could get our kitchen back to us before he took a few days off for his new baby. We bribed her with a trip the park and were thankful that she was okay running around while it sprinkled.