It's a Winter Wonderland!

And it just keeps getting better!

(Now I realize that a lot of the times with pictures, less is more...but I can't help but have a picture overload! And if someone wants to give me a lesson in photoshop of how to do my own collages, you are more than welcome to!)

Today has been such a fun-filled day and it is only 1pm! We started off the morning with a dusting of snow of course. We then headed to the library for the special Christmas story time, where the children were read to, given reindeer hats, then sugar cookies to decorate. We had a blast and the whole room seemed cheery because of the snow that hadn't stopped yet.


We then left the library to come back home and this is what we walked outside to!! It was still coming down and the snowflakes were so big.


We came home from the library and none of us could resist playing in it. so we bundled ourselves up in our warmest, non-waterproof attire and played for about an hour. Gracey made her first snow angel while Emily was more interested in sweeping the porch with "sweeping SAM"! "Sweeping Sam" is currently standing in as our snow brush since we don't own one of our own! :) He was a good helper this morning.


Corky came home just then and helped Emily, who was getting pretty cold, go inside and warm up. He then snapped some pictures of mine and Gracey's snowman! Do you know how long it has been since I made a snowman???? A LONG time!


Our neighbors must have been watching from across the street because as we were finishing our snowman, she brought over a handmade scarf for him to wear! Gracey was happy that our snowman could stay warm with it!

And what would make a morning of playing in the snow complete?? Some hot chocolate of course! So that's what we did!


Can you tell I am excited. I told Corky that this snowfall pretty much made my Christmas! He said he wasn't surprised.

There will plenty more pictures today. I am currently drying our wet coats and gloves while the girls nap. When they wake up, it is off for some sledding!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

I wish I would have had a camera out when Gracey looked out the window this morning, but I was way too tired to think about it. I perked right up though when she got the giggles as hard as she did and kept saying “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

It isn’t much, but it’s a little bit of the white stuff that we have been hoping for. If it were a little bit later and a little bit lighter outside, we would be out making miniature snowballs and doing out best to make whatever bits of a snowman we could.

Let’s just hope it lasts just a tiny while so that we can make use of our plastic sleds that we have only used once. And let's hope that fellow Kingmanites can be safe.




I let them snack on some Chex cereal as they watched the snow fall.

Bad Santa

I saw a slide show of photos online today that had me laughing out loud. It was all with kids that are deathly afraid of the jolly old man. It was hilarious. I wish I could find it again but it has escaped the MSN homepage, therefore it might be lost forever.

It made me think of those times in my 4 short years of motherhood, that I have forced my kids on Santa's lap. Most recently being only a week ago.

Here is Gracey, Christmas of 2005. We told Santa that we would take the picture really fast, we (I) just wanted a picture. He didn't seem to think it was as funny as me.

Then we come to this year. We have seen Santa twice this year. First being at our ward Christmas party where I once again forced a screaming child onto his lap.

Santa had payback, giving out BLUE candy canes. Awesome!




Second, a surprise appearance at a playgroup where Emily heard the bells and took off in the opposite direction. She eventually warmed up as long as I was with her.


Gracey of course was an angel because she REALLY wants a Barbie Scooter. Seeing Santa twice, I am pretty sure increased her luck of getting just that.

And speaking of Gracey, we were in the car today and listening to "Here Comes Santa Claus" She sings, Here comes Santa Clause, Here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane. He's not a bad guy he's filled with toys, for boys and girls the same!

It's so close, I can smell it.

Literally, I can smell the chill in the air and I am hopeful that we will get a few snowflakes. I will be honest; I will be more than a little disappointed if we don't. However, I won't be surprised. I am not looking for a whole winter of snow. I am sure that would get old. Just a day, even a couple of hours would be fun and "Christmassy!"

It is freezing here!! But it is also windy as usual. Not breezy, windy! Today, I am afraid the wind is going to just blow all those itty bitty snowflakes away that want to grace this usually dull, deserty town. This makes me a little sad and totally jealous. Jealous that St. George, Las Vegas, AND Ft. Irwin are all getting snow today! FORT IRWIN people, the place that sees about .1 inch of moisture a year. (That is definitely an exaggeration...but not by much)

I sound grumpy but I am not. Just a little sarcastic is all, and definitely tired.

I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night due to quite a few primary things I need to have done by this coming week. Corky says I don't handle stress very well...I say that he is right. I don't think I am a psycho, head-case when I am under pressure, but I am pretty sure I am not very pleasant. With this calling I realize that I am not as laid back as I thought I was. I am trying hard not to micro-manage and I am trying hard to delegate a little more, but I admit that it is hard. I am sure it is annoying to everyone around me.

Anyway, I was up and out of bed at 3:45 this morning working on some computer things. Corky said I should be sleeping. I say it is the perfect time to get things done because I don't have to do it with a child on my lap or being babysat by the television. I then don't feel guilty or be afraid that perhaps my child thinks I would rather be on the computer than playing with her. But I realize that sleep is important too.

Back to the snow...I have been watching the window since I started this "stream of consciousness" post. Still no sign of the white stuff. That's okay. It’s too cold outside to just play so I think my girls and I will make some of these cookies. They looked really good and blackberries were on sale for $1 this morning at Safeway. Also, I don't have to worry about getting them done in time to start dinner because I don't have to cook dinner tonight. I had to cook a casserole for a funeral this morning so Corky suggested I double it and just pop it in the oven for dinner. He's a smart guy. No wonder I said yes when he proposed to me 6 years ago TODAY! I just now realized what the date was.

And if someone talks to the weatherman, let him know that Gracey really, really wants to make tiny snowballs! Send a little snow our way.

Easy Peasy

The other day, the girls did a really fun craft (and the clean up wasn't horrible which is usually what keeps us from doing crafts around our house....just be sure to wipe the paint off the table before it's dry!) I just got a 2 paper plates, cut out the center, and let the girls go at it with green paint. Then we finished it off with red berries and a ribbon, and they made themselves a cute little Christmas wreath. I really wish I did little things like this more often. Who cares that it makes a mess...messes can clean up. I shouldn't be so uptight. My girls LOVED it and both seemed very focused. Gracey especially, making her berries.

And the finished product.

But of course, putting it on your head is much more fun!!!!!

It's what we practice all year for.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A simple request granted

Today our little Emily only wanted only two things. For some reason I thought they were the cutest litte requests that it just about broke my heart. (in a good way) Maybe it's the Christmas spirit that is lingering in the air, or maybe it was her cute pig-tails that SHE insisted had to have bows, or maybe it's the way she says "pwease? pitty pwease?"

It's probably all three.

Her request you ask? She wanted to color and she wanted a glass of milk. That's it. That's all she needed.

Dear Blogger, remember me?

It's been a while. Life is busy. We all know that, especially this time of year. Between primary programs, hosting my first Thanksgiving, preparing for the upcoming year, and enjoying the Christmas season with my husband and children, blogging has sadly been put on the back burner.

Today we will start fresh (once again...and it probably won't be the last time!)

Every night since the month of December began (all 4 days ago) we have been having miniature Christmas devotionals. I came across a blog a few weeks ago where a gal posted a list of daily devotionals. It's been nice to sing songs around the Christmas tree and to all be reminded of the true miracle that is Christmas.

Last night the girls got a big kick out of Corky and I allowing them to stay up a little later than normal and flipping the channel back and forth between "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" and the tree light celebration at Rockefeller center. It was fun to sit in the dark house (thank you Gracey) and only have the lights from the Christmas tree and the tv on. Gracey and Emily both sat on the couches the entire time and seemed to really enjoy it.

Sidenote- Can you believe how mean, even the teacher, is to Rudolph in the movie? Poor Rudolph.



My favorite moment of the evening though, perfect to end the night, was when we happened to be on NBC channel just as the countdown to light the tree began. As soon as the lights turned on, Gracey said in her most serious whisper "Wowwwwww! That's beautiful!" Followed by Emily saying not so reverently "Oh my goodness!"

If you can't go to the cannery...

Bring the cannery home to you!!!!

It's a little difficult to get to the cannery as often as we should and want to. I asked around and found that my stake owns its own can-sealer and was available for check-out. When my mom came and visited last weekend, she brought me down some #10 cans, lids, and oxy packs so that I could finally seal up all the beans and rice that have accumulated underneath our beds. It was a fun project for me and Corky to do together, and surprisingly fast and easy. Especially having our two little helpers wanting to get a good look.

Keep in mind... (weekend part 2)

That if you come to my house, you have to earn your keep!

Just kidding!

My mom was the nicest person. I had asked her to bring some of her window cleaning equipment with her because I don't have any. She must have interpreted that as "Mom, you need to clean my windows when you come visit!" I didn't mean that, but she started cleaning my windows just after my race and I was conveniently rushing out the door to attend a baptism. She is so nice and my windows look great! I owe her big time.

That night we had a birthday part for Gracey. It was 2 days early but obviously Gracey didn't mind. We had a huge spread of BBQ and junk food and got to watch as Gracey blew out the candles of her "Dora the Explorer" cake.

*I felt so bad that I couldn't make her a real pretty cake. I had no time last week...luckily we found those sugar decorations and Gracey didn't know the difference.



Emily was a little confused why she wasn't getting presents, but next month is her turn.

Corky and I got her set of golf clubs. Whenever golf courses permit, Corky takes her along and she loves it. She was using a plastic toy club to hit with before so we thought it might be time to introduce the real thing.

The next morning, I definitely screwed up some pull-apart rolls. Ooops!!!

And Bailey gave me and Corky our flu shots.


Like I said, you earn your keep at our house. Looking at that picture though, I am thinking that maybe it was more punishment for my bed-head.

We had such a fun weekend! We love having visitors.

Busy Weekend (last weekend) (part 1)

So what I am a little slow. What's new?

Last weekend was a really fun weekend. Busy, busy, busy, but way fun! We crammed a whole lot of stuff into it and I am just now finally able to blog about it.

Friday night my mom, sister, brother in law, brother, and grandma came into town. (My stepdad came the next morning to surprise us all!) They all had a relatively low-key weekend planned so they decided to spend it with us, celebrating Gracey's 4th birthday a little early.

The weekend started off with a bang. I ran my first ever race, that was actually longer than 200 Meters!! Kingman started doing an annual triathalon a few years ago and a couple of my friends and I decided a couple of months ago that we wanted to join in on the fun and do a relay. Our goal was to just finish.



Rachel used to be a competitive swimmer at the University of Utah, so that was a given what she would do.


I don't own a bike, the biking portion was out for me. Luckily Tamsen loves the bike.


All that was left for me to do was the run. Keep in mind, I have ZERO endurance, ZERO long-distance running skill (and yes, I consider 5K long distance), and I have NEVER run more than a mile at a time.


I was a little disappointed in the race. I had practiced the same course a few times, even running longer than the actual race distance, but I wanted to die during the race. I finished in the time that I wanted, but I wish it wouldn't have hurt so bad.

Anyway, I finished. We finished. We were the first place women's relay team. (I would feel guilty if I didn't add that there were only 2 women's relay teams!)

And here are some snapshots of the cute spectators and events.

Consider this begging.

I am not a fan of unsolicited advice, therefore I try really hard to not give it. I am not always the best at it, but I try. Well, today I am calling on all advice I can get. Consider it extremely solicited.

My girls wake up every morning at 6:00am, sometimes even earlier. Last week I was getting them to sleep in until 6:45 and I thought I was in heaven. But now it is back to 6:00am and I feel I want to die. It doesn't even get light outside until after 7:00am. I have never been an early riser, ever, ever, ever...and I feel like the meanest mom in the world until at least 9:00 when I can somehow get out of my sleepy tired slump.

I just want to wake up one morning AFTER the sun comes up. Is that too much to ask????

Here have been some of my tactics:

• Put the girls to bed later. (Doesn't work, they still wake up at 6:00)


• Put my girls to bed earlier. (They get more sleep at night, so that's good...but they still wake up at 6:00)


• Send them back to bed. (works long enough for Em to crawl back out of her crib time and time again, until I surrender and we all just stay up)


• Tell Gracey that she and Emily need to stay in their bedroom and play with toys (they can turn on the light) until the sun wakes up, then they can come get me. (it worked once, maybe twice)


• Lock Emily in the guest bedroom (literally lock) and listen to hr cry until it is somewhat light outside.

I have never, and would never slip nyquil into their milk...but sometimes it sure does seem tempting, right?

Someone please have an answer for me besides "go to bed earlier" for me. I try that too...it doesn't work.

November 10th, 2004

It was the second very best day of our lives! Our little Gracey was finally born.



4 years later, you continues to grow into a kind, charming, and lovely young lady....with a little stubborn mixed in there also. We are so happy to be your parents. Gracey, we love you more than PIE!!

Conquered the polls

I am not a good sleeper. Very few nights do I feel I get a restful night's sleep. I toss, I turn, I get up to pee, I wake up wide awake for no good reason, and I worry about the lack of sleep I am getting...which of course keeps me from falling back asleep.

Last night was another restless night sleep, but this time is was because of the stress of today's election/voting. No, my life is not so wrapped around it that I am worried about who will win. Of course I am worried, regardless of who wins, but that is not the point. Last night I was stressing because I had no plans for anyone to watch my girls while I went and voted. I feel so strongly about voting and I was imagining myself looking like a hypocrite by not getting the chance. I was worried that I wouldn't find anyone to babysit last minute, I was worried that Corky wouldn't get home in time from work for me to go vote, and above all I was deathly afraid of waiting in lines. So this morning, I decided to brave the lines....with my 2 kids!!!

What was I thinking, you ask? The stress was getting to me so badly that I was ready to weather the throwing of tantrums and mean looks from others, just to get this voting business over with. So I loaded the ipod with the girl's favorite Disney Christmas music and the Elf Soundtrack and we loaded my purse with book after book. I grabbed my cheat-sheet (I wrote down my yes and no's of all the propositions, and labeled all the names of people I knew i was voting for!) and we were off.

I was pleased to walk right in, be given my ballot, set the girls up at my feet with the ipod and books, and I proceed to fill out my ballot.

Those mean adult-looks were substituted for "cute girls" or jokes of "can I get your ID?" (to Gracey) People were pleasant, my girls were well-behaved, and I was SO RELIEVED!

I finished my ballot in record-time, even after double checking and we were out of there. We left the house at 9:10am and were home by 9:35.

We are all now sporting our "I Voted" stickers proudly. We celebrated by coming home and having a morning snack of hot chocolate and toast.