the nutcracker

Shailey had another dance recital on Monday night. They danced to music from the Nutcracker. It was very cute. :o) Her group was the candy cane group so everyone tried to dress up their dance outfits to go with that theme. We decided to do pink candy canes since her dance outfit was already pink. The first picture is right before the performance. The second is a picture of Shailey, Avie (on the left, who is in Shailey's class at church), and Dannie (on the right who is Avie's cousin). All the girls did such a great job. And they're so cute!

I included a couple of videos of the performance. You can watch them if you'd like. Sorry it's so shaky. They were taken on our little digital camera so the slightest movement looks like an earthquake! If you look closely you can spot Shailey dancing around. She's usually in the back but she's wearing a bright pink top and a light pink skirt (if you hadn't already notived from the pictures!). Also, in the second video all the girls take turns leaping across the stage so you can see her a little better. Enjoy! :o)

christmas decorations!

I finally finished setting up my Christmas decorations. It's not much, but for our little house it's just enough. :o) I decorated the front porch, too, but I don't have a picture of it yet. I usually do blue and silver ornaments on the tree but decided to do something a little more festive this year. Hope all your decorations are coming along nicely!

christmas time

As many of you know, Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. So already I have put my Christmas tree up (don't worry, it's not decorated yet--I'm not that crazy! Ha ha!) and starting putting decorations up around the house. I'm one of those people that decorates early and takes down well after the New Year. I just LOVE Christmas!

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There are a few things that the kids have done lately that are funny that I wanted to document. The other day Isaac got a hold of a banana. I could hear him in the living room yelling so I went to check it out. He was throwing the banana up into the air yelling, "The moon is flying! The moon is flying!" Well, a banana is a crescent moon shape. :o) He was so rough on that poor banana that it burst open. Needless to say it was complete mush inside. Maybe I'll have to hire him the next time I make banana bread. :o)

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Eli's favorite ride in California Adventure is Soarin' Over California. He loves everything about it. He loves the places. He can tell you the name of every place that you fly over while you're flying over it. He loves the music. He loves the music so much that he has started adding lyrics to the score. I was able to get some of this hilarious song on video. It's really much funnier if you know the melody. Just go here to listen to it (this video was perfect since they just dubbed in the actual track to the ride--so there are no sound effects). In case you can't undestand the lyrics, here they are:

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Soarin' ov-er Cal-i-forn-iaaaaaaaaa!

Soarin' ov-er Cal-i-fooooorn-iaaaaa!

Redwood Creeee-eeeeee-eeeeek!

Redwood Creeee-eeeeee-eeeeek!

Napa Valley with hot air ball-ooooooooons! (My favorite!)

*Break--who wants to sing the whole song anyway?* :o)

Disneyland! Disneyland! Disneyland! Disneyland!

Tin-ker Bell! Tin-ker Bell! Tin-ker Bell! Tin-ker Bell! (This is much funnier if you know the song!)

Soarin' ov-er Cal-i-forniaa! (Here comes the big finale)

Soariiiiiiiiiin'!! Over Californiaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Shailey has been pretty cute lately also. I don't know if any of you are familiar with "Can You Teach My Alligator Manners?" from Playhouse Disney. If not, go here to watch a clip. It's just one of those "in-between a show" shows that they do to teach kids manners. Anyway, the other day Shailey needed a tissue but she used her hand instead. So I started to mimic the show by saying, "Can you teach my Shailey manners?" And then I demonstrated the two options: using a tissue to wipe my nose, and using my hand. She picked the correct one and we all laughed about it. :o) Well, later that day I was eating lunch and Danny asked me a question. So I responded (and yes, I guess I had some of my lunch in my mouth when I replied). Well, Shailey noticed this and said, "Can you please teach my mommy manners? Should mommy talk with her mouth full? Or should she not talk with her mouth full?" Danny and I couldn't stop laughing. :o) I guess I'd better be a little more careful or the "manners patrol" is going to write me up!

it's snowing!

Okay, not really. But the boys thought it was. I was doing something with Shailey and thought I should go check on the boys. I went into the kitchen where I have a large sack of flour. I haven't found a good spot for it yet but after this I sure will. There was a trail of flour that led into the laundry room and out the backyard....to this.

I love boys. :o)

shailey's dance performance

Shailey had her dance performance last week and I'm just now posting about. Unfortuneately the video that I thought was recording was, in fact, not recording. So I don't have the cute video of her that I thought I did. Her dance group was supposed to be licorice so we did the best job we could to make it look like that. The best part of the performance was when her group split up into two groups and went to opposite ends of the stage. They then proceeded to run and leap towards each other. Shailey was fine until she realized a whole bunch of little girls were running straight for her! She totally put on the brakes and put out her arms in defense! It was so funny! We love you Shailey! You did a great job! :o)

happy halloween!

Another Halloween has come and gone. I have to say that I'm glad. I love Halloween but it gets crazy sometimes. :o) The kids had tons of fun trick-or-treating and running around in their costumes. And I'm happy that all the costumes were all done in time. :o) I actually did finish working on most of the costumes in September but only finished up with Eli's yesterday! I took a break to work on other things. So here are the costumes!

SHAILEY'S COSTUME

Shailey wanted to be a witch this year. I told her a witch would be fine as long as it was a cute witch. I'd say she's pretty cute. So I can't take full credit for this costume. I started out with a very basic costume for about $10.00 from Target (shown below the picture of Shailey) and added more tulle, a faux corsette in the front, cap sleeves, and a sash (I was so lucky to find all the material used laying around the house!). The total cost for her costume was about $15.00! I love bargains! Isn't she a cute witch?

ELI'S COSTUME

Eli wanted to be Peter Pan but we weren't too keen on him wearing tights. So after running A LOT of other ideas across him he finally dropped the Peter Pan idea and went with a classic aviator costume (we're pretty sure this had to do with his insane love for Soarin' Over California at Califronia Adventure.) His costume was easy in some ways and annoying in others. Easy in the sense that he's just wearing pants and shoes we already had and a jacket we found at Target. The hard part was making his cap and goggles. I won't bore you with the details but I'll just say that I hate sewing with costume pleather and never plan to again. It was so frustrating making that cap and goggles! I'm glad it turned out okay! His costume cost a bit more since we bought the jacket at Target for $25.00. But what you can't see in the picture is that the furry collar can be removed to reveal a regular leather collar--which will be a great jacket for an Indiana Jones costume next year (which we've already convinced him to be!). The scarf just has wire run through the edges so it looks likes the wind is blowing. :o) I think he gives Howard Hughes a run for his money!

ISAAC'S COSTUME

Isaac's costume definitely took the longest. His obsession with the movie "Cars" made it clear that he needed to be Lightning McQueen this year. His costume I made entirely from scratch. All of the decals on the costume were found by searching images on the internet and editing. Then I just used iron on paper to get it on the fabric. If I could have done anything differently I would have stiffened up the sides a bit more so they wouldn't bend in so much. Oh, well. He loves it and that's all that matters! His costume cost about $15.00 also. (I know, the second picture was taken while he was wearing pajamas but it was the only one I had of the back of his costume.)

I really enjoy making (or adding on to existing) costumes! It's so much fun and so rewarding to see how excited the kids are to wear them.

Shailey had a Halloween party at school today, also. The boys and I went down there to take a few pictures. It was fun to see her in her class. Here's a picture of her with her teacher, Mrs. Crenshaw.

And here's her whole class dressed up! :o)

And finally, Danny and I dressed up for a Halloween party that we went to last week. He dressed up as Waldo and I was Wenda (I didn't know Waldo had a girlfriend but apparently he does!) Here are a couple of pictures of us.

We were surprised at how difficult it was to find red and white striped shirts. It's a good thing duct tape comes in red. :o) Happy Halloween!

congratulations shailey!

Shailey's teacher, Mrs. Crenshaw, picked her for Student of the Month in her class. Each teacher picked one student in their class that demonstrated the "Character Trait of the Month" the best. September's "Character Trait" was "Responsibility" so she chose Shailey. :o) We were invited to attend the assembly where they handed out the certificates to the students. It was supposed to be a surprise so Shailey didn't know we were going to be there. She was the first named called and she was so surprised she didn't know what to do! Once she got up on stage and she finally saw us in the back waving at her the look of surprise on her face was priceless! I only wish I had my camera during the assembly.

After the assembly Shailey got to leave school 30 minutes early so we took her out to ice cream. She got marshmallow-flavored ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. At least her and the boys seemed to like it. I would never pick ice cream that tasted like marshmallows. Way to go Shailey! Congratulations! :o)

Prop 8

We've been working hard lately in any way we can to support Proposition 8 here in California, whether it be our time or donations. For any of you who don't know about Prop 8, you can read about it here. Or you can watch this really great video on You Tube that explains Prop 8 very well.

This past week our whole family has set aside time in the evenings to join others in our ward to do "sign waving" at different intersections to show our support. The kids have been real troopers each time we've done it. Shailey was so funny a few nights ago. While she's waving her sign she yells, "Remember, have a boy marry a girl!" It was too funny! The kids are always talking about our "Yes on 8" sign and "Yes on 8" sticker that's on our car. It's cute that they want to be involved in something that they know so little about. I think that deep down they know it's important. :o) We've got another busy week of sign waving and other volunteer work for Prop 8. We just all hope and pray that this passes. It scares me to think what will happen if it doesn't. If you don't live in California, we would appreciate all your prayers!

it's raining! (sort of)

Okay so we don't get a lot of rain around here. When it does rain it's a big deal since it reminds me of home (I really do miss the rain...is that weird?). The kids wanted to go outside and play in the so-called rain (more like mist) so we got them all dressed up to play! They had fun. :o) We can't wait to get a healthy dose of Oregon rain in December!

little ballerina

Shailey has been LOVING her little beginners ballet class. She goes with two of her friends from our ward which has been great. She's been going for about a month now and I just have to say that it's a real hoot to see a bunch of little 5-6 year old girls prancing around in their dance attire. You can tell which ones have done it before, which ones are just naturally talented and which ones look a little awkward (Shailey falls into the latter category). I'm sure as time goes by she will get better. At least she's having fun! :o)

eli's birthday continued

Okay so I said I'd post more on Eli's birthday and now I'm finally getting around to it! Sorry! I've been busy. :o)

So, Eli was determined to have blue and orange (his two favorite colors) for birthday decorations. So we picked up orange and blue balloons and crepe paper and hung it up everywhere. You get bonus points if you can tell me which movie is paused on my TV (here's a hint since the pic is so small: it's my favorite movie and it stars Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison...now that I've given it away!)

After opening up a few presents...

...it was time for cake!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY ELI!!

happy birthday eli!

Today is Eli's birthday! He is 4 now! He was so excited when they sang to him in Primary. :o) We are going to have a little party for him this evening with cake and presents so I'll be sure to put up some pictures later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!

happy anniversary!

Well, today Danny and I celebrate 7 years of wedded bliss! I can't believe it's already been 7 years! It went by so quickly. I hope the next 7 years will be as wonderful as the first. I love you, Danny! :o)

t-ball

We decided to sign up Eli for something that may help and encourage him to socialize with other kids (he's little shy!). So we thought he'd like to try T-ball. He was a little shy at first but it didn't take long for him to start running the bases, hitting the ball and throwing it around. he had so much fun and can't wait for his next practice on Thursday. Way to go Eli!

shailey's first day of school

Well, the day finally arrived. Shailey's first day of school has offically come and gone. She started school on August 27th and she has loved every minute of it! She has already made new friends and loves her teacher, Mrs. Crenshaw. We are excited to see what this new year brings. It has definitely been an adjustment for me getting myself and three kids up, fed, dressed and out the door before 8:00am. For those of you who know me well know that I am not a morning person. I love to sleep! Anyway, we're excited for Shailey! Way to go little Miss Kindergartner!

my family's visit

I thought it was finally time to update. Things have been so busy over the past month that I just haven't had any time to update the blog. My family came to visit us in August before Kara's mission. We went to Disneyland, the beach, shopping, and my parents helped out with some much needed repairs and home improvement projects. (Thanks Mom and Dad!!!)

I didn't take many pictures unfortuneately. As usual, whenever we have company over, I neglect my camera because I'm having so much fun visiting that I don't think to take many pictures. Anyway, here are a few from their visit.

The boys thought it would be fun to put on a bunch of temporary tattoos. Jesse thought this tattoo that said "Ka-pow!" would look cool as a mustache...until we realized he looked just like a well known infamous evil dictator...he quickly washed it off after that! :o)

McKay went all out with the tats also. Ignore the mess in the background!

Here are a few photos from Disneyland rides. The quality isn't great since they are a picture of a picture. You can't tell from this first one but Danny flipped his eyelids inside out. Gross Danny!

Here's McKay, Ammon, me and Danny in the front row on the Tower of Terror. I always tell myself that I won't do this ride anymore but somehow I always get talked into doing it again.

I really wish I had taken more pictures. Mom said she would at least send me the photos she took. We miss you guys already! It was great having you come and stay in our "cozy" home. We're all looking forward to our visit to Oregon this Christmas. :o)

tagged, i'm it!

1. What is your favorite fictional character from a book or movie? I really like Harry Potter so that's who I'll pick.

2. What are your 3 best physical assets? Ugh...my eyes (even though they don't work very well!), my hair (???), annnnnnd....my smile? But not my teeth, just my smile. Does that even make sense?

3. Name 3 attributes you would be proud to pass on to your children: my musical abilities, my artistic abilities, and my goofyness (we're not sure if it was my goofyness they inherited or Danny's--either way.).

4. Name 3 attributes that you hope not to pass on to your children: my lack of interest in exercise, my shyness (I used to be VERY shy), my bad vision (I just know that one of my kids will end up in glasses someday--it's inevitable.)

5.If you had to give up one of the following things FOREVER, which would you choose?
1. all makeup
2. flat iron/curling iron
3. razors (laser hair removal isn't an option):
Wow...well, I would have to say #2 then. Definitely would be really gross to go without #3, and if I didn't wear make-up I would look like a raccoon.

6. What do you think is your best quality? I'm generally pretty sweet. :o)

7. What is your worst quality? If I've had a long day I can lose patience quickly.

8. What would be a perfect day for you? Spending the whole day somewhere fun with my family.

9. Where is your favorite place you have ever visited? Well, I'm not the most well rounded person so this one's gotta be Disneyland!!

10. Name something you are really good at? Singing.

11. What are you most shallow about? I probably shouldn't say.

12. What is something you're a little bit conceited about: It's nothing about myself, mind you--but Shailey hasn't even started Kindergarten yet and she's an awesome reader, knows her numbers from 1-100 and is doing mental math. (see, I told you I wasn't conceited!)

13. Name 3 things you are embarrassed to admit: I still love to play video games, sometimes I drool when I doze off on the couch, I hate flossing...hate it.

14. Tag 3 people: Mandy, Christy, and Amy.

the olympics

I don't know how many of you were fortunate enough to watch the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics...if not you missed out on a spectacular show! I was completely blown away by the performance. And just when I thought it couldn't get any more amazing they would do something even more incredible. Danny and I have determined that there will never be an Opening Ceremony like that again. Completely incredible.