The Lilly Pad

Happy Halloween!

2012-02-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

We love Halloween at our house. Every year, the kids look forward to choosing the perfect Halloween costumes. Felicity has always especially loved this part since prior to this year the boys were so little they just went along with whatever she suggested. Much to her dismay, this year they went in a totally different direction than she campaigned for.

We began our search in the beginning of September. I was crazy busy with school, and knew that I would need a few extra weeks to work on costumes. Sadly, the children didn't see the wisdom in that plan and wouldn't be rushed into a decision they weren't sure was perfect. Hence, the week before Halloween, I was still trying to fit in time to put together costumes! I am horrified that after I spent so much time making these costumes, I forgot to take any real pictures. I am so sad that the only photos I have are the ones I snapped with my phone...

Kermit was the first to make his decision, and oh my, was it a good one! He wanted to be a box of french fries! It took me a few days to figure out how exactly I would construct such a costume, but once I worked out a plan, it actually came together quite easily.

Froggie, with the help of Kermit decided to go as a bottle of ketchup! I just love how this one turned out!

Here they are together! Best friends and the perfect duo!

Felicity had so many good ideas, it was tough for her to narrow it down. In the end, she decided that she would go as a hot air balloon! Here is what I came up with...

Of course, this was just a dress rehearsal to make sure it was the correct length, and on Halloween Felicity added her own touch with an aviator jacket, a bright pink and red scarf, and a pair of my racquetball safety glasses! This balloon was the prized toy in our house for about three weeks after Halloween, and the kids were beyond sad when it deflated. All three have been on the lookout for what they want to be next year....

Science Fair Project

2012-01-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

Felicity loves science fair projects. Last year she did a project on vocal ranges, and she won first place at her school, and got to compete at the district science fair. She LOVED it! This year when science fair project time rolled around she spent plenty of time up at the library looking at science fair project books. Nothing appealed to her. She really wanted to do something different. She wanted to go to districts again with the hopes of winning a ribbon there, so she could go on to compete at the state level... No pressure, right?

Then we opened up some cheeses I had made with some friends, and tasted it. Felicity was intrigued with how different they tasted when the ingredients were the same. We heated the milk to different temperatures, raised the temperature at different rates, and we pressed the cheddar cheese with more weight. The results were two very different cheeses. She decided she wanted to do something with cheesemaking. Next she checked out the world book encyclopedia and a book about cheese and spent some time doing some research. She also spent some time reading through my cheesemaking book. It took her about a week to come up with the actual question she wanted to investigate through her project. "Does the amount of fat in milk affect cheese?"

To test this she decided to make monterey jack cheese three times using the same recipe. The only thing she would change was the type of milk. She used whole milk, 2 percent milk, and skim milk. She would test three things. Did the amount of fat affect the taste, the texture, and the yield, or amount of cheese, she got from 2 gallons of milk.

This is just a brief overview of what she did. I took so many pictures of her doing each step, that her field journal is over fifty pages long. I will spare you some of the details!

Before she could make the cheese she had to make a cheese mold. She used a pineapple juice can, and with a hammer and a nail she poked holes in the bottom and up the sides of the can.

Here she is adding the rennet to the ripened milk.

After the milk had coagulated, she had to cut the curds. Felicity was very careful trying to cut 1/2 inch curds.

Next she had to "cook" the curds by slowly raising the temperature two degrees every five minutes. To do this she put her pot in the sink and used hot water to raise the temperature. Here she is adding some hot water from a pot on the stove to the sink.

After the curds were cooked she drained off the whey, and then it was time to season them. Here she is adding some cheese salt.

Here are the finished curds. She put these into a cheese mold lined with sanitized cheesecloth.

She pressed her cheese for twelve hours.

She then let her cheese breathe for three days at room temperature. At last it was time to wax it. She dipped each wheel of cheese into melted cheese wax, and then let them age at 55 degrees for one month.

Here she is with one the finished wheels of cheese!

All three cheeses. Any guesses as to which was made with which kind of milk?

This was the first of several blind cheese tastings she hosted. She had 24 people taste her cheeses. They chose which one they thought tasted the best, and left additional comments on comment cards. There was a clear winner. The Monterey Jack made with whole milk was almost everyone's favorite. Everyone said all the cheese tasted awesome which was so exciting for Felicity.

Two weeks ago, Felicity competed at her school's science fair where she, not only won a blue ribbon, she was also awarded a perfect score, and will be represeting her school at the district science fair. She is counting down the days. February 11 can not come fast enough for that little girl!

This might be the longest blog post I have ever written, and if you made it to the end, you also deserve a blue ribbon!

Frankfort Capitol Spring Break

2012-01-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

My computer messed up as these were uploading, so excuse the lines going through the pictures. I will fix that when I get a chance.

Last spring break, we did a few day trips to different places here in Kentucky. One day we spent the day in Frankfort. We started our adventure taking a tour of the Rebecca Ruth candy factory. My friend's mom works there and it was an added bonus to get to visit with her. Felicity and I really enjoyed the tour, the boys enjoyed picking out a piece of candy to taste at the end of the tour. We skipped the bourbon balls even though that's what they are famous for. Here are the kids after the tour. Not only did they get to choose a piece of candy, Pat gave them each a bag of gummy bears. Totally made their day!

I had planned on letting the kids ride the trolley through downtown, but it wasn't running that day due to construction. Bummer! We headed off to our picnic lunch at the game farm. On our way, we stopped to take pictures at the capitol building overlook!

Here's Kermit rocking his favorite pair of sunglasses!

Froggie looking very handsome!

We had a great lunch, but I forgot my camera in the car. Whoops. Then we walked through the game farm and looked at all the animals. Froggie liked the black bear the best. Kermit and Felicity liked seeing the wildcat (UK's mascot) the best.

Next we headed to downtown. We parked and walked up to the capitol. Before you get to the capitol building there are huge circles of tulips which happen to be my favorite flower. We stopped to look at them. Kermit was in heaven. Nothing to do, but run around, and pose for pictures!

Froggie, on the other hand was apparently very interested in the inside of the tulips...

I am not sure what he was doing here. Blowing out birthday candles, or maybe he thought they were like dandelions. Not sure, but love that I caught this moment.

Love this moment even more, when he realized I was taking his picture!

We finally made it to the capitol. Froggie making his way up the steps.

Kermit recognizing a prime photo opportunity!

After we walked around the building, we took a rest on the lawn. Love that Kentucky grass (just wish the grass in my yard was so nice)! We sat and visited for well over an hour.

We headed home happy!

Froggie turned TWO.....

2012-01-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Almost a year ago!!!

My sweet, little Froggie loves trains. I mean he really loves trains. We live right across the street from a great library, and in the kids area they have a fantastic train table set up. I can't tell you how many hours we have spent up at the library. Felicity and I devouring books, while Kermit and Froggie play with the trains! I knew I wanted to do a train birthday party for Froggie, and I was so excited when I found a train store in town that has a party room filled with train tables, train murals on the walls, train tablecloths, etc. Froggie spent most of his party carrying around a bucket of trains and playing at those tables.

We were able to tear him away for a little while so he could paint his very own train car.

Kermit was very pleased with how his turned out.

This pictures makes me sad. Felicity looks so young here. Where did my little girl go?

After the craft, it was time for cake. If you know me, you know I love any excuse to make a cake. Froggie has a real passion for coconut and pineapple, so a pina colada cake seemed like the perfect cake for him. I made a coconut cake with pineapple cream cheese frosting, and doused the whole thing in coconut. It was so yummy! Not even a crumb leftover. I was crazy busy with school, so the decorations were kept simple. Froggie didn't seem to mind.

I LOVE this picture. Taking in a big breath to make sure he could blow out all of the candles!! He managed to get them all out on the first try.

After cake, Froggie opened his presents and then all the kids got to do a pinata. Sorry no pictures of that.

Then the kids got to take turns riding on Thomas the Train. Here's Kermit.

This little boy still melts my heart everytime I look at him.

2011-10-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last week I got sick. So sick I couldn't take care of the kids on my own. Thankfully I am surrounded by people who love my kids and are always willing to help out. The kids spent lots of time with baby sitters and dinner was brought in until I was strong enough to cook for them. It seemed fitting that our family home evening lesson this week should be on gratitude. We had a lesson and we made some halloween themed treats to take as thank you gifts.

I love four year olds. They are able to really get involved in so many projects. Kermit was taking this very seriously because he knew he was going to take some to his "best friend" and he wanted this friend to like the treats.

This is Kermit's look of concentration. He has this exact expression on his face anytime he is working very hard on something.

Here he finally relaxes a little.

Froggie loves any type of project and gets right in there.

Felicity loves to cook and create things in the kitchen,

so this was pretty much her dream activity.

Here's the finished project. Super cute! Halloween ghosts!

Even better was the look of accomplishment on each of the kids faces as we finished the project!

Biwater Farm Autumn Fest

2011-10-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. I have made a goal to get caught up on blogging. I am starting with the most recent photos and will back blog when I get the chance.

We spent this past Saturday at the Biwater farm autumn fest. I scored a groupon and we made the most of a beautiful fall day. Felicity was very excited to break into her fall wardrobe and she "borrowed" my scarf for the day. I cannot believe how grown up she is. It breaks my heart how fast she is growing up. I love this girl!

Our first stop of the day was the pirates cove playground which featured a pirate ship and lots of see-saws. Froggie was ready for his turn.

He was less enthusiastic with this arrangement. He is too independent for his own good!

We then made our way over to the trike track. This was a huge hit! The kids spent a good amount of time riding around the track again and again. Poor Froggie couldn't reach the pedals, so I got my workout for the day pushing him around. He was kind enough to let me catch my breath.

After the trikes we went to the mile high slide. Of all of the kids Froggie was the most apprehensive, but after his first slide down he was hooked.

Here's Felicity turn.

I think Kermit loved this slide the most.

Next we spent some time in the cowboy corral. The rocking horses were awesome and we had some incredible horse races. Felicity had fun, but much prefers a real horse.

Froggie on the other hand LOVED his horse and was quite sad to say good bye.

Kermit wasn't sure I could handle the horse on my own, so he took the reins.

Next we played on human size hampster wheels. Felicity and Kermit loved these. Kermit wants one for his next birthday....

By late afternoon the kids were ready to hit the main event. The corn maze. It was huge and we had a blast getting lost. The kids all took turns being in the lead. Here's Froggie leading the way!

To end the day we had dinner at a campfire. The kids enjoyed roasting their own hot dogs over the fire. I was nervous to let Kermit do it all by himself, but he was a professional!

After the hot dogs were all gone, the kids roasted marshmallows.

Great weather, fun entertainment, and perfect company. Is there anything better?

A new calling!!

2011-02-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

I was nervous when I got a call from one of the bishopric members asking if he could stop by and visit last Saturday. I was pretty sure what that meant. He came and spent a few minutes visiting with the kids, and then told me that the bishopric had a calling in mind for me that they felt really good about. I was surprised and excited when he asked me to serve in primary as a chorister. I am also very very VERY nervous. We have a large primary, and being in front of a group of people is not my thing, but I accepted the calling and am looking forward to the challenge! (pray for me on Sunday!)

Orange Leaf

2011-02-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

One of Felicity's favorite treats is getting to go to a frozen yogurt place called Orange Leaf. We paid them a visit last Saturday night. I knew we were in trouble when I had to circle the parking lot for almost ten minutes before I was able to snag a parking spot. Honestly, this place is always packed. Felicity and Kermit waiting in line which was out the door when we got there.

The novelty of this place for the kids is they get an empty bowl, and then choose whatever flavors of frozen yogurt they want. There are about 7 or 8 different machines going. Each has two different flavors, plus the option to swirl them together. After you get your yogurt, you head over to their "buffet of toppings" and go crazy.

Froggie went with vanilla and strawberry yogurt, and he added sprinkles and chocolate chips. There was no convincing him to look at the camera. His full attention was on his yogurt!

Kermit was a little more adventurous. He chose cheesecake, strawberry, and pineapple yogurt which he then topped with sprinkles, chocolate chips, and fresh strawberries.

Felicity had about six different kinds of yogurt, I can't remember all of them, but her favorite of the night was the pineapple/coconut swirl. She chose to top her's with cherries, strawberries, peanut butter cups, choclate chips, and one sour patch kid right on the top. (Maybe to cut the sweetness?)

The decor is very modern, and all three of the kids were super excited to be able to sit on the tall chairs to eat their yogurt. It was a fun way to end a pretty great day.

My little athlete!

2011-02-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

I set up our bounce house on Saturday. Felicity and Kermit were in jumping heaven, but froggie wanted nothing to do with it. He cried every time I even tried to take him near it. While the other two were occupied, Froggie and I played a few sports. Froggie wanted to play tennis, but I couldn't find any tennis balls. This was his solution.

He gave it his best shot.

It didn't take him long to realize it wasn't going to work out.

We moved on to Lacrosse.

We had so much fun. Froggie still hasn't mastered catching the ball yet, but he is a rock star at throwing it!

Here he is waiting for me to fetch the ball he threw.

Hands down, our favorite part of lacrosee was showing our scary aggressive faces. His is pretty good, don't you think?

After lacrosse we wrangled the other two out of the bounce house and we got in some good baseball practice. That adventure deserves it's own post! Stay tuned...

Wrestle Mania!!

2011-02-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

It was a quiet night. I was in the middle of getting froggie into his pajamas when Kermit made his grand entrance into the living room. Anytime we see this pose we know what's about to happen....

There was no stopping it. Froggie was ready...

The first take down of the night went to Kermit.

Uh oh, the tides are turning.

Could it be an upset? Will the little guy win?

It's anyone's match...

It was a hard fought match, but in the end Kermit's strength was too much for Froggie.

Kermit's Victory Dance!

After all that hard work, Kermit needed a little rest.

Rest time didn't last long...

And the craziness started all over again.

Saturday is a Special Day!

2011-02-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a GREAT day. We played all morning in the boys room, and then we went to my basketball game. I am so lucky to have the worlds greatest cheering squad. Three little voices chanting, "Go Mommy Go! Go Mommy go!" is so cute. After our game, we came home and took full advantage of the nice weather. We pulled out the bikes, the scooter, the ride on toys, and the skateboard. The kids had a blast. Kermit and Froggie on their trikes.

Then Kermit decided to practice on his "big boy bike". It probably would have gone better if the tires weren't flat, but he had fun anyways!

Kermit has gotten to be quite the expert on the scooter. Before we go any farther, let me point out that I know a lot of our toys and equipment are girly, but you use what you have, right?

Felicity spent a good amount of time practicing skateboarding.

She looks like a pro!

Here she is acting crazy. Actually, that's pretty typical for Felicity! Love that girl.

Kermit isn't sure what to make of her "trick"!

Here's one of the few shots of Kermit standing still. He was having too much fun. Do you think it's time for a haircut? The hood always does a number on his curls!!

There was no convincing Froggie to slow down for a picture...

Until Felicity told him he could wear her old bike helmet!

I just LOVE this photo. I love how Froggie is looking at Felicity. It perfectly sums up their relationship. He ADORES her! We all do, really!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day. Froggie melts my heart and he just looks so darn cute.

It was so nice to be able to play outside after several months of winter weather. We definitely took full advantage. After we cleaned up the bikes, we pulled out some sports equipment. Those pictures are coming tomorrow!

A night at the spa!

2011-01-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Felicity and I hosted a girls night at our house. The house was full of love and laughter, and it was great. We had a pizza party, and I will be sharing some of the pizzas we made over on my food blog this week. After the pizza party, we put the boys to bed, and had some quality girl time. The theme for this girls night was homemade spa treatments.
Some of the girls brought a spa book with them, and we decided to make a conditioning treatment for our hair from the book. The treatment consisted of bananas, honey, and egg yolk. The book said to mash it all together, and then apply it to wet hair. The first group of girls had a very hard time getting the small chunks of banana out of their hair, so we ran it through the blender before the second group of girls went. After applying, we wrapped our heads in saran wrap to let it set for 15 minutes. Felicity wasn't too sure about it.

Here's one of Felicity's cousins! Isn't she pretty? Saran wrap and all!

We also made face masks by blending avacado with honey, painting it on, and letting it set for 15 minutes. Lizzie did a great job for her mom!

Felicity made a sugar scrub for our hands by combining 1/2 cup of sugar with 2 TBSP lotion. We rubbed it onto to WET (it totally hurt if your hands weren't wet enough) hands and then rinsed off with water, and applied some more lotion.

Felicity receiving her hand scrub.

We rounded out our treatments with manicures and pedicures! Felicity and Lizzie sharing the foot soaker!

At some point, someone might have put a little too much soap in the foot soaker. The bubbles added to the fun of the night!

The little girls made it until almost midnight before they crashed on the floor and the couch. We spent the rest of the night chatting, relaxing and laughing. It was a perfect girls night....that didn't end until 5:00 in the morning! Thankfully the boys slept in until 8:oo! I had a blast, and the lack of sleep was totally worth it.

Happy (late) Birthday Kermit!

2011-01-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

WAY back in August Kermit turned 3! (I had his party on time, just never got around to blogging about it!) He has a love for animals, and since we had just moved to Kentucky, a party at a horse farm was perfect. Luckily Kermit has lots of cousins nearby who were able to come celebrate with him. The party started out with horseback rides for all of the kids. Kermit looked so cute on the horse with the stirrups pulled as short as they could go.

Felicity was in heaven! She loves horses and had been begging to ride for years. It lived up to her expectations!

Froggie even took a turn. He was the most apprehensive of all the kids at the party, but he did great.

After all the kids finished riding the horses, we got to go on a hayride. I was reminded how pretty Kentucky really is, as we rode through acres and acres of farmland.

Once the hayride was over, we headed up to the fire pit/picnic area. While Farmer Ernie started our fire the kids had the chance to pet and play with some farm animals. There were goats, bunnies, etc. Here's Kermit checking out the goats.

We had a hot dog roast for dinner, and then I laid out the makings for s'mores. As if that wasn't enough sugar, I also made a birthday cake with some help from Kermit's Grandma Linda. Honestly, she is SOOOO talented! I learned so much about fondant, and we had a blast making different farm animals. The cake was ridiculously huge. I think we used five cake mixes. There was lots of leftovers! Here are several shots of the cake.

A close up of the top.

After a lovely rendition of Happy Birthday, Kermit blew out the candles and was quite pleased with himself as he managed to spit all over most of the cake!!

After cake it was time for presents. Kermit loved being the center of attention, and he got WAY too many presents. A big (late) thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with Kermit! It was a great day, that he still talks about.

Dear Kermit,
I can't believe you are three! We waited for such a long time to welcome you to our family, and the time is flying by. You are the most fun, little boy I know. You are constantly happy, and you never cease to amaze me with your kindness. I love you, and I love the little boy you are becoming. You are the best big brother, and are always trying to teach froggie new things. You adore Felicity, and run to the door every afternoon when she comes home from school, just to make sure you get the first hug. You make our family better just by being you! I love you, and I hope your birthday wish comes true!
Love,
Mom

We're back!

2010-09-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant afternoon. The kids were enjoying homemade ice cream cones.

Froggie was especially liking his..

The sun was shining and the birds were singing...

It was one of those perfect days that don't come along that often...

The moment passed...

Panic set in...

Chaos ensued...

The terror was evident...

Both boys were in obvious distress...

The cause of the fright.....

Sparklers... What brought one child such pure joy

was torture for the others. After lots of encouragemnt, Froggie finally braved it. I don't know if he ever liked it, but at least he tried.

Kermit, on the other hand....

There was no convincing.

Hope every one had a happy fourth of July! We sure did..... Next year we might skip the sparklers!

Happy Birthday Felicity!

2010-05-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Felicity is nine! She is such a fun little girl and she is growing up so fast. I want to slow time down. I want her to stay little forever. We had a fun celebration week for her big day! Felicity decided to postpone her birthday dinner until the weekend, so her nanna, pappa, and uncle John could be there. On her actual birthday I took all the kids to a fun place called ijump. It was full of different inflatables for the kids to run and jump on. No pictures, sorry! I was too busy trying to keep up with all of them! We had a great time. On the way home we stopped at McDonalds and Felicity's dreams came true when I let her get a happy meal. Honestly I could have stopped there and I think she would have been satisfied! After we ate, she opened her presents. She got a board game, one of her all time favorite things to do is play games, from her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa!

From Mom, she got a nintendo DS and from her brothers she got a game to go with it.

That next Sunday we had Felicity's special birthday dinner. I always let the kids choose whatever they want to eat for their birthday dinner. If they choose ice cream, that's what we eat. They have full control. Felicity has been choosing the same thing for four years running now. Barbeque chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. This year, she made the addition of ribs to the menu! She thoroughly enjoyed her dinner.

I also let the kids choose whatever kind of cake they want. Felicity this year requested something with chocolate and peanut butter! Oh the possibilities were endless and I spent a good two weeks trying to decide what I would make for her. I finally decided on a chocolate cake with a peanut butter filling, and a whipped chocolate ganache frosting. Holy cow! This cake was LOVED by everyone, most importantly Felicity!

I always wonder what the kids wish for as they blow out the candles.

As the birthday girl, Felicity got the honors of cutting the cake and taking as big of a piece as she wanted.

This picture is deceiving. This cake was a good five inches tall and Felicity cut herself a piece probably four inches by four inches. Needless to say she wasn't able to finish it, but she had a good time trying.

There is something special about this little girl. She has such a tender heart and is kind to everyone. We love having her in our family and appreciate everything she brings into our lives. Happy Birthday Felicity! We love you!

Too tired!

2010-05-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

I love Froggie! I love his laugh. I love his smile. I love his laid back, easy going personality. I love how calm he is. I love how he just goes with the flow. I love his developing sense of humor. I love how he looks around the room for me when he realizes I am not right by his side, and I love how his eyes light up and he smiles when he sees me. I love that he is a snuggly boy. He really is such an easy and happy boy, except when he's not.

We were running behind one night last week, so dinner was later than usual, which meant bath time was later than usual, which pushed back stories, prayer, and bedtime. You know how it goes. Kermit and Froggie are sharing a room right now, and I have learned the trick for nap time and bedtime to go smoothly. Kermit has to go to bed first, and be asleep before Froggie goes in. Otherwise Kermit climbs into the crib with Froggie and it quickly turns into a party. Poor Froggie was exhausted and ready for bed.

There was no consoling him at this point.

Every attempt just frustrated him more.

Since snuggles weren't helping I decided to get down on the floor and "cry" with him.

He wasn't sure what to think at first.

I didn't give up. I just acted even more silly until I got what I was after. A smile, sort of.

It didn't last long....

Good night Froggie!

Kermit

2010-05-13T18:55:00.001-07:00

A few months ago Kermit had perfectly groomed hair. Then life got crazy, and I missed one haircut, and then another. It had gotten out of control.

As his hair got longer I fell in love with the little curls. So I decided to let it grow out, and see what would happen. I love it!

Kermit is a busy boy. He is up around five o'clock in the morning and runs nonstop. He talks up a storm and loves to laugh.

Kermit has wonderful manners and always remembers to say please and thank you. When he hurts his brother he always says sorry, even if it's obvious he doesn't mean it.

As wonderful as he is, there are moments when this sweet boy makes me want to pull my hair out. He is all boy with nonstop energy, and we rarely make it through a day when he doesn't look like this by seven o'clock.

I love this age. I love seeing the world through his eyes. I love seeing the magic of a dandelion, the mystery of rollie pollie bugs, and the fun of rain puddles. I love that this sweet boy helps me see the joy all around me.

Kittens!!!

2010-05-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

The kids are in love. Two of the cats had kittens within a few weeks of each other, and the first litter(is that it's called) are finally big enough to play with. Felicity loves to snuggle the kitties. She has become fast friends with all the animals in the neighborhood. This kitten is definitely her favorite.

Kermit tries to be gentle. He is successful for the first few minutes and then he forgets. I have found him pushing kittens around the house in the Barbie car. I have found him holding a kitten upside down by the tail. I have found him playing basketball with a kitty and a rubbermaid container. He loves them so much and sometimes he loves them a little TOO much!

The best part of having the kitties around is watching Kermit "teach" Froggie about the kittens. Froggie isn't quite sure about them yet, and Kermit has made it his personal mission to bring them together. Here he is showing Froggie that the kittens are our friends! Progress has been made, but Froggie still isn't completely on board with the whole idea of kittens.

Froggie

2010-05-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Froggie turned one(in February, I'm a little behind with my blogging)!!! He is walking all over the place. Froggie loves to play outside and dig in the garden. He is such a snuggly boy. (I originally typed baby, but had to change it, since he isn't really a baby anymore!) This boy keeps me on my toes. He is so busy trying to keep up with Kermit that he is learning things way faster than the other two did. He has a well developed talent for climbing. He gets lots of practice.

My favorite thing he does right now is he walks over to me, reaches out his arms, so I will pick him up. Then he puts one of his hands on each of my cheeks and turns my face to look right at his, and then he plants a wet, slobbery kiss on me!!

Froggie loves his brother and spends a good portion of his day "talking" to Kermit. They have become pretty good playmates, except when they both want the same toy. Then Kermit grabs it and Froggie screams. Fun times! Although over the past little while Froggie has learned to hold on for dear life to any toy he really wants to play with. Then they both get to screaming and that is REALLY fun times!

There is something special about this sweet boy that just melts my heart! He is getting big way too fast and we are loving watching his little personality develop.

A lesson for Mom

2010-02-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

We got home a little later this evening than I had planned on, so I was trying to rush through the bedtime routine. Late bedtimes always equal grumpy kids at our house.

Kermit uses the potty, check.
Pajamas on, check
Teeth brushed, check
Family prayers, check
Froggie in bed, check

I go to lay Kermit down and he starts crying, Pare Momma Pare! In my rush, I tried to make my sweet two year old go to bed without saying his own personal prayers. How grateful I am to get to learn from these sweet children. They truly are my greatest joy! (Froggie too, I just couldn't find a recent picture of all of them together!)

Dear Jason,

2010-02-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

You are a fantastic realtor. You found the perfect home for our family. You were always available to answer our questions. One problem....I remember you telling me that it never snowed here. That I wouldn't even need a shovel. Have you looked outside?

The kids are loving the snow. We have had lots of it this winter. Last weekend we got close to a foot. Monday was a snow day. Felicity had Tuesday and Wednesday off for Teacher work days. Thursday she went to school, and Friday was another snow day. We got another 18 inches or so of snow on Friday and Saturday. I am waiting to see if she will return to school tomorrow or not. Just checked the school's website and school is closed again tomorrow.

We have kept busy with the snow. We spent one night making snow ice cream. Here's Felicity collecting some clean snow for the ice cream.

We made marshmallows one day. Before they set up we made some peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches.

We were also lucky enough to have some visitors this past week. Margaret and my little sister Christina came to visit. We have had lots of good laughs in between shoveling the snow. I am all dug out. If it snows again I am looking for shoveling reinforcements. Anyone interested?

We have also been working on a birthday present for a sweet little boy who's almost one. More to come on that later!!

She's so cute!

2010-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

My sweet little sister is expecting her first child in the middle of February. Chrissy and her husband Jacob came up to visit this weekend, and I was lucky enough to get to take some photos of them. Here are a few that I have finished. I can't wait until this little baby gets here so I can love on him or her. Is she not the cutest pregnant lady you have ever seen?

Does anyone want a snack?

2009-12-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

My Kermit is a busy little boy. He is very curious and loves to "help"! The other day I was on the phone talking and Kermit asked if he could make a snack. I said yes and asked what he wanted. He asked for toast. I got out the toaster and we made two pieces of toast for Kermit. I unplugged the toaster, put it away in a cupboard, and went into the living room to continue my phone conversation. Kermit would come out and sit with me and then run back into the kitchen to eat his toast(or so I thought). This continued for about ten minutes until the smoke alarm started going off. I ran into the kitchen to see the toaster sitting back on the countertop with two very black pieces of toast. One piece is on fire and one piece is smoking pretty bad. I throw the toast and toaster outside and figure out how to turn off the smoke alarm. Once things quieted down, I asked Kermit what he was doing. And he looked at me and said, "I make Felicity a snack." How can I be mad when his intentions were so sweet? When Felicity got home from school Kermit proudly offered her a snack of petrified toast. She politely threw them away and had an apple instead.

Confession: I forgot to take a picture of the toast Kermit made before it landed in the trash can, and decided to recreate it. I took my eye off the toaster for just a minute and when I turned around it was smoking. The toast in the picture isn't nearly as dark as Kermit's, yet I still managed to set off the smoke alarm again. What do you think the neighbors are thinking?

A little about Autumn!

2009-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today on the way to church Felicity was talking to me about magic. I told her all about a family friend who is a real life magician. I told her all about the tricks he used to do when I was her age. She asked me if he could cut someone in half and then put them back together again. I told her I thought he could. She told me, "I wouldn't want to be the person he practiced on. Maybe he could use Kermit."

Today was fast and testimony meeting and Felicity leaned over and asked me if I had a testimony. I told her I did. She then asked if I was going to share it today. I told her I might. Then I asked her if she had a testimony. And she looked at me and said, "I'm still working on it." What a perfect answer. She is such a sweet girl and I treasure everyday I get to watch her learn and grow.

We're Thankful for....

2009-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

This year we are thankful for so many things.

Felicity is thankful for her mommy, Daddy, Kermit, and Froggie. She is thankful for her friends and her cousins, and good food to eat (she really is her mother's daughter), and a house.

Kermit is thankful for balls, mommy, and Felicity.

He didn't tell me this, but I am sure Froggie is thankful for baby orajel and teething tablets. He cut two more teeth this past week.

I am grateful for my sweet kids and for my whole family that allowed us to crash their thanksgiving festivities. I am grateful for my friends, both old and new, who are willing to drop everything to help me out. I am grateful for the gospel in my life and for the sweet peace it brings.