well behaved child

Hitting her chin on something..."Oh!!!  My button!" - Ellie

"You poopy head!" - Ellie (funny how we laugh when the little one says it, but when Dallin says it, he gets a time-out...shhhh...don't tell him)

"Hiiiiiiiiiiii-YAH!!!!" -Ellie, as she winds up to hit.

BBW soap and lotion

Lotion and soap on sale at Bath & Body Works!

$3 soap and lotions!!!

Enter code:  HELLOTEN for $10 off a $40 purchase

what he thinks vs. what he knows

he thinks that he is playing the game

he knows he wants to do everything his daddy does

Quotes on Christmas Day

"Santa's elf made me a toothbrush?!?!?!?!?!" -Dallin

Examining the colored pencil roll, "Mrs. Clause made this for me." -Dallin

After seeing everthing and anything, "I love it, Santa!" -Dallin

"Open!" -Ellie

"Baby!" -Ellie

"Open!" -Ellie

"Baby!" -Ellie (someone got a baby doll)

"Now that Santa has been so nice to bring you all of these presents, what are you going to do better this next year?" Paul asked the kids.  "Be soft."  came Dallin's reply.  "So you won't hit?" Paul seeked confirmation.  "No, I will just hit with my glove on." the crazy little boy answered.

piddy ing

Keeping the house clean means not a lot of sewing or crafting....because I make huge messes when I do that!  And although I just said that all the projects now done are out of necessity, I lied.  I had to get something going that wouldn't make a mess and would be easy to tuck out of the way.

Enter in all of my left over yarn.  I have had this in my head for a while now, especially when I see these randomly colored bad boy granny squares on the couch of someone on TV shows or blogs.  It was going to end up on my couch, but I think I will make it for Ellie....I have a lot of pink yarn.  She calls these her "piddy ings", or pretty things!

the good, the bad, and the ugly {hopefully not in that order}

Growing up at Christmas time, we would ask my mom what she wanted for Christmas.  She would always say, "All I want for Christmas is a clean house!"

We would have to clean the family room and our bedrooms before Santa would come.

My house right now...,

Clean(er than it was before) it is.

A realitor came over yesterday....

(oh, p.s. -we are moving to Utah.  We are going to live with my parents until we sell this house, then look for a house in Springville or Spanish...good guesses everyone!)

This is the state of my home as we speak.  We wanted to document the home that we have lived in for 3.5 years.  We still have some rooms to work on before we list (garage, office, master closet), but this is it.  No more projects for fun, just projects out of necessity.  There is a lot I had planned, but I won't go into it all.....just imagine antiqued black cabinets in the kitchen and handmade ruffle pillows, antique white dresser/night stands/headboard/mirror in the bedroom, decorations hung in the kids room....and....and...and.

Southern Lights and some badly taken pictures....

We went to the Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Paul and Dallin couldn't pass up a ride on the camel.  My camera was being fickle........

....until I took a picture of the camels behind!

We went through the museum and stopped at the bob-sleigh.

And the "moving truck".

Then, the best part....THE TRAINS!

The cute old man-conductor told us where to stand to get a great picture and made me be in the picture. ;)

Then I snuck away!  (Paul wanted me to poit out the matching hair do's.)

They started up the Sante Fe just for Paul (and his late grandfather, Clinton, who was a railroad engineer).

(All I want for Christmas is a better camera!)

Ward Christmas Party

Pancakes, sausage, Santa, and the Nativity.

We had a great Christmas party at church!

{angel Ellie, shepherd Dallin, Samuel the Lamenite-Paul}

The stars of the show (in my humble opinion).

The missionaries-mean people got to throw paper stones at Paul, I mean, Samuel as he prophesied of Christ.

I didn't get a picture of that wonderful scene, so look at this one instead...

The shephard and the sheep.  They got a little crazy when sheep number two enter the manger....

Then, they turned on him!

We had to wrangle in the sheep and the shephard after that!

It was a wonderful Nativity!

Two beautiful babies next to the baby Jesus.

Snowball Fight after Church?

We don't get snow often.

Even our bishop got in on it!

Elf

Cute hat made at story time at the library..

Angry Elf

Happy Elf

Frosty the Snowman

We got a little bit of that snow everyone's been talking about!

Paul (and Paul's concentraction tongue) and Dallin spent some time outdoors creating Frosty the snowman.

They have got mad skills.

We got a little creative with his eyes, hair, teeth, and "buttons".

Dallin kept asking to put his hat on so that he would come alive, and then we wrapped Frosty in some lights.

His poor teeth fell out by the end of the night...that darn decay!

When Ellie realized what was going on after her nap, she stood at the door, saying, "Let me in!  Oh, Daddy!"

The next morning, Dallin popped out of bed and raced downstairs to see if Frosty had come alive yet.

A Christmas Memory

As I was wrapping presents this afternoon, Dallin was taping two paper plates together.  He was making a present for his cousin Jakey P..  It reminded me of a present that my sister Kodi made for me......

Please, feel free to follow this link and find out what it was.

I am still finding traces of it....

in the eyes of my children

if my kids were to design our Christmas card this year, this would be it.

in fact, this is it.

this is all you are getting.

(not sending cards while trying to move.  forgive us.)

please....enjoy!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

{in the picture: Dallin's stuffed dog and Ellie's "Linus" blanket)

moving

{image}

for those of you who don't already know....can you guess?

what not who (cover your kids eyes, please)

We won't be going home for Christmas after all (insert cliff hanger).  This decision was made about two days before our 1700 mile drive.

I am hoping to get everything in the mail in time.......

For now, though, I will show you what I've made, but not for who!

(Now that I am trying to find all the links to instructions, inspiration, and tutorials, I can't find half of the them!)

1 & 2. My go to pattern

1. "can't find the link to the flower" hat (hat from $ store, flower by me)

2."can't find the pattern" crocheted hat

3. Pretty ("that doesn't match," according to Paul.  No, it doesn't, but I like it.) ruffled skirt.

4. What is that weird "t" thing?  A travel high chair, of course!

lots and lots of headbands

(plastic $ store headbands wrapped in fabric scraps w/ fake, crocheted, and fabric flowers)

ruffles and balls

lots and lost of scarfs

Crayon and colored pencil rolls

A couple stocking stuffers for the 2 little ones who still think we are going to the Grandmas and the Grandpas for Christmas.  Not sure when to break the news....Christmas Day, maybe???

vinyl out your ears!

vinyl giveaway at not so idle hands

RUN over there....10 yards....YARDS!!!!!!

RUN!!!!!!!!!!

vinyl from sign warehouse

Goodbye, Mr. Monk

I watched the last episode of MONK last night.
And I cried.

Storybook Cape and Muff GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Storybook Cape and Muff GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

awesomenss part II

my sewing machine.

broken.

too bad i wasn't sewing binding.

it would have made the perfect title.

too good that all the Christmas sewing is done...sort of.

too bad it will cost more to fix than it's retail value.

awesomeness part I

the awesomenessest part?

i laughed when i thought it was my 2 yr old.

i got mad when i found out it was my 4.5 yr old.

i laughed again when he changed his mind and said it was his dinosaur that did it.

"Free" Nursing Covers

Udder Covers is offering a free nursing cover!

Just pay the shipping and handling fee of $8.95 and the rest is free.

Enter in the code "Christmas"

If you're not nursing or prego, these would also make great shower gifts.

Dangerous Sleeping Patterns

Last night I was dreaming.  I was being threatened by someone who was going to physically attack me.  He got in my face so I grabbed his arm and dug my finger nails into his wrist.

I woke up from this dream to Paul yanking his wrist away from my finger nails that were digging into his wrist!  **Edit:  Paul corrected me and said that I had a hold of his chest.  Regardless, I hurt him.**

So sorry!

It was a weird night.  I then had a dream that Paul woke up in the morning and got Ellie out of bed and was planning on getting Dallin up and to school so that I could sleep in.

I woke up from this dream, Paul was gone, Dallin was still asleep, and Ellie was screeching and hollering in her bed.  It was almost 9:30 and Dallin was late for school by an hour and a half!

I have to get better sleep!

Santa's visit!

Have I mentioned how much I love the library, where every one know my kids by name?

(Okay, not every one.)

I do love it!  When ever we mention the library, the kids cheer!

Leaving it on Saturday, one librarian told me that she looks forward to seeing Dallin come in and that it makes her day!

The latest library happenings:

Santa came!  He let the kids talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk.

(Ellie didn't talk, but Dallin TALKED!)

energizer bunnies

NONSTOP!

That is how my kids are acting lately!

(Does anyone out there know of adult battery replacements?  Mine's running low.)

Feeling the confinement of the cold season already, i tried to do something new and different to keep the boredom at bay by taping a race track to the floor.  It kept Dallin's attention for about 30 minutes. 

Next up:  This was his idea.  It reminded me of that one game (insert name) i used to play as a kid.

Dallin's attention: a couple hours!

Although, I was afraid of him while he was playing with it!

The amazing magician DALLINZINI!

{complete with magic wand and cape}

He put on a superb magic show for Ellie and I the other night.

If you look closely, you can see the lump of "disappearing" cards under the blanket.

He also made a book disappear, and displayed the coolest card trick.

(His imagination amazes me every day!  I love this kid!)

Dallin came home from school the other day saying that he was being hurt, which translates into "I am in pain right now!"  He screamed for an hour, would not eat, drink, or wear clothes.  He screamed extra loud when anything entered his mouth.  After that tylenol kicked in, he seemed fine, but we took him to the dentist anyway.  Nothing was wrong with his teeth.  I think that he had a bad headache.... 

Not to be out done by her brother, rather, done with the help of her brother:  Ellie got a little help out of her crib.  I call it being throttle, but Dallin was just trying to help.  She was holding her wrist lamely and it wobbled back and forth when I checked it.  I asked her if it hurt, and amid the screams, she said, "wist otay!"  Then I saw that her mouth was full of blood.  She bit her tongue pretty good and pretty deep.  The picture above serves two purposes: 1. to show that she would not hold still long enough for me to get a good picture, and 2. she has stuck her tongue out a whole lot this past week.  It looked really disgusting and every time I saw it my stomach churned!  Here is a picture comparable to what it looked like (except Ellie's would some how open up and spread out every time she stuck her tongue out.....eeewwwwww!!)

More excitement:

Dallin filled the bathroom sink full of water and shredded toilet paper.

Can anyone say RotoRooter (aka Paul)?  Poor guy had to take the whole sink apart!

On a positive note:

I took both kids to Target, Michaels, and Walmart today.

Not one meltdown, not one tear.

Ellie stayed in her cart and Dallin didn't touch everything within reach.

They were so good and so patient.

I bought them popcorn.

Thanksgiving

the best fried turkey

tasty rolls

stuffing

cranberry jelly

green beans

corn

beans and weenies

funeral potatoes (w/ ham...oh, yummy)

pumpkin pie

chocolate pie

key lime pie

lemon merangue pie

pecan pie

and

my traditional bread turkey relish tray

We had THE tastiest Thanksgiving dinner!

Thanks to the Morks who invited us strays over to be part of their family for a day!

(We could one day be family, since Dallin says that their 15 year old daughter is his girlfriend!)

fb soapbox

i really hate it when people feel so inclined to post their "girls" hanging out on facebook. hate it. it makes me want to puke.  that, and other nasty comparables.  puke.


the end.

elf hat

Dallin and I watercolored a painting the other day that apperently became an "elf hat".

He made Paul wear it whilst vacuuming.

silly girl

We braved the black friday crowds today.  Braved, meaning, we slept in, got ready, ate breakfast and drove to Target.  Paul ran in while the kids and I stayed in the quiet, toasty warm car.  I am NOT a black Friday shopper!

At one store, we parked and I went to get Ellie out of her car seat.  She was gabbering away on her phone, ie. her hand up to her ear.  I went to unbuckle her and she promptly told the person on the other line,

"I dotta do now, bye"

and hung up.