celebration

Pictures yesterday of my girls...

Playing in the babies' room






I made them laugh...






Overall twins ready for me to turn the bath water on.






I love seeing two babies together. It's precious.

Some tidbits for today:

• I took four kids shopping at Walmart yesterday and managed to have a fully loaded cart with items and two car seats. We bought all over our food for our conference party this weekend. The kids are so excited for conference. On the way home, using the song "Celebration", I made up a version about General Conference. ("So bring your pillows and your blankies too, we gonna celebrate general conference with you..."). The kids thought it was pretty funny. I sang a whole verse.
• Eating Jelly Belly Beans in bed, in the dark, is really interesting. But I wouldn't recommend it, unless you have a blood sugar that you need to fix and you're too tired to go to the kitchen for more juice boxes. I couldn't help but think which flavor I was eating, even at 5am.
• This morning Abby put on a party hat and said she was ready for the General Conference party. (Yes! My goal of "party weekend" has been met.) There is a lot for Allen to look forward to this weekend too -- a new calendar which means we can get out our Halloween decorations (he's been asking for over a week), and he's team captain at his soccer game tomorrow which means he gets to provide the halftime snack and pass out concession tickets after the game.
• Ross is going to drop by a birthday party tonight. He played hide-and-seek with his home teaching family on his way home from work yesterday. Ross is really good at that game.
• I like this quote from Allen this morning: "Why do grown-ups get to do whatever they want? They can be so bossy."
• My iPod works really well with Ross's speakers. It's kind of like my own docking station. Ross inspired the idea. I'm amazed at how much I can get done (with little energy or motivation) if I put on some good music.
• I've been looking at the Meridian Magazine website this morning. I liked this idea from the Eyres: Today’s life expectancies are over 80 years. This means that you will have a child with you in your home for about one fifth of your life. Once that child is gone, you will still have your career, and your golf game, and your church callings, and your hobbies, and your interests, but the child will be gone. How important that we find a way to prioritize these kids during the fleeting years they are under our roofs. I like this video showing Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon, especially once you've looked at the October Ensign. And this is a funny video about home teaching.
• It's time for my annual fall ritual towards good health. I did my flu shot homework and after four phone calls, weighing cost and hours of operation, I have decided where to go. Ross is lucky. He has always gotten flu shots at the university or at work. I actually have to find a place (almost a different one each year), make the effort to go and pay the cost. 
• Abby stayed home from co-op preschool today with a cold. Today's plan is to stay indoors, get the conference activities ready, buy a beignet mix after we pick-up Allen, stop at a park, and have everyone help to pick up the house before we go to bed.

firemen at the library

This morning I woke up with a sore throat, not the best way to start a day, and eyes that refused to open. I felt like it was only midnight instead of 6:30am, how's that for a good night's rest. (The combination of sickness and high blood sugar will do that to you). Today's plans include dressing the babies in matching overall shorts, a visit to the library to see the guest firemen read the stories and after we' ll check out their truck in the parking lot (they let the kids climb inside for a looksie), mending Abby's black dog's arm, sneak a few minutes to work on recipes (I found a folder last night that I had neglected so I'm not done with the step of "gathering" like I thought I was), a short walk up the street around lunchtime, pick up Allen and head to Walmart, teach a piano lesson, after dinner help the kids get ready for bed while Ross attend a BYU alumni board meeting and dinner (our home teacher is head of the BYU alumni in the Dallas area), and go to bed earlier than normal to sleep off my on-coming cold. Think that will all happen? Well, that's the plan.

another Wednesday

• Wednesday -- waffles, college day at school (Allen and I wore BYU shirts) laundry, ironing, dance, maybe Walmart and a soccer clinic for Allen.
• Abby says she has a "bubble" in her throat this morning. Maybe a little cold is starting.
• I went on a search for three lost library items and found two of them.
• Emma and Jane can cruise along furniture. I just left them in toy room while they two of them were playing with the kitchen food. 
• I was disappointed with our Relief Society event last night, especially with the musical number. Our group of six quickly became two at performance. It was nice to go for a walk after even though there were lots of crickets along the sidewalks we had to dodge.
• Allen and Abby helped me pick-up and vacuum the house yesterday. They also helped load the dishwasher. Today our chore this afternoon will be putting away our clean laundry.
• Ross was working on his Sunday School lesson last night.
• Tonight I'll work on my recipe book for project night. I think I have gathered everything, now it's time for formatting and trying to figure out where to place things like "pies."
• I love helping Allen with his reading homework. I simply sit by him, listen to him read, and ask him questions after. He doesn't like reading out loud, but I like hearing him.  

October Ensign 2011

I enjoyed the October Ensign. I know I'm way ahead of the reading, but once I started, I couldn't put it down. It is a special issue regarding the Book of Mormon. The articles, quotes, stories, charts, and even a new song helped create a wonderful Spirit and again strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I have never doubted the book's truthfulness, but now I have a better understanding of its power and the strength it adds to people's lives. My favorite articles especially were the song "Two Thousand Stripling Warriors" on page 47; The Story of the Book of Mormon, timeline, and other charts on pages 16-27, Elder Gonzalez's clarification how people know in different ways (page 60-64), and President Benson's talk "The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion" on page 53-58. As a family we read four verses a day (each person takes one), but I look forward to the month of March when I will read the full book again.

lamp post

Some pictures from the last few days...

Ross reading to his girls.
Everyone didn't feel good and those baby outfits only lasted a few more minutes past the reading of that book.






Abby loves to draw, especially on the whiteboard side.
The other side is a chalkboard.






This is how Allen felt on Friday.






I took the babies on a walk to give us some fresh air and sunshine.
Ross, Allen and Abby didn't feel like joining us.
I used this stroller since the side-by-side was still disassembled due to illness, but the twins didn't mind at all.





This is right before I left to a meeting. Abby took this picture.
Emma and Jane are almost 11 months old.
I love their matching yellow outfits!!

Today's Tidbits:

• I got out a Sesame Street city set. The lamp post piece is the toy that has exchanged hands the most between Jane and Emma. They like chewing it on it, of course, and crawling around with it. Click here to view a flashback of Allen playing with the same Sesame Street set.
• I had a great meeting with Allen's teachers. He is doing so well in school and has improved so much in many of the goals that were set the last time we met.
• Emma has 8 teeth and Jane's 4th one just broke through. And yesterday was the first time Emma displayed some stranger anxiety, right as I was leaving for a meeting.
• Ross took Allen to his game at 7pm and I put Abby right to bed. Since only half the team showed up, every boy got two tickets at the end. Allen shared one of his Ring-pops with me.
• I finished one side (out of 4) of my cross-stitch project, except for the french knot. I just watched a 20 second tutorial on it and I'm ready to go try it. I love how quick I can find information on the Internet.
• Abby eager to go to preschool. She helped me pack her lunch and she requested a ponytail on the side ("Deb" as Ross calls it, if you've seen Napoleon Dynamite, you'll understand). While she's gone I will play the babies and have some more project time when they go down for naps.
• Ross and Abby will be at soccer practice tonight. While they are gone I am going to throw a salad together (I'm still debating between green or fruit because I have oodles of produce for either, especially since past illnesses with appetites down) and Allen is going to spend time on the computer using a program they use at school. Then once Ross pulls up, I'll jump in the car with my salad and sheet music and run to a Relief Society social. I am in charge of the musical number. A small group of us will be singing "When I Feel His Love" by Janice Kapp Perry (and Catherine Sawaya is accompanying), which was a number sung several years ago during the Relief Society broadcast when Bonnie Parkin was the president. It has a beautiful melody and true-to-heart lyrics, the ones that immediately bring the Spirit and make you want to be better.   
• I really liked this article today how the author compares a mission two motherhood. I never served a mission, I met Ross got married instead, but sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to serve. Using these comparisons it sounds like I didn't miss much.

meeting

• Yay for surprise posts by Ross! (see below)
• I'm going to an ARD meeting at the school this morning for Allen. Ross is going to be phoned in as well, kind of as a tele-conference, so he knows what is going on. I'll be meeting with a few teachers and we will be reviewing the goals set for Allen this year and possibly making some new ones. A neighbor was planning on popping over for a short time, but she recently sold her home and has people coming this morning so she arranged for another person in the ward to come in her place, the Relief Society President. I'm grateful for the help, but feel a little funny. I'm sure the RS President has plenty she can do besides watch my three beauties. The kids will have fun since it's just "playtime" while she's here -- here's to hoping everyone behaves the 40 minutes I am gone.
• My sister Annette is going to come stay for a few days next week while Caleb does some work in the Dallas area. It will be fun to hang out with Annette and Hyrum. It will be fun to see the baby cousins play together.
• It's Muffin Monday. Everyone was around the table (except me because I was making Allen's lunch) eating applesauce muffins, drinking juice and the babies were in their highchairs enjoying Cheerios. It's nice having breakfast time together. Allen and Abby were even dressed.
• After school we'll have to make a trip to the library to pick up a few items on hold and return what we've borrowed. It's time to get get a whole new bag of things to read and enjoy.
• We had Family Home Evening last night (I taught a lesson about listening, Ross shared the story of Samuel (listening) and we had a family planning meeting about conference (listening to the speakers) this weekend -- people made requests for things to do and eat) because Allen has a soccer game tonight. His game is at 7:15pm so Ross is going to just take Allen. The babies will already be in bed and Abby will get to sleep a little earlier since her roommate won't be there to chat. Last night the two of them were in their room talking for almost an hour. Ross and I had our door open so we could hear their conversation while we went over the week's calendar. It's pretty funny what they say and argue about.
• I'll hoping to wrap up my recipe book project this week.
• Jane and Emma are slowly getting their appetites back. It's nice having healthy kids again.

No TV

I'm surprising Andrea with a post today. Our family's been sick lately, so we've watched a little more TV lately. I say TV, but really I mean DVDs or VHS tapes. We don't have cable or satellite TV, and though we have a digital converter and "rabbit ears" antennae, we don't get very many channels. We don't subscribe to cable or satellite TV because of the cost, and I think it's probably for the best. After the family watched a movie together yesterday, I turned on a local channel and Andrea and I watched part of a football game. We noticed two things when the channel would switch to commercials: 1. We found ourselves craving whatever food they were advertising online. 2. The commercials were definitely meant for people with short attention spans, with the camera angle switching sometimes multiple times a second, making us wish the camera would just focus on something for a while.

So yesterday helped us remember how watching TV makes us realize we want things we didn't know we wanted, to a greater extent than normal advertisements in print or online. Obviously we don't need help figuring out our unmet needs or wants. It also showed us how TV programming can hurt your attention span. I'm glad our kids haven't figured out there's lots of TV programming besides PBS Kids. Eventually they'll figure out there's a whole world of media options, but there's no need to accelerate that process. We have plenty of things to occupy our attention in the meantime. Sometimes I do wish we have cable (such as when the NBA Finals are on ABC, one of the channels we don't get), but overall I think our family does better off without it.

a broccoli fan

• Allen was spotlighted today in primary. A few things I heard that they said are that his favorite time of year is winter and his favorite food is broccoli. In fact, one of the primary counselors found me in Relief Society and gave me Allen's and Abby's parts for the primary program next month, and Allen really wanted to mention broccoli in his part. Sister Cummings was happy they could put that in his part for him, especially because his class's comments focus on the Word of Wisdom.
• Allen: "I can live the Word of Wisdom by choosing good foods to eat like peas and broccoli. I can exercise by playing outside and running in parks."
• Abby: "My favorite apostle is President Packer."
• When I picked up Abby from her primary class she was coloring footprints. She ran to me and said in her sweet little voice, "Mom, we learned about following Jesus's example and we walked in his footsteps." It was so cute!
• The babies and I went to Ross's Sunday School class today. The teenagers don't mind having us attend and I find it really interesting some of the things they say about their families or school. Teenagers sure have a distorted view on most things, but they will figure it out in a few years when they are forced to grow up a little more. And, frankly, I really like watching Ross teach. It's an extra hour I get to be near him, instead of wrestling with two babies in the adult Sunday School class alone.
• Jane had to be changed during Ross's class so it was a good thing I brought a few clean clothes. She also broke part of my "goddy" (as Ross called it) necklace in Relief Society. I rarely wear jewelry, but it acts as a new toy for babies in church.  
• Emma is getting tooth #8 and she doesn't like eating broken Cheerios (she refused picking up a piece out of Catherine's hand). Emma has a lot more poof of hair on her head. Ross told his class that she is our "troll doll."
• I am starting to prepare for General Conference this next weekend. I like the idea here, of having Conference Baggies or different activities for each speaker. For our Conference holiday we are also having beignets (french donuts) and chocolate milk for breakfast (because Abby has been asking for weeks and I told her we could do it for the next holiday). I hope to make conference full of traditions, very fun and memorable so the kids will remember it growing up like any other holiday.
• Tonight for dinner we are having chicken noodle soup (a new crock pot recipe I found) and dinner rolls (another new recipe).

rejoice sweet morning nations

This title is a combination of all the songs sung at the General Relief Society Broadcast. I LOVE attending this broadcast yearly, probably because of the different people I have gotten to know and the Spirit I feel each year no matter where I have seen the meeting. It's like my yearly "out" as a mom which includes food (sometimes desserts or dinner, depending on which state I am in and what the stake plans) and wonderful counsel and encouragement. As I sit in the dark I get to reflect on what I am have done as a woman, wife, and mother in the last year. I check and see how I am doing and what I can be doing better. It's my one session of conference that I can actually sit and listen to the full message without interruptions. I wish I had the courage to take my cross-stitch project and sew while I listen, but I didn't so I took notes instead so I paid better attention. While Ross is out for a run, I'm going to jot down my favorite parts of this meeting.

Sister Beck:

• The pattern of Relief Society existed anciently. It goes hand in hand with the Priesthood.
• What we learn in Relief Society is a pattern or way of life given to help us fulfill divine purposes -- building self, home and others. 
• A step (preparation) providing the higher law -- temple covenants.
• Visiting teaching is an expression of true discipleship. It is a way to honor our covenants. True ministry is charity, not statistics, and essential to helping sisters grow spiritually.

Sister Allred:

• Charity -- sweet, kind, humble, quiet, passive, righteous, true, faithful, endurance. Charity is a state of being, not a single act. Must have a desire, pray for and read scriptures daily to receive this gift. Look to Christ, Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson for examples of charity. Small acts of charity are a healing power to others.
• Time + patience + constancy = a good visiting teacher. You become a friend or "family" to your sister.
• When you provide service, you extend charity and it makes your own problems seem smaller.  It gives you a better perspective.

Sister Thompson:

• Joy, happiness, comfort and protection come from keeping our temple covenants.
• Sift through your possessions -- is there evidence of keeping covenants?
• Attending the temple helps us overcome every trial, brings a sense of renewal, find peace and helps us with a broader perspective.

President Uctdorf: (I love how his tie matched the color of the forget-me-nots they showed on the screen)

• The tiny blue flower, Forget-Me-Not, is easy to overlook because of its small size, but it is just as beautiful and rich in color. It can be used as a symbol of little things in life that can make your life joyful and sweet.
• The 5 petals help us remember 5 wise principles we should not forget: 1) Patience with self, 2) Choose to spend time for good sacrifices (rather than foolish sacrifices), 3) Be happy now, 4)  Learn the "why" of the gospel, 5) The Lord loves you.
• To have a good/successful Family Home Evening it must be enjoyable, spiritual, and bring the family closer together.
• Find wonder and delight in the tiny steps toward perfection.
• Think to ourselves -- "Am I committing time and energy to things that matter most?" Have an eternal perspective.
• The gospel is not an obligation, it is a pathway. The "what" and "how" marks the way and makes things more clear, but when we learn the "why" the gospel ceases to be a burden and brings joy and delight.
• You are not forgotten. You are a daughter of a King. You are closer to heaven than you suppose. Let the Lord's love in your life. Cherish the gift of activity in the church. 

Things I want to do now: finish reading the new Relief Society book -- Daughters In My Kingdom, re-read my patriarchal blessing, come up with an enjoyable Family Home Evening lesson tomorrow, plant some forget-me-nots in a pot. 

4 year olds playing soccer

Tidbits for today:

• Ross does such a great job at coaching Abby's soccer team. He's very patient, makes sure everyone gets equal playing time and follows the rules, and is very positive. It's really interesting even at this very young age how parents' emotions can be strong. It was nice being at Abby's game today. I put the twins in the stroller and Allen read/lay down on our blanket.
• Allen isn't going to play soccer today. Yesterday afternoon we got a call from the nurse that he had an accident and needed new clothes. When Ross went over (I was changing Jane's runny diaper) Allen had just thrown up in the garbage can. So another family member has joined the sick ones.
• It was quite the busy day yesterday taking care of sick kiddos, (I did three special loads of laundry), and I have to admit that it was really nice to have Ross's help. He said staying home was probably more work for him than if he went to work. Yes, I believe him, knowing what I do daily, even though I would have absolutely no idea what to do if I were at the Judge's chambers. I'm glad he's good at what he does and I'm good at what I do.
• Being sick isn't much fun, but you get to do things you wouldn't normally do like watch Up and Hercules in the same day as a family. Allen asked to watch Land Before Time (one that is on the shelf but we haven't seen for years). Ross said he'd watch it with him once he finishing mowing the front lawn.
• Tonight I'm going to the Relief Society broadcast at the stake center. There will be a fingerfood mingle before (I'm going to take a plate of cut-up produce since our fridge is full due to sales and no one can eat very much), and hopefully I will find a few ladies from our ward so we can pop in a room and practice our song for Tuesday's dinner social. I love the fact that we have two events days apart when we haven't met formally as a Relief Society since May. You'd think we could spread out the activities a little. 

sick day

• Lights were out before 10pm last night, but between Ross getting up, Abby getting up and Jane getting up, it was a rough night. Ross is home sick today. So far everyone is ill but me and Allen, but my stomach feels a tad queasy. Of course, I'm used to feeling yucky a majority of the time anyway. Blood sugar changes can do that to you.
• I started an interesting book called Funny in Farsi. It's full of funny, short stories about a family from Iran that came to America in the 70s.
• Allen took an apple in his backpack today for a science activity at school. I dropped him off this morning and told him about the apple project I taught at the BYU preschool. We even sang the "I'm a Little Apple Seed" song that Cherise and I wrote for the kids to sing to wrap up our unit. I've sang it to Allen and Abby before and I was curious if he could remember any of the words. He did. I love singing songs and stopping and hearing little voices fill in the words and pitches. It is absolutely precious!
• There is a ward playgroup today, but I don't think we'll make it.
• Yesterday I took the babies out in the tandem stroller for a walk and they were in heaven. They had never ridden in that one before and they enjoyed the ride down the street and back.
• Abby got home from preschool and really missed me. She said she wanted to snuggle with her blanket and have me rock her. She was disappointed when it was time to go home when another mom came to pick up the group. (She was excited about it the morning I told her about it, but when it came time for it, she wanted me.) Ahhh! That's sweet. She isn't very clingy so it made me feel loved.
• Ross is my bug-catching hero. He took care of a big cockroach the other day before I even saw it. He knows how much they, as my roommate Jess used to say, "sick-me-out". How's that for love? It made my day.
• I read an article about my mom's cousin, Brent Belnap, in the newspaper. He was the Stake President of the New York, New York stake during the time of the events of 9/11. I had never heard his side of the story and was fascinated by the report. Read it here.
• My sister Annette, who now lives with her family in Arkanas, has been busy making lots of custom cakes lately. Check out her website here.
• Right now all is calm and quiet -- Ross and all the girls are asleep. I'll sign off and join them while I can.

a transformer blew

Last night after everyone was in bed and everything was quiet (it was about 9:20pm), I sat down on the coach by Ross for a snuggle, and we talked for a few minutes about the crazy events of the evening (see below). Then we heard a pop outside and all went dark. Ross: "I think a transformer blew." Me: "What?" Ross: "You know, like Optimus Prime." Me again: "What?" (I didn't know the devices used to transfer electrical energy were called transformers -- you learn something new every day).

Luckily, my laptop was open so the only light we had was from my computer's glow. We found our stored flashlights and then got some candles and matches. We pulled out the load that was in the washer and laid it out to dry (especially the car seat pad). Ross called the power company in case it was something we needed to report. Then I got ready for bed, having a hard time reading by my battery-low flashlight, and knowing that whenever the power was fixed all our lights would be on again, which happened at 11:07pm.

What crazy events am I referring to? At the end of Allen's soccer clinic. I noticed Jane had spit up all over herself. She was playing with a pair of sunglasses so I automatically thought she might have put the stem in too far and gagged herself. But soon after she spit up again, soaking the clean pajamas she was just changed in to, ruining the plan of making bedtime simple once we got home. Luckily, Catherine was there at the park with us and helped me strip the babies down (Emma, sitting next to Jane, got spit up on her clean pajamas too) to put in their car seats. As we drove home I called Ross letting him know what had happened and that once we got home I needed him to spray the stroller down and while I talked I could hear Jane throw up again three times. Catherine met me at home. She got Jane from her car seat and right into the tub. I called Ross back and told him to pick up some Pedialyte at the store. (Yay that they make a clear kind!) Once Emma heard the tub going she wanted a bath too. After Jane got out, Emma got in. After I scrambled for clothing and diapers (my mind was kind of out of it) I started dressing Jane and she threw up again. Back into the tub she went. I tried dressing her again. A few minutes later more spit-up. Finally she stayed in a diaper and towel, and after Catherine put Emma down, she just held Jane while I helped Allen and Abby get pajamas on and did dessert/scripture reading. While this was going on, Ross got home, changed and was stripping out the stroller pads and car seat pads for clean-up. Jane threw up again and then starting doing dry heaves. The poor girl, as Catherine said, was absolutely charming during all of this with her many smiles. You wouldn't know she was sick or hurting until after she would do a dry heave or rub her eyes. She was exhausted. We finally got her to bed, sleeping on a towel in her crib. Catherine and Ross ate dinner and then Catherine left since it was too late to walk or start a project -- Jane was our exercise and project for the night! After I started the wash, Ross put some dinner items away, Ross and I sat on the couch to talk (which brings us back to the beginning of this post) and then BOOM were in the dark. Luckily, the power blew once everyone was in bed. I can't imagine how fun it would be with Jane and vomit in the dark.

It wasn't the best night sleep (Ross got up at 11pm to turn off all our lights, I got up with Jane after midnight to give her some Pedialyte, Ross got up with her again at 4am and I had to correct a low blood sugar...) and it's not going to be a very fun day (I had to cancel two visiting teaching appointments, luckily I'm not driving Abby's co-op carpool today and I've got to try to separate two babies from each other all day) but I got so much accomplished yesterday (laundry, ironing, dinner, grocery shopping, picking up rooms) that I don't feel like I have to do very much today. Maybe I'll just enjoy holding a cute baby or two. Thanks to Ross for putting Jane's car seat back together this morning. (Post written above at 8:15am.)

Update at 8:30am: I just went in to get the girls out of bed and Emma is covered in spit up. It's all over her and the bedding. Ahhhh! She has the biggest smile on her face, but I don't want to touch her. Do you blame me? So much for separation today. I guess that will keep things easier. Okay, enough stalling, I'm going to go in there and be brave.

same outfit, only three and a half years ago

The outfit I am referring to is the Disney Princess (size 12 month) pajamas...

April 2008: Allen and Abby are wearing their new Christmas pajamas from Grandma Schmidt.
I love their opposite expressions!!

Sept 2011: Emma loving some comfy pajamas and playing in the tv room.
You can see my laundry cart in the background and another little baby starting to make her way towards me.

Jane wore a new pair of fleece pajamas. She'll have to try the Princess pajamas a different time.
Lately Jane just wears whatever pajamas I can find with a zipper, it's a struggle to get her to stop long enough, so snaps are almost impossible.

Emma learned how to clap.
This in an action shot.

Emma is really good at pulling herself up. She was up looking in our "toy box" for something to grab out.

Don't let this "relaxed-baby" look fool you. She actually wasn't relaxing, just blinking because of the flash.
You can even see her new top teeth that just came out.
That Mermaid Barbie is one of her favorite toys. Luckily Abby lets her play with it most of the time.
I hand it to her when it's nearby and I need Jane to hold still for times like a diaper/outfit change.

Ha! I managed to catch Jane's mischievous smile that I commonly see throughout the day.
(I had meant to capture her pointed toes -- looked very ballet-like to me.)
She's got a wet wipe in her hands that she pulled out of the package (bottom right corner).
Now that she's dressed (another shirt that I remember Abby wearing) she's ready to go and explore!
She has figured out how to open kitchen cupboards. Some Tupperware kept her entertained for a while yesterday.

Other Tidbits:

• I put the twins to bed at 5pm (because of a piano lesson) and they didn't get up again until 7am this morning! Talk about happy and on-the-go babies today once they got out of bed and were put down on the floor. Right now Emma and Jane are enjoying banana slices and Cheerios in their highchairs while they watch me type on this laptop.
• Abby's been asking to watch a movie while we do the ironing. It's laundry day and Abby is a great helper to be my spray bottle squirter while we conquer the wrinkles in Daddy's shirts. One day Abby asked why I didn't iron my clothes. I told her something like, "because I don't have to go to an office to work. I'm my own boss and I don't care about pressed shirts."
• Yesterday after school Allen was engrossed in a new book he borrowed from his teacher, "Scary One-Minute Stories" and Jane was zoned into the Mermaid Barbie. The two of them were in the tv room. Then, in a different room, Emma (playing with beads and the jump ropes, her favorite thing!) and Abby were playing side by side. Since both sets of children were busy and happy, I sat on the couch between the two rooms and finished the 10 pages of my book. After I finished I joined them all in the toy room and we played with trains. I love having two sets of kids because they have a playmate. The other day after school the twins were together and Allen and Abby were together (in a different room) after school, both playing extremely nice. It was awesome!
• Abby had so much fun carpooling with her preschool friends yesterday. They started a "Cinderella" game at the house that they continued in the car. Three four-going-on-five-year-olds are pretty funny to listen to while you drive along. (I managed to squeeze three booster seats in the backseat of the van. The babies were excited for more voices to listen to as well.) Once we dropped off James Abby asked if she could stay and play at his house. She loves her new friends! 
• Ross is attending a law seminar today. I made sure to help him get Allen ready and out the door a few minutes early then normal. He said he didn't feel like walking into the Chief Judge's presentation late. Hopefully he didn't.
• I completed my goal of reading all the Caldecott winners (that makes 63 stories) this year. My five favorites still are The Little House, The Snowy Day, Where the Wild Things Are, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Make Way For Ducklings.
• We'll have to start getting Abby ready for her dance class in about an hour. After I drop her off I'm going to stop at the produce store and the grocery store. The babies will enjoy riding in the cart (still in their infant car seats -- Emma rides up in the passenger seat since the Evenflo brand locks better there. Jane, in her Graco brand, rides in the basket. Now that they are older I have to pay more attention where I put the food around them).
• I'm trying a new soup recipe tonight -- cheesy potato soup in the crock pot. Crock pots are the way to go.
• This early evening Allen has another soccer clinic to attend. The girls and I will hang out by the toys while the boy groups do their drills. Catherine Sawaya is even going to meet us there. Tonight is a walking/project night.

co-op carpool

• Abby rode in a carpool today for co-op. (Ahhh! That's nice that they came to pick her up.) I sent her today with her Dr. Seuss backpack filled with a paint shirt, scissors, a lunch and her booster seat. I'm going to take a turn and do the pick-up at the end of preschool.
• Allen got a note in his folder yesterday from his teaching telling us what a good job he did while doing a presentation for his class.
• Emma loves her Soothie; Jane loves her washcloth (and sometimes stealing Emma's Soothie). Both babies need their personal item before napping.
• I finished putting together a quartet to sing this Saturday at a funeral in the ward.
• Ross's and Abby's soccer team is awesome! They played 4 on 5 yesterday and backed up to the goal box when the other team did the kickoffs and they still scored every few minutes. He's got some girls who have obviously played before and know exactly what to do. He says at practice they are going to spend lots of time practicing passing.
• I heard Allen cheering for a few boys on his team, "Good blocking Ian" and he likes to cheer when their team scores. At the end of every game, instead of families taking turns bringing treats to the game, the teammates get a ticket to take to the concession stand. Allen chose a Hershey bar this time. Most kids use their tickets to get snowcones so the line moves really slow. Allen's turn takes 2 seconds (because he usually picks candy) while most kids take 2 minutes. The snowcone machine was broken at the concession stand at the field where Abby played her game, so even though Allen's and Abby's games were at the exact some time, her and Ross beat us home by about 15 minutes. When we got home Abby told me she picked M&M's for her treat.
• Abby asked for some help spelling words this morning. She wrote "no" and then "Emma." I wonder if she meant for them to go together like "No, Emma." She doesn't like when the babies find her stuff.
• Wrestling two babies in the morning, just to get them dressed, wears me out.
• I started a new book (a 500+ page Caldecott-winner called The Invention of Hugo Cabret) that is interesting. I've got to do some straightening and vacuuming, I have a piano lesson later today, and a Relief Society song practice tonight at Catherine Sawaya's apartment, followed by some exercising and errands.

patience for two marshmallows

• Ross taught a fun Family Home Evening lesson about patience. He used the story that Elder Uchtdorf used during a recent conference session about the marshmallow test. The kids enjoyed this video clip from Mormon Messages that Ross showed at the end. We also liked watching this one and this one (the older brother is so funny) while the kids ate their two marshmallows.
• The kids are excited to play at the Ark after school. They have been asking to go play there the last few days.
• Jane, Emma, Abby and I will spend the day indoors cleaning the kitchen, playing and working on this week's dinner menu.
• Allen and Abby both have soccer games this evening, at the same time. I will go to Allen's game and Ross will go to Abby's.
• This morning is Muffin Monday. I made applesauce muffins, a recipe I got from Rachel, my last roommate at BYU. Allen said it tasted like apple and pumpkin pie. Abby favorite part was licking the beaters.

be a hero

• Yesterday we gathered a stack of books to donate for the "Be a Hero" Eagle Scout project in our ward. When we got to church I remembered that our bag was sitting by the back door. We'll try again next week.
• Jane sat in her car seat for all three meetings. She was surprisingly content throughout so there was no need to her to roam free and have me chase her.
• Emma liked screeching enough that she spent the last part of Priesthood in the hallway. Ross said that I picked taking the correct baby during Relief Society.
• Allen told me that he knows what he is going to pray for tonight: a baby brother. He shared that to his primary teachers during class and they got a few smiles out of that. When Abby heard the "baby brother" idea she said that she wouldn't play with the baby if it was a boy. She says she wants another baby sister, even though she already has two.
• The babies and I enjoyed sitting in on Ross's Sunday School class today on Paul's Epistles.
• I hope to use some time today to rest, write in 5 journals, read more from Jesus the Christ, Gospel Principles, the New Testament, and the Children's Friend Magazine from September with Allen and Abby. Tonight for dinner I am making teriyaki chicken bowls and Catherine S. is bringing a salad. Ross has a few home teaching appointments this evening.  

power problems on our date

Here is our co-op preschool group yesterday, minus one girl, after we finished our body vests.
We focused on only four parts -- brain, heart, lungs and stomach.

• Ross got up early this morning (and when I say early it was earlier than a regular morning -- about 6:10am, the usual is about 6:30am) to go play basketball at the church with the guys.
• I'm waiting to see if the Coppell Soccer Association will update their website as promised at 7am to inform people if their fields are open. We had a few hours of rain last night.
• For our date we enjoyed Five Guys for dinner and then headed to the temple. We arrived about 8:10pm due to traffic, and knowing that the last Friday session is at 8pm, we had intentions of doing other temple work. However, due to some power outages and shortage of workers, all other temple work was closed. They told us the 8 o'clock session was still open. Ross quickly rented some clothes and I went to dress (I always take my bag because it has my emergency sugar stash, plus I do just in case). We made it into the room at 8:20am and we weren't the only ones joining the group. After they started there was a problem with the sound and they stopped and we waited another 10 minutes until that was fixed. Apparently they were having technical issues due to the power outages throughout the building. So the 8pm session started more like 8:30pm. We got home much later than planned.
• I told the kids (I heard Allen and Abby whispering to each other) to go back to sleep since it was still early. I don't know if they did because I shut my door so I could shower and get ready. I know that they are excited to play together all day today. Yesterday Abby told Allen she wanted to play ballerinas. Allen said that boys don't play ballerinas, which is the first time I remember having a gender role conflict in play between them. It didn't last long because as we were leaving for our date, they were both spinning and ready to be ballerinas. It made me smile. Abby has played so many pirate/cowboy/Star Wars games ovet time that it's cute that Allen was okay to try one of her girly games.
• Jane smiles so easily. She managed to break the shower gadget on the bathtub faucet. She always likes to pull on it during her bath and look above to see the water come down from the shower head. She's such a smart 10-month old baby!
• Emma managed to pull up the pack-n-play mattress during her naptime and fall asleep with her head nestled on her teddy bear (luckily over the bar) and her body curled up on the side around the bars. I have since fixed the mattress with the Velcro option.
• Not any major plans today -- soccer games (if they aren't cancelled), a few errands, get-ready-for-Sunday stuff, try to tune in to the BYU/Utah game, and run through a song a few times tonight at Catherine Sawaya's apartment.

a little chilly

• It was a little chilly last night at Allen's soccer practice. What was the temperature? Mid-70s with some wind. I guess I got too used to the heat. I met a few other moms at the practice, wearing jackets or a blanket wrapped around their shoulders. It's nice talking to adults without other kids in tow.
• Allen did a good job unloading the dishwasher.
• I'm teaching preschool this morning. I'm ready to go! We're ready to learn all about our guts and make body bag costumes. Abby was my model yesterday as I cut the holes for the arms and prepared the bags.
• Spit -- a four letter word that I despise.
• The weather report says it might rain today. I hope it does.
• Jane and Emma are both crawling up on their knees now instead of their bellies. Emma's been doing it longer than Jane.
• I started a good book, The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason Wright and want to finish it today.
• Tonight Ross and I are going on a date to the temple. The kids are excited for Catherine Sawaya to come over.

floor lamps

• Jane's new talent is knocking over floor lamps. Ross is changing the light bulbs this morning so I'm all ready for my after-school piano lesson.
• Allen got a new alarm clock after attending the soccer clinic yesterday. The alarm really helps him get up in the morning and get ready faster.
• Abby actually slept in this morning. She will be excited to go to storytime later today. 
• Emma, like Jane, is good at ripping sheets off the crib. She got a new elastic for her Soothie. 
• I'm going to take Allen to his soccer team practice tonight. I also need to finish putting the babies clean clothes away, read the rest of a novel and gather everything for my preschool lesson tomorrow.
• Ross will either be playing basketball tonight or jogging. 
• The twins love to play in the toy room early in the morning. I pull the shades up a little and they like to watch the morning traffic go by and see people walk their dogs as they play.

unifix cubes

• Today we're busy doing dance, laundry, and we have a special soccer clinic after school.
• One way to make the babies smile/laugh is to drink and then swallow and say "ahhhh". They think it's hilarious.
• Allen had some math homework to work on. Right before bed we got out the unifix cubes and built "staircases" is what he calls it. We counted up cubes to match the number on top of the pile.
• Abby went to dance and is now sitting/playing in the bathtub. I love dance days when she lets me put her hair in a "ballet bun".
• Jane and Emma are wearing matching/coordinating short/jacket outfits from Catherine Sawaya. They love/hate those hoods. You can see Jane's messy hair from the hood. I love how Emma says we look the same in all the pictures.
• I've watched parts of the first Anne of Green Gables while I've worked on some preschool plans, laminated Mr. Weather Bear and mended Allen's Animal Blanket. Abby watched a little with me. I am excited for the day when my girls will watch all my favorite movies with me.
• It's weird. The last two days (at the same play area), two complete strangers (also mothers of twins), approached me and made some snarky or negative remark about twins. (Really? You don't even know me. I get tired of those often-repeated twin comments, especially when it comes from other moms who try to compare their life to mine. Before the encounter I was actually reading while the kids played -- guess they didn't get the hint that I didn't want to talk.)
• Ross is busy at work today helping the judge complete lots of small assignments.
• A bang in the kitchen, which interrupted this blog post, meant that Jane had tipped the garbage can over and she was looking through the trash on the top. She had found remains of a PB sandwich and was testing it out. It's amazing what an active baby can do in a minute. 
• I just finished dinner preparations (Looney Lasagna) and I'm eager for another project night tonight.



Ross attends Red Mass

Ross attended an event of the Thomas Moore Society (Red Mass and brunch) a few weeks where Judge Boyle was honored and received the 2011 William Roper Award.

(Left to Right: Kelsey, Cort, Judge Boyle, Ross, a former clerk's wife, former clerk)

My Body: Co-op Preschool

I'm teaching Abby's co-op preschool this week on Tuesday and Friday. My topic is "My Body".

Today we talked about the OUTSIDE of our body (we sang Beanbag Song putting the beanbag on different body parts, filled in the "This is Me!" body silhouette to what we were wearing on our bodies, made body books, sang songs and read books about our bodies and how to take care of them) and on Friday we will learn about the INSIDE of our body (talk about what different organs are inside and what they do, exercise to check and see how our organs respond and record it on a checklist, and make body costumes coloring these organs and mounting them on a grocery sack "vest"). This week we also reviewed the letters C and D and practiced writing them.

And how do the twins do today? Well, luckily, their morning nap lasted longer than usual and they slept through half of preschool. Then they crawled around during our reading/singing/movement time and ate in their high chairs during our lunch time. They stayed in their highchairs a little bit longer than usual but were happy with all the different foods they tried today.

P and D

Today is filled with things that start with the letter P: preschool, piano, parenting, practices (soccer and song) and purchases (a trip to Walmart is planned).

Another great tidbit to add is that I figured out what we are going to do for Halloween costumes this year. They all start with the letter D: district judge, devil, desperado (cowboy), daisy, dog and dragon.

what are we doing today

What are WE doing today?

Ross: He got up early to feed Jane (about 5:30am) and then went for a morning run. He dropped Allen off at school. Now he's at work.
Andrea: Working on the Family Home Evening lesson for tonight (we are going to learn "Keep the Commandments" and watch the scorpion clip about obedience), made sandwiches for Allen's lunches for the rest of the week, reading and replying to emails about a song practice tomorrow night.
Allen: Wore red, white and blue today due to his school's request. He also took two granola bars to donate to the police/fireman. The first grade is writing thank you notes and collecting snacks to deliver to the those groups.
Abby: Got up early, ate Cheerios for breakfast, is dressed and is now looking at the comics page. She told me that after Allen left she has to play alone. Boy, do her and him like playing together!
Jane: Crawling around my room and other rooms. Happy to be awake and ready to explore. She needs to get dressed and have breakfast in her highchair.
Emma: Ditto to Jane. Plus I gave her a bottle a few minutes ago. She slept much longer than Jane this morning.

ten years ago today

Ten years ago today I was a BYU student getting ready for class when my roommate Jen screamed at me to come watch what she saw on TV: a plane flying into the World Trade Center. I have to be honest. I did not understand the events that day. It took a few years, a few kids and living in a city to help me see the bigger picture.

I like this video, that Catherine Sawaya sent me, showing a dance group celebrate America. And here is an article that was written by a women in the McLean 2nd Ward, our last ward in Virginia. I know the area she is talking about. I think I would view the 9-11 event differently if I lived in D.C. then, but living in Provo as a busy college student, I hardly thought much about it. And Ross was serving his mission in Brazil during the 9-11 event so it feels different for him too.

Other Tidbits:

• The primary is working on their program, which was postponed by a month. I had fun at the piano keeping up with the chorister by her random song choices in senior primary. That made sitting at the bench more interesting as I found song selections on the fly. We sang a jazzy version of "Book of Mormon Stories" and a speedo version of "Praise to the Man".
• Ross, the older kids and I played some soccer in the backyard on Friday evening. The kids played a few minutes and then went to jump on the trampoline while Ross and I kicked the balls at each other and tried to defend our own goals. I'm still sore today. That soccer-ball kicking really worked muscles that haven't been used in a while. We've got to play soccer again.
• Allen, Abby, Jane, Emma and I wore red, white and/or blue today. Ross wore a white shirt with a tie from Brazil.
• For dinner we are having cream of chicken and wild rice soup (crock-pot) and bread (that Catherine Sawaya is bringing) for dinner and brownies with mint ice cream for dessert.
• I'm eager to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's special patriotic program featuring Tom Brokaw.

soccer games and toilet paper

Today has been filled with soccer games and two silly babies...

This was taken on Friday.
They were both eating and laughing/smiling at me.

Both excited as they watch the bathtub fill up.
Jane was so thrilled she fell right in head first -- good thing I caught her.

Allen with his team, the Titans, before the game.

We kept Jane and Emma in the stroller most of the time because that was almost the only shade in the park.

Allen and Abby are excited to play soccer this fall.

Ross with his team, the Stars.

Here are Jane and Emma at Abby's game.
I put the babies under a covered pavilion on a blanket, but they kept crawling off.
Jane went right for the corner flag.

I love this! Right before the first kick off Abby and two other friends are playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie.

Someone had fun in the bathroom!
Mommy and Abby went to the library and the grocery store.
Jane and Emma took advantage of the time while Daddy was "on watch" and made a mess.
A few photos follow as well as some video...
I like how Emma blinks as she rips the paper.

Other Tidbits:

• Being at Allen's game and cheering for the Titans reminded Ross of the Titans from Hercules. We came home to find the clip from when they are released by Hades. ("Brothers!" "Freeze him!")
• I'm so excited!! Ross bought tickets to the BYU/TCU football game next month for my birthday!
• Both Abby and Allen did great during their games. We all got a little more sun than I like. It's funny. We go all summer with hardly a sunburn, due to my diligent sunscreen wearing and applying, and today I was too lax and now the pink shows it.
• My preschool lessons are all ready for next week. Tomorrow I get to play the piano in primary.
• Ross taught me about tennis. We watched the final match of the men's semi-finals.

marathon mommy

• This morning the girls and I will be playing at the Ark. This afternoon will either be a practice-the-piano-at-the-church party or an after-school movie party. Either way it's going to be a party. We like those.
• Abby enjoyed her preschool lessons. She brought home a hat and a book they made for their "All About Me" topic.
• Allen wrote three letters to teachers for his after-school homework.
• Ross attended a J. Reuben Clark Law Society luncheon/speaker event at the Belo Mansion downtown. He saw many familiar faces from law school. church and work.
• I've been watching old episodes of Swans Crossing (from 1992 -- anyone remember that show?) on youtube while working on a few computer projects.
• Emma and Jane appear throughout the house commonly standing. Neither napped well yesterday. I'm hoping for happier babies today.
• It feel like I have been "running" most of the week. People say "hasn't this week gone by fast?" and I think, "yeah, because I've been running through it." I guess being a busy mom is the closest thing to a marathon than I will ever do. I'm not a runner. I don't like it. I get my "natural high" from other places. Like my favorite quote from Back to the Future 3, "Run for fun? What the heck kind of fun is that?"
• I've got to get back to the mystery I'm reading. I heard a baby stir at 5:30am and I woke for a minute, deciding if I really needed to go get them. While I lay there I went through the plot in my mind and I think I know whodunnit, someone I would never have thought of. I just need to get back to it soon and see if I'm right.
• The days of the week breakfast is a great way to start the morning. It really helps the kids have a better feel for the calendar too and how the weeks rolls along. I'm off to pack a lunch and put breakfast on the table. French toast, anyone?

a few pictures this week

A few pictures this week...

Abby's first day of co-op preschool

She dressed herself, wanted pigtail braids and took her pink bag which had her lunch inside.

Ross is leading jumping jacks at soccer practice. The picture is dark because of the shade.
Allen is to his right. Abby is near Allen on his right side. She is wearing pink.

The babies and I are hanging out watching on the side.

A dribbling drill.

Matching outfits from Grandma Schmidt

They love this window.

Abby's first day of dance.

I love putting her hair in a ballet bun.
She brought her pink bag which have her ballet shoes inside.

She got them out to show me.

Other tidbits:

• Abby is at co-op preschool right now. And the babies are having their morning nap. When Abby gets home she wants to finish building the Mouse Trap game that she started.
• Jane and Emma are both using sippy cups with lids today at their highchairs. Jane is much better at it than Emma.
• Emma is wearing a tie-dyed shirt that we made for Allen at the Tucker Family Reunion in July of 2005. Brings back some memories.
• Jane is wearing a pink shirt/flower pant outfits from Sister Carter in the ward.
• I have a piano lesson to teach after school and I'm eager to read more of the September Friend Magazine with the kids during our reading time.
• Allen has soccer practice this evening. Ross is going to take him.
• Happy Birthday to Grandpa Tucker!