Is It Naptime Yet

While looking for the pictures I just posted I ran across these other home photo’s.

Halloween 1985- Andrea’s a robot Scott, I’m not sure what he is, Glenn is some masked cowboy, I am a scarecrow, Carolyn is a pumpkin with cool orange hair, and Kristi is a butterfly or a fairy.
We used old coffee cans that were painted with a rope for a handle. I remember my handle breaking one year and being so sad.

I’m grumpy in the above photo- I believe there was one of me just like this on a Christmas ornament that has since lost the picture, I should replace that lost photo with this one

All of the following were taken in 1986.

Our backyard on Nellis AFB.
We would walk around on the fence and loved our back yard. There was a mulberry tree that we would pick mulberries from and a pine tree that had ant hills next to it. We’d sit in the wheelbarrow watching them and my brothers would catch them in jars.

This is Kristi’s 7th birthday. My mom made the cake and we still have the Wonderwoman cake pan and face thing, I’m pretty sure anyways. I’m in the green clover/flower dress.

 
Andrea’s 9th birthday.

Me sitting at the table being cute.

The bed my father made for me.

It was from a crib mattress and there was a dresser that went with it that lasted until the Edison house, or maybe 5-8 years, since I eventually outgrew the blue dresser with ducks and hearts on it.

Thus concludes the photo’s from my childhood. I mainly have class photos and then ones I take as I get older.

As I keep looking at this picture of the girls I keep thinking about this other picture of me as a child with my older brother Scott.

I was just over 2 when it was taken, or October 1985, but you can definitely see the family resemblance.

Here’s a closer look.

And just for fun here’s another picture of me as a kid taking a bath. I was just too cute.

My eldest sister Andrea has been in town, since her husband went away for a dirt eating conference, and I’ve gotten to see her and my beautiful niece Zarina. ( Her husband is a geologist who test dirt, so we call him a dirt eater, even though he doesn’t eat dirt, though I think he has tasted my fathers dirt and that’s why we say he eats dirt.)

We visited Saturday at my niece Adrienne’s birthday party and then Monday I went over to my parents after having Britta for Sam that morning.

Lilah and Eden think Zarina is wonderful, but they had a ball playing with Mary’s kids, who were also over to visit Andrea on Monday.

Tuesday is when my girls got to dote on Zarina because we watched her while Andrea went to the temple. They were getting down the baby toys and if had I let them they would have covered her in all the toys. Eden was worried that Andrea would come take Zarina while she took her nap, but luckily she woke up right before Andrea left and she was able to say goodbye.

I took some pictures of the girls with Zarina, who looks like her daddy, but you can tell she’s related to my girls, if nothing they all have chubby cheeks, though mine are losing theirs.

Wednesday, or today, we went to Chuck E’ Cheese with Andrea, Zarina, Carolyn, Kristi and her daughters, Katy and Adrienne, poor Howie was still in school.
I let Andrea go and play with the girls or do whatever for a while and I stayed at the table to guard the purses and watch Zarina.
She is such a happy baby and really cute. She smiles pretty easily and on Tuesday I got a good giggle out of her.
I can’t wait to see her again!

Here are our “drawn portraits” from Chuck E’ Cheese.

I also took one with Zarina, but Andrea took that one.

We went to Chuck E’ Cheese because the girls have been dying to go and today Jon had the day off so we could meet with our life insurance agent. I thought lunch at Chuck E’ Cheese would be fun for the girls, since we promised we’d go, and I invited my sisters along for the fun of it. ( Also so there were more people to help with the watching of the table. 😉 )

Also, here are the girls enjoying some of their prizes they redeemed at Chuck E’ Cheese.

Eden put the stickers on her arm on the trip home.

Lilah loves fake tattoos.

So I’m not really into the whole princess thing. Our only Disney movie that comes close to being one of the Disney princesses is Mulan.
No Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Little Mermaid in our house. (Though Sleeping Beauty is one of Jon’s favorite out of the trio from his youth.)

Now, this wasn’t a conscious decision and if someone where to give us a princess DVD I’d let the girls watch it, but as two adults buying DVD’s for our children, we like to buy things we would enjoy, so we have all the Pixar films, some Studio Ghibli and other random Disney, or non Disney stuff in the mix.

So with not having the princess movies, the girls have not seen them, except Little Mermaid, while at Aunt Andrea’s.
So with not seeing them, they have no idea what to answer when people ask them who their favorite Disney Princess is. I never thought of this, except Carolyn’s boss once asked Lilah this question and she didn’t reply, not only because she doesn’t talk to people, but because she had no idea what he was talking about.

So now I am kinda proud that my girls aren’t enamored or obsessed with Disney Princesses, like so many little girls are. I’m fine with it if you’re daughter is, and in fact my girls still have princess stuff, just not the Disney stuff, and if a little girl does like the princess stuff it, makes it easier in buying gifts.

Anyways, this whole princess discussion started because Julie is entering Naia into this Pretty Little Princess pageant, a more natural, little to no make up or hair pieces aloud pageant, and Carolyn told Julie she should tell me and I should enter my girls. (But I think it’s ’cause Carolyn thinks my girls are the cutest, though she might be partial as their aunt.)

I pay a $20 entry fee and have them in two cute outfits, in which they would have to be new for me, because it is a pageant after all, and people give them a trophy, sash, and flowers, because all the girls get that and then the real winners get a tiara and a savings bond. There are talent scouts there looking for a fresh new face, blah, blah, blah, but parents attest to how wonderful it makes their daughter feel and all that good stuff.

I’m a little like “whats the point?”, but at the same time I have a desire to enter and see if my girls win, because they are so adorable to me, but I wouldn’t want to bank on them winning or go just because I knew they would win because, lets face it, you’re setting someone up for disappointment with that train of thought.

My other dilemma is more of an internal one. In a way I try to keep them away from the whole, ‘you’re my little princess’ train of thought. I want them to have more confidence in themselves than ‘I’m so cute’, since they already hear that a lot. (I know, could my head be any bigger about my two beautiful girls? 😉 ) So to enter them in a contest to make them feel like a princess is a little against my morals or really to enter them in a beauty pageant.

Plus what’s the point? To have complete strangers tell me my child’s adorable, or that there might be others cuter than them? Or to turn down talent scouts because I don’t want my daughter in TV? (I feel like talent agents try to get anyone who is willing pay a fee so I’m not saying this because I automatically think talent scouts would want them or at least one of them.)
But at the same time I want to show how cute my girls are and see if it helps Lilah be better with people, though she is usually better with large groups than one on one interaction.

I don’t always see the point of making a girls feel like a princess or that they’re the prettiest, though I would love for my girls to be the prettiest little princess, but I’m also so competitive that I wouldn’t want to have my friend’s children enter because I want mine to win and then if they knew the winner it might also stay in their mind more that they didn’t win, even though they get all sorts of stuff anyways.

So I’m undecided.

My silly princesses in their princess pajamas.
( I thought the frog ones were cute and my mom gave us the other ones. )

So most of you know that we’re planning on homeschooling our girls. I’m needing to do some research, but I’ve been teaching her since birth, as Jon would say, and am going to start a couple of new things with Lilah.

First I’ve gotten some Zoo Phonics cards from a friend (so let me know if you want hooked up), in hopes that Lilah will have better memorization of the letter sounds, though she probably knows all of them except the vowels easily, so she can hopefully feel more comfortable sounding out words. (She hates sounding out words, ’cause she hates to make mistakes depending on her mood.)
She only likes to read when we read scriptures at night. If it’s one of their books she doesn’t want to help read, but be read to.

At night when we read scriptures it use to be I taught her a word and as I read I would continue to point to the words but pause at the ones she knew so she could read them. Now she’s having me read each word, she repeats it and on words she knows I still don’t say anything. She recognizes a lot of words like: and, is on, be, the, that, etc. and the other night she read the word people! I just wasn’t fast enough and she read it before I did!

She saw the zoo-phonics cards and I think she’s excited about them, so I’m hoping this gives a boost to her motivation to read and to sound things out especially. (I just need to get more self laminating stuff, which was expensive so if I’m planning on making my own stuff I need to find a cheaper way to make it last.)

The other thing, which I just started yesterday, is writing in a composition book.
To get a real feel for dates, months, and the days of the week, which she already knows, I’m planning on writing with her each day. I basically ask what she wants me to put down and I do, then we read it together. (I’m planning on reading about seven days worth each time we go to write once we get at least seven pages down.) I’m also having her read the words she already knows and she likes to repeat the larger ones. She pretends to phonetically read sometimes. She’ll ask what the word is and then slowly read it like she’s sounding it out, though she does also try to point to the letters. It’s cute. I think it does help her remember the words though.

With the notebook I’ve made this our Mommy and Lilah time. I think she’s been feeling a little left out in not getting a specific time with me anymore. Right before each of the girl’s naps is Mommy and (insert name here) time, but since Lilah doesn’t take naps anymore she doesn’t always get a specific time where my attention is on her, since by the time I’m done putting Eden down it’s time for Super Why and her shows, or she’s playing the computer, or I’m tired and need a nap well, you get the picture.
She’s been wanting to encroach on Eden’s time with me, so I think this will help her know and look forward to our time together and know that she will get time with me.

This was our first day’s work, in which I think my girls are bound to have terrible handwriting, due to their mother teaching them, though it’s kinda hard to write so large, and excuse my misspelling of gymnastics, I almost forgot the y at first.
She did the drawing and that top part is her writing her name without my dotted lines and help.

So these are two things I’m doing to encourage reading and writing with her thus far.

I need to find a way to help her correctly write letters. I remember my friend Danielle talking about a video they had for it and having the kindergartners trace the letters with their fingers for practice. I just need large letters that are more in the handwritten manner or a video, since I think tracing with her fingers, on paper, with mommy will probably wear off fast with Lilah.

Also our next science project: to order some caterpillars and watch them become butterflies.

The flowers Jon sent me are so beautiful and are in full bloom. I though I’d take a picture.

This one is with the flash.

This one is in natural light and really the color we see.

Also here are some pictures of my hair.

To show how light it is I’ve posted one of my natural hair color which was taken at Zarina’s blessing in December and I happen to be wearing the same shirt. ( I guess it is one of my favorite shirts.)

I told her to be bold with the highlights and this is what she did. I wanted to do more red, but the light brown is fun, I’m just not sure if I like it.

I really like having dark hair and fair skin and Carolyn says this coloring makes me look more tan, I also look a lot more like her which is freaky according to Derek. (He cracks me up. )
She also didn’t cut bangs because they don’t go with this hair cut, but I’m fine with that.

I think I need to get a larger round brush and some smoother stuff for my hair.

Also Lilah’s response to my shorter hair, she doesn’t like it and yesterday she noticed the highlights and said my hair had funny stuff in it.

Oh well.

If you want the long story of what happened on Christmas see my long post.
It might help to know the whole story, but this is the abbreviated one with pictures and video.

Our Christmas tree after all the gifts had been laid out.

Me: Honey I need to fill the stockings. Him-Oh well I’m sleeping.

Later that night after we both woke up.

The next morning. We made Eden wait behind the gate with Lilah even though she’d already been up.

A video of the girls opening the gifts they got for one another.

Why do I have to wear this towel?

Lilah with her towel.

Lilah with her towel.

What Santa brought and Eden with a gift that is not hers.

I found a big bow to put on his pocket microscope and apparently I used a lot of tape.

My pans.

The girls waiting for their gifts to be opened so they could play.

Jon didn’t care about cleaning up.

Eden likes Lilah’s laptop-I think maybe a little more than Lilah does.

The girls and then me opening my last gift that was a surprise. (watch how I pick up wrapping paper right by it and didn’t see it under the tree.)

Wait we need to open the package from Conrad, Jon’s brother. It was the gift of packaging peanuts with a doll house.

Lilah loves to play in messes.

A day later but a better picture of the doll house.

Eden was playing with the doll house, until I got the camera then she started playing with her pig.

Lilah wanted me to take a picture with her and her pig because I took a picture of Eden with her pig, when I was just trying to get the inside of the doll house.

Back to Christmas- but at my parents now.

Derek opening his gift, which was our Beatles CD. (read my long post to understand.)

The girls wearing two of the shirts Aunt Carolyn bought them and my father in the background with his crazy Christmas hat, it also has lights on it that light up.

Lilah showing Kaitlyn her toy.

The End.

We had a great Christmas.
I’ll post about it later.
Today I am getting rid of stuff and making room for new stuff.
(I got a new pot and pan set from Jon so I’m getting rid of what I had before and a little more because I’m purging.)
So this might seem weird, but I figure if you’re in the Las Vegas area and would like any of the following I will give it to you for free rather then taking it to DI.

So we have old pot and pans.
Really the saute pans are shot.
The large pot has been used a handful of times
The two sauce pans are both in OK shape.
I know exciting.
They are some brand you find at target and have Teflon lining and have been used for nearly 6 years. (I can’t believe I’ve been married nearly 6 years.)

With my pot and pan set I also got a large family skillet so I’m getting rid of this one too.
Like the pot it has only been used a handful of times.
It’s at least 12 inches in diameter, possible 14, and like 3  inches deep.
Also with a Teflon like lining.

Then there are these dishes.
I also got these from my wedding and I thought maybe as I got older I would use them for things like Thanksgiving dinner or whatever.
Really they’re just not my taste.
Never used.
The close up is the fruit detail that’s on the pans.

Let me know, if any of you want my clutter.

Lilah had a gymnastics program Tuesday night. She did very well and ran around like a crazy before it began.

I do have video of Lilah’s gymnastics program but I need to find a video editor so I don’t have to put up the five clips from it, and we took no pictures.

After the program we went to Opportunity’s Village the Magic forest. Carolyn’s co-worker was doing a little performance so she invited us along with her.
We rode the train, the carousel and Lilah and I went down the slide.
It was lots of fun even though we never went into the actual magic forest part. (It’s just lots of lights and decorations, which we caught a glimpse of while riding the train.)

This is Jon’s “are you taking a picture of me face?’- when I obviously have a camera in my hand aimed at him. (I love you honey. <3 )

Lilah on the carousel.

Carolyn has a cute expression, that’s why I’m using this picture. But Eden with Carolyn on the carousel.

(Carolyn and I were getting a little dizzy and sea sick while standing on the carousel.)

We got home so late because we stayed till 10′ o’clock, when it closed and the girls were well behaved during the night. ( I also kinda wanted to get my money’s worth in rides.)

Wednesday night we took the girls shopping for one another.
We just went to the dollar store and allowed them to each choose four things for one another.
It was rather cute.
Lilah went with Jon while I was at a different store with Eden. We saw them outside the store and Lilah hid the bag behind her so Eden couldn’t peek.
I took Eden and I kept reminding her that we were picking out gifts for Lilah. Some things were Eden’s taste, but overall she was saying she wanted to get such and such for Lilah, except a little dog at the end, which is still for Lilah.

Thursday was lunch with the Mother’s group. Every mother had gifts for each of the other kids from their own child except me. I didn’t feel bad, but I did feel a little lame. I’m not a big gift giving person when it comes to people outside the family. We often keep such a low budget for Christmas, even though we exceeded it because of a gift we got Lilah, and I just never know what to do and which people to give to.
Gift giving could also easily get out of control, Jon’s work is a good example. I did bring truffles and cookies the week before for the moms to enjoy so that also helps me to not feel too bad.

Friday I made truffles with the Jewitt’s, or showed them how and did some of the work because I’m a better shower than teacher though her eldest daughter and youngest did help a lot.
The girls loved being at their house all day.

Jon also checked his grade and he got an A in his class this past semester. All the hard work paid off.

Saturday we went to Jon’s parents house and I finished my Christmas shopping. (I just needed stocking stuffer stuff and a picture frame.)
Jon’s parent’s have a pecan tree in their front yard and the girls and Jon decided to pick up the pecans.

Lilah looking for nuts.

We were hunter gatherer’s looking for nuts. This is about a third of what we gathered.

His mom also insisted that we take all of them because some would be bad, though we’ve had almost all very tasty nuts. I think I’ll give some to my parents and anyone else who likes pecans, please comment. 😉

While gathering Jon decided to climb the tree to shake any pecans out of the tree, like he did as a kid.

The lowest branch is about 6 ft from the ground on the trunk.

Lilah trying to catch the nuts Jon shakes off.

Eden watching Daddy in the tree.

I think he’s 32, but he may just be a 12 year old in a 32 year old’s body sometimes.
We now have a ton of pecans which are delicious. I don’t like store bought pecans but these ones are very good.

Like last year, I did the shopping for my mother-in-law for gifts to give my sister and brother-in-law and we helped set up their tree while we were there on Saturday.

Saturday night I made white chocolate covered Ritz crackers with peanut butter with the little chocolate I had left from truffle making. They were given to us the previous year and even though it sounds funny, and they look a little funny they are so delicious and I’m trying so hard to not eat all five that are left, I was able to make about nine. (I add a little honey to regular peanut butter, put a nice amount in between two crackers like a sandwich. Dip in chocolate and place on wax paper then freeze for about five minutes to speed up the process. They are soo good. You can also use white almond bark in place of the white chocolate.)

Today was just a regular ole Sunday.

I wish Christmas was tomorrow.
I can’t wait till Christmas.
I’ve been very good and have no idea what I’m getting this year. (It’s not that I try to find out what Jon gets me, but I can often figure it out through accidental occurrences.)
We also got a large box from Jon’s brother Conrad in Missouri for Lilah and I haven’t peeked, though Jon looked at it to make sure it didn’t need to be wrapped.

I’m so excited.
Christmas is almost here.

This weekend we kept out of Jon’s hair so he could study and write his term paper. (Something that is hard to do at a library and nicer to do from home, but as he said, he can’t study with kids around and admires those who can. Thanks honey.)
Lilah had a primary activity in the morning on Saturday so I just went and took Eden along.
We were in a group of mostly boys between the ages of 8-11. Some girls were added later on, also between 8 and 11, but I was glad that I stayed so Lilah didn’t get lost in all the traveling to room to room.
After the activity we came home and ate lunch.
Once Carolyn got off of work we went to her house to make some cookies. ( I invited myself and the girl’s on Friday knowing that Jon would need space.)
We made some carrot cake cookies, very yummy and some sugar cookies.
The girls were good at rolling the cake cookies.
We let the girls decorate their own sugar cookie and eat it. After watching them decorate their own cookie I decided Carolyn and I should do the rest.
(Lilah was piling all our white frosting on her snowman. We had to take some away to have any for the other snowmen and snowflakes.)
I do have a few pictures, but since my hands were mostly dirty I didn’t take any.
I mostly wanted to get the cookies made and clean up so we wouldn’t be there too late.

These pictures are by Carolyn.

A chair after Lilah was helping to make cookies.

Carolyn and the girls played while I got frosting made and the sugar cookies ready to cut out.

Where’s Lilah.

They loved what Carolyn’s couch did to their hair.

Today we’ve been home. Jon came home after Sacrament and had those two hours to himself.
I took a nap while Eden was taking hers and Lilah stayed up and watched a movie while Jon studied.

Tomorrow I’m making truffles. A lot of truffles so the girls will probably be glued to the TV, fighting, or possibly getting along with one another in their bedroom, but probably making a mess in the process.

It should be interesting.