Quote of the Day

I know I haven't posted anything from our trip--that will come soon (maybe).  However, as I was preparing my Primary Lesson for tomorrow, I read this quote from the lesson and thought it's worth sharing.

“Habits are easily formed. It is just as easy to form good habits as it is to form evil ones.”

--Joseph Fielding Smith

Washing the Car

This afternoon, we decided to wash the cars.  No pics, thanks to Morgan breaking the camera a few weeks ago.  I'm miserable without it, but she's earning the money to replace it (well, part of the money) and being a pretty good sport about some of the grunt work I'm paying her 50 cents to do.  She's almost earned $15, which is what we decided her portion should be.  So, pictures returning soon!

Back to the post:

After getting each of the girls a bucket of freezing, but soapy, water and a rag, Brian started to explain to them how to "scrub" the car.  Morgan quickly interrupted him, saying, "Dad,  I already know how to wash a car.  I've seen Racing Stripes."  For those of you that may not know, Racing Stripes is about a Zebra in the horse races, NOT washing cars.  Still not quite connecting the two...

And, as far as pictures go, imagine Sadie running through the hose in 55 degree weather!  A little cold, but she kept going back for more!!  Crazy kid!

Sadie at "Gym"

Morgan's in a dance class at the rec center and it conveniently meets at the same time as tiny tot gym hour (kids under 5 can go with their parents).  For more info, click here.  So, Sadie and I go to "gym" every week while Morgan goes to dance class.  I think it really is the highlight of her week!  Her face lights up every Thursday morning when I tell her it's time to get ready for gym!  

Her favorite two things are the trampoline and the jumpy house (with a slide!), but she's getting really good at the balance beam and likes to swing the the parallel bars, too!

Papa Dale, We're Coming!

A couple of weeks ago, Morgan asked when she would see Papa Dale and Grandma Tammy again.  I told her we would be going to visit in a few weeks.  To be expected, she then asked, "Can we make a chain calendar to count down to our vacation?"  So, we did.  And just as she flashed this excited smile, she said, "Papa Dale, We're Coming!"  

Quote of the Day

I get a quote emailed to me everyday from RealSimple magazine.  This one describes our house exactly!!  PB & J everyday for lunch!  (On occasion, Morgan requests PB & H) “Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter.”

― James A. Garfield

Holidays 2010

Christmas

Here's this year's Gingerbread House.  I attempted to do it myself with the girls.  Next year, we'll save it for family night!

Here's the Christmas Tree--ready for "Christmas" morning (we actually celebrated on the 19th so we didn't have to fly with presents).

Grandma Tammy and Papa Dale (bet you didn't know that's what you got them, Dad!) got Morgan and Sadie lots of new food for their kitchen.  Morgan especially loves the salad dressing and sugar.

Sadie's new baby came with a backpack, which she wouldn't take off the entire day!

Here are the girls in their Christmas dresses--thanks Grandma Tammy!

Great-Grandma Ginos gave the girls cupcake baking sets so we had to try them out!  They're a big hit!

Here's Sadie filling her cupcakes.

The first day of our trip we spent in Vegas with Freida.  

We went to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and saw lots of fun fish and sharks!

We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe in MGM Grand.  Morgan really liked the volcano/waterfall.

M & M World (which, I'm disappointed to say that it's just 4 floors of M & M shopping) has a 3-D movie.  While the show was cute, the better entertainment came from the girls trying to reach the 3-D objects!  They loved it!!

Sadie, singing Frosty the Snowman in her new echo microphone.

When we got to Grandma and Grandpa Boring's house, the girls would have NOTHING to do with the cats or the dog.  Here's what 5 days around them does.  (Oh, and Morgan really did enjoy them, I just didn't get a shot with her smiling)

New Years

We celebrated the new year with our usual family-friendly party.  While all the adults were enjoying a game of Apples to Apples upstairs, the kids found the rice table (we filled our water table with rice for the winter) and proceeded to have a rice fight.  Nobody knows exactly what happened (they were actually not too loud), but we came down to a basement that looked like this:

Here's what all the carpets looked like:

After about 20 minutes of sweeping and vacuuming, we decided to celebrate the new year (we made it to just about 9:00 this year--a new record!).  Brian showered everyone with silly string, so we also vacuumed and swept upstairs.  

We finally got our first snow (well snow that was measurable) just before New Years so the girls went sledding.  They came inside with red noses, cheeks, and chins, grinning from ear to ear.  I think they had fun!

Here's to a great 2011!!  Happy New Year!

Why Haven't I Posted in a Month???

Because I've been sick.  Really, really, really sick.  Just ask Brian how much I've whined and complained about how sick I've been.  Did I mention I've been sick??

Due to our recent luck in the baby department, we decided to wait until we knew for sure (actually saw a baby in an ultrasound) before telling anybody.  So don't feel like we don't care about you if this is the first you've heard.  It's news to everyone.

We're expecting baby #3 in July!!  So, this time, sick is a good thing!

Georgetown 2010

In early December, we went up to the little mountain town of Georgetown, CO for their annual Winter Festival.  For those of you in my family, think Julian with snow.  It's the cutest little town and we loved it!

We started the day with a horse-drawn wagon ride through the town.  Our tour guide pointed out lots of fun facts about the town's history.  

 There's a museum in Georgetown, the Hotel de Paris, from the 19th century.  It's got lots of really neat artifacts and I really enjoyed the history behind it.  Go figure that the only picture we took was in the lobby, in front of an artificial Christmas tree.  You'll have to check out the link to see more.

Morgan is still talking about meeting Prancer, the reindeer.  She's hoping we can meet Rudolph when we go up next year.

Something Worth Sharing

I just got this email from a friend and thought it was very fitting to share.  Most of it's good advice and some of it inspired me to do better.  Enjoy!

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland,Ohio.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends     and parents will. Stay in touch.

 5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 
 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years,will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone of everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield. 
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses...

This afternoon, when the girls were done playing in the basement, I asked them to pick up the toys.  Even though she had nothing in her hands and was just sitting on the floor, Sadie replied, "Too busy, mommy.  I'm too busy."

Needless to say, the toys got picked up, and not by me.  Apparently, she wasn't too busy.