Happy Valentine's Day (a few weeks late)!!

Just before Valentine's Day, I wanted to get new vacuum.  It also happened to be my final week at work, thus my final paycheck.  So, Brian sweetly reminded me that without my income, we wouldn't necessarily be able to get those "little extras" all the time.  So, he proposed that I if I got this new vacuum (which, by the way, I LOVE!), we didn't have to do anything for Valentine's Day.  He even went as far as listing it out.  

His list went something like this:  "If I let you get a new vacuum, I don't have to get you flowers, or a card, we won't go out to dinner, and we can't exchange gifts of any sort."  Well, I have the vacuum, so you know I agreed.  (Oh, and for the record, he took me out the following week anyway!)

All that being said, I still wanted to do something for Valentine's Day.  So, the girls and I made chocolate  covered strawberries.  I don't know if we lucked out with a fantastic batch of strawberries or we've just missed them so desperately these cold winter months that they were delicious.

I think Sadie enjoyed them most of all!  And, even though her hand and face got pretty messy, she managed to keep her dress clean!

The Children's Museum on our Trip

Since I forgot to bring the camera when we went to the Children's Museum with Jenny and her boys, I had to borrow her camera, so these pics are a little bit late! 

There was a little one-room school house, complete with desks and chalk tablets, a flag, and a full-size chalkboard.  Morgan led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Sadie sat quietly in her desk while Brian taught two quick lessons in Math and the Alphabet.

Sadie LOVED the bubble table!  I'm surprised she wasn't more wet and soapy! She actually stayed mostly dry!

 Morgan LOVED putting herself in a bubble!  She was pretty good at it, too!

Tomato

The girls have been bugging me to see what the baby looks like in my tummy.  I've shown them a few pictures that I've found at Baby Center, but Morgan keeps asking how big the baby is.  So, today, in my weekly email (19 weeks), we discovered that baby-to-be Boring is the size of an heirloom tomato, head to bottom.  

I keep teasing Sadie, telling her it might be a baby monkey.  She's smart enough to have not bought into this lie. Today, she said, "Mommy, you don't have a monkey in your tummy.  Do you have a tomato in your tummy?"
Morgan replied, "No, silly.  It's a real, human baby. Not a tomato, not a monkey, a baby.  That's all."

First Class

Last week, the girls and I went to the post office to mail a package.  As I was completing my transaction, the postal worker asked if I needed any stamps today.  I politely told her, “No,” but Sadie piped up and said, “I want a stamp, Mommy.  I want a sticker.” 

I told her that the post office didn’t have the right kind of stickers for her and we would get one at home.  The postal worker overheard and interjected with, “I have a whole assortment of stamps right here.  Would your girls like to choose one?”  She had about 20 different self-inking stamp pads that read everything from fragile to next day to hazardous. 

I said, “Sure.  Whichever one you choose is fine.” 

So, she handed me one that read FIRST CLASS.  Each of the girls stuck out her hand to receive a stamp. 

After putting them on, I handed the stamp back and said, “Okay, now you’re ready to go!  Let’s go stick you in the mailbox!” 

Sadie didn’t get it, but Morgan sure did!  She made quite a little scene at the post office!  She ran to the other side of the room (thank goodness it’s not very big!) screaming, “No!  Take it off!  I don’t want to go in the mailbox!  Don’t mail me, Mommy!” 

I quickly explained to her that I was teasing and showed her the letter slot on the wall, which she is clearly too big to fit in.  After realizing that she couldn’t be mailed because she wouldn’t fit, she was okay with the stamp on her hand.  But, she couldn’t scrub it off hard enough in the bath that night! 

Next time we go to the post office, I think I’ll leave Morgan at home!

Dance, Dance, Dance!

Morgan discovered the pre-recorded music button on our keyboard today and spent a LONG time dancing to her heart's content!

Missionary Moment

The missionaries stopped by one night last week, wanting to share a Gospel message with us as practice, before sharing it with others.  (After about 10 minutes of small talk, we found out that their dinner appointment had fallen through and this was their lead in to being fed.)  Nonetheless, we fed the poor, hungry elders and they shared with us their message.

Here are the girls modeling what we talked about.

Ephesians 6:11-18

11Put on the whole ^aarmour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 12For we ^awrestle not ^bagainst ^cflesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the ^drulers of the ^edarknessof this world, against spiritual ^fwickedness in high places.

 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 14Stand therefore, having your loins ^agirt about with ^btruth, and having on the ^cbreastplate of ^drighteousness;

 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of^apeace;

 16Above all, taking the shield of ^afaith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery ^bdarts of the wicked.

 17And take the helmet of ^asalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

 18^aPraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all ^bperseverance and supplication for all saints;

Have you put on the whole armor of God??

Sandy Eggo Trip

Yes, that's still how Morgan spells it.  And, since she insists on spelling everything else correctly, I haven't told her that she's slaughtering the spelling on this one.  I'm just hanging onto that little, tiny, bit of baby I have left in her.  So, until she figures it out on her own... 

We spent a week down in San Diego, enjoying the wonderful weather and company.  We left Colorado when it was -2 degrees, arrived into San Diego at night, and it was 60 degrees!  After a week of beautiful sunshine, leaving our jackets packed away, we were welcomed home with 5 inches of snow to shovel!  

Here are some highlights from our trip.

To say Sadie was excited to be at Grandma Tammy and Papa Dale's house, is a HUGE understatement.  We woke up each morning to a cheerful "Wake up, Mommy!  Wake up, Daddy!  It's Sunny!"  Indeed, it was!

Playtime:
Grandma Tammy has a little kitchen and Sadie cooked up all sorts of meals for everyone!  Her favorite dish--macaroni cheese!

Morgan made sure to write Auntie Logan another letter while we were on vacation.  She was excited to use Grandma's pink paper (i.e. grocery list notepad).

Someday, hopefully soon, we'll have a piano at our house.  These girls spent lots of time playing and singing songs!  Morgan has a list of instruments she'd like to learn, but we have to start with the piano!

Cheese!  Sadie and Grandma just hanging out.

A few weeks ago, a friend introduced us to Crayola Window Crayons, via her blog.  Not completely certain they truly are "mess free", I bought a pack and decided to test it out at Grandma and Grandpa's.

They're a huge hit!  The girls (mostly Morgan) spent hours decorating the back door!  And, the chickens spent hours hoping to come inside!

The Chickens:
Morgan couldn't wait to see the chickens again!  She followed (i.e. chased) them all around the yard!

The chickens like to hide in the bushes sometimes.  Morgan and Sadie would wait patiently for them to come out, saying, "Ladies, come out now!  Ladies, let's play!" (three of them are golden, and are referred to as "the Ladies".)

Feeding the chickens with Grandpa.

Sadie was eager to feed the chickens.  She would get a very full handful out of the feed bucket and put her fist right up to the chickens, who would then try to eat out of her hand.  When she was done, she just opened her hand and dumped all the food!  The chickens liked that part best!

Morgan didn't want to feed the chickens, but she liked petting them.

Sadie and Papa Dale feeding the chickens.  You can't see her fist full of food in this picture!

Disneyland:


We spent a day at Disneyland and had a blast!  It's so much different going as a parent and watching your kids soak in all the "magic" that you remember loving as a kid.  Oh, the nostalgia...

Morgan danced her way down Main Street, on our way to her first selection: Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough.  When we entered the park, the ticket lady gave her a map, which she immediately opened and started reading.  I directed her to the Fantasyland area and she read it for a minute and then said, "Mom, let's go do Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough." I didn't know you could walk through the castle.  You walk through and "read" the story, depicted in still scenes throughout.

At the end of Main Street, Morgan found some open space and stopped to dance to the music!  What more could a little girl want?  Princesses and music for dancing!

Posing before her grand turn!

Sadie joined in on the fun and the two girls danced and danced!

Smile!

Getting ready to fly on Dumbo.  The girls don't even know who Dumbo is, they just wanted to ride the flying elephants!

Don't know why Sadie's making this face on the Jungle Cruise, but she really liked all the elephants!

Meeting Princess Belle.  Morgan has decided that Sadie's favorite Princess is Belle and hers is Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty).

We happened to be in just the right spot when all the characters came out!  Within about 5 minutes' time, we met Mickey, Goofy and Pluto!

Notice Sadie's trying to put her foot like Goofy's.  Who cares if we're trying to get a picture!

After asking to go meet Pluto, Sadie quickly changed her mind.

Overall, the girls LOVED the Happiest Place on Earth!  

The only part Morgan didn't like: the Haunted Mansion.  When we got off, she said, "We're NEVER going on that ride again!"  Looking back, it probably didn't help that we went after dark.  Oops.

 Sea World:


The girls walking across the bridge after climbing the rope net.  I didn't go up, but Morgan definitely didn't like the nets.  Brian said she kept saying, "I hate this!  I'm never climbing up this again!"  And, she did only do it one time.

Daddy and Grandpa following behind.

Morgan and Sadie with Zoe and Elmo.

The Beach:
What trip to San Diego would be complete without the beach??  Here's Sadie and Papa Dale headed out to the water.

Morgan and Sadie playing in the water.

Coming Home:

Such a great trip just wore Sadie out!  Good thing it wasn't a full flight!

Morgan spent the duration of the flight writing a letter/birthday card for Papa Dale.

Getting Home:


5 inches of snow on the ground, a completely empty fridge, piles of laundry, and Sadie simply asks as she walks in the door, "Where did Grandma and Grandpa go??"
Even today, a week later, she asked, "Mommy, when do we see Grandpa and Grandma again?"

I'd say they (and Brian and I, too!) had a great trip!

My Favorite Things

I love lying in bed, early in the morning, listening to my girls giggle and sing.

This morning, Sadie came running down the hall into our room, only to tell me, "Mommy!  I'm sharing my bed with Morgan!"  Then, she ran back to her room--to continue singing with her sister.

They've been downstairs "cooking" for about 45 minutes now.  I don't dare bother them.  They'll come up when they're hungry for breakfast.

Oh, how I love my girls!

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