Nothing Gets By Her

Tonight I told Nathaniel we should get a movie from Red Box. Eliza said, "But Mom, you said you hate Red Box." I told her I did not remember saying that. She said, "You did Mom, I know you did." I told her I didn't think I would say that because I don't hate Red Box. She said, "Remember last time we got that Santa movie and it was broken and you said 'See, that's why I hate Red Box!'" Nathaniel and I started laughing and he said, "I am with her, I can totally see you saying that." I have to admit, she was right, that sounds exactly like something I would say. Nothing gets by her. Anything said in this house goes into her little vault of a mind and is locked in to be recovered and any given moment. I sure do love that girl.

Grandpa's Funeral

Grandma's house has always been a second home to me. I grew up an hour away from my grandparents home and we visited often. We had Sunday dinners and when I got older I drove my friends up to visit and play. Grandma and Grandpa were always happy to have us and showed us a good time. There is something so comforting about pulling up to this house. I haven't been able to go back for 5 1/2 years so this was a little bittersweet for me this trip.

Grandpa Allsop passed away on Monday, Nov. 16th from a massive stroke suffered during Sacrament meeting. It was mentioned several times what a faithful man Grandpa was and how appropriate it was that his last conscious act was partaking the sacrament. He was indeed faithful to the end.

These photos are mostly for me and my family. I didn't want to leave without taking some pictures of Grandma's house for memories sake.

The game room/family room downstairs. I have never seen stairs like these before. They were really fun to slide down when we were little. I never actually played a real game of pool and am really lousy at trying. My sisters and I would just roll the balls around at hit them with one that we held in our hand while trying to not get our fingers smashed in between the moving balls. Simple pleasures...
The ping pong table was the coveted place to sleep during family gatherings. When we had reunions and such we all wanted to sleep under that table. I remember even when I was older (25 and engaged actually) Bri and I slept under there instead of in the beds just for old times sake.
This is the living room that we hardly ever spend much time in unless there were a lot of people, namely adults visiting. Look at all of the flowers sent from people after the funeral. They were amazing. I couldn't believe how many people sent them in support.
Here is the view when you walk in the front door. I remember there were always two dishes sitting on the counter off to the left. Grandma painted them. One was filled with nuts and the other was filled with candy. This was the first time that I went to their house and they weren't there.

I flew up to Pasco on Thursday evening and so did my cousin Kristin. I haven't seen her in a really long time. We are the same age and so it was fun to catch up on the drive to Toppenish where the family was having dinner and the viewing. We didn't make it is time for Grandma's talk that she gave the family before the dinner and I was sad about that, but I was just so happy to be able to be there that I couldn't complain. My sweet husband watched our little ones while I was gone and we found a really great deal on a plane ticket. I booked the first flight ever from the Phoenix-Mesa airport into Pasco and did it for $163 total round trip. It was really a tender mercy that the flight started when it did because it would have cost a whole lot more if I would have had to fly other airlines last minute. The dates were perfect and missing the funeral just wasn't an option. Every one of my cousins (except the 3 on missions) were there. All 41 of us. I couldn't believe every single blood relative was there except the great grandkids. Not very many of our spouses could be there since they were taking care of the kids. I was so excited to see everyone. I have missed a couple of reunions due to babies being due at the time or being too far away and broke so it was so fun for me to play catch up with my cousins and aunts and uncles. I have always been close to my mom's side of the family and I loved this time we had together.
I wanted a generation picture before I left. Me, Mom, and Grandma all together on Sunday before I flew out. I had a hard time leaving, not knowing when I will be able to come back to see her.

This is the first night at the family dinner at the church. My siblings and I were all wandering around visiting with relatives when slowly we all ended up at the same table, every one of us. We sat there and talked and laughed until it was late and then took the party over to the hotel where we were staying. We stayed up and laughed and talked some more with the relatives staying there. The Allsop clan rented a total of 22 rooms there. Laurel, Bri and I shared a room and we had a really good time. I miss my sisters. It is so great to be around them. Growing up it was always the 3 of us together and it was nice to have that time with them. I laugh so much when we are together.
Here is Chad (#1), Keith (#2), and Kirk (Marlayne's husband). Kirk and I have always been buddies. He has been a part of the family for about 16 years.
Here is Kirk, Tanner (#9), and me (#6). I just love this kid, Tanner. He is such a fun guy. I remember when Bri and I went to knock on his room door for something, he gave us the funniest smile and wave ever! I just couldn't stop laughing. He is just so full of fun and when we get together he just seems so happy. I can't get enough of him!
Here is Laurel (#7), Chelsea (#4), Brianne (#8), and Mom. I am sad we didn't get a sisters picture like we usually do when we are together.
Continuing on around the table is Marlayne (#3) with her youngest, Camden, Ben (#10), and Chad again. I think it is so funny how alike Chad and Ben are when they didn't live in the same house for very long. They are both such a riot!
My sisters and I were talking about how much we love to spend time together as a family. Chelsea said that she just savors every second we get together. That is exactly the way I feel. I can't get enough of the time we get together. Family truly is the best gift. My own family and my extended family, as well as my husbands family. I have truly been blessed!
The funeral was on Friday and I had a hard time during it. I think it really hit me then. I did a lot of crying and was grateful to be next to Laurel and Tanner who lended a hug when I needed it. I felt a bit better when I saw my childhood friends Lacey and Kelsey. I haven't seen them in so long and I was so happy to see them. What a great reunion. I love those friends that you will always have and love no matter how long it has been since you have seen them. These girls just know me so well. I loved the time we had together. I was planning on going to the Tri-Cities to see more of my high school friends, but I just really needed the time with Grandma. There were so many people staying at her house that I wasn't ready to leave her yet. By about Sat. afternoon everyone was gone except Mom, Bri, Grandma, and I. I have never been to her house when there were so few of us and it was so quiet. I cherish those moments with her and being able to talk to her and just be with her. It was such a wonderful weekend and yet so hard to say goodbye to Grandpa. I am so happy to be a part of this family and to have him as a role model. He was such an incredible man and example for all of us he left behind.

Halloween

I am finally getting around to Halloween. The kids had a fun couple of nights for Halloween. Nana and Papa came over Friday night for the wards trunk-or-treat and to help with the house. The kids won these glasses from some of the games they played. The ward party also included a chili cook off. Anyone that knows Nathaniel well knows that he loves to make his own chili. It is the only thing he makes that he actually approves of. I think he is a fine cook, but chili is his specialty. He won the firecracker award, which was perfect because he usually does make it pretty hot. He doesn't think it is right until you have to eat it with a box a kleenex next to you. Nana and Papa taking the kids around trunk-or-treating in the Campbell ward (our ward was split the Sunday before this party but were still invited).
Here are the kids waiting with Daddy for Nana and Papa. We let them play around the parking lot while Nathaniel helped with the traffic to be sure those that were going to participate in the trunk-or-treat were in the right place. The kids wanted to be out there with him over playing the games. I thought it was so cute. They just really love time with Daddy. They must get that from me!
Nathan loves the girls crowns. He is in need of his brother. Poor kid gets stuck with crowns and wands. I think it is so funny! Daddy doesn't find it quite so humorous.
We also had the annual Law School party. The kids love it because Callie is there. They don't get to see her much since she lives far away. I love how well they play together. The party at the school includes face painting, cookie decorating, a cake walk, fishing, and other games. Here is Kate the fairy princess.
Eliza, Callie, and Kate decorating cookies at the Law School party.
Sleeping Beauty, Tigger, and the Fairy Princess. Nathan was so cute I couldn't stop kissing his chubby cheeks that stuck out of the hood.
Another crown and wand picture. I tell you he loves them.
The girls before the ward party.
And yet again...
The funny thing is that we ended up not having plans for the actual night of Halloween so we got a movie for the kids and one for us. We watch Monsters vs. Aliens and the kids got some other movie that they watched in their room. I am not a huge Halloween fan although it is much more fun now that I have kids and see their excitement. We put Nathan down for bed, turned off our lights and sat around and watched our movies. I actually really enjoyed it.

It's Offical...We Need Therapy

Well, not all of us do, just Nathan. His speech just isn't coming along. He says the d, b, and m sound with a combination of different a sounds (like ma, da, ba...you get it). He doesn't babble or jabber like most kids do. He is over 18 months now and still sounds like a monkey with all of his "ooo, ooo". He will make that sound when he needs something to eat or play with, wants to do something, needs help, and everything in between. He will point or lean along with it so it is a game of charades everyday to figure out what he wants. If any of you know me, I HATE charades. I am getting better at figuring out what his different "ooo"s mean and what he needs. I had a friend suggest I put in a referral and we had someone from the state come and evaluate him. She observed him and asked a million questions for her developmental assessment. She said his test came back normal, but since expressive and receptive language are lumped together in the same catagory in the test it didn't show the huge gap between them. So she still had the speech and language pathologist come to give her evaluation. She agreed that he is doing great with his receptive language skills as well as social skills, but that expressive is lacking a bit. We are going to take him in to have his hearing tested, even though he seems to be hearing and comprehending just about everything we say, just to be sure we don't overlook anything obvious. Then, on Thursday we will have a lady come and make up an Individual Family Plan. We'll see if we can get someone to come to our house to do speech therapy or if we need to take him somewhere to have it done and see how often he needs it. This will be great for him to be able to communicate without getting frustrated (he is starting to throw tantrums). He may just surprise us and start speaking out of the blue, but as for now, this is the best route we can think of. I see him as being so smart because he is so receptive and can understand so much of what I say, the problem is, no one else sees it since he walks around sounding like a monkey. I promise, he is smarter than he sounds!

Negative Never Sounded Good

The kids results from their Celiac test all came back negative. I was surprised, but very pleased. It's not usually good to be negative, but we'll take it this time! As far as Kate's stomache aches, I'm hoping it was just something else that cleared up. This makes it so much easier with little ones that don't understand dietary restrictions well.

What Are the Odds...

Sat. night the family went out to Walmart to get groceries. As I was loading Nathan into his carseat there was a flock of birds flying over us and a little to the side. Nathan was pointing at them and I was talking to him about them when they changed direction and flew right over our heads. I had the fleeting thought, "Wow, that's a lot a birds, the chances are pretty good we get pooped on...no, you're just paranoid." As soon as I thought it, sure enough, something wet and warm hit me in the face, just below my lip. I was really grossed out, but didn't want to make a scene. I told Nathaniel to look at my face and realized bird poop is pretty much clear, so he couldn't see what I was getting at. I asked him to get me a wipe before I threw up. Moral of the story...Never think of the negative side of what could happen. It will.

Now That's Love!

Tonight as Nathaniel was leaving the house to go to his guitar class (from Parks and Rec) he was kissing the girls goodbye and Eliza said, "Make sure you kiss and hug Mommy." Nathaniel came over to me and the girls were staring at us. He said, "This is a little awkward." He gave me a kiss and a quick hug and Eliza says, "Now that's love!" At least she knows it when she sees it!

Potty Humor

I must not be grown up yet because I still think things like this are funny...
Yesterday Eliza was going potty while I was giving Kate a quick rinse with the shower. She happened to be going #2 (for lack of a better term) and all of a sudden she stops talking, sniffs the air and says, "Something smells really yucky in here. It smells poopy!" She is really grossed out. I start laughing because obviously she has got to be kidding, right? She has to know what that smell is. She said, "Mom, Kate must have pooped in the shower." I told her that wasn't the case and that it was actually from the toilet that the smell was coming from. She was flabergasted! She wouldn't believe me. How could she have made that smell?! I told her that just because you go potty in the right place doesn't mean it doesn't smell. She didn't say anything else...it was taking her a minute to soak it all in.
Later that night as I was putting the kids to bed I was prepping them for the mornings events. We took them into the lab to have their blood drawn to see if they have celiacs like their Mommy. I have been dreading the procedure, but feel it is a good idea to have it done to be sure they don't (or possibly do) have it. Anyway, I was telling Kate about what they would have to do and then asked her if she was going to be brave. She smiled and said she was. She hopped off to bed and I went into our room where Eliza was. She loves to fall asleep in our bed and then we move her later. When I told Eliza what they would have to do she started to look nervous. I told her it was going to hurt a little and asked if she was going to be brave. She told me no without hesitation. I told her I would give her a treat if she would be brave and that changed her answer. Then she said, "Mom, am I going to have to pee in a cup?" (Eliza went to the OB/GYN with me and I made her turn around in the bathroom for that part of the visit and she thought it was the funniest thing that they wanted my pee in a cup.) The girl cracks me up! I laughed and reassured her that they did not need that from her.
Just a side note: the kids all did fantastic today getting their blood work done and only Nathan cried for a few seconds. Treats are such an amazing thing! We'll see what the results are in a few days.

Getting Crafty

I get so excited to find out what the gender of our baby is so that I can get things ready for him/her. I was lucky to find out we were having a boy right before our trip to Montana. Laurel and Mom really set me up with everything I'll need. Laurel gave me the cute blue and white polka dot fabric that I made into burp rags and crocheted around the edges. When I was at Walmart the other day I found that same flannel and, of course, had to buy enough to make a matching blanket. It would be criminal to have such a cute burp cloth without the matching blanket.
I am very excited about this one. My mom bought fabric at a yard sale a while ago and it is so cute. There were these colors plus pink, orange, and purple. There was enough for a quilt for my little guy plus one for Briella (Ben and Christina's little girl). I happened to be there when Mom and Laur were working on Christina's quilt and must have done a little too much ooing and ahhing so Laur designed this one for me. With Mom sewing, Laur cutting and me doing an occasional pinning (mostly sitting there eating and being thrilled it was all coming together so nicely and quickly) it was done by evening. What a great treasure for me to bring home. I finished it the next weekend and now just have to wait out the next 3 months before I get to wrap him in it. Details...
(I also scored on a blanket that Brianne bought material for and it was never made. I'll have you know it is now finished, just not on film or downloaded yet. It will be put to good use though. Thanks, Breezey!)

More on Montana...

We had a picnic at the park on Friday and Kate loved the tire swing. I can't stomach spinning well and puked on a carnival ride in my teens so I tried to warn Kate that that might happen to her. I figured I would warn her a few times and tell her the consequences, but I wanted her to make the choice without nagging her. Well, after 10 minutes I decided it was time to intervene. I didn't want to her get sick and ruin her night. I finally sent Nathaniel over to physically remove her. She had already asked Landon (her cousin) to stop her and was getting off when Nathaniel reached her. She said, "I'm going to frow up!" Sure enough, two seconds later she puked... a lot. Nathaniel had tried to get her to lean forward as to not get it all over herself, but no luck. She was covered. We took her jacket off and robbed Nathan of his pants (we figured it is more acceptable to be pantless at 17 months than at 3 years). I'm hoping she learned her lesson and doesn't try that again.

Here is my Mom with the kids outside the Billings Airport. I am sad we don't get to see more of her.

Here we are at the airport. When we checked in they told us the flight was a little over an hour delayed, but by the time we got seated they announced the flight hadn't left Phoenix yet. We were waiting there for over 3 hours. Mom offered to come back and get us but with 3 kids going through security takes FOREVER!!! Worse things have happened. At least it didn't happen on the way up and have us miss 3 hours of Montana and family!
I messed up and deleted a picture so the order here is off. These were supposed to be first.
Here is the view from my parents back porch. I love, love, love it there. My brother, Ben, was shooting and Dad was driving to see how close he got to the target. Kate and Liza loved the 4-wheeler. We don't get to do that much around here. Mom, Benny, Kate, and Christina on the porch swing. I tell you, that thing gets used. It was so chilly that night we went inside. I haven't been chilly in forever. I bought that dress of Kate's while we were there. She wanted to wear it everyday. I just went ahead and let her, it's vacation right? She kept it surprisingly clean for Kate. She is the messiest eater I have ever seen in a 3 year old.
It was such a great time and I don't know when we will be able to go back so this will have to hold me over for a while. Luckily the weather here is starting to get nice. It's below 100 some days so they say it is "cooling off". I don't miss the bitter cold and we get plenty of sunshine so we went at the perfect time. We already miss you guys up there!

Candy Town

When my sister, Laurel, told me that she and her boys went here, I told myself that if ever I was in Billings, this place was a must. So, while we were there we took the kids and checked it out. I am such a sweets person that I had to try to control myself while in there. Luckily, I am so cheap that it wasn't too hard! The girls got their baskets and we told them they could each have 10 pieces of whatever they wanted...so they went to the first basket of candy and put 10 of them in their baskets. I tried again and explained that they could get different things and that they might want to look around a little first.
Taffy was 1/2 price that day and luckily I can have it, so that's what I got...I told you, I am so "frugal" a.k.a. extremely cheap that I wasn't going to get anything until I saw this option.
The girls just went around picking one of everything and putting it in their baskets. I gave up and just let them enjoy themselves. They didn't go too crazy and each ended up with 15 pieces or so. The only thing I had to put back was a sucker Kate picked up that had a cricket in it...I wasn't going to pay for crickets. Mom has those around by her house and if someone wants one enough, they can catch their own. Kate probably had no idea there was something in it.
Nathaniel wanted to try out the old fashion soda fountain and ordered the girls a drink. I ruined it for him when I saw the prices so he declined getting anything and walked out empty handed.
Sometimes I ruin fun things because I feel guilty spending money on anything while we are in school and in debt. I should have just let him enjoy the moment...stinkin' me!
The kids had a fun time and at first we let them have a piece or two of candy until one day we got sick of Eliza asking (begging/nagging) us for more and Nathaniel said she could just eat as much as she wanted, but when it was gone she was done and couldn't steal Kate's. Sure enough, it was gone soon and she was trying to have Kate share hers with her. Oh how predictable she is!

Hard to Top That!

Benny and Christina gave me the best birthday present this morning...a new niece!!! Nathaniel had run to the store early this morning to get me flowers and was busy making breakfast in bed for me when I came out of our room to tell him the news. He said it'd be really hard to top that gift and to thank you guys for stealing his thunder. We are so excited for you guys and your new daughter. Thanks, Christina, for hanging in there for 3 days of labor just to get her here on my birthday! I was starting to feel a little slighted because Bri has a couple nephews born on her birthday and everyone loves Bri best. Watch out Bri, the tables are starting to turn!

Home Sweet Home!

Our family had a getaway trip to Montana for a week at the beginning of this month. We flew up from a tiny little airport in Phoenix/Mesa that left at 6 a.m. We had to leave our house at 2:45 in the morning and anyone that knows my children know they lack the sleep-in-the-car gene. I don't know how they missed out on that one, but it makes traveling a real pain in the neck. Luckily on this occasion they were angels. I don't know if they sensed my excitement or it was an answer to my prayers, but they were laughing and playing the whole way up there. They did great on the airplane. I sat by the girls and they thought it was fun during take off to see things getting smaller and smaller. Kate kept yelling, "we're flying!" Once we were above the clouds I don't think she understood anymore because she would say, "Are we going to fly again?" We landed around 9 a.m. (it's only a 2 hour flight but the time change made it an hour later) and my brother-in-law Kirk and nephew Dallin picked us up and dropped us off at my parents church building. My Dad is the Bishop of a Young Single Adult Ward. I was surprised how well the kids did during Sacrament considering they had been up since 2:30 in the morning. My Mom had a stack of sticky notes with her and she handed them to Eliza with a pen. Eliza turns to her and says, "Do you have any paint supplies?" I just have to laugh at how her creative little minds works. She spent the whole Sacrament meeting scribbling and posting the notes all over the back of the bench in front of her. I loved to see my parents in their ward interacting with the kids.
We lucked out and were handed a car when we got there. Richards always have more vehicles than drivers which has turned out to be handy time and time again. My generous brother, Tanner, lent us his Impala since he had his truck he could drive. It was so nice to be able to come and go all around town to visit my family. Marlayne and her family, Laurel and her family, Ben and his wife, Tanner and my parents all live up in Billings. It was so fun to see everyone. We had the most wonderful Sunday dinner together. I got to have some fruit from my Aunt and Uncle's farm that I grew up eating. I had remembered that it was above and beyond anything the store sells, but I had forgotten just how delightful it was. I couldn't stop eating all week. What a treat! Nathaniel was teasing me because I kept telling him how wonderful it was. We spent the week visiting Marlayne or Laurel during the day while Mom worked and then spending time with Mom and Dad at night. I just loved every minute there. It was so relaxing and refreshing I just tried to soak it all in and bottle it up to bring back down here. The weather was so nice. We even wore our jackets (not that anyone else needed to) when we would go out in the morning. The kids LOVED the space up there. My parents have 10 acres and the kids would spend hours playing out there. I loved the slower pace and open space. I didn't have to worry about a constant vigilant eye. I could check on them every now and then, but they had so much freedom that we both were in heaven. Here is Nathaniel pushing Kate on the swings at Marlayne's house. Look at that fabulous grass. How I miss grass!Ashlyn was so great! She is my niece and Eliza has always loved her. She called her "my buddy" the whole time we were there. Ashlyn is at least 4 years older than Eliza, but she would dress the girls up or go outside and play with them. I just love that girl. What a sport she is! Look at how cute they are... I know, the hair on Eliza is hilarious!

Grandpa Nate and Nathan. I love to see my parents interacting with my kids. There is something so sweet about it.
The first day we were there Eliza was going non-stop. She didn't take a nap when we got to my parents house, so at about 5:30 that night, she was playing with some cousins and just reached her limit of awake time. She ended up curled on Daddy's lap and fell asleep! That is a once in her lifetime thing. She slept though the night and at 5:45 the next morning (4:45 our time) she was wide awake. She told my Mom I had gone in her room and woken her up and wouldn't let her go back to sleep. Where does she come up with this stuff?
Here is Uncle Tanner with the kids outside on the porch swing. I just love that kid. He has always had a spot in my heart that I just can't get enough of him. It was so fun to see him. (You need a porch swing if you live on land like my parents. It is so calm and peaceful that I would go out there several times a day and just sit and swing. I loved every minute of it!)
I will post more pictures and the rest of the vacation soon, my children need my attention...back to reality!

The Name

We are going to name him Fred Archibald Sorenson...says my husband, I want to name him Jaxon or Jacob with middle name up for debate. Fred is Nathaniel's grandpa's name and Archibald is my grandpa's name so Nathaniel is set on that. What do you think?

Bubba's Getting a Buddy!

We had our ultrasound today and found out we are having a boy! When the technician told us I said, "Did you hear that? We are going to have a boy!" Bubba gave this sly chuckle as if to say, "I knew that, my partner in crime is on his way!" Eliza instantly said, "That's not fair!" She recovered quickly and on the way out when I gave her a hug and asked her if she was excited to get another baby brother she reluctantly said yes. I think she'll be in love with him as soon as she meets him. Kate kept saying, "I see the eyes!" Which she couldn't because that wasn't the part of the body being measured and examined, but it was cute that she was into it. I didn't care either way what we had, but as soon as she told us it was a boy it seemed perfect. I love that Eliza and Kate have each other and I am happy Nathan will have a buddy, too. Everything looks perfect and my date is still set for Jan. 22. Half way done, we are excited!

Random Cute Pictures

This is when we were in Yuma at the new public pool. Nathaniel participated in an Alumni Swim Meet (that I will post about later) and we all went to watch. The kids were so cute so I snapped a few shots of the girls. Eliza is getting so big so fast. We had the missionaries over for dinner the other night and one asked how old Eliza was. We told him she was 4. He said, "She's 4? She talks like she's 9!"This one captures Kate well. She is such a sweet girl and I just want to squeeze her when I see how adorable she is in this picture.
This one also captures Bubba well lately. He is getting his molars in and has discovered how to throw a tantrum. I also had to post it because the white hair bow that is around his neck is hilarious. Nathan used to find it wherever it was and would put it on like a necklace. It was ALWAYS on him and he looks like a chip and dale dancer when he is only in his diaper and it was disturbing to Nathaniel. I thought it was really funny, but I ended up hiding it for Nathaniel's sake. He looks for headbands, string, or anything else that can go around his neck and puts them all on at once. Here he is with 4 random things he has found. The blue and white things are binoculars we made in preschool so I had to make him a pair, too.
My happy little helper. He is so cute. He put it on because he could pull it over his head and I was in the kitchen working so he wanted to be in there as well. He is like my shadow. I'm going to miss my little buddy when he gets over that stage.

Preschool

For about the last month and a half I have been doing preschool with my girls. It has been a really great time for them and for me. I love using the preschool training and experience I have on my own little ones. Who better, right? It is nice when I put forth the time and effort to see them get excited for our activities. Here we are making bugs out of Ritz crackers, cream cheese, stick pretzels, and raisins. Those things individually my children don't eat, but call it an insect and Wallah! They eat them up and ask for more.
We have had some fun weeks about bugs and insects, pets, alphabet and numbers, and we even had a cookie day. I am hoping to get a group together from playgroup that we could go on field trips with so the girls are getting those experiences in as well. I decided I wanted to teach them myself because Headstart was just not sitting well with me. Eliza was accepted at Headstart, but I didn't feel right about it. I taught Headstart in Utah, but it was very different. There was a 1:5 ratio teacher to child and here it is 1:10. Here at home it is 1:2 since I do it when Nathan is sleeping. I like those odds better. Headstart was also 15 hours a week and there was no need for her to be gone that long. I also decided that since they have 2 playgroups a week and a ballet class starting in 2 weeks they aren't home bodies so they should be okay socially. I was a little concerned about how Eliza would take to me as her teacher since she would love to "go" to preschool. She and I are so much alike that at times we butt heads. This has been so great for both of us. I think part of that has to do with the different ways people perceive love. (You know, from the book the Five Love Languages.) Preschool hits all 5 of them even if only in small ways. This gives us more times together, more words of affirmation, and more quality conversation during our craft, snack, and free play. It does sometimes allow for the gift giving in small doses when I give them a special treat that has to do with the lesson and of course the physical touch is also met because she is here with me so I can hug her when she does well or let her sit on my lap, etc. Overall, I think this is such a great thing and I am SO happy to have 2 close together so it feels more like a class. They love playing together and laughing at each other when we do silly things. They still have to learn to share and cooperate so I couldn't be happier with the two of them.
Today after preschool we were talking about elementary school and how the children eat their lunches at school. Eliza loves to pretend so for lunch I had them bring their "tray" to me and I put their "ham and cheese melt" on it. Eliza thought it was so fun that she asked if she could call me the lunch lady. I just laughed because I have never wanted to be called a lunch lady (if you have seen Adam Sandler do his lunch lady impression you will know why), but when it is for your daughter I told her of course she could. So, while she prayed over lunch, she prayed that the lunch lady would be healthy and strong. I was laughing a little and when Eliza finished the prayer Kate asked me, "Why were you laughing?" How could I not be? Her imagination becomes almost real to her. Sounds just like me when I was a kid.

Nathan's New Trick

This was a while ago, but it was too fun for me to not post. I think it is so funny when kids are discovering the different things their bodies can do. I must say, he is pretty good at making those bubbles. I was gone shopping when he first did this and I was on the other end of the phone and was wondering what in the world that noise was he was making. I was so happy Nathaniel taped it for me. I hate to miss out on anything.

Tender Mercies

I love to hold my babies while they sleep...the only problem is that they only sleep while they are in their beds, not my arms. The other night Nathan woke up crying, probably because of his molars that are cutting. I went in and couldn't resist just giving the rocking a try. He fell right asleep in my arms and I just melted. I was soaking up every minute of it. I told myself I was going to rock him until he woke up and wanted to be back in his bed. Well he actually slept for more than a few minutes, so I fell asleep too. Nathan moved a little in my arms and woke me up and my neck was a little kinked so I put him back in his bed. I just love those moments when life slows down and everything seems perfect for a time. Nothing gets better than snuggling a sweet sleeping child...except for maybe that caramel popcorn that they were selling at Costco on Sat. It's a toss up.

Cravings

With every pregnancy I get different cravings, which I think is normal for most women. With my first pregnancy I wanted gluten- in forms of Top Ramen, Saltines, Pizza, Bagels, etc. You name it and if it was something I wasn't supposed to have, I wanted it. I actually broke down and cried (pathetic, I know) and then ate a bagel and pizza one night and then wanted to die as I hovered over the toilet for the next 3 hours. Another time it was lemonade. I am not usually a lemonade fanatic, but it always sounded good and hit the spot. With Nathan I wanted meat, and lots of it. For Thanksgiving I didn't care about anything other than the turkey and ham...okay, I did care about other things, just not nearly as much. With this baby grapes, clementines, and recently steak fries are my favorites. I have also discovered that I get headaches when I eat sugar. Not every time I eat it, but frequently. My doctor says just to stay away from sugar...yeah, 'cause that's easy! I don't think he understands my love for sweets. I may not be able to have gluten, but until now I could have 90% of the things in the candy aisle. Let's just say this is probably a blessing in disguise and hopefully I'll stick to it and be able to lose the baby fat I am gaining quickly after the little one is born...we'll see.

The Sweetest Thing

Tonight as I was sitting on the couch, Eliza came and knelt down in front of me. She put one hand on each side of my pregnant belly (which has popped out a bit the last week or two) and sang rock-a-bye baby while moving my tummy back and forth in a rocking motion. It was so sweet. She was talking to my belly a few days ago as I was lying in bed with her. I guess the baby has become more real to her since I have begun to show. I love the way she already loves her "baby sister". She really wants a girl and has a hard time if I tell her it might be a boy. I guess we'll find out Sept. 4th if she is right or not. I just love how excited she is. It is fun to have a child old enough to understand what's going on.

Kate's Birthday! (Just a little late)

I love Kate's facial expressions. This is her opening her presents first thing in the morning. Her birthday was July 13th.
She had a little help with the opening. Eliza and Autumn were right there to help her out. It must run in the family to love to open presents, huh, Nanc! I'm kidding, every kid (and Nancy) loves to open them.
Our picnic at the zoo. It was so stinkin' hot that we were all sweating just sitting there in the shade. Luckily the kids didn't care and had a great time.
The kids love the spouting frog and had to have a few minutes in the water before moving on. Eliza ended up moving on SOAKED.
This is my personal favorite at the zoo. I love to watch the polar bear swim. We were standing right behind the glass and watching him make laps right in front of us. It was so cool!
They were adorable sitting on the elephant statue right before we left. They girls had so much fun together. What a bonus for Kate's birthday to have Autumn here.
We went up to the sprinkler park for Kate since that is what we did for Liza. She wanted to do the same things. It was a little busier that day, but it didn't slow the kids down. They had a blast. Nathan was a little maniac. He was running around like crazy and kept running into things since he wasn't watching. One time a bucket of water dumped on his head and it didn't slow him down. Funny boy!
Megan and JD came over since they are part of the family and gave Kate a cute princess sticker book. The 3 girls had soooo much fun using it that night. The older girls thought they really lucked out with Kate getting that gift.
The cake and the fake blowout of the candles. She was too quick for the real shot...I missed it.
The birthday girl. I can't believe how big she is already. Where does the time go? She is so much fun and really keeps us laughing. She is such a blessing to us and I couldn't love her more.