Family Picture Time

My visually talented brother Jacob (going to Italy for an internship!) came up from BYU today to take our annual family picture. Jacob and I checked the week's weather on Monday and decided that Friday afternoon, while pretty cold, looked like the best opportunity. I figured we could wear our coats and we'd be fine. Well, not only was it bitterly cold today, the wind started to gust pretty heavily and then the rain began just as Jacob was on his way up here. And Brian nixed coats. So, here are the dubious results of our freezing photo session:

Nathan, while taking Dad's side on the coat issue, figured he could wear the hood instead.

Awwwww, look at Maggie...

This is what happens when you pick up Maggie but she thinks she needs to stand with the kids.

Are we cold yet?
(I think Brian wore that bright orange shirt because he wanted to really grab your attention. It's certainly effective, even when he's blinking rain out of his eyes.)

After we all ran, literally, back inside, Jacob tried to take a few pictures of Maggie. Today was just not a good picture day, I guess. We got one or two photos that will work for the Christmas card, though, so it wasn't all for naught. Thanks, Jacob!


P.S. I should mention that Jacob took the photos home and worked his mad Photoshop skills to create a pretty decent picture (Brian's shirt got a makeover, but he couldn't wipe the looks of pain off our faces):

Hello, my name is Elly...

...and I'm a fiction addict. It's true. Once I pick up a book, I hardly put it down to feed my children until I've finished it. I just have to find out how it all ends. Usually I try to feed my addiction with good literature but even if it's a trashy, poorly written book I still have to read the whole thing. I know my weaknesses, so I avoid the library for months. But inevitably the craving catches up to me and I binge on a couple of books and several days of reality oblivion. Ah, the sweet oblivion... Lately I've been immersed in the third of Terry Pratchet's "Tiffany Aching" books, Wintersmith. A very good read, it's funny, clever and yet profound just like the first two. I find it fascinating how well the author captures the culture of domestic women among his witch characters. Luckily, the book only lasted me about 24 hours and now I can get back to such mundane things as laundry, housework, and sleeping.

Tales from the Bath

Taking a shower with Maggie is so fun. I say that with a touch of sarcasm because she's a shower hog. She stands under the water stream and every time you try to rinse (taking water away from her) she yells, "Mine! Mine!"

This morning, though, she gave me a good chuckle. When I began shaving my legs, she put her little foot up on the shower ledge and and started "shaving" with a squeegee as big as her whole leg. I'm not sure how smooth her legs got with a squeegee razor, but it's certainly safer than a razor blade.

Black Velvet and Cardboard

Ok, so I get a big kick out of dressing up my baby girl. Like I've said before, if I have to put up with her high-maintenance personality, at least I can have fun with her clothes. Case in point: this morning she was more cranky than usual having stayed up until midnight last night (I put her to bed at 9:00 but I wasn't in the mood to hold her door shut) but she looked so pretty in her new Christmas dress that I had to take some pictures anyway.



At about 8:00 tonight, of course, the boys decided they needed to make houses out of empty moving boxes. Why do we start projects at bedtime? Luckily this one went pretty quickly and they even got their mess cleaned up before bed.

Nathan peering out his window.

Matthew shared his house with Maggie.
Well, he didn't have much choice, she pretty much commandeered it.

The Solution to Bedtime

Thanks to Maggie's latest proficiency at opening doors, bedtime has not been going very smoothly. After the about the fifth time out of bed in as many minutes, I finally had had enough tonight. Placing her back in bed, I walked out of her room, closed the door and waited. Sure enough, with a little laugh (Maggie thinks bedtime ping-pong is a great new game) pitter-patter came those little feet toward the door--but this time I was ready for her. I held the doorknob. Oh she was mad. But it only took a couple of tries and about 10 minutes for her to finally figure out there was nothing to do but get back in bed and go to sleep. After a few short complaints, her bedroom was silent.

I have to admit a very self-satisfied me went back downstairs to finish doing dishes. I guess I really am the hatest mom (opposite of nicest, per Matthew). But I don't feel too badly because I get half an hour of peace and quiet tonight! Small victories really are the sweetest.

I don't know why she's so tired...

The result of Maggie's latest discovery. (Photo taken at 6:00 pm. and yes, that's the kitchen floor.)

Is it good fire safety to lock a child in her room?

Yesterday, Maggie discovered how to use a door knob. Having already put off her bedtime through her various artless devices, Brian and I finally got her tucked in bed at about 10:30. As we were going to bed, she kept popping in and out of our room. We'd hear her bedroom door open and shut, pitter-patter pitter-patter little feet down the hall, our door would slowly open, and there would be Maggie standing with a big grin on her face.

"Maggie, go to bed," we said, not so nicely.

"Okay," her little voice would reply.

Click went our door, pitter-patter went the little feet more quickly this time, open and shut went her door...not a minute later we'd hear her door open and shut, the little feet, and our door would mysteriously swing open again. This happened--I can't even tell you how many times. Brian and I were nodding off to sleep at 11:30 when I heard her thumping around in the kitchen downstairs. Next thing I know, she's next to me asking for a snack--I guess she couldn't find one herself. She did manage to lose her blanket ("meen" as she calls it) in the process and was wandering around starting to cry as she searched for it. I finally dragged myself out of bed, located her blanket in front of a window in the family room (???), and tucked her back in bed. She actually stayed this time--now that it was nearly midnight--or maybe I just didn't hear her get up again because I was sound asleep.

Needless to say, nap time is not going so well today. After 5 out-of-bed appearances in the last 10 minutes, I think I'm giving up.

This is a shoutout to my hubby...

Within the past week or so, among other things Brian has put up bookshelves......installed kitchen cabinet hardware......installed curtain hardware......installed two ceiling fans......and installed hooks and hung up a hat rack in the mud room.I've managed to get a few things done myself (it took hours to iron those darn curtains and I've still got 2 more panels to go) and our house is actually finally coming together. There's nothing like hosting an extended family Thanksgiving for motivation to get your house organized. The funny thing is, the more we get our house put together, the more we love the house.

Growing Pains

Nathan reached an important childhood milestone tonight: his first slumber party at a friend's house.

I was a little nervous to let him go--you hear so many stories. But I met his friend's mom, ran into her at Wal-Mart on Monday actually, and after talking it over with Brian, we decided Nathan could spend the night.

The party started at 6:30 pm. By 5:00 his bag was packed, his sleeping bag, pillow, and present were ready to go, and as he carried all of it around the house he asked every 10 minutes or so how long until it was time to leave. We finally made it to 6:20 and when I dropped him off, he ran to join his friends without so much as a "Bye Mom". I left our phone number with his friend's mom, but somehow I doubt she'll be calling me tonight to rescue a homesick boy.

Matthew, of course, was devestated that Nathan got to go to not only another birthday party, but a slumber party at that. Oh the unfairness of it all. When I tried to console him with the idea that he could have a slumber party with Dad he replied through his tears, "But that's not fun. I want to have someone who doesn't live at our house sleep over!" Unfortunately for him, I'm just not feeling up to sleepovers right now. Poor Matthew.

So, after some obligatory sobs and tears, Matthew decided a slumber party with Dad was better than none at all. He set up a big bed on the floor of the basement (he and Nathan do it all the time) and Brian took him to the grocery store so they could clean out the junk food aisle. Now Matthew is happily playing Playstation (Atlantis Squarepantis) on his pile of pillows and blankets and munching Oreos and Cheetos. By all appearances, he'll make it through the night.

The seeds of sibling rivalry...

While showing Maggie pictures of her new little cousin Owen, I said, "Look at this little baby, isn't he cute?"

"Cute. Cute baby," she said, pretty enthusiastically.

This is going well, I thought, I'll take it a little farther. "Should we have a baby at our house?" I asked Maggie.

"No," she said very emphatically, "No baby."

Maybe I shouldn't have made it seem like she has a choice.

It's a Girl!

You couldn't plan it better. Two boys growing up together, and now it looks like we'll have two girls to keep each other company--and fight each other. Yes, we'll see how thrilled Maggie is when her new sister usurps her spoiled-baby-princess throne...

Here's the pics from the ultrasound:

Feet

Profile

Another profile

She's waving at you.

I was really expecting a boy, so I'm kind of still adjusting to the idea of another girl. While I'm not so sure I can handle another drama queen, I'm consoling myself with visions of matching dresses, bows, and bracelets and a pink and girly nursery. I hope I survive.

By the way, my due date has been moved two days off to April 2. Like it makes any difference. Babies come when they want to.

Aren't we grateful for Dora?

Since I've been pregnant my kids watch entirely too much TV, especially Maggie. But when you've only got a limited amount of energy to start with and a house that is still packed away in boxes, not to mention the dust, dishes, and dirty laundry that piles up exponentially every time you turn around, it's such a sanity-saver to turn on that electronic babysitter and let Nick Jr. entertain your two-year old for awhile. Maggie's favorites are Dora, Diego "Eggo", and "Buh-bye" (which is Maggish for Sponge Bob) although she'll watch any "carcoon" (cartoon).

When Brian's watching sports, Maggie will sneak up on the remote sitting unawares on the coffee table. "Aha!" She growls in her scariest voice as she grabs the remote and she runs off taunting, "I got...!" as in "Na, na, na-na, na, na...!" She then goes to every adult in the room demanding, "Dora!" and offering them the remote if they'll change the channel for her. She doesn't know how to actually use the remote, but I guess she figures if she has it in her possession that's half the battle.

Beads and Ribbon!

Phew! I spent the day teaching a workshop on hair-bows and bracelets today at a Super Saturday in my old ward in Tooele. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work. With three tables of beads and ribbon and five different projects all going on at the same time--and about twenty people all needing help at the same time--it was a long day. But it was worth it because I got to see old friends and play with all the pretty beads and ribbons!

I think I've discovered that I don't make jewelry because I like jewelry--I just like the beads. And I'm beginning to suspect the same about Maggie's hair-bows...

Anyway, here's instructions to make the curly corkscrew bows that one-year old Maggie models in this picture from last Thanksgiving:

Corkscrew Bows (makes 2)

Materials:
2 colors 1/8" (very thin) grosgrain or satin ribbon
2 or 3 colors 3/8" (thin) grosgrain or patterned ribbon
1 color 5/8" or 7/8" sheer ribbon
1/4" dowel rod, cut in half
5/8" dowel rod, cut in half
8 clothespins
floral wire
glue gun and glue
hair clip
fray check or clear nail polish

1. Wrap each color of ribbon, except sheer, around half a dowel rod (1/4" dowel for very thin ribbon, 5/8" dowel for thin ribbon) and secure ends with clothespins.
2. Place dowels on a clean cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Allow to cool completely on the dowel, then carefully remove ribbons.
4. Cut thin ribbon in 6 equal lengths, very thin ribbon in 8 equal lengths.
5. Cut 4 pieces of sheer ribbon to about 6 inches long.
6. Lay a piece of floral wire about 8 inches long on the table. Pile up half the ribbon pieces on the wire, placing 2 sheer ribbons on the bottom.
7. Scrunch the ribbons in the middle and secure with the wire.
8. Glue hair clip to wire.
9. Trim ribbons as needed.
10. Repeat steps 7-10 for the second bow.
11. Don't forget to put fray check on the sheer ribbon ends so they don't fray!

Who invented two-year olds, anyway?

Maggie has never had an easy time going to nursery class at church. It's only been within the last couple of months that she'll even stay at all without me, and she bawls her eyes out from the minute sacrament meeting gets over until several minutes after I drop her off at class.

This morning, she started crying when I tried to get her dressed for church. "Uh-uh church. Uh-uh toys. Uh-uh class."

She cried for at least half an hour, until her face was blotchy red and her eyes and nose were running all over the place. Brian tried to console her and tell her that she didn't have to go to class if she didn't want to. I put a stop to that. She had two important lessons to learn from this I told Brian: 1) she can't get her way every time she cries and 2) she can be apart from Mom for a little while and it'll be ok.

So we went to church and she sat very quietly all through sacrament meeting because she was worn out from crying all morning. As soon as they said the closing prayer, she started up again, "Uh-uh class."

"But Maggie," I said, "You like class."

"Oh," she said. And that was it.

By the time we got down the hallway to her class, she was excited and even getting antsy to play with the toys and sing songs in her class. When I dropped her off, she waved, "Bye Mom," and she sat down to play with the other kids.

!!!

So, what was that fit about this morning...?

Adventures in Red Rock

Thanks to a sales promotion at Office Depot and Brian's hard work (or good luck, depending on your perspective) he and I got to spend the weekend down in Moab. The kids went to Grandma's and we escaped for two free nights at the Red Cliff's Lodge!

The accommodations were great but the scenery was incredible!

We drove down with Brian's co-worker and good friend Kyle Brown and his wife Maveny. Since we were already in the neighborhood, we decided to take a peek in Arches National Park. Wow. Brian and I were kicking ourselves for not bringing our fancy camera on the trip. Neither of us had actually been in the area before and didn't realize how absolutely gorgeous it would be. These pictures were all taken on Kyle and Maveny's camera--we're grateful they remembered!

I probably could have recolored these photos because they don't capture the brilliant red of the rocks very well, but it was too much work to upload them all into blogger so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Brian and I posing in front of the famous Delicate Arch.
Since Maveny and I are both pregnant, we decided not to take the arduous 3 mile hike right up to the Delicate Arch and took the easy route instead. It was still amazing seen across a deep canyon.

We also took a short hike to the Double Arches. They reminded me of a cathedral, in both size and beauty. Notice the tiny people climbing on the rocks below.

This is Kyle and Maveny Brown, good friends and great traveling companions (as well as dinner guests!)

Brian and Kyle climbed up to stand under the farthest arch while us pregnant girls sat on the rocks below and took pictures.

The next day, Saturday, we all climbed in a Hummer and took a four-wheel-drive tour on the slickrock guided by a retired local sheriff. The scenery was beautiful, the commentary great, but most amazing to me was the feats of the Hummer. Who knew a vehicle could do that?

We should have guessed what we were in for by the name of the place...

Looking back down the entrance to Hell's Revenge trail. Notice the steep drop on both sides, and how small the cars are in the distance. You can't see the grade from this angle. Going up it felt exactly like when you're going higher and higher on a roller coaster, anticipating that sinking drop any moment... Have I ever mentioned how much I don't actually like roller coasters all that much for exactly that going up part?

This is a better view of the trail. Yes, we drove up that. Backwards, incidentally. See the tire marks?

Behind Brian and to his right you can see the infamous Lion's Back which, because of the history of injuries and deaths, is now closed. The new owner doesn't want the liability. Oh, I was so disappointed...

Our sweet ride.

We tried to get a photo of the four of us together in front of Echo Canyon. I don't like canyons--especially the edges of canyons. Brian was trying to get me to step back closer to him...and the edge.

A mountain unicyclist. This guy hopped down that rock (and the tall hill behind) balancing on his unicycle. There were mountain bicyclists all over the place who I thought were all pretty crazy, but I think this guy is probably certifiably insane. We asked him if it hurt. He replied, "Yeah, it's not as much fun after the first two or three miles..."

This particular rock is called The Wall. See those scratch marks? Yes we drove up and back down the wall--several times. Our guide enjoys his job.

Ready.

Get set.

Go!

Beauty and the Beast