Daddy is being sneaky...

We love days when Josh is home from work. He loves to play and the kids love all the extra attention they get when he is around. So last night I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner and Josh and the girls are in the backyard playing. All of the sudden I hear clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk... Then I hear it again... It only took me a second to realize that Daddy was teaching a game that he probably shouldn't be teaching. It's called... Throw a ball onto the roof and catch it when it rolls back down...
After a few minutes of clunking above my head, Josh comes in the back door and then out the front door. I didn't really think anything of it, but Elizabeth comes running in the house yelling for dad. I let her know that she needs to stay in the backyard because I don't know what Josh is doing and I don't want her running up and down the street looking for him. Then she says, "Mom, Dad is just getting the yellow ball!" I say ok, but insist that she needs to wait for him in the backyard.
Josh comes back in without a ball, so I ask him, "Did you find the ball?"
Looking dumbfounded, He says, "How did you know I lost a ball?"
to which I replied, "Well I heard you throwing it up on the roof, and when Elizabeth said you were looking for the ball, I knew you had thrown it over the roof."
For some reason he thought he was in trouble... Unlike a mother... he does not have an image of 10 years down the road when his child attempts to throw a ball onto the roof and crashed it through a window!!!



I guess if he really didn't want me to know about it, then he shouldn't have let Elizabeth photograph it...

Funny Kids!

So the kids are playing and I decided that I would get a few candid pictures of them. I grab the camera and head back to the bedrooms where they are playing. I peak around the corner to see Rachel putting herself into this laundry basket. You can barely see her, but inside she is yelling, "Hi MOM!" and wiggling her fingers out the bottom. What a goof!




Then I catch this picture of Jorgan playing with the toys on his shelf. As soon as he hears the camera he races towards me. So I am trying to catch a picture of lil' mr. speed as he is racing to get a grab at the camera.



Things turn into an all out battle as he's giggling and chasing me around trying to catch me. Here's just a couple of cute shots I got of him as he's crawling all over me desperately trying to grab the camera.






I think he's the cutest little boy I have ever seen!!!

Bread Day

So Grandpa decided that he wanted to learn how to make bread. So Grandma, and Grandpa, and Jacob spent the day with us yesterday. We baked tons of bread and rolls, yum! I wish I had caught on camera Josh teaching his dad how to "spank the baby". That's what my mom always called smacking the bread to get all the air bubbles out. Josh is an expert baby bread spanker!! Then Grandma made her mom's special cinnamon knots. They were a huge hit with the kids... sugar and bread all in one... there are not many things better than that! Except maybe oatmeal chocolate chip butterscotch cookies. Elizabeth got busted for repeatedly sneaking them all day! Needless to say her tummy was "too full" to eat any dinner. Surprise! Surprise!



Since we had a counter full of bread (at one point a counter full of bread until we ate half of it) we decided that we should make a beef stew to go along with it for dinner! So Delicious....

Daddy Is So Proud!!!

This is Josh writing. I just had to take these pictures. It just goes to show you that boys and girls are wired differently. It can't be that I always gave him cars and trucks to play with ;0) A little backround on these pictures as follows: I was reading my email and Jorgan "kneed" up to me, (he wasn't crawling or walking) pushing his Tonka truck and holding a hot wheel car. I just had to take a picture of my son's masculinity!!

Quiet Time!

So, my goal is to capture some of our "everyday" family memories. Here are 2 pictures of an everday occurence at our house. Everyone in our house needs a little bit of alone time everyday... especially me! So, while Rachel and Jorgan are nappping, Elizabeth gets to chill on the couch all by herself for about an hour and a half. She loves this special time of day because she gets to decide what she wants to watch. Whether it's PBS cartoons or a movie, she gets to pick without having to compromise or share with Rachel!
We used to try and change it up, sometimes she would get to read books, sometimes play computer games, sometimes watch tv. But I've noticed as she's gotten older that she really enjoys just being able to lie on the couch for a while!
I sure love this sweet girl! She has such a tender heart and a quick whit! She makes me smile everyday! I know these quiet time days won't last forever, just until first grade, but I still wanted to capture the memory of her sweet face as she asks me, "mom... why are you taking my picture?"

A Perfect Brightness of Hope

Today I went to the Relief Society Conference. (Getting up, getting showered, dressed, beautified, kids fed, babysitter picked up, and kids dressed, husband-less by the way, all by 8:30 this morning was quite an adventure...) Nonetheless, I was really glad I made the effort to go. It really pays to spend 3 hours feeling the spirit and being uplifted. It was a crazy week and I needed something to help me remember how wonderful and happy my life is.
I listened to President Smith encourage us to truly study the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. He reassured me that spiritual growth is not going to come automatically. I have to really work for it, and be patient as my testimony grows over time! He also reminded me of the importance of consistency in my personal study... One part of personal study that I am terrible at! I think the most important thing that I learned from President Smith was the importance of the atonement of Jesus Christ in my life. The atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important part of our time here on Earth. If I want to stay focused on the Savior; if I want my children to have a desire to keep the commandments; if I want to find joy in my marriage; I need to continually study and teach my family about the atonement of Jesus Christ. There was so much more that I learned today, but most of all I want to remember the feelings that I had there! I felt inspired to try a little harder and do a little better. As he spoke I knew that as he bore his testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ, that what he spoke was the truth. (I am hoping that by writing this down I will better be able to remember those feelings forever).
I then listened to President and Sister Ence. The most valuable thing that they taught me was that the only way for my husband and I to become closer to each other, is by drawing closer to the Lord. We will always find happiness in our marriage if we both continually come closer to our Savior.
Last, I attended a class by Sister Jennie Slade. It is because of her class that I am sitting "journaling" my day! She encouraged us to remember to capture our memories and preserve our family history. One way to preserve my family history is to write in a journal. So here is my first goal. To be better at keeping my blog. So I apologize if this all becomes really boring for you all to read! But, I think that writing it all down on a piece of paper every day is never going to happen! She also encouraged us to always have the camera ready! How better to remember the wonderful things in our life than by having pictures of everything! So, I've decided that if I really want to capture what our family is really like, then I need to take more candid photos. Thus, I am ending this post, and starting a new one, which you will see above!!

Oops... Did I forget something???

Well, It has been a very fast 7 months since my last post. I think that I had forgotten that blogs even existed! Yet, we are still here and still enjoying life!
Really this just shows how good I am at journaling. 8 months of journaling went reasonably well, then I fell off the wagon. 7 months later here I am... let's see how well I can do this time!



Lots has happened since my last post:
-- In August we took a trip to Washington to visit with my family. We got to spend time with all of my 6 sisters, go hiking and swimming in the Columbia River, tour the Wanapum Dam, stay in Chalets on the beach in Oregon (Josh bought me a wave board which I almost killed myself on), and spend a few days camping with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents! 3000 miles of driving later... we were home.
-- Elizabeth turned 4 in September! Yah! Big girl! We had a cute little party at the park with her frineds. We decided that we wanted to teach her simple outdoor kids games. So we played Red Rover and Duck, Duck, Goose. (FYI-- these games are not played the same way as I played them growing up. Nowadays, if you send a kid to the mush pot... they cry. Instead, if you get tagged... you get to go again. Woops... I wish someone would have told me that sooner!)
-- In October we went on a wonderful vacation back east! I had never been much farther east than Colorado, so this was a fun adventure. We stayed in New Jersey with family (thanks Shaun and Maria!) that toured us through New York, New Jersey, and Pittsburg. We especially enjoyed a trip to the Manhattan Temple! What an amazing place to have a temple... at the intersection of 3 major streets!
-- In November, Jorgan and I traveled to Ellensburg for my sister Melodie's wedding. So grateful to have a new brother! Hope he feels welcome and loved in our family! P.S. A 5 day vaction with 1 extremely mellow child, and 8 adults... is HEAVEN!!!
-- Right before Thanksgiving we moved into a rental house! It is amazing the difference a garage and a backyard has on the peace in a home! Everyone seems to have a little more personal space. The kids have friends to play with right outside the front door! Never knew how a house could change so much! Thank you Heavenly Father!
-- Christmas! It was fun to just be our little family! On a whim, we decided to take the kids to a movie Christmas Day. Alvin and the Chipminks: The Squeekquel. Cute! The girls loved it! Or maybe they loved sitting in a cushy chair with a lap full of popcorn! Who wouldn't?
-- From after Christmas through New Years we spent with both sets of Grandparents... at the same time! Can't get much better than that. Rachel kept telling my mom, "No! You're not Grandma! You are Grandma Patti!" Wow... why do two year olds have to be right all the time!
-- Finally the New Year. We celebrated our anniversary at the Venetian watching Phantom of the Opera! Amazing!! Except for the part where I had to walk from the Venetian to Planet Hollywood in my 4 in heels. If the pain wasn't bad enough... I had to wiggle my way through a thousand street junkies handing out naked lady pamphlets! AHH!! Needless to say, to save our marriage, my husband got us a taxi back to the Venetian!




-- Now here we are! Mid January. Josh loves his job! He transfered over to the ER and is doing amazing there! I am doing the best I can to be the best mom I can! Which sometimes I fail miserably at... but my kids still love me and we are learning together! Jorgan will be one next month... I can't believe how he has grown and become such an important part of our family. Rachel will be three in March! She amazes me more and more everyday! She learns so quickly! Elizabeth is taking gymnastics at the community center! She is adorable to watch and frequently asks, "Mom, can I go to gymnastics every day?" By the way, she is going to start Kindergarten this year! Life flies by way too fast! We are happier than ever and loving eachother more each day!



-- Here's to another day, another week, another year, an entire lifetime, and forever! Thank goodness for the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the atonement, and His love for us. I am eternally grateful to our Father in Heaven for the incredible blessings that he showers on us each day! I love my family and the life we have together here on earth. I am so grateful that we can be together for eternity. Who could ask for anything more?