Sisters

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...

~Jane Austen

I am so thankful my baby daughter has such a wonderful older sister. I love watching them interact with each other; laughing together, playing together, and learning together. My heart feels happy knowing that their friendship will only grow with time, and that they'll value each other as sisters even more as adults. I love my girls!

Crafty Scott

Scott loves being creative, especially when it comes to arts and crafts. These past few weeks he has developed a whole new skill: sewing.

Scott has a very creative imagination, and once he gets started on a project he won't quit until it has reached his level of perfection. These past few weeks, Scott learned how to sew in school, by hand and machine. He was given some fabric and thread and this is what he came up with:Isn't it adorable? I loved the fabric he chose for the cat's head and nose.


In case you were confused, the cat has a face on each side, which is why it's eyes change color. It's a double sided kitty.

I love Scott! He's such a creative boy.

Remembering Margaret

Today marked the first anniversary of Brad's mother's death. I woke up this morning determined to find something happy to remember Margaret by. I came across this video of her on her birthday in 2008:



This is the Margaret I remember: full of humor. She didn't really like being the center of attention, but she enjoyed making her family happy, even when she felt uncomfortable being in the spotlight. It's hard watching the video and not wishing we could jump back into that moment and give her a big hug and tell her how much we love her and miss her.

Our first year without Margaret has definitely been challenging. We miss her being a part of our every day lives. We miss her sharing her wisdom with us, entertaining us with her wit and humor, and nurturing us with her motherly love. It's been a year of transition and adaptation for our entire family, but we are enduring it well and learning how to cope. It's comforting to know that we will be reunited with Margaret again someday.

My Snow "Babies"

Lizzy had a fun morning in the snow yesterday. Rosie and Sushi had to join in her fun.

I think it's cute how my three "babies" like to always be together. They can't stand watching the others have fun and not join in. Well, sometimes Sushi can. She is a cat after all.


Their personalities may clash a bit, but I think deep down Rosie and Sushi genuinely enjoy each others company. They like being friends and housemates.

Salmon Chowder

My recipe for Salmon Chowder. It's good stuff-- trust me!
Although I did absolutely detest it when I was pregnant. For some reason it was gross then. But now it's super YUMMY!

SALMON CHOWDER

3 Tb butter

1 cup chopped celery
1/2 chopped onion
20 diced baby carrots
3 large potatoes, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cans chicken broth
1 cup of water (optional)
3 cups cooked salmon, sliced
1 can evaporated milk
1 can of corn (or creamed corn)

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute celery, onions, and carrots until onions are tender. Add broth and water. Add diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add cooked salmon, corn, and evaporated milk. Cook for another 5 minutes. Serves about 4.

Try it and enjoy it! I often change it up a bit, and add different seasonings and spices. It tastes really good with dill weed and Greek seasonings, too.

Lizzy's 18-Month-Old Stats

Weight: 25 pounds, 63% for her age.
Height: 33.5 inches, 89% for her age.
Head Circumference: 18.9 inches, 84% for her age.

18-Month Lizzy
My baby girl has turned into a active, independent, defiant toddler. She has a mind of her own, and she knows it!

Little quirks:

• She calls her dad "Poppy" now, instead of "Papa." We don't really know where that came from.
• She says, "Bye-doe, bye-doe, bye-doe" when she pretends to read books, or when she pretends to talk on the phone.
  
• She knows which pair of scriptures belong to each person, and she LOVES to fetch them for scripture-time.
• She tries to say prayers all day long. She folds her arms, bows her head, and says "pray."
• She's completely obsessed with shoes. She loves fetching shoes for everyone in the house, and she loves trying them on herself.
  
• She is precocious. She pretends to talk on the phone, read to herself, write notes on paper, crochet like Mama, type on the computer, clean messes, blow her nose, flush the toilet, and throw garbage away.
• She loves finding her bellybutton (and bellybuttons on other people).
• She draws on herself and objects around her, which doesn't always make Mama happy.
• She loves dancing to music. I love it when she moves her hips. So cute!
  
• She plays the piano using her pointer fingers. Sometimes I wonder if it's Scott or Emma, because she plays so gently.
  
• She enjoys brushing her teeth.

Teeth: She has six teeth fully emerged. A few molars in the back are peeking through.

Her favorite foods: yogurt, oranges, cheddar cheese, grapes, fruit cups, noodles, spaghetti, eggs, apple sauce, potatoes, cream cheese on toast, ground beef, and hot dogs.

Foods she does NOT like: green vegetables, carrots, grapefruit.

Her favorite games:
Chase the dog and tackle the cat.
Throw balls and chase balls.
Climb on Mama and do pull ups!


New Words, Names, and Phrases:
Scott, pray, "I'm sorry," nose, toes, whoa, "gelcome" (welcome), "one, two, five," "where'd it go?", bath, potty, pee-pee, "no doggie," "shhhh," bellybutton, "Mee-Mee" (Aunt Marilyn), socks, "all done," snow, "what's that?" baby, truck, "here you go."

Her favorite songs: "My Hands," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

Lizzy loves copying me when I do the actions to her favorite song. Here are the lyrics I use:

My Hands

My hands upon my head I place.
(Place hands on head)

Upon my shoulders,
(Place hands on shoulders)

On my face,
(Place hands on face)

At my waist,
(Place hands on hips)

And by my side,
(Drop hands to sides)

Then behind me they will hide,
(Hide hands behind back)

Then I will raise them way up high,
(Raise hands high above head)

And make my fingers fly, fly, fly,
(Wiggle fingers)

Then clap, clap, clap,
(Clap, clap, clap)

And one, two, three,
(count with fingers)

Then see how quiet they can be.
(Fold arms)

The Highlight of My Day: December 2010

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in December:

Wed 12/1/10: I made a simplified version of salmon chowder tonight. It was pure yumminess!

Thu 12/2/10: Lizzy, Rosie, and I had an enjoyable morning playing in the snow. The weather warmed up a bit, so we made a bunch of little snowmen and snowcaves along our walkway. In the evening, Brad and I drove to Sugar House and bought us three bookshelves for our room. They are perfect! I feel so blessed.

Fri 12/3/10: Tonight was Del Sol's Jazz Christmas Party. Brad and I enjoyed some time by ourselves without the kids.

Sat 12/4/10: Brad's dad treated us to a nice dinner at Outback Steak House tonight. I had the prime rib. Mmm mmm! When we got home, we broke out the Christmas decorations and began decorating the living room.

Sun 12/5/10: Got the books on the new shelves tonight. Hooray for no books scattered all over the living room!

Mon 12/6/10: FHE was a blast tonight! We made one of our favorite desserts, DIRT, and decorated it with candy rocks, candy canes, powdered sugar, and a marshmallow snowman. At first Lizzy did not want to try it, but Brad coaxed her, and she finally gave it a try after he took a few bites.

Tue 12/7/10: Tonight was our ward Christmas party. We had a great time! The highlight of the evening for me was watching Lizzy on Santa's lap. I was so proud of her for not crying. She's such a brave little girl!

Wed 12/8/10: Gum chewing with Lizzy= FUN!

Thu 12/9/10: Lizzy turned 18 months today! My little girl is growing up! We went to feed ducks, then we had lunch with Brad at Del Sol.

Fri 12/10/10: We picked up my mother from the airport tonight. I'm excited to spend all weekend with her!

Sat 12/11/10: My mother babysat Lizzy while Brad & I went to see "Voyage of the Dawn Treader." She also cleaned up the house while we were gone. I have the most awesome mother EVER!

Sun 12/12/10: I had homemade chicken soup for dinner with my mom, family, and Marilyn and James.

Mon 12/13/10: We had peppermint fudge ice cream for FHE tonight, after coming home from the library.

Tues 12/14/10: We have Direct TV now! I liked watching "Gilmore Girls" and "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" while crocheting Christmas hats.

Wed 12/15/10: We sang Christmas songs on the way home from Scott's concert tonight. When we got home, Scott showed us how to make yummy homemade Oreo cookies. SO GOOD!

Thu 12/16/10: Finished my visiting teaching for the month!

Fri 12/17/10: I painted Lizzy's toenails red. Her toes look so cute and feminine.

Sat 12/18/10: The Internet is up and running again! We went 4 days without the Internet in our house. Brad got it working again. He's wonderful. I love him!

Sun 12/19/10: We made a warm fire, roasted huge marshmallows, had some Chex party mix, and watched Christmas specials on TV. I love spending time with my family during the Christmas season.

Mon 12/20/10: We watched "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" for FHE. Can't let a year go by without watching Jimmy Stewart. Loved it!

Tue 12/21/10: I loved watching Westbrook's Christmas Program today. So many cute kids.

Wed 12/22/10: I had a WONDERFUL time singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with my three nieces, my daughters, and husband. We had a fun time dropping off Christmas cards, too, and visiting with the Montegues.

Thu 12/23/10: The Price family came to visit our family. I enjoyed having Jacob and Cassie in our home, playing with Scott and Emma. They are all great kids!

Fri 12/24/10: We watched "Tangled" in the theaters this morning. We LOVED it! Christmas Eve dinner turned out perfect, too. I made a turkey, funeral potatoes, green bean casserole, and turkey stuffing. The kids, Brad, and I played Mormon Bridge with Marilyn, James, and David. Scott and Emma did pretty well for their first time.

Sat 12/25/10: We had an absolutely WONDERFUL Christmas! We opened up presents, had a gourmet breakfast, ate yummy treats, and watched some good movies. Brad and I had a very relaxing day. I LOVE my husband!

Sun 12/26/10: My cousin Molly came to visit us tonight. She needed a place to crash before finishing her long drive to her dad's house in Colorado. It was so nice having her here! I loved talking to her about childhood memories and family members.

Mon 12/27/10: Dinner tonight with my husband and baby at Hires. I loved not having to be the one to cook!

Tue 12/28/10: Brad and I enjoyed snuggling on the couch, watching "The Village" together.

Wed 12/29/10: I spent a good hour doing nothing but playing and singing with Lizzy tonight, and she LOVED it! We sang together (she tried copying my hand movements), we counted together (she loved saying the number "2"), and we played ball together (she loved it when I shot the ball from behind my back). I love being a mommy!

Thu 12/30/10: Brad was snowed in this morning, so he decided to stay home from work. We sure had a LOT of snow today.

Fri 12/31/10: We went to Barnes and Noble this morning, so Scott, Emma, and Lizzy could buy books using Christmas money from their great-grandmas. Emma and I made cupcakes and banana bread in the afternoon. In the evening we welcomed the New Year at Bruce and Loralee's house. We are looking forward to 2011!