Minions, Minions Everywhere!

I have been having so much fun crocheting these cute minion hats for the last three months.  I am still amazed by the popularity of the hats, and how many I've sold in such a short amount of time.  All I did was make a few for a neighborhood boutique back in October, thinking I would only sell a couple.  After the boutique, I posted a photo of the remaining hats on Facebook.  I was immediately swarmed by orders that same day from my Facebook friends, and later from their friends. Even now that Christmas has come and gone, people are still interested and buying more.  I have made and sold over 35 hats.  It has definitely boosted my self-confidence seeing how pleased customers have been with my work.  It makes me want to keep doing it, and explore and challenge my skills.  I'm looking forward to seeing where these new skills take me.

The Highlight of My Day: December 2013

Something good happens every day.  Here's what happened in December 2013:

Sun 12/1/13:  It's nice to be home, although I miss being in California.  My highlight of the day was staying home from church and resting with Brad.  It was also nice talking to Scott and Emma on the phone today, too.

Mon 12/2/13:  It was weird having Brad go to work today, but it was also nice getting back into the swing of things.  I liked saying hi to Scott when he came home from school today.  That is always one of the highlight of my days!

Tue 12/3/13:  David had his 12-month doctor appointment today (two months behind).  Dr. Vierra was very impressed that David already knows his ABC's.  "He's a smarty, this one!"  I am going to need to do more things to challenge him, like doing puzzles with him, and teaching him words to recognize.  David will probably be an early reader.

Wed 12/4/13:  Emma sure has been sick a lot lately.  She has missed a lot of school this semester-- all during days when she hasn't been at home with us.  She was dropped off at our house early this morning.  I had her stay home until lunch time, so I could monitor her.  I took her back to school when she seemed to be  doing fine.   I brought all the little kids with me, including Valeen.  It was fun having a van-full of kids.  They liked singing to the Christmas CD I had playing.

Thu 12/5/13:  The kids and I had fun walking through the snow today to get to Lizzy's preschool.  It's so pretty and white outside, but very, very cold.  The temperatures have consistently stayed below 20 degrees during the day and in the single digits at night this week.  Brrrrrrr!  Lizzy made an adorable snow globe in preschool today.  It has Belle inside, with little glitter-flakes floating all around her.  She is so excited about it and wants to show everyone.

Fri 12/6/13:  Lizzy had a little too much fun with a pair of scissors today.  I finished up the job for her and chopped off all her hair below her chin.  She looks so cute now!  She wasn't at all happy with me at first, but she slowly warmed up to it and seems to like it.  I got some cute pictures of her.

Sat 12/7/13:  Brad and I took the little ones to see the new Disney movie, Frozen.  Wow, was it a hit!  Lizzy LOVED it.  She got so excited at certain parts that she screamed out in the movie theater and kept bouncing back and forth in her seat.  It was very well done.  My favorite character was Queen Elsa.  My favorite song from the movie was "Let it Go," sung by Idina Menzel.  So good!

Sun 12/8/13:  My highlight today was watching Lizzy and David try to sing the lyrics from the song, "Let it Go," from Frozen.  I have lost track how many times we've seen the song played on YouTube.  Lizzy loves listening it, repeating it, and acting out what she sees.  David tries doing it, too.  It's fun watching them.

Tue 12/9/13:  I think we've become addicted to Frozen!  We keep listening to the music every day, including Brad.  It's has definitely become a favorite.

Wed 12/10/13:  I put up almost all of the Christmas decorations today.  YAY!  I also enjoyed watching Studio C's Christmas Special and Agents of Shield with Scott, Emma, and Brad tonight.  I love having Scott and Emma home with us.

Thu 12/11/13:  I am amazed by how many minion hats I've made in the last 2 1/2 months!  Today I made a spreadsheet so I could keep track of all of my orders.  I made about 30 hats so far, and I still have a few orders to go.

Fri 12/13/13:  We were very sad when Haru died on Wednesday, so to make up for it, I brought home two new male rats today.  They are named after characters from Frozen: Olaf and Kristoff.  Tonight was our ward's Christmas party.  The Madrigals performed for us, which Brad and I enjoyed very much.  Lizzy liked hearing the song, "Up on the House Top," which is one of her favorite Christmas songs.  My highlight of the night was saying hi to people, and eating the yummy pasta buffet.  I love pasta!

Sat 12/14/13:  Brad and I took Scott and Emma to watch "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug" today.  It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be, but I still enjoyed most of it.  Smaug was extremely well done.  Best dragon I have ever seen.  My highlight of the day was going with most of my family downtown to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert.  It was fantastic!  It was lovely listening to Deborah Voigt sing and John Rhys-Davies narrating a Charles Dickens Christmas special.  There were little surprises throughout the concert.  It was really neat seeing John Rhys-Davies floating above the audience as the Ghost of Christmas Present.  So cool!

Sun 12/15/13:  My highlight of the day was being with Brad's family.  We had a soup potluck night, and lots of yummy treats, including a hot chocolate bar.  It was nice visiting with everyone, including Grandpa's lady-friend, Silvia, and his brother, Uncle Jerry.  I love Brad's family.  The only thing that could have made the evening better was if Emma was not feeling sick.  Poor sweet Emma.  I think she stilled enjoyed being with her cousins, though.

Mon 12/16/13:  I mailed off two hats today!  YAY! Now I'm starting another order-- a specialized order of red Utah Utes minion hats.  I'm really interested to see how they turn out.  I need to get them done before Wednesday night!

Tue 12/17/13:  I enjoyed attending my Relief Society's Hot Chocolate Party tonight.  I had a mug of sweet vanilla white hot chocolate.  It was tasty!  I liked being with other sisters in my ward and listening to their conversations.  It was nice hanging out with them.

Wed 12/18/13:  I liked hanging out with Emma today, even though she was feeling poorly.  She's been sick the last few days with a virus.

Thu 12/19/13:  It was adorable watching Lizzy and David sit on Santa's lap today.  I love that my kids never cry when they visit Santa.  I'm such a lucky mom.

Fri 12/20/13:  I finished the Ute minion hats this morning!  YAY!  It took longer than I thought it would, but I'm glad it's done.  I sold them a few hours after I finished.  Now I have some more orders I need to work on.

Sat 12/21/13:  I finished my Christmas shopping today!  I got it all done early this morning, despite having to drive in a snow storm.  Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas.

Sun 12/22/13:  The primary kids reenacted the Christmas story from Luke in Sharing Time today.  They were so cute!  Lizzy, Brooklyn, and Valeen were angels.  They looked so cute together with their fuzzy gold halos.

Mon 12/23/13:  We had dinner at Sam's Club tonight before getting our groceries.  Lizzy and David love eating the pizza there, and drinking sodas.  We hardly ever go out to eat, so when we do, they always get excited.

Tue 12/24/13:  My highlight of the day was watching Lizzy and David open up their Christmas Eve gifts.  Lizzy got My Little Pony PJs and David got Batman PJs, and each of them received a Christmas book.  They loved their papa reading to them before they went to bed.  Papa does such a good job with character voices.

Wed 12/25/13:  We had a lovely Christmas!  Lizzy and David woke up bright and early and were very excited to see all the presents underneath the Christmas tree.  Lizzy shouted, "Santa came!"  We opened some of our presents and had German pancakes for breakfast.  Lizzy's favorite present was her Merida bow and arrow.  She played with it all day.  David loved his letter foam blocks.  Scott and Emma came home at 1:00 pm and we opened some more presents.  Scott and Emma loved their framed posters of Young Justice (for Emma) and Studio Ghibli movies (for Scott) the best.  We headed over to Grandpa North's house and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out together and eating good food.  It was lovely!

Thu 12/26/13:  We saw Frozen again today!  This time with Scott and Emma.  We all LOVED it!  I was singing Frozen songs all afternoon.  In the evening, the Bruce Clan came over and we had a big ham dinner with cheesy potatoes, and watched our new Princess Bride Blu-ray disc.  I loved watching some of the special features on the disc.  That movie is a classic.

Fri 12/27/13:  My ham and potato soup was a big hit tonight.  It was nice having dinner at home with everyone.

Sat 12/28/13:  Brad and I finished watching the end of Season 3 of Downton Abbey.  We were having a Downton marathon to get us geared up for Season 4, which is starting next Sunday.  I am so excited!

Sun 12/29/13:  I had fun meeting my new primary class today.  I will be teaching the 5-year-olds, which are the same batch of kids I had last year.  I am excited to be teaching them again.  But I am going to my miss my current class, too.  I love Tommy's cleverness, and Rachael's sweetness, and Brooklyn's silliness, and David's cute remarks.  I will especially miss being Lizzy's teacher.

Mon 12/30/13:  Brad stayed home with a bad cold today.  I can tell that I'm getting it, too.  But I like spending time with him, even when we're both feeling ill.  The best part is resting on the couch and watching movies together.

Tue 12/31/13:  The cold has really hit me hard today.  Brad is doing better, though.  My highlight of the day was soaking in a nice hot bath while Brad watched the kids.  That was lovely.  Good bye, 2013!  You were a wonderful year!

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

It doesn't have to be a BIG snowman...

Lizzy and I had a great time making a "baby" snowman today.  We wanted to make a bigger snowman, like Olaf form the movie Frozen, but the snow was too powdery and wouldn't clump together.  Instead we made this adorable little guy.  I crocheted the hat and scarf, just for him.  I think he turned out pretty cute.  Lizzy was very proud of him.

Goodbye, Sweet Haru ~ Welcome, Olaf and Kristoff

Goodbye, Sweet Haru.  We will miss you.

We had a bit of emotional week this past week.  Our sweet little rat, Haru, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday.  Lizzy and I were both heartbroken.  We only had Haru for two months, but during that time Lizzy became very attached to her.  I loved the way Lizzy would carry her.  She would hold her against her tummy, like a baby, and Haru was very patient with her, even when Lizzy was not as calm and careful as she could have been. Haru was Lizzy's special little friend.

To help ease Haru's passing for Lizzy, I went out and picked up two little boy rats today.  They are both very cute, and very friendly little rats.  I'm looking forward to Lizzy bonding with them and having fun with them.  We named them Olaf and Kristoff, from the movie, Frozen.  Olaf is definitely the friendliest rat.  He loves to sit on Lizzy's lap and let her pet him.  It makes me think of the line in Frozen when Olaf says, "I like warm hugs."

Welcome, Olaf and Kristoff.

Oh, Lizzy! You did it again!

Lizzy had a little too much fun playing with a pair of scissors she found today.  The end result: lots of uneven strands of hair all around her face.  I decided to finish up the job and chopped off all her hair below her chin.  She didn't seem to mind it all at first.  It wasn't until we were all done that she realized that most of her beautiful long wavy hair was gone.  She was not at all happy with me at first.  She slowly warmed up to it over the next couple of hours.  That's when I got the good pictures.  She's so pretty!

This is what she looked like after she realized all her hair was gone.  Sad.

This is what she looked like after she warmed up to the idea of having short hair. CUTE!

30 Days of Gratitude-- The Highlight of My Day: November 2013

Papa and Mama on Thanksgiving Day 2013
Photo taken by Rachel Montgomery

There is something to be grateful for every day.  Here is what I was grateful for in November:

Fri 11/1/13:  Today I am grateful for the brief, sweet moments I get to spend alone with my husband.  It was nice sneaking off to our room tonight while the kids were occupied with their own entertainment.  My husband makes me very happy.

Sat 11/2/13:  Today I am grateful for unplanned visits with family and friends.  Brad and I went on a date to Carl's Jr. for lunch and ended up visiting with Brad's dad and the Polaks, who just happened to arrive there about two minutes after we ordered our food.  It was fun eating lunch with them and talking to them.  We also bumped into the Brusiks while we were shopping at Sam's Club.

Sun 11/3/13:  Today I am grateful for nice friends on Facebook that let me borrow DVDs so I can share some of my favorite '80s movies to the kids.  It was fun introducing the movie The Labyrinth to Scott, Emma, and Lizzy this afternoon.  Now I have all of David Bowie's songs in my head.  "You remind me of the babe..."

Mon 11/4/13:  Today I am grateful for snow.  It was nice watching Lizzy and David play in the snow in their new coats.  It kept them busy out of the house for at least half an hour, which was I was very grateful for.  David loves eating the snow, and Lizzy loves making footprints in the snow.  She calls them "foot-trams."

Tue 11/5/13:  Today I am grateful for our routine of going to the library every week.  I like that we are consistent about going, and that we get to check-out some amazing movies and books in the process.  Brad and I are on the fourth season of Alias, now.  We started watching it tonight.

Wed 11/6/13:  Today I am grateful for the little extra money I earn every week, babysitting Valeen.  In addition to the extra cash, Lizzy loves having a playmate every week.  It was fun watching them run around the house with David today.

Thu 11/7/13:  Today I am grateful for my developing cooking skills, and that my husband and kids love the food I make.  I made Parmesan chicken tonight-- a spur-of-the-moment decision, which turned out lovely, considering it was last minute.  I love cooking for my family!

Fri 11/8/13:  Today I am grateful for my older children, Scott and Emma, who helped me babysit David this afternoon when I went to Walmart and Sam's Club with Lizzy.  It's nice having them around every other Friday.  I love them.

Sat 11/9/13:  Today I am grateful for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato bisque. It's everybody's favorite in our family.  It's nice having Scott and Emma two Saturdays in a row, too, and having lunch with them.

Sun 11/10/13:  Today I am grateful for Emma-hugs.  I was feeling pretty low tonight, with a lot of stress on my mind, then I noticed that Emma was struggling with her homework for the Health Fair. I forgot about my sorrows for a moment and began focusing on her. She and I tackled her homework head-on, and ended up making a fantastic-looking brochure for the fair.  She was so grateful for my help that she gave me a big, long hug and kiss, and expressed how thankful she was for me helping her.  That hug meant so much to me.  It made all my problems (and hormonal emotions) go away, and in return made me feel loved, useful, and appreciated.  I love my Emma-girl so much.  I am immensely grateful to have her in my life.

Mon 11/11/13:  Today I am grateful for Monday night Family Home Evenings with Scott and Emma.  We have only been able to have two so far this school year, and they have been a special treat both times.  Tonight we did our annual "I Am Thankful" artwork and watched Studio C together as a family.  It was so much fun!

Tue 11/12/13:  Today I am grateful for all the little joys and blessing that come from being a mother.  I love watching my children grow and learn new skills.  Today David said, "I love you," for the first time to me.  It was so precious!

Wed 11/13/13:  Today I am grateful for a kind and loving husband, who is willing to sacrifice for me, even when I ask him to do things he does not want to do.  My parents told me about a week ago that they were planning on selling their house in California and moving to Utah.  I, of course, want to go to California to say goodbye to the house and help my parents sort through things and get rid of things.  Brad has been very supportive, even though I know he does not want us to go to California again this year, due to finances and the time he would spend away from work.  I am grateful that he has agreed for us to go.  Today, I was excited to talk to my mom more about her moving up here to Utah.  I found an apartment building not to far from here that has an indoor pool.  She liked hearing that.

Thu 11/14/13:  Today I am grateful for all the people who have been purchasing and enjoying my minion hats.  I mailed off 5 to a friend in California today.  Fun!

Fri 11/15/13:  Today I am grateful for Jane Austen.  I loved watching "Pride and Prejudice" with Brad tonight.  I'm glad he's a Jane Austen fan, too.

Sat 11/16/13:  Today I am grateful for our home teacher, Brother Hyde.  He suggested we watch a movie together with our families at the dollar theater in Sugarhouse.  Lizzy loved seeing Valeen and watching "Despicable Me 2" sitting next to her.  We wore our hats to the theater, which a lot of people liked.  I had two people ask me where I got the hats from.  I told them I made them and they wanted my contact information.  So fun!

Sun 11/17/13:  Today I am grateful for music.  Scott and Emma sang with the YM and YW in Sacrament meeting, and they did such an amazing job.  They sang the Janice Kapp melody of "As Sisters in Zion/To Bring the World His Truth," which is one of my favorite musical arrangements.  The spirit was so strong that it made all the people around me cry, including myself.  By coincidence, my lesson in my Sunbeam class was all about music today.  I loved talking about the power of music with my Sunbeams and why we sing in church.

Mon 11/18/13:  Today I am grateful for DVD sales at Target.  We found the perfect birthday present for Emma (Young Justice League DVD, Seasons 1-3), as well as a fun movie for Lizzy and David to watch on our road trip coming up (Megamind).  We got them both for excellent prices.

Tue 11/19/13:  Today I am grateful for our cute pets, Sushi (cat) and Haru (rat).  They make my kids so happy, which makes me happy.

Wed 11/20/13:  Today I am grateful for my beautiful stepdaughter, Emma.  She turned 13 years old today.  I am grateful for her sweetness and her humor; her honesty and her love.  We celebrated her birthday today with a big dinner of some of her favorite things: loaded mashed potatoes with bacon, sauteed mushrooms, corn, and pumpkin pie for dessert.  I love you, Emma!  You're wonderful!

Thu 11/21/13:  Today I am grateful for Lizzy's preschool.  She has been having so much fun going to school twice a week every week.  This morning we stopped at the store to grab some goldfish crackers for Lizzy's Thanksgiving "feast" at her preschool.  She had so much fun!

Fri 11/22/13:  Today I am grateful for the lasting friendships my children have with their cousins and friends from their old ward.  Tonight was Emma's birthday party.  We invited Emma's friend, Makenna, and Emma's cousins, Kaylie, Rachel, and Jessica to spend the night.  We had homemade chili and salsa for dinner (one of Emma's favorite).  I decorated her cake to look like the Nightwing symbol, which she loved. I could tell all of the girls had a great time together, giggling, singing, and talking late at night.

Sat 11/23/13:  Today I am grateful for little blessings and big blessings that occur in my life, sometimes without me knowing it.  I know my Heavenly Father blesses and watches over my family.  Tonight David had an accident at church that could have been a lot worse than it was.  I am grateful for the network of family and friends that Brad and I have, and the love they share for us.  It was nice seeing the Hill family at their annual pie night tonight.

Sun 11/24/13:  Today I am grateful for my Sunbeam class.  I love the fun moments I get to share with them every Sunday, and for their sweet spirits and enthusiasms for life.  They are such a cute and entertaining bunch of kids.  Today I made them Sacrament paper wheels, to help them remember about Jesus Christ during the Sacrament.  They loved that.

Mon 11/25/13:  Today I am grateful for easy-going kids.  We spent all day in the van driving to California, and Lizzy and David did so well!  They were happy and content watching their movies on the portable DVD players, and eating snacks and looking out the window.  It turned out to be a very good trip.

Tue 11/26/13:  Today I am grateful for spending time with my family in California.  Rachel, Brad, and I watched "Catching Fire" at the theater late in the morning, and Rachel and her family came over for dinner in the evening. Baby Claire is such a doll, and Lizzy and David loved playing with Eric.  Mom fried up some pupusas for dinner.  It was so yummy!  It's a Spanish dish from El Salvador, consisting of soft corn tortillas, beans, cheese, and meat.

Wed 11/27/13:  Today I am grateful for spending the morning at Cherry Park with my kids.  It was sweet seeing them play in the same park I spent so much of childhood playing at.  Full of memories.  It made my heart happy.

Thu 11/28/13:  Today I am grateful for the rare opportunity I had of spending Thanksgiving with all of my Southern California family.  We haven't done that in 8 years.  We had Thanksgiving dinner at Heather Montgomery's house, outside on the backyard patio (love the California weather!). I made Loralee's made-from-scratch Green Bean Casserole, and Mom made the turkey and candied yams.  Lizzy and David loved playing with their cousin, Eric, on the swing set.  I enjoyed pushing Eric on the swing and bonding with him.  He's such a cutie!  I also loved holding Baby Claire and spending time with her.  I love how pretty and chubby she is.  Such a darling!

Fri 11/29/13:  Today I am grateful for silly moments I get to spend with my sisters.  Rachel and I had a few hysterical laughing moments when we were cleaning up my parents garage.  I haven't laughed that hard in such a long time!  Both of us had tears in our eyes.  When Susie heard what was making us laugh so hard, she started laughing, too, which of course made Rachel and I laugh even more.  All of our husbands didn't quite get what was so funny.  Maybe it was just a Whitcomb-sister thing.  The subject of the humor: family heirlooms and teeth.

Sat 11/30/13:  Today I am grateful for my childhood home, and all of the wonderful memories I have gathered throughout the years living there.  I'm still in denial about it being sold.  A part of me hasn't accepted the fact that it was my last visit, and that my parents will no longer be living there.  Seems very strange to me.  I hated leaving it behind today, but I was also looking forward to returning to my home in Utah, too.  I love owning my home.

Emma's Thirteenth Birthday

Happy 13th Birthday to my sweet, beautiful, wonderful step-daughter, Emma!  I can't believe how fast time has gone!  Emma was only a little older than Lizzy when I first came into her life.  It makes me realize just how fast childhood goes.  That sweet little bubbly almost-5-year-old is now a teenager.  I am so grateful to have her in my life.  She is wonderful!

Emma's 13th Birthday Interview

What makes "13" such a special age?

You're finally a teenager!  No more "tween."

Who are your best friends?

Makenna, Jessica, Brianna, Rachel, Kaylie, cousin Rachel, and cousin Jessica.

What do you like to do when you are with your friends?

Talk about books.  Hang out.  Annoy the daylights out of them.

What makes you laugh?

When people do "fails."  Having something in common to joke about.

What is your favorite classes in school?  Why?

SCIENCE.  Because Mr. Horscroft teaches it in an awesome way.  Each time I go in I learn something new.

What are your favorite books?

Warriors, Batman, Fabelhaven.

What are your favorite movies and TV shows?

Studio C, Young Justice, Batman the Animated Series, Studio Ghibli movies.

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

Save some for college and mission!  Go on a trip to Japan.  Buy action figures.  More Young Justice stuff.

Describe your perfect day.

Able to sleep in with no worries.  Mess around all day.  No plans.  Go to Harry Potter Land!

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I want to be a writer.

What is your favorite family activity?

Hanging out.  Watching Studio C.

What is your favorite holiday?  Why?

My favorite holiday is SUMMER VACATION!!!!  Cause I can finally sleep in.

Random Facts About Me

·        I want to go skydiving.

·        I love cats.

·        I want to speak Japanese, that way I know the two most complicated languages to learn.  (I want to confuse my friends)

·        I am obsessed with Batman.

·        I'm a wing-ding.  (A wing-ding is Nightwing's Batarang)

·        I laugh when I'm in physical pain, sometimes.

·        I hate hiking.

Emma's Birthday Party
Emma had a friends birthday party on Friday, November 22nd.  Emma invited her friend Makenna and her cousins Kaylie, Rachel, and Jessica.  We had homemade chili and salsa for dinner (one of Emma's favorites).  I made Emma a cake with a Nightwing symbol on it, and Brad and I gave her the first series of Young Justice on DVD.  Emma was so thrilled with her birthday gift that she ran over to kiss Brad and me.  The girls had a fun night playing video games, singing songs, giggling, and laughing all night.

The Highlight of My Day: October 2013

Something good happens every day. Here's what happened in October 2013:

Tue 10/1/13:  David and I had a fun time harvesting tomatoes while Lizzy was at preschool this morning.  His favorite part was eating the tomatoes.  Mm mmm!  I can't blame him for that.  My garden-fresh tomatoes are really yummy.

Wed 10/2/13:  It's so nice having Scott and Emma home again!  The two of them joined Brad and I in watching the second episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tonight.  It was fun!

Thu 10/3/13:  Lizzy and David have become very fond of Halloween songs and poems lately.  They love, "Five Little Pumpkins," "I'm a Mean Old Witch (with a Hat)," and the "Hoo-Hoo, Hee-Hee" pumpkin song from the book: The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin, by Margaret Wise Brown.

Fri 10/4/13:  My darling baby boy turned 2 years old today!  We had a small birthday celebration for him with Grandpa North and our immediate family.  Lizzy and I bought some orange and green balloons, which David loved.  We had chili for dinner, and angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries for dessert.  David loved blowing out his candles and eating his cake.  He loved his birthday present, too-- a VTech Little Apps Tablet.  He loves pushing the buttons.

Sat 10/5/13:  We drove downtown in between General Conference sessions to meet the 4 principal cast members of Studio C at Deseret Book Store.  Matt Meese signed Scott's Spencer doll, which was really cool!  The entire cast signed our new Season 1 and Season 2 DVD, too.  It was a lot of fun meeting Jason, Matt, Mallory, and Whitney.  It left our entire family happy and buzzing about it all afternoon.

Sun 10/6/13:  It was lovely watching General Conference today.  I think my two favorite talks were Jeffery R. Holland's talk on depression and emotional healing, as well as Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk on marriage and gender roles.  There was definitely a theme of womanhood and gender roles throughout all of the conference sessions this time.  I think it was much needed, and I am grateful for all that I heard.

Mon 10/7/13:  I watched the second episode of the third season of Once Upon a Time this morning while I was crocheting some more minion hats.  I've been making a bunch for the neighborhood Boo-tique next week.

Tue 10/8/13:  Lizzy went on her first field trip with her preschool today.  They went to the fire station and had ice cream afterwards.  She had fun talking to me about it.  I'm glad she's enjoying preschool so much.

Wed 10/9/13:  I have come to really love Wednesdays with Scott and Emma.  It's the only day of the week, other than Sunday, when we know we will see each other every week.  We have been creating new routines on Wednesday to help us bond during the short amount of time we have together.  I can tell that Scott and Emma love to be home with us.  It's nice being all together as a family.

Thu 10/10/13:  The rain has been nice.  Today, me and the little ones walked back and forth to Lizzy's preschool in the rain.  It made me think of the song "Heavenly Father Loves Me."  I've been trying to teach it to Lizzy and David lately.

Fri 10/11/13:  I made a playlist for Lizzy on iTunes a few weeks ago, so that she can have her favorite princess songs to listen to and dance to when she feels like it.  I put it on for her today, so she could dance with David.  She picked up all her toys and placed an office chair in the middle of the den.  Lizzy twirled David around in the chair while the music was playing.  David surprised me by how much of Lizzy's songs he knows.  He loves singing, "True Love's Kiss," from Enchanted, and "When Will My Life Begin," from Tangled.  He's such a cute boy.

Sat 10/12/13:  We went on our very first outing to a pumpkin patch as a family.  Boy, was it worth it!  We bought six pumpkins, went through two corn mazes, and went on a tractor hayride for only $10 total.  It was so much fun!  Definitely a tradition we need to continue.

Sun 10/13/13:  Today was the Primary Program at church.  I was so proud of my Sunbeam class, who were all excited about getting up to do their parts.  Lizzy has definitely got a knack for performing in front of people.  She has no fear at all.  In the evening, Loralee made a big Thanksgiving dinner at Grandpa North's house for Jason before he leaves on his mission.  As always, she did a wonderful job and the food was delicious.  David was obsessed with the olives.  He ate more olives than anything else.

Mon 10/14/13:  I just love hearing David say, "Thank you very much."  It sounds more like "tank-u ma-much" when he says it.  He's such a darling sweetheart.

Tue 10/15/13:  Brad and I are on the third season of "Alias."  I like watching the show while crocheting my minion hats.  Looks like I'm up to 6 now.  They are going to be so cute!

Wed 10/16/13:  Brad and I had a late night hanging out with Scott and Emma.  I think Wednesdays have officially become the hang-out night.  We had fun talking together and watching more "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Thu 10/17/13:  I got done some last minute shopping done this afternoon in preparation for getting our pictures taken tomorrow.  I bought some nice looking clothes for the boys.  We're going for a red, black, and white color scheme this year.

Fri 10/18/13:  We got our pictures taken at Fotofly today.  They turned out lovely!  Our photographer was very patient with us and managed to get some great photos of everyone, including David, who wouldn't stop putting his hand in his mouth.   We love Fotofly.

Sat 10/19/13:  I crocheted like mad this morning in preparation for our Neighborhood Boo-tique.  I made a bunch of minion hats.  I sold three hats at the boutique and bought some jewelry from Emily McLean and a Curious George apron from Sally Richardson.  After getting back from the boutique, Brad and I took the kids to Wheeler Farm to walk around and look at the animals and the fall leaves.

Sun 10/20/13:  It was nice just hanging out with the Bruce-Clan tonight at their house.  We haven't done that in a while.  Jason will be leaving for his mission in less than two weeks.  Time is sure going by fast!

Mon 10/21/13:  We headed off to the library tonight to get some more books and movies.  I've been introducing some of my favorite '80s movies to Lizzy.  She has only watched The Neverending Story so far.  She loves it, especially the part when Artax comes back to life at the end.  I admit it-- I cried when Artax died in the Swamps of Sadness when I watched it with Lizzy.  It reminds me of when I watched it as a child.

Tue 10/22/13:  I had fun organizing family photos throughout the years and putting some on my blog and desktop.  The kids have changed so much during the last 7 years!  I am so grateful that we take yearly family photos, just so we can see how much they've changed.  I love my family.

Wed 10/23/13:  I loved hanging out with Scott and Emma today.  We looked at family pictures together and talked about homework assignments.  We did manage to watch more "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" later on in the evening.  It's fun hanging out with them.

Thu 10/24/13:  Tricky and Rosie showed up this morning.  I hung out with them for a couple of hours while Lizzy was in school.  We went for a walk to the park and then walked over to Lizzy's preschool to pick up Lizzy.  Everybody's eyes were on Rosie.  She's such a pretty dog!  Lizzy was very happy to see Rosie, too.  We are going to have fun taking care of her this weekend!  Another fun thing that happened today:  David came up to me tonight, and in a very cute little voice successfully pointed out the letters on my shirt, verbalizing them correctly:  "S-T-U-D-I-O-C."  I was not expecting him to do that!  David has been pointing at letters and trying to sound them out for a while now, but this was his first time saying them correctly.  I was so proud!  He's such a smart boy!

Fri 10/25/13:  I bought my family a cute little white black-eyed rat from a breeder in Magna today.  I've been wanting to get a rat for a while now.  The rat came with her own cage, a hammock, and some food.  She has a nice little personality.  I like that she has curly fur.  Very cute!

Sat 10/26/13:  I decided to take a picture of all my minion hats and put them on Facebook this morning.  I didn't expect too many people to want to buy them, but I was hopeful that I would sell some.  Brad and I took the kids and Rosie to Grandpa's house to rake leaves with Grandpa, Amanda, Charlotte, and Aksel.  It was a lot of fun, and I took many pictures.  When we got home, I was surprised to see that not only did most of my hats had potential buyers, but I was getting orders for more.  By the end of the day I had over a dozen order for hats!

Sun 10/27/13:  Jason gave his farewell talk in Sacrament Meeting today.  I can't believe he's already going on a mission!  After Sacrament Meeting, we all ended up going to the cousins' house for lunch.  I was going to leave church early anyway, since Lizzy and David have colds, but we all ended up going.  It was nice visiting with family.  We're going to miss Jason, but we know he's going to be a great missionary.

Mon 10/28/13:  I finished most of David's Halloween costume today!  He's going to look so cute as Flynn Rider.  I got a surprise package in the mail today from my parents.  They sent me over a dozen homegrown, delicious, ripe avocados.  I was so happy!  I made sure we had taco salad for dinner tonight, just so I could eat some avocados.  YUM!

Tue 10/29/13:  Lizzy had her preschool Halloween party at the Hunter Library today.  I dropped her off at the library all dressed up as Rapunzel, then I took David home and dressed him up as Flynn Rider.  Oh, he looked so CUTE!  I took some photos of him and Lizzy together at the library.  Lizzy had lots of fun at the party.

Wed 10/30/13:  Scott, Emma, and I enjoyed watching Studio C's Halloween special together.  They missed seeing it on Monday.  I loved seeing Scott's and Emma's reactions to some of the sketches! Our favorites were definitely "The Usual Suspects," starring Jason Gray as Batman, "Darth Mortgage," "Spidey Senseless," "Ann Gets Goosebumps," and "Blame it on the Butler."  Definitely my favorite episode this season!

Thu 10/31/13:  We had a great Halloween!  We first went to the distribution center at Brad's work for a Halloween party.  Brad looked great dressed as Snape, from Harry Potter.  Scott and Emma dressed up as Dipper Pines and Mabel Pines from the TV show, Gravity Falls.  Lizzy and David dressed up as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.  The kids loved playing with balloons and "scary" fingers in Brad's office.  Then we went to Bruce and Loralee's house to have dinner and go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  Tricky, Rosie, Marilyn, and Grandpa North were all at the dinner, too, which was really nice.  Loralee made her usual snake sandwich, witches brew punch, and delicious deviled eggs.  I made some homemade creamy guacamole, which was really yummy!  The kids had a fantastic time trick-or-treating.  We cheated part of the time and drove to some people's houses so we wouldn't have to lug David around.  It was fun!

Family Photos 2013

I absolutely LOVE how our family photos turned out this year.  Thank you, Fotofly!

David Turns 2!

My baby boy has now officially become a toddler.  There are times when I can't believe how fast he is growing.

David's Stats:

Weight: 29 lbs., 57% for his age
Height: 36 inches, 77% for his age

Little Quirks

• He is obsessed with letters!  He loves finding letters on random objects and trying to say what they are (he doesn't usually get them right).
• He loves flushing the toilet and turning off lights.  It can get pretty annoying at times.
• He has developed a new love for drawing.  He loves finding pen and pencils and drawing on random pieces of paper he finds lying around.  Sometimes he draws on the walls, too.  I do not approve of that.
• He calls all fuzzy animals "Sushi."
• He loves dancing and singing to music.  He mumbles the consonants and vowels from the words of the lyrics he hears.
• He calls bananas "cee-all" (cereal).  I'm not sure why he does that.
• He is very polite and always says please and thank you at the right times.
• He is very social.  He likes to greet everyone he meets.  He is not shy or scared of people.
• He has a fantastic memory for words and music.
• He growls at pumpkins.
• He is calm and easy-going about EVERYTHING.
• Lizzy is his entertainment, hero, and best friend.  Anything Lizzy likes he likes, too, including Barbies, princess movies, girly songs, and girly dress-up clothes. He looks really cute wearing Lizzy's pink sunhat and princess slippers.
• He LOVES to eat!  He's not picky about foods and likes to eat everything.  He is particularly fond of tomatoes and bananas.
• He likes to babble. He likes to say whatever letter sounds he wants to articulate at the time, along with the overall feeling or emotion he wants to convey.  He likes asking questions best.  Example:  "Ah, was? Wha-waa et is a-wadee sheee?  Oy-yoy oh-oh."  It's pretty cute.
• He stands right in front of me and wiggles his tongue back and forth quickly when he wants to taste whatever I am eating.  It's pretty funny.

Favorite (Real) Words and Phrases

• "Tank-u ma-much" (thank you very much)
• "Bye!  See-youuu!"
• "Izzy"  (Lizzy)
• "Sushi"
• "Cee-all" (cereal)
• "Yo gel-com" (you're welcome)
• "Eh-are-you?" (where are you?)
• "O you okay?"  (are you okay?)

Favorite Books

• He loves all of the Charlie and Lola books.
• The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin, by Margaret Wise Brown.
• Any version of The Three Little Pigs.
• Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, by Carolyn Crimi.

Favorite Movies and TV Shows

• Super Why
• Curious George
• The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That
• Tangled
• Brave
• All of the Toy Story movies.

Favorite Songs and Poems

• Batman
• This Little Piggy
• A Dream is Wish Your Heart Makes
• Baby Mine
• Five Yellow Pumpkins
• I'm a Mean Old Witch (With a Hat)
• A Whole New World
• Once Upon a Dream
• When Will My Life Begin
• True Love's Kiss
• Alphabet Song
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Open Shut Them

David's Birthday

We had a small birthday party for David with our immediate family and Grandpa North.  Lizzy and I bought some orange and green balloons, which David loved.  We had homemade chili for dinner, and angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries for dessert.  David loved blowing out his candles and eating his cake.  He was in such a big hurry to blow out his candles that Brad was afraid he was going to get burned, but he didn't.  He loved his birthday present, too-- a VTech Little Apps Tablet.  His favorite part was pushing the buttons on the tablet and sounding out the letters.  He's such a smart boy!  

Happy Birthday, my darling boy!  I love you, Davy!