The BEST BEST BEST days of Winter

Ok - second best, the first best winter days are snow skiing but this was an awesome day... 

Snow forts and snow angels, hot chocolate and warming up by the fire, christmas music and pink noses, all bundled up.. cold faces but happy hearts!

Memory making day!

I was incredibly blessed to only have 4 contactions and no cramps yesterday... that meant I got to be downstairs and take some pictures of my sweet daughters.

Days like this are what we imagine motherhood to be.  Sweet happiness, hot chocolate and giggles.

Emma didn't come inside until dark. . .  this is what childhood is all about.

Then we watched Polar Express.   Good times.

Big News X3 ......

Are you ready for it? Are you? AM I?

News #1 I am pregnant!!!

wahoo!

News #2

nope, not twins :)

I am on bed rest ...

not wahoo but expected

I am 11 along weeks today.

News #3

We are a home educating family now!!!

Am I crazy?

I think so.

But this might explain the MAJOR lack of blog posts.  Even though everyone that reads this probably knew 2 out of the 3 big life changes that were mentioned above.

for the past 3 weeks, since my contractions began, i have been slowly but busily getting my home set up for bed rest and homeschool.  Now that I am pretty much ready (which is good, since I am now down) I will have more time to update this, here, blog. Over the next few days I am going to catch up from the all the summer adventures we've had.  After that I will be posting what we are doing at school and any outings if I can swing them.  I ordered a wheelchair yesterday, so hopefully I can do a little more.  Like go to church and our homeschool group.

We just had stake conference.  Of course the messages were geared right for us.  "See your trials as blessings."  And that is exactly what I intend to do.  7 months of bed rest? a trial? nope, I'm thinking it will be a blessing.  Help us focus on what REALLY matters in life.   Teach my sweet daughters so many life lessons.  Homeschooling? Hard? Probably, but I am thinking this will give us, (my daughters and I) something to do together while I am on the couch.

We are pretty much all geared up and ready to start our first day of "school"  - Pretty exciting times around here.

But if any of you are looking for something to do ... please swing by and say hello!

 We will welcome visitors anytime!

Any sacrifice is worth having children.  And any sacrifice, after they are born, is worth it to help them grow confident, loved, and treasured.  I love my sweet girls with all of my heart and soul, Miss E needed more that what she was getting at public school, I hope and pray that my Father in Heaven can help me supply her with what she needs!  I am amazed and grateful for the life which our Father prepares and guides us through.

Easter Posting

Searching for the baskets...

Found!

Breakfast of french toast & mango smoothies  

The easter egg hunt anticipation.

all ready for church

My sister helping Halie :)

Darling Miss Emma

My cherished Emma and Cherished Halie, searching for candy.. ah childhood!

Miss H and dancing

 Miss H is in LOVE with dance.  

She thought she was a teapot in her dance recital, but actually, she was a daisy.  It didn't matter, she was adorable.  And as always she stole the show.  My girls are always the ones in the dance that stand out.  Always for funny reasons.  This time Miss H's tutu was too big, and I didn't pin it because.... Well, I just forgot.  And so throughout the entire 3 minute dance, her tutu kept falling down.  It was adorable and funny and oh so charming.  She steals my heart every day.

3 funnies relating to the recital...

1.  Day before the recital...

Miss E and I are clapping the rhythm to her piano song.  Miss H sighed, "Tomorrow, everyone will be clapping for me."

2.  Directly afterward, the first thing she said to me (not hi mom, or yay! flowers) ... 

Miss, H says, "Did you see my tutu fall?!"

Me, "yes!"

Miss H, "Did you laugh?!"

Me, cringing, "yes."

Miss H, "Oh Good!  It was SO FUNNY!"

3. Two days later...

Miss E, "Are you going to ever do something other than dance?"

Miss H, "Like what?"

Miss E, "Karate, or gymnastic..?"

Miss H, "but I love dance! So nope, well I will do music too."

I think the girl likes music.  I like her.

oh and do you see that hair bow, i have lost it, if I don't find it by tomorrow, I have to pay 25$.  hmm.

October, halloween DIY and shelves

Wow, its been a month!  Time always moves too fast.  Here is what we have been up to.....

the last warm day, spent at the park.  there was homework to be done, which didn't hinder these cousins from having fun.  They were practicing their spelling words while swinging.  

 We went to a HUGE Halloween party where a plane drops candy from the sky.  It is CRAZY fun!  The girls had a blast.  Miss H was wonder woman and likes to close her eyes in pictures right now.  Miss E was      She-Ra, the Princess of Power, I am so proud of my classic cartoon loving girls :)

We make Gingerbread Haunted Houses every October with our Cooper Cousins.   It is SO FUN.  I loved watching all the kids become creative and more skilled in their creations.  This year we had graveyards and coffins and such.

Here is Halloween night, I was so mad I didn't get pictures before the mad candy dash.  The girls looked awesome.  The girls are in their "Super Hero" poses.  I.N.T.I.M.I.D.A.T.I.O.N.

Enjoying beatiful Sunrises.

Here is Miss E, the night of Halloween. Little Super Model, even while sleeping.

My little brother is coming home from his Mission in 3 days!! Wahooo!!! Grandpa is rehearsing "We'll bring the World His Truth." with some of the little cousins.  They are singing this when my brother talks in church.  My dad's secret wish is to be a primary Chorister.

Then.... we have been in organizing mode, fix some things, pretty some things in the house.  Here is the girls bathroom, I framed the mirror and fixed the towel hooks that had been ripped from the wall.

Miss E LOVES, loves, LOVES art and writitng.  She makes at least one book everyday.  Infact, as I am typing she is writing a book called "Miss E and the My Little Pony Adventure."  However this can lead to a crazy amount of "supplies" around the house.  So I built some shelves in their closet to house her writing and art supplies.  Miss E was jumping up and down with excitment.  I guess this project had been desired for sometime.

Canning Season is finally finished and with that came the need for another shelf in the pantry.  Kyle was my knight in shinning armor and built me that top shelf,  very sturdy!  It is hard to see but it is so fantatic and wonderful.  The pantry then "needed" some beautifuying so I painted the doors.  I love my pantry.  I never thought I would type that.

And to top of off Kyles fantasticalness, he built shelves in the garage that now house, holiday decor, baby supplies, photography supplies, boat supplies and camping stuff.  We now don't have need for a storage unit and let me tell you... I am thrilled,

Last but not least, this last month, (because of a general conference sermon) we implemented a Chore Chart.  I am now a certified mom.  We have a chore chart.  It is working! On Fridays we have a family party for everyone who earned the required checks on their charts.  Dad supplies the party so he is exempt from the chart :)  I am so grateful for the guidence of apostles and the prophet.  

Activities not documented:  General Conference, Family Party Nights, Miss E's Readers Theatre

Potty Training Funniness

I am not good at potty training.  Im just not.  It is best to acknowledge your weak spots.  So that being said will clarify the next story from saturday....

Miss H were sitting on our jean blanket, watching her soccer game.  Yep you read that right, she was "resting"  Funny, all in itself.  But she's 4.  And cute.  And she happened to be on the bench.  

There is a little boy who is VERY good at soccer.  At age 5, he is dribbling the ball down the sideline, keeping it in play and then weaving it in and out of players and shoots and SCORES!.  I am not exaggerating.  That is what he does.  Throughout the whole game.  

So we are sitting there, watching this happen, and I say to my sister-in-law, "That little guy is going to have quite the soccer career, he is so good."

Miss H looks up at me so sweetly and says, "Me too, cause I go pee and poop in the toilet!"

I reply, "That's right!"

My daughter is going to have an amazing soccer career because she can go potty in the toilet.  

(Actually she can't, only about 1/2 the time.  ALWAYS she poops in the toilet, half the time she pees in the toilet.  If I reminder, she goes every time.  But now that I have been reminding her for the last 2 years, It get old and I forget and then she doesn't go in the toilet.  Then I'm mad at me for forgetting to tell her. So I try to remind her, still.)

On a different subject...

Isn't Kyle so cute, holding that toddler.  She is my niece and LOVES kyle.  Yesterday she chose Kyle over her dad, whoops, sorry dad.  What can I say I have a chick Magnet for a husband :)

Soccer Mom

Oh Me, Oh My!

Miss H is THRILLED.

Kyle is the Coach.

I am a soccer mom!  

 "Phew! I am sweaty after that!"

Tuesdays are her very most favorite days, school AND soccer.  In fact, we enjoy the song about tuesday she has been singing...

"Oh Tuesday, Tuesday, Oh yea! I love Tuesday!"