Soccer Season...

Soccer!! It has begun!  Kyle is coach once again!  Here is her star moment!  She was so thrilled.

Chocolate Making Day!!!

My Grandma died when I was 5, so I never really knew her.  And she had cancer for a long while, so what I do remember of her was lots of sad times.  But from what I have been told she was an amazing woman.  Who painted, created mosaics, taught ceramics, went on picnics in the rain and..... made FABULOUS chocolate with her sister.  

I have been raised by her son who LOVES chocolate.  One year he presented us with my grandma's candy recipes and a request.  To learn how to make her candy.  

Unfortunately her candy recipes were mainly just ingredients.  Not methods, tips, or any other such goodness. So each year at christmas my sisters and I have labored to learn.  (A laborious task, I can assure you.  DANG!  We have to make candy again.  How torturous.) I feel about the same as my daughters look in the pictures above.

Fast forward 7 christmases.  Each year we have to relearn a little.  We started with the simplest and have taken on a new recipe each year as we master the easier  ones.  And we always budget in ruined batches.  Last Friday we were given the confirmation.  We achieved the goal.  We made her fudge to the creamy amazingness that was remembered by my dad.  YAY!!!

WE DID IT!!!

What is the best about this is that we learning these recipes is that we have grown closer our grandma.  We have learned more about her.  Its thrilling to pass along this tradition to our children.  We could have finished everything on friday while the kids were in school.  Instead, we left some dipping and wrapping for the children to "help" with.  As you can tell, more eating was occuring than dipping.  But with memory making moment such as these... Who cares? Certainly not this mother.

I love the excitment that my daughters feel about chocolates each christmas.  I love the warm and happy bonding we have as we work together.  I love the time we spend caroling as we deliver the goodies to families we love.  

Our next challenge.  She left ceramic molds of the nativity that are INCREDIBLY GORGEOUS and we want to make them. ~ AH!

A few nights ago, we had our typical crazy evenings.  Homework and dinner and chores and reading and baths.  You can see the effects of the craziness behind Kyle.  Papers everywhere, ingredients out from dinner making.  Drawers left open from finding a pencil with an intact tip.  We had just finished eating dinner. Kyle and Miss H were going to clean up and Miss E and I were going to finish homework.  I looked over and Kyle was playing "My Little Ponies" with Miss H.  I fell in love even more that night.  It was a sweet moment. They had stolen it from the hectic rush that comes in the evenings after school. Instead of getting things done they decided to play.  Savoring the moment, enjoying them as they are little and small and innocent.  I adore my husband.  I adored him this night because of the time he took to play with our daughter, showing her that she is important to him, She is loved.  I wonder how many moments we miss, rushing from thing to thing.  But this moment was not lost!!  And I love that Kyle is truly enjoying his time with his daughter.  

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 :)

im in love

This week we did a Cousins Camp.  Very fun 5 days of moms and kids and grandparents.  This is our third annual.  Kids love it.  Moms love it.  Grammie ADORES every second of it.  BUT...

Now I am home.  With Kyle.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I didn't know I could be more fond of kyle than I was.   But I am.

Every day I love him more and more.

Last night we went on a date. YAY!  We go on lots of dates, at least once a week, sometimes more.  But since I hadn't seen him for 5 days, this date was even sweeter.

Kyle used to travel for work.  He was gone a ton.  But he hasn't traveled for more than a couple of days here or there in this past year.  I adore that.

I could spend every moment with that guy.  I can't wait to go on a mission with him (like away from home mission) and really "have" to spend every waking moment with him. FUN!

Kyle has his office in our house.   So in actuality we do spend a great deal more time together than the normal.

I am so lucky.  Last night  we went to Stake Conference, afterward we went to dinner, sat on the patio (my fav) and talked.

Sitting with Kyle is the best because the need to entertain the other is not that great.  We can (and have) sat in silence for hours.  Just enjoying the presence of the other.  But we hadn't really had a moment to talk since I had been home.  

( We had smooched, lots! Wahoo! )

It was great to hear details about his week and tell fun stories of what our children had been up to all week.

Kyle is a C.A.T.C.H.

I don't know how I got so lucky.  This morning, laying in bed while all the house was quiet, I realized, yet again, how incredibly blessed I am to be married to my best friend, my hero, my wonderful champion.

It's true, I am in Love.

Lost Tooth and STOMP fun.

Miss E lost her second front tooth!  I was hoping that she would have those two front teeth gone at the same time.  And it happened!!! She talks so cute right now without her front teeth.  Her darling cousin pulled out the tooth while spending the night.  It is wonderful to have so many cousins so close!

I wanted this picture so badly... the essence of "kidness" right here, without two front teeth.  

This age is so fun.  Getting old enough to joke and have fun with and still believes in Magic.  Childhood is incredible.

"Look Mom, it will stick from my blood!"  

Now switching topics... Park time, I have brought my camera to every park and adventure we have been on during the last 3 weeks of our summer and I have only taken this one picture below.  I realized that yesterday.  Sad.  I will be better!  But isn't it a cute one.  Look at those cute little pig tails.

Lastly, Has anyone in the world seen STOMP? 

it is the most fantastic show/concert. period.

 Kyle and I went and saw it when I was pregnant with Miss H.  It was my only outing (other than dr app's) during my bedridden pregnancy and WOW was it AWESOME!  Miss H thought so too.  She danced all night in my womb.  I thought that was great, healthy and kicking!  Well tonight we experienced it again.  Kyle made a drumming sound with his hands at the dinner table and Miss E replicated the rythum.  It ended with full on drumming session with the objects on the table.  Forks were pinging against glasses, table, plates, plastic cups and anything we could reach.  It was a blast!  We banged and drummed and danced!  It was one of those magical moments when everyone is laughing and loving and living in the moment.  Completely enjoying our family together.  The girls want to do it again tomorrow night.  Oh baby!  I can't wait!

Miss H Bike Riding Lessons

Miss H left her bike (that has training wheels) at her cousins house. (well,  I did) And so she decided that she'd learn how to use the '"big princess bike"  she wasn't quite ready but she felt so big trying.

I don't know how she was seeing with all of her hair in front of her face, thankfully, she liked the idea to move her hair as well.

That's her "I am done face.". 

I Miss E learned how to ride a bike about 6 months older than what Miss H is now, so she still has some time until she really is ready.  But how can you say '"no, sweet little child of mine, you can't try yet."?  You can't.  Kyle certainly can't say no for the girls trying new things.  It was a sweet moment.

Washing the Truck

Kyle loves a clean vehicle.  And so do I,  but he is much better at the whole process that it takes to keep the car "spic and span" clean.  We hit 80 this week and so .... Car wash time!  

Kyle doesn't love his picture taken, (Don't know why he married me then because I LOVE to take pictures- he's a good sport)  So this was the best shot I got of him, oh well :)

Miss H was "helping". I  love her happy little content face.  Adorbale. (if I do say so myself)

At this point above she had just sprayed the truck and thought that was the best thing in the whole world.

  Now that dad was drying it off she had to spray the street.  She still enjoyed using the hose but wasn't exactly thrilled that she could only spray the black boring street.  I think she got more wet than the truck.

All Hyper at Bedtime

Its a known fact that the Dad's job at home is to wrestle and "Rough House" and tickle and horse around with the kids.  Usually mom is there to cuddle with and dad is there to wrestle with.  One would think that cuddle time would be right before bed.  But as the days are getting longer, but school is still in session, its getting harder and harder to stop to "dad" time.  The girls were all dressed for bed, homework done, and dinner was cleaned up....story time?  I think not.  How about "Trampoline Time?"  Sure!!!

 (our dog, Hercules wanted so badly to join them, but he was so patiently waiting his turn - Most days you can find "herc" up on the trampoline, it's his favorite spot)

Crack the Egg, is the girls favorite game with dad, but since Miss H cracks very quickly, Miss E is always trying to hold out!

LOVE THEIR SMILES!!!

Ahh... What a great way to end the day.