Goldie Locks and The Three Bears

Last night was our ward Halloween Party. The Young Men and Young Women of our ward put it together and did such a great job. It was like a carnival, with a haunted house and trick or treating too. The kids bobbed for apples, which they preferred over the candy and sweets offered at the party. They came home with a small amount of candy - which is enough for our house. I don't think we'll do any other trick or treat-ing because we just don't think they need any more than they got last night. Also, it's worth noting that we already have more candy in the house than we need, Jason and I are booth off the sugar for the most part. By the end of the night they had discovered the candy though.

Here are some cute pictures of our family and our fun night.

The best part of last night...I was released as Activities Chairperson last Sunday so, I didn't even have to stay and clean up, and it was a MESS!

Side Notes

Here are some side notes, additional comments, on our trip to the pumpkin farm. (Thanks Erika for taking the pictures!)

Doesn't my little girl look all grown up!?

Abygail was checking this turkey out and got a little too close...then it pecked her!

Jackson REALLY enjoyed his sister's ice cream.

Jackson playing peek-a-boo (his favorite game) in the pumpkin pyramid.

Our family (wish I had taken my glasses off and maybe even done something with my hair!)

Two super cute kids playing in the pumpkin pyramid! Don't ya just want to pinch their cheeks?

Crossing Our Fingers or Mission Accomplished?

This last week I decided it was time to commit to potty training Abygail. It's gone pretty well so far. There is usually one accident a day (when she is too busy to be bothered with going to the bathroom). She's been in big girl underpants for pretty much the whole week - even in public. Yesterday we were at Home Depot and for the first time she actually TOLD me she needed to go potty (well, told is relative...I'll get to that). She used the potty 2 times during that trip!!! We are so happy and proud of her. Today at church she even used the potty!!! We came home accident free. She's still in diapers during nap and at night time but we are sooo incredibly proud and happy for the progress she's made...I think it's just the right time and things are starting to connect for her.

She doesn't actually tell me when she needs to go potty. She usually makes up a story (she LOVES telling and being told stories) about when she told mommy or daddy she had to go potty or she talks about it to herself. We have to pay close attention and listen so that we catch those clues and then we ask her if she needs to go and she inevitably says 'yes'. Mostly I'm still on potty patrol and just make her sit on the potty every couple of hours. (she goes way less frequently than I do...I bet her bladder is bigger than mine in it's current state :) The only time she is still in diapers while awake is in the morning. She is very sensitive after waking up and we don't dare try to change her night time diaper until she is good and ready for it to be changed.

Other progress beyond that is that she is very fluent in her colors. She is also actually counting things now - she no longer repeats her numbers 1-10 (1-14 if you count the extra 13 before the 11) now she will physically count her fingers, items on the page, etc - and she almost always gets it right.

Now we just need to work on her letters, she still struggles a bit in that department.

She is smart and talented, sweet and sensitive and we love seeing her develop, learn and grow.

As for the potty training...I'm not sure if we will call it a Mission Accomplished yet...we'll probably just keep our fingers crossed.

A Day To Blog

Today I felt that I needed to blog since it's been more than a week since my last posting. Well, after I blogged this morning I wanted to enjoy the day with the kiddie-kins. I was not sure what we would do but I had a trusty friend at my beck and call. What did we wined up doing?

Well, since you asked...we painted masks in the morning. Which turned out to be fun but also a bit of clean up. After the mandatory baths I hurried the kiddies off to nap. After nap and lunch, which we enjoyed with Daddy because he was working at home, we headed off to Boss's house and decorated Halloween cookies. It was a mess but it was fun. Abygail was very methodical and a work horse, she used the same method as when picking raspberries. She decorated several cookies and refrained from enjoying them until after all of her labor was finished. Jackson enjoyed decorating, then eating, and covering his body from waist to head with the cookie and decorations. After one he was done.

Tada!

The mountain of frosting cookie. It's glued to the table with frosting too. I think Abygail couldn't see where the cookie ended so she continued and frosted the table too. It was very funny :)The Cookie Monster!

It's so fun and interesting to see the differences in them. While painting the masks Abygail was satisfied to work diligently with one color until I was ready to start the next color, while Jackson was ready to jump to the next color as soon as he got one stroke of the current color on his mask. You can't tell by the final product but there are 6 different colors on those masks!!!

For your viewing pleasure - this is a horrible picture but...you can kinda see how large I'm becoming. Look Mom, It's the great pumpkin!!!

What We've Been Doing

This picture was stolen off the Evans' blog. Left to right - Goode's and their 2 kiddie-kins, us (abygail is wearing her new 'leash'), and the Evans...Stephanie (beside me) and I are due at the same time - look how big I am compared to her!

Last Saturday we went to the Pumpkin Farm. We got there late in the afternoon and it was SO crowded...we didn't have as much fun as last year but it was still worth it. Jackson loved the animals, Abygail loved the sand around the playground, Mommy enjoyed the hayride and Daddy, well, I'm not sure what part he enjoyed the most...probably picking out the pumpkins and running around with his cute little kiddie-kins.

(our camera is broken again and Abygail hasn't gotten around to repairing it so ... no pictures)

We picked out our pumpkins and I think this weekend we will paint them. One for Daddy, one for Mommy, Abygail picked one that was smaller than Jackson's and Jackson got one just smaller than Mommy's. We also got two tiny ones for the girls.

Another big event in our home...we finally got a dinning room table that will accommodate all of our current and future family (4 and 6 of us). We bought it from a friend that moved to Dallas! It's been so nice not using the card table and elbowing one another as we eat in our tiny breakfast nook. The kids have enjoyed drawing while sitting at the table and just hanging out. They are much more willing to stay and eat at the table now that it's not in a suffocatingly small space - and so am I!!!

Jason started riding his bike to school again so the kids and I have the car back (ya!). He finally got a follow-up appointment and seems to be healing wonderfully - he's released to full activity.

The fence is up in the back yard now so the kids and I have been enjoying that space more too. Jason got a fire pit and we roasted marshmallows for FHE on Monday night. It was a little cool so the fire was a welcome event.

It seems like there is more that happened this week, but I can't remember them. Thus is the brain/memory/mind of a double pregnant woman. (I wonder if you memory is truly hindered by the exact about of babies you have in your belly. I think it's true in my case.)

Here are some pics I took with my phone yesterday. Jackson picked the last of the tomatoes and ate them...that kid loves 'nomano'.

Seriously?!

Today we had another Dr. Apt. It's all starting to get old fast!

We are just under 20 weeks along and we are now on a 2 week schedule with the Dr, and in 5 weeks we change to a 3 week schedule for ultrasounds (at a different location) and finally sometime before 30 weeks they will start sending me for a weekly stress test (I'm not sure but I think these are done at the hospital - same place as the ultrasounds).

Seriously?! As if this pregnancy has not been going too fast anyway. Now we'll be bogged down in appointment after appointment. If I wasn't having stress normally I think I'll show stress (and probably the girls will too) just from all the appointments!

Now if that wasn't enough, I must admit that I fell/slid down the stairs yesterday. It was seriously no big deal - I don't even know how it happened! One moment I was on my feet and the next I was bumping along on my bum. I was so shocked because I was holding the hand rail, and I didn't even feel my feet slip out from under me - in my opinion I had made no clumsy error or mis-step. Well, I hobbled away with a bruised back and bum and a good scratch down my arm but I was able to get to the couch and relax. While relaxing I focused on feeling the girls move so I knew they were ok too. I didn't call the Dr because it was a slide on my back and bum and I could feel the girls move and...no, I didn't even tell Jason about it until this morning. Well, I got a lecture from my Dr and now I'm supposed to call immediately if there are any falls or jaring movements to my body. She sent me for a blood test to make sure everything was fine. SERIOUSLY?! Why not just put me in the hospital? At least there I could be watched 24x7 and as long as they had free child care I wouldn't have to arrange for an endless parade of babysitting for the next 16 weeks.

I know, I'm just venting and releasing my frustration - I'm glad that everything is ok but I'm just not used to having all these extra precautions and restrictions.

So, here's the deal - if you read my blog and you are willing to go on the list for the soon to be endless parade of child watching needs, leave me a comment. I'll try to give everyone that wants it the opportunity to watch my adorable and perfect children so that you too can see how angelic children can be (ha, ha, ha).

FINISHED!

I finished my first project on the sewing machine today. It was probably the simplest project I could ever do. I bought a yard (should have done a yard and a half so it would not have been such an odd shape) of a fleece Halloween print. I used some quilt binding/edging and just sewed it around the edges, and that's it - well, I cut the selvage edges off too, but that's nothing.


It's not perfect - the stitching is white on one side and black on the other and very un-straight. But - I like it and I'm proud of it. It's super warm and it makes me think of fun evenings to come :)

What do you think?

Two And A Half

Yesterday Abygail turned 2 1/2. It's so amazing to me, I can still remember finding out I was pregnant with her and the great debacle that came with it. I'm not sure I've previously recorded the story...

We had just moved to Rexburg where Jason was teaching at BYU-I. I had just gotten a new job and I was to begin work almost immediately after the move. I had felt a little 'funnyish' as if something wasn't quite right and I thought I was late but...I don't record these things so it was possible that I was wrong - wasn't sure on that front. I decided to take a test anyway. It had only one line on it and it was a plus/minus sign test. So, I threw it away without a word to Jason about it. Shortly after (with-in the hour or less) Jason found it and questioned me. It was a bit puzzling and something didn't seem right about it but, I just blew it off. When he questioned me about it we looked at it again and realized that the minus sign (the constant mark of the test) was the one missing!!! We took another test and it turned out postitive.

Abygail is truly a joy to have in our home - when she's not throwing a tantrum or waking up 5 times a night, which still happens. She talks in full sentences and always thinks about what she is going to say before she says it. She really says some of the funniest things! (I can't think of any right now that I haven't already posted but if I do I will update this post for posterity's sake.) She loves being a big sister, as long as Jackson is doing what she want's him to do. She is kind and loving. Whenever Jason or I are feeling under the weather she rubs our back or arm of her own accord and says "Mommy/Daddy, I'm sorry you don't feel well." If we have an owie she says "Oh no! Do you need a band-aid for your owie?" She get's so excited about things, I love her open mouth-shocked expression when she's excited.

She loves getting her hair done up in pig tails, we call them pony tails but just say ponies for short. I'll ask her, "Aby, would you like ponies in your hair today?" It's almost always a resounding "YES!"

Another favorite is talking on the phone, she will talk your ear off. She still has a hard time having a conversation but she loves to just talk and tell you about her day and what she is doing and what she sees while on the phone. She also loves to sing. Her current favorite song is Keep The Commandments. I love to hear her sing! It makes me smile everytime. She also loves to "Tell Stories". This morning when I mentioned Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf she said, talking to Jason and I..."Hey guys, do you want me to tell you a story?" Then she recites the story as much as she can remember it.

She also loves playing with dolls, she rocks them and sings "the hush little baby song" to them. Other favorites include drawing, coloring, painting, watching Little Bear and other movies and shows. She also loves playing outside and in puddles. She likes to help clean up and watch when we are cooking, and help as much as we will let her. She is very independent, if she wants butter on her pancakes - you better let her do it, and cut them too or you are in for it! She gets herself dressed and likes to pick out her own outfits.

She knows her colors and can count to 13 (with an extra 13 before the 11). She is working on her shapes and recognition of what the numbers look like. She can sing the ABCs if you help her...she likes to drop letters out of the song unless you are singing with her:)

Nap update: she is doing very well, it still takes her an hour or more to go to sleep but there is no more screaming or crying. I am enjoying the quite time and I think she likes it too.

I don't know what else I can say, she is our princess and we love her!

*I took some pictures today and will post them later, when I get them downloaded.