Joy School Halloween Party

Joy School had a small Halloween party for the 5 kids we teach. As you can see by the pictures, Ella was a little grumpy that day and refused to participate in the fun. From left to right... Kyrie was a princess, Dottie was a witch, Amelia as a cheerleader, Brielle was supposed to be a unicorn... but was also dressed as a cowgirl. And there you see grumpy Ella in her Princess Belle costume. The girls frosted sugar cookies, sang a few songs for us... and then did a couple of crafts. Ella loves Joy School... but for some reason this day she woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Trick or Treat?

Candy, candy and more candy. I can't wait until it is all gone... in fact, I think it will "magically" disappear. But there was tons of fun had collecting it. Ella was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Abby tried to squeeze into a pumpkin costume, but it was a little tight and wouldn't zip up the back. The plan was to go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, but some "goblins" came to the door and spooked Ella a little bit... so the most we could get out of her was Trunk-or-Treat at the ward party. Good thing... we don't need the extra candy.

Pumpkin Pickin'

A long-time tradition in Colorado Springs is picking pumpkins at the Venetucci Pumpkin Farm. I did it as a kid, and this year I got to take Ella with her joy school group. She refused to get out of the stroller, but I convinced her that they wouldn't let her take the pumpkin home unless she carried it herself. So... she picked out a little pumpkin, and an even smaller one for Abbigail. I love my girls...

Catching Up

So it has been a while since I've posted anything to our blog. I admit I'm a slacker.

Much has happened in the past few weeks. To name a few, Abby fell out of a shopping cart, she got her first tooth, Ella started pre-school, and we've been to Utah twice.

I earn my living by writing so I'm not too keen on getting on here and composing some great entry for all my readers to lavishly eat up. I write all day... why write more?

But I wanted to share these pictures with you to show just how adorable our little family is. I love being a mom.

Growing Up

They're growing up! Ella woke up this morning, and her voice had changed. No, I'm not talking about 14 year old boy, squeaking and screeching changed, but her cute baby voice has disappeared. I can't explain it, but it has more of a tenor in it now.

Abbigail's voice isn't changing, but she is trying to crawl. She is doing her best to push her little legs underneath her and push up on her arms. And I think Jared and I unraveled a mystery. Lately we've been finding little scratches on Abby. Nothing extreme, no blood... but we couldn't figure out where they came from. Mystery solved. I was checking up on her today while she was supposed to be napping. I peeked in the room, and there snuggled up with her is Pokey the cat. Abbigail was having the time of her life pulling his fur and kicking him around. Jared took a picture so I'll make sure we post it later.

"Daddy, I'm Hot..."

On a warm, if not hot summers evening, as I was getting myself and the girls ready for bed, Ella insisted on dressing herself. Because she's a big girl now. All the windows were open, fans on, everyone else was trying to stay cool. She looked like a little hobo dressed in eight layers of pajamas and baking like a toasted cheeser.

No, I did not eat that...

I have just submitted this video to America's Funniest Home Videos. Chances are the content is a bit to risky for a family show on Sunday evening. But hey, if you don't play you'll never win. Enjoy the video.

Mommy-time Vs. Daddy-time

Jared and I are blessed to have work schedules that allow us not to rely on daycare. Jared works from 7am - 1:30pm, and I work from 1:45pm - until the news ends. I love spending the day with my girls, and they are lucky to have so much time with their dad... not alot of kids have that.

So... when the girls are with me, their clothes are clean, their hair is done and Ella is given healthy food. The downside... I give time-outs, and make Ella keep her clothes on and her hair done. When Jared and I make the swap... all that is out the window. Who knows what they eat, and judging by the pictures you can see any form of cleanliness is out the window. The up-side... daddy is the "fun parent," and the girls get to relax a bit (mommy's up-tight.)

The Magic Number

So Kat and I have a bet going... the first to reach their goal weight wins $400! I've got more to lose than she does. I'm not a complete idiot, I'm not going to disclose my wife's goals to the entire blogosphere. But I will say that at the beginning of the bet I tipped the scales at 200lbs with a goal of 165lbs. My primary means of dropping the pounds is to start playing soccer again and taking the girls for long walks in the afternoons. I played my first game of indoor soccer in a long time on Tuesday. To be perfectly honest not much has changed. It's just now in super slow motion. My goal going into the game was simple, don't puke. Kat has a funny story along those same lines, you should ask her sometime. I played better than I thought I would and hope to continue improving. I'm currently at 192lbs 116% of my goal weight, down five percent from the beginning. Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.

Litter Box Fiasco

So... a few days ago Ella was gleefully playing in my closet with my shoes. She loves to walk around in high-heels... she calls them wedding shoes. Anyway, I was folding laundry in the other room enjoying listening to her squeals as Abby quietly slept in her swing. When I finished with the laundry I went looking for my little Ella. I was calling her name, but she wouldn't answer. Finally... after a few moments... she said with a sheepish voice, "I'm in here." I tried to open the bathroom door, but she was standing in front of it shouting no, trying to stop me from coming in. Well, you see the mess. Apparently she thought the litter-box would be a fun place to play. Poop and kitty-litter were everywhere! I wanted to be angry, but the mess was so shocking I didn't know how to respond. Without a word Ella marched herself to her room and stayed there for the next 15 minutes. Jared was good enough to clean up the mess...

Our New Kitty

Our beautiful Abbigail was born on March 17th, our lucky Saint Patrick's Day gift. Unfortunately that same day we had to say goodbye to my kitty "Beans." She suddenly got sick, and there was nothing we could do.

A couple weeks after Abby was born, Jared's sister Mandy asked if we could help raise an abandoned 2-week-old kitten she had found. The next day 1 kitten turned into 3... and I was taking care of a new baby and three new kittens: Rooster, Spike and Drucilla. Unfortunately Drucilla didn't make it, but Rooster and Spike fought the good fight and are alive and well. Spike is now living with Jared's parents, and Rooster is Ella's kitty... named after the "Annie" character.

Ella loves Rooster, but at times she can be a bit rough with her, and in return the claws come out. Her hands are always covered with scratches. But still, she loves that kitty!

Ella's 3rd Birthday

Ella turned 3 on June 17th... and to celebrate we had all her friends and family over for a big blowout. Cake, soda, water-balloons... it was a fun time. During the present opening it started to rain so we had to move the party inside. As you can tell, Ella love's My Little Pony. Abby slept through the entire thing. After the bash, Ella and her cousin Jacob got in to a little water-gun fight with Grandma, Grandpa, Meme and Papa. Enjoy the pictures!

Fabulous French Toast

I made this for a family brunch and got rave reviews. But I can't take all the credit. My sister Gunda gave me the recipe... she got it from a friend. It's very, very yummy!

Fabulous French Toast

Batter:

2 eggs
1/2 cup french vanilla coffee creamer
1 tsp. cinnamon
4-6 slices of bread

Syrup:

Bring to boil:
1 cube butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk

Remove from heat and add:
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Why?

Today we used our new running stroller for the first time. Ella loves going on my runs with me, but this was Abby's first time. Ella is such a good big sister. Abby was a little fussy... so Ella sang to her the whole time. Of course she made mommy sing with her and we sang songs from "Hairspray" the entire time. You would think that as much as I have to watch that movie (at least once a day) I would have the songs memorized... but Ella does a better job at it than I do. Her favorite song is "I Can Hear the Bells." You should see the looks we get from neighbors as we pass by. I love being a mom.

Hopefully, as much as I hate exercising, my girls will see and learn how important it is. Ella is already a couch potato. She loves movies... especially musicals. But that means she loves to dance... we dance ALOT! Ella also likes to be outside. She is still trying to figure out how to pedal the wheels on her bike, but definitely knows how to turn the treadmill on. And as small as she is still... I can already tell my little "Babbigail" is born for athletic greatness.

I've decided to live vicariously through my girls: Ella will take the stage, and Abby will take the court/field/track. I never quite mastered any of those (especially the dancing) so hopefully they didn't get "that" gene.

The News never rests...

... which means I can't either. I walked in the door to work today to news breaking, grass fires out east. Breaking news definitely makes the day go by faster, but it also means I don't get any time to breathe during the day... or think about my husband... or think about my girls... or think about me! So now that it's 10:22 p.m. and the last newscast of the day is wrapping up I have a moment to myself. This is my lunch break. I suppose my non-stop job is a good thing for me... since I'd rather be home with Abby & Ella.

It's about time...

After much poo-poohing Jared and I have created a blog. I love reading other peoples blogs, catching up without long phone-calls, and seeing all the pictures... so why not us? I spend all day on computers so that's another reason why I've put off doing this, but I'm kind of excited to join what seems like the rest of the world. Be patient as I learn to navigate the "blogging world".