Cutest two year old alive!

Isn't this the cutest little girl ever? She is at such a fun age- learning to talk and develop her own personality. Every day I crack up over something she says to me. As you can see by the following pictures there is never a dull moment with her.

This is her mad face as requested by Sekoya.


This is her happy face......



And this is what happens when I get busy folding laundry. Sekoya got out the sprinkles that we use to decorate Valentine's cookies. I told Katera that we needed to wash her up and she said, "No, I lick it!" Her face and hands were stained pink the rest of the day.





Katera stole my black hat off my head one afternoon while Sekoya was at school. She looked so stinkin' cute so I grabbed my camera and told her to pose for me. I think she did a great job. In fact I am probably going to blow a couple of these up to put on the wall.

Even with her defiant attitude and her telling me - "Leave me alone, I don't want you, Don't touch me" how can I not love this face and the little girl that goes with it?

Nutcracker

This week Sekoya performed her ballet dance in the Nutcracker. It is an annual show done by her dance teacher. It was a very long wait to see my little sweetie dance. I just don't appreciate ballet. I don't see how running around the stage and flapping your arms in the air is entertaining. I guess it shows that I am an unrefined, small town girl. I must say that I think the little ones were quite entertaining. Sekoya did a great job, but for some reason she was really nervous about this one. I could see it in her face as she walked onto the stage. Theirs was the third to last class to perform in an hour and half show. And it was for two nights in a row! Thankfully I was able to find babysitters for Katera both nights. She would have been a bear sitting through that. I was also a little miffed at how late it got done- 9:30 PM. That is late for little ones. Jason keeps cussing me, but I am crossing my fingers that Sekoya doesn't want to make dance a long term thing.

Snow much fun!

Another couple of storms hit this week. Of course, they happened when Jason wasn't home to shovel for me. It really stinks to have your hubby gone when there's outdoor things that need to be done. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem doing them, but it is hard when you have two kids that want to be at your side every minute. I bundled the girls up and they played in the snow while I shoveled. This is Katera's first year to really enjoy the snow- and she did! She never even got cold or wanted to go inside. Sekoya couldn't wait to make a snow angel, but she didn't last long. She was ready to go inside after about 2o minutes. I only shoveled the front steps and enough of the driveway to get my car out and it took me about an hour. I think when Jason gets home we will be buying a snow blower!!

Merry Christmas!

There's eight days 'til Christmas...
excitement is in the air.
As THE DAY gets closer,
I want to pull out my hair!


The house is decorated...
one, two, and three times.
It's so much more work with
two and five year olds combined.


The stockings are hung....
by the fireplace with care.
I hope when they're down
it won't leave a mark there.


We've gone through flour and sugar..
too many pounds to count.
All the cookies and cakes
make the calories mount!


Shopping and wrapping...
don't forget the returns.
I always buy too much,
you'd think I would learn.



With all of this frenzy...
I try not to forget-
The real Christmas magic
Is not from gifts we get.


It is sipping hot cocoa
by a nice warm fire.
Watching my girls' eyes
light up with desire.


Listening to music
filled with holiday cheer.
Snuggling and cuddling
with those that are dear.


Most important of all....
our dear Savior's birth.
The greatest of gifts
to all on the earth.


The holiday season
is almost done.
And I haven't sent a card
not even one.


So consider this...
us wishing the best.
To our friends, family,
and all of the rest.

Merry Christmas!!!

Light Parade and SNOW!!

The light parade was way short this year due to the big snow storm that hit. It is the first one of the year. We watched the parade from Grant's office where we were having an office party. Sekoya and Katera didn't mind the frigid temperatures and watched outside with Jason. Katera really enjoyed herself - if that isn't obvious in the pictures. Grant also had his whole family with all their kids. There were kids of every age and they had a blast playing together. Katera befriended Brooklyn and decided that they needed to dance.

Baking, Baking, Baking

In the last two weeks I have gone through 15-20 pounds of flour and 12-16 pounds of sugar!!

Sekoya trying to lick frosting off her elbow.

Katera would frost, then lick, frost, lick. Don't worry we didn't serve those cookies to anybody.

This is the time of year many of our family anxiously await......... coconut bread time. It is such a yummy recipe- that I will not share so don't ask. But we only make it at Christmas time. It kinda makes it all that more magical. I make enough for neighbors, friends, visiting teaching ladies, and family. There is NEVER enough to fill everybody's sweet tooth. But I have to draw the line at 8 batches! I think my mixer's motor might blow up if I tried to make any more. We also made sugar cookies for my office party. Those are always fun for the kids to help cut out and then frost. I really have a hard time baking with my kids, but I try to not be mean. I just can't stand to have a mess even when we're in the middle of baking. I clean as I go. That is hard to do when every time I turn my back on them they are throwing handfuls of flour in the air. Little stinkers! Only one more batch of cookies to make- for Santa!

This is where the Birthdays stop......29 Forever

Today I turn 29! And that is where I am forever stopping my birthdays. I CAN'T ever be 30.... that is old and I don't feel old. It's really not old, but when I was in high school it seemed like anyone 30 and older was an old fart. I am just sitting at home today with nothing special going on. It's amazing how birthdays change when you get older and become the adult of the house. I remember when I was younger and how big of a deal my birthday was. I absolutely had to do something amazing and wonderful or it was a crappy day. Well, today my amazing and wonderful event will be making a treat or Christmas decorations with my kids. Which really is amazing and wonderful if you think about it. I can't think of two better (little) people to spend my day with. There are only two things that would make my day more wonderful - if my girls could get along all day, and have Jason home to give me a hug!

Just a quick note- don't ever have a December child. Or if you do make sure you separate Christmas and Birthday! I remember a lot of birthday gifts getting combined with Christmas gifts and it was not cool when I was younger. (not to mention sharing birthday parties with my sis who's birthday is one day before mine) Love ya sis, but I'm sure you feel the same way.

I keep getting asked what I want or am getting for my birthday. I have so many things and have been so blessed with financial stability in this scary economy of ours that I don't really need anything. This chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries looks devine though!!

Late nap = late bed time

It was 10:00 PM last night and this is what Katera was doing instead of sleeping.....

I guess it's my fault for letting her nap for three hours until 5 PM. She was being so cute and just humming while she was sticking stickers all over her belly. She makes me smile! She has the cutest personality when she is happy. Love her to pieces!!

Flu Shots

I took the girls in to the Dr. office to get their flu shots on Monday. I didn't tell Sekoya that we were even going there let alone getting a shot. So when we got into the exam room the nurse asked "Who's first?" Sekoya enthusiastically volunteered. When she realized that it was a shot she went bezerk!! She was kicking and screaming and wouldn't let me get her sleeve rolled up to get to her arm. She is really strong!! I couldn't over power her! So she said she would do it after Katera got hers. Katera was really good, but still cried. I still had to put Sekoya on the bed and hold her legs and put my forearm on her chest. The nurse really made me mad cause she was telling Sekoya "That's enough" I figured I could handle my own kid! Now it's done and I won't ever do that again. If she ever has to get shots I will prepare her before hand! It was really sad watching them walk out of the office both limping on their leg with the shot.

Annual birthday trip

We took our annual trip to celebrate my birthday this last weekend. Our agenda always consists of finishing up some Christmas shopping, dinner at a nice restaurant, and a movie or some other fun thing. In years past we have gone to St. George, Provo, and Salt Lake. This year Jason got reservations at a really nice resort in Park City. We dropped Sekoya off at school and Katera with Grandma Sindy and off we went. We stopped in Paysen so I could buy Jason's SURPRISE Christmas gift. I am so excited. He has NO clue what it is and he is gonna LOVE it!! We made a few stops in Provo then made our way to Salt Lake. We went to the Body Worlds exhibit...... VERY interesting. I didn't think it was offensive in any way. It was very educational and informative about the organs of the body. I would not recommend it if you have a queasy stomach though. After that we ate dinner at Market Street Grill- yummy king crab legs! This is the one time of the year that I really get to splurge so I go for it. That didn't put us at our hotel until 9:30, which was way too late to enjoy the amazing room. It had a GIANT tub, fireplace, kitchen-the works. I got to sleep in until 9 in the morning!!! It felt soooooooo good. I can't even remember the last time I was able to sleep in like that. We spent the rest of Saturday shopping at the outlets and then saw Twilight in Provo on our way home. I was pleasantly entertained by the movie. I wasn't totally in love with Edward like some other psycho fans, but it wasn't a let down either. Jason actually really liked it too. I have been trying to get him to read the books and he kept shrugging me off. Now after seeing the movie he wants to read the rest of the books! We drove home in time to kiss the girls good night. Sekoya still slept over at Grandma Maridon's but Katera came home with us. Time away as a couple is really nice, but I still missed my girls and couldn't wait for their hugs and kisses. Thanks for a wonderful birthday trip Jason! I love you tons!

Christmas Tree Lane

Wow... isn't she beautiful? I love her dimple!

It was Sekoya's first dance performance tonight at Christmas Tree Lane. She told me she thought she had stage fright when I asked if she was ready to do her dance at dinner. But she did awesome! She was confident and knew the dance and words to the song very well. No offense to any of the other kids in the group, but I thought she was the best one up there!! I did learn from my first experience as a dancer's mommy that to get a good picture you have to go right up to the stage!! After we got her in costume I took her to Grandma Sindy's shop to get her all dolled up. They were supposed to wear their hair half way up with curls in the rest. Then we added some make up.... every girl needs make up for a special event like this! We got there early and I could feel the excitement that Sekoya was feeling as we watched other people performing their talents. Oh, and Sekoya had to take a teddy bear for her dance so Katera refused to leave the house without one for her too. We were so sad that Daddy couldn't be there to watch, but she had lots of support from the rest of the family. Grandma Sindy, Grandma Maridon, Grandpa Kirk, Aunt Melissa, Makayla, Hayden, Preslie, Aunt Cortney, and Uncle Mark were all there cheering her on. I was sad that Jason couldn't be there to help me run the cameras. I was trying to get still shots and record it on video for him to see at the same time. We knew that there would be big things like this that Jason would have to miss when he took his job, but this was the first important thing and it was really hard not to have him there. At least he will get to see her perform in a couple of weeks at their Nutcracker performance. After she was done dancing we stayed and watched some more kids and some of her friends dance. I stopped at McDonald's on the way home and got ice cream. I could tell Sekoya was very pleased with herself and enjoyed performing.

TTA- Christmas Cards

I am a bit wishy washy on Christmas cards. I send one some years and don't on others. It is not really at the top of my priority list. It is one of those things that will get done if I have extra time. Now, since I barely find time to even send cards I definitely don't make them. I love to get hand made cards and I save them a lot of the time to use in scrapbooks. I usually do the photo cards or just find some cute ones and add a photo inside. It is really fun to get photos of friends and family at least once a year and see how their kids have grown. My dilemma is- do you save them once Christmas is over? Is it rude to throw away a picture of somebody's cute family? If it is not family I usually toss them. But that is the question I ask myself every year. So, I look forward to seeing all your Christmas cards- even if I do throw it away after the holidays. But don't hold your breath waiting for one from me!

Happy Birthday to me... a few weeks early

This is my birthday present- a piano! I found it on KSL.com and Jason went to St. George to pick it up last week. I am so excited that I finally have room and could afford to buy one too. The girls have had so much fun with it already. They just like to bang and pretend they are playing a song. Sekoya is trying to master chopsticks and peter, peter, pumpkin eater. She also started writing her own song this morning. I was shocked that she had paid that much attention to the music to be able to write notes. I plan on putting them both in lessons when they are a little bit older. And I plan on being the mean mom that doesn't let them quit either! I want to be able to play again. I am so mad that my mom gave in to me and let me quit. I was pretty darn good too- not a concert pianist, but pretty good. I am totally surprised at how much I can still play. I got out the primary song book and have been playing the right hand melodies while Sekoya guesses which song it is. I am going to make a goal to be able to play fluently by .......... summer? We'll see how that goes. I may have to change that to next Christmas.

I just got home from helping in Sekoya's class. Today I tested them on their sight words that they should know by now. I am completely shocked and appalled that some of the kids couldn't read even four of the 15 words. And these are the easy ones- the, in, and, a, etc. I am very proud of Sekoya though. She was able to whip right through them with no problem. I even tested her on some of the words that they haven't worked on and she was able to read them also. It totally shows which parents work with their kids at home and I feel really bad for those that don't. I guess there could be a few that just plain struggle with reading even when their parents do try to help. They are such cute kids. I am so glad that I get to help every week, but I am also glad that it is once a week. I don't know how teachers do it. They are truly special people to be able to deal with other people's kids every day. Thanks to all you teachers out there.

Sunday afternoon craft--with a black eye

Ok, first I'll tell about the black eye. After we got home from Grandma Sindy's on Saturday I was trying to get Sekoya to help me fold towels. That is one of her responsibilities around the house. She had other ideas. She wanted to play freeze tag with Katera. They were actually in the other room when I heard- "I said freeze!" followed by a whack and Katera screaming. I don't think Sekoya really meant to hurt Katera. She had my exercise tension bands that have handles on either end in her hands and I think when she went to tag Katera again the handle swung around and hit her eye. It was all I could do to keep my calm with Sekoya. We have been scolding her a lot lately for hitting and pushing her sister. She just doesn't seem to get it through her head that she CAN'T hit! I tell her I don't hit her so she has no reason to hit either. I sent her straight to her room before I lost it. I finally got Katera calmed down (and myself) and went down to talk to Sekoya. Hopefully she will get it this time. She was really upset that she hurt Katera so bad and was yelling "I'm a bad girl, I'm a bad girl" over and over.

After church on Sundays is one of my hardest times. Jason and I just want to veg on the couch and do nothing while the girls are totally bored and get really ornery. Sekoya is always wanting to do a craft, but it seems like we never have time to do it on the weekdays. There is always something that we have to do and not enough time to make a big mess and clean it up. Sunday I gave in and got the paints out. Both girls love to paint- I just don't love cleaning it up. I have found out the hard way that acrylic paint does not come out of clothes no matter how well you spot it. So I make them strip down to their undies and diaper. And it's a good thing because they ended up painting each other half way through. I even took the time to paint with them. It was a nice change of pace. They loved it and their attention even lasted for about 45 minutes. Then they were much happier girls after that. I guess it pays to give your kids the attention they crave!

Thanksgiving

Whew!!! Am I glad this weekend is over!! I know I sound like a total grump, but I dread holidays! Don't get me wrong..... I like spending time with family. Especially the extended family that we don't see very often. But four straight days of it is more than enough for me. I am so glad that tomorrow I get to go back to my normal every day routine. Ah ha.... I just realized that is why I don't like holidays........ it throws my routines and schedules all of out of whack. And yes that is really stupid, but that is the way my mind works and I don't know how to change it.

With that said.. we did have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving day with the Rappleyes. We had tons of yummy food and pies then everyone separated for their afternoon naps. We had all the teenage cousins at our house in the afternoon for Guitar Hero and the adults later that night for progressive rummy. All the kids played well together and were nice which makes it nice for the mommies and daddies. Friday morning I got up a little early-7:30 and went shopping for the Black Friday deals. I went at 5 AM last year. I can say that I have done that and I NEVER need to do that again! I am not one that would fight over an item or act like an idiot trying to get something so why go that early with all the crazies? There really wasn't even anything in the ads that I needed. Jason went and played raquetball with all the Rappleye guys. Too bad he got his butt kicked and lost my cherry pie in a bet!! I made the mistake of driving down main street where my kids saw Santa at his post. I had to stop and let them sit on his lap. I wasn't prepared for that though- no coats in the cold November chill. This is the first year that Sekoya hasn't been completely scared to death of Santa. She walked right up and told him just what she wanted- Martian Matter. Katera didn't even fuss about sitting on his lap. So I got a cute picture this year with no screaming or crying. We went out to Pizza Hut on Friday night.... I was turkeyd out. Saturday my mom made a Thanksgiving dinner. We were short quite a few people in our family, but we still had a good time. After dinner we played progressive rummy again and then went home to call it a night.

Musical Beds

Katera has been having a really hard time going to bed and sleeping at night. I don't know if she is scared or is just being a stinker. Well, some nights I know she is scared because she cries out and sobs while she is completely asleep. We have resorted to playing musical beds. She starts out in her bed and then cries to sleep with sissy. After we think she has gone to sleep she comes upstairs and won't go back to her bed. So we put her to sleep in the extra bed. When that doesn't even work we let her fall asleep in our bed and then move her to the spare bed when we go to sleep. So....... I have four beds to make in the mornings! The craziest part is she never does this when Jason is gone- only when he is home. Does anybody have a psychological answer for me? I guess we will just keep doing whatever gets her to sleep at nights and hope this passes-soon!

I can afford to fill my gas tank!

Yay!!!! I am so excited that I can actually afford a tank of gas these days. This is what my total came to after filling my Yukon yesterday. It has been costing me over $100. Since I didn't go broke feeding my car I bought treats for everyone!!

Ok, on a little negative side....... do fellow bloggers not know that there is a spell check option at the top of the compose box? It makes me laugh to see how people spell things. That is something that I notice right off the bat. It totally floors me when people that I know are teachers misspell things! I am not saying that I am a genius or anything or have never misspelled anything, but when there is a spell check button why not use it?