Expressionist

On our hike Monday, we came across a lady with a dog. As you can see, Clara was so excited.

I love how the dog looks like it is trying to lean away from her. Smart dog.

I think the visit made her day.

Monday

Yesterday was Daddyday. Around here that is the name we give any day of the week that Steve has off. After hearing that the leaves were starting to change up at Kyle Canyon we decided it would be a perfect time to take a picnic up to the mountain and go on a little hike.

(Please know that I use the word hike very loosely, it was more like a very S L O W walk up part of a trail because Clara was insistent on walking by herself. )

We started our afternoon with a tailgate lunch. Steve and I were the only ones to eat lunch. Thomas ate chips and chocolate while Clara slept in her car seat. Next time we need to plan our timing better and bring food the kids will eat. I figured that being on a fun picnic would somehow magically get my kids to eat a ham sandwich, but I was wrong.

This is one of my favorite pictures I got. This was taken right as a breeze started to come down from the canyon. Clara was amazed by it, Thomas couldn't care less.


The color was beautiful! I love fall, and I think I would love it even more if we had color like this in the valley.

Clara's hair blended right in with the color. I felt bad that I didn't do it up, she kept brushing it out of her face all afternoon.
A rare appearance by me. I sometimes wonder if my kids will think they were motherless because I am never in any pictures with them.

I can and can't take credit for this picture. I manually set the camera, but then Steve took the shot. I thought it was pretty good for a white boy.

Maybe this is my favorite shot. This is so typical of Clara. She is so affectionate and gives the best hugs. They are tight and they are intentional. She is such a little lover. This was completely unprompted. She just turned to the boys and gave them a big squeeze.

Thomas deep in thought.
Taken moments before the big hug.
This is his favorite pose.

The end.

Proff!

I am the new sunbeam teacher in our ward. And yes, Thomas is in my class. Yesterday was the first time I taught and all the kids were so good and so cute...except for mine. I am sure his behavior will improve within the next few weeks, he just needs to understand that I can't call on him ever single time I ask a question because he is my favorite son.

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I thought he hadn't paid attention at all, and then after church he drew this picture. I guess he did listen to the lesson.

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(I love the beard!)

Anyone else?

Am I the only one, or has anyone else found that all the kids' fall/winter clothes have shrunk over the past few months?

(The bottom of those jeans were touching the back of his heels 4 months ago!)

Grocery store post #25436-B

I was at the market today (I really like to say market because it reminds me of my grandma). Again, I had Thomas and Clara strapped into the disgusting car cart. Again, Clara was screaming. However, this time she was screaming because Thomas kept touching her. We were in a hurry. I only had 30 minutes to get my shopping done, feed the kids (thank you service deli corn dogs) and get Thomas to school.

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I told Thomas to stop bugging his sister, but he was having too much fun. Finally I stopped the cart and knelt down next to him. Very calmly, but firmly I said, "you better stop touching her or you are going home and are not going to be able to go to school today." Thomas didn't say anything. He put both hands on the steering wheel and then rested his head on his hands. I felt a little bad, but I also felt like I had properly disciplined him. About 30 seconds passed and Thomas still had not raised his head.

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Me: Thomas, are you crying? Don't be sad, I'm not mad at you.

He lifted his head up and I I could see that he was fine.

Thomas: No, Mom. I'm okay. I was just saying a prayer.

Me: About what?

Thomas: Nothing.

Me:Why won't you tell me what you were praying about?

Thomas: Because

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I got down to his level. I am thinking in my head how this is a perfect teaching moment, and about how we have raised such a righteous 4-year-old, and what a good kid he is...

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Me: I am happy that you are saying a prayer. That is a good thing. What are you asking Heavenly Father?

Thomas: Mom...(he hesitated for a bit) I was praying that you would be nicer.

ouch.

I guess I can rule out a career in Cirque Du Soleil

carrot / cake

Thomas came home from school today and asked for a carrot - as in vegetable. Not only did he ask for a carrot, he ate it without me making any kind of threat. To top that off, he asked for a second one when he finished the first.

Now, before you go and nominate me for mother of the year because I somehow got my picky eater to devour 2 carrots, I must make confession. The only thing Clara ate today was Banana Cake. I can't even claim that it was banana bread. This was cake made with a cake mix, sour cream, and cream cheese frosting.

For Skippy

Advice please.

Even though Clara is pretty darn cute, and very loveable she does have a slight flaw. She is a screamer. What started out as a cute little squeal has turned into a full blown, ear-drum-breaking scream that makes my teeth hurt. It has an extremely high pitch and it is LOUD. She does it when she is happy, she does it when she is mad, and she does it to get attention. I don't know what to do. I tell her no, I put her in time out, but she continues to persist.

This afternoon we were walking through the grocery store. Both the kids were riding in the germ infested car cart that I swore I would NEVER - EVER let my kids ride in. They were goofing off with one another. He was tickling her and she had him in a head lock. I didn't really care because they were both strapped in and contained - and they were laughing. Then Clara started her screaming. Grocery stores with high ceilings and cement floors are amazing. They amplify sound and make it seem louder than it really is. I was sure glass jars were breaking all over the store. I tried to get her to stop. I reached down and covered her mouth with my hand and told her, "no." I then heard a lady in customer service ask, "WHAT was that?" I was walking by her and said, "I'm sorry, I know it's really loud." She then answered back, "Oh, that was her? I had no idea what that noise was."

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Somebody told me that they knew of someone who would squirt their daughter with a spray bottle every time she would scream. I don't think I could do that. When I was growing up we did that to our cat every time he would jump up on the counters. Plus, I think I would have to walk around the house with a spray bottle in a holster in order to catch her in the act.

So, if anyone has any advice, please - for the love of all who have ears - do share.

Newsed

Steve finally did it. He bought himself the truck he has always wanted.

Steve has quite the commute to work. He drives about 80 miles round trip each day. He was putting so many miles on our car and it was driving him crazy. He wanted something he could drive into the ground and not care about the miles. He found this little beauty a few weeks ago and has been waiting to pick it up.

Christmas came yesterday.

The two boys spent all afternoon yesterday tinkering around with everything. Thomas is in love with it, too. So far they have made plans to go camping and decided on a color to paint it...green. Thomas took me on a tour of the back seat and informed me where each member of our family will sleep once we take it into the wilderness.

And yes, they do have matching shirts. Last week we went to the mall. Thomas was shopping with Steve and happened to see a shirt very similar to his favorite green shirt in the men's department. He told Steve he had to buy it so they could match. Steve, being the great dad he is didn't think twice and bought it. Yesterday we went to Maggiano's for lunch and they wore their matching shirts.

They are quite the pair.

Celebratory Blog Post

This little girl went pee-pee in the potty for the first time last night.

A Good Outlet

Steve was gone a couple of weeks ago. He went to Washington to see his family. While I was fine with him taking a break and visiting his parents, I was a little jealous that he got to enjoy the cool weather for a couple days. Not only was I jealous, I was a little anxious. I don't do well when we are apart overnight. I hear every single noise, can't sleep very well and end up being a walking zombie. I decided that instead of me obsessing about him being gone, I needed to find a project to work on. I have been wanting to make one of these pettiskirts for Clara for quite a while, but have been a little apprehensive about starting. A few days before he left I started researching them again and decided it would be the perfect project to work on the nights he was gone.

I started out watching a clip from Martha Stewart, but she did nothing but confuse me. I kept browsing the Internet and came across many blogs of ladies who made them and others who had tried but given up. Finally I found a PDF pattern to download. From the reviews it sounded like it was perfect. It had pictures for each step and it was very detailed.

I started the project on a Saturday night and thought it would take a couple hours - wrong! I was right about it being something to distract me, it was very time consuming! I was able to work on it while the kids were asleep and it kept my mind off of being alone in the middle of the night.

I was hoping to finish it by the time Steve got home, but it took about a week to complete. Midway through the sewing I started getting angry and frustrated. For sure this was the stupidest project I had ever started and there was no way I was ever going to make another one - yet finish this one!

Then the clouds parted and I finished the first layer. I had figured out some tricks and some ways to make the sewing go faster. The second layer went really fast and I was able to finish it. As soon as it was complete I was in love with it and was already making plans for my next one.

If by chance you found my blog by searching pettiskirt tutorial here are a few tips. I was so happy to find tips on other blogs - they really helped.

1. Buy a pattern with pictures. The one I have linked is great, and I know there are other ones out there.

2. Make sure you use Nylon Chiffon Tricot. It will not unravel when you cut it.

3. Change your sewing needle to a very fine needle.

4. Instead of starting from the top and working down, start from the bottom and work up. It is so much easier to sew the ruffle fluff on a piece of straight fabric instead of a piece of ruffled fabric.

5. You can buy the fabric already cut on this website. When I make Clara's Halloween skirt, I am going to buy it here. I bought mine at a local store (for those who are local, go to Heddies). The chiffon being precut into the size strips you need will save you a ton of work.

6. There is no need to gather a really really really long strip of chiffon for the fluff. I cut the strips into 60 inch increments and then ruffled those while sitting in front of the TV. I brought each 60 inch strip down to 8-10 inches. When you sew them on the skirt just overlap them a little. No one will ever know.

7. These skirts leave a lot of room for error. There is so much fluff and so many layers that nobody is going to see an uneven seam. I started out the first layer by overlocking everything, but it is not necessary. I didn't overlock the second layer and I think it turned out even better.

Now for the unbelievable stats: This skirt was made using 7 (60 inch width) yards of chiffon. The chiffon was cut into different tiers. I made 75 strips of 2 x 60 ruffle fluff and sewed it onto 60 feet of skirt. Just because I like math - that is 375 feet of gathering. It took forever, but it was worth it!

After all that hard work, I still can not get a good picture of Clara in the skirt. I finally had to give in a give her a binky just so I could get her to sit still . Hopefully one of these days I will be able to get a decent picture instead of one like this...

Aren't all the kids wearing suits these days?

Thomas had preschool pictures on Wednesday. Guess who went upstairs and got dressed all by himself that day? I didn't have the heart to tell him that his suit jacket was too small and the pants were too big. I just told him how wonderful he looked and insisted that I get a picture of my own. I figured the photographer would just take head shots, but to my surprise she had the kids sitting in a let's-rest-your-elbow-on-your-knee pose that will show the whole ensemble - including the white socks and brown loafers.

I have a feeling these will be my favorite pictures EVER!

Those wildfires are making my bathroom mirror dirty.

Seriously. They are.

The smoke from the California fires have been drifting our way for about a week now. Even though the smoke gives the air a nice BBQ smell, and sometimes it makes the sky look a little overcast, and any change in the sky/weather is exciting news, it is not good on the kids with asthma. I had my fingers crossed that it wouldn't effect Thomas, but that was wishful thinking. On Wednesday he started with the runny nose and then by this morning it had traveled to his lungs. I started giving him breathing treatments on Monday to try and fight everything off, but it didn't work.

Last night I could hear it when he talked, there was an underlying honk to his tone. If you have kids with lung issues, you know exactly what I mean. If you don't, believe me - it was a honk- and be grateful your kids have good lungs.

Anyway....

We went out to dinner with some friends and halfway through dinner he was asking me to take him home because he didn't feel well. Steve and I met there after work so we had two cars. I took a couple bites of my dinner and decided I better take our little guy home.

When I got home, I gave him a breathing treatment and then made him go into the bathroom with the shower on to try and steam out his lungs. I went upstairs to put Clara to bed and then returned downstairs. When I walked by the bathroom I heard him singing. I cracked the door open and saw him standing in the sink washing my mirrors with a sponge and soapy water, while singing his heart out at the top of his stuffy lungs. I grabbed my camera and snapped him before he saw me.

When he finished his steam treatment, he came out and asked me to come look at the mirrors he had just cleaned. Of course I told him that looked wonderful and thanked him for his hard work.

And today I have enjoyed my beautiful, dirty mirrors every time I walked by the bathroom.

New skill

Guess what Clara learned how to do?

We've graduated

From Masking

to Duct.

Ginormous Day

Today was our little guys first day of preschool. He was so excited! He goes in the afternoon, which is a great thing because he is not a morning person. Today he slept in until 10:30! When he woke up he was so ready to go!

He packed his green backpack and then I made him take the traditional go-stand-on-the-front-porch picture to mark the occasion.

On our way, we made a stop at his favorite store, Fresh and Easy, so he could pick some flowers out for his teacher. I let him chose what ones he thought she would like.

Doesn't he look so excited. He actually was excited about picking the flowers, just not having me take a picture of every move inside the neighborhood market. How embarrassing!

He thought about taking her this succulent because it was green, his favorite color. He then decided it wasn't pretty enough because it didn't have flowers on it.

He then thought about taking one of these Cati, but decided they were way too sharp.

He finally decided on a large potted flower, the biggest one there. Good choice. I thought the orange flowers looked appropriate for a preschool teacher.

He was then insistent that we picked out a card for her. I showed him the ones that were appropriate for the occasion, but he had his heart set on the happy birthday duck card. Oh well, I tried to guide him, but I felt it was more important that he pick it out.

He couldn't wait to get it into the envelope and didn't want to write anything on the inside, only the outside envelope.

We got to preschool about 10 minutes early so we waited in the car. He was bouncing everywhere - so excited!!!

Finally it was 12:29 - the time I said he could get out of the car. He jumped out and made the long walk I have been dreading. How did my baby become old enough to go to preschool??? Didn't I have him last month???

He presented them like a true gentleman.

Thomas and Mrs. M. We are so excited to have her as a teacher.

Clara cried and cried. She did not want her brother to go. Surprisingly, I was very well composed. I didn't cry, I think I was too excited for him.

Three hours later I went to pick him up. He was thrilled! He had a great time. The first thing he said to me was "Mom, I didn't have to go to time out!!!" He then said, "I had such a great time!"

Clara was so happy to have him back. She wouldn't let go of him when he climbed in the car.

He got into the car and showed me his project (which I am having a problem scanning) and then I started crying. I knew it would come. I was just so happy for him and a tad bit sad for me. My baby is growing up.

On our drive home I asked him about his day and he just kept talking and talking about everything the did. He asked me if I had heard a certain song and tried singing it. He was trying to remember all the words, but was having a hard time. I asked him about their cooking project and he told me that had made rice crispy treats. He said they were SOOOOO GOOOD. I asked if Mrs. M had used a secret ingredient and he replied, "yes, marshmallows!"

We then celebrated the day by going to get some frozen yogurt.