Rachel's first swimming experience

I completely forgot to post such a big first for Rachel. She spent all of last summer AT the pool, but not IN the pool. Thank goodness we'll be able to enjoy the water this summer. I wanted to see if she was a natural fish like our other 2 (thanks to their Dad's skills, not mine) and it turns out that sure enough, she likes the water. Nana took all of us swimming at this great indoor pool over Christmas break. It had fountains, slides, and a lazy river. I was the only adult willing to get in with the kiddos, so I ended up with all 3 of my kids hanging on me as we went round and round the river. Man, was I tired! In Colorado they do an adult swim for the last 15 min of every hour. At first it drove me nuts, but now I like it as you can leave easier with the kids, feed them, reapply sunscreen and just check on everyone. It also means you can get in with the little ones and their parents for a couple minutes of fun without big kids splashing you. I used this opportunity to get in with Rachel and see how she liked the water. Oh what fun. We'll be even more swimsuit ready in a few months!

Rachel and Mom in the pool.

It is a little loud, but you can watch Rachel go under and not even cry. Plus, you get to see cute Anna watching from the sidelines!

The 44th President

Wow, how cool was it to watch the inauguration? I must admit that at first I wasn't planning on it and then I figured I should watch just a minute or two and then I was totally into it. It was amazing and fascinating all at once. I laughed and cried and was just so proud to be an American. I was also moved to tears as I watched him take the oath. He was so nervous to be saying the words or just caught up as the guy said like 9 lines before he breathed, but it was more fun for me to watch Michelle Obama holding Lincoln's Bible and watching her husband. I loved how they looked at each other. I loved that one of the girls said, Good speech Daddy, as he sat down. It was just so cool. Most of all, it was just like they kept saying, an example to the world of a peaceful transition of power. We are so lucky to be able to watch that in our lifetime at all and then of course in these times, with all there is going on around us to have such an historic president. It really is amazing. I do remember the last inauguration as my Dad was able to be there with his company. That meant that I should drive to D.C. to see my parents too. We spent the night in an amazing hotel and watched things going on outside (we didn't go to the inauguration of course) and I was pregnant with Anna. Crazy to think that since the last inauguration I have had 2 girls come into my life. Is it just me that always does that...measures where you were at the last time something significant happened? I am a total nerd. I said it for you all. Anyway, what a great country we have! GO USA!

The Biggest Loser!

I have to admit that this is one of my absolute favorite shows. I love that it is a show about personal triumph. Most of the time they all seem like such great people that got lost and are trying to get their lives back. Every once in awhile you get a contestant or two that you just hate. For example, last season, Vicki, was all about game play. It wasn't even clear whether she wanted to change her lifestyle. She also had some of the worst language from anyone, particularly a woman, that has been on t.v. However, this season is already breaking my heart. As I watched the largest contestants work out last night, I was so inspired. I mean, if they can do it and be positive for the most part, then what is stopping me? I was so inspired that as soon as the show was over I got up and did my own Biggest Loser video work out. They are the best work-outs by the way. I was very sad as I watched too though. At the end it came down to 2 of my favorite contestants and one of them was going to go home. Jerry, the grandpa, or Dan, the young kid who has always been obese. It was so sad watching them go particularly when another contestant did NOT work hard at all. Ugh. I was so happy when they showed that Jerry had gone home and kept working and had lost 84 lbs. I couldn't believe it. So, once again, I am hooked on this show and vowing that I will finish losing my weight during this season. At the finale, I will weigh my goal weight. There are no ifs, ands or butts! :) I will be the BIGGEST LOSER in my house! Ah, good old t.v. Whatever works! Anyone want to join me?

Again?!?

I can't believe that this is happening again. We got a phone call last night that Kathy, Bart's Mom, wasn't feeling too well, so they had gone to the hospital. We were informed she was having an irregular heart beat and had NOT had a heart attack, but they were going to keep her for observation. Don said not to come, they thought they would just check her over and send her home. We were tired and so we went to sleep. Don stayed for quite some time and finally went home to get some sleep. Until he got a phone call. Kathy's chest pain had returned this morning around 5:30 a.m. The doctor did a dye test and found she had a very small area that was 100% blocked. She had to undergo angioplasty and have a stint placed.

This brings me back to the "again" piece. For my oh so devoted followers out there, you may recall that my own Mom went through the same procedure just 7 months ago. I have to admit that this made me re-live that a little bit. It is so frightening to think that either one of us could have lost a parent to heart disease. We are TOO young to have this happen to us! TOO YOUNG, I say!

My mother-in-law probably wouldn't be thrilled that I am posting about her, but she is one of the best Nana's there is. She is always worrying about us and our kids and if we are taken care of. She reads to the kids, she takes them to do fun things, she holds them, she makes sure that she always has their favorite things at their house, she gives up her sports tickets so we can go enjoy them, she watches our kids. We could go on and on about all that she does for us. We love our "Nana Beard" so much. We are praying for a speedy recovery. We love you Nana.

And I have to add that this just renewed my promise to myself to continue on my path to becoming healthy again. I am halfway to my goal but the last few weeks have been harder than usual. But, I want to be healthy for myself, my husband, and especially for my kids. I can do it...and so can all of you! Here's to a healthier year and to keeping our parents healthier too!

What have I done?

I saw this on my good friend's blog and thought it was cool. Maybe because I could claim a few and maybe because it made me think about others I would still really like to do. And since January is already slow around here-oh how will I make it thru the dark and dreary winter, I thought it would make an interesting post.
What have I done?
Rules are: Anything you have done has to be in bold. How much have you done?
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a Mountain--well, small ones in Utah-7 peaks at Brighton Camp
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea--well in Lake Powell, not at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning-I still hate Taco Bell and In N Out Burgers
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an train-with some stinky travelers that I might add
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (maybe more than once)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (and don't want to)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (Sinai still one of the best ever)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language-does minoring in college count?
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (we were the only sober ones in the bar in Spain)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa-Just Egypt, but technically, it is Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance--been there with Bart!
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud-should do that more with Jacob for sure
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies-I peddled them like nobody's business.
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square-most unique New Years Eve experience ever
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone-too many to count by now
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle-I loved them when I was younger but never will we own one!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating-only if fish count
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby-or 3
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake -possibly, but not sure I was pretty little
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy-can't wait to go back with my love one day!

Let me know if you do this on your blog! Kinda fun way to see what friends like to do!

Rachel has learned a trick or two!

Rachel is changing so much. Bart got a new video camera for Christmas which Mom is REALLY enjoying. This morning I felt it was time to get a new one of Rachel doing some tricks she just learned. She has been able to wave on command for a couple of weeks, but is getting better at it. She also just learned yesterday to clap. It is my favorite because it is a total golf clap. Oh man, she kills me. So from now on, enjoy the video clips that will be coming your way!

Santa made it to our house, hope he made it to yours!

We feel so lucky that Santa made it to our house this year. It was questionable there for a few days leading up to it, but thankfully the kids realized that indeed he can see us when we are sleeping, he knows when we're awake, and he DEFINITELY knows if we've been bad or good. They were a little bit relieved when they came down on Christmas morning to see that their hard work had actually paid off. **I shall warn you all that although there are many pictures to follow, just remember that they are only a small portion of the actual photos taken. I actually whittled em down to just these ones! I am glad that Bart loves to take the pictures though because I love to have them. One day, these kids will love them too.** Enjoy our record of Christmas 2008!

The kids waiting to come down the stairs. I love this picture and I remember so much anticipation when my parents would make us do this same thing!

Jacob wanted a PlayStation 2 more than anything.

I guess he was a REALLY good boy!

Just look at that pure joy!

All Anna wanted was a doll with hair and Barbies.I asked her to stop for a picture and look at the pose we got of her new robe! And Jake's new robe-so debonair!
Jake also scored a HUGE remote control LandRover from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson. He couldn't smile or he was going to drop the box.

And my little cutie, Rachie-Rach. She kept these glasses on for about 20 min. in the store, so they had to be hers. She smiles every time you put them on her. She is melting hearts already. Problem solved: When you need something for teething, you simply buy them their own set of keys. These ones are awesome as the keys feel like metal keys. She hasn't put them down much. And now, she has a 2nd tooth!

Grandma Nelson sent these gems to Anna. I LOVE this picture.

And alas, THEE DOLL with hair! True love.

Dad needed the Diet Pepsi to get through the morning. What a great Dad he is!

Mom and Rach check out her new toy.

Mom and her sweet kids. They make it all worth it, that's for sure.

And thus concludes the epic adventure of our Christmas. We hope to hear that Santa was as good to all of you as he was to us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rachel's First Tooth!

This is more for me than anyone else, but I noticed that Rachel had her very first tooth on Saturday! We were wondering if she was just going to keep gumming everything down or if they would ever come in. She has been sick for about a week so fussiness wasn't anything new for her, but for some reason I stuck my finger in there and yup, she had her first tooth on the lower left side. How exciting. She has been my latest on getting teeth.
But, I must admit it also brought me to a question: what does everyone use to help their kids with teething? There are chewy toys you can freeze, numbing gels, and all sorts of other advice that seems to come from the strangest of places, so I wonder what everyone uses. My Mom swears by letting kids chew on her keys...she sorta wipes them clean (which is hilarious coming from the original germophob). I was letting Rachel do that out of pure laziness until Bart flipped out on me a few months ago. Shhhh....his Mom still lets her chew on the keys. I know it is gross, but if it eases pain, oh well I guess. Don't anyone turn me in to the bad parent police. Which brings me back to the question, what do you let your kids teethe on?

Jacob wins an Achievement award!

I was so excited when I received a phone call on Monday from Jacob's teacher telling me that he had won an award that she had nominated him for. She asked us to be at the big assembly on Friday morning, but to keep it a surprise from Jacob. Man, was that hard! As soon as he left for school this morning we had to hurry and get ready and get to the crowded school. He didn't even see us as he came in with his class to sit down. Throughout the assembly they gave awards in different categories. Jacob received his award in the "Achievement" category. His teacher nominated him because he has almost achieved his reading goals that we had set for him for the END of the year and it is only halfway through the year! We are so proud of him and of how hard he works at home. He does his 20 minutes of reading every day and we have seen so much progress. He is such a great reader and it is fun to listen to him add his inflection now that he has advanced so much. Jacob often gets bored with his school books after a time or two, so he has started moving through our own collection of books. We are realizing even more how glad we are to have a library close by since he is going to be done with our books shortly. Jacob is so smart and diligent. We are so proud of our first grade boy. Jacob was the ONLY 1st grader to receive this award. It was fun to jump up and shout out to him from the back row. He waved and blew kisses to us, his sisters, and Nana who had all come to watch him. The pictures are a little hard to see due to lighting issues. They gave him a really cool certificate and he got to stand in front of the whole school, shake hands with the principal, and give high fives on his way up to get the award. I love how much Jacob reads and how cute he is to read to his sisters. Anna loves to snuggle up next to him to hear the stories and just last night, he read to Rachel in the car when she was fussy. What a great blessing to have a reading boy. Way to go, Jacob!

Jacob was the first name they called in this category. There he is on stage with his certificate.

Here he is with some of the other kids coming up.

In the hallway with his certificate and Anna. Thanks to Dad for combing his hair and talking him into a decent shirt.

Part of the gang that came to cheer him on.

Deck the Halls

We sure had fun decorating our "halls" this year. We inherited this beautiful artificial tree from Bart's parents. It is quite lovely, but I'll admit I am still lamenting the loss of the real tree. I have such vivid memories of going to get our tree when we were little and I want that for my kids. But I just couldn't argue with such a beautiful free tree this year. It was Anna's year to put the star on the tree, but to compromise with her saddened older brother, she just got to do it first and Jacob got to do it afterwards. Anna is wearing her leotard for no reason, but I actually think it makes the picture that much cuter. I had never put ribbon on our tree either, but I think for a rookie it turned out quite nice. We spent a lot of time decorating everywhere in the house. It is hard to do it for the first time in a new house, but the challenge makes it fun too. My kids put all the ornaments on and then it took me about an hour to spread them out a little more. The final product turned out great, but it was more fun watching them get so excited and watching them hang the ornaments on the tree.

While my parents were here I enlisted my Dad's help to finish up Rachel's stocking. He is the one that started the tradition of homemade stockings years ago, after all. I was having a hard time trying to think of things to put on it and how to make them look cute. Thank goodness my Dad arrived in time to save me from my own lack of creativity. Grandpa is truly the best at putting together the stockings. I wish everyone could have seen my Dad with the felt, the tweezers, and the glue. He made a Rudolph, Santa's sleigh, and the cutest angel you have ever seen. He has now officially helped me with ALL of my kids stockings. I love that I will be able to tell him that. My Mom helped sew on the bell and tag thing to hang it with and Bart's Mom helped me to actually sew it together. I was very proud of my letters, Christmas tree, and ballet slippers that complete her stocking. Here is the final product:

The angel (on her side)

The ballet shoes I made

The whole thing put together

And now we can finally say,
Their stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

My new garland on the stairs

The Nativity Scene and other stuff

For our last Christmas decoration, Jacob came home from school with this adorable gingerbread house. The first thing he said was, "Mom, make sure you take a picture of it." He has asked me 3 additional times to make sure we have his talent documented. That and I think he is ready to eat it. He loves the door he made (below) with the red M&M doorknob. What a creative boy!

Seriously, it gets just that much better...

Well, as a follow up to the previous post where my anger and frustration all came out, I must say that after all that trouble to get the stinkin prescription, what do you think happened?

1. The very next day all of his 3 months supply came in the mail a few days early making my eventful night all for naught.

2. That same day the Dr. called concerned about the level of medicine in Bart's body and said to increase the doseage--just fine with us, but then he said, "We'll likely look at changing it at the appt in about 10 days."

Um, sweet. After all this effort and $100 worth of pills, now we aren't going to need them in 10 days. Oh, how I love the medical world. But alas, whatever keeps my husband safe, healthy, and happy, right?

Stupid healthcare system.

I am putting my faith in Obama...and a little kindness goes a long way.

Well, to figure out what these 2 statements above have to do with each other, read on. But I must warn you that I get very angry and very sappy all at once. And I am NOT looking for pity, well, maybe just a tiny bit. Alas, here goes.....

I am very angry. I am angry at the healthcare system in America. I am a responsible person. I have always been a responsible person and Bart and I work very hard to take care of our family and will do whatever necessary to make sure we have health insurance. We have to. It isn't a choice for us. Bart has epilepsy which most of you know. But here is where I get mad (and I admit it takes awhile to get to that point and why, so stick with me).

I had the unfortunate experience of seeing my husband have another seizure today. It stinks. I hate it, it scares me to death. I was downstairs with Rachel and no one else was up yet (well, Jake was awake but didn't hear it). Bart was asleep and apparently started seizing. I took off and sweet Jacob realized something was happening and came to my aid. I had him take care of Rachel who I left at the bottom of the stairs while I attended to Bart. I didn't have to call 911 for the first time ever as it was over and he was breathing. However, he still was not coherent and wouldn't be for some time. He had blood and spit all over his face from biting his tongue to pieces, quite literally. I got him cleaned up and he had calmed down and was still out of it when Jacob and Anna and Nana wanted to see him (thank goodness for in-laws in town). Bart apparently doesn't remember any of this. I figured he would be out for a few hours, but surprisingly he was better within a short time and even went to work for awhile. Thank goodness he came to his senses and came home early. Actually, his tongue got so swollen he can hardly talk, which means you can't answer the phone so well. So that was what my day started off like. I refused to let this disease ruin me or my family. I went on with my day and actually had a pretty good day and was thrilled to pick Bart up early from work. And here comes where I start to get angry. I had to give this background so you know a tiny bit of how horrible this disease can be.

So, back to the health insurance. Our fantastic insurance which for the most part is truly great, has made us get his seizure medicine through the mail in system. Theoretically, it is a great system. But there are a few flaws. You can only reorder after a certain date...I know, I know, so you can't get too much medicine. But for a busy Mom of 3 young kids this can present a challenge. Earlier in the week I knew we were low on pills and ordered some, before the seizure ever happened and no, they are not linked to each other. I will readily admit that it was my fault for taking so long to order his medicine. I did have a back up plan though. I decided I would go over to the local pharmacy and pick up a week's worth of medicine to make sure we didn't have a lapse in pills. And after a seizure, his body is already obviously low or non-responsive, so you REALLY don't want to be without medicine. I was somewhat sensitive to this as I headed over after a long day and getting everyone to bed. Imagine me in my sweats after a work out with my hair all skeewampus, nasty sweats on, and a big sweatshirt to ward off the ice outside. Did I mention the acne that today's events caused? Sweet. You get the picture. So I head over there and find out that there was no local prescription. Turns out the other pharmacy has it, but no problem they can transfer it. Oops, again, my mistake. Well, several people later we get everyone on board to transfer it and I am thinking this is going so well....rookie mistake to think that. I find out that the prescription has expired. So now I have to call the doctor on call and get the new prescription. Irritating, but alright and at least I can ask him some questions before we see him in 10 days. I head back to the pharmacy 3 hours later (and looking somewhat worse for the wear) to find out that they did, indeed, get the prescription, but they don't have his medicine in stock and someone should have called me. I'll admit by now, I am starting to get frustrated. We call around and find out that 5 miles down the road there is another pharmacy and I can go get it there. But, oh, by the way, Mam, (yes Mam he said to me), you do know that your insurance isn't going to cover this. WHAT?!? And now I am to full blown anger. Why in the heck not? It seems you have used up your visits to the local pharmacy. Oh, my blood is boiling. Fine, I'll take it up with the next pharmacist. I arrive and thankfully this pharmacist is already calling my insurance to see if they will cover it. That was nice, so I calm down a bit.
Mr. Pharmacist "Well, they'll do it, but your co-pay is more than the pills for 10 days anyway."
Me: "Thank you, but I don't want 10 days, I only need 5 days to get us through. I'll just pay half then."
Mr. P:"It isn't that much of a savings. It only saves you $10."
Me:"Why not? I only want half, shouldn't I only pay half the price I was quoted?"
Mr. P" "Sorry, Mam (am I really that old), it doesn't work that way. Do you still want only half?"
Me: "Of course, why pay extra?"

I was so angry at the healthcare system right then. I mean, shouldn't I just be able to get what I need to take care of my husband? Something is seriously wrong in this country when it takes so many hours, phone calls, miles, and effort to get some potentially life saving medication for my husband. For a man who works so hard, pays his taxes, and pays thru the nose for his health insurance? And for what? Nothing. Pure fury at this system. Pure fury. And this is where I come to say, I will put my faith in Obama. He was not my pick for president, but as such, he gets my support. I am a good American after all. I do love the freedoms I enjoy. It isn't lost on me. But I challenge our new president to make the differences his promised, to get everyone on board and fix this. It shouldn't be this hard to exercise our rights in this country. But, I digress to the way the night played out....it continues here....

And as I am waiting for all of this to happen at the 2nd pharmacy this girl at the desk is asking me questions and I told her what happened this morning. She was appropriately nice at the beginning. When all was said and done she looked at me as I was struggling to remember my zip code to put into the machine to pay for it and she said, I hope your day gets better and everything works out. I am so sorry it has been a rough day. For some reason, it stopped me in my tracks. I smiled politely and quickly turned the corner before the tears rolled out. I had to pick my way carefully out of the store so as not to see anyone in the aisles as I cried. I cried for the rotten beginning to my day, for all that had happened. I cried in frustration at the healthcare system. And then I thought of this girl and her kindness to me. I don't know her name and I am sure she doesn't realize what this meant to me. I know I am being somewhat silly and emotional, but it unleashed the stress of the day, I guess. I sat in my car crying for a minute (until some scary looking dude was looking at me and I drove super fast outta there). On the way home, I finally cried tears of gratitude. I am so thankful that no one else got hurt today. I am thankful that Bart is okay. I am thankful for that mind numbing frustrating health insurance that we have. So many go without. I am thankful for family and friends who help us during these moments. I am thankful that Bart responds fairly well to the medicine as so many other epilepsy patients can't. I am thankful it isn't a brain tumor causing his seizures. I am thankful my kids have never seen one. I am thankful that I have been blessed with the ability to stay calm and think clearly when the emergency arises. I am thankful that I can advocate for myself. I am so thankful for the lesson I taught in Primary this week: When Jesus Christ comes again, we will be made whole. There will be no disease or illness. There will be no evil. We will all be friends with each other and (the lesson really said this next part which is hard for someone deathly afraid of animals to stomach) but it said, we will all be friends with the animals of the earth too. What a great reminder. When He comes again in all His glory, He will be mindful of Bart. My sweet, adoring, amazing husband that I love without a doubt, will be made whole again. I have known that all my life, but for some reason hadn't thought to click those pieces together until tonight. I am so thankful for that. I am thankful that I know that. I am thankful for a Savior who would come to this world to accomplish just that. It makes it a little easier tonight to stomach a rotten disease and to work a little harder to be more righteous and kind. To have faith in our amazing country and its leaders. I am so thankful and blessed. Isn't it amazing what a little kindness can do and lead to for someone else. I am thankful for that sweet girl who was 1/3 my age for taking the time to see me as a person, not a customer, and for being kind to me. I am so thankful for all that I have. My fighting gloves are off, I am full of humility. I am thankful that my Father in Heaven is mindful of each of us and that He gives me challenges that we can handle together. What a beautiful life. Sorry for the length and obvious range of hormones in my body tonight! I am thankful to my readers for letting me vent!

Rachel is SO big!

Rachel has just gotten so big all of a sudden. I know it happens, but sometimes it seems slow and other times it seems like it is overnight. She is the best baby ever. I really have to say that. She rarely fusses, although she is coming into stranger danger and is definitely a Momma's girl. She laughs and kicks and plays and is just so sweet. She tolerates her siblings with laughs and is so loving to us all. She will be 9 months old soon and I just can't believe it. It seems like we have known her for so much longer. She has the most hair of any of our babies. No teeth yet but lots of drooling. Rachel likes to be on her tummy and can spin herself around quite a bit. She also likes to sit in front of her basket of toys and unload them. She loves to eat anything she can get her hands on, but Cheerios are her current favorite. Anyway, I realized I had shared so much about Anna and Jacob but hadn't given Rachel her fair share of glory. She just goes with the flow and does whatever we are doing. She takes naps like a champ and we are getting much, much better about nighttime sleep--thank you, sweet girl! We definitely love our beautiful girl.

So big sitting in front of the camera. Love the bow in her hair.

I just want to pinch those little cheeks!

More Thanksgiving Break Fun!

Besides our feast (see previous post for those details) we had a lot of fun taking a break from school. Poor Bart had to work most of the break, but that didn't stop us from having all the fun. Jacob made some crafts at school and was so sweet when he came home and gave one to Anna. She was so pleased to have something from him. In the picture of the turkey he is holding it is hard to see, but each feather has something he is thankful for on it. I loved reading it--mostly different family members and food. Super cute. They also had fun putting some Thanksgiving stickers onto a background and re-creating the first Thanksgiving. Thank you to Anna's primary teachers for sending that home. It kept them busy for at least an hour. Really, thank you so much. Here are their "crafty" pictures:

My 2 Turkeys with their 2 turkeys.

Anna and her sticker picture

Jacob helped her place everything and

I listened to him telling her as much

as he could remember from school. I love

to hear how they remember or interpret things.

They crack me up.

Quite possibly the best part of the break for the kids came when it began snowing. So much excitement in the air. "Now it is really winter, Mom", squealed Jacob. I was such a great Mom though if I do say so myself. On Saturday afternoon there was finally enough snow to sled down the hill across the street. I was getting everyone ready to head to Costco for a few things we needed. Bart was at work, but we looked out and could see all these kids out there having fun. I made a fantastic decision to let the kids sled BEFORE Costco (it all goes back to bribing and bargaining for what you want and need). I somehow managed to get Rachel out of the bath, 2 kids into snow gear that I had to search for, put Rachel down for a nap, bundled myself up, got the sled out, and went outside to play. I kept checking on Rachel every few minutes, but other than that, I loved watching them sled. Last time Anna was too afraid to go down the big hill. We walked down a bit and let her start on a smaller hill. Jacob was such a good brother to her and held onto her so tight and talked to her so she wouldn't be scared. Before too long, she conquered that big hill. I was so proud. We also made snow angels, had a snowball fight and chase, and laughed and laughed. When we were done with a good lunch and some hot chocolate we piled in the car for a trip to Costco. The kids were so tired that all 3 sat in the cart while I handed them samples, didn't ask for anything extra, and were so cute the whole time. See, compromising does work. Okay, enough narration, here are the pictures which is what people really want to see anyway!

My favorite picture of the day. Pure Joy.

Making Snow Angels-I didn't know it was such a serious effort, but Anna's face shows the amount of work and the real way to make a good angel. Did I mention I used to wear this outfit?

A few views of the hill. It is a HUGE climb. Jake later said, "Man, my legs sure are tired." Probably because he ran up the hill at least 25 times and carried the sled every time. Anna tried to help, but it just didn't work out. What a great brother he was to her. I was very proud.

MY BIG MUSCLE MAN!

What a great Thanksgiving Break. Mom sure was glad to get back to normal today though.

Jacob and Anna, not so much. They missed each other today.

An Impressive Thanksgiving Feast!

Anyone that knows me well knows that cooking is not in my blood. It seems to be in the blood of many siblings and even my husband, so taking on our very first solo Thanksgiving dinner was quite a challenge. But, I have to admit, I was very excited about it. For some reason, I felt like if I could pull this off I could officially say I am a good cook. This meant the stakes were high for me. I talked to my Mom quite possibly a million times to get all of her tips, took notes, made several trips to the grocery store, and then settled in to make our feast.

Bart and I discussed the menu beforehand (well, really I talked and Bart said whatever you want). We settled on Turkey that we stuffed, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, and homemade Rolls. I had never done the turkey or rolls before. Then came the dessert discussion and this is where Bart and I started our own tradition: no pie. I know that sounds so alarming, but relax, we didn't go without dessert. Instead, we made an old family favorite, Apple Dumplings and then put our twist on it by serving it with ice-cream and caramel topping. This turned out to be a stroke of genius.

Wednesday was my prep day and I enlisted Anna's help in the roll making. It was fun to share that experience with her and she loved helping me out. I remember watching and helping my Mom and I know she helped her Mom, which made me feel like I was part of passing down this cool tradition. I must say, our rolls came out pretty darn good for a first try, but I am convinced that no matter how many times I do it they will never quite be Moms. However, they were more than perfect for us. Jacob has not stopped eating them to prove my point (and he is quite the food snob) That night we also made the Apple Dumplings together. This time Jake was interested and we had fun getting them together. This is where my only mishap occurred. While making dumplings, you have to put the finished dough stuff into a pan of sugar water. Something distracted me while doing this and somehow I managed to dump an entire glass baking dish full of sugar water onto my kitchen floor. Note to self: Don't EVER do that again! I have cleaned it multiple times since and continue to find sticky spots. Ugh.

Thursday went very smoothly for us. Bart helped me with the turkey but I did get over myself and managed to stuff it and close it up and get it ready all by myself. When everything was done, we sat down to a fantastic meal. It was fun to have our small family together. We got out our china and made sure to go around and say what we were thankful for. The top ones were: our house, our family, the church, homemade rolls with butter, Diet Coke, and no school. Add to that one prayer for snow and we were one happy family.

So I guess this means that I can officially say: I am a good cook. I am so proud of myself.

I think food pictures never look that great and sometimes look really disgusting, but I couldn't help but post some of my proud moments in cooking. My Mom should really be proud too! Thanks to her great instructions, we pulled it off! Thanks Mom, we are thankful for you too!

Our Turkey (YUM!)

Our most delicious Apple Dumplings The bread that later became the best stuffing ever

My attempt at Mom's rolls

The beautiful table complete with Jacob's
school decorations

Ode to the Internet

Ode to the internet--

The internet has been so missed
some friends have even felt dissed
But having you around so near
Will help this time of year
Oh internet how we love thee
It makes us full of glee!

Alright, so poems are not always my best talent, but I do have a few that are classics--ask anyone that went to Spain or Jerusalem with me! But, at long last, we are reconnected to the world, so expect more posts this weekend. I am doing my own dinner so it will be well documented!

Welcome home internet, welcome home!