Potty Training again...

Day 1:  It seems like life may be a little less busy and stressed so I can really put panties back on Amber.  She has been wearing pull ups, which has been an improvement, since she normally will have a bowel movement in the towlet instead of her diaper/pull-up.  She is also understanding the idea of potty treats and knowing that she gets one even if she is just "practicing" going.  (She wasn't even trying before until I told her just to practice going to get use to it.  That seemed to work better and she would go if she was practicing but not if I asked her to try to go.)  I guess this is a good way to get rid of all that halloween candy.


Day 2: Today Amber is in panties again.  I noticed she was putting a baby wipe down her panites.  I asked what she was doing.  She told me that if she did this (as she put the wipe down in the bottom of her panties) then it would catch her potty and it wouldn't come out of her panites.  (I think she is missing the point on the purpose of panties or going potty in the toilet.)  Amber did go plenty of times potty in the toilet and got many potty treats as well.

Day 3:  It seems as if I am being potty trained as well.  Everytime I ask Amber to "practice" going potty or she thinks she might have to go potty she insist on me trying to go too.  Each time she has to go in her little potty chair, she wants me to go in the big potty too.  Her potty is in front of the big potty and they face each other.  I think I have pottied more this morning than I have this entire week.

Day 4: Everything is running smoothly.  Lots of potty treats, lots of going potty in the toilet.  Amber has become afraid of taking a nap though, "my potty might come out!"  When she naps I have been putting a pull-up on her as well when she goes to bed at night.  Bad thing, she knows when she is wearing a pull-up so then she chooses NOT to go in the toilet.  Mostly Amber is going on her own to the potty, I am not having to ask if she needs to go.  I only suggest practicing if we are going to be in the car or gone for awhile without potty access.

Day 5:  I am no longer allowed in the bathroom with Amber.  She previously would be afraid to go into the dark bathroom, but now that she has realized she can turn the light on herself, I am no longer permitted in the bathroom with her. 

Day 6: Not such a good day.  After all these great days of Amber going potty so good... then this morning she wet her pants twice.  Bummer!

Day 7: We went to the movies today with the girls.  Everything went smoothly.  I had Amber "practice" before we left.  Once we got there, she told Robert as he was getting her out, "my potty is going to come out!"  I hurried her to the potty along with all the other girls to "practice" too.  Amber did great.  We ate out tonight too, and she seemed to go okay in the other toilets.  No accidents.

Day 8: Today was church.  I forgot to have her go before church.  I was involved in the primary program so I wasn't sitting with Amber.  I did inform Robert that she only had panites on and she had extra panties and a new dress in the bag.  He asked why?  I told him in case she wet her panties.  When I took her to class I had her "practice" in the little toilet in the class room.  It is the coolest thing in the whole world... they have little toilets and sinks in a bathroom in the nursery room.  How wonderful is that?  She loved her size real toilet and sink. 

Day 9: Only one accident today.  Not to shabby!  She also will insist on putting her panties back on by HERSELF!  She gets so annoyed at me when I try to help.

Day 10:  I tried really hard not to laugh today... as I was helping Amber pull up her pants that were all crazy, I noticed something.  She was wearing two pairs of pants, one on top of the other.  The under pair of pants was a pair of Samantha's too.  Who knows where she picked them up at.  No wonder they were giving her problems.  I had noticed the panites she was wearing earlier were on the floor, but she had her pants on.  Too funny!  I guess she is just impervising.  Then later tonight when I was putting the kids to bed, she came upstairs with a long strand of toilet paper saying, "I couldn't break it off, I was afraid I was going to drip."  She came up with a huge long strand that went from the downstairs bathroom to the upstairs bedroom.  I had to try not to laugh as I carried it all back down and saw that it was attached still to the roll downstairs.  Amber then said, "it wouldn't break."

I think we have accomplished this potty training for the most part.  Amber is still wearing pull-ups at night.  She doesn't seem to stay dry during the night but that will come later.  I don't mind one diaper a day from her, and usually she will take it off and put it in the garbage.  Here's to having only one in diapers!  Yipee! 

Another trip to the Zoo

One of the last times we went to the zoo we got a family pass to the zoo.  It seemed like we were going often enough that it would be worth it.  For my family, if we went twice a year, it would pay for itself.  I am glad I got it. 

I got a call from a friend who said she was thinking about the zoo.  We had planned a zoo trip before but the weather was bad and we canceled it.  This particular day was perfect for the zoo. 

The zoo has a few baby animals, tigers, an elephant, a girafee, snow leopards too I think although I haven't seen them.  I could be missing one or two still.

This zoo trip the big girls were in school so I took Samantha and Amber.  We rode the carousel twice, which Amber each time just wanted to ride the peacock bench.  I thought what a waste, although it wasn't really.  She still had fun.  I forget that my fun isn't always the same as the next persons fun. Samantha didn't really seem to care where she rode.  She rode a lion first and then the peacock second. 

The peacock is kind of cool too, because my parents have peacocks at their house.  Maybe she was just thinking of her grandparents and the peacocks there.  She loves her Grandma and Grandpa! (all three sets of them)

The girls loved the water, although what little ones don't?

I love the facial expression here!  I have seen another little girl about that age with that same face.  (me)

Samantha kept picking up leaves and giving them to us.

She doesn't look that happy, but she did like the elephant.

The baby elephant was fun to watch.

All three of us together.

The girls on the carousel riding the peacock....

And while riding the carousel Amber spotted one of the zoo's real peacocks.

I don't think I can ever get tired of going to the zoo.  I would probably go more often if it was closer.  I think this spring when the weather warms up we will be going more often.  The zoo people where putting up lights when we were there.  I will have to go back for the zoo lights which I am guessing will start after Thanksgiving. 

Life and Halloween Costumes 2006

I am one of those late posters on Halloween.... I have thought before, how could you NOT have time for this blogging stuff.  I have recently found out how you don't have time.  It seems like the last 3 weeks and possibly the last month has gone by so rapidly and I have been so busy being busy I can't do much of anything. 
First my siblings and I were busy planning a special surprise for my parents anniversary, I stayed up many late night making new email accounts, and creating a website/blog for a company that we made up that would be sending my parents on a weekend getaway.  (All this is enough for another post I am sure.) 

Then Robert got sick, we canceled my trip to WA... then the kids got sick.  Meanwhile Emily had a project due...  as she does every month.  Then Halloween was approaching so I had to get ready for that, or more like the kids costumes ready.  Next came a trip to WA for my Nephews wedding.  I get home from that to Amber's birthday and then the week full of Halloween sewing.  The week of Halloween I didn't even get on the computer for my personal use until I think Friday, I didn't even check email and I do that several times a day.  I would get on to look up costume pictures to get ideas of how to make the girls' costumes. 

Then Halloween was over so I thought things would slow down, but then I had the whole messy house from the week of not doing anything house related...  it just goes on and on.  And now Emily has yet another project due this Friday.  Through all of life, I somehow managed to finish costumes.  The girls kept asking, "what if you don't get it done?"  I told them I would stay up all night if I needed to so that I could get them done for Friday's costume parade, which by the way, both schools were having at the same time. 

I kind of skipped out on Amber and Samantha's costumes.  I pulled some out of the costume box.  They were both giraffes.  Funny thing, as the girls and I were talking, we realized that they have all been a giraffe for Halloween at one time or another.  I guess these earned their keep.  Emily was a giraffe when she was about a year and half, Lindsey and Lauren where when they were 2 I think, and now Amber 3, and Samantha about 1 and a half are using them.  It was a little big for Samantha, but she pretty much stayed in the stroller the whole time.

Lauren wanted to be a Ninja.  I wasn't really for sure what she wanted.  She first saw a costume that was a dress and then just had a headband and a sword or something.  Then she decided she wanted pants instead.  Her costume was the easiest, but the most expensive really.  I bought her some black pants and a black hooded shirt.  We also bought the backpack weapon pack.  It came with two swords and two smaller knives. She lost one while we were trick-or-treating and found it a week later.  I bought some red material, which I started to sew so it wouldn't be all stringy and then I remembered I could also heat it or burn it and it would do the same but be less time, so I got the torch out.

Lindsey wanted to be an Egyptian last year and this year too.  Last year she changed her mind but this year she was sure she wanted to be an Egyptian.  I thought about buying the pattern for the costume but I am cheap and thought I could do okay with out it.  I didn't like the way the dress came out.  I put an elastic at the waist but did it without Lindsey so it ended up being a little too high for her.  I guess I should have taken it out but I lost my little handy tool to take it all out easier. We bought a few accesories and some embelishments and tada, she is done. 

Emily wanted to be a Gypsy, and she made a great one.  She had a costume in mind... although we didn't ever see a costume for one, she wanted a white dress.  I looked for a pattern and couldn't find one that I liked and I am cheap, so I made my own tiered skirt pattern (or equation) and then used a shirt pattern that was too small so I altered it a bit.  It all worked out good, which I was grateful for.  She now has a new shirt and skirt to wear too.  Her costume consisted of her new white skirt and shirt, then some material for the wraps on her waist and head.  We got bracelets, a necklace, rings, and earrings that she never wore (waisted $12).  Oh, and some coin trim. 

The girls had great costumes.  Lauren's leg straps kept coming down, I didn't ever notice it until we were out.  I should have pinned them I guess.  The girls looked great, and had fun this Halloween.  On Friday before Halloween the girls had their school costume parades, like I said, at the same time.  I called to see what the order was at each school and still didn't get a real straight answer.  I was dropping off Emily shortly before hers started so I stayed there.  I literally RAN with 2 in stroller to my car after I saw Emily.  My lungs where on fire from the cold air and I raced to the other school. 

I was hoping I didn't miss the twins parade but as I approached cars where leaving.  I was so bummed.  Of course when I talked to the girls telling them my problem of both of their parades at the same time, they suggested for Dad to come to one of them.  He couldn't, so then I asked for more suggestions.  All girls wanted me to be at THEIRS.  I raced into the school, strollerless, carrying both girls and find the parade over.  I did see both Lindsey and Lauren's classes in the hall and so I waved and hugged the girls as they passed.  That was as good as it was going to get.  Luckily that seemed to be enough for them. 

The girls wanted to do a funny picture.  It seems they accomplished that.  I wish I would have gotten one of little girls with the big girls too.  It seemed like we were in such a rush still on Halloween.

It was my year to take the girls trick or treating.  We over purchased our candy for this year.  I think we had about 12 knocks on the door. 

Friday we had our church party, which was a trunk or treat.  Before that we went to a car lot that was sponsoring a trunk or treat as well.  Samantha collected candy at those but not on Halloween night.  I figured she had enough.  She did go with us on Halloween in the stroller.  The girls of course refused to wear coats because it would cover their costumes.  The giraffe's were pretty warm except their hands and faces.

Amber was just hilliarious.  So honest.  She was at one house and told the person handing out candy, "I would really prefer a sucker."  I didn't hear it, but Emily told me she was getting kind of sassy, and then told me what she said.  I stayed back a bit with the stroller and Samantha while the girls all went up to the house.  Amber started out in the stroller and then after a few house when I asked her to get in the stroller she held up her foot and said, "I have shoes on, I can walk."  She walked for awhile and then decided after a few doors that it was okay to get back in the stroller as long as she could get back out again with the big girls. 

After one of the doors, Amber came bouncing back to the stroller and hit Samantha's giraffe nose a few times and said, "How ya doing little Giraffe?"  Then she got back in the stroller.  Amber seems to always have a spring in her step or is dancing or swaying as she moves.  She spent most of the night singing and dancing to the doors, at the doors, and from there to the stroller if she would get in.  She was singing made up songs about trick-or-treating and a song that went something like, "I'm gonna get candy, beacuse I really like candy...."  She cracked up me and the other girls too.

For the most part, Samantha just enjoyed being in the stroller.  She didn't seem too sad that she wasn't getting out to get candy.  Some people commented on how cute my giraffes were.  Emily was upset because people didn't always know what she was.  She was called a pirate, a princess, and a few others I forgot.  She was upset that people didn't know it right away.  I thought about the time she wanted to be a "Cowgirl Princess Bride" and knew people wouldn't really know what that was either.  The gypsy I felt was better than the Cowgirl Princess Bride, which she just ended up being just a Rodeo Princess that year.

It was kind of weird with the time change being later, so it was so light when we normally would be out trick-or-treating.  It didn't take long though, and the girls where cold after about an hour and we went home.  At one of our last houses though, we went to and they had a scary clown thing that came down from the porch ceiling when they opened the door.  I told the girls, "just FYI, I think that thing is coming down when the door opens" and pointed up to the clown.  The girls all stepped back except Amber who didn't hear me or look at me.  She got clonked by the clown.  She didn't care, and didn't know to be scared really.  The last house we went to the guy had a scary looking mask on, and Amber turned to me and said, "I don't really like him, he looks really scary."  She took candy anyway, but a little cautiously.  The big girls at all the houses kind of were cautious and stayed back from the doors, Amber wasn't afraid at all.  She went right up to them all.  A few doors Lauren was afraid they had some motion sensored scary animated statues and wouldn't go up.  She wouldn't say she was scared, she would just say, "I don't want any more candy."  If it looked okay once the girls were getting candy she would say, "okay," and run up to the door really quick to get the candy.  One more year of Halloween memories. 

Halloween Decorations

This is our first guy we made... his name is Jack.  We put newspaper in some old clothes and then zip tied him to a chair covered in a garbage bag. 

Amber always calls the kids we see at the store cousins or brothers or sisters.  We teased her and said her cousin Jack was here to see her.  She hadn't been around while we were creating him.  She came down stairs all excited and with big smiles and then saw Jack and was a bit upset and afraid.  She said, "I don't like Jack.  He isn't my cousin."  We thought it was funny, but she didn't see the humor.  She still isn't real fond of Jack, although today she said she thinks Jack is funny.

We moved Jack to the front porch by the door. 

Next was a mummy lady, we call her Spiderella.  She was formed in the image of Emily.  I layed Emily down on a cardboard and took wire and wired it to one side, then put the wire over Emily and then measured and cut the wire to wire to the other side after Emily got off the cardboard.  I think I will redo her next year.  I used a garbage bag over the wires to make the form, but I wanted to use cheese cloth and didn't have enough for it.  I think next year I will redo her.  After she was formed, we rolled her in spider webs and then added a few spiders to her.  She was kind of cool.

Last we put up a grave yard.  I bought some supplies at Home Depot and then spray painted them black.  When I spray paited them it made a giant blister on my finger... I guess it froze me.  It was uncomfortable for about 2 weeks at least. 

I added the skulls to the posts and then draped some spider webs over too.  I didn't put the grave stones out until Halloween, since I was afraid they would blow away.  The wind blows often here.

The girls helped with the cobwebs too.  They draped them over the rocks in the front.  We didn't really have anything to stick the cob webs too.  At our other house we had bushes and trees and our bricks and all that they stuck to really well.  We had some cob webs up from the beginning of the month.  Finally on the day of Halloween I had the idea to stick some wire here and there to stick the webs on.  That worked really well, and I added more cob webs. 

Now I just wish we would have gotten that fog machine we saw... although we didn't have the money to buy it.  And I wish we would have bought the skeletons too that I wanted... again that was a money issue.  I coudn't see spending $40 on decorations when the girls still didn't have costumes.  Maybe next year I will buy one of them.  I hope next year we have better decorations.  It is fun now because the girls really get into it.  Before Lauren was pretty scared of Halloween things, and she still is a bit but not as much.  Now the girls love to think, "we have the spookiest house on the street" even though maybe it isn't true.  I think they take pride in helping things look spooky. 

Now we have to figure out Christmas stuff... which will be REALLY hard since we have no trees bushes or anything like that to put lights on.  Maybe lights on the rocks?  I guess there is time to figure it all out. 

Pumpkin Carving

It was kind of funny when I went to buy our pumpkins...  I got 5.  The lady at the store commented on the large amount of pumpkins, and I told her I had 5 girls so we needed 5.  In previous years I have bought Robert and myself a pumpkin too, but Robert never is really into carving them and I seem to do it all and then have to do mine too so I get all pumpkined out.  Normally we do pumpkins on the Monday before Halloween as a family home evening activity.  This year, that Monday happened to be Amber's birthday so I knew we couldn't do both.

The girls were pretty good about cleaning their own pumkins out.  I cut the tops open and then gave them some large spoons and some of those plastic pumpkin scoops you can buy.  They did pretty good with them and for the most part by themselves.

Except for Amber, she get in there for about 4 seeds and then she was done.  It was too time consuming for here, and she couldn't do it and hold her special shirt so she opted out.  She did tell me how to carve the face when it came time though.  She stayed with us and watched but didn't really want to scoop anymore. 

Lauren was the pumpkin master.... she scooped hers out, then she finished Amber's and even finished a bit of another.  When the pumpkins were all done, she was still looking for more to scoop out.  I would scrape them out really good with a spoon for the girls if they needed help but I wouldn't take it out, that was their job, and then it became Laurens pleasure to do it for them. 

We also found out the rabbit seems to like the pumpkins too.  We gave her any big chunks of pumpkin we had.  I carved Samantha's a bit different so there was lots of chunks of pumpkins for the rabbit.  She enjoyed them.  We gave her one of the pumpkins once Halloween was over, but she didnt' seem to enjoy it as much.  Maybe it has to be fresh before she really likes them.

Above is Samantha's pumpkin... but she did have a bit of help with it... since she was asleep while we do pumpkins.  It was more of a daytime pumpkin because it didn't really show up at night very well. 

And here is the line up of pumpkins on our porch steps.  I didn't get any pics of them at night.  The very top one is Ambers, the one eyed one is Emily's, next is Lindsey's, then Samantha's, and last is Lauren's.  Emily's even had ears.  Emily drew her face on the pumpkin and I carved it out.  Lindsey and Lauren drew their face on paper and I cut them out on the pumpkin following their picture.  Amber told me what shapes she wanted me to do and I did the best to do it.  She told me she wanted eyes like her eyes on her pumpkin.  I wish I would have gotten better pictures of all the pumpkins.  Too late now.

Amber's 3rd Birthday

Amber turned 3, and she wanted a Dora cake.  I didn't really know how to do that, or maybe more of WHAT to do for that.  Here cake was more like a Dora Barbie cake.  Not only did she want a Dora cake but also a Blue Dora cake...  She seemed to like it.  We hid the cake from her until it was birthday time, and this was her expression when we told her she could open her eyes.  She was so excited for the whole BIRTHDAY thing anyway. 






Lindsey and Lauren helped me with Dora's dress, with the spots and the strawberries.  They didn't do too bad.  I really prefer to do it all by MYSELF, then that way it turns out how I want it to, but I have been learning to let them help out with things too.  It is hard, but I am learning and letting them do more things that I would normally do ALONE.

Amber is blowing out the candles.

This is what we originally got for her.  She liked it and I think the other girls did too.  I had to keep reminding them that it was for AMBER and it was for her to play with not them. 

Lindsey made Amber this "guitar" all by her self.  She found the cardboard from something and then she found a Dora picture.  I think the cardboard was from the Dora doll and probably the little picture was too.  She glued and cut until she finished it all.  Lindsey then went downstairs to find a gift bag for it all.  I thought she was so cute in doing all this.  She made her a paper snowflake and a little birthday card too.

Lauren made this little headband at her school.  She gave it to Amber for her birthday.  I wore it when we went trick or treating.  It has a red bat, and some black roses or flowers on it.  Lauren also went in the basement and found a gift bag and tissue paper to put her headband in.  She made a card for her too. 

Emily was a bit bummed that she didn't do anything for Amber.  I don't think she knew the other girls were doing things for her, so then she felt bad that she didn't do anything.  It was still okay.  Amber didn't realize that she didn't do anything.  Emily loves Amber very much, and she shows that everyday to her. It is fun to watch Emily with her, she is great with her.  Emily is always helpful and mother-like to Amber. 

Happy Birthday Amber! 

Amber is 3 years old now.  She is 30 lbs and 36 inches tall.  (She and Samantha wear many of the same clothes.)

Weekend Wedding

I had two trips planned in Oct to go home to WA for a visit.  One was for a surprise anniversary celebration for my parents.  That weekend Robert had to flu and the rest of the kids ended up with it too.  I ended up having to stay home to take care of them and just in case I was going to get it too.  We had to cancel our whole plans.  And they were REALLY good plans too.  Much time and energy had been put into them, but oh well... it will happen some other time. 

Then later in the month, my nephew was getting married.  This is the first of my parents grandkids to get married.  Garret is my oldest sister's 2nd oldest.  He found such a wonderful young women, they have known each other for at least 5 years and I think they both knew they were going to be married but they were just waiting for the right time.  They met in VA going to college together. 

It was such a great weekend.  I wish I had pictures to post, but I left my camera at home.  It was a very busy weekend for me... I went to WA alone... can you believe it?  My first vacation ALONE since Emily.  Poor Robert stayed home the whole weekend ALONE as well, although he wasn't really alone, but maybe more like ON HIS OWN with all the kids. 

I got a call one morning, "Where are the little girls' clothes?  I can't seem to find them."  My answer was something to the effect of "the dresser in Amber's room holds Amber's clothes, and the dresser in Samantha's room has Samantha's clothes in it."  He then needed to help finding socks that fit them, which that one was totally understandable since they are kind of hiding in a box and not just in a drawer somewhere.  Poor guy.  He told me he "missed" church, Amber had been coughing and Samantha was crying.  Later he just said, "okay I wuzzed out."  I wish I could use the exuse sometimes.

I spent the most of the weekend with my parents, I got in to Portland at like 6:40 pm on Thursday night.  We got something to eat and then went home, stayed up talking until late and then had to leave at 6:45am the next morning to make it back to Portland to attend the temple for the endowment session of Garret and his beautiful fiance, Toney.  That was a long morning, we got done had lunch in Portland area, went to the book store, and then got home about 3ish.  We needed to be back at a rehearsal dinner in Chehalis where the reception was going to be.  I was able to take about an hour nap.  We headed up there, and didn't get back home again until around 10ish I don't think. 

The next morning was the wedding Sealing at the temple, which again, meant we needed to leave again about 6:45am.  My dad was to wake me up at about 6:15am and I woke up at like 6:30 and was wondering why he didn't wake me up yet.  No one was up so I thought, well I go wake them up.  I woke them up and they SLOWLY got ready.  My dad's clock had reset itself for daylight savings time so it was only saying 5:30 instead of the real 6:30 time.  My dad goes and takes a shower.  I am trying to get ready but all my stuff is in the bathroom that my dad is showering in.  My mom is still in bed thinking we still have an hour...  finally my dad notices a different clock that says it is really like almost 7am now.  He then told my mom she should get up.  Then it all started to make sense, why my dad was taking his time in the shower and why my mom was still laying in bed not getting ready.  It was funny to think about later. 

We get to the temple, or almost there and I decide to call the girls and tell them hi.  As I called them I realized I didn't have my temple recommend.  I wouldn't be able to go into the temple for the sealing.  I was so bummed.  Robert said they would call my bishop or stake president.  He would call the Stake President and let them know I was there without a recommend.  He didn't want to bother him if they weren't going to call.  We went in and talked to the front desk people, they took my info and came back later saying that my bishop just went for a run and my stake president was new (since our stake just split awhile ago) and wasnt' sure who was or wasn't a recommend holder.  I knew if he knew who I was, the wife of Robert one of his high councilors he would okay me.  Some how... I was able to get in.  I was SO thankful!  I felt pretty dumb for not having my recommend.

I helped Toney with her LONG hair for pictures at the temple.  She has hair all the way down to her thighs.  It is super LONG.  They did a few pictures, I took a few lame ones on my phone that didn't even really turn out.  My parents and I left and I went to go help my sister at her house with whatever she needed.  She was pretty stressed and worn out with all the wedding stuff.  Not to mention Garret is in the military so he was stationed in Texas at the time and Toney was living there too so neither of them were even in WA to do things. 

The reception was beautiful, Toney's mom made the wedding cake, which was fabulous... and Toney's dress was amazing!  They had all sorts of food there, it was crazy.  They had tables assigned to families.  I sat at a table with my 2 brothers and one of my sisters.  One of my brothers and his wife left early to go be with their son at a football game, so just the 3 of us where left.  Well I take that back, Garret's sister and her boyfriend were at our table too but they were pretty quiet.  Somehow during one of the speakers I started laughing because my brother was stealing food from my dad's plate.  It was a joint effort, my sister would poke my dad and when he looked at her, my brother would poke his fork into something on my dad's plate.  My parents and one of my other sisters where sitting at a table just in front of us.  When I started to laugh, I could not stop.  Any time I looked at my sister I would just start cracking up.  I was covering my whole face with a napkin and then I would pull it all together and stop laughing.  I would remove the napkin and as soon as I looked at Tracy, I just lost it again.  I was about to walk out because I wasn't just laughing a little, I was laughing loudly and noticably.  I finally pulled it together. 

I felt for my sister and the joy and pain all wrapped up in the same bundle.  Her son leaving her family to become his own family... yet it is so wonderful to see him and his wife, they truly love each other and you can see it the way the look at each other.  They compliment each other so well.  I know my sister was on the edge of tears the whole weekend, several times I saw her try to pull it together while trying not to lose it. 

At the reception my sister danced with her son, Garret to the song A Mother's Song which was such a great song.  If you click on the link it will take you to YouTube with a video of the song.  It is really great.  I couldn't help but to just cry listening to the song and watching them dance.  (And of course also imagining my sisters heart and all the emotions she would be going through.)

My weekend seemed really short, even though I came in on Thursday night.  Sunday I went to church for the first hour and then went to see a best friend, but she was home yet so I thought I would stop by and see my sister and her daughter.  Which... that sort of worked out, my sister was gone too but I was able to chat with my neice and I don't get to see her much so that was good too.  She just had homecoming so she was all really excited about that still.  I did end up going to see my friend (or my BFFFFF as Lauren would call it) but I was only able to stay a short time.  I also got to celebrate my brother, Kelly, and his wife's son, Parker's first birthday, which another one of my friends was there too so I was able to score on that too.  My brother and family have came to visit us here before.  It was great to see them and their other 2 kids.  Again, it was just so fast, I wish I would have been able to spend more time and with everyone. 

It was as it is always hard to give those hugs and kisses and leave my HOME to go to my new life and home that I have now with my own family.  It always makes me a little sad that my old life/home is so far away from my new home/life.  I also couldn't help to think, I still have a round trip ticket that I didn't use so that means I have another trip to plan to WA.  : )

Here is the song that I was talking about...  A Mother's Song

The imagination of a 3 yr old

Today, I was checking email and all those compute things I do (since last week I didn't even check email until Thursday and Friday because my week was too busy)....

Amber comes up to me with a little tea cup and says, "would you like some hot cocoa?  It's really good!"  I tell her yes that sounds great.  She then makes a spitting sound into the cup, which then she accidently really does slobber into the cup and hands it to me to "pretend to drink" she told me.  I then asked her where her cocoa came from, she pointed to her mouth and said, "In my mouth, it is really hot and it will warm you right up."  I looked into the cup to find some pink tinted spit from her juice she was drinking earlier and was trying to figure out how I can "pretend to drink it" without it getting too close to me. 

I suppose her imagination is a litte too real.  She cracks me up all day long!