Preschool Home Visits

Kalyana's preschool teachers came over for this quarters 'home visit'. Have I said how much I LOVE her school and teachers?! Miss Sophia gave Kalyana her very own glue and scissors. Then they played 'Chutes and Ladders' while Miss Heather talked to Tarl and me. Miss Heather told us Kalyana is friendly, listens well, and is very polite. They also brought us a packet full of fun activities to do together.

Tyce is Four Months!

Tyce is four months! We have so much fun with him. In the last couple of months he's been smiling like crazy, keeping us all entertained with his adorable laugh, and loving all the attention from the family. He seems like he's bigger than the girls were and it was confirmed when we went to the doctor. He's healthy and strong and right on track. He's in the 10th % for his weight and only in the 2% for his height. He got 4 shots today but was such a trooper. About 7 seconds after the last poke he calmed down and cuddled up.

We also confirmed that Tyce has Eczema which means lotion twice a day! The doctor said it could disappear when he gets older so here's hoping.

Gobble Gobble

What a fun day! We had a relaxing morning and then drove up to the D's house for the big day. The guest list included us, the J's, my parents, Grandpa D, Grandma & Grandpa F, and my aunt and uncle F and their kids. We made all of our yummy traditional foods. Some of my favorites: homemade rolls using Grandma F's recipe, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, turkey, corn, and homemade pumpkin pies. We had a great time visiting, relaxing, cooking and playing!

My aunt and uncle even made homemamde lime juice which I found to be quite tasty! Kalyana and my cousins Melissa (age 7) had a great time playing together! Kaly really enjoyed having someone old enough to understand her games. As usual, Makayla and Austin were great little buddies and followed each other around while following Grandma D!

Library Turkeys

This morning I took the girls to story time at the library. I found out my friend works there so it was a nice little bonus to get to say hi to her. Since Kalyana started school she hasn't been able to go (since they're at the same time) so when I asked her if she wanted to go this morning she was jumping up and down saying, "Oh yes, yes I do!" They did all things Thanksgiving today: songs, story, dance, and letter. They even got this special surprise at the end!

Pilgrim Placecards

Today the girls and I painted pilgrims with this in mind. Sometimes I forget that it's not about the outcome, but how much fun we have making the craft that counts. So I let the girls play and paint and they had a good time creating their own masterpieces.

        And while we were having so much fun Tyce was keeping an eye on all of us.

Fries for Feelings

Tarl was in the mood for a movie this evening so he found one called "Away From Her" about a couple dealing with Alzheimer's disease. I thought it looked kind of sad from the previews so I told him I didn't think I'd watch it. (It seems my heart these days just isn't up to things of the to serious nature.) Later that night I came into the room and he was watching it and like always when he watches a movie I got sucked in and watched the whole thing. It was a well done and an interesting film (a one-timer for me though). However....I cried several times, just like I thought I would.

Later this evening Tarl went out to take the garbage to the curb and I swear he was gone for like 20 minutes. Well actually he was, because while he was out he jumped in the car and went and got me a surprise treat (Wendy's fries). I think he felt like I needed a little pick me up. There are many reasons I love my dear sweet husband!

Signing Time with Makayla

Makayla's vocabulary has totally exploded in the last few weeks! I totally owe it all to sign language and these wonderful DVD's! My sister Heather introduced us to this awesome product back when Kalyana was little.

At least a few times a day Makayla will bring me the TV controller and sign 'boy'--it's her way of asking if she can watch the sign language movies. The movie has a song called "I'm proud to be me" and goes, "I'm a boy, I'm a boy, I'm proud to be me yeah. I'm a girl, I'm a girl, etc. (Hence why she signs 'boy'.) I just pulled them out about a month ago and usually we'll try to watch it a few times a week to help us all remember the signs (and lets face it, to be entertained!). However we were teaching the girls a few sings (milk, more, food, all done) when they were a little less than a year old).

Not only is Makayla actually trying to say more words (instead of just pointing or crying) but we're actually able to understand her! She loves signing to us and Tarl is so cute to work with her on it whenever he can.

Most of the words that she can sign/say are: Eat, Milk, Water, Ball, More, Bird, Cat, Dog, Fish, Car, Airplane, Want, Shoes, Flower, Mom, Dad, Baby, Sleep, Friend, Play, Train, Doll, Bike, Bear, Please, Share, Your Turn, My Turn, Thank You, Book, Read, Socks, Yes, Thirsty, Drink, Dirty, Clean, Potty, Wash Hands, Bath, Hurt, Sorry, Stop, Go, Wait, Grandma, Grandpa, Hungry, Apple, Cookie, Cereal, Banana, Bread, Cheese, Cracker, Ice Cream, Candy, Help, Full, Hot, Cold, Dry, Wet, Like, Don't Like, Day, Sun, Night, Moon, Stars, Happy, Laugh, Sad, Cry, Boy, Girl.

I even heard that sign language helps alleviate the "terrible two's" because the kids are able to communicate what they need and the adults are able to understand.

These shows are actually even fun for me to watch too (Tarl even gets into it and we both know all the signs as well!). I took a few ASL classes in college and loved the language. I think it's so beautiful. Last year I believe, the company was even able to put episodes on television so if you're interested you could check their website/or listings in your area to see if you can catch a bit on TV.

Salt Lake Temple Visit

Today we went to a wedding luncheon for my cousin Justin and his new wife Alicia. The bride and groom looked dashing and it was so neat to get to celebrate with them. Half my moms family lives close and the other half live in other states so it was a fun, quick reunion! My mom and dad were excited to see all the grandkids too and couldn't get enough holding time in.

After a fun lunch we took the kids to walk around Temple Square.  I told Kalyana yesterday that we were going to get to see the Salt Lake temple and she was so excited she had a hard time going to sleep last night. The girls ooh'ed and ahh'ed at the temple, but then they saw a water fountain and they wanted to spend the rest of the time playing in the water (see they couldn't even take their eyes off it, above picture w/ me).

We had lunch in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building so I was able to get some fun photos of the temple and the girls.

Badge, Car, Chair

At school this week Kalyana has been learning about fire safety, and police men. Today a real police officer even came and visited her school. She got this fun little badge that says "Junior Officer". She learned about 'stop, drop and roll', and how and when to call 911. She also got a brand new book from school. They wrapped it up and she came running in the house and told me she had a present for me. I asked her if she wanted to help me open it but she told me it was for me. It's a fun new book about winter and snow.

We got some new neighbors about a month ago and they have two kids a girl about 6 months older than Makayla and a boy one month older than Tyce. Makayla is excited to have a friend her age and they're already great at sharing their toys! This is her little car that Makayla just can't get enough of. She'll literally play in this car for an hour if I let her.

Today we tried out our toy chair with Tyce. He's still a bit too little so I tucked some blankets around him to fill in the gaps and he seemed to enjoy it for about 20 minutes. I think he likes sitting up straight so he can see what's going on. Tonight I got him laughing SO much by drumming my fingers up his tummy he got the hiccups from laughing so hard. He's so much fun!

A day at the beach.

This is just a fun example of Tarls creativity, Photoshop skills and hobby/obsession. A few evenings during the week you can often find Tarl playing Halo 3 with our buddies--and sometimes me (if he can tear me away from my books). I think I talk to my brothers-in-law and guy friends on xbox live more than I talk to my sisters-in-law on the phone. Halo 3 has some fun new features like after you play a game you can rewatch it and send videos or pictures of it to your friends. So not only does Tarl play he then likes to watch the excellent skills and lucky shots. This was one of the guys Tarl killed and he thought he fell in such a perfect position he just HAD to add a little something. I've been thinking, I need to get him to start posting more...

Santa Clause isn't coming to town...yet.

Kalyana woke up in the middle of the night, threw open her door and went running down the hall and down the stairs. Tarl wasn't asleep just yet and thought that perhaps she was having a bad dream so he called out to her and she came into our room. He asked her what the matter was. She said, "I had a dream...." and Tarl thought oh no another scary dream. Then she said "Santa Clause came to our house." Tarl said, "That sounds like such a fun dream, but Santa Clause doesn't come until next month."

Sticking Together

I'm so excited to watch these boys grow up together. Tyce is one year younger than his cousin Austin and so far they are the only boys in the family so they gotta stick close together. Austin came over to play today and couldn't get enough of little Tyce.

My life, in the last two days.

It seems just when I get a chance to breath and relax , I'm wrong. My kids keep me hopping. Yesterday I took the girls to the library to restock our stacks of books and I accidentally turned in our Blockbuster movie instead of the library movie. Which meant a return trip today. Today at school Kalyana got her very first school pictures taken. I'm excited to see how they turned out. Playing with the kiddies, cleaning, feeding/changing the baby, errands, classes, grocery shopping, fixing meals, finances, appointments. Inhale, exhale. Off again...to weight lifting class.

Makayla has 10 teeth. I took this picture this evening when I was playing around with my camera and this is actually the best picture I've seen that shows all her teeth. A few weeks ago she started getting two more molars on top but they haven't come all the way in yet. She'll be 2 in Jan and still doesn't have all her teeth! Apparently though when the teeth stay under the gums longer their enamel actually is stronger. Nifty huh?!

Makayla loves to play with Tyce. She doesn't even mind when he sleeps. She'll cuddle up next to him and kiss him whenever she gets the chance. It's so adorable to hear her say "Tyyyycccce" I'll have to see if I can get it on film.

Yesterday Kalyana asked me for a piece of tape. I handed her some and a few minutes later she came back over to me and told me to come look what she had done. She said she wrote her song on the paper and was being the song leader. I guess she needed to have her own music stand.

Tyce is getting SO strong! He usually only enjoys his tummy time for a few minutes and then he gets tired and buries his head in the blanket. He much more prefers to be held up against someone and then try to twist his head around to watch what everyone else is doing. We all enjoy trying to see what makes him laugh the most. I think I may pull out the bouncy chair or activity chair soon. Exciting!

I'm getting ready to go to my weightlifting class tonight and Makayla found my shoes. Apparently the pants I chose for her today were a bit too big and ended up around her ankles too many times.

Kalyana and I were at the grocery store this afternoon while two employees were playing that claw game. Apparently it was all just for fun (instead of the sweet prizes) because while we were waiting in line at the bank they won five toys and started handing them out to all the kids around. Kaly named her dog 'colors' and hasn't put him down since we got home.

Shelfari

A few of my friends told me I'd love this site. I had been hearing about it for the last few months but I didn't think it was for me so I never got around to trying it out. About a month ago I was asking around to see what my friends were reading and they finally talked me into joining. I got on, added books I've read to my shelf, put books I want to read on my wish list and added books I'm currently reading to my reading list.

I love it! I can add comments, reviews, and tags so that I can find my books easier. Not only is it fun, it helps me keep track of my books and makes it fun to find other good books to read also. Plus I can read other peoples reviews and see what they have to say which gives me an idea if I should give the book a chance. It's a very fun alternative to what I was doing before (writing down the books I wanted to read and not even keeping track of the books I had read). A sampling of my shelf:

Yes it's ladies night, oh what a night!

First I just want to say that I am SO glad I don't have to use this dinky old camera. Granted the camera was far away and I had to zoom in to get this, but I just needed more pixels! I took it with me to my ladies night and I am so disappointed with the results. From now on it's my big, wonderfully fantastic, super awesome camera and nothing else.

Secondly I JUST returned home from a super fun evening spent with these wonderful women. I had SO much fun!! The gal who hosted it this month sent her kids to her parents over night and her hubby was out of town so we were able to be as loud as we wanted. And boy were we! It was definitely my type of work out: laughing that hard for 5 hours!

We had a way yummy dinner (I tried chicken tortellini soup for the first time, excellent!), played the "what if" game, had a white elephant gift exchange and chatted about random everythings.

On a side note, my house looks like it was in the stages of being painted. I had blankets covering the couches and towels on the living room floor just to make cleaning up after Makayla easier. But luckily it was all for not. She actually kept her food down today. Sadly though she now has a fever and a cough. I love the cold weather, but could really do without the illness it sometimes induces. Todays activities included reading, drawing, movies, finger/toe nail painting, and dress-ups.

Well it's late, but I want to get a few more chapters in before bed.

Sick and Crafts

Kind of like arts and crafts haha. Last week, all of us (but Tyce) came down with a bit of a bug. I thought it had run it's course after a few days but yesterday Kalyana started getting an itchy throat and sounding funny and Makayla couldn't keep anything down. Owy, thats one part of being an 'adult' I don't enjoy...I wish they had some sort of magical vacuum for cleaning that stuff off the floor. Poor kids. It always stinks being sick but I think it's worse being Makayla's age or younger because she can't tell me where it hurts. I'm crossing my fingers she'll stay asleep the whole night tonight.

Kalyana and I did a fun craft today. I suggested marble paints but instead she asked if we could do paint sandwiches.

The Checks In the Mail

I love to be heard! Haha could you tell by how much I write? Fortunately for me, I found a way to also make money at it. I've been a part of this survey company for about 4 or so years. At first I didn't take it too seriously so I hardly ever participated. For that past two years however I probably take a few surveys a month (and get paid for it!!). It's so much fun! To me the best part though is that they actually send me free things and money! Generally I take surveys that are about 1 or 2 minutes long--mostly they're just trying to find out if I do enough to qualify for whatever they're asking about--if so then they ask me to take a longer survey for more money.

Depending on the survey and my answers they might send me things in the mail to try at home and take another survey after I've tried it to tell them what I thought. I've made about $100 so far and gotten free things like laundry detergent, diapers, and hair care stuff. I'm totally not kidding. About 2 years ago they sent us some cologne to try out and I asked Tarl to wear it for a few weeks but he liked it so much he wore it until it ran out.

Sorry to ramble, but I just took another survey and hit $20 mark so I'm looking forward to my little 'bonus' and wanted to record something in my 'journal' today.

Oh and if you're interested let me know and I can send you the info. (Don't worry it's not like one of those places that charges you to start up. This is totally free. They just ask you to take surveys.)

Forgotten Treasure

I found this awesome little craft at the grocery store when I was looking for Halloween candy a few weeks ago. With all the commotion of our decorations and parties I forgot we had it until Tarl pulled it out today. This nifty little bag of tricks had seven skeleton body parts with a sucker on each one. Tarl told me not to cheat but I really didnt want to scarf down all that sugar just to get to the fun part so after the kids got bored I broke off the rest of the suckers and let Kalyana have a go at putting her together. (Kalyana told me it was a girl, not a boy like I thought.) After we had him all together Kalyana asked me if this was what we looked like under our skin. We had a fun little conversation pointing out our body parts and finding them on the skeleton girl. I can't believe this awesome new 'toy' only cost me 2 or 3 dollars! The best part to me is if I can keep her in relatively good condition she'll be a great addition to our Flip Flap Body Book that I just bought!