Say What?

We were eating dinner tonight and Emma didn't like it (spinach, mushrooms, and pasta). After poking around at her food, she said, "Mom, did you know Joseph Smith was a prophet and he didn't like his food. And the princes threw Joseph into the Lion's Grove but they didn't eat him."

What??? Who knew?

This does give me hope that maybe, just maybe she's at least half listening in Primary and when we read scriptures.

Have I Mentioned Lately

that I love California? Specifically, where we live in California. Seriously, the weather can't be beat. No snow, never super cold, and pretty mild temperatures in the summer. I love that we can spend the "winter" months like this.

And I love all the blooms on the trees in our yard.

And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE having a backyard. I think my kids spend more time out there than they do inside.
Emma climbed up this tree all by herself and then yelled for me to take a picture.

A few weeks ago the kids wanted to go swimming. I filled the pool, and they proceeded to pour the water from the pool into a hole in our yard. Then the swimming began. Go figure! And yes, it is disgusting...but a kid's gonna do what a kid's gonna do. And as long as they didn't drink it I was okay with that.

Brotherly Sisterly Love

This progression of pictures makes me laugh.

We start with Matthew, playing happily in the playhouse.

Enter Emma...he hears her and grows serious.

She goes into the playhouse and the fight over the one working stove knob ensues. (Notice that Matthew wasn't even playing with it before)

Lots of screaming on Matthew's part and laughing on Emma's part.

Caught and given the choice of playing nicely or going inside...

It sure does make me especially grateful for times like this

and this.

While I was taking a shower, Emma got cups and spoons and filled them up at the sink. Then they sat here eating their water one spoonful at a time. A little tea party of sorts. It was cute!

It makes me so happy to see them play together. Fights and all, I enjoy seeing their relationship develop and hope that over the years there are more friendly moments than fights.

Bubbles!

I bought a bubble machine recently with some gift cards that we had. The kids have loved it! Definitely a fun way to spend a nice afternoon.

This one cracks me up!

My Very Best Friend

Emma was playing in the backyard last week when she found this worm. She picked him up and yelled for me to come see her worm. I went and saw him and then told her she should probably put him back in the dirt so he could eat. She drew her hands up against her chest and cried, No Mom, he's my VERY best friend! I need to put him in the bug cage so I can keep him forever because he's my Very best friend! She finally agreed to let him go but requested a picture first. She totally takes after Jon!

Water Dog Lake

This is the first of (hopefully) a few more catch up posts.

A few weeks ago Jon's dad and sisters came out for a visit. While I went and got a massage (Jon's Christmas present to me...thank you Jon!) everybody else went on a hike. Jon had heard about Water Dog Lake Park and wanted to check it out. They started down the trail

and then saw the lake...though I think mud hole is a more appropriate description. :) Yeah, it was a little bit of a letdown.

But they continued their hike and enjoyed the beautiful day.

Emma walked the whole way, so she needed to take a little rest in the shade.

Thanks for coming out guys!

Some Thoughts

Just some random thoughts I've had floating around in my head today.

I ate an artichoke for the first time today. It was actually really good, but seemed like way too much work to eat very often. And it looks totally unappetizing. I had a hard time getting over how it looked.

Today was a really good day. We love our new ward (church) and feel like we are starting to remember names and faces and get into a routine there. We also love the fact that, like our last ward, church is always at 9 am. It never changes. And for someone with 2 kids who nap, this is the ultimate church time.

I have been SO tired lately...all the time. Moving, and the resulting late nights and early mornings trying to get everything done, have really worn me out. But we are starting to finally feel like we have made this house our home. We just need to get pictures hung and get rid of the last 3 or 4 miscellaneous boxes and then it will really feel like home.

We went through all of Jon's artwork and then bought frames for several of the pieces. We are going to hang them throughout the house. I am SO excited about this. I think it will be so fun to have his work hanging where we can see and enjoy it.

Our house. I LOVE it...quirks and all. We feel so blessed to be able to live in this house. We feel like it was the perfect one for us right now. We really feel like this is where we need to be.

Some of my favorite things about the house
- all the light. We have several windows and 4 skylights. I love the skylights.
-our mailbox. Our mail "box" is a slot on the front of our house. The mail comes right into a slot in my living room. I don't even have to leave my house to get my mail. How cool is that!?
-the fireplace. There's just something so cozy about a fireplace. We used it for the first time last night and it was just so fun. The kids were loving it. Matthew was so excited that there was fire and Emma kept begging to roast marshmallows in it. :) And with the fireplace comes the mantle. I can't wait to hang our stockings from it next Christmas.
-the carpets. I know some people love hardwood floors, but I hate them. A lot. And our last place wall all hardwood floors (except for the tile in the bathroom). So, I am really loving that we have carpet in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms. So much more comfortable.
-our driveway. Gone are the days of coming home and hoping someone didn't park in the one spot in front of our house. I love having a driveway.
-the backyard. The kids spend at least half of each day out there playing and digging and exploring. It is great!
-the space. Oh, I love having all this space. Some of our favorite "space" upgrades...
-Jon and I actually have a closet in our bedroom now! That's right, we no longer have to use the hall closet as our closet. And we actually have TWO closets in our room. Score!
-We can now open our bathroom door without it hitting the toilet. AND if that weren't cool enough, more than one person can fit in the bathroom at the same time. But my favorite bathroom upgrade is that we actually have a counter, cupboards, and drawers now. Pedestal sinks might look nice but they sure are impractical!
-all the storage space. Seriously, it is everywhere. Everything has a place and it is just so nice.
-our bedroom. Our bedroom space doubled with this move. We no longer have to have the bed pushed up against a wall, which means that Jon doesn't have to climb over me when he gets up at 6 waking me up in the process. So nice! And we have room for nightstands now. Exciting!

And enough about the house...

I wish I enjoyed exercising. I know I feel better when I do exercise, I just can't make myself do it. I need some sort of goal or motivation or something.

It has become very obvious that Matthew is left handed. How do two right handed parents get a left handed child?

I love my kids. Even when they're grumpy because they didn't take naps. They make life so much more meaningful. And I love Jon. I have the best family!