Whirlwind of a month!

It seems like September has been a whirlwind at my house.  We have been trying to adjust to Ella being in school all day and let me just say, that is a BIG adjustment at our house.  We have been trying to get used to waking up at 6:45, going to bed by 8:30, more reading each night, new naptimes, etc.

So because I wasn't very good at posting this month, here is the jist.

The first week of school was crazy!  Ella came home and I would try to make sense of the things she was telling me about school, but it seemed she was confused.  She was confused about homework, where to go, lunches, recesses, etc.  One day she told me she cried at "Talking Time" because she didn't know who to talk to, she came home with her whole lunch and the box full of bark, she told me her lunchbox and backpack got turned into lost and found because she left them at recess.  ??? Friday I finally went into the classroom with her and talked to her teacher.  Apparently she had no clue what their routine was for homework folder, planner, she had a desk full of supplies she hadn't turned in and the information I was missing was jam packed into her desk along with the supplies.  No wonder we were all confused huh?  After that visit we haven't had much problem.

We had the missionaries over for dinner.  The same night Ella had a "late night" with her friend McKenzie as a reward for finishing her 800 minutes of reading.

Molly got allergies and asthma so we did some breathing treatments.  Then she got an ear infection.  Her ears were compacted with wax so they had to flush them before they could even see her ear drum.  If she was my first child I would have been bawling along with her.  It was a difficult to watch.  10 minutes of screaming, arching her back, kicking and having to hold her down while they flushed her ears.  They tried telling me it doesn't hurt, but Molly was telling me otherwise.  Thank goodness she is better.  She also grew her 5th tooth which is the 2nd bottom right tooth.

Molly loves giving kisses.  I took this picture of her kissing Alissa the other day.  It makes Alissa frustrated because she knows Molly is trying to be nice but she hates the slobber running down her face when Molly moves away.  Oh, I LOVE LOVE baby kisses.

Dustin was gone to Pittsburg for 4 days for work.  He came home with Steelers jerseys for the 2 little girls and a Pittsburg monkey for Ella.  He got to see the Steelers Stadium and eat at Jerome Bettis Grille.  He had a great time, but as always we missed him!!

As I was dropping him off at the airport I got to run over to a chartered hanger to see my good friend Misty's husband come home from Iraq after being gone for a year.  She asked me to come take some quick pictures for her.  I was honored.  It was fun to be there an experience the happiness of having all these good soldiers home.  What a sacrifice!

We have had a random bunny visiting our house.  We keep seeing him on the side of our house, hopefully he stays there and isn't visiting our garden.  I haven't noticed anything yet.  However we did feed him a carrot.. I'm not sure that was the best idea.  He will probably be back for more.  Maybe Ella scared him off with her giant hops toward the bunny.

My niece Kailey got to stay at our house for 2 weekends this month while her parents were at Wood badge.  We had fun with an extra "sister"  especially since she is 7 and can help out.  We had fun taking her along with us to the library, garage sales & the park.  We made smiley face pancakes and princess waffles and I had the girls cut the tops off of a whole flat of strawberries.  Alissa mostly took bites. :)

I'll be this makes you hope you never eat a salad with strawberries from my house. :)

My dad and brother had a woodbadge beading and received their beads for being on staff and my dad for being the organizer of this woodbadge.  I'm probably not using correct terms.  It was fun to go sit around a campfire and watch my dad and brother dressed up like cows. :)  We are proud of all they have been doing to help the scouts.

We have been preparing to refinance our house.  With the interest rates at 3.25% we feel foolish not taking advantage.  We are now preparing to get an appraisal and taking this opportunity to do some "touch up" to our house.

Ella got to open her very own savings account.  She has saved $100 through birthday money, allowance, etc. and has been carrying it around in this little purse.  It makes me crazy and I can't convince her to buy anything so we agreed on putting it in a savings account.  She came up with her own password for the account and got a frisbee, yo yo, notepad and pen for having such a big deposit.  :)  This girl knows how to pose!  I love the leg action she has going on.

I made a photobook.

I had 1 really crazy mommy day where I had an ice cream cone get squished right into my shirt, had to help Alissa go potty in the library parking lot, got beeped at for leaving the library because a book in the girls bag didn't get checked out right, was 15 minutes late picking Ella up for school and she was having a meltdown when I got there because she thought I forgot her - I was in town and thought I would have time to make 1 more stop.   Just one of those kids of days.  Sorry.. no pictures of my frazzled face or sticky brown shirt.

Had the opportunity to attend the RS General Broadcast and sit with my mother in law and 3 sister in laws and a good friend.  I was truly edified by the things that were taught and came home recommited to be a better disciple of Christ along with a better wife and mom. 

Whew.. I don't know that October will be much calmer, but I will try to update the blog a little more regularly.

Here are a few conversations I started but didn't ever post..

In the car the other night Ella hands Alissa a dandilion seed she found in the car. 

Ella:  Look what I got for you Alissa?
Alissa:  Aww!  It's a jingle bell?  (for tinkerbell)
Ella:  Ya!
Alissa:  Thanks!

Oh, the simple joys.  I love it!

In Alissa and Ella's room the other day Molly is crying.  I walk in to find her by the dress up bucket and Alissa sitting in a chair watching a movie. 

I asked:  What's wrong with Molly?
Alissa:  Nothing, she's just playing with dress up.
Me:  Were you mean to her?
Alissa:  Yip! (with a nod)
Me:  What did you do?
Alissa:  I bite her.
Me:  You bit her with your mouth?
Alissa:  Yip! (with a nod)

I flicked her little mouth with my fingers and explained to her that we don't bite!  She looked up at me with these big eyes filling up with tears.  It was like, "C 'mon mom, I told you the truth!"  I just forget how honest and almost innocent they are at this age.   Earlier this week she bit Molly at my mom's house and left marks which turned to bruises though so I don't want her to think she can get away with it.

Ella has a hard time getting up and getting ready in order to catch the bus by 7:30am.  The other morning we had her all ready and as she gets out of sight she comes running back, "I need to give Alissa a hug!"  She quickly hugs Alissa.  We watch her walk a few steps out of sight again when she peeps around the fence, "I need to give Alissa a kiss!"  Alissa (loving every second of it) gives her a kiss.  For what we think is the final farewell we watch her walk away and peek back around saying, "Alissa, I love you!"  Finally I told her she had to go before she misses the bus.  We walked in and watched the end of the bus drive away and about 2 minutes later we hear, "Mom?" coming from the front door.  Frustrated I asked, "What are you doing?"  She says, "I was having such a hard time leaving with Alissa being so sweet."  She missed the bus with the anticipation of missing her sister.  I was a little frustrated, but not a bit mad.  I thought it was nearly the sweetest things I've ever witnessed.

That same night Alissa wakes up BAWLING and mumbling something.  When I finally made out what she was saying it was, "I want to give Molly a kiss."  She wouldn't quit until I let her bend over Molly and softly kiss her head.

Summer Bucket List

Our bucket list ended up like this - and here is what we completed.

Check out books from library, picnic at the park, family hike, wear no shoes for 1 whole day, camping, rexburg splash park & carousel, go out for ice cream, visit a zoo, go swimming, movie, visit grandparents, mesa or shoshone falls, old faithful, play a game with Molly, stay at the cabin, sleep under the stars, bbq with friends, water fight, family reunion, eat watermelon, 4th of July parade/fireworks, jump on trampoline with the sprinkler, craters of the moon, host a party, make something new, roll down a hill, make popcicles, get a snow cone, play tball, swimming lessons, harvest a garden, bike ride, family walk, feed the ducks, playmill, deliver an unexpected treat, eat lunch at the elementary school, fly a kite, go fishing, walk around the greenbelt, slip n'slide, make & eat homemade ice cream, ride four wheelers, blow bubbles, sidewalk chalk, lie on grass and watch clouds, do a science experiment, finger painting, cress creek nature trail, carve our name in a tree

Not bad huh?  We had a super fun summer.  I think we'll make a bucket list every summer.  It really made us get out and have some good times and make some fun memories.

Ella also completed her 800 minutes of summer reading.  It went into the first week of school, but I counted it anyway.   There were a lot of times that I didn't monitor the amount of time she read so I figure it all weighed out in the end.  I think she had a lot of fun with it.  Her school is currently doing a Read-a-Thon so when that gets over we'll probably start anothe reading reward chart at home.  I took her to the library last week and between all the girls we ended up with 23 books.  She has been in heaven.  She read for 65 minutes yesterday alone.  I'm so happy she enjoys reading.  I hope it sticks with her because I've never been much of a reader.

Ella reading

Ella brought home this library book yesterday.  She said she read the book on the bus, but this was her first time reading it outloud.  I decided to do a little video of her at the beginning of 1st grade reading.  I am so super impressed at all the sight words she is getting down.  She is one amazing kid.

Chicken Soup to my Soul

This is Chicken Soup to my soul...

Dustin gave the girls and I "back to school" blessings the other night.  A tradition we started with our little family a year or so ago.  He started with Ella, then Alissa and then without being told to do so Molly waddles her way over to the chair where Dustin lifted her up.  She quietly sat down and with a big smile, folded her arms.  It was precious!!  I had her sit down on the chair and fold her arms this morning before church so I could get a picture of how cute she looks.  

Alissa was showing her what to do.  Within the last month Alissa started saying her own prayers and as the days go on she adds more and more to her prayers all by herself.  I can tell it just makes Ella so happy when she hears her sister pray for her.  She likes to put her head down so it sometimes is hard to hear her.  She makes sure to tell me every time, "I will say it loud ok?"  I guess I bug her about it too much.  This girl is so sweet.  It just does my heart good to have her so anxious to pray and hear her sweet prayer to Heavenly Father. 

A year ago I taught a YW lesson on gratitude and made these little gratitude booklets for the girls as a handout.  I had an extra one and gave it to Ella to keep in her scripture bag.  She handed it to me a few months ago and had filled up every page.  This girl never ceases to amaze me. 

Some were duplicated but what she thought to put in it is so very sweet.

I don't know how better to explain it than Chicken Soup to my soul.  It nourishes me and warms me to watch these girls gain a testimony of the gospel and learn to love the things we love as their parents.  I am so grateful to have these sweet girls in my home and in my life. 

They are precious daughters of Heavenly Father and I love them so very much!!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

With a lot of convincing, we got Dustin to take us to the fair last night.   I have such fun memories of going there as a kid.  My favorite was walking through the booths and collecting so much free stuff and looking at it all the way home.  I still love it, I could probably spend an entire day there if my kids were behaving.  There is so much to see and do, especially with kids.

The kids had a great time!  Dustin has been having terrible allergies lately so I took the kids in the petting zoo, but that was all the animal "seeing" we did.  They loved feeding the baby goats.

Milking a cow.  Ella remembered this from last year.

They each got to ride 2 rides.  I rode the Elephants with Alissa. 

She was a little nervous to get started, but wanted to go again when it was done. 

Ella was over on the boats.

Then they rode the Kangaroos.

This girl is so stinkin cute!  I love her big cheese smile.

Oh I love my little family.  Life gets so busy I feel like we hardly see Dustin during the week with work, meetings, activities, etc..  It's so nice to get out and do something together.

Molly kept making this growling BAA sound every time she saw an animal - life or not.  It cracks me up.  I guess that is her imitation animal sound now.

We left and went to Pizza Hut for a little less expensive dinner (than the fair). 

We had such a great time!! 

Huckleberry Picking

Last night my friend Misty showed us the huckleberry treasure spot up by Kelly Canyon.  It was beautiful and so fun to be there all alone picking wild berries and visiting.

Ella earned her date with mom for reading so she got lucky enough to go with us. 

It was our first time picking.  She had fun picking flowers while we picked berries.

We picked for about an hour and came home with about a cup of huckleberries each. 

They are just so tiny!!  It takes a lot to fill up your containers.

However, I would do it again.  We had a lot of fun and the huckleberry pancakes we had this morning were delicious!!