Someday!

Someday I will download pictures from my camera and make a record of our happenings.  Someday.

Thoughts by Charli

We have been trying to take the kids and dogs for a walk every night to "magic" park.  On the way its a wonderful time to visit with the girls.  The other night Charli and I were walking hand in hand and she asks me. "Mom, when I was in your stomach, did I explode it because I was growing so fast?"  She proceeds to tell me what is was like to be inside my stomach, "It felt so right, like I was finally alive and I could feel my heart start beating!"  Charli is a very observant little character, and I was really taken back by her comment. 

 We often find ourselves giggling and at the silly things she says and does.  Often times when we are walking she is talking constantly...so much that I have to tell her to take a breath.  Her personality has changes drastically from when she was an infant.  She was very quiet and easy going, and leery of people she didn't know.  Today, she is much the opposite with bounce and zeal,  she talks openly with people she doesn't know, and is continually teasing her bigger sister.  (Good thing Charli is the younger, not older sister).  

UPDATE ME!

Update me please!  Life is flying,  kids are growing, and I have not taken one moment or one picture to record our Herrera Happenings, and sadly the desire is about as strong as my desire to go to work today.  Urgh.

STARS

Charli was sick with a stomach bug a couple weeks ago, and I went to the store to get a few things that feel "not so bad" on a sick stomach.  I ended up buying a can of "Chicken and Stars" soup.  Well, it has sat in our cupboard with small pleas from Skye, "Can I please have some star soup".   Isaac fed the girls a early dinner, so when I got home from work they were hungry once again.  I caved and gave the girls the soup.  You thought they had died at gone to heaven.  They were so excited and then Charli asked me, "Do they have to kill stars, to make star soup?"  Then she proceeded to look out the window and admire the stars up in the night sky, with the look of  , "How do they do it?"  

New Year Resolutions!

I have yet to even upload pictures from Christmas day, and record the memories which came along with it, the whole purpose of my blogging.  Yet, more often then not I wish to blog about other things.

I don't know if many of you have seen this manuel or not, but it is fabulous in my eyes.  It is the new nursery manuel the church put out and it is amazing.  I secretly wanted to go back into teaching in the nursery, just so I could use it with the kids.  Anyhow, it is so simple to use, it has everything you need, right where you need it, including lesson pictures, art projects, and songs.  

I bought one for our family and wrapped it up, along with some other church related gifts.  On the night of Christmas day, after all the unwrapping and toy playing, I got my girls together and talked with them once again, about what Christmas is really about.  I told them that Jesus had a gift for each of them, and I let them unwrap their gifts.  It was nice after all the chaos of the day, to bring the focus where it should be. 

I often feel like I fall far behind on the numerous things that I would like to be accomplishing.  Well, this New Years I made a resolution, not to pressure myself, not to add to the list of "I didn't do's".  I made one resolution, and that was to have a family home evening lesson every week with my girls.  I decided to use the new manuel "Behold your Little Ones", as our outline.  It has made it so simple and flawless.  I just add to it to make it more age appropriate. 

In just the past few weeks, this one change has allowed for so many other things to fall into place.  This is just another testimony of where our priorities need be.

New Year!

Well, the laundry is finally caught up, and now it's time to catch up on what has been going on around here.  I am just beginning to feel under control from the Christmas after math.  Can you believe it has already been over two weeks?  I still have gifts that are not delivered.  I am grateful that the weather shows no snow removal needed this week, and maybe just maybe I might have time to figure out how to use my new Christmas gift.  It was a Christmas of pictures.  I received several framed pictures along with a digital picture frame.  Now I just have to give myself sometime to get our Holiday pictures downloaded and posted.

The spirit of Christmas.

I have been so busy, it has been difficult for me to get into the spirit of the season. My mother, who I love dearly, decided to start a scrapbook for my father for Christmas. He is 70 years old, and those of you who scrapbook know that trying to do 70 years in a short period of time is asking for trouble. She brought stuff to my house on the 13th of December and it has been madness since. I should be working on it now. Well, among all the madness I did decide to take the girls, with my mothers help to the dollar store. Skye lost a second tooth and had money to buy gifts for her family. It was so fun watching each of my girls pick gifts for their family members. Charli picked a small bowling set for both her Grandpa and Dad, and as we were wrapping them last night she said "These are awesome! They are going to think they are so cool!" I loved seeing how excited they were about their thoughtful gifts. I can't wait to see their reactions when they give them. The funny thing was I took the girls at different times, so they wouldn't see what they got for each other. They both ended up picking the exact same gift for each other, and it wasn't even in the toy area. I thought that was rather interesting. This has been my favorite part of the season, along with the singing of "What Child is this?" in church. How I love that song, and Eva Barnett has such a beautiful voice. I got poor Skye's dress wet from tears.

Cookies

I usually don't mind doing a batch of Christmas sugar cookies, but this year I couldn't find the desire or time. The girls were persistent they needed to make cookies for Santa and I finally caved. They only believe for a short time. It ends up that I am now hosting Christmas for my family because of the bad weather coming. Three big parties within a month, should do me in. So baking found a purpose. I made what I needed and basically let the girls have at it with their baking frenzie, an entire bottle of sprinkles later, we find a plateful of cookies only a magical Santa Claus could eat.

Santa

With Isaac working Graves we literally rarely see him, unless we disturb his sleep. Well, last week we woke him up and headed to see the much anticipated Santa Clause. We took them to the Christmas village in Ogden to see him. It is cute with little village houses filled with holiday delights among an array of Christmas lights. The girls were beside themselves with excitement and could hardly wait to see him. After waiting in line you finally step inside this little house where Santa is. We were going to pay to have their picture taken with him, needless to say they both had complete stage fright. Isaac still placed Charli on his lap against her will. Why? Skye didn't step foot near him until he tried a little charm. Needless to say, no Santa picture this year. They did enjoy some hot cocoa and seeing the Christmas Village. This was our one and only big night out for the holidays.

The busiest time of the year!

I had my mind set well before Thanksgiving that I was going to make this a fun filled Christmas, achieving everything in my hearts desire (which included making a few gifts for my girls). Well, it is the night before Christmas eve, and what was accomplished was minimal. Shopping was done in a timely manner, I hate crowds. I made the mistake of heading to Walmart the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with two children that could be considered a prison sentence. What was I thinking? It took me a week to recover from hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my family. I was all gun ho to get my tree up and start decorating the weekend following Thanksgiving. I do love my home decorated for the holidays, too bad it took me until the 20th to complete. I was hosting Isaac's family Christmas party and figured I should finish what I started.  Well, as you can see my goals were not met, but a lesson has been learned, or should I say relearned, what Christmas is truly about, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Make a Smilebox greeting

She made me do it!

I didn't want to forget this one.

I invited the girls friends over to play last night.  When we were getting all loaded in the car to take them home, Skye thought it was funny to keep honking the horn.  After several honks I told her, "Do not do that again."

We then drove over to their house.  I walked the girls to the door while Skye and Charli waited in the car.  As I am saying our good-byes Skye honks the horn again.  I get to the car and the conversation went as follows:

Me:  "Skye, didn't I tell you not to touch the horn."

Skye: "Charli made me do it!"  (nearly in drama tears)

My mind is processing how a 3 year old makes a 5 year old do something. 

Me: "Skye, no one can make you do anything, you have choices."

Skye: "No, really mom, she made me."

Me:  "How did she make you?"

Skye: "She said she would give me all the shrimp and octopus to eat."

Me:  "You believe that Charli can get you shrimp and octopus?"

Skye: "Well, she said I had too"

Me: "Charli, is that true?"

Charli gives me a devilish snicker and a huge old grin.  This is a great example of the trouble this little girl creates.  Yes, Skye loves octopus and enjoys shrimp, a girl after her daddies own heart, they even enjoy an occasional bowl of menudo (intestine soup) together.

A night away!

This is how Isaac and I spent last night.  So relaxing and fun.  The anniversary inn in Logan has lots of fun new rooms.  This room even had a pool table and motorcycle right in the room.

Counting your "thankful's"

How great is it we have a holiday to celebrate all the wonderful things we are thankful for.  So, I decided to list 11 random "thankful's".

1. Sunsets

2. A husband who works hard to support us.

3. A good nights sleep...thank you tempur-pedic mattress.  I love you.

4. Skye's good health

5. My blendtec blender

6. Rainy days

7.  My two little girls

8. Laughter

9. Columbines

10. Books

11. Wonderful parents

What are you thankful for?

Creativity

Tonight is one of those nights, when my heart is heavy, but of what I am uncertain.  It is times like these that I love to find escape.  I love to run to distant places through music, literature, art...I am always amazed by the power of creativity.  The emotion it both evokes and resolves.  The most awe inspiring example of creativity, our earth.  What an amazing and vast gift we have been given.

Many of you know that my brother Brandon is an artist.  He is fortunate to support his family and make a career of his talent and passion.  Although artwork is best experienced first hand, I loved this more recent piece.  You can see more of his posted work at www.brandoncook.com