Our vacation is over...

Having Jonathan home, all to ourselves, for a whole week was heaven. He hurt his back and Sami had diarrhea  (drinking tub water), but other than those two unfortunate events, it was awesome! We didn't do anything other than the everyday, but it was so nice to have constant help. When I was making dinner or busy and the girls needed something, I sent them to their dad. We stayed up late because Jonathan knew he could sleep in and I knew I could have a nap. Jonathan vacuumed, did the dishes, and helped put the kids to bed. I steamed cleaned our carpets and cleaned out the girls' toys-two things that are really hard without him here entertaining the girls. 

I could get real used to having him home a lot more.

The thing about his schedule is that he has to submit his vacation at the beginning of the residency year, so he planned this vacation last year. And for some reason, he took all his vacation at the beginning of this year, so he has another week off in March. Can't wait!!

And a few more random things about Janie. Her hair looks like this, or worse, every morning. Poor thing. Even when I put in in a little pony tail, it still is out of control. Do you have any tricks for hair problems like this?

Janie is now in Sunbeams. (Sniff, sniff. I don't have anyone in nursery anymore. Except Jonathan-he's a nursery worker ☺) So I took her to the bookstore and let her pick out a Book of Mormon to take to church with her. She wanted the cute mini one (which is oddly more expensive than the big ones??). 

Later that day, I saw her outside "reading" her new scriptures. I love that. You go, girl! Scripture power! :)

It's a New Year

Ah, 2012. I hope you are good to us.

A new year feels refreshing. 

So far, it's been a good year. Jonathan is officially half way done with residency!! This means it's down hill from here. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We are grateful for that light.

And Jonathan has this next week off. Which means respite for me.

Whenever I find myself overly frustrated and overwhelmed with motherhood and life in general, I know I need some respite. It's amazing how just one afternoon off every once in a while makes me a better mother. But it does. This afternoon I went into my bedroom, by myself, climbed into bed and read a book for an hour. It was glorious. And I took a little nap. It's going to be a great week, I can already tell.

And I did make some resolutions.

As I thought of things I wanted to happen this year, I realized that there is just some stuff that I can't totally control. So I crossed them off the list. I kept the stuff that I do have control of.  

Basically I want to be a better, nicer person. :)

I want to be better about keeping a scripture journal, I want my family to feel like they are my top priority by my actions and my attentiveness, and I want to exercise more (of course, don't we all?!), among other things. 

The thing I realized about resolutions, is that they are basically the goals I have all the time. A new year just allows me to get more focused on how to get there, and I appreciate that.

I hope it's a good year. I am excited to see what it brings our way! 

Fun Christmas

We had lots of fun leading up to Christmas. 

Sami's preschool had a performance at a nursing home. It was so sweet to see the kids up there and to see the smiles on the faces of the elderly. Sami wanted to be Mary, but her part was already taken when we got there, so Sami got to be an angel. I thought that was perfect, since Sami is an angel to us.

During the performance, the other Olsen munchkin was making faces.

After the Nativity scene, the kids sang and passed out Christmas cards. (Sami kept her reindeer hat over her eyes, which we thought was funny and cute.)

Jonathan took that day off so he could see Sami perform. It was so good he was there because after the performance, a sweet, cute, elderly lady fell and Jonathan was able to help her.

A few days before Christmas, we had a Christmas cookie party at Grandma's house. The older cousins were there, and Sami and Janie are their biggest fans. They made a gingerbread house, decorated cookies, and had lunch. It was all very fun and very yummy!

My girls are so blessed to have amazing Grandmas! I don't know what I would do without Grandma Trish.

After the cookie fun, we went to Build-a-Bear so Janie could pick out a bear. It's a tradition when the grandkids turn three that Grandma buys them their own bear. What a fun day! 

Then on Christmas Eve, it was Janie's birthday. She was so sweet and thanked us for every gift. (Even the yard sale ones.)

Her favorite gift is a Baby Alive doll from Grandpa Larry. I told Grandpa that she would love it. And she does. But the baby "pooped" green stuff on my floor and I haven't been a fan since. Now she doesn't get "real" food. Because I can't handle any more yucky messes. So it's my fault she has it, because I told Grandpa to buy it for her, but take it from me, people, don't buy the pooping baby!

She had a great birthday. Grandma and Aunt Tami brought her some super fancy (and yummy!) cupcakes, and she got lots of presents and food.

And then it was Christmas morning. Jonathan had the day off (Yippee!), and we were so blessed with beautiful gifts. 

And I didn't take one picture. Not one.

I am so disappointed that I didn't take pictures. But by this time, I was exhausted. Really, between the parties, birthdays, and trying to do meaningful traditions for birthdays and Christmas, I was so tired. Jonathan is on wards, so this month has been hard for him and he has been gone a lot. But he was there on Christmas morning,which was so nice. (He bought me a GPS, so no more getting lost!)

By the time we were getting ready for church, I was ornery. I am ashamed to say it. But getting everything ready seemed so tough. I knew I still had to get ready for our Christmas dinner (we had some family coming over), and I felt overwhelmed. 

Then I went to church.

It was so beautiful. Just what I needed. I realized (again), that all this wasn't important, it really is about celebrating Christ, his life and Atonement. 

I repented, apologized to Jonathan for my bad attitude, and we had a wonderful afternoon.

Everyone helped with dinner, we talked, laughed, played with the girls.

It was so nice.

I am so thankful for the Savior.

We had an another great Christmas.

Happy Birthday Jane Noel!

Three years ago today, Janie came to us. It was a warm, beautiful, Arizonan afternoon. And our life has been so blessed with her in it.

She has brought us so much sweetness and joy. She is our favorite Christmas gift ever!

At three years old, Janie is:

Sweet: If we had to describe Janie in one word, this would be it. 

Sensitive: Janie is very sensitive to emotions. If someone is scared on tv, she is scared. She is also very sensitive to discipline. If we talk to her a bit too harshly (in her opinion), she bursts into tears. When we tell her to go to her room to time out, she runs to her room. (That part is kind of nice, no kicking and screaming. She just goes herself. But she is usually sobbing.)

Not completely potty trained: This can be very frustrating for me, depending on the day. We have been working for months. She is about 75% there. Ok, maybe 65%. It's the poo poo part that's hard. (Sorry, too much info, I know.) I have high hopes now that she is three. 

Charming: She knows how to do it. The way she tilts her head, moves her hands, and her quiet voice...it can be hard to say no to this one. (Mommy and Daddy don't have a problem, but Grandparents have a hard time.)

Adores her big sister: Where Sami goes, Janie wants to follow. And she is a great playmate for Sami. 

Mama's girl: If I were to completely smother her with hugs and kisses, and do nothing all day but hold and kiss her, it would be a dream come true for this one.  I hear "I need a hug" and "I need hold you," (that's how she asks to be held), all day long. And I try to hold her and hug her as often as she asks, but it's not always possible. But I do enjoy a cuddle bug.

Happy Birthday, Janie! We love you so much! We are so glad that you came to our family. 

Our Fancy Nancy Party

Last Saturday we had the girls' birthday party.  Our theme was "Fancy Nancy," based on the books. So we had nine girls total, all dressed in their "fanciest clothes." It was so fun. 

Here are the birthday girls. I opened the dress-up trunks and they picked out what they wanted to wear. They looked so "fancy." And so darling.

In the first book, Nancy loves parfaits "which is fancy for ice cream sundaes." So that's what we served. Jonathan and Aunt Tami served up the ice cream sundaes but each girl had her own cup of sprinkles that she could put on her own ice cream. 

We read the book, ate our ice cream, colored a Fancy Nancy page, opened presents and played games. All the girls were so sweet and cute. 

All the girls looked so adorable. But the girl dressed in black and hot pink (Kaari) would have won the "Closest to Fancy Nancy in the Flesh" award, if there was such a thing. She looked just like her. Even had the leg warmers. Love it!

And Jonathan's mom and sister came, which was so sweet. I love this picture of Grandma!

Jonathan was supposed to have come home on that Saturday at 11 am. Our party was at 2, and he walked in the door at 2:15. I am so grateful that he made it and didn't miss the party.

And the girls got such beautiful gifts. They got a bit spoiled, which I think is ok on your birthday. (If everyone got a little spoiled on their birthday, I think the world would be a nicer place. ☺)

We are so thankful for all our friends, and all their little friends, who came to celebrate with us. 

And mostly we are thankful for Sami and Janie, that they came to our family, and we love to celebrate their birthdays!

Sami's Birthday

 I can't believe my Sami girl is 4 years old.

Sami is a sweetie pie. For sure.

At 4 years old, Sami is:

Confident: A few weeks ago we were at a new park and there were only 2 swings. And there were lots of big kids. While Sami was waiting for me to help her on a swing, a big kid (she was probably about 7 years old), came and jumped on it. Sami was upset and crying when I got to her. I told her that wasn't nice of the big girl but we would wait and she would have a turn soon. She said, "No, Mama, " and she ran up to the big girl on the swing and said (in a pleading, loud voice), "Girl! Girl! I want to swing!" Well, after a few moments, she got off and gave the swing to Sami. I thought that was very brave of Sami.

When my parents were here for Thanksgiving, we took the girls to our usual park. There were two boys about Sami's age there, and she just started playing with them. Their moms were talking on the other side of the park. The boys went to their moms' bags and started getting out crackers. Sami ran up to their moms and in a loud voice said, "Excuse me. Can I have some snacks please?" The moms were surprised. But kindly said yes, she could. I was glad that she politely asked instead of just eating them but I was just surprised at how confident she was to do that. 

A back seat driver: She tells me when I'm going to fast, when to stop, etc. She definitely doesn't understand left hand turn arrows though. Or why I can make a right turn when the light is red. Ha, ha.

A Daddy's Girl: She and her Daddy like the same things. For example, when we go to the pool, Jonathan puts Sami on his shoulders and then walks to the deep end where he takes them both under the water. Sami comes up smiling with her eyes wide open asking for more.
And then there's the dragon game. Where Jonathan says he's a dragon, and Sami runs away screaming. A happy scream.

A bit bossy: It's a big sister thing. I would know. ;) Just ask my brothers. 

Kind: Sami wants to be a good friend. She loves people and says hi to everyone.

Loves preschool and tumbling: Oh, these are a few of her favorite things!

Enthusiastic about life: When she's excited, she can't help but yell when she's trying to tell us something. She doesn't even realize it. But life is so exciting to her.

And she says cute, funny things:Yesterday she said, "Mom, I like pets. I like sharks. I like mermaids. I like donkeys, and cats. And I like you. And I like Daddy and Sissy." 

 We are so, so blessed to have her in our family! I can't imagine life without her. She is sunshine in our home.

 Happy Birthday, our sweet Samantha!! We love you!

Blessings & Priorities

I love this time of year.

I love the Christmas trees, the lights, the music, the movies.

The food.

I love that both my girls came to us in the Christmas season.

But I don't love how busy this time of year is and how often I feel overwhelmed.

So this year I am determined to not be stressed out. To keep it simple. To remember the real reason for Christmas. And to make my family the priority.

It's easier said than done, I'm realizing.

There are so many parties, things to do, cool places to go, gifts to buy.

Take for example, the girls' birthday party. It's a Fancy Nancy party. We love the Fancy Nancy books. And I found myself having so much fun planning all the decor, the food, the games. But then I stopped. Because I don't need to spend every night making decorations or making elaborate gift bags. The girls don't care. And they would rather have a mom who is happy and calm rather than a grumpy mom who stayed up late making silly banners. So I am simplifying. Sometimes it hard because it's easy for me to carried away. 

But I keep reminding myself to not get stressed. I'll let you know how it turns out.☺

Now back to Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Jonathan had Thanksgiving day off, which was such a blessing. We spent the day with his family that lives around here. And I forgot my camera so no fun pictures. 

Then the next day my parents flew in. They were here for a little over four days, and the time flew by. We did so many fun things. 

My dad played and played with girls. And showed them how to "fly." Sami, with her adventurous spirit, loved it. Janie loved it eventually.

We had a family home evening of reading a Jan Brett book about a gingerbread boy who wanted to make friends and then we made a gingerbread house. It was fun. The girls, especially Janie, kept sneaking candy thinking I didn't see. And I pretended I didn't, because that's what's fun about gingerbread houses.

 I love these two. 

I always feel bad when I realize that I haven't been grateful. Because I know I have everything.

The Lord has been so, so good to me and my family. 

I know I will look back on these years with so much joy, and I want to appreciate every moment. 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.