In the evenings before bed we ask Anna what her high and her low of the day were. Corny as it sounds, we actually saw it in a movie The Story of Us and thought it was a good way to sum up our experiences of each day with the kids. It's kinda fun because Anna usually asks us in return what our best and worst parts of the day were too. Quinn's high is usually "nursery"-he thinks about going all week long! He never says what his low is but I'm pretty sure it's going to bed-it's never a fun time for him! Anna's highs are usually that she gets to play with Chloe, and her lows are that she didn't get to play with Chloe (on non-playdate days). It's funny though because sometimes we get something deeper out of her. When Brett put her to bed, after all the family left the day we blessed Izzy, Anna said her low was that she was sad because Grandma K (her great grandmother) was going to die in a few weeks and she would miss her. That statement was profound to me, it was an eye opener to know that she'd processed Grandma's ailing health, but it made me think too about all the feelings these kids have that they don't find the words to express.
What special routines or traditions have you established with your kids? Is there anything from your childhood that you've carried on in your own family?
This weekend was special, Brett blessed baby Izzy and we had an intimate little gathering at the house after church. My parents and my brother Taylor came, Aunt Katie and Uncle Ron were here, Brett's parents, Kathy and Madison came, and we had Grandma and Grandpa Rupper and Grandma K here to support us. Our children had ALL of their grandparents together to love on them!
Here's the proud Daddy.
Thanks to Aunt Shelley for the beatiful blessing dress!
Grandma Rupper and lil' Elizabeth having a talk
This is a shot of a trip to the Elk Refuge at Hardware Ranch
We braved the cold and took a sleigh ride to check out the wildlife.
Yeah, these pictures aren't really in order! Here is a shot from yesterday afternoon with all the fam.
Brett and Quinn showing off their grins.
Mom and Dad had a feisty dart gun war. I think we've found a good gift idea for the two of them for Christmas!
My baby Girl is getting bigger! (And no, that isn't makeup on her, she's just a pink girl!)
Daddy having a snuggle with his girl.
Anna and Chloe with their freaky bunny cakes
G.G. gave Izzy a bath and the baby gave her Grandma plenty of smiles in return!
Anna and Maddie loving on the Iz. Not unlike Jessica, I too enjoy taking a little time to just sit back and talk about myself. Since I've been tagged I'll get right to it...
10 Years Ago...
I had a flat cute stretch mark-free tummy, I was living in Provo, going to UVSC, taking the year off from dating and spending time doing things just for me, like reading-A LOT!!! I was also enjoying Einstein's bagels. There isn't a decent bagel shop in town and I do so like a toasted chocolate chip bagel with a shmear.
5 Things on my to do list today:
go visiting teaching-done
clean the kitchen-mostly done
pay bills-done
go to Costco-
make dinner-Costco pizza perhaps?
Snacks I enjoy:
chocolate chip cookies, wheat thins, Dr. Pepper, Skor bars, Peppermint Patties, blended mochas, brownies, salt and vinegar chips
Things I'd do if I were a Billionaire:
-I'd have all the scrapbooking supplies a girl could want
-I'd add on a bonus room above the garage, extend Brett's workshop and buy him every tool he might need, and possibly a motorcycle to work on
I'd also add on an additional storage room and buy enough food storage to never have to grocery shop again
-I'd get a hot tub
-Oh, and I'd buy myself some new boobs and botox-so vain but hey, I'm a billionaire!
3 of my bad habits:
-I'm terribly messy, not filthy nasty messy, but I don't mind leaving toys and clothes lying around and I don't care if people see me in my pajamas-we all wear them!
-I speak my mind more than I should
-I'm lazy
Jobs I've had:
call center-telemarketing and market research, phone book editing, janitor-got fired, support for people with disabilities, retail, fast food, newspaper girl, lab assistant, and currently a mother-hope I don't get fired!
Things people don't know about me:
-I'm afraid of sharks
-I can't stop eating See's candy-if I get a pound it's usually gone in two days-with or without help!
-I love Christmas music, usually at times of the year other than Christmas-July through October-and I especially love listening to it while cleaning the house.
-I need to be needed.
-I hate public speaking
-I can't swim without plugging my nose
Who I'm tagging:
Kim, Ariann, Tracy, Melissa, and you!
I'm kinda lazy about emailing pictures so I've decided to try to do a photo summary of each month on the ol' bloggy blog...
Here is Quinn, trying out "big boy pants" for the first time. He did some fancy dancing and showed off the ol' underoos for us...he then got right down to business in them in the thirty seconds it took me to run upstairs and get his clothes for the day. Needless to say, I'm not gonna try to push the potty training for a few months!
Here's a cute shot of my little dragons-they played so well and even opted to hold hands for the camera.
This weekend Izzy met her Great Grandma K for the first time. Here she is modeling her new dress Aunt Shelley crocheted for her blessing day. I love this picture.
Today we made snowmen and a snow cave. Here Cave Girl and Lobster Hands are sharing some love.
Here's Izzy, gettin' the squeeze from G.G.
Anna pretending to sleep alongside Izzy, these girls are kindred spirits already!
If you look closely, each one of these fairywinged children is painted...
Anna and Chloe share first place for Best in Show-they're stunning. I can't wait to show this to their boyfriends in a few years. Or should I say boyfriend-these two are both in love with Caleb, a boy in their preschool class. They've agreed to fight over who gets to marry him when the time comes...
