Live Feed - Owl Nest & Hatching Eggs

Have you seen this? There is a live feed from a camera inside an owl's nest. Several eggs have hatched and there are 2 eggs yet to hatch that are expected to hatch in the next day or two. Every night the father (McGee) enters, "hugs" the mother (Molly), then leaves and returns with food for the family. It is beautiful to watch this little owl family - truly a miracle! We can't get enough! Check it out here!

Overheard today....

Grins: (Angel), I took my medicine without fighting! (We usually have to do a LOT of coaxing...)

Angel: Good job!!! That's called cooperation!

Grins: Cooperation?

Angel: Yes, it's just like "operation" but with a "Q" in front. Quoperation.

Once there was a snow man....

We have been thoroughly enjoying having the Mr. home so much!! (Some call this "the calm before the storm" of Residency...we'll take it!)

A couple of weeks ago when, out of nowhere, we got several inches of snow, he took the kids out (with the help of a couple other moms and kids) made a GIANT snowman (complete with 'horns' per the kids' request.) Later, we worked together on an igloo! Angel insisted on eating lunch in the igloo after it was done. We had a great time!

Drumroll, please..................

Today we learned that we will be spending the next 3-4 years in PORTLAND!!!





















Portland, Maine, that is!

We feel very blessed to have matched to our second choice - but also very disappointed to be SO far away from our family and loved ones. So it is certainly a day of ups and downs. Over all, though, we feel that Portland, Maine is, for whatever reason, where our little family is supposed to be. And that thought brings us great comfort. We'll have a busy few weeks as we get Grins' tonsils removed tomorrow, then work on relocating our family across the country, so if the posts are sparse, that's why! Wish us luck!

MATCH DAY!!

Today is MATCH DAY, where we learn where the Mr. will be completing his Residency training and we will be moving for the next three to four years. We could not be more excited!!! We'll keep you 'posted'.....

P.S. Today also happens to be my parents' 30th Wedding Anniversary! Congratulations Mom and Dad!!!!

Grins as a Girl

Several months ago, Angel went through a phase of wanting to dress "sporty, like a boy!" She would ask to wear Grins' clothes and, most of the time, I allowed it, thinking it was not a problem. Last week when Grins came out of his bedroom wearing this, I decided that perhaps I should rethink this 'cross-dressing' thing. When I asked him to go change, he said "Please! I just want to wear a dress and dance!!!!" He pleaded so sweetly that I finally consented under the conditions that he change after the dance...which he did. But I have to say, he makes a cute girl!

Have any of you parents of boys dealt with this? Any thoughts or suggestions? Is it harmless, or should we discourage it?

Why my children are so SWEET!

The other night, Grins had earned a little lollipop (a rare treat in our house!) Not wanting it to make a mess, I suggested he eat it in the bathtub, since it was bath time anyway. Wiggles, who is always first in the tub, saw Grins enter the bathroom with a lollipop, and decided she needed one too. I watched as she proceeded to climb out of the bathtub, run down the hall, and head toward the kitchen, before I finally realized she was going to get herself a treat. I avoid giving her sugar at all costs, but the Mr. saw her streaking through the house and thought she was too cute to resist. The result: a clean girl with a green tongue. We laughed so hard at her tongue that she kept sticking it out for everyone to see.

We keep our little jar of sweets in the highest cupboard of the kitchen so it's out of reach and out of sight. It's not out of mind for Wiggles, though! Nearly EVERY SINGLE NIGHT at Dinner, she will point to it and say "Nanny, nanny" if she doesn't like what is being served for dinner (which, unfortunately, is most nights lately. I don't know why she's so picky; her older siblings are such great eaters!) I find it odd because I think the lollipop is the first piece of candy she's eaten, and her begging for candy started long before the lollipop incident. We don't eat much candy at our house (at least, not in front of the kids ;) )...but who knows where children pick things up.

One thing is for sure, though. Grins shares her love for sweets. The other day, the Mr. and I were bringing groceries in from the car. With the last load in hand, we entered the kitchen to find this:


Grins had climbed up the cabinets (using the drawers as a ladder of sorts) and reached up to the highest shelf to get the candy jar. That is one determined kid! I love the look on his face; it seems so say, "Oh, man! If only I was 20 seconds faster! I almost had it!"

Disney on Ice

This past weekend we were lucky enough to go to Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy! I don't think I've ever been to Disney on Ice before so I guess I don't know what I was expecting but I was SOOOO impressed! It was INCREDIBLE! The skaters were phenomenal, the costumes were magnificent, the stage was beautiful and the show was truly spectacular! I think I was almost as mesmerized as the kids!

We left Wiggles with Oma and Opa (thank you both!!!) so we could enjoy some quality time with Grins and Angel. I don't think either one of them had any idea what to expect, and they assumed we would be ice skating or something. When we arrived there and they saw the hundreds of people, they both clung to me, overwhelmed. When we found our seats, I could see the look in their eyes, wondering what was going on and where we were, and I realized they have probably never been to a stadium before. It must have seemed so enormous and magnificent to them. We sat down (we had amazing seats!) and when the lights dimmed they both wanted to sit on my lap (the Mr. was still parking the car).

(I forgot how bad my eye looked while we were taking the picture...)

When Minnie and Mickey came out, I thought Angel and Grins would fall off my lap. They were so shocked and excited all at once! When Lightening McQueen drove out, Grins jumped up and shouted, "A REAL Lightening McQueen, Mommy! A REAL one!!!" It was truly magical.

We enjoyed Cars (Grins favorite, of course), The Little Mermaid, The Lion King (my personal favorite), and Tinkerbell (Angel was in Heaven!) The Mr. and I were realizing that our children haven't seen any of those movies except Tinkerbell, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.

I kept looking at Grins and Angel, and their expressions were so cute. They were just awestruck the entire time. They were especially excited at the bubbles, fireworks, floating fairy and confetti that flew down from the ceiling at the end.


The pictures I took don't do it justice at all - it was beautiful and captivating! If you have never been to Disney on Ice, I HIGHLY recommend it! This is definitely something we will do again! (Angel has already asked several times when we can go again!!!)

ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!

Just one week left until we find out where the Mr. will be completing his residency and where we'll be living for at least the next 3-4 years! We are SO excited! I know we will be happy anywhere - we selected only programs and states in which we'd be willing to live and as long as our little family is together, we can make anywhere feel like home! I'll admit, I'd prefer some places over others, but overall, I feel at peace in knowing the Lord is directing us, and I feel truly blessed to have so many wonderful options available to us! We'll keep you posted!!!!

Seven Ways You Can Tell.....

Here are 7 ways you can tell your kids have been playing with your camera:

Sleep Deprived

Grins is at the difficult age where he rarely falls asleep at naptime (even after many stories, me laying down with him in a quiet, dark room, etc.) Most of the time he does just fine, but often at dinner he announces "I'm too tired to eat. Can I please go lie down?" Since we're mean parents, we urge him to try to eat before putting him to bed so he won't wake up hungry in the middle of the night....but one night we couldn't stop him. He plopped himself right down on the Mr's lap mid-bite. The Mr. sat him up, put another bite in his mouth, and we watched as Grins chewed without even opening his eyes. We were all laughing and I snapped a few pictures but he was out cold! We finally gave up and carried him off to bed....but fortunately he slept through the night! :)

I LOVE MY CHILDREN!

I love my children! They are SO sweet, innocent, adorable, lovable, sensitive, caring, funny, kind, strong-willed, compassionate, smart, thoughtful, beautiful and amazing. Seriously. I know, I know, everyone thinks their own kids are the best, but mine really are. :) I don't know what I did to deserve such amazing kids. I know I get frustrated at times and am FAR from being a perfect mother but they are perfect for me. And there is no mother in the history of the world who has loved her children more than I love mine. Thank you, Angel, Grins and Wiggles, for all you are to me!

Love, Mommy

Menu Plan Monday

I always have such a difficult time coming up with a meal plan, so to simplify, I'm going to try something new: (I need to incorporate 1 red meat meal/week for Angel's anemia, and I try to do 1 white meat and/or 1 seafood per week as well. Generally the rest are vegetarian.)

Sunday: Red meat

Monday: Beans

Tuesday: Poultry

Wednesday: Soy or vegetable protein

Thursday: Other non-meat (eggs, etc)

Friday: Fish

Saturday: Left overs

This week:

Sunday: Meatloaf, roasted potatoes, steamed carrots, fresh fruit

Monday: White bean chili, whole wheat biscuits, tossed green salad

Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas, steamed rice, corn,

Wednesday: Tofurky, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, pears

Thursday: Spinach/mushroom/3 cheese quiche, tossed salad, fresh fruit

Friday: DISNEY ON ICE!!! (Simple picnic dinner - wraps, veggie sticks, cut fruit)

Saturday: Left overs

Moving on to the real thing...

Apparently, playing with baby dolls is no longer enough for Angel. Now she's dressing, bundling, and snuggling Wiggles to death. Fortunately Wiggles is a happily willing participant (for at least a minute or two) and it is seriously the sweetest thing! I love my girls! :)

Dr. "Angel"

Me: (Just getting out of bed, I notice Angel hovering over me)
Angel: "Excuse me, Miss. You need to head over to my hospital so I can deliver your baby."

Me: "Oh, really?"

A: "Yes" (handing me a doll) "Put this under your shirt and meet me at the hospital in 1 minute. I need to get this baby out of you right away."

Me: (laughing) "OK, Doc!"

(I stuff the doll under my shirt and head out to the living room where, still groggy, I plop down in the rocking chair. On my way out, I notice Angel in her room, 'getting dressed' in her white coat, etc.)

A: (entering room) "Ok, time to deliver this baby!" (Pulls out knife from her Dr. bag and slashes it across my "belly" a few times, then lifts up my shirt and 'pops' the baby out.)

Me: "Wow! That was quick! And easy! You are an amazing doctor!"

A: "Yes!" (and, handing me the baby) "Here's your baby."

Me: "Thank you!"

A: (taking baby back) "Now I get the baby. You just rest. Bye!"

the Fire Station Soak

(Since Grins and Wiggles were SO cold, I hurried to get them out of their wet clothes and into some warm, dry blankets. In my haste, I forgot to take pictures of the kids....but I did get one of the Mr.... trying to imitate Wiggles' camera smile)

Yesterday, we had a tour of our local fire station. When we toured the station last summer, the fire fighters let us play with the hose at the end of the tour and the kids had such fun that that's what they were most looking forward to this time. So much so that they came out of their room donning swimsuits on the morning of the tour. I tried to explain that, since it's currently winter, the hose spraying would not be on the tour agenda this year. This devastated them, and Angel begged me to at least let her wear her raincoat, rain boots, and waterproof pants. I allowed for the coat and boots but had her wear jeans instead. Since the Mr. was home that morning, he took all 3 to the tour while I stayed home to clean (it was wonderful!) I couldn't believe my eyes when, a couple of hours later, they arrived at the door SOAKING WET!!!! Shocked, I gasped, "They did the hose thing? Seriously?" The Mr. then explained how, during the drill, while hooking the hose from the hydrant to the fire engine, one of the side ports opened and sprayed the 4 of them, from just a few feet away. Grins and Wiggles screamed bloody murder at the cold surprise, but Angel was prepared with her boots and coat and had a grand old time. "See Mom! You should have let me wear my waterproof pants!" she laughed. Indeed. We all had a good chuckle.

Under the knife

Today I am undergoing surgery to remove my "eye lump" (as my children call it). The past few days, Angel has been having nightmares about me leaving and not coming back and has insisted on accompanying me to the hospital. Then, last night, Angel and Grins were playing "doctor" (a common role play at our house) and Grins said "Lay down. I'm going to take these scissors and cut off your eye lump." So, it's been on the childrens' minds much more than my own, apparently. The only thing I'm concerned about is their worry for me....but hopefully their fears will disappear when I come home fine....and sans eye lump.

Wish me luck! :)

Final snow of the season????

Last week we thoroughly enjoyed the snow. And it's a good thing, too....with how nice it's been lately, it seems that may have been the last of the snow for the season. Well, we do live in Utah. But we can always dream, right?

The Best Of Intentions

Being early to church is super important to me, especially since I've been in charge of setting up for Primary before church starts. Last week we were going to a mission farewell and had to leave extra early, so we were totally on top of things and all ready to go about half an hour before we had to leave. Since we had extra time I decided to actually do my hair cute for once (it's the last thing I do so it usually doesn't get done well....). I was in the bathroom for a while curling, etc, and assumed the Mr. was cleaning up breakfast. When I came out, just when it was time for us to leave for church, I discovered that Wiggles had found (and very much enjoyed) Grins' leftover, nutella-covered crepe. All over her and her clothes. Fantastic. :) (Although I can't say I blame her, I LOVE nutella!)

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday: Dinner with friends

Monday: Cream of broccoli soup, tossed green salad, homemade whole wheat rolls, seven layer bars (FHE treat)

Tuesday: Vegetable lasagne, spinach salad, garlic bread

Wednesday: Korean bulgogi, kim-chee salad, vegetable pancakes and pot stickers

Thursday: White bean chili, steamed corn, fresh fruit, crusty bread

Friday: Barbeque chicken sandwiches, fresh vegetables

Saturday: Leftovers