I could CRY!

It is official Taylor and I have been married nine years and guess what happens. I wake up this morning look in the mirror and what do I see glowing brightly at me... A GREY HAIR (it is actually more silver, which sounds better anyway). I don't color my hair at all so I haven't been blissfully ignorant, but I have always told Taylor that as soon as I start going grey he is going to have to start forking out the dough for some cool highlights. So maybe next spring I will start having a real cool hairdo. Well maybe not, I saw a sister in our ward on Sunday who has the prettiest silver hair, and I have heard once you start coloring it is hard to stop.

Jordan wants help from friends?

Letter from Jordan: My class is studying maps and geography in school. We are learning about places in our town, our state, other states and other countries. You can be a great help to our class as we learn about our world. Please send a postcard or a picture from your city or town to me at my classroom. The address is: Jordan Grow Legacy Elementary 7701 Eagle Blvd. Frederick, CO 80504 Each student in my class is sending a letter like this to someone he or she knows. We are sending these letters to other cities, states and countries. As the postcards and pictures arrive in the classroom, we will find the location where the postcard or picture originated on one of the maps displayed in our classroom. We are very excited about sending our letters and are anxious to receive postcards and letters with pictures inside. When we receive your postcard or pictures, we will be able to learn about other cities, states and countries. we will understand where our families, friends and relatives are around the world. We will understand better the geography of our world. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Jordan Jordan is especially excited about this project because he knows so many of his friends are now scattered across the world. He would love to get as many as possible so if you have a chance they will start presenting post cards in January.

Opps!

Monday night I started making cookies for Dale's Holiday party and I just had problem after problem so I got about 12 cookies from my biggest cookie failure ever. And so today I am trying to get the rest made and after I pulled the first batch out of the oven I realized I baked them on wax paper instead of parchment paper. These cookies have really been a pain in my side. A little wax won't hurt anyone will it? :)

So Cold

Have you ever looked in the L.L. Bean catalog with all the pants lined, the coats are about ten inches deep and the gloves are so big and thick they look like you could wear them on your head? Well for the first time I understand why people would wear that stuff. No matter what I did today I haven't been able to get warm, I couldn't possibly wear another layer of pants without pulling out my maternity clothes. The High was right about 0 today and no matter how well you are dressed it just isn't enough. I can't believe on Saturday it was 50 degrees, that sounds absolutely tropical about now. I hope you all are warmer then I am! *Okay just to add a little comment, as much as I complain I must say that it is a little exciting, and it is so much fun to bake and cook when it is all white and cold outside, which is what the kids and I did all last evening. And supposedly this only happens once or twice a year and only stays low for about 2 days, so I just take this time to enjoy everyone wanting to be home and indoors.

Cleaning Tips?

I don't like harsh chemicals but I have no idea what to do for my flat top cooking surface on my range other then elbow grease. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Uncle Tom's Cabin

I am the worst at just taking the time to get my photos off my camera. I still have loads to upload. But alas, by the time I will get them up they will be very outdated, so here is what I have been thinking and not what I have been doing. It is snowing outside and the world looks so clean. Everything sparkles and because logically you can see that it is cold out side it makes being indoors in your own home the most joyful and peaceful of times. I am truly thankful for my blessings for a home to keep me warm and clothes to where. I have been reading "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and again it has brought me to reflect upon what I have and what I take for granted. I feel this has been (aside form church literature) one of the most spiritual enlightening books I have ever read. So if you haven't read this book or read it in High School, I encourage you to pick it up again. Ponder on what character best represents you now and what you think you may have been in those different circumstances. So even in times of economical turmoil, I trust in my Savior and I am grateful.

updates

Follow up on the mouse story.... We caught a mouse! Actually we caught 5 mice. Taylor got home about midnight that night and by then the stores were closed so after a fitfull nights sleep I made him go to the store Sunday morning (yes I know but I didn't care). He bought a pack of four mouse traps and set them around the house. Knowing mice were nocternal I didn't expect anything during the day. That evening the boys were very anxious to see a mouse in the trap so we told them after they get already for bed they could check the traps. We all went upstairs brushed teeth red stories and half an hour later we let them check. They come running back up the stairs, "We caught one, we caught one!". Sure enough we did. Taylor just through the whole trap away and we went to bed. After about forty minutes Taylor remembered to plug his phone in so down the stairs he goes only to be back in a flash letting me know all three of the other traps had a mouse in it. This time he emptied the traps and re-set them the next morning it was one more (he was the lucky one that got his picture taken) and since then the only thing we have caught was a little boys fingur (we thought we had picked them all up befor we had company, opps!). I am happy to day it has been over a week with out a squeek. Updates #1 Pumpkin Farm Amelia was supper brave, it was her favorite thing to feed the animals big or....

the relatively smallThe "two year old" group that we went with.

Parker Family Reunion.

Hanging out in Provo with my sister and her kids and Sherilee and Sterling Cornaby who we have known since before grad school and became really close to as they were at Cornell at the same time as we were. This was before the reunion.

Here are all the kids. We wish we had gotten a picture of Taylor and I with Sterling and Sherilee, Sterling and Taylor were wearing shirts that were almost identical and Sherilee and I were also dressed very much alike. Maybe that is why we are such good friends, we just think alike.

Sherilee and baby Grant. He was so tiny!!

Marie (my sister) and Kate

Jordan Jasmin and Hyrum (my sisters boy)

Arianna, (Sherilee's) isn't she pretty.

Dale

Amelia

Elaina (my sisters)

MOUSE! MOUSE! MOUSE!

How can something so small scare you so badly? It is 11:30pm, Taylor is at a priesthood activity and so stupidly left his phone here at home! So imagine I am sitting on the couch knitting and watching TV enjoying a nice evening to myself. I here a little scratching I turn around and don't see anything so I assume it was outside (it was rather soft) then about ten minutes later a little dark blur rushes from the couch I am sitting on to the chair in the corner. I immediately focus on that area to make sure that I was just imagining things. But sure enough about 10 seconds later a little mouse that appeared to be the size of my shoe (my imagination is making it bigger) ran from the chair, back under the couch where I am sitting. AHHH!! It took me about three minutes to move! So now as I wait for Taylor to get home so I can go get a mouse trap and it will be me because there is now way I am staying here any longer then I have to with a critter in my house. Oh my gosh I can hear it! This is crazy, imagine I am sitting in my computer chair actually squatting in my chair in the kitchen with Taylor shoes on because they are bigger then mine and I am less likely to feel it if the mouse happens to skitter across my toes freaking out because I have a very dirty rodent in my house. I know many of you must think I am the biggest baby but I don't care that is just the way it is. Seriously where is my tuff husband when I need him?

Magic Eraser

I am going to try the Eraser tomorrow. I also found a small amount of art on my leather couch so hopefully it will come off in both places. As many of you have guessed, I have not cut my hair, I think I have gotten over the major hair frustrations and it seems a little easier now. But I did have to cut Amelia's hair just before our trip to California. I was in the middle of trimming her bangs and Jasmin was screaming on the bed Taylor couldn't hear me calling so a grabbed Jaz ran to the stairs and got Tay's attention. In that 30 seconds she had grabbed the scissors and clipped the sides of her hair, I had to cut off almost three inches. I have to remember she is more normal then my boys (who to this day haven't pulled any stunts that make me want to pull my hair out), I just need to remember with Amelia, if I don't want to have her get into trouble I have to keep trouble up on a shelf.

SHARPIE!!!!!

I rarely spank my kids but today Amelia got it! I am tending a friends kids today (all day) and so after a tiring morning I put everyone down for a nap. Or so I thought, Amelia was in the craft room as her bed was being used, so after I got Jamin to sleep I thought I heard a noise and yep it was Amelia. She had done some cutting and used a Sharpie to color on my white board. I was mad but kept everything cool and calm and explained in a loving way that we don't do those things. I let her get up, she obviously wasn't tired (which always is frustrating to lose my only time of the day which is just mine) but after conference yesterday I was determined to enjoy my children and I really tried to recognize that childhood flies by so fast. So I gave her a snack and put the TV on for her and went in the living room to finish my book. After about twenty minutes I walked back to the kitchen and saw her covering herself (in a brand new shirt!!!) and my table in a pink Sharpie! Where did she find two in one day?! My table is only a year old, so I truly lost it and three spanks and a ten minute time out not to mention a bit of yelling I finally am calm enough to post my frustrations. Does anyone know how to get sharpie off a table top without sanding it down and starting over?

Vacation?

Is there such a thing? Every time I travel for a so called vacation I come back more fatigued then when I left. But is it worth it.... most certainly. I love being somewhere I don't have to worry about bills or appointments made, even when I forget about them I know I can't do anything about. Here are some pictures taken in California, these are not from my camera so I will be uploading more pictures in the next couple days with some from my last California visit that I didn't have until now and also from the Parker reunion. Here are some of the great things about vacations. Happy feet, tired feet.... Not getting dressed until 9 am...

Sunny days...

Smiling faces... (my mother nit this dress I will add a photo where you can see the whole thing) Relaxation.... Lot of play....

Time, Whats That?

Busy Busy Busy! I know you all know how I feel. Some days/weeks you just feel like you don't have a minute to yourself. That is how it has been for me the last few weeks. After this weekend I am hoping to have some time and some new fun pictures to post. Speaking of photos, I wish I had one of me this afternoon. I had both girls in my arms asleep in the rocker (Amelia 3 in Nov. and Jasmin 2 1/2 months) I carried them both to their beds at the same time, Jasmin was laying on top of Amelia as I made my way to her bed first then I put Jasmin to bed. It was a crazy afternoon.

Travel Plans

It looks like Taylor and I will be in Utah for the Parker Family Reunion the weekend of Sept. 19 and then the next weekend me and the girls will be taking a trip to California. Living as far away as we did while in graduate school I didn't get to show off my new babies very often so I am very grateful to be taking baby Jasmin to visit. Although Colorado isn't around the corner air fair is much cheaper and it is so much more convenient to fly out of Denver then it was out of Syracuse where I had to change plans twice. It took all day to travel to get to my families in Sacramento and that is if everything runs smoothly which is a perfect seg-way to my travel horror story. I was traveling with a little boy (Jordan) barely walking and an infant(Dale). We were on our way home when in Chicago our 5:00pm plane was delayed, delayed, changed gates which I had to run to catch, did I mention that I in my stupidity decided not to check my bags so I had in addition to two kiddies a stroller (thank goodness) the car seat, a carry-on back pack loaded with everything heavy and a roller suitcase. Well I made it to the plane which was delayed and delayed again and at 11pm finally it was cancelled. They didn't want to put any one up in hotels they wanted you to camp out at the airport so when it was my turn in the very long line I demanded a place to stay after I was given the arrangements it was 1am. I then was told I had to be back at the airport by 6am to catch the flight home. Now anyone who knows my kids can vouch that they are early to bed kind of kids if you don't have them in bed before eight-thirty or nine at the latest they will start to tell you or any one that they are so tired and ask you where they can sleep. So you can imagine how this was going. They kept lying down on the ground at the airport begging to sleep. But I finally got them down to the shuttle area to find out that the last shuttle left at 1am. Now I am a mess with tears and the whole thing, Jordan was a trouper I took the boys shoes off and let them run around barefoot as I looked for a phone to call a cab, I remembered hearing if you need to get a few more good minutes out of your kids let them take there shoes off and feel the ground under their feet. Well someone took pity on me, a limo driver offered to take me to my hotel (looking back maybe I should have been scared out of my mind but I was to tired and I know that he was sent by my Heavenly Father to help my desperate self out!) I got to the lobby of the hotel where Jordan promptly laid down on the carpet and fell fast asleep, I got checked in then pushed a stroller with Dale in it, carried a car seat, a backpack Jordan, and pulled a piece of rolling luggage to my room (the guy to help with luggage was supposedly busy helping someone else). It was 2:15am when I laid the boys in bed washed their feet (with a very white wash cloth that I am sure they had to throw away after that) and fell into bed only to have the alarm wake me up at 5am to get back to the airport and find out that I wasn't on the 6:15am flight I was on standby for that flight. Well they told me there wasn't room for me, I could no longer defend my self I was totally exhausted, it makes me want to cry just remembering how I felt that morning, I had no words that I could speak I only had the strength for tears. I was saved again by a Good Samaritan who demanded they find me away home. Put her on another airline they said she needs to get herself and kids home! Well they did and I made it! I have never been so totally worn out, not to mention sore!!! Every muscle in my body hurt from lugging all that awkward stuff all over the airport. So again Denver with a direct flight to Sacramento is easy traveling for me. But I would like to tell you all how much I love my boys, they do great in all sorts of crazy situations, they have never let me down. In honor, here are a few of my favorite pictures of them.

I Decided. Long It Stays... Untill Today...

Okay so I pretty much decided to leave my hair long until this morning.... this is how my hair day has gone. *Woke up, brushed it, and noticed a few more hairs filling my brush. *Slipped into exercise gear and promptly got it caught in my zippered sports top. *Showered, using lots of conditioner and noticing a few more hairs collecting on the shower wall. *Went to lunch with Tay, and because of help from Jasmin it ended up in my lunch. *Got home and after feeding Jasmin, she spit up all down the back side of me, collecting all in the underneath of my hair. *Then the top off..... I was pulling undies up on Amelia leaning around the back of her and as I started to stand as I pulled them up, I notice that a chunk of hair was sliding in between her bum crack!!! So after rinsing, rinsing again and then washing again, I have decided it is coming off. Now I just have to decide how much, if I do more then eight inches I can donate it which would feel great! Although I think who ever gets it would appreciate not knowing the story behind my decision to cut it off. I don't have a picture of it shorter but it is cute just below my chin.

I was leaning toward this length (the below picture) it was taken a year ago, (what a baby can do to your waist line). But it does mean I wouldn't be donating. I will post a picture once I decide and get it cut.

Long or Short?

What Do I Do? I am thinking of cutting off the length. My hair is now down to my waist as you can see from Jasmin's blessing photo and I am seriously thinking of going just long enough to create a pony nub (instead of tail:) It hasn't started falling out yet, which will be horrible, imagine my shower drain! Jasmin gets it wrapped around her neck and hands and I have to pull pieces out of her month at almost every feeding. But I do love my long hair it is so fun to do funky things with. So Whats The Vote? Yes or NO

Denver Museum

Jared (my brother) has been staying with us this week, and one of the things we did is go to the Museum of Natural History in Denver. We had a great time and I think Jared has a new girlfriend, notice I catch him getting a Little action in one photo.

Grime on my lens, maybe I should keep the camera out of reach of little fingers. A puppeteer was controlling this T-Rex, how would you like that on your resume, "what did you for your last job?" Reply, "I scared the pants off little children" or "I pretended to eat all the kids that passed by me". How does he measure up? Run Jared! Its pretty cold out there. Amelia isn't happy Jordan is in the picture. No one looks happy but me in this photo, you can see Dale's head, he didn't want to be photographed at all. Jared's new found love. A little trick of the camera! :) Yodeling in the Swiss Alps.