Tis the Season

There is so much going on right now, which is precisely why I haven't written about any of it! Aside from the regular holiday fun of decorating, baking, shopping, wrapping, outings, and sewing (I've desperately been trying to get Eve's stocking done this year)...we are also trying to sell our house!

Here's a picture of Grace in front of our Christmas tree that we just got on Friday (by the way, she picks out her own outfits...pink, purple, and orange? Too cute.) We had so much fun picking the tree out. The Christmas tree lot we went to even had a snow machine, so we had fun dancing around in the falling snow!

Today is a special day...Aaron and I have been married exactly seven years! It has been wonderful, and I really couldn't ask for a better man.

I found an easy and adorable fudge recipe that I love (it's from Family Fun Magazine.) It makes a great gift, because it's quick, pretty, and very yummy! Here's the recipe:

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
3 cups semisweet- or milk-chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assorted sprinkles, sugars, and candy decorations

1. Place the chocolate chips in a 2-quart bowl and microwave for 1 minute, then stir them with a wooden spoon. If the chips are not completely melted, microwave them again for 30 seconds, then stir until they're smooth.

2. Stir in the condensed milk, salt, and vanilla extract.

3. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, extending it about 2 inches beyond each side. (This makes it easy to remove the fudge later.) Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

5. Chill the candy until firm, about 30 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

6. Lift the foil from the pan and place it on a flat work area. Use 1-inch cookie cutters to cut out the fudge, then lightly press decorations onto each piece. Makes about 50 pieces.

We're moving

Yes, we have been extremely busy the past couple of weeks getting our house ready to sell...and no, we were not planning on moving! It all kind of happened so fast. Probably about three weeks ago, Aaron called me from work to tell me about a house that I absolutely "had to see." He's done this before, being a Realtor he is constantly exposed to the great home deals in our area, but this time he sounded serious.

So, I humored him. I went to see the home...and it was everything we have always wanted! It's about the same size as what we have now, but it's all on one story and uses it's space much better. We really like the floor plan, but best of all (and the only thing that would make it worth moving for) is the huge backyard. Big yards are hard to come by here, builders keep making lots smaller and smaller. Our current yard is very small...and the new one is about four times the size of it.

The real reason I was willing to even consider the hassle of a move was the amazing deal that we will be getting. Because of the way the housing market has been around here lately, housing prices have dropped greatly. And eventhough we won't be able to sell our current house for as much as we could have a few months ago, the builder of our new home has dropped the price so drastically (for one thing that higher price range has taken a bigger hit and they are anxious to get rid of it) that it won't cost much more than what we will probably be able to sell our current home for. So eventually when the housing market turns around, the new house will increase in value a lot more than our current home. For this reason and the fact that we love the new house and see no reason to ever have to move again we feel it's the right 'move' for us.

We're very excited, but also very stressed. It's not going to be easy to sell our current home with the hundreds of other houses for sale in town, so we've been working hard to really make our house stand out. We've been painting, planting, and improving our decor to appeal to buyers...all stuff that is making me wish we did it earlier so we could have enjoyed it more! It has also been tricky to keep the house clean and perfect with two little ones whose jobs are to make messes.

The new house is only a couple of miles from where we live now, but it's a different ward and school district, so there will be some adjusting. In the meantime, we're focusing on selling our current house, which might take a few months. We'll let you know how it goes!

A Lot To Be Thankful For

We were so grateful to be able to spend Thanksgiving weekend with my family. We made the long drive to Utah...and it was definitely worth it. We had a lot of fun in the four days we were there, and the girls surprised us on how relatively well they did on the long car ride.

We arrived late Wednesday afternoon and were greeted by almost my entire family that had come from as far as California, and as near as down the highway a few miles. After unloading the car, it was already time for our first holiday outing. We bundled up and headed to Heber Canyon with my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. There we took a ride on the "Polar Express" (a train normally called the Heber Creeper that they deck out with Christmas decorations.) We took about an hour and a half train ride to the "North Pole" and back while we were served hot cocoa and cookies, listened to The Polar Express (the book) read aloud, and were even visited by Santa Clause and his wife! As you can imagine, Grace had a magical time. She loved the idea of riding on a train and looked around constantly with wide eyes. When Santa asked Grace what she wanted for Christmas she replied, "A bell." (Having just heard the story that was fresh on her mind.) She was delighted when Santa handed her a bell (as he did to every other child on the train as well.)

Grace and Eve had so much fun playing with their cousins. It was so enjoyable to have all of the Grandkids together at one time. I don't think that has ever happened before. Aaron and I also had fun visiting, shopping, and playing basketball with my family. We had a beyond delicious Thanksgiving dinner and pie galore. I am so thankful for Thanksgiving and the opportunity it gives me to reflect on my many, many blessings.

In Her Shoes

Just before she turned one, Eve got her very first pair of shoes. Whenever it's time to put them on she laughs with excitement, because she knows it means she gets to go outside to play, on a walk, or on some other outing. Sometimes she'll even bring them to me and hold them up to signal her desire to put them on.

Her little shoes get quite a lot of wear and tear from all that she does in them. I can't believe how big she is when I watch her keeping up with her sister as they play in the backyard. Eve runs all over the place, collects sticks and rocks, climbs the ladder to the top of the play structure, slides down the slide, and tries to ride Grace's bike (she climbs on and sits there waiting for something to happen!) I think she's officially moved from baby to toddler.

Halloween

Our Halloween started pretty early with a playgroup costume party in the morning. Grace dressed up as a fairy-princess and Eve as a frog. The kids had a fun time playing games and making Halloween crafts. It was especially cute to see Grace and her friends comparing their costumes and acting like whatever they were dressed up as. Afterwards we went to Halloween story time at the library. It was packed with little firemen, princesses, animals, butterflies, and Elmos (to name a few.) There were so many kids there! Grace and Eve had a fun time listening to the stories, dancing to the music, and watching a spooky puppet show. Later that night we put the girls' costumes back on and enjoyed more games and "trunk-or-treating" at our ward Halloween party. This is the first year that Grace has really gotten into all the festivities...so it was a lot of fun.

One Year Old

We celebrated Eve's first birthday last night...and what a simply wonderful first year it has been! She is such a fun baby. Although she is definitely a handful, Eve is so good natured and has a way making you smile.

Aaron's parents and some of his siblings came over for our little party. We had a chocolate pumpkin-shaped cake and Eve opened presents from both sets of grandparents, her aunt and uncle, Mommy and Daddy, and even Grace (who wrapped up one of her own toys for her sister...sweet.)

The highlight of the evening was when Eve got to eat her own little cake (and she did just that...ate the whole thing!) It was hilarious. She really got in to it, and had everyone rolling with laughter. I think the pictures will explain a lot better than I can!

Before:



During:

After:
We've been having a fun Halloween day so far...I'll give all the details in tomorrow's post.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch this morning with Grace's playgroup friends. The kids got to plant broccoli, feed coy fish in the pond, see farm animals, walk through a hay maze, and pick their very own pumpkin to bring home. It's really beginning to feel and look like Autumn...I love it!

Aloha

Aloha! We returned from our trip to Hawaii a couple of days ago. We spent our time on the island of Kaua'i, which we now consider the most beautiful place in the world! It took no time at all the get used to the relaxed atmosphere, including the fun island music that we blasted on the car radio every time we went somewhere!

Two Fridays ago, Aaron and I left our precious girls sleeping at Grandma'’s house while we set off on our adventure to the "Garden Island." It was so hard to say good-bye to them knowing that it would be a week before I saw them again. But knowing they were in good hands, we were excited to have this time to ourselves! We met my sister Tausha, my brothers Trenton and Jeremy, and sister-in-law Miriam in Kaua'’i. They arrived not long before we did. We had a lot of fun spending time with them as well as doing things with just the two of us.

Although it was relaxing to be there without the kids, it meant that we were doing something almost every minute! There was so much to do and there was nothing holding us back so we went for it! We did a lot of snorkeling. One of the best snorkeling beaches in Kaua'’i was literally steps away from our patio. Pretty much anytime we spent at the beach we were in the water either snorkeling, swimming, or surfing (Aaron.) I felt like a little kid…never holding still!

We did a magnificent hike that went up and down mountains along the “Na Pali Coast” (one side of the island is only reachable by boat, air or foot…no roads.) It was absolutely gorgeous to see this unspoiled scenery: luscious greenery, waterfalls, steep cliffs, and beautiful beaches.

We spent another day kayaking up the Wailua River, then hiking a few more miles to the Wailua Falls. As soon as we got there we plunged into a pool of water under this amazing waterfall. The pressure from the falls was so strong that I couldn'’t even open my eyes as I swam under or behind them (for fear that my contacts would pop out.)

Aaron and I also spent a morning touring the island by helicopter! This was truly a once in a
life-time opportunity! If I was ever to go in a helicopter I wanted it to be over somewhere beautiful like Hawaii. It was a little bit frightening when the pilot went down in canyons or soared close to the cliffs near the ocean, but mostly it was just breath-taking to see everything from such an amazing vantage point. Wow…that'’s about all I can say about that!

We got to see the Na pali coast by boat as well. We took about a four hour zodiac raft trip in the ocean. It was so much fun to ride along the waves as high speeds. I think we got up to about 40 mph. We got to see some sea caves up close, although we couldn't go inside them because the waves were too choppy. We took a break in the middle to swim in the middle of the ocean. It was a cool feeling (although I did worry about sharks.) That evening Aaron and I attend a luau. It was a really fun experience.

Our last day was spent doing a little more snorkeling before we had to check out. We took the rest of the day pretty easy as we drove up Waimea canyon, stopping often to see the awesome views. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. We actually sat on a beach that day (instead of playing hard in the ocean!) Later we caught our plane at 9:30 p.m (Hawaiian time…12:30 Pacific Time) and arrived in San Francisco Sunday morning at 5 a.m. You can imagine we were quite tired!

Now we are home, and even though we had a blast, we are so happy to home with our sweet girls. I appreciate them more them ever!














Me, Tausha, and Miriam from our patio

Can't Stand Still

Trying to get the girls to pose for a picture is a hard job. This is the result of me asking them to hold still. Well, at least they're smiling!

Anything for a Smile

Today while the girls were finishing their lunch, I found myself dancing around the kitchen doing exaggerated kicks and spins, and even leaps! Why, you may ask?...all for a smile. At least it all started with trying to get Eve to smile, but it ended with both girls (and myself) silly with laughter.


I just wanted to share this funny picture of Eve tackling Grace. I took it the other night when they were wrestling around during Aaron's Birthday Party. We just had his family over for dinner, cake and a few presents. It was a lot of fun. Oh yeah...to explain Eve's lack of clothes: she likes to feed herself. Since we had soup for dinner, she was quite wet when it was all over and ended up in her diaper. I'm also including a picture of the realtor birthday cake I made for Aaron and the sign the girls helped color and decorate. Birthdays are fun!

Fire Station

This morning Grace went on a preschool fieldtrip to the fire station. The Fire-fighters taught the kids about fire safety, showed them how they put their fire suits on in a hurry, and demonstrated how a fire-fighter breathes through an oxygen mask (among other things.) Grace was actually scared of the fire-man when he had his big face mask and hat on. She had a lot more fun during the fire truck demonstration outside. She even got to spray the fire-hose! I just love being able to watch my children learn about the world around them. Everything is so fascinating... everything is so new!

Preschool

Since the end of August Grace has been part of a preschool/ playgroup. It's just a group of three and four-year olds from our ward that meet twice a week for a couple of hours. Each mom takes a turn having it at her house, while the other moms get a nice little break (we rotate each week.) This week it was at our house. It was a lot of fun. We learned about the letter "E" and the number "5." I had the kids hunt for plastic eggs (because egg begins with E) in the backyard. After they found all of the eggs we gathered together to see the things that were inside the eggs (little pictures of different "e" words.) We also had a cool experiment with a hard boiled egg and a raw one. They were fascinated! I really enjoyed seeing the excitement on their faces when we worked on an art project or played "duck, duck, goose!" It was reminiscent of my teaching days. Mostly, I just loved watching Grace interact with her little friends.

Grace-isms

Here are some of the funny, cute, and even tender things that have come out of Grace's mouth lately:

"I'm not scared of anything."

"When I'm bigger, when I'm ten, I can be a fire -fighter."

"I can do many things."

"I'm just like a princess!"

"I'm watching the sun turn pink." (in response to a sunset)

"When I grow up like a farmer, I can say E-I-E-I-O and feed the ducks."

"We are a happy family!" (she often says this when we're all together)

"The sun is awake." (She says this in the morning)

"I'm a Superhero!"

Good Morning

Mornings can be really fun. It's so easy to just be together and enjoy one another's company before the events of the day can get in the way. This morning was great...we got up a little earlier than normal so we ended up having some extra time to play before we got ready for the day. And that's just what we did...we played! Grace and I played with her dolls and toys until Eve woke up and joined us. A little while later we all joined Aaron in "Mommy and Daddy's" bed and just snuggled while he read books to us. We had breakfast together and Aaron even had time to play the piano while Grace danced around in a tu-tu. I'm not usually a morning person, but mornings like this one make me want to become one!

She's Walking!

Eve took her first step a couple of weeks ago and is slowly becoming a walker! It evolved from one step as she was falling, to two or three teetering steps, and now she takes several semi-steady steps in a row before toppling over. I think we counted eight or nine consecutive steps last night. She is thrilled with herself in her new found skill. It is so exciting to see her accomplish this big “step.”

Good-bye Summer

It has been a fun summer. Here are a few more of the things we enjoyed this summer that I never had time to post:







Morning and evening bike rides (it was definitely too hot during the day.)















Swim Lessons: Grace learned to kick, blow bubbles, and move her arms during her "Mommy and Me" lessons.










Grace and Eve spent countless days playing "dress-up" in a cool, air-conditioned house.













Aaron and Grace got soaked as they rode around in a "Blaster Boat" (at a local fun center.)













And of course popsicles. Grace enjoys introducing her sister to the finer things in life!

Labor Day

We had a fun and relaxing Labor Day. Aaron took most of the day off and we headed down to spend it with my brother Jason and his family. We had a good time swimming in their pool and getting caught up. Later in the evening they had some of their friends come over for a BBQ and the swimming continued. We had a good time. As you can see Eve really enjoyed the watermelon!

About an hour before we left is when Grace's real fun began. She and her cousin Davis were running around being totally silly and making eachother laugh. When we took pictures of the two of them together, I told Grace to kiss his cheek and just as she did Davis turned his head and got a big kiss on the lips! It was definitely not on purpose based on his reaction (he wiped his mouth and looked disgusted!) It was hilarious and I caught it on my camera.

A Colorful Lesson

Yesterday evening, just before dinner time, Aaron took Grace with him to run a quick errand (leaving me with only Eve to look after while I hurriedly tried to finish dinner.) Very determined to get dinner made, I let Eve wander on her own and do a little exploring. After a while I was aware that it was very quiet and I could no longer see Eve. I didn't worry too much about it, afterall the baby gate was blocking the stairs and the house was essentially baby-proofed. Wanting to take advantage of the time she was giving me to finish the meal, I waited a few minutes before I actually checked on her. When I did, I discovered her in the corner. She had found Grace's crayon case, unzipped it, and was now eating it's contents! There were crayons laying on the floor that had been bitten into, and the one she was holding looked about an inch shorter than it should have been! She had a variety of colors in her mouth and on her shirt so I could tell she had tasted several of the yummy crayons. Thank goodness they make things non-toxic!

Party Time

Since we were out of town on Grace's birthday last week, we had her party last night. Our little girl is three!

She helped with much of the planning, baking, and decorating...and thoroughly enjoyed herself! Her Grandma and Grandpa Lewis were there along with several of her aunts and uncles that live in the area. We also let her invite her friends Morgan and Sydney (they're sisters) and their mommy and daddy. Grace had so much fun with her little friends that she could hardly stay focused on eating her pizza (which she normally gobbles up.)

Besides the general fun of running around and being silly, we also took turns whacking a pinata, played "Pin the Bee on the Flower," watched Grace open presents, sang Happy Birthday, and ate pink cake (the actual cake was pink...a request from our little girly girl.) It was great because most of the adults participated in the games as well.


Grace had just about as much fun a little kid can have in a day. She was bouncing around like a little happy ball...and of course she loved the fact that everyone was at the party for her.