myladybug3

SO -- in my attempt to stay in a "positive frame of mind,"
i will keep myself busy this weekend:

1. attend the general relief society meeting this saturday. this is definitely something to look forward to, as inspirational thoughts are shared and cherished. i look forward to seeing and hearing from our dear prophet, president monson.

2. attend a surprise birthday party for a dear friend :) ...shhhhhhhhhh.

3. take a walk, or maybe 10 walks, depending on the weather and my psyche!

4. play at the park...go down the slides, swing as high as we can, dig in the sand...

5. clean. there is always something to clean, right?

6. excitedly watch the primary program in sacrament meeting! this is ms. ella's first primary program and she is so excited. ella has memorized her part for the program and knows the beautiful words of each and every song. when i hear her sing these sweet and meaningful words, tears come to my eyes EVERY time!

so, i am set.
for the next couple of days i will enjoy pregnancy and spend as much time with these two little girls as i can :) ! how's that for staying positive????

we shall dance...

and dance and giggle!

^a lightly toasted cranberry bagel w/plain cream cheese from einstein bagels . i also love their fresh orange juice (freshly squeezed, of course!).

^ a morning hike along the red pine lake trail up little cottonwood canyon. the colors would be exquisite and the scenery cannot be surpassed!

^a light chocolate caramel from vchocolates. these chocolates rival many belgium chocolates i have tried! true perfection.

^a caramel cider from the salt lake roasting company...the most divine taste for a cool autumn day.

^lunch at la puente. i'll take my all time favorite: a smothered burrito without beans, sprinkled w/cheese and onion; a side of mexican rice; and a tall glass of water with lemon.

^a visit to trolley square for my favorite children's store: secret garden. the choice of clothing is amazing for boy & girl. plus, they have sweet little toys and costumes to choose from!

^an hour or so in a fine stationers shop. tabula rasa is a great choice. i have been eyeing some wonderful baby announcements that would properly introduce a new little one.

^time at red butte garden in the late afternoon. this weekend is the fall bulb and native plant sale, where many a fine item could be gathered. a walk around the grounds is a treasure for two little girls as they discover away in the children's garden.

^time alone with my dear husband for dinner. let's face it, dinner time at home is crazy time with children. we beg our children to eat while we attempt to have some sort of conversation that involves two busy bodies. i think a quiet dinner at asian star would be a delectable feast and real conversation (while gazing at the wasatch mountains) would be possible. their chicken lettuce wraps definitely top p.f. chang's (i know, hard to imagine!).

well, that sounds like a perfect day to me. the only problem: all of these autumn favorites are located along the wasatch front! no matter how long i live in tri-cities, i will always miss home:
"there's no place like home, there's no place like home!"

patience. life is about patience.
we need to be careful what we ask for. life is about that too.

yesterday a friend said that very thing to me: "be careful what you ask for."
things will come in time. change will occur on its own. no need to rush things.

okay. i will try. there is always a lesson to be learned.

i found this talk very helpful.

today it will occur at 15:44! isn't that amazing?!

{photos from zeeland, 2006}


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autumn is:

• a season of change.
• overcast skies.
• reflections.
  
• walks in the leaves.
• brisk hikes to keep warm.
• preparation for holidays.
• darkness descends and the cool air begins.
• smell of pumpkin spice.
• comfort foods.
• a need for something new and warm.
• earlier to bed, earlier to rise.
• books and movies.
• blankets and snuggles.
• fall shopping.

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CONGRATULATIONS RT & JEN!

(and Grandma Kathy!!!!!)

Gabriel (Gabe) was born a few weeks early. At 5 lbs. 1 oz., 18 inches long, he is perfect!
We can't wait to meet him.

Enjoy every moment with this adorable little one :)

we are loving this great september weather.
low 80's would be perfect, but we must embrace the 90's for now...
soon we will have cold, short days.
i am not sure what we will do if we can't play in our swimsuit outside for hours.

conducting water experiments.

watering all of the plants.

reading to trango about picnics in the park.

multi-tasking.

the end.

"God sent children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race--to enlarge our hearts; and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections; to give our souls higher aims; to call out all our facilities to extended enterprise and exertion; and to living round our firesides bright faces, happy smiles, and loving, tender hearts."--Mary Botham Howitt

"I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it."--Rose Kennedy

"The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children."--G. K. Chesterton

it's so nice to have a quiet day. and it's even nicer to have a catch-up day on sleep!

sunday's are hard for ms. sophie -- no naps. it really isn't a day of rest for this little girl. "quiet play" until 12:30 pm. church from 1-4pm. eat, play, and read until 7pm. over-tired, she goes to bed around 8pm.

so today will be her day of rest. with bunny.

this is ella's third year of preschool. it's hard to believe it, but it's true.

we started her with the 2/3's, where she struggled every time we dropped her off.
last year she was with the 3/4's and immediately loved her teacher and many friends.
now she is in the pre-kindergarten 4/5's and is already loving her time, looking forward to the next class day!

while i do not love the drive back and forth to richland, there are many things i truly love about westside school which are unique:

1. exposure to children who live throughout the tri-cities area.
2. parental involvement during every scheduled class (helping days are once a month).
3. excellent adult/child ratio.
4. play-based, rather than academic-based.
5. socialization is stressed with children and adults.
6. manners and respect are extremely important.
7. environmentally minded -- recycle and reuse.
8. educated teachers with years and years of experience.
9. many, many repeat customers provides a "family" atmosphere.

we'll see how much i am loving it when i have a new babe + sophia = 2 full hands.

this little girl was not so happy to see her sister off to school today.
to hear her cry and say "ewwa-ewwa" is really quite adorable.
i took her shopping with me and we enjoyed lots of one-on-one time.
and then i bought her this:

yep, like father like daughter. a 1970 vw bus (a blurry photo, but it was in motion). and she was perfectly happy buzzing this little matchbox along her seat in the big bus. we picked up ella and all was well again.

labor day - september 1, 2008

amazing how a photo can capture a feeling.
feeling brave and full of love, surrounded by beauty.
speaking to a little one who takes my breath away.
all of those kicks when inhaling fresh air.
this is one active bebe.
boy or girl? so excited to find you out.
holding you in my thoughts until that special day...
and then holding you in my arms on our "labor day."

flowers at mt. rainier -- spectacular!

i'm imagining three children hiking up a trail, following daddy.

soon she will be a big sister too.

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dear opa,

we thank you for another fun and productive visit! the house always feels empty after you go! sophia just loves to say your name (looking around for you too) and ella watched out her window as you were driving away. it was a sad day for them and we talked about the many fun things we did during your visit. thank you for the projects you completed around the house. we look forward to putting the finishing touches on our antique cupboard and hanging it up for all to enjoy. thank you for a great day at rainier and dinner at whistlin' jack's -- yum. now you have moved on to yosemite and we know you are loving your time in another beautiful place.

with much love and appreciation to you!

long live summer!