Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Hannah's ideas on time and age

As we were driving home from getting the computer fixed Hannah asked me when she would get to start soccer. We had signed up a few weeks ago and she was very excited to get started. When I said that she would start in about one month she sighed. This is the same girl who has spent all of February participating with our ward in a Media Fast and has not watched a movie or TV since January. She has also spent February waiting for her birthday to come, which happens to be on the 28th of February the last day of the Media Fast. She has done a lot of waiting this month. The thought of waiting another month to play soccer must have seemed like too much when she said, "That is like forever! I'll be 40 before I get to play soccer."

As we drove on and were listing to "Dancing Queen" Hannah asked if I was 17. I told her that I wasn't 17 but 37. She replied, "That is old enough to be a grandma." Well, not really Hannah, but age is a hard thing to understand when you are young.

Who did it?

 


So, this morning as I was getting ready to take in my computer, which wouldn't start,  Hannah comes  into my room telling me that the label maker is broken.  (I had let her use the label maker because she is learning her letters and how to write some words.  She was having fun printing out  "mom", "love" and some other unknown words over and over again.  (See pictures above).  I didn't even mind that they were sticking them to the stools in the kitchen.)  She was very upset that the label maker was jammed.  She thought that it was ruined.  I asked her who broke the label maker.  With a straight face she said that Hannah had done it.  When I smiled at her she said, "At least I told the truth."  The label maker wasn't really broken forever as Hannah thought.  It was only jammed and was fixed in no time.  She then typed out "mom love" and gave it to me. 
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Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Day at the Zoo 2-16-09

 
I think that we might have worn Grandma and Grandpa out.  We took them to the zoo.  It was another beautiful day and we couldn't let that pass us by.  You can never take a sunny day for granted!  


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Lunch at the Crab Pot in Seattle 2-14-09

 

 

 

 
The tradition continues.  We have to eat at the Crab Pot whenever we have visitors from out of town.  (A good enough reason to come for a visit.)  I thought that the kids wouldn't be that excited since we had just eaten there the week before.  I was wrong, they still loved it.  I couldn't keep up with how fast Elizabeth wanted to eat.  She kept saying, "More Crab!".  What am I going to do with that girl?  
After the Crab pot we went to a store called the Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe.  It is a crazy store with exhibits like you would find at Ripley's Believe It or Not.  Lauren had been wanting to get Mexican Jumping Beans.  She brought her money so we couldn't put her off any longer.  We weren't so sure that we wanted seeds with bugs jumping inside then in our home, but they have proven to be lots of entertainment for us.  As I sit here typing I am watching and hearing them jump right next to me.  Lauren has named them all.  Maybe I'll let her have her own post to tell all about them.  She says that they are her pets and she talks to them as if they are going to do as she asks.  What am I going to do with THAT girl?
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Working in the yard with Grandma and Grandpa Miller 2-14-09




We spent Valentine's Day morning working and playing in the yard. There is a lot of work to still be done. Jon wanted to take out the chain saw and cut down some fallen trees. Grandma and Grandpa had fun walking and discovering new things in the woods. The highlight of the morning was when Sarah found a shrew. I had not believed that they really existed. They do! I saved you from viewing the pictures of the poor dead animal. It was about the size of a mouse, but it has claws, nose and short tail like a mole. Grandma thought that it got the name shrew because of its long nose, like an old woman who is called a "shrew". Maybe she is right.
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Monday, February 9, 2009

A day at the Seattle waterfront 2-07-09

We spent the afternoon in Seattle with Grandma and Grandpa. We went to the Aquarium and then we had to eat our late lunch/ early dinner at The Crab Pot. We always go there when anyone is in town visiting. It's a fun place where they cover your table with butcher paper and dump your food on the table. You throw the shells into a bowl on the floor! The kids love crab, they can't get enough of it. Hannah and Elizabeth just pound on the crabs and ask us to take out the meat and then say, "More crab!" It is a lot of fun. This time we were able to celebrate Sarah's birthday. We all enjoyed her mud pie.


Sunday, February 8, 2009

Sarah's 9th Birthday 2-06-09


Sarah is now 9 years old. I can't believe it. Grandma and Grandpa Bill bought her favorite cake, mint chip ice cream cake. We all loved it. She got books, art supplies, and an easy bake oven. The kids tried it out with Jacob's help. (see picture below). Maybe they will now make dessert every night, one small cake at a time.

Lauren's horseback riding lesson 2-06-09


Lauren was so excited to get to show off her riding skills for her grandparents visiting from California. She did great! It was one of her best lessons ever. I was glad to get the opportunity to actually watch a lesson. Too often I drop her off and then pick her up when she is finished. She has started jumping over small jumps and might even enter some riding shows this spring.

A day at the gym 2-06-09

Grandma and Grandpa Bill came to visit from California. I wanted them to get a taste for the activities that the kids do each day. Since it was Sarah's birthday, I took her out of school early. We took Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth and went to show off their gymnastic moves. The girls had great fun and grandma and grandpa had a good time watching.

Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth show off their tricks

Here is a movie of Elizabeth doing her first flip on the bars. I didn't know that she knew how to do a flip. Actually, I don't think that she knew that she could do a flip. After she realized that she could we couldn't stop her. I kept thinking that she was going to break her arms.


Sarah and Hannah are here doing tramp moves. Hannah loves her gymnastics class and Sarah misses hers.

Free play at gymnastics

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I just scored the game winning goal with 30 seconds left in my soccer game! I am so excited. When I scored a lady from my team said, "That never actually happens." That was my second goal of the night. We scored two others and won 4 -3. Indoor soccer is fun, but my true love is outdoor. :)
Well, here it goes.  I'm trying to start our blog.  My mom has been trying to get me started blogging for years!  What did I have to say.  Now that we have been in Washington for over two years and have missed a lot of contact with family it seems like the thing to do.  I hope to make and keep better connections with friends and family for myself and more importantly, my children.


The little girls, Hannah and Elizabeth, and I have had a fun day of dancing to Abba.  Jon and I saw Mamma Mia on Saturday and I have been singing Abba ever since.  The girls thought that it was so fun to dance around with mom.  I guess that I don't do that much with them.  I used to dance with the kids all the time.  
We are trying to fill the days now that we are participating in our wards "Media Fast" for the month of February.  We never watched much TV during the day, but there are times when it would be nice to set the girls down with Dora.  They have been great about it.  Not watching the Super Bowl was harder on Jon.  He made it and is better for it, in my opinion.

We are so excited to welcome our newest cousin.  Logan was born to my brother, Jon, and sister-in-law, Drea, last night.  I can't wait to see him.  Grandma and Grandpa are coming up to see us on Friday after they leave Jon and Drea.  The kids are so excited.  It will be Sarah's birthday and she is excited to see her grandparents on her birthday.  She is turning 9 and wishes that she was still 3 and living next door to her first best friend.  Life would be easy to be 3 forever.