Sunday, December 17, 2006


Well - tomorrow is going to be too crazy to post anything what with packing and last minute errands - so I thought I'd better wish everyone a Merry Christmas tonight!! I hope that all of you enjoy every minute of your holidays! Nathan has his HUGE test tomorrow! Cross your fingers for him! He will do great. He's DYNAMITE!! I think that he is really looking forward to just RELAXING and not having anything schoolish to worry about. He's been in study mode since Thanksgiving. He ususally gets into that mode about 3 weeks before a big test. Luckily he only has about 2 or 3 big ones in a semester. It's good and bad because it means less tests to take - but WAY more material per test. UCONN doesn't rank it's students or give letter grades - it's a pass/fail system but they do tell the students if they were below average, average, or above average. It's really important to stay above average if he wants to specialize and so far he is doing just that. He seems to be above average in almost EVERYTHING he does! Sheesh - I'm such a lucky girl!

Tons of stuff has been going on with the girls - every time I sit down to write stories I get writer's block. Too much on my mind. I'll definitely have lots to tell when we get home from vacation! I also want to become a "DIGI-SCRAPPER"! I really want to be better at scrapbooking - but it is SOOO time consuming. I've heard it is much easier to do it on the computer and the pages are just as cute! So - look for some digital scrapbooks (hopefully!) next year!

I can never figure out how to get my BUBBLESHARE albums onto my blog so here is the web address that you can go to and see more family and Christmas pictures.:
http://www.bubbleshare.com/myalbum/100352.fd84f5ca090

Merry Christmas!!

Friday, December 15, 2006

That Holiday Feeling

For some reason this Christmas is seeming 20 million times more hectic than usual! I think that I've been so busy checking off my lists that I haven't had time to really get into the Christmas spirit! That's all changing today because I've just about finished my hectic week and I can sit back and just enjoy the music and the lights and the food! Christmas is a very bittersweet holiday for me. It's definitely my favorite - but I miss my family in Idaho and Arizona and I miss my mom. It will be 10 years this January since she passed away. The time has gone by so fast. I'm trying to carry on some of the traditions that she started. She made us a doll every year for Christmas. We LOVE those dolls. From the time that we were little Kelyn and I would sneak out in the middle of the night to see what Santa had brought. I love it when the house is dark and the Christmas tree is all lit up and the stockings are stuffed. And we loved those dolls that were always next to our stockings. Kelyn and I still like to sneak out to look at the tree! My mom also let us help her make ornaments for all the cousins every year and she always made something cute for her siblings. I am just so thankful for her example and for all that she taught me. Anyway - that is why Christmas is bittersweet for me. It's the time of year when I miss my mom the most. I wish she could be here to love on my girlies (and me). I wish that Nathan could know her. It's okay though. Life is so great and we are so happy and I can honestly say that I have been blessed because of this trial.

Just a few memories of my mom:

*Watching her line dance to Neal McCoy's GIVE ME THAT WINK and her saying how much she loved his tight cowboy jeans and boots.
* mopping the floor with her and Kelyn. This was on our hands and knees and we each picked a corner and met in the middle. I'm SO glad she taught me how to work!!!!
* One time I came home from school and said the word "freakin" and she had told me that if I said that again she would put soap in my mouth so I took off running and she started chasing me around and around and by the end we were both laughing so hard - it was the best.
* Coming home from school with my friend Renee and turning the corner in the kitchen to find her NAKED and leaning against the counter just chatting away on the phone. HAHA! Renee and I still laugh about that!
*She was always such a good sport and drove the UGLIEST cars. One time Kelyn and I were playing around the block and she drove up in her "new" white car and leaned her head out the window and asked if we wanted to go cruising with her. The funny thing is I think that she really was excited about this new car and it was so ugly. VERY LONG, VERY WIDE. One time we had to get out in the middle of the intersection and push it into a gas station. NICE!
* Her reaction to me starting my period. CLASSIC.
* If she ever got after me she would come in to talk to me later and apologize and help me understand why I had gotten in trouble.
* The way she loved dad. When I was a teenager she told me that she still got butterflies when he held her hand.
*Her whistle that could be heard 4 blocks away!
* The way she took care of me when I was sick. I had a bell that I could ring for her and she always held my hair back when I threw up. I wish I had taken better care of her when she was sick.
*Making Valentines Day cookies. We got to miss school the day before V-day to help make them. We always had stacks and stacks of heart-shaped cookies on the table and once we were done decorating them we would go around to people's houses and leave them on the doorstep and knock and run.
* Her teaching us girl's camp songs and singing in the car on all of our vacations.

I'll stop now - I'm all weepy and this post is FOREVER long. But I did want to write something in remembrance of my mom. She deserves to be remembered because she truly was an amazing lady. I'm thankful that I can still remember her smile and her laugh. I'm glad that she taught me to love Christmas and I hope she peaks in to watch my girls when they see THEIR Christmas dolls.

Ma Kivett 01

Sunday, December 10, 2006


Happy Birthday Anika!!

That's right! Our little girlie just turned 3! Time is flying by way too fast! She has been looking forward to her birthday for months, so she has been in heaven. We spoiled her rotten! She ate whatever she wanted, stayed up late, skipped bath time and had a fun birthday party with all of her friends! She was a happy camper. Her Blue's Clues party was a success. She can't stop talking about it! We are so lucky to have Anika in our family. She has such a fun personality and she is so nice and funny. We love her so much. It's been so great to watch her grow from a baby to this crazy, cute little girl and I can't imagine being without her.

Happy Birthday little doll! We love you!!

Monday, December 04, 2006



Anika had a mini photo shoot the other day because she got a haircut! I thought that these two were especially cute!

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving! I've been so busy today! It's hard to remember what Thanksgiving is all about when you are running around the kitchen all day! I had so much fun this year being the hostess!! I have to say that it was a success! My turkey turned out fabulously!! I only got one picture and yes it is upside down! I did it on purpose. I guess if you do it that way all the juices run down to the breast making it DIVINE. I also tried homemade stuffing. It turned out pretty good - but my favorite thing was the mashed potatoes. That has always been my favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast! Mashed potatoes, gravy and corn all piled on top of eachother. YU - UMM! Then for dessert I made a apple crisp pie, a pumpkin pie and a coconut cream pie. I was quite proud of my apple crisp pie. It was so pretty and tasted great! Anyway - I'm not meaning to toot my own horn - I've just had so much fun doing all of this!! Things have slowed down now and I have a little time to reflect and think about my MANY blessings. I have so many things to be grateful for! My biggest blessings are my family & the gospel. I am so thankful to be married to such a wonderful person. Someone who loves me and takes care of me and is fun to be with and who has ambition and works SO hard but still manages to be a GREAT daddy. I have a very happy marriage and for that I am SO SO thankful. Anika and Keslie are my little angels. I am so thankful that they are happy and healthy! I am grateful for each day that I wake up and get to be a mom to these sweet girls. I am so thankful to be member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints. The gospel helps me to be a better wife, mom, friend, and person in general. I am grateful for the peace and happiness it brings to my life and for the MANY questions I am able to find answers to. I am also grateful to be having this fun adventure in Connecticut and for the great friends I've found out here.
Anyway - I hope you'll forgive my cheesiness! Happy Thanksgiving!! Hugs all around and we miss you all!!!!

Saturday, November 18, 2006





Today Nathan and I finally got to go to the Boston, MA Temple and we had such a great experience! The temple truly is the Lord's house and I feel spiritually revived having been there. This past week has been so BLAH for me and it was like a weight was lifted today. I'm so grateful for the peace and love that is felt there and for the knowledge that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me no matter what and in spite of me.




Afterwards we ran into our friends, Jenn and Jaska and went to lunch at the RED ROBIN. I always like that place but on days when I am having a serious craving for a hamburger I REALLY love it! Nathan tried their Gingerbread shake and it is fabulous! It tastes just like a gingerbread cookie! Anyway - that was tons of fun.

Whenever we have to get cross with Anika her new thing to say is "Don't be mad for me!" It's hard to stay mad! Keslie is starting to get good at pretending. She feeds her baby a bottle and she pretends to eat from the play kitchen set in her room - she makes the smacking sounds and everything! And she is totally into dancing right now. She turns in circles and jumps. Nathan got her to say PLEASE on Thursday - but we haven't gotten anything since.

I'm getting SO excited for Thanksgiving! This will be my first time making a turkey and I think I've found what should be an absolutely FABULOUS roast turkey recipe. I'll let you know how it goes! We are having our friends Jim and Rachel over for dinner. Since we don't have family close by we have to adopt friends. =)

Well - see ya!

Monday, November 13, 2006

What's the big deal with eating the crust anyway?! I was trying to force feed Anika her peanut butter and jelly crust (I usually don't make her because I don't like it either) and I found myself saying things like "it's the best part!!" and "the crust has all the important nutrients!" - you know the sayings. Anyway - I listened to myself say it and then realized how totally ABSURD it was! It's definitely NOT the best part. Everybody knows that the best bite of a sandwich does not include even a portion of the crust! AND I don't know for sure - but I doubt that when the bread is baking all the nutrients just head on over to the crust. I'm thinking that my kids are going to get plenty of the good for you stuff just by eating the middle. It is 100% whole wheat after all! I guess I'm not a very good example. I eat the crust on my meat sandwiches - but NEVER on a PB&J. I can't be a hypocrite, so just so you know my kids will never be forced to eat the crust again.

We've had a pretty good day. I watched my friends boys this morning and Anika had a ball. Keslie wasn't very pleased when I paid attention to George, but I guess that's the life of a one year old. I'm really excited for when our church gets moved to 9:00. This 2:00 thing is for the birds! By the time we get home we have a couple of tired, hungry girls. In Primary we worked on the program that we will be doing next week. It should be fun! Everyone I talk to says that it magically comes together on the actual day of the program. I'll let you know how it goes.

On Saturday we had Anika's friend Riley over for the day. They had SOO much fun! Then later that night I took Anika and Keslie to the Puppy Center to look at the puppies. Anika picked one for each of us. The whole time Keslie sat there squealing and Uff uffing. Then we picked Nathan up from school and went to a pottery auction. We have a friend that is in the art school at the University of Hartford, so she invited us. There were some really neat things. I wish that we could have afforded to buy some! Then we went to Petco and they have these mini carts for little kids and they are so cute! Anika pushed Keslie around for about an hour. We want to get Anika a little pet - we were thinking about getting a guinnea pig. We've heard that they are nice. Quick! Someone talk me out of it!!

Keslie says "nigh night" now! She's getting quite the vocabulary! If she keeps it up she'll be saying 10 words by the weekend! =) Anika says so many funny things that I can't even begin to type them all up so I will just share one. The other day Anika was getting in her pj's and Nathan told her that Grammy had made them for her. She said "OHHHH. That was so sweet of her!" She is just so nice! =) The pictures are of Anika and Riley. In the first on I said "Raise your hand if your cute!" and so that is why Anika's hand is raised.

Anyway - I'm just ever so curious to know who actually visits my blog so leave a comment for pete's sake! haha!! See ya!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

A HOT DAY!!

Can you believe it?!! It was in the 60's today and we went to a fun little park/farm and I felt OVER dressed! It was a short-sleeved day for sure. I'm hoping that the weather will hold - but my friend told me that it's supposed to be down in the 30's by Sunday. I guess we'll see! Anyway - we had a fun time at Westmoor Park today. Most of the time was spent throwing rocks into a little river. Keslie was determined to get in the water. She tried fooling me by laying down on her belly and then scooting backwards - it was so funny! She was pretty angry that she couldn't have her way. It was definitely time for naps by the time we left. Anika threw a big tantrum and she got in trouble. I hate getting after her and I esecially don't like it when it's in front of people. She's such a sweetie. I made an appt. for her to get a haircut. She's had a trim before - but this one is going to be the real thing! It isn't for a few weeks - but I'll share some pictures when it's done. Well - I've gotta run! I've got lots to do!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006


Here is a picture of one of our little busy bodies. Crazy little girl!!

I love this time of year! I was just at the mall returning something and all the Christmas stuff was up and the Christmas smells were everywhere and I LOVE it! We are so excited because we finally got our plane tickets taken care of. I was so worried that we weren't going to find anything, but it worked out so that we get to go to Idaho and then the girls and I get to go stay in AZ for a week. Happy day! Anyway, we haven't been the most exciting bunch this past week. My friend Hillary gave me a haircutting lesson last night and I feel like I'm ready to go solo! I don't think that Nathan is so sure - but I'll never learn unless I practice and he's the one that wants me to learn! The girls have had colds for the past week so we've been homebound. Luckily, they seem to be better so things should start to liven up! We are looking forward to Friday because we get to see Papa West! I hope that everyones week is off to a great start!





Monday, November 06, 2006

Anika and Keslie playing

Anika was having so much fun pushing Keslie around this morning! Keslie is a spaz and does a little bit of head bobbling and I love the way she says "WHOA!" Enjoy!

FIRST HAIRDO!!

Well, for the last couple of months Keslie has been boycotting the hairbow - which is my STAPLE for the first year. Today I decided to see what could be done with her hair. This is what I came up with!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

I was in cleaning mode all day today and now I am taking a BREAK! The girls are in bed and Nathan is down in the basement drilling a hole into a glass block for me. What a guy!
Keslie has a huge blue spot on her gums! I think it's just her gums being stretched out - but it looks like a big bruise! She is HILARIOUS. She's our very own Keslie bobble head. It's her new thing. When she's excited she shakes her head all over the place and she really does look like a bobble head. It's so funny. Keslie started kissing today. She has never been a kisser - she never did that open mouth kiss that babies do. Whenever we would ask her for a kiss she would lean her head in for US to kiss her. Well - tonight after their baths, Nathan was getting Anika dressed and Keslie walked up to him and kissed him right on the cheek and then she kept doing it! It was so cute! She also loved on her baby doll which was another big accomplishment because usually she picks her babies up and then slams them to the floor.
Anika cracks me up - in the car yesterday she was totally singing along to Power Tunes. My mom would be so proud! I'll have to get her singing the attitude song on video - it's just too cute.
Nathan went and played basketball with the guys this morning. I think he had a good time but he said it was the most exercise he's done in a LONG time.
I've had a few people ask about my hair - so FYI - no I haven't chopped it off. My resolve to do it wore off and I will probably just be boring and keep it shoulder length.
A couple days ago I watched some music videos that I did with my sisters. I was DYING laughing the entire time - but I was also totally embarrassed of myself. At first I wanted to hide it away so that NOBODY would ever see it again - but then I decided I should embrace who I am. The truth is - I would do it again! SO - perhaps in the future you will GET (haha) to see a clip of one of our FABULOUS music videos. Who knows? Maybe we will become famous! Anyway - it got me thinking of other things I did back in the day and I defy anyone who says they are dorkier than me. I am president of the GOOF CLUB - if you want to join just let me know! Mandi - you've earned the right to be Vice-president if you'd like. =) I dearly love you and want to thank you for being right there with me for most of those goofy moments!
Well - back to work! I hope that everyone is having a fun weekend!





Thursday, November 02, 2006

"What's going on here?"

That is Anika's phrase of the day. It's awfully cute and she asked me over and over. She is such a funny little thing. She's going through a funny stage where she can't make up her mind. I remember Joseph doing this when he was little. She says that she doesn't want something and I say okay, that's fine and then she FREAKS out that she wants it. It's driving me nuts! Hopefully it's a phase that won't last very long. She's also been waking up at least twice in the night and coming into our room and waking me up. Oh well, she's only this age once and it's going by way too fast!

Keslie learned two new things yesterday (11/1). She can tell us what the dog and the cow say! It's so cute! She is such a spaz! She does this goofy crawl now where she bounces her arms up and down and waves her head from side to side. It's so funny and she gets such a kick out of herself. She can also jump (!!) and climb out of the bathtub! It's so fun to watch her play peek a boo and pretend to talk on the phone. I try to keep my cell phone out of reach - but sometimes she gets to it. She's called Nathan a few times and she called Carol at 4 in the morning her time!! YIKES!

We've had a fun-filled week! It's been busy with Halloween stuff! We also had a Nacho Libre party the other night which was great! We love that movie. By the way, mom and dad, we are bringing it at Christmas time and forcing you to give it another go! It's hilarious! I got home from a Shade shirt party a little bit ago - that was loads of fun but I wish I could have bought a little bit more! Oh well! I am almost finished with season 4 of 24. I'm glad because then I can go back to being a productive person! I was thinking about it - if I've watched 4 seasons of 24 and there are 24 episodes per season and each one is about 45 minutes long - then I've almost spend 3 and a half days of my life watching this show. GOOD GRIEF!! I've got 3 more episodes to go then I'm taking a break! =) I'm off to bed!
Nacho Libre - Song for Encarnacion

This is one of our favorite clips out of the FUNNIEST movie ever!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

It's finally here! I can't wait to dig through Anika's stash of goodies! I hope all of you have fun trick or treating. Halloween brings back so many fun memories of dressing up and going over to our cousin's house. They had the BEST trick or treat neighborhood and I got SOOO much candy! There is nothing better than coming home and dumping your spoils on the floor, organizing them and trading. Those were the days! I'll post some pictures later!! Anika is SOO excited! We went to the ward TRUNK or TREAT on Saturday and she was thrilled that people were just giving her candy!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Anika had fun painting with her friend Riley today. They are both little princesses so they didn't want to get dirty but by the end they were both going at it with their fingers. It was so cute. In Anika's prayer tonight she said "thank thee that I puked outside on the driveway". NICE. First of all, that happened awhile ago and second of all, it's lovely that she knows the word puked. =) The things they pick up.
MONSTER MOLARS

I can't express enough how much I hate teething. My poor baby has been such a GRUMP these past two days and I haven't been able to figure out why. Well - tonight while she was WAILING I had a great view of her gums and it looks like she has several molars wanting to come in. I tried to feel around to see if there were any bumps but it just made her cry harder. They look extra red and puffy though! Poor little thing!!

Tomorrow is the big halloween party for playgroup. I'm going to be a hippie. Haha! We'll see how that goes! I'm not telling what the girls are - that way it will be more fun to see the pictures! Nathan just got home - so I'm off to get some hubby time in! See ya!


e

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

We had a really busy day today! Good grief. I feel like I've had errands GALORE lately! Oh well. It's always fun to go to Target. On Tuesdays my friend teaches a singing class that I take the girls to. Keslie usually loves it - but today she was a BEAR. I don't think she feels good. We went to the library later on and as we were leaving I asked Anika what she wanted for dinner - she said "um, french fries. I want to go to McDonald's house." I couldn't resist so we went. It was a huge disappointment!! They have started charging for their water cups! What the heck?! I was so annoyed. We also ran to the post office. As I was loading Keslie up in the car Anika was just staring at a tree and finally she asked "where IS all the leaves mommy? Did they fall down?" She was so concerned. Winter is coming way too fast and I am already feeling colder than I did last year. Not a good sign. Who knows - we may end up in Arizona yet. Anyway - we are home and the girls are in bed now. I was going to go to the grocery store but I am tired of going and besides that I got season 3 of 24 at the library. I'm starting it TONIGHT!! Could I BE anymore excited?

I love Nathan. We are just such DORKS! We were joking around in the kitchen and then we started pretend karate/matrix fighting in the kitchen. It went on for a good 10 minutes! I was laughing so hard by the end that my sides hurt! It's so fun to be married. =)

Well - off to see what dilemma my HERO Jack Bauer is going to find himself in this time. I am going to CRY if they kill off Tony or Michelle. I guess I'll just have to watch and see! Till next time...

Monday, October 23, 2006

Don't Fear the Reaper

We show this to everyone - so I've been meaning to add it to my blog because it's HILARIOUS!! Enjoy!





Time for an update!!

Sheesh!! I feel like I haven't posted anything besides videos for awhile! What can I say?! I've been SOOO busy!! Actually - not really. I'm going to be totally honest. I've gone and gotten myself hooked on 24. What was I thinking?!! Anyway - I checked season 2 out from the library and had a week to watch it - I succeeded! So - between that and finishing up a couple books - my down time has been totally taken up. =) Sorry!! We've had a fun couple of weeks - what with TWO birthdays and Nathan's parents coming into town! Bear with me while I catch you up to speed.

Nathan was in study mode for the first two weeks in Oct. He had two tests - and he hasn't gotten the "official" results - but they did post the answers and he did very well! He's so awesome. I love to brag about him. He had to study on his birthday! How lame is that?! We did have cake and ice cream ( see pictures) though.

Because of all the birthday parties we've been having Anika can't stop talking about birthday cakes. She's obsessed with having a Blue's Clues cake for her party in "member". Member is December.=) Her new word is suppin. She adds it to the end of things - Hi mom - want a sandwich or suppin? It stands for the word "something". I wish that you could hear her say it!

Keslie keeps getting better and better at walking. She's turning into quite the opinionated little thing. If she doesn't want to eat something she yells and then her entire body shivers. She is SOO dramatic. And she throws everything on the floor! Uh-oh! I can't believe she's one!!

I'm doing great! I'm a HUGE dork. Between my "heart attack" and my minor car accident I feel like a huge idiot. =) I was on my way to a ward council meeting on Sunday and I was singing my heart out to some Janice Kapp Perry tunes and I was stopped at a stop sign behind someone and then I rear ended her! I don't know what happened. I think she must have started to go and then stopped and I just kept going. At least it was really slow and I don't think anything happened. She still took my information and told me that "it's a good thing I didn't have any little ones with me" and "were you just not thinking?" and "Be more careful in the future" - that sort of thing. I was nice as can be to her and so far she hasn't filed any claims. And my heart attack...hahaha! I'm such a hypochodriac! Over the past 10 years I've thought I had just about every possible kind of cancer, blood clots, kidney disease, arthritis, and the most recent - Heart disease. Anyway - to make a long story short - I had some "symptoms" that could have possibly been a heart attack and I figured it was better to go in and look stupid and be wrong than to stay home and die in the night and leave my girls and Nathan. I got there at one - spent several hours with a PSYCHOTIC woman that I know just wanted drugs and found out I was fine and then came home. It was such an adventure! =)

On Saturday we did some yard work and cleaned out our garage and then went shopping for some winter clothes and out for ice cream. It was so fun! I'm glad that I love hanging out with Nathan! We always have a fun time.

Carol, Gary, and Jared came and stayed with us on Friday! It was so GREAT to see them! Of course they spoiled us rotten! We went out to a fun restaraunt for Nathan's birthday and saw "Man of the Year". We were so sad for them to leave. It's fun to be on our own out here - but we sure miss everyone!

I got this GREAT dollhouse for FREE off of freecycle. It's a Ryan's room classic and it came with all the room sets! Hello!! I looked online and the dollhouse itself costs $100! Each room set was at least $20. The things people give away. =) Anika loves it!!

It's getting cold - the leaves are falling! It's beautiful right now - but I'm dreading the barren winter look. It will be nice once it snows. Anyway - that's the latest. =)


Wednesday, October 18, 2006


HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!!

I hope that you had a PERFECT day and that you know how much we love you!!

Thank you for being such a loving dad and husband. You are the sweetest, nicest, funniest, most good-lookin' guy in the whole world. I'm so lucky that I can call you mine. I LOVE YOU!!!

From Anika (she sang this all day):
Have a happy birthday you - oo
and we'll have a great day too - oo
Everybody play
cause it's daddy's special day!
Happy Birthday!
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES!

(Straight from Blue's clues) Haha!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Anika and her friends


Keslie and Anika being helpers


She's a mess
Licking the egg beaters


Yummy breakfast!


Happy Birthday Keslie!!

Well - Keslie is one year old today! It went so fast! I think she had a pretty good day! She had a gourmet breakfast - pancakes, eggs, and bananas - all things that she loves to eat. Then, the girls helped me make the cake. Anika loves to sit on the counter and help me - but this was Keslie's first time and she was VERY pleased. We practiced blowing out matches. It's so cute. She sticks out her tongue to do it - but she gets the job done! She has been doing the funniest thing today. She wiggles her fingers on my face or arm and says ticko ticko (tickle, tickle). Pretty cute! Anyway - I just wanted to share some pictures from her party and a video so that you can feel like you were here!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

I realized that I haven't posted a video of Anika yet. This one is after her bath - so her hair is kind of SKEEWOMPUS - but she has a cute, little voice. I love her homemade words! Please try not to listen to my voice. Why do I even talk?!!

Well - here is a video of Keslie (and Anika) practicing their walking! I'm not very good at videos - but I wanted to show her walking before she got it totally figured out.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

What a weekend!!

I don't know why - but I just can't seem to wake up! I even took a nap today! We are car less all weekend. BUMMER. We take it in for it's 30,000 mile service and they call with the GREAT news that it has two leaks and needs something else that will cost an extra $90! At least the two pumps are covered under our warranty. Anyway - we ended up having to just leave the car there for the weekend and I realized last night at 9:00 that all the stuff I was in charge of getting for the primary activity day was in the trunk. I felt terrible! We watched X-Men 3 last night with our friends Jenn and Jaska. They are a couple of our favorite people so that was really fun! They have a son named Jonah who Anika can't get enough of. We watched him last night while Jenn and Jaska went out to celebrate him passing the bar and they had tons of fun. I walked in right as Anika walked up behind him, put her arms around him and said "I love you! I love you so much Jonah! Come play wiff me!" Nathan said that we are going to have to have a talk with her about not giving her love away too easily. It seems like my dad had that chat with me - I don't think I was 2 though! This morning Anika and I hitched a ride with my friend JJ to the activity day. It was a pajama party/breakfast. I thought that they were awfully brave to do this again - I guess it's an annual thing - because last year one of the mom's showed up in a lacy, short little nighty. NICE. Anika was a little clingy and that was driving me nuts because I needed to be helping! I told Nathan that I wasn't taking her to anymore of these and then I realized that she will be a Sunbeam in January so I won't have any choice. =) Our scary moment of the day came when Nathan went down to the basement to see about flipping on the heat and there was a REALLY strong smell. We called the gas company and high-tailed it out of there. Of course I was imagining every graphic detail of our house blowing up and my girls being trapped in a room where I couldn't get to them. That is probably my biggest fear. Anyway - I wasn't waiting around for that to happen so we went outside until the gas man arrived. Apparently, our furnace wasn't working right so it was pumping carbon monoxide into our house! He said that our house wouldn't have blown up - but if we had kept running our furnace there is a good chance that we would have died in our sleep. I am so thankful that Nathan went down there. Normally, we would have been in the house for the night. So - that was the scary thing that happened. He turned off the leak and we came upstairs and opened all of the windows. It's pretty cold outside! Anika stayed up a little late playing with Nathan. He was being the "daddy piggy" and giving her rides around the house. Pretty cute! Anyway - Sleep tight!



Thursday, October 05, 2006

The Master Manipulator!

Well - Anika has really learned how to prolong the inevitable. Every night for the past week she has gotten out of bed several times before giving in to the sand man. Her excuses?

  1. I need to go potty!
  2. I'm thirsty!
  3. I have a booger!
  4. I love you so much!
  5. You need to hug and tiss me?
  6. I need a book!

GOOD GRIEF! We play this game every night and I fall for it every time! I take her potty - get her a drink - wipe her booger (which I can never find) - turn my head so that she won't see me laugh when she pulls the I love you card - give her a hug and Tiss and let her pick out another book. She's just so nice about everything that it's hard to get mad! We hear her door creak as it opens and Nathan and I just look at eachother trying not to laugh. What do you think? Should I be a STRICT disciplinarian and flick her when she gets out of bed so that she will learn that she has to listen - or do I keep on enjoying her manipulations? She's so cute! when Nathan got home from school today she came running and said - "Hi daddy! How are you! I love you so much!".

Nathan told me that I shouldn't share this story - but it totally cracked me up - so here goes. A couple nights ago when I was sick Anika came into the bathroom while I was taking a bath and told me that she had gone "poopers". I told her to go tell Daddy - so she wobbled away (literally). When Nathan was changing her diaper she asked - "Is it a pancake poop?" Nathan shook his head and she said "Oh - is it an apple poop?" I guess that it really was the size and shape of a small apple. She came up with that one all on her own! Poor thing!!

Keslie has added the word BALL to her vocabulary. She loves to put balls over her head and throw them - they don't usually go more than a foot away but she is always so proud. I will have to get it on video! I'm really slacking here!

We went to Old Wethersfield to see the scarecrow festival for playgroup today. It was a lot of fun! Wethersfield is such a cute, old town. I guess it's the oldest town in CT. Anika LOVED the scarecrows. It was funny - there were about 8 of us and we all had double strollers. It looked like a little mommy parade walking up and down Main street! Hope you are all having a fabulous week!


Opinions PLEASE!!

Well - it's haircut time again and I am really and TRULY considering CHOPPING it off. I know, I know. I swore I would never, EVER - but you know what?! It's always up in a ponytail anyways! I like the way I look better with my hair pulled back AND I always want more action on top. So - what do you think? Could I pull off this haircut? It probably wouldn't be quite this short. Let me know what you think
!

Wednesday, October 04, 2006


I HATE being sick!!!

Today has been one of those days. It's one of those sinus, head, eye things. I wish it would go away! I took some sudafed and it helped for about an hour and then I felt yucky again! I was so confused because it's supposed to be the extra strength kind that lasts a good long time - but I told Nath that I took it and he told me that it's expired. I guess that explains it! The girls have been so nice to me though. I told Anika that my eyes, head, and nose hurt and she kissed each one and said "all better!". What a nice little person she is. Keslie is really trying to do the walking thing. It's so cute! She falls and yells "WHOA!! Whoa! Whoa!" and then gets up and tries again. She also said BALL today. Nathan told me that by the age of one kids are supposed to be able to show you where their body parts are (head, belly, eyes, ears, lips, etc.). I fear I've been really neglectful with Keslie when it comes to that! I tackled animal sounds and the belly today. I figure I've got a couple more weeks!! Wish me luck! I own 3 copies of The Little Mermaid! I went to Walmart first and it was $20!! I bought it figuring that if that's what Walmart is charging then that's probably what all the other stores are charging too. Not so!! I had to run to BJ's for some primary stuff and it was $16.99 - so I got it and then I went to the grocery store and it was $14.99 plus a little lunch box! Can you believe it!! I guess I'll just throw the extras on my pile of returns! Good grief!! Anyway, I'll post a new video of Keslie and Anika really soon and try to write a more interesting post than this one has been! See ya!

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Getting Back to Normal

Well, after 10 days of having Grammy, Kelyn, Samuel, and Isaac here - things got turned a little upside down! We loved it! We had so much fun while they were here and I was so sorry to see them leave yesterday! Samuel and Isaac are SOOOO unbelievably cute! Isaac is the smiliest, nicest little guy you will ever meet! Samuel is so cute and hilarious! He loves to dance and he eats like a little horse! It's so fun to watch when Kelyn starts singing "Circle circle round and round!" and he starts dancing around the room. Anika has been asking me to sing that song and "Samuel's song" over and over since they left. Samuel's song goes something like: "Look at my man so handsomest..." sang to the tune of THE THONG SONG! Kel - you will have to post a comment with your actual lyrics. It's quite the cute little diddy! We did a lot of fun stuff while they were here. We went to a few parks and farms - which was nice because the kids loved it and it was cheap! We also went to Salem, MA in hopes of learning more about the Salem witch trial. Word to the wise: Never take 4 kids under the age of 2 into a guided tour!! It just doesn't work very well. =) The drive there was absolutely beautiful and we did have a fabulous seafood lunch. I have to admit, I'm starting to enjoy eating our underwater friends! On Saturday I took Kelyn to some tag sales. I couldn't let her come all the way out here and not show her what I do religiously every Saturday morning! She went home with an extra suitcase full of stuff! Hello! How could she pass it up?! Me, Kelyn and Grammy spent a lot of the evenings playing Hand and Foot. For those of you who don't know - Hand and Foot is only the BEST card game ever!! I seriously never tire of it! Grammy is so much fun to play cards with! Some classic Grammy comments were: SHOOEY, SHUCKS, and DARN!, Oh, Phoo! , Piffle!, and I could probably come up with some more. She was so much fun to have around. We got to hear so many fun stories about her life and I just love her so much! She is such a sport. After 10 days of being around 4 kids she was still smiling - at least on the outside! I think that everybody was ready to be back in their own beds and back to their own routines by the end. We took lots of pictures. I'll post the link with this blog entry and also stick it on the side in the MY PHOTO ALBUMS section. We have some awfully cute kids! Feel free to post a comment telling me how adorable they are. Ha ha!! Love and miss you all!

http://www.bubbleshare.com/myalbum/70455.c4c2129b2ba

Friday, September 22, 2006

CONGRATULATIONS to Afton and Cam!!

We are so excited! They just had our first niece yesterday! Carolyne! Isn't that a DARLING name?? We just wanted to say how happy we are for them! Babies are the most AMAZING, PRECIOUS things in the world. Enjoy every second of it! They grow up so fast.

We love you guys! Good luck with everything!

Sunday, September 17, 2006

I always knew that I would love being a mom but I never imagined how much I would love it. Sometimes I fear that my heart is just going to BURST! I hope that my girls know how much I love them. I wish that I would be better at taking them to the park or playing pretend with Anika. These are the best years of my life so far. I just wish that they would slow down! Anika did the cutest thing last night. Nathan and I died laughing. Her hands were talking to eachother (imagine the quacking motion you make with your hands).

Left Hand: Hi! How are you?!
Right Hand: It's a great day.
Left Hand:Do you want it? (sippy cup)
Right: yeah!
Left: Do it like this (she then shows her right hand how to wrap it's fingers around the cup)
Right: Thank you!
Left: You're welcome!

Pretty darn cute. Update on Anika: She is doing GREAT at potty training - potty being the key word. She hasn't figured out how to do the other thing on the toilet. She'll get there. She knows that if she does it she will get a Mickey Mouse lollipop. Nana and Papa sent those awhile back and we've been saving them for a very special occasion. She has already gotten out of bed 3 times to try. She really wants that lollipop! I'm losing my patience with her faking it. One of these days she's really going to need to go and I'm going to make her get back in bed without even trying!! She has become quite the little artist and singer. She now can draw a little face with eyes, ears, eyebrows, a hat, a mouth, a nose, and shoes. She leaves the whole body out. It's SOOOOO cute!! She can pretty much sing any song nowadays. I almost always sing a little song to the girls when I go get them in the morning or at naptime - something like this:
Good Morning! Good Morning! How are you today?! Good Morning Good Morning - That's what I came to say! I really love you! I really love you!
Yeah - you can tell it wasn't written by a professional! Anyway - the other day Keslie was crying after her nap and Anika went in and sang the entire song to her! It was DARLING!
I want to know what is so cool about Blue's Clues. She can't get enough. We have two videos and she never tires of them!
FIRST STEPS!

Our baby is soon to be a toddler! She took 3 steps today - all by herself!! Without Nathan and I helping her along! I wish you could all see her! She is so funny! She stands up and sits down over and over and gets so excited about it that she starts jumping right in the middle of standing up. We love her to pieces! It's cute to see how proud of herself she gets. Today at church she escaped and was almost two rows back before we realized she was gone. I swore I would never let that happen. It just goes to show that EVERYTHING you say your kids will never do - they do. That's just how it goes. Maybe it's to teach us a lesson. =) Other Keslie news: She says Mama, Dada, Nana (banana), and uh oh. She claps her feet really loud! She will not drink anything except in the morning. I've tried it all!! Any suggestions? AND she has a terrible diaper rash that I can't get rid of. Let me know if you have a miracle diaper rash cure!!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Keslie walking with her hippo

This was Keslie's first time to walk with a walker! This was probably a little over a month ago. She is growing up way too fast!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Well - it's naptime! We've had a fun - kind of scatterbrained - day! This morning I was running late and couldn't find my keys - which always seems to happen when I'm late! My friend ended up having to come and pick us up so that we could get her son on the school bus while she took her other son to the doctor. Then I just moved into her house for the morning! I even had my visiting teachers visit me over there. Good grief. Will I ever learn to put my keys away - or at least get copies?!! FYI - I found them in the diaper bag. Why didn't I think to look there? The girls have been awfully cute today! Keslie is going to be walking soon! We've tried getting her to do it a couple times - but she does this funny little tippy toes thing. We had Macaroni and tomato juice for lunch - which both girls LOVE. Anika finished her bowl and then asked if she could have mine. Usually I would say NO WAY JOSE! But I was in a loving mood and let her finish it up. Then she wanted Keslie's. I guess I'll have to make more next time. I kept saying "MMMmmm - it's delicious! It warms my soul!" and Anika would copy me and say the same thing. Well - 5 minutes later she took a drink of her water - and said "Yumm - it colds my soul!" Oh my gosh - can she get any cuter?! She's still doing great with potty training. No accidents. We'll see how long that lasts. Keslie is getting so big! She has quite the gap in her teeth - which we love! OH great! She's definitely not suppposed to be awake yet!! Little pill! Better run!

Brittanie
Time Out For Women

I went to this fun Time Out For Women thing over the weekend and I just wanted to tell you all about it! It was so fun and uplifting. I came home really motivated to be better all around. A woman started off by introducing the host and among other things she said "I think he's really dreamy..." then went on to introduce Michael McLean! Okay - I've never been a Michael McLean fan and I have definitely never thought of him as "dreamy" - but let me just say that I am his new biggest fan and I would even say he IS a little dreamy. A little. =) He was so funny and so nice and I LOVED him! He sang some of the best songs and his son Jeff McLean (who is an amazing singer) sang with him and sang some of his old songs. I hate to say it - since I'm Michael McLean's new biggest fan - but some of his songs sound better when he isn't singing them. Although - sometimes I liked it when he would sing...I'm rambling. So, the music was great. The speakers were great. We heard from Emily Watts, Sheri Dew, S. Michael Wilcox, and a REALLY weird guy named Jerry Williams. I have never seen hair like his! I took a picture and as soon as I get them on the computer I'll post it. I think he might curl his hair. He was really hard to take seriously! The other speakers were all really great. My favorite was Michael Wilcox. He spoke about Prayer and I really enjoyed it. Sheri Dew didn't hit my spot as much as usual. She still did a great job. She told us that she has been through the most grueling, difficult, hard 16 months of her life and it's still going. She is an amazing lady and it's neat to see how someone who's testimony was already really strong can be tested and it can become even stronger. I guess it goes to show that there is always room for growth. Anyway - I would definitely recommend that all you women out there take the opportunity if it arises and go to a Time Out For Women. I got to make a whole weekend out of it! My friend Sumer and I went and stayed a night in a hotel! It was so fun - I felt like a teenager again! We went swimming - without kids and painted our toenails and laughed and giggled and stayed up talking WAY past bedtime! It was exactly what I needed. I think it was fun for Nathan to have the girls all to himself. They love him so much.
http://www.deseretonline.com/time-out/ - Here's the link to TIME OUT FOR WOMEN.

Brittanie

Monday, September 11, 2006

Potty training!

Well - we started potty training! I've been absolutely DREADING taking this on and guess what?! It really hasn't been so bad! Anika is so good at telling us when she needs to go and she's even doing really good at naptime and bedtime. We are so proud of her! I think she's pretty proud of herself, too! I don't know what made it click with her - maybe she just wasn't ready before or maybe she likes gummi bears better than the "prize" we had last time. I'm not sure - but I definitely think it pays to wait until they are good and ready!
I love 2 year olds!

Okay - we all know that 2 year olds can be a little rough at times. They throw tantrums, they have issues with sharing and hitting and pushing, they are bossy and opinionated and good grief! You have to potty train them! But I just have to say that I think this age is the BEST! I'm having such a tender day for Anika. She is two and like I said - it can be a little rough at times - but there is nothing better than watching her play pretend with her little people or tuck in her dolls (or whatever she is taking care of at the moment) or just listening to her talk. Holy cow! When did she learn to do that?! Time is going so fast and she says the cutest things! And her little voice is so cute! She came up to me earlier and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and asked "Mom, how are you?!" It's those everyday sweet little moments that make going through "the terrible 2's" TOTALLY worth it!! I can't get enough of my 2 year old.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006



Tuesday 7-11-06

Well - this is my first ever BLOG entry! I'm so excited! Anika and Keslie are taking naps so I have a little down time to work on this! I started it a month ago and I am just barely getting around to writing anything.
We've had a pretty fun day. Keslie woke me up this morning at 6 AM! I don't miss winter - but I have to say that it's nice when it stays dark a little later in the morning! Since I was up I decided to run to the grocery store. When I got home I stuck Keslie and Anika is the bathtub where they proceeded to saturate the whole bathroom!! I'm probably exaggerating a little bit but the floor WAS pretty wet. Keslie has just started splashing. She was always so calm when she was on her back but now that she is sitting and mobile she is a mess!! And not just in the bathtub. If there are books that she can reach - she pulls them off the shelf, she knocks over lamps and fans, opens cupboards and drawers and sticks anything and everything in her mouth! Yesterday I was putting something away in the refrigerator and I don't know how she did it - but she managed to crawl from 10 feet away and make it into the fridge right as I was shutting it (I didn't see her) and I slammed her in it! She wasn't very happy about that. We are trying to teach her what the word NO means but she just smiles when we say it. I think she does it on purpose! Last night she went over to Nathan's bookshelf and pulled off a video and then turned to Nathan really fast like she was waiting for her reprimand! Anyway - after bathtime I stuck her in her crib and she stood up and started jumping! She's stood up two other times - but it was always really hesitantly. This morning she did it like a pro!! It was so cute.
My friends Jenn and Jenn brought their boys, Connor and Jonah, over to play with Anika after Keslie's nap. Connor LOVES Anika and they hold hands everywhere they go! It's hilarious! We took them to the park behind my house and then when we got hot we came back and filled up the little pool in the backyard. Jonah climbed in the water with his shoes on!All the boys love Anika. It's fun to watch them fight over her. Anika is getting so big! It's fun to watch her play pretend with her toys. When she takes care of her dolls and kisses them and tucks them in it makes me feel good - because I know that she must get that from me so I must be doing something right! It's fun to hear her say some of the things that Nathan and I say. The other day she was saying "COME HERE RIGHT NOW!! (loudly) then she would walk her little toy over and the other one would say "Thank you" and then she would respond with "Your welcome". SOO cute! She's been saying "Don't you dare" a lot to Keslie. It's really funny. I think she gets that one from Nathan. Our friends left just before lunch time so we ate and then I put the girls to bed and now here I am! We'll see how long the girls nap - it is thundering so loudly outside!!
Well - that's it for this entry. Kyle and Hillary are coming over tonight - so I need to start dinner. Nathan and Kyle are going to dig through a bunch of rotten teeth!! Doesn't that sound fun?! I think that Hillary and I will find something else to do!

Brittanie