Pajams & All

This is what happens when there is a bath running and I haven’t helped Joseline undress... The girl loves baths... it’s funny how some kids hate ‘em, and some kids love ‘em.

Monday Musings – Let it Snow

It has been snowing. Lots and lots. Vincente is excited to go play in the snow. Last night he didn’t want to go to bed because he was afraid the snow would melt while he was sleeping. After assuring him that the snow would still be there, he finally went to sleep.

This morning, the very first thing he asked me was “Is the snow still outside?” Of course it was. Then he proclaimed “It’s my special snow!”

Kids have the cutest perspective – they think all the things they love in the world were made especially for them.

You know, I think they are completely right.

Do the Do

Hair do, that is.

What is my favorite thing about having a girl? Dressing her up? Nah – I did a lot of that with Vince (dressing him up like GQ man, baby Gap models, etc)

It’s doing her hair. It’s been a lot of fun (although I’m anxious for it to get longer and thicker so I can do some French braids or something!) Right now I mostly just clip back her bangs, for pull them back in a half pony and flip them under. But back in the summer when I was bored to death, I did a few neato hair dos (the one with the braids was inspired by this website).

This one I love, but was kind of messy the first time I did it. We did this do again later, and it turned out a little better. I want to do it again, but I left all my little rubber bands at MIL’s house, so I’ll  have to wait until I can get some more, or until I get those back. Some day.

I absolutely loved this one. Next time I will make the braids a little neater, and try to do the back ones closer to the front ones. Hey, I’ve only had a boy for 2 of the last 3 1/2 years, and Joseline hasn’t always had a lot of hair. Remember? It takes a little practice to get these things down!

I love the little half piggies. And the braids helped keep her bangs from falling out of the piggies. I want to do this one again.

I need to start making it a goal to do Joseline’s hair every morning. I never really had to do anything with Vince’s hair, but if I don’t take care of Joss’, it ends up in a matted, dirty mess in her face.

Do you have a good website or book you use to learn hair dos for your little girl? Do you just experiment and find something that looks cute?

Wednesday Wanderings has moved

As of Wednesday, Nov 24, Wednesday Wanderings will move permanently to my Child’s Play blog. Head on over there to check out our ice skating adventure!

Playmates

Our last week in Arizona we got to hang out with our good friends Griff and Ethan and their mommies. It was probably the last time all our kiddos will be together for a long while. We really enjoyed the company! Especially after such a long lonely summer.

And then we got to play with Ethan for a few more days after that. Joseline and Ethan have so much fun together (when they aren’t pushing each other down or stealing each other’s toys, but hey, what are friends for, anyway)

Monday Musings – A House of Order

Sometimes this is what my life feels like. Messy with little bits of life strewn all over. I’ve been doing pretty well keeping my life and house in order, but the weekend was pretty crazy (thanks for coming, all you who came to warm our house!) and I felt like I was getting further and further behind on life – leaving little scattered pieces of life lying around for people to step on. It was tragic.

Thanks to my sweet husband, he picked up all the scattered pieces and delicately put them back together for me, while I slept most of the weekend off. It was great.

Then we had an uplifting evening with some new friends on Sunday, and today had Family Home Evening – a beautiful lesson about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost (the Godhead). We sang the First Article of Faith song (in Portuguese – Regres de Fe) and we’ll sing it every day for the rest of the month, and hopefully Vincente will learn to recite the first article of faith himself. We’re going to make a sticker chart to “pass off” the articles of faith as we learn them (everyone, me, Papai, Vince, and Joss). We’re going to learn one a month, starting with the first this month (since it’s such a short article of faith, and the month is over half done, we figured it was a perfect time to start, instead of waiting until January – “New Years” resolutions can be made at any time of the year, in my book!)

So, now that the house is mostly back in order, and I got 8 full hours of sleep last night (plus a 1 1/2 hour nap! Which I wasn’t planning on taking...) I think I will be able to keep the little bits of my life from getting too scattered.

And Family Home Evening always puts me in a good mood – especially when they are followed with conversations like this:

Me: Vince, does Heavenly Father have a body like ours?
Vince: Yup.
Me: Does Jesus Christ have a body like ours?
Vince: Yep he does.
Me: What about the Holy Ghost? Does he have a body like ours?
Vince: Except, he don’t.

Love it. He soaks stuff up like a sponge (and I’m extra impressed, because FHE was entirely in Portuguese – which means he understands more than we think he does!).

What kinds of things throw your life off track? Do you ever feel like you’re leaving bits of your life strewn around? How to you clean up and get back on track? Do you have a sweet husband (or good friend) who helps pick up after you when you can’t seem to hold it all together?

Snake Charmer

My snake charmer and his little snakes. I knew those recorders weren’t all bad...

Motherhood

“Some of you sisters may feel inadequate because you can’t seem to do all you want to do. Motherhood and parenting are most challenging roles. You also have Church callings that you fulfill so capably and conscientiously ... In general you noble sisters are doing a much better job of holding it all together and making it work than you realize. May I suggest that you take your challenges one day at a time. Do the best you can. Look at everything through the lens of eternity. If you will do this, life will take on a different perspective.” (President Faust)

“If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.” (President Monson)

 

“Children have their agency and often express it when very young.” (President Faust)

“There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family.” (President Packer)

Some days I totally feel like this...

There is something really awesome about being a mother. Even when it is challenging. Even on the days when I feel like I wasn’t good for anything. These sweet faces keep me going – these sweet little spirits that inhabit our home and make it a better, more joyful place to be. Little children are so joyful! I can’t tell you how many times the noise and commotion has made my heart swell with emotion (granted, sometimes that emotion is frustration – but when I stop and think about what is making the commotion, and stop and “smell the roses” I can’t help but be overwhelmed with the beauty of it all!)

I hope you feel the same way.

Motherhood is my dream job. ‘Nuff said.

(Descriptions for the pictures, starting at the top, and going left to right when there are two:
–grumpy Joseline face
– spaghetti Joseline face
– Vincente being adorable, as usual
– what I found in the fridge one day: an eyelash curler and a Lightening McQueen watch in a measure cup... yeah, gotta love being a mom
– they don’t like the sun in their eyes, can you tell?
– how Vincente entertained himself at Home Depot... Joseline, too
– see caption
– Vincente enjoying the picture screensaver on the computer; he freaks out if it turns off...
– Joseline icing her boo boo on her head)

Monday Musings – He Will Come

Last night we watched The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd as a family. Complete with popcorn. It was the best Sunday movie night we’ve ever had.

As usual, I bawled during practically the entire movie.

I know the Savior came, taught, lived, died and was resurrected for us and I know that He will come again. I hope that when He does come I will be prepared to meet Him. I want to be like Helam in the movie (and many people I’m sure who were actually there) and live my entire life waiting, watching, and preparing for the coming of the Savior.

I can’t think of anything more wonderful than to finally see the Savior. All I can think about during that movie is how it will feel to see Him. How it will feel to be with the multitude who will fall at His feet and worship Him. I think it will be kind of like the feeling I get when I see Russ after some long military training that takes him away from me. Only times a million, because the coming of the Savior is much more significant. I know that I will cry and cry and cry and kiss His feet and hands and tell Him how happy I am that He is finally here.

Now I just need to live each day so that when He comes again I will be worthy to walk with Him.

Wednesday Wanderings – West Jordan Public Library Story Time

Sorry this week’s wandering is a little late (and a little lame... I mean, a library again?) But it’s really the only place we’ve been lately, so... here goes.

We went to story time yesterday at the West Jordan Library. It was actually by far the best library story time I have ever taken my children to. The librarian who ran the show was great, the kids absolutely loved her, the whole thing was themed (boxes!!) and at the end, each kid got to decorate their own box to take home (with a little prize from the librarian tucked inside!)

Now, when I say we “went” to the library, what I mean is we walked to story time. The library is only about a mile away, and half of that we get to walk through the neighborhood (the other half is on the scary busy street). It would be a nice walk, except it was snowing yesterday and it was about 32 degrees outside. Yikes.

Well, Russ had the car at work (can’t drive a motorcycle in the snow), so we walked because I had to get out of the house. I also have a weather shield for the stroller, so it wasn’t bad. And when the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t blowing, it was actually too hot for a big coat.

Story time is officially part of our weekly routine – rain or shine (or snow!) – and hopefully the van will be available for us. Otherwise I might just have to check out the bus schedule... for a 1 mile ride. Seriously, it was cold.

Ratings:

Value –

It was like free preschool. You can’t beat that.

Location –

Uh, 1 mile from my house? It just can’t get better than that. And the library is on the main street (and just off Redwood Rd) – better than the last library we visited.

  Fun Factor –

The kids loved it, and Vincente actually remembered everything about it and regurgitated it to Russ when he got home from work.

Your Turn! Go write your Wednesday Wanderings blog and link up here! Here’s the html for the button:

<a href="http://rowleypoly.blogspot.com/search/label/Wednesday%20Wanderings" target="_blank" title="Wednesday Wanderings"> <img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_enTqG9B6DwE/TNLiY9vRmeI/AAAAAAAAQus/3F0xC1xuxt8/s800/wedwandslayers.jpg" alt="Wednesday Wanderings" /></a>

PofE – When I Write

Okay, I did great in September. Remember this goal? Well, I accomplished that.

But unfortunately, the habit still wasn’t formed, and as soon as the move/house buying/life got in the way, the writing basically stopped.

So, before I move on to another habit, I really want to get this one formed. We closed on our house today (finally) and Russ finally has his job all sorted out, so I think I should get back into the swing of things soon. It’s been tough.

It’s finding that new normal again.

New Goal for November: write every day this month (well, all the days left – meaning from the 5th to the 30th).

Snow Day

Just pictures of our first real snow! On October 27, we woke up to find 3-4 inches of snow on the ground, and still coming! We played outside all morning long. Vincente didn’t have snow pants, so ended up in soggy jeans by lunch time, and Joseline wore some old snow pants I had from when Vince was little – they are 6-9 month pants, but they seemed to work fine.

I think we’re going to need
to invest in some better snow gear for these kiddos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Wanderings becomes a Meme!

Okay, so I’m doing something I’ve never done before – and probably shouldn’t do since this blog is private and not many people follow it.

But I’m doing it anyway!

Wednesday Wanderings is now a Meme!

“What’s that?” you say.

Well, it means that you can now participate in Wednesday Wanderings. If you do something cool that you want to share with the world, do a Wednesday Wanderings post on your own blog, and link up to it here in the comments! Then we can all read each other’s cool Wednesday Wandering-ness.

So,  how do you participate in Wednesday Wanderings?

1.) Go somewhere cool (it can be free)
2.) Take pictures and write about it on a Wednesday. Make sure to include the ratings found below (You can make your own stars, or use mine – I’ll post links to all the pictures).
3.) Post the “Wendesday Wanderings” button on your post.
4.) Comment on my Wednesday Wanderings post with a link to your Wednesday Wanderings, I’ll come by and read it and comment, and it will all be one big happy blog meme!

<a href="http://rowleypoly.blogspot.com/search/label/Wednesday%20Wanderings" target="_blank" title="Wednesday Wanderings"> <img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_enTqG9B6DwE/TNLiY9vRmeI/AAAAAAAAQus/3F0xC1xuxt8/s800/wedwandslayers.jpg" alt="Wednesday Wanderings" /></a>

Wednesday Wanderings – Gardner Village, Witch Invasion

A few weeks ago we went down to Gardner Village with my friend Lori and her adorable girls. Russ wasn’t working, so he came along. Mostly we walked around window shopping and seeing how many of the fun witch displays we could see. There were a lot of really cute ones – witches flying from one building to another, witches dancing, a “firefighter” witch spraying water into the pond (I couldn’t get a good picture of Vincente with the witch... all of them made her look like she was peeing into the pond. Sorry. It really is a fire hose...), a “fishing” witch (who was actually throwing dynamite into the pod...), some witches playing baseball, and some witches brewing potions, to name a few.

 

 

I wish I had snapped a picture of each display, but I was too busy making sure my kids didn’t break stuff. The displays were fun to see, but it was kind of crowded. I think we went during prime “playgroup” time. We didn’t actually do anything other than walk around and look at stuff (which the kids enjoyed). But there is a restaurant (or two?) a petting zoo, a hayride to a haunted house in the evenings, and a candy shop.

The shops are all old houses, and the shops themselves are pretty unique. There are a few quilting stores, several home decor stores, and a few clothing shops. There was also a little baby boutique that had some of the cutest hand-knitted hats I have ever seen. If they had fit Joseline, we may have just bought one for her.

I can’t tell you how much anything costs, since we didn’t actually do anything that cost money, but things in the shops were generally higher end, or hand made, and had accompanying prices.

Ratings:

Value – I can’t tell you how much anything costs, since we didn’t actually do anything that cost money, but things in the shops were generally higher end, or hand made, and had accompanying prices. The hayride was pricey, but probably fun (can’t say since I didn’t go) and the petting zoo (from what I could see) wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Maybe if you could find 2-for-1 coupons for the petting zoo or hayride that might make things better for us cheapskates. Although, just walking around looking at the witches was pretty entertaining – and that part was free! (but you have to go during the Halloween season to catch the witches, FYI)

  Location – pretty good – close to us (literally right down the street – mabye a 5 minutes drive down 7800 S in West Jordan). Kind of a pain to get to from I-15 if you’re coming from Utah Valley, since there isn’t an exit at 7800 S, so you probably have to get off down at 9000 S or something.

 Fun Factor – It was fun for the little kids – they always love walking around and goofing off. It wasn’t quite as entertaining for me and Russ, but I’m sure that we would have had fun on the hayride and haunted house. If we were going to spend some money, we probably would have found a sitter and gone on the hayride for a date. Kissing the witch was a definite + for Russ. Heh.

Of Spooks and Treats

Our Halloween festivities officially started on the 23rd when we made some Halloween decorations -

The classic magnets-on-decorative-stones project (I have decided that I am going to make “themed” holiday magnets for our family magnet board – which will be one of my “snowy day” projects later this winter – the yard comes first!)

These smiley-faced-googley-eyed spiders. The kids had a blast making them, and they were so easy. Just some big pom poms, pipe cleaners cut in half then hot-glued to the pom poms. Add some embellishments, and you’ve got the cutest spiders on the block!

These cute little Halloween jars inspired by my friend Katie. Nabbed the jars at DI for $.50 a piece. I wanted to make a few more, but towing small children through the glass aisle at DI = trouble, so I grabbed the first ones I saw and ran. They should have candles in them, but we don’t really have any furniture in our living room, so I didn’t have a place to put them. I’m hoping to put up a bunch of floating shelves in my living room (because I don’t particularly care for furniture anyway). Another “when-it-gets-too-cold-to-work-on-the-yard” project.

Last but not least, my “BOO” letters. Grabbed these from a clearance bin at Michael’s for about $.50 a piece (they’re about 6” tall). The O’s were actually Q’s – just used the handy jigsaw and some sand paper, and voila – you’ve got O’s. I tied some hemp through them and had them hanging on the door. I wish I had snapped a picture of them hanging on the door. It was actually pretty cute. Eventually I want to make a huge generic wreath to hang outside and change the decorations on it to match the holiday/season. Yet another “when-it-gets-too-cold-to-work-on-the-yard” project.

Later in the week, we broke out the decorations and costumes. The kids had a blast trying on old costumes. I can’t believe the Turtle still fit Joseline. And of course Vince wanted to be Dash again as soon as he saw the costume.

Luckily we had several Halloween festivities to attend, and his Optimus Prime costume took longer than expected to create (read: wasn’t finished until 5 minutes before the ward Trunk or Treat) – so he got to be Dash twice, and Optimus Prime once.

Our first activity was Trick or Treating at Camp Williams with all the Guard families. It was pretty awesome. Joseline, as you can see, was a ballerina. Vince was Dash. I was – me – and Russ was in the “Chair Force.” If you don’t get it, don’t worry – military humor. Anyway, he wore his old BDU’s (the Air Force only got ACU’s last year... heh), and his hat cocked back on his head, and taped over the :”US ARMY” and wrote “US CHAIR FORCE.” It was pretty great.

There were some fun costumes and displays at the Guard Halloween deal. Vincente was a little nervous at first, but we kept reminding him that it was all pretend, and he didn’t need to be scared. He would repeat it to  himself, and to us, “They’re just pretend, so I don’t be scared.” And then he would go get some candy.

We got to one room where the candy was in a coffin. Under the candy was a (obviously fake) zombie. When Vincente was hesitant to grab some candy, I reminded him, “Remember it’s just pretend.” And then I added, “It doesn’t even move.” Bad idea. Just as I said that, and Vince was reaching for the candy, some dumb soldier thought it would be a great idea to pull the strings that were apparently attached to the head and hands of the zombie. Vince lept to the floor away from the coffin, screaming. Joseline screamed, started crying, and held on to Russ with a vice grip, and of course, Russ and I jumped as well. Stupid jerk. We made sure to get extra candy from there. It would have been hilarious if my kids weren’t 3 and 1. Maybe if they were 10 and 8 it would have been kind of funny. It would have been hilarious if they were teenagers. But c’mon, babies!? Really.

Vincente’s costume was a hit for the second year in a row (better this year with freckles – more like Dash, less like Mr. Incredible). Joseline charmed everyone because, well, she’s just adorable. And everyone loved Russ’ “Chair Force” costume. After we had obtained a sufficient amount of “loot,” we returned to Russ’ offices and watched the rest of How to Train Your Dragon (perhaps one of Vincente’s favorite movies, even though he had only seen it once in the theater) and filled our bellies with all the good stuff from the kid’s candy. Hey, what’s Halloween for as adults if not to pillage your children’s candy?

Friday night took us down to Provo to the Coyne’s rockin’ Halloween party where we brought some Crunchy Bones. I thought I had taken a picture of them, but can’t seem to find one. Bummer. I even made a coffin for them out of cardboard. They’re basically the best Halloween treat eva. The party was great, Vince and Joseline (or should I said, Dash and Ballerina) donned their same costumes, Papai went as a detective, complete with hat, side-holstered gun, and trench coat. I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture. It was pretty cute. I wore my old hippy dress. I thought my short hair wouldn’t really work with the hippy thing, but it actually looked fine.

The third, and crowning event of this Halloween season was our neighborhood ward’s Trunk or Treat. Vince wore the fruits of mine and Russ’ hard labor for several hours leading up to the Trunk or Treat.

Optimus Prime.

Complete with Vince-provided sound effects. He would move his arms and make “robot” sounds. I’ve included some here for your listening pleasure:

After the “Trunk or Treat” (which ended up being a “walk around the gym and treat” due to the rain) Vincente declared “I want to trick or treat outside!” Well, his costume was a little cumbersome, so I offered to give him a ride. Before he even reached the end of the Church sidewalk, he decided that maybe a ride was a better idea. So I drove, Russ picked Vince up and carried him to the houses, Vince put on the charm and got candy. I drove them to the next house (if the one next door wasn’t giving out candy).

Vincente really enjoyed it, and actually got pretty good at walking in that costume.

We did pretty well in the candy department – and had a few trick or treaters ourselves that night. Not many, because we were all out when most of them were coming around the neighborhood... and it had been raining all night. Next year will be better, hopefully.

 

It looks like our neighborhood gets hit pretty well (I saw at least 10 groups out just the night of the Trunk or Treat, and it was raining. So I imagine there will be more next year.)                    

 

 

And I just had to share this last picture... Joseline kept watching Vincente step into the boxes that made up his costume, so when she found this empty light bulb box laying around, she decided she would be a transformer, too. Heh. Cutie.