Random Happenings

We had a busy week with lots going on. Niah had her second visit to the dentist. The first one didn't go well but she did really great at this one! She actually let the dentist clean and count her teeth. Chloe had to be a part of the action, so this picture shows just how we all sat during Niah's check-up! I am happy and relieved to report that Niah has no cavities! Wahoo! My friend Erica and I planned a little Halloween party for the kids that go to playgroup every week. We had a couple of crafts, food, a game- kind of like a cat walk- and our friend Carrie did a wonderful job of reading the kids a few Halloween stories. Erica and I made these 'witch-on-a-stick' treats that I found in a magazine. They turned out super cute so I had to show them off!

Bryan played in the Intramural Flag-Football Championship game on Thursday. Even though it was 32 degrees-freezing!- we went to support him. They won and had an undefeated season! Going to the games was really fun and the girls looked forward to going every week. Niah is sad that we won't be going to anymore games.

The pictures I tried to take did not work because it was too dark outside. This is the best one I got of the team in their huddle. You can barely see Bryan's head- he's wearing a BYU beanie.

When my mom came to visit she brought me some new books to read. It's a series written by Anita Stansfield called the Barrington Family Saga. There are four books in the series. I started them last Sunday and finished the last one tonight, that's four books in a week. Needless to say, I have neglected my household chores for a week and will be catching up tomorrow! They are so good!!! I have always loved Anita Stansfield's books. This one tells the story of a family who moves from England to America right around the time that the Mormons are being persecuted and pushed west. It's a great story and I wish there were more books in the series. If you want a good read then here it is!

On Saturday, Niah and I went and saw High School Musical 3 while Bryan took Chloe with him to the school to watch the BYU game. I have to admit that I actually LOVED this movie! It was really cute and I think it's the best HSM yet. The music was awesome and the dancing was great too! Niah loved it, as much as she loves the first two movies. It's also very nice to be able to take Niah to a movie and not have to worry about the content, other than Troy and Gabriella sharing a few juicy kisses! You should go see it!

I know this is a random post, but a lot went on this week. Oh, and thanks to Shaylie (Bryan's sister) for making my blog look so spooky cute!

Spiritually Uplifted

(This post is for my journaling purposes so if it's boring to you then skip it!!)

This past weekend we had our Stake Conference. We were privileged enough to have Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorom of the Twelve Apostles come and speak to us. It was so neat to be in the presence of one of the Apostles. I have always heard how tall he is and it is true, he is really tall! Saturday, Bryan had priesthood leadership meetings and he said that Elder Perry was very approachable and personable. He got to shake his hand a couple of times. Then that night was the Adult session of Stake Conference. Bryan was there early and I met him there after getting the baby-sitter settled with the kids. Bryan and our friend Cody saved us the front row!! Elder Perry's talk was wonderful. He spoke a lot about being one as a married couple. He said (I'm paraphrasing!) it's important to make every decision together. If the husband wants a new car, and the wife wants a new refrigerator, they should discuss it and figure out what fits their needs best. They will probably end up with the refirgerator but at least they were able to talk about it together!! He was really funny and told some great stories. After that meeting, he worked his way down the stairs and I was able to shake his hand. He asked us who all these young people were and where we were from and we told him that we were all in medical school. He said he figured it must have been something like that because we all looked the same!! He was very friendly. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to meet him. Sunday his talk was on being prepared. He mentioned several ways to be prepared in regards to our social, mental, and spiritual strength. He talked to the young people about having a plan and direction in life. He emphasized getting an education, serving missions, figuring out what career/degree you want, and things like that. He said that it drives him crazy when he asks freshman what their degree is and they say, "I haven't decided yet!"

It was great being able to listen to an apostle speak in such close proximity. The girls were very well behaved and Niah thought it was so cool to have an apostle there. She drew a picture of him and wanted to give it to him after the meeting, but there was a long line of people so we didn't hang around. I kind of wish now that I would have just waited with her so she could meet him. Oh well, hopefully there will be another time. I'll always remember this experience. It is a great memory to have.

Things I Have Done

I have been tagged a lot lately so if I haven't gotten to yours yet, I'm working on it!!
Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I've been there but I haven't actually been to the top- has anyone? I don't think they let people up there anymore.)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (unknowingly they were born in Vermont!)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (indoors)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
55/99- Not too bad!! How many have you done?!

Vintage Aprons

So, my sister Tam has learned to make vintage aprons and is selling them. You can check out her blog (It's listed on the sidebar under Tam and Todd Jacobs) to see some if you are interested. I think they are perfect Christmas gifts and they are so cute!

Cute Girlies

A couple of months ago (I know I'm slow at posting these!) I borrowed a friends fancy camera and took some pictures of my girls. My goal was to get some cute pictures of Chloe at eighteen months but she did not cooperate! Niah did really great though, she is fun to take pictures of because she gets really into it. I am, by no means, a professional, but it was fun and here are some of my favorites!

This is the best one I got of Chloe, she was being a stinker. She was mad that I made her wear her cowboy boots and not her sandals like Niah.

This is the best one I got of them together, not real cute Chlo!
Miss Photogenic...

I took this one just while hanging out at home. I think it's pretty cute. I can't remember what we were making...So, there you go. I have a new desire to learn to take really good pictures, to become a photographer. My Christmas list consists of a new Digital SLR camera with a fancy lens, photography lessons, a new computer that has photoshop and is made for storing and doing fun things with pictures! (YA RIGHT! in a dream world maybe! haha.) But seriously, I would love to learn to take nice, professional looking pictures so that I could take pictures and offer really cheap photos/packages to families that can't afford to get them done- like us!

Anyway, this is a random post but I think my girls are so cute!!

Spirit of Elijah!

Yesterday, Bryan and I were able to go have a tutoring lesson in the Family History Center at our church. We learned to use the new Family Search program that the church has recently put out. It is so cool!! I think I have found a new obsession. I want to get really into it and I have already found lots of ancestors that need temple work done. If you have not looked into this program, you should! It's so great and it's fun to find out where you come from. (I don't actually know the people in this picture, I found it on Google. If I had a scanner then I could put pictures of my real ancestors.)

Visit from Grams and Gramps!

We were lucky enough to have a visit from my mom and dad this past weekend. It was so good to have them here and the girls loved all of the attention. We did lots of fun, fall things! Niah had to take them apple picking. It was freezing cold but it was worth it! We went to eat at the Skinny Pancake, it was very yummy and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't been there. Niah took my mom and dad to the toy store too. She got a Diamond Castle Barbie doll that she hasn't put down since she got it. Chloe got some new blocks and she loves them. We also went to Bryan's flag football game- he dislocated his birdie finger while making an interception! Way to 'take one for the team' B!!

We drove to Middlebury to see the leaves and to also see something new. It was really pretty down there and Middlebury is a quaint little Vermont town. We visited a quilt museum, looked in some of the cool shops, and ate lunch at a really great deli.

Here we are at the apple orchard.

On Saturday, we went to the Sam Mazza Harvest Festival. We took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and the girls had fun picking out their pumpkins. The cider donuts were delicious and we had a lot of fun!

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming to visit. We had a great time and wish you could have stayed longer! Thanks for spoiling us and for being such great parents and grandparents. We love you!