...bet you wish yours was this awesome!! We had a good group of friends get together to make gingerbread houses and even though ours turned out sooo "beautiful" I am proud to say that the girls did it all by themselves!! 
We had our very first parent teacher conference for Abby yesterday. Abby is right on track for everything. The only thing she talked about that still concerned her was that they are still having a hard time understanding her when she speaks in longer sentences, but said to just wait until they test her again when she starts kindergarten before we worry too much about it. Abby just likes to use a lot of "filler words" and I think is having a hard time getting her mouth to catch up to her brain. She said that Abby is good with playing with the girls or the boys or even by herself. She says however she has a "you can play with me as long as you don't touch my stuff or come in my space" attitude. She loves to dress up and has a thing for the train conductor hat...so now daddy of course is on the lookout for a train conductor hat. The teacher said that she also loves to wear a silver dress and HAS to wear the silver high-healed shoes to match and is NOT in a good mood if she is left with the orange shoes...what can I say the girl is particular and just likes to look good (I think we might be in trouble for the teenage years:)) Naps are another issue for Abby (although we aren't surprised since Abby stopped taking naps since she was 2). She said that Abby never sleeps and just likes to talk to the other kids and has moved Abby's nap spot so many times she just doesn't know where to put her anymore. Overall nothing that surprised us to much. Abby just loves school and her teachers. She writes notes to them at home to take to school. Just yesterday while waiting for the bus she was writing something and gave it to the bus driver. Oh ABBY!! 
The picture is of abby as I still think of her...LITTLE!! She was sneaking things into the toilet and would hurry and shut the lid and then look at us like "Im not doing anything" when we would catch her doing it. Oh and by the way the pajamas she is wearing are the same we had jonas in the other day...oh and he is only 4 months old!!
Jonas: Has mastered rolling over. It's becoming a good and bad thing...Good, because he is learning new things...Bad, because I can't just lay him anywhere now. He HATES to be on his belly so that is fun!! And it makes me realize that he isn't just a teeny baby anymore. He is in fact getting bigger and that makes me a little sad. Jonas also LOVES LOVES LOVES to spit and blow bubbles. That is why he is always soaked with slobber. He now will have to wear a bib at all times!!
Emma: Emma will sing the "tommorow song" from Annie at the top of her lungs and sooo beautifully. We love it!! She is constantly making us laugh and is sooo happy. However we have learned from a recent trip to Utah that any adjustment to her sleep does not make for a happy Emma:)
Abby: Abby is learning to spell and will always have me help her spell things so that she can write notes for her friends at school. She loves to go to school and is doing much better. No more recent notes from the teacher about playing dead on the playground because she doesn't want to go in in awhile now. Abby loves to cook and is always begging to help in the kitchen.
Aaron: Aaron is awesome!! what can I say other than my husband is the BEST!! He just had two really big tests at work and did VERY well on both of them. I'm not surprised he always does well:) He will keep his same bonus pay for the scores on his DLPT and because he passed his other test (his CDC or something like that...I cant keep them all straight) he is now a level 7 (not sure exactly what that means other than he is really really awesome) At home he is just as awesome. He treats me like a queen and I am so lucky to have him! He is so thoughtful and helps so much around the house...THANKS AARON!!!
Me: I have come to the conclusion that I say "awesome" way too much so hopefully I can work on that. I have been staying very busy with my calling at church and well mostly just being a mom to three crazy kids who constantly keep me moving (who needs a gym...seriously) I put up the Christmas tree all by myself (I think that is something to be proud of..okay Aaron might have helped a little...but I put it together and that is the hard part)
THE END
Our trip to Utah was short, but we still had a lot of fun. The kids and I flew there last Tuesday and Aaron met up with us Friday....ummm don't ever try to fly with 3 kids by yourself, not very fun!!!
My parents sold their house so it was sad not to be there this time, but the lady who bought it made it into a photography studio so we had our family pictures taken at the house while we were all together.
We took the kids to the dinosaur museum and got to see the temples (two new ones for me to see). Abby was sooo excited to see snow and would tell me the whole way to Utah how she was going to make a snow-angel and for the first time NO SNOW!! The only place was at the very top of the mountains. I think she got over it and was just as happy to see the temple!!
I also was able to go see my grandparents since my grandpa hasn't been doing very well and that really meant a lot to me.
We also got to eat at Buona Vita (my parents restaurant) which was FABULOUS!! Best Italian I have ever had and so pretty inside (and I am not just saying that to make you happy mom!!) So for those of you who are able to...I would HIGHLY recommend going!! SOOO YUMMY!! Thanks again for treating us mom and dad!!
Twilight was sooo fun too. I had to take Jonas, but he slept the whole time. I wasn't happy with the movie, but I think it was so fun because of how into the "party" everyone was. My aunts friend rented out the whole theater so they had a bunch of contests like best costume and who read the books the most. We also got some chapstick that makes your lips cold (so its like you just kissed Edward) and I got a little charm bracelet. So it was fun!!
So Overall a fun trip and the girls are already begging to see grandma lisa and papa again!! So start planning your trip to Georgia:)
p.s. Thanks for everything mom and dad and thanks grandma for letting us crowd your house just a little bit more!!!
The girls love to get into my make-up and put it on. Aaron and I were getting ready to go out and just as I was on my way out to pick up the babysitter I went to find Abby to see if she wanted to come with me and this is how I found her. Isn't she just GORGEOUS?! I must say that other than her color choices...she is getting better at her make-up skills:)
Sorry for the lack of updated "family" posting. We have been busy lately and so haven't had much time for anything really!!! So here is a quick update of some of what has been going on in the last month....
I didn't get very good pictures of the girls in the costumes this year. We are most likely going to be getting dressed up again as soon as we find time (probably next week) and take better pictures. But they were witches (not that you can tell in these pictures) and Jonas was a horse! 
Abby had a fun time playing soccer for the first time this year. She ended her season with only one loss!! By the end she was getting really good and getting right in there with all the big boys. oh and I just had to add the picture of Aaron when he went to sit and fell through the chair because we had left it outside all summer!!
The girls have been really into having their fingernails painted lately. Well Emma decided one day she wasn't going to wait for me to do it and painted them herself. I was actually very surprised that she got it all on herself and not on everything else (like the carpet she was painting over) too. 
A few weeks ago the girls got their hair cut. Emma just had hers evened out a little, but Abby's was more of a drastic haircut!! I was a little sad to see Abby's hair chopped just because it was sooo long, but soon after I ended up loving it and she does too. She had been begging to have her hair "like mommy's" for awhile.Sorry, but I don't have a good after (or a before really) of Emma. Jonas also got a hair cut, but that was daddy's doing...I didn't like the idea and wanted to let someone who knew what they were doing cut his hair (he really really needed it) but he did it anyway...and well of course jonas moved a few times and it didn't turn out very even.
Abby had been begging to see a temple for a long time now and so we finally drove the hour and half to Columbia, SC to show her a temple. 
I hope that this isn't too little too late. I hope everyone who takes the time to check out our blog can take 15 minutes and listen to this talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson, and read the post by my good friend, Gary Nuila. Thanks for the video, Tyler.
Source: http://nuila.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-03-31T19%3A16%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=20
I like Obama, but not because of his political philosophy. Like many of you, I've been watching him since he gave his famous speech at the democratic national convention in 2004 propelling him on to the national scene. I think what has impressed me most about him is the lack of enmity, of hostility, toward others in our nation and other countries in our world that pervades the hearts of so many of our current national leaders. As far back as a year ago, I was telling people that I thought that Obama was going to win the presidency precisely because he had a message that people were anxious to hear right now. I still think that.
This message is very appealing to a generation of Americans who have only seen political divisiveness and foreign hostility from the time they have become conscious politically. And what I mean by this is not the physical wars, or wars of ideas we've seen, these can actually be carried on without enmity. It's the hearts that have been at war with each other that has been the most distressing.
Obama has been very good at selling the point that he's willing to break out of this. But like I hinted at in the beginning of this post, I wish I could get behind him whole heartedly. I can't.
The reason for this is that behind his powerful messages of "Yes we can," "hope," and "change" it must be remembered that the instrument this hope and change are to be brought about by under Obama's conception is through the force of government, not the individual or collective choices of the people. Yes, we do choose our representatives and our president, but after we do, for most of society the direct choices have ceased.
So as we sing "yes we can" the truth is that Obama's message is not that we can, meaning you and me and the common citizens of this country. Obama's philosophical progenitors gave up on that notion with the New Deal. Rather the message is that the government can do these things for us. The government will take care of us and bring about or make possible our hopes and dreams....but always at a price.
I hope you realize that because the government does not of itself produce, it can only obtain the resources to bring about its promises by taking them from the people. Of course, the people do not willingly give up what they have produced, so the government can only obtain these resources by compulsion (you don't pay your taxes, you go to jail, a deprivation of virtually all of your unalienable rights).
Under this conception I ask you to consider where the power lies. Who is the hero? Who is the king or queen?
Let me end up by saying that I think Obama's message is the perfect one for a different political philosophy altogether: "Yes we can," meaning us, the people, our churches and private organizations, using our agency and our insight, our ability to choose and our reason (what distinguishes humans from animals). This political philosophy says that we will take care of the poor and disadvantaged , we will provide for our elders, we will find ways to ensure everyone that needs it receives health care. And all this without being compelled to do so by external compulsive forces such as government.
I can understand why Obama's philosophy is the predominant one today. It is because we failed to take care of these problems in an earlier era, so it was believed that only government could solve them regardless of the inevitable tradeoff between freedom and security.
I find that few people disagree with this latter conception, they simply don't believe its possible. I think its possible.
For this little baby right here!! I am finally (after who knows how long of begging and pleading) getting my Dyson!! I am soooo excited (sad isn't it when you realize that a vacuum can get you that excited). It should be here in about a week. We have been in need of a new vacuum for awhile now...ours just hasn't been the same since aaron thought it would be okay to vacuum up vomit and when Aaron found one at a screamin good deal...he knew we just had to have it. So thanks to my hubby..he is so good to me. I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!
THURSDAY OCTOBER 23RD @ 10am MY HOUSE (631 Goodale Ln)
We will be having our playgroup Halloween Party!!! So come dressed in your costumes!!
(sorry the dates in the calendar that were given out at church are wrong..I changed the days to Thursdays now)
handbag planet is giving away one free handbag every hour on october 15th. (thanks for letting me know angela) so go to www.handbagplanet.com to sign up!
This week has been a really busy week.
Sunday I received a new calling. I am now first counselor in the Relief Society at church. Which resulted in a few meetings throughout the week. I am still in slight shock and feel totally out of place, but have to admit am really excited.
Monday Jonas had his 2 month appointment. He is a BIG boy!! He weighs 13lbs 8oz and is about 24in.! Basically he is really close to being off the growth chart. He also got his shots. That night he got a fever and didn't get much sleep.
Tuesday still sick.
Wednesday woke up to a still sick Jonas and now Emma is throwing up all over the place. One time she even threw up into the diaper bag. I ended up taking out a few things I HAD to have and then threw the whole bag away. Every time she threw up all she would say is "I need a shower". Noticed a rash on Jonas' legs and got a little worried...so I called the doctor and she told me to take him the the emergency room thinking he was having a reaction to the immunizations. So 3 hours and one chest x-ray later they basically tell me that its not the immunizations, but they don't know what it is so they just send me home with more tylenol and said that he should just get "over it". Aaron ended up staying home from scouts to help out with the kids and let me get to bed early.
Thursday still no sleep because Jonas is still sick. He developed a nasty cough and still cant breath so he cant sleep. I tried everything. But now the cough is getting worse so I call the doctor again. They make an appointment for the next day. On the good side Emma isn't throwing up anymore, but now has bad diarrhea and a diaper rash. Abby comes home in clothes I didn't send her to school in. Turns out she has diarrhea too and had an accident at school so I have a backpack full of poopy clothes to wash...yippee!!
Friday we get Jonas back to the doctor. Turns out the x-ray they took on Wednesday shows he has a little fluid in his lungs, but they don't think its pneumonia. They can't give him antibiotics because of his age. So I guess just watch him and make sure it doesn't get worse...and then bring him back in. He does seem to improving a little. My sweet sweet husband realizes that its been a ruff week and gets some good friends to watch the girls AND Jonas!! He takes me out to the lake where he has already set up a "campsite"!!! It was a really nice break from the madness of the kids and a nice twist from the regular dinner and a movie dates we take. He brought stuff to make chicken fettuccine alfredo..one of my favorites. He even brought everything to watch a movie. Okay so even though the chicken ended up getting thrown into the wilderness for the animals to enjoy and the converter thingy wasn't powerful enough for both the dvd player AND the t.v. it was the best date ever!!
Its been a crazy week and now I am just looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow..just in time for it all to start again on Monday!!!
I wish I would have taken some pictures of the craziness going on here in Georgia. We have NO gas. I didn't realize what the heck was going on until it was almost too late. I went visiting teaching on Wednesday and while we were out and about making our rounds I became very low on gas in fact on the way home the thing that tells us how many more miles until we are out became just a star...so I was OUT!! But I didn't worry because I thought that there is a gas station very close to my house I will just fill up on my way out again. Well the next day I had a dentist appointment so I of course took Aaron's car (the van was out of gas) and noticed all the gas stations on the way there all had zeros where the price of gas should be. Didn't think anything about it just thought it was crazy that there were really REALLY long lines at some of the stations. Well I called aaron to ask if he wanted me to fill up his car on my way home(the gas light just went on) he said no because he would be on base that night and would do it on his way to work. Well we had Abby's soccer game that night too (and its pretty far away) so we looked and looked and no gas ANYWHERE. I dont know how we made it there and back but we did. Today Aaron called to tell me a gas station that had gas. So I hurried over there. The van barely made it up the hill. I had to wait in a long line, but finally got the gas we really needed. What is going on. I have never ever seen anything like this before...its sooo crazy!! Lets just say that we aren't going to be going out much until things get better.
The other night while putting the girls to bed Jonas just started laughing for the first time. Of course (as it always goes) as soon as I turned on the camera he stopped, but then while giving hugs and kisses (part of the bedtime routine) Jonas just started to laugh again when Emma would give him "squeezes"! I didn't get the really good laughs, in fact I didn't really get any (just a small one at the beginning). Once I can catch him with a good one will post it. He is just getting so big so fast that I feel like I completely missed out on the "newborn stage". I mean he isn't quite 2 months and is already in 3-6 month clothes. The girls weren't like that at all. I just wish he would stay little forever. oh and the crying at the end is Abby getting hurt while trying to literally jump into bed...crazy girl!!!
... I am FINALLY finished with the twilight books. HALLELUJAH!!! Now I can have my life back!!!
Abby had her first soccer game yesterday. It was Hilarious to watch. One kid didn't want to play so he would just close his eyes the whole time and then at one point took off. Another kid would just dance in the middle of the field. Abby gave up half way through because she got knocked down a few times and I guess just had enough. So we are going to work on it's okay to get bumped and pushed around. We got video of one time when Abby got hit in the head by another girl and then when the girl came to see if she was okay Abby shoved her away...so we will also be working on being NICE!! If anyone wants a good laugh then come see her play next Thursday. oh and sorry about the shaky video..aaron sometimes forgets what he is doing.
Emma is going through some kinda of "stage" right now that is really driving me crazy. She is sticking everything in her nose!!! A lot of the time it is to the point where we will have to get out the tweezers to get it out. This is what is scary because I just know one of these times the tweezers are just not going to cut it and we will have to take her to the doctor. Yesterday (and this was all in a matter of seconds) she got the nails out of the pinewood derby car and put the nail in her nose!!! Scary I know!!! So how do I get her to stop? No matter how many times I tell her not to and get mad or put her on time out or how many times I take things away I keep finding things in her nose. I just don't know what to do with this child!! So any ideas would be nice. I am starting to think we might have to tape her nose up or something!
