Where, Oh Where is Springtime?

This is what it looks outside my house right now (actually this was almost an hour ago - there is even more now!)...why can't spring come and STAY???Can you see the tree blossoms COVERED in snow? Why is it still cold?? Why is it still snowing hard? Clark thinks we should go sledding. I thought I wasn't going to get dragged out to do that again this year!

UPDATE:

Here was the final total:

OVER FOUR INCHES!!

Baseball Season

Clark does get representation on the blog just not for Easter! He has just started another baseball season. This year he had to tryout and everything. I hope this isn't getting too high pressure! He is getting better all the time and this year is on the Dodgers. Practice just started so our next few months will be full of baseball fun! He wanted to make sure we could see his #2!

Happy Easter

So, Bella got a really cute dress, which had a matching dress for her baby doll (adorable). And poor Clark didn't get any new clothes. Honestly, he has 3 dress shirts and a relativly new pair of pants, sweater and ties. So, I didn't take a picture of him, but he looked as handsome, as always. And Bella really doesn't have any summer dresses so she needed it.

We went to our ward Easter egg hunt on Saturday and each kid was able to get 18 eggs - all filled with multiple pieces of candy, so Bella really didn't need anymore sweets. So on Easter she got some sunglasses, toys and lipgloss. Clark got a few treats and some summer sandals. (I am holding out hope that summer will come!!) I tried to take pictures of Clark at the Easter Egg hunt but he ran off before I could even catch one. Oh well, he had a good time and got more than enough sweets!!

An Original Dr. Seuss Poem

Can you believe it, could it be?

Could we really be having number THREE?

Yes it is, yes it's true -

And in October is when I'm due!

Have I been sick? Not too bad.

But if I get really fat I might be sad.

Clark wants a boy; Bella wants a girl

Will we need a ball or a dress to twirl?

We are all ecstatic and oh so happy

I am now ending this poem, so it doesn't get sappy.

Temporary Pets

A couple background items:

1. We live in a new neighborhood and a few new homes are started each month. Before the housing moved in it used to be farmland.

2. Although I like animals, I really don't like them in my house very much. We had fish before we moved and I really liked those.

OK, now the story. We have a bucket that we keep outside in the garage for organic material to put into the garden for compost. A few weeks ago I had a plate of egg shells, potato peels, etc., that I was taking out there. The bucket was empty and had been cleaned the day before. So I go over to the bucket and was about to dump my stuff inside only to see a bundle of furry movement at the bottom. Now, props for myself here. I didn't scream; I didn't run in the house like a crazy person. I calmly went inside and told my father-in-law that there were what I thought to be 3 mice in the compost bucket. Then I came downstairs and told Ryan.

I wanted to be as far away as possible from any little mice. But not everyone followed suit. Ryan went straight upstairs to check it out. He comes back to tell me that there were FIVE, yes that is right, FIVE mice in the bucket. It gives me the chills just writing about it. At this point he picks up Bella to take her up to see the the little mice. Apparently she thought they were great. She talked to them and said, "Hi cute little mouse," and "stay in the bucket, don't get out." WHAT? I see mice and I see germs, disease, etc., not cute little pets. So they were her "not allowed to touch pets" for a few minutes before they were taken out of the garage and to a new resting place.

Other side notes: 1. We have traps in the garage so this kind of thing wouldn't happen. 2. Clark was SO disappointed when he came home from school that they were no longer with us. He really thought we should have waited for him to see them. The pictures had to suffice. 3. We are no longer using the compost bucket.

For the brave souls who want to see, here are a couple pictures. I can hardly even look at them. My only consolation is that they have only been in the garage and not in the house.

Valentine's Houses

I really like the idea of Gingerbread houses at Christmas time, but I struggle with the execution of getting our houses done during the holidays. So, a couple years ago I decided we should start a new tradition of making Valentines Houses. (I actually want to call them 'Love Shack's but don't want my kids going to school and telling their teachers they make love shacks at home...) Anyway, last year, with the house selling we didn't get to our houses but this year the tradition was back on track. Bella LOVED eating the candy and is really upset today that she can't get the candy off. Clark had a good time making his house and his house is already a mess since he breaks the frosting to get those candies off to eat. Good times.

Happy Birthday Clark!

How come our kids grow up so fast? Is it possible that NINE years ago Clark was born? I guess so, since today was his birthday! He was such a cute little baby and he is still a cute kid!

He lucked out and had a great day at school - Field Trip all day! They went ice skating in the morning and then to a museum after lunch. Ryan, Bella and I met the class at the museum and walked around with Clark. It was really fun. We had his special request for dinner - Shepherd's Pie - and then Ryan's sister and her family came over for cake and ice cream.

We are so grateful to have him in our family. I can't even imagine our lives without his playful grin and contagious laugh. He loves to play sports (basketball, baseball, wii sports, ripstik, etc.) and also is becoming a great pianist. We love you Clark!!! Happy Birthday!!

A Bench, A Lightswitch and A Chair

Time to guess the common link again. Bench, Lightswitch, Chair. Hmm.

This is how scripture reading went down tonight. Ryan, Clark and I are sitting on the sofa reading and Bella is running around like a crazy lady (normal). I have a bench against the wall in living room and Bella often gets on it and then jumps off. Tonight she was doing this crazy ritual but then she noticed the light switches off to the side. So she turns on one light and turns the other off. Nice. Clark starts laughing. Bella jumps off the bench. We continue to read. Bella climbs back onto the bench and turns both lights off. We are sitting in complete darkness. Clark is in hysterics. Bella laughs, turns both lights on...waits a few seconds...turns both off. Clark laughs harder. (Ryan and I are also laughing, but trying not to egg her on.) We ask her to turn them on, but she has jumped off the bench and has no intention of turning them back on. So I get up, turn on the lights and move the bench so she can't reach the light switches when she climbs back on the bench. After a minute of the lights being on, she goes back to the bench, climbs up and tries to reach for the switches only to hit the wall. This time I was the one that was smiling. It was priceless. She got so upset that she couldn't reach time any more. (Meanwhile we are still trying to read.) So Bella gets off the bench and we see her a minute later carrying a little chair from her table over to the wall. We are almost done with our chapter, so we start speed reading through the last verse and get the last phrase in, right as the lights go out, and Clark breaks into laughter, again.

New Year Events

I just had a few pictures to post. Clark had his first basketball game today and I took some pictures, none of which turned out. They were all way too dark, so this one I lightened but they just aren't the same - at least you can see him in action. Go Clark!!

And I was finally able to get Bella to sit still long enough to braid her hair - I have tried unsuccessfully several times before. This time we got it done while she was watching Little Einsteins on TV; you do what you have to do! I am out of practice and sitting still for a two year old is not really very still. I think it is cute though. It reminds me of Anne of Green Gables - especially after a few hours when the small pieces started coming out...just not the right color.

Snow Fun

The kids love the snow. I am getting to old I guess; I really like it if I just stay inside and look at it, but being outside and driving in it are not my thing. We did go sledding over the holiday and it was fun. We had a great time with the Harris's (thanks for coming to visit :). Bella says "I like sledding." She gets taken down the hill and then pulled up again by mom or dad - what is not to love?! Clark has a great time too and asks to go almost everyday!

Since we aren't always at the golf course for sledding, the kids have fun outside in the front yard too...There is a pile of snow almost 4 feet high from off of the driveway, so there is no shortage of the white stuff to play in.

And in case you get tired a need a break, here is the perfect winter chair created by Clark and finished by Ryan.

Christmas Morning

We had a great Christmas day. Here are a few picture highlights...


Please notice Clark's pillow and book in the hallway - he of course woke up hours before everyone else and so he read until it was time. (He had been given very specific instructions on what to do, since we are getting used to this yearly occurrence :)

Bella loved her new little kitchen! She came out into the room and said, "Kitchen!" It was so cute! She has a great time playing with it. Now I just have two kitchens to clean daily!

Clark wanted a Santa Hat for Christmas (along with the ripstik that you can't see in the picture.) He is having lots of fun riding around the neighborhood with the other boys that have them. They have been able to ride a few times when the roads are clear from the snow. Unfortunately that hasn't been a lot since Christmas!

Merry Christmas

If I didn't send this to you, sorry, I need your e-mail address!

These Boots are Made for Walking...

Just another normal day in the life of a two year old:

"Ah, Mom's boots. Those look like fun. I will take off my jeans and put them on and run about the house... Yes these are great fun!"

Mrs. Webster

I think it is really funny when kids come up with new words that no one else has ever heard, but yet they use them often. Such is the case with Bella and the new word is 'cuteaful'.

Defination: Something both cute and beautiful.
Usage: She gets dressed in the morning or puts on her play necklaces and says, "It's cuteaful."

Everyday is full of some 2 year old disasters, but most of the time she really is so cuteaful.

Chop, Chop

I have been saying I wanted to cut my hair short for a couple of years and I actually did it! Normally I don't post anything about me specifically, but my sisters have requested some pictures, so here they are. If you don't like it, you don't have to leave a comment; if you think it is ok, then you can leave a nice message :) I like it - I should have taken a picture when I came home from getting it cut, because I can't style it as well, but here I am!

Giving Thanks

If you are reading this, we must be thankful for you and how you are apart of our lives! Thanks for being you! We have so very much to be grateful for and we don't express enough all we have been so richly blessed with. Truly one day isn't enough...

A Book, A Pocketknife and A Screen

What do a book, a pocketknife and a screen have in common? Let me tell you.

Last week Ryan and I had gone to the temple and Ryan's brother Darren was nice enough to watch the kids. They went to bed before we got home and it was quiet when we came downstairs. I was doing a couple things in the kitchen when I hear all of this commotion. Ryan had gone into the kids room and what does he find, but Clark outside in the window well. What was he doing there we ask? Apparently he was reading this book using a flashlight underneath his covers and it was kinda scary. (As a side note on the book - the Librarian had recommended it as a good one.) Anyway, he had heard us come downstairs and thought we were robbers, so he had gotten his pocket knife out of his nightstand, opened the window, cut the screen and had crawled out onto the rocks and was trying to get out of the window well when Ryan found him.

I just don't understand. What was he going to do when he got out? What about Bella? I guess she was just on her own. How would a robber get past Darren and Grandpa (who was also home)? And to top it off, it was only about 40 degrees outside!!

The next morning we had just gotten up and Clark suddenly runs upstairs (in his pajamas). What on earth? He came back with his pocketknife that he had thrown up on the ground above the window. Good thing we didn't forget that!

Not a Baby Anymore

My baby is not a baby anymore. Today I went and got a toddler bed for Bella and tonight the crib went away. It is sad. The day was inevitable but still a bit sad. She thought it was great!! She got in, and then out, and then in, and then out! When I put her down she just jumped out again. We had to talk about how it was still bedtime. Eventually I just had to close the door so it would be dark and she couldn't come out. She didn't cry so I think she knows it is just nighttime. How the time flies by!!

Short update - she stayed in bed until Clark went in to go to sleep - as soon as the door opened she was out of bed and running down the hall! Crazy little girl!

What did we just talk about?

I really don't have anything new to say, but I am just tired of Halloween being at the top of my blog. So I decided I would post about our Family Home Evening last night, since it was quite comical. I was giving a lesson about Manners (I know that everyone else doesn't need this lesson in their house, but we can use it often :) Anyway, we were talking about our Super Hero's including, 'Thunder Thank-you' and 'Super Sorry' etc., when Clark accidently knocked Bella in the head and she fell over and started to cry. Now, since we are talking about this very subject, wouldn't it make sense to lean over and say, "I'm sorry, Bella."? No, too much to ask. Clark had to cry about his arm that got hurt when he knocked her over. I hope that someday our FHE lessons will work, but I don't when that day will be. It is obviously not today.

Happy Halloween

I tried to continue the tradition we started last year of all dressing up to match. It took a lot of convincing and I don't know how many years this tradition is going to last, but we, correction, I, had a good time. We didn't get really great pictures - Clark ran out the door after the only one we managed to take together and I didn't even get one of just him - the candy draw was just too much!

My dad got a few more pictures - luckily. Clark wanted to wear socks with his costume, so he 'distressed' them himself.