today

I woke up at 7:05am

I remembered to say my morning prayer

I gave the girls Life cereal for breakfast & Honey Bunches cereal to my honey

I read outloud from 1st Nephi chapter 5 and told the girls how much Lehi and Sariah loved their children and how much they worried about them

I also smiled to myself reading about Sariah complaining to her husband Lehi, calling him a visionary man

I cut out three paper hearts and watched the girls color rainbows on them like their friend Bristol while I ate breakfast and drank some mate

I helped Sage with her pinkalicious puzzle

I washed, folded and put away two loads of laundry

I gave the girls graham crackers and milk for snack

I told Lucy 5 times to stop bugging Audrey and sit down and finish her snack

Then I lost it when Audrey spilled her full glass of milk because she was trying to get away from Lucy who was, of course still bugging her

I cleaned up the milk and continued to rant and yell about the girls leaving their toys and clothes and blankets and puzzle pieces everywhere

I felt bad when Lucy came to say sorry and give me a hug

I hugged her back and told her I was sorry I had made a bad choice by yelling

I sent the girls out in the backyard to ride bike/scooters

I laughed when I saw Audrey walking around in dad's flip flops

I got a phone call from my MIL

I gave the girls mac n cheese, mixed veggies and homemade pinto bean dip for lunch

I let the girls watch Miss Spider

I spent time on craigslist looking for a queen size bed, piano, dresser, lawn mower, cake stand, butter dish, and a bunch of other non-essential items

I also researched a solar oven and really want to buy one soon

I changed three poopy diapers & wiped two poopy bums all before noon

I put the girls down for a nap

I thought about how I want the girls job chart to look like

I also thought about taking a shower (didn't happen)

I took a 30 minute power nap

I sighed when the girls woke me up

I gave the girls trail mix for a snack and they pretty much only ate the M&Ms

I put on 'Vida' music so the girls could dance around in their dressups

I crawled around chasing the girls while being the red-headed tickle monster

I tackled and tickled the twins and smiled when Sage did a Sumo jump onto my back

I snuggled and watched Milo & Otis with the girls.

I skyped with my mom, the girls are regular jokesters ("Sort of" & "Awkward")

I made BBQ chicken thighs, rice and vegis for dinner and PW prune cake for dessert

I smiled when the girls saw daddy and squealed for joy

I bathed three cute little girls

I kissed Sage all over after I put on her diaper--she laughed and yelled "top it mommy!"

I helped draw a birthday card for family night

I laughed and applauded for each singing performance on the fireplace stage

I listened while Sage and Lucy both had to say family prayer

I sang I am a Child of God while I put their books away on the bookshelf in their room

I kissed, hugged and said I love you to my three favorite little girls

I am now enjoying my alone time and feeling thankful for being a mother

I am also thinking that I really need to start writing my talk for church on Sunday

Tah Tah for now

This morning at breakfast...

...Lucy was wearing her favorite yellow headband:

Audrey: Hey Lucy, maybe when you get too big for your yellow headband then baby Oscar can wear it.

Lucy: Baby Oscar can't wear a headband, he's a boy!

Mom: When is baby Oscar coming?

Lucy: When Sage grows up and isn't a baby anymore then baby Oscar will come.

Dad: Where is baby Oscar?

Audrey: I don't know where baby Oscar comes from...

Mom: Ha, I'll tell you when you get older.

I think the girls are getting a little baby hungry, too bad mom and dad aren't quite ready yet.

JOY

This past week I've been feeling alot of joy. It is wonderful and I realize how important it is for me to always seek out that joy, not just when things seem to be going well. Things aren't incredibly different, I still wake up tired and cranky some mornings and I still lose it with the girls now and again. I still get a little stir crazy being inside all day and I still get frustrated when the girls are all screaming something at me at once.

The difference: I get over it quicker. I am somehow not allowing those moments to linger as long and ruin my day. Sadly, over the last few years I often let my deep worries/concerns pour over into my attitude toward daily life, which impeded my joy.

Now because life has alot less worries, I am sleeping better and recognizing how I feel more joyful and more grateful. I realize this is all fine and dandy, but the trick is that I need to learn to feel this way even when my life is filled with worries and/or trials. Because as most of us know one guarantee in this life is that trials will come. My job is to not let the trial shake me up for too long. My challenge is to find joy during difficult times. I love our beautiful little girls so much and I am extremely fortunate to be able to stay home with them each day.

Yesterday I decided to shower while the girls were napping. The girls woke up while I was blow drying my hair. I got them a snack and then went to put hot curlers in my hair (which I usually only do occasionally, maybe a few times a month). I finished my hair and makeup and it was almost 4pm. I looked in the mirror and thought, "alot of work and I'm not even going to leave the house today...oh well." I walked out into the living room and my Loving Lucy said "Wow mom, your hair is so beautiful!" I started to tear up a little as I thanked her and gave her a hug. She is so sweet and so sincere and just such a wonderful reminder of how very lucky I am to be home all day.

Adorable Audrey loves the new bike they share from Christmas and she is always wanting me to put on her pads and helmet and WATCH her. "Mom, look at me mom...mom, mom, look--did you see me mom? Watch mom, Watch this! mom mom MOM!" And I get to be here to watch her ride in circles over and over. How lucky am I?

Sassafras Sage and her dressup changing is adorable and a tad annoying. She loves to twirl and say "look mom, I so boosissol in my dress!" I find her dressups strewn all over the house inside out all day long. Cinderella is her favorite followed by her purple fairy Halloween costume, then Alice. I have stitched up Alice and Cinderella once and it is time for another fix on the Cinderella dress.

My Gentle German. I love him more each day! We are both so much happier when not in school. We will celebrate our 10 year anniversary in a few weeks and we've been loving our lazy nights together with no homework to do. We have been in school pretty much since we got married and I still can't believe it is over FOREVER! I am so proud of him and he gets even more handsome with age. He is my media naranja and I love to be near him always. The girls love him, too and get SOOO excited when daddy gets home from work (screaming, running and jumping for a good 5 minutes straight!) He is a wonderful daddy and I love that he reads to them every night before bed.

 Surprised Faces

Mean Faces

Silly Faces

I love each face so much!

Wish our bed looked like this...I love the shutter headboard and the lamp and the pillows...

German full-time employee

German finished school on Friday and he just left to start work full-time this week. I am so proud of him. We will all move up to Mansfield, TX (about 30 mins south of his job in Arlington) on Jan 9th and start a new era of our lives with NO SCHOOL. It has been a difficult and long journey, but I knew he could do it. I knew once he got his foot in the door, he would be offered a job. He works so hard and is so loyal and reliable and gives his very best.

I have set new goals for myself since he will be gone working now M-F from 8-6pm and why wait until the New Year??? I will miss having him so close by and at home so often during the day. I have to step up my game alot and I need the girls to help me out. I am making a new schedule for all of us, a routine of studying and learning and playing and cleaning and organizing. I want helping out to be fun and enjoyable, so that they feel like part of a team. I want it to just become good habits or second nature to them, not something I have to nag and remind them about each day. I only have a year and 8 months left with them here at home all day and then they are off to school and then gone forever. I got a laminator for Christmas and I am so excited to use it! Now that German has an office at work, I get to make the home office my own work space. We also got Adobe photoshop and illustrator, so I get to play and design and hopefully, develop/attain some talent. I'm excited.

Any ideas or website links for preschool projects, organization ideas, crafts. etc would be great!

Love him...

And them.

Today I'm grateful I drove to Utah with my girls in July...

...so Sage could meet her sweet great grandfather and give him a kiss.

Halloween cuties

First primary program & Halloween fun

Yesterday was the primary program at church and our girls had their first opportunity to 'speak' in church. And we decided to record it, is that against some church rule??? Oh well! We practiced their parts until they both had them memorized. Audrey had a little stage fright, but she did say her part really quietly and Lucy was awesome! So proud of my little angels. Sage was crying for Lucy & Audrey most of the time and even walked up to the stage at the end of the program.

You can barely hear Audrey say her part at the very end of the video. "I can treat my body like a temple by dressing modestly."




Then that evening we decided to let them try on their Halloween costumes and after 3 hours they were already starting to fall apart a little. WHY do they make kid costumes so cheap????? Good thing they don't care, but I told them they have to wait until Halloween to wear them again.

Audrey

Audrey was watching Martha Speaks and the episode was about pets. She yelled over to me in the kitchen and said "MOM, I want a pet!" To which I responded, "Oh really? What kind of pet?" She said "A puppy!" with a big grin on her face. Then I said "Did you know that puppies poop and pee all over the place and you'll have to clean it up?" Her smile faded and she thought for a second and yelled "A kitty?"

"Well, they pee and poop, too."

"A horse?"

Sorry, honey, you're getting colder. Keep trying...

some thoughts on developing talents

A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to know more about food. I wanted to know more about cheeses and chocolates. I wanted to know more about cooking exotic foods from all over the world. I tried simple delicious recipes and complex long recipes with detailed methods. I absorbed as much as I could and found some great foodie blogs to follow. I attempted some great dishes and failed a few, but I found that I really enjoy creating in my kitchen. I now only use Kosher salt, real butter and whipping cream, extra sharp cheddar, Ghirardelli chocolate chips and I don't think I can ever make a dessert from a box again! I now have pure vanilla extract, saffron, whole peppercorns and LOTS of cumin in my spice cupboard. Tonight I made my own version of mexican lasagna with corn tortillas, chicken, corn and cheese, with some homemade black beans and a cilantro/onion/lettuce salad on the side. I know my meals are a success when Lucy says, "MMMMM, mommy this is the best dinner I ever saw!" I am by no means done learning, but I feel satisfied with my progress and am fairly confident in my ability to throw something tasty together. Plus I really enjoy the creating AND the eating!

My newest desired talent is design. I want to be crafty, I want to create and do a pretty good job of throwing things together. But I fear this talent will be much more difficult to develop because I am beyond awful at just knowing what will look good. I'm scared I will completely ruin items beyond repair or choose the wrong paint colors and then what do I do? At least with food, I can throw it away or cringe while my sweet husband tries to swallow it down. But the idea of buying furniture/artwork or painting a bedroom wall scares me to death. I have zero confidence in my design abilities. So the last couple of weeks I've been reading/absorbing design blogs. I am blown away by the talented women out there who not only mother children, but design, sew, craft and create beautiful works of art like these stuffed colorful cat pillows or this darling Easter dress.

And LOOK at this kitchen, I covet it. I know covet has a negative connotation, but I covet nonetheless. Since I will never be able to afford this kitchen I want to try to slowly create something like it...on a smaller scale...someday. It will probably take me 10 years, so therefore I am starting now. My obsession for the design talent has begun.

The green backsplash, and the yellow walls, the dark wood floors, the skylights, that island, everything (except maybe the rug, not loving it). A part of me wants to throw in some orange to complete the citrus look, but would that be overdoing it??? Would it look just awful with a touch of orange??? I don't know. I made an orange checkered valance for a kitchen window last year and I like it, but sometimes I look at it and wonder if it just looks really goofy or something. If anyone out there has some design ideas, advice, favorite blogs, etc, then please enlighten me!

so fun!

Pillow treasures

The girls have to put something under their pillow every night, usually it's just a book, but lately the list of MUST HAVES is increasing. Lucy had to put her new Little Mermaid book, a pink/purple pony and her sock bunny that we made at a friend's house on Tuesday.

Notice how she isn't using her pillow because of the bulk under there.

Audrey likes have lots of stuffed animals around her while she sleeps and tonight she only put the Finding Nemo book under her pillow (I just bought the DVD today for $5 on Craigslist--they love it). She must have misplaced her sock bunny because it has been under there since they were made.

Hi Nemo!

And Sage will usually want something with her when I first put her in her crib, but within minutes she'll say "MOM, I don wan it!" and hand it back or just throw it out herself. Her little blankie is all she wants...for now.

Lucy is the only one who will wake up and carry all of her under pillow items out of her room. She is REALLY possessive of her new Little Mermaid book. I'm trying to find a good deal on all three Little Mermaid movies for her birthday. Cannot believe they will be turning 4 soon!

oh no it's almost been a whole week!!!

The twins had the flu all last week. I didn't know it was the flu until Wednesday afternoon, but I think they caught it from Sage. Lucy still can get febrile seizures when her fever shoots up, so I was waking up every 3-4 hours at night to give her medication. The first night I noticed she was warm I gave her medication, brought her to our room and began cooling her head and back with a wet towel waiting for the medicine to kick in. She started to get fever chills and I worried about her seizing. Because she is asking me why ALL the time, I spent some time explaining about her fever and how the wet towel helps her to not get the shake shakes. Last year she seized once, which is the only time since her initial seizure back when she was 16 months, she remembers and it scares her. I explained why she got the shake shakes and that she would be OK. She is such a doll and although I know she felt terrible, when I'd put the towel on her head, she'd look in my eyes and smile. A sweet smile filled with pure love and trust and I could tell she felt very safe on my lap. I really do love being a mother. There is nothing like it.

Princess jewelry

THANK YOU NANA!

love Love LOVE these girls of mine.

Today I took the girls swimming. They are so fun to play with and watch play with each other. Sage is my little sassafras and always wants to "do it mahsef." She loves fishies and jooouuss and cheese. Oh and she also likes to say "lee mee awone" when you want her to do something...she learns so many wonderful things from her older sisters.

Although, she has actually taught her older sisters the joy of opening the fridge. The twins for some reason, have never bothered with opening the fridge, yes, almost 4 years old and rarely opening the fridge is such a blessing. But sassafras Sage just turned 2 and has no qualms with opening the fridge and pulling out the juice container or a block of cheese or big yogurt container all by herself. At first her sisters just looked on bewildered, but now they have joined in the fun, which means I get to be even more vigilant. Nothing major yet...only once has Lucy taken out the juice while I was upstairs putting the laundry away. She tried pouring it in her cup and it went EVERYWHERE. I got to clean under the oven for the first time in two years after that mess, guess it needed to be done.

Sage was sick with a fever earlier this week and it lasted about 4 days, she was on my lap alot during the day. One day while on my lap watching a movie, I felt something slimy on my arm and thought she might be drooling or something. I said "Sage, what are you doing?" She looked up smiling, "I licky yuuuu mommy." I guess the Tylenol had just kicked in, silly girl. German and I love her strut-like walk and the way she kinda closes her eyes and lifts her chin when she's being lovey. Today after nap, I walk in to get her out of her crib and she says "Mommy, I went puuu puuu!" I love my baby Sagey!

Feeling very thankful this week...

Audrey is so imaginative and talkative lately. German bought me flowers on Friday, but the lilies had not yet opened. One opened on Sunday and the girls were so excited, then yesterday another lily opened overnight and Audrey saw it first, she squealed with joy. "Mommy, mommy, LOOK! The lily opened and it is soooo pretty. Oh, I am SO proud!" Hands first went in the air and then she clasped her cheeks, obviously filled with so much happiness. She's adorable, I love her.

Lucy loves that they have spots...I told her they were pretty freckles. She saw me cut off the stamens on the first lily and had to know why (she started the WHY phase), so when the second lily opened the first thing she said was, "Mom, we need to cut off the yellow part because it is so messy!" The girls cannot resist touching those bright yellow anthers and in the past I learned the hard way that they leave impenetrable stains.

Notice Sage laying upside down on the chair watching a movie, silly girl!

I finally uploaded pictures to my computer instead of to German's. Last night German brought home take out from Pei Wei for dinner. We all love it and since dad uses chopsticks, the girls HAVE to use them as well...and they are getting really good at it!

I am so thankful for my husband and three daughters. Life really is good (sometimes it can be a pain, but ultimately it is good and I feel so blessed).

I'm so glad when daddy comes home!

Dad is driving home right now! We survived the 15 week long two internships and I am so glad he will be home with us again. I miss him and I'm tired! The girls have missed him too and are constantly asking when daddy will come home. On Wednesday Lucy asked when daddy would be home and I told her in TWO days! Then yesterday during prayer she prayed for daddy to come home on TUESday.

We've been practicing writing their first names for a few months now. Usually they'd trace the letters or follow dotted lines, but today they both did it all by themselves! I can't believe how grown up they are getting,...so crazy. Audrey drew a smiling sun and a straight lined rainbow. She ran out of room to write her name, so on another sheet of paper she asked me to draw a butterfly and colored it completely green. Lucy also asked me to draw a butterfly and she wanted a sun with a tree. Then she drew three holes in the tree trunk for the squirrels to live in and she also drew nine big red apples in the tree each with a black stem and a green leaf. Of course, the butterfly needed to be pink and the sun needed a smiling face like Audrey's sun. Sage just screamed at me to draw her things and scribbled.

Audrey's smiling sun, rainbow and squished name (she added the tree w/ apples after she saw Lucy's)

Audrey's green butterfly and name--for some reason she wanted an O on the end ???

Lucy's sun, butterfly, and apple tree. She did the Y twice...hers are the two on the right

She did her name again on the back with more room.

Sage's beautiful orange and black scribbles...she must be excited for Halloween!

Lucy Lu

During scripture reading and prayers last night, Lucy started kissing my arm over an over. I smiled and said "Thank you for your kisses, Lucy." She said "You're welcome, mommy, they are angel kisses 'cause I'm an angel!" To which I replied, "Yes you are..."

I love her.

And today we drove home from Fort Worth and I hoped the girls wouldn't sleep in the car so we could all take a nap when we got home. Lucy sleeps anywhere and took a 45 minute snooze early on in the car. I wondered how naps would go, but I gave it a shot. Audrey and Sage were out in minutes, but I heard Lucy still making noise. I was soooo tired and couldn't stay awake. I faintly remember Lucy coming in my room asking if she could watch Strawberry Shortcake. I mumbled "yeah yeah, sure..." Well, she pressed play and turned on the TV and watched Strawberry Shortcake all by herself while the rest of us slept for over an hour. She is an angel. Thank you Lucy!

And thank you Nana Gail! The girls love all their princess jewelry and tiaras. Lucy yelled "I'm a butterfly princess!" when she saw herself in the mirror, followed by lots of giggles and smiles. Not sure how I'm going to convince them to take it all off, so we can go to the gym. Oh, and I'm going to save Rio to watch tomorrow. Thanks!

ha, everyday...

We've been up here in Fort Worth this weekend and the internet was crappy in our hotel. The girls love making up bedtime stories ever since we stayed the night in Albuquerque with my friend Melisa and her daughter Julia. Melisa made up a story about little girl princesses and ended it with happily ever after. So now the girls love making up stories about three little princesses riding pink or purple horses and wearing big pretty dresses living happily ever after. Everyone has to have a turn, even Sage...so cute to hear her baby talk. I love my girls!