Just a few little things

As Rebecca puts on her shirt for the day she uses it to wipe her nose.

Mom: "Do you need a tissue?"
R: "Not anymore."

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Friday night at the dinner table.

Warren: "How was your day?"
Me (discouraged after a day of not getting anything productive done): "Well, I didn't accomplish anything..."
Warren: "Our kids are safe, everyone has had food to eat and everyone is healthy. That's a lot!"

Am I a lucky lady or what!!!

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Rebecca in the car after playing with some new friends today.
R: "Mom, the four year old was already missing a tooth. That's young to be missing a tooth. He is the LUCKIEST kid I've ever saw in my life!!!!" (I didn't edit her grammar).

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We were going out to eat with family the other night and had to wait a little longer than we are used to for dinner. Joseph was starving. On the way to the restaurant I let him play with his new soft plastic sword. I heard ripping in the car-it sounded like paper. I wasn't worried. We arrived at our destination to discover this:

He had successfully had his appetizer for the evening and chewed off one side of his brand new sword. Don't delay feeding your children. You never know what might happen!

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And our afternoon art project:

Name monsters. Fold a piece of paper in half. Write your name in cursive in crayon. Fold the paper back up and rub it so you'll get a mirror image. Open it back up and turn it into a monster!

Monster Joseph

Monster Warren (made by D, R & J)

She's got personality

The other night Warren was upstairs getting the kids ready for bed. I came up, expecting to find both of them in their jammies reading stories. Joseph had complied and was in the rocking chair with daddy, all ready for bed, reading. But I walked in on Rebecca standing in front of the sink, still in her play clothes but now with the addition of sunglasses and flowers in her hair, playing in the water. (By the time I got the camera she had started brushing her teeth.)
As frustrated as I was that she wasn't further along in the never ending nightly routine, she also cracked me up. These pictures show off a little of her personality.

We have a window in the front room that is low and looks out to the backyard. The kids like to pretend it is a window to order food. The other day Rebecca ordered an elaborate snack and said, "Bring me my food, you know, like McDonalds." I wasn't in a "I'm your servant mood" and said: "Are you going to pay me?" She replied: "Bring me your wallet so I can give you the money you already have!"
Yesterday she found a quarter and was dreaming of all the things she could buy with it. Guess it's time to have a little lesson on money in our family!

A chocolate chip cookie day

The reason I bake chocolate chip cookies is often to fulfill an emotional need. It's comfort food. It's been my favorite cookie since I could speak. It was one of my first words. It always makes me feel better to eat some fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies. Plus the batch I make is huge so there are always some to give away, which also makes me feel good.

Yesterday was one of those chocolate chip cookie days. I now have two kids who want to join in the fun. Joseph insisted on wearing an apron. They both want to measure, pour, stir...it creates quite a mess.

I use a cookie recipe from the Santa Monica Second Ward cookbook. (Thanks Christi!)
I've made them tons of times and they've been a hit wherever I've taken them.

I share the recipe with you today:

Beware, it makes a very big batch!

4 cubes butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. soda
5 1/2 cups flour
1 pkg semi sweet chocolate chips (I do that by feel since I'm usually pouring some out of one of the costco size bags)
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 or 350 (I do 350)
Cream butter sugar, eggs and vanilla
Mix soda, flour, salt.
Add to buttar and sugar mixture.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Bake at 325 for 15 minuts or 350 for 10 minutes.

I usually do 350 for 12 minutes, but you'll have to check your own oven. The trick with chocolate chip cookies is to take them out before you think they're quite done or you'll burn them. They should be golden brown, but not too dark. Then you let them sit on the sheet for a minute or so to harden enough so you can take them off and cool them on a rack. That bakes them for just that perfect bit longer. That is why you don't want to leave them in too long. It's always better to take them out a minute too soon and let them keep baking on the cookie sheet outside for a minute or more.
ENJOY!!!

The crew (although Warren actually just joined in at the very end)

Joseph stuffing his face with chocolate chips

I've arrived

Warren and I always said once we had our own washer and dryer we will have "arrived." Well, we got the washer in late December and the dryer in January. I love it and am grateful for them every time I use them. The washer even sings to me. It makes my day. If you catch it at the end of the wash cycle you'll hear it play the first line from the Trout Quintet.

Yesterday I was putting a load in and before I realized that Rebecca wanted to put in the soap I had already put it in. She was disappointed. "Can I do something else?" she asked. "Can I put the money in?" NO NO NO! Because we have arrived!!! No more quarters for us! HURRAY!

just linking

One friend told me she likes it when I link my other blog to this one.

So, here it is!

Brother and sister bonding

Driving around his lady

I told her to get off and she told me "but I want someone to drive me around!"

I love moments like this. I looked outside to find my kids exactly like this. I was cleaning up the front room and they managed to get everything they needed to feed themselves. (I had given Joseph a few dry cheerios in a bowl, but Rebecca did the rest). I love it when I find them spending time together...calmly...without fighting....being friends...!

Kauai birthday wishes for my friend

Happy Birthday, Becca!

Pride goeth before the fall...

Just last night I was reading some of my friend's blogs about the destructiveness of their little ones. I commented to Warren: "We've really been pretty lucky, our kids haven't really done too much damage." (They've done their share of pulling books, cds and dvds out of shelves, and making lots of messes, but they haven't broken much that I can remember.)
Well, today I was also going to prove to my parents that I'm not constantly putting my children in front of the TV so I just left Rebecca and Joseph in my room while I took a shower. Big mistake. I came out to find a whodunit worthy of being on "Clue" cards.

The results:

-Joseph
-with the red permanent marker
-in the bedroom.

And I might add that the dresser was only 2 months old! Thanks to a quick acting Grandma, a bunch of comet and a lot of scrubbing -wonder of wonders- it actually came off.
I learned my lessons:

1. My kids can and will be destructive.

and

2. Stick your kids in front of the TV no matter what you think your parents might be thinking. (I have to add, they haven't ever said anything about my kids watching TV, it was just my own pride.)

3. Hide the permanent markers.

Anyone else have any lessons they want to share with me so I don't have to learn them the hard way? I'm all humility right now....

Celebrating a life

My Grandpa Ralph

My Grandpa passed away Friday, January 30th 2009 after a fall two weeks earlier from which he never regained consciousness. He was a great man who lived a great life.

Two memorial services were held for him, one in La Mirada, California with 500 people in attendance and another in SLC, Utah with 300 people in attendance. People said of him at the services more than once that he was the most generous man they had ever known. He did most of his service to others anonymously. In fact, any of you that have ever gone to the Los Angeles Temple Visitor's Center have enjoyed his generosity without knowing it. My Grandpa's mission president was S. Dilworth Young. At the end of S. Dilworth Young's life he was the president of the Los Angeles Visitor's Center. To honor him, my grandpa wanted to do something nice for his mission president. My grandpa built and paid for much of the construction of the women's statue garden (based on the Relief Society Monument to Women in Nauvoo, Illinois) in front of the visitor's center. He did this anonymously but my mom felt that now that he has passed on it was appropriate to honor his memory by sharing this deed with those who knew him.

My grandpa knew poverty and riches, health and sickness, ups and downs. He knew how to work hard and he knew how to play hard. As a grandchild he was the most fun grandpa a grandchild could possibly want. In his house was a fireman's pole sliding down from a loft to the room below. His house was full of exciting items he and my grandma had picked up on their numerous trips around the world and nothing ever seemed off limits to look at and enjoy playing with. His yard had a trampoline, a tennis court, a hill with a "rollercoaster" going down the hill, places to explore everywhere, a swimming pool, a waterfall, huge rope swings, 60 of the most delicious tomato plants you have ever eaten and his beloved hammock. It was in the hammock he spent hours telling Rebecca fairy tales. She knows "The Three Little Pigs" and "Goldilocks" because of my grandpa. His garden truly was a paradise and he let anyone and everyone enjoy it. He left behind a loving, wonderful posterity who honor his name.

Good bye Grandpa Ralph, we will miss you...
(taken in the plane on the way home from Utah)

Happy Valentines Day 2009!

The amazing, creative, homemaker mom inside of me wants to make homemade sugar cookies from scratch, homemade icing and handmade valentines. The practical, busy, with a huge to-do list mom is just glad that I managed to buy the pre-cut-out heart shaped valentine cookies from the grocery store. Hey, at least I did something. Right?
Happy Valentines Day everyone! Hope you feel loved. You are.

First Five

taken from susan's blog, which was taken from cath's blog (which was taken from kate's blog)...see how this whole chain of giving gets started?...cool:

the first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!
my choice. for you. this offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. i make no guarantees that you will like what i make! (Dorothea inserts:but hey, I'll try)
2. what i create will be just for you.
3. it’ll be done this year. {translation: you may be waiting a little while}
4. you have no clue what it’s going to be ... it may be cards, a poem, a bookmark, something yummy or a complete surprise to you (and me!) ... who knows? not you, that’s for sure!
5. i reserve the right to do something extremely strange. (Dorothea inserts: I don't think it will be strange even if someone else might...)
6. most importantly, you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog (or if you do not have a blog, facebook) get something made by YOU! the first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me ...

Those were the rules as copied exactly from Susan's blog. However, I'm going to add an idea. If you're not the kind of person that wants to make something tangible for others, how about some kind of service for them, any type, any size. And furthermore...I'm really easy. If you just want the gift from me but really don't want to keep the chain going, still sign up-I won't hold you accountable. I'm just excited to make something for someone else. Hey, and since I have 2 blogs there are double chances! And don't forget, the number of comments below doesn't equal the number of people that have "won."