Things Valerie Has Done...

Things I Have Done...

To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things 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 lightning 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
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept over night on a 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
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
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
85. Read the entire Bible
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

Ho Ho....Nooooo!!! Our Visit to Santa

Yep, the picture pretty much says it all

She was so excited to see Santa "santa santa santa" until we tried to put her on his lap. Then all bets were off and thus began the screaming, arching, wriggling mass that was captured in this Kodak moment. Since that time, she has refused to be left with anyone or sit on their laps...LOL She also will have very little to do with the jingle bell necklace he gave her.
Dallin on the other hand, has NEVER cried with Santa (so it was kind of fun to experience this..in a twisted way) and marched right up to Santa and told him that he wanted roller skates for Christmas and that he was being good and he was making Santa some cookies. Since that time, he has pointed out every white bearded man and insisted that they are Santa.

Thanksgiving Day

Ok so I know this post is a bit late, but I had to post it quickly because the Christmas posts are starting to come (so you may want to check back daily for a bit).
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. It is hard to believe it was only about a week or so ago. We went over to my parents' home and had a DELICIOUS turkey dinner. Everything was cooked to perfection. It was amazing. I loved the smells and the tastes, and the laying about afterwards with family(and the going out almost in the middle of the night for the sales the next day wondering if you were crazy and the deal was really worth it...LOL...good times good times...love ya mom).
The kids were really cute this year. It is so much fun watching them experience things for the first time and develop their own sense of self. Dallin ADORED the stuffing. My mom actually made extra because she knows how much he likes it. I think he must have had about 10 helpings (I am NOT exaggerating here). Kate has discovered the joy that is cranberry sauce from a can (that's my girl!). I think she ate at least half a can all by herself. I really had to fight her for it. LOL We all told what we thankful for. Most of the adults were thankful for family, friends, and jobs during this uncertain time, but I think my favorite was the kids' answers.

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Dallin: Is it my turn? Is it my turn? Oh ok! I'm thankful for the potty!!!
(I am too!!!)
Kate: ME!!!
(no self esteem issues here! lol)

I feel blessed to have such a good husband who is also a wonderful father, and I am truly amazed that the Lord has sent 2 such special blessings into my life, my children Dallin and Kate. I am grateful to live near my family and I am LOVING every minute of it. I am thankful for the church and the gospel, but especially for my growing testimony and the love of Jesus Christ. I am blessed that we live in this wonderful country in a beautiful home with enough food to eat and a job for my husband. I pray that we may all continue to remember how blessed we are and to feel grateful through the coming year.

Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses

Life in Texas moves along at a mozy. It is beautiful weather here--70s and most days are sunny and cool. I love fall and the leaves here are finally starting to change. We have been going on 2 mi walks lately with Nana and Aunt Tammy to get some exercise. Dallin actually rides his bike the WHOLE way! However, he has figured out that Nana will push him if he stops so he does that quite often too. "Ahhhh, that feels so good. Thanks for pushing me Nana!" On our walks, we pass a flower bed and both of my kids get extremely excited and insist on stopping so they can admire and smell the beautiful flowers. It really makes you appreciate the small things that you tend to miss when you have little ones who think it is such a wonder. During this holiday season, it reminds me to stop and enjoy the little things because someday I will look back and realize that they were the big things.

Cornocopia

In Christopher's family, they had the tradition of making cornocopias every year when the kids were in elementary school. In fact, they would do it with all the classrooms in the the grade! We decided to give this a try this year to bring a little Thanksgiving spirit/fun to our family. I made up the cornocopia edible "play dough" (It is DELICIOUS by the way :) and colored it several different colors. Then we made various fruits and vegetables (or whatever we wanted) to put inside our cornocopia (sugar cone) without eating too much. It was really fun to share this activity with my family and see what everyone came up with. We even talked (briefly) about being thankful for all of the wonderful blessings God has given us like these wonderful foods we can eat. The picture on the top is my cornocopia. In case you are wondering, it has a watermelon, a pea pod, a pumpkin, bananas, a yellow squash, and a turkey in there (I was especially proud of the turkey). It was WAY fun and I learned a lot. For one thing, I did NOT need to double the recipe for the few people I had. Also, I needed to add more powdered sugar so it was almost dry so that it would be easier to mold and wouldn't melt. The meltiness definitely stifled the creative juices. I figure by the time the kids are in grade school, I'll have it just about right!
Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! We'll try to post pictures of the actual day soon :)

Here is Papa, Uncle Michael and Nana making cornocopias. Nana made an awesome yellow squash!

Here is Kate with her "apple". She loves the real thing and this sugary version was a real hit. She kept asking for them over and over.
Here is Kate stuffing her cornocopia.
Here is a spread of some of Dallin's food for his cornocopia. He has bananas, a pea pd, a watermelon, and the red blob at the bottom is a pizza.

Dallin is showing part of his cornocopia.

For those who are interested. Here is the recipe for the cornocopia "play dough"
(WAY YUMMY!)
1/3 c unsalted butter (room temperature..NOT MELTED!)
1/3 c light corn syrup
1 t almond extract
1/2 t salt
1 lb sifted powdered sugar
Mix together all but powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Mix in powdered sugar slowly until has playdoh type consistency. You may need to add more powdered sugar to make it more dry so it molds easily without melting. You can also use sprinkles as leaves or stems. Use food paste or food coloring to make it different colors.

Out of the Mouths of Babes (and Studs :)

Dallin (Dallin is doing the robot in the picture...Uncle Willie taught him how at a family dance party...LOL priceless!)

• "you scared me to deaf! (death)" While this is sometimes used when you actually SCARE him, mostly it is just used when you catch him doing something naughty and he jumps.
  

• This conversation occured when Dallin found an old Sharp family photo from before he was born (Christopher was in it) It was the first time he was concerned about death/dying. It is sweet funny and sad.

Dallin: There is mommy and daddy and nana and papa and uncle willie and uncle michael. (looks concerned) Where am I?
Mom: You weren't born yet.
Dallin: (looks HORRIFIED!) I was...DEAD!?
Mom: No, Dallin. You weren't dead. You were living in Heaven with Heavenly Father. Mommy and Daddy were waiting for you to come.
Dallin: Oh ok. (waits for a moment, then looks sad) I'm so sad. All you guys are going to go away and live with Heavenly Father.
Mom: Yes, Dallin, someday we will die. But that is a very very long time from now.
Dallin: Oh. Ok.

• "and please bless my daddy to get a good job and take out the trash" Amen Dallin!!! This was in his dinner prayer one night.
• "moly moly!" This is "holy moly" Dallin style. It is apparently, however, very offensive to say this to his poops (the POOPS get offended....hmmm...who knew?)
  
• "you're the best mom ever!" I love the little moments when he is so sweet because usually they are followed by 22 hours of non-sweet. LOL He really can be a tender little soul. He has also told people they are the best uncle, friend, daddy, nana, papa, etc. He usually says it when he is getting his way :) A couple of times it has been without fanfare though...yippee!
  

• Mom: Dallin pick up your t-shirt off the floor and put it in the laundry.

Dallin: (picks up shirt and examines it. it is yellow with a dinosaur on the front. looks at me seriously) It's not a "T" mom...it's a dinosaur...See!

• "Katie Bug! Katie Bug! Katie Bug...c'mon Bug!" So we have called little Kate Katie Bug, Bug, or Buggie since she was born but all of the sudden Dallin will yell this after her whenever he wants her to listen to him or come with him. LOL It sounds really funny when he says it
• "blah blah blah blah" Dallin will now substitute this as a filler when he is telling a longwinded story or explanation.
• Dallin will "read" scriptures with us and gets really excited when it is his turn to "read" (repeat what we say) He also insists on having his little blue Book of Mormon out...it is never on the right page...it is just out.
  
• (while in sacrament meeting, Dallin points at one of the deacons while they are passing sacrament) "Look Mommy! See that one!? See that little one? That little one right over there. That little one....he has funny hair." I am frantically shusing him and he just kept getting louder. I told him it wasn't nice to say that about other people and so VERY LOUDLY he says "It's nice, mom. It's not mean say he has funny hair" (still pointing...sigh.)
• "It was a tough day for my feet, but they were good at church so they each get a sticker" (sticks feet up in my face, proudly) The kids REALLY LOVE their sticker charts.
  
• (upon seeing a very tall and large man and his wife in line at Burger King) "Mommy, that is a big daddy! That is the biggest daddy I ever seen! That daddy is huge. He is the HUGEST daddy ever. That is a BIG BIG BIG giant daddy" He would not stop in spite of my frantic shusing until I asked him to go find a table.
  
• "I love you Thomas" (kisses the picture of Thomas)
• "A B C D HEB" For those who don't live in Texas, this is funny because HEB is a local grocery chain...but in Dallin's alphabet song it often appears.
• Dallin is really becoming a big helper. He loves to help with laundry, make his bed, dress himself, and has recently started clearing the table and loading the dishwasher. (However, sometimes he throws out ANY food left on the table....like a whole bowl of grapes. lol) He also tries hard to take care of Kate and make sure SHE follows the rules (even if he is not). He will hold her hand and lead her around. It is really funny. He has also started singing BINGO and the ABC song and you can often hear him singing in his room before he falls asleep. He does not know all the words to either though, so it makes for some interesting renditions.
  
• "Jesus loves us and wants us to be happy!" I think they must have had a lesson on this in nursery because Dallin uses this EXACT phrase OVER AND OVER again. I am happy that he gets it...kind of....he seems to use it to try and convince me to give him what he wants...after all, Jesus wants him to be HAPPY why doesn't mom? LOL
  
• "Babies come from the grocery store" Dallin was asked where babies come from and this was his response. Apparently, you can go right on down to Wal-Mart and pick them up!. Who knew?
  

Kate

• Kate's vocabulary is expanding exponentially. These are some of her new words "car, choo choo, too, uh oh, cool, cold, little bit, piggies, princess, santa"
• "nana" Kate loves Nana and starts screaming Nana Nana! and running for the door if I even mention that Nana is coming over or that we are going to Nana's house. When we pull up to Nana's house (or even pass it) she will point and start yelling "nana!" She loves to climb up in Nana's lap for a good cuddle and rock.
• "pee"/"poop" Kate is still using the potty (although we are still at the early inconsistent phase. She is good about getting her poop in the potty most of the time, but pee is really hit or miss. She is very proud of her princess pullups. She will sit on the potty and swing her little legs and say "I poop! I poop!" sometimes she will even throw in a grunt for dramatic emphasis. LOL What a ham!
  
• "Talk! Talk! Mine! Talk!" Kate LOVES the phone and is at the phase where she will carry on a conversation with almost anyone for 30 minutes if you let her (and if she manages not to hang up by accident). Every time she sees me with the phone she runs up and reaches for it with her little hands asking for a turn. What a girl!
• "pretty pretty! Pink pretty! Purple pretty! pretty!" Her girliness keeps burning bright. Everything is pretty ("pidy") or beautiful ("booful"). She loves pink and purple and always points out how "pidy" they are.
• "it's my turn" Yes, sentences have emerged. This one is particularly popular.
• Upon being "interviewed" Kate answered the following

Tammy: What is your favorite thing to do?
Kate: eat
Tammy: How old are you?
Kate: two

• "B" B is what Kate calls her blankie. She is obssessed with it. It goes everywhere and she will ask "B? B?" if she can't see it. One day she saw me put it in the wash and she bawled "B! B!" for the entire time. I think it is kind of funny because I was a blankie kiddo, but I named mine DD.
  
• (while looking at pictures of Madison) "Oh, so beautiful! Ohhhh so beautiful!"
• "wed (red), boo (blue), pink, pohpul (purple), geen (green), rehrow (yellow)" Kate will repeat and point out colors. Most of the time she is wrong (except for pink) but it is still cute to hear her say them.
• "eye, nose, maow (mouth)" Kate will say and point to these part of the body. It is funny because she will poke herself in the eye, put her finger up her nose, and gag herself. LOL
  
• "fa la la la la la la la la" Kate LOVES this Chritmas song and will sing the fa la la through the whole thing. So funny!
• Kate is growing more and more. She likes to pick up, help with laundry, empty the dishwasher, and has even tried to clear the table (she will throw away ALL the dishes though). She has started nursery and usually has only 1 meltdown during nursery each week. She wants to do EVERYTHING that Dallin does. It is funny to watch her follow him around and copy him. She and Dallin both sing the hymns at church...they don't know the words and they sing off key, but they sing loud to make up for it. She is heading for those terrible twos really fast and we are getting more tantrums and "No!'. Fortunately, she is darling and a sweetheart most of the time so we will be able to weather toddlerhood.
  

Pretty Piggies

I have to take a moment to reflect on how grateful I am to have a daughter. Today we painted her toenails for the first time. Fire engine red with glitter! The girl was a pro! She sat right down in her little rocker and held perfectly still while I painted each little piggy. She even let me dry them. She was soooo excited and kept saying "pretty pretty pretty piggies! pretty see pretty piggies mama? pretty" She looked at those piggies for the rest of the day-walking around almost prancing and stopping every so often to examine them again. She even showed her daddy first thing when he got home (she couldn't quite figure out how to lift her feet off the ground, but she sure tried. I am enjoying all of her girliness so much more than I ever thought I would, and I am so thankful to Heavenly Father that He sent me a daughter against my insistance that I wanted a SON--now I can't imagine life without my little girl. She was exactly what our family needed.
Kate Alivia - you are a gift and a joy...a real blessing to my life. I love you my little princess!