We did celebrate Christmas...

So it's mid January, better late than never is my forever motto. I forgot to post some christmas cheer, and pictures of our holiday. We had a merry Christmas but we didn't document it so well. Oops. I think it may be because we only got our girls a few gifts this year so they could REALLY appreciate each one. We did really good with that plan...but Dave and I got each other a few more things. We had a ton more presents under the tree and realized Scarlet was bound to notice. So we frantically opened our gifts 2 at a time while the girls were distracted. I think Scarlet noticed...but she was too excited about her toys too care too much. Phew! Anyway it was jolly, and it was fun to watch Rosie get excited this year. She will still say every few days or so "Santa is coming tonight!" Scarlet tries to explain how loooong it will be until he comes, she'll say "No Rosie, AFTER Thanksgiving." Love the holidays. I think I was the first one awake at our house. I was just snug and quiet in my bed at 7am wondering when those little whipper snappers were going to wake up! Finally at like 7:30 I heard little voices and I went zooming downstairs to get the party started:) So...happy, merry, belated Christmas to you all!

(see...WIDE awake)

(cannies, Rosie's favorite present)

(behold...Hannah Montana)

Ho Ho Hawaii

Was I really in Hawaii a week ago!!?? No it was almost 2 weeks ago! I might think it was all just a dream if I didn't have pictures to prove it really happened. My tan is fading under all these layers and all this COLD! Sad. As soon as we stepped off the plane in HI, I think all of us asked ourselves the same question, why don't we live here!? I mean really, why NOT!?? My mom even went as far as to look up real estate and found some pretty decent places to live...who knows, maybe someday... Anyway it was a great trip. My sister was graduating so Dave told me I should go and he would take the week off and play with the girls. I know. I am one lucky lady! It was a blast being with my family. We haven't done anything like that EVER! We played as hard as possible. The waves were monstrous. I have never been so terrified, standing there watching this huge wall of water about collapse right on top of me! Most (some) of the time I made it under, and other times I was dominated and washed up blowing water out of my eyes, nose and ears. What a thrill.

(Dominated, check out the hair...)

(the boogie crew)

(Over, under or ride it in...?? That was always the question at hand.)

(Pipeline, reserved only for the pros. Biggest waves I have ever seen!!)

(Observers at Pipeline watching the CRAZY surfers, we saw at least 3 broken surf boards!)

(The graduates)

(The Fam- well a handful of them at least)(Las Hermanas)

Life's little treats

So I was chatting with Dave the other day and he was wondering why I didn't keep a journal anymore? We had pulled out one of my recent journals the other day to look at some of our baby name ideas (sorry if this is my way of breaking the new to you...I'm 12 weeks pregnant weeee...). I read some of my entries and it seemed like I had such a busy exciting life...what happened!? I feel like if I were to still keep a journal all I would talk about was what Rosie said or did or how big and beautiful Scarlet was getting, and all my mom worries and hopes and fears. I would babble about soccer and what hum drum things I did while waiting around until Dave got home... Or maybe not. MAYBE, keeping a journal makes you see the little neat things and ideas you have that get lost or forgotten if you don't write them down. For example today I uh...well I um... Ok for reals I went to my first baby check up. I didn't realize how eager I was to make sure my body wasn't playing tricks on me and that I actually had a little human inside me. Its not a trick, I got to hear a beautiful, fast, strong human heartbeat coming from my belly! It was music to my ears. I kept a journal for like 20 years...but for now I just don't feel like it. So this blog will have to be the next best thing. And the pictures will have to tell most of the stories...that ain't so bad, right?

(Introducing Hannah Montana, the rock star. Scarlet was singing full blast at the park and giving Noah and I (and everyone else nearby) the show of a lifetime. She is a riot!)

(Two of her biggest fans)

(loving Noah)

(some pictures from one of the last nice fall days we had...those were great days...come back soon. This girl is just irresistible to me. I love this adventurous, clever little two year old with a serious passion!!)

(The Babysitter. Scarlet's favorite past time, besides watching Hannah Montana, is this little man. She loves to play, snuggle, hold, kiss her cousin Noah ever chance she gets. She was pushing him in this stroller and he was as happy as a clam. A few weeks later she wanted to try it again and Noah wouldn't fit! This boy is a'growin.)


(Rosie snuck into my mascara, obviously. But she wasn't pleased with the results. When she looked in the mirror she was scared. She said "its a monster!" We had a good laugh.)

Howl. A. Ween.

Here is a bit of our Happy Halloween. Rosie was the best. She was in shock, all she had to do was hold out her pumpkin bucket to strangers and they would put candy in it! AMAZING!! Did I mention holidays rock when you have kids...oh i did...oh every holiday? Well it's still true. Halloween will always rock because of all the candy(which i steal from my sweet children). I will forever be a treat-a-holic...snickers...twix...almond joys...mmm...

(Hannah Montana...as if it wasn't obvious...which it wasn't bc nobody knew what she was. Oh well SHE knew.)

(and a unicorn, nice and warm.)

Booking It

Has it been long enough. I haven't been posting about books for awhile. Maybe I was on an amazing vacation to a tropical island swimming with dolphins, or in Africa handing out food and clothes and hugs to the needy, or just busy with the hum drum everyday things... After watching alot of sad documentaries on the lives of so many suffering nations, how can I complain about a hum drum life!?! Any of those frightened, desperate women of the Congo would give ANYTHING to sit in my little kitchen and complain about not wanting to cook dinner. It is just too much sometimes to think about the horrendous circumstances other people in the world are experiencing right now, while I sit comfortably on my couch. One of these days soon I might just stop feeling sad about it and actually do something...just wait you will see... Anyway that came out of nowhere I think. I LOVE PARENTHOOD(the tv show). Now THAT came out of nowhere. Actually it was more out of nowhere to you, but to me it is constantly on my mind. OK onto the books...

The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy
This was an interesting memoir, and even more so because I purchased it at (now don't let this sway your opinion...) the DOLLAR TREE!! It was the one in Spanish Fork. I barely glance at their books normally, but on this particular day I glanced. And I don't think it was a normal day because it was full of alot of interesting looking books, so I bought three. I have only read this one so far. The author tells about his life growing up of course since it is a memoir. But it was pretty interesting. I don't know if i would recommend it to everyone, it has some pretty foul language.

Talk Before Sleep
This was another Elizabeth Berg book. She is kind of that go to author for me, where I can count on getting an easy enjoyable enough read. Nothing fantastic, or life changing but passes the time. It was about two best friends one had cancer and is dying. It really made me miss my girl friends. I am hopeful that I will get to spend more time with my girl friends again. Maybe when my kids are older...

UnbrokenOk, this is a MUST read. It was the most miraculous story. So full of history, and a side of history that I was completely unaware of. Such an incredible experience that takes your breath away. It is a account of a man who is a pilot in WWII and all the unbelievable things he has to face. It is one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. Some day I want to shake this man's hand!

HiroshimaI wanted to keep learning about the things I had read in Unbroken and this book was pretty crazy. War is such an awful thing. The aftermath of the atom bomb was unbelievable. I had never really paid attention or understood what the atom bomb was all about. I definitely didn't understand what it had done to those poor civilians. Japan is such an interesting culture and it was really terrifying to hear the stories of what happened that day the bomb hit.

New Doo's

It was about time my girls had hair cuts. Rosie had a serious mop and Scarlet's long Rapunzel hair (well you know it reaches her bum, in the tub if she is arching her back as far as it goes...which she makes sure to measure every time) was extra straggley(if that's even a word). I took them to a little salon and we had a hair day. They were both really adorable in the chair. Rosie made sure I held her hand the whole time and she tried not to squirm, well maybe she tried for a few seconds. Scarlet of course loved every minute of it, she was maybe just a tad nervous the lady would cut too much. After seeing Rosie's haircut Scarlet considered cutting hers shorter...someday. Whenever anyone commented on Rosie's hair we had to make sure they knew Scarlet got a trim, and that it made her curls more bouncy. Which it did and made it WAY easier to brush...but I could have cut it myself. Which a few years ago I would have DEFINITELY done it myself, but something is slowly taking over me. Sometimes it is just worth it to get done the easy way, maybe not the cheapest way. AH its still kind of painful...sigh. The real problem is that sure I COULD do alot of things myself but I DON'T...so they never get done. So there you go. Hair cuts.

feeling pose-y...