The Clinger Family

The North Pole and Pin Curls

2009-12-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

We went to North Pole, CO awhile back, during our "stay-cation" and had a great time. Here are some pictures from my phone from that day. And just a little piece of trivia, did you know that the song, All by myself, is actually a Rachmaninoff concerto? It's the Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio Sostenato .

Violet's first ride on a Merry-Go-Round. She loved it of course and didn't want to get off.

Poor Karl, it was a tight squeeze and I was done with round and round rides.

The awesomest picture ever!

So, today I decided I wanted to see what Violets hair would look like curled, so I did pin curls on her. It's going to take some practice to get them to look more ringlety, but that's why I did it on a Monday morning, and not a Saturday night, before church!

BEFORE

AFTER

I just told her to smile, she doesn't even know she's funny looking yet.

Now she does!

October/November

2009-12-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Right before Halloween, probably around the 28th or 29th, we got a huge snow storm. I've been wanting to post these pictures, but on the 31st we got a phone call from Texas, saying that Karl's paternal grandma, Angelita, was dying and asking for him. With that kind of message, we packed up, got an oil change and headed straight to Texas, driving 20 straight hours through the night, arriving the next morning around 9:30 am. We made it on time, and were able to visit her while she was still awake and lucid. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on the bay, which is right across the street from the Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital. It was beautiful, the weather was mild and temperate, and it was wonderful to be around so much family. She fell asleep shortly after we arrived, and barely regained consciousness for the week that we were there. We finally decided that we would leave on Sunday, come what may, and miss the funeral. That day came, and early that morning she passed peacefully in her sleep. We were happy to see her, and happy for her. It was a wonderful trip, regardless of the circumstances. We took our time coming home, stopping in New Mexico at the Carlsbad Caverns, which was AWESOME, and Roswell, which was not. For a little town that thrives on tourism, they could really use a lesson on merchandise, customer service, and marketing. It was aweful. But the caverns truly were magnificent, I would recommend a trip there to anyone.

We were only home for about a week before we left again for Thanksgiving in San Diego. That was also a great trip. We spent time with both our families, and the boys really enjoyed playing with their cousins, Taylor, Alexis, Hailey, and Sandra. I enjoyed visiting with my edible nephew James, and kissable sister Lainey Rose. Such wonderful babies. On the way home, we went through NV and UT, and stopped at Cove Fort, which was a small fort run by the Hinkley family during the time of Brigham Young. It was really cool, and worth a stop if you're driving through there. We also drove through the mountains, which was absolutely beautiful, even at night.

So now we're home, after traveling about 80 hours in one months time, and we are thankful to be so. We are also grateful for so much loving family that we are able to visit with and make memories with, that we have places to go, and people to see throughout the country. I am excited for what next year brings, as we already have some trips in the planning stages.

I love how the snow is not even on the roof tops, but swept in to banks.

Icicles, to die for.

Stinky Toast's first time in the snow. He was as cute as a puppy in the snow.

Licking snow off his paws, he was doing on purpose, dipping his paws in and licking it off.

He didn't realize how deep it was and sank right in up to his head.

Our poor pumpkins froze right through, I wasn't able to cook them up this year.

Our little patio is unrecognizable.

Violet after a chocolate donut breakfast.

Sam with his board. He found this piece of a board on the beach and fell in love! He declared that it was "part of my boat!'

The boys, notice Sam has is board...

The prettiest girl. This was right after we got there, after seeing grandma, and before nap-time.

The boys (and Sam's board) with aunt Emily.

CAUTION: WIDE LOAD

(Just kidding)

Look I'm actually in a picture!

Oh my goodness, I'm in another one!

Violet with her Miss Buttons, she drags her around everywhere.

The girls

This was taken from right outside our room at the Holiday Inn.

The kids, Violet trying to keep up with the boys of course.

Our room was the sliding door to the right of the stairs.

Quick! Attach the massive 9 inch waves!

The mud flinging begins.

I love her round toddler tummy. The boys call it her fat tummy (adoringly of course)

Yesh.

2009-10-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have been concerned over the past several months, that Violet will be a late talker like her dear sweet brothers. Little Lainey Rose already has quite the vocabulary, and Violet has been content with mama, dada, no, and nodding for yes. But just recently she is beginning to be quite the little talker (for one of my kids anyway). Whenever I ask a general question, like, "Who left these dirty socks on the living room floor" before anyone else can answer, Violet pipes up, "ME!" "Who left their bowl on the table?" "ME!" "Who left the toilet seat up? Who left the sink on? Who left the bathroom door open?" "ME!" So, that was her first real attempt at something other than mama, dada, and no. Then, finally, last week she woke up saying baby, which of course is just too cute. I've been waiting for so long to hear the word baby come out of my baby's mouth, I just think it's the cutest thing when babies can point to another baby and call them a baby, it's just so smarty pants-ish of them.

Then, last night during family home evening, we were talking about being children of God, and I was using the new nursery manual Behold You're Little Ones. I was pointing to a picture of nursery aged kids and asking, "Is she a child of God... Is he a child of God?" to the boys, and then I turned to Violet to ask her the same question, expecting her to nod her head in affirmation, but instead, in the sweetest, softest, just above a whisper voice came the answer, "Yesh." So I asked her the same question about several other little children, and got the same angelic answer, "yesh," each time. Then I asked her, "Are you a child of God?" To which she answered, just as softly, just as solemnly,"yesh." I had no words, Karl and I looked at each other, and there was nothing else to say. We finished up the lesson appropriately, but the most important part of it was in her sweet little word. I love her so much, and am so happy she is a part of our family. She adds such a wonderful new dynamic, and is such a naturally sweet and loving little girl.

Our Stay-cation

2009-10-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

This week our family enjoyed our very own "Stay-cation." It was perfect because we've only been here a year, and were able to visit some of the local museums and beauties. Karl had taken a week off work for us to go south to Texas for his Texas momma's birthday, but at the last minute we decided not to, because no one in our family has been feeling tip top the last few weeks, and with the whole swine flu thing going around, we figured we'd be better off not compromising our immune systems any further than they already were.

So, Sunday night Karl and I sat down with our lap tops and searched for "things to do in Denver" and chose our favorite options. We decided on the Butterfly Pavilion, which is a year round exhibit that features hundreds of butterflies from around the world, for Monday. On Tuesday we went to North Pole, CO and visited Santa at his house, and rode all the rides (which were of the round and round fair kind). When we got there, we were the fourth car in the lot, and when we left hours later, there were still only twelve cars there, so needless to say, we had a great day walking onto rides. On Wednesday, we visited the Museum of Nature and Science, which is SUPER cool. They have a really neat space exhibit where the boys launched metal ball bearings into sand to make craters, and then were able to watch it backwards and forwards in slow motion. They also played with "mars" sand, watched the shuttle launch on a huge screen, created their own stars and watched their birth, life and death, watched an experiment on vacuums and so much more. And that's just a section of the first of three floors of this museum! We had a great time there. On Thursday we kind of took the day off, we went into Denver though to check out some craigslist items, and then went home. Today, we took family photos, none of which I'm really happy about, but they're alright. We traveled up through Sedalia, around Morrison and the Red Rocks area, through the mountains about and exited through Indian Hills. Then we went to this cool corn maze, which in all honesty sounds like much more fun than it is, at least with my aged children, and an already full week of fun things, but all in all we had a great week. Tomorrow we might try some redo's on the family pics, but tomorrow night Karl's taking me to see Wicked, so that should be pretty awesome. I assume I'll be blogging a bit more now that it's not summer. Summer was great, the weather was wonderful and we were able to travel a bit. It was really awesome experiencing the transition between summer and fall. One day I had zucchini's, tomatoes and sunflowers growing in my yard, and within days they'd frozen and died. We went from green, green, green, to various shades of gold, red, and bronze almost overnight, and right on cue! We love it here!

My little pupas

Violet was attempting to say "cheese" in this one

Happiness is obviously linked to chocolate chip cookies

I think I like this one the best, but the lighting isn't really good in any of them

I like this one too, except for Violet not looking in the right direction

The little boogers. Violet wouldn't stay, and They couldn't all make nice faces at the same time

These are the corn maze pics

This is the cutest little old school house I have EVER seen!

TONS OF PICTURES!

2009-09-24T18:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, so pretty much what the title says, this is tons of pictures, newest to oldest.

This is Monday morning, it was SNOWING!

Sometime last week, I like her pouty face.

This is her "smile" face.

This is her "I think I'm so cute" face, not actually her cutest face...

All decked out in her rain gear. Rain boots+Rain coat+Umbrella+Violet=CUTE!!

Holly's big fat baby, AKA: the cutes baby boy in the WORLD!!

Freaky clouds, taken with my phone in a moving car, soo.... not the best pic, but still...

Joseph swimming, FINALLY!! This is in Phoenix, we lived at the pool for two weeks.

This was at the Cave of the Winds in CO Springs, a very cool place.

Violet Laughing!

2009-08-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

This was just this morning. Violet's favorite game is to drag an object and have the kitten chase her. I finally caught her in the moment. You also catch a glimpse of who's the boss in our family in the shorter video.

Little Buddy is here!hav

2009-08-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Holly had her baby last night, around 8:48. He is 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 21 inches long. Everyone is happy and doing great! These are the only pictures I have as of yet, but I will harass everyone a bit later to get some more.

DUDE!

2009-08-06T20:48:00.001-07:00

HOLLY! Will you please just have you're baby already! I'm dying of suspense! I just can't take it any longer! You have know idea what I'm going through over here! (Just keeding)

I love you Holly! You're doing a great job, hold in there!

Our little artist

2009-07-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

This morning was much cooler than it's been, but still gloriously sunny, so we spent half the day outside. We played with the slip and slide, and then retired to the patio the kids painted the morning away. Most of my pictures are of Violet, as usual, but all four of them were painting together.

She painted herself a little moostache in the french style

This is our new kitten, Stinky Toast

He's quite the adventurer

Kitty Kitty is such a good daddy to Stinky Toast, he's patient and gives him a bath everyday. Toasty makes Violet laugh, they're not afraid of each other, even though Violet sometimes picks him up around the neck, and he gets a little carried away with his claws and teeth. He chases the bottom of her skirts and she runs and giggles. It's too cute.

And here are some darling pictures of Ben and Stinky Toast that I took just now.

Catching up

2009-06-09T09:28:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago we all went to Texas. We all stayed in Austin the first night, at Karl's sister Katie's house. It was a very nice sized house, but Sam later stated that it was a "teeny tiny house." She's got a beautiful back yard with a nice vegetable and herb garden, and fruit trees. Everything is so green there. On Sunday, we drove down to New Braunfels and surprised Karl's brother David, who was the main reason for our trip (his high school graduation). We hung out for a bit, and then drove down to Mathis/Sandia and spent the next two nights at the Ranch House with grandma Peggy and grandpa Dan (another reason for our trip). We drove into Corpus on Monday, and visited the King family who was like family to us while we lived there. Tuesday through Saturday were spent in New Braunfels. We attended a dinner with the Knights of Columbus where Catherine got recognized for all her dedicated work with the Gabrielle project (a program that helps young mother's in crisis pregnancies). It was sweet, because as she gave her speech, she was able to not just talk about her own experience, but she was also able to introduce Karl as living proof of her faith, and good choices. There was an audible gasp when she said he was there, and many tears all around.

I brought both cameras, and took no pictures. We were so busy the whole time, I'd forget to grab either of the cameras, or my hands were so fully of clingy Violet, I couldn't take any pictures! Anyway, let the lack of pictures be the proof of a good time, I was having too much fun to stop and take a picture! What I do have is a few pictures of the boys on the way home from Texas. Karl drove the boys there and back, and Violet and I flew (neither of us like driving too long, but Karl loves it). On the way home, Karl stopped in Oklahoma and did a little family history research, and found some relatives in a forgotten cemetery. They had a great time together, and the boys were really good. I enjoyed a nearly solitary weekend with Violet. We had a great time too, and the house stayed record clean for a record amount of time. Woot! Woot!

When moms not there, you get to jump on the beds!

... and stay in you're pajama's all day, and make silly faces in almost all pictures taken.

Several weeks ago, our little black cat, Colette got out of the basement through a window that blew in during a windstorm, and we haven't seen her since. She was a feral cat from birth, and we never were able to tame her. She didn't really like anyone, except for Violet and our cat Kitty, but we missed her presence, and we could tell Kitty did too. So we got a new kitten. His name is Toast, and he's only four or five weeks old.

Their first encounter.

Slightly annoyed, but not too bothered.

Their first nap together, not wanting to be too close yet.

And for the grand finale of this post. Here are some pictures of Violet, with her hair done up pretty. Her "bangs" if you can call them bangs, are growing out and bothering her, so I have to pin them back. She would NOT hold still for a picture, so they're all a little blurry.

Childrens Museum

2009-05-18T07:53:00.001-07:00

We went to the childrens museum on Saturday. We had a super duper great time. Enjoy the pics!

Fire Chief Violet and her daddy

Fire Chief Sam

Violet the Birdie with her stuffed worms... Yum yum!

Ben the ant crawling out of a tree.

Cutie Joe in a club house

It was crazy hair day at the museum, Joe and Ben got their hair done.

Joe got a faux hawk with purple and red hair colors

Ben got spikey hair with blue green and yellow polka dots

The work shop, there's all these little stations, all equipped with a saw, screw drivers, screws, scissors, glue, clamps and vises, and all kinds of cool stuff. Over on a wall there's a bunch of bins with recyclables like boxes, milk and juice containers, toilet paper rolls... l

Sam's manually screwing a screw into a block of wood.

Joe at his station

Karl helped Joe make a train, and Ben a robot.

Sam the vet, taking the dogs temp.

Giving him a shot...

Bandaging him all up.

These are pictures of the baby area, four and under only, it's very quiet and clean and soft in there.

She loved this log, she crawled through it over and over.

She absolutely adored these stuffed bears, she carried them all over and would lay down on them and laugh! It was too cute.

Sam in his fishing boat, there's even a little dock to the left of it.

This it the cutest little country play house, Sam and Violet loved it.

Joe and Ben's Robot and Train

Behold it's Spring!

2009-05-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

There were dozens of these little blue birds trying to get out of the storm.

Spring Break 2009! Jilli gone wild!

She was being so silly in the tub, blowing bubbles and accidentally swallowing water.

So cute I could die!

It's not easy walking up hill when you've only been walking for three months!

There's lots of little teeny tiny purple flowers in the grass.

She was just taking it all in, the birds, the breeze, the colors...

Okay, so the first two pictures, and the video are of the huge winter storm we had while Jillian and my mom were visiting in April. We got almost two feet of snow in two days, it was crazy, it just kept coming! It was so pretty. But because of that storm, and then the 70 degree weather we got after the storm blew over, it is now looking like spring! It happened so suddenly, the grass grew in all green, daffodils, tulips, lilacs and irises are all blooming, and the trees are getting leaves. There are bunnies, squirrels and birds EVERYWHERE! Everyone here is outside gardening, including me, which is a first. It's been rainy the last day or so, but before that it's been absolutely glorious outside. I got a sunburn on the backs of my legs on Tuesday because I accidentally fell asleep outside on a blanket for a little while. I'm so glad we moved here, we love it so much. It was really nice to have my mom and Jillian here, and of course little Lainey Rose (we renamed baby Faith while they were here).

Mother's day has been really nice this year. The kids are big enough to actually do little acts of service for me. They all brought me a dozen roses last night, Joe picked dark pink, Ben picked white, and Sam picked red. They're so pretty. I also got a shopping spree all to myself yesterday, and Sam and Karl made me breakfast in bed this morning. Our bishop arranged for us all a special lesson in the cultural hall (the men took over all other callings for us) during which we were served cake with berries and whipped cream. It was really nice and so considerate. I do have to mention that half of what I bought was for Violet, even though it was my mother's day present. When Karl questioned me about it, I explained that, when you're a little girl, and you get to pick out presents for yourself, often you pick accessories for your dolls. Violet is, simply put, the best and most fun "doll" I have EVER HAD! I bought her the little picnic basket tea set in the pictures, she loves it (and so do the boys!).

Happy Easter

2009-04-07T12:29:00.001-07:00

Classic Footage

2009-04-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

Just a little reminder that Violet has always been cute! This was at Balboa Park during an organ concert at the Organ Pavillion in June of 2008.

S*x Games

2009-04-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

So it's been really windy and freezing out the last few days and we've all become a little stir crazy, so we decided to go to the rec center and go swimming tonight. We got there about 8 o'clock, but due to the weather they had closed up early (normally we would have had an hour to swim before the pool closed). We were all pretty disappointed, the boys especially, so on the way home we tried to decide what we were going to do instead when we got home. I was going over a few different options with Karl and Joe pipes up in the back, "Let's play sex games!" So I glance at Karl and ask casually, "what are sex games, Joe?" And he says he doesn't know. So I ask where he heard of them, and he says his brain told him. So Karl and I look at each other again, a little concerned, but not wanting to bring too much attention to the situation yet. So we ask, what is sex? And Joe answers, "it's a number!" CLICK He want's to play SIX games, but not six individual games, A game that all SIX of us can play! BINGO! WHEW!

The Many Moods of Violet Clinger

2009-03-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Up Please?

UP NOW!

That pretty face is all because of Dragon Tales

Not Happy?

What? No, I'm Happy!

Psyche!

All better!

NOT!

I guess the Denver area made national headlines with our recent snow storm, my mom mentioned it to me. We didn't get hit as hard in Castle Rock as they did farther west and North, but we got a fair amount of snow! Its been really fun, the boys have been sliding down the little slope in the yard on their discs that grandma and grandpa bought them. Joseph, though, went out without gloves on at first, and was out for quite awhile, until his hands hurt so bad he thought they were burning. He came running in crying like he was dying! He felt better after I ran warm water over his hands, poor baby, and poor neighbors if they heard his cry, because it was quite awful! Thank goodness this is their last week off track, they start again on Monday, we're all pretty excited about that!

Nothing too new on the Violet front. She's as cute and smart as ever. I've figured out that she won't throw an absolute fit if I ask her nicely before I do things to her, like wipe her nose, or face, or wash her hands. It used to be this huge ordeal just to wash spaghetti sauce off her face, now all I have to do is ask, "can I wash your face?" and she turns her little face up to me and lets me do it! When I ask her if I can wipe her nose, she even exhales, half the time out her nose! It's so cute! Yesterday she brought me a diaper and laid down right after she'd wet herself, I was very impressed! She thinks she's so big and smart now because she can push kitchen chairs around and climb up on them herself, so she thinks she can climb out of her bed. Only problem is, she's a shorty-pants and so all that happens is her fat little legs get stuck in the rungs and then she cries and cries! I tried to catch her dancing this morning, which she does ALL THE TIME, but she was cranky and didn't want me video-ing her. She's still not talking, but we've started limiting her pacifier time to when she's in bed, or in public (to keep her quiet), so hopefully that will help her be more vocal in a productive way! All in all, she's an absolute joy to behold and she makes my heart swell with pure happiness!

Oh, I just remembered something that happened a little less than a month ago. We went the infant reading time at our library while the boys were at school. A cute side note is that Sam was with me and they let him have a big puppet so he could be a "daddy" with his own "baby," and he was the only boy amongst 10-13 month and younger baby girls. Violet was one of the oldest babies their, but definitely not the biggest, and most definitely the smartest (if I do say so myself). I found out that day how much of a booger she really is. We were singing this silly little song to the tune of "Where is Thumb-kin" that goes something like "where is Violet, where is Violet? There she is, there she is. She is very special..." And when it was each baby's turn, the lady would roll a small beach ball to her and the baby (or her mommy) would roll it back after her turn was over. Well, there were about three babies before Violet, and about five or more after her, but she noticed what was happening right away and decided she WANTED that BALL NOW! So at first she was just trying to walk through the circle to go get it from those other babies, but when she realized I wasn't going to let her she hurled herself on the ground to cry. Then, when it was her turn, she was so freaking ticked off that she immediately THREW the ball away from her with the brattiest of noised possible from a 13 month old. Then she realized what she'd done and was immediately repentant, but it was too late, her turn had passed. She was the ONLY baby there that threw a fit during the whole time there. But you know what? I chalk it up to her being so intelligent. She was the only baby really paying attention to anything that was going on. All the other babies had age typical absent looks on their faces, she was the only one observing, plus she has three very indulgent brothers who's goals in life at this moment are to make her happy, so there! My justification of why my one year old acts like a brat!

So much to do!

2009-03-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Motherhood for me, up until this point, consisted of a lot of breakfast, lunch and dinner making, and not a whole lot else. But now, all of a sudden I am BUSY! Joe and Ben have been doing well in school, but it's half-day kindergarten so I have a little more than 3 hours to get things done while their gone and then on Mon-Wed-Fri Sam has preschool in the afternoon which gives me another three hours without him, but somewhere in there I have to make sure Violet gets her two to three hour nap, which doesn't seem like it should be to hard, but if I'm too busy with housework after I drop the boys off then I have to wait until after I drop off Sam which means she doesn't go down until almost one o'clock which means she's a cranky little beast at that point! And then, on top of that, we signed the boys ups for different classes at the rec center which added more to and from and coming and goings. But now, they're off track (year round school) and their classes are over and I feel like I can breathe!

Everyone is well and healthy (or on their way to being healthy) and happy! I have just little tid bits of information that I've been meaning to post about but haven't so here it goes. Ben was in an art class and he did really good. Every week the teacher uses a different medium and a different piece of his own original art to copy from.

This is the first week, they used water colors to paint and abstract painting. This is actually a pretty fair likeness to the original.

This is the second week, they used chalk. It's a cow holding flowers in it's mouth, there are mountains and a fence in the background.

This is a picture of the original for week four, keep in mind the teacher does the originals before the class, and then shows them how to outline and color in during the class, and it's only and hour long. They used oil pastels. Next is Ben's rendition:

Ben said he got tired so he couldn't finish coloring, and I'm not surprised because that day, after we'd got home from running errands a bunch of older boys were outside boxing (friendly boxing) and my boys wanted to go out and watch. After a little while the bigger boys were taking a break, so my boys ran inside and grabbed their own little boxing gloves and put on a show of their own. They did pretty well in my opinion, and the older boys really got a kick out of it. So I don't blame him, he probably was pretty tired!

This is the outline the teacher did during class and samples of coloring techniques. I think Ben did pretty good for a six year old with no previous lessons or training!

This is my "art wall" downstairs in the basement. I have a work table set up down there with all my sewing and knitting stuff, and the walls are just bare, unfinished cement, and the boys kept coming home with all this great art from school and stuff, so I figured why not display it all!

This is at the children's museum in Denver. It's a totally cool place. Obviously, this is the fire truck they have there, it's full sized and they have really life-like uniforms for the kids to put on and they can climb all over the truck and stuff, and over on a wall near it they have a phone set up where they can practice dialing 9-1-1 and practice giving the answers they would have to give in an emergency. There's also a monitor set up where they answer quiz questions about what constitutes a real 9-1-1 emergency so that they don't make frivolous calls. Then, upstairs in the museum they have all these rooms set up where they can dress up like Vets and take care of stuffed animals, or dress up like woodland animals and crawl around in big tunnels and fake trees ands stuff. There's also a child size grocery store with carts and food and cash registers with conveyor belts, and an art room where they can paint and a dance floor with music and mirrors and a puppet show stage... It's REALLY COOL! We had a blast! Even Violet had a good time!

Here's Sam as a Wizard, and Violet is his princess (on the dancefloor).

Here she is on the dance floor still, she thinks she's cute!

This is Violet folding her arms, all ready to pray. It was so incredibly cute, a couple weeks ago we were all getting ready for bed and it was time for pray so Karl called out for everyone to come kneel down and fold your arms. He looked down at Violet, who we've always just let do whatever she wants to during prayers so far, and she had knelt down on the floor and folded her little arms, ALL BY HERSELF! It was the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of cuteness!

She has progressed to bowing her head and closing her eyes now!

So that's about it for now. I can't really think of anything else, except that my parents and Holly came out for a visit over Valentine's Day and we all had a really good time. On actual Valentines day we went out to Red Rocks (which is really cool all by itself) but it started snowing, and when we got up to where the ampitheater part is a string quartet was playing Canon in D and couples all around us were getting engaged and stuff. It was really cool! So that's it! I'll try not to let it go as long next time!

Joseph's Dog Sledding Trip

2009-02-07T21:01:00.001-08:00

We went dog sledding today. Joseph had a great time. We drove to Breckenridge ski resort and took turns driving and riding on the dog sled with two other groups.

Our dogs were great. The lead dogs (Rasta and Luke), and the rest of the team (Moscow, Dusty, Jetstream, Indigo, Avalanche and Axle) were amazing. The guide said that they run best at about -25 degrees. Today it was in the 30's and the dogs would roll in the snow every chance they got to cool down.

On the way there we say a bunch of people ice fishing. I had to put that on our "To Do" list.

-Karl

Violets Birthday!!!

2009-02-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Violet! Yesterday was so wonderful, I can hardly believe that she has been with us for a whole year now, and yet I can not imagine our lives without her! She is the sweetest, smartest, most beautiful little girl in the whole world and I am so grateful she's mine! I have absolutely TONS of pictures and videos (I try to keep my video segments down to 30 secs for easy uploading), so enjoy! I've tried to put them in chronological order, and you can click on the pictures to see full size images.

Grandma and Grandpa Clinger gave her this darling purse.

She new exactly what to do with the bracelet!

First we filled her tummy up with noodles...

Busy days!

2009-02-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in a long time, and tomorrow is Violet's birthday which means when I post tomorrow, I'm only going to want to talk about her! I recently took up knitting as a hobby and have been very preoccupied with that. I had decided when we moved here that I'd have to learn how to crotchet or knit so that I could have as many cute scarves and hats as I want, but at a fraction of the cost. Well, I am definitely NOT a crotcheter, my skills with one little hook are quite dismal, but, to my surprise, I'm catching on to knitting quite well. I'm still a beginner, that's for sure, but I've managed several scarves, and stuffed lamb, some booties of different shapes and sizes, and I'm working on a blanket for Holly's baby. I actually really enjoy it, it's relaxing. Nothing that's supposed to be relaxing has ever been relaxing to me before. So with that new hobby I've acquired a lot of yarn that began to take over our living areas which wasn't pretty. So I built a little working area for myself in our basement (which is unfinished) which took a couple days and is now quite cozy and enjoyable. Our cats live in the basement (they like it, I don't make them) but they enjoy my company, and it's nice to see them more often as well. And then, I got this itch to paint some furniture that I've got, two tables, that I got for free, and a desk that was 10 dollars at a yard sale, so I went to home depot and bought some paint (which was surprisingly expensive altogether) and have spent the day painting away. I don't know if anyone else will like the colors I picked, but I do so that's all that matters! So as you can see, I've been genuinely busy. Plus, last week Violet got sick for the first time, and then passed it on to me, and then on to Ben, and now possibly Karl, so that's occupied a lot of my time as well!

Joe and Ben are both doing really well at school. When they started at this school they were technically 6 months behind because it's year round school and their track started last July I think, but they're almost completely caught up, in one short month! They're both making friends and behaving very well consistently, so that is a source of joy in my life. Ben is sounding out words and reading short books, and Joe is making a really good effort! Sam is my little chef, and is always in the kitchen when I am helping and truly learning, it's so cute. I picked up a registration packet for him today, he'll be starting kindergarten in just a few months!

So to anyone who checks my blog tonight, check again tomorrow or the next day because I'm going to put pictures of the BIRTHDAY GIRL up!

Violet Walks!

2009-01-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

Violet is going to be one on February third, and I was beginning to believe that she would not be walking by that time, even though she's been crawling, and pulling herself to standing since she was less than six months old, but SHE DID IT! Two days ago I was just talking to my parents on skype and my dad asked if she was walking yet, to which I replied in the negative, but that very same night, while I was reading to the boys, she stood up next to Karl, and then simply turned and walked away! Four steps in a row, just like that! Since then, she's taken as many as ten baby steps without support! She so wonderful! We are so proud of our sweet babies!

Third First Day of School!

2009-01-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

The boys started school here finally, and it went off without a hitch. The school is really big, so the boys get to be in separate classes and both their teachers are really nice. The kindergarteners have their own playground and bathrooms in the classrooms, so it's really safe and secluded. So, all is well!

On a side note, as I was pulling up the internet on my computer just now, to check my blog and stuff, I happened to notice that google was already up and by chance I checked to see what the search was, and Ben googled himself! We just thought that was pretty funny!

In Memory

2008-12-30T19:05:00.000-08:00

Earlier today I was browsing my families blogs, and I came

my cousin Becca's. The first thing that caught my attention was the picture of her with my grandma Browning. Before I even started reading, I realized that today is the day, one year ago, that she passed away. I have been thinking about her a lot these last few days, and now it makes sense why. Both Becca, and my sister Jillian have wrote very sweet thoughts and memories about her, and have inspired me to write some of my own.

One year ago, I was expecting my sweet baby Violet. Grandma was asleep, as she had been for several days, with the help of copious amounts of morphine. Family had been gathered about for several days, and at least one person had stayed with her every night since Christmas. We knew minute could be her last, and we anticipated the moment with mixed emotions. It was somewhat miraculous, and a little puzzling why she had held on as long as she had. The nurses that stayed at night commented on her endurance, most people go within a day or two of going to sleep, grandma was going on a week. I don't remember what changed exactly, I was in the front room on the rocking chair embroidering a blanket for Violet, but something changed and everyone that was there got up and went into the room. I think we could all feel it, these were the last moments. We waited silently, reverently, but not for long. As she drew her last breaths, she turned her head slightly, and then unexpectedly, her hand moved ever so slightly, she smiled, and she was gone. We knew, all of us, that grandpa was there, and that he had taken her to be with him, and that she was happy.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been there. I had often feared being present during the moment of death, not knowing what to expect. But, this experience was so sweet and peaceful, and my knowledge that life continues after death has been confirmed. As she left this world, the sweet baby within me moved, and reminded me even more of the plan of salvation, of our purpose here on earth, and my grandma was a living testament of it. She was an example to me, and to my whole family and I will be forever grateful to her for her acceptance of me into her life and family.

I commented on Becca's blog, that while the women of our family were gathered together, dressing her, and making her pretty, my aunt Susie made a really sweet observation. She observed that, for many years my grandma had tried to have a daughter and was unsuccessful, seven times unsuccessful. It was through adoption, after her sixth son that she gained her daughter. But at that moment, she was surrounded by daughters, her own daughter, her daughters-in-law, her grand daughters, and grand daughters-in-law. So while it took awhile, she did get her wish, and had more daughters than even she could have imagined, and we all love her so much.

On a lighter note, I just want to tell a quick story, that to me sums up my grandma and her perspective on life. One Christmas we were gathered together and ready to start singing Christmas Hymns. The question was posed, who was going to play the piano, and she asked me outright if I would. I said I would, but only if nobody else would, and she, as quick as a whip, and with heavy sarcasm replied," Well that's the way into the kingdom!" I don't think she was trying to be funny, I actually think she was serious, and so over the years, when I'm about to forgo an opportunity for growth, this line pops into my head and I can't help but smile, but I also can't help trying a little harder to improve myself, no matter what the task at hand is. I love my grandma, Lila Jean (Coates) Browning, and I look forward to the day when I see her again.

I have...

2008-12-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

I found this on my friend Corrine's blog, who found it on her sisters blog...

Copy and paste the words. Bold 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 (Someday though)
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 on an overnight 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 (just the indoor fake kind though)
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 (for one of my boys, not myself)
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 (Not yet)
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
100. Made amends with someone who offended you

101. flew in a small Cessna plan with just you and the pilot

102. visited a monastery in Tuscany

103. ran out of gas

104. Given birth to twins

now add something that's not on this list and keep it going, if you'd like.

My poor baby!

2008-12-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Violet's not feeling good, and it's a combination of things! First of all, I came down with a cold Sunday night, so she's probably fighting that, but then this morning, as I was watching her cry I noticed that she's cutting her first molar! It's on her bottom left side! Ouchie! It totally explains why she was behaving the way she was this morning. We got up and took a shower after I nursed her this morning, and she laid her little head on my chest for about ten to fifteen straight minutes. Then, when we got out Karl dried her off while I continued with me after shower routine (lotion, deodorant...) and then I went over to the bed to join them. She was laying on my tummy in her birthday suit and Karl was patting her little bare bum, but she thought he was spanking her or something because she started CRYING! Not just fussy crying, but alligator tears, ragged breath, lump in the throat, hurt feelings CRYING! So, to calm her we showered her in kisses and hugs, and finally I resorted to nursing her again. So, while she was nursing, she reached over and pinched me, hard, and I cried out, "OUCH!" And that set her off again! She was being so sensitive! Anyway, that's when I noticed the molar and her tight gums, so no wonder!

Nothing to Say

2008-12-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

I don't have anything to say, but I know people check to see if I've put up new pictures, so I thought I'd post some pictures from a few months back that I never got around to posting when I took them. This is in October, I think, when Karl was working up in LA. The kids and I followed him up there and visited the La Brea tar pits and stuff. These were taken outside of the art museum there.

She was having fun crawling around, at the time, crawling was a relatively new experience for her.

"I'm not having fun anymore!"

My handsome Ben

(The others wouldn't stand still for an individual shot)

This one's really cute in black and white, but I know my mom prefers color

They were playing tag

So cute, shortly after this shot was taken, Karl got there and she crawled as fast has her chubby little legs could go, up the steep grass hill to meet him!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was fabulous, I hope yours was too! In this first video, the boys are so excited that they got giant Hershy's Kisses, and then Sam opens another present and exclaims SOCKS!

The Next video is of them getting their last two presents, helmets, and then the grand finale, bikes! And then the last video is of Violet, after her brothers were distracted with their own things, quietly unwrapping her present.

Our 7th Anniversary!

2008-12-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our seventh wedding anniversary. The day was spent, separate, as Karl was broken down in New Mexico on his way home from a business trip. As disappointing as it was, we've already been through so many trials together, that this was not as bad as it could have been. We love each other today more than we did when we were married, and no matter what life throws at us, we are both confident that ours is an eternal marriage, that will last that long. Happy Anniversary to us!

And by the way... HOLLY'S PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's due August 3, 2009! Yay for Holly and Matt! I'm soooooo excited!

Molasses

2008-12-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight while I was baking ginger bread houses, I must have knocked the lid of the molasses jar off the counter because Violet found it and had a time!

Here's a "before" shot of the assembled houses, we're going to decorate them tomorrow!

Working working!

2008-12-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

So, I finally finished the doll house. I added the flowerpots on the window sills, and finished the bed, a rug, and a coffee table. Then I knitted scarves for the boys, which I'm not going to show, just in case they see the blog, and then a pair of mary jane style booties for Violet, that turned out just a smidge too small, so I'm going to make another pair. I'll probably give these ones away.

Doll House

2008-12-12T18:05:00.001-08:00

This is the doll house I just finished for my nieces. I've been working on it all week while Karls been gone. It's made out or craft felt, and everything is hand sewn. I painted the little dolls today. (You can click on the pictures and they'll get bigger)

Inside view

The Family

The Family at Home

Their couch

First Step!

2008-12-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, December 9, 2008, Violet Eve Clinger took her first step! She was standing by a book shelf, and I just happened to glance up at her when she let go with both hands, and took a step. I couldn't help myself, I gasped, and she looked up at me in surprise and lost her balance! Doh! She probably would have maintained her standing position if I could have kept quiet!

She was going up and down on her toes like a little ballerina in the picture.

This is the face she makes when you tell her no, or do something she doesn't like

Her "no, no" face

Colorado Christmas at the Clingers!

2008-12-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

Our house is all decked out in Christmas things!

This is what you would see if you were walking toward the house, on your way to the front door.

This is our front door. I made both the wreath and the swag. The swag is leftover branches from our tree! The wreath is fake.

Here's the swag up close

And the wreath

And here's our living room, and that's technically our dining room in the back, but we use it as a family/computer room

And here's our tree!

Teeth

2008-12-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Joe and Ben lost a tooth tonight. It was Joe's first and Ben's second.

Violet Lou Hoo

2008-12-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

Holly posted these pictures on her blog, and they were too cute not to repost on mine!

Joe and Ben's Birthday!

2008-12-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

Joe and Ben turned 6 today! I can't believe it! They are so big and so smart. We started the day off with breakfast, all they wanted was bacon, eggs and toast, so that was easy. Then they opened cards and presents. Grandma Dorothy addressed her card to Masters Joseph and Benjamin Clinger, so of course I read it that way, and the of course they assumed the roles of Master. " I am the Master, do what I say!" Little boogers! Then we went outside to play in the snow, and I constructed the base for an igloo, but I made it too big and got too tired, and the boys got bored and hungry so we went inside. For lunch they wanted Raviolis, and peanut butter sandwiches, and they wanted to make the sandwiches themselves, so again, easy! Then Karl got off work early, so we went to dinner together. Ben wanted Burger King, and Joe wanted the Village Inn pancake house. After that, they wanted to go swimming, so we headed over to the rec center and swam for a couple of hours, and then headed home for cake! We've just finished playing a couple rounds of Flippin Frogs, and now we're going to watch Ice Age, The Melt Down, and then hit the sack! It's been a great day, but I'm glad it's over, it takes a lot of energy to try to make two people happy all day long!

Let it Snow!

2008-11-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

There was snow on the ground when we got here to Castle Rock, and then it snowed little tiny wet flakes a week later, but tonight it is SNOWING! It's so beautiful, and so soft, the boys got their boots and coats on and had to go play, even though it's bed-time. I know they're not the best pictures, but I just wanted to get something up quickly, I'm tired!

Browning Family Photos!

2008-11-27T10:22:00.000-08:00

So, something was up with my camera and I couldn't get my shutter speed to speed up, so a lot of these have blurry faces or hands or whatever. Sucky!

Everyone looks the best in this one, except Violet, but everyone already knows she's gorgeous!

Peek-a-Boo Maddy!

The Original Family

(Sorry Tommy, in all the others someone else looked funny too!)

The Family Now

Nice Dad!

Aren't we pretty!

I like this one

(But I'm not sure if Jilli will like it, you're pretty Jilli)

Ma and Pa

Karl and Ivy

Tommy and Yessica

Matt and Holly

Jillian and Evan

(Just Kidding)

Jillian and Evan

Grandma and Grandpa

Great-Grandma

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T10:11:00.001-08:00

We're at home in Castle Rock, CO this beautiful Thanksgiving Day! We have started the day with a lovely breakfast of pumpkin pie, complements of me, the executive chef of Ivy's Secret Garden, a Fine Dining Experience. Violet loved her first pumpkin pie experience, as pictured below. We then spent quality time as a family, and shared a very moving experience where we all talked about what we are thankful for. Joe and Ben surprised me when after just the question of what we are thankful for they took the lead. Joseph was very thoughtful, and Ben got a little emotional. It was very sweet. Some of what Joseph is thankful for are: our health, our home, the food we eat, that Jesus could give us a new baby, and his ears, so he can hear and listen. Ben is thankful for: a mommy and daddy who love us, and the country we live in and that it is safe. I am so grateful for my sweet and obedient boys who are so kind and loving to each other, and who are so healthy and strong.

Drunk with pie!

Waving at the camera!

Mmmmmmm!

More waving

She wants to take a picture!

Self-Feeding

So Much To Say...

2008-10-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

(My pictures are not downloading tonight, I'll try again tomorrow)

I've really fallen behind on my blog entries! I have so many pictures too!

So, last weekend I took the kids over to the Cradic's house for a visit. They served a mission in New Zealand and got back in January and this was the first time we've visited since they've been back. They were gone for two years, so Violet wasn't even a though in our head yet, and the boys were just little guys themselves. It's amazing how much things change in just a couple of years! We had a very pleasant visit, the boys ate a whole loaf of banana bread and went in and out of the house, their yard is the perfect yard for playing in, very flat and very green and grassy. Violet was a delight as usual, and the boys were reasonably good. Karl had to stay home and study for a test that he took today, actually.

After our visit, we headed into to El Cajon to go to little Julia Browning's baptism. The boys were really well behaved there, and Karl was able to join us. I can't believe how big everyone's kids are getting! She looked beautiful as usual, and the attendance was really good, I think it was a stake baptism.

After the baptism, Karl took the boys home, and I took Violet over to my mom's house where Holly and Yessica met us. We headed over to the Santee Stake Center for a little baked potato dinner before the general Relief Society Meeting. It was really nice to be together as sisters (and Mother). Dorothy and Dottie were there too, and spent a little time with Violet, who was beautiful and perfect as usual. I feel a little bad and slightly embarrassed about the moment I suffered through when the camera man panned on the choir director (you ladies that were there know what I'm talking about) I couldn't help it, I actually got a little hysterical, I don't really know what came over me. I guess I just hadn't had a real good laugh like that in a really long time, it felt really good, and really bad at the same time. Especially because they started the opening prayer and I was still shaking the bench, and it most certainly didn't help that all the other ladies in the room had started giggling, and my sisters and mother were still laughing silently too! Ugh! Anyway, the meeting went really well and we all enjoyed the messages. Afterward we all headed over to Mimi's Cafe for dessert. We got a giant S'more, pecan pie, and triple chocolate brownie, everything was divine! I'm really going to miss things like this when we move, it's the most heartbreaking part of going so far away.

Then, yesterday, my mom, Holly, and I took Sam and Violet to Disneyland. Our little family tradition is to wait until the kids are four so that they are tall enough to go on all the rides, and old enough to appreciate it, of course Violet was our first exception to the rule, it's becoming quite the pattern in her life. Sam's been four since June, and since we're moving there was a sense of urgency to take him all of a sudden, so we planned it and went! It was a blast! He's such a good sport and is so imaginative on his own that it was almost more fun just watching him and listening to his reactions than the fact that we were at Disneyland! We went on everything we wanted, including Space and Splash Mountain. He really wanted to go on Space Mountain, but it was a little too much for him, when we stopped his eyes were full of tears (none actually rolled out, but his eyes were pretty full), and when we asked him if he liked it he kind of whispered, "nooo, my tummy just hurts." It was cute and sad, but after just a minute or so he was back to normal and happy again. He REALLY liked Pirates of the Caribbean. His eyes were huge the whole time and he couldn't sit in his seat for most of it, he had to stand up to see better, it was the cutest! When we went by the old man on the porch (with the banjo playing) at the beginning of pirates Sam said, " I just want to talk to him!" and he wanted us to go back so he could. Violet loved the Winnie the Pooh ride, it was so cute, she is so observant! She enjoyed the day just as much as the rest of us, she went on every ride she was allowed on, and people watched when she wasn't allowed on them. She even got to eat a cookie! Of course everyone that saw her had to comment on her beauty and perfect doll-like qualities! In the picture of Sam next to the little door, he genuinely knocked on the door and tried to open it. When he couldn't open it he declared that it was locked and wanted to wait until Mr. Rabbit got home. He continued to ask us to go back and check to see if he was home throughout the day. Overall, it was a really great day. Disneyland closed at eight, but it was fine, were were tired and ready to go by that time, so we got candy and left. It was a blast!

It seems as though all our loose ends are tying off. We've visited with those we needed to visit with, we've gone place we need to go, and soon there will be nothing left to do but go! And by the way, Karl passed his test that he was studying for, which is a really good thing for our family. All is well, and we are happy.

Field Trip!

2008-09-22T15:57:00.001-07:00

Joe and Ben went on their first field trip today! We went to a place called Wrights Field, and hiked and looked at stuff. I chaperoned, and took Sam and Violet with me. Everyone was smitten with Violet of course, she got passed around at lunch time to the older students and some of the teachers. Joseph fell down and brushed his arm against something with prickly things on it and when he stood up he had tons of these little hair-like pokey's sticking out of his arm. He freaked. When we got back to the central locations I sat with him on my lap and picked them all out with a pair of tweezers. Thankfully it didn't hurt to pull them out, just if you touched them the wrong way. All in all it was a pretty good trip!

Yesterday, while we were at church I noticed something on Violets upper-lip. She's seriously teething right now, four teeth all on the top have decided to emerge, but what I saw was milky white, and she NEVER spits up. It looked like what I'd imagine thrush looks like, but none of my kids have ever gotten it before, and what I've heard about it (that it appears on the tongue and sides of the mouth) didn't quite match up. Then, today when I looked again it was on her tongue, but she's still eating comfortably, not crying at all, so I walked in with her to her doctors office to see if she had time to take a look. Sure enough, it's thrush, but we caught it really early so that's good. We got her some medicine and we're home now, finally. It's been a long day.

I haven't posted in a really long time, which I'd sort of noticed, but it was brought to my attention in full by my sister Holly (I love you Holly!) just how long it'd been on Saturday. Well, my excuse is pretty good, first of all, things have settled down in the school department, the boys are doing well and learning quickly. Karl was out of town last week, and while he was gone I got all caught up in the Twilight Series. I read all four of them in one week (Thanks Jillian!)! I'm in love with Edward! What a great series, it was so entertaining. I'm going to read them all again, but slower this time, I was flying over the pages! I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a good read. I don't know how I feel about the movie they're making, I'll see it of course, but I don't know how they could possibly portray the intense emotion's like the book did.

So that's it. Oh, one more thing. The parent's that took Ben with them on a little nature hike said that when they asked the question, "what do you feel" Ben answered, " I feel the wind, I feel the plant, I feel... hungry!" They both thought he was very cute, and of course, he is! That's all!

Second First Day of School!

2008-09-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ben started at the Day-McKeller Preparatory School today. Joe was still a little too sick to go, but we all loaded up and headed down there together because Violet had a doctors appointment too. What a difference, honestly! There are teachers EVERYWHERE! It's an 8 to 1 ratio, students to teachers of course, and they're all so caring and friendly. They introduced themselves to us, and to Ben and Joe. Joe, even though he's still tired and not feeling good wanted to stay so bad. We left right before nine for the doctors appointment, and left just Ben there.

The doctor's appointment went well, Violet is 15 pounds, 4 ounces, and 27 inches, which puts her at the 25% for weight, 50% for height, and her head is in the 75 percentile! She got her usual round of shots, and handled them just fine, a few tears, but too for too long! She's such a good baby! After we were all done there, we stopped back by the school for my own comfort, just so see if he was alright. HE IS! Karl went in, and said he was sitting with the rest of the class, participating and behaving well. The founder, Cara (Day-McKeller) was there and she said he was just perfect, that everyone loves him and that he's being so good! What a difference. I honestly knew it wasn't him that was the problem, and I'm so glad we followed that instinct, or prompting, whatever it was. If things change, I'll update, but if things go as they're going I might not. I hope this is the end of our nightmare from last week.

Four Generations of Women

2008-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a sampling of the pictures we took at Balboa Park a week ago Sunday, at the Ukrainian Festival. I've been wanting a four generation shot since I found out I was pregnant with the twins, but I wanted it to be all girls, so we had to wait a few years! I think they turned out very nicely.

Day-McKeller Preparatory School

2008-09-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

We've changed our minds. Joe and Ben will now be attending the Day McKeller Preparatory School until we leave in October. It'll only be for about 30 school days, but it's such an awesome school that we feel like it'll do the impossible and undo the "car-wreck" that was last week. It's going to give Ben a reason to want to go to school again, whereas right now he's less than excited. We were just going to send Joe and I was going to home-school Ben through the academy, but it's such a good school I felt like we'd be cheating Ben out of a good experience. So, they're going to start there on Tuesday, because everyone's been under the weather this weekend with fever's and coughing and stuff... not fun. Karl and I are really excited about this decision, we've wanted them there since we found out about the school, so it's a wish fulfilled. In your face Mountain Empire School District!

We are MOVING!!!

2008-09-04T20:00:00.001-07:00

So it's official, we are moving. We had been thinking about West Virginia for a long time, and Karl had been searching for a job there. Well, his performance review came up at work, and it turns out he's doing really well, but he mentioned to his boss that we were considering a move out of state. His boss had mentioned a while back that he was considering expanding his business, and as it turns out, this was just the thing to get him going on that. His boss contracts with a business called Red Hat, and they accepted his bid for Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, specifically Salt Lake, Denver, and Phoenix. Well we've done Arizona, and didn't like the heat AT ALL, and I've never cared to move to Utah (no offense to my Utard relatives) so we've decided to move to Denver Colorado! This is really good, because it means he's staying with the same company, we'll keep the same benefits, he'll continue to get certified in all his little certification thingies, and we'll be able to afford and HOUSE OF OUR OWN! YAY! We're going to have a real winter too, which I'm actually pretty excited about.

I don't want to get into to much detail, but Ben misbehaved at school again and got suspended for two days, so that pretty much sucks. We have a meeting with the principal tomorrow and it's going down! I am so sick of that little hill billy school and their ineffective methods. Ben's going to stay home with me until we move, but Joe's going to keep going, he's fitting in really well and making friends, which I realize is going to make moving harder, but we plan on settling where we land. That's all for now!

Neat Baptism

2008-08-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Nikki's husband got baptized today. They're a new couple in the ward and are newlyweds as well. They got married in January of this year and have three kids between them. What was so special about this day though, was that after Steve was baptized, he was confirmed and then ordained a priest, so that he could then baptize their son (Nikki's son) immediately following his ordination. It was such a neat experience, and I can only imagine the joy that must be filling her heart this evening. I look forward to the day when my boys and Violet choose to be baptized, but what a wonderful thing to experience a spouse coming to such an understanding and making such a life change. I hope that all goes well in the following days, months and years for them, and that they can reach their goal of a temple sealing. I am grateful to have been able to witness this event, and I am grateful to have been able to serve them by playing the piano. I hope I can get to know them even better at time goes on!

Crawler

2008-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Better!

2008-08-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today definitely went better than yesterday. These aren't exact words, but the gist of what was said was that they were much much better than yesterday, but if yesterday hadn't been so catastrophic then they wouldn't really have been considered good today. And that's all I have to say about that.

Not as Great as we'd Hoped

2008-08-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

So yesterday didn't go as well as we'd hoped it would. Apparently, "they were disruptive all day," according to their teacher, but she didn't tell me this when they got out of class, the PRINCIPLE called me and let me know that they had some problems during the day and recommended that we have a little talk with them. This after I'd already got them home and given them treats for having a good day, and even let them play video games a bit. As the story unfolds though, it becomes apparent to me that they weren't really trying to be naughty, they were just confused, and it was a really long day. They were talking back and running around, but they really thought it was time to go home, or that they should be in their class. So anyway, Karl and I both talked to them, and Karl talked to our neighbor who works at the school and helped their teacher deal with them. So this morning I go to the school, and the teacher has the door locked, so I go get Janet (our neighbor) at the office, and she lets me in, but by this time the bell is ringing. I knew she didn't have time to chat, I just wanted to set up a time when we could meet. She doesn't smile or anything, she just stares me down and tells me, "well, they were really disruptive all day yesterday, and that is just not acceptable." So I arranged to meet with her today after school. I am trying really hard not to be judgmental of her, I know I wasn't there, and I know the boys can misbehave and act belligerent at times, but come on lady, this was the first time I'd ever talked to her! She hadn't even tried to talk to me! I approached her! Well, I haven't heard from the school yet today, so that's hopefully a good sign, but I wasn't happy when I found out they'd be in the same class, and I was really unhappy when I found out it was a K-1 class, so Karl and I have pretty much decided that we're going to drive them into town to a different school. I just feel like their teacher has already labeled them as trouble, which means it's going to take a lot longer for them to adjust to her if she treats them differently, so I'd rather just put them in a better equipped school where they can have different teachers and they're not going to be lumped together as a unit. Nobody could tell me who did what and when, it was just they, they they! I HATE THAT! I know it wasn't both of them ALL DAY! I talked to them, and Joe is a very reliable source for a five year old, and he admitted to crying and trying to put his back pack on to go home, but that is NOT very naughty to me. Ben on the other hand... but I still don't think he was purposefully being bad. I love them both so much, and I wish it had gone better for them. They really are good, good little boys, both of them. They're very sweet, and kind, and they stick up for each other till the end, and that is not a bad characteristic if you ask me! I want them to respect adults and authority, but too much respect for any authority figure, just because they're an adult is what gets good sweet submissive children into serious trouble. I've always taught my kids that if they don't feel comfortable, to stand up and do something about it, and I'd rather them be a little disruptive in a place that they're not yet comfortable with yet, then just sit back and do nothing in a bad situation with a bad person (not talking about school...). Oh well, I hope they're doing better today. I know this is kind of rambley, but I'm pretty worked up so this is more of a vent than a real post.

First Day of Kindergarten!

2008-08-27T10:37:00.001-07:00

Today's the day, Joe and Ben are officially kindergartners! They were so excited they could hardly eat their breakfast! I don't think they have a clue about how long their day is going to be, they don't get out until 3:15! Karl took the morning off to be with us, so that was nice. I think it would have been much harder for me without him there. When we got there, we took them to the playground, but they wanted to go to their classroom. When their room opened, we took them over there to meet their teacher, Mrs. Tanner. We just found out though that they're in a K-1 class, so that's a major bummer to us, but I think all the classes are combined this year because of a lack of students, but Joe and Ben don't care! Anyway, so we took them into their classroom and had them find their desks which had name tags on them. It's kind of funny, but Joe sits at a table with three other kids, and ones name is Violet, and Ben sits at a table with four other kids and ones name is Sammy! I thought that was pretty coincidental! So, Karl and I waited with them in their classroom until the bell rang, then Ben promptly told us, okay, you need to leave now! So we did. Karl, Sam, Violet, and I went and got breakfast at Descanso Junction, and then Karl went to work. Sam's got it in his head that we're going to bake cookies, so we will later for when the boys get home. I can't believe it's started, I have school age kids! Next year Sam will start and it'll just be me and Violet!

So Violet's a Crawler now!

2008-08-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly when it happened, but Violet can now crawl. She started scooting forward about a week or two ago, hadn't really mastered it yet, but at least she was going forward, and now she's crawling! She didn't even really do that whole pushing up and rocking thing. She's just amazing! And, this is really hard to believe, but she's pulling up on things. She loves to stand up and every chance she gets she does! It's so funny to see such a little person just standing there next to something, she's still so petite!

So, the boys start school tomorrow. I'm so excited, and anxious, and nervous and happy! I've found myself giddy with glee and then tearing up for no reason! I can't believe they're so big and tall and smart! I love them so much! We get to do the night before school blessings for the first time tonight! I just honestly can't believe it!

Spitting!

2008-08-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sam has been spitting! It's driving me crazy! Why does he do it? Nobody else in our family spits! I'll look over at him and he'll just be sitting there spitting on the floor, he just sits there and watches it fall! I've told him a million times, STOP SPITTING! It's so gross, I'm afraid he'll do it in a public place, or that he's already been doing it in public and I just haven't caught him yet! AGHHHHH! Anway, that's my rant, here's a funny picture for all you who want pictures, it's not applicable at all, but it does show Sam being a goon!

"Seasoned Mom"

2008-08-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

I wrote an article for www.mommasassy.blogspot.com and she just published it. It's about what it's like to be a seasoned mom (which I really don't think I am yet, but that's what she asked for). I'll post it here too for my own records later. But you can go there and read it, I included some cute old pictures of the boys.

New Family Blog!

2008-08-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is the new family blog. This is where you will find updates on our family, new pictures etc. the old blog, ivyandviolets.blogspot.com will now be the blog for my new online business, ivyand violets. You can still read all my previous posts on Ivy and Violets, but any new ones will be made here.

Booster Shots and Spaghetti Dinner!

2008-08-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

THis was written yesterday on my other blog, but I decided to move it over here to this one!

Today the boy's had there school health exam at their doctors office. It took a long time! Each boy had their hearing and vision tested, their height and weight recorded, and a full physical including coordination and reflexes (which been tried to fake). They also gave the boys books, Ben got Where the Wild Things Are, and Joe got a really cute one called, A Pocket Full of Kisses, because they're starting school. Then the doctor informed me that they still needed their booster shots. So, before we got to the doctors I had told the boys that if they were all good, and if I didn't have to tell them to stop or be quiet too many times I'd take them to get a donut afterwards. So now, with this news of shots, and not just one or two, but three shots, plus an anemia test which includes a finger prick and finger squeezing, I went ahead and upped the reward. I told them that they could get one donut for every shot they got bravely. After I offered that Joe exclaimed,"I want 10 shots!" to which Ben responded, "Me too!" to which I responded, "we'll see about that!" When the nurse came in with the shots, they both back pedaled pretty quickly, but I got Ben to sit up on the exam table and he was very brave, only on the third shot did he succumb to real tears, but you can' really blame him for that. Then it was Joe's turn, but he'd just watched Ben get all three of his shots and he wasn't having it! He bolted for the door quick as a wink and was out in the hallway in a flash. Too bad there wasn't anywhere to go, I was able to grab him, but he was like getting a dog into a bathtub and he latched on to the door frame on the way in. He was howling and crying, so I had to carry him in and hold him on my lap and wrap my legs around his to keep him still enough for the shots. Just a little dramatic! So anyway, they did just fine and were done crying by the time we got back into the waiting room, and I followed through with my offer and got them three donuts each. Sam lucked out, he got three donuts and no shots, but whatever, he had to endure the wait and boredom that goes with going to the doctor with your older brothers.
So I made homemade spaghetti sauce tonight with sweet italian sausage, brown mushrooms, green bell pepper, and fresh basil. It was pretty rockin! I decided as we were sitting down for dinner to see what Violet would do with a bowl of it, since she's been doing fine with real rice and even chunks of peeled grapes, so I served her up some, with just a drizzle of sauce for flavor, and she loved it! I think she felt really included because she talked all through dinner and slurped up handfuls of cut up noodles. She made the usual "baby with spaghetti" mess, but it was totally worth it! I'm just curious how it's going to come out tomorrow, I can't remember if it digests well or not, it'll probably be fine!