Random thoughts

I wasn't going to do Christmas cards this year, but my dad took this picture and I just had to make cards out of them! I can't believe we got such a good smile from Taylor! When my dad was done taking pictures Katelyn threw her arms open and said "All Done!"...too bad she was holding Taylor and Taylor fell over to the side...it wasn't a bad fall. I am into buying them matching outfits lately and couldn't resist these PJ's!
Speaking of matching outfits- Aunt Jody and Annalise came to visit us from Riverside the other day and it was so good to see them! Then they spoiled the girls and bought them matching ADORABLE outfits from Pumpkin Patch! I will post a pic soon after I take one. Thank you Aunt Jody and Annalise! You guys are too sweet to us!
Another random cute Katelyn moment...I bought Katelyn Minnie Mouse ears at Disneyland and she LOVES to wear them. Now when she watches the Mickey Mouse Club in the morning she insists that she wear them and sits there and says, "Mickey's Ears (while pointing at the TV), Katelyn's ears (while pointing at herself)!" She is so excited to have some Mickey ears!

Thanksgiving Fun!

We headed to Disneyland for Thanksgiving...and man was it crowded! I guess everyone thought that no one would be there, and so everyone went! We still had a blast regardless! Taking a 2 year old and a 3 month old was no easy task, but thankfully I had the help of my family! Katelyn was in heaven the whole day! It is so cute that she knows what "Disneyland" is...when she woke up I said we were going to Disneyland and she freaked out! She started talking a hundred miles a minute and said, "Dumbo! Horsey (the carousel)! Mickey Mouse! WoodyBuzz!"...and the list goes on! We arrived at 9am and stayed until 8:30pm, and Katelyn did NOT take a nap! She crashed on the way home though. It was great to spend time with family and to see family from out of town.

And to finish my gratitude marathon...

V: Veronica-my life long friend W: Watermelon, Water (it can entertain Katelyn for hours!) X: Um, I don't know Y: Yummy desserts...especially Strawberry Shortcake! Z: Zoo-it entertains my daughter!

Oh Christmas Tree

We brought out the Christmas decorations today and it was so much fun! This year Katelyn could help me decorate the tree, and she loved it! Of course all of the balls were in a line at her eye level, but she had so much fun hanging them. And then Katelyn had to take them all off of the tree when she was done, because she can stand things to be in order! Then my mom and I had the tree all done, and Katelyn decided it was time to take down stuff again! I think she has finally figured out that the stuff stays on the tree!


We are looking forward to Thanksgiving...we are going to Disneyland! No traditional turkey dinner for us! I am very excited to go there with my family and extended family from Utah.

A few more things to be thankful for:
T: Today-because it was a little bit better than yesterday
U: Unbelievable parents

I am WAY behind on my gratitude list, and Thanksgiving is two days away! Since I Am feeling very grateful this morning, I thought I would get caught up...

N: New clothes and shoes (nothing like wearing a new outfit!), Nights when Katelyn sleeps through the night
O: Outdoors, Office (the show), Open Arms
P: People who care about me, Pictures of my kids, Pickles, PRAYER
Q: Okay, NOTHING begins with Q! (Amber thought of a good one-Quiet! I never hear that sound in my home!)
R: Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Cups! Rainbows, Rain
S: Singing (especially when Katelyn sings!), Silly girls, Storytime with Katelyn

I've been tagged

I've been tagged....

What's the best thing you cooked last week?
Chicken tortilla soup! It was a new recipe and it was easy and delicious! I usually don't really like soups but this one is so flavorful and yummy!
If money and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?
I would have gone to see Celine in Vegas with Marci, but we are seeing her in LA anyways...my ultimate would be Europe with someone I loved
Five things you were doing 10 years ago:
I just started college and met five of the best people ever! (my roommies), finding out that my boyfriend back home cheated on me, freezing my butt off in Utah! Working at a bed and breakfast and missing home
Five things on your To-Do List:
Finish unpacking and organizing, grocery shopping, writing thank you notes, finding a new duvet cover I like, decorating for Christmas
Five favorite snacks:
Golden Spoon frozen yogurt, chips and salsa, smoothie, rice Krispie treats, crumb cake
Five bad habits:
Crack my knuckles, play with my hair, open my mouth before thinking, leaving a little pile of clothes in the bathroom (don't ask why), leaving cupboard doors open (only one at a time though)
Five favorite foods:
Shrimp Tempura rolls, Lettuce wraps from PF Changs, Pasta!, a good salad (the spinach one from Claim Jumpers), Orange Chicken
Top five places I've been:
Oahu with my sister, Mexican Riviera Cruise, Jackson Hole, Florida and Yosemite
Five favorite memories: (in no particular order)
The care free days of being a kid and walking to AmPm, Having my two beautiful daughters (I guess that counts as two), Graduating from college, all of my college crazy days with my roommates
I tag...Amber and Angela...your turn!

Taylor's Blessing

Yesterday Taylor was blessed at my parent's home. What a wonderful evening, and wonderful idea! I really like having the blessing at home-it's more personal and warm and then the family stays afterwards and visits and eats! Julio blessed Taylor and did an amazing job! Taylor of course looked gorgeous and didn't make a peep during the blessing:) It was a blessing to feel the Spirit so strongly. Thank you to my family and close friends who were there to share this very special moment with my family. I love you all and your support means more than you will ever know!

Taylor's Checkup

Today Taylor had her Dr appt. and also had her first shots :( She was such a happy girl the entire appt. and was laughing the entire time...and then we shot her...3 times! It was horrible! I have never heard her (or Katelyn) scream that bad! It took her an hour to stop crying, and even after she would calm down she would scream out every once in a while like she was re-living it. Katelyn wasn't nearly as bad when she got her shots...
Anyways, Taylor and I survived and she is doing well. She is very healthy and here are her stats:
Height: 26 in
Weight: 13 lbs
She is a lot smaller than Katelyn (Katelyn weighed 14lbs at 2 months and Taylor weighs 13 lbs at 3 months!) and is in the 77 percentile.
And to continue my gratitude list:

J: Jeans that I can fit into again! Jingle Bells (when Katelyn sings it)
K: Kind friends, Kids, Kit Kats, Kisses
L: Laughter, Love
M: Marci (the best sister in the world!)

My future model...

I put Katelyn in this outfit and just had to take a picture! She loves her new boots and hat and had no problem posing for the pictures! She sure is a sweetheart when she wants to be and gives so many hugs and kisses to everyone. Her favorite thing is Eskimo kisses, and she makes sure that she doesn't leave anyone out and gives them to everyone in the room.

And thanks to my mother we have found two new techniques to managing her tantrums...
If she throws herself on the floor and refuses to move or go anywhere, my mom will say "Let's start counting!" And for some reason Katelyn will jump up and take very slow steps while my mom counts her steps until Katelyn has reached the desired destination...it's amazing! And Katelyn has this problem of screaming REALLY loud when she is frustrated, and my mom said to her one day, "Oh no! You let the scream out! Hurry and put it back in your mouth, we don't want to let the scream out!" Katelyn then hurried and pretended to put it back in her mouth and said "I put it back!" Now, whenever she screams I say, "Put it back." and she will put it back and say, "Sorry Mama, I put it back." It is so sweet! THANK HEAVEN for my mother!!!!!

Knotts Berry Farm!

Yesterday I took the girls to Knotts Berry Farm with Marci, Julio and Jordan. I didn't even remember the park, so I didn't know what to expect. It was awesome! This is the perfect place for 2-3 year olds! They had so many rides at Camp Snoopy and
Katelyn loved all of them!

This car ride was her favorite and it was such an awesome experience to just watch her enjoy it. Around every turn the car would go really fast and Katelyn would just laugh from the gut! Children really know how to experience joy, and they hold nothing back...we can learn a lot from them.

Finally, some pictures!

Ah, I finally have a computer that I can post pics with again...life is good.

Here are a few random pics..

Katelyn and Taylor-both wearing yellow footed PJs, watching Toy Story. Taylor is a real trooper and will let Katelyn "hold" her (it's more like Taylor falling off of Katelyn's lap), and doesn't mind Katelyn getting in her face all of the time. I hope they always get along. Katelyn always give Taylor kisses and says "Taylor is SO cute!"

Taylor giving us a classic smile

Although we are blessing Taylor next week, I wanted to hurry and take pictures before she didn't fit into the dress anymore! Luckily the dress fit great! Katelyn wore it when she was only 6 weeks old! Grandma Olsen made this breathtaking dress and I am so glad I get to use it twice! Thank you Gay!!!

I am grateful for:

H: A Happy baby! A Heavenly Father who has given me strength, Homemade cookies!
I: Ice Cream, even though I can't have it!

Reflections

Please forgive me for not having pictures or better posts...my camera is packed and I have been very busy lately. I had no idea how many people out of state read my blog until I stopped writing and you all started calling! Thanks for caring about me!
Since this is my online journal, and I haven't been writing in my regular one I wanted to record some of the cute and random things about my children...

Katelyn for some reason has decided that utensils are not a necessity and will not use them...for ANYTHING! She eats everything with her hands and it is so frustrating! She will now finally sit down and watch a movie, as long as it is Finding Nemo or Toy Story (or as she would call it "WoodyBuzz!") She sings songs non-stop and walks around the house singing Jungle Bells or saying "Luke, I am Your Father" (thanks to her uncle Byron). She cracks me up and is the reason I smile everyday.

Taylor is now laughing! Oh, what a beautiful sound! There is nothing better! She will smile and coo and talk to me forever. She likes to talk to herself in the mirror and has found her hands! We are blessing her next weekend and I have taken pictures of her in her blessing dress and need to post them.
My girls have been my saving grace and are the reason I am able to smile and keep moving forward. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with them. And on that note, here are two more things I am grateful for:

F: Friends and Family who have been so amazing to me!
G: Girls (my two girls), and the best Grandparents my children could ask for!

More Gratitude

To continue my list of things I am grateful for:

D: My dad who has shown so much commitment to his family over the years. I am learning that a man who is commited to his wife and kids is a huge blessing and I am grateful for my dad and what he has done for his family
E: Eskimo kisses from Katelyn, Ear to Ear grins from Taylor

I am grateful for...

Pay It Forward
What are you Grateful For?
This idea came from my friend Amber, and I am paying it forward, too. This is what to do--each day of this month make a list of your thankful things that start with each letter of the alphabet. It's a great dinnertime activity with your kiddos. So these are mine:
A: Amazing friends and family
B: Beautiful daughters
C: Chocolate, Car, Camera

Here's the Pay It Forward Idea:I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. (so, you must have a blog to participate.) I can't wait to see who I will be giving to. To join, just cut and paste this on your blog and comment away. So get posting.