Fly Through My Window

Box

2012-01-21T18:16:00.003-06:00

I believe that children don't need expensive toys (not that that stopped Santa from bringing the train set). Lucy had grown out of her carseat and I came home last Monday with a new one. After the seat was out of the box the girls at once saw a zoo cage in it. I cut some bars in one side and they asked for windows in the other. They spent the rest of the day and much of this last week playing with it.

It finally snowed last night and the girls were soooo excited to get out in it (Ruby kept repeating, "I'm so excited"). It wasn't until I tried to open the door I realized this was not the typical snow that we were all envisioning. No, it had a layer of freezing rain on top. Now, they have been begging to go sledding, but we still don't have a sled (as we have no snow...). But did I let that get in our way? No. I got the box out and I believe Anne enjoyed this even more than if she had been on a real sled.

Art

2012-01-17T20:22:00.002-06:00

I have a pride that I am sure only a father can have in my girl's drawing. But I am going to share some with you anyway.

Anne first. Rapunzel was a hit from Santa this Christmas.

I love that 75% of their art has each other in them. Anne's default color to represent herself is pink and Ruby is generally in purple.

Ruby and Mom by Ruby (Megan is in purple this time). I hope you like the leggings as much as Megan and I.

Silly Scary Girl by Ruby. This is by far my favorite picture that she has drawn that I have seen. I love the "scary" green teeth and the "silly" eye lashes on the left eye.

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-30T07:50:00.000-06:00

Randy was so excited to get the girls this train table. I must say, I never knew trains were so fun (we have 3 girls--trains haven't been a part of our lives 'till now).

Lucy is our little sweeper. She's alway pulling out the spare broom to help me in the kitchen-so Santa brought her one she can wield a little easier. (Can you see the yarn draped across the window? It was wrapped around a helicopter--part of the train set that crashed in the Christmas tree-- and draped around the room, leading upstairs to to the train table.)

I was surprised they wanted to open their stocking stuff first!

Doritos are such a treat at our house :)

This year we cut down our own tree (pictures to follow) and the girls were so excited to decorate it. They couldn't wait for me to get the lights on. They started ornamenting it with toys and necklaces and anything they could get their hands on. They were so proud of their work.

Looking for the perfect Christmas tree, there was a lot of this:

and this:

It took us FOREVER, but we did finally find the perfect one.

For us, one of the highlights was watching the new videos of the nativity over and over again. It seemed to remind us of the reality that Christ was born in Bethlehem, and think about what it must have been like for those who experienced it firsthand. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!

Family Pictures

2011-11-16T09:41:00.002-06:00

Our friend Brittany Nair (who took our pictures last fall) took our family pictures this year. The photo shoot was short as we got rained out, but after seeing the pictures we decided we didn't need to go out again (to my great pleasure). These were taken at a park next to Perryville Point at the top of the Chesapeake Bay; here are some of my favorites:

Which is your favorite?

Great news

2011-10-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

but we'll get to that later. My pictures are out of order. --I feel like I post so seldom that I have to relearn things quite often. I know I could fix this, but I'm not going to.

Did I mention that I LOVE the fall. I think I did in that last post. But I'll say it again. "I LOVE FALL!!"

So much has happened this month I'll just list what we did and then you can browse the pictures at your leisure.

First, my sister Jane and niece Kate came for a fun visit.

We did a lot together, including a hike to Turkey Point Light house (pictured)

and a trip on the metro (giggle) to DC to the National History of Natural Sciences Museum (not pictured)

There, we saw the Hope Diamond among other gems and jewels. {I thought it would be bigger :| }

Also, Kate held a millipede! (wish I had a picture)

It was so fun to have them! We missed them as soon as they were gone.

On Columbus Day we went on a hike in Susquehanna State Park

Grandma Griffiths came for a visit next

And here's the great news I know you've been waiting for: While she was here

WE CAUGHT THE GROUNDHOG!!!

Randy had a stare down with him.

I learned how to mow the lawn on the riding mower! (hilarious, but that's another story.--I'll just say that it wasn't built for someone 5' tall.)

We brought Grandma with us to a few soccer games and story time at the library, then to top off our week, we went to Milburn Orchards and had a great time petting and feeding the animals, playing in the sandbox and on the playground. We went on a fun hayride, had lunch and picked out pumpkins.

Lucy warmed right up and figured out how to say gramma by the end of her stay.

Again, we missed her as soon as she left.

Next comes Halloween --even though it's been here for a week already. We've been dressed up for different things this week no less than 3 times.

It's been a good month! Can't wait for what is in store next month!!

I love Autumn.

Boo!!

2011-10-01T20:24:00.000-05:00

Did it scare you? 'Cause it sure scared me when I found it on our deck in the middle of it's HUGE web. (That is a stink bug it caught.)

Happy October!!!

I love the fall.

{despite this and the other four(4) we found later that day}

She was carrying around her booster seat like this for a while.

It wasn't until she asked for spoons that it dawned on me what she was doing.

Here's our newest arrangement. Randy made a new desk for us. I love it!

{And you should just try that drawer. It slides beautifully!!}

This fall Anne started soccer. This was taken at her first official game.

{We yell too much, but we're really trying to tone it down}

And this pretty much sums up the game:

Notice, I have 2 separate proofs that she was more concerned about her jersey being tucked in just right than where the ball is.

Good times!! I just love soccer in the fall!

{Especially with Anne and the fam}

2011-09-07T08:17:00.003-05:00

I love it when she smiles for the camera.

When we made room for the dishwasher, we had to take out some cabinets which we decided to make into our kitchen island. We put on some breadboard, trim, and a counter top. Then we painted it. Now all we need are a couple of stools.

I cut my hair off.

The day of the earthquake I took the girls hiking in Fair Hill. We didn't feel a thing and when Randy called I was clueless.

That weekend the hurricane hit. We had a slumber party in the basement. The girls slept in their tents with tons of toys. It was a fun party. The storm didn't do any damage at our place. Randy and I were in the front room as the storm was beginning to pick up--about 10:30 pm -- when we heard a loud cracking noise. Turns out our neighbor across the street lost his remaining 2 bradford pear trees. Sad, they were beautiful! He knew they were on the way out though.

Here is the disturber of the peace at work.

Anne is rather particular about some (all) things.

One of them is her bed. It must be PERFECTLY made or there will be ranting and raving.

Anne went to kindergarten!!

She got on the bus like a champ! (Yeah, just drop her off at the bus stop on her first day of school EVER and hope all goes well. It was a little nerve racking for me.) And she had a great day. That night she told me, "There are some things I don't like at school. But mostly I like school!" I asked her what she didn't like and she said she didn't like it when the other kid sprayed water from the sink and soaked her new shirt. Then she made sure we would take her to the bus stop again tomorrow.

This past weekend was the Rubber Duckie Regatta. A big huge rubber duck race near the bay. There were all kinds of booths at the park and one was Bob's Critters. Randy was loving it and eventually, so was Anne. There were all kinds of things from Turtles and frogs to scorpions and pythons. Anne really loved holding the geckos and she also held one of the snakes. (yick!!)

The sad thing is, my girls start screaming and shaking and running to hide when they see a cute puppy frolicking anywhere near them. Perhaps they just prefer the creatures that can't move so fast.

Update:

2011-08-16T13:02:00.006-05:00

The wait is over. The tooth is OUT!

Randy gave her a little prompting last night as they brushed teeth and Anne reached up and cranked it right out.

My pictures are all out of order. Sorry.

Let's see--we went to the beach...

We also finished our table. The top started out white and then we glazed the whole thing. We decided we didn't like how it looked dusty/dirty, so we finished it off purple like the rest (picture to follow with the finished purple top {I told you they were out of order}). We don't know if we'll keep it as it is. What's your opinion? Does it just look dirty and gross?

It was a lovely day at the beach. Not too hot. Not too cold. And the beach we found was perfect for the little kids to play!

Ruby made a pizza in the sand, but I don't know where that picture went.

Here's this one instead:

This is the resident under our deck.

He's eaten 2 tomatoes too many.

We bought a trap.

Say "goodbye," Mr. Groundhog.

We'll it's not a great shot of the finished table, but there you have it.

The Tooth Fairy

2011-08-04T06:13:00.003-05:00

has been here.

It all came as a surprise last Wednesday. We were eating dinner and Anne started to complain that her tooth hurt (again). It was dismissed as an excuse not to eat her vegetables (again). She took another bite and broke down in tears of pain. Dad took her to the bathroom to check it out. Turns out her tooth was really loose. She was rather anxious but we reassured her that everyone looses teeth, and that when it comes out (it could be a few days) she could put it under her pillow for the Tooth Fairy. That made her happy.

The next thing I knew she came running into the room with her tooth in hand!

I asked if Dad had pulled it out. The answer was NO.

!!???!!

This from Anne? The same Anne who fights to the death rather than let me even come near her slivers?

The story came out that she was just wiggling it and it fell right out into her lip.

I was not prepared for this. Don't they start losing teeth in Kindergarten or 1st grade?

Where did the time go??

She immediately started wiggling and working on the other one. This one is going to take some time--and patience--now that we know what is coming.

*Just in time to be missing tooth twins with her cousin Olivia!

I know, I know...

2011-06-19T20:00:00.005-05:00

picture overload. We all know I'm a person of few words though.

Too much has been happening. We're busy, busy, busy. Randy and I put the girls to bed and get to work. It has been fun making our place our own. Slowly, but surely.

Also, we've been doing a little of this:

and this,

and this.

There've been a few birthdays around here.

Happy birthday to Lucy!

Here she is in the birthday hat! The birthday hat is very exciting.

We love the hammock.

Last Saturday, to celebrate birthdays for Anne, Ruby, and Lucy, we went to Philadelphia for the day. We saw some great fountains and cool buildings.

And we enjoyed the Academy of Natural Sciences.

In this picture, they are walking on the tread mill to make that dino on Randy's back run. It was pretty cool.

Yuck!

Ruby loves to give a good tea party.

{and birthday party, and any other kind of party that comes to mind}

So for her birthday we had a tea party with her little friend.

This picture was taken as they waited (not so patiently) for their guest to arrive.

Sorry, all the pictures of the table were blurry. :(

They made fancy tea hats to wear.

Isn't she lovely? Happy 3 to Ruby!

And here is one of the night stands Randy made for our room!

Lets hear a hip, hip!

We also installed a filter for our well, made a countertop, and installed our fire pit. We love our home!

A Picture

2011-05-29T05:19:00.008-05:00

is worth a thousand words. So, here are a bunch to save me a little time:

I tried and tried...and tried and tried to upload my video tour of our house to no avail, so you'll have to make due with this.

Our front room. I took the picture standing by the front door, on the first step going upstairs.

We checked everyday for weeks to see if our mystery flowers had blossomed yet.

Hooray for peonies!

The 13th of May, Anne turned 5! I can't believe I have a five year old.

She had a few specifications for her cake. (and party too)

In one of the many clipping projects Randy has done in our yard, there happened to be some casualties that were fun to look at. (nests are so cool)

Lucy needed to get down to see too. She is nearly impossible to hold when she's decided to be down!

Max and Ruby is popular around here and I think this idea stemmed from something they saw on that show.

A Pajama party!!

{they needed makeup with rouge!}

Every night while we do the bedtime rituals for the big sisters, the littlest sister has a hay-day with their toys. Her favorite: magnetix (or however you spell it)

This weekend the temps have hit the 90's so we pulled out the swimmin' poops. (click this link and watch the movie for an explanation of all the poop)

and the swimmin' poop.

This one has learned to make funny faces. And in related news, one of her first words was "cheese."

(but not Wensleydale)

Rock Garden

2011-05-15T08:44:00.005-05:00

As a plant lover, I've never really like the idea of a rock garden.

With the warmer weather and the risk of frost dropping, I rented a tiller from Ace and started working on some plots for vegetable gardens. The plan was to do two plots, one on the side of the house and another at our back door that would eventually become a flower garden.

I must admit that as I started plowing the virgin land next to the house, the tiller threw me around quite a bit. You see, I'm small and skinny. It's not like I've never used a tiller before, but this time I had a very hard time getting the tiller to dig into the ground. At first I thought it must just be hard ground because it had never been tilled before, but then I saw the rocks...

Two hours later, sweaty and beat, I decided to take the tiller back and just do one plot this year.

As you can see, I pulled out a lot of gravel (not sure if the gravel is from construction) and a lot of bigger rock. I talked with a neighbor that was walking by and she informed me that the whole neighborhood grows rocks on their ground, not just mine :).

After pulling out all that rock, I don't think it looks a whole lot better.

It's still hard for me to believe that this hill, that looks as fertile as the Tennessee valley, has this much rock. So now that I have a rock garden, I can say with confidence that I hate rock gardens.

Next up: Randy vs. rabbits.

2011-05-08T19:33:00.004-05:00

Here's the Magnolia in bloom.

See those brown trees behind the house? They are all green now and the view is quite altered.

Here are some of the blooms from the tree we had to take out.

Aren't they pretty? Sad it had to go. Also, we chose that color grey for our kitchen.

Here's a view across our back yard.

The kitchen in one of it's various stages of disarray...but notice the dishwasher (!) Randy and his dad put in for us. Wahoo! (also, as you notice, we haven't actually painted the rest of the kitchen yet)

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. I've been fiddling with our new camera. Too bad we left our old camera at the beach, sitting in our stroller. :(

Guess it was about time for a new camera and stroller anyway. (stroller yet to come)

I'll try to get some better pictures of the inside of the house so you can see how cute it is. Even unfurnished.

The Magic Number

2011-03-30T16:19:00.003-05:00

is 30 for us.

Today the 30th day of March, my love turned 30 years old! For his birthday we got 30 years worth of debt.

Happy 30th Randy! I love you!

"Happy Green Patrick's Day!!"

2011-03-17T08:43:00.007-05:00

said Anne.

She's still a little confused about this holiday, but we're working on it.

In other news, Lucy has been busy.

Two weeks ago she started to crawl! Woo!!

{She still won't roll over, but I don't mind. It makes diaper changes and other things so much easier on the mom.}

Last week she cut 5 teeth. Count 'em. FIVE. 4 on top, and one on the bottom next to the well established 3. Yes, she already had 3 on the bottom, and they've been there for a few months. Needless to say, NO ONE got sleep last week. She also started a runny nose, which we attributed to the teeth--until the cough started.

This week we went in for her 9 month check up (!) and a sick check while we were at it. Turns out she's got bronchiolitis (?) and the beginnings of an ear infection. BOO! We came home from the doctor with a nebulizer machine and a slew of medicine for the Little.

On a positive note, the nurses, the pharmacists, and a few other random people stopped to admire and tell me what a cute babe I have. They loved the hat from Grandma Griffiths with her chubby pink cheeks. Thanks again for the hat!

Here's the nebulizer--it vaporizes her medicine so she can breathe it in. It makes it so she doesn't wheeze.

Anne loves to play "What's on my head" with us ALL.

Exercising outfits.

*note R's jammies under hers. She hates to take 'em off.

Anne saw an exercise video and came up with her own version of workout clothes. Pretty stylin'.

Second attempt at french bread: success!

Delaware Children's Museum. We met some friends there to play.

Are you asking yourself why R is wearing little boy's pants? --Well it's a long story. One where I say, "Yup, that was my child." sigh. Poor thing couldn't find her way out of the maze in time and had an accident. Somehow, we had a change of everything but pants.

Other than that, we had a great time! My girls love this place.

So, happy Green Patrick's Day!

Photo update:

2011-02-22T19:43:00.003-06:00

A couple things...

2011-02-08T11:43:00.003-06:00

First off:

We watched a movie a week or so ago that we want to recommend to anyone looking for something interesting. Perhaps you've already seen it! We were looking for some books at our teeny tiny library branch here in North East when I glanced at a display of movies and the picture on the cover of this movie caught my attention. It was made for TV I believe. Great story, and now Randy is looking to read her autobiography with me. We'll have to finish one of the others we're in the middle of first.

The other thing I thought I'd share was this article:

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/01/15/feminist_obsessed_with_mormon_blogs

Enjoy.

Children's Museum

2011-01-20T18:37:00.005-06:00

For the money that mom & dad Griffiths sent for Christmas we decided to become a member of the Dayton Society of Natural History in Dayton Ohio. Why Ohio you might be asking? Because with a $100 membership you get reciprocal benefits to children's museums, zoos, aquariums, and natural history museums across the nation. And in particular, several children's museums close to us in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and DC.

I had never before heard of (much less been to) a children's museum. For those of you out there like me, they are less like museums and more like glorified children's play places. The few that we have visited are in warehouses and they are full of climbing and building things. We remembered our camera when we went to the museum in Baltimore and Lancaster, PA, but we have forgotten our camera both times that we visited our favorite one in Wilmington, DE.

I tried (but failed) to get a good picture of the 3 story urban treehouse in Baltimore. Ruby was too young to trust in this and the older kids and noise scared Anne, so they didn't get into this as much as I had hoped. Here is a picture that captured part of it... (that's Ruby in the pink and Megan is holding Anne next to her)

There was a room full of drums with plastic hollow tubes. You can't imagine the decibel level, but of course the girls loved it.

We we drove the hour to Lancaster, during which we saw several horses and buggies of the Amish, but we were pretty disappointed to see that the building was very small. But it was packed full of fun things to do and we had a ball for a few hours. Megan enjoyed the face painting area. The paints were water colors. Brilliant!

After Megan painted this bad boy on me I got some amazing expressions from others in the museum.

My favorite part was the snow area. They had snowballs made from wool that were perfect for throwing (and being hit).

Lucy just loves the backpack carrier.

They had a room full of dress-ups, big styrofoam props, and a small stage.

Ruby found a wolf, but lost interest before Anne found a red hood :(

This is Megan's favorite picture. Who wouldn't love this girl (guy)?

Thanks Jen for the blanket!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T16:02:00.004-06:00

and Happy New Year!

Our Nativity was awesome this year.

Can you just feel the excitement?

(just kidding. bad timing on the picture.)

Christmas eve jammies.

Things we've been doing:

2010-12-16T08:25:00.009-06:00

Hiking!

rest stop...with snacks!

to the tallest waterfall in the state :)

Hanging out!

A sleepover with Kate!

The girls love her so much. Jane's kids were so good to them. A & R had so much fun following them all around. And we had some super Thanksgiving food! Yum!

First solids.

picture curtesy of Anne

First toes.

I love it when they find these.

First teeth!

I meant to post these a long time ago...

sorry about the commentary. embarrassing .

Halloween

2010-11-06T13:01:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the ward's turnk-or-treat and Anne and Ruby both came home with a bucket full of candy! They were in heaven. We all had a great time. I especially loved the 20 minute hay ride under the stars, with my two big girls snuggled up next to me.

We recycled some costumes this year, but Lucy's is new. She is our sweet cuddly bear.

Don't you just want to squeeze her?

Stuff you've been waiting to see

2010-11-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

--although you probably didn't know it.

We survived the week Randy was in Texas, and even had a few smiles. Now I know I can handle it--but only if I have to.

And here's the new van! I finally remembered to get a picture. We don't know how we used to do without it.

These next 3 pics are of our hike to Turkey Point Lighthouse. Not great pictures or anything, but still kinda fun to see the landscape around here. We are having fun exploring new places.

P.S. The fall leaves have been spectacular! Wish I had some pictures to do it justice.

Let's catch up...

2010-09-30T18:50:00.008-05:00

Labor day we went to the National Zoo (or "yooo", as Ruby pronounces it). Here are some of the better pictures.

The Giant Panda

Those were the only pictures worth looking at.

Then we had enough time to see the Washington Monument,

and the Lincoln Memorial.

I decided to take a series of pictures of Ruby at nap time.

She wouldn't take off the backpack, and yes, her knee is in the air.

To be continued...

But here's another good one of Rubles sporting her big girl "Snow White" panties, a fancy nighty cover-up that has become part of our dress-up stash, and she tops it off with a gorgeous tiara worn as a belt! She's innovative!

Here's a new look to that same cute face we all know and love.

Anne has been begging me for a "hair trim" like her friend Hannah--"and you mom!"

Bangs

Lots of Lucy lovin'

Some more to enjoy -- I love these!

To the BEACH!!

We had a fabulous time playing in the sun and the sand.

Good times.

(I think this is the only picture of our new red van. We love it, by the way.)

Sea shell hunting with her friend Erika.

Fort Macon

A Trip to the Museum

2010-09-20T19:53:00.007-05:00

One Saturday we went to the proving grounds to look around a bit and we took a self guided tour of the museum there. --Which mostly consisted of us wandering this field, looking at the tanks (and the large cool spiderwebs on the tanks) and guns. The indoor part of the museum was in the process of being moved, so we contented ourselves with tanks. Here are a few pics for your enjoyment. I only took one picture of a plaque for you to read, Dad. Sorry.

This one below was built for clearing a mine field. Not shoveling snow.

Wait for it...

HERE's the plaque!

Um, Here is Ruby in a tank field.

And I love Lucy

Don't you?!

-most especially in those jammers-

Potty Train (ed?)

2010-09-12T20:36:00.003-05:00

Mission accomplished!

I've been without transportation for a month or so (Randy takes the car to work every day), so since its no fun to go places with a potty trainee in tow, we figured it was a good time to train her. Ruby's out of a diaper, and lovin' every minute of it!

She really was pretty awesome to train.--Nighttime and naps included.

Here she is with the bribery: panties to wear and a candy bar!!!

(one for her and one for Anne--in the hopes that Anne would be helpful and encouraging)

A Chart to record successes. She loved putting stickers on it!

SUCCESS!!! They were hers for the taking.

Here is the finished chart. She chose to ignore the days and use the corners, as you can see.

Whatever, as long as she's motivated to use the potty, right?

Woo hoo!! Back to only one in diapers at our house. Phew.

North East

2010-08-15T13:38:00.010-05:00

When we went to Iowa we didn't think we would miss it much when we left, but we were wrong. We loved Ames: the many great parks, the amazing children's section of the public library, the good and inspiring people we got to know, the fun storms (although we are grateful we missed the flooding).

The girls handled the packing pretty well thanks to several friends that watched Anne and Ruby while we did the majority of the packing. Thanks!!!

We left Ames about 6:30 in the p.m. and went straight to Raleigh, NC to Megan's sister Jane's house. We got there at about 8:00 p.m., not too shabby.
We had breakfast in Kentucky (I think).

We had fun with Jane and her family for the weekend. Megan and I left for North East, MD Tuesday morning while Anne and Ruby stayed at Jane's for the week. They didn't miss us much but we were glad to see them Saturday.

Upack failed to inform me that the truck was delayed on Monday and wouldn't be able to make my appointment Tuesday afternoon. So Megan slept on an air mattress we had with us and I slept on the floor.

The apartment is quite new and we have brand new carpet. It didn't take long for Ruby to draw on it while our backs were turned. Thanks mom for the little bissel... it came right out :).

We found a beach nearby on the Chesapeake Bay. The water was quite warm, 70-80 degrees. Anne did NOT enjoy the sea grass floating in the water, but se really liked the sand and the warm water.

Lucy is getting pretty chubby. She has come to life since we moved here, which is fun but tiring.

This was Ruby's lunch the other day... after she was done eating.

The girls like eating on the patio and the door is a bit heavy for them.

Swimin' what?

2010-07-16T18:58:00.005-05:00

We were hoping that the security clearance for Randy's new job at Aberdeen Proving Grounds would be through by now. But the HR department that processes the forms before the security clearance can be processed has been SLOW. Randy finally received the security clearance forms on Wednesday morning. He spent the whole day filling them out and sent them in first thing yesterday morning. They tell us it usually takes about two weeks before people are cleared with a working clearance - which would put us hearing back from them a few days before the end of the month. (Dare we hope for a quick return? I'm not holding my breath.) However, our lease is up this month. So we are moving forward and have finally set a moving date for the last Wednesday of this month. We have had that calm assurance that everything will work out in the end. So even though it sounds a little crazy that we might be moving to Maryland before knowing that the job is a go, it doesn't feel crazy to us.

Here are few pictures of the girls having fun in the boxes we have been collecting.

And no post would be complete these days without a picture of the newbie:

As requested

2010-07-02T20:22:00.004-05:00

More pictures:

And just to clarify, yes, we blessed her at 3 days old--before our parents had to leave. Randy gave a really nice blessing!

A musician??

Oh, the sisterly love!

Lucy at 1 week

Anne and Ruby have done really well with the adjustments. It's not pure bliss or anything, but all-in-all, not bad at all! This is the tea party I found in the kitchen after feeding the baby. I love it.

And last but not least, here she is in her Sunday duds! It's so fun to dress her up!

I feel so blessed! Heavenly Father knew just what I needed right now. I was worried (and so was Randy) that things would be too crazy right now. Randy has been really busy finishing things up with school, so it has been such a relief to have such an easy baby. We've got some really busy weeks ahead of us too. To be continued...

The Arrival

2010-06-19T20:50:00.006-05:00

Here are the pictures. No order. Self explanatory.

Things have happened...

2010-06-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa arrived so we showed them the willows. But here's a picture of us.

Grandpa read books and books.

Grandma brought sticker earrings for the girls!!

We waited for Grandma and Grandpa Tovey to arrive to celebrate.

Happy Birthday to Ruby!

She is glad to be able to tell you she's two. (It's a piggy cake.)

Bocce and Art

2010-06-06T09:43:00.006-05:00

Every year on Memorial Day the Elder's Quorum of the Ames 1st Ward has a get together where where we bring snacks and have a Bocce Challenge. Yes, bocce ball. I had never heard of bocce ball before arriving in Ames, but it's pretty big in this ward. Last year I was too busy with the girls to compete, but this year I was the runner up (by one point). Since the winner had recently moved to North Carolina (his sister was getting married and he was visiting), I am now the holder of the trophy which is prominently displayed in my entry way as outlined under the Rules of Engagement of the Bylaws Governing Award of the Russell Trophy. Yes, it's a serious matter here.

Anne and Megan were drawing pictures of each other a few days ago. Anne's picture has a description as she described to Megan after finishing. (I think she captured Megan's belly well, don't you?) Then she asked Megan to draw a picture.

Too bad Ruby got a few marks on Megan's head with the crayon when no body was looking.

The Birthday Ball

2010-05-14T21:03:00.005-05:00

Anne is 4!

She loves to fill her days

coloring and drawing pictures for friends and family

playing with her sister

and her dolls

(and even, sometimes, both together)

riding her bike

(we just took off the training wheels tonight!)

digging with sticks in the mud

and

watching Dora the Explorer

Yesterday was a good day and Anne was sad to see it end.

She kept asking if today was still her birthday.

Here are some highlights from the day:

First thing birthday morning she donned the birthday hat.

The guests arrived for the Ball. Don't they look fancy??

Anne requested a strawberry birthday cake this year. So we made half cake and half cake balls. Yum!

Birthday present time!! Finally!!

My favorite gift, if not hers :) So funny!

The Dutch & the Poo, Happy Mother's Day to You

2010-05-08T19:49:00.009-05:00

I (Randy) only had braces for 2 years... and a retainer for 6 years prior so they could get braces on.

Anne still can't wait to play the violin. This violin is a baby toy guitar and the bow is a wooden screw driver.

What an angel.

We went to the 75th annual Tulip Time Festival in Pella, IA. It's a small town that was founded by Dutch immigrants and they have a week of parades and all things Dutch. I'm not sure if spring hit a little early this year, but we did make sure to get a picture by one of the last tulip flower beds that still had flowers with petals on them.

It was sweet to see a parade where one of the main attractions was a bunch of parents pushing their kids in strollers (many with wooden shoes, of course).

We weren't quite sure what this float had to do Holland, but then we saw the shoes...

Our favorite part of the parade.

Anne's and Ruby's favorite part of the day -- the shuttle ride into the city -- in a REAL (old) yellow school bus!

Ruby has been getting into EVERYTHING lately. The highlight of our week was when Ruby showed us that a travel size tube full of

poop on the floor

(I'm talking a log)

The most amazing part was that she never took her diaper off...

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Whoa-ho!!

2010-04-21T21:20:00.005-05:00

Here is an attention-getter.

Seen from one of my favorite angles--usually my only angle. And yes I am leaning forward a lot so I can see my toes. After confirming how many weeks along I am, the doctor told me I have a "good sized" baby. I'm thinking on the bright side. I'm going to believe that just means they were wrong on the due date and she'll probably be coming earlier! I can hope right?

Last week was VEISHEA at ISU, and Saturday was the parade! We met some friends there and watched together, then made Thai food afterward. It was a great day. The weather was perfect for parade watching--or just being outside. Not too hot, and not too cold! (Although it must have been a lot sunnier than I thought because we all got sunburned noses and cheeks.)

Anne is becoming really good at gathering candy. She and Ruby accumulated an impressive number of tootsie rolls. I like it that Anne is still a little nervous to just run more than a few steps out into the street to get the candy. She always made Randy go with her.

Ruby was pretty funny too. She couldn't stand to have empty hands. Dad was in charge of holding the candy bag and it took a lot of convincing to get Ruby to go make deposits. Her hands were too full to pick up more candy more often than not. When she did put the candy in the bag she always kept at least one piece. She ate so much candy!

After the parade we saw some tractors and the girls climbed on them for a while.

Anne has been practicing her bike-riding so she can show the grandmas and grandpas when they visit.

I know, it is hard to believe I'm only 32 weeks... and that I can still stand upright. Whoa-ho, right?

Easter and Art

2010-04-10T14:14:00.011-05:00

Happy Late Easter!

It was fun to have grandma and grandpa Griffiths over this year! This morning Anne was still asking for Grandma.

We did the egg hunt at a park this year. It made for a much better egg hunt.

We went to see the baby horses at the university Easter morning.

Anne's art has been getting very good. A few months ago she started drawing people: 1- draw circle for head, 2-draw eyes (now with eyeballs but they started as swirls), 3-draw arms from middle of head (but now arms have been replaced by earrings), 6-draw lines from bottom of head for legs, 5-add lines above head for hair, 6-girls get eyelashes.

Anne did this today. Do you see the smile and the three eyes (blue, green, yellow)? (earrings, not arms)

The Fairy Queen's Tea Party

2010-03-06T14:40:00.006-06:00

Well, about a month and a half ago Anne got a "save the date" card in the mail, announcing The Fairy Queen's first annual Tea Party. Ever since then I've been trying to figure out what kind of fairy costume I could make for Anne to wear. After all, when you're invited to the Fairy Queen's Tea Party you should be sure to wear your fairy best!

I finally found a fairy picture I thought might be fun to copy. (I really love the Christmas ornaments and cards by Patience Brewster. She's great!) Once I found something I liked my mind got busy figuring out how I could pull it off. I couldn't even fall asleep. I know. I'm a nerd. But this was a lot of fun for me.

It took quite a while to make--doing and undoing, and figuring everything out. I was putting the finishing touches on the wings up to about a half an hour before the party, but it all worked out.

As you can imagine, Anne had a hard time waiting the month and a half till the date finally arrived. She was so excited! Here is my little fairy--

Some of the guests with the Fairy Queen! What a great party!!!

Can't you just see her excitement??!

It was a fabulous party!! They learned fairy manners and told everyone else what kind of fairy they were and their name. They made fairy wands and fairy crowns. They ate fairy food (Anne says "strawberry treats and muffins and chocolates"), and had lemonade-- Wonderful day!!

Goings on...

2010-02-24T20:45:00.004-06:00

My funny little girls are enjoying each other more and more. It is such a great thing to hear them playing together in the next room while I make dinner!!

Anne and the cookies...

Ruby having her turn rolling the pasta . Pictures by Anne.

Poor monkey.

The new favorite pastime.

So, here's the news

2010-01-30T10:20:00.008-06:00

After much thought, prayer and discussion, we've decided to move on. Randy will graduate with his Masters this spring/summer and we've decided to stop there. We are excited about the future! We're starting the job search, trying to figure out what to do and where we'll be. As we've thought about our time here coming to an end so abruptly, it is a little sad. We've loved Ames and all the experiences we've had here. We also can't help but notice all the blessings we've had--from getting accepted to school here and having it paid for, to all the growth we've had as a family and individually. So many blessings to be grateful for!!! We've got to start to gear up for the changes ahead.

The other great news is that we're having another GIRL!!!

(Sorry, I couldn't get the ultrasound pictures to upload. Some sort of error. boo.)

We've got to get thinking of names.

Hooray for paints!!!

And here are some from our ice storm a couple weeks ago. Everything looked so beautiful, really. The trees, street signs, and everything was all coated with ice. It was pretty cool as long as you weren't trying to go anywhere.

good stuff

2010-01-18T14:23:00.004-06:00

The Post: Here's the finished product--mailbag, envelopes, and mailboxes. We've had some fun writing letters to each other!

The girls love crawling and playing in the tunnels. We have found that rolling a ball just got a lot more fun when you roll it through the tunnel too!

Action shot!

Anne loves her apron and has to wear it every time she even touches anything that has anything to do with food.

Good thing for Dad who will play in the snow with the girls! They never want to come in.

They had so much fun throwing snowballs. Ruby was great to watch because her snowball would go straight up in the air and land in front of her. Sometimes it landed on her head, but she could always recover it. She only needed one snowball. Anne was funny too. The very last throw of the day she went to get dad (about a foot in front of her) and it landed off to her right a ways, almost perpendicular to her target. So good. I love it when little kids are so bundled they can hardly move!

Christmas Time Continued...

2010-01-06T15:13:00.009-06:00

The girls got this doll house to share. My favorite part about it so far is when I hear Anne telling Ruby, "Don't climb up the stairs Rubus!" The stairs are for dolls, not Ruby.

Mermaids!

Making and decorating Christmas cookies with the cousins!

The beloved bingo tiara.

Anne learned about the Nativity story this year and one day she spontaneously put the nativity scene together. We all got to participate. This was taken afterward when she found her scary teeth.

As much as he tried to argue, Dad also played Joseph. (We had 2 Josephs. Anne and Dad) No shepherds here.

Mom played Mary, the doll was baby Jesus, and Ruby was a wise man. She even had the yellow blanket be straw in the manger.

Snow Day

2009-12-12T20:58:00.007-06:00

School was cancelled this last Wednesday and no buses were running. I had not brought home any of my schoolwork so I had an excuse to play with girls! Ruby didn't last too long outside (just look at those cold cheeks). She must get that from Megan. We didn't get that much snow (by Utah's standards), but we did have a snow drift in the back big enough to build a snow fort. I like the progression that Megan caught on camera with Anne checking out her fort. Getting in; uncertain; loving it.

We can't wait to see family and friends in another week!

Christmas Time!

2009-11-29T21:26:00.006-06:00

We couldn't find the hoop that we usually use to make our wreath... I'm proud of my lashing to make the hoop out of some branches.

Our finest ornaments are by far the one's Megan makes. (And that's not just because our other ornaments are mom's rejects that I pilfered a few years ago.)

I love Christmas.

Puss in Boots

2009-11-21T09:00:00.002-06:00

What is the attraction?

Happy Halloweeeeen!

2009-10-31T20:26:00.008-05:00

I think Megan did a great job on a new costume for Anne this year. She didn't quite make it to the cape (maybe next year), but I don't think anyone missed it. Ruby fit nicely into the ladybug costume that Megan made for Anne a few years ago. It's fun to see Megan's creativity on the girls.

I really love the spider in the hat and the gloves kept her hands reasonably warm this year!

Eyes on the prize!

We told them to both choose a treat and they both chose the gold fish. Go figure.

I went into the bathroom this morning and found Ruby in the sink playing with the vanity. (Don't you love our beautiful bathroom. It's going to be hard leaving this place.)

Scary!!! Happy Halloween!

Something new to look at!

2009-10-29T21:14:00.004-05:00

I know I've been so bad about blogging for the past while. We have been enjoying all the groups we joined lately--play group, babysitting group, date night group, and letter group. Becoming a groupie has really spiced up our lives. More to come soon with Halloween pictures and all. For now, here is a little of Anne and a lot of Ruby.

The highlight of Randy's day (and mine) is coming home from school. Ruby and Anne go crazy. Ruby was so excited this day that she started somersaulting. She's really close to doing it by herself, actually!

Ruby is always finding a way to get into things. Just look at that face

She was on her way down from the top of the mattress by the time Randy got the camera.

The girls like Reading with Randy too.

Lota Stuffus

2009-09-23T21:01:00.010-05:00

Here are a bunch of photos of things we've been doing lately. Too much has happened since our last post...

These are from the Iowa State Fair. It was huge and a lot of fun. I think almost any food you get there comes on a STICK!

We took this while waiting in line to see the mama pigs with all the little baby piggies. Can you read Anne's hat?

Probably the thing Randy and I enjoyed the most was this one man band. He was seriously good! It was fascinating to watch him play.

Here is clifford. We asked Anne if she wanted to have her picture taken with him and to our surprise she did. So we waited in line and got this picture! Needless to say, Anne was a bit nervous to be too close to him. She had given him a hug and was out of there faster than the time between me pushing the button and the camera actually clicking.

So... after much pep-talking and preparation, she stood there long enough for this. We were very proud of her.

FORTS! (Need I say more??)

The Last Swim of the Summer

Funny girls at snack time.

Anne and I were bored one afternoon during Ruby's nap, so we did a photo shoot. I'm no photographer, but we had fun.

Then Anne got a turn with the camera.

Ada Hayden Park. We love it here. It is great for finding frogs (but not touching them) and throwing rocks and getting muddy. We love it here.

Life has picked up again with school in full sway. Randy is busy, busy, busy, so that means I am too. It is good to get a good schedule going again. Randy is teaching Statistics 101 this semester and to help him prepare, he lectures to me the night before. I think if I were to be enrolled in the class I could totally get an A this time through ;)

For Paige: Swimmin' Soups and Sun Scream

2009-08-16T19:15:00.009-05:00

I (Randy) took a week off and we all had a great week together. We did some 'camping' (Iowa style) at a camp owned by a couple of stakes out here. It has a lovely river that Anne was enjoying swimming in and looking at all the little fish. Ruby and Anne also had fun riding in the mini handcarts they have to help you load your gear from the parking areas to your site. When we got to the camp we were the only ones there, but I had noticed when we registered that there was one other family. But since there are a ton of camp sites, I figured it would feel like we had the place to ourselves. After unloading the car and setting up camp, we put on our 'swimmin soups' (as Anne calls them) and went down to the river to play. Upon our return a few hours later, we noticed the other family had arrived and was unloading their minivan and setting up camp right next to ours! Imagine, the whole place (large enough to hold stake camps) and this family sets up RIGHT next to us. So we laughed it off, took down our camp and moved to an even better sight on the other side of the property.

The second site.

This is me admiring my smoke. It took me a long time to get to this point. It's just amazing how, even though we had not had rain for several weeks, all the wood was still damp. It was never this hard in Utah! I did finally succeed in getting a nice fire before dark though.

We had been hearing about Reiman Gardens, a mini version of Thanksgiving Point that ISU owns. Only Reiman Gardens has a magnificent butterfly enclosure. The USDA imports a bunch of butterflies from around the globe and they show them off and breed them here. The butterflies are available to see in this large glass room filled with tropical plants. I thought Anne would really enjoy seeing the butterflies, and she did. Only not the live ones. She enjoyed looking at the dead ones posted up on the wall. When we got into the room and the butterflies were flying all around her, she got very scared and started screaming bloody murder (sorry for the choice of expression Paige, but I'm serious). You'd have thought they were eating her. Seeing as how the room is a glass enclosure, her screaming got her outta there p.d.q. Were successful in getting her to go back in a few hours later to giving it another try before we left . She was pretty nervous at first, but by the time we had made the loop around the room, she didn't want to leave. Success!

Since it's free for students and Anne gets in free still, Anne and I went back the next day and enjoyed it all again. We had forgotten the camera the first time, so I took these pictures of Anne on day two.

Do you see all the butterflies...? No? I swear there were 10 or so when I took this picture.

They showcase the cocoons of the moths and butterflies. This was a giant moth that had just come out. It's wing span was about as wide as Anne's head.

Here's Anne digging fossils.

We also got a pool pass for the month. Anne just loves going to the "deep pool" with her water wings. She does pretty good with them, but still has a hard time going under the water. I also get a kick out of how aware she is of the need for sunscreen (or sunscream as she calls it). She does not like being in the sun without protection. And it's a good thing too, since her pale skin still glows in the sun. Though I did notice this morning that she has the faintest swimming suit lines on her skin: white and slightly pink.

Sorry, no pictures from the pool. (As if I haven't already posted a plethora of pictures already. Yes, we watched 'The Three Amigos' a few days ago.)

Tomorrow we're off to the state fair. Which as I understand is the largest state fair in the nation, depending on who you ask. Some argue that Minnesota's might be bigger. But that argument usually gets quickly swatted away by any others present.

Cheers Paige, we miss you.

The willows and tom yum!

2009-07-26T15:29:00.007-05:00

Above is just a taste of what is to come--and that is a lot of pictures of our new favorite place to visit and play: The willows at Ada Hayden park.

But to keep you in suspense, here is a pic of me and Randy,

and here is one of Tom Yum Kai that I made myself. Yummy! It's the first time I've ever made this Thai soup. I know it looks gross but if you ever get the chance, order tom yum at your local Thai restaurant and you will be oh, so glad you did!

Raspberries growing outside this window.

Almost got back with Ruby in ten seconds for this timer pic. Not too bad... (She was half way through the maze)

So, to explain a little, Ada Hayden is an old mine that was filled with water and is now a small lake located just north a few blocks from where we live. There is a bike path around it and a bridge over it. On the north end of the lake I understand that an artist is responsible for doing this with the willows. I wish I could take better pictures so you could see how cool it really is. I think it was done in the fall/winter last year, but now as you can see, the willows are starting to grow again. I love it.

Just try to imagine the never-ending hide-and-seekabilities in this place.
Now you know why this is our new favorite place!

And what would our blog be like without a movie of Anne? Can you smile all the wild?

Summer

2009-07-11T09:48:00.012-05:00

Megan is out of the house with Anne while Ruby naps so I thought I'd take advantage of some free time and update you. I finished my summer class yesterday so I can finally begin my summer 'break'. I thought things were going to slow down this summer, but it seemed to me that I was busier than I was during the school year. My review of analysis (advanced calculus) turned out not to be so much of a review. But the teacher was good and I learned a lot. I just hope I passed. Coming home last night I felt a bit strange. I think this is the first weekend since Christmas break that I don't have anything that I need to be doing for school.

My job for the summer is working on material for the blog of a book that a new professor here wrote called Bayesian Reliability. The authors wanted to hire someone to help them get a website up for the book. I am interested in both Bayesian methods and Reliability, but I haven't actually studied either of them before. I was talking to Alyson Wilson (co-author and new professor at ISU) and she told me if I wanted to find out what Reliability problems are like and learn some Bayesian methods as well, they would hire me. So this summer I have been adding the data sets from the book onto the website and creating a solutions manual that is also posted on the website. I just finished the chapter on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations. It has been a challenge writing solutions for a book that combines two areas I have never studied before, but I am enjoying it. An added bonus is that I am learning a bit of HTML (another subject I've never gone into before).

You can check out what we've done for the book at www.bayesianreliability.com. The site is not much to look at right now, but it's organized and has a lot of useful material :)

It was great to have mom and dad here with us this last week. We were all sad to see them go.

This is on campus in front of the student union with the famous clock tower in the background.

Anne was enjoying helping mom with her math homework (as if there is any other kind).

This park has great wading pool that Anne and Ruby (and not-so-secretly Megan) are enjoying.

Thanks for the bike trailer Shamae. We use it all the time. As you can see, they just love it.

We are so proud of Anne's resourcefulness.

And what would the Griffiths' house be like without dancing.

Father's Day

2009-06-21T21:04:00.005-05:00

Happy Father's Day.

Sing along...

Ruby is ONE!

2009-06-11T21:44:00.005-05:00

My smiler

"Is it worth getting all sticky?"

"Yep."

Congratulations Rubenstein. We love you.

the happenings

2009-06-04T14:28:00.016-05:00

note the mirror close at hand. she had to see how she looked after every sip of her tripple berry shake. fabulous! sip, look, wipe. sip, look, wipe...

I think I should start documenting some of the outfits that Anne comes up with more regularly. As my mom and older sister have told me, I used to be just like Anne about changing my clothes a bajillion times a day. Man, I guess I deserve it, but in my old age I really hate having clothes all over the place. We have been working on confining the clothes to her room.
P. S. It was about 80 degrees outside the day we took this one.

she had a gallon of drool all down her front by the time we got it away from her.

This is Ruby having a turn on the coveted rocking chair. Isn't she cute?

Anne and Dad try to climb trees every night after dinner. They have a regular tree climbing route before bedtime.

Happy Birthday Anne!!!

2009-06-04T14:04:00.002-05:00

Anny guesses what she got?

She was so excited!

Not the greatest presentation, but it still turned out looking like a butterfly

Anne chose the colors herself. Green and purple, some of her very favorites.

She was so excited about her new bike until it got going down the (slight) hill without her pedaling it. We worked hard to help her figure out the breaks, but she still has a little anxiety over hills.

Happy Birthday Anne!!!

Feelin' it

2009-05-06T20:46:00.005-05:00

Rock on!

...she's soooo into the primary songs.

Ruby wanted to push for a change.

The following are some pics from a picnic we had on campus with dad during finals week. Incidentally, Anne refers to ISU as "my school" and whenever she practices writing or drawlering (her own word that perfectly describes what she does on paper. She uses the word all the time too.) she claims she is doing her "homework". (I hope the good habits stick)

Life after Spring Break

2009-04-19T13:33:00.007-05:00

I know--not the best picture you've ever seen, but this is the valley of Adam-Ondi-Ahmen. We really loved this stop on our church history tour.

Here's another shot of us walking to the lookout point at Adam-Ondi-Ahmen. It just looked like a really well groomed plot of land, but it was worth driving out there to see.

The story of our lives begins: "Randy checked out a book at the library today..." This picture represents the fruits of the latest book. He even used our new wheat grinder to make flour for this yummy whole wheat bread. (woot.) Currently we have books on pasta, vegetarian diets, William Tyndale's 1526 New Testament (really fun to read), and obviously whole grain breads to name a few. Seriously...you might ask what we did on Friday night. The answer is: Randy whipped out Tyndale's Bible that he was so excited to show me and we read the introduction together.--What else is there to do for a date when you have no funds? (we have exhausted our movie selection...suggestions are welcome)

Can you spot the egg?? (or the trash)

Easter morning.
Anne's face says it all.

We would also like to inform you that Ruby took her first steps this last month. She's not much for crawling (it's more of a pull with her arms and drag her face on the carpet crawl), but we're proud of her for no longer being content to just sit in herself anymore.

Spring Break with the Browns

2009-04-05T20:17:00.003-05:00

Happy as a heap of rocks. Rubenstein really liked the freedom from her carseat on the day we explored a wildlife habitat near Kansas City. She sat and munched rocks and dirt and grass and anything else she could get her pudgy, cute little hands on. We had a picnic here at this little lake and I'm surprised there was a lake left by the time we left. Anne was throwing rocks in to her little heart's content--after several lessons on throwing from dad.

Ruby liked poking and prodding dad while we toured Nauvoo. We had a fabulous time with Hillary and Rand who were so nice to meet us there and then watch the girls while Randy and I attended a session at the temple. We all met Friday night and stayed the night in a little log cabin that was reconstructed to be like a cabin from back in the day. Anne loved sleeping on the top bunk and could hardly contain her excitement for Aunt Hillary and Uncle Rand to arrive and sleep too. The best part about the log cabin was the bathtub. No shower. Just a really old bathtub...

We stopped for a picnic lunch in a grove at Nauvoo. It was swampy. Anne had a run in with the ground and we had to change her pants. I guess they used to (and still do) hold outdoor meetings in groves like this--- I wouldn't mind going to church outside sometimes :)

Randy got a sweet shot of the temple, the Browns, and Anne while on our horse-drawn wagon tour of Nauvoo! (As you can see) Ha! --note how Anne is sitting with Aunt Hillary. Hillary became her replacement mom on this trip...she even took over helping with bathroom duty for Anne. She wiped Anne's never sticky hands and got Anne her milk at mealtimes. She was fabulous!! And Hillary, I want you to know Anne is still talking about you and Rand. She talks to you on her play phone all the time. We'll have to call sometime and let her talk to you for real.--Anyway, the Nauvoo temple is my new favorite temple. I loved how it was decorated. They used the funnest, most beautiful colors and patterns inside. Wow! It is gorgeous!! Anybody want to come out? We'll take you to Nauvoo and the Church sites...

I just really like this picture. Oh, the love!

Violin

2009-03-10T22:08:00.002-05:00

This one is for Anne's namesake, Anne Francis.

February

2009-03-01T15:39:00.009-06:00

February has been a most interesting month. Thanks Mamma & Pappa Tovey for the Valentines Day package. The dancing dresses are Awsome! (At no extra charge for awsomeness.) We were all sorry to have to retire Ruby's head piece because her head is so large.

Some of you have heard how we were shown at Ruby's 7 month doctor visit that she had gained 2 lbs. since her 5 month visit, but had barely grown 1/2 inch in length. Yep. She's fat. But she's growing now (and more active to boot). I was just informed by the editor that the head piece is not being retired. It's too sweet.

I wish the weather here could make up it's mind. We've had everything from negative 20 to 60 (all in one week). It seems that every week we've had some in the teens and some in the 50s. The girls are tired of being cooped up in the house and we are looking foreward to warmer and more active March (fingers crossed).

School for me has been rough this last month, but I continue to be amazed at what Statistics has to offer. I just have to step back occasionally and not get bogged down in the math to see what an amazing field I have the priviledge of studying. It really is beautiful stuff.

A few weeks ago Megan woke up and couldn't move her head and the back of her neck was swollen. We were very blessed to find a good chiropractor. She has most of her range of motion back now and is feeling much better. We look forward to having her back to normal (though the chiropractor thinks that the last time she was normal was probably when she was 15). The X-rays of her back were cool. I wish I had a copy of them to post so you could see her twisted spine. Though I'm afraid mine looks similar. Because of all this we have renewed our T'ai Chi practicing. I hope you enjoy the video of Anne and what she has been getting out of all this.

This past week I had a viral eye infection. It was terrible. My left eyelid started swelling up on Monday morning and by Tuesday morning it was swollen shut. Thankfully on Thursday morning the swelling was down a little and I could read again.

With the frustrations that come from trials like those of the last few weeks I have a greater appreciation for the bodies we have and look foreward to resurrection when we will have perfect bodies. I was thinking about the scripture in Ether where Christ tells the Brother of Jared that he gives men weakness so that we will be humble. I am thankful for the weak and imperfect body that I have that reminds me of my nothingness before God.

9 month old baby

2009-02-02T21:49:00.002-06:00

Babies are amazing. Everyone should watch this YouTube video. It's the best thing I've ever seen there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vNxjwt2AqY

From Warm to Magnetic

2009-01-30T22:28:00.006-06:00

I Think this speaks for itself.

Warm

The Colonel

The Dirte

The Frenchie

Magnetic

Megan liked this one so much we decided to keep it.

(At least until tomorrow)

Old Things and New Things

2009-01-24T16:52:00.006-06:00

The other night Anne found her summer hat and insisted on wearing it to bed. When Megan and I went into the girls room to put Ruby down for the night we had a good laugh at Anne, sleeping with her hat on. She didn't even wake up with the bright flashes from the camera. What a good sleeper!

I got some new glasses the other day. They're pretty different from what I've had for the last decade, so I thought I'd show them off a bit (even though Megan picked them out).
Note to self: the first pic here is with the computer cam.

2008-12-22T13:20:00.008-06:00

Merry Christmas to All! (Santa came on the 22nd since we're traveling to Utah the 23rd. Anne and Ruby didn't seem to mind.)
We were curious to see if Anne would understand Santa. She's not a morning person, but she figured it out in a few minutes.

All Anne wanted from Santa was some slippers. Santa was able to oblige with these sweet Elmo slippers. She was pretty excited when she saw the 'Sleeping Beauty' Dress (we know it's Snow White) and immediately put it on.

The only time we could get her take off her dress was to get into the tub. Megan found some bathwater coloring. We did blue this morning. Fun!

Even Ruby got into the fun (Chubby).

2008-12-19T08:02:00.004-06:00

Megan has been making us some ornaments for the Christmas tree out of sculpey clay. I am so impressed at how well these turned out! It was fun to read 'A Christmas Carol' out loud a couple of evenings while Megan sculpted. What an great wife I have!

pie-o-pie

2008-12-16T17:23:00.005-06:00

Just feast your eyes on this beauty! I am so proud of the pie I made for the ward Christmas party. Not only was it nice looking, but it tasted scrumsh too! I was so pleased I took this picture. (It was a pear lemon pie.)

Learning

2008-11-30T20:12:00.005-06:00

Here's a video of the rocker.

And here's a video of the girls.

Playing Catch-Up

2008-11-25T14:52:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our blog. Seeing as how we're not the best emailers, we plan on updating this blog monthly (at the beginning of each month).