Halloween Costumes (aka, how I am a sucker for spending limited time in frivolous ways for a silly holiday)

You might gather from the title that I am a bit chagrined by the amount of effort I put into a certain costume for the amount of time it remained on a little person's body (Caroline, you are such a varmint!)

I thought I managed to pull off a pretty cute look, considering the amount of time allotted me to work on it, but considering how busy we have been, maybe I should have cleaned my toilets instead. She only wore her costume for 5 minutes... then I started to find pieces of it on the floor at our church building for our trunk or treat. Ah well. I guess we were never shoo-ins for the costume award anyway (but I am proud to say I made them and that the cost was minimal)! Gwen sure loved her shark, though, and wants to wear her costume non-stop around the house.

And apparently, noone could figure out that I was a jelly-fish. No, I was not an umbrella. I thought it looked pretty good, especially with the goldfish and shark alongside, but maybe I wasn't so obvious as I supposed. Eric's costume subtlety went over EVERYONE's heads. They all thought he just didn't dress up. No no. It is a pun. and it is punny. He's a "muscle"... "mussel"... goes along with the ocean theme? get it? get it?... but no one got it. Or could appreciate the humor because he is definitely NOT what most people would call a muscle... :P and he said it first, not me!

I'll have to do another post with the fun things we've been doing around here, but this week is too busy. I've got to turn in my 60 page thesis in a week!

Peach Productivity!

Productivity and "feeling productive" are often two very different things around here.

But last weekend the two coincided!

We bottled 31 quarts of delicious fresh-picked peaches from a local orchard on Saturday. This almost didn't happen because we missed the annual sale that we wait all year for... but decided to bite the financial bullet because nothing compares to home-bottled peaches! It was amazing how much more quickly it went with two adult hands rather than just me trying to get a batch or two done during nap time. Plus I just love cooking with my husband; it affords us such beautiful time to chat about all kinds of things.

We saved out a dozen or so peaches for baking and eating... and freezing, but we ended up eating and
eating and never froze any! I did reserve a handful for this delicious peach pie!

The recipe is awesome because it combines the perfection of a pie (presentation, folks! We eat with our eyes first!) and the perfection of a cobbler (streusel... no need to say any more, right? You guys are right with me!) because it has BOTH! You really ought to try it! and if you have a nut allergy, you can totally leave out the almonds and it would still be amazing.

The last few days of astronomy curriculum were this week, so I had the girls help me with the star and moon decorations. They had a great time eating our 'space' pie! :)

Summer Photos

It has been a while since I posted. I thought about trying to come up with a profound post, particularly because I've read some pretty provocative books in the past couple months that prompt my opinions, but I decided it would be altogether more satisfying in the long run if I documented in photos a few of the things we've done so far this summer. So, nothing profound, just life. Which I guess IS profound. :) Sorry, they are in reverse chronological order. ;)

My family had a reunion at Gettysburg this year for the 150th anniversary. Wouldn't you know my photos of the reenactment are...lame...so. Oh well. I have great memories of the things we did, including Amish country, Hershey chocolate world, and swimming daily to escape the sweltering heat. Just had my hands too full with little crazy kids, I guess, to take all the photos I wanted. Here are  few I did manage to take:

She looks angry, but really Gwen is so happy to be holding hands with her cousin S, who 'grew up' quite a bit since the last time the cousins got together. S's older brother, whom Gwen usually sticks to like glue, might have been slighted more than once by Gwen who made it clear that she was sitting by S, standing by S, going with S, walking with S, and playing with S pretty much all the time. Poor little cousin A. There was a love quadrangle there, Gwen wanted S, A wanted Gwen and C wanted A... the drama of 3-5 year-olds, seriously. :)

 inside Indian echo caverns

 Caroline *finally* content on a swing. She was in rare form the entire reunion

. In other words, I don't know if my family got to see much of her endearing side, just her crazy side. :)

 Once again, Gwen and cousin S.

 At home in C-bus the girls get to explore various parks. Here: Coffman park. 

 Homestead park:

 fishing with daddy

 Alum Creek (which is actually a freshwater beach 30 minutes north of us)

 Bunny fountains:

 In Idaho for Collin and Alison's wedding, we made a point of spending time up at the cabin.

  It was dinosaur week for our summer curriculum, and it ROCKED up at the cabin with "real" fossils to dig up (actually elk bones, but cousin E was positive they were pteranadon scapulae and the like), fossil cookies, and awesome dino hats courtesy of Uncle Marc and Aunt Rachelle. 

It has been a busy and marvelous summer! and it isn't over yet!

What I want for Mother's Day...

What I got out of Stake Conference today:

1. I really want to be a better, more patient, more loving mom. The kind that never raises her voice and always gets down eye to eye with her children, even when disciplining them. Always out of love, never out of anger. The kind of mom that shows her children what following Jesus Christ truly looks like. 
2. My children (esp the younger one) are bent on making the above desire as hard as possible by disobeying whenever possible-lying regularly-and abusing the younger sis (elder child's infractions) or screaming, squalling, kicking, biting, bawling, whining, and just generally being an ornery disagreeable child as often as possible (younger child's infractions). Family Home Evening lessons just don't seem to be sinking in, no matter how many different angles I approach the various problems we are having in our home.
3. The desire and the frustrating reality were painfully apparent at the conference as I battled (quite literally with screaming and kicking and hitting and trips out to the foyer about every 5 minutes) with the littles in between snippets of inspiration that were painfully opposite of the juxtaposed reality. 
4. What can I say more? While being inspired to WANT more joy and peace in my family, I am at the same time so frustrated with the CONSTANT fighting between the kids, the selfishness, and the never-ceasing bawling from the little one, and the subsequently far too frequent bouts of combustion from my own frustration-- that I can't help also feeling like it was a hard chastisement for our lack of spirituality in our home and relationships. 
5. I am not looking for comments of 'you can do this' or 'this is just a phase--they'll grow out of it'. This isn't a post to glean some obligatory compliments or words of sunshine. What this IS: a frustrated mom who feels like she's insane to want more kids when she can't handle the two she's got, when the pending Mother's Day next week just makes her want to hurl cards and flowers off the deck because what she REALLY wants.... really really... is a happy family with two girls that will love each other, play together, and stop the constant constant constant contention that drives the spirit from our home. 

That's what I got from Stake Conference today.

Athletics Update

Remember this?

Time for another physical fitness goal. Not because I'm terribly out of shape, but because over the past year I've slipped slightly from my desired health and accompanying appearance. Like I said, nothing dramatic here, but I don't want to let all that hard work slip any further! It helps me to focus on a goal. and it just so happens that the first week of June my BIL is getting hitched (to a really fabulous gal, btw) and I'd like to look (and feel) AWESOME for their special day! To be clear, this is NOT my before picture. :)

Being accountable helps me a ton. I can earn 4 points every day, which I record alongside weight. So here are my objectives (I'm not sharing my ultimate weight loss goal because I don't want anyone to judge me):

• sugar only 1 bite a day: I opted for the 'one bite' rule rather than 'zero' or 'only once a week' options. I found that the sugar once a week thing became a binge day (I found myself saying, "hey, today's my sugar day, I can have that and that and that"). I think it is better for me to discipline to 1 bite, well-chosen, to savor each day. "Sugar" includes sugary kids cereal, regular sugary yogurt, jam, and obviously dessert. 
• carbohydrates 2 1/2 servings a day: I have often indulged in way too many slices of fresh homemade bread. Yes, it is complex and healthy, but calories are calories. 2 servings means I can have a good cereal for breakfast and a carb for lunch or dinner (salad, protein smoothie, etc are options for the other meal). The extra 1/2 means I can have pita with hummus or something else as a snack, but can't overdo it. No extras for second helpings at meal time. If I'm still hungry, have second helpings of veggies. :)
• water 4 large glasses a day: I found the 64 oz rule was way too much water for me. maybe tmi, but I spent way too much time running to the restroom. 4 glasses is realistic for me: 1 in the am, 1 with lunch, 1 in the pm, 1 with dinner. I don't count the water I drink during exercise towards my 4 glasses.
• exercise 5x's a week: This is intentional, 45 minute exercise. Walking doesn't count unless it is looong, like 2 hours pushing a stroller at the zoo. I actually plan to exercise 6x's a week, excluding Sunday, but the 5x goal is what I'll hold myself accountable for. 

There is no individual reward for the points, those are just tools to get me to my weight loss goal. When I reach that, the reward is a new item of clothing. 

Eric and I have also been talking at length for some time about how little I've been able to utilize my gym membership this winter bc Caroline has had a cold pretty much since October. I think I've averaged about 3x's a week all winter, because I can't bring snotty noses along and keeping the kiddos healthy has proven a challenge. Also, this is NOT an announcement, but sometime this year we would like to begin expanding our family. That means a few months of ZERO gym-use because I usually get too sick to do much of anything. Then there are the last few months of pregnancy that also get less use from a gym and the first 3 months when a baby can't go to the gym. Finally, Eric does not have time to go to the gym unless he goes late at night after the kids are in bed, which doesn't appeal to either one of us. He'd like to work out at home. So. We were looking at quite a bit of money to pour into a membership that wouldn't really go to any good use. With all those things in mind, we've decided to cancel the membership at the end of the month and instead invest in a few basic exercise equipment purchases that we can use at home. during nap time. workout date night. that kind of thing. It just makes sense for our family at this time.

Thus, in addition to my revamped healthy goals, I have been working on designing an exercise plan. The cardio and yoga are easy, actually, thanks to youtube. But I also wanted to have a circuit-training "MIX" class, like the one that kicks my butt every Saturday at the gym. I'm still getting it figured. I understand how to design circuits, have all my possible exercises written out and categorized... what I'm lacking--and please don't laugh if you don't think this isn't an integral part of exercise-- is a way to get my MUSIC to coordinate with the high intensity-low intensity switches. What I mean is, I like to do high intensity when the music is most intense, generally the chorus. Verses are great for build up or low intensity. But the circuit thing is typically "30 seconds high intensity 30 seconds rest" between 6-8 exercises then repeated for 5 sets with a 3 minute recovery between each set. You see my challenge? How do I get my music to coordinate with 30 seconds on 30 seconds off for basically an hour? Or, alternatively, do I just follow the music and switch to high intensity when the music does? Which would give me some exercises lasting WAY more than 30 seconds and some rests lasting way more than 30 seconds. Also, if the music doesn't coordinate, then I am forced to watch the second hand on the clock, which I don't like. I'd rather just pour all my energy into the exercise and push through to the end of the time without craning my head to watch each second drag by. Know what I mean? It would really help if the music could cue me. Any suggestions? If you've got experience with this, please share!

Well, there you have my fitness update and goals! Keep me accountable. I'll be reporting back after the first month. I'd love to play along with you! If you decide to design your own healthy goals, I'd love to hear about it!

Our Spunky Caroline is 2 Years Old!

Happy Birthday to my dear, affectionate, vivacious, passionate Caroline!

2 years ago you joined our family. 

Since then, we've never had a dull moment. :)

We've enjoyed every single one of your delightfully frequent hugs (except Gwen, who bemoans the fact that your hugs for her always become wrestling matches)

and we've delighted in your silly faces, noises, and antics. 

We can't believe how much you love to hurt yourself-- when will you figure out tantrums don't serve your cause?

We are amazed at your dare-devil nature-- don't think for a moment that this shorty is mild-mannered, bc she will barrel right over you, jump, run, kick, climb, wrestle...and, yes, bite. 

You are such an active gal, scarcely sitting through an entire book. You love learning, but are definitely a hands-on kind of explorer. Coloring, painting, and sorting of small objects like buttons are the only activities that you will "slow down" for, instead preferring to run around like a crazy woman. Everything you do, you express physically. If you are happy, you wrestle; frustrated, you throw a monster tantrum; tired, you bite. Lucky for us, when you are feeling affectionate, you also freely demonstrate your love with hugs, cuddles, and kisses. 

We sure love you, little stinker, and are so grateful to have you in our family!

Caroline has a few favorite games:

• "push" (which means, she wants to sit on the floor and push you over, laugh about it, sit on you, then get up and do it again)
• "chase" (the classic doing laps around the kitchen-livingroom loop)
• "climb" or "up high" (she wants to climb up to STAND on your shoulders, be thrown, etc)
• "gotchu" (being tickled/wrestled all over the floor). 

She has a few favorite toys/activities as well:

• bouncing on balloons (a balloon with helium is probably her favorite toy ever) 
• bubbles
• swings, slides, and climbing-- and jumping off things!
• coloring with markers (30% of the time they end up ON her skin, but she throws a fit if you even suggest crayons instead!)
• mini-hand-held princesses (she calls them "schwin-cess")
• rocks (throwing them--we're working on that)
• and anything that Gwen happens to be interested in at any given time. 

And a few favorite foods (don't be fooled--when I say 'favorite', I mean these are the ONLY things she will condescend to put in her mouth):

• fruit (besides bananas) --sometimes this is the only things she will eat... all day. We NEVER offer her fruit first bc if she sees it, she will spit out whatever is in her mouth to make room.
• veggies: green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower (sometimes)
• hot dogs, bacon, pork loin, eggs, and salami (sometimes)
• cereal (though she is picky about the kind), goldfish crackers, homemade bread (sometimes), rice (sometimes), potatoes (sometimes), and spaghetti (sometimes)
• candy (all the time), ice cream (all the time) and surprisingly, not so much a fan of cake or cobbler

Easter--the 'just for fun' traditions!

now I know Easter is NOT about eggs and edible goodies. We celebrate the great sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, with our thoughts and hearts reverently turning to Him in remembrance of His everlasting Atonement. Eggs have nothing to do with that.

But I enjoy the feast of colors that Easter-- with all its clearly secular rather than religious traditions-- ushers in. Since I am confident my children are NOT worshiping a pagan god or fertility goddess, I see only fun in the secular traditions. Fun and family. So we have our fair share of egg dyeing, cookie making, peep eating, egg hunting, and candy consuming in our family!

Egg Dyeing

This year we just did regular dyed eggs. Next year perhaps we'll venture out for a new method, I have seen a ton of ideas I'd like to try!

 Gwen enjoyed using the "magic" crayon

 Caroline wanted to participate too-- knowing her love of making messes, I only gave her two colors and 3 eggs...and she went to town!

 "Cheese!"

 Gwen wanted to add stickers to hers

 Caroline starts to notice her hands look funny...

 the dripping eggs quickly digressed into "dropped" eggs to see how big a splash she could create!

Caroline's egg started to look pretty grodey (and yes, that is the word I'm going with here), because the green and pink mixed makes brown (opposites on the color wheel and all, what can you expect). But that poop brown layer started to peel like a sunburn, revealing patches of pale pink underneath. Absolutely fascinating. I have no idea why it did that. 

and she thought her hands were interesting before...yeah, by the end of the activity, she looked ridiculous! 

 Gwen's finished eggs

 Caroline's 'poopy' egg

 and another of Caroline's that actually turned out quite pretty

 Caroline's egg lineup

 Of course she had to try some-- and wasn't offended by the vinegar, apparently, because she kept drinking it until I took it all away!

 The eggs

Peeps homes 

(gave us a chance to talk a teeny bit about nature too, particularly bird nests)

Caroline's Peeps didn't make it into their house unscathed...she took bites out of both of them before they got to go "home". 

Cookie baking and decorating:

 (we were blessed to have a completely unexpected visit from my folks for about 5 daytime hours-- we packed in a week's worth of memories, including these cookies!)

 Caroline had to be right there amidst the action

 Caroline hardly let Grandpa get any work done--she wouldn't let anyone else pick her up but just pestered him with "up up up up" until he succumbed!

Gwen's beautiful cookie!

and because this post is already super long, I'll save the egg hunt for another post. That hasn't even happened yet anyway, so it works out perfectly! :)