Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

This morning, Brooke and Autumn were playing campout in our living room. They got toy bins and blankets for their tents, and were "going to sleep". I heard, from the other room, Autumn singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"... she sang all the words, and did such a great job. So, I went out and tried to get her to replicate it for the camera. Which she didn't. So, this video is her "I am in front of the camera" version. But it is still super cute.

Cinderella

Two evenings ago, the girls put on a play for Dave and I. It was Cinderella. Chloe played Cinderella, Ciera was the stepmother and the fairy godmother, Brooke was the stepsisters and the prince. Autumn started off as one of the stepsisters, but quickly diverged from the story and became a princess, a fairy, a fish (I don't know where she got that one!), and sometimes was in the audience with us.
The play was cute, and the girls had a lot of fun doing it. There were some mess-ups, wardrobe malfunctions, and most of all... a lot of laughter. I enjoy seeing my girls doing fun, imaginative things together!

Brooke for President

Today, Brooke said to me, "I am the President, and I live in the big, white house."
I said, "What is your job as President? What do you do?"
She responded (in a British sounding voice), "I sit in my chair."
I asked what she does in her chair.
She said, thinking hard, "Maybe... read."
I think she is pretty close!

All about Dave

I was tagged by my friend Shana to do a post all about my wonderful husband. When I told him, he said, "Oh I can just imagine what you will write". Well, here it is...

5 FAVORITE THINGS THAT HE LOVES

1. Annette
2. Ciera
3. Chloe
4. Brooke
5. Autumn
Okay, I know... that is cheating, so we will count that as only number 1. So, starting again...
1. his family
2. being a missionary
3. guitar
4. WOW
5. the Office

5 THINGS ON HIS TO-DO LIST
His to-do list from ME is pretty long, and mostly has to do with things we still need to do to our house, but HIS to-do list is probably a bit different than that. I will try to write what I think his list would include.
1. Finish his Post-doctoral work and get a permanent job (in Logan would be great)
2. Do some more outdoor recreation/sports (biking, hiking, climbing, rafting, boarding, etc. You get the picture...)
3. Master the guitar and become really, really good
4. Become the world famous entomologist that discovered the rare something-or-other bee that is known only for its pollination of the rare something-or-other flower.
5. Retire early and serve lots of couple missions. (I don't know how I will do with this one...)


5 SNACKS THAT HE LOVES
1. Any delicious baked goodness that I make... especially chocolatey goodness.
2. Homemade cinnamon rolls or cinnamon swirl bread
3. Chips and homemade salsa
4. salted in-shell peanuts (not the shell, but after he gets the nuts out, of course)
5. Christmas treats like fudge, chocolates, coo0kies, etc.


5 FACTS YOU MAY NOT KNOW
1. His second toe is way longer than the rest... we call it his alien toe.

2. He developed an allergy to honey bees while he was doing his graduate work on honey bees and now has to have an epi-pen out in the field with him in case of a reaction to stings.
3. He loves Bob Dylan.
4. He had a nose job in high school. Just kidding... he had nose surgery not a nose job.
5. He served his entire 2 year mission on a very small island (Okinawa, Japan).


5 PLACES HE LIVED
1. Texas
2. Clovis, CA
3. Riverside, CA
4. Utah
5. Okinawa, Japan


5 QUIRKY THINGS ABOUT HIM
This one is hard... 5 quirky things about Dave? Only 5? How to narrow it down...
1. He is a major germ-a-phobe. Seriously.
2. As a kid, he used to sit and clean the lint out from between his toes after he would take off his socks and shoes... maybe he still does...
3. He can't wear slippers if he doesn't have on socks too.
4. He hates used things. He can't stand thrift store, yard sale, or donated items, even if they are clean and nice. (Goes along with the germ issue.) Although, once we have them, and use them, he has less of an issue than when I first bring them home.
5. He can't handle a dirty car. He can't stand it when the girls (including me...) leave wrappers or trash (or toys, or anything) in the car. When we lived in nicer year-round weather, he cleaned the car weekly... now, not quite so much... although he still can't stand it!

Well, that is Dave in a nutshell. He is really a good guy, an awesome husband, and a great dad. I love my Dave!

NOW I WILL TAG 5 PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME ABOUT THEIR FABULOUS HUSBANDS...
1. GRANDMOTHER FAIRY
2. AMY HAMBLIN
3. SUZANNA
4. HEATHER MILLER
5. KASIE WEST

Why Naked?

Why is it that every time I leave my little girls by themselves for a few minutes, they end up naked? I was on the computer for a few minutes and my little darlings were downstairs watching Dora, when I heard some screaming. I rushed down, like any good mom would, and found our couch completely torn apart and my little girls naked. (Autumn was completely naked, but I re-diapered her for the sake of the picture.) Mind you, it is below freezing outside... and downstairs gets pretty chilly. It does not seem to matter though, because I am constantly getting my little ones redressed. (At least a few times a day.) I guess, if I want them to stay clothed, I should find some clothes that fasten in the back (like a straight jacket... but not really) so they can't get out of them on their own. If anyone invents them, I will buy stock!

Our trip to Zion

Thursday and Friday, we spent time in Zion National Park with Dave's parents. I thought it was so beautiful... being my first time there. It was fairly cold, and the trails were a bit icy, but it was definitely worth the trip!
The kids (and Dave) had fun climbing on all the rocks along the trails.
Ciera and Chloe, on one of the first big rocks we came upon.
On Thursday, we walked along the river with Mom, Dad, and Suzanna's family... the kids loved playing in the water, and we only got a little wet!
Chloe is in her element outside in the wild!
The kids all took turns being with Grandma and Grandpa. They sure had fun spending time with them, and were sad when we had to leave... But, we promised we would see them for spring break in a few months.
Beautiful little Brooke.
Ciera is really becoming a fine young woman.
Chloe is our animal lover!
Autumn loved it when we would just let her go on her own. She is getting a lot more independent. (At times!)
Grandma with the Utah grandkids.

Our family left early Thursday morning and drove the 6 hours down to Springdale (right at the entrance to Zion National Park. We met Dave's parents and Suzanna's family and took a nice walk along the river. We said goodbye to Zanny, then drove into St. George to visit with Dave's grandma and to eat some dinner. On our way back to the hotel, we almost killed three deer that were in the middle of the road... Luckily, Dave slalomed around them and we made it safely past! After we got back to the Hotel we took a dip in the spa. The girls had never spent time in a hot tub, and loved it.
Friday morning we drove into Zion's and did a couple of small hikes. It was cold, and the trails were pretty icy, but it was really fun. The girls did a great job. We ate a picnic lunch, did some shopping and then headed for home. It was a fast trip, but we had a really great time, and look forward to returning when the weather is a bit better for hiking!

Happy New Year

With a new year, we all set goals to try to improve ourselves. This year, we are all trying to be better people and "Choose the Right Way". If we can remember to be like our Savior every day, to be kind and loving, we will achieve that goal! We are sure going to try harder this year. We hope you all have a great year this year also, and remember that we love you!

So, take note of Autumn... she got grumpy because she didn't know the words! Too cute!