To all the Moms...

This link is an absolute gem of motherly wisdom. An LDS mom of many (11 if I am recalling correctly) responds to questions. I feel like I am reading my own wonderful mother's council. I have this as a feed in my Google Reader, and it often provides a friendly hint, tip, or bit of encouragement that helps me in my quest to be a good, loving mother.

Thank you, Lori, for pointing me in the direction of this blog.

Emma's First Dance Class

Emma is in the middle of a 6 week creative dance course, taught by a friend of mine who majored in dance at BYU and wanted to have a little more structure as she teaches her 3 year old about dance. We were happy to take part in the class. It's so much fun to see the little girls show up in their dance outfits. Emma was thrilled from the moment I told her about the class and asked daily if it was her dancing day. Here is a little video of some skills she came home with on the first day.




"You put peanut butter on this foot; you put jam on this foot, and you stick it." Have you ever heard anything cuter than that?

Just make sure you watch past the singing...

If you read Nie, chances are you've already seen this video. If you missed it, well, it's too good not to share. Weird, wild stuff, I tell you.

Oh, what do you do in the wintertime...

When the snow falls unceasingly...

We decided to make one of our snowed in afternoons into a cupcake party. Thanks to the foresight of the folks at Wegmans who thought to put Valentines cupcake mix and frosting on an endcap they knew I would walk by (and who put it on sale), we were well prepared for just such an activity. We invited the next door neighbors to join us, and they brought a few friends with them, so it was a merry gathering indeed. Here's the group with their works of edible art.

Texting while Driving

A friend of mine sent me a sobering story about one individual who was texting while driving. Follow the link to see the video. Definitely worth the time it takes to view.

Okay...one more

A friend of mine had a great idea this Fall. Instead of signing all our kids up for the county's soccer program, we put $10 towards buying t-shirts and trophies and got some dads to volunteer to coach our group of 10. We met once a week for practice, which ended in a scrimmage of sorts (or as close as you get with a team of 4-year-olds. Adam was the assistant coach, and Spencer found soccer practice to be a highlight of his week. Emma and I loved it too, since we got to hang out with the other soccer moms and kids.


Practices took place in the open area behind Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was SUCH a success that I think we are going to try t-ball in the Spring.

Halloween 2009 and the last of the binge blogging

Halloween 2009 brought with it a series of celebrations. First, there was the preschool party, where Emma was thrilled to join Spencer in the dressing up, games, and treats.


Next, there was the ward party/trunk or treat. Here is our crew in costume. Adam and I even got in on the fun, dressing up as doctor and patient from the game Operation. Clever, eh?


Finally, we made a Halloween Day outing to Pumpkinville. It turns out that is a great way to beat the crowds. Almost no one was there, so we had the place virtually to ourselves.


We braved the hay ride with these fine folks. There had been a lot of rain, so the trailer nearly bottomed out in the mud ruts through which we drove. We were so glad the Lusvardis kept the tradition of coming out to go trick or treating and that the Aedos were able to join in for some Pumpkinville fun as well.

We made sure to get the traditional costume photo before heading out for trick or treat time. These little ones knew just how to do it!

Trick or Treat!

And, finally, no Halloween would be complete without stopping by to see Grandma and Grandpa...and pick up a few more goodies.