photos..

The past few months I've been feeling a little overwhelmed about all the digital photos we have, so I started organizing and making backups. I put all our photos on both hardrives and cds and then placed them in a fireproof safe (a little neurotic, yes). Then today I've been adding photos on our smugmug page. With three backups, I think I should be good. Now, I just need to start printing photos. I love digital, but I miss having prints.

A few years ago my brother Ashley went through all of my parent's photos/slides and gave all of us digital copies. It is seriously one of my favorite possession. My dad took so many great shots of us as kids. I really want to make sure my kids have plenty of childhood photos.

*sorry for the photo overload.

paying attention...

This past week Eleanor has been obsessed with my scriptures. She's been carrying them around and calls it her "new book". This morning she was sitting on my bed looking at her "new book" and yelled to me, "mom, the temple and a parade". I didn't pay too much attention at first, but she kept saying it so I went over to see what she was talking about. Sure enough, this was the photo she was looking at. (I love that she thought the covered wagons were in a parade.)

I called John to see if he ever taught her about the temple and he said no. So then I called her Michelle, her nursery teacher, to ask the same question. Turns out they've been singing the Temple song and have been showing the kids a picture of the temple. Michelle said Eleanor is obsessed with the temple and always wants to hold the picture.

This little story was a reminder of just how smart little kids can be and how they actually do pay attention to things!! Thanks Michelle to teacher Eleanor!!

halloween party...

Yesterday we had a little Halloween Party at Grandma and Grandpa Martin's house and we had a blast! We didn't have a costume for Eleanor so we did a little last minute hustle and put together an Annie costume. Of course Eleanor was more than pleased with her dress, hair and shoes. She loved being Annie! It was fun seeing all the cousins dressed up and watching them play together. I love when Eleanor gets to be with her cousins. Both John and I have found memories of being with cousins, and I really want Eleanor to have the same.

At the party John carved an awesome witch in our pumpkin. It took him a few hours, but I think he enjoyed it. I'll have to get a photo tonight and add it. Eleanor found Grandma's spider. This year she has been into pumpkins and spiders. She can't quite say spider and says, "fider". We made a few and put up around the house and every time she see's one she curls her little shoulders, brings her hands to her mouth and says "fider scary". Its been so much fun watching her this Halloween. She gets so excited over all the "halveen" stuff.

surprise is good...

Yesterday I had to make sugar cookies for John's work. When the dough was all mix and I was getting ready to clean our the bowl, I called Eleanor in for a "surprise". I gave her the beater to lick clean. When she took her first lick she said, "yumm surprise is good". She continued saying it after every single lick!

First thing is morning she wakes up and tells me she wants a surprise and had to re-tell me how good the surprise was. This little girl is constantly cracking me up!

200 Have and Have-nots...

I though this was kind of fun. You are supposed to go through and BOLD everything you've done...
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars (many nights on the good 'ol tramp
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper (are you kidding?)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (first time this summer!)
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (remember at the eye dr. in chile?)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (i'm sure my neighbors see this all the time!)
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time (working a the the art gallery)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (with the help of Lori)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone (i was in like 5th grade)
67. Bounced a check (before I married John, of course)
68. Read - and understood - your credit report (no, but John has, I'm sure)
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy (does it count if I bought it for Eleanor)
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job (I wasn't fired, just laid off, business went under)
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing (before the days of Eleanor!)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes (just made them this summer)
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair (and I need to do it again, I have a few grays creeping up on me)
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep (never Eleanor, I don't have a rocking chair)
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse (and been bucked of one)
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band (again, I was in 5th grade and maybe lasted 3 months. hated the teacher)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf (and broke my pinkie toe)
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter (to david letterman)
149. Spent the night in something haunted (no, but I swore my house was haunted lastnight. We watched the "Strangers" and I was freaked all night!!)
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane (actually, I think my parent's had a St. Bernard)
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox (i'm still doing this on school days)
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous (david letterman)
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics (as a fan of course)
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator (in both Chile and Belgium)
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel (one too many nights!!)
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Commented on a friend's blog today.

pumpkin patch and lost keys...

So, last night Tiffany, Paul and myself all headed over the the pumpkin patch (John was supposed to meet us, but ended up having to stay late at work). Other then it being FREEZING cold, it was a lot of fun hunting for pumpkins. Eleanor and Adyson had a great time roaming the field. Eleanor was so giddy to see so many pumpkins at once. Somehow she got it in her head that pumpkins look like bums and she kept asking me, "did you see that bum mom?". 

Well, after we found the perfect pumpkins and were too cold to stay any longer, we discovered that I LOST THE KEYS IN THE FIELD!!! Yes, that's correct. Paul had given me the keys to go get my checkbook out of the car and instead of giving the keys back to him I put them in my back pocket ( I have a bad habit of just putting the little clicker thing in my pocket and letting the keys just hang out of the pocket). I was sick!! The little girls were freezing and cold and now we had to drag them back out to the field and begin our search. 

We searched every foot of that field. We asked everyone around to keep their eyes out for lost keys, and every time I heard a little kid say, "I found it" I was ticked to learn he was only talking of the perfect pumpkin. Finally, over an hour into our search Tiffany screams from way back in the far corner that she FOUND them!!! I can't tell you how HAPPY I was! I was convinced we'd never find them and that the Hunts would never talk to me again!! Right after Tiffany found them John had pulled up (I'd called him and told him he'd better come and get the little girls out of the cold). Needless to say, we were all so GLAD to finally find the keys and get on our way home!! 

Luckily, I had made soup earlier that afternoon so I took it over to the Hunts and we all had warm soup, corn bread with warm apple crisp and homemade ice cream  for dinner. Overall it was a really fun night, but I'm still mad at myself for loosing those darn keys!!!

cornbellys and cousins...

Ashley, Niki, Stacey, Emma and McKenna are in town, which we are so excited about.  Yesterday we all went down to Cornbellys for a few hours and we had a blast! It was the perfect Fall afternoon. I always love seeing Eleanor playing with her cousins (its sad she doesn't get to see them too often). 

Gotta love the sunglasses!!

I love this little girl, such a ham!

Evan stuck on the slide. I had to slide down and pull him the rest of the way!

Enjoying the hayride!

It's nice having someone WANT to carry Eleanor...

I want one of these little barrel things.

Water...kid's favorite of course.

Waiting for the big kids to come out of the scary monster.

eleanor's 2 year checkup...

Age: 24 months

Date: 09.24.2008

Length: 34" (50%)

Weight: 24.8 lbs (25%)

Head Circ: 48.3 (50%)

Dr. says she doing great! She developing right on track. She was cute when she got her shot. I told her if she didn't cry she could get a sucker. That did the trick, she did not let out one cry. She was glad to see she got a my little pony sticker (that she wore for 3 days and about died when it finally fell off). After the shot she told me she needs TWO suckers. How could you tell her no???

eleanor's pumpkin patch...

Sunday in between conference sessions, we let Eleanor pick her first pumpkin from our garden. This fall she's been obsessed with pumpkins and makes sure to point them out where ever we are. It was so funny watching her pick her pumpkin. It was serious business for her!! We had too put it on our mantel and several times a days she gets up on the couch to take a peek at the pumpkin and say hello to it. Hopefully we can make it to a real pumpkin patch this week and let her get a few more. 

oktoberfest...

Every September I look forward to Oktoberfest. John first took me there when we were dating 6 years ago and we've gone every year since. This year it was cold and rainy when we first got there, but by the time we left the sun came out and it was beautiful!

It wouldn't be Oktoberfest without a bratwurst and sauerkraut. John has always said how much he hates sauerkraut. The truth is, he'd never tried it until last year at Oktoberfest and now he loves it! Eleanor had to be waken up to eat and I don't think she was to thrilled about the whole idea.

Here's John's friend, Walt, busy making us some pretzels. Each year they sale nuts and pretzels and they are SOO good!! 

After the sun came out I tried getting a few photos of Eleanor and this is the best I could do. She was being such a little pill! There was this large mechanical bull that she thought was a puppy and was pretty upset she couldn't ride it! (I swear, living in Lehi is turning our little girl into a true cowgirl!)