The twelve days of Christmas

We have more Christmas books than I would care to admit, but I love them all, so I just keep collecting them. However, we have more books than days in December, so wrapping one up to read each day doesn't really work. So instead, I have modified the idea by choosing 12 to read and do an activity with for the 12 days before Christmas. Some of these are my very favorites, and some just lend themselves to an easy activity, but here is this year's list for anyone looking to do something a little bit different:

1. Mr. Willoby’s Christmas tree—Sub for Santa

2. If you take a mouse to the movies—Watch a Movie with Popcorn

3. The Night Tree—Make Pinecone Bird Feeders

4. Snowmen at Night—Have a paper Snowball fight

5. Snowmen at Christmas—play freeze tag

6. The Polar Express—Make Lifesaver Trains

7. Christmas Oranges—Share a Chocolate Orange as a Family

8. Russell’s Christmas Magic—make candy cane sleds

9. A Snowman named just Bob—build a snowman (either from snow or popcorn balls depending on the weather

10. Gingerbread Baby—Decorate Gingerbread men or a gingerbread house

11. How the Grinch Stole Christmas—Watch "The Grinch"

12. When Jesus was Born in Bethlehem—Act out the nativity

Movin' and a Groovin'

Greg purchased a bunch of 8oz giant Hershey Kisses to hand out to his co-workers, and bribed our children that if they all finished their dinner we could open one up and share it. My girls had never seen one so big so naturally their curiosity won out and dinner was well received. Greg carefully selected a pinkish colored one from the box and began to slowly open it asking the girls what they thought would be inside. Once the wrapper was off and Ellie saw that it was solid chocolate she raised her hands above her head and said "Chocolate makes me go a Movin' and a Groovin'!" while shaking her hips back and forth.

Australia, Anyone?

Yesterday was an "Alexander Day" for me. Granted, I didn't go to bed with gum in my mouth and there isn't gum in my hair, and I never buy cereal that has a prize inside, so I wasn't too disappointed when there wasn't one, but I think I might have taken that flight to Australia if it had been offered.
Rachel has not slept at all for the last two nights. She has woken up at about 2:00 a.m. and gone back to sleep between 6:30 and 7:00-right when I need to get up to get Becca off to school. So, needless to say, I wasn't exactly starting out on the right foot yesterday, and somehow my kids know just what not to do when I am not at my best.
They started the morning out right by pulling the mattress off Becca's bed, the books off of the shelves, and dumping their cereal and milk all over the floor. Then, when I was putting Rachel back to sleep (they woke her up when they were jumping on the mattress) they pulled all the laundry out of the dryer and on to the floor (yes, that would be the floor that comes in out of the garage that isn't exactly the cleanest floor in the house). Then, when I tried to get some of that picked up, they went upstairs and took Rachel's pacifier, trading her for a dinner roll. I tried to put Rachel back to sleep, but she was so ornery it was evident that she wanted nothing to do with her crib.
So, I decided to forget about the house for a little while and just do something fun with the kids. We colored pictures, danced to some Christmas music and played out in the snow. Then, when our tootsies were about frozen, we came in to watch a movie and relax. I gave Rachel some Benadryl and put her to bed, when I got a phone call. When I got off the phone, I came downstairs, and discovered that my little darlings had: clogged the toilet, taken another roll of toilet paper out of the bathroom and turned it into confetti, transformed carrot cake into cheesecake by dumping a bag of shredded cheese on it and squishing it into the carpet, and played Hansel and Gretel with yet another of the dinner rolls I had planned on using that night.
Well, I had just started cleaning up the carrot/cheese cake mess, when I heard the tortured cry of a baby who had once again been prematurely awakened. I went upstairs and found Rachel once again binky-less, but this time with my eyeliner, which she used to color on her sheets and her face.
So, when Greg called just then to tell me that he was going to be home from work late, I probably wasn't the best wife, but at least when he got home dinner was on the table and I had remembered that "Some days are like that...even in Australia!"

All I want for Christmas is my one front tooth!

Becca finally lost her first tooth! It is a very exciting event around here, let me tell you! Sarah keeps asking Becca to show her the loose tooth, then reminds us all that "Ope- It's not there, 'cause Mom pulled it right out of your mouth!" She couples this statement with actions that resemble trying to pull a difficult weed out of the ground. And Ellie and Sarah have helped her devour the package of gum that the tooth fairy left. But Becca wasn't as keen to share her "gold" dollar.

Happy Halloween?

So, Halloween was kind of a run from here to there kind of day--between visiting family, friends, and school events, and somehow through all the chaos of costume changes, etc. I forgot to take any pictures of the day's events. Fortunately, however, my mom took a few and I got copies of them today, so here is a small taste of our Halloween--only a month late :)

Redneck Ingenuity

I will admit that I am a huge fan of redneck jokes, etc. but this picture takes the cake in my book. I mean, sure, tighty-whities (or gray-ies) have the advantage in cost, but I severely doubt their supportive nature.

Letters to Santa

Dear Santa,

I want a present and Polly Pocket House, and playdoh, and another present. I love you Santa. I will give Santa a squeezy hug. I am goin’ a be a good girl. I want a Barbie Island and Sagi, PLEASE! But nothing else.

Give Sarah a cookie!

And don’t touch ‘puters, cause it’s dangerous and don’t turn it off.

--Sarah

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! Thank you for my tent you gave me. I liked it extra hundred. This year I have been a good girl. For Christmas, I would like Foam Play Doh, and Polly Pocket, and my other one I want a ticket to go to Build-a-Bear.

Thank you for letting me have all these presents and such. Presents are so fun, so Thank you Santa. I hope you can make them all.

Love,

Ellie

Dear Santa Claus,

Thank you a lot for the Easy Bake Oven you gave me last year. I loved it! I especially loved the sprinkles. This year, I would really like a doll, and some play foam like Ellie, and a Polly Pocket movie. I hope you have a great Christmas. I will leave you some cookies and some carrots for your reindeer.

Thank you for giving me such nice things.

Love,

Rebecca Jane

"What scares you on the field?" (the Replacements)

I failed to mention one other fun story I heard today. Aunt Marjorie came this morning with Uncle Macoy, and was reminiscing about how quickly time passed. She reminded us that she has known Steve since he was tiny, and said she it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that he was dressed in a big straw hat to protect his face from the sun, and came running into the house in a panic because he was being chased by a bee. When asked what was the matter he responded that "He thinks me is a flower!" I thought the story was a little too good to forget myself!

One "wedding" and a funeral

It has been an exhausting and emotionally draining couple of days, but they were very beautiful. The funeral was eloquent, the flowers beautiful, and the viewing last night was made a little bit easier by one of Ellie's comments (Shocker, I know). As the family gathered together, there was a little presentation for the kids about how the spirit and body have separated, but will be reunited at the resurrection. Then the question was asked, "Who knows what Jeff is wearing?" A few kids raised their hands, but Ellie threw her hands in the air and shouted, "I know! I know! He's wearing his wedding dress!" With our emotions drawn so thin, this little outburst sent everyone in the room laughing to tears, and I'm sure it took great effort to steer the conversation back in the right direction.

Jeff

This has been a rough couple of days, and they are not going to get any easier in the near future, but I think that this obituary says everything beautifully:

Jeffrey Steven McMurray Layton, Utah Jeffrey Steven McMurray, our beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle and good friend, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Fri. afternoon, November 9, 2007 from a heart attack while on his way home from work at NorthropGrumman. Jeff was born on July 11, 1968 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the eldest child of Steven R. McMurray and Lorna T. McMurray, now of Bountiful, Utah. Jeff was married for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on September 9, 1992 to Liesl Margret' McMurray, the eldest daughter of Ed and Lois Masters, now of Layton, Utah. Jeff and Liesl have three children, Brynn (age 10), Ryan (age 7) and Daniel (age 4). Jeff was deeply faithful and involved in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life. He served as a missionary for the Church in the Rochester New York Mission from 1987 to 1989. He was a great and dedicated missionary, and many lives were touched for good by his life and who he was. He graduated from the University of Utah with BS degrees in electrical engineering and physics and with a PhD in physics. He and Liesl lived in Kaysville, Utah during most of the time Jeff was in school. Following completion of his education, Jeff and Liesl moved to New York where he worked for IBM for almost seven years. A little less than a year ago, Jeff and Liesl moved back to Utah to work for Northrop Grumman. Jeff was always highly respected and loved at work. Jeff was a devoted husband and father and had deep love for his family. They always enjoyed outdoor activities. Summers were for camping and hiking, and winters were for cross country skiing. And everyday was for hugs. Working with young men was where he served most. The youth loved him and he loved them. There are many young men whose lives have been richly blessed by Jeff and his love for them and his example. Jeff was genuinely a good person who loved life and everyone. He was an example wherever he was. He always had a smile, a helping hand and sound judgment. Jeff is survived by his wife Liesl and his three children, Brynn, Ryan and Daniel, and by his parents, Steven and Lorna McMurray, and his eight brothers and sisters, Laura (Ted) Knowlton, Janean (Dave) McBride, Maureen (Christian) Hyde, Deanne (Richard) Eggett, Gregory (Heather) McMurray, Justin (Janelle) McMurray, Shannon (Brigham) Stoker, Megan (Richard) Wells. Funeral Services will be held Wed., November 14, 2007 at 12:00 Noon at the Kaysville Tabernacle, 198 West Center Street, Kaysville, Utah. Viewings will be held Tuesday, November 13th at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, Utah from 6 to 8 p.m., and before the service from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at the Kaysville Tabernacle. Interment Lakeview Cemetary. Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com Jeff, you are greatly missed and we love you always.

fall pictures

Today we took the kids over to the park to take a couple of pictures. Naturally, before we even took the first shot, Sarah pushed Becca off the wall, Ellie got mud all over her knees and Rachel had a "poop-plosion" up her back. But, at least we now have a couple of pictures with all four girls :)

I Love Shrinky Dinks!!

I just stepped back in time about twenty years when I discovered a cheap and easy way to make Shrinky Dinks. I haven't had so much fun reminiscing in who knows how long. I remember my very first package of the blessed plastic imprinted with pictures of none other than Rainbow Brite. Wow, were they ever cool! Well, I have since learned the secret to those amazing little things and have been making them like crazy with my girls.
They look just how I remembered them and they are really easy to make. Here are the instructions for anyone wanting to have a little retro-fun!
1. Gather some #6 plastic (the clear plastic used on most salad bar containers)
2. Lightly sand the plastic to make the colored pencils/crayons stick.
3. Outline any coloring book characters or draw fun pictures with a sharpie.
4. Color & cut out pictures. (make sure to leave room for a hole punch if you want to string it from a necklace)
5.Bake at 350 for about 2-3 minutes on an aluminum foil "tray". The plastic will start to curl and shrink after about 30-45 seconds, then it will straighten back out.
6. Let it cool and enjoy!

DRACULA!

I just realized that although my little blurb mentions that I am an avid reader, I don't know that I have ever mentioned what I am reading on this blog. So, for anyone interested in my latest reads: I just finished Dracula and really liked it. It wasn't at all what I was expecting.
Right before reading Dracula (which makes several references to rats) I read Book of A Thousand Days (which also talks about rats) and yesterday when I was in my bedroom I heard a clawing, scratching noise in my bathroom. Of course, I thought it was a rat and very cautiously tip-toed to the door. Happily, there wasn't anything inside, but a woodpecker was clawing its way up and down the window screen and pecking the heck out of the mortar in search of some lunch.
And if you are wondering, I read Dracula because I have to wait a full year before Stephenie Meyer comes out with her next novel. I feel like I can claim some relation to her, even though I really can't, because our friends the Hansens and the Gees are related to her, so I read Twilight before it became the huge best seller it is now.
I also have been reading and rereading all of Shannon Hale's books. I think she is an amazing author. For anyone who doesn't know Shannon's books, she wrote Princess Academy, Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, Book of A Thousand Days, and Austenland (those are the books I have read anyway), and I will admit, I am planning on going to her book signing when she comes to Bountiful next month.
I have also started reading Stardust and here and there I will throw in a chapter of a Pat McMannus book when I need a good laugh.

So, if anyone has a great book, I am always interested! Just let me know!!

Jackson Five...OK, Jackson Four

Sunday we returned from our four day visit to Jackson Hole where we enjoyed hiking, fishing, watching for wildlife, playing with wildlife (also known as the family) and most importantly, relaxing. The kids were troopers through the trip, especially Rachel, who typically can't go more than forty minutes in the car without a meltdown. I have to give a special thanks to our neighbors who let us borrow their car DVD player, too. THANK YOU!! It made a world of difference.
As much fun as it is, I'm sure, to hear about the fun parts of the trip, I am well aware that it is the bear attacks etc. that provide the most entertainment, so for those of you who are waiting for the juicy details here they are.
First, though not as interesting as a bear attack, we did get to see a huge herd of elk cross the road right in front of us. It was quite impressive.
Second, the guys once again were unbelievably successful fishing in Jackson Lake. They caught trout after trout, all of which were huge. It was only as they were leaving, however, that they realized perhaps their success was due in part to the fact that the lake was closed to fishing during the month of October. OOPS!
And last, but not least, the most exciting part of the trip happened on the way home. We tried to get out the door early Sunday morning because our Ward was practicing for the Primary Program. Sadly, we didn't quite make it to church, however thanks to not one, but two of our children tossing their cookies on the way home.
We had just left Jackson and were winding our way up the canyon when Sarah started whimpering. Being a veteran mother, I recognized the sound and told Greg to pull over. Had there not been a five-point-harness to compete with, I might have had a fighting chance of getting her out of the car before the explosion occurred, but instead I had to use about a thousand cleaning wipes (Thank you Lorna for letting us take the rest of them with us!) all over the straps, and buckles before I could even get her out of the car.
Thirty minutes later, Sarah was dressed in Becca's shirt and a fleece blanket, and her car seat, the back of my chair and the car door were all wiped down.
We continued merrily on our way for another hour or so, when, upon entering the next canyon Ellie informed us that her tummy hurt. I told her that if it got bad to tell us, and after another five or ten minutes she said, "I think I'm going to throw up!"
Greg once again pulled over and I ran around to let Ellie out. I got her unbuckled, and was just picking her up when she let loose. After another thirty minute break, I managed to contain the dirty car-seat covers, blankets, and clothes that had been soiled, reloaded the car to put the offensive smelling objects far away from us, wipe down the rest of the area and head off.
When we got home, I immediately threw the dirty items in the wash before unloading the rest of the car. By the time the rest of the car was unloaded, I could tell that I had obviously missed a few important points in my cleaning, and backed the car out of the garage, rolled down the windows and started detailing the car.
I love living next door to the church, but it just happened that while I was attacking the car with a spray bottle and wipes, our ward was just leaving church.
Fortunately, my neighbors are pretty confident that we haven't gone inactive, and as one neighbor passed he asked "Let me guess, is the ox in the mire?" I briefly explained the situation, and he replied, "Yep that's one big ox."

Painting problems

I just visited a friend's blog and discovered that her sunbeam stopped the primary program practice when they thought her red-painted toes were bleeding. Reading it reminded me of our own toenail tales. A few days ago, my aunt Kathy stopped by to see if she could spend the afternoon with Sarah. Among their adventures, Kathy painted Sarah's toenails. Now, whenever Sarah sees her toes, she happily reminds us of the fact that "Kaffy painted my toenails!" This morning, however, she noticed that the paint had started to chip a little bit, so, she insisted that we "fix" it. Ellie assured me that she could do the best job of it, and proceeded to paint Sarah's and her own toes. The result was something similar to the bloody toes mentioned in Katie's blog, so I thought I thought it would be wise to show Ellie's painting prowess. (and since our Primary Practice is not for a couple of weeks, I will be sure to either make sure they are wearing tights or remove the paint before then)
When Katie mentioned her concern that the fingernail polish might have been spilled elsewhere, I was reminded of another incident involving Ellie's antics. Shortly after Sarah was born, a neighbor offered to take Ellie for a couple of hours. I told her that Ellie was a bit of a handful, but she insisted that it would be fine. When I went to pick her up, she apologized to me because Ellie's shoes were covered with fingernail polish, and she was at the time in the bathroom trying to clean up a tube of toothpaste that had been artfully displayed on the mirror. She said that everything had been fine until she got a phone call, and in the two minutes she was away, Ellie had reigned in terror. Fortunately, the fingernail polish didn't get anywhere other than Ellie's clothes/shoes, and the toothpaste wasn't too difficult to remove, but I felt bad. I was glad that I had at least forewarned her, but I suppose that even if you warn someone a tornado is coming, it doesn't mean there won't be damage!

Heber Creeper

Choo Choo the Big Train is coming down the track! One of Greg's co-workers, Bill, volunteers his weekends at the Heber Valley Railroad, so he offered to get us some discount tickets. So...this Saturday we took the kids up to take a ride on the train. Bill was the conductor and gave us all the good intel on where to sit and let us watch as he uncoupled the engine from the train and then rode it back Polar Express style. The weather was quite chilly, so we ordered hot chocolate, and on the way home we hit a blizzard. Yes, a full on snow storm in September. I will admit I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect, but the girls thought that we must have been on the actual Polar Express, knew we were now at the North Pole, and kept a close watch for Santa (sadly we never found him). The next day Sarah asked if we could go back to the train after church, so I think that we can consider the outing a success.

Remember The Alamo!

Well this is the result of a last minute business trip to Lackland Air Force Base. A couple of days in San Antonio, which of course means a trip to the Alamo. Like many people, I was surprised how small it is, though there is quite a lot around it.

Barbie at the Zoo!

Wow, combine a Barbie Princess Island Preview, real live Barbie, and a trip to the zoo and you have little girl heaven; which is where we were this morning. Barbie came to Hogle Zoo to premiere her new movie "Barbie as the Island Princess." We arrived early to meet Barbie and get the girls' picture taken. They couldn't stop staring at her--they were dizzy with anticipation when they heard she arrived and kept peeking around the group in front of us to get a better glimpse. (There was only one group in front of us thanks to Ted arriving right as the zoo opened and saving us a place in line). Mattel did its job very well by displaying all of the new Island Princess paraphernalia at the entrance to the pavilion with promise of a drawing at the end of the movie.
The girls all received a free gift bag which had a Barbie CD, bracelet, necklace, crown and a little Barbie compact that contained candy blush eyeshadow and applicator (essentially a FunDip in a compact with a mirror).
All in all it was a great day for the girls who can't wait for the movie to come out on Tuesday!

PS The reason we haven't had any new pictures lately is that our camera was broken, but we have it back from Canon now, so we should be able to keep everyone in the loop again!

Soccer Time!

We just got back from a rather long evening of "Fall Family Festival" at the elementary school and Becca's soccer game. When we were at the field, we ran into some of the family--namely the Wellings, and discovered that Becca & Josh are both green #3 in the boys/girls leagues and thought we'd better stick some pictures up!

Timpanogos

I just thought I would throw a picture of our hike up Timpanogos. Not much scenery in this shot but the girls were all good hikers. Becca and Ellie hiked all the way up, through the cave and back down. Sarah was able to hike up a little more than half-way, made it through the cave with a little extra hand holding, but then decided she needed to be carried back down the mountain - she was so tired that she fell asleep in the backpack.

Back to School

Yesterday was Becca's first day of school. We got up early and drove down to the school, and I walked her to her class. When she arrived, she hastily shooed me out the door. On my way out, I told her I would pick her up after school and watched from the sidelines as she found her seat. After school, I met her by the door and we started walking to the car. As we passed the school bus Becca asked if she could ride the bus home instead. I told her that all of her friends would be driving home with their moms, but she said that didn't matter, so I told her I would meet her by the bus stop. When I arrived at the bus stop, Becca had already made her way off the bus and started down the hill. I asked if she wanted a ride, and she told me to go ahead--she could walk just fine. She was just walking in the middle of a big group of kids she didn't know and was as happy as could be.
When we got home, she told me all about her day, and (sadly) she loves her teacher. (The sadness is because she is getting a new teacher next week & all her friends are in her current class) but I am sure that her new teacher will be great, too!
We are now off to Becca's first soccer game, so thus begins our new school year!

Red is Dead

For anyone who has read my description page, you will notice that I mentioned having four little girls and a very old betta. Well, we just said goodbye to one member of the family, much to Rebecca's sadness. Becca decided that instead of flushing Red down the toilet, it would be more appropriate to bury him. So, she found a nice shady spot under her favorite apple tree and we put him to rest. Then, when the grass was replanted, Sarah dumped a bunch of his brightly colored gravel on top of the grave, which Becca thought was most appropriate, so we just left it all there.
Becca was pretty emotional all afternoon until we went up to her Aunt Deanne's house and saw a full blown fish tank. She now has an idea for what she will ask Santa for, but I'm fairly certain it just won't fit in Santa's pack. :)

Haylee's Wedding Cake

Publish Post
Here is the first and only picture I have of the cake I made for Haylee's wedding. It is a little blurry, but at least it is something! --thank you Haylee for the pic!

Harry Potter Party

There will be details coming (I think the party could stand to have several blog entries!), but the short-and-skinny details are we decided to throw a party to coincide with two important events on Friday, July 20th 2007: The release of the new and final Harry Potter book and Bountiful City Fireworks for the 24th of July celebration. We invited Greg's family over for dinner and a magical night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am pleased to report that the kids almost had as much fun as the adults. Everything from potions class to the treat trolley on the Hogwart's Express.

Loads of pictures (and a slide show) are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/goyuix/HarryPotterParty
(tip: you can press F11 on your keyboard to toggle the slide show "full screen" once it has begun, F11 again to toggle back to normal)

My true identity revealed!

In one week, I made my first wedding cake and changed my first flat tire. Accordingly, I must say that in addition to taking care of my four little girls, I think I can now reveal that I am in fact super-girl! Last night Greg needed to change the tire on the car, and although I have watched people change a tire I have never actually done the whole thing myself. So, from beginning to end (with the exception of loosening the first lug nut) I changed the tire by myself! Greg stood close by trying to comfort a fussy Rachel making funny comments about the role reversal in the family. After the fact, Greg remembered that he had given blood earlier in the day, so it was a good thing he didn't over exert himself.Here is a picture of the cake I modeled Haylee's wedding cake after, but instead of the flowers in the middle, she wanted a 4 tier cake. Sadly, in my nervousness to get the cake and my girls all ready for the reception, I forgot my camera, so I will have to wait for the wedding pictures to post a picture of the actual cake, but I think it turned out pretty well.

Here's Rachel

I couldn't let Greg post a family picture without Rachel, so I had to get our picture "retaken" with her included! So here it is!

Happy Fourth!

Well, as I don't really have anything interesting to post, I thought I would include a family photo taken not too long before Rachel was born....
As you can probably tell - we all look a bit different. The Simpsons Movie website now has a section on it where you can go and create your own character so I whipped up a few family members and churned out a family photo. No baby option so poor Rachel got neglected. It amazing to see what husbands end up doing with a day off!

Sunday afternoons

What speaks of a better Sunday afternoon than a nice relaxing nap, and now I know what it means to "sleep like a baby." Sarah decided to try to join Rachel in her crib, got stuck, and started to cry for help. When I went in Rachel's room, I discovered Sarah perched on the top of the crib with one leg in and one leg out, and Rachel sleeping with both arms resting behind her head. Who but a baby could stay zonked out under such circumstances?

And for anyone who didn't hear about Ellie's adventures in church a week ago, here is a quick recap. During Sacrament Meeting, Ellie was being more restless than usual, and Greg had to take her out after the Sacrament. He took her home (one of the advantages to living next door) and sat her on the fireplace to practice being reverent. Ellie was a little distraught at not being able to stay at church, so Greg asked if Ellie would like to say a prayer to help her be more reverent. As she said her prayer, she stated, "I'm sorry for all those bad things at church. Please help me to do better because this is a serious problem."
I am happy to report that this week she was much better behaved!

Two weddings and a Birthday

Wow! I can't believe it is already July! We ended June with a bang--the 29th being Becca's birthday, Ben's half-birthday and Grandpa Welling's wedding day! On the 30th we had a shower for Haylee & now as we enter July we will get ready for Greg's birthday and Haylee's wedding. For Becca's birthday, she requested a "Strawberry Shortcake" party, so we invited her friends over and played pin the crown on Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Shortcake Bingo, went "berry" picking, made strawberry scented play dough, ate peanut butter and "strawberry" sandwiches, and ate strawberry cake and ice cream.
I admit that I love decorating my kids' birthday cakes, but I don't usually do anything as formal as I did for Becca's party. Since Haylee has requested that I make her wedding cake --yikes!-- I decided that I had better get some practice in making a tiered cake. So here is Becca's multi-tiered birthday cake, complete with a few finger jabs from her siblings. I am thinking it would be smart to work on the wedding cake after all my kids have gone to bed to prevent the same thing from happening there! :)

Allergy Season

When summer vacation started, I determined that we would not waste away the summer in front of the TV, so in order to earn 30 minutes of TV time, my kids had to do about 20 minutes of work to earn a "TV BUCK." Well, the first couple of days, everything went smoothly, but the other day, Ellie asked if she could watch a show, and I told her she needed to get her work done first. She picked up a Q-Tip, and started to slowly "dust" her bed. When she saw me turn to look at her, she said "Atchoo! Mom, I simply can't clean my room because I'm allergic to dust, I think."

Who other than Ellie would claim to be allergic to work, I would like to know!

Frere Jaques

This morning, Sarah was serenading Rachel with her glow worm that plays songs. She sang "Twinkle Twinkle," and "Hush Little Baby" to her little sister when "Frere Jaques" came on and she started singing the Spanish version. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, here are her lyrics:
"Where is Paco? Where is Paco? He is missing! He is missing! Ring Ring Ring Ring--Ring, Ring Ring Ring--It's a bell! It's a bell!"

I think it is destined to become a classic!

Pop-Pop Fizz-Fizz

As I was driving home yesterday (Greg, not Heather fortunately) I heard the car start making a clicking noise and then suddenly a loud pop and nice cloud of burning oil smoke. Luckily I was in the right hand lane and just coasted off the side of the freeway. When I opened the hood to see if I could possibly put my technological prowess to mechanical uses it became clear that this way beyond the help of mere mortals. You could quite easily fit a golf ball through the hole in the top of the engine.

As horrible as I feel about losing the engine, I do very very blessed that everything happened the way it did. I heard the clicking noise and had time to slow down and get ready to get off the freeway as well as my brother (who conveniently moved to Bountiful over the weekend) hadn't left work yet so I just called his desk and he picked me up on his way home. The cell phone was blessing as I was able to arrange for a mechanic to look at it and have a tow truck come pick it up before arriving at home. All things considered it couldn't have been better.

Note: I uploaded the full size photo so if click it you can really get a clear picture of the damage.

Serenity Now

On Saturday, we took all the kids, including Rachel, up past Strawberry Reservoir to go fishing with Greg's family. When we got to the lake, there was an inlet that had to be crossed to get to the good fishing ground, and the "bridge" consisted of two fallen logs. Greg helped Becca, Ellie and Sarah across the bridge, but I didn't feel comfortable taking little Rachel across the water, so I set up a camp chair and opened a book while Greg and the family went on without me.
I had a marvelous time reading on the banks of the stream. I don't remember the last time I felt so relaxed.
Apparently Ellie felt the same way in her neck of the woods, too. She sat quietly on a rock next to Greg's dad and after a few seconds said, "Grandpa, isn't it nice to finally have some peace and quiet?"
When I heard the story I couldn't help but laugh, seeing how she is single-handedly responsible for more chaos than the rest of the family combined. But who knows, maybe now that she has realized the joys of quiet time she will be willing to try it out more often (yeah, right).

Rachel's First Smile

Rachel has been a very mellow, sweet girl, and has started smiling! It is a little difficult to get the camera there in time, but I managed to capture a half smile from our little sweet heart. We went to the doctor for her 2 week appointment, and she has put on almost a pound already. She was up to 7 lbs. 9 oz. when we went in. She is also doing fairly well sleeping (although the last two nights wouldn't agree with that statement) :)

Yummy.....PICKLES!

Ellie answered a series of questions for preschool about me and some of the answers were too good to pass up posting, so Happy Mother's Day to me!

My mom is as pretty as... A GIRL

My mom is good at...CLEANING AND DRIVING (WHEN DADDY ISN'T HOME)

My mom smells like...PICKLES! (Apparently she answered that one quite matter-of-factly)

I like it when my mom...CARRIES ME A LOT OF PLACES

My mom is happy ... WHEN SHE GETS TO TALK TO DADDY. ACTUALLY SHE'S JUST HAPPY WITH ANYTHING.

My mom likes it when ...I DON'T SUCK MY THUMB. I THINK NOW I WILL NEVER STOP SUCKING MY THUMB.

My mom is always...DOING ALL HER WORK. CLEANING THE KITCHEN AND CLEANING THE UPSTAIRS ARE HER WORK.

My mom is...THE BEST MOM FOR ME. I LOVE HER.

Bob the Builder

The other night Greg was reading a "Bob the Builder" book with Sarah, and asked her the names of all of the characters, only to discover that we are related to one of the machines. According to Sarah, the full name of the machine pictured above, is not just Muck, it is actually "Muck-Murray."
Everything else is going well. Rachel is growing fast, and filling out in the cheeks, and the girls are loving her to pieces. And so far I am surviving life with four little girls. (Whew!)

For Your Comparison

And a fun trip down memory lane! Greg and I pulled up the now ancient web site he did for Becca when she was born and looked at a few pictures to compare how Rachel looks.
Just to clarify, that is Becca sleeping on Grandpa when she was about 1 week old. Rachel certainly has a lot of growing to do.

In more recent news, everyone is doing great. Greg was able to take the whole week off work and has been a great help getting the kids where they needed to be and performing basic bouncer duties in breaking up fights and redistributing toys. Rachel has been very mellow so far and a reasonably good sleeper / eater (what else do babies do)? When she was first born her cries all came along with a curled pouty lip that I am sad to say has not been seen since the hospital.

Rachel Charlotte McMurray

Everyone came home today and life keeps marching on. As you can see she has quite a bit of blond hair like two of her sisters.

More Bubbles

Three more photos for your enjoyment.

Bubbles!

Well, someone decided to arrive last night - shortly after eating some chocolate cake. Mother and child are doing wonderfully - this kid came out hungry and has also quickly found her thumb to suck on. She still has no name, but the vital stats are 6 pounds 12 ounces, 19.5 inches long/tall and lots of blond hair. Heather's water broke at just after 7PM Sunday night, and she was delivered at 9:48 PM. Oh, and she was gurgling a bit after birth so the nurses started calling her bubbles - and well, it has kind of stuck for the time being.

Happy Easter

We just finished Spring Break and had a wonderful time. Rather than traveling anywhere, we spent our days close to home, but tried to do something fun. We have been to the zoo, the aviary, parks, and just spent time in the sun drawing with sidewalk chalk and riding bikes. We decorated Easter Eggs, went to a family Easter party, and found more Easter Eggs than we know what to do with--and the Easter Bunny left more than enough candy for the next few months. Over all, we had a great time, the girls were very well behaved, and I have nothing naughty to report.
However, over the last few days, the weather has cooled off a little more than I would like. We have had rain, hail, and cold blustery wind keeping us inside and causing more than a little mischief. Sarah has ventured into the world of cosmetology getting into my makeup every chance she gets, and Ellie is experimenting with fine art-- specifically soap sculptures and toilet paper treasures.