Finally a smile.

Sadly, the weather here is getting colder. I guess I've decided that I can't feel "not ready for winter" because I have no choice....right? These pictures are from one morning when Olivia was at school when it was too cold to go outside. I'm excited because I think they document the first time Gwen has ever smiled at the camera! She usually wants nothing to do with me and my camera and if she ever looks at me, it is with a blank little wide eyed stare. She is pictured with Brownie. The funny thing about Brownie is that he was Liv's favorite toy, she sleeps with him, plays with him constantly, etc. When Gwen was about a year old, she became attached to Brownie too. She wanted to sleep with him, play with him etc.... Other than their Care Bears, He is still both girls' favorite toy. We have a ton of other stuffed animals and believe me, I've tried to get either one of them attached to a different animal. I've been completely unsuccessful. I just think it is ironic that they both bonded with the same toy.....as if there aren't other things around to love.

Entry: October 31, 2008

Thanks to our wonderful family who watched our girls, Brad and I went to Quebec last weekend ( a post about it still to come). While we were there we visited a bunch of art galleries. I love that Brad enjoyed it because I enjoy it =0). They were filled with incredible art. I was so inspired by the creativity of each individual artist. The weekend left me thinking and thinking and thinking about art. I've been sketching, painting, photographing. I love feeling this way. I think I actually finished my painting of Liv, although I need to show my mom so she can tell me if there is anything else she would do to it, and I have another idea for a piece that would be really different for me. Also, I have been thinking about how I wish I could keep a piece of Gwen at this age forever. Just so I could really remember her and what it feels like to hold her and kiss her sweet face. Their "little" stage is so fleeting, and I really love it. She is so cuddly and affectionate right now (she hasn't always been that way.) Anyway, this is what I came up with. Yesterday I was at the store with Gwen, and she said, "I like your shirt Momma...its o-ange." (it really was orange!) I took her all around and asked her all different colors, and she definitely knows orange, and pink, and mostly knows blue and yellow! I think it is funny, because I can remember really working with Liv to teach her her colors way before she was even interested. With Gwen, I've never thought about mentioning colors, and here she knows some already. It just makes me laugh because I was so eager with Liv and she would have learned them on her own just like Gwen. They'll learn when they are ready whether or not we put in all the effort =0).

Happy Halloween by the way =0). Liv and I did something really fun while Gwen took her nap. I'll post about it soon, along with our other Halloween adventures =0). Happy Haunting!

Note to self: Make more days like this one...

Oh, the days go by, I get caught up in my to do list and I don't spend the amount of time I would like to getting on the floor playing with my kiddos. I mean just playing for the afternoon without anything else going on. Today I made the time. I finished off my list during the girls naps, and then when they woke up, we played the rest of the afternoon. It was so nice. I know these times won't last forever, and I really REALLY love them. Both of my girls are in such sweet ages. I want to take it in as much as possible, and ENJOY it all.

And Just in case you were wondering

Miss G will be trick or treating as a CHINA DOLL. My goodness with these girls around, I think I might overdose on cuteness =0). I love Halloween.

Its Halloween!

And Liv is doing what she does best..... Being a PRINCESS. She had a hard time narrowing down what she wanted to be. At first she told me she wanted to be Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, and an Indian, and a Mermaid, and Dorothy, and a Cat. All for different Halloweens this year. I told her that probably wouldn't work and she had to decide on just one. Sleeping Beauty won, and here she is. She is pretty thrilled about this dress, tiara, and wand, but probably more thrilled that she gets to wear glitter on her face =0). Oh, to be 4 and think you actually become Sleeping beauty when you put her dress on =0).
I had to include a picture of her latest trick. This picture was her idea =0).

Quirky

My sister Angi tagged me a while ago, the rules of her game are that I am supposed to tell you 6 ways that I am quirky. For the last 2 weeks I have been trying to come up with my quirks. Although I am positive that I am full of quirks, all of my quirks seem normal...and boring to me and it is hard to come up with them on the spot. Since I really enjoyed reading Angi's list, I am passing mine along too. Here goes:

1. I sing the wrong words to every song.
2. I spend a good percentage of my time thinking about how I can organize my house better. That being said, Brad cringes when I say the words, "I organized...fill in the blank." Because I can never remember where I put things. Although it made sense at the time, I'll never remember where it is when I (or anyone else) needs it. but hey, it LOOKS really organized =0).
3. I have a thing for moss and I love walking barefoot in it. If I see a patch of moss, I love to take off my shoes just so I can feel it with my feet.
4. I LOVE all things hand made. If I have something that someone made themselves, I feel like I have a piece of them because I imagine the time it took to hone their skill and then make the object.
5. I am terribly indecisive and it drives me crazy.
6. I'm not afraid of a few holes in the wall =0). When I hang a picture, etc. I don't mind making a few holes before I get it right. Especially if it will be covered up in the end.

Ok, now for the tagging......=0)- I tag Jessie, Brianna, Laurie, Hannah, and Megan. (only if you want to, ) Oh, and anyone else who wants to play along =0).

Weekend in Boston

Here's to great friends, great food, walking the Freedom Trail, learning about our founding fathers, three girls who didn't get naps and were still great little troopers, a trip to the temple, a fairly simple and quick drive, and the prospect of getting together again!

Thank you Plachinta's for being the perfect hosts and for letting us come visit you. We loved being together again and commented that it was like we'd been together all along. We are so excited to have a bit of Iowa on the East Coast with us =0). We look forward to seeing you again and hope you will come visit us too!

To all of our Iowa friends: Isn't it fun to see these pictures of the Plachinta's =0).

Inspired

We spent the first weekend in October listening to our church leaders speak at what we call General Conference. We have General Conference twice a year and we watch it via Satellite at the church, Direct TV, or the Internet. We spend most of our days both Saturday and Sunday listening to the words of our Prophet, and other church leaders.

I have done this my entire life. I have many memories of going to the church as a child, and then watching it with my family at home when I got older. I remember how excited I was when we found out that the local chanel would be broadcasting it in Chicago. When I went to college, something clicked with me.I began to really pay attention, even take notes , and learned to really look forward to that time of learning and feeling the Spirit.

Brad and I still look forward to this time of year. We always play a little game in preparation. For the week prior to the conference, we think of different things we want answers to. And then go to Conference with these thoughts in mind. It is always neat to find that my questions are answered there.

I found this Conference to be especially inspiring (I probably always say that). In a time when the world is filled with so much uncertainty and fear, I found the messages shared by our Prophet and Apostles to be of Hope and Peace for the future. I left feeling just that. Hopeful....At peace....and Inspired to be a little better, kinder, more content.

A few quotes that struck me {paraphrased in my journal}:

• "In the midst of winter, we find within us, and invinsible summer. (speaking of hope)" -Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf
• "What is Hope? An abiding trust and confidence that the Lord will fulfill his promises to us." Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf
• "We learn to Hope one step at at time." -Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf
• "Be hopeful...the best is yet to come." Elder L. Tom Perry
• "Next time your tendancy is to groan, laugh instead." -Elder Joseph B. Wirthland
• "Come what may and Love it." -Elder Joseph B. Wirthland
• "Speak well of each other. The Savior as your loving judge, will surely do the same for you." -Elder Henry B. Eyering
• "Virtue is the accumulation of thousands of little decisions and actions." Elain S. Dalton
• "Find Joy in the Journey." "Rather than haning on to the past, make the most of today." "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." -Our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Congratulations to my hubby

Who got 6th place in the Mount Dessert Island Triathlon this weekend. It was his first Run/Bike/Kayak Tri. We had a fun time watching him. It was a gorgeous and perfect fall day. So nice in fact, that it made me want to join him next year =0). Way to Go Brad....all of your early morning runs paid off =0). {When I say early morning, I mean it....5 AM!! Now that is dedication =0)}

Columbus Day

We spent most of the day today, as Brad would say it, "buttoning up our house for the cold." We put plastic over our upstairs windows, brought in our hoses, etc, etc. After the girls' naps, we took them over to Treworgy farm. We took a hayride over to the corn maze, where Liv and Brad followed the map to each of 5 check points in the maze while Gwen and I tried to keep up. When we got to each station, we had to punch our card with a special hole punch for that spot. When we completed them all, we headed back up on a hayride to the farm, where we traded in our punched cards for our free icecream =0)......yum =0). We spent a few minutes looking at the animals before we had to head home for bed. It was a quick trip, but a fun family activity. We wish we could have spent longer......if only we didn't ever have any work to do......then we could just play all the time =0). Beware of a whole lot of pictures! I even cut back from what I had originally =0).Of course Gwen took the longest nap ever today....the day that we were waiting impatiently for her to wake up so we could go to the farm. So, after almost 4 hours! Brad went in and woke her up so we could go. She was dazey for nearly an hour before she finally "woke up" while we were in the corn maze. Doesn't she look thrilled to be awake in this picture with Brad=0).At the center of the maze

Oh...we picked the most scrumptious apples...

Brad and I decided to take the girls apple picking this afternoon. My mouth is watering, just thinking of the the gorgeous, YUMMY apples we picked. They were seriously perfect. My two favorite things about Macintosh apples are: They have ribbons of pink throughout the inside (which makes for pink applesauce), and they taste like cider. The girls thought it was a blast. Liv is a master picker, and Gwen is a master eater =0). She figured out that can hold 5 apples at the same time, and take alternating bites from each of them =0). She had a handful and a mouthful the entire time we were there. These pictures tell all =0).

Sisters

Olivia Ballerina

Wanted

An Old Table:

We are setting up a children's art room in our basement. We will need a table on which we can make our creations. Does anyone have an old table that needs a home? We promise it will get great use, and it really does not need to be pretty, nice, or pleasing to the eyes in any way =0).

In the slight chance that you have something that meets this description, leave us a comment =0), and a BIG THANK YOU

Love- The BR Girls (Betsy, Olivia, and Gwen)

One of my very favorite things

Is the way Gwen loves to whisper in my ear. She gives me a twinkley little smile, puts her warm soft cheek next to mine, and whispers, ever so softly, " I ya-you maw-ey" (I love you mommy). I wish I could bottle it up and keep it forever. Oh how I love you Gwen. My heart doubled when you were born.
A few things about Gwen now:
- She always says Please and Thank You. In Fact, we just discovered that when she says "Nuppy"(what she always says when she wants her drink) which we thought was 'cuppy', is actually "Milk Please." And "Silpy"(what she calls her blanket) is actually "Sil (Silky) Please." She also says "excuse me", and "Welcome." Such a polite girl. =0)
- All she ever wants to do is color. She colors with crayons in coloring books constantly. And when I say constantly, I mean...probably 6 hours a day. If we are home, and she is not eating, she is coloring. That is all she ever wants to do.
-She LOVES care bears. We gave her Friendship Bear for her birthday, and she loves it. She calls him her "Pay-ah Bay-ah." The reason she loves Care Bears, is because Liv loves them. The same reason she loves to dress up.
-Today we ran some errands together while Liv was in school. She wore a sparkley cheer leading costume the entire time. My friend said she has never seen two kids love dressing up more than my girls.....I would agree =0).

Livie Doodle

Tonight we were having family home evening, and we were talking about how God loves us and one way He shows us that He loves us is by creating the world, and making sure it had extra things in it to make us happy. I talked about how when I see the fall leaves turning, they make me happy, and think about how much God loves us. Brad talked about how beautiful lakes make him happy. Liv thought about it for a minute and then said, "I know what in my body makes me happy...my heart. It makes me happy that Heavenly Father gave me a heart." I thought this was a fitting comment for this little angel. She has a very big heart, in every way. She is sensitive, thoughtful, and loving, and I learn from her everyday.

A few less sentimental side notes:
- Brad and I discovered this weekend that Liv LOVES any form of Chicken Soup. Tonight, she raved about our chicken soup over mashed potatoes. She informed me that it is her most favorite recipe ever and that I am "the best cook." I have a feeling we will be eating a lot of it this winter =0).
- She is doing a great job reading, which makes me VERY excited. I love watching her learn new things.
-She has an imaginary friend named Pumpkin.....Pumpkin is also my hand, and she will do anything Pumpkin says. (When she was 2 she had an imaginary friend, which was also my hand, and it was named Raccoon. Raccoon had the same convincing ability... Both friends have been her idea, and have come about through books)

P.S. Yeah....I'm obviously feeling lovey-dovey, sentimental tonight......It's not my fault, I get it from my dad =0).

The Cinema

My friend Joanna and I took these cuties to see KUNG FU PANDA at the dollar theater. Liv thought it was great and hasn't stopped talking about it since. I am totally going to keep an eye on what kids shows are playing there. It's only $1.00 each on Tuesdays, and both of our girlies LOVE movies. They were completely cute together. They each brought their Care Bears.....Gwen says, "pay-ah bay-ah." {=0)}. At one point, a scarey preview was showing, Gwen was a little concerned, and Liv noticed right away and consoled her. What cute little sisters they are. All in all, it made for a fun afternoon.

Science experiment: Does water change size??

This is a fun little science experiment that Liv really likes. We read about it from a science book that belonged to Brad when he was a kid.

1. Start with an empty, disposable water bottle, and fill it with Hot water. Make sure it is filled all the way to the top.
2. Let it stand, and watch to see if the water level changes as it cools down.
Can you see that this picture (above) shows the water level slightly decreased?

3. Put the bottle in a water filled pot on the stove, and bring to a gentle rolling boil. Watch again to see if the water level changes now that the water is getting hotter.
We found that when the water got heated on the stove, it got bigger and began to overflow out of the bottle.

Our conclusion: Yes water does change size: Hot water is larger than cold water.