Big Girl Bed

Well, I didn't have much of a choice, but it is time to put away the crib and set up the big girl bed. Clarissa came to me around 5:30 this morning to let me know that Molly was asleep on the dresser. The crib was up against the side wall and the dresser was right beside the crib. She climbed out of the crib, unto the dresser and was indeed curled up in a ball, fast asleep. Who knows how long she had been sleeping there and how lucky we are that she doesn't toss around while she sleeps. My biggest concern is that I'm going to spend the next several months getting up and putting her back to bed. Maybe, if we play really hard in the evening, she'll be so tired that she won't want to get out of bed.Day one of the bed girl bed was total success! I have the gate in the doorway just in case she wakes up in the middle of the night and I won't have to worry about her wandering around. She's amazingly quiet when she wants to be. But, she went right to sleep without getting out of bed once. But we also danced and made a slide out of the furniture and ran around the house before going to bed. She was pretty exhausted. Clarissa had to be a part of the new celebration. She now has a beautiful new quilt to match that of Molly. (The plan is to make their room a gorgeous princess room.) She has volunteered to take responsibility for Molly's sleep routine. She has shown me how she will help her back into bed if she gets out. I think it's sweet how she wants to impart her knowledge of appropriate bedtime procedures. Maybe I'll enlist her help for potty training too : )

Happy 2nd Birthday Molly!

I know it sounds like I'm yelling at them but really, the air pumps were so loud that they couldn't hear me. And of course after going through all the trouble, Molly didn't even notice we were singing to her. Oh well, I'm going to make memories no matter what daggone it! : )

Molly's Birthday Party

Molly received some really great gifts. Clarissa gave her the wig and shoes. She also received a lot of little puppies like this one that you can carry around in the purse, so Paris Hilton.

She really loves puppies right now so we got her a little poodle cake. It was very tasty. I got it from Tiffany's Bakery on Two Notch. It's a really cute restaurant too. I might be inviting some of my friends there for lunch sometime.

I didn't have a birthday party with little friends. Instead I took the kids to a place call Leapin' Lizards. They had a great time. This facility has several inflatable bouncies and slides. Molly loved it. She couldn't choose what to do first so she would run all over the place. There is also a coloring corner, a puppet theatre, dress up costumes, and toys. I loved watching them play together and helping each other climb through the courses. Afterwards, we took Molly to her favorite restaurant, Wendy's : ) After the cake and frosties, she was ready to go to bed. Molly is such a delight. We are so happy to have her in our family. We love her very much!

Pacifier Collection

I love watching Molly collect all of her pacifiers. You would think only one is enough but no, you need at least two in your mouth. She's tried to put in three but couldn't quite figure it out. And they are easy to collect and carry around when you keep them in a handy little bowl. I love it! But, we are now having to take the pacifiers away. It is now only for bedtime. When I tell her she needs to give me her pacifier, she lays back down in bed. So she'd rather be confined to a crib with it than be free without. Hmmm....

Election Day

I was excited to go out and vote for a new president. Mostly because it is way overdue to get a new person in the white house. I still wasn't sure who I wanted to vote for and then I wasn't sure if I would actually be able to vote. I woke up early to get to the polls as they first opened up and the line was already out to the parking lot. Todd had to work and all the kids were home because the schools were being used as polls. But my friends had a great idea, babysitting exchange. At one time I had 10 kids hanging out at our house. It was a lot of fun. But eventually Adam left for a birthday party and Molly laid down for a nap and I was left with only 8 kids. I'm still trying to convince Todd that one more addition to the family would be nice. It was so much fun having everyone around here that one even cried when it was time to go home. We'll need to bring her back again really soon.

Bobcat Badge

Adam's pack put together a skit based on the Harry Potter books. Adam played the part of Professor snapes. (This is the best picture I have of the skit.) Afterwards, he said he would like to be an actor because it was so much fun being up on the stage and having people applaud for him.

Here Adam is receiving his Bobcat badge from his den leader. I like this picture because it looks like Todd is pulling his hair. (But clearly it is a rub on the head signaling he did a good job.) Adam has really enjoyed going each week to scouts. He has the best leaders in the pack and so he should be earning many more awards as time goes on.

Adam Makes the Grade

We knew he had it in him but it is finally showing through. Bridge Creek has been a great school for Adam. It has given him a clean, fresh, new start and he is doing great work. We love his teacher Mrs. Burriss. She has really allowed him the freedom to express himself. He knows he is an important part of the class. We are very proud of him and know he will continue to do great work!

Halloween Night

By Halloween Night we were all moved into our new house. In fact, I had turned in the keys that very afternoon while Adam was at guitar lesson. It was a new neighborhood with new kids. Excitingly enough, Adam ran into a classmate that lives only four houses down the street. It was just the night before that we were able to decorate the outside of our house for the occasion but it was fun to be out and to have the house glowing.

We were just too busy to carve a pumpkin this year but I found this perfect Jack O'Latern at Walmart at a very reasonable price. It may turn out to be my new Halloween tradition, break out the pumpkin light. It's a lot less messy, that's for sure!

Adam wanted to play dead in front of the tombstones. It was so hilarious for me to watch him flop to the ground and yell, take my picture mom, this is a great one! I think he's ready for his first acting class.

Molly's Class Party

I'm a mean old witch with a hat!
And I ride on my broom with my cat!
My nose is pointed and my ears are too!
And you better watch out 'cause I'm going get YOU!

Clarissa had a great time at her class party. There were games, songs, treats. It was fun getting to know the little friends she plays with each week. And they were all so adorable in their costumes.

Wags the Dog visited during the party. Do you see the pure delight on that girl's face?! She didn't really know who this character was. To her it was a great, big, wonderful "gog"!

Trunk or Treat

No matter where we live, the church always seem to have a trunk or treat party for the kids at Halloween. This is when people will decorate their trunk, or in our case attempt to decorate, and pass out candy to the kids in the parking a lot. There's always food and games too so the kids have a great time. This year was a bit difficult for us though because we had spent the entire day moving into our new house. Todd was tired and sore and I was frazzled trying to make sure the kids got dressed up and ready to go. The time flew by in a blur. People were packed up and leaving before we knew what was going on. The kids loved it though and that was what it was all about. We'll try to be better prepared for next year.





Adam dressed up as a Clone Trooper this year.













Clarissa was a Butterfly Princess for the Trunk or Treat. She loves her friend Will. (This is the boy she will sneak behind the stage curtains for a kiss.) Appropriately dressed as a vampire I must add. Should we call him Edward?


Molly the Monarch Butterfly loved playing the games. Here she won a gummy treat which she quickly devoured. Since Halloween she has turned into a junk food junkie. There are mornings when she'll ask for chocolate as I am taking her out of the crib. Believe me, I'm doing all in my power to stop that right now. I do NOT want both my girls begging for candy all day.

Temple Group

Now that we have been around for awhile we have been finding some really great free things to do in Columbia. (Those who were used to my old school newsletter know that I missed being able to participate in all the great free activities in Watertown.) A few of my friends and I have started a Temple Group. Once a month we take turns watching children so that we can go to the temple. It is so great having one that is only minutes away. My family loves that I go too because it helps to keep me focused on what is important. I tease Todd frequently on how I'd probably kicked him to the curb if I didn't go often. I always feel more prepared to face the Lord after visiting and consider it to be a blessing to go and to have such great friends around with me.