Fall is in the Air

So this is going to be a long post! Sometimes I have a lot to share and sometimes I don't. This is one of the rare times I have some stories to share. Usually, I can never remember them when I sit down to blog. So Sweet Boy and sister Grace are quite the snack team. They sneak around the house getting into snack after snack and I can't seem to keep the troups satisfied. Although Nana knew just what to send Grace for her birthday - a snack box! Thank you! So a few weeks ago I discovered that the dynamo duo (unknowing to me) got into my stash of Dum Dums, when I found 20 empty Dum Dum wrappers in the garbage can. Oh boy. They got in trouble for that one.

Caleb was supposed to give his first talk in our new ward a few weeks back. I put Daddy in charge because I couldn't actually be there, because I'm teaching the 13 and 14 year olds in Sunday School. Anyways, so I guess there is another Caleb M. in the primary and there was confusion about which Caleb was supposed to talk. The two Calebs started debating whose turn it was and Caleb, being the shy guy he is, felt uncomfortable. So I'm told, he gets up to the microphone, and slowly shrinks down (as all the kids are laughing) and then promptly hides in the cabinet underneath the podium. Okay, so needless to say, he didn't give his talk. He is a little shy guy. I don't really know why they expect Sunbeams to give talks anyways. Better luck next time.

So another story about the Sweet Boy man. He likes snacks, candy, you see that right? Well, the other day we went to Safeway and when we got home from the store I discovered that "Sweet" Boy had unknowing to me, slipped a roll of Sweet Tarts in his pocket. I was shocked! I said one sentence of disapproval and then ran into the house so I wouldn't get angry. Then, I left it until Daddy got home. We discussed it and decided the best way to handle it was to have him go back to the store, admit his wrongdoing to the manager, pay for it, and leave it at that. Oh it happened on a Monday, so before all this we had a Family Home Evening on the Ten Commandments with a focus on NOT stealing! ha. Anyways, if you could have seen the tears on his face. It about broke my heart. Caleb is very sensitive so to have to do confess to a stranger was great punishment. He came home and ran in my arms and said, "Mom, I will never steewl again!"

So life here has changed for us so much! I think there are few times when something is as great as you imagine it to be, but living in La Grande is turning out to be that way for us. For one, The Hubby is 2 minutes from work. He comes home now for lunch. No commute. He spends a lot more time at home. And if he needs off, there is no begging, groveling, or feeling quilty. You just leave! Wow. What a concept....We're still getting used to the idea that vacation is something you take. And oh, if you are sick, you really don't have to go to work. Okay, enough sarcasm.

Every morning we walk Twinkle Toes to school. Things have slowed down and Mom feels much less stressed! It seems we are having better days, better moments. The TV is still gone. I do miss it a little, but I am getting used to it. We're still really busy so I'm not sure how we got it all done before when we did have a TV. Although sometimes 8:30 rolls around and I'm like, let's just go to bed, because there is nothing else to do! lol.

The Festivities....Grace's Birthday

So Twinkle Toes and Sweet Boy wanted to use some of their own money to buy Grace a birthday present, so they took money out of their piggy banks and used $1 of it to buy Grace a present. Mom helped out. Grace really liked her card from Aunt Lisa:

go here to see a video of her opening it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrKHtZZeHlg

and here to see her with her new babydoll. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnjMozCZalY

So I noticed later that Lisa's card looks almost just like the cake I made! My sad little cake. I'm not very good at cakes. Gosh darn I try but they always look awful. I wish we had someone to come make us wonderful cakes, but alas, we never seem to get Aunt Amy to come. This is why I usually buy cakes instead of making them. But Twinkle Toes did most of the work. I had her in the kitchen and she was a really good helper, mixing the stuff, tinting the frosting with food coloring, and helping to decorate.

Gracie Goo Turns Two!

So Grace turns 2 today! She has grown up so much in the last few months. A few things about Grace is she loves, loves, LOVES babies. She wants to hold them, feed them, love them. I remember Twinkle Toes not playing with babies all that much, but now Grace and Twinkle Toes fight over Bitty Baby and Grace usually wins. Whenever she sees a realy baby, she wants to hold them too, but I have to try and explain that that probably won't happen.

Graves LOVES dresses and fancy shoes. I don't know where she gets it. Many days she will go to her dresser and pull out this simple cotton dress and hand it to me. Sometimes I think it's because dressses don't rub on her humongous scar which goes all the way across her abdomen. She will often complain about certain pants that hurt her belly, or "too tight" she will say, and I think they are rubbing on her scar. And she has that darn huge belly so I think dresses just fit over it better!

I guess Grace is going to have the baby syndrome, because we tend to spoil her way more than the other two. Maybe it's because she was so sick. I think she gets away with a lot more. Whenever the other two get sick, it's no big deal, but when Grace is sick, the world stops, my heart aches, and I worry incessantly. I think this is going to be my common response. I worry a lot about that one kidney. She just had a really bad case of diarhea that lasted for 7 days. She ended up in the ER needing IV fluids. She's all better now, but man, see what I mean? I've learned that Pedialyte tastes pretty good, but don't bother with those cheap brands. They're gross. And straws really do the trick if you need your little one to drink. Straws make everything taste better.

So for the last few weeks Grace has been saying "Happy My Birthday" all the time. It all started when we were over at someone's house and she was playing with their baby doll stroller and I couldn't get her to leave. So yes, I bribed her by saying, let's go and we'll get you one of those for your birthday. So apparently she does know what a birthday is! She's been singing the song to herself. I asked her the other day what she wanted for her birthday and she told me, CAKE. Then, the little smarty pants looked up in my closet and saw a wrapped present and said, "that my present." Smarty britches.

So of course Grace gets a baby doll for her birthday. We have to end the feud with her sister. I looked at Walmart and just couldn't bring myself to buy a Made in China doll. I tried, but then I went on the internet and tried to find something a little more "eco" friendly and it was tough. There were Waldorf dolls and Amish dolls, but none of them really looked like a doll. Until I found this one on ebay, made from the famous Petitcollin doll factory in France. I guess they have been manufacturing dolls since 1860. Okay, it may be a little extravagant, but I couldn't resist. It doesn't have the phalathes in the plastic and the clothing is organic and bamboo. And they give the dolls a soft, vanilla scent. She's called Petit Mouton which I think means "little lamb." Okay, I just love her. Just wanted to share in case anyone is looking for a cute doll. I really love this one.

Wallowa Lake