Christmas Fun

Sledding, Oh yeah, we had a blast and cant wait for more snow and sun shine.

Making cookies, these turned out so fun and cute!

Festival of trees.

Christmas Day!

Manger scene.

Its sad to see christmas go, I'm having the after holiday blaaaah's.

Carter the Photographer

This is like most of the pictures he took, can you quess what this is? These are grandmas favorite pj pants, picture taken under cover!

Good One, this one was also not posed for

We enjoyed Thanksgiving, I want leftover turkey to go with my yummy cranberry sauce.

Thank you Carter for getting us on camera, I'll post other of his fine work later.

So I want to write about the experience I had on Black Friday, but it would take to long and would not be nearly as funny as in person . All I can say is I have devised a plan for next year. I only got 2 items on my list, out of 5 . next year I'm going for all. Anyone care to join me?

Update on my talk: went well, jake and I took up the whole time. did you know the whole month the topic was temples. so we had the same lesson in priesthood and relief society. had I known prior I wouldn't have used the Joseph Smith manual for the majority of my talk.

Sunday

Today I really was humbled during our lesson in Relief Society. It was on Knowledge, I have always loved learning but for some reason have taken a long sabbatical, from school as well as serious scripture study. I felt really incompetent and felt a shock to the self esteem. And to top it off Jake and I were asked to speak in church next Sunday, even worse the topic being temple worthiness. We have not been to the temple in years, For the first time I felt like I need to ask for another topic, or say we were not competent enough to speak in church. However I'm going to learn from this day. I went home and started to read the recent conference reports in the Ensign, what a relief. I read the most appropriate talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen page 13 titled "You Know Enough". There is always room for more learning but we all know the most important truth and that is that we are all children of God. I will be relying a lot on outside resources for my talk, and have a stronger idea of what my new years resolutions will be. Comment if you have any really good temple stories or books that I can refer to.
This week I have really been thinking of my children and their interests. Carter's favorite song is "Apple bottom jeans" if you don't know this song I have it on my play list. He does a great dance with it and he has great moves. Ethan is loving the Backyardigans, especially Pablo. We watch the same episode over and over, speaking of dance moves I'm learning quiet a few off of this cartoon. I will demonstrate later. Isn't it fun being a kid! Also I can not seem to keep apples in my house, my kids eat them up so fast. Its probably the only healthy thing they actually ask for.

Way to Go! Soup Cookoff Our family put the boys to the test for our November activity. We decided to do a soup cook off. Jake made tortilla soup and Cody made a stew. Both were delicious and all of us were impressed. We decided that we need to have the boys cook more often so in December we are having another cook off, this time an Italian theme.

Snow Day

Ethan loves his daddys hat Carter is ready for snow!

to bad it's here today gone tomorrow

Trick or Treat

Carter and Ethan ready for church, after Halloween. so Carter still was in ninja mode, mom only let black gloves be allowed. Not enough candy this year, Mom can't wait until we are old enough to run from door to door and cover a couple miles of houses.
Dipping in before we get home!
My Ninja and Turtle. Happy Halloween for 2008


We got a late start on trick or treating this year thanks to me, I'm always late. I hate having this title of allways being late but with my profession and job it is always demanding. So we did'nt get to much candy but that is ok, less junk food to monitor.

I am so GREATFUL for my life right now, I see lots of struggles and hardship and trials in my family and close friends around me. Yet the demon of despair has passed by me once again. November is one of my favorite months because of the focus on being greatful, I'm greatful for my health my husband and Carter and Ethan. I am also greatful for good neighbors, I'm constatly borrowing things. Thank you neighbors!

CONGRATULATIONS Barack Obama!
I love the energy that Obama displays. I'm excited to see his change policies go into effect. I believe him to have a respect among other nations that is so important to our nation. He is really for the working, middle class it will be interesting to see the plan for redistribution of wealth. I'm not into politics but I see a determination and motivation in Obama.

A Fun Day

What face would you pull being burried in the leaves?



We spent some time at the park today, what a nice day the weather was perfect!
I'm not ready for the snow after being spoiled with this fall.


GARDEN TAG
The cut and paste was not working so to fulfil my tag obligation I will just write a little garden poem of my own.
In my little garden I have lots of room to grow
for all that is in there now is dirt and room to sew
I will put in my foundation my mom and Dad come first
when I married Jake it quenched my gardens thirst.
underneith the soil the roots will take their route
A family was started and that's what this gardens about.
I will put in a tall tree to shade me from despair
This represents the savior who I know is always there
The ground cover is important it keeps the termoil out
my extended family I rely on help make the turnabout.
My seasonal flowers add beauty and come back every year
I have a handful of friends that I hold very dear
There is a rock that never fails and also adds some style
These are those I can count on when I've gone down the wrong mile
My garden is full of beauty but also needs some fruit
Those whom these represent are better than any loot.
Some things grow in my garden that I don't always choose
but all the other blossoms, will help me to never lose.
When its time to till the ground and my garden is overturned
I know that what I've sewn will continue and not be burned.

(this is my rough and final draft, not a poet, just havin a cheesy moment)

Hey Batter Batter

Today was so fun, I had 3 meals prepared, chores done, kids bathed, play time, pumpkin carving, and I made it to the bank. Not very many days go this smooth. Is life easier with more kids?
I realized today that I am out run, I can't catch, and I throw like a girl. I use to be the one running the game show, not when we play baseball with the boys. They kicked my butt, and grandma's too. We really had fun with Caleb, Brae, and Carter today.
Ethan was home in bed, he had his fun with tonight, we all get our butts kicked by Ethan, he loves to tackle and tease, little bruiser, but still a softy.

What is for dinner?

Is that not the worst question to answer, ok one of the worst.
I'm working on my MENU for this week!
Then decided to blog!

Update on the Eyres book: The nature of consistency; An analogy of the Tortoise and the Hare, the race being the life of our family. Do we try to rush through to get to the final destination with confusion and shortcuts like the Tortoise or do we consistantly enjoy the journey, one day at a time, making time for stops but not falling asleep. The Eyres mentioned how important it is to have family traditions, and be CONSISTANT. so hard to do sometimes, but its what holds the family together.
This chapter is better read than explaned it was really good, I need to come up with some traditions that are just shared by our little family of four.

Week to DO'S

return library books
wash halloween costumes
carve pumpkins
make sugar cookies
do something fun with the kids
Plan, "Whats for dinner?"!

I LOVE PUMPKIN everything

MY LITTLE PUMPKINS


PUMPKIN BREAD

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

Also try Pumpkin Bagels with Pumpkin cream cheese from Einstiens, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin cookies, and already shown Pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin bread.
This is the best time of year for PUMPKINS!

Fall Fall Fall !

A lesson from the Eyre's, today is on the Whale. Whales have a distinct communication with their sound, it is harmonized and sends out vibration as well as feeling. Find special moments to communicate with your children, they need to know that you have an interest in them and have their goals and desires on your mind. My favorite times to talk to my kids are in the car and in their room while laying down with them in bed.

Out with the old In with the new!

Time to pull out the winter clothes, When I realized that Carter had 1 pair of pants that fit him and Ethan was wearing floods, I decided to take action. To the storage for a box with 2T winter clothes for Ethan and a trip to the store for Carter. Mervyns had some great deals on jeans, Carter had a blast trying on his clothes, I wish I would have had a camera, with every new outfit he would do a guitar player move in front of the mirror, I suppose that ment that he approved of the mom and dad pick.

To update the Eyre book that I am taking my time reading chapter 2 is on the crab. We should remeber to be the opposite of the crab, when crabs are put together in a pot not one would make it out because the ones on the bottom continue to pull the ones on top down. So instead of always judging, saying no, or talking down to , things of this manner, we should be more uplifting. So I tried this concept this week. I took Carter to Wheeler farm, all he wanted to do was jump over the stream in all different places. Some spots where further away than others and at first he said "I can't jump that far, I will fall in" So instead of just letting him believe that I encouraged him to jump and the worse that would happen is he would get wet. So he jumped and supprisingly he made it across. He was so proud of himself, it boosted his confidence and it was fun to see him overcome a fear. So anyhow the Eryes are an awsome

Hello,

Today is a relax and enjoy day. Jake is out golfing with Carter, Ethan is asleep and Angi and I are hanging out wondering when we can go get our pumpkin bagels.

So an update on the book that I started reading from Linda and Richard Eyre: Chapter 1 is about how we should emulate the priority of the geese. Their number one priority is their family and so it should be with our own. All outside influences should be kept at a minimal and so to not interfere with family life. The constant verbal explanation to our kids about how they come first is just as important as the action. This is the first and most important way of nuturijg our family.

We are sad to loose one of our neighbors, and family. They are moving across Redwood Road, about 3 blocks away. Best wishes to Dan and Marci and kids, we'll miss you. Will we still be known as Baldwin Compound now that are numbers are down to 3 family members and not 4?

Grandma has the cutest halloween decor so she has mentioned that we need to have a witchy brew party, we'll decide which witch is which! (he he he he)

What a day is made of

Ethan is our MVP basketball player, while he was making all his shots, the other OLDER kids where complaing of the hoop being to high. It was a hoot to watch the ball go in one after another and another and another. This, so far, is Ethans talant, Dad is pretty proud of his young Micheal J.

Our lives seem to be crazy yet satisfying, Carter and Ethan wake in the morning and can't wait to enjoy the last bit of good weather. What will I ever do when the snow comes? Carter is enjoying pre-school 2 days a week and I think that we both wish it were more. He likes to stay busy, and daily he asks "What are we doing fun today". His choices lately are Lagoon, The aquarium, and The zoo. Moms choices are the park, the library, or invite a friend to come over. Somehow by noon we agree with something I hope canning season is over, I just love it but I'm ready to be done.

12 quarts grape juice

16 quarts peaches

14 quarts tomatoes

14 pints chilli sauce

Jake is doing awsome at school, he is always busy with homework. This new change for us is so uplifting. We have less money but more of everything else, we are happier now than we have been in a long time.

Let's be happy

My goals this week are to

1. Be kind to others, including my family, and neighbors, which are one in the same!

2. find joy in the journey, doing laundry, cooking, changing diapers, laughing with my kids, deciding what to make for dinner; ordering pizza, and so on...

3. endulge in my new favorite treat from einsteins bagels, the pumpkin bagel with pumpkin cream cheese. yum, yum !

Fun at Millcreek Canyon

This is Carter the Super Hero!
Yes, he did jump

This is my attemt to copy an idea, and start a blog. I have no known details of this picture, when, where, and why? but I do know that Jake is looking pretty good and i like my hair color.

Thanks to Heath for the idea!