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As I've mentioned, Gabby has a best friend. Last week her sweet friend was over playing and I had a bowl of honeydew cut up. They both love fruit and so they were sitting at the counter with the bowl between them, eating. What I thought was especially sweet is that a couple of times, one of them would say,"Share" and they would grab the bowl and push it toward the other one and smile. Too sweet.

make-up

Michelle and Ella got makeup from a friend for Christmas. Included in the make-up was nail polish. So on Tuesday of last week, I walk past the bathroom and Gabby is putting makeup on her face. I honestly didn't think much of it... we were home and it would wash off. Then I walked in a minute later, only to realize that she wasn't painting her face with makeup but with nail polish! She was busy applying it to her eyes ...and had already painted her lips and cheeks. I grabbed a wash cloth and started wiping it off...then thought...hey, wait, what am I doing? I need to get a picture of this. I mean it was even on her eyelashes like mascara would be. So here are a few pics with most of the nail polish still on. It's pink and not super bright, but you'll get the idea. And fortunately, most of it came off right then with soap and water since it was still wet. She had a couple of spots near her eye that lasted for two days.

Before Christmas Festivities

Here are a few shots of our pre-Christmas activities, because I got too busy to ever post about them prior to Christmas.

The girls had fun trimming the tree and making Gingerbread sleighs and a Gingerbread house. It was especially cute, because I think Gabrielle might just have been more excited about all of this than the other two girls. She loves gingerbread houses. She went to a gingerbread house display with Alyson and Aly said she was so excited to look at all of the houses. This has been a fun Christmas with her.

Alfredo's department had a Christmas party. Usually they have a dinner for employees and spouses, but this year it was a party for the whole family. The kids really had fun playing the drums, guitars, and piano as well as foosball, pool, and toys. Gabby loved seeing Bruce's son's rats.


The food was delicious, and there was a special surprise near the end: Santa came and gave all the kids gifts!





The girls got Hello Kitty digital cameras, the boys got Nerf guns, the teenagers got money. Gabby got zhu zhu pet accessories and a zhuzhu pet car. Everyone was happy to see Santa, and only Gabby wouldn't climb up on his lap.

Mirielle

Here's a collage of photos Shannon took of Ella.


I just love the main photo of Ella. If I had to choose one favorite photo that Shannon took, it would be that one of Ella. Good thing I don't have to choose, though, because there are a lot that I love.

Here are a few things about our sweet Mirielle at age 5 1/2:

*She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES school and is doing so well. She loves learning Spanish and loves learning to read and has just loved everything about school. I have really seen her mature since she began school.

*All she really wanted for Christmas was a play kitchen. She was so happy to get it and has spent so much time playing with it already.

*Ella loves to pray. She says the sweetest, most sincere prayers.

*Ella is very sensitive. She loves to be held and hugged. She often tells you how much she loves you. She also gets her feelings hurt easily and cries easily.

*Ella has the most beautiful, sparkling eyes. Even strangers comment on her eyes.

We love her so very much.

Gabrielle

Here is a collage of photos that Shannon took of Gabrielle.



And some things to share about Gabby at age 2 1/2.

*She loves animals. She adores Chester, but she also loves her babysitter's dog, rabbits and lizards. She loves to show me the lizards when I pick her up and she has woried about Chewy, the babysitter's dog because he hurt his foot a week ago.

*All she really wanted for Christmas was a pink zhu-zhu pet. She was lucky enough to get a pink one, a green one, a brown one and a zhu-zhu pet Wii game...not to mention another car and a princess carriage from various friends and family.

*She is a talker. Strangers sometimes comment about how much she talks for her age. She knows what she wants and she lets you know too. She is so expressive too. She uses her hands as she talks and has so many facial expressions. I love to watch her face as she talks. As I type, she is listening to the music and dancing on the computer desk with her hands waving in the air.

*She thinks she is a big girl and wants to do (almost) everything her sisters do.
One example is that each Sunday the Primary kids go and tell the Bishop what they learned in church and they get a candy. She goes right along with them and doesn't even need me to go with her. She walks up and tells the Bishop that she learned about "Jesus" (her answer every week, no matter what they talked about...but hey, it's a good one) and gets her candy (which she thinks hard about before selecting...). Too cute.

*Aside from her sisters, she has a best friend named Sofie. She adores Sofie, and misses Sofie when they don't get to play.

We all adore her and are so glad she's part of our family.

Michelle

Here is a collage of the photos Shannon took of Michelle. Isn't she beautiful?


Since 2010 is nearly over, I thought I'd do a little summary of the things I want to remember about Michelle at age 7.

*Her Spanish is really improving. She now will try to talk to people in Spanish, even if she doesn't know them that well. She recently even told a joke in Spanish. It is definitely second grade humor, but too cute that she's telling jokes:
"Mira la foco. (pause) Se caye el moco." (giggle) It means: Look up at the ceiling. Out falls your booger. It really loses a lot of its affect in English but it rhymes and is silly in Spanish.

*She is becoming a great little reader. I don't know that it will ever be her "thing" like it is mine (that will probably be Ella), but she is doing very well in reading and math in both languages.

*She has such a kind heart. She really feels bad when someone gets hurt or she sees someone teased. There is a boy in her class who has a younger sister in Ella's class. The younger sister is pretty shy (as is Ella) and often doesn't play at recess. Michelle bugged Ella for nearly two weeks to talk to this little girl and play with her because she needed friends. I'm sure it was hard for Ella, but she did and they do play together now.

*She started taking violin lessons at her after school program. We changed after school programs, so we're looking now for a new teacher for her. She really wants to learn to play the violin. We also just bought a piano, so now she wants to play the piano too.

*She has the sweetest dimple on her right cheek.

*She is a great mix of girly girl and tomboy. She is quite athletic (although her busy parents have not really given her too many opportunities to develop her skills)...she taught herself to ride a 2 wheeled bike at 4 1/2, she literally climbs the walls and loves monkey bars and is a fast little runner. She loves to be active and be outside. But she also loves fancy dresses, bows in her hair and makeup. She loves it when women wear high heels and nice jewelry (too bad her mom almost never does either of those! and I'm not the greatest at doing hair either...although I do try!)

*She loves HGTV and has definite opinions about what she likes, which she can articulate. Maybe she'll be an interior decorator or something when she grows up.

*She has mastered the "teacher" voice. She loves to play school and she sounds just like a teacher. I've joked that she could probably come to my school and keep my class in line...and it's probably not far from the truth.

family photos

About a month ago, my good friend Shannon took our family's photos. She did such a great job. I'm just now finally getting them added to my blog. Shannon is so talented. To see more of her photos, check her out at Greener Days Photography.

Here are a few of my favorites of the family. I'll share some individual shots tomorrow:

Embarrassing

I can remember as a child/teenager mistakenly thinking that once I grew up things would be easier...at least in some ways. I really thought that once I grew up I would not care as much or need to worry as much about how I look or what is in style (not that I spend loads of time on my appearance...but I still worry about it)... and I also thought that once I grew up I would stop doing embarrassing things and stop being clumsy. Oh how wrong I was! I'm constantly doing things to embarrass myself. Today, being no exception.

A few minutes after sitting down in church, I glanced over and saw that there was a pair of children's underwear. Confused, I reached for it and realized that it was stuck to the velcro on Ella's jacket... Apparently when I did laundry yesterday, it stuck to the velcro and when I hung up the jacket I didn't notice it. Hopefully neither did anyone else. I quickly pulled them off and put them away.

Then a bit later, I tried to pass the sacrament tray and one of my children was sitting on my skirt and it pulled my skirt down a bit.

Fortunately, the rest of church was without further mishap and I was able to enjoy the talks and lessons the rest of the day. :)

Attitude of Gratitude

This week our FHE was on gratitude. We truly have so much to be grateful for. I've enjoyed reading several friends' posts on Facebook and blogs about what they are grateful for. But even more than that, I enjoyed seeing what my kids (well, my two older girls) had to say about what they are thankful for. We used this amazing booklet found at Sugardoodle.net. Here are my girls' lists of what they are grateful for:




And here is my own list of the Top 10 Things I am grateful for. I am sure there are at least 100 more. More likely 1,000. But I'll stop at 10 for today.

1. My Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. My knowledge and testimony of the gospel. A living prophet on the earth. I just began reading President Monson's biography, and he is truly a remarkable man who has literally spent his life in the service of others and in the service of our Heavenly Father. I want to be more like him and strive to follow both his example and even more importantly, the example of my Savior.

2. The sound of my children's laughter. I think this may just be one of the best sounds in the world...and I've heard so much of it these past few days as we've been home together. I love watching them play and seeing their sweet relationship with each other.

3. This wonderful country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy. I am so grateful to live where and when I do. I read a lot of historical fiction and while I know there are plenty of problems here and now, I would not have wanted to live in pretty much any part of the past. I am especially grateful for freedom of religion, but I treasure all of our freedoms and the rights that we enjoy that so many others throughout the world do not. I am grateful for those, past and present, who have served and fought to make and keep our country free.

4. Books... I can't imagine my life without them. My life would not be as happy or content nor would I have as much knowledge without reading. One of my favorite sayings is: "You don't have to read every day...only on the days you eat." (author unknown) Reading is such a big part of my life.

5. Food and shelter... I am grateful that for the most part I am able to almost take these for granted... I have always had enough food to eat and a place to live. And while I have never lived in a huge home, compared to so many millions in this world, I am so richly blessed. I live in luxury.

6. Great family... My mom is probably the most Christ-like person I know. I have amazing, talented sisters. My stepdad is committed to the gospel and is a wonderful husband and father. My dad adores my children and we love to visit him. I have a husband who works so hard and is such a great dad. I have three beautiful children that are true gifts from God. I have grandparents who have been a great example and a big part of my life. I have aunts and uncles and cousins that I love. While, unfortunately, I don't live close to most of my family, I love them and they teach me so much.

7. Wonderful friends and neighbors... I have been so blessed to never have to put my kids in a day care... I have had wonderful friends that have cared for my children and we have been recipients of such kindness and so many acts of love and service. I have friends at work. Friends at church. Friends in my book club. Friends from the neighborhood. Friends from my husband's job. Friends from college that I still keep in touch with. And perhaps more importantly,my children are surrounded by good friends. They are so fortunate to have so many wonderful playmates and so many that love them.

8. For good teachers, past and present... I was blessed to have many wonderful teachers in elementary school, high school, college, primary and other church classes. I have many fond memories of my school years and know that my life has been enriched because of the time and effort they put into teaching me.

9. For prayer... My prayers and the prayers of our family have been answered on so many occasions, for big and small things. I know that my Father is there and listens when I pray. I know that He loves me and is aware of my needs. I am so grateful for prayer.

10. For my job... I recognize that my job is a mixed blessing. It takes me away from my home and my children and it often causes me stress. If I had more faith and better self-discipline, maybe I wouldn't have to work and could be home with my children full time...and yet, I really feel that what I do is valuable. Not more valuable than raising my family. But valuable just the same. I love the students I work with and hope and think that I am doing a good job of educating them and loving them and providing a safe place for them. If I am going to be away from my children, I am glad that I have a job that I love, that helps others and that gives me quite a bit of time off to be home with my kids. I find it mentally stimulating...my job is always changing and I am always learning new things. I find it rewarding to see children get excited about reading and learning. I find it challenging and sometimes depressing. But at the end of the day, I am glad that I got to go to a job that I really do love. It often means that I don't do some of the things that I feel like I should (ie clean, stay organized, sew, garden...although honestly, I probably wouldn't be any good at those things even if I stayed home) and it also means that sometimes I get too focussed on getting things done... but it also keeps me from being lazy and helps me to prioritize. Anyway, this last one feels like less of gratitude and more of me rambling about my mixed feelings, but really I am grateful for my job.

don't forget

For the past month, part of my bedtime routine with Gabrielle has been to sing 2 or 3primary songs. Most nights I sing I am a Child of God and then I Know My Father Lives while holding her. Tonight I sang I am a Child of God and then laid her in her crib, planning to sing the second song as she was lying down. She looked up and said, "My Father, Momma." As if to say, "Don't forget to sing my other song." As soon as I finished, she rolled over and curled up, ready for sleep. She is so sweet.

Winter/Thanksgiving Art

We did a Thanksgiving book together on Tuesday night about the many beautiful tihngs on Earth to give thanks for. ... the grass so green, the mountains strong and powerful, and so on. It is based on a Native American prayer of Thanksgiving. It is a project the second grade teachers do at my school each year, and as I did it with my class this year, I thought, "Hey, this is cool. I should do this with my own kids."






Then today we painted a winter scene. The winter scene was created by an awesome art teacher named Kristi that we had a few years ago. It teaches perspective. So I gave my to bigger girls a mini-art lesson and then showed them how to paint deer and trees and snow. We also talked about how snow will accumulate on tree branches (and were able to look outside the window to see evidence of this). So we painted a winter scene with deer up close and deer farther away. Michelle is my little perfectionist and at first was very upset that her deer wasn't perfect. But her painting turned out great.

Here are the finished products (which are now hanging in our window):




Here is Michelle's:


Here is Ella's. Sorry it is sideways:


Here is mine:


Gabrielle, I should mention, just painted crazily on paper (and herself and the counter and her clothes--thank goodness for washable paint) as we worked on our winter scenes.

Snowy Morn

We had quite a snowstorm last night. It went from being a beautiful fall day yesterday to winter overnight. We woke (late due to the power being out in the middle of the night) and found our street, house, yard covered in snow. Our neighbor's tree split and part fell into the road so several of the ward members came to cut it down and remove it from the road. One of our trees was pretty heavily weighted down by snow too.

The girls really enjoyed going out this evening to build a snowman. They also had fun launching a few snowballs at our home teacher after he helped cut down the neighbor's tree. And our dog, Chester, absolutely loves the snow... he's like a little kid, running and jumping and playing in the snow. Here are a few shots of our house, street, etc.