Oh, Kids

For the last two days Brook and Ellie have been playing "House" if you want to call it that. Regardless of what you call it, one is the mom and the other is the baby and they have a great time. The funniest part to me is that Ellie is actually the mom and Brook is the baby. And Ellie does a great job mothering her little baby. She puts her down for a nap, gives her a fake bottle of milk, lets her eat her real fudgesicle... all the things a good mother would do. It's the cutest thing ever. And Brook makes a great baby too :) Whiney at all the right times, but very obedient. 

Reminds me of the times when I used to be Gramps to my older brother, Stan, who I affectionately called "Sonny." 

Kids are so silly.

Family Home Evening

Nephi & Sam got the Brass Plates

King Laban got his jewels... 

and what was coming to him

Everybody got a little into the jewels...

 They can't help themselves 

 I am their mother after all :)

Yosemite in HD

My dad sent me this link and it is incredible- took me back to this summer. If you haven't been, you NEED to go. 

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

Dinner Flopped, But Dessert....

...was heavenly.

Ho Hum

Saved a dresser from the garbage yesterday. Waiting for this girl to get done moving so she can help me refinish it. Until then, I guess I'll do laundry.

Found This When I Went To Bed Last Night

Random Blessing

The other night, I started importing Ben's old mission pictures off his camera CD's so we can finally throw the huge stack in the trash. I was once again bemoaning the fact that our honeymoon CD had been destroyed before we could capture the pictures to the computer and I put in a blank CD and started to import it.... and it was our honeymoon pictures!!! For the last 5 years I have been carrying around this scratched CD hoping beyond hope someday we would be able to get our pictures off it and it was the wrong one!!! So I finally have my honeymoon pictures!!!! It was just a cool blessing- the Lord sure loves us. So without further ado and 6 1/2 years late, here are a few highlights of our honeymoon to San Francisco:

Few of SLC from our AMAZING suite at the Grand America

 Seriously Dad & Mom Douglass- Thank you SO much!!!

 The Oakland Temple

 Our amazing gold PT cruiser... Ben was LOVING it.... 

(not even a little bit)

 Some skyline

 Wishing WE were on that motorcycle after sitting in traffic to cross the Bay Bridge for over 2 hours....

 We paid SEVEN WHOLE DOLLARS to get on a California beach.

And when we got over the dunes, what we found will be with us till we die.

Garbage... and this:

The vineyard we drove past everyday on our way to San Fran from our AMAZING condo out in Windsor

Seriously Dad & Mom Smith- Thank you SO much!! 

 Ben making me a DELICIOUS dinner :)

 The Golden Gate Bridge

 Chinatown- which we were too busy seeing other places to go to

 "Bucketman" playing the drums on old plastic containers. Our favorite song was "All My Friends are Low Riders" Read his sign if you can :)

 On the Trolley

 Steepest Road I've EVER seen- except maybe in Astoria, OR

 Our very first apartment- with all our gifts in the dining room

Dr. Mom- My 1st Attempt

Since the girls were born, I've taken care of them while sick and otherwise afflicted. We've seen very little injury around these parts, having girls, and mild ones at that. Well, today we had our first injury requiring more than a band-aid. I was nervous, because I'm the least medically inclined person I know. But it went well! Ellie was really brave :) She only cried for about 30 seconds when it happened (the injury- which I will probably never know, because I was working in the office and then heard crying and no one seemed to know what happened) and then held really still, with a little concern on her face. Brook couldn't even watch. She kept asking if I was going to "sew her" and then she'd hide her head in horror.

The injury:

(don't laugh at me all you real moms who have taken on way more than this!)

 The remedy:

I just really hope she doesn't have a huge scar because it will be all my fault! Maybe I should take a community ed class on first aid..... but if 8 years of girl's camp didn't help.... 

I'm probably a lost cause.

UPDATE PHOTO:

Looks pretty good I think!

Growing Up

Both my girls are in big girl beds....

(she is really happy, even though she looks angry in this pic!)

We Love The Snow

Skiing Is My Favorite

SKIING IS MY FAVORITE

Written and Illustrated By Brook Douglass

Copyright December 2011

For Grandma & Grandpa

for Christmas because I thought

they would love it

I love to ski when

I’m grown up.

I love Grandpa and Grandma to hold the rope when I’m skiing when I’m a kid.

Going home to Grandma’s house

after skiing in the mountains is fun because I get freezy

and you get warm.

One time Grandpa and Grandma and I went skiing down the hill.

It’s Good Morning

and the sun comes up.

We’re sitting on the couch reading

ski books.

It’s bedtime when it

gets dark after skiing.

I’d like to eat

Mac & Cheese when

we go to the

Starting To Ski

Building.

I love the thing that takes people up to the top of the mountain.

I love to eat snow;

I think it’s funny.

It’s everybody’s snow and I ski in it.

Home Again, Home Again

Well, we are back in CO after a WONDERFUL month long vacation visiting the fams in Idaho. We were busy busy busy while there and had endless hours of fun and lots of great memories to cheer us up when we start missing everyone! Here are about a thousand pictures from the holiday :)

Sarah, Brook, Uncle Harry, and Ellie building gingerbread houses

 It was quite the masterpiece- Uncle Harry only had to hold the roof in place for about 30 minutes :)

 Brook's war wounds:

"I was taking Ginger (Grandpa's dog) for a walk (insert audible gasp by listening audience and threats on the poor dog's life) and I was walking on the sidewalk and suddenly my hands were in my pockets and I walked off the sidewalk and then back on and I fell and I landed flat on my nose and I couldn't catch myself."

You'll see how bad it really was in the pics to come!

 Preppin bikes for a Christmas ride! Thanks for the no snow, Mother Nature! I think he'd rather be skiing....

 Grandpa and Ellie- peas in a pod!

 Ellie's gingerbread man friend

 We had a little Christmas at Papa & Gramma Perry's house- it was so much fun!

 Annual Christmas Eve party at the Douglass House

My fam came as a)their numbers were few and b)the food is amazing!

 Ellie & Papa

 Papa & Uncle Bill- brothers :)

 Uncle Harry, Dad, & Uncle Sam- brothers :)

 Neenaw & Aunt Becky

Our good friend Chuck was teaching Brook all kinds of spin-dip moves

 Grandma Harward- we put her to work on clean up duty :)

 A NEW sister!!!! That's right! Harry and Sarah are engaged as of Christmas Eve!!!

The big day is April 27th and we can't wait!

 Christmas Eve Pajamas- SO DARN CUTE! 

Thanks Grandma!

 Listening attentively to "The Night Before Christmas" after we read the real Christmas story

 We had tried to put Ellie to bed in her pack n play, and she just kept crying and crying (much to our dismay because Santa was trying to show up but couldn't until all the kiddos were sleeping!) and Aunt Emma finally figured out Ellie just needed to be by her sister- set her down next to Brook, she snuggled up and passed out!

Christmas Morning- Santa's Helpers!

 Ellie got new boots and a beautiful handbag complete with furry gloves!

 The most amazing present ever :) Just sayin

 Brook wrote and illustrated this book for Grandma & Grandpa all by herself. She even typed the words out! Pics and story line to come in a follow up post!

 New sleeping bag! Awesome!!!

 Annual picture in front of the Christmas tree in the Christmas dress

 Brook was too tired to smile- and get her own pic taken

 Reading with Grandma

 This is one of my Christmas projects- I crocheted this doily rug for Jenna

 The typical trophy wife pose....

 Santa brought us a Kinect for Christmas..... it is SO fun!

 Me and Dad :)

 This is another of my projects- a giant scrabble board for Mom and Dad

 Totally passed out!

 Ellie & Grammy enjoying the Kinect!

 Chop that fruit Harry!

 Beautiful new dress-ups from Grandma

 I painted this doll bed for Ellie that I built with my grandpa, Papa Perry, when I was about 10. It's been at my mom's forever, and Ellie is such a baby lover, I just knew I had to pass it on to her.

We were so spoiled and blessed this Christmas. We got to be with family and dear friends, we received many thoughtful, wonderful gifts, we enjoyed safety in MANY HOURS of travel in the car, and so much more. We are so grateful to the Lord for the blessings we've been given!