Apr 25, 2011

Catching Up... Nov - Dec 2010

We've got a climber! UGH!
Our handsome boy!
Gracie's Christmas Singing Concert
(She's in the middle, right of the pole)

Parker's Christmas Singing Concert
(He's 2nd row from top in the middle)


Grandma and Grandpa Holgate came for Thanksgiving
Yummy!
Gracie's "Geology Rocks" play

Just feelin' like a pirate!

Yyyyeaah...I don't know either! :)
Creative minds used toilet paper and
pick-up-sticks to bandage a "wound"
and swords for the crutches!

What a good Daddy!

Gracie and her teammates with the robot car they made for
the Robotics Competition.

Precious Moments

Oh, to be big!  Could Chase look any more happier to be brushing his teeth like his big brother and sister?!

Camilla Red Pearl

That was the "official" name of the color of the pink / purple 1994 Honda Civic EX we've had for the past 13 years.  

My dad bought me that car just after I graduated high school.  I loved it!  I thought I was so cool pulling back the sun roof in 115 degree weather in St. George, going to Dixie College.  We have some great memories with that car.  First trip Phil and I took in it we'd been dating about 2-3 months and we loaded it with some friends and drove from St. George up to Bear Lake to stay in a cabin for a weekend.  SO much fun!   I remember his navy blue hoodie and his blonde frosted hair tips. Wow, what a hottie!  (Oh how I wish he'd do that again--the blonde highlights--at the age of 32, but I just can't seem to talk him into it!)  Phil and I can still recall the songs we listened to in that car on the way up.   Good old Deana Carter and Roxette!  Those were the days!  

When we got married we needed another car so I got the cool Montero Sport and Phil got the purple, no pink, okay camilla red pearl car.  What a sport!  13 years later, Utah, Missouri, Arizona, South Dakota...it's been through it all.  Phil, bless his heart drove that car in the freezing cold when the heater never would warm up by the time he got where he was going and having to scrape the ice off the outside and the inside of the wind shield.  Then in the dead heat of Phoenix, in one hour plus commutes each way each day, he had no air conditioning and not to mention no radio.  

13 years later and I will tell you that he never complained about driving that car in those conditions.  I've always gotten the nice new car and he has never thought twice about it.  Occasionally I'd have to drive it while he'd take my SUV or van in to get something fixed and I will tell you I complained about it every time!  That's what I love so much about him.  He has ALWAYS taken care of me and the kids and never complained that he didn't get a new car or a new shirt or pair of shoes while the rest of us did.

But all good things must come to an end.  We retired the civic finally and bless his soul I still had to convince him to let it go.  No, not because he loved it by all means, but because he is practical and couldn't stand the thought of having a car payment.  

So. After 13 years Phil got his very own new car just for him!  Well deserved my dear, well deserved!  

That day was very bitter sweet for me.  I cried like a baby when we left it at the car lot all by itself as we drove away in a new car.  It was not just a piece of cracked, rusted, beat up metal.  It was a piece of us, part of our dating memories, part of our adventures around the country, part of our family.  For me it was a symbol of my dad's love for me.  My dad and I went shopping for a car in February 1998 and when we saw this beaut, we knew it was the one.  I will never forget picking that car out with him on a rainy day in Layton, Utah.  And not even 5 hours later I got hit in it.  $500 in repair costs later and my dad never lost that smile on his face when he saw me driving it.  I called my dad as I drove away leaving it in the car lot and I'm not sure if he even understood a word I said as blabbered like a bawl baby about how grateful I was to him for that car and the love he sent with it. 

Okay, I know, really...it's a car...when I started this post I never would have believed I would have had so much to say about it. 

Jan 19, 2011

MIA

Oh my goodness...I can't believe how long it has been since I've updated the blog!  Let's just say we've been crazy busy around here!  I am going to try and catch up...which means less commentary and more pictures.  

Nov 5, 2010

Best Buddies ~~ Chasie and Oscie

These two were inseparable this afternoon.  Wherever one went, the other followed.  Cutest thing ever!




Gracie lost her 2nd tooth!

Just like the 1st, Gracie was too scared to pull the 2nd.  Hanging by a string, the tooth came out while she was eating a hard boiled egg!  She thought she had swallowed it, but luckily found it on her plate.  She wrote another cute little note to the Tooth Fairy stating she'd like to keep her tooth, but that the Tooth Fairy could look at it if she'd like to.  When she woke up there was gum and $2.00 and the Tooth Fairy had pulled her tooth out of the baggie and left it next to it after she looked at it.  :)  Also, just like the 1st, she already had a permanent tooth up behind it. 

Parker's Fall Party

I was so thankful that my mom was in town to watch Chase so I could help with Parker's "Fall Party."  It seems so silly to me that they can't call it a "Halloween Party" any more.  My mom and I made the sugar cookies for the kids to decorate--so glad she was here for that because I'm not much of a baker.  :)  Pretty sure I've never even made sugar cookies before.  Haha!  

I was helping at the cookie decorating table and another mom was helping me.  All 19 kids (split into 4 groups) came to our station and Parker was the only one who said please and thank you and acted so polite.  The other mom helping me said to him that he was such a polite boy and had such good manners.  Way to go Park!








Tiger Museum

Liberty's Tiger Reserve classes had a "Tiger Museum" where the kids had to present a topic on tiger facts that they researched.  Gracie's group presented facts on poaching tigers as well as acted out a skit they had made up depicting the topic.  They had to repeat it several times as kids from the school and parents came by to watch.  She was so nervous to do it, but she did an awesome job!  They even got to decorate their own shirt for it.



Happy Halloween!

Halloween was on Sunday this year and we decided as a family that we weren't going to participate in trick or treating for the sake of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  I felt so good about this decision and I'm so proud of Gracie and Parker for really understanding and not arguing or complaining about it.  Unfortunately the South Dakotan's find no reason to celebrate it on Saturday like some of the more "Mormon friendly" states do.  We did however accept trick or treaters at our door and Gracie and Parker really had such a fun time passing out candy and telling the kids their costumes were cool and happy Halloween.  I loved having them home to pass out the candy.  It was so nice not having to run up and down the stairs every couple minutes. 

We did however have a ward Trunk or Treat and carnival the Friday night before.   So the kids were able to load up on candy there.  The businesses around Harrisburg also let the kids trick or treat at there places on Friday as well.  So all in all I think the kids had a good taste of Halloween!

Gracie wanted to be a vampire again this year and use the same costume she had last year.  Woo Hoo!  Gotta love that!  The only difference is she wanted to be a vampire queen this year.  Easy enough. :)  Parker was a red ninja and Chase was a shark.  So cute!

Every year the kids pick out a design they want cut into their pumpkin and Phil has always been the one to help them gut their pumpkins and carve them.  He had to work late this year so Grandma Holgate and I stepped up to the plate.  She helped them gut the pumpkins and I carved them.  Parker wanted a moon and stars and Gracie wanted bats.  I must say, not too shabby for my first time!  :)

"This is so fun!"


"It's too hard...I can't do it!"








Lots of fun with Grandma Holgate

After Grandma and Grandpa Stephenson left (well actually the day before they left) my mom came to stay for a couple of weeks.  It was so wonderful having her and hard as always to have her go. 

For nearly 14 years now, ever since I was 18 and went away to school at Dixie College, I have had to watch my mom walk away and return home and know that it would be months before I'd see her again.  Without a doubt 14 years later and probably a hundred departures later, it hasn't gotten any easier.  I still cry like a baby every time she leaves.  It always makes me feel like there is a big hole in my heart.  My mom is so special to me and I always look forward to her coming to stay.  I miss my dad so much too and I'm so grateful to him for being such a loving and selfless husband and father for letting my mom come so often to visit.  He gets to come about every other time (that my mom comes), which is hard to go for so long without seeing him.  We can't wait for him to come soon!
I always hope that Gracie and I will have the same close relationship that my mom and I have.  I think it's a rare and special thing that my mom and I share and it would make me happier than anything if I could share that same love and friendship with my daughter. 

While my mom was here I got done everything I could while she could watch Chase.  I volunteered in Gracie and Parker's classes a few times (Gracie's Tiger Museum and squid dissection and Parker's Fall Party), got a massage (given to me when I had Chase), went to the dentist, had my annual physical, primary meetings, flu shots, shopping, hmmmm.....I know there was more.  Phil and I were able to go down to Omaha (2 1/2 hours away) one Saturday to the Winter Quarters Temple while my mom stayed home and watched the kids.  It was awesome!  We left at 5:00am and got back at 1:30pm.  I really enjoyed spending that one on one time with Phil and being able to attend the temple together.  What an awesome blessing our Heavenly Father has given us to be able to attend and feel the love and spirit He offers us.  The time went by way  too fast though.  I really appreciate Phil for the lengths he went to to make it happen.  He was on call that weekend and had to find someone to cover for him.

Grandma volunteered in Gracie and Parker's classrooms at school and also ate lunch with each of them.  They loved having her come into their classrooms!  She also went with Parker out to recess and said that all the girls follow him around.  Hehe!  That doesn't surprise me at all because Parker is so sweet and kind.

A while back I got a denim jacket and Gracie really liked it and wanted one too.  I happened to find one for her on a really good sale.  So she had this brilliant idea that her and I and Grandma Holgate needed to go on a GNO (girls night out) together and wear our denim jackets.  My mom didn't have one and heaven forbid she let Gracie down, so she found one and bought it to bring for our GNO.  Gracie picked the place to eat, Texas Road House and then we went and saw Despicable Me.  Loved that movie!  The best part though was the ride home afterward when Gracie was quoting the movie in the perfect accent.  What a hoot that girl is!  We were rolling! 

The next day Phil and Parker had a "Boys Day Out" and went golfing and got shakes.  Phil let Parker drive the golf cart and from what I heard, they had a lot of fun goofing around. Phil's not a picture taker like I am so unfortunately I have no pictures to document it. :)

At the tail end of my mom's stay, Phil went to San Francisco for a pathology convention.  He was gone from Thursday morning to Sunday night, which happened to be over Halloween.  Bummer!  I'm so glad my mom was here to help me tackle the ward Trunk or Treat.  It's a lot of work getting kids dressed up, pictures taken and out the door. :) 

Grandma brought a mini-cupcake kit for the kids to bake.  They loved it!

At the Sertoma Butterfly House.



Helping Gracie do her homework.









Nov 3, 2010

Gracie's new pets!

Gracie's class at school had several crayfish that were considered their class pets.  I guess after a while the teacher got sick of cleaning their water out so she offered them to the kids in the class to take home.  Gracie came home begging me to let her have some.  Initially I gave a firm "NO," but after a day of much thought, I was considering it.  My reasoning--I know the kids are going to want more pets in their lifetime than just Oscar.  I figured it wouldn't be fair to say no to all of their requests seeing as how that's just part of childhood (so I believe).  I know I never want to have hamsters or any such rodents, nor do I want a cat.  SO crayfish it was!  (You know, the lesser of several evils. :)  )  I talked to Phil and he was on board as well.  Actually he pushed my wavering maybe over to the yes side.  So I went to the school and picked up two creepy crawly crayfish.   Phil and I thought we could keep them for a couple of days and then convince Gracie to set them free...for a better life...of course.  :)  She wouldn't let them go, so we kept them for a couple weeks at which point we tried once again to convince her they'd be happier in a more suitable habitat.  Through the two weeks, I of course, was the "zoo keeper" fulfilling all the duties of being a good crayfish owner / mommy.  Was there ever any doubt I'd be the one taking care of them--changing their nasty water and feeding them?!  Well Gracie, with the tender heart she has realized they'd probably be more happy in the wild (a.k.a. swampy ditch canal place a block away).  So we did it!  We set them free!  Not sure if my gut feeling that they wouldn't live through the night in the thick moss and cold temps was with good reason or maybe from the guilt of a mother abandoning her child in such conditions.  Regardless, it isn't much of a life to live in a 7" x 7" plastic container.  Leaving plan B (setting them free) a better option in my opinion.  I guess it was ?fun? while it lasted!