It's Official!!!

We are now the proud owners of a parcel of land. The escrow went through this morning. Here are a few pictures of our land. We are planning on razing the current home and building a new home in five to six years. The land is .42 of an acre and located next to an elementary school. We actually share our side border with the school's field.
There are grapes that have been invaded by blackberries, an apple tree and a plum tree. With the purchase of our land, we've also become landlords.

Sweet Pea's First Bicycle

After months of growing and begging, we took Ms. A out to get her first bicycle. She's been asking for one since our stay in Malaysia. She was very insistent that it be pink and purple. When we went to the store she went to this purple bike with a little bag and a water bottle. She tried it out in the store and did a pretty good job for a first-timer. We pick out her helmet and she rode her bike out of the store (after we purchased it.) She refused to take her helmet off and as soon as we arrived home she asked dad if she could ride her bike. They had a great time together.

In other news, we had a busy day. Ms. A and I went to the zoo for the Membership Appreciation Day. Since we went yesterday, yes Ms. A and I love the zoo, I asked Ms. A what animal she wanted to see. Giraffes were her reply. I was a bit surprised since she loves the primates and the elephants, but I couldn't deter her from her goal. We had a fun time. When we came home, we went over to our friends' home. Reed was helping them install tile in their kitchen. Ms. A missed her daddy, so we stay for a short time until Ms. A's friend came home.

Jen invited us to go to the Apple Orchard with them, so Ms. A and I went to check it out. There were horses nearby that we visited. Ms. A asked if she could ride them. It seems she thinks we can ride whatever horses we see. I had to explain to her that they were resting and besides horses need saddles for us to ride them. She was okay with that idea. We had an enjoyable time with Jen and her children.

Happy Birthday, Sis

Today is my sister, Sara's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

We are so proud of her. She is currently attending law school and doing a wonderful job. Any one who knows her, knows what an amazing person she is. I feel very fortunate to have her for a sister.

I wish you ...
...JOY.
...PEACE.
...A GREAT DAY AT THE BEACH.
...LOVE.
...GOOD GRADES.
...A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP.
...A FUN DATE NIGHT WITH YOUR CHILDREN.
...HAPPINESS.
..SUNNY DAYS FOR YOUR GARDENING ADVENTURES.

Sara, thanks for your love and example. We miss you and the kiddies, but we are so proud of you and your courage to do something new. Have a wonderful day and a bright and happy year.

All our love!

Zoo Class

I'll apologize for the lack of pictures, but I had two three-year olds under my care. It was great, but no spare hands.

After weeks of waiting and the constant questions of "Is it zoo camp day?" and "Is it Friday?" The answer was finally "YES!" As you can tell our home has been anxiously awaiting this wonderful day!! I signed her up to take a class at our local zoo. We invited Ms. A's friend, Mr. A, to come along. We have a play date with Mr. A and Ms. A was tickled to have him come with us. I got everyone loaded up and we took a ride on MAX to the zoo. The kids were chatting excitedly about the train and the animals they would see.

We had two wonderful volunteers, Rosie and Peggy, who talked to us about animal families. The children loved hearing about the way different parents take care of their babies. Ms. A, Mr. A and the other children did a few activities. Then the volunteers talked about birds and how they take care of their young. The kids were excited to make a nest (shredded paper) and feed their babies (us adults) their worms (felt and paper - no real worms). They also protected us from the mean eagle, Peggy, who wanted to take away the babies. Ms. A has a very threatening "CHEEP!" that scared away the eagle.

After the activities, we met Priscilla the male tortoise. We were able to pet Priscilla with two fingers and on his back because our fingers look like carrots to Priscilla. We also petted the softest rabbit and saw a family of mice. Ms. A loved petting the animals. We went and visited some zoo babies, as well. Our zoo has three baby Visayan warty piglets, a new Saki Monkey and of course Samudra the elephant, Sam for short. We loved seeing the elephant and the piglets. The monkeys weren't out.

It was a wonderful morning. All of us had a great time!!

I Have No Time For This!!

We went shopping for a few items when Ms. A noticed the Barbie display at Costco. She has become very interested in Barbie and her accessories. I told her that we had to go home and see if she had enough money. She quickly rushed me out of the store and asked to go home. As I was putting away the groceries, she ran to her piggy bank. I give her my loose change, so she has a little collection of coins. Unfortunately, the piggy bank is out of her reach and I was taking too long. Suddenly I heard a demanding:

I Have No Time For This!!

from MY little angel.

I've been trying to remember when I've said this to her or where she heard it. It was from me when she was taking her time and I was in a rush.

Note to self: careful what you say to Ms. A :)

For those interested, no she didn't have enough money. We've been planning on getting her a bike, so I was able to distract her with that idea.

Ms. A 's Jungle Gym

Ms. A loves having her baby crib in her room. It's like an indoor jungle gym. She'll climb inside, play with the toys, throw dolls out that she wants to play with, climb out and then put the toys she's done with back in the crib. Sometimes she'll climb in and play with the dolls that are in there. I love listening to her pretend play. I also learn what phrases I use around her. I can tell what I've said to her on a regular basis! :)










We went clothes shopping for some winter shirts and this top was on of her choices. The skirt I made. I found some great corduroy fabric in the print and in a solid chocolate brown. She looks adorable in them once you get past the floral top, patchwork skirt and striped leggings. The second picture, Ms. A had to make sure that I could she her skirt, so she lifted it up for the camera to see it better.

Mundane Chores

We all have them. They never seem to get acknowledged or end. The other day I received a bit of praise for one of the chores I don't mind doing, but it does get old and never seems to end. It made me see the appreciation and love that is received.

Ms. A woke up the other morning and joyfully exclaimed, "My Ariel panties are clean!" It made my day. Laundry is one of those things that have to be done, but how often do others recognize the task has been completed. Usually it's the "My ... is dirty and I need to wear it!" or another favorite of mine, "Next time you wash the clothes, will you wash my ...?" (After I washed three or four batches of clothes that morning.) It was so nice to hear Ms. A's gratitude and bliss knowing her favorite panties were clean. I knew she loved me.

The Bidding Game

Reed has been wanting to purchase some land for us to build a home within the next seven years. Unfortunately, land is pretty hard to come by within the city limits. We wanted to find half an acre to a full acre, but don't want to be further than a 20 minute drive to Reed's work. I started to look at parcels a few weeks ago and got frustrated that I couldn't find anything which met our needs and wants. After several failed attempts, we turned to a Real Estate Broker, Hank, who has been wonderful. He found several properties. After narrowing them down to about seven, Reed, Ms. A and I went for a drive. We liked two of them. We walked the property with the owners and Hank on Friday. The owners would be our next door neighbors and they were very nice. Plus, it's next to an elementary school and it is scheduled to have sidewalks put in right around the time we will build. There are several great things about the area. I also discovered we have several friends from our former ward that live around us. I liked the location of other one better, but we decided to place a bid for this one. It was more land and in a great neighborhood as well.

Today, we signed the financial documents and placed the bid. Now we need to wait for their reply/counter offer. We'll see how this goes. :) Wish us luck!

Mommy, I Need You

I was upstairs when I heard a plaintive cry from my little angel, "Mommy, I Need You!" I rushed downstairs to see what the emergency was only to discover my little one just needed me to sit beside her. She wanted me. So many times I get wrapped around what I think is important only to be reminded of what really is important - spending time with my little angel. She only will be this age for a small amount of time. We need each other.

So farewell, I'm going to spend some time with my little one.

Freedom

A friend of mine sent me an email with this video. I think sometimes we forget the sacrifice others give so we and others can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy. Living in another country without democracy made me even more grateful to the men and women who have given and continue to give their lives so I can live in a country with freedom. Freedom to worship, freedom to voice my opinion, freedom from tyranny, freedom to vote and so many other freedoms. We even have the freedom to disagree.

What an awesome gift these men and women in the military have given and will continue to give.

When I think of freedom my mind reminds me of another great military leader who remembered. He remembers his God, his religion, his peace and his family. I wish I and others could be more like him. I love the scripture defining the tyoe of individual Chief Capitan Moroni was; "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." Alma 48:17 in the Book of Mormon.

I think back seven years ago when our freedoms were threatened. I hope we never stop remembering or fighting for our ability to be free. It is my hope that we also protect others from freedom of oppression and tyranny.

The Number Three

Three has become a VERY important number in our house. Since our little angel turned three this year, she has become quite obsessed with the number. At mealtime, she likes to have her food in threes - three carrots, three cheese pieces, her sandwich cut into thirds, three pieces of fruit. I think you get the idea. She also loves to count the people in our family - three. When Aunt Sara comes for a visit - one, two, three girls - VERY COOL! We have to read three books when she goes to bed or wants to have a story read to her. The other day we made a quick stop at the library. She picked out her books - three, and when I asked if she wanted more - no was the answer. She loves to pick flowers in threes. At church we bring three My Little Ponies. It has been fun watching how the number three pervades throughout our life. What fun we will have next year!

Our Little Songstress

Ms. A loves to sing songs! She will make them up all the time. Other times she will sing songs that I've sung to her. At bedtime she asks me to see "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" three times, because she's three.
One of her favorite sources for songs are from some books I purchased. She loves the fact that they are about Winnie the Pooh and his friends. She insists on reading/singing all three books in one sitting. I love listening to her sing the songs.

Sunshine and Sunflowers

While we were in Malaysia my sister, Sara house-sat for us. She has quite the green thumb, except for Violets (don't worry it's recovering beautifully). She planted a nice little garden complete with three sunflowers. Well, the sunflower has opened up and I love my bit of sun out my window. I am amazed at the height it has grown.

The Sunflower on August 29th

 and then on September 2nd

another on September 8th


Ms. A, of course, loves the sunflower. Yellow flowers are her favorite. Check out this. Every day she will ask me if she can pick the great big sunflower. When I explain that it is still growing she is satisfied 'til the next morning. Of course, now that she's seen a Sunflower up close, she calls all yellow flowers sunflowers, even dandelions. Sara, my biology graduate, informed us that Sunflowers have their own family, Asteraceae and dandelions are part of that family.

Before and Almost Done

Reed and I have been very busy the past week or so. We decided to upgrade our tv before the conversion in February. The TV purchase snowballed into a major home improvement. Well we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We have several touch-ups and two bathrooms to paint and then we will sit down and enjoy our labors. For now here are a few pictures of what we have been up to.
Enjoy!

Before we painted our home and entertainment center looked like this.

White Walls Everywhere





















Now we have color! :) This picture is the three colors we have added to our home. There's Behr's Promenade (green) in the livingroom, Peanut Butter (brown) in the halls and stairway and Stable Hay (yellow) in the kitchen and master bedroom. We went to Home Depot right when Behr was having a sale. Perfect Timing. I love the new look.
The culprit that started this: the HDTV with its TV console and in-wall speakers. Star Wars is going to sound and look great!