G and G Skinner's First Visit to MO (Oct)

dan's parents, dan and laura, came for a visit in october.  we did the usual things and lucky for them they enjoyed the best weather we've had for any guests up to this point.  it was gorgeous with the leaves changing color and we were able to fit a lot in.

of course we went to cosmo, the girls favorite park and grandma and grandpa were good sports to go down the awesome slides.

we stopped at shelter gardens and had fun looking at all the flowers and trees.

we ate at flat branch and took a walk downtown with the girls as we waited for our table. madison called these statues "mom and dad" and got very up close and personal.

we drove to st louis for a day and went to the st louis zoo for the first time.  it was really fun and you can't beat free. on the way out, the girls each picked out a stuffed animal from the giftshop - g & g skinner's treat!

next, we drove to the st louis arch right next to the mississippi river and took some quick pictures.

dan (my husband, not his dad) and laura and the girls at the top of the steps looking up.  after seeing the sights we stopped at panera for lunch and bought some asiago bagels from einsteins bros to take home. that night we had an intramural kickball game (the derm office has a team - the dermatofighters! :) and dan's parents helped the girls cheer us on.

the girls were lucky and had grandma tell them bedtimes stories every night.  it's become a fun tradition whenever the girls see their grandma.

laura's birthday fell on their last day here and we celebrated with belgian waffles and homemade buttermilk syrup - just like when lindsay came to visit on her birthday.  laura became the lucky owner of a brand new mizzou sweatshirt.

then the girls went on a walk with grandma, collecting leaves to take back to her 1st grade class.  (proof that fall really does exist outside of AZ? maybe. jk!! :) 

it was a beautiful morning and the girls loved being buried in the leaves.

later that morning we also took a short walk on the KT trail.  don't mind my un-showered morning glory.

as g & g skinner were on their way back to the airport, we stopped and picked out an awesome swing set.  once again, their treat!  thank you again - the girls have loved it!  we loved having them visit and see our house, city, and the girls in their own environment.  we look forward to hosting them again in the future!

It's Just A Photo

but here's what i love about it:

*madison's pjs sticking out from underneath her pillow - we're trying to teach the girls to keep their room picked up and it looks like they're learning
*madison's glasses case next to her bed - she's diligent at taking care of them
*the white dresser - i loved it for 3 years, finally went to buy it at ikea, and ended up getting it from their "as is" section for $100 off
*the happy green walls - no more brick red, yay!
*the $20 headboard and bed frame found on craiglist - this room has undergone a complete transformation and i can't wait to show you the end result
*the piggy bank - the girls love finding money and filling their banks. my dad would be proud!
*the sun streaming in the window (not picured) - a little warmth on a cold winter day
*and my favorite thing about this picture is the lumpy bedspread

two little girls underneath.

a full 15 minutes.

all the little people nativity pieces. 

lots and lots of giggling. 

it might be just a photo but it represents so much more.

Baby, Its Cold Outside

yeserday was COLD.  though our church was cancelled (a combination of road conditions, cold temperatures, and gusts of wind), dan stayed for 9 hours of meetings and such with the bishopric and other auxiliaries getting odds and ends done for the ward.  we were happy to see him when he finally got home and the girls patiently waited most of the day to play in the snow with their dad.  we bundled up in layers and layers of clothes and braved the snow and frigid temps. 

madison couldn't wait to have a snow ball fight and make a snowman. she started running around in the snow the minute we got outside.

grace on the other hand, was grumpy because she hates doesn't like her coats/jackets/sweatshirts zipped so you can imagine her dismay when she had to wear three layers of zipped clothing.  she was unsure about the snow and was plenty happy just being carried by dad.

the girl's first encounter with a snow ball.  

the snow was super dry and barely held together long enough for madison to throw.  next time hopefully we can make a snowman.

we lasted maybe ten minutes before everyone was freezing cold and we headed back inside. (it took twice that long to get all bundled up to go out.)  our fingers were frozen and madison cried as hers thawed.  i would have cried too, had i been throwing snow balls bare handed in 12 degree weather! the girls cheeks are still chapped and pink today from their quick trip outside yesterday.  it was an adventure.  

today we declared another pajama day, stayed home from preschool and are enjoying just looking at the snow from inside the warmth of our house.  i could get used to this.

First Snow Day

we went to bed with snow flurries

and woke up to this

16 degrees

-3 with the wind chill

church cancelled

no driving in the snow today for this mom

hot apple cider for breakfast

madison waiting to play in the snow

and to try something she keeps hearing all about - snow balls

the girls don't have snow pants

or gloves

we'll have to make do

and we're waiting for dad to get home 

(bishopric meetings weren't canceled)

hopefully it won't still feel like -3 outside

so far we're loving our first snow day of the season
and are very thankful we don't have anywhere to be

note to self: before our next winter storm, buy a snow shovel, a bucket of ice, two wind shield scrapers, gloves, scarfs, beanies and snow pants for the whole family, and socks (since i only own ankle socks). you'll feel more prepared. thanks. 

Our Arizona After Party

after a quick weekend trip to utah for kamber and shane's wedding, we drove back for an extended stay in az.  i figured if i'm paying an arm and a leg to fly out there, i might as well make the most of it and stay for a while.  for all the things we packed in, i have surprisingly few pictures.

 the girls were able to visit grandma at her school while she was teaching.  though they seemed quite timid, they loved it.  madison left with a drawing of belle, colored by one of laura's students.

 

we rode the double decked carousel at superstition springs mall.

and followed it up with the artificial wind tunnel.

we gathered at g&g lebaron's house and saw aunts, uncles, cousins and the whole works.

{madison was having a serious conversation on the phone with dan.}

 and we spent a lot of time hanging out at g&g skinner's house.  

my favorite picture of the trip - gma ellsworth.  she said she'd been wondering why i didn't come over very often anymore - and was surprised to hear we were living in missouri (despite the fact i talk to her regularly on the phone and remind her we've moved).  we laughed and cried and it was wonderful to see her and gpa.

we had a busy week filled with family and friends, playing games, and eating good food but by the end we were ready to go home to our own beds and be reunited with dad/dan.  thank you skinners for hosting us!!

Slowly But Surely

it's beginning to look a *little* like christmas at our house. finally. i feel quite behind but we're getting there.

the tree is up and the bottom two branches are thoroughly decorated thanks to these little girls.

can't wait to finish!

Thanksgiving 2010

we hosted thanksgiving at our house this year and all of my immediate family flew out to missouri to be with us (mom, mark, hannah, chris, kamber, shane, and porter).  we also had some good friends and their kids join us.  it was a full house. the food turned out delicious.  and i hope everyone had a good time.  this was our thankful tree, thanks to my good friend lisa who brought it with her and let us join in the fun.  we wrote down things we were thankful for and put them on the tree.  it was fun to read them and a great way to get in the right mindset.

mom and mark, chris, and the girls.

grace really wanted to wear that dress over her clothes. so she did.

a benefit of dan having keys to our church building?  being able to get in and borrow chairs for the day - we had 15 people total.  next year i'll have to think more about center pieces and such.

food prep.  i could not have hosted thanksgiving without my mom's help.  i called and emailed her a bajillion times during those last few weeks about grocery lists and recipes.  hannah came to my rescue and was the one to rinse the brine off the turkey.  i tried to do it wearing gloves and couldn't help but shudder every time i touched it. she'll make a great nurse. :)

in the end, everything came together and tasted great.

on the menu:

turkey (brined the night before and roasted full of aromatics and slathered with herb butter, carved by mark)

slow cooker stuffing - thank you lisa it was great!

sweet potatoes with brown sugar and orange zest - courtesy of my mom 

garlic and bacon green beans

mashed potatoes - dan insisted on real, not instant and made them himself. delish!

gravy of course

corn for the kids

jello jigglers - didn't quite turn out like i thought but the kids liked them

holiday jello salad (strawberries, pineapple and bananas in strawberry and lemon jello - best jello ever)

homemade lion house rolls. as in some of the best rolls ever, sold in a box at costco now. they were the hit of the meal mom - way to go!

homemade cranberry pomegranate sauce - in honor of you dad!

 the only thing i'd have to add next year would be strawberry freezer jam

for dessert we had pumpkin pie, razzleberry pie (marie calendar knows what she's doing with that one!) oreo pudding pie and pumpkin cheesecake (thank you lisa!).  we were so full. which means thanksgiving was a success.

i was so stressed leading up to thanksgiving, never having had to contribute more than a pie or batch of potatoes at a thanksgiving dinner before.  i was worried about having all the ingredients, enough serving dishes, room for everyone to sit and eat, let alone sleep (my mom and mark did stay in a hotel).  but it turned out great and everyone helped so much - it was awesome.  it was great to be surrounded by family and have the shortridges with us as well.

as for the rest of the trip - i took very few pictures.  we played games and hannah, chris and i watched you tube clips until it was way to late.

i turned 28 and my mom brought party favors for the occasion.

i enjoyed celebrating with family which tends to happen each year since my birthday is always right around thanksgiving. dan surprised me with some boots and even bought 6 different pair for me to choose from.  i just laughed when we had to return all the ones we didn't keep at the store.  good thing dan doesn't get embarrassed easily.  props to him though - it was something i wanted and needed and he totally surprised me. i got some things from other family members and was very, very grateful. 

we went bowling as a family and then out for dinner with the adults to Sophia's, a southern european restaurant that was incredible. i can't wait to go back!

my mom summed up the trip in the farnsworth fold, our extended family newsletter that gets emailed out once a month:  "For Thanksgiving we all traveled to Missouri to be with Marie and Dan. Chris and Hannah flew out of Salt Lake despite a blizzard in the area the night before. Kamber, Shane, and Porter flew out of Phoenix, and Mark and I flew from Vegas. We all arrived in Kansas City within 15 minutes of each other! Hannah and Chris were in a different terminal and for a few minutes were afraid they had landed at the wrong airport. We all fit into one rental car and drove 2 ½ hours to Columbia. We had a ball! The cousins loved seeing each other and having plenty of adults to read to them or play with them. While we were there, Marie supervised a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, we played games, went sightseeing, saw the movie Tangled, raked leaves, replaced their water heater, went to a mall’s carousel, created memory boxes for Lansing and Dallin, went bowling, adults went out to dinner for Marie’s 28th birthday, and we all went to church together.

Thank you Skinners!!!!!"

thank YOU mom, for making the effort to come visit us and making it happen for the whole family.  it was so much fun and we created so many good memories.  we were also very happy that kamber and shane made the trip as well and it was great to have the three little cousins together!

Steph's First Visit to MO

 we were so glad to host a visit from stephanie back in november.  she took some time off work, left her husband at home (he had work and school) and flew out to visit us.  the girls were SO excited to see her.  we had an eventful trip to the airport with several stops to get the DVD player working and then grace getting car sick.  after steph had to wait an extra hour, we finally got to st. louis and picked her up.  we headed straight to the arch and stopped for a quick minute.  grace had no extra clothes to wear after throwing up so she hung out in a diaper.  then we drove around for an extra half hour looking for an einsteins bagel shop - darn pregnancy cravings!  poor steph probably thought we'd never get to our house!

steph watched the girls in the afternoon so i could frost 200 cupcakes for our YW in Exellence program that night and then i was gone for the rest of the evening while she spent time with dan and the girls. 

a cute picture of the girls before we went somewhere, to do something.  

(that's the problem with back blogging - you can't remember details.) 

 trip to shakespeare's for dinner.  the girls love playing with pizza dough while they wait for their pizza.  unfortunately our crust came out burned. steph - we'll have to go again when you and robert come so they can redeem themselves.

 while steph was in town we set up madison's twin bed and moved grace from the crib to the toddler bed.  it was fun for her to see the girls so excited for the new transition and with the new bedding.  she helped me pick out a new color for their walls.

 grace going to bed in her "big girl" toddler bed for the first time.

 and madison in her "big girl" twin bed for the first time.

the girls kept her busy - she read stacks and stacks of books.

steph was a trooper.  i was in the middle of my first trimester and if i wasn't in the bathroom i was sitting somewhere, exhausted.  we did manage some shopping with a trip to the mall, target, toy r us and old navy and the girls took her on their favorite thing, the carousel.  we drove back to st. louis as a family and on the way to the airport we topped to visit a friend from college.  steph didn't experience as much of columbia as i would have liked due to rainy weather and me feeling sick but regardless, it was great to see her and the girls absolutely loved it.  we're looking forward to next time when "bob" will get to join her. :)   

Grace Turns 2

november 1st delivered us a two year old little girl.  we made the day all about her and i hope/think she had fun.

 after dropping off big sis at preschool we picked up birthday balloons and a donut with sprinkles for breakfast.  grace stayed in her pjs most of the day - her choice.  we played games, colored, and read books.

sisters.  i love when they look at each other like this.

demonstrating the new age.

out to dinner at grace's favorite restaurant... McD's. the girls love it and since it was freezing outside and they could play on the playground it seemed like a good option, though i did feel like a bad mom having fast food for grace's birthday dinner.

opening presents.  i don't know who was more excited, madi or grace.  g&g skinner were nice enough to send madison her own present to open.  thank goodness the girls have grandparents and aunts to spoil them because we chose to do things cheap and simple- play dough re-gifted from Christmas last year, a tutu so when the girls play "ballerina" they don't have to take turns with madison's skirt, and a piggy bank.  in case you forgot  or didn't get to see grace's reaction to the piggy bank, watch it here.  i've seen it about 50 times and it still cracks me up.

grace LOVES cupcakes and couldn't wait to chow down on hers.

our two year old.  

and i can't believe how much she's grown since last year. 

(or how blonde my hair was)

grace is a little ball of energy and we joke that she's getting us ready for this next little boy.  words to describe grace: alert, attentive, observant, stubborn, spunky and feisty, full of adventure and mischief but tender hearted and affectionate at the same time.  she LOVES books, has her favorites memorized, and reads them to herself.  she constantly surprises us with her memory and vocal skills and is very dynamic and expressive. 

grace loves going to nursery, hates when madison leaves to go to school, and already can't wait till she turns 3 so she "can go to school like a big girl too".  she likes to be anywhere her big sister is.  she loves playing hide and seek, tickle monster, and old maid and loves playing make believe if she can be a sharp tooth (from the land before time) or the "abomible" snow monster (from the old clay-mation rudolph).  grace knows every disney princess and thinks she is a princess too. she's often found wearing layers of her favorite skirts/dresses over her regular clothes and loves headbands and necklaces.

grace's smile and big brown eyes make it hard to be upset with her for more than a moment and her crazy hair matches her personlity perfectly.  

she sure is full of life.  

we love you grace!