Underwood Look-alike Meter

I thought this was kind of fun when I saw a similar one on a friend's blog. Everyone comments on how much Elise looks like Logan!

Packing Helper

We spent many days in September packing up our apartment. Elise tried to be very helpful by putting things in the boxes, taking them out, and rearranging them. We wrapped the fragile stuff in bubble wrap and put them in boxes. One evening I found Elise wrapping up her books in some garbage sacks. She was wrapping them up and putting them in boxes like we had done with the fragile stuff. She is a great helper!

Last Pictures With Daddy

We took these great family pictures the night before Elise and I flew to Oregon. We sure miss Logan!!! WE LOVE YOU LOGAN!!!! Loads and loads!!!

She can say Bye-Bye

We are still working on verbal skills with Elise. She is getting to be jabbering all the time, but lots of it is starting to sound like real words. She still signs most things, but it is lots of fun to hear her verbal progress. Before we left Juneau, we had her backpack carrier on the floor in the kitchen. She loved to go stand in front of it, to play with the straps, and pretend she was going to go on a walk. She would get the straps over her shoulders, wave and say 'bye-bye'. It was so cute, I had to get a video, so here she is, the star of our show:

Hopping Practice

Elise has become fascinated with my shoes. She frequently will find them, put them on, and try to walk while wearing them. Before we left Juneau she had been practicing trying to hop. This is a cute video I got of her trying to get herself ready to go outside, even though she was wearing pjs and getting ready for bed. She put on her hat, got my shoes, went near the door, put the shoes on and tried to hop. She is such a cute girl!

Which Witch is Which?

As we've grown up, the siblings in our family have often been mistaken for one another. We just look a lot alike. Beth and I have had many experiences where people thought we were one of our siblings, or that we were each other. There are some differences, but can you pick out which one is me and which is my little sister? There is a five year age difference, but that doesn't seem to affect the similarities.

In case you had a hard time picking, here's another picture to help....

Elise and I love hanging out with the wonderful and amazingly talented Beth!

Redding Fun

Elise and I have been having adventures in Redding. We got her a portable booster chair, and she has been loving it!

Her aunt gave her this way cute Elmo sweater. Even though the weather has been warmer here, there are moments when she wants to wear the sweater, and she loves to have the hood up!

My mom has lots of projects going, and has found Elise to be a great helper! Just like at home with me!

There is a shelf near the front hallway. Elise fits very nicely into the shelf spaces, and frequently goes to play hide and seek there:

Elise has befriended her aunt Beth. They read stories, sing songs, and take walks. Elise even let me go get my hair cut and stayed with Aunt Beth. What a grown up girl she is getting to be! This cute stripey jumper is one my mom made for Elise. She is such a sweetheart!

We have really been enjoying spending time with our family in Redding. We have been working on hats, flannel board stories, and have done lots of singing, reading, and hanging out. The weather has been great for taking walks, and there is even a yard to play in. Elise has warmed up to Grandma, Aunt Beth, and even Aunt Merridee. We are still a bit bummed that we didn't get to visit the rest of the family, but are glad we've gotten to hang out with this fabulous bunch in mid-California!

Emilie's Kitchen

We went to a special dinner to celebrate Elise's cousin's birthday. She is such a cutie! And was very excited about this worm!

Logan's dad helped the Wilson's with the cabinets in the kitchen. Here are some pictures:

The top cabinets are the originals, but the bottom ones, Logan's Dad built:

Here are the cabinets next to the stove:

This is the peninsula:

Their house looks great! Great job Dad! Logan's parents are also re-doing their kitchen, so we'll try to get pictures to share of the beautiful cabinets Dad is building.

Kids Say....

Kids say some of the most interesting things. Elise and I visited my mom's primary today. One little boy got up to give the scripture and opening prayer. He prayed for something unusual to hear in a primary opening prayer. He asked, "Please bless us not to fight with our primary teachers". I must admit, I was tempted to laugh! Especially because when he sat down with his class, I realized that my sister Beth was substituting as the teacher for this class! Lucky girl! She reported that they didn't have any fighting with the teacher!

A few weeks ago, we were having lesson/snack time in the nursery in Juneau. There were about 12 kids that day (18 months -3 years old). One little girl got up to give the prayer. As she was repeating what the primary teacher was whispering to her, we suddenly heard a little boy's voice saying, "Close your eyes!" very insistently. He kept telling this other boy that his eyes were open, (they knew the proper ettiquette when you pray is to fold your arms and close your eyes). The prayer continued, and the little boy again said, "your eyes are open, close your eyes". Then the comeback....the other little boy very energetically said, "Your eyes are open too!" As the prayer finished, there were large grins on all the teachers' faces. Kids are so much fun! And what an interesting experience is hearing their thoughts during prayer!

Travel Updates

Well, we made it to Oregon, after a really long day of flying on planes and spending time in airports on Monday. Elise was surprisingly, a great flier. She did great to get through security, and slept on the first flight. She did great, although got a bit fussy on the second flight. Then we did lunch at Wendy's in Portland. She loved the designs on the carpet and tile, but especially liked the moving sidewalks. Hours, or at least one hour of entertainment with those. She took a nap before our last flight, and was a good sport til we got in to North Bend. She was hungry and tired, and got pretty cranky. The neat thing was that at least one random person came forward at each step of the trip to help with opening doors, or lifting luggage, or getting us squared away on the planes. And Logan's family were wonderful at getting all our 7 checked bags, boxes, and baby items, and getting us to his parents house all in one piece.

Then Tuesday, we tried out the van, and got some needed supplies for our trips, with assistance from Trevor. We had dinner at the Wilson's and got to see the kitchen Logan's dad had helped with. It looked spectacular, and we'll post pictures soon....We helped celebrate Amelia's second birthday. What a grown up girl!! It was interesting to see the two cousins interact for the first time in over a year. They should have some fun playdates in the next few months!

Wednesday, Trevor was a great help once again in getting us on our way. Elise and I drove down to Redding. This turned out to be quite the challenge. Elise got quickly tired of being in the car seat. She watched some Sesame Street podcasts, and had a nap, but we had to stop frequently after Medford, so she could get a break from the carseat. We were pausing for food around 3pm in Medford, and noticed the check engine light was on. We called Logan and his dad. They talked with some dealership people, as the van was a recent purchase, and had been serviced. They suggested the problem might be as simple as a loose gas cap. We ate lunch at Carl's Jr (good stuff), and Elise spilled a drink all over the floor, wanted to run around on the benches, and tried to see how many fries would fit in my purse. She also had their chicken stars, which we discovered were not as easy for toddler chewing as McDonald's chicken nuggets. This meant she didn't eat as much, but had lots of energy, and wanted to check out everything in the parking lot. She wanted to walk to all the bushes and trees, and look at the mulch in the planters. Fun times...

Then we got gas, and had the attendant (as you aren't allowed to pump your own gas in Oregon) tighten the cap really well. The light stayed on, but we got the green light to continue driving. Elise protested loudly at being put back in the carseat, but we sang some songs and she watched a bit more Sesame Street. The she really got vocal. She basically screamed and cried for the last 3 hours of the trip. It had gotten dark, and the only way to get Elise to calm down was to pull over and take her out, or hold her hand. She was acting tired, and twice I pulled over to try to help her get to sleep, so we could continue driving. She was excited to get out, and wanted to play, so I put her back in and we kept driving. This was a very challenging experience. I don't drive for the most part, so I'm a bit rusty. I was new to driving the van, and there was a LOT of construction on the roads, so the lanes were smaller and there were big trucks. Add a screaming toddler, and you get a frazzled mommy, who is worried the van is having some malfunction that will cause a breakdown any minute. Well, I don't handle the screaming so well. So, I decided it was better to reach back and hold her hand, which helped her be calm for a few minutes at a time, and me be more calm. We made it to Redding at 9 something, and found I had a couple nice bruises on my arm from the car seat/hand holding, and my shoulder (the already injured one), was VERY SORE. BUT we made it, all in one piece.

We took yesterday off, just to relax, and Elise got to know Beth and Grandma Parker a bit better. We were disappointed to have to postpone our trip to Southern California, but figured it is too much for Elise and I to attempt on our own, without another driver.

This morning we took the van to the Honda dealership. They checked the engine and discovered that there was internal transmission failure, and the transmission needs to be replaced. After taking the van to another place for a second opinion, and speaking with Logan, his dad, and the dealership that sold the car in North Bend, they decided we should get the van back there for the procedure. Elise and I will probably stay here in Redding for a visit, and then go back to North Bend after 2 or 3 weeks. We've unfortunately had to cancel the rest of the traveling plans, and will try to visit people, especially family in southern California, around Christmas time, when Logan comes down, and we can re-evaluate how the van is doing.

So....for now, we're enjoying the cool rainy weather, and some fun with Mom, Beth, and Merridee. We'll try to get pictures uploaded soon, and will enjoy having the break from traveling, as it took more out of the both of us than we anticipated was possible! What an adventure! Oh, and the webcam works great. Elise LOVES talking with her Daddy, as we miss him LOADS AND LOADS!!!