Recent Purchases

Over the last year we have had several changes, including selling our cars and having our girl grow up lots. In order to have Elise and I move back to Alaska, we needed a car. This is what Logan got:

It is a PT Cruiser. He took off all the bumper stickers and cleaned the permanent marking writing off to make it look like this:


Really, there is an explanation. The previous owner's daughter hit a pole with the car accidentally. There is some denting on the side, which was very obvious when it was painted black. To disguise the dents, he painted it. That is how we purchased it. We have plans to paint it eventually, but in the meantime it has been an adventure. People point and laugh when we drive by. This is sometimes surprising, because while you are inside driving, you forget that it is painted in an unusual fashion. Tourists especially gave us lots of attention when we drove around this last August and September, but as the season has wound down, we aren't getting as much ridicule--I think....Anyways, we love having a vehicle that works, and that is now quieter (the previous owner had some kind of really loud muffler situation happening....we got that fixed and it is really nice to be able to talk to each other in the car as we drive, and actually HEAR each other!)

The other purchase is more personal for me. Last Spring, I felt the need for a new bag for errands. You know how as your kids grow you don't really need those huge diaper bags, but you need more space than one of those little purses can provide. My sweet husband got me the best bag I've ever had. It is a MAXPEDITION, which are designed to be hard use gear for storing concealed weapons. I got the JUMBO kind, and I LOVE IT!!!!!!


It has pockets for everything you could need, and the spot for the gun works great to hold one of those travel sized magna-doodles for my girl. I really enjoy having the space I want, and a sturdy strap to handle the weight of the load I carry around. And I feel much better prepared to have all those little emergency articles organized and easy to get to. The right bag can really make a great addition to life!

For All Interested Parties

Hey there, all you friends interested in traveling.....This month is special to us folks in Alaska because of the PFD (a paycheck from the state for living in Alaska, which is given out in October). There are lots of interesting sales and specials during the month, as businesses try to get us all to spend that money. One sale we really like is the one from Alaska Airlines. They offer special deals on their flights, when you purchase the tickets before November, and complete your travel before next August. This is a great time to purchase tickets if you are going to be traveling anywhere Alaska Airlines flies within the next several months. In previous years we have been able to get round trip tickets for Christmas or summer trips for around $450 per person. The great thing for all of you, is that they fly not just to Alaska! That's why we wanted to share this great sale information with all of you.....besides, we love giving everyone the chance to save....especially if you're thinking of coming up here....we even have a spare room---So, if you wanna come visit, NOW's the time to start looking at those tickets!

Finished Logan Project

Logan finished the table and chairs for Elise. She LOVES them. I will find her putting her friends on the chairs and setting out 'big parties' for them. She is really enjoying having something just her size for snack time, and for sitting and playing instruments. It has already received its initiation....she got some crayon on the table, accidentally, as it is hard to keep those crayons on the page sometimes.... but that just shows how much she loves her great coloring spot, right?

The other crayon mishap was today....'We' were working on the curtains for the front door. She had been working on making cards with crayons and stickers while I sewed in the back room. As I was putting up the curtains in the entryway, she came with me and brought her red crayon and a piece of paper. I thought she was holding them, but suddenly I heard an excited little voice saying the words, "we color on the sidewalk!" and some scribbling sounds. I turned around to find red crayon on the new entry way tiles, the wood transition piece, and the linoleum floor. I informed my little friend that while it IS fun to use sidewalk chalk OUTSIDE, this is NOT the same as using crayons inside, and that crayons are ONLY for writing on paper. We went ahead and put the crayons away, and cleaned up the floor.....the only glitch is that the red crayon doesn't want to come off the grout.....but the curtains on the door turned out great!

The Polite Way to Feed Ducks

We've been working on using polite words in our family, like please, thank you, and you're welcome. Sometimes I think my girl is oblivious to these words, but then sometimes she surprises me when they come out unexpectedly....like during snack time, when she turned to me and said, "You're welcome for sharing with me!"

We went to the park last Thursday to feed the ducks. When we got there, and could hear all the quacking, Elise said, "Hello ducks!! QUACK! Hello!"
Then we sat down on the bench, and she and Daddy started throwing the bread. The ducks were VERY excited and came right over. They quack a lot when they are excited. Elise would throw some bread and watch them gobble it up, then she'd turn to me and excitedly say, "They are very hungry ducks, Mama!" She kept feeding them for a bit. Then I noticed she would throw a piece to a duck very close to her. She would lean down, and after the duck ate the piece, she would say, "You're welcome!" and get another piece. She turned to some new ducks and asked, "Are you ready for some food, ducks?" They'd be quacking, so she'd feed them and then say, "You're welcome ducks!" It was so incredibly cute!!! Of course we got video, but are having a hard time uploading them, so we'll do pictures instead. She LOVES her friends the ducks, and is so polite with them!

More Fun Stuff She Says

It seems we document the funny things our girl says in almost every post. I guess that's because we're parents who want to remember the fun things she says everyday. Today we have some good ones to report.

As we gave our General Conference reports to my mom on Monday morning, I asked Elise what her favorite part of conference was. She said, "My favorite part of conference was the prophet." I asked what her favorite choir was, and she replied, "My favorite choir was temple choir." I guess that means she was glad she could recognize the prophet and the temple (which was shown when the choir sang sometimes). What a grown up girl she is becoming, to verbalize that stuff.

This week we have also been doing 'projects' together. On Monday, we decided to make a special treat to surprise Daddy for desert that night. We ended up pulling out the peach jello. Elise got a chair, pushed it up to the island in the kitchen, got on the chair, and reached over for a rubber spatula. She told me she was ready to help, because she had her 'shovel'. I told her we don't use shovels to cook, we use spoons. She looked at me, and said, "Oh, I trade." Then she put her rubber spatula back and grabbed a different one, and told me again that she was ready to help because she had her shovel. I told her it was a spoon, that we don't use shovels to cook. She traded again, and told me she had her shovel and was ready. I finally said, "That's a great tool for mixing, let's get our big bowl." She was very excited she'd picked the right one finally. I guess we're still working on the semantics. Anyways, we made the jello, and only had some minor spills. When Daddy got home, she was so excited to tell him she had made a special treat, that she went to the fridge and showed him which shelf it was on. That night we played some games and had her treat. When it was treat time, she sat on the couch and said, "Special treat please." What a fun night!

So, of course on Tuesday we made another treat. This time we made a blueberry tea cake, that was very yummy. We had to put dishes away before we could do the baking. Elise watched as I put the silverware away. As I finished with the forks and spoons, she looked up at me and said, "Good job putting away the forks and spoons Mama!" I love having a personal cheerleader with me. I am so grateful to have such an enthusiastic fun-filled girl to be my special girl.

We hung up our calenders this last week as well. There are pictures of our family on them. Elise LOVES these, and loves having them on the wall. One is down on her level. She went over to this one, right after I put it up, and started naming the people in the pictures. She said, "I love this pictures of my family!" and tried to hug the pictures. She told me her favorite were the ones with the tree with lights. I think Christmas decorating might be a bigger adventure this year than in previous years. I have a bigger helper on my hands!

The Funny Things Kids Say....

I love hanging out with my special, sweet, little girl. She is getting so grown up, and sometimes, like most kids, she says the funnest things. This last weekend was General Conference for our church. There were several Apostles that talked about how important families and family relationships are, and how we need to make sure we tell our loved ones that we love them. I try to tell my girl I love her a lot, and once in a while, she will tell me she loves me too. Well, on Saturday, I went over to where Logan was sitting on the couch, gave him a big hug and told him I love him. This is not unusual, but this time Elise saw this, and zipped right over. She put her arms around both of us and said, "I love you guys!" It was so adorable!!!! Later that day she would (unprompted) come hug Logan or myself and tell us she loved us. Those are the best moments.

Another funny thing she said this weekend was while we were discussing plans for the day. We were asking her what she wanted to do, and talking about watching conference. I don't remember what idea was proposed, but Elise piped up enthusiastically with, "That's a great idea, Mama!" It was pretty funny.

The last funny thing she said all weekend had to do with conference. There are four - two hour general sessions for conference, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. We did our best to watch them, although that is a lot to ask of a toddler. When the conference started, she would point to the screen and ask, "What is that kid called?" or "What is that kid talking about?"
She was especially curious about the choir. She would point repeatedly as they showed different parts of the choir and say, "What are those kids called about? What are those kids doing?" Each new shot of the choir prompted a new question about the 'kids' on the screen. It was pretty funny. I finally had to tell her we had to listen to find out what they were saying, but she really liked the music best, and seeing the prophet and the temple. My favorite part was at the end of each session. There were some great talks, and we will definitely be reading them as we can. But my favorite part of conference was at the end of each session, the cameras would follow the Prophet, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the 12 Apostles as they left the stand. They would shake each others hands, or give a hug or a wave, and were just so supportive of each other that it is neat to see. Then they met up with their wives, and take such care of them, that it is just heartwarming. What wonderful men they are, and what inspiring leaders! We are truly blessed.

My Little Helper

I have a very special little girl. She is very helpful, and loves to have time together. Recently, I was having a bit of upset tummy, and was having some Sprite so I could not throw up. My girl wanted to play. She came over and said, "Wanna read this story to me, Mama?"
I told her I couldn't right then because my tummy was yucky. She looked a bit concerned, then smiled and said, "Mama, you take a deep breath, your tummy feel all better!" (That's what we have her do when she gets upset, a deep breath can cure almost anything.) So, I figured I better try it out. It didn't work exactly as she had hoped, so she prompted me to take more deep breaths. Eventually she decided she could read the story to me instead.
As I was feeling out of it for a while, we repeated this scenario multiple times. I guess this made an impression on her, because now that I'm all better, she will come ask to play or read a story, and when I say, "Sure!" she gets this funny look on her face. She looks up at me, and with surprise in her voice will say, "Mama, you feeling good? You happy?"
When I smile and nod, she excitedly says, "Ok, let's read this story!"
What a great helper, to prompt me for deep breaths to feel better, and to be excited that now we can play and not have yucky tummies. Plus it is a wonderful feeling to have enough energy to keep up with my girl once again!