Merry Christmas!

Well, presents are opened...now when is dinner?

The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house everyone was stirring even a mouse.
The stockings were hung all over the place because we conserve trees and don't have a fireplace.
The young children were nestled all sung in their quilts while adults sneaked in one more game not feeling any guilt.
Charles in his element while I went to the back, to settle down for a long winters nap
When out in the living room the arose such a clatter I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
The light in the living room hung straight and bright
giving the luster of mid-day to cards in the night
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
but Charles had beat all at UNO
I knew in a moment it was time for a treat
so retreating to the kitchen I made caramel corn in a heart beat
More rapid than eagles like coursers they came
eating it all up before I could blame
now Charles, now Roger, now Carla and Hugh,
now Lyle, now Brent and Elizabeth too,
Out of the kitchen to living room they go
eating the popcorn and putting on a show
There we sat for the rest of the night
enjoying each others company
Oh boy was it a sight!

Merry Christmas!

Standing!

Today Ella stood up all by herself in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Crazy!

Giveaway!

I know this girl who makes some amazing watch bands. These are all the rage right now, so many people have them. What I really like is that you can change watch bands to fit your style of the day while keeping the same watch face. Talk about a great accessory! She is doing a great giveaway on her blog so go and check it out.

click here

umm, thats gross.

I was busy cleaning something in the kitchen when I turned around and found Ella picking items out of the garbage and eating them!

Needless to say I was horrified...


shudder

Sounds of the morning

It is 6:55 a.m.

Starting at about 6:30 I heard Ella making noises, then she started grunting... We all know what that means. Just now she stopped and she started clapping.

...

Someone stole my information

and is selling it. At least I think so...

I have been receiving all sorts of funny mail. Magazines, letters telling me that my warranty on my car is going to expire and I need to act now etc. Today I received one saying that the KIA Rio I bought two months ago is up for warranty replacement. I registered my car here two months ago, does the DMV sell your information???

Thanksgiving!

So, this is a bit late in the posting but still worth the wait. :)

We went to San Diego and had a scrumptiously splendid time! Well, at least untill I got sick, that wasn't so great. This was probably the only Thanksgiving that I have lost weight. But hey, no better place to get sick than where your mom lives! :) It was great because everyone helped out with Ella so Charles was still able to enjoy some vacation time. I am sure that the food was superb. My dad brined the turkey overnight and everyone said it tasted amazing. Before I was bed ridden we went out and enjoyed the perfect weather. My favorite hike was to Torrey pines, my grandma was even able to come with us. We had such a wonderful time! We also played quite a few games, Charles and I taught everyone hand and foot as well as rich man poor man. It was a lot of fun to play, sometimes we laughed so hard tears came to our eyes. (It's going to take a while before Charles can make a come back after my grandma and I wasted him at hand and foot. :) The one thing we missed out on doing was Sea World. Our passes are good till January and Charles wants to go down over Christmas so maybe we will get there after all. It was a great trip! Pretty much my family is awesome, I love them so much!

Happy Sunday

I am already home from church. It's only 10:46. Church starts at 9:30.

Why back so early?

Ella puked all over the pew in the middle of someones testimony.

Guess we aren't over the flu yet.

Some things I love about Rexburg

The people are so nice!

The workers at Broulims always help me take the groceries out to the car and load them while I get Ella buckled up. (They do this without wanting a tip!?!)

There is a radio station here that plays only Christmas music. How awesome is that?

I don't get strange looks for being 22 and having a baby.

People generally understand and are nice to me when Ella starts throwing a fit at the grocery store or library or pretty much anywhere we go.

We really live in a wonderful place. :)

Hope

I realize that I have been posting some depressing things lately. Even though things are not going as we had planned life is still good. I do have faith and hope and a strong belief that God is watching over my family. I think that I have been a bit ungrateful in this season of thanksgiving. I watched this yesterday and it made me think about all that I do have in my life. It made me remember that trials I ave had in the past always seem to turn out for my good. It reminded me of what my friend Jess is always saying, Laura you are so blessed, look at your beautiful family, God loves you. She is spot on. I am grateful for the love and support of family and friends.

Welcome home

We have the flu. Charles doesn't have an internship. He is out of a job in two weeks. I haven't slept in a while. Ella in between being sick slipped and hit her lip on the coffee table. It busted right open. It must be Monday.



On the bright side Ella stood up all by herself for awhile yesterday.

With love,

Today is always a rough day. This year it has been especially tough. I have felt battered from all sides. Stephen has been gone for four years. It seems like so long but at the same time so short. I felt close to him in a different way this year, I was pretty sick through Thanksgiving break. All of us kids were there except Jacob and Stephen who are serving missions. I couldn't eat Thanksgiving dinner. It reminded me of Stephen being sick through Thanksgiving dinner. He had been so excited for it but was to out of it when it was time to eat. For some reason I have remembered more of the bad depressing things this year, so tonight I decided to post a story I wrote after he died. It helps me to remember the carefree days of my childhood before we all met cancer.



Bare Feet
The Cape, paradise, the shore, all names for the well known family vacation spot in the north east. I remember when I went with my family to the cape, the summer sits fresh in my memory, kinda like when you get seawater in your mouth and you can taste the salt for hours afterward. Back before my brother Stephen died my parents rented a beach house near an ocean inlet. That week was one of pure delight where the normal world was replaced by fresh salty air and close toed shoes were kicked off so bare feet could run free. Every day offered new sights to see, new things to experience.
One morning we decided to go out and do some exploring. Pettit’s are renowned for their exploring; this is also known as we get lost a lot and end up making an adventure out of it. This time we wanted to get lost on purpose, we wanted to go out and lose ourselves in the beauty of the cape. Packing a lunch we piled into the canoe and kayaks. Leaving the cabin behind we set of hungry for new experiences, thirsty for new sights. Pushing off into the salt marsh, muscles strained to get the canoe into deeper water. Soon we were gliding out into the channel. Our paddles dipped and pulled a tune through the cool blue waves as we sang our way down the channel. I liked to watch the water churn up and around the canoe, it swirled and gurgled while reeds pushed up toward the sky on either side of us hiding the rest of the world. We marveled at the great birds which were startled out of the water as we made our way through.
Eventually we came to a small strip of sand poking out of the cool blue water. Lunch time! We stopped and set up camp. It didn’t take long for the five of us to snarf down some P B and J. Soon shouts and laughter could be heard as the five of us pounded up and down the length of the beach. We were sampling the raw taste if the wild, no one was around but us, we were free to do as we pleased. Soon the sand bar was dubbed Pettit Island, feeling pride in our ownership we built a castle to mark our new found status. Being a new colony we had no shovels or other tools to use, we had nothing but our bare hands and ingenuity. We scraped piles of coarse sand together letting the grains fall slowly through our fingertips, using water we made rough cement and put up towers, walls, and causeways. Falling back on our heels we marveled at our creation, taking pride in our handiwork.
The hours blended together as we explored tadpoles and basked in the warmth of summer sunshine. My dad taught us about the different birds which would visit the island, he showed us how the current had changed the landscape and where the best spots to fish would be. The sun became a glowing ball of crimson fire slowly sinking in the sky. I was startled to realize there were goose bumps on my arms, dusk was coming and the air had become chill. It was then that we observed that our already tiny island had shrunk in size. The tide was coming in and slowly reclaiming our small spit of land. We played in the water as it came in running around our feet. Splashing and spraying each other, we screamed in delight as we became thoroughly soaked. Too soon it was time to leave; we slowly took our places in the canoe and shoved off. Waving at our island we bid it a sad farewell. A lone gull landed on one of the few towers of our castle which still suck out defiantly above the water. We moved on silently making our way home. I turned back straining for one last look. The bird was still there, watching us as water lapped around the diminishing tower and we faded into the sunset.
Billboards and tourist guides all shout the wonders and enchantments of Cape Cod. They boast of its fine restaurants and luxury condos. They spin a story about the vast beaches and small coves. These things are all beautiful and exciting to see, but for me the magic was in Pettit Island. The rough sand squishing through my toes, the soft call of a heron as it skims the water, the smell of the salty air after an afternoon rainstorm. The sound of us all laughing and being together, just soaking in the warmth of family. If I were to go back to Pettit Island today, it would just be a plain sand bar, still poking out of the water during ebb tide. All trace of our frivolous afternoon washed away. That was one of our last family vacations before my brother was diagnosed with leukemia, for some reason I think back to the lone sea gull standing erect on the tower. He was ready to battle the tide for its perch, not fearing what was to come but content to enjoy what he had while it lasted. I held onto this image as I fought to come to terms with my brother’s sickness and death. That afternoon in Cape Cod seems like a distant dream of another life. It is when I think of this that I realize that the tide flows and ebbs and in the end the picture of what was is washed away. Only in memory is the print etched forever, a sand castle, bare feet, and a bird standing ready to fight the tide.

Love you Stephen

With love,
me

Just when you least expect it.

I had just finished up at the hair salon, I was paying when I noticed a small basket with bracelets in it and a picture of a young boy wearing a sports jersey. I asked my friend who it was. The boy's name is Jace, he is 7 and has leukemia.

Now I knew why the picture seemed so familiar, it reminded me of this one,


Apparently Jace's mom cannot work anymore because she needs to be with Jace at home and in the hospital. They are struggling and needed help. I donated some money and received this bracelet.

You cant see it but it says, "Iornman Jace"

I hope and pray for him and his family. My heart goes out to them because I too know what they are going through. The trips to the hospital, waiting, waiting, endless waiting for treatment, answers, anything. Praying for hope. May angels watch over them.

Here is their blog, http://ironmanjace.blogspot.com/ If you have a moment, I am sure they would appreciate your prayers.

Birthday Celebration

This year, when Charles asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told him to surprise me. He did an excellent job!
We celebrated on Tuesday, that morning he came home from work and made me buttermilk pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon. Yum! Later that night we got a friend to baby sit and he took me to Applebee's. It was so nice to eat warm food and not have to get up every minute for Ella. It was also nice not to have any dishes to clean up! After dinner he took me to a cupcake cafe called The Cocoa Bean. We asked about the company, who set it up and found out they are opening one in Provo soon. We order a grasshopper cupcake. It was pretty darn good. (Actually I ordered, Charles would have picked plain ol vanilla, but it was my birthday so I got to choose.) It was good to see the competition... Well maybe they aren't yet but if I do open a bakery here then they will be. :)
We finished up with a glamorous trip to Walmart. We needed to pick up a few things. It was so nice to be able to hold Charles hand instead of juggling a baby and shopping cart! Going to Walmart made me realize how much I have become like my parents. They used to go to home depot or similar places for their dates. I used to think they were crazy but now I can see that the important thing was that they got out. Alone. With NO children tagging along.
All in all it was a splendid birthday. Here's to another great year being me!

Our In Home Entertainment System

It's my Birthday!

So I can do nothing all day if I want to.

Oh Yeah. :)

hi hi hi hi hi

Ella is very social. If you smile, wave, or say hi she will more than likely do it back to you one hundred times over. Today when we stood up for the rest hymn in sacrament meeting Ella thought the chorister was waving at her (we sit near the front). She was soooo excited she started to wave frantically, then when the chorister kept "waving" Ella got both hands going while giggling and bouncing up and down in my arms.

So cute!

Warm winter hat

Ella loves her new hat! Her favorite thing to do is rub her hands all over it. It is sooo soft!
By the way, see all that drool, yeah. Guess who is getting her first tooth!





A special thanks to Grandma R who made it!

Rub a Dub Dub...

Ella in the tub. I have never seen a baby so fearless around water! I actually have to take her face out of the water. Otherwise she would keep it in till she choked and came up coughing. She does it over and over and over.

I wonder who she gets that from...

I did it!

So you may remember when I decided to take part in the couch to 5K about 10 weeks ago. Well, guess what...


I DID IT!

For the last two weeks I have been running about 2.7 miles but today I ran the whole 3 miles.

Wow.

It took me one week longer than the plan because I was sick a few times in there but I did it! It feels great! Don't get me wrong, it was so hard. I have been running in 20 degree weather for the past few weeks. (this is only because the best time for me to run is around 7 a.m. if I went later in the day it would have been anywhere from 30 - 65 degrees.) Running never seems to fit easily in my schedule. Mornings are crazy with breakfast, feeding Ella, getting off to school etc.But I decided this was important enough so I made it work. Of course Charles played a huge role. He took care of Ella while I was out and got her ready on those mornings.
Other changes we have made are eating more veggies and less sweets. I can truthfully say that I haven't eaten this many vegetables since I left my parents house and became a poor college student. Yikes! I have tried to include some with every dinner and as a snack during the day.
The changes may seem small but to me they are huge! After having Ella I wasn't sure I would ever be able to run like I used to but seems I was wrong. If I can do this, you can to. It is such a great feeling to set a goal and accomplish it. If three miles seems like to much then start with one. It is all about what you think you can do. All I know is that doing anything, big or small, to live a healthier lifestyle is good step in the right direction.

(Thank you Judy and My Litter for giving me the initial encouragement!)

Hello my name is...

Ella!

She can say her name! So cute. I will have to get it on video. Tonight we were talking to her over dinner and I said her name, she said it back to me. Then Charles said it and she repeated it. Way to go us for picking an easy to say name! Now if she would only say ma ma ma ma ma ma.....

I will have to get it on video so you can enjoy the fun.

Happy Halloween!

click here for some Halloween hoots. :)

True Story

Doorbell rings.

I Open door.

Man standing in doorway.

Man pauses and asks if my parents are home.

I stand there and stare.

Long awkward pause.

"I am the women of the house"

Man looks shocked and embarrassed.

Man introduces himself as a candidate for town council. Talks about some other stuff. Still looks a bit embaressed.

Man leaves.

Door shuts.


So, is this a compliment or do I just look like some teeny bopper?

Week in Review

Midterms, a Definition:
One disaster after another leading to stressed out, crying every two hours, emotional female. Somehow these emotions seep into the other members in the household creating one crabby home.


After spending lots of time all semester compiling my final project (aka my entire grade for this block class) I stored it safely in my backpack so that I could get it bound after my lab. My water bottle opened up on my way to lab and baptized my project and my backside. Mortified, I called Charles told him to come and get me pronto. As soon as I got into the car I cried for at least the next 15 min, then realizing that crying was probably only going to get my project wetter I took the whole thing apart.

While I was waiting for it to dry I made this yummy pizza. (Yes, I love to load the veggies, especially spinach. Yum!)

After dinner I ironed the pages and put my portfolio back together, it turned out alright.
Luckily my teacher was VERY understanding and I still got a 100. hallelujah!
Somehow I had forgotten (very unlike myself) that I had a five page essay due for my religion class the same day I had a five page exposition due for english. That was fun to get done.
I can really only blame myself for most of the stress. Hopefully when finals role around I will be a little bit more on the ball and not being doing everything at the last second.






right.






Other than that, this has been a lovely week. Idaho has turned out some gorgeous fall weather and we have taken advantage of it. We have been able to go on some walks and let Ella wander around outdoors. (Which she LOVES!) Splendid.
Ella is growing up so fast, she seems more like a toddler than a little baby now. She stood up (holding onto a table leg) this week. I was so shocked when to turned around and she was standing and waving at me with a HUGE grin on her face. I was soooo excited for her. You could tell she thought that it was a big deal, I clapped and told her how awesome she is. Then, since we were at the church cleaning, I rather un-reverently raced into the chapel grabbed Charles and told him to come and look. I think that everyone thought I was crazy. I know this isn't a pic of her standing but that one is on my phone, this was a funny one. She was trying to stand up but ended in the splits.

She is a very outgoing baby. Today at church she would speed crawl down the hall but everytime someone passed by she would stop and put one arm up to wave. So cute!

In accordance with the season, we got Ella a sugar pumpkin which she loves to play with.(and gnaw on) ((is that even how you spell gnaw??))


Ella loves to help Daddy when he is on the computer. That doesn't always work out so well so now we let her use my old broken laptop. She is probably the only 9 month old with a Dell XPS.


Yesterday Charles, being the wonderful husband that he is, let me go off for about 5 hours to can applesauce with my friend. About two weeks ago we went and picked 20 boxes of apples for FREE. It has taken a few weeks for my friend and I to coordinate a time we could both can the goods. It was a blast! They have six kids, most of them were old enough to help with the process. It was kind of funny to be told what to do by the six year old. (he actually knew more about canning than I did) But now I have all this lovely fresh applesauce to eat. Delicious!


What did you do last week?

Warning:

This was printed in small type in the glue gun I bought today.

The cord on this product contains lead, this has been known to cause birth defects and is illegal in the state of California. Wash hands well after touching.

Isn't anything coated in lead supposed to be illegal everywhere?????

I guess that's what you get for buying a $2 glue gun from Walmart.

p.s. I have noticed there lots of things you cant buy in California that are legal in Idaho...not sure what to think about that.

You should check this out

Really.

click here

Watch the video then make sure to follow the instructions.

One creative kid

Sometimes I am to busy to wonder if I am crazy...

The living room is covered in clean laundry which needs to be put away, there is another load in the dryer needing to be folded. The kitchen is still a mess from lunch because I forgot I had a lab and had to dash off in the middle of things. Ella is "calling" to me from her crib where I have confined her till she will take a nap. I have not started dinner and I just remembered I have a paper due in my English class tomorrow.

Going to school and having a family. I don't know how women with more than one kid do it. I don't even know how I do it. Not to complain, well, maybe I am complaining a bit.

Sigh.

On the flip side. My wonderful husband has folded half of the laundry for while I was at my lab even though he has a migraine.

I love that man.

New Do

I have highlights!



You cant really see them in these pictures but they are there and they look GOOD! At least Charles thinks so and that's all that's what matters to me. :)

Wait...what?

So, usually when things cool down and it starts to snow I turn on some Christmas tunes. I just cant help myself, December is to far away to wait. Charles usually makes a face or says some pert comment on how it isn't even Halloween. Whatever. But guess who turned it on today...













Charles.


Yeah I know, WEIRD.

In aww of nature

Either that or she is wondering who painted the lawn white.

Welcome to winter

This is what we woke up to this morning.

Flakes were still drifting from down when I took Charles to school. As I took Ella out of the car at the library she looked up in wonder. She has never seen anything like this before. As much as I complain about cold weather, there is something magical about the first snowfall. When you stand under the sky the flakes wrap you in a blanket of white, the world seems to stand still listening to the whisper of the snow landing on the tree branches.

I really do love it.

Fall and all its joys

Things have been a bit busy here in the north(pole). I keep taking pictures of things I want to blog about, but I never seem to have the time to put them up. So this is kind of a concentrate post of what we have done this fall. I say that like fall is almost over. Why? Because we have a snowstorm on the way, the wind is trying to knock the house over right now, and I am bundled up in a thick comforter because my house is freezing cold.
Ella is keeping us on our toes by getting into everything possible. She certainly has a mind of her own and sometimes doesn't understand why we wont do things her way. For example, we went to Walmart to get a ceramic space heater (did I mention it has been cold?) Ella did not want to ride in the shopping cart. Instead she wanted me to help her walk around the store. Cute? well, yes, it was cute to see her big step around the aisle, but I wasn't about to break my back bending over to help her walk just then. I do it at home but there is something about crazy college kids careening around with shopping carts that make me nervous.
She also has decided that she loves to eat dirt. We spent the last few warm days outside drinking in the sunshine. I was weeding and Ella was crawling around stuffing various twigs, leaves and dirt clods into her little mouth. Don't you just love simple pleasures of life?

Let me just tell you

it is a LOT harder to work out in the cold and rain.

We shall see how long I last, I think I am going to start using the school gym.

You may be wondering...

or maybe your not. But I am going to post about it anyways. :)

I have been working on the couch to 5k program.

And I like it!

It is giving me the excuse to get up and go in the morning. I think Ella is teething so mornings are usually terrible but she loves going out for a run and is calm the whole time. When Charles is home and she is really in a funk then I let her stay at home while I work off some tension, letting it go as my feet slap the pavement. The weather has gotten better and I have started running later so that it isn't as cold. Fall mornings are so beautiful!

What I do when I am not doing homework...

I am in a sort of cupcake craze. I think I may start to sell these. So good. I give a bunch away because there is no way I am going to eat all them all.

One handsome kid

Baby Alex

They let me put this picture on for your viewing pleasure. So cute!

We've got a crawler!

Ella has been trying to crawl for about a month but today she actually took off! I was trying to write an essay when I noticed that Ella was moving toward the headphones on the floor next to the computer. I was so shocked. She would crawl about two paces, fall over, get up and do it again until she reached the headphones. Being the excited first time mother that I am, I immediately pulled her back so I could watch her do it again. She is growing up so fast! Yesterday she started to pull herself up onto things. She gets about as far as her knees before she falls over.

So fun!

All I have to say is

YUM!



Are you salivating yet?

I just have to say...

I LOVE my husband!

Presenting...

Baby Alexander!
Arrived: September 9th, 2009 (after a 48 HOUR labor. My poor poor sister, I am so glad she didn't have to have a C section after all of that!)
Time: 1:34 pm
Weighed: 7 pounds 6 oz
Length: 20.5 inches

Sorry folks, the parents don't want any pictures of this cute kid on blogger but let me just tell you he looks so sweet! I am so excited to meet my new nephew!

(Yes, I know that this is posted a few days late. But hey better late than never right? :)

My laundry helper

She just wants to be a part of it all!

We love the Mcdonalds!

My amazing friend and old roomie Jessica, her wonderful husband Aaron and their perky and fun dog Bo came to visit us a few weeks ago. It was a blast! We went to the park, the beach (OK, so it was more of a "rocky shore", what can we say they don't make beaches here like they do in San Diego. ;) and played many rounds of Killer Bunnies late into the night. We loved having them here and hope they can come back sometime soon. Meanwhile we are going to have to go and visit them!

Ella just loved Bo! Especially when he licked her toes. :)

You need to watch this video

In memory of those who died on 9/11/01
Click here

Dont you just love

a nice cool...frosty summer morning?

Yes, frosty. It was 33 degrees when I went running this morning.

33 degrees.

Hello! Only a week and a half ago it was August. For crying out loud, summer is still here for a few more weeks. Then it is Fall where temperatures are in the 60's. Right...?


Why do I live in Idaho?


Well, at least Ella got to wear these cute boots! I still need to get her some mittens.


p.s. week one of the couch to 5k complete. Lets see if I can do week to without getting frostbite and loosing a finger or two.

Day 1

I have a love hate relationship with running. I love getting out in the morning evening or afternoon, I am not to picky, and starting the run. I try to pace myself knowing that soon I am going to be straining to go one step more. About 10 min into it I wonder what I am doing. 11 min in I think I am going to die. 12 min in I cant breathe anymore. 13 min in things start to look better. By 20 min I am past the hard part and can sprint to the end. That is my absolute favorite part, when I finish my body is high on endorphins and I feel the delight in what I have just accomplished.

How do you feel about running?

I have been blogging a lot today

Know anyone around here looking for a wedding dress??

Check this out

No more excuses

Click here and here
I'm in.
You should do it too.
:)

What a splendid day

Yesterday was nice and relaxing, we cleaned up the house, went to the library, feed the ducks and played with Ella.
Lovely.

My little girl

is growing up so fast!

New and improved

I guess that John Schmidt hasn't been able to get permission from Coldplay to use their music, so he came up with a new version for the song. This one is still really good.



Move update:
While cleaning out a drawer in a dresser we had in storage I found a pile of arsenic rat poison. I was told that means there were rats or mice hanging out in my clothes. I guess I am lucky that they didn't kick off while still in the drawer. GROSS!

Since the last few posts have been depressing,

I have decided it is high time I post something happy. Life is good and despite trials, we are being blessed :)

True Story:
Ella is a singer. It started about a week ago when we realized that every time one of us would sing to Ella she would start "singing" with us. She does it at church too, making her voice louder if there are more people.

So cute.

I love it :)

We are moving today

And just in time for the big occasion...

Ella was up a lot last night crying, she is still getting over the flu.
Charles was up throwing up as well.
I am grumpy and tired because I was up with both of them.

sigh.

At least Charles is doing much better this morning.

Wish us luck.

So,

who wants to hire Charles...?

The poor guy was just turned down for another job. It really is the company's loss, he is a hard worker.

Stink.

Yesterday

was kinda rough...

What we have been doing

To all you readers out there lost, confused and wondering what has happened to us. Do not fear, we are back and posting once again. We took a surprise trip to California! (I have stopped counting how many times we go there each year. There are just so many people we love in California!) We had a grand ol time. Here are some pics for you viewing pleasure.

We also were able to stop at John and Jenny's. We had so much fun playing settlers, hanging out and going to Park City. To see pictures click here Thanks you guys for the wonderful time!

Pettit's to the left, Pettit's to the right...

stand up sit down, choose the right! That was my family's cheer. We would say (yell) it together every morning and evening after we had family prayer. I am sure the neighbors wondered what we were up to.

We had my parents and Elizabeth over last week. It was so fun! We packed as much as we could into the two and half days they were here.

My parents told me they had come to serve, my dad weeded the lawn, fixed our broken chairs and the stroller.



My mom helped me to clean the house and make lots of good food. Elizabeth was a great help with Ella, feeding her and playing with her. She even babysat for us so we could go and see the new Harry Potter movie (which I loved:)



They were great!

We had my Aunt, Uncle and cousins over for dinner and games, we had so much fun and ate some really good food, for recipes click here and here, plus my Aunt made an awesome dessert which I will probably have to get the recipe for. So tasty.





Ella had a lot of fun being pushed around in her stroller and chatting with her new friend in the mirror.





Charles was amazing, he was at work during the day pulling weeds in the hot sun. What a hard working man. That might explain though why we couldn't get him to smile in some of these pictures. :)

All in all it was a good time. We have been so lucky to have family who can come and visit us!