Gratitudes

(After I caught Gabe giving Hunter hugs and kisses Gabe kept wanting me to take their picture. Too bad they were mostly silly pictures....but still pretty darn cute kiddos!)

1. a little boy who loves his brother
2. sunsets - I saw one of the prettiest ones we've had in S. Utah since we've lived here this week. WOW! I wish I had taken a picture of it - but I was too busy 'enjoying' it.
3. my frozen mug that makes any drink taste extra frosty and tasty
4. shopping at Roberts craftstore - something I end up doing almost weekly
5. tender mercies that we're blessed with
6. cleaning supplies - ones that make it smell yummy like you've just scrubbed every nook and cranny. I love how much easier some of them make life! (like Clorox wipes - love those things!)
7. disposable diapers - there is a reason I'm a mother NOW rather than 30 years ago - I don't think I could have hacked it with cloth diapers!
8. efficency - I love when something is done efficiently - it's a great feeling! (on the flip side of this - when things are done in-efficiently it drives me NUTS!)
9. Christmas decorations - I can't wait to get ours out!
10. the ease of internet shopping. I love that yesterday afternoon, while the boys were napping, I got a big chunk of my Christmas shopping done - from the comfort of my kitchen!!!

Gratitudes

1. Diet Dr. Pepper (and in fact - any diet soda)
2. yummy smelling lotion (my favorite is Love Spell by Victoria Secret)
3. stars and clear nights to view the stars
4. the leaves changing in the fall - I love the bright colors
5. going on bike rides with Cory
6. flip flops
7. prayers of people who love me
8. rubbermaid, containers, baskets and oraganizational 'stuff'
9. air conditioning
10. hot water

Gratitudes

1. haircuts
2. photos
3. Wendy's
4. washers and dryers
5. hot hair rollers
6. friends who "get" me
7. High speed internet
8. quiet....ah....peace and quiet
9. being able to own a house
10. baby swings

Gratitudes

1. Frozen fruit - I love making smoothies almost every day! (Today's smoothie - 1 cup orange juice - I used Tropicana's light variety, 1 cup frozen whole strawberries, 2/3 cup frozen peaches - mix and ENJOY! Only 2 points for Weight Watchers too!)
2. Our business. I love that Cory enjoys what he does most of the time, and that he is such a hard worker!
3. Education. I feel so blessed to have gotten my degree from BYU-Idaho, and I can't wait for a time in life where I can go back to school for my Masters degree - I just love learning!
4. The sense of taste...I love that I have tastebuds that work and that food can taste so delicous (both a blessing and a curse I guess....)
5. Beautiful fall weather. It's super sunny and warm out right now - almost perfect weather!
6. The joy and companionship of our dogs before we had children. I know without a doubt the Heavenly Father allowed Daisy and Sadie to be a part of our family to help fill the void while we anxiously awaited having children. They might be somewhat ignored now - but we still love those dogs, and are especially grateful for the love they share back.
7. The freedom and opportunity to vote. I took Hunter and Gabe on a walk to the school we vote at and tried teaching Gabe about voting and how amazing the whole process is. (He wasn't terribly impressed, but he did love seeing all the farm animals as we walked over to the school...)
8. Being a stay-at-home mom. I complain that I have to do work for our business at times - but when it comes right down to it I am SO blessed to be able to stay home with my boys. That is a rare thing in today's world and I count it as one of my greatest blessings.
9. The ability to walk, move, and function. I have a body that - for the most part - works wonderfully. Such a blessing!
10. Being born and living in the United States at this time of the world. We have such an amazing life here, and I feel continually blessed (and somewhat guilty) that I was born into such blessed circumstances. A great family, a great land, wonerful freedoms - wow!

Toatlly random Monday musings

• Here we go again. This cartoon totally sums up me right now:



• Who came up with all this Daylight Savings mumbo-jumbo? Obviously not someone with children. While it's great in the fact that we can put them to bed earlier - I'm NOT a fan of having both little boys wide awake before 6:30 am when I've been up all night with Hunter. I hope it won't take too long to get back into a good sleep routine. (And oh how I miss Gabe sleeping in until 9:30!)


• Here's another invention that was not invented by a parent....We bought this potty a few months ago when Gabe was showing alot of potty-training interest - but he kind of got out of the excitement. Well we put batteries in it this weekend and he is in love! That should be a great thing - right? The problem is that it has a little sensor so when you go to the bathroom it cheers you on. Unfortunately it is a very sensitive sensor and it detects the first drip. So it starts cheering him on before he's done with the job. So it takes like 1/2 hour for him to go enough to make the experience worth it. (We spent 15 minutes this afteroon when he was supposed to be napping - and there were like 10 drops - small drops) And the music on it makes me nuts! So now Gabe has yet another reason to get up from his naps, or when we're trying to get him to go to sleep at night, "Mommy - I need to go potty!" I think this potty training thing will be a mixed blessing. Check out the website for a demo - it's pretty entertaining!


• Weight Watchers - I am totally struggling with this right now. It's been a harder year than normal with trying to avoid the Halloween candy, and it's been really discouraging. It seems like all day long I try NOT to give in - which makes me think about food all day long. Then in the end I give in after I have the boys in bed. Darn chocolate! It doesn't help that we were on vacation for almost 2 weeks and during that time I gained back a bunch of what I had worked hard to loose. So any advice for staying on the WW wagon during the holidays? So far I stink at it! (and this time around the weight is taking FOREVER to come off - SOOOOO slow!)


• Hunter is growing so much lately! This morning I put an outfit on him that says it's for 6-9 months! It was an outfit I loved with Gabe - but I had put off putting him in it and by the time I did it was too small. I think it's more like a 3-6 month size - but still! I put all the 3-6 month clothes in his closet this weekend and he has some cute things to be wearing. It has been funny to look through the clothes and remember Gabe wearing some of them - and he was quite a bit older...Hunter is 3 months now, but I have a feeling he's going to beat Gabe in the weight department. He's up to 13.2 lbs and really filling out. He's funny too - I swear he gives kisses - it's so cute (and SOOOO slobbery!) I'm starting to understand his cries better and it's making our relationship go more smoothly. Now if he would just stay asleep longer at night - he seems to be getting up way too much! (Any advice anyone?)

• I just found out that one of my good friends is sending her husband off to Iraq in a few months. WOW! She has 3 little girls, and is already a very busy person. I don't know how I would handle something like that. Actually I do - I think I would probably have a complete and total meltdown and fall completly apart. I admire her so much for her positive attitude and willing to serve our country like this. What an amazing woman. Reminded me that there are families all over the country who have to see their loved ones off to war and I am so grateful for their service and sacrafice. Say a little prayer for those serving our country.


• Right now Gabe is totally obsessed with my camera. I think we might need to get him one of his own. He constantly wants to take pictures of me, or he wants me to take pictures of him and Hunter together - particularly sitting together in various chairs around our house - it's pretty funny. I love the bottom picture. It looks like he's saying, "Now Hunter - I have so many things to teach you - I'll let you in on all the secrets..."

• Ok - this picture is disturbing, I know. One of the latest things Gabe has been telling us is, "Mom - I've got a goober!" He says this most importantly when he's supposed to be going to bed or taking a nap. He yells at his door that he has a goober and needs a Kleenex. We keep telling him that picking his nose is disgusting, and not to do it - but then he looks at us so seriously and says, "But Mom - I've gotta GOOBER!"
• Christmas - yikes! I can't believe how soon it is sneaking up on us. I have gotten a little shopping done - but I'm having a hard time thinking of ideas for Hunter and for both of our parents...I wish I had more time to make gifts -that is what I'd prefer to do. But it's looking like my grand ideas of homemade projects just may have to wait for next year. We'll see. I also remembered today that I needed to work on making some photo ornaments. I started this tradition 2 years ago when Gabe was born, and want to continue it - homemade photo ornaments for all the grandparents and great grandparents. I have an idea for what to do - now I just need to see if I can accomplish it.


• Ok- I really need to get busy with the things I SHOULD be accomplishing, instead of just wasting time. Hope you have a great week and a happy Monday!

Gratitudes

1. cell phones
2. text messaging
3. email
4. on-line shopping
5. blogs
6. lap-top computers
7. ipods
8. digital cameras
9. electricity
10. DVR

Gratitudes

Joanna:

1. Stake conference - this was particularly exciting today because we got to hear from President Hinckley as he and Elder Holland spoke to 77 stakes in Eastern and Southern Utah via satelitte - a very good meeting (even if it was spent in the hall with the baby...)
2. Our prophet - President Gordon B. Hinkley





3. The gift of prayer
4. Our Savior and His Atonement


5. My calling in Young Womens and the women I serve with - some wonderful friends
6. The temple

7. The pioneers and the sacrafices they made
8. The Book of Mormon
9. The gift of the priesthood
10. My testimony

Gabe's:

1. planes
2. Taylor
3. lotion
4. Lexie
5. Logan
6. Chase
7. slides
8. Daddy
9. swings
10. Hunter

(And those of you who aren't the list - don't feel bad - he loves you all!)

Gratitudes

1. a good night's sleep (when I get one...)
2. blue sky & sunshine
3. music
4. ipods
5. the gospel
6. yellow balloons
7. water - ice cold water
8. a home
9. mothers
10. colors

Another Gabe funny

Earlier this week I made some yummy Fudge Nut Bars for that recipe swap I posted. I needed a picture of them, so I had to cook up a big tray of them. Knowing my weakness for all things chocolate I made them with the plan to take them to others and only have one. So when Gabe got up from his nap I asked him who we should take them to for FHE. He thought about it for a minute and said, "Hmmmm....Dr Gatherum!"

Now you should know - Dr. Gatherum is an OB/GYN and delivered both Gabe and Hunter......but Gabe insisted that was who he wanted to take cookies to. It cracked us up because it's not like Gabe even knows Dr. Gatherum - but we sure love him as a dr (seriously - he is the best dr in the whole world!) and figured a plate of cookies would be a good thank-you. So we made him a thank-you card ran over a plate of goodies for Gabe to say thank you :).

So I had to laugh again when Gabe said one of the things he was thankful for was "Dr. Gatherum". Funny kiddo.

Oh - another thing Gabe's been saying lately is, "Mom - Sound!" He says this whenever he hears ANYTHING - and then tries to figure out what it is. He has amazing hearing too - he can hear kids around the block playing outside, Cory coming home from clear up the street (but that could be because Cory's truck is SO loud), a toilet flushing, water running, Hunter crying or just waking up, dogs, airplanes, you name it. It kind of drives me nuts - but it's funny to see his face when he says, "Mom - sound!"

Gratitudes for Friday

Joanna's:

1. public libraries - in fact, we have 2 public libraries - awesome!
2. children's books - or any books for that matter
3. Wendy's and McDonald's drive throughs
4. the color red
5. hot bubble baths
6. telephones
7. my little boys
8. Robert's craft store
9. Christmas decorations
10. sippy cups

Gabe's (these were only prompted by me explaining being thankful for things, and asking Gabe what he was thankful for - he came up with the list all on his own, and kept adding to it when I told him we were done).

1. Gabbi (We were just checking out my friend Jana's blog and so Gabe was returning to his fascination with cutie Gabbi)
2. pumpkins
3. cats
4. gold
5. Pete (I have no idea who Pete is - but when I asked Gabe he said that Daisy our dog chases Pete in the backyard...?)
6. samiches (sandwhiches)
7. drinks
8. taking rides with mommy
9. lemonade
10. cheese
11. nanas (bananas)
12. Gramma and Grampa
13. doggies
14. ketchup
15. nuggets
16. nursery
17. Dr. Gatherum

Hunter: (as interpreted by mom)

1. milk
2. a mom who is willing to get up all night long to feed him
3. a cozy car-seat
4. a brother that plays with him
5. dry diapers

Turkey Boxes

When we were little kids our family had a turkey box we'd break out at Thanksgiving time. It was a shoe box that was decorated with a paper turkey, and had a slit in the top where we could put lists of things we were thankful for. Then when we'd drive to Mama and Papa's house for Thanksgiving we'd get out the box and read everyone's lists to remind us of what we are grateful for.

So in lieu of making a turkey box (although I saw a really cute pattern for one in the picture here) I thought I'd create an online "turkey box" where I could record daily things that I am grateful for. I'm hoping that it will help me to have a more grateful attitude this month. Please feel free to comment with some of the things you are grateful for as well - let's all have a "Gratitude Attitude" this month!

Things I am grateful for today (and these are in no particular order of importance - just random things I'm grateful for):

1. the internet - to keep us connected
2. fun mail (you know - the kind that isn't bills?)
3. calming music
4. ice cubes
5. microwave ovens
6. baby swings
7. washer and dryer
8. cameras
9. computers
10. pest control guys - especially during "mice" season!

Check back often, I hope to list things each day this month.

Halloween wrap up

Ugh. As I was uploading these pictures I realized that I just copied over my original pictures with these smaller web-friendly versions. Darn it! Now I don't have originals of these pictures that are big enough to print. Darn!

Well here is a recap of our Halloween. It was a QUIET Halloween at our house. Seriously we had about 1/4 of the trick-or treaters we had expected. I was talking to a neighbor and she said tehre were cars lined up our street last year. This year we'd have a couple kids, and then like 15-25 minutes until a couple more came. In the end Cory was dumping candy in their bowls. Interesting....

Anyway, Cory took Gabe out with our friends and their little boy Garrett. Garrett was a mouse from "Ratatouille" - so the 2 little mice went scurrying off to get candy. Almost everyone on our street handed out chocolate - which was a bummer (because then I want to eat it....). But Gabe loved "treating".

It was funny because he called the scary trick-or-treaters "trickers", and the others were "treaters". They went to one house with a teenager dressed up as a scary goblin on the porch. He stood perfectly still until the boys got closer to him and then started moving. I guess it TOTALLY freaked Gabe out. He kept shaking his arms and making this scary face and saying, "Daddy - it's scary!" They pointed out to him that it was just Cody the neighbor. Then all night Gabe kept talking about scary Cody. It was funny to see his apprehension even hours later.

We dressed Hunter up in the costume Gabe wore 2 years ago - a "sweet" pea. He went out for a few minutes with us to see neighbors, but it was pretty low key. The weather was REALLY nice - one of the first years I remember not having icky weather. And it was great to not have to tromp the boys out in snow.

Pumpkins 2007

Ok - I have decided that Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays....Between the gore, the scary costumes, the begging/greedy children, millions of calories worth of candy - and now the goopy pumpkin guts - it's just kind of a gross holiday. I'm trying to focus on the FUN parts of it though, since I'm pretty sure with these 2 little boys I'll never get away with not celebrating the holiday.

One thing we did was go to the "Pumpkin Park" to pick out pumpkins. When we got there I realized I didn't have my camera - and Gabe remembered taking pictures last year, so he was disappointed. Oops....So this morning we carved our 2 pumpkins. We haven't done this before - it was tough! I didn't have a great knife to use - and it was just harder than I thought it would be. I had some templates picked out online (you can find some fun ones here) - but then decided to just wing it. It went better if we had straight cuts - so here's what we came up with.

Gabe - a budding photographer

Today when we (and by we I mean ME) were carving our pumkins for tonight Gabe grabbed my camera and started taking pictures. He was so funny - kept saying, "Cheese!" and telling me everything that he was taking pictures of. He was really quite proud of getting pictures of me and of Hunter. He did take quite a few with his hand over the lense - but here are a few that show the world according to Gabe. (as well as the icky mess we made with the pumpkin goo)

I'm pretty sure we're going to have to get this kid a camera soon - or at least give up mine....he grabbed it back as soon as I took it from him. Oh good - I was hoping we could have a power-struggle over one more thing. :)

Perfect!

This morning I was working on some stuff for The Blind Guy (our business) and I was running around the basement trying to get finished. Gabe was playing with some cars and yelled out, "PERFECT!" and then went on playing. A few minutes later I heard him say, "PERFECT!" again as I walked past him. I said, "What's perfect Gabe? Your cars?" He looked up at me with the sweetest face and said, "No Mommy - you're perfect!"

So sweet!

Digital Recipes

I got invited to be a part of a digital recipe swap. Here are the recipes I created. These are 2 of my very favorite recipes - YUM!

We're back!

So I have been waiting to blog until I could sit down and post some pictures from our trips - but since that is going to take a lot longer than I have right now - I thought I'd just get on and say we're here, and alive.

We have just spent the last 10 days traveling. First trip was to Cancun, Mexico with our friends Kelly & Andy Springer. We took Hunter with us, and they brought their 6 week old baby too. Gabe stayed home and got to spend time with the Mullen's (see their blog for pictures) and his Ellis Grandparents. We met up with everyone last Sunday to send Gabe back with the Springers (Gramma Rhien was waiting for him in Cedar City) and then we headed off to Hawaii on Monday. We went to the big island of Hawaii with our awesome friends Trent & Melissa Cheney, and got home on Saturday. I promise I will post some pictures and tell about our trips later.

Hunter liked Hawaii much better than Mexico and was AMAZINGLY good on the flights to and from Hawaii, as well as most of the trip. He did NOT however enjoy Mexico. The weather in Cancun was HOT HOT HOT as well as HUMID HUMID HUMID and WINDY WINDY WINDY. Throw that all together and he really wasn't very happy - expcept for the second we'd get into our hotel room - and he was happy as a clam. It was frustrating, but to be expected. In Hawaii he had a much better attitude and really we started to "get" each other. I'm starting to understand his schedule a bit better, and he's getting better about letting me know what he needs. By the end of the trip Melissa even said, "That's you're tired cry - I'm even starting to hear it!" And he really only cried out once the whole plane ride from Hawaii to Salt Lake! GO HUNTER!

Speaking of Hunter - he has grown a TON! Seriously I need to put him on the scale, but he has really filled out, and is even getting a bit chunky (something we've never experienced with Gabe!) And this morning he rolled over for the first time from his back to his stomach - YAY! He did it so effortlessly - but wouldn't attempt it again after his first success. I'm not in anyway anxious for him to be mobile - but it is fun to reach milestones like that. He has also started to discover his hands - holding onto things better, sucking on his hands - it's been fun to watch. He still loves bathtime (and even started swimming from one end of the tub to the other in Hawaii), he LOVED swimming in the pools on our trip, and he has fun in his swing. I'm grateful we've survived the first 3 months and that things seem to be going better. It is definetly harder with 2 kids - dividing time betwee the 2 - but we're making it work.

And Gabe - what a funny little kid! I felt horrible leaving him home from our trips, but with all the traveling - we kept looking at each other and saying how it would have been SO hard with him there. But we'd also do things and think of how fun it would be to share those experiences with him - like the beach and the pools. Next time we'll all do it together (in fact, we're planning a trip to California in January and I might go with my parents and sister with the boys to Disneyland in March). We are so grateful for family who helped out while we were gone. Gabe had so much fun with cousins and grandparents and we felt so lucky to have people who love Gabe (almost) as much as we do here to take care of him. Thanks everyone!!!

I'll post pictures soon. Have a great week!

A better week

Well it's been a much better week than last week. Hunter is still a pretty fussy little guy - but we've discovered he enjoys the swing - and that's helped out a lot! Gabe on the other hand....is still 2 years old....

Hunter and Gabe even got to enjoy a couple of baths together. It was all fun & games until Gabe wanted to show Hunter how to "really" splash - and that was a little much for Hunter (and mom!) But I think they'll continue to have fun in the tub. I'm glad my little boys both enjoy the water - makes bathtime a lot easier on all of us.

Cory's dad has been here this week to help Cory get caught up on some big work projects. Gabe sure has enjoyed having him around. "Grampa! Grampa! Grampa!" is all I've heard all week. He's going to be quite upset when Kim leaves tomorrow!

Well I have a crying baby - better run. Have a great weekend.

Can it get any better than this?

Seriously - can it get any better than Christmas music and Josh Groban!?!?!?

Yeah it can! A Josh Groban Christmas cd full of CLASSIC Christmas, and including a song with Faith Hill (another one of my favorites) and one with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I just barely downloaded this from itunes, but so far so good.

Darn Josh Groban made me break my rule of "No Christmas music before Thanksgiving". Oh well....(and secretly I've been listening to this song by the group SHeDaisy & Rascal Flatts - The Twist of the Magi. Shhh - don't tell.)

Yeah - it was that bad...

So it hasn't been the easiest week at the Ellis house. Hunter has been particularly fussy, Gabe's reached a new level of fit-throwing, Cory's been swamped with work stuff, and I've been totally grumpy - add it all together and our house hasn't been the funnest place to be. I have barely had time to catch my breath - much less sit down to blog (or go to the bathroom...)

Add to that the wind - man it's been nuts! The wind has blown non-stop for like 4 days - MAJOR wind! Wind has always made me grumpy, and today when I was talking to my mom she said that is actually a phenomenom. Did you know wind blows around negatively charged ions and a lot of people have problems when there is wind? After talking to her I'm totally going to read up on that. So I'm going to blame it all on the darn weather :).

So here's to having a better weekend. I'm looking forward to General Conference!

Cutest pictures ever!

It's been "one of those days" already for us at the Ellis house. So I wanted to look at these pictures and remind myself that it can be happy here :)

This is Hunter - oddly a little after he had 3 big shots for his 2 month dr appointment....I had him on his changing table and he was just happy as a clam. It's funny because he really loves laying on his changing table - that's where I get the best smiles and coos from him...

Anyway - I hope your days are going better than ours is here, and if not - maybe these adoreable pictures will help cheer you up too!