Day 12 and 13 and too much chocolate!

Day 12- Today I'm grateful for friends!! And my crafy skills. I love being able to teach something that is fun and creative.
Day 13- Today I'm grateful for yummy food recipes. Food should definately NOT be boring. For those of you who think I can't cook, check this yummyness out. It's Almost too much chocolate cake. With homemade chocolate buttercreame and homemade ganache. With fresh sliced strawberries in the middle. It was delish!






















Kari cheesing the camera.















Jillian being adorable
















Kari and me! She had a fever this morning so just Jillian and I went to sacrament meeting, but her fever seemed to be gone when I got home and she was her normal cheerful self!

















Wearing mommy's shoes being a ham for the camera.











I love this video. Enjoy!!!

Day 9-11, pictures, rain and video

Day 9-(temples) Today I went visiting teaching and the message was about being worthy for temple blessings. I think that message was for me. I haven't been able to go to the temple since we moved up here. It's 8 hours away and I've got small children, one of which will not sleep ANYWHERE except her crib. But this message taught me that we need to go as often as we are able, and that we can work to make sure that we are worthy for a temple recommend and the blessings we recieve there. Day 10-(rain) Oh man, lots of rain today! I love the rain up here. It doesn't just drizzle, it POURS. Like lawn flooded in three minutes. I have some pictures of it. Yes, I FOUND the camera. It was in with the cereal. Wonder who put it there? ha ha!! But like I was saying, I love the rain. Everything smells so nice and everything looks greener, and it keeps the forest fires from getting crazy. Day 11 you're going to think I'm crazy but today I'm grateful for.....ELMO. Kari has learned so much watching sesame street. She'll repeat the letters and words and she loves him, so I like him. I will be happy when she's out of the Elmo stage, BUT there's so many worse kid icons she could love. Like DORA. Or blues clues, or Teletubbies (are they even still on? I hope not) Pictures!!!!









LOTS of rain











Kari "testing the waters" ha ha!!




















Soaking, and she didn't even go all the way outside!
























Flooded street
























Kari's footprint through her sock. :D



















My front yard



















Kari this morning being her usual happy smilie self.
















Love that mug!! :D













Kari and the rain. Enjoy!!

Day 2-8 and where's my camera?!

Hey guys, my camera had inexplicibly disappeared. Actually, I think my two year old hid it somewhere. She does that sometimes. I guess it's time to deep clean again and check the kitchen drawers (a favorite hiding place) and in the cracks of the couches (an inevidability) in the meantime, I'm snatching pics with my poor dying samsung phone, but that's okay because.....
on saterday I'm FINALLY getting my iPhone. Tyler isn't very good about sharing his, so I have to get my own. I've been secretly (or not so much) coveting his since last october. Seriously, surfing the net in bed while having baby sleeping on your chest? Heaven I tell ya! Okay, so I've gotten behind on my attitude of gratitude, but believe it or not, I've been thinking about it everyday.
Day 1 was Kari. She's amazing
Day 2 was little Jillian. Sooooo blessed to have a mellow baby.
Day 3 is Tyler. Best decision of my life was marrying that man, despite sometimes not agreeing on things. He's incredible and I love him more now than the day I married him more than 4 years ago. I love that I have him for eternity.
Day 4 was walmart. Seriously, up here there isn't much choice in shopping. But thank goodness that walmart is everywhere.
Day 5 was church. I love my ward and the people in it. I love the gospel and the blessings that it brings to me. I'm grateful every day for the Savior in my life.
Day 6 was my mom's birthday so I was definately grateful for her. She's one of my best friends and I love being able to call her up whenever I want and rant and rave about life and she always listens.
And Day 7, today I'm grateful for nature. I don't like living here most of the time but I can't deny that it is beautiful here. Especially during our (short) summer. When the fireweed is blooming and the grass is green and the sun is shining.

So I'm going to mount an expidition to find my camera. Because I know some of you only show up for the pictures (you know who you are) hee hee!! Have a great day guys and gals!

4 months old and attitude of gratitude.

Jillian is over 4 months old already!!
















lol! I love these money pictures.




























Rockin' the sunglasses










It's so funny, when Jillian is sleeping on the couch, Kari wants to go"night night" too and will lay down and ask for a blanket. She won't actually go to sleep but she thinks it's fun.




My friend Myaela is doing an attitude of gratitude thing. I think it's a good idea, I definately could use a change in my attitude so I think I'll join in. 40 days of finding something to be grateful for. Today I'm grateful for my two year old. Karielle is such a big girl and she's always trying to help out with Jillian. She's constantly learning new things and talking my ear off and I love it. I'm lucky to be her mom.

Kari's birthday party

Pretty hair style!!! Of course, she got chocolate on her shirt about 15 minutes before her guests arrived.















Miss Keira















Cake!!




























Singing














Daddy had to help blow out the candles.












Kari cutting the cake (with a little help from Tyler)













Opening presents. Caroline wanted to help. :D












Here's to a party well done!! :D












Jill hanging out.

Pictures!!

Hey guys!!! I'll be posting again tomorrow or sunday after church because Karielle's little birthday party is tomorrow. I was going to have lots of her little friends over, but she's a little kid shy right now so I'm only having a couple kids over instead. Hopefully she'll play with them. Anyway, pictures!!!!

Jillian with a cute little bow.












Kari being her usual overly helpful self.














Kari and Tyler after the Pioneer day church activity.












Kari being cute.

Jill playing with a baby doll.....already. lol!

Chatty Cathy

I know this is weird, and not usual for me, but it's naptime, kids are not vying for attention and I'm just sitting here thinking. So forgive me if this seems random or weird, I'm just talking. (This is what happens when you don't get enough adult conversation in your day. Ha ha!!)

I love my life. I've got a wonderful husband, and beautiful, happy, healthy girls. I'm so blessed. (And no, I'm not saying all this to rub it in :P) Sometimes I forget just how lucky I am. I complain about the base, the weather, the lack of shopping and restaraunts (i.e. Target and Olive Garden, is that too much to ask for??) I'm not a greedy person, I don't need or want everything, but it'd be nice to not have to go all the way to Fairbanks (23 miles away) to get Infant Tylonal for my kid who's sick. I'd like to be able to see family more than once a year (if we're lucky) and darn it, I could use some close girlfriends to help keep me sane. Now I'll admit, I don't go to playgroup, which could in all probability solve that last problem, but the reason I don't go is because we've just got the one car and I am too tired/lazy to drag my butt out of bed and wake up the kiddos early and take Tyler to work so I can use the car later. Bummer huh? So that means I get cooped up with Karielle and baby Jillian all day, which usually is just fine with me, but sometimes I'd like to leave the house. lol! Which is easier to do in the summer than the winter. Getting all bundled up for -30 degree weather is not on my top 100 favorite things to do. So yes, I AM counting down paychecks until we leave (aprox. 66) and yes, I do whine to my husband and to my mom alot, but in all honesty, my husband is here, not deployed, my girls are strong, healthy and growing, there are great girls I know at church, I'm kept busy and can keep in touch with my family through the phone and internet. Things are a lot better than they could be. So, for those of you who think I complain too much, know that I do appreciate how blessed I am...most of the time. ;) Here's some pics, for those of you who only come here for the pictures, you know who you are. ha ha!!



Kari and her matching baby doll.











Jill being super cute. :D










Jillian's first buddy.













Daisy from Captain Tasker who came over for dinner the night before she moved to Florida.

Jillian will sleep anywhere and through anything. :D