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Las Morning

Feeling sick,

homesick that is. I think this is the first time since we moved that I really have felt homesick. Why all of a sudden is it hitting me? This week we were so blessed to have more family come into town. My cousin plays for BYU and they just "happened" to play down here, weeks after we moved, bringing more visitors. The difference is these visitors are from "home" they are a taste of what it was like when we weren't so far away. It's been so much fun having them stay at our house and interact with our kids, watch them play, hug and kiss them and of course spoil them. They have to go home in the morning and the thought just makes me cry. I've told David I love living here and I do, I just feel like a part of us is missing and the past two weekends it was filled. Thank you for coming to visit us. Heavenly Father really is aware of my needs. He knows that I need my family to come and visit, and so he sent them down here for spring break and the sweet 16, now I know that's not the only reason that BYU came down, but I feel like its a gift for me from my father in Heaven. Its going to be rough going back to reality after they leave. Daniel told them that they could only go home if they bring Jake back to him. I'm holding them to that promise and hoping they will go the extra mile and send a few more people our way. Families are so wonderful and I'm so lucky that I have a great one. Miss you all!!! and of course WE LOVE YOU!!!

Last week at a glance

Had our first visitors
Some welcome
One Not!!!
Spent a HOT day at the zooAnother at the Aquarium and Jackson Square(no pics of Jackson Square)Ate
Beignets Craw-fish
(or bugs according to Danielle & Daniel)Gumbo, Jambalya, Craw-fish Etuoffee and Red Beans and Rice (really so good)Planted a garden
Played Pirates
and in the dirt

We had so much fun with the Childress family. Thank you for spending your spring break with us and showing us around our new hometown. We can't wait to make the trip up to see you. Love Y'all!!

Service

Yesterday our Relief Society lesson was on Service. Whenever I think of this topic I think of my mom. She is an amazing example to me of serving other people without expecting anything back. She told me once that when you are asked to do something you just do it, even if you don't think you can or have the time to, you do it. I thank her for her great example and hope that I can be half as good as she is. Miss you mom and of course I love you!

Here are pictures and some videos of what we've been up to...

our 1st successful zoo visit

Maggie's hair curls

Zeus Parade

Oreo

(these are all from my phone so if the quality is poor sorry, I'm working on it)

NOLA

Thanks to my resourceful husband I've now got the internet. Its great to feel connected again. How funny our lives are now, we are so dependent on the internet. Lucky for me I've had my iphone and not been completely disconnected. Although I must say it was really nice to not have that distraction now I'll just have to exercise self control and monitor my usage. Hopefully I'll be able to get pictures loaded soon of what has been happening around here but for now I'll just fill you in.

We left Utah on the 21st of February. We woke up to both kids extremely sick and running high fevers. I asked David to give them a blessing and we had the family doctor check them out although the fever was gone by the time he had arrived, (priesthood blessings are amazing). He wrote us out a prescription that we picked up on our way out of town. We said our tearful good-byes and drove like crazy. we had 1,720 miles to get to our new home. We had to drive both cars. The first night we were able to make it all the way to Albuquerque. It was a long start to a really long trip. The kids were troopers and did so well. I think they did better than I did.

Our second day was our longest leg and through the most boring country EVER. Never drive from Albuquerque to Dallas. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing but flat land and more flat land. Every once and awhile a little hill in the distance but mostly FLAT LAND. Plus the road is crazy because your driving at a good 75 mph and then hit a city and have to drop down to 35mph. The only way I made it was through prayer. I even caved and drank A LOT of caffeine, I haven't had that stuff in over 15 years and I honestly don't think it did that much for me. It was defiantly the prayers. We finally made it to our destination rather late and I really don't know how I got there because I was so dead tired. We spent the night at our friend the McGregors house which was so nice of them. They kindly waited up for us and then fed us a yummy breakfast the next morning. It was so nice to not have to pay for another hotel.

The last day was the best drive. We totally took our time and the scenery was so beautiful. The woods are so cool. We stopped at McDonalds and the ladies behind the counter were talking in their southern accents about their hair dresser. I couldn't help but smile. I love the way they talk down here. We arrived at our house late Wednesday night. The Realtor had told us originally that there was power and water on but it needed to be turned over to our name. Well that wasn't true and we didn't have anything on when we got here. We ended up staying in a hotel and getting everything taken care of the next day.

We anxiously waited for our stuff to arrive and every time we talked to the movers they pushed the time back. Our stuff didn't get here till Sunday at 4pm. We were so excited to actually get to sleep in our beds. I would recommend not going with movers, they really have no care for your stuff. They broke several high price items that can't be replaced for the measly 60 cents a lbs they give you for broken items. Not so happy about that but I'm still going to get what ever I can from them. It is nice not to have to load and unload a truck and then drive it across the country. But next time we'll just get a Uhaul.

Our house has a lot more space than our apartment. Also lucky for us, its really nice. We only saw two pictures and our friends had peeked through the windows, so we didn't really know what to expect but feel really blessed to have this place. Its super clean and we are so happy with it. Its also in a really nice area close to a lot of fun things.

Mardi Gras was out of control. We went to 2 parades and I LOVED it. Now parades are serious business here. Parents have these 6/7 ft ladders and they make boxes to screw on the top and put there kids in them so the kids have a better chance at catching stuff. I took a picture I'll have to post it. People don't just sit back and relax either they walk/run right up to the floats. They throw beads out like crazy and no you don't have to do naughty things to get them. We got tons of beads a frisbee, plastic knife, footballs, stuff animals. Lots of crap. At our second parade the kids both were tired and done and I was the one pushing them to stay. I don't know what it is but I love parades. They have this cake called King Cake and its only at this time of the year. Its pretty good kind of tastes like a cinnamon roll, the one we tired had a little to much frosting but it was a fun treat. I want to post a picture because they look so trashy, but everyone loves them.

The weather so far has been great. The first week we were in shorts this weekend we had a crazy storm that flooded our street up to Daniels knees and the lighting and thunder storms are so crazy. The lighting doesn't stop it just keeps going like a strobe light. It woke both David and I up. We found out the next morning that 3 tornadoes hit down in NOLA. We've decided we'd better get educated on the storms here or we might be in trouble.

We have really enjoyed our time here so far and hopefully it stays that way. We feel really blessed to have this opportunity for our family to grow.

bad day?

One week and yes we are still here. Today was well, horrible I'll just list the events in the order they happened.

Ready to go to the Zoo
Daniel is quiet, not good, find him in extra room "mom I'm bleeding" He wanted to use my rotary cutter and cut his finger
Cleaning said finger announces while I'm holding him "I had an accident"
Clean up messes.
Arrive at Zoo, pouring rain
Drive through crazy traffic to aquarium
Halfway through aquarium visit Daniel announces "I had an accident"
Buy $20 pjs at gift shop. (Now we've gone through 2 outfits and 2 pairs of shoes.)
Daniel in pjs barefoot running in the rain to parking garage
Realize we didn't get our parking validated
Run back in the rain(left kids with neighbor)
"We aren't validating this weekend due to Mardi GRAS"
Run back in the rain
Daniel gets on empty elevator...ALONE
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!!
Wait FOREVER for another elevator
Find him on next floor barefoot in pjs with cute teenage couple
Pay $15 for parking, yep $15 we were just over 2 hours had it been validated only $5.
Drive home get separated from person I'm following.

POSITIVES:
No stitches needed
I've got a working washer and dryer
We have a pass to and awesome zoo/aquarium
Daniel has a cool new pair if shark pjs
I got in a little exercise
I found my way home
****A cute sweet young couple found my little boy and waited with him till I got to him****
I am blessed sometimes it's just hard to see. We've enjoyed a nice quiet (accident free) evening as a family and yes it's made my day. I will now say a quiet prayer of thanks for keeping my family safe.

My little big boy

He's three! I can still clearly remember the day I found out I was pregnant. What joy and hope I had for this little baby. Then when we found out it was for sure a boy. The day he came into my life has changed me for the better. I am the luckiest mom ever. He is so sweet, and full of life. He loves me and I know it. He tries so hard to be a good boy. He looks up and frequently copies his dads every move. He takes such good care of his little sister, she absolutely adores him. He loves to play and play hard. He loves his family. He loves nursery and his friends. He LOVES chicken nuggets and french fries. He is my happiness in this trial of moving. I know that he will be there in this new strange scary place and it makes it all OK. I'm so scared to take him away from his family, the people he loves and adores and looks to for guidance. Yet I'm so excited for the person he will become because of this experience. For the people we all will become. For the chance to be a better mom because we don't have family to fall back on. I hope that I am able to be strong for him. His little world is about to be turned upside down. At least we will still have dancing and McDonalds. I love him I never imagined I could ever love someone as much as I love him. I am so grateful he chose to come to our family and be my son. Here is to the best 3 year old and our grand adventure! Love you little man!

The Big Easy...

Well it is officially official, David put in his two weeks notice today. If you haven't already heard through the grapevine we are moving. Not just moving but embarking on a great adventure. One that will change our lives forever. We are packing up our little family and two bedroom apartment and moving to...New Orleans. I know crazy right! But what is even more crazy is they want David to start on the 28th of February. If you walked into my apartment right now you may get a glimpse at why I'm stressed out, its a complete mess. But now that its official I have this sudden burst and need to clean and de-junk. I've got mixed emotions, I am super excited for this new opportunity but super scared because the farthest I've ever lived away from family is Provo (20 mins). I do know that the Lord will bless us and that even though this is going to be a huge trial I'll make through a better person.

My sense of Humor

http://www.wimp.com/babieslemons/

Little Miss Fancy Pants

is 6 months old and now weighs a very dainty 18.07 lbs. She is 27 inches long (both 90% for girls). She sits on her own, sleeps through the night and rolls all over the place. She grabs everything and of course whatever it is goes straight to her mouth. She loves to play with her toes and when she gets tired she very lightly rubs her eyes (I've got to post a video its so cute). Maggie went through the stranger anxiety phase really early, she wouldn't go to anyone and I felt bad leaving her. Luckily over the Christmas break she did such a good job with all the family around, she actually is starting to like people now. She loves the sound of her own voice and talks a lot, or "sings" when she hears music. She started eating solids, so far her favorite is plain old rice cereal or a mix of cereal and carrots. Any of the foods by themselves are a little to strong for her taste buds. She cut her first tooth this week and the shots she got yesterday have left a HUGE red, very tender, bump on her chubby little leg, she is not a happy camper.
Everywhere we go people tell me that she is such a sweet baby, which is something that I knew from birth with her but is a good reminder especially on those days when she's screaming because someone spoke to loud or touched her chubby thigh or her teeth are killing her. Its just a phase, hopefully very soon I'll have my pleasantly plump Little Miss Fancy Pants back.

Wondering what to get Maggie for Christmas?

I Promise to let her play with it before she uses it.

So I've been having a rough time lately. A cousin posted the link to this blog and I LOVE IT.
Asking Jane
I find it so comforting and helpful. Its nice to know I'm not the only imperfect mother/wife out there. She gives advice based off of her own personal experiences raising 11 children. Really so comforting. I strive to me more like her. I've started reading my scriptures every morning, not for the full 15 mins but about a chapter, and offering a sincere prayer to start off my day and I've noticed a difference. I know I can't do this job without my Father in Heavens help.

BEST PANCAKES EVER

I know what your thinking, Pancakes come on? But I'm not lying. These babies are worth the extra 5 minutes that you spend making them instead of using the old mix and water. We LOVE these. I found the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes
1 c sour cream
7 tbs flour
1 tbs sugar
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
2 eggs
1/2 teas vanilla
(this recipe makes about 6 average sized pancakes)

Mix the first 5 ingredient in a medium sized mixing bowl(the directions say mix gently its okay to have lumps). Whisk eggs in separate bowl and add vanilla. Pour egg mixture into sour cream/flour mix. Again stir together gently don't worry about totally combining ingredients. Then pour on your cooking pan of choice cooking for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes flip and cook on other side( my electric griddle takes longer but its dying so cooking times vary). Stack on a plate pour your favorite syrup and EAT UP!!!

(As I was typing up this recipe Daniel asked me to make them sadly we are out of sour cream. I'm headed to Costco to stock up.)

Las Morning

For a long time David and I have been talking about how we need to record the funny things Daniel does and says so that he can read through them when he is older. Well I've not done a very good job so far so I decided to start a side blog all about the funny things he does and says. Its mostly for us but it might be fun for you to read also. So if you would like to check it out here is the link: www.lasmorning.blogspot.com
I will also add it to the side bar.
Las Morning comes from Daniel. Whenever he is referring to anything that happened in the past he says "las morning..." he doesn't pronounce the T on the end of last. When we were setting it up and picking out backgrounds he really wanted a skateboard. I wanted some cute little animals or robots but he was insistent on having a skateboard, so since its for him I put one on. I hope that you enjoy this and hopefully I keep it updated.

4 Months...

So hard to believe that it has already been 4 months! This little one is growing way to fast for me. Here are her stats compared to her brothers at 4 months:
Maggie Daniel
Weight 15.5 (85%) 17 (90%)
Height 25.5 (85%) 26 (80%)
Head 43cm (95%) 42 (50%)
The girl has a big head( but now that I look at Daniels I wonder if the % is off) and not just big but the doctor pointed out to me that its flatter on one side(really I had no clue is that bad?) so I need to make sure I rotate her head when she sleeps and try to keep her up right more. I DO NOT want her to have to wear a helmet. She is healthy and happy and hitting all her growing marks. She really is a joy to have in our family.

Love!
(I think Daniel has had one to many pictures taken)

Pillow talk

The sibling pillow talk has begun.
First offender, Maggie.
Daniel yells from his bed "MOM Maggie is talking and so I can't sleep."
Tonight is the first night they will be sleeping in the same room. Keeping our fingers crossed!!

Where did October go?

It went by so fast! The Most exciting event in October was Bryan & Dylan getting married!!! They are such a cute couple and we love Dylan! I don't have a single picture from the wedding so when I get some I'll post them.( I downloaded one off of Jojo's blog)
We took Daniel and Maggie on their longest road trip to date, we drove(actually we rode/slept while Mike drove) all the way to Oregon to visit the Leland family. Maggie and Daniel travel like superstars. Aside from the every three hour feedings we made great time and the kids really did well. Leslie would take Daniel out at every stop and run around with him to get some energy out. Once we arrived we had the best time. We love visiting the Leland family. We spent the first two days just hanging around Grandmas house. We went to the pumpkin patch that we actually went to two years ago for Daniels first visit. It was a lot of fun and Daniel loves his Oregon cousins and he had so many to play with! Grandmas house is made for children. He was in heaven.
We also had a week of Halloween celebration. I really mean a week, Tuesday night was our ward party, Wednesday night was the Comedy Sportz party, Thursday was the Library dress-up party and Friday we went to Davids work so by Saturday Daniel had already worn his costume 4 times and couldn't wait to take it off at the end of the night. Poor little guy, Halloween is a crazy time for us but he got candy and that made it all worth it.
Maggie will be 4 months this week. I think she is growing way faster then Daniel did. She started giggling, she rolls over tummy to back, she talks a lot, and absolutely LOVES her big brother. She gives him the biggest smiles ans loves to just watch him. It melts my heart. They are so cute together I can't wait till she can actually follow him around and play with him. Daniel is quite the character. He asks why for everything. I've been trying to get some pictures of her and Daniel but Daniel won't smile normal or act normal any more so they are all goofy. But it just shows his personality right?

Hay Tower at the Pumpkin Patch
Leslie, David, Daniel, Phillip, LJ and Layton
He's the king of the WORLD!!
Sneaking in a few pictures before we leave
Long Car RideCrazy CousinsCutest Little Bears EVER!!!I LOVE HER!!!!!

Kissing

While putting Daniel to bed tonight he gave me an extra long kiss on the cheek. I said wow that was a long one. He said "boys give girls long kisses." I asked him if he had seen it on a show or a movie and he said no and then thinking he'd seen a family member I asked him who did that and with a very sly smile on his face he pointed to himself and said "this boy does." Yikes is all I have to say.