A Builder, a Beba, and Three Babes

A Real Post: Our House Rules

2012-01-20T21:54:00.000-08:00

In seeking parental advice from my pediatrician bro-in-law, he suggested a book by Supernanny. So I got the book, and have watched some of the episodes from the TV show. Not only did I get to listen to a fancy British accent, I gleaned some parenting tactics that I want to try. Supernanny is all about structure, and she says posting "house rules" will help your kids know what behavior is expected of them. So ours have been crafted. Here was my strategy:

I wanted positive rules.
I wanted action-oriented rules.
I wanted catchy, easy to remember rules.
I wanted few rules, but rules with breadth and meaning.

I chose five rules because we have five members of our family, and five fingers on a hand, making it easy for little kids to list. I added the cut-out pictures next to each rule since my kids don't read yet, and although Kate has all of the rules memorized, she needs little prompts to be able to list them aloud consecutively. Ha, ha, I just realized that the broom representing "cleaning" also resembles a toilet plunger. I might have to pull the scissors out again. :)

In addition to the general criteria, here is why I chose our specific rules:

1. Show Love: Our ultimate goal is to become like Jesus Christ and to develop love like His. Also, we want the atmosphere of our home to be full of love and happiness.

2. Help, Don't Hurt: I took a class in college by Dr. Lynn Scoresby, a marriage and family therapist, and a favorite professor of mine back in the day. He taught that when you are teaching your kids how to choose between right and wrong, don't just provide a list of "rules" to follow... they need to have a deeper understanding of why something is right or wrong. He suggested that we should teach our children that a moral choice is one that helps, not hurts, others. Of course as your kids get older, you also have to teach a true doctrine-based understanding of what truly helps, and what truly hurts. But the concept of "Help, Don't Hurt" can even be understood as a child. It was also great way for me to say "Don't hit!" with a positive spin. :). And having "Help" listed first gives me a way to praise the kids for keeping the rule.

3. Use Kind Words: aka "Don't be whiny." Ha ha. It's really more than that, but that's why it made it in the list. It's supposed to convey respect and politeness, and stressing the point that we are responsible for our words. We choose what we talk about. We use words that help.

4. Work Hard and Happy. I hear hard work is good for ya'. That's what Rob says anyway. And I added the "happy" which not only makes it catchy, it makes work sound fun, right? ;) I want us to work happy.

5. Be Clean: This is for you, Rob. I am not organized by nature. But, I hold out hope for my kids, so we're making an effort. Truly though, when the house is clean, it is more peaceful and enjoyable. I've noticed when there is stuff all over my kitchen island, I feel frazzled. But when it is clean and shiny, I meet my duties with more enthusiasm and cheerfulness.

The rules have been posted for a little less than a week, and I have to say Kate at 5-years-old is the perfect age for this. She truly enjoys learning the rules, and she has a loving nature so the way they are phrased really makes it a positive thing. And it helps me when I am looking for ways to praise or explain discipline because I can refer back to the rules.

Next Project: A posted daily schedule. Ha ha ha ha. But it's really going to happen.

Side note about the picture of our family: I drew the pic, then scanned it into Photoshop. I was playing around with the color, and Kate insisted she be the one to color in the people. I prepared myself for a struggle because Photoshop is not known for user-friendliness, and 5-year-olds are not known for patience. We trade places, she grabs the mouse, I look a way for a minute, I turn back---she's already got the color picker up, and she's changing the shade! She had watched me for like 2 minutes. And then my 5-year-old was Photoshopping. I had to instruct her a little after that, but seriously she was rocking it.

2012-01-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

Ready for Christmas?

2011-12-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

James has unique colored eyes. I've never seen any like them. I'm not sure if they are finished changing yet, but right now they are a combination of grey with a green undertone, and brown in the middle with dark blue rimming the outside. I like 'em. He's precious.

2011-11-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

This fall we have the most beautiful autumn leaves I can remember since moving here. We went on a drive this afternoon to enjoy them, and take a few pics.

2011-10-15T19:25:00.001-07:00

2011-10-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

My heart hurts when I see these photos! First, because he is SO DANG CUTE! And second, cause little James is already growing up! These photos are both from James' first week of life--top photo is on the way home from the hospital, bottom photo is at home. James is now almost 12 pounds and at the top of the growth charts. Go buddy! But also, look how adorable you were back when you were "little." Love ya little BJim.

2011-09-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

Sweet Baby James

2011-09-01T11:53:00.001-07:00

Our cute baby boy is here! Love him!

2011-07-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

And then she grew up...

2011-04-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while, and in the meantime, Ivy grew up! I like this photo of Rob and Ivy. Rob was bending down to be in a photo with Ivy, and Ivy decided to bend down too, like Rob. When I point to Rob in the photo, she says, "Daddy," and when I point to Ivy in the photo, she says "Baby." So I'm thinking she may not know it is her. Adorable little Ives.

Really? Awesome!

2010-12-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

Our Tree of Life...

2010-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

We have our very own tree for the first time this year! Kate loves Christmas lights, so I've been trying to take the opportunity to teach her about the Light of Christ, and how light is symbolic of the Savior. I purchased this tree so Kate and Rob could put it up together while I was at a YW activity.

All of our ornaments are in storage right now however, so I also picked up these crystals in the wedding section at Walmart, and we turned them in to ornaments. Kate is really intrigued by Lehi's dream in the Book of Mormon, so after reading that together as a family, we placed our "fruit" on our "Tree of Life." Kate had fun picking and partaking of the precious fruit together.

(If you're wondering why I have this crazy shot of my head and the tree...it is the photo I took of myself at our little early gift exchange today...(see below)...since I was snapping shots of everyone else, I grabbed one of myself to show I was there too. :) Also, I include the second photo of me and the tree at the bottom of this post, so the Incrediburts can find the other special ornament we have on our tree--whoever finds it first is officially "The Cutest One" of 2010!)

My mom also gave Ivy this cute Little People nativity for her birthday. Ivy loves the animals. We used it today as we read Luke II together to act out the Christmas story.

We needed something to do today...

2010-12-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

So we opened presents a bit early! At least the ones we were exchanging as a family with each other. We drew names, and Kate gave to Rob; Rob gave to Kate; and Ivy and I gave to each other.

I think I really wanted Kate to have her toy, cause I knew how excited she would be. Rob gave her a Magic Princess Oven that she's been wanting. It has these plastic cupcakes that magically rise in the oven, and then you get to decorate them with accessories. I think she was surprised, and she was sooo excited! You can tell from the enthusiastic thank you hug she gave Rob in the pictures. Kate loves cupcakes and princesses, so this was a win.

Kate also helped Ivy open her presents. Ivy loves her doll. We were supposed to be taking turns opening presents, but I found Ivy digging in to her second present a bit early, hee hee, as you see in the photo below.

We had a fun time with our early Christmas today. :)

Snow, Snow Snow......

2010-12-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

Please sing the above title to the tune featured in "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby. Not the actual "White Christmas" song, but the one when Bing, Phil, and the Haynes sisters are on the train, and suddenly burst in to song about all the snow in Vermont, and they make that little snow scene with the napkins...."Snow, snow, snow!" I watched that movie last night, and it may be solidified as my favorite Christmas movie ever. Not only is it just an awesome movie, I have sweet memories of watching it with my parents when I was younger.

We had our own snow in Noogie today. Ivy was napping, but Kate and I had a little fun in it. Kate was struck with a notion to run around in it with bare feet, which we both did, but then we opted for a little more appropriate clothing.

Christmas Traditions...Rock City!

2010-12-12T17:45:00.001-08:00

Rock City is on top of Lookout Mountain by downtown Chatt-town. It's privately owned and you have to pay to go, and it is kind of a big tourist spot here. It has rock formations and gardens. My favorite slogan they use is: "Our Gardens Rock." I always feel like the price is a little high (esp. considering where I come from mountain views can be had for free), but the one time of year we do go is for the Christmas Lights! Kate loves it, especially for the candy cane lights pictured here. Our photos don't really capture the beauty of it, so you'll have to go yourself (Mint Magazine has a coupon). But I love how you can look out, and see the shimmery lights from the city at night time (promos say you can see 7 states). It was a wee bit cold, so we bundled up. Big news--Kate actually sat on Santa's lap and spoke to him. That is kind of a big deal, considering the last time I tried that, it ended like THIS.
Ivy and Kate both sat on his lap, and the photo they took was hilarious with both girls staring wide eyed at the camera, with no smiles--more like deer in the headlights. Love this pic of Rob and Ivy. Kids are adorable in snow clothes.

November Cuteness

2010-12-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

Kate and I wanted in on the Ivy Photo Op too

2010-12-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

2010-10-29T16:49:00.001-07:00

Sweet Southern Friends

2010-09-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

We had to say goodbye to Lydia this past week as she moved to Boise. These two have been adorable together since they were babies. You have to check out Natalie's post about their final playdate. You'll see more photos like this one. Click here to read the post.

2010-07-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

Behold! The happiest person in the world. This cherub exudes contentment and happiness, and will share some with you.

2010-07-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Natalie took these photos of Kate this spring. I love how happy Kate looks. And I love her little body spinning around. A cutie. Thanks for the fun pics, Natalie! Next time I send Kate over, I'll pay more attention to her hair. :)

The face of bribery...

2010-07-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

If you've looked at my blog before, you know Kate runs from the camera, and if she can't run, she turns away, and if she can't turn away, she doesn't smile. Except on rare occasions when she is in a good mood, and is simultaneously being bribed. In this case, I think we were only bribing her with letting her pull the leaves off that branch if she smiled. Not a bad deal for us. And she looks cute, if just a little overzealous, but I like it. :)

2010-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

Cuties

2010-06-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

When I saw this photo of Ivy , it reminded me of a similar one of Kate and so I had to find it and compare. Here they are! Cuties! Ivy is about a month older than Kate here.

Sisters in Green

2010-06-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

Kate's Favorite Accessory: Ivy

2010-03-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, Kate will not agree to be photographed alone. She must be holding her favorite accessory Ivy.

To get Kate a photo of Kate by herself I have to try to catch her by surprise:

And so we get photos shoots like this:

Recent Photos

2010-03-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

People can't resist telling us Ivy "favors" Rob. (favors=looks like here in Noogie)

Ivy is a super smiley baby.

Ivy's first taste of Rice Cereal. :) I guess it was good.

Me & Ives after I returned home from YW New Beginnings in which we all wore pink. When I got home, I couldn't help but dress Ivy up in pink too, and get a pic. Of course this picture is in black and white, lol, I now realize as I am talking about pink. If you want the pink version, email me. :)

In honor of the winter Olympics...

2010-02-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

In honor of the winter Olympics starting today, we have decided to have snow here in Tennessee. Kate will demonstrate: Thanks Mom for the snow gear. There couldn't be a cuter face in that snow hat. :)

I'm really excited about the Olympics this year. Maybe my love of the Olympics started back in 2002 when I attended the opening ceremonies with my dad for the SLC winter Olympics; it was truly incredible! I have scheduled my google calendar with event times. Good thing Rob decided to put in the theater room.

Sleeping Beauties

2010-02-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Run Kate Run

2010-01-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

Kate is notorious for running away from cameras. See evidence:

But...she has a soft spot for her little sister, and
Kate will oblige with a smile if she gets to hold Ivy:

Ivy loves Kate too. Despite the little cries in this video, Ivy usually smiles when Kate is around and loves to watch her. Although, sometimes all of Kate's energy can bring out the classic "Ivy Eyes."

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Kate the Artist

2009-12-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Boom, too bad you weren't here today.

2009-12-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

I made you some cheesewiches.

2009-12-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

2009-12-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Kate's portrait of Ivy. :) Kate brought this to me one morning. She told me it was Ivy, and explained that is why she gave her short hair. I'm impressed with the eyebrows myself.

Kate told me when Ivy gets bigger they can both dress up as Sleeping Beauty.

You might be a Cuthbertson if...

2009-12-02T12:46:00.001-08:00

A Cuthbertson Family Thanksgiving.

2009-10-29T19:32:00.001-07:00

2009-10-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

2009-10-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Attention devoted followers of A Builder, A Beba, A Babe: Baby Ivy Lou Cuthbertson wishes to say hello to you! She is a sweetie, and more pictures will follow. Our official family photographer, Grandma "Snappy" Burt has arrived and we will be having Ivy's first photo sessions soon.

According to comments of three family members, Baby Ivy looks even more like Rob than Kate does, which I didn't know was possible. Good thing Rob is so good looking. :)

Ivy was born Oct 14th at 7:03 a.m. She was 7 pounds 10 ounces, 20.5 inches long. She came so fast we didn't have time for an epidural, and the nurses were calling: "Call ANY doctor, call ANY doctor!" because my doctor had supposedly just started a surgery somewhere else in the hospital. However, Dr. R managed to make it, and after a few pushes, out Ivy Lou came!

Kate is sweet with her and was super cute when she met "Baby Lou" (Kate's name for her) for the first time.

Thanks to all our family and friends who have shown so much love and care for us!

Happy Birthday Kate!

2009-09-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Rowing Rob!

2009-09-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Rob acquired a new hobby this summer--ROWING! Actually the official name of what he does is "sculling". I considered joining with him, but then I remembered I was pregnant. I have to be honest though, when I finally saw the extremely skinny sliver of a boat Rob was getting into compared to the large bumpy TN River, my secret rowing dream wavered just a little. Scary! But maybe someday I will do it. Rob took a rowing course at the Chattanooga Rowing Club, which was where the Women's Olympic Rowing Team trained for the Atlanta Olympics. Chattanooga is a popular place for rowing, and they sometimes have competitions here.

A special thanks to our sponser, Nate & Liz, for providing the "Rowing Clothes" (Kate's term) for Rob. (In case you guys don't remember, you gave Rob this shirt for Christmas a few years back.)

Rowing Rob Fan Club

2009-09-20T07:03:00.001-07:00

Early morning yoga while the rowers are at sea.

"The Blue Girl" (Kate's alternate identity when wearing THE blue blanket). Blue Girl is the president of the Rowing Rob fan club. (And president of the Rob the Builder fan club. Recently Kate informed me that when she gets big she will be building houses for work).

2009-09-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

Rowing Rob Returns.

Do not try this at home... :)

2009-05-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Long Awaited....And Much Anticipated.....

2009-04-20T07:19:00.001-07:00

PRINCESS BREAKFAST!

Grandma Burt & Kate & I all had the pleasure of attending the Disney Princess Breakfast at Disney World in March. As you can see from the picture above, the princess breakfast is somewhat self-explanatory: breakfast & princesses. Plus you get to go inside the cool castle (and get away from all the spring break crowds) & get royal treatment.

The Princess Breakfast had been anticipated & discussed for months beforehand, with Kate often excitedly exclaiming: "Let's go eat Princess Food!" And we did. Here are some highlights.

Since you have to get to the park early for the breakfast, we got there just before it opened. In all of our years of Disney visiting, I never remember seeing an opening. It was cool. They do a little skit with Minnie & Mickey & dancers & trains & confetti. Plus they sang one of Kate's favorite songs: Good Morning! from Singing in the Rain.

Princess Breakfast continued....

2009-04-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Photo Op with Cinderella upon entering the castle......

and then upstairs to the food! Kate was very excited about the muffins.

2009-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

So excited about the muffins, in fact, that she continued to eat them while she met the first few princesses......

2009-04-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Kate especially liked meeting Belle....

And gave her a "Kate hug"

But Kate was just a little concerned about Jasmine.

2009-04-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Of course Kate was most excited about meeting her favorite princess, Ariel. Ariel actually couldn't make it to the princess breakfast, presumably because she can't walk with her fin. So, Mom patiently stood in line for us so we could meet her. Meanwhile, Kate and I stood in line for the Dumbo ride, in which Kate made it very clear during our half-hour wait that it was vitally important to get a Dumbo with a green hat. As there are only 2 of the approximately 16 Dumbos with green hats (you see I was calculating this out), I devised my plan carefully to run to a Dumbo with a green hat to get it first. We did. Thankfully. It would have been helpful to have the assistance of the poncho-clad road-block brigade we formed at Niagra falls all those years ago. Nevertheless, we still got a green-hatted elephant.

After which, we happily made our way over to mom who was next in line to meet Ariel. Kate was not shy to jump up on the rock next to Ariel to meet her.

And examine her. :)

2009-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

All in all, it was an excellent visit to the Princess Breakfast with Grandma!

Here's a photo of the window that we sat by at the Princess Breakfast. We probably had the best table there. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Burt for the fun experience!

B is VIP

2009-02-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

Kate's favorite letter is B. I believe the origin of this has to do with the "B" on the mountain in Bountiful, UT where my parents live. My parents have a great view of both the temple and the "B," and when visiting and learning to talk, Kate continually pointed it out saying, "B!"

Kate's love of the B is manifest in many ways. Here are a few:

"B" as a number. I find that when I am counting out items for Kate she throws "B" in there as a number. (I wonder if it is prime? Probably imaginary. Or maybe just a variable). For instance, when I am getting eggs out of the carton to put into a pan, and I count, "one, two, three, ......." Kate will match my tone and counting cadence, and throw in "...B...."

Kate often colors pictures in nursery and gets to bring them home. The teachers write the name of the children on the pictures to keep track of them. For the past few weeks, I've noticed that written at the top of the page along with "Kate" there is also a solitary "B." I imagine Kate requests this from the teacher. Kate is not shy is asking for what she wants, and she wants a B.

Kate insists that her name begins with "B". When Grandpa Burt was here last fall, he taught Kate that B makes the "Ba" noise. So since that time I have tried to teach Kate the sounds to many of the letters. So, I will be saying, "W: wa wa wa Wendy.....and M, ma, ma, ma mommy..." which she accepts, but then when I say, "K, ka ka ka Kate....." Kate will say "NO! Ba, Ba, Ba .. KATE!"

B is in the alphabet twice. Kate's current version of the alphabet song goes like this: "A, B, C, D, E, F, B!"

Kate and I look at the Gospel Art Pictures from the scriptues together every night. These are a collection of a bunch of art depicting the scriptures and church history you can get from the distribution center. We like to pull the pictures out randomly and talk about it. Kate also discovered on the back of the photo there is text, and at the beginning of the first paragraph the first letter is enlarged. So for example, if the text starts out, "The beginning of time," Then the "T" is extra big. So part of our quest is finding the pictures in which the text begins with....you guessed it...."B". Kate's most requested picture at this point is "Benjamin!" She is referring to King Benjamin, becuase it just so happens that his name starts with B AND he has a big B on the back of his picture. Because all of these photos are catalogued by number, I have most of the "B"s memorized at this point.....103, 239, 307......."

Ba, Ba, Ba, Kate is very cute!

Question: Didn't we do an entire Lake Powell song dedicated to the letter B? I think I need a copy of that.....

Okay, seriously 5 minutes after posting the above, Kate just named one of her dolls "B." Lol. She asked "What is that baby's name?" and I said, "Whatever you want to name him," and she said, "um....." and thought for a minute, and then said: "B! ba ba ba this baby!" Apparently the "ba ba ba this baby" part is actually part of the name. Cause when I asked her about it again she said: "B! ba ba ba this baby!"

Kate's 1st official imaginary friend

2009-02-07T18:49:00.001-08:00

Welcome Mo Mo.

As a tribute to Sher & Bean, who have a rich history in Imaginary Friendery, I feel it my duty to report that Kate has created her first original imaginary friend: Mo Mo.

Kate has mentioned "Mo Mo" on about three occasions now, but I believe tonight Mo Mo actually reached imaginary friend status. I base this bold assertion on the somewhat detailed conversation Kate and I had about Mo Mo, which took place while Kate was eating her evening meal of green yogurt and stars.

Here is what I know about Mo Mo:

When asked if Mo Mo was a girl or a boy, Kate responded: "She is a boy."

I also gleaned that Mo Mo sleeps on the couch in our living room, and that our living room is actually Mo Mo's room.

Kate carried Mo Mo over to me and placed him in my hand. (I had reverential thoughts of Lisel, Frederick, Brigitta, Kurt, ahhhhhhh, ....etc.?... Yogurt & Anne.....a Lion? at this point, Sher.)

Because Mo Mo was in my hand, I asked if Mo Mo was small. No. No, Mo Mo is big. Mo Mo can also transfigure into stars. And be eaten. And become a new star. That is part of the appeal of being an imaginary friend. Congratulations, Mo Mo.

So, I think that is all I know about Mo Mo at this time. I'll keep you posted.

Super Cute Cousins!

2009-02-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

2009-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Check out a funny post about Kate and her friend Lydia on my friend's blog: Click HERE.

Happy Birthday Grandpa, from Kate & BEBA with Love

2009-01-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dad! You are awesome!

I love the way Kate's face lights up when she sees the picture of you and mom.

Pics from a home Rob recently built:

2009-01-17T17:50:00.001-08:00

Pretty Maggots

2009-01-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

(To Dave Barry: Would "pretty maggots" be a good name for a rock band? P.S. Thanks for reading my blog.)

"Pretty Maggots." This is Kate's name for my craft identity here in Chattanooga. What she is actually trying to say is "Pretty Magnets." Sometimes I make pretty magnets. Last month I had the opportunity to sell them at the coolest craft show in town: Handcrafted Holidays. See photos:

I have new respect for all craft show vendors/people because it is A LOT of work. And it was also a lot of fun. Thanks to Kristi & Natalie for putting it together!

More about the "maggots":

While I would like to say I invented the "pretty magnet" (hereinafter PM), saying I invented PMs would be like saying I invented the Internet, and since I only helped invent the internet it wouldn't be completely true. What IS true is that I learned how to make PMs in Mecca. When I say "Mecca" I mean Utah. Utah, the Craft Mecca of the world, where all craft ideas originate. (A little know fact is that craft ideas are actually mined at Kennecott Copper Mines. After these craft ideas are mined, then they are refined and distributed to the world by something called "Provo Craft." Pronounced "Pro - Voe" (Rhymes with Toe)" "Craft" (Rhymes with Raft).) Actually, in all seriousness it is fun to see all of these labels at the craft store that read "Provo Craft" because it is like a little piece of home. I'll just overlook the fact that the actual items are probably manufactured in China. But anyway, a thanks to Aim my sister who taught me how to make the Pretty Magnets!

Brave Kate

2008-12-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

First Present of Christmas

2008-12-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

New Boots! for New Snow!

2008-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

2008-12-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

2008-10-31T14:29:00.001-07:00

Sweet Princess

2008-10-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

A Festivity!

2008-09-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little muffin turned 2 this week! As a gift to Kate we redecorated her room just for her! I will post some pics of that when it is all finished. Kate loved her new Ariel chairs & green table (Kate loves green!). A couple days after Kate's birthday we invited her darling friend Lydia over for a "Tea Party." The girls dressed up and had a Luxurious Feast!

Natalie shot some great pics:

Before & After

2008-09-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is Kate's eating area in her new studio apartment. Note the lovely Ariel chairs, and festive green table. And lo! Some yummy treats.

Before the Feast:

The menu: Cherry Tomatos, Dried Mangos, Vienna Sausages (for sentimental reasons), Rice Crispy Treats, Cheese & Crackers (Fabulous Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits, yum), Nilla Wafers with Raspberry & Fresh Whipped Cream, Water, & "Yellow Juice" (White Cranberry/Peach Juice). The girls were funny about the whipped cream: neither of them wanted it--they both were trying to get it off their Nilla wafers. Kate was whimpering and acting as if her wafers had been "contaminated" with it, showing it to me, and motioning me to get it off. Lydia eventually came to terms with it and used the little knife to spread it on a wafer -- which she graciously gave to Kate to eat. :)

After:

A Little Entertainment

2008-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Pre-feast the girls watched a little Disney to get in the mood: The Princess Tea Party Movie. Thank you to Lydia for providing such appropriate entertainment! Kate had an awesome time.

The Babe is Two!

2008-09-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

We love you Baby Kate! For Kate's Birthday we had an awesome dinner on our porch. We had yummy Papa John's Pizza (on $5 day!), and ate together at Kate's picnic table. Kate was saying "Fun! Pizza! Deck!" I think she really liked it. After dinner we moved to the unscreened portion of our deck, lay on our backs, and looked at the stars & planet Jupiter. Kate is a very astute astronomer--she loves the moon, stars, & planet Jupiter. She knows the name of "Jupiter the Planet," and "Neb" (Deneb) the Star, and the "Summer Guyangle" (triangle) Constellation.

Hee hee. Sweet baby Kate is crying here--not because her "birthday cake" consisted of two starbursts, but because I accidentally had the timer set on the camera, and we had to wait 13 seconds for the picture to take. Thirteen seconds is a long time for a toddler to pose when she has two fiery starbursts in front of her. She smiled when it was all over. :)

Twirling!

2008-09-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Eden, Utah Balloon Festival

2008-08-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Boating in Eden, The Garden Of

2008-08-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

2008-07-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th & 24th Everybody! Especially to Beeg, who makes his living selling fireworks. Or maybe-- makes his living coordinating things so that other people can sell fireworks! "Other people" like Bomber! Something like that! And yay to Sher and Paul who get the award for best celebration of pioneer day by going to Nauvoo. Kate is in the running for "cutest one" with her fireworks dress. Or maybe the "cutest one" right now is Liz, because even though I haven't seen her for months, she is 8 1/2 months pregnant, and according to a random lady Liz met at the airport, Liz is the cutest pregnant lady she had ever seen.

2008-07-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Dad! We had a great trip to Utah, and are missing you!

Ode to Mom

2008-05-14T12:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom & Grandma! We were thinking about you and have a few things to comment on.

Some favorite things about Mom:

She is talented in the grandmotherly arts
She has excellent taste in books and provides great reading suggestions
She is always "abounding in good works" and doing things for other people
She is an excellent photographer and her pics are famous on the weather portion of the news
She has a house that is always stocked with yummy food and fuzzy blankets

Some reasons we are grateful for Mom:

She is faithful & loving
She took us on adventures when we were little, such as to mini-elephant rock, Lake Powell, etc.
She took care of the Builder, the Beba, and the Babe, post-Kate's birth
She taught us what was important and made us do our homework
She planned my wedding for me while I was finishing my first year of law school
She is happy, and makes bonding time a priority

Some favorite quirks about Mom:

A love for popcorn & Perry Mason
A love of fuzzy blankets
The leg pat
A love of yellow & sandals
A love of fuzzy sweatshirts
She eats lots of bananas
A love of fuzzy robes
She is always buying things for people, even my friends, such as potential costumes for my college roommate to use in her high school teaching career in theater.

We love you Mom, we think you are the best! We are excited to see you in one week's time!

Florida 2008

2008-04-23T11:31:00.001-07:00

2008-04-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Natalie, this is for you.

2008-04-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

A request by a friend and fellow blogger has led me to post this amazing photo of myself from my high school year book.

2008-04-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

Kate's Utah grandma sent her a fun package with new clothes! Above is a sampling. Kate's new summer sandals match perfectly. Kate also likes the ipod. On a nighttime drive home from AL the other day, Kate was sad and wiggly, so her dad shared his ipod, and Kate fell asleep holding the ear bud up to her ear listening to her daddy's favorite playlist.

2008-03-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

2008-03-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

2008-01-29T09:15:00.001-08:00

The Santa Experience

2008-01-25T08:26:00.001-08:00

2007-11-27T12:43:00.000-08:00

2007-09-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ceiling Fans and Exploding Goldfish

2007-09-13T18:17:00.001-07:00

Ceiling Fans & Exploding Goldfish--
Your inner Dave Barry will wonder if the above phrase is the name of a rock band. (Perhaps BJ & Boom could use it for their next venture, since B'SoggyN'StreetDegrees7Spears Posse apparently broke up--they cited artistic differences and a power struggle as the reason). However, ceiling fans and exploding goldfish is just a description of some of the happenings in the life of our quirky little baby Kate. As some of you may know, Kate is particularly fond of ceiling fans. This is now being expressed in a funny way. We attempt to play the popular baby game, "Where is.....____" in which the baby is supposed to point out the selected object/person. However, Kate only consistently points if the selected object is "fan." You ask, "where is the fan?" and her little finger and arm are enthusiastically thrust in the air pointing at the fan in the room. However, you try things like "mommy" and "daddy" and "ball," and she'll usually glance at the object, but seldom points. Sometimes, but usually not. She will also spontaneously point at ceiling fans without being asked. Pointing is kind of her thing right now, along with ceiling fans. You can see in the above pic, Kate is leaning out of her chair to point at the fan in our family room.

And, as you see in the pic, Kate is also holding a goldfish, perhaps ready to strike. Luckily the "exploding goldfish" title references cracker fish, not real ones. Kate likes to eat goldfish crackers now. But, she also thinks they are great because when she pushes them with her little fingers, they explode into little pieces. So she will eat one, crush a few, eat a few more, feed me one, crush a few more...... It is very cute.

Also, as an update, Kate's "sit & spin" move has now evolved into a a "sit, spin & scoot." Due to the many hard floors we have in our house, Kate is adverse to crawling on her knees unless on carpet. So she has employed the scoot. What is impressive is the speed at which she does this. She kind of pulls herself with her heels and then her bum follows, and sometimes she actually catches air in this way. Had someone explained this way of moving to me without having witnessed it, I would not have thought it to be very quick, but Kate is quite proficient.

We love you guys. --BEBA & BABE

2007-09-03T20:16:00.001-07:00

2007-09-03T20:13:00.003-07:00

2007-09-03T20:13:00.001-07:00

2007-09-03T20:09:00.001-07:00

2007-09-03T20:08:00.001-07:00

2007-09-03T20:07:00.001-07:00

2007-06-07T11:32:00.001-07:00

2007-05-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Daddy, aka Rbob the Builder

2007-05-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sweet Baby Kate

2007-05-14T08:22:00.000-07:00