Firmage Family Fun

Molasses candy

2012-02-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

Hallie loves the "Little House" series, and we have three that we've almost completely worn out reading for the past three years. And probably our favorite one is "Chirstmas in the big woods," because whenever we get to the part about Laura and Mary making molasses candy with Ma, Hallie expresses her desire for us to try making it.

So after three years of talking about trying it, I finally made it a priority out of sheer fear that Hallie was going to sail through childhood without ever filling pans with snow and making swirly little designs out of this simple candy syrup.

The day before, Elon took Hallie to the library to check out the Little House Cookbook.

So during Chandler's nap, I set out the pans, and figured it would for sure happen if I had the ingredients sitting on the counter ready to be poured into the saucepan.

Plus I told Hallie before she got on the bus that we'd make the molasses candy when she got home. That was probably the most effective thing I could have done in ensuring that molasses candy be made that day.

And just like clockwork, when she got off the bus, the first thing out of her mouth was, "are we still making molasses candy?" And I was grateful I could say "yes" with flying colors! I told her to go in and hang up her backpack and then we'd grab the pans sitting in the entryway and head right back out to fill them with snow. As we were heading out the door she said, "I can't believe the day is finally here!"

And I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I handed her a long-handled serving spoon to fill the pans with.

But I'll tell you what, I'm grateful this shovel was hanging in the garage, because it got the job done lickity split, ensuring that we'd finish while the sun was still up.

Then we headed in for the "heating and stirring" portion of the process.

And Hallie is an expert pour-er.

And stirrer.

Once it had boiled up to a scary temp (with me stirring), Hallie went out and hauled all those pans of snow inside by herself!

And the pouring began.

Funny they didn't turn out quite as attractive as they were in the book :)

And lets just say that the tasting portion of the activity yielded a little girl with a very questionable look on her face.

In fact, it would've been nice if there was a note to the parents printed up on the same page as the recipe that reads:

"Attention Parents:

If your child has ever eaten a lolly-pop, skittles, m&m's, or any of the like, they will most likely think this candy is nasty."

But we had fun determining some of the shapes. Can you find the giant #4, U, M, whimsical tea kettle, sitting cat, rainbow, and the little boy driving a car?

So now I can be at ease to have indulged Hallie and I in something we've been talking about doing for sooo long.

And even though it didn't turn out to be the most palatable, it made for a fun memory with lots of laughs. (Especially when Elon came home and politely declined a piece ;))

My Golden Birthday

2012-02-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

I really had no intention of blogging about my birthday, but it just so happens that this particular one is most likely going down as my favorite yet.

Yes it was my golden birthday (28 on the 28th) and I swear I'm one of two people who know what a golden birthday even is because everybody else seems to be surprised by the concept. The back story on how I know, is that at age 15-ish, I went to babysit for a boy (and his younger siblings) who was soon turning 12, and his dad told me that his son's golden birthday was coming up- 12 on the 12th of whatever month it happened to be, and among all the useful knowledge I've learned and forgotten over the years, that one stuck like glue to my brain for 10+ years.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with why this birthday is blog-worthy.

It has more to do with Hallie getting really into gifts from her, which is really fun to see. And the day before I became a late twenty, she insisted that her dad take her birthday shopping for me. So off they went, and they were gone for a really long time.

When they came back, it would be an understatement to say she was bursting at the seams with excitement. So much so, I thought I might just have to open it a day early.

She said, "I just can't wait for you to see your present!" about 237 times.

Elon then informed me (in private) that she was very particular about what she wanted to get me, and there was absolutely no swaying her, so he hoped I could just "love" it for her. Of course I didn't need that last bit of instruction, in fact I couldn't wait to see what my Hallie's "100%-gift-from-her" was going to be. And if nothing else, I was going to love it entirely for that very reason.

So the next day, I got up to a decorated chair, which pulled at my heart strings when Elon told me Hallie had gotten up early and was busy cutting and gluing (yeah gluing) those little squares on.

Then I opened the card from Elon and Hallie, which had me rolling, cuz if you knew what kind of week Chandler and I have had, you would understand why they just had to get me this one:

Yup, it's been one wet and poopy adventure after another! (more on that later).

So then came the moment Hallie and I were waiting for.

And I LOVED it!

I would not have guessed it in a million years.

Elon said she waded through a thousand patterns before she decided on this particular one- (It being one of the only dress patterns with modest sleeve options). Then I have this mental picture of them going over to the giant drawers to locate this pattern (what a great dad!)

And then choosing the fabric was another very lengthy process. They (with the help of the "fabric lady") narrowed it down to this one.

Despite Elon's efforts to talk her into going to TJ Maxx to buy me a dress already made, she shot it down with a hefty dose of Hallie logic - "she needs to practice sewing dad." which I find very ironic seeing how a few weeks ago I had a running list of things not to pursue in this season of life I am in, and sewing was one of them. I guess I'll just have to pull that pattern out, and learn how to do it. I say "I" but I've already recruited my mom's help :)

So guess who will be wearing purple next Easter Sunday?? (Once pregnant bellies and nursing are a temporary thing of the past.) Believe it or not I am so looking forward to making this dress and wearing it. Was there ever a sweeter gift from a little girl to her mom?! The thought of Hallie loving me so much to give that much thought to my special day turns my heart to mush, and makes my eyes swim.

This is why I had to post about my birthday :)

I do however have to hand it to Elon for pampering me with a yummy breakfast, then blindly taking me to Longfellow's greenhouse since my birthday happens to fall in the bitter cold with constant gray skies (which I thought was so creative). Then we took advantage of my free movie, and dinner! All around it was a fantastic day.

Erin's Wedding

2012-01-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

You're looking at the new Mr. & Mrs. Eric Dixon:

Don't they make a gorgeous couple??

Erin asked my Hallie if she'd be a flower girl.

This was something she eagerly accepted and seriously contemplated in the days that followed that request.

Her cute cousin Ciel (Elizabeth's daughter) was also a flower girl:

The ceremony was beautiful, and when it was over, we all stood outside and waited for Eric and Erin to come out together.

Here are Erin's four younger siblings, anxiously awaiting the appearance of their newly wedded sister, and brand new brother in law. (I almost cropped Hallie out of this picture but she was so cute standing there I just couldn't do it):

And a particular somebody (and vital part of the wedding pictures) forgot his black dress shoes, and so Lared was so sweet and swapped shoes with this boy.

Getting these two to look up at the camera and smile (a real smile) at the same time is like trying to gargle peanut butter.

Luckily Dad Firmage came to the rescue with his fancy camera and mad photography skills to capture what is now my absolute favorite picture of my kids:

As you can see, Hallie is holding Erin's bouquet, which she was beside herself excited to hand to Erin upon her exit from the temple.

My Camera was a little bit glued to this girl, but I love Hallie's lisp and it looks like she's using it to full capacity right here:

Okay, last one I promise (but isn't she stunning?!):

Then came the moment we all were waiting for!

And Hallie got her moment of glory as she handed over those flowers:

She doesn't look like somebody who just did something super important does she?:

Check out the smile stretched across Eric's face. Does he look like a guys who's just landed himself something more precious than gold or what?

I'm bummed that this one's a little blurry, but it looks like Erin's a wee bit happy with who she landed as well:

It was so fun to watch Hallie and Ciel grab hold of Erin's train, and walk behind her like little ducklings:

These guys don't look like they're in love or anything do they?:

Erin's youngest brother Jackson got Erin to himself for a little while, which I think tugged at everybody's heart strings.

The bond between these two is unreal. Erin has always been such a nurturing big sister to her siblings, and I'm sure they all felt tender about her "officially" flying the coop and starting her own household somewhere else.....and far away....like Idaho, where both she and Eric will be finishing school.

It was a good thing Uncle Ken was there to "turn" any frowns upside down:

So here's the Dudley family....with their new addition:

And if you ask me, he fits in quite nicely.

Here we all are (except for a couple of spouses and a whole slew of little, and big cousins that unfortunately couldn't be present):

Here's Elon with his three siblings....and can you say "ridiculously good-looking?!" :

They're in order of age starting with Ken in the middle, moving to the right, and then Elizabeth, the youngest, is on the left. Ken and Elizabeth each brought one of their kids, but their spouses and three other kids stayed home in Utah and Idaho.

I have to say though, that with all of the wonderful things that this wedding entailed, my favorite part was watching these two:

Oh to have a camera lens that could capture the sparkle in their eyes. It was there, I saw it, and the joy that radiated out was almost tangible. As a parent myself now, I watched these two reap fruits that I desire so badly to reap myself someday. No worldly object or accomplishment can compare to the treasures we build up in heaven. Our families, our relationships here and how we cultivate them are the only things that really matter.

And I'm so grateful that being there in Boston with such dear loved ones for such an important union helped put it all back into perspective for me.

After pictures, we began our trek up to Maine for the reception, but first Eric's family treated everyone for lunch at Chili's, and I'm kicking myself for not taking my camera into Chili's. But we all had a great time, and ate yummy food...at least my quesadilla was out of this world!

Just before the reception though, we all met together at mom and dad Firmage's for studio portraits. They set up their front room with a back drop and the suspended bright lights, etc.

And lucky for me, he took some great ones of my kids!

I mean check out my Chan:

How on earth am I going to keep the girls away from that handsome devil?

And I love this one:

Then it was off to the reception where we got to see this amazing work of art, hand crafted by our good friend JaNeal:

And it was just as delicious as it was beautiful.

I took a lot of pictures at the reception but so many didn't turn out because of the lighting combined with my limited knowledge of how to combat the lighting, but here are some of my favs:

Not sure what was up with that expression on the middle one's face up there :/

I love this one of Hallie and Jackson dancing (if only it was crisp and clear):

I love this of Leah and Jackson dancing too:

Here's Elon and Hallie bustin' it up out there on the dance floor:

Okay, so lets not forget that all this happened on my anniversary too.

So just for kicks and giggles, here we were on that cold December day, standing outside the same temple:

Seven years ago that is!

And look at us now:

Despite our clenched teeth smiles, I think we're a pretty happy bunch.

And if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

This Christmas season has been exceptionally busy for us.

I usually like to bake up a storm and hand out goody plates, but that didn't happen this year for one reason or another.

But with all the hubbub of "to-get-done-before's," all of the same traditions were still in tact.

Like spending Christmas Eve at my mom and Jim's, where we do all of our "us and them" gift exchanging.

We also did an impromptu nativity reenactment with a very limited cast:

And Elon was the best narrator / donkey ever!

Then after all that walking to Bethlehem, our little Joseph wanted a turn on the donkey too!

I really don't know what had these little heads so turned up, but this picture makes me smile.

Gotta love "scrap material" costumes.

Then we let the kids open one present each before we headed into the kitchen for cookie decorating. They got slippers from Elon and I (usually they get pajamas but they're both good in that department this year) :

Somebody was a little exited about decorating cookies:

Then, it was off to do the serious present-opening portion of the evening....

And Chandler was a big fan!

And what mother doesn't love when their kids open up clothes?!

Then came a present for Elon that reached in and yanked out the child within.

I mean seriously, check out that smile. The man was on cloud nine! And I'm not lying when I say he spent the rest of the night rigging that thing up and trying his darndest it to get it up off the floor...(which just so happens to be a lot harder than one might think).

Check out that beautiful princess holding up that puzzle:

This is so Chandler. The fact that someone is a human being doesn't stop them from becoming a race track for his cars or a trail for Woody and Bulls-eye. Grandpa Pierce sure did a good job letting him do his thing.

Then came the arrival of Christmas morning!

We let the kids do their stockings before we headed off to church.

Check out these two bow-tie boys of mine:

Just look at my cute family.

Who needs presents when you share the same airspace as these three?:

Hallie's Great Grandma Myer gave her this porcelain doll that she fell in love with immediately.

She also got her beloved K-Mart kitty that she clung to for the rest of the day.

Hallie wanted to give her dad a piece of artwork because she knows how much he loves it, and after some much appreciated help from my mom, we were able to put this together for him in the nick of time. Can you believe this picture of the Savior came from an old calender I had laying around?:

It was such a great Christmas.
We stopped in at the Dudley's (Elon's sister's family) to give them their gifts, and then had dinner and presents at my Grandma and Grandpa Libby's (mom's parents). What a blessing it is to have so many family members close by to share the holidays with.

2011-12-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

Erin's Bridal Shower...

So my niece Erin is getting married.

And this is very weird for me because I vividly remember my first encounter with her. She was four and I was eleven, and we were both in primary together. She stood and gave the opening prayer for sharing time, and I was amazed at how well she could talk...like a little grown-up.

Not to mention the countless number of times I've babysat she and her siblings during my tween, and teen years. Who knew that one day I would become this cute little girl's aunt?

Now she's all grown up, and has fallen in love with an outstanding young man. Eric flew in a few days ago and met us all for the first time, and he fits the family like a glove....we're all very impressed to say the least.

Anyway, the shower was really fun, and I had a blast taking pictures. That said, I came home and was so disappointed with how blurry/grainy so many of them were! I wish I knew a smidgen more about my camera as far as taking indoor pictures, at night, with lots of indoor lighting.

Erin is sandwiched between her sisters Katie and Leah, and her mom....can you see how much they adore their sister?

Hallie had a blast having her Grandma Pierce all to herself!

JaNeal made this beautiful cake with accompanying cup cakes:

I love Anne's reaction above to this Christmas ornament/decoration. I now know what to get her for Christmas next time we have their family :)

I'll pause here for a second and give a courtesy warning that Erin's next gift says "Victoria's Secret" on the box: (tasteful as it might be, there are some things that dad's and brothers just don't want to see.)

These two beauties would have done the late 19th century proud:

As you can see, Eric showed up at the end. I sure wish I could have added more text in between these pictures but my cursor was being very difficult, and in order to keep the hairs on my head safely intact I needed to just let it go.

Next Wednesday is the BIG day, which just so happens to be my anniversary, and I am tickled pink about that little fact :)

"Summer Solstice Extravaganza"...

2011-10-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

When Elon and I were newly weds, we would curl up and talk about what kinds of traditions we wanted to infuse into our own family someday. There I would be with paper and pencil in hand, jotting down whatever we managed to spout off, and feeling the butterflies of excitement at the prospect of these traditions actually becoming a reality one day.

One of these traditions (and probably my favorite one), was thought up by Elon, where on the longest day of the year, we cram as much fun in as we possibly can! After all, it's the longest day right? Eventually our kids will get to choose one activity each that they want to do, and then we will all, as a family, go and do them!

We named this tradition our "Summer Solstice Extravaganza"....because we're corny like that :)

So this past summer we put it into practice!...And I can't believe it's taken me until October 23rd to post about it.

Luckily we couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise, and we started the day off with puppies!

I mean seriously, can you think of a better way to start off the longest day of the year for an almost five and almost two year old?

Our friend Sue has several female golden retrievers that she breeds, and she just so happened to have a litter at her house....aren't they adorable?!

Hallie was probably the most entranced by the whole thing:

Chandler had a death grip on his puppy that really had me worried for it's life:

After these two got their "puppy fill" we decided to return them to their very concerned mother who was so patient to loan out three of her newborns, but was obviously a nervous wreck about the whole thing, (and I can't say I blame her).

Then it was time to explore the other fun things to do at Sue's house, like jumping on the trampoline they were just sitting on:

I even decided to give it a whirl...(and every one of my body parts reminded me that it's been a while.)

Then Sue pulled out her four-wheeler and gave these kids their own personal ride.

Which I'm not sure if you can tell, but they thoroughly enjoyed it:

I'm so grateful to Sue for being willing to pause her "to do's" for our little family :)

Then we were off to embark on our next adventure!:

At Damrascotta Lake!

Which just so happens to be one of this girl's favs:

This lake is awesome when you have little ones because it has all the sand your kids could ever want, and it's a lake, so there's no scary under-toe or glacier-like water. I'm sure at some point they'll want to go to the actual beach, but for now, Damrascotta Lake is our family's destination place several times throughout the summer.

And Chandler was a complete fruit loop:

He also made sure to eat plenty of sand:

The day ended right in our very own back yard with lots of grahm crackers, marsh mallows, and chocolate! Naomi was still living with us so she helped start the fire:

I sure do love these three favorite people of mine.

"Snip-its"...

2011-07-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been so busy.

And at precisely the same time as this whirlwind of business, my kids are changing right before my very eyes and I feel like I'm blinking right over it.

So here is a quick "snapshot" of what they are doing and saying at this very moment in time:

Chandler says "oh tay" (usually sounds like "a-day") which I absolutely love the sound of and will be sad when he goes ahead and "figures it out" one of these days.

Hallie yells the word "mom" at the top of her lungs about fifteen times a day. It's usually because of some crisis mysteriously involving Chandler....or because she needs me to wipe her. Seriously, when can a mom be confident that her child is doing a good enough job in that department?...Sorry if that's a bit graphic. :/

Chandler is an acrobat. This kid could "pump" his legs in his vibrating/rocking chair when he was three months old...perfectly! He skinnys up every ladder he sees. I never knew that taking him to the public playground would be the best workout ever for me.

Hallie is completely obsessed with dogs. She recently said something that made me smile ear to ear. She said, "can you imagine a black puppy poking his cute little face out of a flower patch?" Of course it was said in her "mellow dramatic" way, which made me giggle inside. She's such a girl, and I love it.

Chandler is my Romeo. I was bouncing him on my knees while singing some little song, and when I would finish he'd lean forward and give me a kiss right on the lips, and then a hug....while saying "momma." Then I'd sing it again, and he'd finish with another kiss and a hug.

Hallie loves to wear dresses and hopes to high heaven that people will think she looks "ravishing." I'll often hear her ask, "mom, do you think they'll think I look ravishing?"

Not to be out of order but something just popped into my head and if I don't type it now, I'll lose it. While I was putting a band-aid on Hallie's finger, she leaned down and kissed my hand, then looked up at me with those sparkly blues and smiled. It's something small I know, but my heart melted a little.

Chandler's a comedian. The other night he was eating his corn...with his eyes closed...and a huge smile on his face. The missionaries were over and we all laughed so hard. He's constantly doing things that he knows will make people laugh. I love that he's funny.

Hallie picks flowers for me every day...or so it seems. In fact she lovingly handed me a single blade of grass the other day....which I seriously tried to sincerely thank her for. :)

Chandler loves shoes. He's constantly wearing someone else's shoes. He will point and tell whoever is within earshot exactly whose shoes belong to who. He loves his dad's shoes the most though.

I love these little specimens.

Girls Camp

2011-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I got to go to girls camp. I serve as a counselor in the Young Womens program in my church, and every year a camp is held for all the girls in our stake, ages 12-18.

And I have to admit I was a little nervous because it's been years since I've camped.

I also regard foundation in the same way I do a shirt...I never leave the house without it.

So needless to say, I was curious to find out how far I'd come in the last ten years....yeah ten!

The other part of me was excited because I would have a break from all the mommy-related responsibilities of taking care of home and kids (and husband).

Elon and I drove down together the first night because it was "Bishops Night", and he got to give the girls a little fireside meeting after they did their skits. He gave them a great message. I hope they thought it was as great as I did.

Then he left me there....with the elements....and the most beautiful girls ever. Seriously, these girls were SO pretty...each and every one of them. There were about 85.

Lucky for us a scout camp left before we got there and they left behind a big tent they had used.

It became known as the "ugly tent" and it housed all the food and mail boxes:

Anne brought her pop-up camper and shared it with Tara, Amy, and I. And boy was I ever grateful to have that as my sleeping quarters!

...because starting at midnight that night, the rains came...and about three quarters of our super cute tent dwellers got soaked.

But to our amazement...the inhabitants of one of the wettest tents (our first-year girls), woke up with smiles stretched across their faces and the desire to go swimming in the lake!

My niece, Leah (on the right) is actually a second-year girl.

Unfortunately the clouds never lifted and the forecast looked wet for the remainder of camp, so our stake leader made the ultra-tough decision to cut it one day short.

But from what I saw, the girls were extremely mature about that decision.

So that last day, all of the activities that the YCL's (youth camp leaders) had planned for these girls were put into action. And boy did it look like they had a blast.

Then I think the favorite activity that the YCL's did for these girls was the spiritual one at the end that involved blind folding all of them, and then sending them out to search for something.

After hopelessly wondering around for a while, alone, and no doubt discouraged, they heard distant singing. Each one walked toward the sound where they were then embraced by a youth leader. They were "home".

It was the spiritual parallel that really touched these girls to the core.

While these activities were happening, I got to work with these lovely ladies to take down camp:

Sue (above, left) helped with the food. She had the girls eating like the queens that they are:

Here is Anne "mopping" herself out of the pop-up.

Why?

...because she's a princess. ;)

Camp ended with a testimony meeting that tugged at my heart strings and had my eyes swimming by the end of it. I am so blessed to work with these amazing girls. The way they treat themselves and each other reveals their heightened perspective that is so needed in the world we live in today.

The whole time I was there, I felt nourished and fed by their example.

Oh...and a little ways in, I forgot to care that I wasn't wearing foundation. :)

I came home to a pristine clean house, and the best hugs ever from my handsome husband and adorable little ones.

I swear those two grew while I was gone.

Hallie got mail!

2011-06-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

She seems a little indifferent about it don't you think? ;)

Every now and again Hallie's Great Grandma Jerree sends her surprise letters in the mail...and they usually come with $2.00 tucked inside, which has this girl brimming with excitement to go buy a plastic animal at Agway with her dad!

And because she didn't have quite enough piggy-bank change to go along with those dollars, a certain nanny friend hid some loose change for her to find.

She thought this was great!

She ended up buying a really pretty white horse.

She named it "Whitey."

Actually, the name Whitey belonged to her previous horse purchase (which happened to be an ashy gray), but because this new one was actually white, she gave the name to it, and named the gray one "Bree."

....I'm glad that got all straightened out!

The other night we had ice cream cones for dessert.

Chandler was a fan!

He sure does makes that cone look yummy! Don't you just want to slurp off the frothy top of it?

With all this catching up to my blog I've been doing lately, and sorting through all these picture, there is one common denominator to each of the different events and circumstances that have surrounded our family over the last few months, and that is....

...that these two are Besties:

I mean, they really truly are...and that makes my heart swell every time I see it.

Which is a LOT.

Still catching up...

2011-06-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Spring Arrived!

And with it came a bounty of beauty around my house.

This tree is right on the line between us and our neighbor, and I think it's just about the prettiest tree ever!

Our tulips amaze me every year when they poke their little greens up through the ground before they open those velvety red petals.

It's just too bad they only last a couple of weeks.

These rhododendron bushes are always a visual treat for us...and those who drive by.

And there's nothing quite like Mother's day pansies handed to you at the end of sacrament meeting by your adorable little girl:

And along with the arrival of spring, came the arrival of...

Naomi and Sunshine!...

Like a lot of Americans, Naomi's house was foreclosed on and will be up for auction in a couple of weeks. (She gave me permission to talk about this.)

She's been a close friend for a long time...and neighbor...and member of our church. When she needed a place to stay for a couple months, we were happy to take her in....and her little dog too. ;)

She loves my kids.

And they love her.

Hallie calls her "sister."... (which is exactly what she is).

Naomi is a HUGE help to me!

She cooks twice a week.

She cleans constantly.

She babysits my kids on a whim. (!)

Did I mention her meals are of a decadent nature?...they are!

There is something to be said for "live-in" nannies. She calls herself "Nanny Naomi" with a smile on her face.

She also became my "stunt double" when it came to a missionary wanting to take a picture of our family right before he was transferred, and I wasn't there to be in it. Darn.

But she told me it was okay...she was my stunt double. I thought that was hilarious!

She had this floor looking like it did the day her son Peter put it in for us. (We had forgotten it was so light in color!):

We went from wondering how we were going to adjust to having a new person living with us to wondering what on earth we are going to do when she leaves.

My kids also love Sunshine.

...with a passion.

We went outside to play with the dog and to "teeter-totter."

...and it was a bit chilly!

Sometimes I fail to carve out the time to wipe down Chandler's face, and comb his hair.

But I think if anyone could pull off the results of that kind of neglect, it's hand's down this boy right here:

Did I mention they love Sunshine?

To be completely honest, that girl on the left dreams about owning a dog every second of every day.

She doesn't understand that a dog may just push her mother over the edge at this particular stage of life.

What with the prospect of more babies and all.

I'm not pregnant.

But hope to be a couple more times before all is said and done. ;)

Finally back in business!

2011-06-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

My camera hasn't worked great since the day I bought it, and has only continued to decline over the past five or so years. In fact with all the dropping and drooling and smashing it's endured from curious toddlers, I'm surprised it'll still snap a picture.

It did however give up the picture-transferring ability.

But luckily my mom came to my rescue for the umpteenth time when she brought over her media card cord thing-a-majigger, and transferred all of my poor hostage pictures from the last several months onto my computer. Thanks mom!

I'm going to review in a nutshell the goings on of the last several months....

First of all...Chandler loves his "Bampa."

Then one day as Chan and I sat to eat our breakfast I noticed that he was extremely happy. And then I realized that I accidentally gave him a cup instead of a sippy!...He thought that was the best thing since the "ball."

I loosely learned the skill of french braiding.

Obviously it needs some perfecting but I'm tickled pink that my fingers can produce something that looks somewhat like a french braid....thanks to my sister in law Anne, my mom, JaNeal, Tori, Tara, and anyone else I might have missed who gave me a tutorial. All of these lovely ladies have a different technique which wreaked havoc on my mind, but there you have it...a "braid" on little Hallie.

I'm head over heels for this boy!

I love this picture:

...and this one:

We joke that Chandler is going to be a conductor someday because very early on in his young life, he's imitated every conductor he's ever seen.

He leads at church.

He leads with me at Family Home Evening.

At 18 months he went ahead and lead the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:

We've done a lot of baking but Elon and Hallie are the ones who head it up when it comes to the "snickerdoodle." Elon loved to make these as a kid, and has rubbed that same love right onto his first-born.

Not sure what that pout-face is all about down there. It's pictures like this one that remind me I need a new camera...(and a few photography classes.)

Easter came and went. I won this cute center piece at Women's Conference!

This girl looked super cute all decked out in her new Easter dress. And because I had to stay home from church with a sick Chandler, I had ample time to do her hair all pretty....too bad there's not a side view here.

Then....skipping ahead a little bit, my Aunt Julie is up from Utah for a few months and took me to get pedicures and to try sushi! A first on both accounts for me.

That middle group is raw eel and avacado...

yup...my mouth welcomed, chewed up, and swallowed raw eel.

I actually thought it was the tastiest of the three.

Ballerinas, bathtubs, and the letter "A"

2011-03-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Not everyone gets a ballerina who will put their silverware away...

But I do!

I love the outfits she chooses when there is no school.

Bath time is always a hit at our house...

This boy's closed-mouth grin is one of my fav's!...He does it a lot :)
And because I had to zoom way in to hide some key parts of the birthday suit, I believe this pic has a little "noise" in it...am I right? Thank you dad Firmage for educating me. :)

You can't tell my kids like the bath at all can you?....And it's amazing to me that out of their one million bath toys, not one of them is shown in this picture...that's just plain freaky!

As for the letter "A"....

I'll let you guess what my little ballerina and I will be working on for the next little while... :/

Insomnia...

2011-03-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

It's 2:12am, and I just can't fall back asleep after waking up at 12:54am thinking I heard a baby cry. After checking both kids and realizing I must have been dreaming, I have been laying awake with a wide range of random thoughts floating around in my head.

Thoughts like, I'm excited to be waited on this Thursday at the Relief Society birthday dinner. The guys are serving us ladies!

Elon is actually staying home with the kids and sending me up with a salad that I'm so excited to say he's making himself! (He's a great cook, but chopping veggies for a salad is not exactly his forte.)

I want to become a good photographer so much it hurts.

I'm yearning to know what terms like "noise" and "saturation" truly mean. My sister gave me some valuable encouragement when she told me that a lot of great photographers start out doing exactly what I'm doing right now; asking questions, taking a million experimental pictures, asking more questions! If I ever find myself in the midst of a "titled" photographer I carefully corner them and pelt them with every question under the sun in hopes of remembering at least one or two things they've said.

I don't know why but another thought I had in my unsuccessful quest to fall back asleep was that I love Hallie's voice over the phone. While I was in Vegas, I couldn't soak up that little voice enough. I loved hearing how daddy made French toast for dinner and how he took she and Chandler to pick out a movie from red box to have a special movie night. Nothing is better than being reminded of the kind of man I married, channeled through a voice that turns my heart to mush every time I hear it over the phone.

Speaking of my heart turning to mush...whenever I have a hard time sleeping I often reflect on those first weeks of having a newborn, where I would yearn with every fiber of my being for the opportunity to just lay down and not have to get up with a baby who doesn't seem to know the night from the day.

That got me thinking back to when Chandler and I spent a good portion of the night in my dim-lit master bedroom, while Elon slept on the couch just to give us more room in the bed. These were Chandler's "awake" moments and I remember putting his head on my shoulder to pat his back after a feeding. He then lifted that fuzzy little newborn head and stared with wide eyes at the wall behind us. I remember being wrapped with pure love for that little bundle. I told myself I never wanted to forget this picture right here...of Chandler staring wide-eyed at that shadowy wall. There's nothing really significant about that typical way I was holding him, or that way he often stared at things...but in that very moment, a hefty dose of unconditional love seeped into my heart for that boy that I never want to forget.

It's funny how little miracles happen while walking through the trenches of life...because I can't begin to describe how hard those sleepless nights were for me.

I love being a mom.

And even though most days I feel frustrated and tired, and too afraid to pray for the patience I desperately need, I love that I have this opportunity to love in a way I didn't think was possible.

Can you tell it's 3:03 in the morning?

I get a little sappy when I'm over-tired. I should try to go catch a wink before my well-rested-bright-eyed-and bushy-tailed little ones wake me up!

Stuck

2011-03-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hallie is an expert at getting dressed.

But even experts hit roadblocks every now and again:

Winter break...

2011-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

This week I have been graced by the presence of my whole family!

It's weeks like these that intensify my gratitude that Elon teaches school. We really haven't had any set plans as a family...which has been kinda nice.

We started the week off with cookies!...We take those gooey morsels very seriously around here.

Spoon-licking is taken just as seriously:

Hallie is so careful with anything that could possibly dirty her hands.

She was in a dilemma here because one of the melted chocolate chunks on the bottom of her cookie was sticking to the table, and picking it up would run her the risk of getting some on her.

These are some of the best double chocolate chunk cookies out there, thanks to Betty Crocker's pouch cookie mixes. We've pretty much tried them all.

It's obvious she doesn't care a wip if it gets on her face.

She has had ample play time with her daddy who has a super power called "I-can-play-make-believe-with-my-daughter-for-two-solid-hours-and-not-want-to-tear-my-hair-out."

And man alive am I grateful for that.

I love seeing the two of them all snug and cozy on the couch.

Chandler has been a mimic lately:

Can you tell?

Elon silently gestured for me to look at them during lunch. Hallie was daydreaming, and Chandler thought he'd try it out.

He also wants to be "Vacuum Man" like his daddy.

Chandler's eyes seem to get blue-er, and I love it!

Yay for winter break!

Little things...

2011-02-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons I wanted to create this blog, was so I wouldn't lose those little things that will be gone someday.

Little things, like every time I pick up Chandler, he pats my shoulder.

Or when Hallie hi-tails it up the stairs at bedtime to hide under her covers so we'll "wonder" where she is when we reach her room.

I absolutely LOVE it when Chandler grabs my face and says, "mama" right before he wraps his little arms around my neck and squeezes so hard he shakes, while continuing to say "ooooh...mama, ooooh mama." I'll miss those hugs someday.

I think it's a hoot that Hallie loves "Little House on the Prairy" so much, and will sometimes call Elon and I "Ma" and "Pa."

I love the dimple in the bottom left-hand corner of Chandler's chin that shows up when he smiles, and I missed it while I was in Vegas.

I literally thought of it longingly while I sat in church and saw about 36 other little boys his age.

I love how whenever I forget to set out an outfit for Hallie, she'll come downstairs with a tutu and tights on.

I love the sounds coming from the living room when both kids are chasing each other. Their little squeels of laughter make me happy.

I love how Hallie appreciates Chandler being little like I do. Yesterday she said, "I wish Chandler could stay small and cute and chunky forever."

She looked at him last night at the dinner table and said "look at him, he's just so cute!"

I love that she loves him.

I love how Chandler is starting to say words other than, mama, dada, and ball.

He now can say dog, water, cracker, car, baby, and maybe more that will come to me later. Of course he doesn't say any of these words perfectly clear, but enough so we can understand.

I love how Hallie asks me to tell her a story while I do her hair in the morning. She knows it will lessen the torture of having me run a comb through that snarly hair of hers.

I love how whenever I lay Chandler in his crib at nap time, he'll give me the sweetest little smile and nod when I ask him if he wants me to turn his music on.

I love these two little people I get to call my kids:

Vegas

2011-02-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I was here:

In 73 degree weather...which is pure heaven in February, especially when you come from a place where polar bears would be comfortable five months out of the year!

And I got to travel with this lovely couple.

All because my brother Josh fell in love.... and I couldn't be more excited about that! We think Tausha's pretty awesome.

And the best part about it was that I got to see all my loved ones who live clear across the country.

Which includes my newest niece, who I thought I'd never get to hold as an infant.

And it was love at first site!


I tried to soak up these two as much as possible during this short reunion.

It was so fun to see Kim in all her motherhood glory.

That Miriam and Liesl sure have an awesome mom!

We stayed at a resort called Tahiti Village.

And boy was it nice!

It had a lazy river....

...and a "beach."


It was so much fun just sitting around, soaking each other up.


Before the wedding we had some time to kill, so we went to the Hoover Dam. But in my opinion, the dam was out-shined by this breath-taking bridge that crosses it. And when you stand in the center...

...you see this.

I was so grateful for that tall railing, although I had a phobia of dropping my camera over the edge.

It was a tad windy up there.

I love how little Liesl was zipped up safely in Kim's jacket :)

I love this picture.

We headed to the wedding chapel between 3:00 and 4:00pm that afternoon (Monday).

I wish I'd have taken some "non-candid" pictures of them afterword. They looked great all decked out in their wedding attire and these pictures just don't do them justice.

They sure did seem happy!

It was so great to see my dad! I love this man.

And my Uncle Reese!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of my Grandma Jerree. She made this trip possible for me, and I can't even express what that means to me. I love her so much!

So there is the trip in a nut shell.

If you want to, "stay tuned" for a lazy glide down "the strip," just imagine that every picture you see is about fifty times more exciting than what I happened to capture on my little point and shoot camera out the car window while driving.

Jim was the "lucky" man behind the wheel and he was such a trooper.

I would love to see Donny and Marie sometime here at the Flamingo.

I forgot to mention that our first stop in "Sin City" was church.

And it sure was fun to hang out with my brother Michael just like the old days!

Sorry, these are a little out of order, but it's late and I'm too tired to fiddle with it.

I had fun in the desert.

Disney Princesses! On ICE that is...

2011-02-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

Some dear friends of ours bought tickets for our entire family to attend the "Classic Disney Princesses on Ice" show in Portland last Friday. And boy am I ever grateful to them for that incredible gift!

I told Hallie the good news on Monday, and she had stars in her eyes for the rest of the week. She said "I can't hardly wait!" about 47 times a day.

With the tea party and princesses in her near future, I was amazed that her little heart could handle that kind of excitement without bursting.

This was pure fun for me.

And I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I too, was counting down the days to see those lovely ladies swirl across the ice....I mean I still sit down with Hallie to watch Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast and have every word of the script still safely intact.

When we got to the civic center, Hallie was in awe at how big the place was. She said, "I've never been in a place like this before....this is a cool place." She knows "cool" when she sees it!

I told her to show me how excited she was for the show to start.

The lady sitting up behind us was nice enough to offer to take a picture of our whole family. I wish she'd have told me to go do a once-over to my hair in the bathroom before she snapped it.....good heavens!

Lori was so sweet and let Hallie pick out a toy from the vendors outside....Thank you Lori! She has played with it every day since.

This castle was amazing and had many faces according to which princess was on stage.

Boy could these girls and guys ever dance out on that ice...making it look effortless.

Guess who was in a trance the whole time?

I'm regretting not taking 100 more pictures but I was so mesmerized by the whole thing, it only dawned on me before the show and at the end that I should take my camera out!

I was worried about bringing Chandler, but man alive did he ever LOVE it! He was on my lap violently pointing at whatever new character made their entrance from the castle, and then raised his arms up over his head in a clapping frenzy.... about 80% of the show, providing additional entertainment to all who sat within eye-shot.

Occasionally he would look up at me with a huge smile as if to say "isn't this the BEST mom?" and it made me ever so thankful to be a mother...right there in that stadium... row 17, with my happy toddler on my lap and my totally entranced girl to my right.

Thank you Dan and Lori for this spectacular night!

On the ride home, Hallie topped us off with a line that made Elon and I beam.

She said, "well I guess magic really is real."

Disney does it's job brilliantly.

New Tradition...

2011-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

The fun has been packed in like brown sugar around here! I'll start with the Valentine tea party that happened last Wednesday, because it had this little girl brimming with excitement for days beforehand.

I mean look at this face:

We started out up to our elbows in construction paper, glue, heart punches, and paper doilies to make place mats.

Those blue eyes are two of my favorite things in the whole world.

We made Valentine candy necklaces (I don't care how old you get, those things are fun to chew on)!

Any excuse to make sugar cookies is a welcomed one :)...my mother in law made me that cute apron.

A couple days beforehand, my mom took us to the Fairfield Antiques Mall to pick out teacups. This one is mine, and can I just add that this trip was one of my favorite shopping outings ever! We saw soooo many beautiful cups with their gold rims and matching saucers, and I had visions of Hallie picking the most "frilly/girly" one in the whole place....

... but it turns out she has a soft spot for lonely, dingy, saucer-less ones. And there was absolutely no changing her mind. But it did fit in that dainty little hand of hers perfectly..... and if you ask me, it now has the sweetest owner of them all.

And lucky for Chandler, his nap ended just in time.

I'm so thankful to my mom for starting this tradition last February!

I finally have a BLOG!

2011-02-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

And I can't tell you how good it feels! I've spent the last year or so drooling over other people's blogs, wishing I could be keeping such a good family record just like they do, but being too darn intimidated by technology to attempt it.

Turns out it was easy as pie.....as soon as my mom showed up to hold my hand through the process.

I mainly want to blog because there are no expectations. Unlike my hard-bound journal with a whole page worth of lines that make me feel the need to scrawl all the way to the bottom of the page before I can close it and call it a night, this blog I could end right here and feel totally at ease.

I don't want the "snip-it's" of my life to slip away and be forgotten forever, because as much as I think I'll never forget what Hallie said the other day....I will, because I can't even remember what it was now, I just remember it was funny!

So...here I go...setting all correct punctuation and grammar aside, am going to try this blogging thing out so as not to lose those precious moments of the here and now!