Our Disneyland Adventures

So I feel like such a slacker just barely posting about our trip to Disneyland. We caught a stomach bug on our way home and are still in recovery. So here is a brief glimpse at all the fun.

One of the highlights was our back stage pass to meet the princesses. And who do you suppose was there? Cinderella and Snow White. I could have kissed them both. Liesel had been talking about seeing Snow White for weeks. Luckily that dream came true.

Liesel was a little shy but not as shy as Eliza. This is about as close to them as she got. Kind of funny since that is all she could talk about before we left...seeing the Princesses.

The best part of the trip was being with cousins...swimming, waiting in line, riding the carousel (over and over), the parade with Grandpa, matching shirts, pretty dresses...the memories will last forever.

The wedding was also fantastic. Congratulations again Andrew and Tara...we are so thrilled for you!

The girls loved their new pretty dresses from Grandma Nan.Here is our attempt at a nice family photo...can you see the cheese stick in Liesel's hands...good times!
Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I hope to be asleep before it is midnight here...is that weak?

Ten on Tuesday

1. We celebrated Daniel's birthday on Friday. It was a bit of a busy day with Seminary, changes at work, and school that night. But he made it home in time for cake with the girls. Happy Birthday Daniel...we love you!

2. Our Thanksgiving was wonderful but uneventful...no pictures and very little accomplished but Daniel did let me go shopping on Black Friday...loved it!

3. QOTD: I was finishing up Lydia's stocking when I said; "Girls did you know that Santa is going to come on Christmas and fill your stockings with toys and presents?"
Liesel: "Oooooooh, that's so nice!"

4. I have been up to my neck in projects...making pajamas for the girls and their babies, working frantically on our gift for the lucky member(s) of my family who's name we drew, finishing stockings, shopping, finishing my Christmas cards (sorry for the delay...our printer broke), and it seems like more are added everyday. I think I over book myself at Christmas.

5. Daniel's job title changed again on Friday. He is now a Sales Associate at the Bluffs. Anyone you know looking for a town home in Colorado Springs? We are really grateful to still be employed and are so grateful for the Lord's kindness to us.

6. We got our Christmas tree on Saturday and the girls are thrilled. Our candy canes only made it two days and only the top half of the tree is decorated (Lydia can't keep away) but we love the sent it brings and the girls love to plug in the lights.

7. Daniel now only has a week and a half of school and we are thrilled. He has worked so hard and has been so consistent through the past year and a half. He deserves a great vacation.

8. Vacation you say...coming right up. We head for Andrew's wedding and a visit to Disney Land as soon as class is over on the 17ht! Any Disneyland survival tips?

9. We were so grateful to watch the Christmas Devotional on Sunday. You can watch it here.

10. Neglected to lock up my craft closet today and now have embossing powder and stamp pad ink dotting my bedroom carpet. Does anyone have any bright ideas of removing that?

Goooooo COUGARS!

We went to the BYU vs. Air Force football game on Saturday (thanks again Brian & Rachel for the great tickets!) The girls did pretty well. Liesel spent most of the time pretending to giggle...and kicking everyone around her trying to decide where to sit.

Eliza wanted to go home until we snatched her friend Hailey from a few rows behind and had her sit with us...Thanks for being such a great cheer partner Hailey!Lydia was by far the happiest of the bunch...she was a perfect angle to whole game.It was great to see our Cougars pull out another win. We had a few mistakes but overall they played well. We are hoping and cheering them on to another win this weekend against Utah...COME ON COUGARS...YOU CAN DO IT!

Excuse the delay but...

Happy Halloween!
We've been distracted at our house with voting and designing our Christmas Card and with this... A little book for my sister of the pictures I took at her reception (sorry Jen that it is so late).

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween. We went to a couple of different parties so the girls were a Snowman, Bee, and Ladybug for one and Cheerleaders for the other. They loved the fun.

The girls favorite part of the whole holiday was handing out Candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. Daniel had school and I wasn't about to take them by myself. Eliza loved holding the bowl and telling the high schoolers to say Happy Halloween before they got a treat. Fun times.

On another note...my Christmas card is turning out super cute...if you want one in the mail send along your address!

Ten on Tuesday--Pictures

Welcome to our new blog! Daniel helped me get some pictures of the girls the other day and I want to know which is your favorite. Take a look at my new watermarks too. What do you think?

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.

PS Daniel actually designed the watermarks...isn't he great?

Our Day

We're teething today...we'll try to post again soon.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Did you know there is a Prophet on the earth today. President Thomas S. Monson spoke to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Saturday and Sunday. You can listen to him and other leaders here.

2. I ran across this picture of Liesel the other day. I just love it.

3. QOTD: (Which is actually the quote of everyday) Eliza: When Andrew gets married, I get to see Princesses! Can you tell we are excited to go to California?

4. Lydia is working on getting her second tooth. She has also decided she will not eat another spoonful of baby food. Only the good stuff now. Sometimes when she knows that we are eating something that she doesn't have she'll start to yell at us. She is learning from her sisters really quickly.

5. We built a fort the other day and the girls loved it. Even Lydia wanted to get in on the fun. She would crawl in and look around and then get distracted by something else. As soon as Eliza and Liesel would start giggling though...she was right back to the fun.

6. Looking for some fun Halloween crafts and treats? We loved looking here.

7. Did you know that Sleeping Beauty came out today? I am so excited to go get our copy. Eliza and I were dancing and singing all morning.

8. My sweet neighbor Peggy came over today with my birthday present...a new plant. It is so cute and I already re potted it and have a spot picked out. Oh how a plant can liven up a place.

9. Book Review: Have all of you heard about the new Nursery Manuel put out by the church? It is fantastic. We have been using the lessons for Family Home Evening and the girls love them. We don't have to ask them to sit and be quiet. It truly is a blessing from heaven. You can download all the lessons and picture here.

10. We had our very own football party last Friday Night. BYU was playing Utah State and we watched over the Internet. To celebrate the occasion we decorated and I made these.

The party was a huge hit and the Cougars Won! It was a great night for all.

Quick Update

This post is long overdue. Hopefully this week our Internet will get hooked up at our house and the updates will be more frequent.

We want to send a big welcome to Baby Will...Congrats Scott and Nicol...we hope that parenthood is treating you well.

Also a big congrats to Andrew, Daniels brother, who recently got engaged. We are so excited for your big day and for the family fun afterwords. Welcome to the family Tara!

Our family also had a couple of big events happen the last couple of weeks. Lydia broke her first tooth. We are thrilled to have it here and hope that the following teeth aren't quite as messy.

Our other news is Daniel's promotion at work. Daniel has been promoted to the Strategic Marketing Manager for the Colorado Division of Pulte Homes. We are so grateful for this opportunity and so proud of our dad and all his hard work. We love you Daniel.

Ten on Tuesday--To Daniel

Today is our anniversary so here are ten of the reasons I fell in love with Daniel.

1. His cool ride…when I met Daniel he drove a White Ford Tempo named ‘White Lightning’ and rode a scooter around campus…I couldn’t wait for a ride…from the day that we met he hasn’t been concerned about what the car was; just as long as it ran.

2. His good looks…when I was in Young Women’s we were constantly writing down what we wanted in a future spouse…for some reason I always pictured him tall with blond hair and blue eyes…I knew he was the one the minute I saw him!

3. His family…it was so nice to have someone rooting for me even when things were a little uncertain.

4. His appetite…we met in the cafeteria at BYU-Idaho and I could always count on finding him there…since then his meal choices have dropped dramatically, and sometimes the quality is questionable, but he eats everything just the same.

5. His spontaneity…from his great big bear hugs in the library…to buying a new suit for our dance date…to the surprise proposal…I never knew what to expect…but somehow it always worked out.
6. His athletic ability…one of the first activities Daniel and I did together was a snow football game…he was the Quarter Back and I was the frequent receiver…a match made in heaven. Then later we would run together in the Hart building at 5:30 in the morning…I’m not much of a morning person anymore.

7. His sincerity…from day one he was always completely honest and true to his heart…sometimes it hurt, but I could always count on him doing what felt right to him…and now to us.

8. His frequent notes…most mornings during our engagement I would wake up to a note on my doorstep or an email in my inbox…all my roommates were jealous.

9. His musical talent…we sang together in the choirs at school…I love sitting next to him in Sacrament meeting and singing the hymns together…my heart still jumps every time he starts singing tenor.

10. His dedication…to the gospel, to work, to being a dad, and to loving me…he does everything with 100% and I’m truly the luckiest girl around.

I love you Daniel. The courtship may have been a little rough but everything about being married to you has been bliss. Here is to forever—together!

Look who's talking...

...and sitting...
...and crawling.

Lydia has been busy the last few days. She is learning to say 'Da Da' which turns out to be the word of choice around here...especially at church. She is sitting up on her own now and doing very well. She hasn't figured out how to get from the sitting position to her tummy without some pain so she usually starts to 'fuss' so someone will help her. She has also started the army crawl. For the first few weeks after Lydia was born we thought she would be our mellow baby...you know the one that is just content to play quietly by them self or sit still on Dad's lap at church...It seems like every family has one...except us. I guess that is what you get when you have two very high strung parents...a whole bunch of super active children...but we wouldn't have it any other way. Go get 'em Lydia!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Eliza started dance on Monday... She was so excited until the instructor sat them all down cross legged and asked them to stretch their neck. Not the kind of dancing she's use to.
Today was better though...she isn't the most flexible class member but she did really well walking across the room on her toes. Can you tell how much she loves her dress (seriously it is torture to get it off her).

Ten on Tuesday—Surviving Summer Addition

1.Bikes—Anytime Eliza is board the first thing out of her mouth is…can we ride bikes? She is actually getting rather good.
2.Fresh beans and peas from the garden…tragically we only got about six pea plants…it is rather tricky to eat those without the girls noticing.
3.Fans…our poor dad wouldn’t be able to sleep at night without the fan in the window running all night.
4.Walks…it is the same route every time but is always a hit from the flowers to pick to the water drain…everything is captivating.
5.Weeding with Peggy…the sweet new neighbor next door.
6.OTTER POPS…how did we ever survive summer before? Seriously we eat a lot…Peggy even came over to tell me their on sale at Safeway this week…what a great neighbor.
7.Summer Flex Days…Daniel’s company started this…he works four 10 hour days and gets Friday off (or at least part of Friday)…last week we took the girls swimming…fun but not as fun as talking about it the rest of the day.
8.Watering Days…we have a water restriction in our neighborhood so we can only water certain days of the week…but when we water…we WATER…we water the lawn, the garden, the dead spots in the lawn, and our sisters…Eliza and Liesel were playing with the hose the other day…Liesel had the hose and within a few minutes both were soaked to the bone…isn’t water fantastic?
9.Potty Training…Eliza is doing awesome…the princess doll was just the trick to get her motivated…she’ll just go in and go to the bathroom without even telling me…that seems fantastic.
10.Martina McBride…Daniel and I are going to her concert in Denver this weekend to celebrate our anniversary…I can hardly sleep at night I am so excited.

So what are your summer survival tricks? I’d love to have some more great ideas…happy surviving!

Our Week

Here is the latest at our house...bullet style.

• So I promised to post pictures from the reunion but alas I haven't edited any yet. So you get this one from my sister-in-law Emily. It is sure fun to have an updated family photo.


• Eliza got strep throat last week and we have tried unsuccessfully to remember to give her medication morning and night.


• Lydia's six month check up went well. She is growing again and is just darling. I could just watch her all day she is so much fun...here is a pic I got of her at the park the other day.


• I have started potty training Eliza and Liesel again. Thing are looking hopeful with Eliza thanks to this...but I am afraid we have missed the window with Liesel. She will go into the bathroom and close the potty to use it as a stool to wash her hands. As soon as the water goes on she goes potty...so at least it is the bathroom.


• Daniel gave me a night out last night...it was fabulous. I went shopping and bought myself a new outfit for church. Oh it felt so good to have something new that fits right and makes me feel pretty...unlike all the everyday mom clothes...which after this week are a little gross.
• Check out my look-alike meters at the bottom of our page...kind of fun.

We hope you are all well. Anyone with helpful potty training tips is welcome at my house anytime.

The Wedding Update

Sorry it has been so long since my last update; I have been in Idaho and Utah for my sister's wedding and a family reunion. More pics of the reunion later. I was in charge of taking pictures at the reception so I thought I would post a few of my favorite. It was a fabulous affair.
Here's the happy couple. The receiving line was on the gazebo in my parents back yard. I love this view from below.
Sister Derricott and Sister Stander made the cake, flowers, and decorations...it was a beautiful evening.
Jenni wanted this picture of the rings and the bouquet...I love the perspective.
More pictures of the reunion to come...don't you just love vacation?

Our Birthday Girls

Eliza and Liesel have celebrated another birthday. Liesel was born the day before Eliza turned one so they are our little Irish Twins. We had a great time celebrating their birthdays. We had a "Princess" party and it was grand. Daniel helped me put up streamers and balloons the night before and the girls loved it. At one point Eliza was jumping up and down and looking around and saying; "A princess party. Thank you for my princess party!" She loved it so much that in all of her prayers since she starts out "Heavenly Father, Thank you for my princess party..." It is a day we won't forget. Happy Birthday Eliza! I love you for your 100% attitude. What ever you do you do it with all of your energy and excitement. I remember when you were born Daniel looked up at me with excitement in his eyes and said "It's a girl. Jill we have a girl!" He was so excited and I was too. Since then you have been every bit as exciting. I am so happy you came to our family! We love you!
Happy Birthday Liesel! I love you for your tender spirit and your 'melt my heart' smile. From your surprise pregnancy to your 45 min labor and delivery to your dancing with Eliza today...everything about you was ready to be in a body and try new things. We are so happy that you were so eager to come to our family and for your desire to do all you can. We love you Liesel!