Christmas goodies...

So I was sort of missing making some Christmas goodies. With Kate and now Gavin being sick, I haven't really had the energy. I was craving some chocolate covered pretzels last night, when Jared noticed that my mom had sent us a package. I hadn't opened it yet, thinking that we should wait until Christmas. He thought I was crazy, and tore into it, and I'm glad he did! She had made us caramel popcorn, peanut brittle, and this little assortment of chocolate treats. I love how she packed them in a little manicotti tray. I only know that because I made manicotti a little while ago, and wondered what I could use the cute little tray for.

Like mother like daughter I guess!

Happy Holidays!

So I made our holiday cards on Photoshop, and printed them off at Walmart. I think they turned out simple and cute. Just how I like them. And yes I'm copying a few of you and posting it on my blog. Thanks for the idea, and I hope you don't mind. It was fun to see yours!

And sadly, Kate has croup, her cough is more like a bark, and she hasn't talked except for little whispers for the last day and a half. I told Maddie she couldn't talk, and after a few minutes Maddie asked, "Can she say dada or mama like Gavin?" I had to laugh, and then explain that Kate still knows how to talk, her throat is just so sore that she doesn't want to talk. My kids take me so literally!

So, I am foregoing neighbor goodies this year, I don't want to share any croupy germs with you all. Happy Holidays to you and your families!

no, it's a carrot...

So last night Colin thought Kate needed to be reminded that "Santa is watching..."

To which Kate looked around and replied: "Santa's not here."

Me, trying to be creative: "He sees you through the snowmen on the table. They tell Santa if you're being good."

Colin: "Yah, see his nose, it's a walkie-talkie."

Kate, looking at us like we're idiots: "No, Colin! It's a carrot!"

You can't put one past that little girl! And sadly she woke up this morning with a fever and cough. Her little voice has barely joined us today, and when it does it comes out all raspy.

So I saw this photo on this blog, and had to laugh. If you ever think I am copying you, whether it's how I dress, decorate, or hang lights, I probably am. I lack in the creativity department.

I now know that I'm not crazy...

So, I've been telling my parents and now Jared for years that I wouldn't eat at KFC because they genetically altered their chickens. I swear I saw a news piece that said they grew chickens without heads or something, and I've never had a desire to eat there, or any fast food chicken for that matter. They've all been laughing at me ever since, but I finally figured out what I've been trying to tell them all along. It's called GMO or genetically modified organisms. Plants and animals that have been genetically modified to add desired traits like quick growth, large size or sustained freshness. I read about it in KIWI magazine. After reading some more about it, I still won't eat the tender, fried, crispy stuff, and I'm thinking of taking it one step further and going organic.

oh, Kate...

So this morning Kate comes into the bathroom with her hands behind her back (holding scissors) and asks, "Can I cut some paper (it sounds more like papoo)?"

I got her some paper and made her sit on the bathroom floor so I could watch her while I dryed my hair. A few minutes later she says, "dis is a triangle..."

Me: "oh, yah?"

Kate: "and dis is a heckagon."

Me: "a hexagon?"

Kate: "yah, a heckagon, I cut it with my cutters."

The child knows what a hexagon is, but she doesn't know to call those things scissors! I've got some work ahead of me.

random...

So, we had a great Thanksgiving with Jared's family. And then a great Black Friday where Santa got all his presents for the Wheeler kids. We're doing three gifts this year. Something to play with, something to read, and something to wear. So far the kids are on board, I'm definately on board because it means less shopping for me to do.

We went to Jared's Farmer's Insurance Christmas party with all the other agents in the District and we won a popcorn machine. The last two give-aways were a Wii and the popcorn maker. I was hoping for the free Wii, but this little machine is a lot of fun too. Kate was captivated by the popping. She sat and stared at it, while narrating every thing the popcorn did. It tastes pretty good too, much better and healthier than microwave popcorn.

And Kate made a little paper cup turkey. I helped Colin's class make them for art, and decided we better do a test run with Kate. She did pretty good, although I think it looks more like a gopher than a turkey. Oh well, she liked it.

the holiday spirit...

So here is some fun inspiration for the holiday season thanks to BHG.com (thanks for the idea Dacia). I am so not a baker, but these look like I might just have to give them a try.

And for December, I'm reading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Can you believe I've never read it? I've seen every movie version out there, but just bought the book and I'm going to give it a try.

And I haven't fogotten to give thanks. I'm thankful for the conference addresses: "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance" by Elder Richard G. Scott, and "More Diligent and Concerned at Home" by Elder David A. Bednar. They've given me lots to think about, and even more to start doing. Okay, I'll admit. These are the only too talks I've read so far. You know me, I'm willing to share all my faults. But if it helps encourage you to read them, even better, right?

I love how there is so much to uplift us if we'll seek it out.

Giving Thanks Days ?...

This is a super cheesy picture of Gavin with his first road rash.

Actually it's a throw a fit, throwing your head back, losing your balance, and falling into Kate's door frame kinda road rash/scratch.

Poor baby, he inherited my temper, and my cheesy grin.
So, I'm not sure which day I'm on in giving thanks. I've missed a few. But today I'm just thankful for a forgiving family. I'm not perfect by any means, and I'm just glad that they will take me for who I am, mood swings and all. I've been having a hard time just figuring out exactly who I am. I think I'm having a coming of age moment. The kind where you finally figure out you're a grown up, and you're not sure what to do now. Okay that might be a little dramatic, but ever since I had Gavin, I've finally felt like a mom, and that I should start acting like one. Maybe it's because he's the fourth, I'm not sure. As I've shed the baby weight, and needed new clothes, I've been trying to figure out what to wear. Really, what is my style? I've been growing out my hair, why? I'm not sure. I wish I could just enjoy myself for who I am (as soon as I figure out who that is exactly). Thankfully I have some great examples to follow, I just need to make the choice to follow them.

As far as our new food plan, we had homemade lasagna last night and it was goooood. I've always made my own lasagna, so it wasn't any healthier than before, but I wanted to put spinach in it this time. I reallized too late that you have to really thaw it out and drain it really well, and since I was also making a pan for my visiting teaching partner, I didn't have enough time to mess with the green stuff. So my kids didn't have to try anything new last night. They did have a salad on the side, so I felt good about that. I also found some healthy crackers in the organic food section at Broulims. They are just like Wheat Thins without all the preservatives.
They are quite tasty! They also have some that resemble goldfish only they are bunnies, so as soon as our massive bag of Goldfish is gone I'm going to try those. I read some scary things about BHT and how it is in all the packaging of my favorite crackers and cereals. Of course!

And one more thing, I was thinking about adding the book The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger to my winter reading list. Have any of you read it? Would you rate it a pg-13 or R? I've seen some of the previews for the movie, and I'm thinking it may be a little too much for me on a cold winter's day, if you know what I mean!

So is the book more like the movie, or did they hollywood-ize it?

A new experience with food...

So I've been reading the NDD book by Dr. Sears. NDD stands for Nutrition Defecit Disorder. It has been an eye-opener, on why I should change our eating habits, not only for my kid's present, but for their future. He focuses on feeding them "real food" rather than fake, processed food. He believes and backs up with science, that a lot of kids need a healthier diet, rather than pills,etc. ADD, ADHD, Diabetes, Asthma, dry skin,and many more problems can benefit from healthy eating. I was interested mainly because of Maddie's flightiness, and Colin's eczema and asthma. It's also just a healthy way to eat which can benefit all of us. So, I started by teaching them a little bit about healthy food, and how our body works better with good stuff in us, then I told them I'd be cooking more real, whole food rather than stuff from a can or a box.

So my first attempt was a broccoli, carrot, potato, creamy soup that I had and loved at Super Saturday. I thought it was delicious, and thought maybe I can get them to eat it. Actually, I knew everyone but Maddie would eat it. She's my child that never liked baby food, and ever since won't eat anything healthy but apples and carrots. She'll eat corn and beans, but only when they come from a can, fresh in her mind isn't best. I think I just ruined her tiny taste buds at an early age, and now I'll have to keep working on them until she develops a new love for other "real foods". So I got the recipe from Leslie Hansen, and soon realized why I liked it so much. It was mainly half and half, and Velveeta! Just a side note, my grandma Lybbert gave me Cheese Whiz and Club crackers every year for Christmas. I loved them that much. Now you see where Maddie gets her taste buds!

So we had the soup. Maddie saw green and orange, and immediately started asking for cereal. I told her the green and orange were smothered in cheese, and that she wouldn't even taste them. She complained, and when given a roll and jam on the side she decided to try it. She ate maybe a 1/2 cup, but it included some veggies, so I took it for a small success.

So last night I decided to try something new for everyone. I made homemade sweet potato fries and Jared made some plain chicken with a little seasoning salt. The chicken went over well, the fries not so much. I knew they wouldn't eat enough to get full, so I also made some homemade reg. potato fries. I cut them all in wedges, tossed them in olive oil, and sprinkled them with sea salt. They were really good! The kids loved the reg. fries, and they each tried the sweet potatoes, but didn't ask for seconds. Oh well, I'm just trying to get them over the shock of a little color on their plates.

As you can see, the reg. fries were a hit, but the sweet potatoes not so much! This was actually the second pan, I ate all the sweet potatoes off the first pan. Baby steps, right?

So Dr. Sears says that all fruits and veggies are on the "green light" foods list. We have bananas down in this house. Everyone but me likes bananas. I think Gavin looks even more like a monkey when he loads his mouth full of bananas. And in case you were wondering Kate did eventually get dressed today.

Giving Thanks Days 14 and 15...

So, I'm thankful for winter, because without it this little man wouldn't need such a cute little hat!

Truthfully, I'm starting to feel a little anxiety over winter. I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I'm almost done with my reading list (to be posted at a later date). I'm also thinking about January Bunco. I want to make it a fun one, something for everyone to look forward to after the holidays. I'm also thinking about what new hobby I can take up to keep me busy. Hopefully all these things will help get me through the depressing winters we have here!

And I am so super thankful for these big guys! They arrived while I was at Super Saturday, you may have heard my cheers Saturday afternoon when I got home. I posted a while ago about how long my dryer took to dry clothes, and a few weeks ago my washing machine decided to quick spinning. I would have to start an extra spin cycle with each wash, and even then the clothes were still soaking wet, which increased the dryer time, and to top it off, soap was being left on everything. Considering laundry is my least favorite chore, this made it worse! So we purchased our first washer/dryer set.

I'd say that's pretty good since we've been married for 11 years, right?

My favorite comment was from Colin, "I wish we'd never gotten a new washer/dryer, I have to put more clothes away now." I was so excited about them yesterday that I did all the laundry in the house. It was like Christmas (actually it is my Christmas). And to tell you the truth, I sat and watched the first load start to finish. You may think that's lame, but Jared joined me too. Yes, the whole cycle we sat in our laundry room. That's my kinda date.

Giving Thanks Days 12,and 13...

So I took Mary's advice, well I should say Jared took Mary's advice and while I was at Bunco, he had Maddie put out her clothes for the next day. It worked! He might have had a little pep talk with her too, but for two days she was on time! Well, we still didn't make it until 8:20 on Friday, but it wasn't her fault, it was mine. Actually it was the washers fault. It didn't spin the jeans, and I had to dry her jeans extra long, and we had to wait until the very last minute for her to put them on. But, she was ready, and prepared, and the yelling subsided for a couple of days. Thanks Mary!

Giving Thanks Days 10 and 11...

So yesterday as I was vacuuming, Gavin grabbed his little pretend vacuum and followed me around. It was super cute, but I started wondering will this behavior stick? He likes to pretend to load the dishwasher, and now vacuuming. He's gonna be such a clean little man. Then he put the vacuum down and picked a Book of Mormon out of our little basket by couch. He walked around flipping the pages, and I wondered will he be a good missionary? And maybe an awesome companion if he continues with the cleaning trend, which will then turn into being a great husband that is both spiritual and clean. Who could ask for more right?

And then he started eating the Book of Mormon and I was brought back to reality. He's just a baby, and thankfully I have a few more years to spend with him and discover just who he is.

And today I am feeling the need to profess my love for these cute kiddos. They really are special to me. They make me smile, laugh, and sometimes cry. However, if you happen to pass the Wheeler household between 8 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. you might wonder where the love is, because we can't seem to get a morning routine down that fits everyones needs. Colin is always ready by 8, and I'm constantly yelling at Maddie to get her in the car by 8:20. I feel like a failure every morning for not being patient, and I am really struggling to find a solution.
All I have to say is I know opposites attract, but Maddie better not marry someone who likes to be on time, because they'll have constant contention over that issue.
Any help in this area would be totally appreciated.

Today I am just thankful to have my kids and to have the opportunity to grow through life's little challenges.

Giving Thanks Days 6,7,8,9?

So I'm not so good at this posting everyday thing. Not that I'm not thankful, but I just don't get a chance to sit down at the computer everyday. So, this weekend was fun, and I reallized I'm thankful to get to spend so much time with my husband and kids. Jared's job doesn't take him away for too long and I'm grateful for that. We spent Friday night, our movie and pizza night, with the kids laughing at Ice Age 3. Then Saturday we actually had a date night: dinner and then to the adult session of Stake Conference. I usually go by myself and Jared stays home to watch the kids, so it was fun that we went together this time.

I'm also thankful that I'm able to stay at home with the Kate and Gavin during the day. We have a nice little routine, and I can't imagine missing their fun little personalities if I were to work.

I'm also thankful for great books. I've been reading alot lately. I was trying to get a list of books that I'd like to read over the winter, but I couldn't wait to start the list.

So here are a few: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. I really liked this one.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I couldn't put this down (Jared wondered when I would return from readingland), and can't wait to read the next one, but as I'm number 34 on the library's hold list, it might be a while.

And right now I'm reading As Always, Dave by Jack Weyland. It's an easy read, I'm not as into it as The Hunger Games, but it's o.k.

Can you tell I've been hanging out in the Young Adult Section of the library? At some point I'll grow up, but I kind of like their selection better than the adults.

Giving Thanks Days 4 and 5...

So I am thankful for the mature tree in our backyard that gives us shade all summer, but I wish I could say I'm thankful for the gardener who rakes up all those leaves in the fall. Sadly that gardener is me, and my family doesn't want to share the leaf raking load.

I am also thankful for the beautiful fall weather we've been having. Hopefully it will last a little longer and I can coerce my family into raking leaves on Saturday. Jared is finally into his new office, located in the office building right behind our house, and so our weekend should be free of moving, putting together desks, and cleaning. Thank goodness!

Giving Thanks Day 3...

So I was all ready to share how thankful I am for disposable diapers and sweet smelling wipes, because Gavin has had some doozies today and yesterday. I swear one of his poopy diapers smelled just like an outdoor toilet. You know the smell I'm talking about, right? But then I read your comments, and decided that's what I'm thankful for tonight. They put a smile on my face, and made all the worrying over our family pictures worth it. Really, I don't know about you, but I spent over a month worrying over what we'd wear, who we'd get to take them (considering everyone I knew either just had a baby, or were already booked for the rest of the year), and would our kids even smile after all the effort? Thankfully they turned out great, and I really do appreciate your comments, and the fact that you took a minute to read my blog. Thank you!

Giving Thanks Days 1 and 2...

Since November has started, and Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought I would do a post each day expressing my thanks. I have so much to be grateful for, more than a months worth of posts, and I want to just spend some time recognizing all the blessings I have in my life.

So for the 1st and 2nd, my husband and my kids. I don't say it enough, but Jared is AWESOME! He has always been a big help at home and with the kids. He is also very forgiving of all my faults. He makes me laugh, and laughs at all my stupid jokes.

And my kids, well, you've heard all about them. They keep me busy, happy, and entertained which means I'm not allowed to get bored, discouraged, or depressed. Although we have our moments in the Wheeler household, we are blessed to have each other to spend life and eternity with!

Halloween 2009...

So our Halloween went a little something like this: First we hung some homemade decor. My favorite is Maddie's 9 legged spider.

Then we had our Joy School party. It was a lot of fun, complete with painted faces.

Then came the pumpkins. With Jared moving his office all week, and a few days of 24 hour stomach yuckiness, we put off carving pumpkins until Saturday afternoon. We were elbow deep in slimy halloween fun.

Kate had her Jack O'Lantern all planned out. She told me over breakfast that it would have triangle eyes, triangle nose, and two teef on top and two teef on bottom. She was really into the celebrations this year. It was fun to watch her.

Once again Jared pulled through on helping everyone carve while I took pictures and kept Gavin and Kate away from the knives. Although if you look closely, I think Kate is holding a little carving knife. I did a fine job didn't I?

The cutest pumpkin was this little man. He wouldn't keep his top on though, so I had to take a quick picture. There was no time for a smile.

The whole gang. We had a football player, Tinker bell, Hermione, a pumpkin, and two fabulous disco queens.

And the finished product. We had a fun time this year.

I can't believe November is already here!

Can I just brag?

So, I just want to preface this bragging by saying, I'm not bragging that my kids are better than anyone elses, I'm just bragging that they are better than themselves! They are better with A.R. this year, than they were last year. I posted last year about how much Colin hated reading, mainly A.R., but this year I am happy to announce that they have both been so good about it, (o.k. maybe not soooo good, Colin still wants us to read with him), but they have both already reached their A.R. goals for the trimester. For my kiddos, this is awesome. I am pretty impressed with Maddie. She really likes to read, which makes me excited, because I've always loved to read. Colin likes it, but I think he gets a little lonely or something. He'd rather read with us, which is o.k. with me. It gives me an excuse to just sit still for a minute and spend some time with him.

And of course, I couldn't post without a few pictures. We enjoyed some more nice weather outside today. I'm not sure how I'm going to keep Gavin happy this winter. He really likes being outside.He thought this rake was fun to slide around the yard and driveway.

We made ladybugs out of apples, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. Thanks Jen for the idea!

Maddie was helping gather leaves for a different little project we did today.

And I'm afraid Gavin's future lies in dishwashing. O.K., I think he's a little smarter than that, but he'll make his wife happy someday. She'll never have to touch the dishwasher if he continues this new trend. Everytime I load or unload the dishes his little chubby fingers are there.

this makes me giddy part two...

So in my last post, I mentioned that I've been working on something else that totally makes me giddy. If you listen very closely, you might even hear me squeal with delight. O.k., so that might be going a little far, but I do stop every so often and open the storage room door to just stare.

I should start by saying that this summer I happened to get a chance to peek into Tammy's storage room to turn on their water while they were gone, and I was in awe with how organized and clean it was. Ever since then I've been waiting for a chance to spend some extra time in our storage room.

Well, I got that chance during spud harvest. Colin and Maddie were home, and gave me the extra help I needed. Colin was awesome at carrying everything out, so we could sort it all and categorize. Maddie was an excellent babysitter. She played with Kate and helped keep Gavin out of the clutter. So after about 4 hours we completed the task. I've got all the baby stuff in one area, all the camping gear and luggage in another, and all our holiday decorations in yet another section. So I cleared a 4 foot by 4 foot area for our food storage and I found these shelves at Sam's. I've been collecting food storage over the last 6 months, and I canned a lot with Jared's mom these last few months of summer. I was so excited to put it all up on shelves.

This is a before shot of the right side of our storage room.

This is a before picture of the left side of our storage room.

This is an after picture of the right side and the shelves Jared and I put up. I want to get two more sets of shelves. One for all the things I can get at the cannery, like rice, wheat, sugar etc. And the other I'd like to put all our paper products, and misc. stuff like detergent, feminine supplies, toothpaste, etc.

Kate likes apple juice, and the bottles are easy to clean out and store water in. I figure it's a cheap way to store water.

I didn't take pictures of the rest of the room because it's not really on shelves, but it is so nice to have everything put back together, and know where it is located! Half of the space is taken up by old baby things, so when we're for sure our family is complete, I'll have to have a garage sale and purge all of that stuff!

My next zone to organize is my laundry/mud room. I can't wait to get into the cupboards and get rid of a lot of junk that's been sitting there since we moved in 3 years ago!

this makes me giddy...

So this summer I tried my hand at gardening. I pulled out a few perennials and created a little (emphasis on little) garden spot. I planted a tomato plant, a few pumpkin plants, and the kids planted yellow string beans and watermelon with Grandma Stoddard, so we found a spot for their little plants too. The watermelons died with all the rain we had in June, but the others did well, considering I know nothing about gardening. I used Miracle Grow halfway through the summer after I reallized our soil was really bad. I am happy to say we got enough tomatoes to can tomato sauce. We got two pumpkins, and two pots of beans. Next year I'm going to move a bush, and pull a few more perennials to make the space 3 times as big, and try my hand at a few more types of plants. I'm really quite giddy over the results of our efforts!

The fruit or veggies of our labors.

And the second pumpkin that I didn't know I had until I picked the first pumpkin that I had babied all summer long.

Colin is super helpful around the house, and especially with Gavin. I had to laugh though when he got Gavin ready to go to Grandma's, and we both reallized he put his shoes on the wrong feet.

And Mr. Gavin has now discovered the bathroom. He found fun treasures in the toilet the other night, and today he reallized how to unravel the toilet paper. This is a fun and laugh worthy stage of life! At least I hope Jared laughed as he cleaned poop off of Gavin's hands.

I got to miss that episode as I was at Winco and Sam's collecting treasures for my next post. Stay tuned, it also makes me super giddy!

2 months, really?

So I reallized it has been 2 months since I last posted on my blog. That's pretty sad considering all the things that have happened in the Wheeler household since then. So I'm doing a marathon post to catch you all up.

I was waiting for this day. All my kids have fallen asleep at one time or another in the high chair, and finally one day Colin came running in to tell me Gavin was snoozing peacefully in a sea of bread crumbs.

Colin and Maddie started school. I thought Kate would be the one to have a hard time while they were gone, but it turned out that Gavin was the grump.
He missed their constant attention.

Kate and I tried making freezer jam. I like it, but no one else does.

Gavin discovered the drawer under the oven. He's in there at least once a day.

Mom and Dad came for Gavin's 1st birthday. Mom was awesome and made him his cake. My dad cleaned out my drains, and painted my back door frame. I have the best parents!
I love my mom's face in this picture!

Gavin turned 1, I was kinda emotional about it the whole weekend. I can't believe his first year is gone already! He was so into his cake that I couldn't get him to even look up at me.

Colin also turned 9 this summer, but the cake I made and the pictures I took turned out kinda lame, so Happy Birthday to Colin but no pics.

Kate and I made some easy Pillsbury cinnamon squares. They didn't really rise, due to the fact they were a few months out of date. Oh well, the kids enjoyed them.

I hosted Extrodinary Chefs: Asian food. I made paper lanterns...

and little paper take out boxes. I really liked this flowered paper. I want some material just like it to make a purse or something.

And the day after my party we found this mystery poop. After interrogating everyone in the house, we found out it was a caramel kiss that Maddie decided was disgusting, and spit out in Gavin's closet. Looks tasty doesn't it? I need to teach this child where the garbage cans are.

And since I started this post with a sleeping child, I thought I'd end with another. Kate fell asleep tonight at the dinner table. Pizza and orange Fanta just did her in I guess. Isn't she super cute? I love that her little fingers and cheeks haven't lost their baby chubbiness.

Let's just hope I'm not still saying that when she's 16. Just kidding!