Eli & Mia's Virtual Scrapbook

A Whole Big Video Catch Up

2011-01-20T17:38:00.002-05:00

June 2010 Mia's Gymnastics Show

June 2010 Mia's Preschool Graduation

December 2009 Mia's Preschool Program

October 2010 Eli batting in a baseball game

August 2010 Aunt Jen teaching Eli to use his compass (weaving in life lessons for his baptism gift)

Something To Show Mia When She Loses That Precious Spark of Youthful Candor and Craziness

2011-01-20T17:36:00.003-05:00

I seem to remember that once upon a time, a long, long, long, time ago, near the dawn of time, I used to sing and dance and make up my own songs. If I didn't have these faint memories, I would never believe anyone who tried to tell me this. In case this happens to Mia (may it never,) I wanted to have video evidence. ;)

Mia's Dance Performance December 2010

2011-01-20T17:32:00.001-05:00

In the ballet video, Mia is in the center, once the camera is zoomed in. In the tap performance (possibly the worst video job we've ever, ever done), Mia is in the way back row on the left.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T17:08:00.002-05:00

Click to see the image larger.

Tae Kwan Do

2010-03-07T16:33:00.008-05:00

Eli took a 4 week course at school to introduce the kids to Tae Kwan Do (& it's probably not bad for the local business, either, right?) His graduation was yesterday. We got to watch them in action a little bit, and the kids got to break a board. We signed them (actually, both Eli AND Mia) up for lessons this summer. Eli just loves it. (Side note: to get their white belt, they had to bring home a CHORE CHART and do all their chores & get it signed by a parent!... Chris & I liked their emphasis on character development. Eli was taking flyers home every week about striving for excellence & respecting your parents, etc.)

Here are a few photos & a video. (The caption on my video should have read, "That's it? That's all you got for me?") :)

What Do You Do In The Wintertime When All The World Is White?

2010-02-19T17:10:00.003-05:00

At school, Eli & fellow elementary students have not been able to have outdoor recess for a long time. I never remember having indoor recess growing up, so I have been fascinated by what he does with this time indoors. He's been able to play computer games, or play with any of the toys or books in his classroom. Today he told me they got Dance, Dance Revolution in his classroom for the kids to play so they could get a bit more movement. What a great idea! But the cutest thing lately, is that he's been bringing home these creations made of paper, markers, tape and staples. Eli sculpts swords, guns and light-sabers. He's even made a shield complete with a handle on the back, and even hilts for the swords, sometimes! All out of paper! Again, I don't believe I was this creative as a 1st grader. But maybe I just have the syndrome of thinking your kids are the best thing in the world. ;)

Mia's Preschool Class Sledding Last Week

2010-01-13T17:31:00.004-05:00

Mia will come flying down the hill backwards... She's got on a brown coat and a black hat, riding a blue sled.

Oops- I just realized you have to log on to Mia's preschool website in order to see it. I would love you to see it. Email me and I will give you my log in info, so you can see it. :)

Click here to view this video

Some Snow Photos From the Blizzard of '09

2009-12-30T16:51:00.002-05:00

Best Song In Our Preschool Career :)

2009-08-27T14:08:00.002-05:00

This was back in May for Mia's preschool closing program. It is seriously the cutest song I've seen them do.

Quotables

2009-05-04T12:37:00.002-05:00

Mia to Mom: You're a little bit fat.
Mom: But I'm not a bad person.
Mia: You're still beautiful.

Mom: Why didn't you want to hug Ms. Mary Margaret (preschool helper)?
Mia: She's allergic.
Mom: Allergic to what?
Mia: She's allergic to kids and dust.

Mom: Mia, it is bedtime. You need to stay in bed. If you stay in bed all night and don't get up again, you can have Special Mommy Time.
Mia: Well.... what about Special Daddy Time?

Mia, Mia, Mia!!

2008-12-09T19:52:00.004-05:00

Destructo-girl has struck again. She used to do stuff like this all the time when she was TWO! But she has decided to be a crazy girl a lot lately, again. (I could seriously take a picture like this every day.) Along with another 4 year old stage I am hoping to survive called POWER STRUGGLE!!! It's a BAD stage!! Eli was nothing like this. We'll make it through, right??????

They like to "clean" the windows

2008-12-02T20:43:00.003-05:00

Chris likes to walk on the wild side and let them out of the car while getting gas. They apparantly squeegee the windows (oh that's what all those dried dirty water drops are all over the car!) Recently they were out with dad doing this, and saw a rainbow. :)

Co-Pilot

2008-11-24T09:25:00.002-05:00

Before the weather around here became polar/sub-arctic (!), I was able to use this co-pilot on the back of my bike and take the kids with me to exercise. It was a blast! :)

Random Picture Time

2008-11-23T20:39:00.002-05:00

Eli learned about responsibility and service recently when we found 2 shopping carts in our neighborhood. We like our neighborhood, but we don't like the one behind us, whose occupants cut through our neighborhood to go to the store and abandon their carts on their way back home! Argh! So it was really nice of Chris to say "Ok, I'm walking these carts back. Anyone want to come?" Eli was jumping up and down, "Me! Me!" and apparantly got the benefit of a little ride.

Thought I'd Post The Halloween Pictures Before CHRISTMAS Rolls Around!!!!

2008-11-22T11:34:00.004-05:00

They were obviously Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. They LOVED their costumes. Mia's wings and wand lit up. They had never seen the Disney movie Peter Pan! So we rented it, and that was their Halloween activity after trick or treating. That last photo is Mia's preschool class (no Halloween costumes at Eli's school! They don't let them celebrate it!). The funny thing is in that tall pumpkin stack, was the school's janitor, Mr. Jerry! He stood really still & quiet, then when the kids weren't suspecting, he'd move & make ghost sounds. So funny!

Word Cloud from the recent blog posts on Eli & Mia's site

2008-10-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

If I Do Say So Myself

2008-10-26T19:57:00.001-05:00

You know, I sure do dress her cute sometimes! Having a little girl is so fun.

Visitors are so fun

2008-10-10T20:28:00.001-05:00

We got to play DC tourists last weekend in this beautiful weather! Since Eli & Mia thought the visit was all for them, I'm posting the photos on their blog. My cousin Staci came up with her husband for a school project and Eli & Mia were delighted to learn that they have "ANOTHER" cousin. Staci got to experience soccer mom life (literally) by hanging out during carpool drop offs, kids napping, grocery store, dinner making, soccer practice & a soccer game!

All this when DC was down the road beckoning, "I have sites you need to come see!" She was such a good sport. We did get to see most of the monuments on Saturday. (Did you know Abraham Lincoln's hands are forming the sign language "A" and "L"?)

We ran into a mounted policeman on the mall.

And I got to see a bit of Georgetown University, that I've never seen before.

Also, I can't say enough what sweet house guests Staci & Ryan were. They were endlessly playing with Eli & Mia, reading books, building train sets, playing playdough, ETC., ETC., ETC.! We have such great extended family. When Mia sees pictures of Staci, now, her face lights up and she says, "THAT'S MY COUSIN, STACI!!!!!!!!"

She thought the hand worked a lot better than the fork.

2008-10-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

1 Ravioli Lunch = 1 shirt change + 10 minutes wiping hands, chair, face, and table.

First of a bunch of pumpkin patch trips

2008-10-06T18:12:00.002-05:00

I especially like the picture of Mia doing Karaoke with Eli as a groupie beside her. :) Fall is so beautiful. They had a blast on the hayride, rope swing, slide, seeing animals, eating apples, and playing with friends.

Ja, Må Hon Leva!

2008-10-05T14:56:00.003-05:00

"Mia, you won't turn four until you blow out your candle," Eli informed her. I don't know where that piece of information came from. We had a small family celebration, seeing Fly Me To The Moon 3D (the kids liked it, but don't bother!) Then we sung to Mia in English & always in Swedish, too. :)

Almost Every Afternoon, Up & Down the Sidewalk

2008-10-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

Beautiful little birthday girl

2008-10-01T20:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mia! We love you so much!

This little girl's smile never fades between 5:15 and 6pm on Mondays

2008-09-29T18:10:00.004-05:00

One experience she's having that I didn't have is the copious use of PROPS! In this picture they got to use crowns. They have used ballerina dolls, little baskets with red pompoms (berries), scarves, and probably more. But very effective, I'm sure for this 3 year age group!!

I think a certain Fairy will be visiting our house tonight!

2008-09-26T13:08:00.001-05:00

First lost tooth!!!!! E-gads, it makes Chris and I feel old knowing we have a child that is losing teeth.

Another wasted purchase?

2008-09-25T19:26:00.002-05:00

My kids make tents/forts/"houses" OBSESSIVELY all day every day, every chance they get. This is mostly Mia's obsession. And I was getting tired of cleaning up all the messes. Blankets, pillows, chairs, or books that they use for "walls," and then all the toys they take with them into the "house." So I finally bought Mia this awesome castle tent. Well, she plays in it sometimes, but often it just sits there lonely and empty, while Eli and Mia play under the desk behind the draped towels and blankets.

Now I'm REALLY a "big kid"

2008-09-24T18:38:00.000-05:00

Dug this up from the camera. This was the first week of school, after we discovered how cool Eli now thinks the bus is, and how much more convenient walking 3 houses down the street is rather than walking all the way to school or trying to do the nightmare-ish long lines of cars at Kiss 'n' Ride. Such a fun little memory for him.

FOUND THE CAMERA! We can start blogging again! :)

2008-09-23T17:26:00.002-05:00

The problem with our McDonald's habit is that when the stress and hectic-ness rains, it pours, causing us to not space out our visits, and therefore it's still "Star Wars Month" and they get the same toys again and again. Last month, we went to McDonald's 3 times! (That's a lot for us. I HATE McDonalds, so the kids only get to go probably 3 or 4 times a year, ideally. But our schedule and a lot of different things got so crazy, that we ended up there quite a bit.) If you visit McDonald's in a more spread out way over the months, your toys will have more variety. Although they WANT you to "collect all" the figurines, I think the kids would have preferred to have (and I agree) some variety to their McDonald's prizes. :)

Arrgh!!

2008-09-06T21:56:00.003-05:00

I jinxed myself. I told everyone to come and read this blog, then I don't post over here for 2 weeks.

The story is that I LOST my camera! It is so strange. I don't know how that happened. This blog depends heavily on posting pictures of the kids, so my ability to post is suffering a little bit.

Just keep checking back or subscribe to a reader so you don't have to keep checking back, and WISH ME LUCK THAT I FIND THAT THING!

Name That Tune

2008-08-20T21:28:00.003-05:00

If you guessed, "Popeye The Sailorman," you'd be right! I didn't know Popeye could sail a boat, either. :)

Mia Giving Her First Primary Talk

2008-08-15T16:12:00.005-05:00

They like each other!!!! Yay!

2008-08-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

I'm knocking on wood as I'm writing this, but it does seem like Eli & Mia are fighting less lately! They have been each others' play companions all summer, and they have had so much fun. Here are a couple of cute moments I caught on film recently.

What month is it??

2008-08-05T15:41:00.000-05:00

The next couple of days I will be playing a bit of catch up with posting photos. For starters, now that July is OVER....!!!!, here are our 4th of July photos. We stayed local in Lorton, watching the little parade and doing sparklers.

So close.....!!!

2008-08-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

You know those swim meets I talked about, a couple posts ago? And how Mia never got brave enough to participate? Well, this story deserves a post of its own. The final swim meet is called the Lollipop Meet, with only mini-swimmers participating, and they try to make it a lot of fun for the kids. Well, Mia heard there were large lollipops involved, and she said she would give it a try. She did the warm-ups, she sat on the bench with the mini-hawks waiting for her turn. She walked up to the race lanes with her flotation noodle and the instructor Mia chose to help her. The time came for her to get ready for her race, and they literally said, "Silence so the swimmers can hear the signal. Swimmers, take your marks,............."

All of a sudden came a HUGE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR OF RAIN, THUNDER AND LIGHTENING!!!!!!!!!!! The irony was absolutely incredible. She was getting up her nerve for this event and just suffering with anticipation and they canceled the meet because of the storm. There was so much rain that I was soaked to the bone just running back to our bench and gathering our belongings. I looked and felt like I had been immersed in the pool in my jean shorts and top. All the moms knew how brave Mia had been to be there and willing, and one of them joked with me that this is a sure sign that it will rain on her wedding, and told me I just HAD to put this event in her scrapbook to document it. Poor Mia. Maybe next year will be her year for swimming.

2008-08-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

Well, here is the swim lesson update. Poor Mia. She just let her fear of the water get the best of her. I finally realized that I had to back off. I was exhausting myself and her trying to get her to participate. I also realized that my "encouragement" was not allowing Mia to build trust with her instructor. And so I just decided to be in Zen mode and let whatever happen happen. Mia decided to participate a little and progress a little. Maybe next year will be a better year for her. I'm glad she progressed as much as she did, though. Eli made a lot of strides- his main one being that he will now hold his nose put his head under the water for short periods of time. THIS IS HUGE FOR HIM!!! I'm really proud of him.

The pictures are of the kids practicing "streamline" arms above their head, as they do "pencil jumps" into the shallow water. They both got brave enough to jump off the diving board in the deep end (with a lot of assurances from like 4 instructors working together.) At the last swim practice, one of the moms made a cute cake like a swimming pool and laminated pictures of the instructors & kids for the top of the cake.

Swimmers, take your marks

2008-08-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

The swimming lessons Eli & Mia participated in this year were part of the High School swim team's "mini" component. Our team is the Hayfield Seahawks, and they were the Mini Hawks. They were able to participate in official swim meets throughout the last couple of months, competing against other beginning "swimmers," with the national anthem, timers, the air horn signaling "go," and little prize ribbons for the participants. Eli participated in the kickboard races, and Mia was progressing, but is still too afraid of doing the kickboard. But it was such a blast and a self-confidence booster for Eli & for our family to go & cheer him on. Here's a little collage of the swim meet experience.

Baltimore Children's Museum

2008-08-01T15:39:00.000-05:00

We went to Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore a few weeks ago. What a blast!! It was just an amazing fun place.

Ocean City 2008

2008-07-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

My Karma Bistro

2008-07-15T15:17:00.002-05:00

Here are the kids with us at our favorite Indian restaurant, My Karma Bistro. I'm sorry, but I had NO CLUE what Indian food was when I was age 3 or 5. I knew about root beer and pizza at Der Ratskeller. What torture Chris and I put our kids through at home on a normal basis- tasting artichokes, mushrooms, tofu, kale, spinach, peppers, fish, ginger, jalepeno, couscous, turnips... you name it! It was a welcome relief to them, probably to go have curry chicken and basmati rice at the Indian restaurant. They are great sports. Last night they had tuna burgers flavored with mustard and horse radish and cole slaw with rice vinegar and garlic & they said it was the most awesome meal they'd had in a long time! I'm so glad our kids have expanded their palates while they are young. It's funny, I just asked Eli what was the weirdest thing I'd ever asked him to taste, and he said stuffed pasta shells!!! It's to the point where marinara & pasta is weird to them!! Last night I also felt I'd done my job when we took them to get slurpees in celebration of Eli's swim meets being over with, and the kids said, "What is a slurpee?"

2008-06-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

We have been spending some family time watching movies on Sundays occasionally. Last Sunday, as we were making popcorn, (Eli likes to climb up on the counter and watch the action in the air popper) he ran and got his Power Ranger's mask! He said the air from the popper was making his face too hot! :)

The Swimming Lesson Struggles!

2008-06-26T20:08:00.002-05:00

Eli and Mia love the pool. That is-- they love it when they can splash in the baby pool (1 foot deep), play on the shallow steps, or occasionally float with the security of a big floatie. Swimming lessons where they are encouraged to actually swim are a whole different story. Last year Mia was too little for formal lessons, but at Eli's lesson, his swimming teachers were literally begging him to try things. "Please jump to me. I promise I'll catch you. The water only comes up to your chest!!" Although Eli still refuses to get his face wet AT ALL (even with goggles!), he's doing much better this year. Well, the progress is still slow, but at least he's having fun & I have some hope.

Mia on the other hand is doing what Eli did last year, only a bit worse. Her anxiety is so strong that she won't let go of the wall. And if we force her, she will scream and cry uncontrollably and takes 5 minutes to calm down. Why oh why did I spend the money on these lessons for her???

Maybe by the end of the summer I can give a more favorable report.

I Wonder What He Was Listening To

2008-06-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

Some Fun With Lincoln Logs

2008-06-24T16:51:00.000-05:00

Dad & Kids' Trip to the Pool Last Week

2008-06-22T09:25:00.000-05:00

Oh How Cute!

2008-06-20T13:04:00.002-05:00

Our friends, the Donithans took pity on Chris and invited him over for a BBQ on Father's Day while he was wife-less (I heard Joey was wife-less, too. So it was all guys plus Mia that day!) This is Chris & the kids playing in the Donithans' back yard.

Guess Who Saw Kung Fu Panda While Mom Was Gone?

2008-06-19T14:55:00.004-05:00

Admittedly not the best picture of the kids, but I had to post it because I love Mia's new purple Old Navy skirt. :) Sometimes you just have to live vicariously. :)

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day!!

Mia has started telling us we are her best friends. So cute!

I miss these guys here in Utah, sad to be absent on Father's Day! Sending love to my best friends!

When the Cat's Away . . .

2008-06-13T20:34:00.012-05:00

So Mommy has been in Utah since Thursday morning. We took advantage of the rare time we get to have Daddy all to ourselves. Here is the play-by-play of today in pictures.

We started out the day after eating breakfast by cleaning Mia's room:Then we cleaned Eli's room:

We made mommy & daddy's bed.
Then while we were at it, we cleaned downstairs:
Mia got carried away with the wet wipes.After we finished with the house we went to Washington D.C. to visit the National Aquarium. Eli got hungry on the way, so we decided to stop and eat by the Post Office Pavilion, across from the FBI headquarters. . . .
We had peanut butter sandwiches and bananas.It was nice to get some shade from this tree and this building.Aren't we crazy!?

The acquarium was lots of fun. We saw all kinds of fishies, sharks, turtles and crocodiles.

On the way to the Metro, we stopped near that Washington Monument to have a snack.
And then we went in to have a closer look.
And of course, we stopped for plenty of potty breaks. Half of a trip like this, for daddy, is potty management and planning. Fortunately, there were no accidents.
All-in-all, it was a really fun day. We miss mommy lots, but with all the things we're doing, we hardly have time to think about it. We love you mommy!!

Cooling down the old fashioned way

2008-06-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

Running through the sprinklers! And this was last week, actually before all this nasty heat! I won't even let them outside today because I just don't want dehydrated melting children!

The Mr. Potatohead Show

2008-06-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

Eli's Kindergarten Graduation Program Condensed Down to 5 Minutes

2008-06-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

The first song is the months of the year in Spanish while doing the Macarena! It's a lot for a 5 year old to think about! :) The third song with the drums is in Japanese. The instructor asks them if they're ready before it starts, and they say, "yes" ("Hai!"). The last song is obviously "So Long, Farewell" from Sound of Music, and they changed the lyrics. Very cute. Someone had asked me if I would tear up during Eli's graduation, and I was snorted, "NO!!! What? Are you kidding?" But when they "flew" down the aisle and out of the room, it was too much for me & I did tear up.

This has been such a great year for Eli & he IS thriving and flying. They have prepared him so well for all that's ahead of him. It is actually quite touching to see Eli moving on. He's been at this school for 3 years & we've loved it.

Congratulations, Eli! We love you!

More Preschool Graduation Photos

2008-06-06T14:11:00.003-05:00

Mia's Preschool Closing Program Song

2008-06-01T17:00:00.003-05:00

Mia is farthest to the right in the middle row. My favorite parts are "Are You Ready?", "Twist, twist, twist," and when she lifts up her skirt to show everyone her knees during the "little knees" part of the song. :)

Last Day of Preschool

2008-05-23T19:34:00.002-05:00

The day before the final program, Eli's class had a picnic & field day, where the parents were invited. This is Eli playing capture the flag.

I will try and edit some video to post of the cute little closing program to post tomorrow or in the next few days. But this is Eli receiving his Kindergarten diploma from the preschool director, Ms. Margaret.

Above is Eli with his teacher, Mrs. Evans (left) and Mrs. Swahn, the assistant (right). I can't even say enough what a good year it's been for Eli, and it's all because of these 2 wonderful teachers.

This was Mia's teacher this year, Ms. Jean. We just love her. After preschool Thursday, our family went to lunch at a nearby cafe. Mia saw Ms. Jean, and just ran full speed with open arms to her and hugged her. She's been fantastic, too.

These are the two rascals after the program with cookies all over their faces.

2008-05-22T20:00:00.002-05:00

We got some new bushes. Firepower Nandina, which will keep their leaves in the fall & winter, but they will turn bright beautiful red! The kids are always so utterly thrilled to help Chris, no matter if he's indoors or out.

A Little Daydreaming Moment

2008-05-20T16:47:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Eli & Mia were content to play outside for hours and hours. I liked this little moment I captured where they look like they were just happy observing the grass and plants and just hanging out. I spent my entire young childhood outside playing in our family's big yard & I remember doing this type of thing. It made me happy that they are finally doing it! Although we're city slickers, they don't need to be strictly indoor kids!

Yay! We went to a Hot Wheels birthday party!

2008-05-19T14:26:00.001-05:00

2008-05-16T19:06:00.002-05:00

It's taking us a bit longer to get anywhere nowadays. I have HAD IT with the fighting, tattling, hitting, pinching, screaming, arguing & everything else that can come along with sibling rivalry. The car is the worst because we DON'T own a mini-van with a DVD player and in our small sedan, they sit right within reach to one another and they are CONSTANTLY in the car. On a normal day, they spend a minimum of 45 minutes, just going to preschool & back & maybe to the grocery store. If we have to go anywhere farther than that, or on more errands, heaven help us.

So the new thing is, "Would you like to work it out on your own in a friendly way, or would you like to go to time out?" They are starting to realize that they can often use friendly voices & work things out. But we had to prove to them that we really would put them in time-out if they didn't stop. So we stopped the car a lot!! It actually really is significantly better now. Thank goodness.

Father's & Son's Outing

2008-05-14T20:15:00.003-05:00

Chris said they had a lot of fun together. They had hot dogs & a dutch oven meal that evening & a devotional near the campfire. Eli got tired relatively early & he & Chris slept on the soft spongy ground in their tent. Unfortunately, Eli had a bit of a hard time sleeping soundly (got up & had to pee a million times.) At that point it was raining a bit. But it let up in time for them to enjoy breakfast, then head on home. That long 5 minute drive.

Mom & Mia watched Tivo'd Dancing with the Stars & actually slept great, thanks! :)

2008-05-13T16:56:00.003-05:00

Click on the collage to see a larger version.

One of my favorite moments of Eli's time at Franconia Baptist Child Development Center has been the Mother's Day Luncheon. They do it with the Pre-K children and the Kindergarteners. This year, Eli's class worked really hard to make an elaborate luncheon. First I got a specially addressed personal invitation. When I arrived, they had this amazing place setting with a program for the luncheon and the many handmade gifts Eli had made. Drawings, paintings, hand prints and foot prints, poems, a memory box, a recipe holder with Eli's photo, and a bookmark with my favorite scripture. We had a game- match the drawing your child made of himself with the one he made of you. Then the class had practiced and practiced to put on a little play for us. They recited nursery rhymes and the kids took turns being the actors in the different rhymes. Eli starred as the spider in Miss Muffet, and The Candlestickmaker in Rub-a-dub-dub. He did a great job. The kids just had so much fun.

There was a really beautiful poem in the program. I think I should have it tatooed to my forehead or something. I tried to take a photo, there in the collage, but it's hard to read, so here it is:

A Mother's Prayer

Oh give me patience when tiny hands
Tug at me with their small demands.
And give me gentle and smiling eyes;
Keep my lips from sharp replies.
And let not fatigue, confusion or noise
Obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys.
So when, years later, my house is still --
No bitter memories of its room may fill.

Smithsonian Butterfly Garden

2008-05-12T14:58:00.002-05:00

Mia came with Mom & Dad on their date night last Saturday. We went to the Smithsonian Butterfly Garden, a temporary exhibition, which was a room full of flowers and butterflies inside the Natural History Museum. 90 degrees and 50% humidity! But it was beautiful. The butterflies were flying all over the place & would sometimes land on people. Afterwards we went to see U2 3D (sorry, this preview doesn't do it justice!! It was so cool like there was a 20 foot human being in front of you that you could reach out and touch.) Mia was great. She sat there enjoying it with her 3D glasses on & clapped. After a while, she sat on Chris' lap and took a nap.

2008-05-04T20:08:00.002-05:00

My friend, Cynthia, another soccer mom took these photos yesterday at Eli's soccer game while I held her newborn baby for a few minutes. What an amazing job she did. Click on any of them to see it enlarged.

For those of you who don't know, Chris coaches the Kindergarten team. They chose to be called the "Tornados." :) The opposing coach kept saying, "What are you guys called again? The Tomatoes?"

3 People I Love

2008-05-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

Slow Down

2008-05-01T18:38:00.002-05:00

Eli practicing his reading today reminded me of......

This darling photo, which I've always loved.

I have a hard time not getting so sad looking at pictures of the kids such a short time ago when they were so little!!! Sad because can you ever be 100% sure you took advantage & soaked in every moment of their beautiful childhood? It's gone WAY TOO FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet little darlings.

Brrrrrrrrrr...

2008-04-30T21:14:00.001-05:00

It was Baskin Robbins' $0.31 scoop night tonight. A fun little spontaneous outing with the family.

Helpers

2008-04-29T21:37:00.002-05:00

I can't even tell you how many people (pretty much every single person who we saw in the whole store) stopped and commented on how cute it was for me to have 2 little shoppers following me with their carts, and what good "HELPERS" they were. This is Eli & Mia's favorite thing in the whole world. I wish we didn't have to have a whole litany of rules to survive the ordeal (no bashing into shelves, no running into people, no driving onto the back of mom's heels, no helping ones' self to groceries that mom doesn't want to buy, no running away and getting lost in the store, and the normal rules that they always struggle with: no fighting, no tantrums over treats or candy... all this is actually harder than it sounds for a 5 year old & a 3 year old!!) We did all survive, but every time after it's over, I ask myself what was I thinking??

2008-04-28T20:45:00.004-05:00

Mia and I got to babysit a delightful little baby this morning. Neve, my friend, Brynn's little girl played, ate, slept and even clapped (reportedly for the first time!) at our house for a few hours. Mia was such an awesome assistant. She shared her toys, made Neve smile & laugh, fetched things for me from her baby bag, and was basically in awe of the things babies do. I don't know who had more fun, Mia or me.

P.S. Both Mia & Eli are into fake smiling lately. Our photographer at The Picture People said it's their ages. They are "trying" to smile instead of just smiling. I think all our pictures are going to look like this for the next little while.

2008-04-27T17:22:00.001-05:00

Mia sleeping on top of a pile of clean unfolded laundry after church on Sunday. (Nice.) Church is 1pm-4pm, so there are no naps for her those days. That about sums up the chaos at our house today.

Western Day & Earth Day

2008-04-26T09:55:00.002-05:00

Last week the preschool had "Western Day." The kids got to dress up as cowboys & cowgirls, have barbecued hamburgers & hotdogs for lunch, and play a bunch of games, like prospecting for "gold nuggets" in the sand box. They had a blast. Eli's sweet teachers made these little horses for each kid in his class to take home. Eli LOVES his horse. Its name is Smokey.

Also, to celebrate Earth Day, Eli's kindergarten class got to plant a tree. So luckily, Eli's promise was kept. Eli & Mia were also given cabbage plants at school. This is Mia planting her cabbage in a pot in our backyard last night.

Rendered Almost Speechless

2008-04-23T22:56:00.002-05:00

Eli & Mia got these professional portraits taken yesterday. They turned out so beautiful that both Chris & my jaws were dropped to the ground. What unbelievably gorgeous children. Seriously. We had a bit of a hard time getting a good photo of the photos. You'll have to come visit to see it & do it justice.

Eli's Homework From Yesterday

2008-04-22T17:53:00.002-05:00

Two Part F.H.E.

2008-04-21T22:59:00.002-05:00

We have been trying in our family to hold regular Family Home Evening nights. Somehow along the way, the kids have come to expect as one of their inalienable rights, to have a game or an activity with us weekly, as part of the evening. The problem is that Chris' overtime work schedule right now is causing us to have almost no time Monday nights for all this. The solution we have found is to have a game or activity on Sunday, then the lesson part of Family Home Evening on Monday (super short!). This takes the pressure off everyone. Last night, Eli was dying to play with play-doh together as a family. He even proposed a play-doh creation contest. My winning creation (a rabbit-caterpillar-hybrid) remains unphotographed, but here are Eli and Mia, immersed in sculpting their dough.

And for those interested, this

is the greatest book for SHORT Family Home Evening lessons for young children! :)

How's The Weather, You Ask?

2008-04-20T21:18:00.002-05:00

Here are Eli & Mia outside playing in the torrential downpour today. Ironically, they are watering the roses with watering cans. We wouldn't want the flowers to dry up, now would we?

I Love You, Sweet Little Beautiful Eli

2008-04-19T22:31:00.001-05:00

FATHER FORGETS
W. Livingston Larned
condensed as in "Readers Digest"

Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little
paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily
wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone.
Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the
library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily
I came to your bedside.

There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross
to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because
you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to
task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when
you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You
gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You
spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off
to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand
and called, "Goodbye, Daddy!" and I frowned, and said in
reply, "Hold your shoulders back!"

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came
up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles.
There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before
your boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house.
Stockings were expensive-and if you had to buy them you would
be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how
you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes?
When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption,
you hesitated at the door. "What is it you want?" I snapped.

You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge,
and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your
small arms tightended with an affection that God had set
blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither.
And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.

Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped
from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What
has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of
reprimanding-this was my reward to you for being a boy. It
was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too
much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own
years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your
character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn
itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous
impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters
tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and
I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these
things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But
tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer
when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my
tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it
were a ritual: "He is nothing but a boy-a little boy!"

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you
now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are
still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother's arms, your
head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.

Guest Photographer

2008-04-18T21:51:00.003-05:00

It's really a shame that Mom has to be the family's main photographer, because Dad has much more natural skill in this area. The photos he gets just on his cell phone are so priceless sometimes. Here are "Best of" Chris' cell phone pictures from the last few months.

Look At These Happy Kids

2008-04-17T19:23:00.002-05:00

Today we had a really fun day. Not only was it upper 70s & sunny, resulting in mucho playground time at school, but I decided to take them to see Horton Hears A Who to top the afternoon off. We shared the huge theater stadium seating with only 2 other people!! The kids loved it. Except they were a little scared of the eagle part, but what's a kid's movie without scary parts? I snapped this picture of them at the end with the credits in the background.

One other cute thing Mia said today. We have a game our kids like to play with us where we (Chris or I) sing a little bit of a song, then we pause, and Eli & Mia sing whatever word comes next. For example, we sing, "I am a child of..." and they say "God." And they especially love to sing Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam that way, so they can yell out, "BEAM!" So I was doing this with Mia, and at the very end of the song, it should say, "I'll be a sunbeam for him." So I sang, "I'll be a sunbeam for..." and Mia said, "EVER." I wish she would be a sunbeam forever. But for a walk down memory lane, go back and watch this awesome video of Mia singing one year ago. They change so quickly. Also, for future mini-family-movies, I plan on keeping the links to them on the sidebar, so stay tuned for that.

Because I Didn't Show You Earlier...

2008-04-16T20:33:00.002-05:00

This is what Eli & Mia were doing for the better part of General Conference. Sitting like little angels coloring their pictures from Sugardoodle. In their pajamas. With one Halloween costume over top. :)

Mrs. Brown

2008-04-15T22:08:00.003-05:00

Here, Mia is with one of her preschool teachers, Mrs. Brown at the playground. Both Mia and Eli have had fantastic teachers, and we've been so blessed. With Mia's huggy (at times clingy!) personality, we are so glad her current teachers are so patient and loving with her.

New Shoes Today

2008-04-14T22:07:00.004-05:00

Flip-flop weather is almost upon us. The shocking thing I learned today in the store buying these, is that Eli is no longer in toddler shoe sizes! He is in full-fledged boy sizes! These are his first size 1 boys shoes! :) But they're still such cute toes, aren't they?

2008-04-13T21:52:00.003-05:00

The Easter Bunny brought Mia the gift of her little 3-year-old dreams: a little pack of 3 sparkley lip glosses and some cheek sparkle. She calls it her "make up." Mostly the make-up has been living in mom's bathroom, so when mom gets out her make-up, Mia can, too. She's been pretty good with it, even though once, a pile of pink cheek sparkle ended up on the carpet & last night some of the "make-up" ended up in her hair somehow. Don't grow up too fast, little Mia!!

What We Did Today

2008-04-12T21:01:00.003-05:00

Mom's new goal (we'll see how this goes) is to post a photo per day to keep a better log of what we've been up to!

Today Eli had soccer photos, but no game. Rained out! But the rain stopped in time for the babysitting co-op. The kids spent the majority of the time outside riding on tricycles and jumping on the little trampoline we have in our backyard. It's perfect for the kids. It's only a couple feet off the ground, and only 8 feet in diameter. But it bounces high like a big tramp. Wow! We're almost as lucky as our cousins with the big yards in the Rocky Mountain West!

Guess Who Got Into The Shoe Tying Club?

2008-03-21T21:11:00.003-05:00

He looks thrilled, doesn't he? But I promise you he was! Chris worked with him for about an hour, and he finally got it! Yay! At school, his teacher motivates the kids to do all different things by calling them clubs. I think Eli's next goal is the "I know my address club." All the homework is really for the parents, not the kids! Don't let them fool you! :)

Trying to stay in trouble

2008-02-23T12:59:00.003-05:00

Mia was with me at a Weight Watchers Meeting last week, and they were talking about portion sizes and using visual aids. The leader was holding up different things, and her tone was really getting the point across to Mia about how terrible junk food was for you. So I think she was holding up some chips (?) or something and Mia stands up on her chair and in her most scolding voice, she yells, "WE DON'T EAT THOSE!" It got a good laugh from the leader & the WW ladies. :)

Chris was putting Mia to bed and trying to get his point across about staying in bed & not misbehaving. He paused for a bit, and then Mia interjected, "Daddy, I'll try to stay in trouble." Chris' heart was melting. Then Mia said, "Daddy, you try not to be mad at me." I think we managed not to be mad at her that night. The little sweetie.

"When I'm a parent...."

2007-12-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

A few days ago...

Eli: "When I grow up and my kids flood the bathroom and break the kitchen ceiling..."

Us: "Yeah..." (Expecting him to say, "I'll never punish them & be horrible parents like you!")

Eli: "Dad, when I grow up, if my kids do that, can you teach me how to fix it?"

We were so choked up. He was basically saying, "When I grow up, I want to be just like you, Dad." When is there ever a prouder parental moment? :)

You just can't win sometimes

2007-12-16T20:25:00.000-05:00

During a particularly difficult few days, this is what Eli & Mia's family prayers sounded like:

Eli: "Dear Heavenly Father, Please help Mommy to fix her voice.* In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

Mia: "... Please! help! Mommy! to! Be! Happy! ...." (repeating the words Chris was helping her with, she was standing behind me doing karate chops on my back. Yeah, that will help me to be happy.)

* "Fix Your Voice" is something we say to the kids to get them to stop whining, or to talk more nicely to each other. Oops!

Mia and Eli

2007-11-11T16:58:00.001-05:00

Just a little dancing celebration for Mia having gone poop in the toilet. :) Yay!

Bowling is so much more fun with all my cousins!

2007-09-06T19:43:00.001-05:00

After we went to the Bean Museum, we had a small picnic on BYU campus, then went bowling, at an alley where my uncle Jeremy is part owner. It is the funnest place to go and everyone had a blast.

Here are all my cousins that were at the reunion. From left to right: Mia, Levi, Melia, Joseph, Cardon and Eli, with Keith above. (Eli is doing his socks "So You Think You Can Dance" style) :)

Our uncle Paul decided to be the helper of all the beginning bowlers. What a sweet thing to do so that the other moms & dads could have fun & bowl.

2007-09-04T20:10:00.001-05:00

Our grandma and grandpa are so much fun. They created a game for us to search for coins in a pile of sawdust. How inventive & fun. We were amused for a really long time (which is a miracle given the length of our attention spans). Wish we could go to grandma & grandpa's to get wet and get dirty more often because our mom sure never lets us!

Cute little picture of Mia's behind. :)

Cardon Family Reunion Continued: The Treasure Hunt

2007-09-02T14:19:00.001-05:00

Pictures from our treasure hunt! From left to right in the picture above: cousins Melia, Joseph, Cardon, Eli, Mia and Uncle Paul.

The Cardon Family Reunion

2007-09-01T22:36:00.000-05:00

At Grandma & Grandpa's house we started out with a bunch of games & activities. These are some chalk drawings on the sidewalk that my mom, my cousin, Levi & I (Eli) drew as we started the day. A castle & our family tree.

We've been in Utah for a few weeks!

2007-08-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

The next few posts will be pictures from our trip. Here is a very excited little boy about to board the airplane in D.C. We flew from D.C. to Denver, to Salt Lake. New sunglasses, new spiderman watch, new spiderman backpack that ROLLS. New toys to keep him busy on the plane... he was READY!!

From Eli: Five Reasons Why I'm Glad I'm Five

2007-08-06T19:29:00.000-05:00

Just to have a birthday. To have cake and the birthday song.
To have new stuff. Presents, of course.
Specifically, magnets from Grandma.
To be older like Alexa.
To be in the Penguin Kindergarten class.

More Pictures Do The Talking For Us

2007-07-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

This is us bowling for the first time at Lucky Strike in Chinatown, Washington, D.C.

This is how Mom found the couch & floor the other day after Mia dumped a whole box of Cheerios and a box of Raisin Bran all over. (The photo doesn't even do it justice.)

The next two are Mia and Eli on the bike obstacle course at our ward's Pioneer Day party.

Some Photo Updates

2007-07-06T15:54:00.001-05:00

A Parade on the 4th of July

We are on the tourmobile at Arlington Cemetery

Another beautiful Arlington Cemetery Picture

Mia helping load the dishwasher at 11:00 p.m. one night while she was sick & wouldn't sleep.

What Do You Do In The Summertime?

2007-06-24T14:44:00.000-05:00

Here's what Eli and Mia have been up to. (Unfortunately, the photo-journaling has not been up to par, but we'll tell you about it instead.)

We went to the Bureau of Engraving & Printing and saw how money was printed. We thought it was pretty cool to go to Washington, D.C. for the afternoon.
We are tall enough to bounce around the water by ourselves in the shallow end of Hayfield Pool. We've seen lots of preschool friends there & we love it until we meltdown with fatigue while Mom's swimsuit strap simultaneously breaks and she drags us out of there. Never a dull moment.
Eli has been doing the Summer Bridge workbook to get ready for Kindergarten next year. He LOVES it & asks to do his "homework" every day.
Eli has proudly become the best expert room cleaner & bed maker. He brags about it to friends. "I'm really great at cleaning my room and making my bed."
Dad took us to the tennis court (For Father's Day, Eli gave Dad a can of tennis balls & a small racket Eli can use so they can play together). We were in heaven. Eli learned forehand and Mia was content to just drag a big racket all over the court.
We went to a library class and listened to books about parades, made our own tambourines and marched on the grass with all the other kids.
Our family played mini-golf at Burke Lake Park. Eli was actually a great little golfer and scored equal to or just over par 2 or 3 times! Mia again was content to just drag the golf club all over the golf course. :) She'll work on her sports achievements as she gets a little older.

Does This Make You Dizzy?

2007-06-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

It sure made my mom & I dizzy!

A Fun Weekend For Eli

2007-05-12T20:24:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day Luncheon at my preschool! I helped make the food, the flowers, a placemat for mom, an invitation for her, and planted some zinnia seeds that sprouted! (Too bad no one can get me to smile in any pictures anymore.)

The Father's & Son's Campout! I was counting down to it all week!

Some Opinions from Mia

2007-04-27T12:59:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while my mom takes me to the gym. They have a day care there that I don't care much for. But I've got a sure-fire way to make my visits short. Just poop! Mom NEVER brings diapers with us. So when I'm done being in the day care, all I have to do is poop, tell the ladies I have a poopy diaper, they go get my mom, and Voila! My mom shows up and we go home.

Earlier today...

Mom: Mia, are the ladies at the gym nice or not nice?
Me: Not nice.
Mom: Is Sister Brisson nice or not nice?
Me: Nice.
Mom: Is Daddy nice or not nice?
Me: Nice.
Mom: Are your nursery teachers nice or not nice?
Me: Nice.
Mom: Is mommy nice or not nice?
Me: Not nice.
Mom: What??????????

A 4 Year Old Trying To Understand a Mass Shooting

2007-04-17T17:48:00.000-05:00

From Eli: (mom's comments in green)

I heard the radio say that 33 people have been killed and I asked my mom about it. What happened is a mean, mean, mean robber (robber=enemy of the police/anyone who does something mean and bad) had a gun and shot a bunch of people. Then he shot HIMSELF!!!!! (That's what really got to him. I think he was just glad the bad guy wasn't around anymore.)

The people who died are ok. They are in heaven. If I die, I will be ok. I will go to heaven.

But I won't die. Jesus and the police will protect me. There are no bad guys in my neighborhood. They are far away. I'm safe in my home and at my school. (Our kids HAVE to believe that. Life just can't go on if they don't.)

When my mom asked me about it again (trying to make sure that he really did feel safe & not scared), I said I didn't want to talk about it anymore because "I might get frightened." (Ok. I got the hint.)

From Mia

2007-04-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

Mom took a while to post this because there was a big learning curve! Here is 2 minutes and 20 seconds of my great singing (the best is at the end)!