Ooh la la!

One of Travis's really good friends is living in Paris right now. We've been joking about going out to visit him, but last week we found dynamo airfare and decided to jump on it. So, Paris, here we come... in late February when we'll freeze our tails off on the banks of the Seine. I guess we'll have to drink plenty of chocolat to stay warm.

PS-- let me know if you have recommendations of what to see/do while we're there.

Eternal Family

On Saturday night we had a really neat experience. We went to a family temple night with all the descendants from my dad's great-grandfather. One of those descendants is M. Richard Walker, president of the Salt Lake Temple, so he organized this event. We all had dinner together, then had a family meeting in the chapel, and then did a session. It was so great.
The truth was that I knew only 4-5 of the 100 people there. But it was cool to be part of a family, knowing that we all came from the same Caleb Summerhays who joined the church back in England and finally was able to come to Zion at age 71.
And the 4-5 people I knew there are some of my favorite people on the planet. This line is my dad's mom's side, and she died when my dad was 14, so we really don't do much with this side of the family. But there is one lady (Aunt Sally) who has taken us under her wing because she was best-friend/cousins with my grandmother. She is so sweet, and when T and I were first married, we lived near her. We painted one of her rooms one night, and she says she still thinks of us whenever she enters the room.
So, hooray for families that are forever! Hooray to have a chance to do temple work as a family group. I look forward to the day when I can meet my forebears, particularly my grandma, and feel of their wonderful spirits. And hooray to know that this little family of my own is another link in the long chain of eternal family. I want to keep them for sure!

Property

Well, before we've even officially purchased our first home, Travis owns property in another state.
He's started this little entrepreneurial adventure with 2 of his high-integrity friends where they find land that is up for tax auction and buy it, then sell it for a profit. So, last week they bought their first peice of property someplace in Michigan. Hopefully it goes well. T seems convinced that if they work it right they could have a million dollars in three (or maybe ten, I can't remember the details) years.

Anna's Birthday

Anna turned 3 last Friday. I am so glad to have her as my daughter. She is growing so quickly and it frightens me to realize I only have a few years left with her until she starts kindergarten, then high school, college, marriage..... eek! She's practically there!
She really is sweet and she tries so hard to be good. She is especially sweet with Kate, which makes my mommy heart so happy. I feel blessed to have her as my daughter and my little friend.
Her birthday party was indeed wild, but because I was coralling children I forgot to take pictures. Travis was dutiful with the video camera, though, so at least we have that. (I'm sure there are some of you saying, well, post the video. But, honestly, I have no clue where to start with that). What I learned from her birthday is that you should do all food at the same time... or else you end up with cupcakes mashed in your carpet at the end. I also learned that 3 year olds are pretty easy to impress. They were very into a dance game where we danced like wild animals, and a parachute game using one of my sheets.
You can bet that would not last long at a grown up party. Cherish the moment now, eh?

You're Invited

Since lots of friends have moved far away from us, I thought I'd post this so that you all know that you're totally invited to Anna's birthday party this weekend. She chose to have a Wild Animal party, which is perfect for her because she loves animals.
We'd love to have you come, even though it's likely impossible. And, for those of you who live closer, please know that you're invited too, even if you didn't get one of these formal invites. I lost a little enthusiasm for the whole project after one batch. Just let me know if you're going to come!

PS-- Annie, another example of Stampin Up Wild About You. I love this set!!


(Sorry, I got paranoid about someone finding my house, so I removed the invite.)

Closer and closer

Check this out! Our house has wood now! They have pretty much framed the bottom floor, but there was a ton of loose wood all over the place so we couldn't really get any closer than this. Still, it's exciting to know that those will be our walls.

Also, I bought the most beautiful curtains (chocolate brown and lusciously soft) for $12 each over the weekend. On the same trip I scored a pretty purple shower curtain for our master bath for $3. Trav says I'm crazy for buying it before we get there, but I figure, we'll want to shower the first day right?

anyway, it's getting closer and closer.....

Ode to My Eldest

At the beginning of this week, I was pretty sure that Anna was Public Enemy #1. We were fighting all the time, about every little thing! I was exasperated to say the least.
Somehow around Thursday she turned back into Angel Anna. Indulge me while I gloat about my little sweetheart.
1. Kate was having a pretty sick little tummy and pooped all over me during the time I was trying to make lunch. While I was cleaning up that mess, she pooped again, this time all over herself and our carpet. Talk about a HUGE mess. This took my attention away from Anna completely. But guess what she did while I wasn't paying attention--- she took our chicken nuggets :) out of the microwave, got out the ketchup, a banana, and was on a chair trying to get a cup out of the cupboard when I got back to the kitchen. She took it upon herself to make lunch! what a good helper.
2. Later that night I was at Institute and T was home with the kids. Again a poop incident for Kate, again no attention to Anna. This time she cleaned up all the toys in our front room while T took care of Kate-o. This is unprecedented for her! Trav says that she was busy cleaning for about 5 minutes (eternity for a 3 year old) before he even noticed. Yea Anna!
3. Last night T and Anna were having a little battle because she wanted a treat. I told her she needed to find a compromise with her dad. She went into him and said, "Daddy, we need to poppernize."
T: What do you mean?
A: I want a treat.
T: So we need to poppernize.
Me: Anna, a compromise means that you give something and Dad gives something and then everyone is happy.
A: Here. You can have my dinner. (pushes her last 2 bites of dinner at him)
Me: It has to be something Dad would want. (we go through ideas of what might make Daddy happy. She settles on the idea that Dad would be happy if she did something nice for her sister, like getting her a super fun toy.)
A: grabs the nearest thing, which happens to be a refrigerator magnet, and hands it to Kate. "Now I get a treat!"
T: No, it has to be a good toy.
A: Runs to her bedroom and comes back with her FAVORITE doggie. A major sacrifice, and gives to Kate.
4. Last night she wanted me to put her in bed, which she never asks for. She always wants Dad, but last night, she wanted me.
Isn't that sweet? I love little Anna so much. Sometimes she drives me absolutely nuts, and it seems like those are the times that she is acting the most like me! She is just an independent, busy, curious, and treat-motivated little girl who loves to be "cozy" with her mommy! She is a great blessing in my life.

Money, money, money

I love saving money. Not like saving in the bank, but like saving money on things that I need to buy anyway.... getting a deal. So, imagine my delight earlier this week when I needed to get my car fixed because the trunk wouldn't open. I called my dad, who couldn't fix it. I called the dealership, and they said it would cost $90 just to look at it, then whatever else it cost to fix it. Then I called a random place in the phone book. He told me $30 for everything. I said I'd be right there!
Granted, it was a little bit of a ghetto body shop, and the people there didn't speak English (I didn't care), and they could only take cash (no credit, no check).... but the trunk opens and it only cost me $30!
This is even better than the time I got $10 knocked off a doctor bill because I didn't think that I deserved the extra charge.
Also, made $40 on craigslist last week selling stuff out of our storage that I didn't even like! Like a blanket I started crocheting for Anna but never finished.... why would someone buy that? But she did..
The good news about saving money is that it frees up money for things I really want. So yesterday I got my hair highlighted for the first time in years. I felt girlie and pretty! Anna says I look "bootiful".

A camping we will go

We went camping last Friday night, in spite of the fact that it looked like rain. To be honest, we were more concerned about the lack of sleep we would get than the weather.

Here's the kids and Trav eating Tin Foil Dinners... somehow they always taste good, even though it's just hamburger, potatoes, and carrots. Maybe it's the cup of ketchup that Kate chose to add to hers.

Our kids were thrilled about the tent. Sometimes we make fakey tents at home with sheets, but this was the real deal and they loved it. Anna also enjoyed helping take it down the next morning. Doesn't she look super big in this picture?

The next morning we went for a nature walk. It was fun, but Anna almost fell in the river. I know that as you see this picture you're probably thinking "What is going on with her eyebrows?" I have no idea.... somehow the hat must have sucked them in!