Let the Good Times Roll!!!

Well, we finally got that snow storm that I was expecting this winter. It has been fun to play in and see and hear the girls' excitement. David and I decided to take some time away from the snow and visit my parents in the warmer weather of Texas. It was beautiful weather! It makes it hard to go back to the snow and ice! We drove thru the night all 27 hours, figuring out that it was better to drive while the kids were sleeping, and skip the frequent potty stops. Despite the snow, the roads were dry. I appreciate the snowplows and David and I wondered at one point how much money the city spends each winter to clean up the freeways.

Anyhow, when we got to Texas the girls ran in to see my mom and dad, and hugs and kisses were freely given. Except Ereland, who was just waking up from a nap....and was rather moody. Go figure! We took some time to unload, and then slept.

We spent some time with David's twin sister, Melinda and her family. The kids played well together and before this, I honestly couldn't remember when the last time I had seen them was. I left early one year from the reunion, and so it had been quite a while. CJ was just a baby then, and now she is three! We went to the dollar theater to watch Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief. I hadn't read the books and thought it was a good movie. But the Stucki's all read the series and thought that it was a great disappointment from how the books read. My poor girls didn't know what to expect, and there were a few parts that were a little advanced for them, and they spent the remainder of the show on my lap, but by the end of the show Anastasia had her arms behind her head, reclining back in her seat saying, "Mom, I'm not scared anymore, I can handle this!"


Then in a flash we were off to Mardi Gras in Galveston. My parents joined us, and we had sooo much fun catching all the beads, stuffed animals and cups! The local neighborhood reminded me of our most prized piece of property in Toledo. Before the parade began, Melinda went to take some of her kids to the bathroom, and on the way back a intoxicated local started to follow her and so she hustled to catch up with the only other white family she could see....(trying to blend into their group) but she stepped into a pot hole and sprained her ankle!


Brandon went to rescue her and after a run to CVS for an ice pack and ace bandages she had some relief. The rest of the night we watched Adam mimic the high school dancers with his interesting dance moves.







Steve had a strategic approach to getting beads. He sat on the porch of one of the houses and as the people on the float would try to throw beads up to the balcony of the house, they would inevitably hit the siding and Steve made out good! I think his total was 70 strings of beads. It must weigh at least 8 lbs. Ereland sat on my shoulders and we danced and bopped up and down to the street music. Anastasia and Grandma did well too. There is enough costume jewelry now to last for quite some time! Let the good times roll!

David, Brandon and Grandpa took some of their collection to work and teased that she wouldn't take any beads that she didn't earn! Haha! I am sure there were places where that was true, but we thankfully stayed safe and clean!


It was a good break to take some time off and see some family that we hadn't seen in a while. We played hard this weekend, but now it's time to get back to work! Ugh! How many more days until spring break?

Well hello iPad!

I don't think it is a secret that since I have been married, David has turned me into a soft "techie". My recent fascination has been the apple tablet. Today Apple revealed their product, the iPad. I was so excited to see it, that it may have felt a little like Christmas eve around here last night.


It was fun to watch the live blogs today, but I will say the iPad is a little disappointing for what I was hoping it would offer. And when David came home and told me about sixth sense technology, I was even more disillusioned. A video about sixth sense technology and its potential influence is here.

My only question is with people like this, why aren't they working with larger corporations to make this kind of thing a reality for the masses? One thing is for sure, I can't wait to see what the future brings!

Happy February!

I have always felt gypped that we only get to celebrate Valentines Day for the first 14 days of February. Unlike the big holidays like Christmas and even Halloween that are celebrated for an entire month, so I took it upon myself to put up my "virtual" decorations early. Plus, I have really cute kids, so I had to show them off. We hope that you enjoy Valentines Day this year and know that we are thinking of you!

Winter Inside Activities!

It's been cold and windy this winter and so I've had to do a lot of entertaining inside. Back in November I started a project that finally was finished last night! They are fabric dollhouses. Very cute dollhouses that I made from the cardboard from old diaper boxes, batting and some spare fabric. I started in November because I decided to make a barn for my sister this Christmas. Last night I finished the beach house for Anastasia's Ariel doll and a garden cottage for Ereland's princess Belle. I really liked how they turned out. Now the girls can entertain themselves while I am at choir, or during the last of these winter months. The girls seem to really like them so far, and I am grateful to give them something made from the heart. I am not sure about their durability, so here they are prior to any "tender loving care".
(P.S. now you know why I haven't blogged lately!)

From the mouth of babes!

Anastasia has said some pretty funny things lately, so I thought I would share a few.

We have a new family in the ward that is comming from Manhattan, and I was telling her about their two boys that are the same ages as Anastasia and Ereland. She was excited at first to meet them, but then she started saying,
"Mom what if the boys tickle me?"
"Well they probably wont do that to you, but if they do, you can just say, please don't tickle me."
"But what if I can't say that because I am laughing to hard?"

She thought on this for a minute or two, and then she said, "Mom, boys are so funny."
"Why is that Anastasia?"
"Boys get nervous around me."

Oh, if she only knew what was comming. A talented, beautiful girl would make me nervous too if I were a boy, but maybe she was thinking about her inhibitions and disregard for fear or social customs. She might be a terror to them after all.

And then one morning I was up a little earlier than normal because I had to go visiting teaching up by the church and David and I were in the bathroom getting ready at the same time. Anastasia wakes up and promptly comes in to the bathroom and says matter of factly, Mom it is okay if you go to work with Dad today. I can babysit Ereland and Cardin.

I hope that I never forget the sweet moments my kids create for me. Ereland this morning over cereal told me in her sweetest little voice, "Mom, I love you." And this makes me melt anyhow, but then she leaned over to Anastasia and said,
"Steesia, I wuv ooo too." And Anastasia even responded! (Must have been a good morning) "Ereland I love you back!" And they shared a hug! What cute girls! I think that they will be pretty good friends as they grow up!

Families are forever, and mine is deffinitely a keeper!

Happy New Year!

I dedicate this post to Laura, my sister in law because she maybe mentioned that I was slacking off lately. You would think that with the new year, there would be stories to tell, and fun to be had, but really....we aren't too exciting lately... but here goes.

2010....here we are.
New Years Eve came and we thought about going to a party, but Ereland has been pretty sick lately, so we decided not to share our "icky bugs" with all our friends and we stayed home and watched movies. I am told that when I was a kid, my parents used to let us ring in the new year at 8:00 and tell us it was midnight. I don't know how long that went on, but let just say it wasn't just one year. I miss the annual pizza making, puzzles, and cheeseball, and due to the absence of cable, we didn't even see the ball drop. But we did spend some time together and that is all that really matters. It was nice to just veg out with David. The girls were in their room but stayed up well into the night.... Probably until 11pm before I had to lay the smack down. Tired girls lead to very tired mothers and I was already exhausted from the previous week.

Really, since then,...not too much has happened... just kids being kids. It is getting bitter cold lately, so we are staying indoors. I am grateful that everyone is healthy now and happy.

I am looking forward to more snow, that is perhaps the one thing we have done recently. It gets a little warmer when the snow falls. Anastasia has gotten the hang of snowball fights, and every time we go outside, even if it is just to get in the car, she throws one right at me! l love her for that because I know that that means she loves me. She took it upon herself to dig up the bugs under the leaves under the snow. She missed the bugs so much she had to see them I suppose. And Ereland with all the sick days she has clocked in lately, is my little cuddle bug. I have tried to be extra patient, and gentle with the kids, (a mental resolution perhaps) and she keeps telling me, "Momma, I wuv ooo". I tell her that I love her, and she says, no, I love you! (Emphasis on I). And we go back and forth until she starts to get upset and that is my que to start tickling her and reassure her that we can both love each other.

Cardin is a little army crawler, and is moving everywhere. He loves to crawl to the kitchen and bang on the linoleum because he likes the sound it makes. He still smiles everywhere and is growing up to be just as cute as my big girls!

One thing is sure, WE LOVE OUR FAMILY!!!!!!
Saving the Bugs!

My little snow bugs!

Questions, Questions!

What do you do with your staycation?
When you have nowhere to go, and you just can't stay inside your apartment (home) anymore, where do you go? What do you do? This is what the girls like to do .... even when it is only 13 degrees out! Yikes! Should have worn the thicker coats! The good news is, now its time for HOT CHOCOLATE!

Go quickly little ones, so your bodies can stay warm!!!

Good Morning!!!

It is true that the early bird gets the worm! This morning Ereland got out of bed (without anyone knowing) and proceeded to open everyone's stockings for them! When she "remembered" Anastasia and yelled for her to, "Wake up Ana-ste-sia, Santa brought chap-ick (Chapstick)! I got out of bed thinking she was in the doorway looking at the tube of lip smackers. But no, she was deep amidst the toothbrushes, toothpaste and yes, chapstick! I had to put her back in the room with Anastasia who was awake and ready to go for the gifts, so that I could repack everything in an effort to provide Anastasia with the appropriate image of Christmas morning! Meanwhile David was relenting getting out of bed, and eventually grabbed Cardin and joined us.

The day was a success! Anastasia particularly liked the Littlest Pet Shops, and Ereland was very happy with her Fancy Nancy doll! Cardin was just happy to rip the wrapping paper and extras that were flying around the room! I was able to say a brief hello to my sister Breanna, who is in Utah serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! It was good to hear how well she is, and to see how she has nurtured her testimony of our Saviour Jesus Christ!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas this year. Thank you to family and friends who made our first "alone" christmas memorable!

After we let the kids out (when the stockings were "repacked"

Christmas Eve!

While waiting for Dad to come home from work, I tried to take some pics of the kids. The light was gone, and the kids were restless! Ereland found part of "the stash" and only wanted to run around the room with her stick horse. Don't you wish you were here?

Let it Snow!

The Christmas gifts are all bought!
The food is in the fridge!
We got the extra batteries, we might just need* on Friday.
Santa dropped off early to put some "things" in our trunk, and now all I can say is....
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Merry Christmas!

Hello again, Hello!

David and I are getting ready to celebrate our first Christmas by ourselves,....EVER! It is sort of exciting, but honestly I am the kind of girl that would rather be with family this time of year. I will miss my family's annual gingerbread house making contest, the smells of fresh rolls in the oven, playing the grand piano, and listening to everyone else play familiar songs. I will miss the hugs and kisses from Grandma Ronda and Grandpa Craig. And the aftermath shopping with mom. I will miss seeing how excited my sister still is to get up early to open presents Christmas morning, and little Steve who is growing up very quickly. And this year is Cardin and Lucy's first Christmas. I haven't seen Lucy yet, and poor Katelin hasn't seen Cardin yet either.

In attempt to make this Christmas for our family special. I thought about our family traditions. I began to realize that some traditions are easier to keep when you are in a larger group.

Eating on China for birthdays and holidays, .... only without a dishwasher, David would rather eat on paper plates.

Reading a Christmas themed story (mini FHE) each night prior to Christmas, only I didn't get very far.

Austin and Laura watch a Christmas movie the 12 nights before Christmas. I liked this idea and started trying it out on my girls, but all they wanted to do was watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer every night.

The big dinner.....only again small kitchen and only David and I. It is hard to get excited to go through all that effort and mess when my girls would probably rather macaroni and hotdogs.

What do you do for Christmas?

Our Christmas tree is new this year also....again because it is our first Christmas at home by ourselves. We haven't ever had one, well other than the one mom sent to me to put up in my collage dorm room. David went out this year to get one, and although I am not sure where he got it exactly, I know he didn't pay for it. It is quite the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. It only 3' tall, sits in a Pampers box stuffed with a meager bowl of water and old grocery sacks to stabilize it. Dave added a string to the doorknob to further ensure that it would fall over. Now that I think about it, perhaps the dorm room tree is better looking!
(I actually like our little tree--it's about the memories right?)



Anastasia and I made garland from scrapbook paper, and made foam snowflakes and jingle bells. It still is missing lights, but dealing with the ornaments and constantly telling the girls not to touch them is good enough. Thanks to Grandma Bush, Aunt Amie, and Grandma and Grandpa Craig and Steve...we actually have presents under the tree. To me that is when it is official, Christmas is coming!


Lately, David is in young mens at church and has gone on a few camp outs. This weekend was their "survival" camp. It is hard enough sleeping without him, much less worrying that he is freezing all night. I am sure they are fine, but if you know my husband then you know that he is not a planner, we are spontaneous people! I just hope everyone remembered everything. From what I heard the cow hearts were actually very good! Surprising!

I am playing for the ward choir at church and this Sunday is the Christmas Cantata. I am soooo happy that it is almost over. Sundays lately have been 10 hour events, including traveling time.

Anastasia is starting to read pretty well. She still gets a little mixed up between B's, D's and H's and N's. But overall I am very proud of her. She is my big helper with Cardin and Ereland. She still would rather catch worms than play inside with dolls, but Ereland keeps her grounded that way. She wants to know about everything and why it works. And even though Christmas is right around the corner, I still haven't figured out exactly what she is getting for Christmas.

Ereland is growing up, and I think finally hit the terrible two phase. She turns three in March but she might not live that long. She has been getting into everything! It will sound silly, but David just had his birthday and I spend a good part of the day making a nice dinner and cupcakes. I went to change Cardin's diaper, and Ereland went over to the cupcakes and licked the frosting off of, or poked her fingers down into 2/3 of the cupcakes! I was angry at that, but then noticed all the tree ornaments and a big box of toys scattered all over the living room floor. She seems innocent enough with those big eyes, but she is more devious than you think!

Cardin is crawling now! His personality is showing. He really doesn't like to be alone, and would rather sit and play near the girls. He will not be still, unless he is sleeping. He cuddles, but only when he is hungry or hurt. He will be a handful, and with his new haircut looks much more like David. The curls are gone, and yes I shed a tear or two. Perhaps it is a Samson complex.

Enjoy the pics, and the video. Stay safe, and Merry Christmas!

I love family!

It is true that time flies when you are having fun! David and I took our family down south to visit his youngest sister Laura and her husband Austin. It was a good excuse for a much needed break. Austin was able to spend some time away from rotations to celebrate his birthday with us, and throw back a ton of food for thanksgiving. I am especially grateful for Laura. She outdid herself on Thursday, and we ate like kings! Laura has been more than a sister-in-law to me, she has been a much needed true friend. I miss seeing her and her family as much as we did when we lived closer. Both Laura and Austin are great examples in finding what you want in life and going after it.
I hope we didn't out stay ourselves, but we surely had a great time! The kids and David were getting sick and so almost a week later, we thought it time to go. I shouldn't be surprised at this, but along the way we made a 3 hr. stop to put on new brakes. The rent a cop at K-Mart eventually came over to make sure we weren't up to any harm. My fixit man still amazes me that he has the confidence to just take something apart and find a way to make things work. He makes me feel safe and at peace knowing everything will be okay.
Going to Virginia was also great because we could get our kids together. It is hard being away, and my Anastasia felt that separation most of the way home as she cried and whined realizing that we weren't going back to Payton's house.

We realized this trip that there is beauty in simplicity. The Finklea's took us up to "The Hollar" to meet some of their friends. It was such a breath of fresh air! They were so welcoming, I think David and I are just about ready to move in!

Christmas will be quite lonely in comparison, but hopefully we can find solace in making and keeping holiday traditions. Thank you again to Laura for all the hard work you put forth to make our time with you so enjoyable! We love you!