Snow and Resolutions

After massively clearing out the backyard this fall, I thought that we'd go play out there for the first time. Eryn had NEVER been in our backyard before. Small as it is she enjoyed playing and the fact that Mom wasn't hovering over her the whole time to keep her away from the cars. The snow was really deep and we had a lot of fun playing in it together. Snow just makes me miss Michigan. It's amazing how a few flakes and bundling up instantly made me a kid again. I hear a lot of people complain about the snow, but all I can do is smile when I see it! (Then, laugh at the people who don't know how to drive in it!)

Snow Angel attempts.

She kept eating the snow, so I had to join in!

Brooke tried some baked potatoes.

We're not sure if she liked them or not...

Resolution time is here again. Every year I claim that I'm not going to make any so I won't have any to break. This year, I've decided to attempt a couple.

My dependence on Coke Zero and other carbonated beverages has become increasingly strong. They are number one on my list to get cut down. I can't get rid of them totally, but the soda intake will be drastically cut down.

Second, Eryn seems to think that it's funny to swear. I (which means WE- Mike included) need to be more aware of what's on the TV while she's watching and be more careful with what escapes our own tongues. Not only the attention to what's said around her or heard by her, but also how to react. Personally, I can't help but smile and fight the horrible embarrassed giggle when she does it because I don't know how to respond. The cold stern glare needs to be implemented. Mike's Mom is a pro at that! I get it often enough I should be able to duplicate it.

Not a very long list, but a very important one indeed. Hopefully with a shorter list nothing will be neglected or forgotten.

Presents

I decided that it was time that my gift wrapping started to live up to the fact that I did work in gift wrapping professionally. (Little known fact, JCPenney taught me how to wrap and coordinate paper and decorations correctly.) I'd just given up worrying about it for the last few years. Studio 5 helped me with the idea for using tool (the stuff you make tutus out of) as ribbon, my Grandma C. always used to put ornaments on our packages each year, and Eryn helped me find a paper that had a small amount of pink to make it all work!

Much Lighter Notes

Since my last few posts have been pretty heavy with concerns and debates, I decided that it was time to get back to my normal "Mommy Bragging" post style. Life goes past too fast to worry every second about the "what ifs" or to try to make everyone else happy. I will just do my best to make my children's lives happy and enriched all while keeping them protected and informed of danger. (Good luck, right? HUGE jobs there!)

The girls had some quality hanging out time at Grandma & Grandpa's house. It included a LOT of spaghetti, snow, and hugs! Thanks to them for letting us get away for a little bit and for making sure the girls stay warm in the cold. : )

Another reason Grandma's house is fun... The puppy gets to go play outside too! Mom would NEVER let that happen. Mean old Mommy.

All bundled up to go play outside.

Seriously this was fun, but can you PLEASE take me back into the house where it's warm?

Eryn and Brooke have very differing opinions on the holding of the baby sister.

To avoid eating food that she doesn't like, Brooke just falls asleep.

Questioning

I think that my questioning security seems to come from a few people that I've spoken to recently who seem to be very anti-Internet. It is hard to hear from people how horrible something is (with a LOT of reasons to back up what they're saying) and not question what you've known or thought before. I guess that's been what most of this has stemmed from.

That and probably too many movies and TV shows about psychos, serial killers, and stalkers. No one wants to be a victim and certainly don't want to help make it easier for some crazy to move into our lives and hurt our family.

I'm certain that I will keep blogging and posting pictures. It is sort of a journal to look back at and to think about the fun times that we have together as a family.

Bread Making

This morning I decided to make a loaf of bread in my bread maker and let Eryn help. She was so excited to help with baking. She got her little apron on and jumped up on her step stool. We quickly added the few ingredients, closed the lid, pushed the button, and we were done.

What happened next, I should have guessed... "Whaaaaaaaaaaat? I wanna stir! No messy?" Then, the screaming continued for a few more minutes. Thank you bread maker for making my job easier and my migraine bigger.

Family Dentist Visit

We all went to the dentist this morning. Eryn went first for her cleaning and did a very very good job listening to the hygienist and the dentist. She picked out the bubble gum tooth polish and a very pink Barbie toothbrush. (No surprises there!)

Look Grandma, no cavities!

She got a prize for having no cavities and it was the little silver necklace that she's wearing. (That lasted about 3 minutes and she wanted it off so she could see it better.)

I had my other 2 fillings done today. It went better this time. Knowing that I made it through alive last time I figured that I could be a big girl and take my shots and dental work without the gas. (That and I think that the mask and other things might have scared Eryn and I had to be a good example for her!)

Mike had a cleaning this morning. Yep, no necklace prize for Daddy. He's got some cavities too! Thankfully, he's not in nearly as much pain as I was and will be able to make it for a little while longer before getting those taken care of next year.

Where's Brooke during all of this? Since she doesn't have teeth, her dentist visit was pretty fast. Ok, she didn't get much past the reception desk there she was mobbed by a couple of secretaries who fell in love with her! Eryn ran laps around the place and bounced back and forth between tvs, books, and stealing dental instruments while Mike was finishing his cleaning and they were working on me.

It's so nice to have a dentist office where they really are family oriented and it's ok for everyone to come at the same time. Even if they don't have teeth yet!

Closet Cleaning

While cleaning out my closet Eryn has helped me yet again rediscover a pair of long lost shoes. She took them and rand into the hall with her chapstick and was really quiet so I couldn't hear her. I did find her and figured that I'd share her girlyness!

"Take a picture like this. It's more cute!"

Christmas Decorating

Christmas is so much more fun when you have little ones! The joy of giving presents to them and the tender moments spent explaining about the birth of our Savior are memories that last a lifetime. They are also accompanied by a few interesting memories. (Like Grandma McCorristin's story about Michael pulling down the Christmas tree a few times so they tied it to the wall to keep it upright!) Then, there are the new memories that we make each year. This year is all ready starting out pretty special.

Eryn helping Mike set up the tree. (I'm allergic to real trees!)

"Do you like the tree puppy?"
"You'd look great right here!"

Laying under the tree and looking up at the lights is a tradition that came from Mike and his brothers and sisters.

The ornaments made it all the way down the tree this year! Eryn likes to rearrange the bulbs at the bottom, but I only put ones down there that I wasn't very worried about. She's been much better at not touching the decorations so far. I even put up the little village and that hasn't been bothered either. (Although, I have noticed that the snowman seems to mysteriously relocate himself around the village.)

The stockings are hung on the wall with care and packing tape!

Eryn and I have been making decorations since she loves coloring so much.

She also discovered glue so the snowman is glued onto the snowflake that we made.

"You lookin' at my sister?"

Sitting?

Brooke can sit up now (with a little help) and stay like that for quite sometime. The biggest problem is that she likes to hang upside down for some odd reason and will randomly throw her self back to try to look at the world from a different perspective! She still doesn't like to stand up or push her weight with her legs at all. Hopefully that will change soon.

Mommy's Surprises

Where's Brooke?

Eryn has had a difficult time sharing toys with Brooke. I'm not sure why all of the sudden the infant toys are the ONLY things that she wants to play with, but they are. I've been trying a few different things with her and this was my result. Brooke was taking a nap in her bed and Eryn gave her a bunch of toys to play with. I hear Brooke crying and Eryn saying, "I give Brooke da toys. Where you go Brooke?" I had to go in and dig through a bunch of stuffed animals to find her. Thankfully, the only one that was hard was the Elmo. I'm pretty she he hit her in the head and that's what woke her up.

My Little Mermaid.

Eryn had no problem swimming this summer and going totally under the water, but for some reason she was reluctant to lay back in the bath tub so that I could wash her hair. FINALLY she does it without screaming and seems to like it. What was the breaking point? I told her that the Little Mermaid washed her hair under the water and then she volunteered to lay back and wash her hair. Now during bath time I get to hear random quote from that movie. Her favorite is, "My poor little poopsies!" From Ursula when the eels get zapped.


On a really random side note: How do you get a 2 1/2 year old to eat a salmon patty? Answer- Spray a bunch of strong air freshener in the kitchen and tell her it's chicken.

Does becoming a parent flip the deception switch or what?

2 am blogging

I've missed the Internet so much that I'm now blogging at 2 am! Our computer had some bug and the Internet grew a mind of its own. After finally unplugging it all in frustration something finally gave way and we were able to fix the problem. It's amazing how much I rely on the Internet for things. I found myself sitting down to use the computer at least 3 or 4 times a day and then realizing that it was still broken, but still sitting there sort of bewildered thinking that it would magically fix itself. Mike magically fixed it though!

I've been busy taking pictures and trying to get pictures edited in a timely manner for people to have before the holidays. With the Internet down Photo Shop would barely run and that really slowed things up. Then, after working so hard to edit pictures, I couldn't upload them anywhere because the Internet wasn't working. Oh the frustrations! But, it's fixed now and I'm utilizing it at 2 in the morning. What else could I possibly do with Mike, Eryn, and Brooke all snoring at deafening levels?

Thanksgiving went well for the McCorristin households. We went to Mike's parents' house and had dinner there along with most of his brothers and sisters. Each year our family gets bigger and their house gets just a little bit smaller. I think that next year we should just tailgate Thanksgiving dinner at the parking lot by the football field.

I took pictures of our football game and they are on the McCorristin family blog at www.mczootimes.blogspot.com I realized that I didn't even take a single picture of Brooke on her first Thanksgiving. I'm a bad mother.

I can't blog at 2 in the morning without mentioning the great BYU victory earlier tonight over their arch enemies the Utah Utes. In a game that went to overtime and with a zillion penalties BYU was still able to pull out a victory by a narrow margin. The wives in our family all rejoiced knowing that their husbands would be able to be happy for yet another year.

Giving Thanks

It's cliche, but everyone does it. So, here it is. My list of things that I'm thankful for in my life right now. It's the 3rd grade special that spells Thanksgiving. : )

Taking pictures
Hoodies
Applesauce
Nap time
Kids
Singing
Giggles
Income
Vices (like Coke)
Inboxes
Nap time (yes, again)
Going to bed early

Since that was so much fun here's some more random list for your reading entertainment...

My Family (Yes, all of you.)
My friends (Who are basically family.)
A husband who loves me and our girls as much as we love him!
reruns of old tv shows
cake
cows
socks
vacations
church
pasta
sporting events
air planes

This list could go on forever, but I have other things to do today. I'm the most thankful for being able to live my life each day with the knowledge that I am protected. I have a husband who looks out of me here, a family who worries about me from a little ways away, and a Heavenly Father who is always with me.

Busy Brooke

Brooke has been growing up fast and having lots of fun lately. She's doing the worm crawl and even ventured into the world of solid foods!

She makes the high chair look so big. Brooke's obviously not a fan of the rice cereal.

"Waiter, check please!"

I went through a bunch of little clothes and put away clothes that were too small for both of the girls last night. It's such a big task keeping up with how big they are and trying to make sure that all of the clothes that fit them are were they need to be so they can be worn. I have no idea how parents with more kids can do this!

The boxes from the basement made another appearance and I found a lot of clothes that will fit Brooke for winter. Thankfully, Eryn was a little smaller and Brooke's a little bigger, so the 9 mo winter clothes from Eryn will fit Brooke perfect in the right season! With those clothes and the new ones that her Grandmas have bought, she's taken care of for awhile.

Filling Fancy NOT Free

Recently I had a very old filling break a part and fall out. My mouth really started hurting as a result. Chewing was nearly impossible and drinking anything cold or sweet was more trouble than it was worth. Yes, it was time to fight my fear and go to the dentist.

My friend told me about a dentist office near by that was really great. I went there with my anxiety high and prepared for the worst. I found out that I not only had a broken filling, but a number of other cavities! I was devastated. To this point, I'd only had 1 in my whole lifetime. Now, I had 4. In my defense, the new cavities are located in the very deep grooves on the top of my teeth. Brushing and flossing doesn't really help those. Most people do get cavities there at some point in their lives even with proper care. I now have to try much harder to avoid drinking Coke and get used to Coke Zero. Dang it.

With a lot of gas and shots they were able to finally calm me down enough to fill in 2 of the new ones and replace my broken filling. The white composite fillings look so much nicer than the silver things of the past. (Unfortunately, they do cost more. Thank you dental insurance for helping make this all possible!) I am glad to be able to chew food now and not have massive pain. Next month they are going to fill in the other 2. I'm praying that I will be able to calm down and not need gas to allow them to fix the rest.

Princesses on Ice

Last Thursday we took Eryn to go see Disney Princesses on Ice. It was her reward for being (mostly) potty trained, an early Christmas present, and a special Mommy and Daddy with just Eryn event. Brooke stayed with some of our friends and the 3 of us ventured off to a kingdom far far away...

Before it started Eryn had to go down to get a closer look. "Where are the Princesses Mommy?"

We arrived early and she was really being rotten.

Instead of getting her the $20 toy she wanted, she got a $4 Sprite and was happy.

Tinkerbell came out and touched each of the princesses' items to bring the magic to life. (Cinderella's slipper, Sleeping beauty's spindle, etc.)

The costumes were great!

Eryn's favorite are Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. This was my favorite picture of the event!

Eryn refers to each villain as the "bad lady."

Even though she's never seen Snow White Eryn followed the story surprisingly well.

The Beauty and the Beast story was the shortest of all.

Eryn's favorites!

Them too!

At the end they all came out with white and gold dresses on and danced together with their princess. Eryn liked that the most and said that they were, "Get married in da big temple!" Thank you Disney for helping support that idea of wearing white for your happily ever after.

Tinkerbell was someone that Eryn kept asking to see, so I was REALLY glad that she was there too!

Eryn was really good through most of the show. She did have a hard time for awhile and then I realized that she needed to go potty, but didn't want to miss anything. I convinced her that they paused it while she went potty and she believed me. She did want to go down and dance with the princesses and sing with them, so it was a little hard for her to stay in her seat. It was totally worth it when the lights when down, Tinkerbell came out, and Eryn let out a very happy squeal and her face was plastered with the biggest smile I've ever seen!