31/365

It was time to go home today, despite Ben & Becky's sweet attempts to convince me to stay longer. They're always so accommodating. While Tessa was at preschool, Gavin & Breann watched Mulan, Ellie & Drew took naps, Ben was on the computer, and Becky and I finished painting our giant ruler "growth charts," inspired by Susie's & Chrissie's. (That was originally going to be my picture of the day, but on our drive home, I snapped this picture of Ellie with my phone. This is how she watched the movies. Poor girl is still rear-facing, so she can't normally see the screen, but that didn't stop her! We made it home, safe and sound, around 8:00pm. Blessed.

30/365

This girl's starting to talk more & more! Yesterday she came walking up, holding one of Gavin's shoes, and said, "shoes... shoes... shoes..." We were all cheering & repeating it back to her, which made her say it even more! Then today's new word of the day was "cheese," while she was eating... cheese! So fun. Tessa had a little fever this morning, so she didn't go to church. I was thinking about just going to Sacrament Meeting with the kids, until Gavin said, "but I kind of wanted to check out Tessa's class..." So, we stayed--Gavin went to Tessa's class without Tessa, and we illegally dropped Ellie off at Nursery with Breann. I enjoyed the last 2 meetings, and picked her up after--no problem! Tessa took it easy this afternoon, and Gavin & Breann played so cute together. Later, we got to crash another fun & delicious Williams family dinner (Ben's mom's birthday dinner).

29/365

How cute is this guy? Drew is absolutely adorable and such a happy baby! It was fun to see him again.

Well, the tire was totally flat this morning. Ben & his Dad filled it up using an air compressor and took it to Les Schwab to see if it could be repaired--it could not be. Darin & I have known that we'd need new tires soon, so the next step was to shop around. Ben took on the challenge, saying he liked doing that kind of thing... and I was thrilled to let him! Costco was the best deal, so we went to pick up the car, Les Schwab put our spare on, and later, we drove to the Costco in Sandy (since the Orem store didn't have the right ones in stock). We all ate dinner at Pei Wei while the tires were put on. Yum!

28/365

Darin left for NYC at 5:30 this morning. At 9:00am, while in the shower, I had an idea... I called Becky to clear it, and after packing and a stop at the DMV, we were on the road to Orem for the weekend! Thought it would be fun to get away, plus all my (and Becky's) maternity clothes were there, and I had to get them sometime. We had a good drive (5 1/2 hours), but on the off ramp to Ben & Becky's exit, I got a tire pressure message in the car, that the left rear tire was down to 23 PSI...

27/365

Kindergarten orientation today! This was the first of three--a short 45-minute thing at the local elementary school for kids who will be in kindergarten this fall and their parents. They had a little PE class and a music class. Gavin's in the front row, in front of the girl in pink with braids. Ellie also had her 15-month well-check today. She's about 50th percentile for height & head, but just off the charts skinny (< 3rd percentile) at 18 pounds 2 ounces... The Dr.'s not worried or anything--said she's doing great, but just how do we fatten her up?

26/365

Leftovers... I'd been craving fajitas, so I made some last night with refried beans, and had them all ready when Darin came home... sick. So Gavin & I ate them alone--they hit the spot! And there were plenty of leftovers for lunch today. (Darin's feeling fine today, by the way)

25/365

Darin's been waking up early this week--like 4:00 or 5:00 am! Still trying to adjust... he'll try to sleep longer, but usually ends up getting up & replying to factory emails. Today, Gavin woke up early enough to have breakfast with Dad (around 8:00 am). 2 guys and their Lucky Charms!

24/365

This was the best of 3 pictures I got today... it was past bedtime. But they're modeling their matching dog neck pillows from Grandma & Grandpa Bishop! Ellie got hers for Christmas, and then a couple of weeks ago, Grandma Bishop called to ask if both kids had gotten one, or just one of them, because they had just found an extra one at their house! So, they packed it up & sent it in the mail to Gavin, along with some stickers & other fun things.

23/365

Even though all our Christmas decorations have been put away for weeks, I can't bring myself to put these fun cards away yet. They're just fun to look at! Plus, we just got Kris & Brett's New Years card in the mail yesterday... we'll enjoy them for awhile longer. Ellie was a little better this morning, but still a little warm, so Darin stayed home with her while Gavin & I went to church.

22/365

We went out to Cafe Rio for lunch, since Darin had missed Mexican food more than any other food... always a good choice! Then, some relaxing time at home for the rest of the day. Darin was still trying to adjust to our time zone, and Ellie came down with a little fever tonight... she was pretty mellow, poor girl. We put her in some cooler pajamas & just let her relax too.

21/365

Dad came home from China today! It was like Christmas again for Gav & Ellie.
Presents aside, we are all glad to have him back!

20/365

We watched American Idol tonight, and these guys were into dancing... actually, it was more like spinning around and around until they fell down, dizzy!

19/365

Jaxon came over to play with Gavin today. I worked with his mom in Activity Days, and these guys would play whenever we had meetings and activities, so they've missed each other! We took a picture since they were both wearing baseball shirts.

18/365

Gavin was a "superstar" at preschool today. Normally, the kids get to be the superstar around their birthdays, but since Gavin's birthday will be after school's out, he got to do it this week. We made this poster with pictures from his life, plus many of his favorite things. He showed it to the class, and they got to ask him questions, which he answered. We brought some banana cupcakes to share, and Ellie & I even got to come for the first half of his class today, to see his presentation. Fun!

17/365

Here she is, with one of her most favorite foods... she eats them like candy! When she finishes what's on her tray, she'll yell, "uuuuuuuhhhhh!" Which means, "Mom, could I have some more peas, please?"

I can tell she wants to communicate so badly--she understands what we're saying to her, but she just doesn't quite know how to talk back yet! Her vocabulary currently consists of "Uh oh," "Daddy," "Mommy," and the latest addition, "nana" (banana).

16/365

I feel like these kids are growing so fast! Ellie's funny personality comes through more & more every day... and sometimes Gavin seems wise beyond his 4 1/2 years. Today was a good day at church. I was filling in on the piano in RS, so I asked the Primary Pres if Ellie could go into Nursery for the last hour. SHE LOVED IT. They said she did great... I wish she was official already, but we'll have to wait a little longer. She went right down for her nap after this picture and slept almost 3 hours.

15/365

This cat costume didn't get packed away after Halloween... it still gets almost daily use! Sometimes Ellie will walk up to me with it & just yell, "uuuuuhhhhhhh!" That means, "Would you please put this on me, Mom?" This morning though, Gavin brought it in when I was getting Ellie dressed for the day, so we put it on her with just a diaper & socks! So funny to see her walking around with bare little arms & legs... it's been cold since she started walking! Here she is, blowing kisses to the camera.

14/365

Gavin asked to make Chocolate Chip Cookies tonight... it had been awhile! He pulled a chair over, and wanted to pour everything into the bowl himself (might have something to do with the breadmaking yesterday). When we got to the eggs, he said, "Avery is the only one in our class who knows how to do the eggs." I asked him if he wanted to try... I'd already put the first one in, but I got a bowl, and showed him how to hold & crack the second egg, then he poured it into the mixer. He said, "That was easy! Mom, if we make something else that needs eggs, just come get me, and I will hatch them all for you!"

13/365

On Tuesday, Gavin's preschool teacher read the story of The Little Red Hen to them... and today, they made homemade bread, including grinding their own wheat. They all got to help, and they all got to bring home their own warm, toasty loaf of bread. Luckily, Gavin decided to share with me and Ellie, even though we didn't help MAKE the bread. We cut into this little loaf almost as soon as we got home. Yum!

12/365

Ellie's ball popper has definitely been a hit around here! It's a good distraction too... if Ellie's whining when I'm trying to do something like cook, or do dishes, or wrap up a phone call, I just have to say, "Ellie, go push the button on your ball popper!" And off she goes! I wonder how long that'll last...

11/365

Gavin got a package in the mail today from Grandma & Grandpa Bishop. It was a cup they'd gotten at Legoland years ago, and it had a clear part that screwed onto the bottom, with Lego pieces and instructions inside to make this little guy and his vehicle. I helped Gavin follow the instructions to make it the first time, then he took it apart & made it again and again and again. I didn't know Gavin was so good at making things with these little Legos... Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!

10/365

I signed Gavin up for a new 4-week session of "Amazing Athletes" because one of his best friends, Tate, had signed up for it too. It was supposed to start today, but we went to the location, and there was some kind of mix-up, because Coach Kelly was not there! They apologized & said they'd be contacting us about a make-up session... So, after the let-down, we stopped for lunch at "Old McDonalds," as Gavin calls it. This one has an extra big play place with lots of low, non-climbing activities for Ellie to enjoy. They both had a ball!

9/365

Today was a whirlwind of a day... and this is all I have to show for it. Yes, I snapped this photo at 11:52pm, after realizing I hadn't taken a picture yet all day! It's fitting though... I had Ward Council from 9-10am, and one of my counselors kept Gavin & Ellie at her house so I could go. After, I picked them up, got them dressed, and we headed back to church from 11-2. When we got home, Gavin & Ellie had a snack, Ellie went down for a much-needed nap, and we had a RS Presidency meeting at our house from 2:30-4:30. We ate dinner--leftover lasagna and peas (Ellie's latest fave), then we watched a little Funniest Home Videos, played Candy Land, & the kids played with toys while I caught up on some emails until their bedtime. I was browsing our DVR list when Kristi-Lynn called around 9:40... almost midnight for her! We had a nice 45-minute chat (both of us husbandless at the moment), and I was in bed by 12.

8/365

Gavin's been helping with dishwasher unloading for awhile... he does all the silverware and plastic cups (which is pretty much all he can reach!). If the plastic cups are a little wet, he'll dry them off before putting them away in Ellie's cupboard. He does a great job, & I appreciate his help!

7/365

Waiting to leave to take Dad to the airport... we should have taken a picture there! But just believe us that we dropped him off, along with Julie and Rod, and they caught their plane. When we got home, Gavin broke out the games. We played Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders and Cooties. Darin called around 9:30 from San Francisco, where they were waiting for their next flight. Now begins the 24 hours+ before we'll be able to talk next!

6/365

Darin packed his suitcase tonight for China--he's got it down to a science. It always includes a trip to Target first for some travel size toiletries and snacks. And, since it was his last night here, we had dinner at Cheesecake Factory in the mall, and got some time in at the awesome mall play place.

Darin didn't come to bed until almost 3am... trying to start adjusting to the new time zone?

5/365

Gavin likes to dump out his massive pile of characters in our room and play. It's quite an assortment. Sometimes they get put up before bed, and sometimes they spend the night on our floor.

I had a doctor's appointment today--the fastest I've ever had. I was in at 2:20, and walking out at 2:28! That 8 minutes included getting weighed, giving a urine sample, having blood pressure taken, some small talk, and hearing the heartbeat! Dr: "Any questions?" Nope--feeling good, just starting to show...

4/365

Since it's too cold to do much outside, we've been doing a little bubble blowing inside... Great fun!
Today I made soup for dinner for the second day in a row... it's just soup weather! Yesterday was Chicken Quinoa Stew, and today was a white bean and ham soup, using our leftover Christmas ham. Ellie ate 4 little bowls of it herself--I could not believe it. The girl can eat! Gavin ate it really well too.

3/365

Caught Ellie reading some library books... one of her favorite things. Darin went back to work today after a 10 day break. We had a good time being together. We enjoyed lazy mornings, kept Redbox in business, getting a different movie almost every day, and Darin still managed to get a little work in too. Now it's back to our regular routine. It'll be short-lived though, since he heads off for China on Friday!

2/365

Cute Sunday kids. I taught RS today about our goals for the year, based on the purposes of RS: Increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and serve the Lord and His children. I missed most of Sunday School, out with Ellie, and Darin missed most of EQ. Such is life at church with a 14-month-old! We'd made Chrissie's Crockpot Stuffing Chicken for dinner. It was so nice to come home to that wonderful smell, and be able to sit right down to eat!

1/365

Gavin and I went on a special date, just the two of us, to see Megamind (Dad stayed home with Ellie since she's been banned from movie theaters until further notice). We really liked it! When we got home, we started taking down all our Christmas decorations. Gavin was a big help. It actually didn't take that long. Darin brought our empty Christmas bins in, we filled them up, and he took them back out to the cooooold garage. Then, we brought in our cactus and put it up where the Christmas tree was. Things suddenly look a lot more bare around here!