Alyson's Announcement Joke

Alyson was so excited to tell the joke in announcements at her school yesterday. They tape record the weather forecast, lunch menu, joke and other things and then broadcast it to each classroom. Here she is telling us about it when she got home from school.

Sledding

We took the girls sledding for the very first time yesterday. They loved it! Oma gave us sleds the Christmas before we moved to Indiana, and there was no place to use them there, so we broke them in for the first time. We also used two more kid-friendly sleds that the people who lived in our house before us left behind.

We sledded for about 45 minutes, the girls trudging up the hill and sliding back down again. Their sleds kept turning midway down the hill so they experienced sledding front ways and backways. Kris and I had a blast sledding down the hill too as little Ellary sat snug in her stroller.

Just before we left it began to get dark and snow again so we jumped back in Kris' truck and had hot chocolate. What a fun family home evening!

Damage Control

Kourtney LOVES SCISSORS. So imagine her sadness when she was put on probation for cutting her bangs back in April. She idly watched on as Alyson cut objects for art projects and homework for over six months. So, you would've thought Koco had learned her lesson, right?

No such luck because about two weeks ago after having been given permission to cut lines I had drawn for her, she butchered her hair! A little here, a little there...Kourtney didn't even spare her bangs that were so desperately trying to grow back in. I found hair all over the house! She was in BIG TROUBLE!

We did what we could to remedy the situation. We even took her to the hair salon and threatened to cut her hair short. But Kourtney loves her hair long, loves to flip it in front of her ear. So, the stylist did what she could.

After looking at Kourtney's uneven hair for about two weeks, I decided to take the scissors to it myself. And surprisingly, it looks OK...and surprisingly, Kourtney likes it. Hugh!

Although her hair has changed, her punishment will not...no scissors for Kourtney until she is in kindergarten. No if's, and's or but's about it!

Winter Wonderland

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

As a joke, and understandably sick of the cold and snow, Kris keeps asking me "Why didn't you let me apply for a job in Florida?"

It snowed again last Sunday, and really hasn't stopped since then. But wow-what a site! Kris took these pictures of our winter wonderland behind our house. It's so beautiful to see the recently fallen snow so fluffy and white spread like a blanket over EVERYTHING.

If it weren't for the girls excitement for playing in the snow, I think I'd be exclaiming something like, "Kris, why didn't you make me let you apply for jobs in Florida?"

Here are two pictures of the girls as we walked Alyson to school one morning. Notice Kourtney in the second picture. Guess what...there's only so much snow a kid can take too! She got tired of trudging through the recently fallen snow that she refused to go any further at one point of our walk back home! Oh, Koco, long, cold, snowy winters have just begun little girl!

A Day in Detroit

We have loved getting to know the areas surrounding where we live, so our day trip to Detroit last Saturday served two purposes: attend the Temple and get a feel for what there is to do in Detroit.

There was a large nativity on the front lawn of the stake center adjacent to the Temple that the girls couldn't wait to see up close.

Unfortunately, most parts of Detroit that we got to see as we drove from the temple to the downtown area were very run down and actually kind-of scary. There was a liquor store, a mission and a church on just about every block. It truly made us appreciate where we live and all that we have.

The center of downtown, however, was maintained rather well. There are several museums we would like to take the children to, and we also plan to watch the Detroit Tigers take on the Chicago Cubs this summer at Comerica Park. Yeah! Go Tigers!

Thanksgiving with Friends

We had our first Thanksgiving here in Michigan yesterday. It was also our first Thanksgiving in a while without any family present. My (Kris') mom has been coming out to Thanksgiving for a while now (once we moved to Indiana). However, since we are bringing out our parents for Christmas this year, it didn't make too much sense for her to come out, go back to Colorado, then come right back to then return home again. So we were "stranded" by ourselves in a new land (almost on an island since Michigan is almost surrounded by water) until our new friends here saved us. It was like Robinson Crusoe without the remote tropical island (think frozen tundra instead). OK, so it wasn't really like that at all. But it was really nice of our new friends, who also didn't have any family in the area, to spend some time with us on this fun day.

All told we had 22 here for dinner (however, 5 of those were Allees, so I am not sure if we count since we live here). Anyway, here is a picture of the kids table. It is the funniest table for the kids to choose since the table is an elevated table (with really tall chairs). In my past Thanksgiving experience kids' tables were always little card tables or something like that. Not this time though. Alyson told me that one of her friends finished dinner, but then didn't leave the table because she was scared to get down off the chair. There were three more kids playing in the living room since two of them can't eat turkey or green bean casserole yet (poor kids) and one kid wasn't really sure what all the food was for and wanted to just play (Sariah - who you can just see below in the next picture behind her Dad's left ear).


We brought out the old dining room table and chairs (it is nice to see them back in action again) and put it out it next to the kids table. This is where some of our friends who were concerned about their kids sat.


Finally, a bunch of us dodged our parenthood responsibilities and hid out in the dining room. A friend (Brian - not pictured above or below - sorry) was nice enough to take this picture so I could be in the picture with my beautiful wife.


We had a great time. After eating (too much) we all went downstairs and played games for a while. The kids just played upstairs in the playroom for most of the time, but when they found out we were playing with darts and other fun things in the basement they just had to come down and see all the action. We had some football on the TV, but the Cowboys and Seahawks' game wasn't that interesting (sorry about your Seahawks Craig).

All in all, it was a great day. We missed our family, but we were so thankful for good friends and company in thier absence. Now I have some other quick posts to make.

Wednesday, while I was at work, Jessica and the kids went out and played in the snow. Here are some pictures of Kourtney and Alyson.


I can't even call this a snowball fight. Both girls in ALL pink. There is nothing about this that looks like a "fight" of any kind.


Finally, on Thanksgiving morning, Jessica went up to Ella's room to get her ready for the day and this is what she found:


Somehow Ella had pulled her PJs off, without unzipping the zipper at all (nice how it is still zipped up and the zipper protector still buttoned). Either she has the ability to dislocate her shoulder to get out of PJs and straight jackets (ala Mel Gibson in the Lethal Wepon series), her shoulders are really small, or the neck of her PJs are too large. Anyway, we thought it was cute and wanted to share it with you all.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! Take care and enjoy your preparations for Christmas.

A Message from Our Church Leaders

We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our Church leaders recently (21 November 2008) made the following materials available to bloggers and Church members (and to the news media and the general public) to help them gain a broader view of the aftermath of the Proposition 8 vote. All people of faith have cause for concern when others try to remove their legitimate voice from the public square. We share these items from our leaders because of our desire to let ALL people know we love them (as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father) and we are not bigots or hatemongers, but also to let them know that we believe in this issue and in the importance of eternal families. Here are the items the Church leaders referenced (available here on LDS.org).

Anti-Defamation League Condemns Criminal Activity Targeting Religious Institutions That Supported Proposition 8

"Although we strongly opposed Proposition 8, its passage does not justify the defacement and destruction of property. We urge Californians to channel their frustration and disappointment in productive and responsible ways to work towards full equality for all Americans. To place anyone in fear of threat to their houses of worship or their personal security because they have expressed deeply held religious views is contrary to everything this nation represents. Our Constitution's First Amendment protects freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion for all of us."

Dallas Morning News Editorial: Protest and Civility in a Democracy

“But a vicious minority is not satisfied with that. Some gay rights protesters have voiced sentiments about Mormons, whose church was active in advocating Prop 8's passage, that if said about gays would be condemned as hate speech. Vandals have struck a number of Mormon temples. Bash Back, a pro-gay group in Olympia, Wash., trashed a Mormon temple there, then issued a statement saying, ‘Let this be a warning to the Mormon church: Dissolve completely or be destroyed.’

“Gay rights extremists should ask themselves the same question. A cause, no matter how just, can only be harmed by thuggish tactics. Our pluralist democracy depends on a citizenry committed to working out differences with civility.”

Michael Barber, Professor of Theology, Scripture & Christian Thought at John Paul the Great Catholic University

“… we found it appalling that in the final days of the campaign, opponents of Proposition 8 ran an ad in which Mormon missionaries were presented as barging into a same-sex couple’s home, gleefully rummaging through their personal possessions and violating their rights. The ad attempted to ridicule people of the Mormon faith, even implying that it was wrong that they contributed money to the election. As a Catholic school, we stand beside our friends in the Mormon Church and of people of faith who work tirelessly to preserve the freedom of religion in America. We also strongly oppose any attempt to ridicule another person’s faith, even faiths with which we have strong historical and theological disagreements.”

The First Amendment Center — Charles Haynes: When the Marriage Debate Turns Ugly, No One Wins

“Mormons are taking the biggest hit from the opposition. But as protests, boycotts and blacklists targeting Mormons proliferate, it’s worth pausing to think about where this collision is headed. … Before this clash escalates further, both sides should exercise caution and reconsider their battle plans going forward.”

The Christian Post — Chuck Colson: So Much for Tolerance

“Two days after the election, 2,000 homosexual protesters surrounded a Mormon temple in Los Angeles chanting ‘Mormon scum.’ Protesters picketed Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, holding signs reading ‘Purpose-Driven Hate.’ Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills was spray painted. Church members’ cars have been vandalized, and at least two Christians were assaulted. Protesters even hurled racial epithets at African-Americans because African-Americans voted overwhelmingly in favor of traditional marriage. What hypocrisy from those who spend all of their time preaching tolerance to the rest of us!”

Beliefnet.com — Rod Dreher: Stand By the Mormons

“Now is the time for traditional Christians — Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox — to come to the aid of our Mormon friends. They put themselves on the front line of the traditional marriage battle like no other church group. And now individual Mormons are paying a terrible price for standing up for something we all believe in. I don't know how we can stand with them from afar, but at least we can thank them, and speak out when we see them being abused. We might also think again about how we view them. … I have deep disagreements with Mormon theology. But they are our friends and allies and fellow citizens, and they deserve our thanks and support.”

John Mark Reynolds, Philosophy Professor at Biola University – California and Thank-a-Mormon Day

“In the battle for the family, however, traditional Christians have no better friends than the Mormon faithful. It would be wrong if that support were taken for granted. We are intolerant of the false attacks on Mormon faith and family. We stand with our Mormon friends in their right to express their views on the public square. We celebrate the areas, such as family values, where we agree. A heart felt thank you may not win points from other friends who demand one hundred percent agreement from their allies, but it is the decent and proper thing to do. Thank you to our Mormon friends and allies!”

The Volokh Conspiracy — Dale Carpenter: An Alternative to Anti-Mormon Protests

“Here's my advice to righteously furious gay-marriage supporters: Stop the focus on the Mormon Church. Stop it now. We just lost a ballot fight in which we were falsely but effectively portrayed as attacking religion. So now some of us attack a religion? People were warned that churches would lose their tax-exempt status, which was untrue. So now we have (frivolous) calls for the Mormon Church to lose its tax-exempt status? It's rather selective indignation, anyway, since lots of demographic groups gave us Prop 8 in different ways — some with money and others with votes. I understand the frustration, but this particular expression of it is wrong and counter-productive.”

I also would like to add two links to friends blogs that I believe cover my (Kris') feelings on the matter as well. The first is a rather nice essay from a friend of the family (an English teacher in Palo Alto) on Prop 8, on the reasoning behind her vote (which can be found here). Thanks Lisa, I really liked your explaination of the difference between sex and marraige (which I belive you get from this essay by a Liberal Democrat in favor of Prop 8). The other is a nice quote from another friend of the family who is from California. She makes it seem, by quoting a rather nice thought, that the aftermath (picketing and such) is only the begining, but well worth the effort of following our leaders. You can read it here.

Bambi's Friends

(The Preserve behind our house during the summer.)

We have some new things to be thankful for this year. One of these things is being able to enjoy nature from the comfort of our home.

About Three weeks ago we looked out our kitchen window and noticed three deer bedded down in the long grass bathing in the morning sun. Shortly thereafter we spotted a young buck and doe in the same place. We also had the pleasure of watching a red fox hunt in the long grass (but not with the deer of course!) Click on the pictures to make them bigger so you can see the deer more easily.

Then it snowed all day Sunday and created a beautiful winter wonderland. The snow gradually melted from most of our lawn but remained frozen to the Preserve forcing the deer to search for food outside their safe habitat. It was Monday when we noticed three deer on our lawn, one of which walked right by our fence and the length of our lawn, not even becoming alarm when we ventured on to the back deck for a closer peek. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Kourtney's Impression

Have you ever felt like you were being made fun of? Well, this evening Kourtney put on my ear/forehead warmer that I had been wearing earlier in the day and ran around the house saying "I'm Jessica! I'm Jessica!" I felt like I was in grade school again when one of those kids who thought they were hilarious acted like me and I couldn't quite tell if they were just trying to be funny or if I was being made fun of. I have to admit, that little ear warmer thing-a-ma-bob isn't the most attractive thing to wear, but it does keep my ears warm. It's also pretty funny to hear one of your children say your name...you know, the one you were actually given to at birth especially when it rolls off their tongues so deliberately. So following my brief moment of self consciousness, I decided to laugh because there really wasn't anything else I could do. Kourtney was just too cute.

Halloween 2008

Our family had a fun Halloween this year. The weather was fantastic and we found a great route to trick-or-treat. Here are some pictures from our fun day, and also some pictures from Alyson's school Halloween Party and of Kris in his "Merlin" costume I talked about in our last blog.

Kris and the Girls at the Church Halloween Party

Alyson was an angel and Kourtney Princess Marie

Alyson's School Party

Trick-or-Treating

Potpouri

If you could tap into the smell of this blog it would have three scents: baby lotion, sweet apple sauce and fresh pumpkin. You will understand the reason for the three flavors as you read on.


First of all...baby lotion. I can't say it enough...I love little girls! As I went through Ellary's clothes that no longer fit her, those dainty little summer outfits painted pastel colors and embroidered with ruffles, I couldn't help but recall just how small she really used to be. I also thought about some of my first memories of her and just how fun it was to dress her in a new outfit every day. It may sound cheesy and almost superficial, dressing her as if she were a doll, but maybe it's just a mother's way of reenacting a childhood activity that has now become a reality. Anyways, I took a picture of some of my favorite outfits (most provided by my mom, Nana, and the girls' adopted grandma in Bloomington, Grandma Stangas. Thank you!)



While I packed up Ellary's old clothes, Alyson and Kourtney played checkers on the floor of Alyson's room...in their tutus may I add. What fun it is to be a little girl! Playing dress up and participating in a friendly competition with your sister...How much better can life really get?

Now on to apple sauce. A couple days ago Kris was holding Ellary and eating an apple at the same time. She pulled his arm close to her so she could get a taste of the juicy apple and guess what...She loved it! She couldn't get enough of it. Thank goodness she doesn't have any teeth yet otherwise she would have taken a huge bite of the apple the way she was going at it.

Kris fed Ellary some baby apple sauce after becoming ferocious with the apple. She gobbled it all up. Ellary is really enjoying solid foods, and she really loved having her daddy feed her.

On to fresh pumpkin...Like most of you, we carved our pumpkins this past week. Alyson and Kourtney both drew faces on their pumpkins and Kris and I cut them out. It was a fun Family Home Evening activity that I am sure will be repeated next year.

Happy Halloween Everyone! Hope you have a safe and fun time trick-or-treating. We will be sure to update you on how ours was, and also fill you in on the ward activity we had this past week in which Kris dressed up as Merlin and was the M.C.

Alyson's Latest Field Trip

Alyson's kindergarten class took a field trip to a pumpkin patch last week. They got the chance to take a hayride, pick a pumpkin, an ear of Indian corn and a gourd. Then they ate donuts and drank apple cider and got to feed some goats and sheep. It was so much fun! Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of this post...