Proof That We Are NOT COMPLETELY Boring People...

Warning: Many pictures below. I need LOTS of proof that we DO occasionally get out of the house to do fun and interesting things.

This is Leila agreeing that its more fun to lose the "boringness".

The Nelson-Atkins Museum (when Kylie and Zach came to visit).
Fritz's at Crown Center. (A place cool for kids but with rather gross food.)


You call in to order your food.
Then a little train comes around with your food and drops it off at your table.

The "Under The Sea Adventure" exhibit at Crown Center.

Eden LOVED dancing and making facing in the mirrors.



There was also a table of books related to the "Under the Sea" theme. Eden would have sat there and read all day long if we could have.
The Crayola store at Crown Center. Eden loved drawing.

Yes, I too could be a designer. Well, at least DOODLE design....maybe....
Toy store at Crown Center

I've rather made it a goal to not be so "hermit-like" and "boring". My other attempts at anti-boringness include:

• Going to the library for book kids' story time
• Visiting friends randomly
• Look around Zona Rosa (outdoor mall)
• I joined a sign language class taught by the missionaries
• Baking cookies and taking them to people

Hey, its a start. For one who is a hermit, this is quite the active start.

Compare and Contrast

Sometimes Tyson and I look back at pictures of Eden and think "It may be hard to pick out what pictures are Eden and which ones are Leila."

I LOOK at them and I think they look REALLY different. But there are definitely certain times when they look alike.

I can tell you the differences between them:

1. Eden had bigger cheeks and Leila has a bigger....everything else.
2. Their eyes are slightly different in shape.
3. Their smiles are different.
4. Eden has LONG tufts of hair in front. Leila's tufts are on the sides of her head.
5. Leila's got better eyebrows.

Although they may look alike, they are NOTHING alike personality wise.

1. Eden is into people. Leila is into toys.
2. Eden was mild and quiet (although not now). Leila is LOUD and vicious.
3. Eden didn't like crawling, standing, etc. Leila LOVES the independence.
4. Eden was a GREAT sleeper. Leila still wakes up SEVERAL times at night.
5. Eden would be friends with anyone. Leila's into "stranger danger".

Either way, they are both cute. (And lately both drive me crazy at times as well.)

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

1: Leila's Smile. Melts my heart....over and over and over again.

2: Old funny pictures of Eden that Tyson took with his camera.

3: Finishing projects.

Before

(bookshelf with missing glass panels)

After

(toy shelf filled with wood panels and painted)

Re-Upholstered Chair

(good job Tyson)

4: Spiritual Uplifts.

Lately there's been something missing in my life. I couldn't really pin point it. It felt like I had a lot to do and a lot I didn't want to do. I was extremely not motivated, easily agitated, and lacked happiness that I knew had potential of being there.

I felt like I knew what would make me happy. "If I get my rear in gear and just stop pouting."

I was wrong. (Well, not COMPLETELY wrong.)

After doing a little light reading, I decided to try and motivate myself to be a better me. I looked for something to write my thoughts down in (although writing things down on paper was about as motivated as I felt like getting). I ran across an old notebook I use on special occasions when I have a spiritual thought or spiritual study.

I read it.

And then I realized that what I was missing was the spiritual things in my life. I realized how bad I'd become at living with the Spirit day by day.

In my notebook I had summaries of conference talks from April of this past year. One caught my eye. I remembered the talk given and decided to go back and listen to it again.

I searched out the talk. Click Here.

And everything came back to me. I feel rejuvenated and motivated again. My life has purpose and meaning. I don't care as much about people SHOWING their appreciation and love for me. I realize that what matters is what God wanted of me, not what I want of myself or what others want of me.

I find myself much more happy and grateful for life.

THESE are a few of MY FAVORITE THINGS.

Look Out World!

Look who's CRAWLING! Its so exciting....and yet so scary. Time to put up gates, put items up on high shelves, and start saying "Where'd Leila go?".

I admit, I'm so excited for her...and yet I'm so scared. Cause this girl's gonna be TROUBLE!

LOOK OUT WORLD! Leila's on the LOOSE!

(Sorry for the poor video quality. It was taken on my phone. BUT at least I can put a video on my blog....which is better than I've been able to do for a long time.)

Self Portrait

While cutting out hearts from construction paper Eden says, "Look mom! Its Eden!" And for the first time she drew a picture of a person all by herself! She's getting so big!

Now she's understanding how this works. She's now also drawn a lion, letter "E", Eden wearing a dress, her toddler bed, and Leila's crib. She's loving her new talent. She's drawing all the time!

Taking Pictures of Two Children....

Its not easy. At least not for ME. Granted, I'm no pro photographer.

A while ago, I attempted to take pictures of my two girls together to fill some empty frames around my house. This is what ends up happening (pictures in random order)....

The ONLY picture with Leila smiling. But of course her eyes are closed and Eden had up and gone.

Probably the best picture I could get of the girls together.
Giggling, blank stares, lifting up dresses....
Not looking at the camera, weird looks...
If Eden was doing a good smile...she always had to arms in the air for some reason....
Everyone tired of taking pictures...
Leaving the scene....
Leila yelling at me to give her the camera....

One of these days I'll get a good picture of the two. Perhaps when its warmer outside, Tyson's around to help get the girls to look and smile at the camera, Leila understand to sit there and look at the camera, and when Eden's attention span lasts longer than 1 minute intervals (I admit, I got her to smile and sit for as many pictures as I did by bribing her with M&Ms....still wasn't very successful.)

Hmm...I may never get pictures taken.

Oh well. I can still use maybe one or two to fill a frame.

Hard Work

Snow, snow, snow.

We've had a few days with LOTS of snow. Tyson and Eden are ending their sicknesses and Leila and I are in the beginning of our sicknesses.

So that means, the manual labor of shoveling snow goes to daddy and Eden.

Isn't Eden so funny in all her snow stuff? She insisted on wearing her snow goggles.
Eden really worked hard to try and shovel the whole time. (Tyson did too.)

Even when the handle broke off of the shovel, she didn't complain and kept working!
Other shovelers came around and she stopped to talk to them for a second. They said, "Are you helping shovel snow?" And her reply was "Yeah. This is hard work!"
And the two sickies stayed inside and played with a large box of toys. ....such hard work....
Then when all was said and done Eden came running to the front door yelling, "I'm done shoveling. I want some hot cocoa."

....Which we didn't have any.

But for all her hard labor, Tyson went out and bought some hot chocolate for her. Overall, she had a really good time and earned her hot cocoa.

*All pictures of the shovelers were taken through a window....avoiding cold.