Our "borrowed" Snowman!

Mallory was so fixated on this snowman that we had to take pictures with him.

We didn't build him, though.

Darnit!

I'm kicking myself for forgetting my camera when the girls and I, and their grandpa, went sled riding the other day, so I'm going to attempt to describe the event. The temperatures were in the teens, but we were surprisingly okay with it. Hats, scarves, puffy coats, gloves, snow bibs, and snow boots....you name it, we were wearing it. So, just picture this......Bethany going down the hill "all by herself" and screaming, "Wahoo!!!" with her arms up in the air as she reached the end of her ride. You see, she had outdone the distance of all the other kids who had sledded that hill earlier in the day...as evidenced by the sled tracks. And, Mallory......oh, it was too cute. She wanted to ride with me just about every time, and because the hill was somewhat steep I would pull the sled back up the hill with one hand, and with my other hand - help her climb the hill. Well, after she had been helped a few times, her little independent self wanted no more assistance. Picture this...little girl with striped hat - with a pompom on top and matching mittens, big puffy and pink-flowered coat, blue Buzz Lightyear boots ( which she insisted on even though she has cute little matching pink boots ), and snow pants that puffed out so far they added a foot to her width - which were only about 6 inches of her height when you add in the long coat and tall boots. She would kind of crouch forward and spread her legs out a little, then take a few steps up the hill, then stop and balance herself, then continue her mountain climb. It was about the cutest thing I've ever seen. I don't know if that that description made it even remotely imaginable, but I tried.

Sending some love to NC......

We did get to visit NC this weekend and were so happy to make it happen! Our little-brother-like friend, Logan Mann, got married recently and was having an open house in Fayetteville, so we decided to make the trip -and got to see some other people we love so much while we were there. It's been a year and a half since we've been there, and once we got there we realized even more how much we miss our NC friends. As soon as we greeted good friends like the Ginn family and the Mann family, Jerry, Deon, Tricia, Dana and Dwayne and their sweet new baby girl, the Leadbetters, Therese, the Prasses, the Newcomers, Chris Anderson, and more.......we just felt so loved and at-home again. Our girls had so much fun playing with so many of their sweet little friends. Bethany still regularly says that she misses her "real friends" in North Carolina. We do love living in WV, don't get me wrong, and it's amazing to have our family nearby. I wouldn't want to change that. There was something, though, about having those wonderful friends near us again, you know - who have strong testimonies and have known us through the births of our daughters, through happy times and difficult struggles. We've seen many of them experience life struggles, loss, growing families, empty nests, testimony builders, and memorable events and because we've shared those times in our lives it feels as if we are eternally connected. I love you all! We feel so blessed to have met so many amazing people over the years and to have learned from each of them. Our faith has grown because of our relationships with each of you.

Those of you who are Manns reading this post......it felt so incredible to be amongst your family after all this time apart. Your home felt like an extension of our home - because you've always made us feel so welcome and loved. It was wonderful to meet Becca and catch up with you, Logan. You have married a sweet, amazing young woman. We can't wait to get to know you even better, Becca. Mel, I wish we'd had even more time to just sit and talk. Someday soon, ok? We missed you, Amber and Vaughn, Cory, Stefani, and Sean and Brit -and all of your kiddos! Can't wait to see each of you again.

*I did take my camera, but forgot to even get it out and take any pics. Oops. : )

My Special Time

(Check out all four new posts below!)

Lately, the girls and I have had lots of evenings to watch their new movies for Mommy/Daughters Movie Nights. It's been lots of fun.....we make popcorn and get out some chocolate and drinks. I miss having Brad around in the evenings when he's working or at meetings, but I treasure the time I get with just my girls. :)

More Photos - Christmas at the Poe House

My nephew, Jaxson. (above)

Can you see the elf ears? Aunt Shannon let Bethany wear her elf hat on Christmas.

More Christmas

Our Tree - Christmas Eve

This is what Santa left for the girls.

Bethany was disappointed this year when she opened clothes.......shucks! I've gotten away with it every year until now. Mallory, however, was thrilled every time she opened a box with clothes inside. Go figure!

Oh, I could just eat this little girl up!

Christmas 2008

Our Christmas season was full of fun and love and busyness. After my last post, we had Bethany's Christmas program at school, well it was held at the local college. Mallory was extremely upset that she could not go up and sing on the stage after Bethany's class finished. Thank goodness Aunt Anita was there to entertain Mal outside with Gatorade and snacks while the program continued. We did have to let her go up after all was done so that she could sing on stage, too. What a little ham!

We put up our tree for a Family Home Evening, but ended up moving it to the other side of the room later on. That was fun....for Brad and his dad. I just watched. : )

We went out for Chinese on Christmas Eve with the Bennett family, as is their tradition, spend our 1st Christmas morning in our own house and then rushed over to local grandparents' house for more gifts, and then moved onto my family after that. It was a very busy day, but we had lots of fun - especially watching the little ones enjoy what Santa had left for them. Games were played, new movies were watched, and many of us have been reading new books ever since that day. One of the bummers of our Christmas was that it did not snow- our Californian family members were quite disappointed. What is with rain in the winter? I would much rather see white flakes falling, than have to chase Mallory out of the water puddles every time we go outside. I never did get to the sugar cookies with the kids, but they did help me make the easiest of holiday treats. (pretzels, Rolos, and pecan halves) Yum! Brad and I were reminded of how much fun we used to have buying lots of presents for each other for our first Christmases together, but we have since decided to just do stockings for each other and spend our holiday budget on our loved ones. It feels so good to find the right gift and watch someone find joy in what you've chosen for them.

Since then we've been reorganizing bedrooms and closets and toy shelves and bins to make room for new things, and starting a new load for Goodwill. I still haven't put away my Christmas decorations, but they are all laid out on my dining room table awaiting their boxes. I'm still trying to sort out my goals for the year. I want to make sure they're reasonable. Maybe I'll fill you in when I complete the list, so that I'm held more accountable.

Hope that you all have a Happy New Year and are blessed in 2009!

The Flu

So, it's bad when you're so sick that you wish you were giving birth rather than being sick...AGAIN! I know, when you give birth there is a miracle at the end of the pain, so of course that must be better than being sick. But, seriously, as I knelt on the bathroom floor late last night.....I couldn't help but cry and think about how much better it would feel to be pushing out a baby! Crazy, I know. I started feeling nauseous before church yesterday, but I couldn't stay home because I was handling primary by myself because the other lady who does it with me was out of town. So, I felt yucky and queasy and hot and cold, but I made it through church before the full-blown flu/virus hit me. My body was so violent to me....it hated me yesterday. But, even though I haven't eaten anything for a couple of days now, I am feeling better. The worst thing left is the soreness in my back and ribs from being sick and achy....it hurts to laugh or even lay down. I'm going to try and eat some soup and jello this evening while my family gets to eat real food. And, I'm praying that my kids and husband don't get this because it was brutal. Ok, I'm done complaining.....the positive thing is that I had a priesthood blessing yesterday evening and I know it made a difference. I'm so blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life!

Things I'm thinking about....

* I saw the Twilight movie tonight, all by myself, and I liked it. Some of you may think going to a movie by yourself is weird, but it is strangely empowering. Someone told me a while back that I needed to try it -to be comfortable just being with myself. I liked it.

* I have a new goal to get into a routine/schedule. I've been floating through my days for too long. Wish me luck!

*My quads are killing me! A friend of Brad's has been putting us through workouts the past couple of nights after the kids are asleep, and my body has not been properly exercised in so long....I'm feeling it. Again, wish me luck! I SO need to get healthier.

* How can a tiny 2 yr old be so exhausting?? I'm having new mothering experiences everyday right now. It's a good thing she's so darned cute. ;)

* I love and miss my friends. One thing about Facebook and blogging and all that is that I get to feel like I have my friends right here with me sometimes, and then I remember that they aren't here. Kinda sad, but I'm so grateful for the contact. It's so rewarding to catch up with high school friends, college friends, friends from different churches I've attended, and family, too. I'm really thankful for these technological advances. Internet and DVR....two of the best inventions ever!!!!

I am ashamed......sort of ;-)

I haven't cooked, barely cleaned, slept little, ignored my boxes of Christmas decorations, mothered at less than my best, and been a neglectful and distracted wife this week. Why? Because I finally picked up the Twilight books that everyone has been raving about. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I finished Twilight Sunday night, spent all day Monday trying to find a copy of New Moon (brad tried, too) and finally located a copy to borrow. I finished it on Tuesday night, and my hubby bought Eclipse that day, so I started it Wednesday and finished it on Thursday morning. I had to wait until Thursday evening to start Breaking Dawn because Brad was not coming home until really late that night. I drove with the girls to meet him for dinner, and he playfully accused me of only coming to see him to get the book. I have to admit, it was half of my motivation, but I did want to see him and for him to see the kids. I waited until I got the kids to bed that night, which took great restraint, and then read for 4-5 hours straight. I had no idea how long I'd been sitting there. I took some breaks on Friday, wanting to stretch it out longer, and today I finished it. I loved the finish to the story, but I'm gonna miss it, too. What interesting characters and great writing! There is just some kind of therapeutic release that comes with reading a good book, taking you into another world. Now, I need to get re-focused....post-Twilight series.