November

After the craziness of the temple and Halloween, November has seemed kind of plain. Matt has been really, really busy at work and we don't see nearly as much of him as we would like. 

This month we went to Edmonton to visit the Hudson clan and to dip chocolates. Unfortunately, the flu hit and the girls and I were out of commission for a week! Yuck! It was the first time I've had the flu since I've been a mother and I have to admit, the lack of sick days makes this one difficult profession! Plus it filled me with pregnancy flashbacks that are still to close for comfort. So happy that the nausea and vomiting lasted 24hrs, not 3+ months! We decided to rain check dipping chocolates and are looking forward to trying again over the Christmas holidays.

Before the flu hit, Rory had fun playing outside with Papa.

The week after that, Matt took the girls down to Cardston for American Thanksgiving. I had to stay behind for some church meetings and took advantage of the break to have a girls night and get some much needed rest. 

The girls have been lots of fun. Sophie is growing up so fast! I love watching her grow and change. She has eight teeth now and is learning how to chew with them. She loves to eat and out eats Rory every meal of the day. She can't really crawl yet but gets around just fine using more individualized techniques. She can backwards crawl (but hates being on her tummy, and frequently cries), scootches herself around on her back and (most recently) on her butt. She can also pull herself up to standing with some help. She LOVES to talk. She is constantly babbling gibberish and loves to giggle and laugh. She can also clap and wave. She also loves to give hugs. I am a frequent recipient of these as I spend the most time with her and am her favourite (because I still nurse her). Her hugs melt my heart!

Rory is just too funny these days. She is so smart and so quick. Matt and I like to joke that she has "the knack"(engineering abilities). She is constantly tying knots and elaborate traps, hanging her princesses and buckets over railings, from chairs, or from doorways. She is also loving ballet and is developing her talents beautifully. Rory is such a sweet spirit and a great friend. Other kids flock to her because she is so kind and enjoys playing with everyone. It's fun to watch her reach out and befriend girls in her dance class. She also loves to sing. She knows the words to most of the songs on my iPhone and it's really fun to listen to her sing them in the car. On the other hand, she has been waking up at 5 am every morning for months! It has been driving us CRAZY! For Christmas we bought her an alarm clock that lights up green with it is time for her to get up (7am). We couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to her. She has been using it for about a week now and though she still needs a bit of practice, it has already proved a worthy investment!

At the dentist, not a fan.

She really wanted to take the glasses home at the end.

Yesterday Matt and I got to go do our first session at the Calgary temple! It has been open for a month now and we didn't book early enough, so we have been waiting for a while to get the chance to go together. Matt took the morning off and we dropped the girls off at a friends and spent the morning together in the House of the Lord. It was a wonderful morning.

We are looking forward to Christmas! Now that all the stress is out of the way, I am hoping we can sit back and enjoy spending time with family, eating scrumptious food and celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween! I think it's the drama geek in me! I spend most of the year coming up with cool Halloween costumes. Usually our ward throws a big Halloween party and family dance the weekend before Halloween. It is always so much fun. Our friends are so creative when it comes to costumes! This year, with so much going on with the temple and all, they decided it was better to skip this tradition. 

So I decided to throw a little bash of my own! We invited Rory's friends and their families and a couple friends and family members of our own. It was a lot of fun! It was so busy I didn't get a lot of pictures. Too bad. I love to document our girls' lives this endless pictures. I mean endless. What did people do before digital cameras?!

 Monster pudding cups with crushed oreos

 Mummy juice boxes

 Healthier options...oh wait, is that chocolate sauce?

Ya it is!

 Some of the decor.

 I decided to start a new tradition (I love traditions!)

The night before Halloween, we carved our pumpkin and had ghost pancakes! Yum!

Rory was pretty excited about the new tradition. She ate four pancakes!

My original plan was to dress up as Goldilocks and the three bears, but Rory insisted on being Merida from Brave. How could I say no to that! Brave was an awesome movie and Merida is a great role model, great shot with her bow and arrow and no prince in the picture. So I dug through her dress up box and found a suitable gown. I put her hair in rags and then sprayed her curls with red hair spray. She was just too cute. Matt also made her a bow and some arrows. It really works! He gets Dad of the year for that!

 Sophie went as a bear. If you've seen the movie you get it. If you haven't, watch it. 

 The cutest bear ever!

 My cuties.

 Kill shot!

Matt and my costumes were unrelated to the kidlets this year. Sad I know, but I had to give Rory a little bit on independence. She is three after all. I was Katniss Everdeen and Matt was Peeta Mellark. Yes, I am a Hunger Games nerd. Books and movie if I'm being honest. 

 The family.

 Rory and I are hardcore female heroines!

 Star-crossed lovers of District 12

 Nightlock anyone?

So it's Hallows Eve and I  had just finish shovelling soup down Rory's throat and turned to get her costume ready to put on and what does she do? Throw up on my carpet of course. She doesn't seem to be too sick though, so Matt took her out anyways. Maybe she was just super excited or maybe I made her eat too much. All I know was that her hair was already red, she'd already trick-or-treated family members over Skype. There was no turning back.

All bundled up and ready to go!

How Sophie spent Halloween.

 Rory showing off her loot.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful Halloween!!

My Family is Forever

I've been wanting to take family pictures since Sophie was born. We got some really nice ones taken right after she was born but I was obviously not in tip top shape and don't enjoy looking at me. But the ones of the girls are framed on our wall. We tried to get a good family shot at Hannah's wedding back in August but it was hot and Rory was over tired and not in the mood. 

So we decided we want to try and take some family ones on our own. Maybe if it was a low key, no pressure situation, the girls would perform. And they did! We walked down a path on nose hill to a little shady spot. This is what we got:

My girls are gorgeous!

 And we finally got the family picture I wanted! I'm so pleased with it and it is already up on the wall at home. I'm so thankful for my family and am so glad that we can be together forever!

I Love to See the Temple

I love to see the temple.

I'm going there someday

To feel the Holy Spirit,

To listen and to pray.

...

For the temple is a holy place

Where we are sealed together.

As a child of God, I've learned this truth:

A family is forever.

(Children's songbook, 95)

Yesterday, Matt and I had the privilege to take our beautiful girls to the Calgary Temple open house. We had spend the previous day leading tours through this beautiful, sacred building and were really excited to be able to share it with our daughters. Rory was so excited she kept yelling "temple!" every time she saw it (in real life and in the introductory video on the tour.) But once we entered the holy house, she was very reverent and respectful. I was really happy to share the bride's room with her. The bride's room is a place where we will be, just the two of us, as she gets ready for her wedding (in 20 years or so). I was showing her her reflection in one of the beautifully ornate golden mirrors when I looked up and noticed our tour guide had tears in her eyes. She said she was touched as she watched us and could imagine us together, twenty years down the road sharing another beautiful moment in that mirror.

The temple is a beautiful building. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that it is the House of the Lord and that it is the most sacred building on the earth. You can see the love that we have for our God as you look at the details on the outside and inside of the building. It has been built to the highest standard by the most skilled hands.

Inside the temple, members of the church learn about our Saviour Jesus Christ. We also learn about our Heavenly Father's plan for us; where we came from, what He wants us to do while we are here and what will happen after we leave this life.

In the temple we are also married to our spouse not just for this life but for eternity. And when we are married in the temple, our children are sealed to us as well. I was married in the Edmonton Temple and sealed to Matt for eternity. I am so grateful that I will be with him and with our children forever.

After our tour, I asked Rory what she had felt inside. She said she liked looking at all the different rooms and the cookie she got at the end. She was sad to leave. In the car on the way home she said: "The temple is Heavenly Father's house. I feel happy there."

The blessings of the temple are so amazing! I am so glad that we now have a temple in Calgary! I hope to visit it often so that I can feel the spirit and peace of that place.

Now through October 20th, the temple is open for tours. After that point it will be dedicated, and then only members of the church who are in good standing will be able to enter. If you would like an opportunity to go through go to:
calgarymormontemple.org
for information or to reserve a spot on a tour.

School Time

With September, comes the beginning of school. It is still weird for me not to go back to school in the fall after doings it for 18 straight years. Rory was caught up in the magic of back to school as well, even though she is still two years away from kindergarten. She decided she really wanted to teach a class, so she set all her animals up on the stairs and asked me to bring the chalkboard out so she could teach them.

I love this girl so much! She and I have been struggling lately. We are so similar. Both stubborn and dramatic. It can lead to some major showdowns. I was told recently that I am really great with my sunbeams (3-4 yr old kids at church) because I am so patient. Teaching them has made me realize that I have the ability to be more patient with Rory. I am trying hard to develop my patience even more, because I know that I will only need it more and more as this girl becomes more and more independent.  That being said, being dramatic may give you some pretty low lows, but it also leads to some crazy highs! Every smile, hug or kiss and funny comment that comes from this girl just melts me heart. 

Sophie-licious

I recently had the pleasure of holding a tiny little newborn baby boy. My heart ached a little when I looked at him and thought of how much Sophie has grown. She is getting so big! Apart from being bigger at 6 months than Rory was at 12, she is also getting stronger and smarter and is overflowing with personality! She loves to talk and smile and giggle with her sister. Her smiles fill her whole face and show off her adorable teeth! She found her toes and loves to chew on them. She also spends more time sitting than lying down and has learned to fall over with grace as her stomach muscles strengthened, so no more bonking her head painfully on the ground. She still despises tummy time and has not figured out rolling over but who cares! She will get it when she gets it! Her bangs are getting longer and I actually was able to put a hair clip in them on Sunday! (It didn't stay in long enough to make it to church but I still consider it a success!!)

Sitting up on her own and swinging on the swing at the park!

Sophie's newest trick in eating solid foods. When I say solid food, I mean people food, not baby food. About a week ago Sophie decided she didn't like to eat mashed food or baby cereal anymore. I had never given her store bought food, so from the beginning she had eaten food that had actual taste and texture. So it wasn't much of a stretch to move to the real thing. I still sneak in baby food when I can because I want her to have a healthy balanced diet, but if we are eating at the table as a family she insists on doing so with us. A trait that she apparently got from me.

 Eating pears, cheese and cheerios.

 First time eating a graham cracker (as well as cheese and bananas). 

She loved it!

 I was making dinner and turned around and saw this. My cuties!

 Scrambled eggs, fruit and toast. Loved the toast!

As for baby food Sophie still eats sweet potato, carrots, peaches, avocado, banana and cereal and we added broccoli, peas, cheese, tomatoes, pears, mango, grapes, cantaloupe, ground beef, hot dogs, eggs, crackers, cheerios, cornbread, pancakes, bread and graham crackers as well as nursing (which I still do about 8-10 times a day). I must say I enjoy her eating normal food. So much easier! I'm not a fan of the baby food days.

Captured

I know I just updated you on all our summer activities, but I specifically omitted these pictures. I thought they were just so cute that they needed a post of their own.

For those of you who think that Rory is all Beazer, I think I may have to disagree...

These pictures of my mom and Rory were just taken randomly while Matt or I (not sure which) was playing with the camera. I cropped them and then noticed their similarities. Too cute!

Sunshine and Summertime

It has been a wonderful summer and a busy one at that. I suddenly find myself with a couple days of down time and don't know what to do with myself!

Since I last posted we have done so many things!

 Sophie loves her Jolly Jumper!

 First time on a swing.

 I love my cuties!

We started off with a Rory-less trip to Spokane Valley, WA. It was a great trip. We dropped Rory off in Cardston at Grandma and Grandpa Beazer's and drove with Sophie to Cranbrook, BC. We spent the night in the tiniest, most sketchy little motel ever! (Thanks Hotwire!) I was so glad that I had brought a separate bed and bedding for Sophie. That is how sketchy it was. But it had good cable and was just a place to lay our head for a couple hours and to give Sophie a break from her carseat. She was SO good! Early the next morning, we packed up and headed to the states. We spent some time over the next couple days checking out Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Spokane Valley and Spokane. There was some great shopping, beautiful lakes and mountains and crazy thunderstorms. Our second hotel in post falls lost our reservation (Thanks Hotwire!) and right on cue Sophie got all fussy and they felt really bad and upgraded us to a king suite! It was so much more space than we needed but it was a really nice! It was just a simple vacation, a chance to get away and spend sometime together alone (with Sophie obviously, as I am still nursing). I am so grateful to have such an awesome husband! He is my best friend. Our lives are so busy that we don't really get to spend a lot of quality time together. This trip was a perfect break for me and my bestie.

A couple weeks later we packed up our tiny car and took the girls on a camping trip to Two Jack Lakeside in Banff, AB. My parents met us there. We spent two days enjoying the beauty of the mountains. I love the mountains and am so grateful to live so close to them. I grew up spending my summers running around national park campgrounds and I plan on giving the same wonderful memories to my girls. So far, my kids have exceeded my expectations. They are natural campers! We had such a wonderful time!

 Home away from home. 

A bit squishy with four but thats half the fun!

 All ready to explore!

 Daddy and daughter ready for the lake.

 Rock throwing!

 Rocking the bandana!

 Kicking back in the tent. Bug free zone.

Off on an adventure!

Bear! 

Sophie totally enthralled with Papa's harmonica!

Camper girl!

 Mmmm Shmellows!

 Stealing all the cookies.

 Grandma and the girls.

 Checking out a spider web.

 More rock throwing.

 All tuckered out!

 Ice cream!! From the Cow store no less!

 Breakfast! Sophie was so ready for solids but I held out on her until we got back from camping. Nursing is less messy. No bear bait baby!

 From the mind of Rory: girl's bathroom to the left, boy's bathroom to the right, so what in the middle? The bear's bathroom of course! She was also obsessed with the fact that all the bugs in the girl's bathroom were girl bugs. So cute!

 And more rock throwing!

The first week of August we went up to Edmonton to visit my family and my grandparents who were visiting from Arizona. We had a great time. We took the girls to Heritage days and swimming in the pool at my aunt and uncles house. We also had a scrumptious raclette and crepe dinner!!!! Mostly it was just great to spend time with my family! I miss them, especially because I'm the only one that lives far away!

 Face painting at Heritage days.

 Swimming at the McMullins! (We didn't have her swimsuit so she went in her panties!)

Cooling down with a bath in grandma's sink. What a chub!

With August came my sister in laws wedding! We went down to Cardston two weeks in a row, once for Hannah's shower and the Cardston parade and again the next week for Hannah and Dean's wedding. The first weekend was a lot for fun. My mother in law planned the cutest shower and then watched the girls so Matt and I could go see the new Batman movie at the little Cardston theatre. The next day was the parade and Matt's 10 year high school reunion. He's so old!!. He even rode on the float! (jokes, he was riding in the truck, but thats close enough). It was such a cold day, but Rory had a blast once she realized that people on the floats threw candy! We still have a bucket full! The following weekend was the wedding and the time in between was spent preparing. Rory was the flower girl so I helped her practice her "walking down the aisle" moves and her hair style, and made Sophie's headband, as she has no hair. I also sewed sleeves on the girls flower girl dresses because modesty is of huge importance to me! Matt was asked to speak at the wedding. He was to say a poem or quote about the symbolism of the sand ceremony. So like to good wife I am, I wrote a poem for him, that turned out quite nicely. I was asked to accompany him on the piano. Not one of my better talents, but I practiced really hard and I think it turned out okay. I was decent at least. It was a beautiful ceremony on a beautiful day with a beautiful bride!! Hannah was stunning in her dress! I'm so glad she got to have her happily ever after!

Practicing her flower girl responsibilities.

 Chilling in the hotel in Cardston.

 Pictures at the Beazer's before the wedding.

 Best family one we got. Oh kids!

 Love these girls!

What a gorgeous girl!

Around all those major events we also had company almost every week we were home, all summer long! The partially finished bedroom and newly moved queen bed in the basement have been put to good use over the past four months!

With all this business, Sophie has been growing and growing!!! She has rolled over a couple times but her terrible temper and strong dislike for tummy time usually escalade such moments into dramatic tantrums. She sticks her arms straight out to the side to stop the rolling motion that would save her from the horrid stomach time! But each day, she gets a little better, a little stronger. She can also sit up on her own, but only for short periods of time. I started her on solids a couple weeks ago. She loves rice cereal, bananas, sweet potato and teething crackers, she tolerates oat cereal and carrots and does NOT like applesauce. If I mix it with something else she'll eat it but its too sour on its own. I really enjoy seeing her reaction to each food. I am making all the baby food from scratch and I enjoy how much better it looks, smells and tastes, not too mention how much cheaper it is! 

 Very first time eating rice cereal.

 Carrots! Not her favourite.

Monday night I was also surprised to find two little bottom teeth poking their way through Sophie's gums. Crazy! I remember checking earlier in the day and seeing nothing!

Now that fall in approaching, things will start to calm down around here. Or will they... I am looking forward to the exciting things that are happening in Calgary this fall! The Calgary Temple open house is coming quickly and Matt and I are blessed to be able to do tours in October, during the open house! I am really excited for this opportunity to share the beauty of this sacred house with those who would otherwise not be able to enter. I am also extremely excited to show Rory the temple and the sealing room where she will likely get married someday. I remember the day my parents showed me the sealing room in the Edmonton temple and even at the age of 12, I knew it was something special and sacred and was determine to live my life in a way to be worthy to be married in that holy house. What a wonderful time to live in Calgary!