Ella's Favorite Things

Purses...high heels...gum...stuffed animals...dresses...panties....pizza...Pinkalicious...cupcakes...pink everything...
daisy the dog...singing in the microphone at music class...dancing...books...
these are a few of Ella's favorite things.

Things Ella worries about:
Scary guys, Viola Swamp (character in Ms Nelson Book's), birds chasing her.

Favorite tricks:
Ella can climb up the rock wall on our playset all by herself.
Ella likes to do back bends (like a crab - tummy up) and says, "Look at me!"
Ella can get her own water. She loves to pour her drinks from one cup to another.
Ella only loves the marshmellows in Lucky Charms!
Ella takes 3-4 baths a day and joins anyone in a shower or tub.


Ella is such a happy girl. Sometimes Kate says, "I'm sick of it."
I ask Kate, "Sick of what?"
Kate says, "I'm sick of Ella being so happy. Why does she always have to be so happy."

This conversation makes me laugh. Ella we love that you are so happy.

Favorite Phrases:
Ella often asks, "Is it morning time?"
At dinner time she asks, "Is it eating time?"

We love her phrases, the way she thinks, and most of all...her smile!

American Girl Easter

The girls are really into American Girl.
We were so lucky to go to Chicago last week where there just happens to be an American Girl Place.
We brought home Easter dresses,
as well as matching Easter dresses for their dolls.
They look so cute with their little dolls!

Ella age 2, Abby age 6 & Kate age 4.

Gymnastics Meet

Abby and Bailey are cute friends!
They have taken dance together
and are now both taking gymnastics.
They are determined to get down their backhand springs!

We thought it would be fun to go to the BYU vs U
Gymnastics Meet, together. The kids loved it! Bailey, Alicia & Mason (my BYU buddy).

We all had a great time!

Dinosaur Museum

Ella was afraid of the huge dinosaurs,
but somehow found this baby dinosaur
was cute enough to get to close to.

Kate came home from Preschool excited about dinosaurs. Her amazing teacher had animal cookies and buried them in rice and had the kids dig for them. Kate could not stop talking about all she had learned. We decided to take the afternoon to head to the dinosaur museum to dig for some bones.

Chicago

Avatar in 3D.
There was one windy, snowy cold day in the 30's. A perfect day to go to a movie.
We were excited to get to finally see Avatar. We loved it! It was amazing!

Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Science Museum....we hit them all!

American Girl.....was a must stop on the magnificent mile.
J was extremely patient and helpful in picking out the girl's and their doll's....Easter dresses.
Finding the right dresses and sizes takes skill and hard work!

Willis Tower

The tallest building in the United States is the Willis Tower in Chicago. It use to be called the Sears tower and had it named changed in July of 2009.
It is 103 stories high.

We made our way to the top of the sky deck. There is a glass ledge that jets out from the building allowing you to stand 103 stories above the ground on a glass platform and to look down!
One of us was brave enough to step out on the ledge....the other one of us took the picture!

Running in Chicago

We took a 5 1/2 mile run from our hotel, down the magnificent mile, along the Chicago River to the famous Navy Pier. We ran to the end of the pier (which is nearly a mile long itself) to the awesome view of Lake Michigan. The weather was in the 60's and it was clear, beautiful, and breathtaking.
One of my favorite memories.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange - Federal Bank

There are 12 federal banks in the US.
Here is a list of all 12.
We toured the museum of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
They had lots on display, including a $10,000 bill, a $5,000 bill as well as a lot of old coins.
Being a finance guy, J loved the information. J also has a coin collection and it was fun to see some rare coins.

They had a display to see if you could recognize counterfeit bills.
J got every one right.

$1,000,000.00
The souvenir....I wish I could have taken home!

Each state has a representative that reports to one of these 12 federal banks. Pappy, J's Grandfather, was the President of the Salt Lake Branch that reports to the
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
J definitely has a love for investments and finance in his blood. Perhaps he gets it from his Grandfather, Pappy.

We also visited the
Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Trading is no longer done in Chicago, however Chicago is where a lot of the trading started with eggs and butter. There is a neat museum with a lot of information. J was in financial heaven and explained a lot of things to me. I think I finally understand "futures".'
I love having a smart husband who understands and appreciates the financial world.

The Bean at Milennium Park

The Bean in Milennium Park is a newer Chicago attraction. We took Abby and Kate to Chicago in the summer of 2006. The bean was not there 4 years ago when we were last there.
It is fun to see the reflections of yourself, the buildings and the skyline. We were there at a perfect time of night and caught the setting sun in The Bean.

Inside of The Bean....very cool!

Art Institute of Chicago

Trip to Chicago

We had a wonderful time in Chicago. We had fun shopping on the Magnificent Mile, jogging along the Chicago River down to Lake Michigan, touring museums, and even getting lost on the "L". It is fun to enjoy life in a big city.

St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The kids LOVE to play hangman, or hangnail as Kate calls it.
We had time for a quick "green" version, before school.

St. Patrick's Day would never be complete without a green breakfast. Green french toast, green eggs, and green milk all on green placemats with shamrock cups! Yum!

Swan Lake

Kate was beautiful tonight!
This was Kate's first ballet, Swan Lake.
Kate is a dainty and graceful ballerina.

Ballerina Kate

Kate is the 3rd dancer going from right to left.

She was a "Star."

We loved watching you Kate.
Grandma Janet, Ella, Abby and Kate.

Entering Space

I love my car! The kids love our car as well....and they really love the Toyota dealership. They have the best kids room, designed by the owners wife. It has a huge space ship, space car, and tons of buttons and gadgets everywhere. It is just as fun as the Buzz Light year ride at Disneyland....and less scary (according to Kate). I'm happy I only have to get the oil changed there every 5,000 miles....however the kids wish we could go every week!

Books

We love to read! Here are the books we are enjoying right now...

J - The Hunger Games Series
Lori - The Outlander Series
Abby - Baby Brains
Kate - The Berestein Bears and The Trouble With Chores
Ella - Pinkalicious and Purpalicious

RS Birthday

Our wonderful ward...

We have a wonderful ward!!! I enjoy my calling as counselor in the RS Presidency, and enjoy planning activities for the sisters in our ward. I LOVE the sisters in our ward. Each sister has so much to give. Tonight we did a Gift of Love night. Our former Bishop, Bishop Mayfield spoke on gifts of love. There were 170 sisters in our ward and 55 sisters came tonight. Everyone brought a gift to exchange, that represented one of their loves. I took a luggage tag....representing that I love to travel. I received the best ever homemade candle from Kim. It smells so good. It was fun to learn about each other as we exchanged gifts. It is fun to be surrounded by such amazing women.