Merry Christmas All!!

This past week has been crazy busy, getting ready for Christmas and our big trip. I don't have time right now to post pictures from all our celebrating, but I promise something good when we get back. For now, we're off to Spain to visit the folks!!! We're leaving the cubs in the care of Auntie B and I think they will have a blast! They probably won't even know we're gone. Oh well, such is life. I'm pretty sure I'll miss them like crazy. Blog you in a week or so!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with lots of family and fun!

Blustery Day

We woke up (a little late) yesterday morning to find at least a foot of snow had fallen overnight. We were rushing to get ready for church when we got the call that it had been postponed an hour!! They also informed us that it would only be sacrament meeting. Fortunately, I had not gone out the night before to set up the primary room; unfortunately, I had stayed up quite late wrapping presents and making word strips for my sharing time - oh well!!Of course Brett had to take the kids out right away to spend a few minutes in the snow

while I stood in the doorway and took pictures.

There's nothing more beautiful than untouched snow,

but once it gets footprints, etc. all over I'm done and ready for it to melt.

Oh Baby!

We had our ultrasound today!

Yikes, is that even human?!Aw, that's much better! What a cutie, just look at that nose..Perfect in every way. Oh yeah, is there something I'm forgetting?It's a girl!!!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We actually hosted it this year for the first time - whew, that's a lot of work!! Brett fried the turkey and it was yummy. We had some friends and neighbors eat with us and we were able to learn about some traditions in their home countries. It was a good day, and I'm really glad it only comes once a year. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Birthday Girl

Here's our little birthday girl! Can you believe Mollie is two today? She is definitely showing her age, she's been moody all day! I tried to take a video of her singing "Happy Birthday" but the sound was messed up. We'll try again. We're actually celebrating on Saturday so that Auntie B can join us, so I'll post more b-day pics on the weekend.

Here's to Old Friends

We had a great (although it was too short) visit from one of our favorite missionaries in San Fransisco the other day! Andy was interviewing for dental school at UM, and we really hope he will be coming here next year! He and his wife are both from Florida, so we just have to convince them that the winters in Michigan aren't that bad! Let's see, with a good heater and lots of hot chocolate it could be a fun adventure, don't you think?!

Happy Happy Birthday Baby!

It's Brett's birthday today! We had some friends over for dinner and cake, it was all very exciting!

Tagged

Well, I keep reading everyone's blogs when they get tagged and thinking "Whew! I escaped again!" but my friend Rachel finally caught up with me! Let's see if I can even do this right, and hopefully come up with some information you may or may not already know about me. I guess I'm supposed to write 7 things and then tag 7 people - we'll see if I am interesting enough!

#1 I love Wonder bread! I know it's a silly thing, but I just really love how soft and squishy it is. When I was growing up my mom was one of "those" moms that made everything from scratch. Lucky me, right? I totally took it for granted. I would sometimes try to trade my delicious peanut butter sandwich on homemade bread with another kid whose mom sent Wonder bread. What was I thinking?? She even made her own fruit roll-ups and twinkies! What a great Mom I had, too bad my kids won't be so lucky.

#2 I have a very hard time staying focused on pretty much anything. For example, I will start a project and I'm really exited about it, and then something distracts me and I stop working on it. I usually get back to it, but sometimes it takes a while (like my pilgrims that took 3 years to finish). Brett finally said that he is not moving any of my unfinished projects again, so I guess I only have another year and a half to get everything finished - let's hope I don't start too many new ones! (this is also why it's taken me so long to get this blog post finished)

#3 When I was 12 I wanted to grow up and become a surgeon - then I found out how much school I would have to do and decided to find something else! I also wanted to be a writer (turns out I'm not too great at that either), a broadcast journalist, a kindergarten teacher and a few others that I can't remember right now. This all goes back to #2, I just can't stay focused!

#4 I am so in love with my kids. I know it sounds cheesy, but there are times when I look at them and I just want to cry because I love them so much and I can't believe they're mine! (it could be all these hormones pulsing through my body right now, too) Kody is so funny, and I love having conversations with him now that he is getting a little older; Mollie can be so sweet sometimes, and she's just so cute I can't stand it! I really do have the smartest, cutest, funniest kids in the whole world! I am also still completely in love with my hunky hubby, he still makes my heart skip a beat sometimes just by walking into the room. I really feel like I got the last great man, so too bad for those of you who haven't found Mr. Right yet!

#5 Whew! I'm already running out of things to say about myself. A lot of people tell what music they're listening to right now, or what book they're reading. I'd like to say I'm listening to something fabulous like Les Mis or Wicked, or even some Tim McGraw, but at this very moment I'm listening to the Backyardigans and I just finished reading the Spiderwick Chronicles for book group. I've also been reading the Artemis Fowl series and tried to read The Kite Runner. I had a hard time getting into that one (I kept getting distracted) so I finally just returned it to the library and vowed to try again another time.

#6 I am strangely attracted to vampires, always have been. I'm not sure what it is about them, I mean they're totally scary and not at all nice, but I just love them! One of my most favorite movies (do I dare admit this?) in my youth was The Lost Boys - that Keifer Sutherland! I recently discovered the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer - love it! - and my new love, Monlight on CBS Friday nights. These both make Vampires a little more acceptable with "vegetarian" vampires who either drink blood from the blood bank or hunt animals. Am I totally insane? Yes, I think so but that's why you all love me!

#7 I've just discovered sewing and kind of like it. Who knew?

So now I guess I have to tag 7 people. I don't think there are 7 left to tag, but I'll do my best. Okay Barb, Jen, Maren, Alexis, Michelle, Alison & Sarah - tag, you're it! I'll try to remember to go on your blogs and let you know that you've been tagged. Can't wait to see what you have to say!

Toy Story

Here are a few pictures from Halloween this year. The kids had a great time dressing up as Buzz Lightyear and Jessie from the movie Toy Story. They are both obsessed with these characters, so it was a perfect choice! I found Kody's costume on craigslist, and with a little (okay, a lot) help from my good friend Trisha I actually made Mollie's. I know, you're all very impressed! Our neighborhood does a little parade with all the kids (which means there's nobody left to watch them) and then we did a little trick-or-treating. Kody didn't like our neighbor's idea of holiday decorating, but Mollie loved it!Our ward Halloween Carvnival was last weekend, and it was a huge success! I was actually in charge of the activity, with another girl who's in the presidency with me, and it was a lot of work but well worth it. Enjoy the pictures, and have a great day!

Family Growth

I figured it's time to let the world know, the Bear family of 4 is soon to be a family of 5. I know what you're all thinking - please no, not another one!! I'm sorry to say, it's too late to go back and change things - we're going to have a baby! I don't have any ultrasound pictures to share, I guess they don't do that here until later, but I will say that we heard the tiny little heartbeat and it sounded very strong! Our new bundle of joy will come join our family sometime on or around April 30, 2008. As most of you know, our kids are named for the places we've lived when they were produced. We hare having a VERY hard time coming up with any ideas (other than Ann for a girl) for our new little Michigander - Kalamazoo anyone? - so we would greatly appreciate any help you could give! I think it just might take us the whole 6 months from now until April to come up with something acceptable.

The Addict

"Hi, my name is Mollie and I am an addict."What is my baby addicted to, you ask? I'll tell you - deodorant. That's right, she can't get enough of the stuff. She got her first taste a few months ago when she found my secret in the bathroom, but there was a small problem: it's the kind that comes out of holes so she couldn't get much out. Of course, as soon as I found out what she had done I called poison control and they said that she didn't eat enough to make her sick but she would most likely be thirsty for a while. I thought that was the end of her curiosity about deodorant until this past weekend. We had some San Francisco friends (who now live in Ohio) visiting for the weekend. Mollie was playing in the basement (which just happens to double as the guest room) and when I called her up for dinner I noticed something smeared on her cheek. Upon further inspection we noticed that she smelled a lot like a man's underarm. Remembering the episode a few months back, I smelled her breath - sure enough, deodorant. A quick recon trip to the basement found not only 1 but 2 partly devoured sticks of deodorant! She had eaten at least a teaspoon out of each one, so another call to poison control was in order. This time they said she would have a stomach ache and most likely throw up or have diarrhea. I really hope they don't keep track of who calls and how many times, or I might be turned in for feeding my daughter's addiction. To end this really long story, she woke up a few hours later covered in throw up. She was sick for a while, and then she perked up when it was all out of her system. I guess it's time to keep our deodorant in a locked case from now on, and if you come for a visit don't forget a key to your suitcase!

Preschool Pictures

I don't have a lot of time, but I know I need to post some new pictures of the kids. I'm teaching today, so I have to get ready for my lesson. We went to an apple orchard a few weeks ago for a field trip after learning all about apples. The kids got to ride on a wagon out to the orchard and then pick an apple - all the trees are tiny so they could reach perfectly! Mollie fell asleep in the car on the way home with a sucker in her mouth (can you see the bruise between her eyes? she fell and hit her head - ouch!) and a donut in her hand.

Why I'm Called Mama Bear

I got this email from a friend today, and it's just perfect! Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to delete the forwarding part. Do you ever feel like this?

A Day at the Farm

One day last week for preschool the kids went on a field trip to a local farm, and Mollie and I were lucky enough to tag along. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a blast! The kids loved feeding lettuce to the animals

This huge goat kept begging for more!

Finger puppet farm fun!

Playing in the tall grass

Tag, anyone?

Preschool

Kody started preschool this week! He is growing up so fast, and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. We are doing school with a few other kids/moms from our neighborhood, where we trade each week. My week is not till the end of the month so I have lots of time to prepare my first lesson! Here is the picture of all the kids, notice that Kody is the only boy? Okay, I have to admit that I got a little choked up when I dropped him off the other day - what a sap I am! Mollie and I will have "girl time" on Tuesday and Thursday mornings while Kody is at school. I'm excited for some bonding with her!

More Fun...

Right after we got home from Palmyra, we had a fun visit with Gramma & Grandpa D. all the way from Utah! We did some genealogy investigating just outside of Kalamazoo, took a trip to Hell, hung out at the Ann Arbor Art Fair and lots of shopping! Oh, my mom also helped me sew a cute little outfit for Mollie(see the picture?), and we went on a double date (triple I guess, because our neighbors went with us) to the new Harry Potter movie. It was so good to spend time with my Mom and Dad, I didn't want them to leave!

Catching Up...

July went by so fast (August too now, I guess) and then all of the sudden it was gone! I am sorry to be so far behind, I just hope you enjoy these pictured and find it in your hearts to forgive me for being so slow to post them! We spent a memorable weekend in Palmyra, New York with our good friends from San Francisco (currently residing in Rhode Island). The kids played so well together, it was like we had never been apart. It was so nice to catch up with Emily & Doug, share a little gossip and laugh together like old times!

So Sorry!

My computer died a few weeks ago, and I finally got a replacement. Give me a few days to get everything transferred and I promise new posts galore! Thanks for your patience.

Summer Vacation: Part 3

Here are the rest of the pictures from our fabulous summer vacation in Northern Michigan! We had a great time camping, and then spent the day on Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island before coming home. We rented a tandem bike with a trailer for the kids and rode around the whole island, it was so beautiful! The weather was perfect, ice cream was super yummy; my only complaint was the smell! (there are no cars on the island, so the only transportation is horse and buggy - and bikes)

Stay tuned for more excellent summer adventures!

Summer Vacation: Part 2

We weren't able to get to as many lighthouses as I wanted, but it was fun to see the ones we did! Northern Michigan was so beautiful, and the kids absolutely loved playing at all the beaches! Stay tuned for part 3 of our super fun trip!

Summer Vacation: Part 1

We had a great vacation last week - our first few days were spent in a town called Bay View, which is about 4 hours north of us. We stayed with Great-Cousin Barbara Jane (she had the kids call her Momo) and I was finally able to experience this amazing place that I've only heard stories about from Brett's childhood. His Grandmother and all her family had come to this place every summer for years and years. We were there over the 4th of July, and I can't imagine a better place to spend the holiday! We played at the beach every day, watched a very unique parade, and went to a beautiful patriotic concert. Momo took great care of us, and we are already making plans for our next visit! Here are some of the pictures we took (you have to play the game to see them!) and I will post pictures from the rest of our trip a little later. Have fun!

It's Official...

Summer's here!!First camping trip with Daddy

(only a few injuries occurred)

Fun in the sandbox

more sandbox fun

First visit to the pool,we need to work on Kody's newfound fear of water.

At Last...

Okay, here are those long-awaited pictures from Kody's birthday party!