Pre-Christmas events

I tried to get these events posted before Christmas
but the craziness took over faster than I thought.

Bills' girls night out. I wasn't sure what to title this party, since no one there at the party are bills; the host was a jaffa, her sister is a Gee, the other sister is a Wipple, another sister is a Istook and all their daughters have different last names too. But since the original sisters were Bills before they got married, it became the "Bills Girls" night out. This event is going to be a monthly event that I am totally looking forward already, because of how much fun the first get together was.

The next events were the same night, We dropped off the boys at the Jaffas so we could go to Matt's work party and they took the boys to their ward christmas party. Where they did a "Feliz Navidad" theme party with taco dinner and a pinata. And the boy's favorite Santa Clause!

Matt work party was really nice. They had buffet style dinner and dancing. Matt bought me this new dress (which I just love) for the event.
It was really alot of fun! Matt's co-workers seem to be a lot of fun!

Our ward did a Christmas in Nauvoo theme, It was really kinda fun and they had a great spiritual presentation at the end. (Sorry no pictures of that event0

The next event was a Joyschool nativity and Christmas party. We performed the nativity story, with props and costumes. It was really cute, (I am still trying to find out how to put video on my blog so if you know how teach me).
Then after that we made graham cracker gingerbread houses.

Then the last event was celebrating Matt's Birthday! We went out to eat with his family, then the next day we had dinner with my family. The boys helped decorate the cake. Matt had a really good bithday, after his two parties I also took him out to dinner and bowling on the WII. Ben and Ethan got to sleep over at the Earls! The next day we went to watch Twilight (my second time, Matt's first) which matt loved so much we saw it again last night.

Christmas Downtown

The Lights at Temple Square

has been a tradition for me as a child

and now I get to start that tradition with my children.

The Nativity was a big highlight!

Temple square was just wonderful!

I've Been Tagged

So I guess the deal is to find your 6th picture taken in the 6th month but like Heather (who tagged me) I don't even go back that far on my computer... since I update so often... So I found the 6th picture in my 6th folder!!! It was a sample Christmas card from JcPenny when we got our family photo taken.

I tag... My sister Rachael, and my friends Rochelle and Claudine.
And anyone else who reads this that wants to take on the challenge!

Watch me ROLL!!

Ok so I can't give Cameron all the credit I had to tap him with my foot to help him over but he's getting closer!

A Happy Halloween

Matt's work had a little trick-or-treating party. It was alot of fun and we are all thankful that they did it because the boys got plenty of candy and they didn't have to walk very far or in the rain. Like we did later that night around the neighborhood, or should I say just in the circle up the street. We only hit the one circle because they had one house that gave away hotdogs and next door was a house that did a haunted house in their garage.

Anyways Halloween was really fun!
I think the part the boys loved most was dressing up
because they kept switching...

Ethan

Ben

NOVEMBER 21st TWLIGHT MOVIE!!!

Twilight Trailer in HD

Pun' kin

Last night for family home evening we carved a pumkin for halloween.

Ben and Ethan were really funny about it they wouldn't touch the seeds.

Ben said "it's a yucky pun' kin"

So neither boys would touch it. (Even though I did get both to put their hand in the pumpkin.)

Well in order to make Ben happy about the fact that we were going to cut and "ruin" the pumpkin we had to cut the face using alphabet letters.

So the eyes were C's and nose a U and the mouth a W.

Well Happy Halloween everyone!

Farewell Grandma

I just heard about an hour ago that my grandma has past away. Any death of family is hard and sad but most of us are happy and relieved. She has been in theropy recovering from surgery and her health was just failing. Elaine Richards Earl will be missed. I loved my grandma very much.
Some of my most favorite memories are the weekly visits to her house. Everyone that lived in the valley came over every Sunday and played games and talked. She was always the first and last person I said hi and bye too.

My mother told me that when I was a baby I was attatched to grandma and I would always go to her. This made my Grandma feel especially special since alot of the other grandchildren went to grandpa.

Grandma was one of the most ontime, organized and planned individual. She was also the most loving and encouraging person I knew.

One thing I am amazed about is her strength at the end of her life. Her husband, My grandpa is considered legally blind and deaf, and he has become very scenile. While grandma was in surgery my parents and Aunts and uncles took turns taking care of him... and they eventually couldn't handle it and hired help. This job was my grandma's individually. This proves really how much my grandma was putting up with for years.

Grandma Earl, We will all miss you and we know that your in a better place. I thank God that knowledge that I have. That she is in Heaven and no longer suffering.

Chris and Amber's Wedding

My Brother Chris Just got married to his Highschool SweetHeart, Amber Goodsell. It was a very wonderful ceremony and reception. Everything was very Tasty, lovely and plain out wonderful. It was great fun to see old friends and family. Welcome Amber to the family, we've already had her "Apart of the family" for a year or more now but now she is "Legal"

Halloween Preview

Friday night we were invited to a Birthday Party for Kaleb, Ben's Friend.
Every year he does a Halloween Themed party for his birthday!
So the boys got to Dress up in costumes.
Ben was Diego, Ethan was Elmo and Cameron was a Peapod!

Ben's favorite part was a Rescue Pack!

It will be fun when he can say trick-or-treat and fill his Rescue pack with candy.

Doughnut falls hike

ethan Jaffa Look-alike Meter

This look-alike Meter is broken.... I entered Matt's brother doug into the meter too and it said that he looks equally like the two of us..When he should look more like Matt since we arn't even related...

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Family reunion web site

ben Jaffa Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Cameron Jaffa Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Roots - Family tree chart

One of mother's worse nightmares

So I was getting my kids ready for the day and realized I only had one of Ethan's shoes and I figured he must of kicked one off in the car yesterday so I went outside to look for the missing shoe. As I returned to the house with the shoe, I was horrified to find out that Benjamin has locked me out of the house. I soon got fustrated and out-of-control as I Ben kept saying he couldn't unlock the door and he wanted me to do it. I kept trying to explain that mom didn't have the keys and HE HAD TO OPEN THE DOOR!!! I kept yelling comands through the window, telling them to let me in. After many attempts of a locked top lock with an unlocked bottom lock and Vice verca. I even opened the garage trying to get in, but the door was lock there too. My next thought was to break the front window to get in, or call matt to come home. Just then my neighbor arrived home, I ran to her asking her to help me keep control and explain to Ben how to let me in the house because I was locked out. Thank goodness for her, She stayed calm and objective and came up with the idea that Ben could just unlock the back sliding glass door better. So sure enough, after being locked out almost 20 min, with 3 kids locked in (all of them crying) I was in the house and relieved!

One of those days turned GREAT!

Somedays as a Mom of Three kids, ages 3 and under, I feel like pulling my hair out (Or their hair). And today started out like that, Cameron woke me up at 5:30 for a feeding and decided to stay wake for a while I finally got him to sleep about 6:15 and as I set him down so I can try to go back to sleep; I heard Ethan wake up and start crying, which woke up Ben since they share a room. Both boys were cranky all morning, crying and fighting over everything. Then we planned to go to the Zoo and getting ready went slower and seemed more fustrating to accomplish. Then the zoo got canceled because of bad weather, Which was kinda hard to console your kids once they are excited. I'm not sure if the fustration was just my mood since I didn't get to go back to sleep or if the boys were also cranky because they were up slightly earlier than normal. Anyways things didn't turn out like I would have liked this morning and the kids were getting into all kinds of mischeif while I was holding and nursing Cameron. Ethan started crying tons and refused to be happy unless I held him. Which lead to Ethan falling asleep in one arm while Cameron nursed and fell asleep on the other arm.
Don't ask me how I got this picture I'm not sure I could explain the manovering I had to do inorder to set down Cameron, grab the camera and take a picture without waking up Ethan. Anyways after nap time, we were all happier and I had one of those overwhelming moments of gratitude and love for my children! I was touched and my eyes started to water. I was able to get another picture that just melt my heart as both Ben and Ethan climbed on to the couch to kiss their brother.

First Day of Preschool

We are really excited, today is Ben's first day of preschool.
We started a little mommy-taught preschool group, where we switch homes and who teaches.
It will be a mix of joyschool values taught and alphabets, colors and numbers.
This preschool group will be really good for Ben to have a chance to socialize!
I also hope he will learn to be for well rounded and not so upsest with ABC's
(not that there is anything wrong with ABC"S)

Potty Time

So we have started potty training Ben. We started monday afternoon and have had nothing but Wet diapers. (Jill sounds like our kids are in the exact same boat). We had one successfull poop yesterday and a very successful day today. This morning Ben pee-ed in the potty and then had an accident while all his friends were here and then since 2:00 this afternoon he went three times with no accidents yet... It is 9:00 at night so 7 hours without an accident... who knows how long it will last. But we are so proud of his progress!!

Ben is 3!!!

Any parent that has made the same mistake we did understand the concept that young children don't understand the words "later", "not now", "next week" and "soon". We told Ben about 3 weeks before his birthday, that his birthday was coming and every day he thought it was his birthday, then we would try to explain using those few words above... but it finally came.

Those that know Ben know all about his ALPHABET obsession so we had a ABC Birthday for him! Starting with his cake, we put "Happy Birthday" letters on and then I let the boys go crazy and cover the rest of the cake with ABC's! He loved it!!!

Then of course his presents we all ABC related or Clothes!

State Fair

I don't have pictures of The state fair but...
We did go and had a lot of fun!!!
For evidence or if you just want to see the pictures my sister's girl's came without my sister but with my sister's camera
so we actually got pictures of the event and she posted them on her blog.
So check them out at http://www.litnakfamily.blogspot.com/

Ben can write his letters

So the story goes like this...

I was nursing Cameron downstairs with Ben playing near by in the room (Ethan was asleep). Ben had gone upstairs and I yelled after him saying that he needed to come here where I can see him. So he obeyed and sat at the top of the stairs right in my vision. He was playing with something and singing but I couldn't tell exactly what he was doing up there. I figured he was playing with ABC's since he was singing the ABC Song.

And in a way I was correct...

Ben had practiced his E's and F's on the fridge

and his T's on the door and his name on the floor.

At first I was so fuming mad, I put him in timeout and I started to clean it up. Until I realized that this was one of those moments that I should capture and cherish . . . Ben loves writing letters and he's not even 3 yet. I should be proud of his "ART". So I pulled him out of time out and explained Where it was ok to color and where it is not ok, Then I made him clean it up.