It was a wonderful week!
Since Allie was visiting with us, we got to do some really fun things as a family. On Monday, we went to Pump it Up with Allie and some old friends. Allie was wonderful to take the girls around the fun toys, and Paige wore us both out. She kept wanting to go on the giant slides (and went down several by herself). Since she couldn't get up by herself, Mommy and Allie had to do it for her and it wore us out pretty quickly.
Also, since we had Allie, we took advantage of a third adult in the house and went on a date. We had Olive Garden for dinner and then saw the movie Lincoln and really enjoyed it.
Tuesday was Chuck E Cheese. We unfortunately walked in right when Chuck E came out and Paige was pretty terrified the entire time we were there but she was a good sport about it. We also went to Target and got a few Christmas items.
Wednesday we had to say goodbye to Allie. We went to Deseret Book, and the library that morning then took her to the airport. I also started to prepare the turkey for our Thanksgiving feast.
Thursday was Thanksgiving of course, our first without blood family with us, but we had it with our Las Vegas family which in a lot of ways was just as fantastic. We are so blessed to have such great friends in Las Vegas. My only wish would have been to have more of our friends join us...but they were with their families. I made the turkey and the green bean casserole. I've had several people tell me (between last year and this) that the way I prepare turkey is the yummiest way. It falls off the bone it's so succulent and delicious. I even had a couple families use my recipe this year and love it. Thanks for the recipe mom! Also, none of us got food poisoning which is a plus haha, I always get nervous about that. Adam and Scott carved the turkey with the help of a Youtube video, the kids played really well together (mostly), and we all had a blast hanging out together. After we got the kids to bed, Adam and I watched Thor. Also, apparently I'm out of photospace for the month (or possibly year?!) So here are some photos from Stacey's blog
Friday is Family Day in Nevada so pretty much everyone has the day off (at least state employees). I slept in, and Adam didn't shower until about 4:00PM. It was pretty great. We ended up going to the park to play for a while. Adam and I played hard with our girls and they wore us out. We went out to eat at McDonalds then swung by the Packards to get some more delicious left over pie. After the kids went to bed, we watched Captain America.
Saturday a very special friend came to visit our house. His name is Chippy the elf and he is our very own Elf on the Shelf. Chippy was found under our Christmas tree with a note that said: To the Turney Family, be good...I'm watching :). We opened him up with the instructions to name him. I suggested things like Jingles, Jingle Bells, Snowflake, Sugar, Buddy, Herbie, etc. Adam suggested things like Bob, Matt, and Jo. In the end, there was only one solution: Chippy, brought to us by Hannah who was insistent that he was named exactly for the little elf on the movie An Elf Story. Chippy sat on our shelf all day while Hannah, under threat that he would report her behavior to Santa, was a good girl all day. She even picked up the books that Paige pulled off the shelves on the condition that we tell Chippy how good she was and how Paige was the one who did it--not her. At night, Hannah said a prayer that Chippy would fly home safe to the North Pole, that he would tell Santa that she was good, and that she would be able to find Chippy's hiding spot.
Sunday came and Hannah DID find Chippy's hiding spot. Chippy was hanging from the wall with a little note telling Hannah that he loved the picture she drew him, and that he made her a picture on the window using Christmas stickers. Hannah was really concerned that Chippy was hanging from the wall so she tried to get him down and ended up touching him. This is a big no no as far as elf laws are concerned. She was so embarrassed and asked me to call Santa, so I checked Facebook for a few minutes and sent him a message. I assured Hannah that it was a mistake and that Chippy wouldn't lose his magic. I also told her that Chippy would be safe on the wall because of his Christmas magic of course.
Paige has had a really bad rash and sickness so we stayed home from church today. I was able to take a much needed nap, Adam graded papers, replied to emails, and finished his lesson plans.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A Week in the Life {11/12-11/18}
I totally failed and I'm trying to catch up now... I'm getting burnt out and after almost an entire 11 months I STILL have yet to find a format I like! Gah!
Adam's been working 12-15 hour days on different projects plus with scouts he's been busy. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving break!
Hannah made some stinking cute things at Preschool.
Paige is at that stage that she just gets better every day.
Auntie Allie came to visit! She flew in on Friday and is here until Wednesday {11/20} We went to see Breaking Dawn together and she babysat during Eric Aitkin's funeral.
I taught the lesson in Relief Society on Sunday which was pretty fun. I think it's a good way to get to know my new ward. It really is my dream calling.
The funeral was incredible. Eric was a new convert (he was baptized a year to the day after his 3 year old daughter's leukemia diagnosis so that he could always remember what brought him close to the Savior) so the majority of his people were not members of the church. His funeral was a celebration of life, but it was also a chance to explain Eric's love for the Savior and the Book of Mormon. Eric seemed to be a wonderful person and I wish we'd gotten to know him better (his wife is an amazing person, and we taught their daughter in Primary a couple years ago--also an amazing girl).
Here are some pictures from our week...
Adam's been working 12-15 hour days on different projects plus with scouts he's been busy. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving break!
Hannah made some stinking cute things at Preschool.
Paige is at that stage that she just gets better every day.
Auntie Allie came to visit! She flew in on Friday and is here until Wednesday {11/20} We went to see Breaking Dawn together and she babysat during Eric Aitkin's funeral.
I taught the lesson in Relief Society on Sunday which was pretty fun. I think it's a good way to get to know my new ward. It really is my dream calling.
The funeral was incredible. Eric was a new convert (he was baptized a year to the day after his 3 year old daughter's leukemia diagnosis so that he could always remember what brought him close to the Savior) so the majority of his people were not members of the church. His funeral was a celebration of life, but it was also a chance to explain Eric's love for the Savior and the Book of Mormon. Eric seemed to be a wonderful person and I wish we'd gotten to know him better (his wife is an amazing person, and we taught their daughter in Primary a couple years ago--also an amazing girl).
Here are some pictures from our week...
Sunday, November 11, 2012
A Week in the Life {11/5-11/11}
This week was Election week. A little more than half of the country was happy, a little less than half of the country was sad, and about 90 percent of my Facebook feed went insane. This year I learned not to tell people who I voted for. I have friends that are 100 percent sure I voted for Romney, and friends that are 100 percent sure I voted for Obama. I like to play devils advocate and try to see things from both sides, even though I might not agree with them. Also, I don't ever want my friends to feel like I don't value their opinion and I certainly don't want to be made to feel as if I have to defend MY choices. Adam is vocal about his political persuasion. Someone actually called him a retard as if the two of them were on the playground in third grade. Someone told him he was following Satan's plan and was going to hell. To make matters worse, our old bishop is an Obama supporter and people told his kids that he should be removed from his office and give up his temple recommend. Really people? You can cry about it...or you can kick back with a bowl of popcorn and watch people look ridiculous as they spew anti Mormon sentiment and racial comments and just hope we can all rise above it in a few weeks.
For the most part we had a great week but we got devastating news...
Adam: Adam has been working himself so hard it worries me (more on that in a minute). He is currently being groomed for administration and is in many ways the principals right hand teacher. He's been involved in many special projects. He works about 10-12 hours a day. The other day he fell asleep at the kitchen table while grading papers. He slept there until 1:00am when he woke up and realized where he was. He is such a good husband and father, and when he comes home from work he does his best to give us attention, even when he has so much to do. After we go to sleep, he stays up late into the night to get stuff done. He is also taking on a couple hours of tutoring after school.
Hannah: Hannah gets cuter by the day. I love this girl. After the election she asked "Is the president Rama Bama?" I corrected her and told her it was Barack Obama. She said "Lets call her Rama Bama." She also shouted out "OH MY GOSH HECK DANG IT!!!" Which just goes to show she is learning how to deal with frustration in the Mormon way lol. Hannah loves Story time at the library and we are happy that we found a good time to go. She also loves the park and is always begging to go. She loves hanging out with the boys, which is good because there are so many her age. She told me this week "My favorite store is Sams Club. I love shopping there. Paigey's favorite is Walmart (pause and giggle) cause she's just a baby." As if she thinks that Paige is just too simple minded to truly appreciate Sams Club. We got to go to a birthday party for four year old Emma on Saturday. She hurt her toe and asked me to kiss her toe better. I kissed it and she said "You have magic kisses when you kiss my owwies." It was better than when we were at Walmart and she fell on the cart and screamed out loud "MOMMY, KISS MY BUM!" Of course I didn't but I blew her a kiss so she wouldn't miss out on my magic kisses.
Paige: Paige is getting more fun by the day. She can now say the following words: Dada, Mama, Ana, Book, Blankie, Ball, Dog, Kitty, No, Yeah, Uh Oh, Please, Thank You, and the all important Bottle. The other day I told Hannah "I made Paigey a B-O-T-T-L-E. That spells "bottle." She replied "Then she can go down for a "P-I-N!" She was trying to spell N-A-P. Speaking of naps, Paige, who used to be an angel at going down, is now fighting every nap and bed time. It's kind of sad but she is learning quickly that we aren't going to get her if she cries. Paige wanted to get out of the shopping cart the other day so she pulled my shirt down. Down went my shirt, undershirt, garments, and bra...I hope I don't end up on the internet.
As a family we went to a BBQ at my friend Stacey's house. It was great. I love our friends so much. We've been very blessed. Also, it snowed! It snowed on Saturday so it was very exciting. In our 6 years we've seen it snow three times total (as in, it snows for just a couple hours, every couple years). It's never snowed this early and it was a little bit magical. I had a hot chocolate.
Now to the devastating news. A little girl in our ward (the Painted Mountain ward) was diagnosed with cancer two summers ago, just after her third birthday. It was a horrific year for their family as she struggled and battled and as of last summer she was in remission. Yesterday, her 36 year old father Eric passed away in his sleep from a sudden heart attack. I can't imagine what their family is going through at this time, to come out of one devastating trial head on into a new one. I think of four year old Kennedy who just went through cancer and then lost her father. I think if Kim who has been watching this happen to her daughter and then loses her best support and best friend. I also think of the tender mercies that have been afforded them. Eric got baptized just 4 months ago, after feeling the love and blessings from Heavenly Father through the miracle of Kennedy's remission. They also have two other children in their family, Cameron was in our primary class a few years ago. You just never know what Heavenly Father has in store for you. I also think, that the Aiken family spent a year loving and appreciating each other a little more, constantly burdened with the reality that one of their family could be taken from them at any moment. I'm sure now, Kennedy's cancer was a tender mercy, as the Aiken family has never been closer than this last year of going through a trial together.
For the most part we had a great week but we got devastating news...
Adam: Adam has been working himself so hard it worries me (more on that in a minute). He is currently being groomed for administration and is in many ways the principals right hand teacher. He's been involved in many special projects. He works about 10-12 hours a day. The other day he fell asleep at the kitchen table while grading papers. He slept there until 1:00am when he woke up and realized where he was. He is such a good husband and father, and when he comes home from work he does his best to give us attention, even when he has so much to do. After we go to sleep, he stays up late into the night to get stuff done. He is also taking on a couple hours of tutoring after school.
Hannah: Hannah gets cuter by the day. I love this girl. After the election she asked "Is the president Rama Bama?" I corrected her and told her it was Barack Obama. She said "Lets call her Rama Bama." She also shouted out "OH MY GOSH HECK DANG IT!!!" Which just goes to show she is learning how to deal with frustration in the Mormon way lol. Hannah loves Story time at the library and we are happy that we found a good time to go. She also loves the park and is always begging to go. She loves hanging out with the boys, which is good because there are so many her age. She told me this week "My favorite store is Sams Club. I love shopping there. Paigey's favorite is Walmart (pause and giggle) cause she's just a baby." As if she thinks that Paige is just too simple minded to truly appreciate Sams Club. We got to go to a birthday party for four year old Emma on Saturday. She hurt her toe and asked me to kiss her toe better. I kissed it and she said "You have magic kisses when you kiss my owwies." It was better than when we were at Walmart and she fell on the cart and screamed out loud "MOMMY, KISS MY BUM!" Of course I didn't but I blew her a kiss so she wouldn't miss out on my magic kisses.
Paige: Paige is getting more fun by the day. She can now say the following words: Dada, Mama, Ana, Book, Blankie, Ball, Dog, Kitty, No, Yeah, Uh Oh, Please, Thank You, and the all important Bottle. The other day I told Hannah "I made Paigey a B-O-T-T-L-E. That spells "bottle." She replied "Then she can go down for a "P-I-N!" She was trying to spell N-A-P. Speaking of naps, Paige, who used to be an angel at going down, is now fighting every nap and bed time. It's kind of sad but she is learning quickly that we aren't going to get her if she cries. Paige wanted to get out of the shopping cart the other day so she pulled my shirt down. Down went my shirt, undershirt, garments, and bra...I hope I don't end up on the internet.
As a family we went to a BBQ at my friend Stacey's house. It was great. I love our friends so much. We've been very blessed. Also, it snowed! It snowed on Saturday so it was very exciting. In our 6 years we've seen it snow three times total (as in, it snows for just a couple hours, every couple years). It's never snowed this early and it was a little bit magical. I had a hot chocolate.
Now to the devastating news. A little girl in our ward (the Painted Mountain ward) was diagnosed with cancer two summers ago, just after her third birthday. It was a horrific year for their family as she struggled and battled and as of last summer she was in remission. Yesterday, her 36 year old father Eric passed away in his sleep from a sudden heart attack. I can't imagine what their family is going through at this time, to come out of one devastating trial head on into a new one. I think of four year old Kennedy who just went through cancer and then lost her father. I think if Kim who has been watching this happen to her daughter and then loses her best support and best friend. I also think of the tender mercies that have been afforded them. Eric got baptized just 4 months ago, after feeling the love and blessings from Heavenly Father through the miracle of Kennedy's remission. They also have two other children in their family, Cameron was in our primary class a few years ago. You just never know what Heavenly Father has in store for you. I also think, that the Aiken family spent a year loving and appreciating each other a little more, constantly burdened with the reality that one of their family could be taken from them at any moment. I'm sure now, Kennedy's cancer was a tender mercy, as the Aiken family has never been closer than this last year of going through a trial together.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
A Week in the Life {10/28-11/4}
Look, sometimes I have events that I want to blog about beyond our daily activities, which quite frankly can be boring and uneventful (albeit busy and tiring). This week was one of those weeks.
Monday:
Same old cleaning routine.
Tuesday:
Went shopping with Paige while Hannah was at preschool. This girl is growing too fast. Although Hannah and Paige were born in the same season (5.5 weeks apart) they are very different. Paige is DESPERATE for clothes (especially shoes). Paige is in the 80th percentile and is wearing 2T pants while Hannah is in the 20th percentile and is wearing 2T pants. Go figure.
Fed the missionaries.
Adam went to scouts and I got a calling--my dream calling. A Relief Society teacher.
Wednesday:
We went to the park
Halloween (see below)
Thursday:
Hannah had preschool
We did Library storytime
Book Club (we read Mistborn--and by we I mean some people read Mistborn and I read part of it and didn't enjoy). My friend Jen Lee was there (she recently moved to California) which made my night!
Friday:
Adam and I watched a few episodes of Revenge (our new favorite show)
I rested a lot for the Marathon
I got my new Ipod (!!!!)
Hannah and Paige are the best sisters ever. No reason why, they just are.
Saturday:
Half Marathon (See below)
Shark Reef
McDonalds
Sitting around a lot
Sunday:
Church
Adam did some car repairs and Hannah helped him out
Halloween:
We had so much fun for Halloween! As previously seen, Hannah was Belle and Paige was Little Red Ridding Hood.
Hannah and Tayden were holding hands pretty much the entire night so they could "be safe." If the connection was ever broken, both of them would rush over and grab the other one. Hannah would say "Where is Batman? I need to hold his hand!"
Hannah also kept making up songs, or changing words to favorites. She kept singing "Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate's life for YOU," to our friend Landon. Then she'd sing "We are so brave of Halloween," or "You don't have to be afraid of Halloween." Both made up. She went into a scary haunted house just to get some candy and was super brave.
Paige got a kick out of Halloween. I think she was the only one of the kids (except for maybe Jackson) that ALWAYS said "Thank You," at least at the door, the kids kept saying it in the driveway after the fact. She would be given candy then immediately look around as if she couldn't believe what was happening and she needed someone to verify that it was not a dream. She wanted to hold her bucket by herself until it got too heavy for her, then she was satisfied with holding on to a couple handfuls of candy. She was pretty spooked by all the decorations but she tried to be brave.
Half Marathon
I've been wanting to do this for about 4.5 years now, although I never really thought I would. Right after Paige was born I started doing the couch to 5k program and I ran a 5k last February. A 5k=3.something miles and I did it in about 24 minutes which was awesome. A half marathon is 13.13 miles and it seemed very daunting, however, I felt confidant that I could do it.
I went down with a couple friends from another ward Lisa and Emily, and we arrived at the race about an hour before it started. We were all pretty anxious because it was our first half marathon. There is such an awesome energy throughout the entire event. It was so exhilarating to be surrounded by thousands of other runners and to hear thousands of feet hitting the pavement in unison as the race begins.
The first mile was a breeze, but between miles 2 and 4 I started to get leg cramps. My feet went numb and I was really worried about shin splints. Finally after mile 4 I pulled off the course for a second to stretch out and readjust. After that I felt pretty fresh. The best had to have been between miles 4 and 10. I felt so good, lots of energy, I was having fun, I was enjoying the race. Then about mile 10 I started to get pretty tired in my legs. I'd taken a shot of energy drink (which was basically JUST caffeine) and it helped a little but for the most part it just made my heart race a ton (which was freaking me out) so I slowed down a bit for about a mile. Adam arrived as I was approaching mile 2 and I really wanted to finish strong so I started running. Adam and the girls were waiting a little ways down from mile 1 so I got to run past and wave at them.
Crossing the finish line was awesome and it felt so good to have accomplished something extraordinary. I've been tooting my own horn about it a lot but I really don't care haha. I'm so happy to check this off my bucket list and to officially state that I am a runner! I did it in two hours and 30 minutes (still waiting on the official time).
Monday:
Same old cleaning routine.
Tuesday:
Went shopping with Paige while Hannah was at preschool. This girl is growing too fast. Although Hannah and Paige were born in the same season (5.5 weeks apart) they are very different. Paige is DESPERATE for clothes (especially shoes). Paige is in the 80th percentile and is wearing 2T pants while Hannah is in the 20th percentile and is wearing 2T pants. Go figure.
Fed the missionaries.
Adam went to scouts and I got a calling--my dream calling. A Relief Society teacher.
Wednesday:
We went to the park
Halloween (see below)
Thursday:
Hannah had preschool
We did Library storytime
Book Club (we read Mistborn--and by we I mean some people read Mistborn and I read part of it and didn't enjoy). My friend Jen Lee was there (she recently moved to California) which made my night!
Friday:
Adam and I watched a few episodes of Revenge (our new favorite show)
I rested a lot for the Marathon
I got my new Ipod (!!!!)
Hannah and Paige are the best sisters ever. No reason why, they just are.
Saturday:
Half Marathon (See below)
Shark Reef
McDonalds
Sitting around a lot
Sunday:
Church
Adam did some car repairs and Hannah helped him out
(She took off all the lug nuts by herself)
Halloween:
We had so much fun for Halloween! As previously seen, Hannah was Belle and Paige was Little Red Ridding Hood.
Hannah and Tayden were holding hands pretty much the entire night so they could "be safe." If the connection was ever broken, both of them would rush over and grab the other one. Hannah would say "Where is Batman? I need to hold his hand!"
Hannah also kept making up songs, or changing words to favorites. She kept singing "Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate's life for YOU," to our friend Landon. Then she'd sing "We are so brave of Halloween," or "You don't have to be afraid of Halloween." Both made up. She went into a scary haunted house just to get some candy and was super brave.
Paige got a kick out of Halloween. I think she was the only one of the kids (except for maybe Jackson) that ALWAYS said "Thank You," at least at the door, the kids kept saying it in the driveway after the fact. She would be given candy then immediately look around as if she couldn't believe what was happening and she needed someone to verify that it was not a dream. She wanted to hold her bucket by herself until it got too heavy for her, then she was satisfied with holding on to a couple handfuls of candy. She was pretty spooked by all the decorations but she tried to be brave.
Half Marathon
I've been wanting to do this for about 4.5 years now, although I never really thought I would. Right after Paige was born I started doing the couch to 5k program and I ran a 5k last February. A 5k=3.something miles and I did it in about 24 minutes which was awesome. A half marathon is 13.13 miles and it seemed very daunting, however, I felt confidant that I could do it.
I went down with a couple friends from another ward Lisa and Emily, and we arrived at the race about an hour before it started. We were all pretty anxious because it was our first half marathon. There is such an awesome energy throughout the entire event. It was so exhilarating to be surrounded by thousands of other runners and to hear thousands of feet hitting the pavement in unison as the race begins.
The first mile was a breeze, but between miles 2 and 4 I started to get leg cramps. My feet went numb and I was really worried about shin splints. Finally after mile 4 I pulled off the course for a second to stretch out and readjust. After that I felt pretty fresh. The best had to have been between miles 4 and 10. I felt so good, lots of energy, I was having fun, I was enjoying the race. Then about mile 10 I started to get pretty tired in my legs. I'd taken a shot of energy drink (which was basically JUST caffeine) and it helped a little but for the most part it just made my heart race a ton (which was freaking me out) so I slowed down a bit for about a mile. Adam arrived as I was approaching mile 2 and I really wanted to finish strong so I started running. Adam and the girls were waiting a little ways down from mile 1 so I got to run past and wave at them.
Crossing the finish line was awesome and it felt so good to have accomplished something extraordinary. I've been tooting my own horn about it a lot but I really don't care haha. I'm so happy to check this off my bucket list and to officially state that I am a runner! I did it in two hours and 30 minutes (still waiting on the official time).
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