My son, daughter,& grandbaby are here!

Ali & Avery

Our family picture

May 2000, 9 1/2 years ago???

And this is my grandbaby, Jada. She just turned 2 in August.

Avery is a great dad, and her Auntie Ali is the best Auntie.

I am so grateful they are all here!

Rebecca has taken a liking to Ali's boyfriend, Steven

My son and daughter & grandbaby are here!! We were ridiculously excited when we heard from Ali last month. She said that she & her boyfriend, Steven, plus Avery & his daughter, Jada, were coming for a visit. Oh My Gosh! It seemed like this day would never come - we haven't seen them since we took a visit to Charleston when Rebecca & Mary-Gail were little, nearly 2 years ago. Baby Jada was a baby then, but now...well, Jada is a little girl! She's just a hair taller than Rebecca & Mary-Gail, and she weighs 5lbs more!

Lovey drove to the airport solo last night (he left at 11:30 pm and picked
everyone up from their red-eye flight, which landed at 12:25am). I heard them as they came inside, and I was planning on seeing them in the morning, but when I heard Jada's sweet, little voice I could NOT resist seeing her along with everyone else. It was well after 1:30 am before Lovey & I retired to bed, and I don't know when Ali, Steven, Avery & Jada went to bed.

We only have a few days with Ali & Steven (they leave mid-morning Tuesday, 11/10), and Avery & Jada leave Thursday, 11/12. We have a few things planned, one of them being a new family picture...with my babies and my grandbaby. Just call me "Gra-manda!"

VOTE!

Have a voice - Vote.

Today!!

Do it.

I did.

...And then take your littles to get some ice cream :)

Bye-Bye Bradford Pear

We dropped this Bradford Pear tree on Saturday, 10/17

The front face of our Bradford Pear tree didn't grow. It was in the growth path of 3 Aspen trees, (which we dropped earlier this spring). Aspen trees are dominant trees, and therefore the Bradford couldn't branch out like it should have - like a pear. When we dropped the Aspens - they were diseased & were being eaten from the inside-out - this Bradford just became an eye sore for us. I am going to miss the shade it provided, and I'm going to miss watching the Robin's lay their eggs & raise their little hachtlings each spring too. My front room (and whole house for that matter) is going to be bloody hot in the summer!

Lovey took all of 5 minutes to drop the tree,

and it only took 10 minutes for us to load it in the trailer. Amazing!

And for his brother, Pat, (if you're reading our blog at all) Tony said, "Pat who?!"

Daddy's little helper...

We ended up cutting down another Aspen in the back yard (it too was diseased - the truck was basically sawdust from being eaten from the inside), and an Apple tree that was never trimmed to produce properly. The neighborhood kids were a big help in hauling the branches to the front yard, and even helped me rake up some dead grass & leaves.

School Days

Rebecca & Mary-Gail LOVE going to school. Did I stress how much they love it? They L O V E it, and I'm thrilled that they do. Every Monday @ 10:25 am Rebecca & Mary-Gail put on their backpacks and we head to school. Several ladies in my ward decided to start "Joy School" for their 3-year olds, and although I didn't know what Joy School was at the time, I was adamant that I be a part of it too. Amy put together the school schedule for the year, rotating between 7 ladies who host the 8 kids @ their house (8 kids because of my twins), and they teach a letter, number, color, & shape.

Rebecca & Mary-Gail going to school @ Miss Holly's house (Oct 12th)

Miss Holly was teaching the colors ORANGE & BLACK,

so naturally I dressed Mary-Gail in those colors.

Becca was set on wearing PURPLE!

"Let's GO Mommy!"

Becca double-checking her piggy; Mary-Gail double-checking her backpack

Sisters walking to school @ Miss Holly's house

School started Monday, September 14th, but we missed it since were still in Walt Disney World. No worries! Rebecca & Mary-Gail loved WDW, and didn't know about school yet. Their first time at school was at our house (September 21st). I taught the letter C, the Number 1, the color BLUE, and the shape Square. It was so much fun having all these little girls at our house! I had everyone wash their hands right away (I am-and will always be-a stickler on that!), and then we mixed ingredients for cupcakes. I made up a song as we mixed the cupcake batter (of course!), and while the cupcakes were cooking we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We gathered in the kitchen,and the girls watched as I cut up an egg carton into 3-egg cup sections. I passed out crayons for them to color their egg cups (I didn't have paint, so they just used crayons - "C" for crayons!), then I attached pipe cleaners and viola! They had their very own hungry caterpillar. We went outside to see if we could find things a caterpillar would eat. We played outside for a little bit, and then came back inside for another craft. I prepared a Large Letter "C," which I glued onto BLUE SQUARE construction paper, and then had the girls glue cotton balls ("C" for cotton balls & clouds) onto their paper or on their Large Letter C.

We went back outside & played, then came back inside, washed our hands again, and decorated our cupcakes with icing & sprinkles. By then it was 12 noon, and everyone's mom was showing up to gather her little munchkin. It was a great 1 1/2 hours, and I couldn't believe how quickly the time went!!! Plus, I was grateful to have gotten out all the craft supplies & actually do a craft with my littles.

Here's what I teach next:

Nov 16th: Letter I, Number 4, Color brown, and Shape rectangle.

Feb 1st: Letter O, Number 8, Colors red & pink, and the Shape heart.

Mar 22nd: Letter U, Number 12, Color green, and Shape octagon.

May 17th: Review all the letters, Numbers 19 & 20, Review all the colors, and Review all the shapes. Graduation is the following Monday, May 24th!!!

P.S. I'm saving toilet paper rolls for my turn on Nov 16th. I hope my craft idea works out like I've planned...

SLC & Shoe Shopping

i'm driving to SLC this morning for my 3-hour appointment at the U. jojo, my favoritest person in the whole world (besides my lovey & my so, so, so cute girls), is coming with me. i hope to hear good news, and if so, i'll be buying a new pair of shoes. if i don't hear good news, i'll still be buying a pair of shoes...just more expensive ones.

for tony's sake (and mine) i hope it's good news

LOVES!

Daddy, I Want To Go Bowling!

For our date-night two weeks ago (10/9), Lovey took all of us bowling! The girls had a great time, a really great time, but when it was time to leave, we had to pull Becca away from the bowling alley...Literally. I mean we had to pull the child from the seats, the table, the hand railing...anything Becca could grab onto on our way out - she was out-of-her-mind screaming & crying. And when Lovey told her, "You have lost your little baby mind," it only fueled Becca's outburst.

We had a similar outburst from Becca tonight - Becca was begging us to go bowling:

"I wanna go bowling, Momma, I wanna go bowling!"
And when she didn't like my response, Becca begged Daddy,
"Daddy, I want to go bowling!!"

The only way I could get her to stop crying (and breathe) was to promise that we'd bake cookies after dinner. Becca mustered a barely audible, "OK" and then sniffled and sobbed all the way home from our trip to the Post Office. Becca's sad, sad cries and crocodile tears dried as we mixed & baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. (When I suggested we take a break from mixing the batter and eat our noodles, Becca's cries & tear-faucet turned on again. Sometimes it's OK to skip dinner & make cookies; tonight was that night).

Becca was completely happy breaking eggs, sifting flour, mixing the dry ingredients together and dumping them all in the KitchenAid. Her happiness reminded me of our bowling night. Here are the pictures from our date-night on Friday, 10/9:

Here's a "happy Becca" getting her bowling shoes on

Piece of cake!

Rebecca was so, so, so happy! She jumped up & down after every bowl

"There it goes!"

Rebecca is jumping again!

Miguel acted like she had done this many times before - it was funny to watch her,

& her attitude was like, "It's no big deal - I'm good!"

Looks like Lovey snuck in a turn - he got a spare

(We let the girls have our turns, which was great for them)

Miguel & Becca ended up carrying their bowling balls to the ramp! Strong girls

We had a great night bowling. Looks like bowling will be a frequent outing for the Kemp Kuties. And if we can't go bowling, baking cookies will be the alternative :)

Wanna hear something funny?

Rebecca, Mary-Gail & I strolled down to see Aunt Carol this afternoon. Mary-Gail & I were visiting with Carol & her daughter, Amy, while Becca was in the kitchen playing with Amy's cat. Becca stood at the top of the stairs (Carol's family room is sunken 4 steps below the kitchen) and said:

Becca: "Hey, Everybody! Everybody look at me! I just tooted!"

We all busted up laughing, and laughed even more when Mary-Gail climbed the steps to Becca and said,

Mary-Gail: "Tell me how you tooted."

Those are my girls!

Halloween peek-a-boo!

I just learned the sign for Halloween. It's like you're playing peek-a-boo: cup your hands over your eyes, then open your hands and "peek." Do this twice as you say, "Halloween."

And now, here's our Halloween Peek-a-boo

Happy Halloween!

My Lovey had a birthday!

10 years ago Tony & I took a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate his birthday. We had just begun dating, and Tony wanted to go away for the weekend. We left after work; I forgot the directions to our hotel; we almost drove to California; we finally arrived in Las Vegas and decided to walk the Strip until the wee hours of the morning. We ate dinner/breakfast @ 4 am at Denny's (on the Strip), before finally heading back to the hotel to sleep.

It was on this weekend trip that I held Tony's hand. And now, 10 years later, Tony is now "Lovey" and we have 4 beautiful girls, 2 of whom are technically dogs.

Tony - 10 years ago

Rebecca LaRae & Mary-Gail Darleen

This year we split Lovey's birthday into two days. Friday night Lovey treated me and the girls to a date night. He took us out to eat, and then we went bowling (more on that later). On Lovey's actual b-day on Saturday, (10/10), he went to a shooting competition in the morning through 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and then had a relaxing night at home with us. While Lovey was shooting, the girls & I cleaned the house, mowed the lawn, and wrapped his presents.

Presents had to wait because Lovey had to read "The Little Mermaid" to his two princesses.

And now, present time!

Rebecca was twirling while Tony opened his first present

(She's in a mid-twirl in this picture)

Mary-Gail was focused on the present (she knew it was Candy)

Lovey got a target shoot & target stickers.

Did I mention that he just received his 3rd shooting award?

He's good. He's real good.

Conference Weekend

Saturday Session, October 3rd

Girls jumping on the couch (and on me) during conference

Daddy was watching Conference

"through his eye-lids" according to Rebecca

Rebecca was up to something...

she was trying to sneak up to me to give me a "surprise kiss"

Sunday Session, October 4th
Grandma Pink came over to have breakfast with us and watch the Sunday sessions of Conference. She brought her waffle maker, so we made waffles, eggs, sausage, and bacon, and then headed downstairs to watch Conference. Rebecca & Mary-Gail LOVED having Grandma Pink over.

Grandma Pink was, of course, dressed in Pink

Mary-Gail said to Grandma, "We match Grandma! Pink-Pink"

Grandma is the best tickler

Grandma played "up-a-side-down" with Mary-Gail & Rebecca

We finally got dressed at 4 pm, and headed over to Grandma's house for homemade chilli & cornbread. It was delicious, AND we got to play with our cousins - Preston, Abbie, McKena, & Ella, and our Uncle Josh!

Got your flu shot?

We had our flu shots Friday, September 25th. Becca was first. She sat on my lap and didn't move a stitch. Afterwards she looked @ the MA like, "Why would you do that to me?"

When I told Mary-Gail it was her turn, said to me, "Is it fun?" Neither she, nor Becca cried - their tough little girls.

Gage was last. Poor guy, he didn't know he was getting a flu shot. I had to wrap my legs around his legs and hold his arms down, while the MA tried to give him his flu shot. Poor MA, she got a few fly-away kicks and flailing arm swings from a fighting Gage. Gage's tears dried quickly when I told him it was my turn to get a flu shot.

We went to see mom @ Dr. George Gourley's office, and mom gave me my shot. Then we treated ourselves to donuts @ JoJo's office. Lucky for us it was someone's birthday and everyone brought in donuts to celebrate.

***************************************

If you haven't had your flu shot this season, please don't come around us. We don't want to be sick!!! Oh yeah, we will be getting the H1N1 Swine Flu shot too. And I'm putting a sign on my front door that says, "Hand Washing Required Upon Entrance." And I mean it too.

You think money grows on trees?

My ragga-muffin children at 8 am, Saturday morning, September 5th

Becca & Daddy, tickle-time during the yard sale

Miss MG wanted to take the toys back

We had a yard sale the Saturday before we left for Florida to earn money for our trip to Walt Disney World. Money doesn't grow on trees, ya know. Jo, Mom, and I cleaned out our basements/crawl spaces & hauled everything over to Mom's for the big yard sale. Dad sent some items over too (sleeping bags, bedding, silverware), and Kristie had a few toys to add to the yard sale too. Thanks to JoJo's pop-up canopy we didn't get soaked by the rain. And thanks to those die-hard YardSale-rs we didn't have much to take to DI.

The yard sale started at 8 am, and immediately two men arrived and cleaned out the bedding, sleeping bags, silverware, and all the other items I thought would never sale. (It didn't hurt that most of the price's were $1, and by 10 am I started a "2-for-$1 deal" and a "free" table). Around 11:30am (as we were cleaning up), a man screeched his car to a stop and asked, "How much for the wet suit?" And when I responded that it was $1, he said, "SOLD!" He was a cool, athletic guy, buying the wet suit for his daughter who is a triathlete. The only problem was that he didn't have $1...he was collecting all the change in his car and came up 24 cents short.

He returned (with borrowed money from his kids) and cleaned out everything - including a random magazine rack (from a doctor's office) & my glider-rocker & ottoman...all for just $20! You should come to our next yard sale; I guarantee you'll get a good deal!!

"Look at all my money Grandma!"


"This is a One"

Becca reluctantly passed her money to Daddy

We ended up earning $140 from the yard sale. Amazing!

I love you sister

I remember the first time Rebecca & Mary-Gail gave kisses to each other. It was Spring of last year. We three were in Michael's Craft Store; I had both girls in the buggy. Becca-Becca was teasing Miguel to the point that even I was getting frustrated. Before I could intercede, Becca-Becca gave Miss Miguel a kiss. Becca held Miguel's face, and fishy-kissed her, gave her a pat (we call Becca's pat's "LOVE PAT'S"), and said something sweet. I am so grateful that Becca loves on her sister.

I have 3 fabulous sisters and have been so grateful for their love, support, and encouragement. Lovey jokes with me that I talk with my sister, JoJo, 8-times a day. And he's mostly right - I can't go a single day without talking to JoJo & CarCar. I hope that Becca & Miguel's concern & love for each other extends through the years, and that they will feel the same about each other, as I do about my 3 sisters.

Camping with the Kuties - Aug 21st

Lovey said to me, "Let's get away...let's go camping."

Camping! I was thrilled. I love camping - being outdoors, sleeping in tents, eating tinfoil dinners (yum!), camp fire, S'mores, the list goes on & on. So when Lovey offered the idea I jumped.

It was 3:30 pm and there was a lot to get together in such a short time. Lovey & I decided to forgo the tinfoil dinners (rats) and to stay close to home since it was our first "outing" with the girls. JoJo was kind enough to gather her camping supplies for us, and after a quick stop to Walmart, we hit the road. Lovey found us a great spot nestled in the trees and near the stream of our camping ground. Rebecca & Mary-Gail were so crazy! They loved the tent (we have a small one we put up in the backyard or downstairs for playtime) and chased each other around it time and time again, and then would dive into the tent and scream, "SAFE!"

Lovey roasted our hotdogs on the camp stove. Rebecca & Mary-Gail ate 2 whole hot dogs each! They were starved. And when S'mores time hit, they ate 3!!! Something about camping makes food more yummy.

We scavenged for dry grass, leaves, & sticks for our fire. Mary-Gail was more interested in rolling in the dirt than helping, but that's Mary-Gail. :) She & Rebecca went exploring (we"re going exploring, Mommy. You be safe"). They're too cute for words.

Bed time was another story. We took a "hike" to the bathroom, and "hiked" back to our tent. The girls were so wired! Like I said, they were crazy. They played "steamroller" with Tony, which was a total hoot to watch. Lovey played "Dead" while both girls piled on top of him, the girls would ask, "Daddy, you OK? Wake up Daddy! Wake up!" and Lovey would come to life and roll, roll, roll on top of the girls. The girls laughed and squealed, and Mary-Gail would beg, "I want some more. I want some more!" Needless to say, the girls didn't quiet down for bedtime, and by midnight Lovey & I decided to pack up and head home. Within minutes, both girls were zonked out in their car seats. It was a fun-filled night, and I hope we go again!

A chance to become an ASL instructor?

Most - if not all of you - know that I have been signing with Rebecca & Mary-Gail since October 2007, when they were 11 months old (8 months corrected age). And most of you know that I almost gave up signing with them since they "weren't responding" to my signs and signing back to me. However, in early January, 2008, (a long three months later) Rebecca made her first sign for "more" and I was hooked! Now, both Rebecca & Mary-Gail have a huge vocabulary of words & signs and we continually learn & add more signs to our vocabulary through Signing Time and a great website I found, www.lifeprint.com.

I recently opened a Signing Time newsletter (via e-mail) and they are starting their Signing Time Academy soon! I had participated in a questionnaire from Signing Time inquiring about this program, and now they're launching their first phase for certifying their instructors. Can you believe it? A chance to become a certified Signing Time instructor and teach others sign language?

Whoa, I know what you're thinking...Amanda doesn't have any ASL training or education; and just being a mom who owns (& has memorized) all the Signing Time DVDs doesn't qualify you to be a Certified Instructor. Which is why this Signing Time Academy is so great - you can apply to become a Certified Instructor after you complete at least one formal ASL class, submit a video of you signing, and of course go through a rigorous application & interview process (including a background check).

So, I'm toying with the idea of getting started and enrolling in an ASL class. My niece is taking ASL in high school - wonder if they'd let a "30-something" audit the class. Hee-hee