North Carolina Thanksgiving

Growing up, my family always spent every Thanksgiving holiday in Ontario, Oregon with both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (60+). I have such fond memories of sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa's, hanging out with cousins, eating more rolls, mashed potatoes, and desserts than my stomach could handle, preparing and delivering some knock-out performances at the Butler family talent shows, and smashing into huge candy-filled pinatas.

But then I grew up, got married, moved away, became an adult, and Thanksgiving took on a whole other meaning. Spending the day cooking in the kitchen is not my idea of fun. Let's just say, Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. But, aside from the things I don't like about Thanksgiving (spending the majority of the day cooking foods I don't even really like, eating all day long, and them feeling like I've gained 10 pounds), I've decided the holiday is really about what you make of it. The best part about Thanksgiving is getting to spend time as a family. This year, Spencer took off Wednesday, so we had an entire 5 day family vacation! It was awesome. But to make it even better, we decided to drive down to North Carolina and spend the weekend with the Calhoun's. It was fabulous getting to hang out with my sister and let my girls hang out with their cousins. It was fun feeling like I was creating memories for my girls like the memories I had as a little girl. We might not have had a pinata (but two years ago we did) or a talent show (I think we should start doing this Tish), but we sure had a complete blast being together!!

Taken Sunday morning just as we were about to leave. Elle wasn't feeling good and was having kind of a rough morning.

Just a few of the weekend highlights:

- Thanksgiving morning trip to Bojangles for Boberry Biscuits (every time we go to North Carolina, we see the billboards for Bojangles and Spencer always says that "this trip, we're going to Bojangles." Well, he finally got his wish! Thanksgiving morning, Curteis and Spencer piled the kids into the car for a Bojangles run.

- A delicious Thanksgiving feast. Spencer even fell in love with sweet potatoes-thanks to the Calhoun secret recipe! And Tisha seriously thought of everything, from the decorations, to place settings, to ways of simplifying the cooking.

- Little to no arguing between siblings or cousins (you might remember the arguments I documented in this post).

- Kayaking (Spencer and Curteis)

- Morning runs with Tisha

-Nature hikes for the older kids with their dads- complete with log walking and rope swinging (see video below of Madi's bravery)

- A backyard for the kids to play outside for hours. Madi loves exploring- it'll be so nice the day we finally get a place with a big backyard!

- Museum of Natural History (loved this)

- Riding the zip line out at Will and Pargie's (see below videos)

- Black Friday Shopping ONLINE!

- Hanging out with the Gertschs until 1AM!! (Thanks for the awesome visit Matt and Doreen. We've sure missed hanging out with you guys.)

- Three nights of hanging out with Tisha and Curteis

Our Thanksgiving table

Tisha's cute name settings

The adult table

The kids table

Elle loved playing with Sam. At just 9 months old, Sam is as tall as Elle and weighs 2 or 3 pounds more!

The zip line- Madi insisted on going first of the kids. Here she is getting harnessed in.

The pull back. . .

And the LET GO!

The tricky part was at the end when Madi was supposed to throw the rope down for Spencer to pull her back in. The rope got stuck around her leg and Madi wasn't able to shake it off her arm. She was flipping out and Spencer was yelling to get her to let go of the harness and untangle the rope, but luckily a few of us remained calm. I suggested trying to reach the rope with a long stick which worked and Spencer was able to pull Madi back to safety. Once she was unharnessed, Madi excitedly talked about her fun on the zip line and I'm sure she'll go again on our next trip to NC.

ME on the zip line!

Madi braving the rope swing across the stream.

Thanks again Calhouns for the awesome Thanksgiving weekend! We love you guys!

Thanksgiving Daily

This year, for the month of November, I started a Thankful Box (pretty sure an idea I read about in The Friend). I've wanted to do this with Madi ever since she was born, but she was never really old enough to get into it until now. Basically, everyday we'd write down at least one thing we're thankful for. It was so much fun reading them all today that I had to record some.

I'm thankful for (in Madi's words):

- Purple baby's hat because it keeps her head warm and it protects it from the rain and wind and the storm and the storm clouds.

- My kitchen because I can make lots of dinners for Mommy, Daddy, and Elle.

- My crayons because I can color with them and make beautiful pictures and I can make a picture for Grandpa Al and Boppi and Gram and Papa.

- Windows, cause they're special to me so I can see outside.

- Food because it makes me strong and healthy.

- My cousins so I can share my things with them.

- My piggy bank so I can put my money in it.

- I love my heater because it warms my room and it warms me up and it warms my toys up.

- My princess bib because it protects my shirt.

- My artwork, and that mommy hangs it on the wall.

-My highchair because I can sit in it and eat in it.

- My Gram Baby is special to me because she loves me and I love her.

- Washing things, because I love washing windows and doors and that guy who painted our door (we got some painting down on our townhouse this month).

- My church bag because I can put it on my arm and I can put my fan in it and put it on the floor when I'm done walking.

- Our dresses so we can twirl at church and we can walk reverently at church.

- My Ariel phone because I can call people and say hello. And then the other person says hello.

- My blocks, cause I build with them and I love them so much.

- Penny (her lambie), cause she's special to me and I sleep with her and I sing with her and she sings with me.

- For Elle because I love her and she loves me.

- My backpack because it's special to me because there's scissors in my backpack for me to cut stuff out.

- My beautiful bedroom.

- Art projects because they're really really good.

- Mommy and Daddy, because you're special to me and I love you.

Anie's thankful for:

- 2 crazy girls who keep my life far from boring.

- Bananas and peanut butter (together)

- Quiet time which sometimes= naps for mama!

- Big, comfy, warm, snugly bathrobes for the cold nights and mornings.

- heaters

- living a 15 minute drive from the temple

- awesome baby-sitters

- a husband who makes me laugh.

- the Internet

- hugs and kisses from Madi, Daddy and Elle

- water (for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning, etc)

- 64 degree weather in November, trips to the park, walks around the pond, and good friends to spend time with.

- Bath and Body Works plug-ins, so my house can smell yummy and festive all day long.

- my camera

- our car

- Having a sister live a short 5 hour drive away.

- A three year old who understands repentance. After pushing Elle to the ground, followed by a stern pep talk, Madi quietly retreated to her bedroom, knelt down on the floor and said the sweetest prayer- asking Heavenly Father to forgive her for being unkind to Elle and for help in being kind. Its moments like these that bring tears to my eyes and make me extra grateful to be a mom and being able to raise my children in the church.

Spencer's thankful for:

- Passing the California Bar!

- Pumpkin pecan cheesecake season at the Cheesecake Factory

- family traditions

- daddy-daughter dates

- fall football games

- good books

- When Madi is nice to her sister Elle and helpful and obedient to her Mommy and Daddy.

- The power of prayer and fasting

Results are IN . . .

After a long 3 months of waiting, a torturous week of not knowing, a sleepless night of anticipation, and the longest day ever- feeling nauseous, anxious, and stressed- Spencer logged in this evening to get the results that could either bring complete relief or deep depression.

He insisted on checking alone, but I snuck up the stairs to listen at the door and wait. Sure enough, just as I expected, I heard the sigh of relief. The door flew open and his face said it all! Congratulations Spence- all that hard work paid off! A huge celebration is in order!

I wasn't sure where to look at first, just read the sentence below his name.

16 months

Elle's now 16 months old. This is one of my favorite ages- tons of fun and learning so much everyday! Not a whole lot more to update since my last post (just 2 weeks ago). I mainly just wanted to get back on track with one post, on the 17th of each month, highlighting Elle's monthly accomplishments.

My favorite things about Elle's 15th month was her explosive vocabulary. New words (since my last post 2 weeks ago):

Jesus

moon

eyes

hat

please ("eese")

baby

She also now folds her arms for prayers and says a loud, "AMEN" after (love this)!

She's finally using signs to communicate- not many, just a few (milk, thank you, and please), but at least she's using them. For some reason Elle thinks signing is such a silly thing, so I really have to make her use them. I let her whine and whine, refusing to give her what she wants until I get a please.

Elle's finally becoming a better milk drinker. She still loves fruit (any and all). Her favorite veggis are peas and broccoli (which she doesn't eat much of, but at least she'll eat em). Her favorite meals are the same as Madi's- chicken, broccoli casserole and Hawaiian Haystacks. Elle's better at attempting new foods, but she's still got a picky side. She loves her snacks though (which I have to monitor so she'll eat meals) and regularly helps herself to the snack cupboard. It's only the raisins she's able to pull out and open, so I'm usually ok with it.

Elle's super friendly to strangers from afar, but when people want to get up close- to hold, hug, take out of Mommy's arms, etc, Elle makes sure to put up a fuss. Luckily she doesn't have separation anxiety like Madi did at this age. Elle's fine with being left with a baby-sitter and doesn't care a bit about being left behind with her Daddy.

We had some serious teething this month (first year molars)- which for Elle, always seems to bring on major crankiness, high fevers, and lack of sleep. Then right after recovering from her new molars, we had daylight savings- which only threw things off for another week and a half. Luckily things seem to be pretty much back to normal. She hasn't slept past 6:30am since the time change, but hopefully in the next week or so. . .

Elle's got a major obsession with her binky and pink giraffe. After what we went through with Madi, I was hoping to break the binky habit right at 12 months, but with all our traveling this past summer, I thought it would be best to wait. But now I think we're stuck with it. Elle sure is a great sharer though. She always wants to shares her binky with any toddler she sees in a magazine and all book characters that have their mouth opened in the picture. And I love how she makes a sucking noise- as if the person is really sucking on her binky. It's hilarious!

Elle really is a sweetheart- always trying to make everything better. Anytime Madi's screaming or crying, Elle will try to find some way to help the situation- like bringing Madi a baby, giving Madi a kiss, a hug, etc. She hates to see people sad and is really good at the sympathy cry.

Madilyn at three

Whoever coined the phrase, "terrible twos" must not have had a three year old, or a girl for that matter. Three has hands down been a much tougher age for me to parent than two was. Luckily, I know I'm not alone in my frustrations. It's nice having lots of friends (and a sister) with girls Madi's age. I hate to admit it, but I'm always relieved when I hear of other moms frustrations- makes me feel less alone, and more united in a cause of some sort- of raising strong-willed little girls in todays world.

After weeks and weeks of time-outs, arguments, tears, fighting, and over the top drama, I came to a conclusion that there's no solving the problem, it's just a matter of dealing with it. And knowing how to deal with it was where I'd been at a loss. One morning I woke up to a overly- cranky, sassy, three year old and was seriously ready to walk out the door and tell Spencer I just couldn't do it today. But since taking a day off isn't an option, I came up with a plan. After dropping Spencer off at the Metro, I drove over to Target, hauled the girls in, and proceeded to the $1 section. I picked out a weeks worth of "prizes" (stick on earrings, princess notebooks, cool pencils, pens, lip gloss, etc.) and told Madi she could have all these prizes, but she had to earn them. Of course Madi was immediately interested and wanted to know what it was going to take. I told her she had to go a whole day without a time-out and at the end of the day, before going to pick dad up from the Metro, I'd let her pick out a prize. Finally I saw some motivation! A good bribe was just what I needed to help me get through the day. She did end up having a time-out that day though, and actually, now a week later, Madi still hasn't earned a prize from the basket, but she has gotten a lot closer. It may be too much to ask right now for a day with NO time-outs, so I think we might be changing it to a day with no more than one timeout. It's just nice having something to bribe with (I know, it sounds terrible, but don't judge until you've had a three year old girl and can give some better advice). I do need to get her sticker chart back up and rolling, but I'm trying to think up a new system before I get started again.

I now understand what was going through my mom's head 27+ years ago when she left me on my top bunk, took away the ladder, loaded up the other kids, and went to a church meeting. I was obviously throwing some sort of terrible fit. My mom came home to a three year old who had pooped all over the bed (that taught my mom for leaving me alone:)! It's one of those stories I've heard about my whole life, we all laugh about, but I'd never really thought about what I was like as a three year old. From what I'm told, it sounds a lot like who I get to hang out with everyday. For some reason, this gives me quite a bit of added patience.

For the record- I have to include some examples of things I get frustrated with everyday:

- Madi not wanting to share with Elle. Madi will even eat foods she doesn't want to finish when I tell her I'm going to let Elle finish it.

- Wanting to watch a Dora or Diego after I just let her watch one (the rule is one in the morning, one in the afternoon/evening). I'm tempted to take these favorite shows away completely, but they give me a half hour to get ready in the morning, and a half hour to get dinner fixed in the evening (with no bugging Elle).

- Purposely trying to bug Elle: sticking out a leg to watch Elle trip, taking a toy away just to get her to cry, closing her bedroom door when Elle wants to come in, etc.

- Telling me "no", or grunting, groaning, angry faces, etc.

- Yelling, "I don't like that!" or worse- "I don't like (him, her, that girl, that boy)" - said while looking at someone next to us.

- Not wanting to pick up toys because she's "too tired".

- Asking me to "help" her eat at the dinner table (i.e. feed her)

- Baby talk

- Screaming

- Being exceptionally loud

- Flipping out over the littlest things (a scratch, water getting in her eye, not doing something her way, etc)

- Not being able to stay in her room for an entire one hour quiet time- Madi will always find a reason to need my help at least every 15 minutes.

BUT . . . while Madi's "moods" (and all the above examples) might be super frustrating and very trying on my patience, when Madi's being sweet, I'm pretty positive I have the kindest, most well behaved, lovable, adorable three year old ever! Madi really is an incredible sweetheart, a tremendous help, very responsible, and always wanting so hard to choose the right.

Things I absolutely love about Madi:

- She's a work horse. Not kidding- she's a total Rudd when it comes to getting house work done. When I start any type of cleaning, Madi's right there, by my side, ready to get to work. The best part about it is that Madi doesn't wait for me to tell her what to do. She'll seriously grab the windex, some paper towels, and begin all on her own. She's become a pro at washing windows, mopping floors, emptying the silverware, sweeping, and cleaning the table, chairs, and cupboards.

- She takes things to heart. The other day, through anger, Madi told me she didn't like me. I told her how sad that made me feel and that she was following Satan because those are the things Satan would want her to say and feel (I know, a little over the top, but I was desperate). Madi instantly felt remorse, apologized, told me she didn't want to follow Satan, but wanted to be like Jesus. She then gave me the biggest hug and kiss and told me how much she loves me.

- She always tells me, "I love you so much" (sometimes 20-30 times a day).

- She gives the biggest hugs.

- She so badly wants to do what's right. The other night (in the middle of the night), after having a baby-sitter, Madi woke up crying hysterically. I ran in to see what was wrong. Between crying, Madi wails, "I didn't eat my peas...... (more crying)..... I just wanted to eat so good for my babysitter.... (more crying)."

- She isn't afraid to be a missionary. The other day at the park, Madi was being pushed on the swings by the grandma of a friend she just recently met. While swinging, Madi tells the grandma, "A long time ago my grandmother's baby died, but the Holy Ghost told her it was going to be ok."

- She's super friendly and out-going. When we're out on walks Madi says "hi" to the people we pass. At the store she can't leave without waving to the checker and saying, "Bye, have a good day!"

- She loves her friends and wants them to choose the right too.

- She's got an awesome vocabulary- and likes to make up her own words and meanings. The other day Madi busted out with the word "strugglated". I figured out that she was frustrated and struggling which equals strugglated.

- She has a very grateful heart. After giving the girls their own rooms I really wanted Madi's room to be fun for her (not the boring office she'd slept in for months before our move). So one thing we did was went out and bought curtains for her room. Such a little thing (and probably more for me than for her), but Madi still (7 weeks later) includes in her prayers how grateful she is for her "beautiful room" and her "new curtains".

- How passionate she is about everything- life, learning, family, friends, reading, singing, and even service.

There's no doubt in my mind that Madi's gonna go on to do amazing things with her life, it's just so hard to keep the big picture in mind some days. Hopefully all her shenanigans are just a phase and one day (soon) I'll be able to again have days without having to give a gazillion timeouts!

15 months

Now that Elle's already almost half-way through her 15th month, I figured I should get this post finished. I hate playing catch-up. Sorry about all the similar pictures- I haven't gotten my camera out much, so all the pics below were taken on two different days.

I guess the biggest thing that started in Elle's 14th month was. . . temper tantrums!!! Totally didn't know what to do about them either since Madi never threw a real one until after 2 years old. But now I've become a pro with recognizing them- remembering that it's just a tantrum and not that she's tired or hungry. It's funny how quickly she throws the trantrum, and how quickly she recovers from them- like nothing ever happened. It's usually about not getting something she wants. And actually after Elle turned 15 months they were less frequent.

Like most little kids, Elle LOVES animals. I still can't decide if she has a favorite. She's always pointing out the birds to me, loves her ducks in the bathtub and visiting them at the pond, gets ecstatic when she sees pictures of elephants- immediately making the elephant sound, can't live without her giraffe blankie, loves visiting and petting the cats at Pet Smart, and squeals anytime she sees a dog (but then gets nervous when up close). So for now I guess it's just a universal love of the animals. Maybe she'll be like Spencer (when he was little) and want to be a vet when she grows up!

Elle loves her books. She "reads" more than she plays with anything else (even her baby). The video below is not interesting at all, but it's where I find Elle anytime we're upstairs. The books are usually spread all over the floor by the time she's done- which drives me crazy, but it's totally worth the hours of entertainment they provide.

Other things about Elle:

-She eats with her hands most of the time, a fork a lot of the time, and a spoon some of the time (still hasn't figured out how to use the spoon correctly though).

-When I tell Elle something's hot, she'll blow like crazy- cracks me up every time!

-Loves going on walks and actually gets excited to get into her stroller.

-She's a tough a little girl, but also has a very sensitive side (like getting scared super easily).

-She doesn't go crazy when out past her bedtime- much more adaptable than Madi.

-She gives the sweetest kisses- most of them go to Madi (like 30-40 a day), and a few to Spencer and I.

-Naps at noon- sleeps for 2 hours (sometimes less, but never more)

-Bed at 7pm (or as soon as we get home from the Metro). Picking up Spencer has pushed the girls bedtime back a bit (7:15, 7:30, sometimes 7:45) which has seemed to throw it all off (can hardly wait to get a second car). Luckily they both sleep in. Elle's pretty consistent with sleeping exactly 12 hours from when she was layed down. And if she's not sleeping she'll just play quietly in her bed.

My favorite things about Elle's 14th month (and start of 15th month):

-Her mobility and self sufficiency. I love being able to get Elle out of her car seat and tell her to go into the house. It's so nice when they're old enough to not have to be carried everywhere.

-Her obedience. When I tell her to do something, she'll do it for the most part. It's only when she's acting silly that she likes to ignore me.

-Her love of being read to. As much as Elle loves her books and "reading" on her own, I'm so glad that she still lets me read to her. My absolute favorite is when she brings me a book and then turns around and sits down into my lap (she'd do this all day long if we'd let her).

-Her friendly personality. Elle's always waving and saying hi and bye to people. I love checking out at the store and seeing Elle give the cashier a cute smile with her adorable wave and a quiet, "bye bye". I took her to the doctor last week (first check-up since 9 months old) and when the doctor turned to leave she gave an unprompted "bye bye" and wave.

-Her wave. This one gets a video by itself. Elle's got the best wave- it's got a Miss America twist to the wrist that makes me laugh every time.

The week after turning 15 months, Elle's vocabulary exploded. It's still not as clear as Madi's was at this age, but I'm just glad to have her finally communicating with us more.

Words she says on a regular basis:

duck

quack, quack

truck

hi

bye (usually always put with dad, since he's who we're always saying bye to)

guys (she likes to say "bye bye guys" to friends that she meets- my favorite was when she was getting out of the bath. She turned to her toys, waved, and said, "bye bye guys")

done

dad

I love you (something like "I ov ew"- and was said only to Spencer- what's up with that?!)

mom (doesn't say mommy or mama, and doesn't even call me mom very often)

book

We've also been working on letters. So far Elle knows that M says, "mmmmm" (she won't tell me it's a M, she just says, "mmmmm"), B says, "bop", and O just says "O".

I gave Elle another haircut the 1st of November. I was really tired of her long, bushy hair and how it always hung in her face if not pulled back in pig tails. But after cutting it, I got all emotional looking at what I'd done. This was only part of what I cut off:

I'm not sure how well I like the cut, but I can actually do regular pigtails again.

I just can't get enough of my little Elle Bell. Having alone time with her while Madi's at preschool has been so much fun for me. It makes me feel guilty for not having made more alone time with her before this. I love you to pieces baby girl.

Halloween Week

It's been ONE busy Halloween!

With TWO crazy kids,

THREE awesome costumes,

FOUR hoppin parties,

And FIVE pounds of candy,

I think we've made this year a pretty unforgettable Halloween!

Unlike other years where I whip up costumes at the last minute (literally- like buying the key part to Madi's doctor costume on the way to the trunk-or-treat last year), this year we were a little more prepared. At the beginning of the month I pulled out the costumes I bought last year at the "after Halloween clearance sale". Madi tried a few on, picked one she really liked, and then started working on her character. Choosing Dorothy, I made her sit down and watch you tube videos with me of little girls singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Madi's almost got it down). Then we went out and got her her very own pair of Ruby slippers (that's the only thing she'll call them). We went out looking for a Todo, but after having no luck, I let her choose one of her own dogs to name Todo. Perfect!

Elle's costume was a different story. My mom sent this cute bug costume for Elle to wear, but she didn't want to leave the hat or booties on, so when Shauna offered her adorable bumble bee costume I couldn't resist (thank you so much Shauna)!!

And the third costume of the year goes to. . . SPENCER!! That's right- Spencer dressed up this year! Only for his work party, but he looked pretty dang hot if you ask me! Missing from the pic is his sweet brown corduroy pants that he didn't end up putting on.

Halloween festivities started on Monday- with a party for the girls! Madi had a blast dancing, eating "dirt", and knocking down the pins in pumpkin bowling! Elle's favorite part was the tootsie roll sucker that she managed to suck to it's entirety, not to mention droll all over her face, hands, neck, and chest (did I mention my dislike of kids with suckers?!)!

Elle with her adorable friend Dean!

Video clip before the party- I just loved Madi's costume this year. Mostly because she chose it and loved every minute of wearing it! We stopped by the grocery store just before this to pick up some suckers and Madi had to show every cashier what she was wearing.

Thursday was a double wamie- Madi had a little Halloween party at preschool:

Then that evening the girls and I metroed into Spencer's office to join him for their office party they throw for a local boys and girls club. Check out these attorneys! They sure know how to throw a good party!

It was super fun for me to finally see where Spencer's works and meet almost all of the partners and associates at the firm. It's good to finally be able to put faces to the names I always hear about. The girls had a ball going door to door trick-or-treating. Then we had pizza and called it a night.

My little trick-or-treaters!

After a late night on Thursday we decided against going to the Halloween Party out at our Bishop's place on Friday night, making our fourth party of the week the annual ward Trunk-or-treat!

Elle didn't care much about it. Once she got a sucker she was set for the night and pretty much checked out of getting candy. The video below is not the greatest, but it cracked me up at the end how she insisted on carrying her own bucket while walking. Even with the small amount of candy she had in there, the bucket was still pretty heavy for a 15 month old.

Then that brings us to today- Happy Halloween! Being the 5th Sunday, I was in charge of the entire singing/ sharing time in Primary (we had fun playing "trick-treat-share" music games). Spencer took the girls home early due to Madi's runny nose, and by 4pm we were all exhausted from our busy week. We took baths, got in our jammies, made some dinner, and settled in for the night. Elle was in bed by 6:45, but since Madi took a nap this afternoon she stayed up a little longer to pop some popcorn, drink chocolate milk, and watch a half hour Halloween show. Perfect end to a great Halloween week!

Elle on Candy

This is just one of the many reasons why my children don't eat candy.

It only equals craziness!!

To be totally honest, I think Elle was just extra hyper here. Add that to the excitement of getting a sucker after dinner and Elle became a wild child! But just to be safe, I will be limiting her sugar intake this year.