IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR EYELASHES...

The other day I ran out of mascara and I was at Target feeling adventurous so I decided to try a new kind of mascara. That's when I discovered this...L'Oreal Double Extend mascara. So I bought it.
The next morning I was kind of excited to try my new makeup. I opened the package and started applying the end with the "white stuff" in it. Then I applied the actual mascara. I thought my lashes looked quite thick and long. Sweet! That's what I was going for.
Well...that night I went to wash my face and I realized that my eyelashes were falling out as I washed off the mascara. What?! That's not good. So I decided to just try it for a week and see if I still have eyelashes at the end of the week. And the results at the end of the week...BARELY! My eyelashes continued to come out every time I washed my face. Scary!
DO NOT USE L'OREAL DOUBLE EXTEND MASCARA.:)

Volcanic Ash, Baths,Teamwork, Muffins, Play-Doh and Movies

You may or may not have heard about the volcano that erupted 106 miles southwest of Anchorage. Well, here are a few pictures. The first picture is a picture of Mount Redoubt erupting. It is an amazing sight.
The second picture is of the view from Anchorage at night with Mount Redoubt in the distance.
The third picture is the ash cloud approaching Anchorage.
And the fourth picture is a picture of the ash that covered Anchorage. You can see the contrast of color in the snow tracks. Pretty crazy!




So...church was canceled today due to the ashfall from Mount Redoubt. What do you do on an ash fall day? We start off our day taking baths.
During bath time Norah gave the spiritual thought. It happened like this... I filled up the tub and put Jude in it and then I told Norah it was time for her to get in. Well, Norah barely gets in the water and starts yelling, "Toe jam! Toe jam!" Norah reminded the whole neighborhood that she does not like toe jam. In fact she hates it and does not want to take a bath with her little brother's toe jam floating in the tub. So she orders me to get a cup quick so she can scoop up the toe jam and I can dump it in the toilet. So we did just that and with just a few cups of water with toe jam, the water appeared to be ready for bathing. So the kids begin to play while I brushed my hair. Not more than about 30 seconds had gone by when Norah starts informing me that I missed one piece of toe jam. I replied, "I'll get it in a second Norah." Well a second isn't quick enough. Norah waited about a half of a second and then she scooped it up and needed me to dump it in the toilet. She then says...."TEAMWORK MOM. I NEED TEAMWORK HERE!" So that was it. I immediately dumped the toe jam in the toilet and spent the rest of the day working on TEAMWORK! Thanks Norah. You're a peach!:)

After our baths we decided to practice a little TEAMWORK and make some yummy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. They were pretty tasty. Here is the recipe

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1-16oz. can pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. oil
3 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
12 oz. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, oil.
In another bowl mix flour, soda, powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake for 16-20 minutes. Makes about 36 muffins.


After we ate the muffins we pulled out a gift we bought Norah for her birthday called Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe. Sadie and Norah had so much fun creating their own "tasty looking" ice cream treats. They "looked" so great that Jude decided he would give one a try. As soon as it touched his tongue he realized -NOT SO GOOD!
Anyway, it is a super fun toy and I recommend it for ages 4+.

We decided to watch a few Book of Mormon dvd's that our friend lent us. The kids really enjoyed them. It was a great day.

Oh yeah and just a few fun things to do in case you can't go outside due to volcanic ashfall!:)

A Recap Of 2008

First Snowman of the Year
Sadie and Norah's first snowman of the season. How can you tell Jordan helped them? Hint...look at the hat on the snowman!:)

California
In February I was SO ready for a vacation that I decided to take the kids by myself to Cali to visit my sister Kristin and for a little rest and relaxation in the sun. We flew standby, on the "red-eye" flight, with 3 kids, by myself...can you say DESPERATE! I can't count the number of "You have your hands full!" comments. I pushed Sadie and Norah in our double stroller and had baby Jude in the Baby Bjorn with my backpack on my back. Yeah, I guess I did look like I had my hands full.
When we arrived at the Arnold residence Kristin was so excited to give me a pep talk on the benefits of a vegan diet. She loves her veggies! And then she played with Jude and made him laugh really, really hard. Crazy Auntie!:)
It was definitely worth it. We had a blast with the Arnold family. They got to meet Jude for the first time.
This is Alex holding 4 month old Jude.

Matt and Jude are buds!

Sophie, Sadie and Jude.

The Beach

Beach day was really fun. The kids loved playing in the sand and running away from the waves. Norah wasn't so lucky. The wave was too fast for her and it knocked her down and gave her an ear full of sand. She was a good sport though! Kristin, Alex, and Sophie lookin HOT!

Sadie and Sophie giving their beach pose.You could definitely tell who was from Alaska on the beach. Our white skin was REALLY white!
Running on the beach.

Sadie, Norah and Sophie had so much fun together. These three cousins LOVE each other!
Norah had so much fun with cousin Matt. He always took her outside to play and she had a blast! Can you tell?

Sea World Baby!
Sadie and Norah giving cousin Alex a "See you later" hug.:(
The kids had so much fun in California and were happy to be home with a little boost of vitamin D!

Norah's 3rd Birthday
HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY NORAH! Norah had a princess party for her birthday. The princesses that attended were Amelia, Addy, Sadie, Taylor, Susanna, Lucy, Zyria, Norah and Liz. We played "Pin the Kiss on the Frog", "Hot Froggy", painted finger nails, and had a "Golden Egg Hunt". It was a hit!The princess cake got a little tipsy.
Norah the birthday girl!
Norah is 3 years old.:)
Sadie is BELLE.
Jude was the handsome prince.

Easter Egg Hunt
Every year our friends, the Moreheads, host a Easter Egg Hunt. All of the kids get to hunt outside for eggs and they have a lot of fun. Alaskans don't let the snow get in their way of having a great egg hunt!
Sadie and Norah decorated Easter eggs. Cute little bunnies!

Tender Kisses


Norah and Jude kissing. So sweet.

My Little Hunk of Burning Love


I love my beautiful boy. He is my little angel.:)

Swimming Lessons

Sadie loves to swim. My good friend Bonnie offered to give Sadie swimming lessons and it was a blast. Sadie learned so much from Bonnie. She went from hardly putting her face in the water to swimming the length of the pool front crawl and back crawl over the course of about 3 months. She is a little fish. Thanks Bons. You are awesome!

Snow Day

Norah loves to play in the snow...well, maybe only for a few minutes until she gets cold or has to use the bathroom.

Preschool Graduation, Mother's Day Tea, and a Birthday!

Sadie graduated from Amazing Grace Preschool on May 7th, 2008 (on her birthday). Her teacher was Mrs.Scott. Sadie loved preschool and had so much fun learning and playing. Sadie's class went to the local Fire Station, the Anchorage Zoo and the Imaginarium for field trips.
Sadie's preschool class put on an adorable Mother's Day Tea. It was so fun. The kids served their mom's strawberry shortcake with whipping cream. The kids even cut up all of the strawberries. It was so cute. Sadie made me a beautiful hat to wear and made me a very sweet Mother's Day card. It was a very special experience for Sadie and I. I love her so much!:)
Sadie and Jude on her birthday. I love this picture!
Sadie, Norah and Jude and Sadie's family birthday cake. I can't believe she is 5 years old!

Let's Party!













In Alaska the winter seems like it is never going to end. So when it does....IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE! What better way to celebrate than with bubbles?! Oh yeah and watch your step because when the snow melts, it leaves piles of moose poop that our moose friends have left us during the winter!

Lemonade and Cookie Stand

Our Lemonade and Cookie sale. It was a hit! We decided that it would be a great idea to set up a lemonade stand in our friend's, the Afualo's driveway and make some cash at the annual neighborhood garage sale. So we made our sign, baked the cookies, made the lemonade and headed over. Sadie and Norah were a little nervous at first but my beautiful friend, Bonnie, gave them a little "P.R." pep talk. By the end they were yelling, "Get your yummy cookies and lemonade for a dollar!" It was so fun. And just wait till you see how much money they made...
SUCCESS!!!!!!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend we drove to Wasilla for a barbeque with the Pettijohn family. The food was delightful as usual. Lanse was so nice to give the kids a ride around the yard. Thanks Lanse. Food, family and fun!:)

Alaskan Mosquitos Don't Mess Around!




Grandma, Grandpa and Cousin Sydney Visit

Mom (Grandma), Dad (Grandpa), and Sydney came to visit ! Hooray! It was the first time my Dad and niece had come to visit us. Mom came when Jude was born but it was dark and cold.
So we were so excited. We only had about 9 days with them so we tried to do and see as much as possible.
We drove to Girdwood and checked out the Alyeska Ski Resort and Hotel.

The inside of the hotel.

Jordan and Jude.
My Norrie girl, playing at the park in Girdwood. I love her face!

Iditarod trail. Good job guys!
Crow Creek Mine. Panning for gold.
Jordan and Dad were so excited to set up camp in Seward. Our camp site was called "Somewhere". Yep, somewhere deep in the Alaskan forest. This is the happiest I have ever seen Jordan. Awwww!
Grandma and Jude trying to keep warm. Poor little Jude ended up getting Croup that night and we had to sleep in the van. I wasn't complaining. I am scared of BEARS!
Norah likes camping.
We visited the Alaska Sea Life Center. Sadie and Sydney are driving the boat.
Sadie touching the sea creatures. Slimy!
Jude hanging out at the SeaLife Center sick. Poor little guy.

Grandma, Grandpa, Sydney, Sadie and Norah at the SeaLife Center.
Norah liked looking for birds.:)
Norah loved the seal.
Some of the homes in Alaska are pretty fun to look at. This one had a yard full of um...junk!
These people decided to decorate the tree in their yard with fishing gear. It looks like a Christmas tree.
The Alaska Railroad.
We took a trip north of Anchorage towards Hatcher's Pass and found a fun spot on the way.
Sadie and Norah loved playing with Gramps.
More giggles with Gramps.
And snuggles.
Sadie's got her eyes on you.
We signed Sadie up for tee-ball this year and she LOVED it! Her team was called the Phillies.
Sadie was still a little shy going up to bat.
Sadie and a friend, Ryan from the other team. Note the sign behind them.
Snack time is a bonus!:)
A trip to the Alaska zoo.
This baby moose (calf) was standing up for the first time.
Sydney, Sadie and Norah had so much fun at the zoo. It was one of the very few sunny days we had last summer.
HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY JORDAN! We drove out to Hatcher's Pass on Jordan's birthday and then out to dinner at Ray's Vietnamese restaurant. Yummy!
Happy 4th of July! We went to Chuck E Cheese for lunch and then to the Bucks vs. the Pilots baseball game. We watched the fireworks after the game too!
Jude had just gotten out of the bathtub and he was looking so cute so I snapped a couple shots of my sweetie pie. I love you Jude.
Sadie bug having fun in the sun.
Silly Sadie.
Sweetie Sadie.
My beautiful Norah girl.