Our Christmas this year

This is the painting that I got Robin. I paid Robin's sister to paint it. The painting is of the grist mill at Babcock State Park in West Virginia. Robin and I stayed in a cabin nearby on our honeymoon, so I thought this would be something really nice for our house. Now... if only we can get it back to Utah in one piece.







Garrett is playing with his new race track.

Olivia is wearning one of her new dress-up outfits and listening to Barbie movie songs on her new CD player.

Olivia and Garrett decorated cookies at Grandma Brunner's house. Actually, Garrett was the only one who decorated them. Olivia spent most of the time laying on the couch complaining that her stomach hurt. About 40 minutes later she was throwing up in the bathroom. We're not sure how she pulled off such a cute smile in this picture.

Garrett got a road map for his toy cars. In this last picture we just opened stockings. Merry Christmas and thank you everyone!

Babysitter Woes Again

I have not had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. I am lucky that I have a job that I enjoy most of the times. I love that I get to work half time and then get to come home and spend the rest of the day with my wonderful children. One of the hardest things is finding a reliable babysitter that you trust. I have had 7 sitters so far. (to me that is alot) Some have been good some not so great. The one I have now we have really liked up until now.
She first decided to raise her rates. I was ok with this and went up to the higher price because I liked her and she was doing a good job. Part of our agreement was that she would provide lunch for the kids. She has now decided that she doesn't want to provide lunch for them that she wants me to provide any food that they eat while at her house. I wasn't really happy about this but I decided that I would do this too.
Her child got Croop. This is the 2nd time that he has had it this year. The first time he got he gave it to Garrett. She called and told me he had croop so I decided to keep my kids home to be on the safe side. This was friday. On Monday I took the kids back to her house. By this tme my kids had developed colds. (That they probably got from her kids) I took them again on Tuesday. Garrett's cold had gotten worse I had taken him to the doctor but they said that it was just a cold.
She called me at 9 o'clock at night and told me that since Garrett had a cold that she did not want him at her house. I told her that he was feeling better and that he had been happy she still didn't want him. She then said her kids were getting sick too often so when my kids had colds that I couldn't bring them. I told her that I can't take off work everytime one of my kids gets the sniffles. She then told me that I just wasn't as concerned about them.
This really hurt my feelings. I am concerned about my children but I also have a job that I have to have to help my family. I had to find another person to watch them for that day. This isn't easy. This makes the 4th time this month that I have had to find someone else to watch them for one reason or other.
I was so upset. I am still upset.
Now I am thinking that I need to find a new sitter. But I don't have someone to ask. I tried one lady I know but she is already full. I don't want to take them to big daycare center. I just don't know what to do.
Babysitter problems are the worst!!!!

I just needed to vent and then maybe a solution would come to my mind.

Christmas Lights

Last night, the Crapo family came down to our house. They came for pizza and then we went to Thanksgiving Point and drove around there and saw their light display. It was really fun. The lights were interesting. When we first entered the area we didn't see Christmas lights we saw Halloween lights and to make it look like Christmas they would have a skeleton next to a present or the headless horseman next to a Christmas tree. It was quite comical. Then the lights went to the normal Christmas theme stuff. Garrett and Olivia really enjoyed seeing the lights. Especially ones that looked like Santa. At the end of the drive there were Nativity things and poems that you could read. We like that it ended that way.
Afterwards we came home and ate cookies. It was a fun evening. Even if we did have to see a dancing jack-o-latern lights. : ) Then we had gifts for each other. It is nice to do things with your friends. This is the 2nd year in a row that we have gone and looked at lights with the Crapos. Last year we went to Temple Square.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

Garrett loves his milk. He can not get enough of it. We were downstairs and he came up by himself. I said to myself I should go up with him. Instead I waited about 10 minutes. MY MISTAKE! When I got up stairs he had pushed a chair over to the cabinet and got a cup. He went to the fridge, opened it, pulled out the milk, took off the lid, TRIED to pour himself a cup. He didn't quite succeed. He ended up pouring about 1/2 the milk on the floor. (Lucky for us it was only half full). When I did come upstairs to get him I had a huge mess to clean up. He just stood there with us cup and kept saying milk, milk, milk.

Now every time we are in the kitchen he wants to get the milk out of the fridge himself. We can't keep him out of the fridge, away from the milkl, out of the toothpaste, or keep him from messing with the dial on the dishwasher. He is a very busy boy and get into mischief quite easily. He is just so cute about it.

When Olivia grows up

Olivia wants to grow up so fast. She asks us if we will teach her drive, she talks about being married in the temple and have babies of her own. She has names picked out and everything. She says she wants to be a doctor, a firefighter, and she wants to teach the gospel. She makes us smile. : ) I didn't realize that 5 year olds think about all of these things.

Now that I am a grown up it made me think what do I want to do next with my life. It is something to think on.