Picture Day

I finally took the girls to get pictures taken. Brielle had a free 8 x 10 coming her way for her birthday. We chose this dress because she L O V E S to be in it. Every time it comes out of the closet she says over and over, "I so excited!" She twirls around and tells us that she is Cinderella. So it was the perfect choice for her 2 year old picture and she did marvelously. The girl put her in three positions, she smiled for each and we were done. Easiest picture taking we've every had. It's the dress.

I wanted to get pictures of Ava in her blessing dress. Brie wore the same dress and we have a beautiful picture of her in it. Ava's blessing was two months ago and I was afraid I was too late. She fit back into the dress nicely though and smiled pretty. The first pose is the one we have of Brie and it is beautiful of Ava, so we were done with the first snap of the camera.

We got two very nice 8 x 10's, the girls did shockingly well, Scott was just a little bit impatient by the end and it was all free. I say that is a perfect picture day!

Goodbye to President Hinckley

As all of you know, Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet and president of our church, passed away on Sunday evening. Scott and I have been thinking and talking a lot about him. We were at a meeting (fireside) on Sunday evening with Douglas Brinley. It was excellent. When it was over everyone was chatting like usual. It was pretty noisy. Our stake president then came to the pulpit and told us they had just heard that President Hinckley died. The room was then totally silent and we all gathered our coats and walked out quietly. I felt so sad at first because I knew I would miss him. I was then thrilled for him as I thought of the reunion he was having with his wife, other family members, friends he had served with and people that he believed in and preached of for so many years. I'm happy for him.

Yesterday as I went through my day of laundry, shoveling snow (again), cooking, rocking to sleep, etc. I thought about who President Hinckley had been to me. I remember very clearly that press conference on the day he was named president of the church. I loved him then. I remember teaching the people in Argentina about him and how he was a living prophet for our time. I hoped they would feel this and believe it. I remember helping them to pronounce his name. I remember serving him a roll at a BYU dinner when I worked catering. I watched how he acted toward his wife. I remember him speaking at my graduation from BYU and giving me advice for the future. I remember the love I felt from him to me as one of his "colleagues" every time he spoke in general conference. I remember being on "booty duty" at the open house and dedication of the Boston temple. This meant I was by the front doors of the temple when he came out in all white to put mortar in the corner stone. He did this and then I got to take the little shovel and put mortar in also. I remember feeling something very powerful every time I was somewhere where he would speak and we would all stand in silence as he entered the room. I remember laughing at how cute he was when he would wave his handkerchief or cane to say goodbye.

We will miss him and I know many of you will also. People have been saying their goodbyes in many ways here. Sunday night crowds gathered at temple square and sang hymns toward his apartment. High schoolers sent a text message out to wear "sunday best" church clothes to high school yesterday and they did. President Hinckley's talks are being played on KBYU and that is all that is discussed on the news. It will be nice to see his funeral on Saturday.

Blog to Book

The project I've been wanting desperately to do has begun. I say right here on my blog that this is our family journal. And it is. I am not a scrapbooker. It turns out blogging is a perfect way for me to tell the stories of our lives and show the pictures that go along. It is also a great way for family (especially far away family) and friends to keep in touch with us.

I've worried though that all of this is only online. I wanted a printed version to look at in years to come. Well, I've found the way to do it. And the process has begun. I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited!! I can't wait to see how my books turn out.

I went to blurb.com and downloaded their Booksmart program. Within about 10 minutes every post and every picture I've ever put on my blog were loaded into the program and into the layout of a book that I can print a hard or soft cover of. Sweet! The hard part now is going through each page and editing the size of the text, the layout of pictures, the dates, etc. But in the end I will have my blog printed and bound into a book. I'm working on doing one for each year. I'm thrilled!

Where Grandpa Go?

My dad was here visiting for just a couple days. He had meetings in Park City in the evening, so we got to have him with us all day and then he would come back late at night. It was great! We loved having him stay with us. It was nice to have someone here in the mornings. Brie really loved him being here and has not stopped asking, "Where Grandpa go?"

Yesterday, before Grandpa had to go to the airport, he took us to McDonalds for breakfast (he only allows this once a month) and to play on the toys. We had fun being with him and missed him as soon as he walked out the door.

Saved by a Snow Blower

You know how in my previous post I complained about the snow? And about having to go shovel it? Well, take a look at how much we got! Scott stuck a ruler in it and it is about 14 inches.

I shoveled most of our driveway and just when I was getting really exhausted and overwhelmed with how much more there was to do . . . I laid my eyes on my hero, our neighbor Dan, who was coming to my rescue with his snow blower! He finished the driveway and the sidewalks. Oh, what a good man! I was so thankful!

And yes. Now I really want a snow blower. It is just so much easier. I guess I'll leave that purchase up to Scott though because he really is the one who always does the shoveling. I was just doing my best to make it possible for him to get in the driveway after work.

In the beginning, I just wanted to go get the mail. Do you see the mail box?
Evidence of my hard work. P.S. Guess who arrived in town today. My dad. The one person who hates snow the most. He LOVES hot, hot Bakersfield. He got here just in time. He he he.

Snow, Snow . . . GO AWAY!

Remember a couple of months ago when I said how much I liked the snow. That is was so pretty and I loved to watch it snow outside and be warm inside with my girls. Well, not so much anymore.

I seriously think it has snowed EVERY single day since Thanksgiving. The few days it hasn't, it has been so extremely cold. So, we stay home inside our house every day. I've planned a few times to go to the store or something and then I change the plan when I look outside or when I hear what the temperatures are.

I woke up to feed Ava at 3am this morning and looked out the window. It was snowing so hard. It was beautiful. It hasn't stopped though. It is still very pretty, but now I have to go shovel it!

So, again today Brie and Ava play with toys, watch Lady and the Tramp, color, play with play dough, take naps, etc. all inside. And I do the laundry, clean the bathrooms, make bread, make dinner and take care of the girls all inside. Oh, and I shovel. Arrrrggggghhhh!

Another GOOD Game

Once again I found myself sitting next to my husband, all decked out in Utah Ute red, at a BYU vs. University of Utah game.

Once again I was the only one cheering for the Cougars as I sat in a sea of red with everyone else cheering opposite me. Once again I was so nervous and anxious down to the very last seconds about who would win the game. If they lost, all the people around me, including my husband, would let me hear about it. I mean, I had been the lone BYU fan to sit in their Utah boosters section and cheer against their team.

And once again I was the one to walk out of the game smiling and laughing in the end. It was a very GOOD game! The score was close throughout, but BYU finished it right. Go Cougs!

New Amenities

We are happy to announce some new amenities for our guests at the "Buchanan Bed and Breakfast". These will hopefully attract our frequent visitors back again (even though it is snowing) and hopefully we'll have some new friends and family come stay with us. We love when people come stay. It's so fun to have the house full of people.

Many of you have heard of the infamous couch. We needed a couch in our "fireplace family room". Anytime we hang out in there we all end up sitting on the floor with the toys. We ordered a sectional last September. It came and both sections were totally thrashed and broken. It went back. We ordered a different one from a different company in October and ordered it "Quick Ship". It has a hide a bed so we thought it would be perfect for when everyone came at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well, it arrived on Tuesday. Sorry Jess. Here is your bed. Future visitors will get to enjoy a place to sit while in the family room and might even get the luxury of sleeping on a hide a bed. :) Yes, Mom and Dad you will always get the guest room.

We also got an elliptical machine to put in the basement. Scott's work pays him $250 every year to do something to promote his health like a gym membership or work out equipment. This year we bought an elliptical machine. So, the plan is (whenever Ava cooperates) that we put the girls to bed and then we got downstairs and work out together. Cool huh? We have a TV there so instead of watching our King of Queens on the couch we are working out. So far, so good.And for our guests, it is LITERALLY right outside your bedroom door. Seriously. Don't stumble into it when going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

So, who wants to come visit? It's 17 degrees outside and snowing.

All's Well at the Well Visit

This morning was Brie's 2 year old well visit to Dr. Brian and Ava's 4 month. They both got shots, cried a little and then were fine. Brie also came away with a Cinderella sticker, a sucker and a Belle pencil. She had been very excited to get a new turtle, a purple one, but they didn't have any. So sad. So here is the update on our 2 year old and 4 month old. Brielle at 2 years old:

- She weighs 22 1/2 lbs. and has jumped from the 1st percentile to the 5th! She is 34 inches tall and her head measured 47.

- Brie can really talk. She can say more words and string them into sentences more each day. She can tell me the whole story of Cinderella. She tells about the mean sisters and mean mother and the prince and the lost slipper. She can say just about anything she wants and usually most everyone understands her. She sings all the words to Ba Ba Black Sheep. She makes sentences such as, "Look at yellow truck dumping dirt.".

- She can tell you her first and last name. Brielle comes out fine, Buchanan sounds like "cannons".

- Brie knows her colors. She can identify all the colors like red, blue, green, purple, yellow, orange, brown, black, white and of course, pink. She also can count to 10, but usually skips 5. When she gets past ten all the numbers are mixed like, "12, 19, 13, 17, etc.".

- Brie takes care of anything and everything as though it is a baby. I have seen her wrap a football in a blanket and rock it to sleep. Buckle pencils into a car seat and cover them with a blanket. Take a picture frame with mine and Scott's picture in it on a walk in her stroller. Carry an ibuprofen bottle around in a little blanket all day. Buckle a book into the swing. Everything is a baby and everything gets nursed, rocked, wrapped in a blanket and put to sleep.

- She can dress herself in all but her shirt. It's always a sight to see her come down the stairs after a nap. She gets all dressed up when she wakes up. She has on a shirt, tights, ruffly socks, church shoes, a hat, nine hair bows, etc.

- Brie loves to read. She often times will go into her room and I won't hear her for awhile. I'm never worried about the silence like most parents would be. She is usually sitting on her bed or on the floor "reading" books.

- She has just started to learn to sing. She gets a serious singing expression on her face and then belts a tune out.

- She is more excited about Ava now. Brie always calls her "B Ava" which we think is Baby Ava. She gets right up in her face and talks baby talk to her calling her "sweetie pie" and "hi little one" and "Ava Potata".

- Brie loves to dance. She pulls me from whatever I'm doing to come dance with her (or run in circles). When she dresses up she is always Cinderella and dances with Scott, who is the prince.

Ava at 4 months old:

- Ava weighs 11 lbs. 13 oz. and is in the 7th percentile. Funny thing is that she weighs only 2 oz. more than Brie at 4 months. They are both in the 7th percentile at this age. I wonder if she'll continue on just like Brie. She is 24 1/4 inches long and her head measured 39. Her head is in the 3rd percentile.

- Although she is small, Ava still has chubby rolls on her arms and legs that we LOVE!

- Ava has been rolling from her back to her stomach for awhile and has just started going from her stomach to back.

- She pushes herself forward with her feet while on her stomach. It looks like she is about to take off crawling. I hope not.

- Ava will still not take a bottle. We've tried everything. She won't do it.

- She laughs so hard! She's been giving us little giggles for about a month now, but just recently started the full, hard belly laughs. It cracks us up. She seems to be really ticklish because she laughs the hardest when we tickle her belly or under her arms.

- Ava follows Brie with her eyes everywhere. She always gets so excited and kicks her arms and legs when she hears Brie's voice.

- She still loves to sleep cuddled up with me in bed. She gets that from about 5am to whenever Brie comes and wakes us up.

- She is such a slobbery girl. She always has something, usually her fist, shoved in her mouth slobbering and drooling all over it. Her shirts are usually soaked.

Two Girls in a Tub

Ava has been joining Brie for baths and they are loving it. They both like to spend a long time soaking in the tub. Brie swims, plays with toys, dumps water on Ava, we blow bubbles and Ava kicks around watching it all. I love when these girls get out of the bath, get all lotioned up and into pajamas. Mmmmmmm. They are both smellin' so good right now.

Never Thought I'd See The Day

I never thought I would see the day when a daughter of mine would be dressed up in a University of Utah cheerleader outfit and yelling "Go Utes!" and "Yeah Utah!". I never thought this would happen because I promised myself I would never live in Utah and I promised myself I would never marry a University of Utah graduate. Well, there I sat last night right here in Utah at the U of U basketball game with my U of U graduate husband and my own daughter dressed as a U of U cheerleader cheering on the Utah Utes!! And I loved it! I am so happy I gave in.Brie got this cheerleader outfit from "her Allyson" and was so excited to wear it to the game. She had a great time because we brought plenty of snacks and there was plenty of room to run around. She liked cheering when Scott cheered and was totally enthralled with watching the cheerleaders - well, because she thought she was one of course. Thanks Allyson!

P.S. I also said I would never marry a democrat and here I am married to one of the few democrats in the state of Utah! What?

Sleep

We need more of it!

Ava is 4 months old and such a random sleeper. At night she sleeps well, but still wakes up to eat two or three times. Daytime naps are another story. She insists on being swaddled tightly and then rocked a little bit to fall asleep. I then put her down in her crib. She only sleeps for about 40 minutes (sometimes less) though. She very rarely will sleep for longer than that in her bed. So it is the same routine all day long. Feed her, play with her, swaddle her, rock her, 40 minutes to shower or clean up and then it repeats all over again. Aggggh! I wish she would get on to that morning and afternoon nap schedule and soon!

Here she is passed out in the swing with her head band accidentally fallen over her eyes. (He he he.) She does love sleeping in a rocking swing, but I don't let her anymore.
Brie has always been an AWESOME sleeper. Seriously. She has slept from 8pm to 8am at night and then taken a nap every day from 1pm to 4pm. She has never fought going to bed, but is always happy to do so. When she is tired she wants her bed and often times puts herself to bed. Yesterday it was getting close to nap time and she must have felt sleepy because she said, "Bye bye Mommy." and marched up the stairs to bed. She used to try to climb into her crib because she wanted to be in there asleep.

Well, as of this week all of that is changing. We are still good on naps, but Brie is now fighting bed time. She doesn't protest the going to bed process, but just keeps getting out of bed, opening the door and announcing that she is awake as though she has been asleep forever. We've had two nights of putting her to bed at 8:30pm and her not crashing (crying) until 11pm after we've put her back in bed 5 times and she's woken Ava up a few times. What is she doing? What is going on? Do all 2 year olds do this? Are her naps too long? Any suggestions?

Here is Brie sound asleep in bed with all of the friends that join her.

She has always loved and slept with white bear. He was the only one she REALLY cared about and HAD to have. A monkey we call Mono (monkey in spanish) has now joined the group. Mono was Scott's when he was Brie's age. When Scott gave her the monkey he told her how it used to be his when he was a little boy and he loved it and carried it around. Brie said very lovingly, "Here you go Daddy." and handed it back. Scott let her keep it and he is loved and held right along with white bear now.

This is her sleeping last night. Notice how she also had to sleep with her new Nemo movie.

Betrothed

We have successfully matched our daughters with two very fine boys. At about 6 months old Brielle hit it off with one Lincoln Scott. Lincoln is Scott's best friend Greg's son. They smiled at each other in a very special way. This first nap together after swimming was when we all knew it was magic.Lincoln and Brie are still very happy together. We drove to their house the other night and Brie was singing, "Lincoln I coming!", the whole way there. They play great together and we have high hopes for this match.Ava also has a boy admirer that her father has promised her to. Another one of Scott's best friends, Digby, had a baby boy a month after Ava. They met and we could tell it was meant to be. They stared into each other's eyes and tried to munch on the other's hands.Best of luck to both of the happy couples. Here are the proud match making fathers with their kids all swapped around.