Movie star in the making

Friday morning at the bus stop Katie and I were approached and asked to attend a mock open house for the TV show "Designed to Sell", on HGTV. They had been working on the house next to the bus stop and were looking for people to walk through. The host was sweet as can be, and they even interviewed Katie and I. So in about six months we can start to look for the episode. Katie is currently telling anyone who will listen about it and that she will be on TV.

Military Fireside

Last night we had a unique opportunity to attend a Military Fireside for the Washington D.C. area, at the Mount Vernon Stake Center. The honor was ours since the speaker was Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was amazing how strong the spirit was from the opening song. We were also privileged to hear a duet with a member of the Army Band and one of the sisters in his ward. I think that it was the most beautiful rendition of "Come Come ye Saints" that I have ever heard. Elder Ballard spoke on not becoming desensitized by the influences of the world (mainly media and internet) and how we should remain anchored on the Lord's side always carrying the banner of Jesus Christ. I was truly touched as he concluded with a special blessing to all military families in attendance. We all laughed when the closing hymn was announced "We are all Enlisted".

Fruits of my Labors

Well the yard has finally gotten to me and I have abandoned that thought to do the backyard first and started to work on trimming up the bushes on Thursday. I have had so many haircuts over the last few days, and the fact that it was my week to teach preschool, I wasn't able to get anything else done till today. I started about nine this morning and finished at about seven this evening. Other than a trip to Home Depot for mulch and more bricks (which they were out) I worked most of the day in the flower bed, Katie helped with the flowers, and then mowing the from lawn. I think that it looks great and I have a great sense of accomplishment that I finished what I set out to do. Hopefully by next weekend I will get the other side done :).

Katie and I planted marigolds and pink petunias in this bed. We had a lot of fun and I think that the dark mulch really looks nice against the house. You can compare the full yard picture to the one that I published in a previous post. I think that it is amazing how much better the yard looks just after mowing it. To me it looks much greener.

Political Nightmare

Austin woke up the other night with a nightmare, then he fell asleep on the floor next to my bed. In the morning when I asked him about it the conversation went like this....

Mommy: Do you remember your bad dream?
Austin: Yes
Mommy: Do you want to tell me about it?
Austin: Well Hillary Clinton was president and she wouldn't let us go to church and she put bombs in all of our houses and won't let us go anywhere.
Mommy: Oh no that must have been awful..
Austin: It was but the worst part was that she kept every one's money for herself and wouldn't share and wouldn't make anymore so that people could have some too.

After a few minutes we hugged and he got dressed. After I walked them to the bus I called Lewis and told him all about it. He laughed and exclaimed "That's my boy!"

Jammin' Girl

I took Katie to a mini-concert at the Pottery Barn at the mall where Jim Cosgrove was performing. It was the first time that we had done this and it was a blast. She was picked to play in the "band" and had so much fun. Her new favorite song is "Bop Bop Dinosaur" and she walks around the house all the time singing, "Bop bop dinosaur, bop bop polar bear, bop bop grass hopper all dancing in their underwear...." It is so adorable! We stayed after the concert and talked to Jim and found out that he was from Albuquerque and actually used to write for the Journal, and Sage magazine.

Careful Decorator

Papa was here for Easter and took the kiddos to go and see "Horton Hears a Who". When the kids were coloring eggs he helped Katie to draw Jojo, the Mayor's son from the movie, on her egg. She was so proud of that egg that we had to eat it last. It was a sad day the day we ate Jojo. Side note the kids were so careful that we didn't have a big mess from egg coloring. I was a proud Momma.

Looking Cute in VA

This was the picture that we took for Valentine's Day. And yes Austin is wearing glasses. We had to take him into the doctors office for a physical in order to continue school here. He failed the eye exam and is now wearing glasses. It is a weak prescription but it seems to make a difference. He is a very responsible with them and they have only been misplaced twice but nothing that was horrible. I think that he is ever so handsome!

Our House

I think that we really lucked out with our house. It is such a blessing! True, we do have drafty windows and there are too many over-grown bushes in the front yard but I think that it is going to be a great place for us. We have everything unpacked and now all I am doing is some final touches and a few more pictures on the walls.

We have 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms a playroom and family room. We even have a garage, which we have learned is not a accommodation that all homes in this area have. There is also a wonderful guest suite downstairs that is always ready for visitors!

First Post

Okay, well we will try this out for awhile and see if it works better. This is our first post and I am hoping that this will be easier to use than googlepages has been for the last few months. We are here in Virginia! The weather is about as unpredictable as Albuquerque but other than that we are doing pretty good. The kiddos are thriving in their new school and Katie is in a preschool group that is working out to be pretty good for her. Both Ashley and Austin are currently taking piano and Austin will start violin lessons as soon as I can find a good teacher for him.