According to Mabel

Girls like flowers, rainbows, princesses, watermelon, and strawberries.
Boys like balls, cars, trucks, and choo choos.

As Bikers in Zion

Yes, we have returned to the land of Zion. At least that is what my new neighbor, Peggy, said. She was kind of kidding when she said it, but I know that's how she really feels about this town. This morning we went for a bike ride. After a few times around Mike's parents' block, we ventured across the big street to our new neighborhood. It was fun, but near the end of the ride, I looked back to see Oliver, hugging his little soccer ball, with his face pressed against the plastic window of the trailer, eyes closed. My legs were tired, too, so it was time to head home. I couldn't help but sing our college biking anthem, "As Bikers in Zion," in my head as I rode. It brought back lots of fond memories of riding around Provo. I love riding bikes. Apparently, so do the rest of the Courts. Look at this gaggle of bikes on their patio.

I'm a Magical Unicorn

"I'm a magical unicorn, rainbow colors and glowing horn.
We'll have lots of fun today, if you come with me and play."

This is Mabel's favorite thing in Arizona. (Arizona means Nana's house, by the way.) She loves this unicorn. It goes with her everywhere when we are here. She sleeps with it, eats with it, she takes it outside to look at the fountain, and she gives it hugs and kisses if she has to leave it, even for the shortest time. It sings a song and it's horn glows. It even has pink eyes.

Our Life is in the Garage

It's moving day. Our stuff is in the garage, waiting for our truck and some guys from the elder's quorum to help us load it. We are ready. Arizona, here we come.

Preschool

Every Tuesday and Thursday Mabel goes to preschool. There are 6 kids in her class and the moms take turns teaching. It is such a great idea. Mabel is only three, so she still has next year to go to an official preschool before she starts kindergarten, but home preschool gets her used to the idea. We bought our curriculum online. It is awesome and extremely affordable. The picture above is of the kids in her class. Notice four of the girls sharing the pink carpet square. It is pretty popular.

Well, despite the fact that we are moving tomorrow, this was my week to teach. Needless to say, today was a little hectic. Luckily, the kids are very well behaved. They have so much fun together. Goodbye preschool. We will miss you!

This is Oliver

This is Oliver. He is one. He is pretty perfect, too. He likes to follow his big sister around, go to the park, play choo choos, take tubbies, and read bookas. Mabel says his favorite color is blue, but we really can't be sure yet. He likes to eat oatmeal, pancakes, cheeseburgers, and cookies. He has a really handsome dimple in his right cheek, a big grin, and yummy thighs. He is very demanding and yells until he gets what he wants. But he is really sweet, too. He loves a good cuddle, and has always given nice, juicy kisses. He will literally drop whatever he is doing at the mention of going outside. He loves the outdoors and tries to be very independent. Like his big sister, he is growing up way too fast.

Meet Mabel

This is Mabel. She is three and she is perfect. She likes to read books, play with barbies, pollies and her brother, color, and dance. She likes anything pink (including her favorite animal, a pig) or having to do with princesses. She likes to eat pancakes, oatmeal, turkey sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese. She is obedient, patient, kind, and generous. She willingly gives Oliver whatever he wants, even if she was playing with it first. She has never once been mean to or jealous of him. She loves him and is very protective of him. She has to give me at least three hugs and six kisses whenever I go anywhere, even if it is just into the shower. She is very sensitive and cries if Oliver gets hurt, or I tell her "no" in any sort of voice other than a regular, patient one. She is almost always happy, and usually a bit shy. Of course she has her days, just like the rest of us, but they are pretty few and far between. All she needs is to hug on the couch to chase her blues away.

All Work and No Play

Oliver sure has been busy today.
First, he was working in the garage. Now he is helping me clean out the fridge.
What a guy!

Hard at Work

We are moving and our house is a mess.
Oliver is keeping himself busy in the garage. If he had his way, he would be out there all day working with tools, climbing on boxes, and generally just being manly.

The garage is a new world for Oliver.

Cousins

Oliver, Mabel, Annie, Andrew, Jack, Emma, Audrey, Parker, Ethan

Thanks For the Memories

Dear Disneyland,

We are really going to miss you when we move to Arizona next week. We have had so much fun with you in the past few months. You have become quite a dear friend. Yesterday was our last visit for a while, so I thought you would like to see some of our favorite moments.

Mabel loved Story Time with Cinderella. Cinderella's helper was really funny, and Cinderella looked beautiful.

You don't know him very well, but Mike actually got to come with us yesterday. It was so fun to have him there! He managed to squeeze on Mabel's horse with her. We love the Sleeping Beauty carousel.


The major reason why we visit you, dear Disneyland, is to see your lovely princesses. We are glad that they are always there looking so beautiful. Mabel is still a little too scared to talk to them, but she was brave enough to pose with Ariel yesterday, even if she was too shy to actually look at the camera.

Oliver thought he would be brave on It's a Small World. He was ready. . .

But it was too much for him. It's a good thing his daddy was there with an available shoulder to lean on and hug tight.


After a minute or two, he found his courage and discovered that he actually liked it!





Don't take this the wrong way, Disneyland, but I don't blame him for being a little bit scared. Those dolls can look a little bit spooky.







Next was the Tea Cups. Of course Mabel had to find a pink tea cup. She has to find the pink in all the rides.

After riding Dumbo and the Casey Jr. Circus Train, and a quick trip to see Minnie at her house, we were off to lunch at the the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Frontier Land. We ate our mini corndogs and funnel cake and called it a day. It was nearing nap time and we were all a little tuckered out.



So thanks for the momories, Disneyland. We will never forget you. But don't worry, we'll be back. Our new house is only 6 hours away, and our passes are good until October.

Love,
The Courts

A Few of Mabel's Favorite Things

The Details

Mike and I are off to Arizona bright and early tomorrow morning to settle the details of his job, and to take another look at our new house. The kids will be staying with my mom so it will almost feel like a little vacation. We are thinking of going to the movies, or something fun like that. I can't wait! I will be back on Thursday! Bye for now.

The Sales

Mike loves a good deal. So most Saturdays, he is up early, combing the local garage sales for the deal that he just can't pass up. He has come across quite a few good things, including Oliver's train collection, which is one of his best finds. We have gotten blocks, books, legos, lincoln logs, barbies, and puzzles. Actually, as I look around our den, I realize that almost all of our toys have come from garage sales.

We had our own garage sale about a year ago, and Mabel is still traumatized by it. Every once in a while she will show me a toy or a guy and tell me that she doesn't want daddy to sell it at a garage sale. I reassure her that we wouldn't ever sell any of her stuff. I don't know if she believes me. We were going to have another sale before we moved, but decided to use Craigslist.com instead. It was awesome. We sold everything we wanted to sell, and it was so hassle-free!

While I am writing this, Mike has called from another garage sale. He has found a headboard for our bed for $15 and wants to know if I want it. Thank goodness for picture phones. The headboard is just what I want. Looks like he has scored again.

Bored People are Boring

I have an uncle named Roger who loved to tease me when I was little. He would always ask me things like, "Is it hard being you?" If he heard me complain about being bored, he would inevitably say, "Bored people are boring." I am sure that there is a little bit of truth in this, but as an 8 year old, I hated to hear it.

Well, last night we were bored. So we went for a little walk/bike ride around our neighborhood. Here are some highlights.

Oliver wishes this was his bike.
Personally, I think it is a tad girly for him, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Can you spot the baby in this picture?
I guess he saw a dog and decided to follow it at top speed.

I was feeling generous and let Mabel stay up past her bedtime
to help me bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They are Mike's favorite.
She had so much fun giggling and being silly with her daddy.
Sometimes you just have to ignore that darn clock.

More Bookas

I just thought this was so silly. I know that my entries are almost all about my kids, and almost all of the pictures are of Mabel in this nightgown, or "knifegown" as it is known in our house, but they are my life, and that nightgown is her favorite thing to wear. What can I say? I am a mom, a homemaker, a housewife. This is about as exciting as it gets.

Hooray!

We got the house!

With His Back Against the Wall

Oliver has a funny habit. He likes to slowly back himself up until he is standing flat against the wall. He stands there for a bit, surveys the room, takes everything in, and plans his next move. Then he is off, busy again.

The Offer

Well, the offer is in. We are anxiously awaiting a response. It is exciting and nerve wracking! Since we bought our condo from my brother, this is the first time we are actually going through the process of buying a real house. It is so fun! I will keep you posted! (This is a picture of what we would like to do to the house, thanks to Mike and his Photoshop talents. See the picture of the original house here.)

Wanted: Washer and Dryer

Years ago when our grandmothers prepared to do the family wash, they first had to spend hours making their own soap. Then they would have to haul water by buckets from the well, chop wood for a fire, and then labor hard and long to clean the clothes with the aid of the harsh soap and a scrubbing board. Our grandmothers' washday was a long, exhausting one.

Just think, all that many of us have to do is turn a knob and push a button!

An Ideal Homemaker

I always wear my poofy skirted house dress, cute little apron, and heels when I do the laundry. I always have a huge smile on my face, too. What with modern technology as advanced as it is, doing laundry is hardly a chore at all!

Actually, I have to admit that I like doing laundry. While I may not be dressed quite so well as my alter ego above, there is a nice feeling associated with making dirty things clean and putting them in their place.

Because we are moving, we need to buy a washer and dryer. I have seen some good deals on Craigslist.com (I am obsessed with craigslist!), but I have yet to take the plunge. It is such a large expense. Do I want the basic no-frills top loading washer, or would a fancy new-fangled front loader be better? Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Help!

Meet Steve and Susan

These are Mabel's favorite Barbies. They are named Steve and Susan. Mabel's Nana gave her the Barbie doll, so we decided that it should be named "Susan" after her. When we got the Ken doll, "Steve" was the natural choice (after Grandpa, who is married to Nana). They go on lots of adventures together, but mostly they get married and play house. Mabel has a pretty creative imagination, and if she doesn't think anyone is watching her, she will play alone long enough for me to get things done around the house. I keep telling her to play with Oliver, that's why we have him, but he's not quite up to her level yet. I can't wait for the day that they can play well together. I know they will be good friends.

BOOKA!

Oliver loves to read books, or BOOKAs, as he likes to call them. He doesn't just say "booka." He usually yells it, but then, he usually yells most things. This is his favorite book-- 10 Trick-or-Treaters by Janet Schulman. He likes to point out all of the black cats and say "boo" when we get to the page with the ghost. On the last page, the girl and the cat are sleeping. He always has to wave "night-night" to them. He will read it over and over, and whenever we sit down to read books together, it is always the first one he grabs. One of my favorite things is when he sits down by himself to read a book. There is nothing sweeter.

Blocks

Chirrp, Chirrp

This is a picture of the smoke alarm in our bedroom. It decided that it needed a new battery last night-- in the middle of the night. It started making the chirrping noise every few minutes at about one o'clock in the morning. Of course Mike had no trouble sleeping (and snoring) through it. I, on the other hand, woke up every time it chirrped. It seemed like I would just be falling asleep after waking up from the last chirrping when it would chirrp again. I nudged Mike. He got up, half asleep, went downstairs to get a new battery, pulled our ottoman over so he could stand on it, and replaced the battery. I couldn't believe it. He did it without a word and was soon back in bed, sawing logs. What a guy!

This reminded me of a story my parents used to tell about when they were first married. They were living in their trailer at the BYU married student trailer park and it was raining. My mom, who is the world's lightest sleeper, couldn't sleep because the water was dripping outside and making some noise. It was the middle of the night and my dad went outside and hung some fabric between two chairs to catch the drip and silence the sound. Whenever I heard that story I dreamed about the day that I would have a husband like that. It looks like I found him!

Our Story

Mike and I met at the BYU Fall Fling in September of 1997, but our story really began when we were in High School. I knew that I wanted to go to BYU , so I sent in my application at the beginning of my senior year of High School and knew early in November of 1996 that I had been accepted. In Arizona, Mike, on the other hand, decided almost at the last minute that he would apply, and barely made the deadline. Thank goodness that he is so brilliant, because despite his almost late application, he was accepted.

We first saw each other during Freshman Orientation Week. It was at an outside dance on campus. I was there with some new friends, and he was there alone, it seemed, wearing his bright blue Hailey's Comet T-shirt and a backpack. He was a few feet away, and amazingly enough, in the large crowd, there was no one between us. We saw each other and smiled.

A few days later I couldn't believe it when I saw him again, this time walking through the Cannon Center. Again, we saw each other and smiled.

The next time we saw each other was at Club Omni. He was there with his friend, Roger, both dressed in very tight 70's attire. They had mistaken "Ladies Night" for "Disco Night." He and Roger were watching some sweet break dancers on the stage. I made my way through the sweaty people to stand next to him, pretending to watch the dancers, but really just hoping he would talk to me. No luck.

Finally, I was at the Fall Fling with my sister, Leslie. We were outside dancing. There must have been thousands of people there. All of a sudden he was there next to me, dancing in the crowd with his friend, Roger. I pointed him out to Leslie, telling her that he was the cute boy I kept seeing everywhere. The next thing I knew, a slow song came on and Leslie told me that I had to ask him to dance. I said I would if she would ask his friend. I found some courage and bravely approached him. He said yes, and to this day insists that he was on his way to ask me. In very BYU-fashion, after the slow song ended, another one began and he asked me if I wanted to keep dancing. Of course I said yes. After the marathon of slow songs, I gave him my phone number, never expecting him to remember it, and we said goodbye.

A few days later, on a Friday night, I was outside of David John Hall, sitting on the grass with some friends. We didn't have any plans. For some reason I wanted to change my clothes, so I ran up to my room. As soon as I got in the door, the phone started ringing. I couldn't believe that he had remembered my number. He was asking me if I wanted to go swing dancing. I didn't even hesitate. He picked me up a few minutes later with Roger and his date, Mikki, in Roger's little Omni.

That was the beginning. Here we are overlooking Provo in the snow.

This picture was taken in California the summer that Mike left on his mission.

Here we are after seeing each other for the first time after he got home from his mission. We were engaged about two months later. Marrying Mike was the easiest decision I have ever made. I knew that we were meant to be together. Now, after nearly five years of marriage and two kids, we are happier than ever. He is the most brilliant man I know. He is smart, ambitious, handsome, funny, and romantic. He is a great dad, and I know that he loves me and our kids more than anything. I am so excited about our future together. I feel like we are still just beginning. I feel so lucky.