Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Catching Up

I suppose it's high time I posted again! This month has been so crazy! You'd think that with my house clean, I'd have more time to blog. WRONG!!! I have to keep it spotless and with three (sometimes four - yes, Shane counts sometimes) whirlwinds running behind me, all I have time for is cleaning! And I couldn't find my camera, and what fun is a post without pictures. Right? But I have managed to take a couple. So here you go.
One night, Lylli gave us a lesson in FHE about being children of God and therefore princes and princesses in His kingdom. I think she got the story out of one of the Friends. Anyway, the girls made these crowns and, though you can't necessarily tell from the picture, they had a great time and loved them!!! (And look at all of Lylli's missing teeth!! I'll have to get a better picture. She's missing her two front ones as well!)

Seryn has been taking her clothes and diaper off a lot lately. I'll go into her room in the morning and she's stripped down to her onsie. No diaper, no jammies!!!! Ach! But so far, no accidents. (Unless you count the times she keeps pooping in the tub. Though it is humorous that she and Layla scream and cry - like the poop will hurt them if it touches them!!!) Seryn also likes to take the clothes out of the drawers and put them on. Sometimes they go on over her clothes and sometimes she strips down. Here, she has on two or three of her swimming suits on. AND, you guessed it, no diaper!

Sometimes it's hard to believe, but occasionally my children actually like each other! Incredible, I know. But here is one instance. Aren't they adorable? Layla doesn't read like Lylli does, but she has a wild imagination and the stories she tells are lots of fun!

That's it for today. I'll try to do better next month!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

We're Moving

I haven't blogged in a while and so Shane says I'm not a very dedicated blogger. After tonight...well, I don't know what you'll think. I posted...a lot! Got to make up time! But first, I should tell you all that we're moving. (Some of you may know that, because I will probably be obnoxious until it is sold.) Shane took off this whole last week to help me get house ready to sell. And yesterday, we made it official. We put our house on the market! YIKES. But we already had our offer accepted on another house, contingent - of course - on selling our own. So, since my dad worked really hard to help me sell thousands of dollars worth of stuff as a kid, some of it rubbed off, and so here's my pitch.
Our house has 2 bedrooms up with 2 nonconforming bedrooms down. 2 bathrooms, 1 single car garage and is on a corner lot. It has 2 fireplaces and we will be leaving about 1.5 cords of chopped wood. It has 1,100 square feet up and down. Gas range, dishwasher and fridge stay. New windows in the kitchen and living room. Hardwood floors and a sprinkler system. And we are selling it for $169,500.
Okay, so most of you probably don't want it, but if you know of anyone who does, give Broker One a call! Thanks so much. Okay, keep reading and you'll hear what else happened this month!

Oh, for those of you who are curious, we are moving to Bar Nunn. Shane's school loans come due next month and we can buy a newer house, pay off his school loans and still pay the same amount as the school loans and our house payment (but with one debt instead of two). Plus we'll be next door to some good friends. And there are lots of friends in the area. So that's what's behind this crazy idea. As for the new house, it's about the same size but with a better layout for us!

Snow Days

It seems like we haven't had snow in forever! And once we get it, it all blows away. So, naturally, I'm expecting tomorrow to be very windy! But last night it snowed and so the girls got to play in the snow today! What fun!! Lylli and Shane also went sledding this afternoon while the other two were napping. They both claimed it was exceptionally fun!
Seryn had a great time following Shane around in the snow. It was probably easier for her to walk where he had shoveled.
Lylli spent the morning sliding down our driveway after a running start. She thought it was WAY fun!
So Layla decided to give it a try too.
But instead of enduring the pain of falling and sliding like Lylli, she stopped...sat down...and then...
...laid in the snow with a squeal and a giggle!

Christmas Projects

Not that anyone would ever accuse me of being a slacker (right?) but I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the projects I worked up for Christmas this year. I think I made gifts for everyone because I was too poor to do anything else. I think I did pretty well though.
Here is a small sample of the endless amounts of hot chocolate mix we made up. And yes, this is only a portion of it. But we like it so much, we had to share it!
These are the patchwork skirts I made the girls. They turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. After all, didn't really have a pattern to follow. This is Lylli's. I also made one for Layla and Seryn.
This the scarf I knitted for Layla and I made a pink one for Lylli. I'd never knitted before, so this was a fun project (even though I only gave myself three weeks to do them.) Thanks Mom for teaching me to knit.
And these are the casserole carriers I made. I made three of these (in different fabrics.)
I saw a picture in a magazine and thought I could duplicate them. I don't think I did too bad. Of course, I never put a pan full of casserole in one either. But, they look good. And I think my family enjoyed them. This was also my first quilting project. Boy, lots of firsts this Christmas. But it was fun and kept me VERY busy!
And, though I'm not going to put it on my blog in its entirety, I also finished my book based on Fort Casper to give to a couple friends. So I stayed plenty busy this last month! But I got it all done!!! Bring on the new adventures!

Lylli's Quilt

Christmas afternoon, we worked on Lylli's quilt. We set it up on the quilting frame in the basement and got to work. We tied the entire thing in a couple hours. She's pretty excited. Although, we now have to finish the edges. She was somewhat depressed, however, because the yarn she had chosen to tie the quilt with came apart at the ends until there was nothing left but a string. It's a good thing we discovered that before we tied it!






Christmas

Christmas was a lot of fun at the Rager house this year. The kids got very little - as far as gifts are concerned - but we had a great holiday! Christmas Eve, we went to my parents' house for our annual Christmas Eve party. We had a nice dinner followed by a short, nice musical program, and then, of course, we had the jolly old man himself pay us a visit! All in all, it was a good time!
Lylli is actually reading the words to every song so she can sing them. Layla also tried to mimic her sister. And of course, Layla sang every song, whether she knew the words or not. Not to mention, who wouldn't want to sing next to the best uncle in the world?
When we got home, the girls opened up their jammies. I actually found footsies in all three sizes! Lylli was ecstatic!
Christmas morning is always fun! The girls got one thing (and a couple stocking stuffers) from Santa and two things from Mom and Dad. Believe me when I tell you, I worked my heart out on projects for this blessed day! But it all paid off in the end and I got everything done!
Following Santa, we had a nice breakfast with my parents and brother, Shane's dad and grandma. Then we did family gifts. That evening, we went to Shane's mom's for dinner. All in all, we had a nice day!
Lylli and her entire collection of the Junie B. Jones books that she got "for free!"
Layla and her digital camera!
Seryn and her John Deer truck!