The Green Family

girl's camp lessons

2011-06-20T07:47:00.002-06:00

stick whittling starts uncool but is catching

12-18 year olds have way more energy than 25 year olds

girls can be just as messing...and stinky...as boys

sometimes you just have to put your feet up on a stump

the green valley ward young women are A.MAZE.ING!!!!!!!!

p.s. last lesson learned: if you try to drive home after 10 hours of sleep over 3 nights you might play bumper cars with another car...yep, i did that (no picture included...no one was hurt...except my pride)

girls' room before and after

2011-05-05T09:11:00.006-06:00

The girls' room is finally done!!

before:

after:

before:

after:

before:

after:

details:

There are two very lucky, happy girls at our house :)

Abby's first lie

2011-04-29T07:29:00.003-06:00

This was Abby's first out right lie.

I was somewhat disappointed but mostly I just found this hilarious.

Me: Abby, who ate the chocolate bar?

Abby: Hannah did it. She took it down stairs and ate it all.

Me: "If Hannah ate it, why are you the one with brown stuff all around your mouth and chocolate on your breathe?

Abby: Hannah made me eat it. I didn't want to, but she made me!

Since that was an inconceivable answer, even Abby knew she was cooked and quickly confessed.

I don't think I need to worry about her becoming a poker player or a politician. :)

Dresses

2011-04-25T10:13:00.002-06:00

I think easter is my favorite holiday

Here's to pretty girls in pretty dresses

an unexpected consequence

2011-04-25T09:51:00.002-06:00

When I procrastinated preparing a talk for church until the last minute, I knew there could be consequences, but I did not expect this...

...it's toilet bowl cleaner with bleach... Hannah thought it was more appropriate for couch cushions. I was too distracted with my talk and noticed her interest in the cleaner too late.

It's a good thing these cushion covers are reversible, or I might only have one living child at this point. (It's also a good thing she fed the bleach to the couch and not herself, or I really would only have 1 child!)

Side note: I am starting the first day of potty training this bleach-loving renegade today...

...here's hoping!!!

the budding of hope

2011-03-17T07:40:00.003-06:00

If people who grow plants well are known as green thumbs, I've always considered myself a black thumb. I seem to curse any plant I try to care for. I love tulips so last fall I slaved away picking at rock hard dirt to plant some bulbs. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I saw these beauties popping out of the ground!

I actually grew something! This has given me hope and I am now trying to grow indoor ferns and cooking spices....here's hoping!

(any tips on tulip care would be much appreciated...so I don't kill them...they're way too young to die)

all things fancy

2011-03-01T08:06:00.004-07:00

Last night we payed homage to Abby's greatest idol: Fancy Nancy

If Nancy were a real person, she would be Abby

I've tried to "un-girlie" her, but it just won't take, so last night we embraced it!

First we made a very fancy poster advertising the events to come

Here's a shot of our instructor decked out in her finest...

...she'd dress like this 24/7 if I let her.

Next came instructions on all things fancy

(plain vs. fancy)

(the appropriate use of accessories)

(the proper way to ascend and descend a staircase)

(Dad was best at this)

(tinkies up!)

Abby then dressed us up...aren't we posh

(that's a fancy word for fancy)

Now that we were properly attired, we tried out our new found fancy skills at the very exclusive restaurante: Freddy's Steakburgers and Custard

Sunglasses must be worn inside so our fans do not recognize us

Tinkies up!

And of course it wouldn't be a Fancy Nancy night without ending it with parfaits.

Au Revoir!

a recent increase

2011-02-10T15:04:00.006-07:00

I LOATH crumbs!!

Hannah is getting messier and messier (as she gets older???)

Abby is 4 but still doesn't grasp the purpose of a plate...

I am currently sweeping about 8 times a day (5 meals/snacks) and several naughty raids of the pantry (see evidence below). I now strategize which foods make the most mess and then not serve them (graham crackers are history).

I think crumbs have a super power...no matter how hard I try, I can never get them all...grrr

(just look at that knowing smirk)

corner lot deception

2011-01-11T12:41:00.002-07:00

a corner lot is desirable...until there is over 1/2 foot of snow (a small amount for Denver)...

then you notice all that extra sidewalk...I'm so sore!!

(check below for playhouse completion)

Playhouse

2011-01-11T12:28:00.003-07:00

Ryan wanted to rip out this very odd, very large item...I thought it could repurposed

before:

after:

the hardest part was getting the tent pattern right...

Abby couldn't go down in the basement for two days before Christmas. All she knew was that I was making her some sort of surprise. The suspense almost killed her. Even Christmas morning, she wanted to see what was downstairs more than what was under the tree :)...

...she loved it!

Family Photos 2010

2010-12-28T12:19:00.004-07:00

(more on my facebook page)

basement, boom-box, and labor pain

2010-12-17T15:41:00.003-07:00

When we bought our home we knew we would need to do something about the eyesore of a basement it had, but it was put on the back burner until all the plumbing issues arose (see previous post)...

before: gross!

after: ahh...much better :)

ps: stay tuned for an "after after" of that monstrosity of an entertainment center I am turning into a playhouse as a Christmas present to Abby and Hannah...shh

Remember back in the day when music didn't fit in a 1" x 2" device and people lunged huge boom-boxes on their shoulders? Hannah loves to rock out "boom-box style" to the alphabet song

For the most part, I'm a self-taught sewer and had made a couple "quilts" (pathetic imitations posing as quilts) but I jumped at the chance to learn how to do it correctly. A friend of mine, and experienced quilter, organized and taught a group of us the craft...crazy nice, huh?! I consider this my first real quilt. It turned out better than I expected since at one point the rows formed more of rainbow shape rather than the grid it should have been! FYI: doing it the right way is way more work than doing it the wrong way...

I've decided quilting is like labor and delivery. When it is finally over you swear you will never do it again... over time amnesia sets in and before you know it you're back at the hospital with contractions... I am now in the "just-delivered-never-doing-this-again" phase...

but the girls are going to need matching bedspreads once Hannah's out of her crib... ;)

It will be one of Hannah's Christmas presents...

...and she better want to take it to college :)

dSLR love

2010-11-29T10:28:00.006-07:00

Awhile back I splurged on a dSLR camera ... I LOVE IT!!

I've only started to scratch the surface of what this camera can do, but I don't know how I ever lived with just a point and shoot.

makes me happy :)

Never rains when it pours...

2010-10-15T14:27:00.003-06:00

...either way, I'm developing a sincere hatred for water.

Monday is laundry day. It was only after 4 loads of laundry that I went down stair to find all the water I used covering most of our basement floor! Much as been done (aka: many bills incurred) and as I write this, the problem still isn't fixed. Joy.

Also on Monday: Hannah fell down our stairs...the full flight...the stairs that have not been finished yet and are still raw cut subfloor. Joy 2.

She sports a cast well, I think

Tame the Mane

2010-09-21T09:00:00.003-06:00

Because Abby was basically bald until she was 2, I was so excited when Hannah came out with a head full of hair...

...then it turned blond and has been a party animal ever since

After a bath I won't dry it at all. I just mat it down to her head to air dry that way

It stays down only until someone breaths in her direction and then it will pop right back up

I've tried the "single-ponytail-sticking staight up-thing" (Ryan calls this "The Antenna") and two little pig tails (Ryan calls this "The Devil Horns") but I can never get all the strands of hair, so in addition to the do, she ends up with tons of "sticky-uppie" hairs

(notice my look of defeat)

I've never been good at hair. I was "anti-product" but Hannah's mane is changing my opinion. What should I use? and how?...seeing as I've never used anything before :)

Help!

q-tips

2010-09-15T10:13:00.003-06:00

What is it about one year olds and a new, barely used, neatly stacked box of q-tips?

Maybe it's a primal instinct to turn order into chaos.

Abby suffered from the syndrome when she was one (the episode cost us 2 boxes)

Hannah has taken her lead, only now there are two bathrooms, each equipped with its own box of tantalizing cotton balls on a stick.

After covering my bathroom with almost an entire box worth (and being sternly scolded), she made a b-line for her bathroom and did the exact same thing.

Oh well, at least Hannah has moved on from the "eating trash out of the trash can" phase

Super-Jumpers and Duct tape

2010-09-10T10:41:00.004-06:00

I have the greatest Dad. He is always happy and optimistic. He is the kind of person you want to be around all the time. His only fault is that he doesn't visit often enough. He did visit this Labor Day weekend.

Two factoids about my Dad:

- - - - -

One - He makes up names for people and things that would otherwise remain nameless

Examples:

-The guy who buys one soda at Wendy's and gets 6 refills over the course of 8 hours - "Get-a-life-guy"

-The artistic funnel that changes colors on top of the Science Center - "Phlanosphere"

-That extra big push on the swing using momentum from the pushers body - "Super-Jumper!!"

I can still remember the tick in the tummy brought on by one of Dad's super-jumpers

Two - Duct tape can fix anything

except for a crack in a sink - for that you need "Amazing Goo" (no, Dad didn't name it!)

Bye Grandpa!! Come back soon :)

Before and After

2010-09-08T10:46:00.005-06:00

Blogger won't let me load more than a few pictures at a time...

...so I've created an album on my facebook page that has all the before and afters

People often ask, "would you do it again?" I very quickly respond no...

...at least not with 2 kids - one not walking yet.

I can't begin to describe the work involved (so much more than I anticipated). Everything took twice as much money as planned and 4 times as much time.

We ate nothing buy TV dinners for 2 months.

It is super rewarding! Neither Ryan or I had ever done anything "handy" before so it was neat to see that we could teach ourselves and create something fairly nice.

Two Art Museums

2010-09-05T13:16:00.003-06:00

Sometimes the architecture of an art museum is more interesting than the art. At least thats the case for me with these two.....

Enter each museum. Look straight up. This is what you see.

Milwaukee Art Museum - designed by Santiago Calatrava

Guggenheim Museum (New York City) - designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Both pictures courtesy of your truly :)

Milwaukee

2010-09-01T09:15:00.003-06:00

My dad is quite the sentimentalist and has developed an odd love affair for the city of Milwaukee.

Not so recently he took me there and now I have a growing love for this city too

Check it out...

this photo's not even edited!

just lovely

that is a sunrise, not sunset - a trip to Milwaukee "Dad-style" requires early morning walks

sailboats are so pretty

hundred year old water tower...why don't we make these beautiful anymore?

...to Milwaukee, with love :)

We're Back

2010-09-01T09:03:00.003-06:00

Hello...long time, no see

...Coming Soon (I hope) - our renovation before and afters

It's a Girl!

2009-04-14T22:31:00.002-06:00

Our second daughter is looking healthy and doing well. Abby is very excited to have a little sister. We are planning on naming her Hannah Cynthia

Pittsburgh and The Children's Museum

2009-04-09T10:45:00.004-06:00

Dad surprised Abby and I with a visit back home. It was great to get away from the snow and experience a real spring. We did so many fun things, but one of the highlights was a trip to the Children's Museum. This place was amazing.

One of the coolest features was this vertical maze. These climbing platforms interlock and weave over 2 stories high. Abby, the anti-dare devil, decided the bottom most level was all she was interested in.

Another super neat area was the "Waterplay." They provide raincoats and crocs and the whole floor has tons of tanks, streams, squirters, etc. I can't wait to move to a city that has resources like this museum. Idaho is a total cultural desert!

My Beloved Pittsburgh!! (well, at least half of it) Thank you, Grandpa, for a wonderful trip.

Green Baby: 2nd Edition

2009-02-15T14:08:00.006-07:00

Here comes #2! Due Aug 9th (sorry the picture is sideways)

Anywhere but her bed

2009-02-15T13:51:00.003-07:00

Here is a collection of a few of the locations Abby prefers to sleep more than her bed.

Often, after we put her down in her bed, she will come to the crack of the door and fall asleep there.

Other great sleep spots include...

the couch

her chair

her chair again

and the kitchen floor.

Her most favored spot is actually on top of her dresser with a pile of books for a pillow.

(We have yet to get a picture of that)

Graduation!

2008-12-20T09:02:00.002-07:00

It finally happened! Ryan has graduated. For those who may not know, Ryan's student teaching turned into an internship. He is contracted with the Sugar-Salem District until the end of the school year, so we will not be moving until then. He teaches 5th grade and loves it!

Ryan's Dad came down for the weekend, so here is the whole bunch

Ok, so I'm really proud of this picture even though it doesn't look like I should be. Pres. Clarke and Pres. Uchtdorf led the processional of teachers and went down the side Ryan was on. I had to zoom in the camera all the way and had no idea where Ryan was, but my shot of the two of them also got Ryan! (He is the head above and to the right of Pres. Uchtdorf)

Fun in a Hotel

2008-12-02T17:27:00.003-07:00

Our trip to Cheney, WA for Thanksgiving included much romping about the hotel

Having Fun at Home

2008-11-24T14:07:00.004-07:00

For anyone who is curious, here a few examples of how to keep busy when you live in a small town in Idaho, it's 20 degrees outside, and you don't have a car.

You could bake a pie, or at least make dough...

and roll it into balls

Or you could figure out how to pour water...or how to not pour water as the case may be.

Learn words like "float" and "sink"

Yes, even staying at home can be fun!

Make-up Mayhem

2008-11-24T13:39:00.007-07:00

This is Abby's latest craze. I'v caught her in the bathroom with my mascara at least 4 times now; the black stuff everywhere including the cabinets, door, toilet, and of course, all over her!

Here she was trying some new punk hair style with black streaks.

Halloween

2008-11-04T20:40:00.005-07:00

Getting down and dirty with pumpkin guts...

...and loving it!

Our pretty, pretty princess

"I hope they call me on a mission"

2008-09-22T15:21:00.004-06:00

Thomas is off! We picked him up at the Salt Lake Airport on Tuesday and he got his endowments out at the Salt Lake Temple that night.

Ryan is showing him how to tie a "Double Windsor"...isn't that cute :)

Outside the MTC right before we are suppose to go in

Right after checking in, "Elder Sharpe" sports his new name tag. (The orange dot sticker lets everyone know he's a new-be.

Bye Thomas, we will miss you! Work hard!

Vacation

2008-09-22T15:03:00.002-06:00

Our trip to Pittsburgh was great! Some of the highlights are...

Abby loved the tire swing in Grandpa's backyard...it's the same one I swung on when I was little.

The Pittsburgh Zoo

Rickets Glen: A 7 mile hike encountering 21 waterfalls

The Philadelphia Museum of Art...and this was the highlight art piece for Ryan :)

And, of course, Stone Harbor. Abby loved the waves!

"Table Rock" - We Did It!

2008-09-22T14:46:00.004-06:00

This way over due, but towards the end of July Ryan and I finally completed our goal of climbing Table Rock. It's a hike through the western side of the Tetons leading up to a literal rock table over look the Teton peaks. You can see the "table" to the right of the peaks in the picture below. That is where we are standing the in the picture above. It was over 16 miles with a 6,000 foot increase in elevation!

2008-06-19T09:46:00.001-06:00

At the temple

2008-05-15T12:25:00.003-06:00

Feeding ducks (and sometimes ourselves)

2008-05-15T12:19:00.001-06:00

2008-05-14T16:10:00.000-06:00

Spring is finally here!