2nd grade program

Bradley's 2nd grade program was so much fun this year. They sang songs all about the weather and the seasons. They sand everything from Here Comes Suzy Snowflake for winter to Go You Chicken Fat Go for summer. There were kids wearing swimsuits, snowsuits, and everything in between.

Bradley had a part in the song Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime. He and the girls by him are fishing. Fishing was the fist thing they do in summer and then they had to freeze while the other kids did their actions. It was pretty funny to watch him choose a really cool freeze position. It was some weird, and very unnatural pose. He had a lot of fun.

The boy in the orange shirt and blue jacket is Bradley's good friend Jex. He lives just up the hill from us. They have a lot of fun together, which is why they are no longer sitting next to each othe in class. They tend to be a little chatty when they are together.

What a cute kid!!

Okay, this had nothing to do with Bradley's program, it was just really pretty so I had to share it. This was the dessert I made for Valentine's Day. It was a 2 layer chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry filling, and a raspberry sauce to drizzle over it when it was served. It was an experiment that turned out pretty darn good I think.

I finally got some batteries.....

We will start with the downstairs bathroom. Yeah, I know the color is a crazy. The color didn't turn out the way I thought it would, but it is growing on me. Wayne would say, "yeah, growing on you like mold". Actually with the towels, shower curtain and a few decorations I have I think it will look great in the end. Crossing fingers....oh yeah, that doesn't work remember?! (see blog entry on January 28th.) I haven't touched up the paint since the shower installation either. I'll get to that when tax season is over.


Wayne's brother salvaged these cabinets from a house he had worked on at Richmond American. The cabinets were brand new, and they were just going to get rid of them. He asked us if we'd like them, and we said of course!!! (Duh, I am married to an accountant! Of course we'll take free stuff.) So he brought them to us. It saved us a bundle! Thanks Alan!! I haven't picked out a sink yet, so for now you have to wash your hands in the tub. But it is a functional bathroom and we love that! I plan on getting a sink as soon as tax season is over.

These are the shelves Alan built me for my paper in the closet of my craft room. Pretty cool huh!!! I still need to paint them, but painting also has to wait until the end of tax season because trying to tackle those kinds of projects with Elli hasn't worked out very well. It interferes with her book time, how rude of me. With Wayne home I will be able to finish up all the little things, while he plays with Elli. But for now I have a place for my solid paper, my printed papers and my themed papers. It's so lovely! (Incidentally this is the only place my house is organized, I'm hoping it will be contagious and spread everywhere else.)

I took this photo before Jeff (our cabinet guy) had finished installing the desk along the window. You can see it on the floor though. That will be a place for Bradley to do homework, color, and a great place for kids to eat when we have company over.

This is the main area. I will have a stove and microwave (eventually) in the space on the left. The sink (which hasn't been chosen) will be in the middle of the counter and the space you can see under the counter in the right corner will be for a small refrigerator. The counter you see on the bottom right is the counter/cabinet from the previous picture. Don't they look pretty? They will look even better with the appliances and the hardware. It will be so nice to have it done and cleaned up. We are planning on canning down here this fall, and we will also be hosting Thanksgiving with my side of they family. I also have my Great Grandmother's dining table and chairs that I'm hoping to have refinished by then. It is so exciting!!!!!

my basement

I am so excited about our basement coming along! I have taken pictures, but my camera batteries died. I will post the photos as soon as I get some new batteries. The cabinets are so pretty!!! They are off white with bead board on the doors. All I have left to do on them is find knobs I like, and place the shelves where I want them. They look so great against the brown paint I have on my walls.

The closet shelves are built in my craft room too. I have 30 slots for organizing my 12 X 12 paper, and other shelves to store everything else. My brother in law built them for me & they look great. I can't wait to finish up the room so I can attempt to catch up on my scrapbooks. It sad, but true, I have only done 3 layouts since I brought Elli home last year. (And I just did those last month.) I have sooooo much to do.

The bathroom is just about done, and it is usable. You just have to wash you hands in the tub because we don't have a sink & faucet yet. We will soon though, that's a priority for me.

We are going to have to wait a bit for the appliances in the kitchen. (A stove so that I can do all my canning downstairs, and a small refrigerator that will fit under the counter.) When you're married to an accountant, there is always a plan for spending money wisely. Wayne's plan for the basement is the take our time, spreading out the expenses. I would have loved to get it done all at once, but I know that financially this is a better way to do it. We began the project early last year, and should be able to have a good chunk of the basement, and the backyard complete by the end of this year, if not all of it.

another sweet conversation with Bradley

I have been enjoying Bradley's wisdom lately. It is amazing how grown up he is. We went to the Draper Temple open house a few weeks ago and he loved it! His favorite rooms were the baptistery and the celestial room. He said that he started to cry a little when we walked into the celestial room. (He has always been very sensitive like that.) He really did enjoy the experience and it has made him excited for when he turns 12 and can go to the temple to participate in baptisms.

On our way home I was explaining that we have been counseled to attend the temple often, and that his dad and I try really hard to go at least once a month. Then I told him that I haven't always been able to do that since we brought Elli home, but that I am I going to be better this year. He must have been able to sense my guilt, and turned to me and said, "but mom, Jesus understands why."

Oh how I love that little boy!!!!

update on Elli

Elli just went through her 6 month review with Kids Who Count. They are coming out 5 times a month to our home with occupational therapy, physical therapy and weight/health checks. She is doing really well and met all the goals that were set 6 months ago. Here is a list of things she is doing now:

• She finally began army crawling (she has been mobile for a long time by rolling everywhere, but it's nice to see her crawl)
• She is saying Bradley, Dad, book, bear, baby and lots of others. We are working on identifying them all.
• She can sign milk and more. She tries to sign book, but somehow she ends up signing Jesus instead. That's okay, it's a good sign to know too.
• She weighs 15 lbs. 3 oz. and is 29 1/2" tall (she was up 9 oz. and 1/2" for the month which for her is tremendous, especially considering that she had stomach flu for 1 week)
• She LOVES to read books
• She can make the sounds of monkeys, dinosaurs and light sabers (Bradley thinks that is awesome!)

As they tested her at her review they found that she is at the 14-18 month level for her cognitive development as well as her fine motor skills. She is still behind in her large motor, but now that she has figured out how to army crawl she will strengthen her core and arms and it won't be long before she catches up on all of those things. She will begin play group in May or June (after RSV is over), and that will help her progress a lot! She is such a sweetie!

She is showing off her tongue. She loves to play with it and makes silly noises. She also thinks that to blow a kiss you have to have your tongue hanging out all the way. She is so cute and makes us all so happy!!!