Chistmas Clothes

To my dismay we lost the Christmas dress and vest were lost. I made these for pictures and a festive Sunday. I had just finished them a few days before the fire. They were covered in the filmy soot, but downstairs. The dry cleaners brought them back to me "unsalvagable" still smelling and discolored. Here are the before pictures. Evelyn would have looked wonderful and Egan so debonair.

You can't tell from the pictures but the lining was black and the ribbon was sparkly silver. Under the dress, there was another puffy layer of tulle. The back buttoned with silver buttons.

I had just washed Evelyn's Easter dress, you can see coming out of the basket. Unfortunately this was obviously lost as well. I have not been able to take Pictures or send out Christmas cards. I am apologizing for my negligence. Maybe we'll send out new year cards. =)

Hero Daddy

Aaron was burned a bit from grabbing Evelyn off the top bunk, this is the day after.. His hair was singed everywhere, he lost half of his left eyebrow, his face was burned like a sunburn, his upper lip, tip of his nose and the top of his left ear got burns. A few days before I burned my hand on the stove, and my burn is still healing, but Aaron's are now completely gone. Another blessing.

Fire Damage Pics

Here are a few of the long awaited pictures of our house fire aftermath. Just finally got our computers and Internet back. Enjoy. =)

Our beloved upstairs smoke detector. Thank You.

Smoke and water damage in the upstairs bathroom.
Yuckiness dripping from upstairs.

Debris thrown outside from the kid's bedroom. Evelyn's strawberry shortcake dolly. Below the dolly on the bottom is their tv... crazy melted.

The food storage in the kid's closet survived. Though for safety reasons, they said for us to get rid of everything in the bedroom and bathroom.

The kid's bedroom door, luckily was open at the time of the fire. Their doorknob at the time was broken and when shut was very hard to open.

You can see the outline of where their bed was.

Everything in the house was covered in a filmy residue from the smoke, most everything upstairs was not savable including our washer and dryer (right next to the kid's room). Downstairs, nearly everything is save able, but has to go through a rigorous cleaning process. We are slowly getting our things delivered as they get cleaned. We have been greatly taken care of by our ward family and family in the area, so all our needs are met. We our continually counting our many blessings.

House Fire!

So, I'll tell the story how it happened, this way I can refer everyone who asks "what happened?" to my blog and get tons of traffic. =) Gruesome pictures of our mess soon to come. (camera issues)
Early Sunday morning we heard Egan get up and go to the bathroom, he was in there about 30 seconds, and went back to bed. (Normal Happening) He left the bathroom light on, and went to turn it off. (has nothing to do with the story besides I was a little awake) About 5 minutes later our smoke alarms go off, and I see light coming from the kid's bedroom. I run in to the room and Egan is standing looking at a huge fire on the bottom bunk of their bed that is rapidly crawling to the blankets on the floor by the door. I scream "There's a fire! Evelyn?!" Evelyn is still asleep on the top bunk. Aaron is right behind me, and jumps in to grab Evelyn (the smoke was so thick that he had to wave his arms over the bed to find her) and we all ran down stairs. My mother had stayed the night the night before due to a storm up in her area, she was in town watching the beloved werewolf movie with me (I'm sure you all know what awesome movie I'm talking about). She grabbed a blanket and her bag and covered the kids up while handing me her cell phone. Aaron grabbed the fire extinguisher and went upstairs, he quickly came back down stairs, "Its too hot!" We were then outside in the rain without shoes or anything. Stupid me, I went and grabbed my coat and purse by the door. We waited what felt like forever, but really only 3 minutes for the firemen to show up with our neighbors who we woke up at 7 in the morning. 2 Fire trucks and an ambulance came, (Egan wasn't as excited to see the firemen this time) They got the fire out quick, and we waited while they aired it out, and pulled up carpet and threw all the burned stuff from the kids' bedroom out the window. We were able to grab just a few things like shoes and purses quickly. The paramedics checked us out and recommended that we head to the emergency room right away. Evelyn had singed hair on her head and up her nose. Aaron has a burned lip and like sunburn over his face. All of his hair on top got singed, half of an eyebrow is gone, but he is fine. Because I was emotional and freaking out a bit they put me on oxygen and monitored my stats for a bit. The kids were in a separate room, but with my mom. Thanks mom! We were there only a short while and were able to make phone calls to our ward and family as well as insurance. Luckily we have invested in renters insurance for the last 8 years of marriage and have a great policy that covers us. Almost instantly we were blessed by the wonderful people in our ward and our great family. We are now staying with my dad about 20 minutes from our house. By the time we were showered and in my dad's pjs our insurance guy had shown up to give us info and support. We were also visited by a fire marshal who is investigating the fire. She was able to talk to Egan about what happened and we found out that he had taken a match from the bathroom.. (I had them there for a candle for you know what purpose) and had stuck the match in the electrical socket immediately starting a fire. If it had not been for the 3 alarms that went off, we would not have gotten up in time. I had fallen back asleep, and had it been 30 seconds later, Evelyn would not have survived. I want to stress now check your smoke alarms.. make sure they are working. So important. The fire marshal told us that she had 3 fires that night, and we were the only ones without a casualty because we had a smoke detector. Egan now has to take an age appropriate class at the fire department so he can understand the importance of fire safety. Fun fun. =)
We have been sorting through our stuff with tons of people in and out of our house going through our things, taking pictures, and asking questions. There are insurance guys, tech cleaners, clothes and linens cleaners, furniture cleaners, construction workers, movers and packers, owners and landlords all over, in our messy house looking at everything. Everything is covered with a sooty black mess that needs to be cleaned. Our insurance provides a service where all your stuff gets packed up and cleaned in a warehouse and then packed and delivered to your new residence. They do it all. They will let us know what can be saved and what can't. We have been there the last two days taking inventory of everything we know is gone, and helping all these people sort through our mess. Fun crazy times.
Our ward family brought us dinner Sunday night, and bags and bags of donations of clothes and bathroom items for our family. We are still receiving wonderful gifts that overwhelm us and warm our hearts and what seems like unlimited free babysitting! We plan to pass this spirit of service along, and never forget the lesson learned of what is most important: Family and Friends, kindness and service, health and safety, the gospel and our Heavenly father. I am truly thankful for all of my many blessings this Thanksgiving Holiday season. Thank you all for your prayers and kindness in our behalf.

Halloween!

Halloween came and we enjoyed it!

This first picture is the pattern I picked up on sale for the kid's costumes. Egan had the black cape with the hood for his Harry Potter Costume. Evelyn begged and begged for the pink thing in the top left. I wanted to make the bottom right.....

So we compromised. Isn't she cute? When people asked her what she was "I'm a Pink Witch!"

I let Egan play with his costume for a few weeks before Halloween, and his glasses didn't really survive it. I gave them each a chopstick for their wands. I crouched Egan's scarf, and actually made myself a Ravenclaw scarf and hat.

Egan casting his spells "Redicorous!"

Evelyn all ready anticipating a full pumpkin.

The kids Got a TON of candy. We separated and checked out each piece, and then refilled the buckets with a piece of each kind (probably half full) and hid the rest for another day. We gave the kids their buckets and let them have at whatever they wanted. Told them they could eat whatever, or save it for later. "You'll get sick if you eat it all right now"

The common theme we heard that night "one more piece." Needless to say, both kids didn't sleep too well, and had "tummy hakes" in the morning. Here is a picture of Evelyn crashed on the couch after her sugar rush the previous night. I'm hoping next year they will remember their "tummy hakes". Only Egan has asked for more "just one piece" of candy since that night. Evelyn wont have anything to do with it. Funny Kids.

Ignore the mommy on the left. No makeup!

Pumpkins

We Carved Pumpkins a few days before Halloween and the kids enjoyed it this year. (Last year they didn't want to touch the insides. This year it was a huge mess!)

Pretty Girl with her Happy Face Pumpkin. (She drew on the pumpkin and mommy cut it out)

Egan cleaning out his Pumpkin. He said he wanted it "scawey mad".

All done. Had to take this picture a zillion times... they didn't want to look at me at the same time. Both smiles by that time were a bit forced. =)

All Lit up. Finished!

Kids say the cutest things!

Egan this morning was trying to unbutton his pj shirt and couldn't get one undone. I was watching him and he suddenly said "Goodness sakes, I can't take my shirt off!"
I love when he talks like a little adult. Coming out of the teeny person he is, it's so funny!

News

Our most recent news that we have decided to keep secret until now is that Aaron's department, well the entire building, is being laid off. Ferguson Enterprises has had their profits cut down by almost half in the last 3 years. So they are transferring all the admin work to their national office in Newport News Virginia. Aaron was offered an opportunity to transfer and work in Virginia. We have prayed about it and it isn't the right thing. It did however open our minds to the possibility of moving for job opportunities. We are currently looking into areas like Salt Lake City, Seattle, and of course Portland/Vancouver. Right now, Oregon and California are tied in third place for highest unemployment in the nation so the competition is fierce where we are. We ask for our friends and family to keep their eyes and ears open to job opportunities where they are, winner gets us as neighbors! Aaron has a double major in Business Finance and Marketing, has excellent working knowledge of Excel, Quickbooks, Office among other things. He has 8 years customer service experience and most recently worked as an A/P Admin Specialist. I can email his resume to anyone who would like it. Thank you for all your support.
Here is a favorite pic of Virginia... I would have loved the lighthouses!

Family Reunion

This past weekend we were able to stay at a lodge at Mt. Rainier with my Dad, Step mom and most all the kids between them. Most of their kids have kids, so it was wild! so many little ones everywhere. Needless to say my kids had a blast with all their cousins. Here is Evelyn holding hands playing ring around the rosy with her cousin Jazlynn.

Family Picture outside on the porch. My dad and Lonna made us all matching shirts with our names on them for the reunion and for pictures that day. So fun to be matching.

Here is a group picture of the kids on my Dad's side and their kids. Harmony and I with our husbands and kiddos. While waiting for all the cameras to click the kids yelled a continuous "cheeeeeeeeeeesssseee" Its a good thing they weren't video cameras. he he.

"Haweee Pottow"

There have been so many projects this September. Here are a few that I got pictures of.

My grandpa has plum trees and he gave me a bunch of plums the last time we were down, I was able to successfully can several jars of plums and make a bunch of plum jam just like my Gramamom made. Yummy

For a lesson in my beehive class, we were studying Daniel and the Lions Den, I made lion cupcakes for the girls to tame. Fun Fun.

And my most favorite project of September.... Egan's new favorite thing is Harry Potter. Of course he has only seen the first 2 and doesn't get to see the scary parts, but he is obsessed with watching harry and his wand. He has been pretending he is Harry for a while now, so we plan on having him be Harry for Halloween.. I crocheted a Griffandore scarf, and made glasses out of electrical tape, toilet paper roll and silk flower stems. The wand he has is a twig from our tree out back. I have yet to make his cloak and we've decided that chopsticks are a little safer wands. I promise to post the pictures of our Halloween fun.

There is so much more to post, but so little time or ability to remember and just do it. The kids are getting bigger, and continue to say and do crazy things. I will make a better effort to post in the future!

Camera Batteries Dead

So sorry to all of you who follow this blog...
My camera has some cute pictures of us taken recently, but the batteries died! I need to get to the store and get some, every time I go somehow I forget. If your patient you'll see pics of my rapidly growing kids, my shrinking self (on a diet) and the ever adorable Aaron. There will also be more on the dress blog I made a new dress, and a bunch of cute little boy ties!

What Happened to August?

Its hard to believe an entire month went by with very little to announce. We just have spent a very busy summer together.
We have one piece of silly information, and that is Evelyn is officially taller than Egan. We had our Dr. appointments this month, fortunately we are all healthy. Egan was measured and remeasured by both the Dr. and his assistant, consistently coming up with just 37 inches. Poor Kid. Evelyn came up with 37 1/2 inches. Though he is the shorter of the two, he weighs 5 pounds more. Hefty boy. I constantly get at the grocery store or where ever I end up, "What cute twins you have". Of course I don't go into any details with strangers and just nod and say "Yes I know". Like all mothers, I'm completely biased and think my children far outdo every other child in the cuteness category.
Among other news, I've taken on the task of blogging and helping my dad's website become a leader on the web. Feel free to take a look at his blog Canopy Comfort. I've been called to teach as the Beehive advisor in our ward, and am loving it.
We are looking forward to a nice fall, holidays and fun events. Egan said just yesterday "When is Santa coming mommy?"

Darth Vader Came to the Party!

Darth Vader came to visit Egan for his party. I asked him before hand if he wanted him to come, and he was so excited to see Darth Vader, but when the moment happened he got a little scared. Luckily he's not too tramatized. Darth Vader was played by my dear friend Rebbecca's Husband Kent. Thanks guys!

Singing Happy Birthday to Egan

It took him a while to blow out the candles. But he did it all by himself! What a big boy!

Egan's Birthday!!!!!!

Egan had is 4th Birthday! Be prepared tons and tons of pictures! Of course we had a Star wars themed party because it just happens to be Egan's favorite thing right now. Here is Egan wearing one of his "Party Hats" obviously a Darth Vader mask. The table cloth had 3d characters and spaceships on it so when you wore the mask, or 3d glasses it was neat. Egan opening his presents with his aunt and uncles. Pay no attention to the chunky lady next to him. We played pin the light saber on Luke Skywalker. Evelyn is so funny when she's dizzy. Just a few of the zillion star wars toys Egan got. (taken the morning after) Thanks to everyone for donating to his ever growing toy pile. Car sets, dinosaurs, toy tools, books, and homemade head gear were also part of the hysteria. So, I spent a long time planning for this cake. I tried to make the cake look like a spaceship cut in half horizontally. I colored, cut, and laminated cardboard pieces for the "wings?" The cake was chocolate fudge with a cherry filling and just plain vanilla frosting. I used a little chocolate frosting for decoration. I got on Ebay and found these great figurines for a deal. They originally came from Disneyland and were still in the package. Included in the package was of course Darth Vader, R2, C3p0, a star trooper, a bounty hunter, chewie, an Ewok and of course Yoda. In planning for the pinata, I made a star ship like the one Luke Skywalker flies. Unfortunately the whole thing was made with card board and extremely solid, so... I made a death star out of just paper mache and a balloon. Egan Loves the "space ship" Its still holding strong. Its amazing what you can make with paper mache and a little paint.
Egan before the party got there admiring his neat cake.

Charming Cherries!

I made the cutest dresses and accessories ever! Take a look on my dress blog!

Evelyn's Missionaries

We've recently had the missionaries over for dinner a few times (we're lucky, our ward has our own set!)These elders are great hard working young men, and we enjoy having them over. Evelyn has decided these young men are one of her favorite things. Though she acts shy and timid when they are here she talks about them all the time. The other night when Aaron left to do splits with the missionaries I was left to put the kids to bed by myself and this is how my conversation went with 3 year old Evelyn:
"Is Daddy at work?"
"No, Honey, he went with the missionaries, he'll come home and give you a kiss later."
"Missionaries coming?"
"We'll see them again another day, Good night."
"I want the missionaries! I want a kiss!"
"I'll give you one, and Daddy will be home soon."
"No Mommy I want to kiss the missionaries!"

What could I say to that? As a teenager, I admit I tried my darnedest to flirt with the poor missionaries in our area.
After laughing a bit and giving her a few kisses I simply said, "Sweetheart, we can't kiss the missionaries. When your older you can marry one when they come home. Mommy did."
Cross your fingers she isn't planning her wedding. =)

Pretty Perfect Precious Purse

I made a fun new purse for Evelyn and am selling these on my site and blog as well.

Hair Cut!

I gonna be vain for just one post. I asked around in my ward to see if there was anyone who could cut hair in exchange for a massage. My hair hasn't been cut in almost 2 years, and not professionally cut for much longer. It was all the same length down to the middle of my back. SO heavy and boring! I got a response from a WONDERFUL lady in my ward who works with Evelyn in the Nursery. She came over today and did an AMAZING Job! I love it! I don't think I've looked this cute in... Ever. Thanks Marla Sharp!
I took all these silly pictures myself.. (what am I gonna do? Have Egan do it. he he)

Driving without a license

On our trip to Tahola the kids had a blast playing with their aunts and uncles. In Tahola (an Indian reservation) regular federal laws can be overlooked and ignored, this not only happens with the natives, but with my crazy family too. I have proof of a minor driving without a license. (Uncle Malachi or Mackie)

Egan was overcome with peer pressure and gave into the temptation. By the end of the 3days he could drive it himself without running over anyone. Of course he is thrilled.

The Beach at Grammy's

I took a spur of the moment trip up to Tahola to visit with Mom and Mike and all my fun siblings. We left Daddy at home to work while we played. This is us at the beach close by. The kids love to feed the seagulls. There was one funny crow on the beach begging for bread too, but whenever we threw bread at him, he was scared of it, and didn't get it picked up in time before the others got it. Mom and Me. You can really tell I'm her's in this one. =)
I got Evelyn in a little video. Too Cute.

Made more Dresses

I made a few more dresses that turned out pretty good. A crazy pinafore and some more perfect sundays. I posted pictures on my dress blog www.sassydresses.blogspot.com Take a look!

"Staow Waows" Light Sabors

Star Wars is Egan's new favorite thing. He likes to say "I'm doawf bettow!" My good friend Natalie in my ward here showed me the coolest thing to do to pool toys and ducked tape. We made light sabors! And hit each other with them all the time. All I did was cut them in half covered an end with black electrical tape, then three stripes of ducked tape, two thick black stripes and two thin stripes with a band of black on the top. Don't forget the grey button. Only took a few minutes to make, and about 50cents each. These sabors hold together so well and we're having a blast. I made green blue and red ones. Evelyn is the new sith, she will only play with red. =) We'll be making more for friends to play with at Egan's Star Wars themed birthday in July. Not too bad in comparison.

Summer Sunglasses

Every morning the kids and I go out on a walk and the sun is so bright so I got some cheapo sunglasses for the kids at the store the other day. The kids loved them, even mommy and daddy tried Egan's on, aren't we silly. Of course same day Evelyn breaks hers, that's life =)

"I can't say Cheese!"

While running frantically from their insane tickling mother these two sad siblings bonked heads and each got a "boo boo" on their lip. Some smart person suggested band aids, so the guilty parent complied. Sweet silence swept through the house, and all were happy. "A picture must be taken" said their Daddy with a grin. When pointing the camera at the poor injured people the oldest said, "I can't say Cheese!"