A Very Merry "Unbirthday" Party

Since Katie was Alice for Halloween, I decided to keep the theme going for her birthday a few days later so she could wear her costume one more time. We've decided to only do special friend parties on certain birthdays, so I felt like it needed to be extra special since she won't get another one for a few years! We had a Mad Hatter tea party for her birthday yesterday and it was so much fun. Thank you to all her sweet friends that came to celebrate with her, to her family that sent wonderful birthday packages, and a huge thank you to my good friend Mindy for making such a fun and magical birthday cake!! And I must mention Mike as well - he made the wonderful games. I call Mindy and Mike my "creative team" for this party because I showed them pictures, and they took the ideas and made the reality even better!
Happy 3rd Birthday my darling little Alice!

Three

I can't believe my little Gracie girl is three! Happy Birthday sunshine. We love you so much. Thank you for making me so happy.

2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

Trunk or Treat

Last night was our ward's trunk or treat. Katie was so excited to finally be Alice and go trick-or-treating. She was so cute and so polite saying thank you every time. Mike dressed up as a WWII soldier and I decided to be a pirate. We had a fun evening.

Projects

I haven't been on here in a while. Mostly because of projects that have been keeping me busy. First, I made owl bags for the girls to use for trick-or-treating.

Then, I had been wanting to make an ABC poster for the girl's room. There are a lot of cute ones out there you can buy, but I thought it would be fun if I made it myself and had it printed. After a lot of trial and error, and getting help from my digital-savvy sister-in-law, I finally got it done.

I also decided to make Halloween costumes for the girls this year and that took a long time! It was my first time using a pattern and I swear I had to google every other word in the directions! Nap?? Sew a dart?? Thank goodness for online video tutorials. How did anyone ever figure anything out before the internet? And making sleeves is really hard. Luckily, it's dark when kids go trick-or-treating, so most of the flaws aren't too noticeable. I don't know that I'll ever do that again! Here's my little Alice:

And here's my little Olivia the Pig:

And last, but surely not least, here is the biggest project I've been working on lately:

It's made all the other projects harder to do since I've been feeling so crappy. Hopefully, the crappy stage is almost over. I'm 10 weeks along and due at the end of May. But, since Olivia was 11 days overdue, I'm thinking of June 5th as my due date. So when people ask, that's what I'm saying from now on. :) We're really excited to have another sweet spirit come to our family. And I'm betting it's a girl.

A Little Halloween Song for You

I taught this song to Katie and she hasn't stopped singing it since. Happy Halloween!

"Halloween, Halloween,

lots of fun on Halloween.

Pumpkins and ghosts,

skeletons too. Clowns

and witches all say boo!

Pumpkins with eyes

shiny and bright

make us shiver with fright.

Halloween, Halloween,

we love Halloween!"

As Promised - Finally

Remember back in the summer when I posted on the lake and promised a really funny video of the girls falling off a tube? Probably not, but I finally got it and here it is. It still makes us laugh every time.

A Mother's Heart

As I quietly moved into the darkened bedroom tonight to check on my daughters before going to bed myself, my love for them overwhelmed me.

Every night I do this. I lean over each of their beds and wait to hear the sound of their soft, even breathing. If I don't hear it, I lightly lay my hand on their back or chest until I feel its rise and fall.

My heart is forever connected to theirs. That same heart that pumped the blood that kept them alive for nine months inside of me never let them go after they moved on. Every breath they take, every tear they cry, every time they smile or laugh - I feel it in my heart. If their hearts break someday, I'm sure mine will too.

How I wish I could keep them here under my watchful eye forever. Safely tucked into their beds each night. Away from the world and all of its harmful things and people. Away from all that could hurt them and make them cry.

My heart is forever invested in them. A small part of it will break when I have to send them out into the world on the first day of school. When they come home with hurt feelings. When they feel left out or lonely. When they're the last one picked for a game. A small part of my heart will break when they grow up and leave home to go out into the world on their own. When they leave this poor mother's heart behind.

But, for now, I can hold them close, and our hearts can beat together. And my heart can teach their hearts how to love, how to be kind, how to be brave, how to have faith, how to be strong.

A mother's heart beats in time with her children's. No matter how close or how far they are. A mother's heart never lets go.

One Guess

What we ate for FHE treats tonight.

(if you guessed chocolate, you'd be correct)

Photography Workshop

My friend Kali is an amazing photographer. She just announced that she will be teaching a free photography workshop next month. I am so excited to learn how to take better photos. Contact Kali to see if there are still spots available!

Book Club Corner

Book Club Corner #2: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It's based on the fairytale The Six Swans, which has many versions including versions from Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm. We also read this in our book club, and I think everyone liked it. It's the first book in a series, but it can stand as on its own; especially since the second book starts with the next generation in the family. I've never heard of anyone I know not liking this book.

Book Club Rundown

Book: Daughter of the Forest

Food: I googled "swan desserts" on a last minute whim and found these. They're yummy, and if I can pull it off, anyone can!

Discuss:

Here's links to the fairytale versions:

Hans Christian Andersen version

The Brothers Grimm version

Book Review here

Reader's Guide with discussion questions here.

An online book discussion where the author actually comes in and answers questions.

The author's site.

You May Take A Lot of Pictures When...

The other day, Katie asked for an apple and wanted to eat it outside. As I opened the door for her, she looked up at me and asked, "You take pictures of me?" How could I refuse?

Cards for Kate

No, not me. The girls and I just finished a card for this sweet little girl. You can get the information on the card drive here. I couldn't help feeling this even more since her name is Kate, she looks a little like my Katie, and she has a sister named Olivia. A card isn't much, but it lets them know they're in our thoughts and prayers.

Things I Learned From NieNie

Lesson #2: Everyone has those days where you just can't seem to get going. And that's okay. Nobody's perfect. Last Monday, I cleaned my whole house. Today though, this is pretty much what the whole house looks like. Oh well, that's life!

Fun With a Blanket

This morning before Mike left for work, he was playing with the girls by putting a blanket over their heads and then pulling it off as they ran around. They were having so much fun and I had to get some pictures! We really cracked up when we saw the results.

Sunday Thought

I was reading in Alma Chapter 50 of The Book of Mormon a while back. Sometimes, I have a hard time relating all the war stuff and strategy to me and my own situation, but I always love reading about Captain Moroni. When I read this chapter this time around, it really struck me right from the first verse that he never stopped preparing. Even when they weren't in immediate danger at the moment, he was always working to build up strongholds to defend against the enemy.

It really made me think about my own personal stronghold and that I need to always be working to prepare myself. So I thought about what goes into preparing your own personal stronghold? This is a list I made:

daily prayer

daily scripture study

reading conference talks

going to the temple regularly

exercising self-mastery

seeking to feel the Spirit daily

listening to the thoughts/promptings of the Spirit

taking time to reflect/evaluate myself

fasting

The enemy is always watching for us to slip up so he can slip in, and we need to be working with Heavenly Father in a constant state of goal setting and self-mastery. It is a partnership with Him so that we have fortified strongholds and are prepared at any time for an attack. We're not perfect, but Heavenly Father is pleased with us and will lend His strength, support, and help when we are sincerely trying.

Back to School

Fall is coming. I'm starting to feel it in the air. I LOVE Fall. I think you all know that by now. It's also the time where people everywhere are heading back to school. There are things that I definitely miss about school. I miss the atmosphere, the fresh school supplies, the new clothes, the library, the feeling of challenging my mind and learning about things I wouldn't have learned about on my own. There are also things I definitely don't miss. I don't miss the stress, the tests, the endless amounts of (often) dry reading, or trying to find a parking spot! When I graduated from college, I was so ready to be done and I remember thinking, "I am DONE. Never again!" But, as time has passed, I find myself missing my favorite aspects of school when the cooler breezes start blowing and fall is in the air.

This month, the visiting teaching message was on continuing our education. I loved this message. I loved that it talked about furthering our knowledge of the scriptures and the gospel. And I loved that it talked about always trying to expand our minds and gain new information and skills, and that by doing these things we build our defenses against aging, depression, and self-doubt. I know that is true, and I always want to be learning new things. Actively seeking new learning will really help me fight off the feeling that I'm losing brain cells with each child that I have too!

The beauty of being out of school is that now I can continue my education in areas where I truly have an interest. I can make my own "class schedule " and my own curriculum. This fall, I have decided that I am sending myself back to school. My own private school filled with things I want to learn and be better at. There are many things that I am interested in, and I'm sure I'll spend the rest of my life going through my list of subjects. For now, I am going to start by choosing about four things from my list that I will be studying this "semester".

Here's my list so far:

Required Courses

Book of Mormon/Gospel Study

Literature

Physical Education ( Good old P.E. -I still have that last, stubborn 20 pounds to lose. My body has been holding the same weight for over a month now, much to my annoyance! Time to step it up a notch or two.)

Elective Courses

Portuguese

Art History

Brazilian Music

Photography

Screen Play Writing

Interior Decorating

Family Studies

Sewing

Voice Lessons

Song Writing

Piano

Poetry

Cooking

Gardening

Fashion

Italian

Dance

Party Planning/Entertaining

Digital Design

I am excited to begin. I think I'm even going to get myself a few new school supplies and new clothes. The Kate Durtschi University (oh wow, that rhymes) is now in session. Anyone want to join me? What would be on your list of courses? I'd love to know what everyone else would study.

This Girl

Is all girl. She has her sparkly shoes on even when she sleeps!

Sunday Thought

"Sisters, you were not born at this time and place by chance. You are here because this is where the Lord wants you to be...

"Strong women are needed, women who will stay morally clean when all about them do not, women who will establish homes that are a little bit of heaven and where the family is upheld and little children are cared for and given love and attention by their own mothers, women who will shun pornography - not just older women, but young women too, who will seek personal and social refinement, who will strive to become more cultured, who will respect the authority of the home and the priesthood. As the Church grows, there will be a need for more women who are leaders, for more women everywhere who have the courage to proclaim their testimony of Jesus Christ, women who will pray and study to find out what the Lord requires of them and who will then make right choices and put themselves in the hands of the Lord."

-Betty E. Brown

Tub Do's

This is what you get with a whole lot of shampoo, and even more hair!

All I Need to Know I Learned in Meet the Robinsons

Well, almost. ;) I love the movie Meet the Robinson's. My girls have been watching it lately, and the end never ceases to make me emotional. It is so good! There are so many good lessons in it. Lessons that I need to keep reminding myself of.

Lesson #1: No family is perfect. We all have our issues, but that doesn't mean we can't be happy together because family loves each other no matter what. I mean, this family has a cousin that's so big, he can't get out of his chair and just lives in it all the time, a grandpa that dresses backwards, and an uncle that is married to a puppet. And yet, they are still happy and optimistic. Whether your family is biological, adopted, or put together from people you love and trust, stick together and love each other despite imperfections.

Lesson #2: Don't be afraid to fail. "You failed! And it was awesome! From failure, you learn. From success, not so much." Failure is not a bad thing that you need to be ashamed of. It means you tried, and it means you learned. Don't let fear of failure stop you from trying new things. Just keep failing and learning until you get success. We all have dreams and goals. Trying and failing and trying again is the path to achieving them.

Lesson#3: Keep Moving Forward! Don't let stumbling or falling down make you so discouraged that you give up. Try to take it in stride and keep moving forward. That is the key to any achievement. Don't dwell too much on looking back, but keep your eyes to the future and what you have ahead of you.

Lesson#4: Don't dwell on injustices or offences from other people. Being bitter, jealous, and unforgiving really only hurts yourself in the long run. It's easy to blame others for our failures or hurt, but it doesn't help us, and it shuts out others who try to reach us. "Hmmm, take responsibility for my own life, or blame you? Blame you wins hands down!" This attitude will only make you lonely and sad.

Lesson #5: Believe in yourself. If you have an idea, or a personal goal, or dream, pursue it. Don't let others tell you you're crazy, and don't tell yourself you're crazy for dreaming it.
Lesson#6: Carry around a notebook to write down all your good ideas!

Lesson #7: You have a bright future ahead of you. Believe it, and make it happen!