Our Visit With Santa

There is a photographer out here who has a studio in her house and has "Santa" come to visit.  She sets up two afternoons of photo ops.  She schedules 4 kids every 15 minutes and for $10/child, you kid gets to visit with Santa and get their photo taken.  You also get a 4x6 included in your fee.

Uncle Kevin went with us to see K's first real visit with Santa.  Last year at Kiawah, she was sleeping in his arms so it was peaceful...not the same today.  She played hard to get with him at first.  She only got close enough to touch his jingle bell bracelet and then go running back to the safety of Uncle Kevin.  I then held her next to Santa and she started screaming bloody murder!  It got worse when I put her on his lap.  Poor kid got traumatized today!  But I expected she'd freak out so no surprise there.

Riley on the other hand was very prepared.  He had a letter for him containing a list of his top 3 items including the pictures we took at Toys R Us.  He didn't want Santa to get it wrong!  He acted a little goofy, but it was because he was nervous.

I can't wait to see what the pictures look like.  We won't get to see them until Dec. 7th!

After seeing Santa, we drove over to a Christmas tree lot that had some reindeer in a pen.  K loves reindeer...well, she loves just about ANY animal.

Sissy and her "boyfriend" checking out the reindeer.

Riley sitting in Santa's sleigh while chomping on his first candy cane of the season.

It's Riley the Red-Vested Reindeer!

Our First Visit To Temple Square

Being that we're living in Utah, we figured we'd better at least visit Temple Square while we live here.  What better time than to see it at night while it's lit up for Christmas.  We started our night by meeting Uncle Kevin & Aunt Cara at the Trax station in Sandy.  We all boarded the train and headed to Temple Square.  It's nice that the light rail has a station right out front.

When we got there, we entered the South Visitor's Center.  They had a number of displays explaining their beliefs and how they came to Utah and how they built the Temple.  There was a group of singers performing there as well so we took in part of the show.

This is a view of the southwest corner of the temple in Salt Lake City.  It's such a pretty building.  From what I understand the stone used to build it came from Little Cottonwood Canyon.

This is a view of the southeast corner of the temple.

This is the northeast corner from the garden.  I'm not clear as to what exactly takes place inside the LDS temples, but I do know that "heathens" like me are not allowed in.  You must have a temple recommend from your ward bishop to enter.  I know some people get married and sealed in the temples and that they baptize for the dead here.

This is the entire temple from the northeast side.  This building reminds me of a castle.  It's got such beautiful architecture.  I really like the lights at the top.  It's so neat at night.  There are 3 temples we can see from where we are in Utah.  They are all lit up at night and look so pretty, but they don't have nearly the same architecture as this one.

Riley sitting in front of the fountain by the visitor's center.

This is a view of Assembly Hall with all the lights on the trees.  This building is really beautiful from the outside as well.

This is the Tabernacle where the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs.  We got to take a peek inside between concerts tonight.

This is at the pond in the gardens just outside the walls around the temple.  Still haven't found out why they have walls built up around Temple Square.  Seems like they want to keep people out instead of invite them in...must investigate that one.

They had little balls floating in the water that were illuminated.

The water was so pretty reflecting all the lights on the trees.

The front of the temple.  I think someone mentioned that this temple took something like 40 years to build?  No wonder.  Looks like it was worth the wait.

We snuck inside Assembly Hall during a performance.  I got scolded for taking this picture so hope you enjoy it!

So many lighted trees around Temple Square.

And what visit would be complete without a bagpipe playing Santa?

It was a great time with awesome friends.  The lights were beautiful!  It was a little bit on the crowded side - we were hoping that the Utah/BYU football game would keep some of the crowd away, but the concerts and the lights being turned on last night, and a holiday weekend, probably had a lot to do with it.  On the lawn between the tabernacle and the north visitor's center, they had a nativity scene.  It was narrated and had beautiful music to go along with the show.  They lit up parts of the scene as the story played over the speakers.  It was nice to show Riley that.  Didn't quite match up with the "Trip Through Bethlehem" in Ponte Vedre last year, but it was neat.  Andy wants to go back again without the kids so we can take in the lights and then go out on the town afterwards.  Even the streets of Salt Lake City were lined with pretty blue lit trees.  The Salt Palace has a HUGE light tree in the glass window that you can see from numerous sides.

I wouldn't mind taking a tour of Temple Square at some point just to learn a little bit more about LDS beliefs and get a closer look at the buildings.  Not sure they match up exactly with what we believe, but it's always good to understand what and how other people believe.  Maybe I'll do some family tree research while I'm there!  The LDS church has a building where you can go to research your family tree for free.  They have tons of information - I assume it has to do with the baptisms, but I'm not sure.  They may have the answers to my Dad's Dombach or Gerlach side or my mom's Stauffer side.

There is so much to see and do here!  Last night we took the kids to Thanksgiving Point (where Corn Bellies was and where the Dinosaur museum is located) to drive through their Christmas light display.  They also had a small pen filled with Santa's reindeer which K screamed when we took her away from it!  She didn't know what they were, but she loves "ga-gas"!  Silly Sissy!

So Much To Be Thankful For...

I have a lot of friends on Facebook who are using their status to share what they are thankful for this year.  I thought I'd post mine here for all of our friends and family to see.

I am thankful for...

a relationship with Christ and the gift of grace

my wonderful husband who works so hard so I can stay home with our children and continues to love me no matter what insane things I say or do

my little man who is my very own miracle - you'd never know the hurdles he's overcome in 5 short years

Sissy - who brings me so much joy with just a smile

two incredible parents who have supported me through every challenge in my life

a brother who is independent and strong and loves his little girl more than anything in the world

a roof over our heads - as cramped as we are, I am still grateful for a place to stay that allows us our dog and a short term lease and is located within the boundaries of Riley's school.

a new car that doesn't make any noise when I make turns

friends who accept us into their family and love of us as if we were family

my computer to allow me to keep in touch with those who are far away from us

an incredible church family in Florida who helped prepare me for this new chapter in my life

finding a new church to attend in Utah...that's not an easy task out here

warm blankets to snuggle under with my man while watching football

the smell of food baking in my oven because it means we have enough to eat

doggie kisses on my hand in the morning as an alarm

friends from childhood who still love me and don't judge me

friendships I've made while living away from the comfort of home and family

snuggles from the munchkins

my camera for it allows me to capture the moments in my children's lives and preserve them so we can look back on them and laugh or cry or smile

phone calls from friends who I haven't spoken to in awhile...it's nice to know you're missed

hand written letters in the mail

the smell of fall in the air

Toddler Gym - where I met my best girlfriend

14 years of wedded bliss

leaf peeping

toilet seats & lids that are kept in the down position

the smell of a newborn baby

our soon to be new home so we can spread out and have room for the kids to run

out of town guests

sweet tea - although I haven't had any "real" sweet tea since August 12th when Leigh brought me a gallon from Angies

Riley liking his new school

being able to meet new friends in Utah and feeling like I belong in a rather short time

"I love you Mom"

being able to share my children with their grandparents

back rubs

4 wheel drive

beautiful mountains out my back door

long, hot baths with a good book and a glass of wine

beautiful snow covered branches

listening to Riley read to his Daddy

sunshine to warm my skin

digging my toes in the sand

the laughter of children

junior mints

a big bowl of popcorn to share with my kids and the dog while watching a movie

a steaming mug of hot chocolate

the sound of "Da Da!  Da Da!  Da Da!" when the door unlocks at 5:30 pm

service men and women who keep me safe and allow me all the freedoms I enjoy

the families of those service men and women who sacrifice more than we can imagine

the smell of my Nanny Hershock's dried corn recipe

a place to go home to

We're wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We hope that you are surrounded by loved ones today and are able to spend some time reflecting on the things in your life for which you are thankful.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...The Middle Of January...

So it looks as if my hopes of a new house for Christmas are put on delay...We were initially hoping for our New Year to start in our new home, but things slowed down - almost to a screeching halt!  I found out today that the construction supervisors were changed and basically Ivory Homes dropped the ball in the transition.  They are now waiting for the gas line to be hooked up to tape and mud the dry wall.  If it isn't hooked up by next week, they are going to bring in portable heaters.  VERY little got done last week and it's the same for this week.  With Thanksgiving falling in this week, I don't know how much they will accomplish by week's end.  

So here's the update:

~Interior is dry walled

~Exterior stone was started today...my hope is that they work Friday and Saturday, but I won't hold my breath

~Garage doors are installed

We're going to go over to the house tomorrow morning for a look around.  It's amazing how quickly it gets dark these days - even with being at the end of the time zone, it's dark shortly after 5pm!

Hoping to get some new pictures to post without construction workers and in good light.

Dear Santa

Every year Riley and I take a trip to Toys R Us to begin the long wish list for Santa.  He tells me what to items to take pictures of to put on his list.  This year Uncle Kevin came along with us.  That was nice because he watched Kendall while Riley and I were snapping away!

Here is his "wish list":

We didn't find this anywhere, but Riley would like a brown UPS truck.

Legos are a popular choice this year.

Lego City Camper

Lego City Police Command Center

Lego Soldier's Fort

Lego Brickbeard's Bounty

 Multiple Lego Bricks & More:  Large Green Baseplate Accessory

Leapster cartridge - Batman Strength In Numbers

Leapster Cartridge - Digging For Dinosaurs

Matchbox Mega Rig Pirate Ship

Tonka Mighty Motorized Garbage Truck...Will he EVER outgrow his love to push trucks around the house?  He's 5 1/2 years old and still wants trucks!

Star Wars is still popular again with him this Christmas...

Star Wars R McQuarrie Signature Series Action Figures

Star Wars Legacy Collection - Disturbance at Lars Homestead

Star Wars Clone Trooper Costume

Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Gunship

True Heros Talking Military Utility Belt

True Heros Military Deluxe Set

Ikea Large Stuffed Shark

I think Santa is going to add a Razor Scooter and possibly a sled and cup stacking to his list.  He needs a new scooter, but has forgotten about it because it's colder out now and we don't get it out as often as we did before.  If we get a big snow storm before Christmas, he may end up with a new sled before then, but we got rid of all of our before we moved to Florida.  We left one in PA at Grammy's and the other headed to North Carolina with Nanny & Pappy.

Riley understands that he will not receive everything on his list.  He knows that Santa won't bring him everything he wants, but will try to bring him some of what he wants if he's a good boy.

Both kids are getting their own stuffed chair from Pottery Barn from my parents for their playroom.  We want to have a little reading corner for them and they are going to love them.  They were on sale last month so we snatched them up while we could.

Kendall's list is much shorter.  The kid lacks for nothing.  She's got all of Riley's hand me down toys and plenty of clothes to last through the winter.  Right now she's been very interested in books, animals aka ga-ga's, Elmo, her baby doll and dress up.  She loves to look into the mirror we have in our bedroom!  I have it propped up against the wall so she has a full length view of herself.  You should see how dirty it is from her touching it!  Here are some ideas of things she might enjoy:

Any board books with pictures of animals in it would be a great hit!  Ikea has some cute yet inexpensive play kitchen accessories that we could add to our kitchen once we get it out of storage.

Santa will most likely bring the following for Sissy:

 

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn: Learning Puppy

Elmo Live Encore!

Melissa & Doug Pretty Purse Fill & Spill

Any type of dress up accessories that she can't choke on - she still puts  A LOT of stuff into her mouth.  Any type of safe jewelry or brushes, etc. she'd love to play with...she's forever going after my stuff.

Family members have been asking for this info so I hope this gives some of you (and Santa) some ideas for the Chunko children for Christmas.  Boy Santa is going to be busy this year...Thank goodness our "Elf On The Shelf" will be making an appearance the Friday after Turkey Day!

A Girl After Her Pappy's Heart

We went out to eat on Sunday afternoon.  Riley choose to go to Texas Roadhouse because he and Dad are "meat eaters" and they like the steak there.  We decided to splurge and try a Baby Blossom which is their smaller version of Outback's Bloomin' Onion.  We assumed Riley would try it and like it, but no such luck.  To our surprise, Kendall LOVED it!  She kept going back for more.  


Her Pappy Hershock is a fan of onion rings so he will be thrilled to know that he will have a buddy to eat them with him!  


Here's the proof:

Expensive Lesson Learned

Today we went out to lunch as a family.  After stuffing ourselves like pigs, we headed over to the mall to walk it off.  While we were there I stepped into the Hallmark store to ask if they carried last year's popular "Elf on a Shelf."  Meanwhile Riley decided to pick up a snow globe and bobbled it.  It came crashing down to the ground and the next thing we know there's glass, water, and glitter all over the floor!

Well, he learned a $30 lesson today!  Can you believe someone would spend that much on a Christmas snow globe?  Well, we did.  Riley got embarrassed, and felt bad about it, which is good because he learned that you don't touch in stores like that.  We came up with a plan for him to earn back the money that it cost for the snow globe.  He's going to help around the house (there isn't a whole lot more he can do - he already makes his bed, puts laundry away, clears his dishes, cleans up the toys in his room, feeds the dog, etc.) but now he's going to help Daddy take out the trash, fold laundry, etc.  Each task is going to be worth a dollar, so he has to help with 30 extra tasks.

He immediately asked his dad if they could take out the trash tonight!  I hope this helps him to learn to keep his hands in his pockets while we're in stores with breakables!

What Is It With Me and Tires?

I seem to have an issue with tires on our vehicles...When we lived in Jax, I lost count of the number of tires that needed plug because of all the nails I ran over while they were building houses in our development - that was a result of sloppy sub contractors who NEVER cleaned up after themselves, not of my poor driving.

Right before Andy drove the truck to Utah from Florida, I took it in for an oil change, etc. and came to find out we needed to replace the front two tires because there were nails in the outer portion of the tire - not where they could plug it!  Tires for the Tundra are EXPENSIVE!

Well, many of you know, I just got a new car a little over a month ago.  They are building our new home and I drive over there almost daily.  I've been trying to be careful to not drive where they could have dropped nails, etc.  Well, Friday night, on my way out with some women from my MOMS Club, I noticed the tire pressure in one of my back tires was about half of where it should be...and not because I'm terribly observant to my tires, but because the sensor came on and told me that was the problem!  So I just kept an eye on it while I drove to my MNO and the next day I had Andy look at it.  It had dropped from 16 to 8 overnight!  YIKES!  It's supposed to be around 32!

I had Andy take it back to Acura yesterday afternoon and they discovered that there was a tiny piece of metal that had pierced through the tire.  NOT something I could have run over while checking on progress of the new house!  Whew!

The Acura dealer where we bought our MDX is awesome!  The whole sales gang came out to greet Andy and they took it back immediately without any appt.  If anyone is looking for a new car, I highly recommend checking out Mike Hale Acura in the Salt Lake City area.  We were blessed with great service for our Toyotas at Arlington Toyota in Jax, but that's because Andy worked with the girlfriend of the service manager.  We never paid full price for any service so we were bracing for the worst with dealer service.  Not so with Acura.  I get free oil changes for life, free loaner car if necessary, and couldn't ask for nicer people to do business with.

So, my tire got plugged and we're ready to head out for our next adventure!  I can't believe how many miles we've put on that car already!

She's Growing Up So Fast!

Some of you know I joined the MOMS Club in the town where I live - all the members have the same zip code as me.  Kind of cool, huh?  Well, today was our first playgroup play date.  We met some other moms and their kids at Bouncin' Off The Walls.  Its a smaller version of Pump It Up in Jax.  

K was a little tentative at first.  She was the youngest by about 6 months, but you'd never know it.  Once she warmed up to the environment, she was good to go.  They had a big slide there - you know the inflatable kind - and that was her favorite thing to do.  She kept signing "more" and "please" after we'd get down.  She even got brave enough to slide down it by herself.  She did that about 5 or 6 times!  I'd follow her and scoop her up at the bottom and she'd be giggling and smiling!  She had a great time.  

I'm really glad that I went.  The other moms were incredibly nice and they had girls as well which is great for K to have some new girlfriends.

We broke down and finally joined a "gym" out here.  This place is incredible.  They put a bubble over the outdoor pool for winter usage.  Spa - haven't tried that yet, but I'd have child care so I may need to take advantage of that!  There's a cafe where you can order food for the pool in the summer or to go after your work out, lots of classes and kids programs as well.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays they offer an Aqua Babies class.  It's half water aerobics and half baby swim lesson/water safety, etc.  K decided to literally "voice" her independence during the class yesterday.  She's capable of all that we did, she just wanted to (loudly) express that she didn't want to do it.  And of course, she echoed all over the pool area.  I'm surprised I'm not deaf from her screaming in my ear.  The other moms assured me their kids started out the same way and since she's the youngest, I'll have to take their word for it.  We have to skip tomorrow's class because we have MOPS, but we plan to try it again next Tuesday.  If nothing else, it exhausted her.  

Find a New Pediatrician - Stat!

Moving to a new place is always full of challenges.  Finding a place to live, a new church, school, and doctors.  When Riley started school, his school nurse told me he'd need his Hep A shot booster in November so I figured I had until then to find us a new doctor.  Well, it's November and we finally found a new pediatrician for the kids.  I researched the internet for doctors in the town where we live and found a fantastic office nearby.

Sissy was due for her 15 mth. check up so we scheduled both kids on the same day.  We talked to the doc about Sis's lack of vocabulary.  She understands EVERYTHING, but doesn't say a whole lot....well, let me clarify  that, she says a lot, but we don't typically understand much of it.  With Riley being a delayed talker due to the excess amount of fluid in his ears resulting in tubes, we're a little more sensitive to the matter.  (I know some of you probably don't believe me that Riley didn't talk from the moment he was pulled out of the womb, but it's true.  The kid just hasn't stopped talking since he got tubes in his ears!)  Sis says "Da Da" and "ball" as well as "gaw gaw" for animals or "gog" for dog.  But since she signs for milk, more, please, all done and eat, the doc wasn't concerned one bit.  I just needed to be reassured that she wasn't too far delayed.  Doc said that signing counted as her words for now so all is good.

K weighed in a whopping 20 lbs. 9 oz at 15 months!  The Chunko children are born skinny and seem to stay that way.  She's in the 10-25th percentile for weight but in the 90th percentile for height.  Maybe she'll be built like her dad?  She already has his long torso.

I don't know how she knows, but as soon as the nurse comes in with her tray of shots, K freaks out!  The past two times she's been a mess.  She knows exactly what's going on.  I had to hold her pretty tight because she was trying to squirm her way out of getting stuck.  Thank goodness Andy didn't have to do it, he can't stand watching anyone getting shots.  What a wimp!

Riley was prepped for his booster shot but come to find out that he was 7 days early!  So now we're headed back on Friday for a well check for him as well as his shot.  Poor kid!  He's dreading his shot!  Momma better have something special planned for the rest of the afternoon, huh?

Ahoy Me Hearty! It's Time to Be Makin' Me Some Whoopie Pies!

Riley wanted me to make him an apron to use when we bake together.  We were at Robert's which is a craft store out here similar to Michael's (but with a HUGE scrapbooking section), and found these kid-sized aprons for a few bucks.  I couldn't make it for that price - by the time I bought the material and spent the time to sew it, it didn't make any sense.  So I splurged on the apron and then we decided to paint the skull and cross bones on it to give it a "manly" feel.  Once I took the picture of him helping me make whoopie pies on Sunday, I realized that it resembles the poison symbol!  I hope this isn't the reason the whoopie pies didn't turn out!  Here I was blaming the altitude!

The whoopie pies got flat instead of nice and fluffy like they do when baked at sea level.  I even reduced their baking time and temperature.  They taste alright, just don't look as nice.  Poor Riley...He wanted to make them all weekend.  Saturday we didn't have the instant coffee we needed so we settled for chocolate cupcakes with caramel icing instead.  On Sunday at church their verse was Ecc. 4:9 "Two people are better than one.  They can help each other in everything they do."  They were supposed to draw a picture of themselves helping someone else do something...so guess what Riley drew?  A picture of him helping mom make whoopie pies!  Needless to say, I stopped by the grocery store after church and picked up the last ingredient and we finally baked whoopie pies together.  He doesn't care if they don't look quite the same, he enjoys them regardless!

Happy Birthday Noodle!

So my new favorite craft is stenciling shirts...It's amazingly simple to do.  I made a Mickey and Minnie shirt for each of the kids with the intention of visiting Disney, but that trip to Jax and Disney got canned.  Our dear friend Nick, who lives in Florida, had his 3rd birthday this week and we were bummed that we had to miss it.  The plan was to take his present with us and hand deliver it, but no such luck.

Nick LOVES pirates - that may be an understatement.  He lives and breathes pirates.  When there was a baby alligator in the pond behind his house, he spent the days looking out the back window saying "tick tock" the entire time!  Any time I would babysit Nick, he'd always ask if I could put Kendall to bed so he and I could play with Riley's Lego Pirate set!

So in honor of Nick's love for all things pirate, I made him a Capt. Hook shirt for his birthday.  I think Riley is a little jealous because I made a pirate shirt for Nick, but he'll get over it when he sees all the shirts I have planned for him!

I bought each kid a red long sleeve shirt and plan to stencil snow flakes on it for Christmas!  Can't wait to see how they turn out!  This is so much fun and a cheaper way to give my kids one of a kind shirts!

Sibling Love is the BEST!

Two days ago Riley had a melt down because I denied him his halloween candy dessert after lunch because he intentionally stepped on a toy of his sisters that she was trying to pick up.  We discussed what "on purpose" vs. "accident" meant and I'm not sure if he really grasped the point, but regardless his consequence was no candy after lunch.  The tears started and the cry fest began.  Poor Sissy didn't know what to make of all of it, but somehow she knew he was upset and needed some lovin'.  Her solution was to kiss him, hug him and pat his head to make him feel better.  It was one of my favorite moments as a mom.  To see her show him compassion at such a young age warmed my heart.  

Both of my kids are so sweet on each other.  They are each other's best friend.  I think Kendall is the reason Riley did so well with this move west.  He has a constant playmate.  The best part is that they both love to play with each other's toys!

This picture was taken yesterday of my two lovin' on each other again.  K is really into books right now and R is doing a great job of reading so she picked up one of her favorite books (Itsy Bitsy Spider) and sat in his lap and he read it to her!  

I have to keep these images in my head for those days where they are getting on each others' nerves as well as my own!  It's these moments that I need to cherish because siblings will argue and fight over the years, but in the end, they love each other and I hope they will remain the best of friends.

Cancelled Mini-Vacation...

So Andy has a trip for work schedule for Jacksonville in 2 weeks.  Little did he know that his business trip was going to double as a mini family vacation!  How could we turn up such an opportunity?

Well, Andy calls me this morning to let me know that he'd been on the phone with Southwest Airlines and they will not allow us to use our Rapids Rewards points to fly with Andy on his trip because they are overbooked for Thanksgiving the following week.  If we were to purchase 2 roundtrip tickets, it would cost us $1300!  Ouch!  So, now, our trip is cancelled.

I am SOOOO bummed.  I was looking forward to hanging out with my girlfriends, eating at Angies and sucking down as much sweet tea as I could in a few days as well as getting a quick trip in to Disney.  I even had made the kids matching Mickey and Minnie tee shirts to wear at Disney.  At the rate my kids are growing, they won't fit by the time we get back to visit after the New Year.

I guess there is no point in waiting to get my Utah license now...We were planning to get a Florida resident discount at Disney.  Oh well, we'll end up paying full price but at least we can plan it around another trip to Jax for work and use free flights...

Sorry to all my Jax friends.  I miss you all so very much!  We'll try again after the holidays!

Here are the adorable shirts I made the kids...

Utah's Version of Central Park

Today was so beautiful that the thought of staying inside seemed criminal.  So after some research online, we decided to check out a new park.  So far I haven't found the "it" park.  In Jax, it was Sunshine Park in Jax Beach and in Lancaster, it was a toss up between West Earl Park in Talmage and Long's Park.  All three have AWESOME playgrounds for the munchkins.

Liberty Park has a water feature for the warm months and an all-ability playground which means K and R can both enjoy the same area.  There was a dried up pond where the ducks and geese were trying to hang out in the small puddles.  In the spring time this might be a fun place to go and feed the ducks.  There is also a paved bike/jogging path around the entire park.  It's a big park - I wonder how many laps is a mile...could easily be just one lap.

Here are some pics of our fun day.

K loves attempting to climb things...She's a real monkey!

Brother is such a good helper!  He asked if he could push her in the swing...just needs a reminder to push gently from time to time!

I'd like to think she's counting in this one, but that's probably just luck!

We found a pile of leaves to jump in!

This is how K spends most of her time at the parks...walking around and making Momma nervous that she'll wonder off and I won't see where she went!