We finally made it up Provo Canyon this winter! I went to Savers and got Olivia and Brooklyn winter clothes ( and I got boots) for under $30!! And the snow coat and pants actually match! We have decided to do two things as of late. First, we are going "Gazelle Intense," as Dave Ramsey says, to get out of debt by August of 2012, excluding our mortgage. We 're pretty excited because we can see the end goal - it doesn't seem so far away! We also are going to take turns planning family outings and dates. One of us plans the dates and finds a babysitter for the whole month. The other plans a family outing once a week for the month. This is our first planned outing, we went sledding and it was so fun!
Almost the whole time, Livvy had this quiet high pitched squeal as we pulled her across the ice and snow. 
So we were going to go snowshoeing with our new shoes from Christmas, but we did this through a BYU wellness program, which supplied the shoes. We got here and found out we had to register online to get the snowshoes...oops. Oh well, we just walked along the well worn trails. Next time:)
Brooky had a fabulous time, she was so into it.
So who coined the phrase "Terrible Twos?" I know we have just entered that stage of life, and Olivia definitely is strong willed and has her moments, but it has been absolutely fantastic. Just watching her learn and become more independent and see her personality developing is so amazing. I think if we think "terrible twos" it will be terrible. If we think "terrific twos" it will be terrific. I've been reading materials from "Parenting with Love and Logic," and they say if a child tests the limits it means their healthy and intelligent. So when they test us, it's normal and good! It's all about how we respond. They say the most important thing is being consistent and using empathy! When we follow their ideas it almost always goes well. So I recommend to anyone with kids to read Love and logic. If you go to www.loveandlogic.com you can also sign up for a free weekly email on various topics. It's great.
Birthday breakfast for Olivia! Breakfast is my favorite meal, I love it! So we had a little picnic downstairs. It was fun.
Last night, we spent FOREVER putting together this lovely little nursery. There were a billion little plastic pieces that didn't quite fit together. Thanks to the skills of Mom and Rob, it was complete for Livvy the next day. It felt a lot like Christmas Eve:) So worth it, she loved it. She has really gotten into taking care of her babies since Brooklyn joined us. I tell her she's a great little mommy!
Livvy had such a fun day. She had so many presents, I wanted to keep a few and give them to her throughout the year! Thanks Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents!
Grandma Martinsen got us matching aprons!! They are so cute and Grandma and Grandpa Monson gave her cookies. She's going to be a real chef! She'll have so much fun with her kitchen with these additional accessories:)
Okay, so this is Skor cake. You make a chocolate cake and let it cool. Then poke holes all over it with a fork. Mix a can of sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping together. Then pour it over the cake and it sinks into the cake. Make homemade whip cream and put it on top. Crush up Skor bars and sprinkle over whip cream. Oh....soooooo good. I think I gained several pounds throughout the week because of course I'm the one that is home as it stares at me, beckoning me to take just one more bite!
Olivia loves to help me make dinner and she loves her new apron. Here's an action shot.
On January 2nd, 2011, Brooklyn received a beautiful blessing by Rob. One thing that was said was that our Heavenly Father has watched over and guided her for milennia to get to this point. What an amazing thought - that before we came here, we lived with Him and was taught by Him. That He knew, and knows, us so well. Brooklyn is a very special spirit. She is very content and happy.We feel so incredibly blessed to have her in our home.
She was also counseled to look to her sister Olivia, that she would be a good example to her. "Be best friends and you will learn much together." I can already see that they will be great friends. Brooklyn looks at Olivia and smiles and Livvy loves it. Yes, Livvy also scares her at times too:) We look forward to seeing them grow up together.
Okay we had about 4 cameras going at once and every one of our pictures are like this - not to mention by this time, Livvy had had it with pictures and Brooky was starving! So this is the family picture:)
We are so grateful that Mom and Dad Martinsen were able to break away from their crazy schedules to be here with us. It made us wish even more that we were closer to them. They are terrific examples to our kids and so much fun! (Thanks Mom for another gorgeous blessing dress)!
Mom and Dad Monson were also here - they have been here in Utah for a couple of months and have decided to move here (to Birdseye, 40 minutes south of Provo), since 4 of their kids and all of their grandkids live down here. We are so excited to have them here, though it will be hard to get used to not having our Canadian home:( The benefits of having them closer far outweigh being able to go home to Canada once a year.
