My second go

Thanks for the comments! I was kind of encouraged by my first attempt so tried to get a little more expressive and creative. I used this photo (which I love!):

I wanted to capture the laughter and the whole sisterly moment. I first did this and really enjoyed doing it and was really pleased with the result:

Then I decided I needed to at least add the pillow to give some explanation of the way the girls' bodies were leaning back, and to try and make them pop more. Do you like it better before the pillow or after? Not that I could change it - it's watercolor, it's not going anywhere.
By the way, the photos of the painting is taken in horribly nasty yellow light. So it is just on stark white watercolor paper, without the sepia tone. Any suggestions? I kind of feel like it needed the pillow but I don't quite feel like I did the pillow how I should have. I don't know how to explain - just that I'm afraid that the pillow, with the way I did it, takes away from the girls when I meant it to emphasize them. Should I submit this one for the contest? Does it need something changed? Que piensan?

Help! Please give constructive criticism!

So for a long time I've wanted to paint stuff that's actually important to me - like my girls, or babies, or moms with young kids. While I've enjoyed painting Italian scenes, I'm not making a lot of trips to Italy these days. I thought I should try a little closer to home. My life. So this is my first brave effort. I've never painted people before. What do you think? I think there might be something wrong with the tilt of her left eye. Please, please comment and tell me what you think. Specifics or generally. This is so far out of my comfort zone, and I could really use some input. I tried to be looser (less detailed, less like a photo, more artistic). Did it work? Does the whole unfinished/fade away look work? Meri did recognize herself by the way, so even though my little hairless beauty is dressed all in blue, she knew she was a girl. I actually have a competition I'm trying to enter - due by Feb 1st. Kinda running out of time. I don't think this is probably good enough to use but should I try another like it or give up and go back to what I usually do. I did have a lot more fun painting this though. Anyway, what do you think? And I won't be offended if you think it's very poor, it would actually help to know. Thanks!

Totally cute and cuddly girls

(Some fun masks the girls made at free craft Saturday at Lakeshore Learning. Although Meri was not cooperating putting on her mask, check out that look she gave the camera!)


And then for fun, some things that have been said around these parts lately:

I had a nasty headache last night and was lying down. Jell came in and asked if I wanted the light on. I said "no thanks" and explained that my head hurt really bad and I'd prefer the light off. She went into her room and came out a few minutes later. She said, "Mom, I asked in a prayer and Jesus said that he can make your head feel all better." I almost felt guilty not jumping right up out of bed then and there.

"Hey Jell, look - people dancing on tv."
"Oh my gosh. How magical (said with dramatic emphasis on each quiet little word)!"

In the car we listen to the princess CD the girls got for Hanukkah. All the time. And whenever I try to sing to the Beauty and the Beast songs, Jell tells me, "No Mama, that is my part. You sing the teaspoons and cups part." When I sing with the Aladdin parts, I hear, "No Mama, you sing the queen's part." For the Cinderella at the ball song, I'm told, "Mama, you are the birds and the mice part." In case you are not familiar with any of those songs, I would like to point out for you that there is something that all the parts she assigns me have in common: none of them have singing parts! There isn't even a queen in Aladdin. I don't think she likes my singing voice.

Jell just held up a tangelo (orange thing that looks like it has a growth where it's belly button is) and said, "Look Mama, it has a friend!"

Cute and cuddly? Not a chance.

We used to like squirrels. It's funny to watch them chase each other around in the trees. The used to tease my parents' dog, Rook, by getting her to chase them and then they'd run up the backside of a tree. She'd keep right on running. Clever. My girls liked to watch them out our sliding back door. When we were setting up my parents' backyard for our wedding reception, a couple of comically irate squirrels sat high above us chattering angrily in our direction. Ah, the memories. And slightly related, I've even thought some of the mice at the pet store were cute - being properly caged and all, and entertaining my children who were delighted to see them.
I take it all back.
A couple of weeks ago we thought somebody was trying to break into our house, or was at the very least scratching the wall outside our bedroom for fun, until we came to the conclusion that we have little critter friends in our attic. Lovely. Then we found evidence of their unwanted existence in our garage. So we cleaned it. The evidence was conclusive. Squirrels.
Our washer and dryer are in the garage - so I often left loads of laundry out there to be cleaned. The little demons have chewed through large bathroom towels, and two rather nice, large blankets. They also chewed through a couple pairs of leather shoes. Good times. They chewed up the handles and zipper of our nicest luggage bag. They got into food we were storing on shelves - ramen noodles and such. They ate up seeds for our garden and found a bag of bird seed we'd used for bird feeders. They gnawed on the wood of our baby crib. And there is so unfortunately more. Cooper just got down from the attic where he was trying to discover where the invaders had got in. I did not go with him. I am a wuss and it is dark and creepy up there - with or without woodland critters. He found baby clothes (newborn to just smaller than Meri), burp cloths and bibs strewn all over the place. And more disturbing - they were shredded into tiny pieces. Baby bottles with all the nipples ripped up. Breast pump and tubing destroyed. Baby car seat nibbled on. Baby walker chewed on. Tunnels made through the fiberglass, with baby onesies hidden deep down in the mazes.
I'm so mad. Does anybody have a stuffed voodoo squirrel doll that I could take it out on? Although, Coop did find one tiny dead mouse up there too, so I mustn't place all the blame on the squirrels. Regardless, I am done with them all. So this I write to the unwelcome inhabitants of my garage and attic - I will never again waste one second admiring your agility in the air as you jump between the branches. And I don't care how many times you run on that stupid wheel at Petsmart - you are most certainly not nor ever will be cute. And you are SO not allowed anywhere near my house again. Ever. Your time is up. Ye squirrels and mice, be warned. It is so on.

Meri where are you?

Every girl's gotta try to be like mommy right? I'd just like to know why she spent more time painting a goatee than enhancing her eyes. And I'd like a lock. For everything Meri might possibly consider getting into. Yeah, I know - Good luck with that.

Christmas continued

Okay, now that stores are full of Happy Valentine's Day hearts, I'll finish our Christmas pictures! I must be getting old, cause time is going way, way too fast.

The only thing Jell wanted for Christmas was pink, sparkly shoes. She was so happy, and has worn them every single day since (even to church with her red Christmas dress - man that clashed!)
An almost good family photo! We have a lot of extended family to see on Christmas, but we insist on starting off the day just us. We try and begin it quietly and calmly, and let it go from there.
Sometime late morning we headed over to my parents' house, where my siblings were just waking up (11:30ish ... ahhhh, do you remember those days?). So we were just in time to do the traditional coming down the stairs to see what Santa's brought.
I laughed so hard when this was bought for Meri (thanks Nana and Bopa!). This is by far the tiniest bike I've ever seen in my life. You have to remember that Meri is a pipsqueak to get an idea of how small this little thing really is. She loves it of course! Although she is still figuring out the whole pedal concept.
Then we visited my Grandma and Grandpa Smith and had a fun time with them. Although apparently it would be asking too much to weasel a smile out of the girls for posterity's sake.
And then to Grammy and Papa's where cousins were excited to see us and eager to help open the remaining presents. This is Grammy and Papa very patiently trying to explain to a 5 year-old and two 3 year-olds how to play Junior Sequence.
We had a very enjoyable dinner with them and by the end of the day were naturally very tired. But we are very grateful to have so much family near - the girls feel so loved and we are thrilled to see them enjoy such close relationships with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins! And so one last Merry Christmas ... which means it probably really is time for me to take down the remaining decorations. Sigh. I just like them a lot and it's always a bit sad to have the season over. Till next year then!

And finally, some pictures!

I think I've recovered enough from Christmas to actually get around to posting some pictures! I like pictures. We took about a million so I'll try to just post some of the best ones.

Personally, I think my parents should've used this picture of their kids for their Christmas card. Nice.
No hills by our house, so daddy and mommy took turns pulling the two up and down the street. Good work-out!
Remember our family's snowmen? Well they melted for a couple of days into featureless pillars. Then it snowed a foot and a half or so. Jell loved it but Meri sure had trouble walking through it!
The annual gingerbread house making! Aunt Pattie lent a hand to Jell.
And Ninnie let Meri loose with the candy. This thing ended up having more candy on it than laws of you know, balance and gravity make possible.
The much acclaimed Christmas puppet show. Meri was very impressed. I'm not so sure about anyone else in the room, but I love that it puts some focus on baby Jesus! Although we did notice a few minutes into the show that there was no baby Jesus puppet - so we ran and stole one from a nativity set in the other room. It works.
Uncle Jim likes to "eat" the girls' feet. They like to pretend to be horrified, and squeal. In an unbelievably high pitch.
Happy sisters in new Christmas Eve jammies.
Christmas morning with my blue-eyed friends!
Ok, so I shall finish later. It takes more time than I anticipated - weeding through all the pictures and all. Hopefully I'll finish before spring.

With kids like these who needs a tv?

Tonight, we were entertained with:

"Hey look Mom, I can't sniff" (I looked, and she had a finger lodged up each nostril)! I yanked them out, trying not to laugh, and she said all matter-of-fact, "Oh, now I can sniff."

and "Hey look Mom, this can be our driver and honker!" Any ideas what she had created for pretend play? Correct. A steering wheel and horn.

Yesterday when Coop got back from filling in at work for a couple of hours, Jell danced around the room with her hands pumping over her head chanting, "No work! No work! No work!" like an enthusiastic picketer. I think she likes her daddy. This of course got Meri going, who jumped around the room yelling, "wahoo!" She was glad to see her daddy too, but mostly I think likes chaos and adding to it.

And the other night Coop laughed when he heard, "Meredith Adele Whitman, if I see you take another bite out of that candle, so help me ..." This from the child who will hardly eats anything I put on her plate. I don't know, maybe I should try covering it in wax first, although that's bound to mask some of the nutrients.

On a daily, no, at least hourly basis, we hear and see this (in the car it's a non-stop Disney wonderland):



I'd say she has a little flair for the dramatic. However, whenever we try to teach her the true lyrics, she asks me to stop singing because she can't hear when I sing, and tells Cooper he is only to sing the prince's part, not Jasmine's. Oh, and if anyone is still wondering why Meri is just now beginning to talk, take note of what happened when I asked Meri to sing popcorn popping.

Thank You for Christmas!

This Christmas season I'm grateful for a lot of things:

1. Snow. What fun to have a white Christmas!!
2. Rain that melts the snow and finally makes the roads drive-able again. Hooray for being able to leave the house!
3. Electricity. I am SO grateful to be warm!! Hot chocolate only goes so far.
4. Christmas trees. They're so magical, even if ours did die a week before Christmas.
5. Family traditions. It wouldn't be Christmas without them - gingerbread house decorating (Meri just took handfuls of candy and chucked it at her house), the annual Nativity puppet show (this year, none of the puppets' heads even fell off!), watching the Nativity movie with my girlies, and warm fuzzy Christmas pajamas.
6. Getting to finally go to church again (after two weeks being canceled due to snow) and teach our primary class. Always full of surprises.
7. The innocence of children. The fact that they were as thrilled with the box of cereal we could give them as they were with the wonderful, much bigger presents grandparents gave them.
8. A little break from school. Hooray for daddy being home and not having homework!
9. Christmas carols. Although I am quite sick of hearing Jingle Bell Rock, and the other two songs they play nonstop on 103.3, I love Christmas songs! That and Muppet's Christmas Carol are necessary for it to feel like Christmas!
10. The real reason for Christmas. Oh how I hope we can find a way to keep that from being overshadowed with gifts and all. Our testimonies of our Savior are the most valuable thing we can give our girls - I hope they can receive it as such as they grow!

Pretend this just arrived in your mailbox:

Merry Christmas to all...

and to all a good night!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Can you believe all this snow? This is incredible! I'm not sure there is much that is more beautiful than watching big flakes come down and cover tree branches and all. Gorgeous! Or anything as wonderful as hot chocolate to warm you up! I gotta say, snow was lots of fun back when we were kids, and now that we have kids we get to relive the magic! Here are some pictures of our week:

Turns out that this year, Jell LOVES sledding! In fact, since the first day it snowed was Sunday and all (church was canceled of course - Oregon doesn't invest in snow plows and won't injure the environment with nasty salt), we reverently walked to the temple and sled down the hilly streets there.

Our first efforts of building a snowman this year:

Nice nose:

Meri's not too sure about this. Then again, I'm not sure she can see what's going on:

When snow doesn't pack well (the first snow storm dropped about 3 inches of really cold, dry, powdery snow), you improvise and make snow castles instead:

However, after much determination on Jell's part, and much effort on Mama's part, we did make a rather lovely snow lady (all of about 1 foot tall. max).

And while I was searching through our grown-over garden for eyes, noses, and mouths, I pulled this monstrosity of a carrot out of the ground. We kinda forgot about it:

We may, however, have spent too much time out in the snow - especially after getting another storm today that dropped perfect packing snow. But we were still happy, and for once, managed to get a complete family photo with everybody smiling and looking at the camera:

In case we're too covered with snow for you to tell who's who, here some close-ups. Naturally, this pig-tailed girl is Jelly:

This one, of course, is Meri:

This goofy grin belongs to Mama (who is sporting some creepy different colored eyes):

And this sweet comb-over dude is our no. 1 Dad who looks to be doing jumping jacks while holding hands with mom (and by the way, Jell said with wide-eyed wonder about this guy, "That is the tallest snowman ever I see'd):

But at some point we do have to come in and shake off the snow. Meri has mastered the art of warming up with the discovery that warm air blows out of the vents. So whenever she's cold, she gathers all her valuables and hogs the airflow. I hear linoleum is rather comfortable these days.

"No Mama, they're not too small!"

"But they are my favorite!"

Lots of Sisterly Love

Happy Birthday!

After some failed attempts at adding pics of you from way back when, I give up, and settle with these that show part of our journey - from Mr. Happily- Engaged to the wonderful daddy of two adoring little girls. We love you so much hon! This last semester has been tough with you so busy with school and work and we're so proud of you but it sure taught us what we already knew - we can't live without you! You are so sorely missed when you are gone, and you make everything better when you are here. I'm so grateful to have you. You keep me sane. You keep me happy. You keep me smiling. You make me want to stay up late just to get to spend time with you, even when I've been exhaustified all day. You make me feel like I can do anything. I'm eternally grateful that you had the foresight to see, or at least sense, the things we'll see. Happy Birthday love! (Oh, and as a birthday present, I've let you snore the whole time I've been typing this. As another present, I will now join you, at which time, birthday or not, you will have to stop. Love you!)

Mt. Hood Polar Express

A big belated thank you to Nana and Bopa for bringing the four of us on the Mt. Hood Polar Express! That was such a fun Christmas experience - so magical for the girls. We rode the Mt. Hood express (an old train, rather slow actually, quite unworthy of the name express which, in my mind, denotes speed) from Hood River, OR up to the North Pole, which we accomplished in only 45 minutes! Magical indeed. On the way up, we were treated to hot chocolate and a cookie (Meri's first hot chocolate - no doubt she likes it, actually it appeared like catnip to her). A crazy conductor took our tickets (He told Jell if she didn't have a ticket he'd throw her off. The poor dear hugged her ticket to her the rest of the night. When she lost it after a bathroom break, she got a little frantic) Then the story was read over the speaker while our servers walked up and down showing the pictures. When we arrived at the North Pole, Santa's little village was all decked out in Christmas lights, he and Mrs. Claus were waving, and there were elves running frantically all over. They all boarded the train, and the elves got to know the kids and led us in Christmas carols. Santa took the time to talk with each child, pose for pictures, and then gave each child their own bell. Isn't that delightful? Just makes me smile. Meri actually sat on Santa's lap ... for a few minutes (Coop remembers it being a few seconds) before she burst into tears. Jell refused, but waved politely, and talked to him from the safety of Daddy's lap. She was sure to tell him that she wants "pink, sparkly shoes for Christmas" (She came up with that on her own, by the way). It was so fun to see the girls' eyes light up when they saw the lights, Santa, or the elves. Just riding the train was tons of fun. So thanks again Nana and Bopa! We loved it!
P.S. sadly, most of the pics are quite iffy. Bopa may have struggled with the whole flash thingy. Oh and don't even ask what kind of a hat Jell is wearing. She insisted on wearing it because "Santa would think it is soooo funny." I think she looks like Little Miss Muffet.

Today's Top 10 (in no particular order)

1. Do you know the real lyrics to the Little Einsteins' Theme song? Jell's version goes, "Let's hear a big cheer for the otters of the day! Rolly balls! And a puppet and the beautiful eunuchs we play! Rolly balls! Rolly balls! Hurray!
2. On a similar, inappropriate note, we had Gnocchi the other night. To convince the girls to eat it we called them noodle balls. "Noodle" is apparently difficult to say. It came out Nuder balls, or Nueter balls - take your pick on the spelling.
3. When she heard "Angels We Have Heard On High," on the radio, Jell yelled, "Hey mom! She knows your song!"
4. When Jell finished her prayer last night, Meri yelled "Hey!" and pointed emphatically at Jell. Then she said, "Me," and pointed at herself. I asked if she had wanted to pray. She shook her head. Coop asked if she was upset Jell hadn't prayed for her and she nodded and confirmed, "Yeah!" So apparently she was offended at being left out!
5. Coop just caught Jell in a precarious position, gave her a look (with eyebrows raised), but before he could say anything, she said, "This IS a good idea!"
6. More Coop and Jell: He was struggling to get her clothes on her, and asked, "Are we just inept this morning or are you making this difficult on purpose?" She replied very matter-of-factly, "We're just inept this morning."
7. Meri likes to sing her own little happy song in the car. Whenever I chimed in, she'd shake her finger at me, say "no" firmly, then put her finger to her lips and shush me. Then she'd sing again. Ouch.
8. "Thanksgiving" was a confusing concept to Jell. The day of, she pointed excitedly to a folding table that had been set up and asked, "Is that Thanksgiving?" Later she asked the same about a pitcher of juice. And a stack of cups. And my brother. Whether she gets it or not though, she loves pumpkin pie!
9. Meri has taken to pointing at all men in books and calling them "Dada," and all women are, of course, "Mama." Today she even pointed at the life guard (short, teenage guy with black hair) and insisted, "Dada!" Less flatteringly, she pointed at the evil sea witch, Ursula, and said, "Mama!" Ouch again.
10. Coop often asks Meri, "Who does daddy love?" She used to excitedly say "Me!" Now, however, she first says, "umm, Mama!" Then, when Coop asks for others, she says "umm, Nell!" After further prodding, she kind of looks around the room mumbling, and finally, sheepishly, points to herself and says, "Me."