I've got to get this out

Okay so before I forget, I need to type it out!

Audrey- AHHH she is so funny. I was sitting by the bathroom door during bathtime so obviously I can keep an eye on the girls but they didn't really know I was there. Audrey stands up and announces loud and clear, "Everyone must stand up for the meeting! It is about to start!" then whispering to Peyton "Peyton, hurry up and stand!" Peyton, trying not to slip on her face into the water stands and Audrey says "Okay the meeting is over you may sit down." Paul and I were just looking at eachother cracking up. Audrey did this for 20 minutes over and over and finally Peyton yells at Audrey with the best pronunciation, "No thank you, Audrey!!!" Peyton is not one to be told what to do, that's for sure.

So onto potty training news. Peyton was pooping on the potty for over a week and all of a sudden stopped. I'm not sure why but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it so she wouldn't be put off. Then all of a sudden she has started again and is doing really well. Today I dropped Audrey off at preschool and my friend Amy was telling me about how much she loves the new potty training pants she got for her youngest. I didn't think Peyton was close to peeing regularly on the potty. I was wrong! After we left and went to a playdate she asked to go on the potty. She went. Then when we got home, she went again. Then before naptime she went again. So far all morning she has had a dry diaper! So, I'm not getting my hopes up but....woohoo!

Oh yeah another thing I need to type out! Before dinner Paul was sitting at the table coloring with the girls. He starts chuckling and tells Audrey to describe her picture to me. She said,"Here is Daddy and his airplane. Here I am playing with Peyton and here is Mommy in her kitchen, that's where mommies stay." I could have smacked Paul for that one! So according to Audrey a mom's duties include: cooking, cleaning, jogging and studying for school. Yes, she tells me this often. Also, as of right now her career goals include: ballerina, mommy, princess, gardener, and chef. She also states that she will have a huge house and lots of lollipops. But they have too much sugar.

I started this post last Thursday and didn't get a chance to finish. So today, 8/22/2011 I will try to post it!

Tehachapi's annual Mountain Festival was taking place over the weekend so of course we had to take the girls to the carnival. Keep in mind, Paul HATES carnivals. They seriously make him jittery and unhappy. He says he doesn't like the sketchy rides, the sketchy people...pretty much he hates everything about it. However, being the awesome dad that he is, he sucked it up and came with us. Boy am I glad that he did. If you ever need someone to negotiate anything for you, he's your guy. Each ride clearly states how many tickets it takes to ride the ride well Paul doesn't agree with them. So a ride that is 4 tickets per person (keep in mind its about $1 per ticket=expensive) and all four of us would be in line. Well Paul would hand them 7 or 8 or however many he was willing to part with. The workers would look at him, shake their heads and just let it go. Finally one of them said that Paul didn't give him enough tickets. Paul's reply was something along of the lines of, oh well that's all I have and proceeded to enter the ride. Of course the guy just looked stunned and didn't say a word. Paul was thoroughly proud of himself for stretching our tickets far beyond what they should have been. I just hung my head and laughed. The girls loved it though.

On Friday I read that there was a big air show that was taking place over the weekend. Paul and I talked it over and decided he would take Audrey on Sunday for a special father daughter day and Peyton and I would have a day together as well. It went amazing. The air show was in Camarillo and his brother Steven met up with them there. They stayed for a while and afterward Paul took Audrey to the beach, just the two of them. Well they for sure had an amazing time. They both came home looking like happy lobsters. Apparently Audrey thinks sand crabs are the greatest thing in the world because he said they kept her occupied for over an hour. Peyton and I had a great day as well. Her favorite thing in the world is to cuddle with me and read books for hours. You will not hear me complain.

On to some pictures...I realized I never posted about the mountain getaway Paul and I had. It was amazing.

The weirdest flowers I've ever seen

My perkiness before our 12 mile hike. Afterward..not so much

She wanted to paint the rest of her body too

Ready for the airshow with Daddy and Uncle Steven!

Oh yeah, update on potty training! AWESOME! Seriously she has rocked it. Underwear all morning with no accidents, diaper at naptime that is dry when she gets up and underwear again until bedtime with no accidents. The best part.....not spending a fortune on diapers for much longer!!!!!!

Videos, Videos, Videos!

Before I start with the videos I thought I would share my new do! A week or two before, (the picture below) I still had mostly blonde with some other colors mixed in.

And now.....

Red!!!! With a few blonde pieces mixed in.

Now, without further ado...

I had a homework free nap time today due to my over-achieving the past few days. Yes, I obsess with my grades and will work for hours on a paper to guarentee myself an A no matter the subject. (I know and admit I am crazy) Anyway...You know what I decided to do? Put all the videos from my phone onto my computer. I know, it's so exciting you can't even believe it! I'm a worrier by nature and the other day I realized how many videos I had on my phone of the girls and no backups. So, today I had a date with my jump drive and proceeded to watch all of the 100 video recordings on my phone. What a happy/depressing time! I've had this phone for over a year and just watching the girls grow through the videos was emotional! If you would like to reminisce with me, here ya go.....

Before we begin I must tell you to watch for all of Audrey's "interesting" outfits. Everyday after school she runs in her room, takes off the clothes I picked out for her that morning and picks out a new outfit. Needless to say, they are always original.

I love the lyrics she added into the song.

First video of Peyton walking

Soccer Star!





Going for a ride

Who knew dollar store balloons would be so great for entertainment!?



I think our windows shattered at that last part



Victory!



Not even sure what to say...



Buns and bread baby!

Yes, this IS in fact my banshee...ahem child.



These two are always dancing





I'm sorry if your speakers were just blown out...Audrey is obviously enthusiastic about God.



Smart girl

I love these silly girls

She has been singing her ABC's all day and this is the loudest I was able to get on video.

Audrey's video to GG (My Grandma Duthie)



Wow, there were a lot of videos and I didn't even post them all! Our kids have grown so quickly. In the blink of an eye Peyton went from rolling over for the first time to counting and saying the ABC's. Audrey went from a nonstop giggling baby to this sweet hilarious little girl.

Pictures Galore!

Well nothing too exciting to report. That's kind of a good thing though. Things are good right now so big changes can wait a couple more months. However, something I am really looking forward to in the next couple of weeks is the new study our bible study group is starting. It's called Conversation Peace and let me just groan (ughhhhhhhhhh) right now because it's going to be a doozy.

Here is the synopsis: Mary masterfully presents seven biblical principles to help women revolutionize their speech habits and positively avoid sharing gossip, throwing negative barbs, or snapping sarcastic replies throughout everyday life. Discover how you can improve your relationships by allowing God's Word to transform your heart.

I will be completely honest, I am guilty of all those things. I am human after all and a woman! I do not know a single lady that hasn't gossiped or been negative or been sarcastic. I am so excited for this because I could use a more positive attitude in life! It's not going to be easy--our studies never are--but I know there is work to be done on myself! I'm also really blessed to be apart of this group of women. We have such fun together and we often cry, laugh, and/or tell embarrassing stories that we wouldn't dare repeat. Sometimes all three in the same morning. If any of my Tehachapi friends wants to give it a try I encourage you to do so. Just e-mail or call me and I will give you the info.

So, onto the part you really read my blog for. My children.....oh goodness, they are firecrackers. We try not to dumb down our vocabularies for our kids because if we want them to speak well we need to set the example. So, every evening when Audrey is trying to put off bedtime we tell her to quit procrastinating and get in bed. This morning I made a comment about needing to make my coffee and she pipes up with this little comment, "Mom, stop procrastinating and make your coffee!" Audrey-1 Me-0

Audrey's preschool "graduation" is tonight so it should be fun watching their little skit they have been working so hard on. She is moving from the Duckling classroom to the Bears classroom in the fall. I can't believe next year she will be in kindergarten. But the even more daunting thought is I have no idea where she will go! Who knows where Paul's career/my schooling will take us in a year's time? We are both fully aware that Tehachapi isn't going to be forever but it's scary/exciting/nerve wracking to think about what is going to happen next Spring. Paul wants me to take the Spring off from school since I will be done with BC (before I transfer to a university) so we can make some big decisions about where we will/want to go. I haven't agreed yet because I'm so determined to finish my degree but we'll see what happens!

Pardon Audrey's messy room. Personally, this doesn't look like the most comfortable way to watch a movie to me.

Eww. I made the most delicious homemade teriyaki sauce for chicken and broccoli and she decided to pour her whole cup of milk in it. Then continued eating.

Peyton is talking up a storm! When I give her something like a snack she says, "Please, thank you, your welcome," in one line. When she is on the swing at the park her favorite word to scream is "Higher! Higher!" She is counting to 10 and starting to recognize some colors. She knows where her ears, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, head, hair and other body parts are. She loves to learn! Her new favorite habit which is good and bad is reading while we take walks. The catch is, she holds the book in her lap flipping pages but I must look through the clear window on the stroller to read to her. Let's just hope I don't run into anything while doing it. Books are her favorite. She will sit on my lap and read 10 books in a row if we have the time.

 

Audrey's artwork is amazing! This is my blog so I can brag about my kids, right? Seriously though, she is writing her name and drawing the most interesting pictures. Her drawing this morning was of a butterfly eating corn on the cob and yes, you could actually see what she was talking about. All the art she brings home from school makes me so proud. She really takes her time and makes things the way she wants it. Her teacher was telling me how polite Audrey is and that she almost always says please and thank you. I love knowing my baby girl listens even when I think she isn't. 

A Princess and her pony

Audrey had an amazing birthday party. While I do admit, I went a teensy bit overboard for a fourth birthday party, it was totally worth it. Even better, I only paid for 1 pony and they ended up bringing two! The company had a huge event right before our party so the extra one was already in the trailor and ready to go. I was really worried because the weather forcast was looking terrible for the day of her party. Even at 1pm, two hours before go-time, the wind was howling and the skies were dark. Then right around 2 the wind died down and even though it was still overcast it wasn't miserable looking. Here are just a few of the many pictures from the party.

My beautiful princess and "cupcake" the pony.

All the kids thoroughly enjoyed the cupcake decorating (even if the parents did not!)

The adorable outfit made by my Grandma Duthie (or GG as Audrey calls her)

Can you tell she loved the pony ride?

Audrey and her buddy Carson. She told me just this morning how much she loves Carson (uh oh!)

Lots of animals in the petting zoo.

We are so happy that lots of her friends were able to join us for the celebration. Audrey was thrilled that her friend Ceinwen came up from Bakersfield and Uncle Steven came from LA. Thank you to everyone! For the rest of the pictures you can check them out on my facebook or send me an email and I will get them to you.

Time is flying by...

It has been way too long since my last post. Things are moving along in the Waller household. I finished my Spring semester with all A's a week or two ago. My next set of classes begin next Tuesday so ready or not, here they come! I'm taking two this semester because the college I am going through only allows seven credits over the summer and most classes are three credits. However, this means in the fall I will be going full time in order to finish my associate degree in Decemeber so I can transfer to a university in the Spring. That's right, I'm going to be a stay at home mom and wife full time with two children while taking four classes...yikes. I know it's crazy but this is something that is so important to me and I will persevere. I know that later on when I am a full time college professor it will make every hardship worth it.

Paul is doing great. He is in a funk at work but that can be explained by his terrible students. You know when one of them has the nickname Captain Crash it has nightmare written all over it. He has been through hell with these three guys but he always comes home and switches right into Husband and Dad mode. He is such an amazing man to be able to let go of work problems and focus on his three girls while he is home. We are going to miss him this weekend because he will be gone Fri-Sun to get some night flights in. Luckily, my mom and Dean decided to come stay for the weekend so I will have some help. It will be a fun weekend getting to spend time with them.

Audrey is giving us a run for our money right now! I thought terrible twos were bad....piece of cake compared to the fighting fours. Oh my goodness...I once had a textbook for an english class titled Everything's an Argument. That is Audrey's motto. I ask what she wants for lunch and she says a turkey, cheese and mustard sandwhich. I repeat it directly back and she reprimands me saying no it's mustard, cheese and turkey! Oh, I thought that was the same thing. Silly me. Or, If I ask her to get dressed because it's time to leave for school she will give me this response, "Just chill mom, let me do what I do." That one earns a big sigh from me everytime. There are so many more that I can't even recall at the moment. I should keep a notepad close by to write this stuff down in the future. She turns 4 on Saturday and we are really excited for her to open her present. We decided she is ready for a bicycle so we bought a cute little pink one with training wheels. We aren't sure if she is going to want to ride it or not though. She is the most cautious kid I know and would never enter a pool without testing the water. This is the area where she and Peyton are completely opposites. Audrey is really scared to try new things and Peyton dives in head first. For her birthday party I got a great deal on a having a pony and petting zoo brought to our house. So Paul and I are betting on whether she will even go near the pony or wait to see other kids ride it first. I will definitely be posting pictures of the adorable outfit my Grandma Duthie made for her. It is fabulous!

Peyton is definitely a handful in her own way as well. The girl has no fear whatsoever. Paul makes fun of me everytime we take the girls to the park for being a hovercraft. I can't help it if I'm worried that our daredevil daughter is going to jump off a 15 foot play structure! Paul's theory is that if she does it, she'll learn not to do it again. I can see his wisdom but I can also see the bill from the hospital afterwards. I think it's good though that we are a little opposite in regards to that because I reel him in and he loosens me up.

The girls still fight like crazy. They are learning exactly how to press eachother's buttons and do so nonstop.  I am getting better at fighting my refereee instincts to break them up and try to let them fight it out. All-in-all though, our girls are amazing and they light up our life. When all four of us sit on the couch and cuddle while we read some books together it makes every single temper tantrum and screaming match worth it. We are trying to enjoy the "now" instead of constantly stressing over the future. Although I won't lie, it's always on our minds. I can feel some of our goals so close but its going to take faith and patience to see them through.

The perfect example of their different personalities.



Where did all the unbiased Professors go?!

Goodness gracious! I am so fed up with my left-wing lunatic Professor it makes me sick. For his World Civilizations class we have to participate in discussions every week, which for the record I think is great. It would be even better however, if the discussion questions weren't dripping with conservative disdain. He makes it quite clear how he feels on the subject in the question alone. I thought at the college level we were supposed to have Professors that encourage us to have our own opinions instead of trying to cram their own down our throats. At first I tried to stay neutral during the discussions to preserve my straight A's but I will stay silent no longer. Here are some of the recent questions along with my responses:

Have the lessons of Vietnam been forgotten… and are we learning those lessons again in Iraq? Did America forget the lessons of its own Revolutionary War in Vietnam?


At first this discussion just angered me. Then I sat down and thought about the lessons our nation learned from Vietnam and which ones we might have forgotten. I think we learned that the media has a direct influence on war and some are forgetting that. By showing all the protestors and giving them airtime they are just giving them a louder voice. I personally just ignore them because I try not to be swayed by biased ranting but most people can’t do that. I read an article written by a Marine that served during Vietnam and one thing he mentioned was how offensive it is to hear someone say, “I support our troops but not the war.” If you really feel that way, put down your picket or microphone and take the time to send a care package or letter to the troops you “support”. Our leaders are elected by us, so if you don’t agree with their decisions, get rid of them in four years. It’s what I plan to do in 2012.

The enormous sums that we waste on foreign bases, wars, and weapons do not enable us to respond to smallpox, suitcase nukes, and exploding shoes. Are terrorists a bona-fide enemy… or are they are a symptom of the inequity founded in the economic misery that our foreign policy symbolizes and the insult that it conveys? If the United States wishes to win its war against terrorism, should it redirect its defense budget into global humanitarian endeavors, trusting that as the Third World becomes wealthier, better educated, and more sophisticated, its people will increasingly demand the institutions that grant them the political and economic means to interact with the world as equals?


So are we supposed to take care of the entire world? If we drop our defenses we are all dead. Sure, humanitarian work is great and I’m all for it but killers are breeding everyday. They are giving kids automatic weapons and teaching them to kill mercilessly. I personally wouldn’t want a friend or family member in the military to try and give that kid a book and be rewarded with a bullet. We can only help them so much. In the end they have to want change for themselves, only then can we help them become wealthier, better educated and more sophisticated.

Adolf Hitler is reported to have said, “If you’re going to tell a lie, tell a big lie.” Perhaps this is how he managed to bamboozle so many—with respect to Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Russia--with his false assurances of peaceful intentions; nobody could have imagined that anyone could lie so audaciously. Has George Bush lied to the American people about his reasons for going to war in Iraq, and about the prospects for getting out? Was he re-elected because the American people refuse to believe that their government would lie to them?


Wow, touchy subject. Let me see if I can tread lightly and not step on too many toes. As a supporter of President Bush I think he did what was necessary at the time. Of course as you all know, he couldn’t have just ordered it without Approval! So obviously he wasn’t the only one saying lets get them back. We elected him and therefore put our trust in him. If people didn’t like how he handled our country they wouldn’t have reelected him! That is the beautiful thing about our country, the right to vote for the leader which we believe has our country’s best interests at heart. He did. Getting Saddam Hussein out of power justified the means. Yes our government lies, all governments lie. To say otherwise is ignorant. You just have to hope that in the end something good comes from it. We, the people, put our leaders in office so if we don’t like how they handle it, there is no one to blame but ourselves.

Why, throughout the 20th century, did communism appeal to the poorest people? Are there tenets of socialism and communism that might still hold merit for modern man? Is a purely capitalist system better than a socialist system in which the state manages much of the economy?


A socialist system or big government that manages much of the economy is a huge mistake. Of course a purely capitalist system is better! Look at Obamacare and what a mistake that is. Our insurance was amazing (For example we didn’t even have to pay a premium!) up until his healthcare bill went into effect. The increase in costs which directly correlates to his changes has caused our price to go up substantially. So no, it was not helpful, it was a mistake. People may falsely believe that socialism or communism will be better because of government control but in the end they will realize that it only hurts a society and hinders it from its full potential.

My friends and family, this is just a taste of the biased questions coming from this Professor. The other ones include damning the United States for how we treated the Native Americans and the Hawaiins and pretty much ruined the world.

Well that is my rant for the day. If you didn't know my political thoughts before, you certainly do now!

Absolute Favorite Holiday!!

Blowing kisses!

Look at those blue eyes!

As you can tell by the title, St. Patrick's Day is my favorite day of the year. I know everyone else loves Christmas or Thanksgiving but yesterday is the day I love. I love that Spring is almost here and flowers will start to bloom. There is no stress on St. Patty's day unlike any other holiday. You don't have to cook a giant meal for 30 people. You don't have to make travel plans or stress about which side of the family you will spend it with. It's just a day to relax and be happy. I'm really jealous because my brother-in-law is studying abroad in Ireland right now. Can you imagine being in Dublin walking down Temple Bar yesterday?! I hope he is living it up because some day when the kids are older Paul and I definitely have plans to experience it. I was horrified yesterday morning when I looked in my closet and realized I didn't have any green shirts. For some reason they keep getting ruined from one thing or another. At least the girls looked adorable though.