alicia king

More of outside...

here's the rest of the photos from friday...isa and her crazy outfits, she changes too many times for me to remember.

found this little guy in the yard...gave my girls a lesson: always brush your teeth everyday...or they will turn yellow.

after a couple long hard stares, isa said "that's nasty!"

gulianna said "sometimes animals just have to use their fingers like this...because they don't have toothbrushes."

gulianna all in pink, still in her pajamas. actually she changed for the day, then changed back into them.

being silly and making faces!

burning the big pile of branches as well as all my piles of leaves.

Outside...

we spent all day outside today, it's been such nice weather all week. i went back to my job of raking leaves. it's been never ending. well actually i never completely finished before it snowed. there's just too many leaves! and plus i didn't wait for all of them to fall off the trees. it happened in two batches. so after the first time, the yard looked fairly clean, and then it looked like i didn't do anything! oh well. and i finally let anthony play outside today, he's been waiting and waiting. i should just find him a snowsuit, so when it does snow again he can go out and play for a bit.

gulianna likes to swing super high!

so i didn't have my camera when i set anthony loose...he was so happy to be outside! he headed for the toys, then the dirt, looked down the hole cautiously, then he ended up in the dirt piles. and before i knew it he was back in the front yard playing right where the water has been melting of the roof, gave himself an ice cold shower...then back to the dirt piles and mud. i went inside to go to the bathroom, came right back out and found him completely muddy with his pants falling off and in the little car.

he threw a fit and didn't want me to put his jeans back on!

after that, i thought since i had my camera out, i better take some photos of the "hole" and just as i grabbed my camera and turned it on, anthony was purposely trying to slide down the hole on his stomach, just like he gets off the bed! so here is where i snapped the photo as i'm running to grab him, i was lucky to barely save him, and get him in the frame without looking into the camera! little dare devil, this hole is pretty deep and rocky! even after that he still wanted down there!

 

this is the hole they've been digging for our root cellar...lots of huge rocks they've had to dig out.

shortly after that levi set him on the swing, while i went back to raking, and he started to fall asleep...good, after all that running around the property!

i didn't notice his zipper was undone until i took these...oops!

levi wanted to just lay him on the grass for his nap, i knew that wouldn't last that long. he stripped him down and took him inside, he had a l o n g nap!

Santa...

every year i always take my kids to see santa at the mall, last year i didn't get a picture, but we still went to see him! this year we didn't see him at the mall, instead we visited with him at thanksgiving point. he was the FotoFly Santa! last year we got our family pictures taken at Fotofly in Draper, i don't even think i ever posted them here. anyway...the girls have been so excited to see santa, we almost missed our appointment, i knew i should have booked the very last appt. possible, because of timing. we went to see the lights at temple square and then rushed back to make it late to see santa. so thankful they still took us, yes i did call to tell them we were late! anthony did NOT want to see santa, he threw a tantrum, i thought for sure he wouldn't be in the photos or if he was he'd be crying! but the photographer was trained well...and was sooo good with kids, these are the best ever! they give you the option of having your husband or whoever dress up in the santa outfit or you can use the "real santa" too. levi thought he was too cool, so we used the real santa. it's a great idea though! so it's almost a suprise to your kids if they figure it out, and i like how they don't include his face, because later when your kids compare their santa photos, wondering why santa looks different or has a different beard every year :) {you can have his face in the photos if you want...} i love fotofly...we always the best experience there!

Merry Christmas...

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I love when Christmas falls on a Sunday!

lights at Temple Square...

after walking through the Up house, we went to see the lights at Temple Square...we then realized we haven't been there since levi proposed to me eleven years ago...that was my first time! i love all the lights!

poor Anthony! all wrapped up tight in a blanket! he could barely see out, but it was cold! i ordered him a coat online, but a couple days too late for when we actually needed it...it's supposed to be here tomorrow.

as we were leaving, isabella spotted "her santa." she said "mom! their's my santa, i have TWO santas!"

 

the UP house...

we met my parents in salt lake, they were on their way down to california. we had lunch at rubio's, and then went to see the up house in herriman! it was so cute, reminded me of something at disneyland. gulianna was so excited but she kept saying over and over "where are the balloons, they forgot the balloons!" so other than the balloons it was just about the same as the real thing!

i loved the kitchen appliances...i knew someone had to make retro appliances new. i really really really want them!

 

and i loved the green cabinets in the small laundry room. perfect size to me.

these turned out blurry but i still love them...anthony and my dad.

the girls loved the princess room!

i loved this idea too, "her royal highness."

freezing outside for one more picture!

 

caroling llamas...

our neighbors have 2 llamas, they gathered friends and went caroling! i think our house was first on the list...i forgot what day they were coming, so i was suprised when i opened up my door to llamas and christmas carols! my girls in their pajamas step outside...after they were done caroling, they asked if they wanted to go inside and get their jackets on and get a picture with the llamas. so they rush back in get some pants on with their hats and coat, gulianna insisted on just a sweater.

gulianna excited, but super shy, she always has a blank face in these type of situations!

she's scared, doesn't know what to think, yet she wants to sit on the llama!

and isa as excited as she can be!

gulianna still showing no excitement!

Property photos {after}...

levi got to work right away with the outside, jeremy and kevin helped too. they cut the waist high weeds, ripped out all the metal fencing, picked up random plumbing parts and junk throughout the property. {the 2nd owner used to be a plumber.} levi was hit right on his thigh from a bolt that kevin ran over with the lawn mower. he had about a six inch circle bruise from it, good thing he didn't break anything!

So much better right?!

 

Property photos {before}...

{sept 15, 2011}

photos taken by levi.

take a deep breath, and then think of the possibilities!

or maybe hold your breath too :)

driveway...

the garage, full of trash and some treasures!

front yard...

walkway in between house and garage...

my future scrapbook room...

little shed...

levi cleaned it out, pulled out rotted chickens and a baby kitty, junk, animal crap...yep disgusting.

our storage for now, the right side was used as a chicken coop and it stinks bad!

this old house is right on our property line...maybe someday it will be ours!

walkways and waist high weeds...tons of grasshoppers and bugs. nature took over this place.

i can't remember how many dumpsters of crap the owners filled up. too many. levi offered to load up the last one so they could leave. they were beat!

and then our work began...

don't worry, it looks a million times better, levi has done so much work!

random thoughts...

as i was washing the dishes this morning after breakfast, my mind starts wandering as it usually does, and i started to think why is it that i can't work on a project unless my house is clean, or i don't allow myself to go any where, run to a store, park etc...unless my house is clean and my chores are done? for one: it drives me nuts to have a messy house, two: i can't stand to come home to a messy house. three: i just realized it also has to do with me growing up. we weren't allowed to go out and play unless our 'jobs' were done. work first, then play. and even then work some more :) and i'm glad i was raised that way. it's how i teach my kids, though now they have a place to run and be free, they tend to clean up their room a little and then sneak out the back to go play! like last night gulianna and isa snuck outside around 8pm, just to go swing on their swings and run around in the cold.

levi is working on the bathroom today, finally! oh, wait what? my family will be here in four days and we don't have a bathroom? i see how it goes. the countdown is on...

okay back to filling holes in the wall in the kitchen. backspash may go up later today!

pictures after church...

captured some photos of my little rascals after church...i could just post the best ones, but all of them are definitely funny to look at!

this skirt finally fits gulianna perfectly! i bought it in 2008, size 12-18 months, she's worn it for three years now. and isa's skirt {that used to be gulianna's} fits her too, i bought it at the di last year? maybe the year before.  

isabella grabbing bro...

anthony playing with my lens cap...

gulianna running in front of the camera...

gulianna freaking out because isa is walking in front of her...

anthony eating my lens cap...

girls checking out their skirts...ha ha!

gulianna starting her posing session...

my favorite one...

lunch...

today's lunch: grilled cheese and soup.

for now this is how we cook, on our wood stove...yes really, see i took a picture just to prove it. we have lots of sandwiches and soups, and use our crockpot.

no stove or oven, no shower...get where i'm going here? life is tough, but still good. doing things as we can afford it. literally. actually we made our last lowes trip a couple weeks ago on the 30th for tile and all the misc. things. now just waiting for levi to get to them.

the day we were going to go buy a used stove, jeremy called seconds before levi was going to make his call, and asked if we wanted to buy his stove/oven. the digital reader went out, so the oven stopped working, but we could order the part. uh huh, heard that one before. anyway we went with a good deal on an expensive stove, and still no part, trying to find someone that can repair it. if not we'll buy another. apparently it's not one of our priorities! no really we can get by, obviously.

my three little rascals eating lunch...i can't believe how big they all are! anthony eats a whole sandwich by himself.

levi bought some paper plates last week...i never use paper plates! decided to use them today. and these are our aqua cups we scored at the DI this summer! before that my kids always drink out of glasses. i'm all about using what i have, i've skipped bottles and sippy cups...not really a fan. unfortunately still nursing though. ha ha! we are working on that...down to 2 times a day.

isa has bangs again...i cut them last week. can't ever figure out her hair. or keep it out of her face for that matter!

church...

today we made it a priority to GO to church. yep, i said go...i didn't say anything about making it on time :) we haven't been in almost 2 1/2 months....eeeek. and feeling it too. it's hard when you don't have your own bathroom/shower to get ready in, and it's at 9am.

i almost thought that we would make it on time, except that levi had to break the tip of his middle finger last night. uh huh. sure, perfect timing. i still made him take the girls to his mom's for a shower that night too.

i had all our clothes ready so we didn't have to decide the morning of. gulianna asked me to button up her dress in the back for her, so by the time i got the last button i noticed she had her shirt on backwards! she's always so good about putting her clothes on. so here i unbutton, then button again...when you give your family one hour to get ready for church that alotted time does not include mishaps! geeez...5 minutes wasted of buttoning up a dress. then there is isa...i know i should know better and plan a whole extra hour for her alone! she has to do everything herself, which is fine with me, but NOT okay that it is on her time! levi bathed anthony in the kitchen sink so that i could continue to curl my hair. forgot to have him grab the shampoo and conditioner at his mom's last night so i'm sure he got bathed with dishsoap. then of course, anthony outgrew his dress clothes! i was debating whether to have him just wear his polo shirt with his khaki pants, but then he doesn't have an actual coat. he has sweaters but camo isn't suitable for church! so we still dressed him in his buttoned up shirt that fits to his elbows now, his vest still did fit, good thing! we just rolled up the cuff, good to go. there was a bunch of mishaps as usual, but now suddenly i have forgotten them.

see his shirt! he has grown so much! just woke up from a nap, early church makes for dark circles...

we made it there at 9:45am i think? sacrament is now last for us. which is new and wierd, but at least we can be on time for that! our church is really really old, actually really cool, just a maze to walk through and get used to. i 'hear' that the older people have 'their seats' and that people with little kids usually sit upstairs. well, i guess if i took someone's spot, i'll hear about later...

hello...

is anyone out there?

i'm still alive! wow...it's been a while! i've been impatiently waiting for this day...and it's finally here!

we have internet again! i feel like i'm sorta back to normal, at least with contact to the rest of the world ha ha! pandora has changed, google reader as a new look...anything else? i've sure missed a lot!

we are enjoying are new place, still waiting on levi to remodel the bathroom and finish up the kitchen...the highlight of my days has been going over to cherrie's house to take a shower!---well up until today, i can keep busy on pinterest and blogging!

the girls love to go outside and play! we have deer that come on our property and each the apples that are on the ground. as soon as we notice them outside gulianna and isa rush to put on their boots and coats and run out there to see them, then isa comes back with her pouty face saying "my santa is gone! i can't find him! he run away!" you know, because santa's reindeer in our backyard :) pretty funny! anthony is too busy, running and grabbing our cell phones, hiding by the couch, getting into mischief! he likes to climb up and sit on the island or get into the trash and eat whatever he can find!

gulianna loves to go out and "get sticks" and help load up the "woodbarrow" with wood. she's the best!

lots of catching up to do! i don't know if i should start from the beginning and scare you a bit, or start with some current pictures on the place!? hmmm....