UNDERWOOD & CO.

I know, I've said it before....

But I really mean it this time.

Really. I promise.

Mostly it's just that I don't have that much to write about, or I'm not clever enough by the end of the day to come up with anything, but oh! That is about to change my friends. That is about to change.

For enrichment a LONG time ago, (I think it was in our BYU ward) we made the cutest little jars called journal jars. We decorated them with ribbon and filled them with 100's of tiny strips of paper with different questions on them. I was supposed to be using it to help me be better at writing in my journal, but alas, it has sat on my desk, untouched. I look at it almost every day and then I remember how much I hate writing. Not writing, but writing...

I used to be able to write 10 page papers with ink and notebook paper and it wouldn't bother me a bit, but I forget that at the time I was also playing the piano, violin, and writing papers regularly...(ok, more like mushy-high-school love letters.) Since then my day-to-day activities consist of wringing out dishrags, changing diapers, wiping snotty noses and other things that don't really require such dexterity. Hence, the loss of my writing skills. Not to mention, I think I have lost my knack for creating humor with the written word.

However, there is a solution. So with the help of my lonely little jar and a computer keyboard, I am determined to find a way to win back what I have lost. Just remember, faithful readers...that practice makes perfect. We all have to start somewhere....so be patient. This blog is about to become a lot more interesting (or scary) to read.

Stay tuned....

LONG TIME NO POSTIE

Wow, it sure has been a while! I'm not going to pretend I'm the greatest blogger, but I didn't realize it had been over 3 months since I'd posted anything! Geez...
Since Christmas, a lot has happened. Steve had a birthday, Katie turned 3. We had a fantastic vacation in Cancun!!!! (just the 2 of us!) Maddie turned 1 and I had a birthday, too! We even made it down to AZ for a few days over Easter weekend. It's starting to warm up quite a bit, so we've been outside a lot. That feels good after being cooped up all winter! Anyway, here's some pics to update.

THE LAST 3 MONTHS

Someone asked me yesterday, "I haven't talked to you in forever! What have you been doing?" We've been really busy, but to be honest, we've been busy with just normal stuff, I guess.
Let's see...Halloween was fun! We did a spook ally with some friends at their house and had soup, then went to the ward trunk-or-treat, which was fun, but it was really cold and started raining about 10 minutes after we got there. Steve and I were pirates, Katie was a princess and Maddie was a ladybug. It was a really busy day and I didn't get many pics of us, even the kids. Sorry...I guess that makes me a horrible mother! (yeah, whatever.)
Last month was a good one. We took Katie to "Princesses on Ice" in Salt Lake. She loved it! I got her a Cinderella dress and crown and curled her hair. She was so excited she could hardly stand it! She's still talking about it, too. It was really fun to do something like that just for her. We left the baby with some friends and were able to just be with Katie all afternoon, it was great.
Thanksgiving was a blast! I regret not getting any pics of all of us. I forgot my camera. Anyway, Thank you to the Condie's for having us and making us feel so welcome! That night there was a big sale for MODBOD that started at 11pm. All us girls felt brave so we went. I was thinking it would be a quick trip so I didn't take a good coat. Well, turned out the line was out the door and all the way down the strip mall halfway to Toys'R'Us. So dumb. Then they only let a few people in at a time. We got in, found stuff we wanted, and then waited in the cashier line that was wrapped around the store. I swear, people are nuts. All that for a $5 tee shirt. We didn't even get home until 1-2am. Hey, but it was fun going with the girls, though. :)
Black Friday is rediculous. People are rude and everyone is psycho. Steve went with me to a couple places to get stuff for the kids and it was crazy! Most places were out of everything. So pointless. You know what's funny? Wait a couple days after that, like on Monday and Tuesday...same great deals (or better) no huge crowds, and nice, organized, clean and fully stocked shelves. I will never shop on Black Friday or Blue Saturday again!
I forgot to mention, the Condie's took us with their family to Salt Lake to see The Savior of the World at the Conference Center. I have to say, what a spectacular thing that was! Not only was it so fun to go and be with everyone, but it was a great spiritual experience. I just loved it. Thanks you guys!
We put up Christmas Decorations. Yeah, it was fun. We made popcorn balls for our tree this year and I think they turned out really cute. I'll have to take pics of that kind of stuff later. Anyway, that's what we've been up to the last couple of months. Getting ready for Christmas and just trying to stay on top of everything. Here are some pics.

MOBILE UPLOADS

So sorry the pics are so small. Maddie has been doing this "trick" (that's what Katie calls it..."hey mom! Maddie is doing her trick again!") for some time now and I think it's funny. When she does it she grunts really loud and then falls on her stomach and laughs.
Katie has been getting harder and harder to put down for naps, and even though she still has quiet time in her room, (most of the time she falls asleep after 45 min or so) she doesn't sleep as long as she used to...even though she needs to. That combined with having the girls share a room and Maddie being the ONLY morning person in our family, it has meant earlier mornings for all of us. Anyway, as you can see....she's been pretty tired. She falls asleep in the car almost every time we go somewhere. Too bad I don't have the time (and money for gas) to spend a couple hours a day just driving around during nap time! :)

SHE MUST HAVE BEEN HUNGRY

This may be one of those instances that you had to be there for it to be funny, I'm not sure. But I'm going to post it anyway...
So yesterday was a busy day. Maddie woke up with a bad cold and was pretty fussy all morning, but I had to get grocery shopping done. I spent about 45 minutes walking through our house making a list of all the things we needed, paranoid that I was forgetting something. I was pretty sure I had everything written down, so I bundled up the kids and we were on our way to Wallmart.
Katie wanted to look at all the Halloween stuff so we spent about 15 min there, just looking at all the costumes and such. I was holding the list I made in my hand and pushing the cart with Maddie up in front, facing me. I must have been really distracted by all the Halloween stuff and Katie showing me all the cool little doo-dads, because I looked down at Maddie and she had EATEN my list right out of my hand! That's right, folks. SHE ATE MY LIST! Ha ha...
Little bugger.

NO, NO, NO!

Sorry to those who have been waiting to see this video. I had a problem with the settings on the blog, but a friend directed me to a site that helped big time. (thanks Breezy!) Anyway, as you can see, Maddy has learned the word "no." It's pretty cute.

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PUMPKINS

I'm excited, it's only the 12th and we've got our pumpkins carved. That means that this year, we actually get to enjoy them for Halloween! In past years I've always procrastinated until the last minute and we end up driving all over creation looking for the last of the pumpkins to carve the night before Halloween and it always is so stressful....no fun. BUT THIS YEAR....we had a LOT of fun!

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TA DA!

LOOK AT MY BEAUTIFUL PEARS! I was taught by an expert last week how to put up the most beautiful pears. We did half the box together, and I braved the other half on my own. I'm so proud of them! I got 14 bottles out of one box. Other than the beautiful bright pink color, my favorite thing about canning these pears is that it took me less than an hour! (to do the second half after learning how to do the first half, of course.)

FAMILY PICTURES

We got our family pictures taken yesterday at Target. I'm really happy with the way they turned out...especially of the girls. Katie was so good the whole time and I think she actually had a lot of fun getting her picture taken. Mady, of course, was very good as she usually is. How did I get so lucky to have two beautiful and such well behaved kids!? Not to mention my good-lookin' hunk of a hubby..... :)