Monday, November 23, 2009

Dear Santa...

This letter makes me so happy! Ashlin wanted to write to Santa, and all I did was tell her how to spell the words, everything else was entirely her.

Can you tell what she wants?



The best part about this letter, it Santa already has everything on her list! When she first asked to write the letter, I was a little nervous as to what was going to on it because we had already done a lot of shopping. As she was asking how to spell things, I was thinking- sweet already arranged that with Santa, and that, and that!!! We will be mailing it today for Family Home Evening.

If you couldn't tell, it is a Dora Game (and a picture of an apple so Santa will know to get it at the Apple store- yes Brett's doing),
Tiana (the new disney Princess), Snap n Style, and polly pockets.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Danger!

I did forget one other story associated with the mouse. Luckily however, it has nothing to do with a mouse. After we caught our little mouse friend, we left several snap traps out... just in case. Brett would always pick them up as soon as he got up just so kids wouldn't play with them. But our girls wake up before us, and so as an EXTRA precaution we showed them the traps and warned them not to touch them or they would get a big ouch. Guess who didn't listen to the warning.... that's right, Rachel. While I was still laying in bed trying to soak in every last ounce of sleep, I hear a "Rachel, daddy will be mad if you.." SNAP "AHHHH!". (running to my room) "MOM, Rachel touched those things for the mouse, but I didn't." I had already jumped out of bed to make sure all fingers were still attached to Rachel. She had a escaped with very little injury thank goodness, amd now whenever she sees one of those traps she always backs away, and tells me to be careful. Some kids just have to learn the hard way.

Monday, November 02, 2009

The Great Mouse Detectives

Warning... this post contains gross stuff and is not for the weak stomach. Ok it might not be that bad, please don't think less of me or my now sparkling clean house =)


It all started when Jerry let a mouse into my house and wasn't able to catch it before it ran behind a wall and disappeared. Coincidentally, Disney Channel aired "The Great Mouse Detective," which became a favorite of Ash and Rach. So Ashlin was excited to help her friend Johnny track down the mouse Uncle Jerry let into the house. So I said, yes you guys go down stairs and find that mouse! This was just so I could clean my floors without disturbance. I could hear them playing "Mouse detectives"
Well we caught that mouse early the next morning, but while disposing of him, I dropped the bag he was in and he ran away. But we were outside when it happened so I hoped he would find a neighbor house to go into (jk Amber!). Anyway... end of mouse troubles right?

A couple days later.... I had some friends over for a playdate. All the kids went downstairs to play in the playroom while we chatted. Suddenly Ashlin and her friend come running up the stairs saying they found a mouse in their toys with a very excited voice. My initial reaction was "oh are you guys playing mouse detective?" To which they responded, "Yeah he is moving through our toys." My heart sunk!! "WAIT, a REAL mouse?" "YEAH!".

So we run downstairs to find a mouse in the middle of the toys!! I quickly put a bucket over it, and my friends and I are trying to figure out how to get rid of him. As we are trying different things, the girls (who are all standing on a little table) suddenly yell out, "There is another one!!" pointing to the couch. So we all turn and sure enough there is another mouse. I am able to get another bucket over him. At this point I am beside myself. All I see is a huge mess of toys (every toy bucket had literally been thrown on the floor) that a mouse had run through the middle of!! Not to mention how embarrassed I was to have my friends witness (but actually very grateful to them and their support!) me at a state of shock and stress.

Needless to say, the party was over. Brett came home from work to dispose of the mice. Ashlin's comment to Brett was, "DAD, TAYLEN WAS LIKE AH A RAT, AND I WAS LIKE NO A MOUSE, AND WE WERE LIKE MOM THERE IS A MOUSE IN THE TOYS, AND THEN WE WERE LIKE AHHH! OH IT WAS SOO FUN!"
I went to the store to buy lots of cleaning products and proceeded to clean EVERY toy and every corner of that playroom. Wash the love sac cover and every blanket, and any toy that couldn't be put in the bath tub.
Then we set traps, LOTS of traps.
I wish the story ends there... but it doesn't.

For the next couple of days I am monitoring EVERYTHING checking every trap checking any place for any more signs of mice. Nothing! So just when I decide the mice in the basement were a fluke thing... I go into the kitchen at 1:30 in the morning and hear the sound of chewing behind my cabinet. GRRRR. To make a long stressful week shorter... yesterday we caught the little booger!! We had finally decided to try the snap traps which I didn't really want to use, but became desperate. And Brett kept moving them around. Last night, we finally heard the SNAP! So we go out to see which trap got him, and he is laying away from the trap. And Brett goes, "Well, he is definitely dead." walks past to get something to pick him up, the mouse starts running away!! which makes Brett jump and me laugh until the mouse started running towards me. But we caught him, and he is gone!!! Hopefully we will never need mouse detectives again!

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Halloween!

There was a lot of excitement for Halloween in my house this year! Ashlin and Rachel actually decided on their own what they were going to be this year. Ashlin was going to be Strawberry Shortcake, and Rachel REALLY wanted to be Custard (strawberry shortcake's kitty cat friend). I tried to convince Rach to be Pippi longstocking, but she refused. She wanted to be custard. So, I found/worked on their costumes.

Here is Ashlin at her school party:






I do have to add another story about Ashlin. A couple weeks ago she got her book order books from school, and one of the books was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom which was my favorite book in elementary school. After reading it a few times, it quickly became a favorite of Ash and Rach. Well, a couple days after receiving the book she kept asking me if they were going "Chicka chicka treating on Halloween." So thats what we called it this year.

These are pictures of the Chicka chicka treating festivities:




Rachel and her best friend Claire. These two become tornado rachel and tornado Claire when they are together.

Oh yeah... remember how I mention how determined Rachel was to be Custard. Well, when I actually started putting on her costume, she didn't want to be Custard anymore. All she wanted was to wear the dress she was wearing. So with a little quick thinking, I threw her hair in a bun and punched out the lensed of the sunglasses Adam left at my house and turned her into a teacher. She loved her new look and even kept the glasses on for the entire time trick or treating.









And saving the best picture for last...



You go Strawberry Shortcake. We might be in trouble later...