Lately

Favorite Foods

Ada: cheese and crackers
Kate: cereal, fruit snacks, Spaghettio's

Favorite things to play with

Ada: markers and coloring books, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her blocks, princess castle, kitchen set
Kate: everything Ada plays with, except she gets crayons instead of markers

Favorite songs

Ada: 'Part of Your World' from The Little Mermaid (she can sing the whole thing), 'Once Upon a Dream' from Sleeping Beauty, 'I Can Sing a Rainbow', 'I Love to See the Temple'
Kate: 'Hello Song', 'Once Upon a Dream' (she sings, "I know you...dream."), 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'

Favorite video

They are both obsessed with this video from dooce.com. You may just be creeped out by it. Kate randomly shakes her fingers and says, "SHINGLES!"

What they say when they get in the car

Ada: "I want a story!"
Kate: "Brielle!" (Ada's friend that we carpool to school with)

Ways they help

Ada: Cleans up her toys before getting something new out, helps me scrub the floor when I clean the bathrooms
Kate: Brings me a diaper to let me know she's soiled herself, gets wipes or washcloths and wipes everything in sight

How they pray

Ada: Says really fast prayers for the food, refuses to pray at night (I have to do it)
Kate: Used to mumble while adding in the words "Mommy", "Daddy", and "Ada". Now she says, "Heav Foddow, AMEN!"

How they go to bed

Ada: Usually asks for multiple stories, though she only gets one or two. We often have to force her to go potty. Right when she gets in bed or right after we leave her room, she asks for water and says she's hungry
Kate: We sing her a song, turn on her CD and her fan, and she's good to go. Sometimes she'll start crying after a while and will want to come out for a while, but usually she goes down very well

Things they've said

Ada:
- Kate was running around naked and I was calling her a nake. Ada said that she was a make. I asked her what that was. Her response? "It's an unusual thing and it comes to put bubbles out."
-My brother turned 35 last week and I told Ada that he was getting old. She asked, "Is he going to retire?"
-She loves to repeat lines from shows, CDs, or computer games, such as, "Crispy cheese crackers! Pull yourself together, Jerry Berry! It's just me. What a scaredy mouse!" and, "There's a budding shape--the rhombus!" She thinks she's so funny and likes to repeat these to everybody
Kate:
-"I want it.", "Read it!", "Get it.", "I did it!", "They're here!" (sounds like 'hee-yowe'), "I want my baby.", "Gimme!"
-"Juice" when she wants a drink, "Num-nums" when she's hungry, "Poo-poos" when she needs a diaper change, "Boogie" or "Nose" when she needs her nose blown
-She pronounces spoon 'poons' (It's like her own version of Pig Latin!) and blankie 'wankie'
-"Please" when she wants something, "Tank-you" when you give her something or when I change her diaper, "Sorry" when she bumps into you or spills something


Tyler

-Got to go to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games at Energy Solutions Arena. He got some serious guy time with his dad, brother, and brothers-in-law. They sat on the 14th row behind the basket and could be seen on TV. They got to see some of the best games of the tourney.
-Has been super busy with work lately. Last week he put in 70 hours and he's well on his way to do the same this week. He got there at 5:30 this morning and will probably stay until midnight.
-Did an excellent job painting and putting wood panels on our living room walls. Pictures coming soon!

Me

-Tried to go on a no dessert diet a few weeks ago. I did okay but gave in a few times. This is something I need to do more often because I can get out of control on my desserts. It was tough!
-Started to train for a sprint triathlon for two days but then quit when I got to the swimming. It was just too inconvenient and expensive to go twice a week, so I didn't go at all! I don't even like swimming. We had a swimming unit in 10th grade gym class and I was terrible at it. I have since gone running and biking zero times.
-Had the best GNO with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law on Saturday. Tyler's mom always plans something fun while the guys do their March Madness stuff (they usually go out of town). Nancy, Alysia, Rachelle, and I started by going to the Butler/Kansas State game (thanks for Tyler's dad for that) and then went shopping. Cheryce and Morgan met us at The Garden for dinner and then we went to Legally Blonde at Capitol Theatre. It was so fun and a much-needed break for me!
-Trying to find excuses to get out of the house so I don't go crazy while I'm a work widow. Monday we went to lunch with my friend Vanessa and today we went to the Rockin' E Country Store in Woods Cross to see the baby chicks, ducks, and bunnies. The girls loved it! Tomorrow we're going to Morgan's house and then going to visit my grandma. We have no plans for Thursday, but we'll spend the day at my mom's on Friday until she has her Easter party that night. On Saturday we'll watch General Conference and then go to Tyler's mom's Easter party.

We found our hubbies at halftime

I love that dude's gut in the background

The sun was in my eyes

Monkeys

Oh, BYU. Back in the tourney. They couldn't get the monkey off their back by beating UNLV at the Thomas & Mack. Even if they had, there would have been another monkey: winning a game that's broadcast on Versus. In both football and basketball, they've lost every game this season that was shown on Versus (should be called Curses). Now they face another monkey: getting past the first round in the NCAA tournament. It hasn't happened in a long time. They have their most favorable seed in recent history (though it doesn't seem very favorable), so this should be the year, right? We'll have to see. One dude on SI.com thinks they'll make it to the Final Four. Me? I'll be happy with a single win.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

While March really is one of my favorite times of year (go Cougs!), I must get my Christmas post out of the way before Spring is officially here and the cold weather is a distant memory.

We'll start with the beginning of December:

We went to a live nativity in a neighborhood near our old home. We took pictures but none turned out. It was absolutely FREEZING, but the girls enjoyed the free hot chocolate and seeing the chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, and camel. It was a really cool experience.

Lisonbee family party

Tyler's grandpa threw a big family Christmas party. After a breakfast, the kids got to hit a pinata and sit on Santa's lap.

Kate got to go first. She knew exactly what to do!


Ada had a pretty swing -- check out that follow-through!


Candy!!!

Kate was TERRIFIED of Santa. It was quite humorous.

She didn't mind the present he gave her, though.

Ada asked Santa for a glove balloon for her Mickey Mouse clubhouse. She didn't get it.

The girls in their matching shirts, admiring Ada's new Littlest Pet Shop toy


Gingerbread houses

Every year we make gingerbread houses at Tyler's parents' house. This is Ada's and Tyler's creation:



Zoo Lights

Tyler took the girls to Zoo Lights one night while I went visiting teaching. They loved it!




Preschool Christmas program

We had my family over to watch the Las Vegas Bowl, and some of us left in the middle to go to Ada's preschool Christmas program. It was held at our church. It was adorable! Miss Missy did a great job. They sang lots of songs and took turns coming to the microphone to say what they wanted for Christmas. Ada said she wanted a crown (random...she didn't get that either). My favorite part was when she pulled out the jingle bell bracelet for the wrong song and shook it the entire time. She got to sit by her friend Keaton. She's a great little singer!




Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at the Squire's, having the traditional candlelight dinner, acting out the nativity, and opening a few presents. Later we stopped by my grandparents' house, where most of my family members were.

The nativity

Getting ready to open their new jammies

They got matching Minnie Mouse ones



Christmas morning

We left our camera at Tyler's parents' house, so we had to use his phone to take Christmas morning photos. Christmas is so much fun when you have kids! I love how excited they get. They got a train table to share, which they love (though Kate loves to mess everything up). Ada got a princess castle and Kate got her own set of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse friends along with a few other toys. Ada had been threatened all month with getting a lump of coal instead of toys. She knew she hadn't been the best kid all month because on Christmas Eve she said, "If I get coal, I'm just gonna throw it in the garbage." When she saw all her toys on Christmas morning she said, "I was a good girl I guess!"

Coming down the stairs


Kate's new Clubhouse friends

Kate loves the castle possibly more than Ada does



Opening presents


The girls got cute matching dresses. We all got dressed and headed back to the Squire's to open more presents.


Kate on her cousin Maddie's lap

Ada LOVES her cousin Brynlee


Christmas evening

In the afternoon we headed over to my parents' house. I love Christmas because (among other things) it is one of the few times all year when my entire family is together. It was great to be with everyone, have a nice dinner, and open even more presents.

Ada and Ella (Ada always puts on dress-ups at her grandparents' houses)

I look very excited to open Kate's train (she was no longer interested in opening presents)

It was a very long day

Kate loves her Tickle-Me Elmo

One of Ada's favorite gifts was a Snow White costume from her cousin Ella


Bowling with the Dicksons

My family all got together to go bowling before my sisters went back home. It was the girls' first time and they had a lot of fun.

Ada looked so cute in her bowling shoes

She loved rolling the ball down the ramp

Tyler in action!

Auntie Ang helping Kate take a turn. We didn't give Kate many turns, so she felt left out

We'll have to take her back because she absolutely loved it

I did...okay

December was a great month! I miss my sisters, but it was great to be with them. The week after Christmas was a very lazy one for us. Tyler worked limited hours, and we spent our time watching football and playing Super Mario Bros. Wii. It was nice to sit around and spend time together. On New Year's Eve we hung out at my brother's house like we do every year. We ate homemade Indian food and played Beyond Balderdash. My family loves word games, and we all laughed our heads off with some of the crazy things people came up with. We had a tough time getting back into the swing of things when all was said and done.

Phew! I'm glad that post is over with.

TWENTY!

(Has anyone seen or listened to 'Mamma Mia' [I'm NOT talking about the movie]?)

My, where has the time gone? Little Kate is now 20 months old! She is still affectionately known as Baby Kate. I just can't get enough of this girl. She definitely has her moments, but she always brightens my day. This little girl has a lot of fire in her for being such a sweetie. She definitely has a mischievous side. She loves to climb on the kitchen table (or anything else she can get on) and run around waiting for us to snatch her off. She loves taking the dish towels off the oven and throwing them down the stairs. She loves to take Ada's toys and run away with them. She loves being silly. Ada used to be the one who could always make Kate laugh, but now Kate is the one who gets Ada laughing! They like to play together, though they like to fight a lot too. Kate plays really well by herself, however. If you give her Ada's princesses to play with (she always points to Ada's top shelf saying, "'incesses!") she's happy for a long while. It's nice that I don't always have to turn on a show when I need to take a shower.

She got her two front teeth after she turned 18 months, but last week Tyler discovered two molars on top. Whoohoo! Six teeth and counting! She's a tiny little thing (her weight was in the 1st percentile at her 18 month visit), but I like to say that she's deceptively small because her tummy is so big. That girl is definitely front heavy. I love it. It's funny that I'm not in love with my body, but my girls both have my exact frame (small, long torso, no hips, big bellies) and I love everything about them!

Kate is the sweetest little thing ever. It's impossible not to be in love with her. She is so happy and good. I wish she would stay little forever!

Awesome!

This may be my favorite music video ever. The song isn't too shabby either. The girls and I can't get enough.