Week Four

Last week was full of fun little things. Firstly, Jane really wanted to take bath. This was fine, but I told her she needed to wait until Ally woke up. Ally is a lover of bathes. Really, Jane just wanted to play with her rubber duckies (that she recently rediscovered she owned) in the bath. So, while she waited we made her duckies a little pool in the bathroom sink for them to float around. Then it was Jane's snack time. She finished her snack then ran to the bathroom. Not 30 seconds later she calls, "mawww-ahhm" with a "come see what I did" tone. I walk in and she, in that 30 seconds mind you, got fully undressed and climbed into the sink which still had her duckies pond in it. She was so proud of herself. I had to decide in a split second whether to get "disappointed" or not. "Stay right there Jane, I'm getting my camera!" - We had a fun little photo shoot.

One of the many great things about having children, is watching them do unto others as you have done unto them. Sometimes. When doing the girls hair in the mornings I typically spray it with water, comb and put elastics or whatever in it. They have taken to doing my hair lately, but on Saturday, they found an even more willing subject. The wooden rocking horse. That horse was dripping with water from the spray bottle and has never had such silky straight, un-knotted hair in it's existence. By the end of the beauty do - the horse had every headband and clip we own on it's mane. Ahh, a much better subject indeed.

Midweek after lunch when the girls were apparently feeling snacky, Jane decided to hold a tea party. She got out drinks, napkins, plates, utensils, smurf (special guest) and even her lucky purse. This was just the beginning. By the end, we had expanded the towel to add a second bath towel to accommodate the larger amounts of snacks provided. She had every snack available, including their mac 'n cheese they hadn't quite finished from lunch. Having girls is a lot of fun.

Saturday was a day I was looking forward to/dreading for 5 months. It was our Sisters Conference, which is held every January. They are always wonderful, but the planning for months on end can be daunting and scary. It always turns out wonderfully but is always nice to have over with. This year was no exception. Our Relief Society Stake Presidency spoke intermingled with musical numbers. All were beautifully done. The light luncheon afterwards was delightful and delicious. We had the Stake Presidents wife, who is an artist, construct a lovely mural of this oak tree, seeing as our theme was about the Harper Island's "Island Oaks" whose story I'll have to tell later. Every sister in the stake could find their name written on the trunk, roots and branches of the tree... it was amazing and so very well done.

 

Week THREE

This last week.... hmm.. what happened this past week? Seriously. I'm drawing a blank. I know Monday morning was playgroup for Jane, I went to play basketball Wednesday evening, let Jane and Ally play at the church Wednesday morning with friends, Thursday morning was a temple trip with Ruth Hall (Jane and Ally's resident Grandma), Saturday we went into town as a family then Mom/Dad, Dallas/Fam came over for dinner, soon followed by Plowmans for games, and Sunday Rich spoke in Sacrament meeting then immediately left for a fishing trip and that evening I had a ward RS orientation, but really, besides all that I feel as though I'm leaving something out. It will come to me.

Today I worked on product photography and Jane decided she would help me! I have been using both my old and new camera, finding my old to be much better for certain things, and trying to level the learning curve with the new. Jane wanted to take pictures. It took a minute for her to understand the concept of looking into the viewfinder. Her world of pictures has only been on electronics that show on the screen what you're shooting. It was fun watching her learn, explore and develop. She did quite well arranging flowers and taking their photos.

I hope Jane discovers early a passion for something in life, and that I am willing to give mine in helping her develop and pursue her talents.  I do not mean that I hope she finds at an early age something she will love and do for the rest of her life - but I hope she is courageous enough to try new things and in turn discover and learn more about her self. She was so cute getting excited about doing something she saw mommy doing and was proud of the results. I love this little bug.

week TWO

This last week was filled mostly with counting inventory for my Etsy shop over at my parents place. For some reason the week seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was over. Saturday was upon us and we had tickets to the movie Monsters Inc 3D (thanks mom!) that needed to be used. Although we planned on Rich using them for his monthly "daddy-daughter" date, he insisted I take Miss Jane. It was nice to spend some one-on-one with her. We went all out getting ourselves drinks and popcorn and we even had the whole theaters to ourselves. This was a bonus because then we didn't bother anyone with Jane's incessant "why's." Why is he sad? Why is he doing that? What is she being funny?" We also didn't bother anyone with our constant potty breaks. Drinking soda will do that to a little bladder. After the movie was over we chased each other around the theater. Before leaving we made one more potty stop then headed to the Brigham City DI to see if we could score any goodies. What's a mommy-daughter date without some shopping anyway? There were all sorts of things Jane thought were worthy of taking up space in our home, but we got out without most of them. At one point she started carrying around a large plastic kitchen thing. She's apparently very strong. Strong willed that is. Luckily we already have a kitchen so I was able to persuade her to put it back. It was funny.... guess you had to be there.

January Family Letter

Our little family is doing well. We are especially grateful for our many blessings and comforts of life as we look out the window at the brewing storm outside. We loved spending time with family over the recent holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas are so fun when you're spending it with family. Thanks mom/dad for opening your home for all us to gather and mingle. January, although brought on with much excitement and new resolutions is always a smack in the face as it brings back the reality of everyday life. Rich is now the Executive secretary to the Bishopric and I am still in the Stake Relief Society Secretary.  Right now is a busy time as we prepare for our Stake Women's Conference. Other then that, life is same old same old :)

loves to all, and happy new year!
the Wellsville Whites - Rich, Serra, Jane, Ally

week ONE

This first week brought with it a new year, a fresh start and lots of family time. I love the holidays. It is always  family filled and it warms my heart and refreshes my soul. I tried my darndest not to make a whole lot of unrealistic goals this year. So, in trying to be realistic, my top goal was to be a better wife and mother. To be more specific, my goal with relation to my family is to remember to always put them first before my other goals and expectations of myself.  I am often saddened by how the days slip by like sand between my fingers. By how fast my children are growing before my eyes.

My children are indeed my greatest joy (I accidentely typed "job"-- ain't that the truth too!). I love them both  to my very core. I want them to succeed, to always be as happy as they are now. To always know peace. To be better then I have ever been. Thank you Richard White for helping my create two beautiful girls who are delicious to my heart. 

you've had a birthday, shout "hurray!"

Somebody special turned 4 this month. Someone I love very very much. Her name is Jane. Jane had been waiting for her birthday for a long time. Like, since her sisters birthday in August. Yeah. She's been a little anxious and probably couldn't believe the day had finally arrive. Jane was rudely awakened the morning of her 4th birthday due to parents that simply couldn't wait to sing her HAPPY BIRTHDAY. The birth of children is definitely worth celebrating. So, we start with the traditional panCAKE breakfast. Pancakes smothered in colored cool whip. YUM. If you're lucky, the birthday girl might share a layer.

The first gift Jane was allowed to open was a little recorder (plastic flute). She proudly played her instrument for each visitor and phone call she received. It takes talent to play with one hand.

That evening we had some cousins over to help celebrate and open presents. She even got to blow out candles again. It never gets old. There is nothing like opening presents when you have a slew of cousins to share them with.

Jane is 4 now. Part of me can't believe she is already four, and the other part feels like she's been around forever. Jane is quite independent. She confidently to get herself drinks, snacks and even helps her little sister Ally in that department if I have said no but Ally insists. When she spills she tells me, "It's ok mom, it was an accident." She says the same thing when Ally spills something. It definitely helps me keep my temper in check. She gets herself dressed each morning and prides herself in being as unfashionable as possible. She loves to go to playgroup once a week. She calls it preschool and loves being with all her little 3-4 year old friends! Jane knows no strangers. She is friendly to everyone she meets and the first question she asks is, "what's your name?" followed by, "oh." That's all it takes and you're best friends! She loves to play games. Be it on the floor, on the computer or on the phone, she is a game junkie. She loves to make believe. Rich and I are so grateful she has a little sister to play "kitties, puppies and ponies" with. They will stay in true character form for days on end. We often wonder when the silliness will end, but then have to remind ourselves that one day, we'll miss having these little kitties around. So, we try to enjoy them while we can. We love to play hide-n-seek and Jane is getting better with her hiding spots. Especially when she has been sneaky (naughty) and taken the grated Parmesean cheese from the fridge. She grabs Ally, they hide in the closet and eat it as fast as they can. It's their favorite (very expensive) snack. It boils my blood every time. She has also taken to coloring and takes pride in using a vast array of colors and sometimes multiple hours or days to complete one project.

This princess project will forever remain unfinished. Jane was a little perturbed upon discovering that Ally had scribbled on the bottom. Ally just wants to be like her big sister in every way, much to the dismay of Jane. Jane loves to practice her letters. She received an awesome letter-practicing book from her cousins Ethan, Landon and Aiden (Thanks Darci!! (and Doug)). They have indentations for each letter making it easier for the child to see how to write the letter. She will do several pages a day and is almost done with the lower-case. It will be interesting to see her try and write the letters without the indented guidelines.

We sure love our Janer-bug. She keeps us on our toes laughing, dancing and learning how to be parents and guardians over such a sweet spirit. Happy birthday Janie.

the first snowfall

The first snowfall from the eyes of a child. Pure, innocent, and joyful. Perhaps winter isn't so bad afterall. If only it wasn't so cold. I become quite the hermit throughout winter. My toes are always cold and I frequently long for the warmth of my bed and the restfulness of sleep. I must be part bear. 

The first snow fall of 2012 happened in November. Before leaving for work Rich went to shovel the sidewalks and feed the dog and by the time he was done the girls were dressed in their winter gear (over their jammies) and ready to play. Being the awesome father he is, he said, "work can wait" and played for about 30 minutes in the snow. Our girls were in pure heaven. They built their first snowman of the season.

It was a lot of hard work. And sometimes, when you're out before breakfast you can get hungry for a little snack. Poor snowman.