Pretty little girls

I took the girls to get their pictures taken for Easter and I'm so excited about how beautiful they turned out! I also had Adelle's and Grace's birthday pictures taken as well (Alexa will have hers taken in a few months)

Aloha!

Wow, I don't even know where to begin with this post! First, this is for all you Olsons out there: "Aloha oink!" (There was a family in their ward years ago who stood in sacrament meeting wearing pig noses, playing eukelalies, singing "Aloha oink!" Do people seriously do that!?)

Adelle and I spent nine days on the north shore of Oahu with my parents and Suzanne and had such a wonderful time. The sun came out for about a day and a half during our entire stay so I didn't come home with much of a tan, but had a great time regardless. Our condo was just down the road from Turtle Bay so Suzie and I would often walk there while Adelle was napping (thanks, Dad and Mom for helping me with her!) This is a picture of the sand through the crystal-clear water:

Our favorite place to eat was the Hukilau Cafe and it looks like something right out of the movie "50 First Dates". The tables look like little old kitchen tables and has such a relaxed, laid-back feel. My dad has a little crush on one of the waitresses there and blushes everytime we go in. (Shhh, don't tell him I wrote that!)

One of the highlights of the trip for me was going to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We started our afternoon there by watching a boat parade with each of the islands being represented. This is the Samoan float and video of the Tahitian float:

Here are some random pictures of our day there:We were able to visit the Samoan Village and see a man climb a palm tree, eat at the Luau (yum!), and watch a really great fire show put on by each of the islands. I loved it so much there and left wishing I had beautiful brown skin and long black hair!

Another highlight of the trip for me was visiting Pearl Harbor. It is impossible to describe the feeling of reverence there. When you get to the park you watch a movie with real footage of Pearl Harbor and of the attack, then you take a boat ride out to the USS Arizona Memorial. It is amazing to see the oil still seeping up from the boat. The weather that day was grey and rainy and I felt like the weather suited the atmosphere at the memorial.

There is an amazing, let me repeat, amazing swap meet held just outside Aloha stadium where I spent way too much money. One of the days we spent there it rained and rained and Suz and I were running from tent to tent trying to find shelter from the rain. This is what a rainstorm did to my beautiful, soft, hair that was previously full of body. (let me just say, I LOVE what the Hawaiian humidity does to my hair!) Do we have the Farrah Fawcett hair-do going on or what!

I am probably going to embarass myself by saying this, but I never knew that pineapples grew in the ground. (Um, blonde!) I loved seeing the acres and acres of pineapple crops and loved even more, eating some!

Here are a few more random pictures which require no explanation:

Adelle hated the ocean and the sand. I think it was because it was loud and windy and she's a little princess and hates to be dirty.

My dad, Suzie, and I went snorkelling several mornings in Shark's Cove and saw a lot of really pretty fish. I love snorkelling so much and can't wait to take Phillip there to go snorkelling sometime. It was so fun being out in the water and spending a little daddy-daughter time with my sister and dad.

I missed Phillip and my girls SO much and hated being away from them for so long, but had such a wonderful time in paradise!

Family pictures

We had these pictures taken last week and I am so pleased with how they turned out!

Romantic and funny and gross

The other day Alexa said to me, "Mommy, do you want to know what happened at school today that was romantic and funny and gross?" Naturally my curiosity was peaked so I said, "sure!" She began by saying, "well, me and Isaac looked at eachother..." and at this point I'm thinking, "that little boy better not have kissed my daughter!!!!" I calmly smiled and nodded as she continued, "we looked at eachother and smiled." Phew, breathe again Marianne! I just smiled and remembered the days when I thought smiling at a cute boy in school was romantic and funny and gross.

So funny!

This picture requires no explanation...it just makes me laugh! (And laugh, and laugh, and laugh!)

Valentine's Day

This post comes a little late, but I wanted to post some pictures of our Valentine's Day. We decided to spend the evening with the girls and make homemade pizza for dinner. We had so much fun just being together and eating our oh-so romantic candlelight dinner of homemade pizza.

This is the girls in their new Valentine's Day jammies.

Draper Temple Open House

Tonight we took the girls to the Draper Temple Open House with my parents. Wow, what a beautiful temple it is! I loooooved the chandelier in the Celestial Room, and the matching, miniature versions in the Sealing rooms. I loved that my girls were able to see inside the temple and to gain a little testimony of their own. When we were driving home I asked Alexa and Grace what their favorite parts were. Alexa said, "that reverent room where people kneel down and get married. And the reverent room with the big chandelier." What a sweet girl. Grace said, "the cookies and the water." That's my Grace!

Little moment

After dinner tonight we blasted the music and the girls and I just danced and danced. We were singing, and laughing, and jumping around and it was so much fun! Alexa and Grace kept saying, "this is the best night ever!" Lately I've been so busy with school and homework (not to mention the usual things around the house!) that I feel like I haven't spent a lot of quality time with my girls. This half-hour of dancing and singing made me realize that it only takes a few minutes to let them know how much I reeeallly love them. I love being a mommy!

The sweetest sound

"Mama-ma" Adelle finally said, "mama" and it just melts my heart. Phillip said she was yelling that and looking around for me when he was getting her ready for her nap this afternoon. Then she kept saying it while I was making her dinner. Oh, what a happy day!

Have we gone MAD?!

Yes, I think we have. On something of a whim we took the girls out yesterday and adopted a kitty. Phillip and I have had cats in the past and vowed to never have another pet, but yesterday we caved and adopted one. She stole our hearts at the pet store and has fast become a member of our family. She is so sweet and has no problem being carried around so the girls are just in heaven. Her name is Tinkerbell Snuggles which is very suiting for our house full of girls. You may laugh at the name Tinkerbell Snuggles, but that is much better than Tinkerbell Cuddle-Snuggles which is what Grace was voting for. So, Phillip is no longer outnumbered 4 girls to 1 boy, but 5-1!

Shhh...don't tell, but Phillip really loves her. So cute!

Response to Gina's tag...

I've been tagged by Gina. A to Z about ME A--Attached or Single: attached to Phillip for 8 great years B--Best Friend: Phillip, of course C--Cake or Pie: Cake Tonight I made Hot Fudge Pudding Cake with whipped cream D--Day of Choice: Saturday...no school E--Essential Item: This time of year, warm socks F--Favorite Color: Red G--Greatest Accomplishment: Giving birth to my daughter, Grace, completely unmedicated H--Hometown: West Jordan I--Indulgences: Reading J--January or July: July (it's my birthday!) K--Kids: Alexandra, 5; Grace, 3; Adelle, 10 months L--Life is incomplete without: my family M--Marriage Date: November 3, 2000 N--Number of Siblings: 4 sisters O--Oranges or Apples: mmm, depends on my mood P--Phobias or fears: Spiders. enough said Q--Quotes: "What are you looking at, butthead?" (Phillip is watching "Back to the Future" right now!) R--Reason to Smile: My girls. I love when Alexa runs up and hugs me, I love to hear Grace sing, and I love Adelle's funny faces S--Season: Fall T--Tag 5 Friends: Suzie, Julianne, Jenna, and anyone else who wants to play U--Unknown fact about you: My parents got my name from Marianne on "Gilligan's Island" She is everyone's favorite, right? V--Very favorite store: I love to shop at Target W--Worst habit: Staying up too late on a school night X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: ultrasound, especially when we're looking at a baby Y--Your favorite food: I love to eat all sorts of food. I really do. But my favorite late-night snack is chips and salsa Z--Zodiac: cancer

The results are in

Adelle's blood work came back today and she is mildly anemic. Wierd! Her hemoglobin count is 11.9 and it should be somewhere between 12.1 and something. (I sort of have selective hearing!) So she'll be on iron drops until she is re-evaluated in a couple months. I'm so suprised because she is such a happy and active little baby, and my experience with anemia is just the opposite. Hmm. I've never heard of a baby with anemia...anyone have any experience?

PS...today was my first day working in the massage clinic at school and it went really well. Phillip was so sweet and came to be my first client to ease my nerves. What a doll to pay for a massage he could get at home for free. My other client was a fellow student who requested me! Sweet! I'm so relieved to have this first day over with so I don't have to be quite so nervous anymore.

My brave baby girl

Adelle's pediatrician wanted her to have her blood drawn to check for anemia, so Phillip took her to the hospital today to have the test done. He said she was such a brave girl and didn't even flinch when they put the needle in her arm. What a girl! No tears, no crying, only curiosity. I'm so proud of her! She does a much better job than her mommy does. Or her grandma. (that one's for you, Mom! ha ha!)

The loves of my life

My girls absolutely adore bathtime! They take their bath before bed each night and it is such a great opportunity for them to wind down and relax. No, that junk on the wall is not dirt, it's crayon! Obviously they have a great time in the bath.Alexandra loves to take pictures and sometimes we find the best pictures on our camera. I love this picture of her and Grace that she took.

A couple nights ago Phillip caught Alexa reading bedtime stories to Grace. Is that just the sweetest thing ever!

My sweet Adelle with Phillip. She is such a happy little girl and brings so much joy to our lives. We feel so blessed to have her in our family.

And of course, Phillip. We get so excited for those rare moments when we get to go on a date, and appreciate those who watch our little angles so that we have some time to remember how much fun we have together.

Happy Birthday, Phillip!

I'm a few days late posting this, but Happy Birthday to my Phillip! He turned 31 on January 14th and I feel so happy to be married to him. He is a wonderful husband and does such a great job being daddy and mommy while I am in school right now. I am so proud of how hard he works to provide for our family, and to further his own education.My family gave Phillip the hugest balloon I've ever seen, and after displaying it in our home for a few days we let it go outside. It was fun seeing how long we could see it floating away (which was a very long time!)
I accomplished a long-time goal on Friday night...I cooked my first roast. I know, what kind of wife am I since I've been married for eight years and have never cooked a roast?! I guess I've just been a little intimidated. Well, I finally decided to do it and it turned out so yummy! I was so proud of myself! (Thanks, Mom, for all the cooking tips!) Alexa has been into watching "Man vs. Wild" with Phillip this week, and right before dinner they watched Bear Grylls kill and eat a snake. Gross! So all during dinner Alexa kept saying, "I love dead meat!" I really think she meant to say "roast beef", but dead meat was fresh in her brain. So from now on I'll be putting "dead meat" in my slow cooker!

This past week has been finals week at school and I'm so proud to say that I aced all five of my classes. Hooray! I think that my wardrobe to school on Thursday was a good indicator of where my stress levels had been. Lorianne (my sister who is taking this course with me) and I rode Trax to school on Thursday and when I was getting out of the car at the train station I realized that I had forgotten to put shoes on. Whoops! I was still wearing my slippers! So I had to ride the train, walk around downtown, and take my anatomy final in my slippers. Some people (especially some people at Wal-mart and silly high school girls) think it's okay to make dirty slippers a regular part of their wardrobe, but I'm just not that girl. Lucky for me, Grace had an appointment at Primary Children's Hospital so I called Phillip and he took some shoes to the appointment for me. After my final I caught another train and met him at the hospital to get my shoes. Needless to say, my slippers went right into the washing machine when I got home.

Grace face-planted in her walker on Friday and got a big fat lip. My poor baby. She of course cried and cried at first, then was so brave and didn't even complain afterward. It is times like this that I let myself feel frustrated about the struggles she faces. Most days I cope really well with her disabilities, and some days I don't. I was talking to Lorianne about this on the way to school one morning and expressing a concern I have. Does the Lord think me ungrateful for the trials I am given when I express my sadness and frustration for Grace's struggles? I hope not, because it's too hard to be brave every day.

Oh, that sore on her bottom lip is what is left of a cold sore I gave her. Yeah, just imagine the guilt I felt after realizing I gave my daughter the herpes virus! Ugh.

Massage Clinic

I will be working in the massage clinic at my school (Eagle Gate College) beginning Friday, January 23rd from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm each Friday and would like to invite anyone who wants, to come receive a massage. The regular price for a 50-minute full-body massage is $30, but if you mention that you are a friend or family member of mine then you will only be charged $15. Since I am not yet licensed I don't recieve a paycheck for this, it is just part of the hours I need to obtain my license, so the money goes to the school. (Tips are always welcome, though! :0) If the hours I work don't fit into your schedule then you are welcome to schedule with any other student and still receive the discounted price. (Appointments are scheduled from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm) Anyway, I am excited about the opportunity I have to improve people's well-being and wanted to give everyone an opportunity to receive some bodywork at a discounted price. The address of the school is 405 N. Main St. in SLC (inside the Ken Garff building) and the phone number is 333-7142. You'll probably end up leaving a message and someone will call you back typically on the following Thursday. Enjoy!!

Something funny Alexa said

The other day Alexa said to me, "Mom, you were right, I do have brains!" That in and of itself is funny enough, but the fact that she was pointing to her ribs made it hilarious! I have since corrected her on where things are.