Fall Carnival

Our apartment complex had a little fall carnival complete with blow up toys, a petting zoo, and pony rides! Which were, of course, Bries favorite, Hopes not so much! She was, of course, terrified! sorry this video is a little shaky, I was trying to keep up with the horse at a steady pace.



This picture was taken just second before she bailed, leaping into the safety of Joshs arms. How dare we put her on that pony.
She did however LOVE the billy goats. This is our little Hope trying to give the goat a kiss! She just couldn't quite reach!

Thanks so much Brie!

Last night Josh wore this pink shirt that I bought him for our all pink family pictures! I was sure he would NEVER wear it again, and was so happy when he came out dressed in it.

Brielle says "Daddy, you can't wear Mommy's shirt, that's Mommy's shirt."

I'm pretty sure he will never wear that shirt again. Thanks a bunch Brie!


After going grocery shopping she was trying to squeeze in between the cars, and I was in her way. She slapped my bum and said "Mommy you are too fat, move over!" Thanks again Brielle!

It does exist!

Have you ever seen those movies where they walk out in the rain and are soaked in like 10 sec.? Or when they get caught in a down pour, completely drenched. Being from Utah I thought these were Hollywood moments. Made up, completely false.

I was wrong.

Today it rained, and rained, and rained some more. And it was that kind of rain. The rain that drenched you in seconds, the rain that creates HUGE puddles in the grass. I was caught in my first down pour.

IT IS NOT HOLLYWOOD, IT DOES EXIST!

Preschool......

My neighbor and I have decided to start doing our own preschool with our girls. We started today. Brielle was very disappointed that she didn't get to ride on the school bus and take her backpack like her daddy. She started screaming in the middle "Mommy, your not my teacher, you're the Mommy. I need my teacher." Obviously she doesn't want to be home schooled.
We learned about the letter A, Circles, the color RED hence the red nails, and the number 1.
Hopefully she will get over the bus and her teacher when she goes to Lan's.

We have had an emotional and tough week, as one of our dear friends have lost their baby boy. Gavin was a sweet baby who put up a tough fight, but on Monday he returned to live with his Father in Heaven. We are so thankful for little Gavin and for the impact he had on our lives, even from a distance.
Andre and Bethany, we love you both so much! We have shed tears for you and can't imagine your hurt. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. I am so thankful for Eternal families, and the knowledge that you will be able to be with him again. Love you guys.

the HUT!

For family night on Monday we built a hut. Or I should say Josh built a hut. When I suggested the idea, I had a small, one blanket hut in mind. The little boy in Josh came through as he pulled out every blanket we own.
The girls thought it was the coolest thing ever. They were pretty sad when we took it down the next day. At first we didn't know if they were going to let us finish. They kept tearing down the first blanket.

He was a little upset that we didn't have safety pins! "Why do we need safety pins to build a hut?" I asked. I didn't know you had to pin the blankets together. He then informed me that we were not "PREPARED" to build this hut. I thought the whole point of building a hut was to build it out of the resources you had. Well, that is what he did. he substituted safety pins for bobby pins.
Naturally, the girls wanted to sleep in the hut. We didn't know if they would ever go to sleep, so we were hesitant. They fell asleep surprisingly quick in this cute little position. Love those girls!

The Finished Product!
yes, it took up our entire living room!

Sunday...........

Sunday is the ONE AND ONLY day of the week Josh GETS to sleep in later than me. I should be happy for him that he gets a break and gets to sleep, I should be happy that by me getting up early I know we have a better chance at getting to church on time. But while I quietly tiptoe through the room and the bathroom trying to get ready before the girls wake up, I secretly want to wake him up so he wont make us late for church!

I KNOW, YOU CAN SAY IT, I AM HORRIBLE!

I turn into the Sunday Monster every morning about 8:30.** As I am tugging hair into place I am screaming "Hold still, Brie if you move one more time......"! As I am searching for shoes that kind of match brielles dress (she has outgrown all of her shoes suddenly) I am yelling "Josh can you get sippy cups and books". Then when I am done looking at for shoes and go out to see there are still no sippy cups because Josh is still tying his tie I scream "Never mind I got it!"
You get the picture, it is not pretty. I usually end up screaming at everybody until we are all out the door, Drive like a crazy woman until we get to the church, unload the girls and run into sacrament, sit down at 9:00 AM on the dot(sometimes a little later) and take a deep breath because we made it!

** Josh has recently brought this issue to my attention so I am in the process of leaving the Sunday Monster behind. Today I only got uptight ONCE!

*** On a side note, All you Benson Mill Warders, you have got to get somebody to change sacrament to the first. It has made all the difference with our kids. We RARELY have to leave and we even get to listen without them crying and whining. IT IS FANTASTIC!

A Funny story!

Many of you remember my obsession with finding out who was looking at my blog a couple times a day from Denver Colorado. I finally gave up and resorted to the fact that they weren't going to tell me who they were, or whoever it was didn't know it was them because their internet routed through there and they were clueless.

Since we've moved to Virginia I haven't seen one log in from my friend in Denver Colorado. Either they realized our lives are really boring and didn't want to read about it anymore or............I WAS DENVER COLORADO! (I have a sneaking suspicion the second is most likely the case!)

Tonight I left for an hour and a half

When I walked through the door Josh said:

"Nat, we turned our back for 5 seconds and IT happened!"

I was SCARED

This is what I found!

Doesn't Hope have this look like she is saying "What's the big deal? I didn't do anything wrong!"

The Terrible Three! Watch out for these babes!They're TROUBLE!

I think I will re-think leaving the kids with daddy again! Just kidding, I love you Josh!

On a positive note, I put the kids to bed tonight and they stayed! I haven't seen them ONCE! YEAH!

Today was a good day....

Today was a good day because Brie and I didn't fight all day!
Today was a good day because she was so sweet to her sister.
Today was a good day because I didn't have to referee
Today was a good day because she WANTED to get her hair done.
Today was a good day because Hope fell right to sleep at her nap, and slept for a long time.
Today was a good day because Brielle didn't drive off on her bike, and came back when I told her to.
Today was a good day because I got a 20 min. uninterrupted nap.

I did ZERO dishes, exactly one load of laundry, I made my bed but not the girls, I didn't vacuum the floors that desperately needed it, I didn't put my makeup on until 3:00, and I got to read a chapter from my book.

Today Brielle told me I was her BEST FRIEND
Today Hope said "Sorry" for the first time

Today Brielle Helped Hope go potty
I was blow drying my hair and came out and heard Brie saying "No, No sweetie that is too much toilet paper." I continued in and stepped in a puddle right in front of the toilet. I didn't flinch thinking it was water. I asked Brie if Hope went pee-pee on the potty she said "No mommy, I'm sorry, she peeped on the floor! But don't worry I put her on the potty so she would know next time!"

I LOVE days like TODAY!

WHAT!??!?

The student housing has a program here on Wed. where you can go down to the community room, and get free food. Today I went down and there was bottled water. I thought 'GREAT, IT'S EVEN AQUAFINA' and took one. I get home and get it out of the fridge to drink it and notice on the label it says "PLUS CAFFEINE"! WHAT? Since when did we need to put caffeine into water?

GO TO BED!

After putting the girls to bed a million times, we finally said that if they came out again we would turn off their movie!(yes, our children have a tv in their room, and yes they watch a movie at bedtime. I know we're horrible!) That kept them in their room, but we still heard them giggling and laughing. We figured they weren't bugging us so we let them be. Well, when they finally did come out again this is what we went in to find. EVERY STUFFED ANIMAL AND BABY AND POLLY POCKET, AND EVEN MCDONALDS TOYS they owned was on the top bunk, and still is. Brielle claimed they were having a slumber party with her tonight. I told her I didn't care what slept with her as long as she would go to sleep. We've seen them 4 times since. Should we lock them in their bedroom? Sounds tempting!

"Hey Look I'm A TURTLE!"

SLEEPING TURTLE

PEEK-A-BOO TURTLE

"HELLO, NOW I'M AWAKE" TURTLE

The Beach!

Brielle got to take Grandma to the beach. It was a perfect day. We packed up the car and drove about 30 mins. to a quiet, not very crowded beach. Hope's favorite part was the sand and at first that was all the girls were interested in.
Thanks to my mom, Josh and I got to go out and swim together. My mom said she saw dolphins right next to us. We unfortunately didn't see them. We had a lot of fun jumping the waves together in the cold water, which eventually warmed up.
Brielle and Hope were terrified of the water, and wanted nothing to do with it. Notice them watching every wave. Brie is pointing for us to move AWAY from the water. After seeing Josh and I in there they warmed up to the idea, and by the end, were little fish. Brielle would go out and sit down then when a wave came she would turn around and ride it in. The whole time saying "It's not scary, it's so fun!" Of course, we had already taken the camera to the car since I was paranoid of getting sand in it. Little Hope would stand up and throw her arms back as far as she could and wait, like she was saying "I'm ready, come and get me". When the wave came she would jump on my lap and hold onto my legs. They had a lot of fun though and we ended up dragging Brielle out of the water.

GuEsS WhO.................

We have a special visitor. The visitor arrived late last night. The visitor wanted to keep it a secret from Brielle, so she had no idea. When she woke up this morning I told her to go knock on the visitors door. And SURPRISE........


IT'S GRANDMA

Brielle didn't really know what to think. She happily exclaimed "It's my grandma"! She kept looking back and forth at me and then at her. She couldn't stop smiling all morning. She was so happy to see her grandma. Now she will only let my mom do everything for her. She will be staying for the weekend and Brielle is so excited to take her to the beach with water.

This morning Brielle woke up and told Josh " Daddy, I'm not afraid anymore. The angels came and slept with me, and Jesus is so nice."
We have been telling her that we would say a prayer at night and the angels would come take away the monsters and scary tigers. Obviously it helped.

Hope has suddenly vetoed naps. She just cries and cries. It makes me crazy. She also refused to put a diaper on. Every time she peed she immediately took it off and said "Ewwwww" We haven't had much success going on the potty, but she sure likes to wear panties. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!

Happy Birthday Jenn! I love you so much! Thanks for being a great big sister. It so nice to always know I have a great friend when I need one. A therapist when I need to vent. A teacher when I need to learn. And somebody who knows more about life and life's experiences when I'm scared to try. I LOVE YOU TONS!

Oh, little Hope

These batteries kept Hope entertained for almost 45 mins. I know it is a very weird toy, but whatever keeps them happy right. So all of the sudden she starts screaming. My first thought- stuck the battery in her mouth and it was stinging her. I was wrong! She was trying to put them all back in the container and the container has 3 rows. When the bottom, and indented row was full she couldn't fit anymore batteries in and she was MAD! After screaming she threw the batteries everywhere and quietly started again. Getting to the same point and repeating the process only to give up when she couldn't make it work how she wanted.
This is so funny to me because from a young age she has been very good at picking up and putting things where they go. She definitely likes things to be perfect.

All the hubbub........

FOR NOTHING!!!!!! Absolutely nothing! I've had worst storms in Utah. Although the power did go out for like 7 hours! Glad I had those batteries! It rained a little, the wind blew, and the clouds moved quickly, then it was over! The sun was shining and it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow! I hope that is all we ever experience while were here!

Monsters and SCARY tigers?

Tonight we had our first visit from "the Monster". We also had a "scary tiger hiding in Brielle's closet. I have NO idea where this came from, it was completely out of the blue. It almost made me beleive her because it was so random. All of the sudden she was scared to go into her room because of the monster and scary tiger! And no, she has never seen "Monsters inc."! We said a prayer and asked God to bless her with angels to watch over her, she said "OK, goodnight." A few minutes later she was screaming, then a few minutes later she was out! Where did this come from?

I remember as a kid seeing "angels" but to me I really saw them! I was overdosed on my medicine as a child and one of the side effects was hallucination. I really saw angels when I was little and they terrified me. I still remember it and still hate the dark. I don't want Brie to go through this, and don't want her to remember it in 15 years.

Any advice on dealing with the Monsters?

Rainy days bring anything but the BLUES!

Water is flying off the shelves. I bought the last pack of batteries at K-mart today, after finding them sold out at two other stores. I had to go to two stores to find my girls milk. Diapers and wipes were both scarce. I think there was probably 20 loaves of bread left in the whole store. Why all the hubbub? Hurricane Hanna!or a tropical storm, whatever it is at the moment! The mayor has declared an official state of crisis, and the town is stalking up on goods! This strengthens my testimony even more of food storage, but it has also taught me we need MORE than food. I couldn't believe when I turned the corner at the store and the couldn't even find the diapers I normally buy! Don't worry mom, most people say it's not that big of a deal. And I'm proud to say we are prepared enough.
Regardless, the weather is warm, and the rain is soft. It was fun to splash and play in the puddles. The clouds were moving across the sky at an incredible rate, and it was fascinating to watch!
The girls LOVED the umbrella and Brie loved riding her bike through the huge puddles and watching it splash everybody! Hopey just ran back and forth and eventually found a mud puddle YEAH!
It was a great night of crazy weather, which is supposed to get a lot crazier tomorrow! 40-60 mile an hour winds? What does that mean exactly?

The life of my little 3 year old!

What a special little girl Brielle is! Here are a few things about her.
*Favorite color is, of course, pink.
*She doesn't eat much but she loves chicken nuggets, sandwiches, and CHOCOLATE! (she comes by it naturally.
*Her favorite animal is an elephant.
*She LOVES her daddy, and whenever he is with us he is the ONLY person her can get her out of her carseat.
*She recently feels like she must talk to everyone she sees, especially in the grocery store. Sometimes its a simple "HI". Others it "hi my name is Brielle Taylor Fawson, this is my sister Hopey Kell Fawson, and my Mommy and we came to the store to get..........
*Her favorite cartoons are clifford, Super why, and Curious George
*She LOVES to play with her friends, and ride her bike. Most of the time as fast as she can away from mommy.
* Her favorite Disney princess is Belle
* Her favorite movie is apparently Word Girl, which is a cartoon. Go figure.
* When saying her prayers at night she is always thankful for Daddy, Mommy, and Hopey, and Brielle
* She often calls out "Hey Mommy" (or daddy, or whoever) "yeah, brie" Then she screams "I LOVE YOU!" This really gets me when I'm tired of her talking and annoyed at the little voice saying over and over "Mommy this, and Mommy that" Then when she finishes up with that Ilove you it just melts my heart!
* When told no to something she sometimes tilts her head to the side and says in this sweet little voice "oh, twease" (please). It gets both Josh and I and she usually ends up getting her way. I'm pretty sure she knows it.


Our door, as you can see has a handle instead of a door knob. The normal safety locks don't fit on it. She could easily unlock the door and get out. We installed the chain on the top of the door in an effort to keep her inside, so I could shower, go to the bathroom, and try to get anything done without having to chase after her every second. The day we put the chain on we could see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out how to get around this obstacle. She first tried to stack our kitchen table chairs on top of each other and quickly realized this would not work. Josh asked me how long I thought it would take her to figure out that our barstools were a lot taller. I just hoped she wouldn't!
only 3 days later, she escaped via the barstool. Josh was so proud of her! I was Horrified! What was I going to do now? She is too smart, and determined for her own good.We were in Chick-fil-a the other night, and it had a little tiny playground area with no tables just a couple of benches for parents to sit in. there were two other couples in there with thier kids. I didn't see Josh anywhere and asked Brielle where he went. Without missing a beat she replied "He's poopin" EVERYONE started to laugh! The funniest part of the story is Josh didn't tell her he was going to the bathroom, she just knows her daddy that well! Needless to say when Josh walked in, he got some funny stares and a few more chuckles.

WE LOVE OUR LITTLE BRIELLEY SO MUCH!!!!! SHE DEFINITLY KEEPS OUR HOUSE ALIVE AND HOPPIN. SHE ADDS SOME MUCH NEEDED ENTERTAINMENT!

we FOUND Tina........or Harry!

Blowing bubbles

You asked for more videos so here you go! Brie and Hope love to blow the bubbles!