Disney on Ice

My SIL, Alice, was able to get discount tickets to Disney on Ice (thanks to OC Tanner!) and we jumped at the chance to take the kiddies to it. There is simply no words to describe the absolute bliss that Ashlyn was experiencing. During the production, Todd and I would simply watch the reaction on Ashlyn's face as each of the Disney characters came on...she was smiling the whole time. I wish that it was something that I could have captured on camera.
These are just a couple of the pics before our camera was out of battery power.

The whole experience was so much fun, even for Ethan. The only thing that marred the jubilation was Ashlyn's meltdown. As soon as the production was over, she decided that she wanted an Ariel and we said..."no" and she flipped out. Poor girl, she was simply exhausted.

We Love Halloween!!

One of our favorite holidays started out with cute cards from Grandpa North and Myrna. Ashlyn loved hers..the first thing she said when she opened her card was "Tinkerbell!!!..I love it!"

We then did a Halloween themed playgroup at our house and since some could only come in the morning and others only in the afternoon, we did 2 - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Call me crazy, but I just couldn't bear the thought of a mom and kid missing out. Here are some pics:

In this picture, Ethan has found a new love...POPCORN!! I didn't take as many pics that I would have liked but we had so many fun kids all dressed up. I think we had a knight, a dragon, the incredible hulk and more that I just can't recall.

Halloween night was actually quite warm this year so we were out longer than before. At one of the homes (the McKinney's), they made this up...very clever!

Ethan was a pumpkin this year which was Ashlyn's first Halloween costume and Ashlyn was "Sleeping Beauty." They had so much fun and we did too!!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween.

Tagged by Kari

8 TV shows I like to watch:
Heroes
ER
Tyler's Ultimate
Semi-homemade by Sandra Lee
Project Runway (when it's on)
Next Food Network Star
Boston Legal (which is what I'm watching right now - very good episode, Utah's on center stage)
ANYTHING Food Network

8 Places I love to eat:
Cafe Molise
PF Changs
Martines
The Roof
Cafe Rio
TGIF/Chili's
Jamba Juice
Rumba

8 things that happened yesterday:
Woke up late for church
Practiced with the ward primary for their upcoming program
Sat through John Beckstead's talk titled "5 ways to become inactive" (this was seriously a topic given to him by the bishopric and he really was the perfect person to give it because he's is so dang funny)
Had choir practice in which we had a record number of people come - yeah!!
After lunch, took a wonderful 2 hour nap
Had dinner of sweet and sour meatballs with rice pilaf and steamed veggies
Did the FHE lesson on prophets
Put the kiddies to bed and chilled out with the hubby

8 things I look forward to:
Ethan's nap time
Bed time for the kiddies
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Birthdays
Time spent with my SILs
Shopping with my SILs
Girls outings and friends coming over to visit us and making us feel special (Can't wait to see your fam Kari!!)

8 things I love about fall:
The colors
The cool temperature
School for Ashlyn
Halloween!
Thanksgiving!
Planning for Christmas
I can start cooking comfort foods
My mom's apples and pears that turn into breads and desserts and juice!!

8 things on my wish list:
A second honeymoon that includes a personal chef
A day at the spa
Winning the lottery
That our children will be able to enjoy the blessings of the gospel (I know, cheesy..but true!)
That Todd and I will live a long and fulfilling life to see our children grow up
A third honeymoon???
A weekend getaway with my sweet hubby so that we can sleep in
Our own place

You were right Kari - this was a bit harder than expected....thanks though for tagging me :)

Ahhh...Pumpkin Carving...

Aunt Steph and Uncle Sun (who BTW are expecting their 1st child next February) invited all of us for a housewarming party (except that Ethan and I had to stay home because he was sick). They had dinner and did some intense and artistic pumpkin carving. The first thing Todd said about the "ordeal' was that it was so hard!!...of course the kiddies just played while the dad's did their magic....so here they are, aren't they fun?!? I think we'll be doing this EVERY year, right hun?

You Know It's Autumn When.....

So for FHE, we took a drive up to Little Cottonwood Canyon to see all the beautiful autumn colors. Aren't they amazing? It's so great to just be minutes away from both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon. We were pointing out all the wonderful colors to Ashlyn like the reds, golds, yellows, browns and some green. We even went right above Alta and walked around...boy was it cooooold!!...after awhile, Ashlyn let us know that she was ready to go back to the car, however, Ethan was having a hayday and didn't want to leave (man that kid can scream like a banshee).

Well, today for lunch, I asked Ashlyn if she wanted to say the blessing on the food and she said "yes." Then she proceeded to thank Heavenly Father for the red, yellows, golds, brown and green (????). Then I realized that she was thanking Him for the fall colors (never mind the lunch!!). How right she was to thank Him for the beauty of this earth and especially, the beauty of autumn.

Another update from us because I'm too lame to be blogging on a regular basis.

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last entry!. Life in general is the same, yet, different. Ya know what I mean? I've at least been pretty good about taking pictures (on the hopes that I would use them to blog and keep my friends and family updated). I forget that this blog is kinda like a journal for our family - especially when it comes to the kiddies.

So, take a seat, relax and be prepared to be entertained with the happenings of the Todd and Hyo North family (hee, hee!!):

So Todd and I were doing some pre-fall cleaning when we happened to find "this!" O.k...so I hate spiders, especially hairy, grey and black ones that are larger than the size of a peanut...and this was so much bigger than a peanut. I would say that it was about 3 to 4 inches in diameter (curled up mode). When I saw this, the first thing that came to mind was that it was a tarantula and that was because our neighbors (The Harlins) found one exactly like this one but sooooo much bigger...I would say it was about 6 inches wide spread out...freak!!...where do we live???..oh, up near the mountains...of course, right? Well, we couldn't tell if it was "asleep" or "dead" so Todd poked at it a few times and we then concluded that it was "dead." I was relieved.

So Ethan has blocked tear duct issues and his first surgery was scheduled for August. So here he is in his cute hospital gown and people, please don't be fooled.....he may look like he's having a good time, but he wasn't. He was starving, in a foreign place, tired and was totally orny that he couldn't play with all the gadgets. To make a very long story short (our day began at 4:30 a.m.), the doctors opted to not do the surgery because they felt that he was not well enought (what the????) Not well? So he was alittle conjested for a few days ago and sometimes coughs in the morning!!...yes, we were mad. So either I'll be able to de-block his tear ducts the home remedy way or hopefully he'll be able to go through with this surger next Wednesday (pray for us please!!)
Our not-so-little-anymore Ashlyn started preschool this year at The Children's Academy which is just 5 minutes away from us. Here she is with her teacher Ms. Heidi. It took Ashlyn a couple of days to get with the curriculum. But now she's doing great and has made some fun friends that she comes home and talks about.
I thought this pic was funny. Here's Ethan just finishing his milk and Ashlyn imitating him but with her water bottle. She's really felt the need to do what he's doing, even sucking on her fingers and he, is the same with her...he's aways trying to do what she's doing. Ah siblings.
This basically encompasses the grocery shopping experience for my kids....they're so great!!

So there you have it. Nothing too extraordinary....but life with these two crazy, loveable, funny, out of control, hilarious kids make each and every day so very special and we are ever so grateful to have them.

CLAM Mission Reunion

I never thought I'd go to another mission reunion again. Not because I didn't necessarily want to, I just thought that well, it's been over 10 years since I've been home, so no more mission reunions....right?....so wrong!! Over the summer, Nate Creer emailed a bunch of us saying that they wanted to put together a mission reunion for those that served in the California Los Angeles Mission (CLAM for short) under President Karl Farnsworth. My first thoughts were..."there is no way I'm going to my mission reunion....I won't recognize or know anyone." Well, I was talking to my dear friend "Kasper" and she talked me into going saying that she and a couple other ;sisters wanted to do kinda like a "girls getaway." Girls Getaway?...o.k., I'm so in!! So here we are over 10 years after coming home:

That's Jennifer Whitlow-Taylor; Me; Jessica Kasperian-Gomez; Julie Wilson-Meikle (did I spell that right?). We did dinner before the reunion, gossiped and then headed over to the reunion and finally finished the evening hanging out at Red Mango till it closed (midnight, or so).
This is a pic of us girls at the reunion PLUS Brian Taylor...he was our ever awesome District Leader. I just realized that I didn't get a pic of his beautiful and super cool wife Gina (sorry Gina!!..next time!)

And here we are over 10 years AGO in one of the sister's apartment on Temple Hill (right behind the LA Temple)...and yes, I had a short, A-line haircut then:
The three girls were called to be VC (Visitor Center) Spanish speaking sisters...so how did I get in with them since I was called as a proselyting, english speaking sister?....well, I was temporarily called to the VC to be with Sister Julie Wilson and to serve in a english speaking area and during that time, I got to know the best sisters ever. We had such crazy times!! This my beautiful greenie, Jill Smith-Judson, she's the mom of 5 kids: 1 daughter and 2 sets of twins (1 set of girls and then another set of boys)

...and of course, , my mission president: Pres. Karl Farnsworth and his beautiful and so sweet wife.

It was fun everyone, can't want to get together again!!

Some blogs to check out in regards to the Twilight Series

I was "blog surfing" and came across a blog entry on Jen and Doug's site. She shared the following blog site and entries. So if your a Twilight Series fan, you'll have to check it out. It's pretty funny and the hilarious thing is.....the author is a "guy" - yep, and he's read and has blogged about the Twililght books. And as for me, I have to admit that I am alittle borderline obsessed over the series, although I do have to keep it in check since I am so busy with so many projects from family to Primary to Ward Choir stuff to HOA stuff....will it ever end??!?

http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/02/twilight-series-for-dummies-and-totally.html

The Cold Hard Truth about Edward

He also wrote his own version of Breaking Dawn (don't worry, no spoilers here):

Part 1: http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/07/breaking-dawn-spoof-part-i.html

Part 2: http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/07/breaking-dawn-spoof-part-ii.html

Part 3: http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/07/breaking-dawn-spoof-part-iii-dramatic.html

Have fun with the following and thanks Jen for sharing!!

Father-Daughter bonding...

Ashlyn "hanging out" with dad while he's logging in some XBox 360 time.

Preschool

Ashlyn did quite well on her first day of preschool. She was just a little hesitant at first but then got into the art project shortly after I left. I do have to say that I had a harder time leaving than expected of myself. Her teacher, Ms. Heidi, is super cute. She told me that Ashlyn kept on saying that she wanted to go to "college." Well sweetheart, you'll soon get that chance. We're so proud of you Ashlyn. We know that you'll learn so much and we hope that you'll continue to be enthusiastic about school and that you will reach your goal of going to college and hopefully, if your given the opportunity, continue your education.

Hide and Seek with Ashlyn

Me: 1...2....3...
Ashlyn: Mom, make sure you come into the TV room!

Me: ...o.k....4....5....6....

Ashlyn: Mom, mom...make sure you come into the TV room!

Me: ....o.k sweetie.....7....8....9....

Ashlyn: Here I am!!

I love my daughter!!

I'm finally on the bandwagon...

...after many blogs (of friends) that I've read on these books, I've finally caved. The first 2 books just came today...thanks to Amazon. I also found Stephanie Meyer's official website. And I'm also looking forward to the movie in December. Can't wait to do a girl's night out on this one.

North Family Reunion 2008 in Sunny San Diego!!

It was so great to be back at our old stomping ground. Todd and I had memory after memory of our 2 years in San Diego and all the friends we made and missed so very much. So coming back to San Diego was awesome....especially to see all the family we hadn't seen in so long. We first spent 2 days at Sea World. The shows were great, the rides for the kiddies were super fun and we got a chance to stay for the night time show of Shamu. Definitely awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone. The kids had a great time even though they were so dang tired! Sea World added a new kiddie play area in which there were rides as well as Elmo and friends coming out and singing as well as posing for pictures:

We also got a chance to spend some time at the beach....oh the beach. I've forgotten how calming and soothing it can be to just dig and play in the sand as well as play in the ocean. Well, maybe not for Ashlyn or Ethan. Neither one of them liked the ocean at all!! Oh well, maybe next time.

After the beach, we cleaned up, gave the kids a nap and met at the SDSU Institute for dinner, swimming and a fun activity for the kids...hitting a pinata. It was fun!!

The cutest part were the little kids trying to hit the pinata...they were great!!

On our last day, we had a kiddie talent show. We saw cartwheels, summer saults, piano and vocal duets as well as some pretty cool karate. The kids ended the talent show by singing "I Am a Child of God." They were amazing.
Thank you Grandpa and Myrna for putting it all together.

And to all the aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews....we miss you already! Love you tons.

So Yummy...

...I just had to share my new favorite dessert. It's so worth it!! It's called a Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries by Tyler Florence. I found that to make the curd, I had to allow the bowl to touch the pot (double boiler method). I only used 1/2 the curd because I read the reviews saying that it was too lemony. It was perfect. If you get a chance to make this, I promise, it'll be a show stopper!! I do suggest using the pound cake from Costco. I've also added another header the right titled "Favorite Recipes" in which I'll list some of my tried and true recipes. Hopefully I'll figure out a way to add comments to each of the recipes I've experimented upon.

Let me know how the Trifle goes!!

Family Night at the Buzz Baseball Game

Our good friends Todd and Kristie (yes, we have 3 "Todds" in our ward) invited us to a Buzz Baseball game....in the suite....Sweet!! The kids had a good time and Ashlyn loved the fact that she got to eat a whole box of popcorn (although it was intended for ALL the other kids too). They also invited some other friends from the ward too. Anyway, here's us with the "Buzz." Ashlyn got a little scared and wouldn't go near the mascot.

(Eddie, Amanda, Anabelle, Lilly, "Buzz", Damon, Me, Ethan)

Pioneer Day

For Pioneer Day, we had my family over for dinner and for some swimming. We had a great time!





After they all left, we went up to the loft to watch the fireworks from Cottonwood Heights. We talked to the kids about why July 24th was so important. First, it's Pioneer Day and second, it's Grandma Ginny's birthday.

Ginny had just finished radiation for a brain tumor the doctors had found 7 months prior to our wedding. I found it to be absolutely miraculous that she was still with us when we got married. I was very worried about her stamina on the wedding day, but she did quite well and we have been so blessed to have pictures as well as videos of her on our wedding day. I can't say that I knew my mother-in-law as well as my other sister-in-laws but what I did know about her was that she was very, very kind.

I won't ever forget the first time I met her. I had gone over to Todd's parents place to meet him for a date. It was going to be one of our last ones before he left for Oregon to do a PhD program in Biology. She was on her way to a Mormon Tab Choir practice and she stopped to ask who I was and when I told her, she just lit up and was so happy to meet me. I adored her right then and there. She had a big heart. She LOVED Christmas and she LOVED her family and grandkids. Before she passed away, she told Todd that she wanted to be with the family....she just wanted to be around, here on earth with us.

I don't know why her time was limited on this earth or why she just couldn't be "around" but I do know that she was a big part in the success of all her kids. They all knew and felt of her big heart and her willingness to always, always help them in whatever circumstances. Family was a huge part of her focus and that has certainly passed on to her children.

A pioneer is defined as someone to be the first to open or prepare way, one to lead the way for a group. That was Ginny. I know that she lived long enough to prepare her children for life and to set their focus on the importance of families being together in this life and in the life to come. I hope that Todd and I can live up to that tradition.

Family Time

I've been very fortunate to have all my family (parents and siblings) here in Utah. We certainly take full advantage of the closeness of our proximity as well as the closeness we have as a family. We love getting together for dinner and for fun. A couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at Jeong and Corrine's in celebration of Kailee's Birthday. Before dinner, Todd started a game of "Hide and Seek." It was hilarious!! And Todd was so awesome to teach them the game. Here are the kiddies "hiding!!" This is Ashlyn "hiding" with Devin peeking over the sofa for Uncle Todd

Ashlyn, Kaliee, Devin "hiding."

Another thing we love to do is have the kids play in the kiddies at my parent's. It's just their size.