Temple Square Lights

Last year we started a tradition with my long time college friends, Tali and Preston and their son Miles of meeting in Salt Lake in December.  Last year we got together and ate at Olive Garden and then Greg and I took the girls around temple square.  This year we decided to do it all together.  We walked around temple square some while it was still daylight and watched the nativity they have (Allie was sure she needed to go and touch the baby Jesus and was very disappointed that she couldn't).  We threw money in the fountain (a huge hit with the kids) and took pictures by the beautiful tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial building.

 Then we walked down to the Olive Garden and ate dinner.  The girls played in the window inside while we waited for our table.  The food was excellent and we were stuffed and grateful for the walk back up to Temple Square to burn off some of the calories.  We then walked through and saw some of the lights.  That is one of the most spectacular things I have seen.  Every branch has lights right to the tip.  The crowd was enormous and we were tired and the girls were restless so we kept it short and to the point.  One of these times when we don't have strollers and diaper bags to deal with I want to go on a carriage ride.

 After we parted ways we went to our hotel and went swimming.  The girls had a blast and the water was the perfect temperature.  Then we slept on the big poofy beds (Allie did a very thorough jumping test on both) and got up and enjoyed their free breakfast then headed down to Auntie Helens for a visit.

The visit at Aunty Helens was great-minus Allie throwing up her whole dinner in the kitchen and Brailies blowout diaper requiring a bath and full clothes change. 
All in all it was a great getaway.  We had so much fun being together and being with our friends.  We are making it a tradition and I can't wait until next year.

Allie doing makeup

Sometimes when I do makeup Allie asks if she can too.  I have some purple eyeshadow (I know, I know I've had it for a really long time) and Allie loves to put it one with a little brush.  This time sh really went all out.

This video cracks me up-kind of like an American Idol audition gone terribly wrong.

Sleep Covers

Allie finally learned how to sleep under the covers.  WAHOOO!!!  One of her new favorite things is to have me get in her bed under the covers with her and read stories.  I absolutely love it when she wants me too.  Brailie likes being in her bed too!!.

Brailie

Brailie is such a little sweetie.  She goes with the flow most of the time and has a smile on her face most of the time.  She is a pretty good sport and I think she makes a super cute little Ukrainian girl in her babushka.

A snapshot of Brailie playing with Allie's purse.  She looks like she is all business in the picture.  I love it.

Helping Build a Fire

This girl is so observant.  Every day when daddy starts a fire he tears up a newspaper into strips to use to start the fire.  So one day she grabbed a newspaper and said she was going to start a fire.  Here are the results:

Valley Basketball Tournament

On December 3rd and 4th we went to Orderville for the Valley Buffalo Shoot out (a basketball tournament). I decided to go since it is my old stomping grounds and I didn't think that staying home for 2 solid days alone with the girls sounded like any more fun.  And i am glad we went.  Allie did really well on the bus.  Both girls endured way more basketball then they could ever wish to see in 2 days.  Allie survived falling and cutting her lip on the bleachers.  Brailie whacked her head twice really good.  All in all it was worth the trip and Gregs Varsity team took 1st place which is totally awesome.  Here are some of the highlights.

Allie running and playing with Sarah.  She had a blast playing with all the girls on the team and the team is so sweet to her.

I know this one is blurry but I had to add it because Allie loves Sarah.  When I put her socks on in the morning if I don't pull them up to her knees I get in trouble because they are not like Sarah.

Playing peekaboo with the team

Brailie must have been worried someone was going to take her stuff because she insisted on walking around carrying all of this.

Thank heavens for a few little friends.  Allie was so happy to play with some other kids and they loved watching Dora on her portable DVD player.

Someone has her eye on the trophy.  A future all star perhaps??

"It's mine-all mine."

Decorating the Christmas Tree

These pictures are from Monday November 29th.  We decorated the Christmas tree for Family Home Evening.  As you can see Allie is once again shirtless for the occasion.  She was super excited to get out the ornaments.  I am surprised any of them made it on the tree in one piece.  Lucky for us her and Brailie found the bag with the tree beads in it and that kept them entertained long enough for us to get the decorations on the tree.  The girls love our tree and ooh and ahh every time we plug it in.  Thankfully it is still standing despite Brailie's best efforts to tug on the lights.  We have a gate to put around it but that is currently being used to keep Miss Brai (as Allie calls her) away from the fireplace.  That girl is into everything.  Can't leave her for one second without her getting into something.

Don't you just love this picture.

I am including this one because I write the blog and my husband can't stop me.

Playing with the beads

Our Christmas tree 2010

Thoughts about SMAG

This post won't mean much to very many people but I felt like writing something.

Today is the funeral for SMAG (Sister Marilyn Ann Good).  I am no where near by where the funeral is being held but I am still thinking about her just the same.  Sister Good was like one of the support beams that holds up a building.  It is hard to think about the Battleford's Branch without thinking about her.  I can see her now sitting in her seat, right next to the nearest open door-not wanting to be too squished-worried about claustrophobia.  She was someone you could count on to be the same from week to week.  She never wanted to give a talk or a prayer-though I think my dad did get her to say a prayer once when he was Branch President.  She was rough and not very lady like but she had a heart of gold.  She was very generous and always looking out for others.  She loved kids.  I never let her hold my baby and I feel bad about that.  I have lots of memories from my teen years of Marilyn experiences.  I remember her loaning us her van so the Young Men and Young women could go to a youth conference in Winnipeg (a 12 hour drive from us).  I remember her driving some of the youth to Cardston to go to the temple (an 8 hour drive) and she wasn't even a youth leader.  One time she took us to a youth dance in Alberta (she wasn't a youth leader then).  We ate at a restaurant and we were so embarrassed because she made a big deal about whether or not her hamburger had MSG on it or not-cue the phrase, "take it back..take it all back."  I remember her taking us to girls camp-again even though she wasn't a youth leader.  That is where she got the name SMAG.  We kept calling her Sister Good and she said she didn't want to be called Sister Good but we could just call her Marilyn.  We somehow came up with calling her SMAG-Sister Marilyn Ann Good and she kept that nick name from that time on.  I think she may have even worn a swimsuit on that camping trip (am I right friends?).  Some of our funniest catch phrases from our youth come from Marilyn moments.  My personal favorites are, "If you can't drive that thing, then you just park it over there," and, "Let me check my pink pants pocket," and anything to do with the words "ear candling."  She always had advice to give weather you wanted it or not.  I think every time I go home I will still be looking for her to be sitting in her same chair in the church chapel.  I hope no one else takes her seat-just wouldn't seem right.  Thanks for all the laughs SMAG and for everything you did for the Battlefords Branch and it's members.

Brailie's First Words

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised at the fact that Brailie has now learned how to say the word (or something very close to) "Cheese."  She started with mom, then dad, next came cup and now as her fourth word: Cheese.  I couldn't be more proud.  Spoken like a true Konopelski descendant.

Allie's Prayers

A few weeks ago-about 4 or so we talked to Grammy over the computer.  She mentioned that she was needing to use up the apples she took home from our house and that she needed to get up and get some supper made but she didn't want to.  Allie has been saying this phrase in her prayers ever since, "And bless Grammy that she will make supper and bless her to do the apples."  What a little sweetie and I know my mom needs all the inspiration to get those meals cooked that she can get.  Ask and ye shall receive around this house.