no, Ariel

so, if you know our family, then you know that we have 2 daughters - Madeline and Anna.....no, Ariel. Anna is deep into Princess worship at this stage and refuses to be called by her own name. she has been Belle, Jasmine, and Aurora, but none has been so enduring as Ariel. Anna swims (rather than walks) everywhere, and anyone who wants to speak with her must refer to themselves as Prince Erik. Prince Erik is the only person this Ariel will talk to. if perchance you forget that you are dealing with a mythical sea-creature and address our little girl as Anna, she will immediately correct you by saying, "No, Ariel." i can't wait to see who she is next!

God be with you 'til we meet again

last night President Gordon B. Hinkley, the prophet of my church, passed away. he was 97 years old. i don't really think death is sad when you have lived 97 extraordinary years. i hope at then end of my life, i can say i've followed President Hinkley's example, tirelessly serving right up to the end. i feel so blessed to be part of a church with a living prophet of God on the Earth, and comforted to know that though this beloved prophet is no longer with us, we have a living Christ directing and guiding us. i look forward to hearing who our next prophet will be.

President Hinkley, i hope i can always follow your counsel to be: grateful, smart, clean, true, humble, and prayerful. thank you for your dedication and service.

i believe in Christ

for those of you in Arizona, you must go to the Mesa Arizona LDS Temple Vistitor's Center to see the Mark Mabry exhibit, Reflections of Christ and accompanying documentary. (if you can come to AZ it's worth the trip, and you can stay with me!) if you believe in Christ, this exhibit will enhance and deepen your testimony, as you view scenes from the Savior's life and ministry. if you are a human being, it will enhance your belief in the human spirit and artistic expression. i feel blessed to have the experience of being deeply moved by these images from a religious standpoint, but really it would be worthwhile for anyone and everyone to take the time to appreciate the artistic vision and talent of a great photographer. the photographs are amazing and truly expose the heart and soul of the man behind the lens.

updates

the girls are growing so fast, it's really unbelieveable to me. last monday Anna woke up, told me she had to go potty, and then refused to put a diaper back on. i guess this answered the question i'd been asking myself, "is she ready to potty train?" the real question was, "am i?" since i had spent the previous weeks devouring books on the subject, and just reached the cunclusion that 3 was the magic age, i was caught totally off guard but her enthusiasm. one thing was sure - you just don't say, "no, your too little," to a request/demand such as this. lucky for me, my nephew left behind a pull-up and i was able to convince her that big kids wear these. then it was off to Target for the step stool, Princess underwear, and (Pull-Ups thank goodness), and the training began. she went 2 full days with no accidents, wearing big girl underwear, and leaving me thinking she was a toilet-training genius. then, the wheels came off. good thing i got those Pull-Ups. they keep me much more sane. now, into week 2 of our training, Anna is a champ. she tries really hard to remember to go in the potty and loves to tell me she needs to go when we are out and about.

my big girl!Maddie is a walking pro. she is into everything and keeping me on my toes more than Anna ever did. i had a real look into the differences in their personality last week when we went to the library. it was a really windy day, cold too. the girls were bundled in the stroller when the wind really got crazy. Anna ducked under her blanket and shivered all the way home, while Madeline kicked her legs and waved her hands giggling all the way! these two love to play together. and love to love each other!

photo fun

so, my sister in law got a new fancy Canon SLR and i became inspired to learn how to use it. you see, i am prone to wanting new fancy things, without knowing why. this is a great example. i want a new fancy camera, Photoshop, and a new computer to handle all the creative stuff i want to do. for those of you not familiar with these items, they are expensive. it's not enough to just want them, i need to know why, and what i would do with them. therefore, i am trying before i buy. so, Renee and i took her new camera for a spin. it's pretty nice. these however, are photos i took with my camera, as i toyed with its settings and gadgets to match what we were doing with the fancy camera, so i would be able to point to the difference and say, "there, see, that's why i need some new fancy stuff." as it turns out, for now, i am happy with what i have. i like the way some of these turned out, and the only difference i noticed so far was how much i have to learn in order to justify the purchase of a new fancy camera. but, i would like to know from those of you who are good at this stuff, what do you use? cameras, photo editing software, computers, etc....and why? why is one better than the other, etc.? in the meantime i will be learning as much as i can!