No Responsibility

I had my last class of the semester on Monday...really, it is my last class in an MBA program. So, for the last 5 days I have had no responsibility. I will just say, it has been great! Over the last few days we went to SLC to take the girls to temple square and the children's museum, Kindra went with some friends to get a pedicure (a VERY rare occasion when Kindra will do something for herself), I played in a golf tournament, we both have been able to work out, we attended graduation, tonight it a closing party with friends from school, and we spent a lot of time as a family. With all of those activities, the best thing has been no homework at night, breakfast with the family in the morning, watching a little tv without feeling guilty, etc. It has been a nice break and I feel rejuvenated. Here are some pictures:

Family Car Wash

Of course the car wash turned into a water fight and that, of course, lead to Kierra and Ariana running around scantily clad.

The Christus at temple square.

Right after graduation...the girls weren't necessarily in the mood for pictures after a three hour graduation.

I have really enjoyed the MBA program at BYU. I have met so many good friends in this program. The nice thing is, I can keep in touch with them and I don't have to do the homework anymore. I will miss associating daily with the people that I have met over the last two years.

KID QUOTES:

Ariana hits Kierra.
Kierra: That didn't hurt.

Ariana hits Kierra again.
Kierra: That didn't hurt.
Ariana hits Kierra again.
Kierra: That didn't hurt.
Ariana claws Kierra's legs.
Kierra: That kind of hurt.

Kierra: Dad, I think it would be good to live in Arizona. I have always wanted to live where the white polar bears live. (she might be sorely disappointed.)

Kierra: Where are you going dad?
Dad: I have a temple recommend interview.
Kierra: What is that? What do you do there?
Dad: I meet with the bishop and the stake president. They ask me questions to see if I am trying to do what's right.
Kierra: Uh oh!
Dad: What? Don't you think I will do well at the interview?
Kierra: Well, sometimes you forget that stupid is a bad word!

Widget

Happy Easter

Today is Easter, and it is so much fun with our little girls. They get so excited over the smallest things. I found a good Easter message here. I really enjoy the Easter season. It invokes many of the same thoughts and feelings as Christmas, but there is not as much commotion (except finals).

We are waiting to see where/if we will be going for our PhD program this year. We are down to three possibilities: University of Arizona, Purdue University, and Penn St. It is also possible that we also get a second masters and re-apply next year. Waiting to hear is driving me a bit crazy, but I am getting used that (being crazy). Here are some pics:

Kierra loved letting the new baby calves suck on her hands (sick!).

Ariana loves to take a bath!Both girls loved the Easter egg hunt at Grandpa Butterfields.

KID QUOTES:

Dad: Okay, it is almost bedtime.
Kierra: I know, I know. Put on your PJs, brush your teeth, blah, blah, blah. (Thank you Aunt Kelli and Glenn Beck!)

Kierra: Hey Ari, say howie you ya. (The Hallelujah Chorus was on in the car)
Ariana: Howie you ya. (This went on for about ten minutes with lots of laughter.)

Kierra: Hey dad, I saw a statue of Rush Mountain. (That is Kierra-ese for Mount Rushmore)
Dad: How did you know?
Kierra: Because there were four little boy's faces carved in it.

Pics and Quotes

Well, we are to that point in the semester where I only have the energy to put in pics and quotes. I know, I know, that little voice in your head is saying, "Finally, we don't have to dig through all of the other junk to get to the good stuff." So, enjoy:Ariana has officially joined the ranks of nursery. She is not the biggest fan. I don't get it. If you want her to stay with you during church, she wants to run away. If you put her in a room full of toys, she wants to stay with you.Riding with Grandma and Grandpa to the Draper Temple open house.

Blowing bubbles with our milk. Oh, the wild times at FHE.
Kierra and Kindra at their mother-daughter date to Classic Skating. What a couple of babes!

Kid Quotes

Kierra: Dad, will sit on this egg (really a beach ball) for me?
Dad: No, that is way too big for an egg.
Kierra: It's okay dad, your bum is huge!

Ariana: Poo poo, mama.
Mom: Oh, do you need a diaper change?
Ariana: Yeah.
Mom: Okay, let's change your diaper.
Ariana: Just jokin'. (she really was joking...no poo poo's)

Dentist (to Kierra): I love your shoes.
Kierra: Yeah, I'm all about the color pink.

Ariana: Come here, princess. (that is what she calls Kierra sometimes)

Blast from the Past

We were tagged by Curtis and Steph to post the fourth picture in our fourth folder in our photos. It has seen the blog before...and now it is back:This is us at Winter Quarters. I am pretty sure that Curtis somehow found out that this was my fourth picture in my fourth folder so that I would have to post a picture of myself in this hat again.

This is an easy tag (I even did it), so we tag Jake and Khanyi, Caleb and Jessica, the LaPierres, the Stevens, the Waters, and the Lambs.

Ready or Not...

Ariana is starting to scare us! One of her favorite new words is 'hide'. Unfortunately, she doesn't say it until she does it. She will randomly wander off, close the door (whether the light is on or off), find a place to hide, and wait for us to find her. It would probably be helpful if we new we were supposed to be looking for her. We have found her in many dark rooms, in cupboards, in the bathroom, behind our close hamper, in the dryer, in a locked room at the church (luckily there was another door that was not locked), etc. I really hope that her next favorite word is 'seek'. Here are some photos of her hiding (Kierra thought it looked so fun, that she decided to join in):
Kindra went to a place called Color Me Mine this past week. It is a ceramic shop. You go, pick out which piece of ceramic you would like to decorate, and then you paint and decorate it. They have a huge variety of paints and stencils. Kindra's friend gave her the idea of a 'celebrate plate'. It is a way to recognize someone in the family that does something special by letting them eat on the celebrate plate. She had a lot of fun and wants to go back. I don't necessarily want to go, so if you are thinking of a vacation, consider Color Me Mine in beautiful Provo, UT! Here is a picture of the Celebrate Plate:
Kid Quotes:

DJ: Kierra, put your pants on please.
Kierra: Dad, no, I want to put my hands in the pockets of my panties.
DJ: Kierra, your panties don't have pockets. Put your pants on.
Kierra: No dad! You don't understand. 'Pockets of my panties' is Spanish for 'pockets of my pants'.

Ariana: Jungle, hide, sparkle, all animal noises, up, more, drink, why she sad, thank you, and cracker (which sounds very much like thank you).

...For a Sunbeam

Kierra started Sunbeams last week. She was so excited! I thought I might peek in on her. The primary president was teaching the class. She wanted to have the kids get their wiggles out, so she said, "Stand up, turn around and sit down." Kierra apparently is very literal in her obedience. She stood up, turned around (180 degrees), and sat down on the floor. The primary president looked at her, laughed, and said, "I am sorry. I wasn't very clear. I meant for you to sit on your chair." So, Kierra stood up and sat down on her chair...still facing the back of the classroom. It was pretty funny. She did great. I think she is going to love primary! Here are some pictures of her first day:



We changed to 1:00 p.m. church last week. Here is a little math for you:

1:00 p.m. Church + 16 Month Old Daughter =

(Peace in Sunday School)

So, I called home this week and heard something that I didn't expect to hear. "I have to go. Kierra got her tongue stuck in the door." What?! I was left for a few hours to wonder how you get your tongue stuck in the door. It really isn't that involved of an explanation. Kindra was coming inside and Kierra stuck her tongue in the hinge side of the door when Kindra was closing it. Luckily Kindra didn't try to slam the door after it wouldn't close the first time, so Kierra still has a tongue! Just one of those stories I thought others should hear about.

Kid Quotes:

Ariana: Hi DJ
Me: Daddy.
Ariana: DJ!
Me: Daddy!
Ariana: My Daddy DJ! (I was okay with that)

Me: I am just trying to figure out the best way to help you out.
Kierra: I know how you can help us!
Me: How?
Kierra: Make some money
Me: Why do you want me to make some money?
Kierra: So you can buy us a house.
Me: Why do you want me to buy us a house?
Kierra: So I can have a puppy!

City Slicker

Our Happy Ariana...most of the time.

Kindra's birthday celebration.

Cutting down our Christmas Tree with Kindra's family.

So, for those of you who don't know, my father-in-law has a small farm and he has more cows at his brother's house nearby. The other day, after getting our Christmas tree, I needed some twine to tie our tree to our car (picture Clark Griswold minus the station wagon). So we ran over to the farm to get some bailing twine. We went over by the hay bails where we could get some used twine. When we got there, we realized there were two cows loose. So, my father-in-law ran and opened the gate and told me to bring the cows over...WHAT?! How, do you bring cows over? They're huge! I am a fairly large person, so one of my rules has always been not to mess with anything bigger than me. So I tell the cows to go over to the gate, but they are not listening. My father-in-law tells me to push them over. So I pushed the cow. The cow looks at me, moos a little, and goes back to eating. In the meantime, all of the cow friends that are still in the fence start surrounding me...and they looked hungry! I have never really thought about how appetizing I look until this point in my life, but the drool coming out of those animals mouths tell me that I might make a good meal. Well, I could go on and on, but I will spare you. We got the cows in (after they decided that I made a big enough fool of myself). However, I did learn one thing about myself. Accounting was a very good decision for a career path for me.

Kid Quotes

Kierra: Mom, is dad going to say stupid?

Kierra: Dad, what did Ariana get me for Christmas?
Dad: You'll have to wait until Christmas.
Kierra: Oh, I think that I know. She was probably like maybe I'll get her a baby doll...no, maybe I'll get her a shirt...no, maybe I'll get her a carrot...no, maybe I'll get her that makeup thing from the Disney store...yeah, that's it!

Kindra: Oh, I am falling asleep.
Kierra: [begins to sing to Kindra]
Kindra: Are you singing me to sleep?
Kierra: Yes.
Kindra: Oh, that is so nice. Why are you doing that?
Kierra: So I can watch a MOOOOO-VEEEEEE!

Kid Pics and Kid Quotes

Kid Quotes

Kierra: I like it, I love it, I want some more of it! (surprising quote considering I don't allow country music in my house)

Kierra: Carrots are the worst!

Ariana: Daddy, Mommy, no, RaRa (Kierra), doggy, kitty, no, ball, baby, baba (bottle), no.

Me: Kierra, wake up, it's snowing outside!
Kierra: YESSSS!! Now we can go tube sliding at Uncle Snarlings house. (translation: now we can go tubing at Uncle Sterlings house)

Kierra: Dad, why is your toenail brown (trust me, I wish I knew)?
Me: I don't know?
Kierra: Is it because girls have white skeletons and boys have brown ones?
Me: No
Kierra: Maybe there is a nutshell stuck under there!

Kierra: Mom, will you read me another book?
Kindra: No, I need a break for a little bit.
Kierra: Uggh, you're so aggrevating!
Kindra: What?!
Kierra: Mom, what does aggrevating mean?

Me: Hi Kierra. What are you doing with your friends?
Kierra: We're playing. Can you please leave now? (I didn't think that was supposed to happen until she was a teen!)

Our Halloween was spent at our ward party as we were recently called to be on the activities committee. It was a fun party with several hundred people there. Kindra also took the girls to a pumpkin patch with a lot of activities, and Kierra had another party with her pre-school. and we had a party with the MBA program. I think they make a great witch and cat combo!

For a school project I was required to ask for responses on my leadership strengths. I asked for three stories that demonstrated a particular trait. If you ever are feeling like you need a self-esteem boost, I would recommend pretending that you have a similar project for school. I know that it is a bit contrived considering that I only asked for positive feedback, but it still feels good. At this point, I won't be surprised if I am elected as president of the United States on Tuesday. If I am, then you are all welcome in the white house anytime.

Kid Quotes
Kierra (to her babysitter): Umm, are that any small toys that Ariana could choke on...you know...like, uh-huh uh-huh.

It Works!!!

Today we had a nice Sunday family meal consisting of pork chops, rice, vegetables, and some of Kindra's delicious peach pie. After dinner, I took Ariana in the other room to play. After a few minutes, Kindra came in to talk to me. We were talking when Kierra came in with an entire pork chop in her hand. She was chewing and, all of sudden, she stopped walking and chewing. She reached for her face as it started to turn red. I realized she was choking, so I jumped up, leaned over, and gave her the heimlich manuever. She made a gurgling noise, and then a 4" x 1" x 1/2" chunk of fat from the pork chop came out of her mouth. I started saying, "Are you okay?" She just nodded her head and went in for another chunk of meat. We had a talk about getting meat by herself, and I am just glad she is okay. Now I know that the heimlich manuever really works. I hope that you can just take my word for that instead of figuring it out for yourself.

Last weekend was general conference for our church. It is a weekend full of spiritually uplifting talks. It was well-needed for me. I love relaxing with my family and listening to uplifting messages. Elder Uchtdorf gave an uplifting talk that talked to me especially. A couple of my other talks were given by President Monson, Elder Wirthlin, and Elder Perry. If you are having a rough day, check one of these talks out and it just might help.

Kid Quotes:

"That guy smells like he is way too old for me." -Kierra (referring to a guy at church)

"Hey, there's President Monson...where did his hair go?" - Kierra

I Love Diesels!!!

I have only heard two females (possibly people) ever utter this phrase. The first is a girl in my MBA program who worked for a diesel manufacturer. The second, surprisingly, was Kierra. I taught her what every child should know. Put your arm in a ninety degree angle, wait until you are next to a semi, and pump up and down until you hear a horn. It might seem like a simple thing, but I do not consider keeping a 3 year old occupied for two hours on I-80 simple. See some pictures below followed by some Kid Quotes:

































Kid Quotes (Mostly Kierra, but Ariana is Getting there):

Kierra (about 15 minutes into our second day of driving): Mom, Dad, I feel carsick.
Kindra: You do. I'm sorry. What do you think we should do about it?
Kierra: I think we should stop driving right now.
DJ: Do you really feel sick?
Kierra: Yes.
DJ: How do you feel sick...what feels wierd?
Kierra: My leg hurts.
DJ: Are you sick to your stomach or are you just sick of the car?
Kierra: I am just sick of the car.

Grandpa S: Ariana, come see grandpa!
Ariana:...(that silence is Ariana shaking her head no which she also does to a lot of things Kindra and I ask her to do.)

Two Wrongs Make a Right?!

This weekend we decided to keep things relatively low-key. The girls have had it with long drives (I'm not keen on it either). So Friday I got home from work a little earlier, and grabbed Kindra and the girls. We went of to a small restaurant that only serves from a window. Behind the restaurant there is an area to sit right on the water. It was good (greasy) food and a lot of fun. It was nice just to relax as a family. Saturday we took a trip to Stew Leonards. It is a giant grocery store with its own dairy, fresh baked bread products, butchers, fresh meat, cheese, and fruits, their own sushi chefs, lots of free samples, animals that sing and dance (imagine Chuck E Cheese), restaurant, ice cream area, petting zoo, etc., etc. I have heard it called the Disneyland of grocery stores. That made me cringe. I don't like grocery stores, and I am not a big fan of Disneyland. But somehow combine them, and you have yourself a fun-filled family adventure. It was a lot of fun and a nice time.

Ariana is definitely growing up. Her vocabulary is at about five words, and she is crawling all over the place. She is becoming pretty opinionated (that makes four of us). Kierra and her have had their first fights. The first one happened in the stroller. Ariana scratched Kierra, so Kierra said, "Ariana, please don't do that." So, Ariana scratched her agian. Kierra replied with, "ARIANA, please don't do that." So, Ariana scratched Kierra again. Kierra blurted, "ARIANA, STOP SCRATCHING ME!!!" So, Ariana scratched Kierra again. This time Kierra resorted to a little arm squeeze, and we had to intervene. There have been more, and I am sure there will be many more. However, the girls really do enjoy playing together most of the time. When Ariana wakes up from her nap, Kierra greets her with a, "Well, hello Miss Ariana Susa." You would never see a happier 10 month old than when Ariana hears that from her big sis. It makes the cat fights all worth it.

KIERRA QUOTES

Kierra: Dad, I think we should go to the store and get some C-R-M-C-L's.
Dad: What does that spell?
Kierra: Doughnuts!

Kierra: What time does the library close?
Librarian: We close in a few minutes. It is time to pack up.
Kierra: Okay. Bye. Love you.

Nursery Leader: What is your favorite song?
Kierra: If You Could Hie to Kolob.
Nursery Leader: Oh, so you know where you come from?!
Kierra: Yeah, I come from Utah.

Rabid Dog

This weekend for the Fourth, we used our extra day of driving to head up to Palmyra, NY. Unfortunately, I forgot our digital camera, so we will have to wait to add pictures (and when I say wait, I mean it will take us a while to find an antique shop that still has a machine to develop 35 mm pictures). Palmyra was great. For those of you that are not of the LDS faith, it is the place that our church was organized, and there were many special occurrences there. We missed the pageant, but it turned out to be great. We had almost the entire place to ourselves. It was a great fourth of July activity, considering the great privilege that we have in this country to worship in the way that we see fit. On the way back, however, we had a really scary experience. We stopped at a small town in New York to get lunch. Kindra was feeding the baby, and Kierra and I were playing in the grass by a convenience store. A man came up to me to see if I had a cell phone he could use. He informed me that his van had been stolen, and he needed to call his parents to come get him. So, I let him use our phone. I had noticed a dog earlier tied to a pole by the station. I had Kierra stay away from the dog because I didn't know if it was a nice dog. Well, while the man was on hold, he saw Kierra looking at the dog. He told me that the dog was very nice, and Kierra would be fine petting it. I went over to the dog with Kierra. I put my hand out. The dog sniffed my hand, and then licked me. It seemed okay. Kierra pet the dog a little bit, and then they laid down. Kierra sat next to the dog. Out of nowhere, the dog reached up and bit at Kierra face. I quickly got between Kierra and the and picked Kierra up. She was holding her hand over her face. Luckily, when I took her hand away I found that the dog did not break skin. Kierra had a red line from one tooth that ran from the brim of her nose to her cheek, missing her eye by about an inch. Then I saw the man kick his dog. It was pretty obvious to me that he had hit his dog before which explains the passive-aggressive behavior. Anyways, it was a scary way to finish a trip, but we are so greatful that Kierra is okay. Kierra's only response was, "When we get a house, I think we should only get a little dog."

Kierra Quotes:

Dad: Only people that are married kiss each other on the lips. (I am taking the liberty to stretch the truth a little...don't judge.)
Kierra: What about the Disney Princesses?!

"Dad, remember when I told you that I liked Connecticut, but I liked Utah a little bit more. Well, I changed my mind...I like Utah a lot more."

Araina Quotes:

"Uhhhhh Ohhhhhhhh"

"Hi"

Across the US...and Back Again

Well, we ended up heading back across the United States...at least this time it was by airplane. My grandpa passed away about two weeks ago. I will miss him. He is a great man. He was the first of my relatives to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For those of you that know me, know that is a very important part of my life. He also worked hard to provide for his family, loved fishing, was kind, witty, and smart. His medical condition declined in October of 2000, and for nearly the past 8 years my grandma has taken care of him. In some ways he is probably relieved, but we will miss him. I was very glad that we were able to go to the funeral. It was good to be with family during this time.
Connecticut has been a lot of fun. We have seen an aquarium (note the ginormous sea turtle), gone to the beach, and I went on some steroid enhanced go-karts this week. It is crazy to think we have been here 4 weeks. Time is going fast and slow at the same time. I have enjoyed my work with United Rentals. I have not enjoyed the commute. Ariana is sort of crawling, sort of talking, and always very good. Kierra is really fun and...we'll leave it at fun. She turned 3 this week. I can't believe that. We celebrated by going to the beach. We miss our family, but I am glad that I have my family with me.


KIERRA QUOTES:

After going to the beach: "I like Connecticut a whole lot...but I like Utah a little bit more."

"One for me and one for Kindra and one for you, madame." (First, why is she calling her mom Kindra? Second, I am not 'me' and I am not Kindra, so I must be....D'oh!)

After seeing a lady with a tattoo on her arm in Walmart: "Why did you color a flower on your arm?"

When we unfortunately had to go by the same lady again: "Hey, I asked why you colored a flower on your arm?"

Simple Things of Life

Today we sat down at a table and had dinner as a family in our apartment. Doesn't seem like much to write about, but for me it was wonderful. We have always had family dinner around the dinner table together. That has gone away as we have been traveling and trying to get furniture in our apartment and cooking utinsels, etc, etc. It was just really nice to sit around our beefy macaroni and eat as a family. I didn't even mind fighting Kierra to eat her food. We are getting a bed tomorrow, and we will finally be settled in. Everyone here has been very helpful to us. I have really enjoyed my internship so far. The first of two projects that I will assigned is very pertinent, and I am learning new things. It is nice having Adam (another BYU MBA) in the cubicle kiddy corner from me. The culture here is very different. I love that. My manager is Jewish. It was very interesting to me to hear him tell us what foods are kosher. Our managers took us to sushi. I have no problems trying new food, but I had no idea how to order. My manager just ordered for all of us. I really liked the food. It is definitely unique. We also had Indian food that other night. The restaurants here are very good. It is nice to be getting settled in.


Kierra Quotes:

Me: It is time to go inside Kierra.
Kierra: (While crying) I don't want to sit on the hard floors anymore. (We have all hardwood floors and at that point we had no furniture).

In Kierra's prayer tonight: "Please bless that we will drive to Utah safely." (If she keeps this up for two months, our drive back will be great).

Day 16 - Cortland, NY to New Canaan, CT

We drove a really long way...we are finally here. No furniture but, as you can tell from the picture, we can adjust on the fly.

Day 15 - Dunkirk, NY to Cortland, NY

Today we saw Niagara Falls. I thought it was great. I know a lot of people say it is smaller than they were expecting...I would hate to see what they are expecting. We took a boat ride out right up to the base of the falls with mist spraying everywhere. Kierra loved it. She just walked all over the boat looking at the seagulls and the waterfall. Thank goodness to Dora the Explorer. The entire drive there I would say "Where are we going?" and Kierra would yell "Waterfall!" She was a little disappointed that we didn't find Boots there, but she was not at all sad to miss out on Swiper. Ariana, on the other hand, didn't seem to impressed. She was fine...she always is. But every time the water would hit her face, she would get a big scowl. She is growing up fast. She is scoot along pretty well, getting her top teeth, clapping, waving, saying mama and, my personal favorite, dada. I have been especially glad to have a calm baby on this trip. There were times that I felt like I was going to blow a gasket, and a crying baby might have pushed me over the edge.

Day 14 - Milan, OH to Dunkirk, NY

So, I finally figured how to put pictures in the post so they will be archived correctly. For those of you who need help...it is the little icon that looks like a picture. Seems to make sense to most! Today's highlight was going Kirtland. Kirtland was a very interesting place. It was amazing to see how well the Saints were in Kirtland. It is an interesting progression seeing the living circumstances deteriorate as the Saints headed west. We were in a hurry (as always) but we were able to see the Whitney store and the temple. Both were amazing to me. I loved being where they had the school of the prophets, where so many of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants came, where the prophet Joseph saw his brother Alvin, and where he was ministered to by angelic beings, including the Savior himself. It was a quick visit, but I am glad we made it. A distant second, but still a highlight of the trip was going to a restaurant and being served by Amish people. Other cultures intrigue me. I grew up around Hutterites, and Amish seem somewhat similar. I am interested as to their beliefs. For now it's enough to say that they are nice people, and they make a mean piece of fried chicken.

Day 13 - Bloomington, IL to Milan, OH

Today was dedicated to driving. However, I did learn something that I hoped I never would. My two year old is smarter than me (for my sake, she will be three next month). As Misti alluded to in a comment, we would be crazy to try this trip without a DVD player, but we do try to limit it. I told Kierra she could watch the rest of Brother Bear today. So, we're driving and driving and driving and the movie keeps going and going. I finally start to realize after about 2 1/2 hours (understanding that she is watch a Disney movie and not the original Pride and Prejudice) that something is up. I ask Kierra is she has watched her movie, and she says, "Yeah, this many times." Just so you don't call child protective services, I won't tell you how many fingers she was holding up. Apparently on our DVD player you can make the movie skip back an hour or so by closing the lid and opening it again...and Kierra was the first to discover it. So I was duped. Well, we also had a deal with her that she could have some candy after every few drinks of her medicine to help her constipation. So, she would take a few drinks, smile at me, and then I would give her candy (you can watch hours and hours of a movie without candy). Well, similar to the movie, I lost track of how much she was drinking. After a while, Kindra started to give her the drinks. So, Kierra took and drink and smiled at her mom. Her mom, unlike her dad, realized that that was Kierra's mischievous smile. She wanted to test her, so she gave her some candy and gave her the water again. When she got the bottle back, the level had not gone down at all. Kierra used me for candy...duped again. Disregard Day 11 when I declared that I am starting to get the hang of this fathering business. Father of the Year!!!