Sooo not in the mood...

Blerg. I am so not in the mood to blog (am I seriously the only one?). At all . I just feel so... blah. I blame the holidays and the freezing cold weather.

But I have so many cute photos from Christmas break and I know I should post them. Because the longer I wait to post them the likelihood of me posting them will go down. Besides, perhaps posting something will get me in the mood to blog again.

So here you go (sorry for the lack of enthusiasm):

Before anyone thinks I'm a bad mom for giving my baby a candy cane, I'll have you know that it's fake. I had to invest in fake candy canes last year when Mayah and Malia ate all the real candy canes in less then a day (Maybe I am a bad mom...).

'Twas the night before Christmas...and the girls got matching jammies.

Matilda got a high chair, finally. She totally loves it too.

Mayah and Malia love playing Rock Band. Sometimes they play instruments and sometimes they dance. Malia is being a dancing girl and Mayah is rockin' out on the guitar. (I just need to mention that Mayah dressed herself that day).

Duane and the girls.

Ariel Is Coming To Town

Yep. Ariel is going to be here tonight. We couldn't be more excited!

Living in a van down by the river...

Don't worry, we haven't moved into a van (yet). We're still living in an apartment complex by a forested area. I got your attention though (Hee).

After my election night posts, I thought I'd lighten things up by doing another short update:

Duane is losing weight and looking great. In fact, he's lost so much weight he had to have his suit taken in and purchase new clothing because his old stuff was falling off of him. Lucky guy. As soon as I purchase a battery charger for our camera battery, I'll take some pictures and post them here. Until then, you'll just have to take my word for it.

After watching October Sky a few weeks ago, Duane thought it would be fun to purchase a rocket kit so he and the girls could build one and launch it. They haven't built it yet, but they will soon. Don't worry, it's just one of those little ones, nothing dangerous.

Our three girls keep me busy. Mayah and Malia are best friends and mortal enemies - They're 'frenemies' sisters. Needless to say, I play referee quite a bit, which is so fun. During the month of October, when I wasn't putting a stop to all the sisterly violence (seriously, they're worse then little boys), I was sewing Halloween costumes for the girls. I made Mayah a Princess Jasmine costume and Malia an Ariel costume (Ariel the Mermaid, not big sister Ariel) using this pattern. Matilda was a flower, but I didn't sew her costume.

I just finished reading, Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou. It's a quick read, just a collection of short essays and poems. It's quite good. If anyone wants to borrow it, let me know.

Ariel is keeping herself busy at BYU. She has a boyfriend, she really likes her roommates and, from what I can tell, she seems to be having a lot of fun in Provo. Apparently she's going to be tutoring kids at Provo High, which I just found out about (I hope she's getting paid for it).

Mayah is no longer obsessed with fire safety, although she still prays that we will 'be safe and not play with fires'. Her current worry is about stranger danger, which is fine with me - I want her to stay away from strangers. Mayah's favorite thing to do these days is make cards and give them to us. She also makes wrapping paper and wraps gifts (various toys of hers) and gives them to me. She really is a sweetheart (despite all the fighting she does with Malia). Oh, and Duane taught her who Barak Obama is so whenever he's on TV, she stops everything and watches. She likes watching Obama (sigh).

Malia really loves taking care of Matilda. It's quite cute actually, she is constantly handing me a bottle and telling me to feed the baby or change her diaper (even if she isn't hungry or stinky). Duane and I were really worried that Malia would have a difficult time with Matilda but she isn't (she never has).

Matilda started crawling soon after the last family update (you know, the 'musical' one). She's all over the place and is almost able to pull herself up to the standing position. She loves the vacuum especially when it's on, which makes it difficult for me to vacuum because she crawls after me (or rather, the vacuum) until she's able to climb on it. Matilda is a complete Daddy's girl. When Duane gets home from work, she crawls to him, giggling the whole time. When he's holding her, she's got an 'I just won the lottery' grin plastered on her face. It's really quite adorable.

Um...I suppose that is all the news we have for now. Please keep us (and Ford Motor Company, heck, the US economy) in your prayers because I really don't want to be living in a van down by the river (who would?).

Alive and Well (the musical)

Hey friends and family that still check here from time to time. Sorry I haven't done anything with this for a long time. I have no valid excuse for all the slackin', heck its not even like there was anything good on TV to distract me (which is funny because I'm getting going on the blogging thing again just as the new fall season starts up).

Anyway, this isn't going to be all that neat of an update. I just wanted everyone to know that we're all alive and well.

Duane's busy at work, like always but I am not complaining. We're just grateful that he has a good job and a steady paycheck. He's been getting in shape and is looking great. He's lost about 30 lbs in the last year (go Duane)

I'm not doing much these days. I've been reading a lot about politics but I hate thinking about it afterward because I tend to get all angry about it. I especially don't bring up politics with Duane because we do not agree about much these days (politically speaking). I'll let you guess who's the crazy conservative and who's the glue-sniffin' liberal (without all the glue-sniffin', of course).

Ariel is attending fall semester at BYU, playing the field (NOT! She says there is no one to date and I laughed hysterically because she's a BYU, but whatever). Ariel does keep herself busy doing whatever it is that zoobies do. She's also working at hogi yogi and at the stadium during football games as an usher. GO COUGARS!!!

Mayah's in kindergarten and she loves it. When she's not learning about firesafety at school (her current obsession is telling me how we'll get out of the house in case of a fire. Poor thing is sort of traumatized by all the firesafety talk. She had a nightmare about one the other night. So sad! but I digress...), she's spending time playing with Malia. They get along pretty well but they also love hurting eachother because...well, I don't know why, but they love beating up on eachother.

Malia cut her hair (yes, her beautiful curls are now messed up) the other day and I just about cried. She is obsessed with dogs and horses. Her favorite thing to do is pull Mayah's hair (I'm trying to put a stop to that). She loves dressing up in 'dancing dresses' and dancing. The girl has got some serious rhythm, too.

Matilda is up on all fours, scooting herself around but not yet crawling. She plays quite well by herself and is a good baby. She's such a happy baby and is always smiling at everyone. We call her 'Matilda Joy' because she is so happy and often joke about changing her middle name to 'Joy' (but we won't because we're lazy).

So that's our news. Nothing awsome, no pictures (because I lost our battery charger...I have the worst luck with cameras and their accesories) or anything but I did change the background and I added a new playlist (which is what makes this post 'musical'). The music is less mainstream but I love it because it's not being played on the radio or in stores or even on television shows. It's mostly mellow music but some is a little more upbeat. I hope all my readers enjoy listening to my playlist.

Just for fun!

The other day Ariel reminded me of cute youtube video of two little boys named Charlie and Harry starring in 'Charlie bit me - again!'. I let Mayah and Malia see it and now it's one of their favorite youtube videos (In order to hear the following videos, mute the music player on my page).



Mayah and Malia also really enjoy 'Charlie the Unicorn'. You have no idea how much we hear 'Chaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrlie' around our house.



Duane discovered this next one and showed it to the girls about a year ago. It has been their favorite ever since. It features Elmo and Andrea Bocelli. It is too adorable for words. Just watch and you will see what I mean.

New Freshmen Orientation

Recently, I was lucky enough to escort Ariel around BYU during new freshmen orientation. She and I had a great time together. We met her roommates (and some of their parents) and even went on a scavenger hunt. It was a fun day.

Ariel with the $100 bill she found at the end of the scavenger hunt.

Ariel with the key to her first apartment, EVER! And, YES, I made her pose for both of these pictures. It was my duty as the designated parent, to embarrass the heck out of her on her first day as a college student. GO ME!!!

I stole this photo off of Ariel's Blog. This is Ariel and her roommate, Becca. Ariel and Becca are already BFF.





By-the-way, feel free to contact us or Ariel if you are interested in donating funds, food or usage of your laundry facility to the Ariel Jessica Starving Student Foundation.

Ariel Jessica

While going through my posts, I realized that there is a member of our family that I have not really blogged about all that much. I am so embarrassed that I haven't written any blogs about one of the most accomplished members of our family. And that person is (Drumroll, please.) ....................Ariel Jessica Seriously, isn't she gorgeous? (Yeah, I know, right?) Not only that, but she is quite intelligent. Ariel has always excelled academically. When it comes to school, I don't think there is a subject she has not done well in (she says that she struggles with Math but she has never received a grade lower then a B. Must be nice).

The girl is quite talented, to say the least. Ariel has a beautiful singing voice and has been in concert choir for a few years now. She is also quite athletic, participating in volleyball, basketball, and swim team during her high school career.

Ariel has a strong testimony of the church. She has never been afraid to stand up for her beliefs. I have personally witnessed her telling peers and adults (in a respectful manner, of course) to stop doing or saying something that is not okay. Because of her strong character, I am so grateful that her little sisters will always have her to look up to.

I know that Ariel is a great friend to all those that are fortunate enough to be close to her. She is always there for her friends, no matter what time it is (yeah, they call her ALL hours of the night and Duane totally loves that), always willing to listen and give advice on a wide range of teenage issues. She has a knack of giving pretty awesome advice. Ariel is also a loyal friend.

Other awesome things about Ariel:

• Ariel is wonderful with her siblings.
• Leader
• Outgoing
• Hilarious
• Fun to be around.
• 'Mad skillz' when it comes to hair and makeup.
• Super fun to watch movies with.
• Great dancer

We attended her high school graduation last weekend. Ariel graduated with honors (smart girl) and we are so proud of her. Now that Ariel is officially a high school graduate, she is on her way to BYU. She has proven to us, over and over again, that she is ready to move on to the next stage of life (despite Duane's insistence that she is still just his 6 year-old little girl). We know she will be successful.

We feel so fortunate to have Ariel in our family. She really is an wonderful young woman, always has been. When she is around, our family feels complete. We love her so very much.

P.S. Ariel, I changed the blog background in honor of you and your recent accomplishments. I know how much you love lime green

Camera is fixed (and other news)

We finally got our camera back from the repair shop. I am glad because Matilda is growing like a weed and it would be a shame to miss out on anymore photo opportunities.

Matilda is now a little over 2 months old and at her last 'well baby' visit, she weighed 10 lbs, 11 oz. Matilda is quite healthy and happy. She started smiling at us a while ago but this is probably the first photo of her smiling. She enjoys attention. If it were up to her, we would hold her all the time. She is such a good baby and we all love her so very much.

Duane will be going to Europe again. He will spend some time in London and then finish his trip up in Spain. He has been quite busy with work and just recently had a surgery for his deviated septum. He is recovering quite well.

Ariel is finishing up her senior year of high school and preparing for BYU. We are all very excited for her.

Mayah is finishing up preschool and we have just been informed that she will be able to attend Kindergarten next year. She is reading a lot these days. She is very good at it. She is also quite good at spelling and her writing is quite good for someone her age. We are so proud of her.

Malia is still as silly as ever. She has started mocking me lately and as irritating as it is, she is quite cute. I find it difficult to keep a straight face when she is talking back to me. She spends a lot of time on the pink chair these days (the pink chair is our 'time out' chair). I don't think she minds being on the chair so long as she gets her chance to tell me what she thinks about being punished. I know I am in for it when she reaches her teen years.

I am still keeping myself busy by taking care of everyone but I read a lot during my spare time. I would appreciate some book suggestions as I will be doing some traveling this summer and I would like to have a long list of books to read. Anyway, leave your suggestions in the comments section! Thanks!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Greetings again this Christmas season. It’s been a great year for the Bitners and we hope it’s been a great one for you as well. Here’s our 2007 news, youngest to oldest.

On Mommy’s birthday our youngest gave us a great big surprise by making a pink line appear on a pregnancy test. (Actually 3 pregnancy tests so Mommy & Daddy were sure they weren’t hallucinating.). We’re excited for her arrival this Spring.

Little Malia turned 2 in July. She’s kept her head of curls and is our little fireball of energy & muscles. There’s no middle ground with her spunky personality, every experience of each day is either the worst trial anyone has ever gone through or the most fun activity anyone could possibly be having. She’s a blast.

Mayah has had quite a year with school at Perrinville in the mornings and during summer school. She also was accepted for Head Start this fall and has had a great time participating in things with all the other kids and learning to be a big person. She’s doing great, she has come so far in her ability to speak and interact with friends and family. She’s got a lot of spunk as well.

We have lots of fun with the girls. We did our garden again this year and the girls enjoy it as true tomboys should. Mayah especially enjoyed collecting worms and holding snakes this year. She and Malia learned how to make a mudhole and swim in it up to their necks. We spent a lot of time with cousins this year in Oregon, Ohio, Illinois, Utah and Indiana. All the cousins are so good with our girls. We are so grateful to have such great nieces & nephews.

Ariel went to an A Cappella competition at Disneyland with her choir and won 1^st place gold. She spent two months with us this summer. She also went to Youth Conference and Pioneer Trek and made some new friends. She also moved to Spokane in August. Senior year at a new school wasn’t the plan but as always she’s made friends and is having fun. In November she was admitted to BYU. She hasn’t decided on a major yet but Dad hopes she does something with her great writing skills. We’re so proud of her.

Besides the surprise birthday present, Penny’s year has been full of daily surprises from our girls. Mayah & Malia keep her hopping. Penny has been a consultant for clothing retailer Modbe and has spent a lot of time at the gym, we all make the goal each year but she’s kept it up pretty well. Penny put this blog together earlier this year, made dresses for the girls for Christmas and shares her talent & love with us in a hundred other ways each day. She is so good to us all.

Duane’s career is progressing with some new opportunities at Ford Motor Company. He is now a global commodity manager buying throttles and EGR systems for all engines manufactured by Ford in North America. He visited Hitachi in Japan and made two separate trips to Europe to visit several other suppliers. The highlight of his year was returning to Madeira where he served his mission 20 (yes, 20) years ago. He was able to visit there in May and again in November. He spent both visits with the Faria family and had a blast.

We are so grateful for our many blessings, our family and friends. Best wishes to you this Christmas season. Please view our 2007 slideshow below.

Love, the Bitners

As summer officially draws to a close... *sigh*

As the summer comes to an end I can't help but feel sad that it is already over. Fall is a beautiful time of year but it only reminds me of the looming winter ahead and how I am going to freeze to death. Michigan is known for its winter temperatures as it is often described as "bone chilling".

In order to get my mind off the upcoming Fall and Winter, I've decided to reminisce about this past summer. This summer was wonderful and is filled with great memories.

Originally we didn't plan on much traveling but somehow ended up going to Nauvoo, I also went to Ohio with the girls to visit the Morrison Family and we also found ourselves in Utah--twice.

Our garden has grown beautifully and we all enjoyed spending time in it, especially the girls. Mayah was/is quite a fan of snakes/bugs and Malia was our little piglet--playing in the mud while Duane and I weeded and watered the garden.

Ariel came to visit us twice, during the month of June and again in August. Ariel did some dating, made some friends, went to Kirtland, Ohio with our stake for youth conference, did some babysitting and also made us clean out our trash-hole of an apartment helped us get our house in order.

Duane traveled to Europe on a business trip this past May/June. He was there 2 1/2 weeks total. He spent some time in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and England. Obviously Duane was usually quite busy doing business-y things but he did get the chance to stay in a castle--all the while shoving his face full of paella--during his stay in Spain, drive over 120 mph (or was that kilometers per hour? hmm...I'll have to ask him about that) on the German autobahn and also ate some very bland food during his short stay in England--ApparentlyEngland isn't fascinating and/or exciting for the business traveler. While in Portugal, Duane was able to visit some families that he helped teach/baptize during his mission. He hadn't been back to Portugal since he left 20 years ago. It was a wonderful experience for him.

While Duane was in Europe I was at home holding down the fort. The girls and I did quite well on our own for the first week and a half. We kept busy by going to the park, did some shopping, went to the garden, and we went swimming quite a bit. It was the last week that just about killed me. Single parenthood sucks and I don't ever want to do that again--EVER!!!

The Fourth of July was quite fun. Ariel was still with us during that time and she invited her friend, Anderson to our ward picnic. Duane and I went to see Transformers while they babysat the kids and that evening we all went to see the fireworks display near our apartment. The city of Westland didn't start the fireworks until 10-ish at night so the little girls were passed out by the time the fireworks were going off. Too bad they missed it because it was a great show.

One of my favorite things I did this summer was go swimming with the girls 2-3 times a week. As a result I upped my chances of getting skin cancer got a really great tan. The girls also turned into little mermaids as their swimming skills improved. While neither of them really know how to swim all that well as of yet, Mayah did learn how to tread water, jump into the pool, and hold her breath under water. Malia can sort of hold her breath, is great at blowing bubbles, and is quite good at throwing rocks/pebbles into the pool when I am not looking. The girls and I really did love going to the pool and we are really sad that the outdoor pool at our gym is closed until Memorial Day 2008.

We did quite a bit more over this past summer but I just listed my favorite memories. I plan on reliving these memories while the leaves start falling off the trees.

Needless to say, I can hardly wait for summer 2008.