Our Family Fun!

Ice Fishing

2012-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Andy & Gary took little man ice fishing. He took his new spiderman fishing pole that Santa brought him, and away they went to Rockport to do some fishing. Ethan caught 3 fish, all by himself. A rainbow trout, and 2 perch. All were thrown back, but you can see little man had a fun time with Dad!

Ethan's 4th Birthday

2012-01-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that our little man is already 4 years old. Time sure does fly by, and the older you get, the faster it goes! ;)

Ethan had a great 4th birthday. Grandma and Grandpa T took him out on Thursday night to Chuck E. Cheese, then to Target to pick out his present, and then out for ice cream. He picked out a star wars gun, and some legos.

Then on Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa A came over to bring him his presents and wish him a happy birthday. They brought over a star wars cruiser and some star wars figurines. Ethan LOVES them. That night we went out to dinner for his birthday, and then out for ice cream.

Sunday was the big birthday party! Grandma and Grandpa T and Aunt Rachel, Uncle Gary, Kate, & Sara came to enjoy the festivities. We had pizza, per Ethan's request, and cake and ice cream, and then opened presents.

Ethan was super excited to open his presents. . . .

He got some really cute super hero vans, and a cute star wars shirt. He wasn't too thrilled with the clothes and shoes being birthday presents, but oh well.

He also got a Leapster. You can tell he's absolutely thrilled with it right? Well, it gets even better. We accidentally bought the pink one, so he was all upset that we bought him a girl toy. Andy is at the store as we speak exchanging it for the green one. OOPS!!!

He also got 2 games to go in his leapster. Cars and Toy Story 3. One teaches letters and phonemic awareness, and the other teacher numeracy and number awareness. Hope he likes to play them!

Uncle Gary and Aunt Rachel brought him this super cool spiderman bed tent, and a spiderman helicopter toy! He LOVED the bed tent!

His cake leaves a little to be desired, since he kept sneaking pieces of it to eat before the party! It tasted great though, and he was pretty happy with it!

Happy birthday little man! We love you so much, and can't imagine life without you. You are full of life, spunk, and energy, and you certainly keep us on our toes.

Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

This year for our Christmas Eve party, my food assignment was cookies. So, I decided to make gingerbread cookies. I bought all ingredients, and somehow lost my recipe along the way. Not to worry, all was well, as I found a recipe on line that was DELICIOUS. So, I thought I'd share.

1 c margarine
1 c sugar
1 c molasses
2 egg
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking pwd
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg

Cream together butter and sugar. Stir in molasses and egg. Mix all other dry ingredients but flour. Sift flour in, and mix. Chill for 1 hour. Roll out and cut. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Icing:
1 c pwd sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract
food coloring if desired

Stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is glossy. If icing is too thick, add a little water to get the right consistency. Put in an icing bag to decorate cookies.

Arizona Christmas Trip

2011-12-31T07:53:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we left and headed to see my brother and his family in Arizona. It was a horribly LONG trip, but we made it, and the kids actually traveled pretty well. I thought I'd taken a bunch more pictures, but this was all that was on the camera, so I missed a bunch. Oh well. Live and learn huh?

Grandma and Grandpa Trane let the kids open a christmas present from them in preparation for our trip to the zoo.

They both got cameras. Ethan LOVES his camera, and filled up the 100 picture memory in less than 12 hours.

The next day we headed to the World Wildlife Zoo. It was pretty incredible and so many different types of animals that i'd never seen before. Here are the twits with their cameras taking pictures of the birds at the zoo entrance.

Our favorites were the monkeys. This is a momma and baby monkey. They were adorable. There was a super fun capuchin monkey that kept making silly faces at Andy as if trying to communicate with him. Andy also had a Macaw that was laughing at him. Andy would say ha, ha, ha, and the bird would repeat it back to him, and when we walked off, he did it a few more times as if to say, get back here and talk some more.

My favorites might have been the flamingos. I didn't know they were so tall. they had oodles of them at the zoo!

Here is Andy and Ethan looking at the flamingos!

Julia and Ethan had fun petting the sting rays.

Julia helped to push miss Addy in her ghetto stroller that we rented at the zoo.

Maybe the coolest part of the zoo was that you could feed the giraffes.

That night we opened presents from each other. I have NO pictures of this. Maybe it's because our little bully (Addy) kept getting on her hands and knees and using her head to bull doze Sawyer and Julia, and anyone else who touched any of her things.

Anyway, I gave mostly handmade gifts this year. So, I gave Colby and Suzanne roasting sticks, and a roasting stick holder I made for them with a basket full of goodies to make smores. Julia got a purse, and felt play makeup, as well as a necklace I made for her, and Sawyer got felt tools and tool box, and a shirt I made for him.

Suzanne and Colby gave Andy a Marilyn Monroe poster with an Itunes gift card (his favorite thing to get as a gift), I got a hobby lobby gift card, Addy got a doll and crib and stroller, and Ethan got a rocket ship alarm clock and buzz light year activity kit. Thanks again guys!

The next day we went to a really neat park. I wish I would have had pictures of it, it was HUGE! Addy's favorite part was these rocking toys. She sat on them the ENTIRE time that we were at the park, and once again, was a bully to anyone who attempted to take her toy! She rocked like a pro on those things.

Colby and Suzanne made us all lunches, and we played at the park for hours. Then we went back to the house and played a new fun game that mom brought. We laughed super hard while playing it and had fun just hanging out together. We ate "christmas dinner" that night, and then had to say our goodbyes so that we could leave early the next morning.

We really had a good time at uncle Schmozy's house (as ethan likes to call him), and wish that they lived closer so we could play with them more often. Love you guys.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-31T06:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas was SO much fun this year. The kids had a ball playing with all their toys. This first picture is super blurry, but it's the only one I got of everything set out from Santa.

The kids LOVED the kitchen. Santa left a special note letting them know that it was theirs to share, and then they each got their own shopping cart to go with it.

Here is Ethan's pile of presents from Santa

And for miss Addy

And now to present opening. Ethan obviously was a little disappointed in his clothes, even though one was a spiderman t-shirt.

Miss Addy was thrilled about her chair, and didn't bother to really open any presents. She just like sitting in the chair.

Now, he was a little happier . . . spiderman walkie talkies.

Helping Addy open her presents, since she wouldn't really open them.

Tons of play food for the kitchen

And he loved his spiderman house.

Miss Addy was thrilled with the goldfish crackers Santa left in her stocking

Mom and Ethan reading a new spiderman story book

Miss addy was just as happy as could be on Christmas morning

Addy playing with Ethan's prized Christmas present . . .his spiderman webshooter

Ethan playing with his spiderman house.

The Loot:

Both:

Kitchen

Shopping Carts

Play Food

Ethan:

Clothes

Spiderman Web-Shooter

Spiderman Walkie Talkies

Spiderman House

Camera & Book - Grandma and Grandpa T

Spiderman Lamp, Blanket, and Remote control car - Grandma and Grandpa A

Rocket ship alarm clock and night light/buzz light year activity set - Colby and Suzanne

Addy:

Princess Chair

Clothes

Zhu Zhu Pet Dog

Play pots and pans and tea set - Grandma and Grandpa T

Shape, Color, and Music learning toys and Clothes - Grandpa and Grandma A

Doll with playset - Colby and Suzanne

Andy:

Ice Fishing Pole

I-Tunes gift Card

Hand warmers

Thermal Underwear

$ - Mom and Dad Allen

I-tunes - Colby and Suzanne

Window well covers - Mom and Dad Trane

Les:

New desk for craft room

Hobby Lobby gift card - Colby and Suzanne

$ - Mom and Dad Allen

Window well covers - Mom and Dad Trane

All in all, it was a great Christmas day. The kids had a ball playing with all their toys, and we spent the majority of the day at our house so that they could.

Christmas Eve Present

2011-12-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas Jammies on Christmas Eve were the tradition at my house growing up. I thought it was a fun tradition, and wanted to continue it with my little ones. So, I purchased them both PJ's to open on Christmas Eve. Ethan was excited to open his present on the night before Christmas.

Well, they got them open, and Ethan tried on his jammies, and took them right off. He hasn't put them on since, and I doubt will ever wear them. Addy's had feet in them, and we put them on her, and she kept tugging at her feet and crying, so we took hers off too. So, neither child slept in or wore their Christmas Pj's they opened on Christmas Eve. Hopefully next year I'll pick out PJ's that they like. :)

Christmas Eve Party

2011-12-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

This December has been a little hectic. I was sick for almost the entire month with pneumonia, so I missed the Allen family Christmas party. I'll get Andy's pictures another day and add them to the blog. So, my festivities began Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family.

When we got there, we played an unscramble the Christmas Song game, and had dinner. Once dinner was over, the kids made crafts. As you can see, Ethan is THRILLED beyond all possible imagination to be creating this bucket.

So, I gave it to Addy, who decided that she'd just like to pull everything off of it.

Well, then Aunt Connie pulled out all the stuffers for the buckets, and then Ethan decided he certainly needed a bucket, but didn't want any of the fluff on it. So, he filled up a plain bucket with all sorts of treats and toys, and now he is a happy camper!

I made miss Addy a cute little Christmas tree outfit for the party. I wish I would have done a better job of getting a picture of her in it, but this is the best I found.

After the crafts, we did the annual Christmas Nativity, and read about the birth of our Savior in the scriptures. The kids all dressed up to play parts. I asked Ethan if he wanted to be in the nativity and dress up like a shepherd or a wiseman. He told me he wanted to dress up like the black spiderman, and that he wouldn't be a wiseman or shepherd. So, he didn't participate this year.

Next we opened Christmas presents from Grandma and Grandpa Bateman. As you can see, Ethan got a super cool dinosaur robot. It moves and roars, and he was quite thrilled with it. Addy got a really cute little blanket that rolls up to look like a kitty cat. Andy and I got a $40 gift card to chili's!

While waiting for everyone else to finish opening their gifts, miss Addy decided that the shoes and socks had to go.

And then she found a little santa car and a screw driver, and did some fixing. I'm glad she takes after her momma a little and isn't afraid to use tools! :)

After presents, we played a game. We had to blow up the balloons, and stuff them into a pair of nylons, and then wear them like antlers. My team won! Here is a picture of our little man in his "antlers".

We had a great time at the party, and best of all, we got to spend time with our extended family.

Family Pictures

2011-12-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

Well, so far December has been one CRAZY month, with MANY doctor visits, trips to the pharmacy, and more tissue than you can possibly image. We're bound to get better soon right? Here is to hoping.

In the meantime, we were able to make time to get our family pictures done. Our last family picture was clear back when Ethan was 11 months, so we are long over due.

I absolutely love this picture of the two twits. They did a great job, and I can't believe we got them both smiling at the camera at the same time. (they look cute and innocent right? well, have they got you fooled! :))

I also thought these pics were super fun of them looking through presents! They were fascinated by these props, and spent a good deal of time pulling them out of the boxes. The photographer was great and patient with them and managed to get some fun shots for Christmas.

I know that sometimes I loose my noodle and my patience with my little family, but I certainly do love them dearly, and pray that Andy and I can do the very best we can, with the Lord's help, to raise them up right.

My New Website

2011-11-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

I've just recently started a new website where I am selling some of my jewelry creations, and some of my sewing creations. Take a few minutes and check it out!

http://bobbinsnbeads.weebly.com

Deck the Halls - yes, I know it's early, but I LOVE christmas.

2011-11-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

I decided that I wanted some new ornaments for my small Christmas tree this year, and since I LOVE Paris, I decided that should be the theme. So, I made glittered Eiffel Towers and Fleur De Lis for the tree. Silver glitter bulbs, and a silver garland came next. With a silver and black tree, I also needed some new decorations for that room that matched.

So, I made the following items to match:

I think this framed subway art below and the paper christmas trees are my favorite. The paper trees only cost about $2.00 to make. The picture frame was purchased from the DI for $2.00 and painted, and then I used scrapbook paper as a border.

More Christmas to come! I got most of it put up this weekend, but still haven't conquered the main Christmas tree. That just might have to wait until next weekend.

Birthday Calendar

2011-11-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

I am HORRIBLE at remembering birthdays. Quite some time ago I even created a birthday binder, but who pulls out a binder all the time to look at birthdays? Not me. So, I was browsing the DI the other day (becoming my favorite hangout) when I came across this little gem. . .

Nice huh? It was only $1.00, and I immediately thought birthday calendar! And, here is the finished product. There is a page for each month with all the birthdays for the month listed. With this on my counter every single day I am bound to notice and remember to send cards or gifts right?

One mans trash is another mans treasure just waiting to be refinished

2011-10-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

I am in LOVE with the DI lately. I've found all sorts of great items that I can use as bones for craft projects. Last time I went I spotted this lamp for $2.00. I wasn't sure if it worked our not, so I was super happy when I got home and plugged it in and there was light!

I knew I wanted to put this in Addy's room, so I spray painted the base white, and then hot glued ribbon onto the shade. It turned out super cute and really only took me about 30 minutes to make. I LOVE IT!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving this year was a little crazy. I bought a teeny tiny pumpkin for Addy. BIG MISTAKE. It was so hard I could barely even get a knife in it. So, no carving for her. Ethan didn't want to even look at the guts once his pumpkin had been opened, so dad cleaned it out for him and helped him carve his pumpkin. Ethan also wanted to help Dad carve his pumpkin, so really Andy should have waited a while to carve his pumpkin. I didn't get mine carved until after Addy went to bed. Anyway, it was fun, but the kids are still a little too young for this. Maybe next year we'll paint the pumpkins. Here are the results . . .

Andy's pumpkin

Ethan's pumpkin

My pumpkin

The kids WILL NOT look at the camera for pictures. It drives me crazy. Here is the best I could do.

Dad and Ethan carving pumpkins.

Dollar Store Crafting

2011-10-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have become addicted to the dollar store lately! Here are some of my creations from Dollar Store Items!

Christmas Bulb Wreath . . . From This . . .

to This . . . for under $10.00

Fun Candy Corn Jars - $6.00

Three apothecary type jars filled with spooky stuff - $8.00

Three plates and a marker - $3.00

Pumpkin' Patch

2011-10-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to get to the pumpkin patch for a few days now, but . . . Ethan has been kind of a stinker and we've had to use not going to the pumpkin patch as a punishment. :( Well, we finally had a good day, and so we loaded up and went. Ethan went wearing his new transformers costume. He's been spiderman for the last 355 days, so he's decided that his spiderman is no longer really a costume, it's just everyday clothing, and he needed an "actual" halloween costume. We should have put little miss in her costume too, but it was a little warm on this day to wear her bulky costume.

Ethan was super excited to pick out his own pumpkin, and to put it in the wheelbarrow "all by himself"

I really couldn't get a great picture of the two of them, so here is the best attempt!

My man, with little miss! The expressions kill me :)

This year they had a gun that you could shoot corn out of. I thought Ethan would LOVE this, but really, not so much.

Now this was more like it . . . you could sling shot apples. That was more his style.

We even got to go for a tractor ride. Once again, the expressions on the kids faces are classic. Why can't they just smile for pictures?

Little miss LOVES apples.

Ethan shaking hands with a guy escaping from the grave

Ethan not playing too nice with his little sister. He's blocking her from getting up the stairs. I guess we'll need to have a little chat about bullying.

Should I be worried?

2011-10-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yikes!!! Black hoodie, saggy pants, & underwear showing! I think I need to be concerned. And not to mention how CLOSE he is to the TV. Flashbacks from when I was teaching middle schoolers!

Ethan's Photography Skills

2011-10-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ethan is notorious for picking up the camera if it is in reach and taking pictures. I find funny stuff on my camera all the time . . . like my big old butt. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures he's taken recently! (butt pics not included . . . you're welcome)

Don't mind the messy bathroom. It was Saturday, and I was getting the cleaning done!!

Super Hero Day

2011-10-12T19:49:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow is Super Hero day at our day care center. I thought this day would be an easy day for us considering that Ethan has worn his spiderman costume almost EVERY SINGLE DAY since Halloween last year. So, I thought it would be a no brainer . . . Ethan would go to school as spiderman, and be in good company with all the other kids in costumes.

Well, tonight I decided that Addy needed a costume too, so I whipped her up this wonder woman shirt.

Ethan asked what I was making for Addy, and I let him know that tomorrow was super hero day. He told me he needed to decide what to wear, because Spiderman is not a super hero. Are you kidding me??????? So, we argued about this for a while, and I decided this was pointless. Luckily we have a few other costumes laying around the house like Superman, Batman, and Buzz light year. I think he's decided to go as Buzz Light Year of all costumes. Oh well. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

It's Halloween Time!

2011-09-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Halloween and Christmas. They are two of my favorite holidays, probably because I love decorating my house for them. Here is a little taste of Halloween at our house.

I went to the dollar store the other day and picked up these three white square plates. Then I drew the images on them with a permanent marker. Not sure it's going to set, so I will probably spray paint them with a glitter top coat. I think they turned out great though. I'm in love with the owl and the bat plate, not quite sure about the spider one.

Most items on here are also from the dollar store. All the hurricane lamps are from the dollar store, and then glued on dollar store candle sticks. Then filled them with spiders, skulls, black beads, and a crow.

My mom made me the cute halloween frame and the happy haunting block as a gift for Halloween last year!

I found this cute halloween tree up at the Barn in Midway.

These are made from dollar tree candlesticks, and 3 vases from the DI, and a little ribbon from the dollar store.

My mom also made this cute wall hanging years ago. I love it.

On a sewing bing!

2011-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

I must admit that I'm an addict . . .

I have become addicted to crafting, and LOVE to pull out the jewelry tools, the sewing machine, or the paint brush, but lately I've been working on many sewing projects.

My friend Jethro and his wife Staci are HUGE BYU fans. So, even though it pained me greatly to sew a pink Y onto a shirt, I did it for their new super cute baby!

If you know me, you know that I LOVE Paris and especially the Eiffel tower, so I whipped up this fun eiffel tower outfit for little miss Addison.

I had an old pair of levi's that had a broken zipper, so I created 2 different roasting stick bags. I made the bag with our last name on it yesterday and thought that it turned out cute, but then tonight I made the one below for a wedding of the son of a good friend of mine, and I think theirs turned out much better than mine. Oh well.

And then little man informed me that he wanted our dog Duke to go trick-or-treating with him this year. Ethan, of course, is going as spiderman, so he wanted a spiderman costume for Duke. I did the best I could of putting a little spider on this shirt I found.

Mom and Little Miss

2011-09-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE this little girl to pieces and am so happy to have her in our lives. Some new fun things about little miss:

Her little personality is developing so quickly, and she's starting to get more and more independent.
She wants to do everything big brother is doing, and if she doesn't have what he has, there is trouble.
She makes a super cute little grunting noise when she's angry about something.
She LOVES shoes. She'll pick up a pair of her shoes and bring them to you to put on her, or she'll sit somewhere and try to put them on herself.
Her favorite foods are corn and peas.
She says Momma, Dadda, and Dog fairly well, and has attempted a few other words that I can't recognize quite yet.
She has been walking for a month, but is still isn't too steady.

Backyard Landscaping Project

2011-09-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

This summer, Andy took on fixing the back yard. We've had empty flower beds and grass for about 5 years now, and we finally decided what to do out there. Keep in mind we're not finished quite yet.

We're going to put an arbor, and some fun landscaping right behind that half circle there that leads into our relaxation area where our hammock is! :)

Our next big project is to tear down the stairs and create a deck above where the big empty spot of rocks is. We also need to add some more plants/flowers, but we're doing a little at a time.

I think it looks a ton nicer than it did, and thanks to Andy for moving so many wheelbarrows full of rocks.

Sweet Summer Time

2011-09-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Ethan HATES being wet, UNLESS he has on his swimsuit. It was funny for a while, but now if he even spills one little drop of water on himself he wants to change his ENTIRE outfit. I guess it's still a little funny. Needless to say, this kiddo is one picky little guy, but he obviously had a ball at the splash pad and had no problem being wet while in his swim gear.

Addy's walking

2011-08-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Addy's 1st Birthday

2011-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our miss Addy has been with us for an entire year. We have been blessed by her laid back, sweet, and happy personality, and don't know what we'd do without her.

The birthday girls party decorations!

I found a picture of a fabulous Minnie Mouse cake and did my best to copy it. I think it turned out pretty cute, and it didn't take me too long to recreate. I did have black/pink hands for about 3 days however from trying to color the fondant. YIKES!!!

I made this fun subway art to put out at the food table.

And this is the birthday girls dinner.

The birthday girl had some cheese and ham and roll with the rest of us!

I made her a fun shirt to match her birthday decor!

She's your typical girl. She liked playing with the clothes better than she like playing with the toys! :)

Big brother was happy to help her open her presents!

She loved that her new kitchen played music, and did a cute little dance.

You can her dance efforts here!

This is her cute little learning kitchen. Ethan has played with it much more than she has, so hopefully she'll start enjoying it more.

And of course, our little birthday girl LOVED the cake and ice cream!!!

Addy is ALMOST walking!

2011-08-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

I originally bought this stroller for Addy for her birthday, but she's so CLOSE to walking that I thought it might benefit her now! She LOVES to push it around the house!

Mom's putt for cash!

2011-08-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Mom had the great opportunity to Putt for Cash with Rod Zundel from KSL the other day. We went out to Thanksgiving point to see her.

She sunk this 50 foot practice putt just a few minutes before her real putt. It must have been her little good luck charm Ethan who was standing by her!

This is her actual putt. She did a great job, and it was a super good shot. In fact, I was pretty certain that thing was going in.

Here she is with Rod. I have to say that she may not have made the putt, but she looks FABULOUS doesn't she? Good job mom!

To see her actual video on KSL, go to the following website, and scroll through the videos for Barbara Trane!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=377&sid=14996722

My mischievous little man

2011-08-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Our little Ethan is ALWAYS into something! Here are two recent acts of messiness from little man. This first . . . he found the jar of peanut butter and had it spread all over the place in my living room, and was clapping his peanut buttery hands laughing at how it made the peanut butter fly all over the room. That was a FUN cleanup huh?

This is more hard to determine, but this is our outside shed, where we have stored our TREX for our new deck, and we've had the door opened as we've been working on finishing our back yard. Little man found a can of black spray paint and went to town. Boy oh boy.

New Day Care

2011-08-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

The kids started at their new day care center on August 1st, which was my first day back to work. Ethan was SUPER excited to go to school, but hasn't been too excited to go back! We'll work on it though. When they arrive, the first thing they do is have breakfast, so here they are on their first day eating their cocoa puffs!

This is what happened on the morning of day 2 of pre-school!

My ONE month of Summer

2011-08-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is my third year working at the district office, and I'm still not quite adjusted to this one month of summer business, but oh well. Here is an attempt to cover some of the fun things that we were able to do this summer . . .

Pretended to be a superhero!

Played in the new play house

Went to planet play and spent A LOT of money to get a stupid sword

Hosting teddy bear picnics

Spent time up in Heber at Grandma & Grandpa T's trailor

Had fun at boondocks shooting the guns, and especially playing LASER TAG! Ethan played twice, and would have played 15 more times if he could have!

Went to the zoo a few different times

Spent time at Grandpa & Grandma T's house playing in his "web"!

We had a fabulous few weeks together. I LOVED being at home with my babies!

Addy's latest & greatest

2011-07-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Addy is a pretty laid back little lady. This picture pretty much says it all . . .

We just love her to pieces. She is pleasant, loves to smile, laughs a ton, and loves to play. She gabs a ton, and is starting to say real words. She says uh-oh constantly, and is starting to say mama and dada. I think she even said dog the other day, but hasn't repeated it at all, so who knows. Andy taught her how to do head butt, and she loves to give wet-slobbery kisses. If she wants to kiss you, there is no getting away, she'll pull your face right over to her.

She is also starting to get pretty independent. She doesn't like to be fed anymore, so she's eating a lot of finger foods lately that she can feed to herself. She loves mac 'n' cheese, hot dogs, and any type of fruit.

She is standing up all on her own these days, and seems to want to take a step or two, but no walking yet. I'm sure it'll be any day now.

We couldn't love her more.

Bobbins 'n' Beads

2011-07-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

To my dear friends who actually read my blog . . . I have started a little business and would love for you all to check it out. You can find me at www.bobbinsnbeads.blogspot.com, or check out my bobbins 'n ' beads facebook page.

basketball babe

2011-07-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Costume Kid

2011-07-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Ethan LOVES to dress up! Usually it's either Spiderman or Superman, but he has other costumes as well, a cowboy, a pirate, batman, etc. Yesterday, he came shopping with me to Hobby Lobby, and decided that he needed to add a new eye patch and cool foam sword to his costume. On the way out, he let me know that he needed me to take his picture with his pirate gear on.

On Sunday, I let him know that he couldn't wear his costume to church. He told me "but mom, people want to take pictures of me as spiderman." This kid comes up with the craziest ideas. So, he decided that he wanted to wear a spiderman t-shirt, AND a batman t-shirt underneath his church clothes.

Fourth of July

2011-07-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

For the fourth of July this year, we went to Andy's parents house for an afternoon BBQ, and a little splash in the pool. Then we came home, put Miss Addy to bed, and did a few sparklers and fireworks with Ethan. Miss Addy doesn't like the loud boom from the fireworks, so had a terrible time sleeping last night since our neighborhood sounded like a war zone until quite late.

Our Addy

2011-07-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Miss Addy is growing like a weed, and getting around really well. She started crawling at 8 months, and has been on the go ever since. She loves to play with her big brother Ethan. Whatever he is into, Addy wants to be into as well. She is a super happy little girl, and usually has a smile on her face. She likes to interact and play. She stops whatever she's doing when you say "so big" and raises her arms up in the air, and she also gives very wet kisses to us all the time. She waves, and says something that sort of sounds like mama, and is even pulling herself up on the furniture. Daddy even taught her to do a head butt!

We love to see all the new things our little lady is up to.

Best purchase EVER!

2011-06-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

After visiting my brother in Arizona, and seeing his new yard, we decided we wanted to do some major renovation of our back yard, and Andy had the fantastic idea to build a corner for a playhouse for Ethan. Last night we made a trip to toys-r-us and found a great little playhouse for our little man, and for our little lady (once she starts walking). We also bought Ethan a little BBQ with fake food, plates, forks, etc. Andy and Ethan went home and put it all together, and Ethan played in it until bedtime. I even had to make a deal with him that he could play with his BBQ and food until I was finished reading him a bed time story, and then he'd have to put it away until morning. When he woke up this morning, he immediately asked if he could get dressed and go play outside. I think he's in heaven!

Addy's shoes

2011-06-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

I am no experienced sewer, so these puppies took me quite a bit longer than they should have, what with all the unpicking, but they did turn out pretty stinkin' cute, and they fit her perfectly.

The Mighty Fisherman

2011-06-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Fishing has always been a passion of Andy's, but a forgotten passion until recently. He's been on a fishing kick lately, and takes off to go whenever he possibly can. This is his most recent outing on the lake with the boys, and this picture of him ranks as one of my favorites . . . why you ask? Andy RARELY smiles for pictures. . . even at disneyland one of his most favorite places in the world, we can't get him to crack a smile for a snapshot. This picture doesn't have a fabulous "i'm totally happy and thrilled I caught this fish smile," but the smirk on his face, just summarizes his entire personality. He posted this picture on facebook with the following caption . . . "Break out the big frying pan Les, I'm bringing home dinner."

So happy that 5 years ago I made one of the best decisions of my life and married the man of my dreams. Love you babe!

catch of the day

2011-06-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

My parents were camping up at Wasatch State Park this weekend, so we spent the day with them on Saturday. Andy was thrilled he was able to do some fishing, and Ethan was of course SUPER excited that they caught a fish. He is happy to play and goof around while dad holds and casts the pole, and really only wants to be part of fishing when it's time to reel in a fish. Here are the boys with their catch of the day!

Ring of Fire

2011-06-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Ethan pulled the guitar hero guitars out tonight and asked to play. So, I got things going and was choosing a song. Ethan informed me that he wanted to play "rock of fire." So, I turned on Ring of Fire, and he sung along and strummed his guitar (he pronounces it goo-tar). Too cute.

Story Time

2011-06-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

I love to read Ethan stories each night before bed time, and he loves it too, because he can manipulate me into reading him more and more stories, which means he gets to go to bed later! :) This picture isn't the greatest quality, but it captures this special time just perfectly.

Missin' Mom

2011-06-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Andy is so great about sending me cute video clips and pictures of the kids when he's at home with them and I'm at work. Just got this little gem that needs to be shared.

Addy crawling

2011-05-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Addy is crawling now, and Ethan isn't liking it too much! Granted, Andy is totally egging it on in this video clip.

U2 Concert

2011-05-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

We have had a fairly uneventful month, but we were able to go to the U2 concert! It was AMAZING to say the least, and thanks to Chelsee and Trevor for babysitting for us.

Annual Easter Picnic

2011-04-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the annual easter egg hunt at Aunt Janet's house. The kids had a ball finding eggs in her big yard, and also finding their prizes.

Ethan got some 3D spiderman bubbles for his prize!

Ethan LOVES his cousin Trevor. They had a ball together yesterday. Ethan only played Bingo for about 5 minutes. The aunts stepped it up big time this year as we not only played our annual Bingo game, but also played Minute to Win it, which was hysterical. When I have more patience, I'll try to post videos.

Here he is in the 3D spiderman goggles. Pretty studly huh?

Spring Pictures

2011-04-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Arizona

2011-04-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well, because I don't want to move all the pictures around, we'll work backwords. On the last day of our vacation Colby and Suzanne had planned an easter egg hunt. The kids colored eggs, found presents, and then we had a BBQ. That night, we went to the Mesa Arizona temple to see the Easter pageant. It was really neat, but the kids had a hard time sitting through it.

Ethan and Julia had a ball playing outside together. Ethan found Julia's rain boots and wore them for quite some time and came to me and said "look mom, I'm a cowboy." Too cute.

We also took the kids to a petting zoo one day while we were there. They had a camel, and a zebra of some sort that we think may have been crossed with a pony. The kids thought the animals were super fun and enjoyed feeding them until Ethan got his finger bitten by a donkey!

We took the kids to the mall one day to do some shopping, ride the train, and see the easter bunny. They thought that was pretty neat!

Thanks to Colby and Suzanne for having us down to visit them and see their new sweet angel Sawyer. We had a great time, and the kids had a ball together.

Ethan loves Duke

2011-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

and Duke loves Ethan!

Snow? Really?

2011-04-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping . . . oh wait, I mean snow falling on the apricot tree.

Good heavens, spring didn't really bring us a nice surprise yesterday, as we woke up to about 3 inches of snow, and on and off snow all day long. Ethan was super exciting and ran in to see if Santa had come. (he does this every time it snows)

When we put Addy down for her nap, we headed outside to have some fun in the snow. Hopefully this will be the last time in the snow until next winter, as Ethan's 2T snow clothes from last year aren't fitting too well anymore.

Getting Big

2011-04-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

My little girl is growing up so fast, I can hardly believe it. She's as good as gold, and her favorite thing to do is watch her big brother Ethan. She laughs and laughs at him while he plays. Needless to say, he's liking her much more now that she laughs at everything he does.

She's also at the I put everything in my mouth stage, so we've started letting her suck on as much food as possible through her little strainer. Her favorites include bananas and oranges. She'll eat apples too, but doesn't like them as much.

She's getting up on her hands and knees, and before we know it she'll be crawling.

This little girl just melts my heart! I can't get enough of her sweet smile, and cute giggle.

Sword Fighting

2011-04-04T07:29:00.001-07:00

I took Ethan to Hobby Lobby the other day to pick up some crafting supplies. (What's new?) While we were there, he spotted these great foam swords, and of course had to have 2 of them. One for him, and one for dad! They had a great time sword fighting.

bobbins 'n beads

2011-03-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog for my jewelry and sewing projects.

Check it out at:

www.bobbinsnbeads.blogspot.com

Sewing Craze

2011-03-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Andy gave me a sewing machine for my birthday this year, and I have fallen in love with it! I'm slowly learning, thanks to my mom, and it's been super fun. My projects so far include . . . a spiderman rag quilt for Ethan, a gazillion car seat covers for all those having babies in the next few months, a laptop bag for myself, a scripture tote for my niece who just got baptized, and now I've started to make shirts for Addy! I just can't help myself!

Bed Head

2011-03-13T20:29:00.001-07:00

Ethan normally doesn't wake up with crazy hair, so we're not quite sure what happened on this particular day!

Charlotte's baptism

2011-03-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

My niece Charlotte was baptized last weekend. It was quite a fun day. We were able to spend the day with them not only celebrating her baptism, but also her birthday. We are proud of her, and happy to be a part of her life.

Bubbles

2011-03-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

Addy & Duke

2011-03-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Duke loves to cuddle with Addy. Kind of cute to see them both growing up so fast.

Mr. Mischievous

2011-02-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

These pictures need no explanation! This is just what Ethan is up to these days!

valentine's day

2011-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day was full of coughing, medicine, and kids not feeling very well! So, this post is SUPER late, but here is Addy feeling much better in her cute valentine's outfit that Grandma and Grandpa A bought her!

Bath time

2011-01-27T16:34:00.001-08:00

Fishing

2011-01-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Ethan got a fishing pole for Christmas that he loves. The other day I found him in his room fishing for a metal tin lid! He paid no attention to me and just continued to reel it on in!

My Favorite Outfit - EVER!

2011-01-27T16:07:00.001-08:00

Ethan's 3rd Birthday

2011-01-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

I think Andy and I were more excited for Ethan's birthday than he was. He ended up having a fun day, and we're thankful for both grandparents, and uncle Gary and kids for coming!

Ethan got a spiderman helmet and battery operated four wheeler from us, some cute shoes and a spiderman lunchbox from grandma and grandpa T, and spiderman sheets, and toys from Grandma and grandpa A, and a bruno and buddy dinosaur from uncle gary.

Somehow I didn't get a picture of the four wheeler, only a video. So, I'll try to post some pics of that later!

Ethan's Birthday Cake

2011-01-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished Ethan's birthday cake! This was my fist attempt at fondant, and may actually be my last. Normally cakes take me a couple of hours to bake and decorate, but this cake took 3 days. Good heavens. I bought white fondant, since I've never made it before, and so on Sunday I colored it, and wrapped it back up to use later. It took A TON of coloring to get the dark colors that I needed for his cake. Then on Monday I baked the 4 cakes for the tiers, which took 3 cake mixes. I don't know what we're going to do with all that cake! Luckily I bought sugar free cake mixes, so it's not as bad for us. Then last night it took me several hours to decorate. So, all in all, it was kind of a pain, but it turned out okay for a first attempt. I think I might go back to the molded pans, and frosting star cakes that I'm used to though, as they are much easier to decorate!

Will the Dog Survive?

2011-01-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

If you've read earlier posts, you know that we got a new Yorkie right before Christmas. Ethan LOVES that little dog and carts it around. The other day I looked and he was holding it up by its hind leg. YIKES! Needless to say, the dog does A LOT of hiding!

Now, don't think I'm a horrific mother, but these events happened the other day. (It's really hard to supervise a rambunxious 3 year old, and a newborn at the same time).

First, I heard water running, and Ethan had poor Duke in the bathtub with freezing cold water running on him. I dried him off, and informed Ethan that he couldn't just throw the poor dog in the bathtub. Then, I was in changing Addy and Ethan came in and told me he got Duke all clean. So, of course, I was thinking he was referring to the mornings event of Duke in the tub. Turns out I found Duke and the kitchen floor, covered in dish soap. I washed poor Duke, dried him off, and commenced clean up of the kitchen floor. I yelled for Ethan and asked what he was doing, and he told me he was drying the dog. So, at this point, I RAN to the laundry room, where I found poor Duke in the dryer. Luckily Ethan isn't tall enough to reach the buttons to turn on the dryer, but poor Duke was scared out of his mind.

Needless to say, I really hope this dog survives our house!

They could be twins!

2010-12-30T16:25:00.001-08:00

These are pictures of the kids on their blessing days. Both are just about 3 months old in these pictures, and I can't believe how much they look alike. They really could have been twins.

Addy's 4 Month Appointment

2010-12-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

Addy is doing great, and growing like a weed. She's 15 lbs. exactly, and is 77% for weight an 79% for height. Pretty much almost exactly the same as Ethan at this time. She looks just like him too! Here is a picture of Ethan jus to prove it.

Some of my favorite things about her . . . she laughs at just about anything, and her giggle is adorable. When she's ready to eat you can barely get the bottle in her mouth, because she's got her hands, burp rag, and anything else right up to her mouth in anticipation of the bottle, she is very even tempered, she rubs her eyes when she is tired, she loves to play with her toys and reaches out and grabs them, she even likes to pet the new puppy (well more like grab his fur).

She is just so much fun, and we love her to pieces. We are blessed to have her in our lives.

My Birthday!

2010-12-30T10:43:00.000-08:00

For my birthday this year, I asked for a sewing machine. My mom always told me that I needed to learn how, because one day I'd want to sew some things. I told her she could just do it for me, and I never learned. Well, as always, mom was right. So, I'm learning how to use it, and here is my first project . . . I made the 2 throw pillows on Ethan's bed. Not too shabby, but also not to difficult to simply sew a few straight lines. Anyway, I can't wait to get on to bigger and better projects.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T11:49:00.001-08:00

Addy and Ethan were able to see Santa at Andy's family Christmas party. We had dinner, visited with Santa, and played the white elephant game. We took a "leg lamp" from the movie Christmas Story as our white elephant, and everyone fought over it. We had a great time. Here are a couple of pictures of the kids with Santa.

On Christmas Eve, we have my family Christmas party. We have dinner, read from Luke 2 and have the little ones act out the nativity scene, and open presents from the drawing. Addy got a really cute toy and pair of socks from Sloane, and Ethan got a darling cowboy outfit from Aunt Janet. He LOVED it, and he looks pretty stinkin' cute in it!

Christmas this year was so much fun. Ethan LOVED everything . . . except Santa. In fact, he got up Christmas morning and we said let's go and see what Santa brought you and he told us no, he didn't want to see Santa. We assured him Santa was not in our house, and only left presents, and then he was fine. Santa brought him a spiderman bean bag chair, a spiderman watch, and coloring books, a toy story game for the TV, remote control cars, and a fishing pole. Santa brought Addison a cabbage patch doll, a few toys, and a little minnie mouse blanket.

Both Grandparents spoiled the kids to death! Ethan got a ton of spiderman stuff from Grandpa and Grandma A, and a cool spiderman shooting game from Grandma and Grandpa T, pajamas, and a buzz light year sleeping bag. Addison got outfits and princess stuff from Grandma and Grandpa A, and a really neat night light/music player, toy, and clothes from Grandma and Grandpa T. Here is Ethan in his beanbag chair, having a little rest with his puppy, who he drug around the house in his buzz light year sleeping bag, before letting him take a nap on it with him! Thanks Grandpa's and Grandpa's. We certainly love you guys.

Our New Puppy

2010-12-25T11:28:00.003-08:00

Gary and Rachel's dogs had cute yorkie puppies, and we decided we'd better get one since they are probably their last litter. So, we announce the latest addition to our family . . . Duke!

The Cuz Buzz

2010-12-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Colby, Suzanne, and Julia spent the week last week in Utah for Christmas, since Colby's work doesn't allow them to be gone at Christmas. The kids had a ball playing together in the snow, visiting the dinosaur museum, making cookies with Grandma and Grandpa, and opening Christmas presents!

Addy's Blessing

2010-11-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

We had a great day today with family and friends at Addy's blessing and luncheon. Andy gave her a beautiful blessing.

Halloween

2010-11-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

Touching Moment

2010-11-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

While Andy is out of town, I've been pretty good about cooking dinner and taking care of the house, but tonight I didn't want to cook, so off to Papa Murphey's we went to pick up some great pizza. I walked in the door, and I saw one of my former 7th grade students, who is now a senior in high school. He asked all about my little family and how we were all doing, and then he proceeded to tell me that he's going to the JTEC center 1/2 day to become a surgical assistant and that he wants to join the military and go to school to become a doctor. I told him I was proud of him, and also a little excited that he'd chosen a career in the science profession. He just said . . . "why do you think I like science so much, it's because of you." I was so touched I wanted to cry. I really do like the job I have now as an Evidence-based learning specialist. It has been a learning and growing opportunity, but I have to say that I really miss my kids, and miss being able to be a part of their lives, and hopefully be able to touch them in some small way. Tyson reminded me tonight of why I went into education in the first place, and maybe I need to get back to the classroom!

Story Time

2010-11-09T19:33:00.001-08:00

Ethan certainly has my number when it comes to bed time. He loves me to read to him, and asks for book after book after book. I know he is just delaying bedtime, but I can't help but want to read to my little guy for academic, and emotional reasons. Some of his favorites . . .

He has most of them memorized and if I start the sentence, he can finish them. I especially love Good Night Moon. He says "and good night to the old lady whispering hush" so cute! The other part that is adorable is in where's my mother? He says "SNORT" so funny you just have to laugh! I love reading stories to my little guy. Even if it does delay bedtime occasionally. :)

Our Happy Girl

2010-11-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Andy's Birthday

2010-11-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 32 to my sweetheart! I am so grateful to have you in my life. Your smile is contagious, your silly giggle makes me laugh, your strength always impresses me, your soft touch makes me feel safe and loved, your gentle kisses on the heads of our children melt my heart. Thank you for sharing your life with me, and happy birthday!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween, or Halloweeney, as Ethan calls it, was so much fun this year. Ethan had a ball helping to put up all the spooky decorations, carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and even answering the door on Halloween night.

Andy had the house all decked out with every spooky thing you could possibly imagine. He even had a dummy on the porch. We found all sorts of things on it the next morning. It looked as though people threw rocks, etc at it to determine whether there was a real person in it waiting to scare them. He also had the music video of thriller projected on the house. The parents of the trick-or-treaters seemed to enjoy this the most, and many sat out on the lawn and watched the video and did a little dancing. It was quite a site, and Andy loved every minute of it.

Ethan, of course, was spiderman. He LOVES superhero costumes, and always wants to be dressed up as Superman, Spiderman, Batman, or Buzz LIghtyear. He looked super cute, and has almost wore the costume right out, because he has worn it so many times. There aren't too many 2 month old Halloween costumes, but Addy wore a cute little ladybug outfit. She looked darling in it. I was a witch, but shame on me, I didn't get pictures of all of us together. My mom did though, so I'll have to get a pic from her to post later on.

Addy's 2 month appointment

2010-11-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

I knew Addy was getting big, but I didn't realize how big until we went to the Doc on the 18th of October for her check-up. She was already 12 lbs. 8 ounces, and was in the 92% for weight! Good heavens. We couldn't love our little chunk any more though. She is just perfect, and is such a sweet baby. She is cooing and smiling, and loves for you to talk to her. She is just pleasant and happy 90% of the time, and her little spirit is a welcome addition to our home.

Dreams

2010-10-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

I am a sucker for Sports movies. You name it . . . I love it. Hoosiers, Rudy, the Blind Side, Coach Carter, Glory Road, The Rookie, For Love of the Game, the list could go on and on. I always get a little teary eyed at the end of these types of movies, I guess for a few different reasons. First, because someones dream has come true, and second, because I love sports.

As a little girl, I had many dreams, many of which never came true. For instance, I am not an archeologist, or an astronaut, a famous basketball player, or even a doctor. I am a humble teacher for my profession, but one of the most important dreams I had, did come true. I am a mom, and am so grateful for the opportunity to be one. My children make my heart leap for joy, and give me such great happiness.

Last night, Addy only woke up once. While I was holding her, rocking her back to sleep, I couldn't help but think that I just might miss the quiet alone time that the two of us get with each other in the middle of the night. Crazy I know, but every minute is precious. Especially now that I've witnessed how fast they grow up.

My favorite time with Ethan is night time. He snuggles in bed, and I read him story after story, until he finally asks for his favorite . . . Mommy's Best Kisses, and then he is ready to go to sleep. I love these little precious moments with my babies, and hope that there will be plenty more to come.

Baby Doll Dress Up

2010-10-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

I love my little Ethan with all my heart, and having a boy is so much fun. We play guns, pretend to be super hero's, (I get to be a damsel in distress on a regular basis), drive cars around the house, and throw balls to each other. With that said . . . I am just loving having a little girl to dress up. The bows, the pink, and the darling clothes just melt my heart. I feel as though I'm dressing up a little doll to parade around just to look cute. Poor little Addy will probably hate pink when she gets older, because I just can't get enough of it! Here she is sporting one of her darling pink outfits!

incredible pizza

2010-10-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

It's been hard to keep Ethan entertained while managing a new baby, but we've done our best to get him out to do fun things. One of our adventures was to incredible pizza. Ethan had so much fun riding on the rides, bowling, playing mini golf, playing games, and collecting tickets to earn prizes. I think mini golf was the funniest part. Ethan would hit the ball once, and then pick it up and put it in the hole. Grandpa T would have a fit if he knew that Ethan was cheating at golf. We need to teach that boy some patience. But the best part . . . it was just as much fun to watch him as it was for him to play!

The Princess and the Mobster

2010-09-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it's no secret that Ethan LOVES guns. I know that we'll be arrested one day for carrying a facsimile of a weapon in a store or something. Anyway, this morning, he was walking around the house in his suit, waiting for me to finish getting ready for church, shooting his machine gun. He totally looked like a little Mobster!

I also got Addy all dolled up in this cute little dress that Grandma T bought for her. It's a hair too big, and the brown headband that I bought for her didn't fit, so we had to go with white, but I still think she looks pretty darn cute.

State Fair

2010-09-14T16:35:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went to the state fair with our friends Andy and Melissa, and their kids Ayden and Morgan. We all had a great time, and I have to admit, it was just nice to get out of the house for a while. The kids especially enjoyed looking at all the animals, and just enjoyed one anothers company. Thanks Andy and Melissa for inviting us to join in on your family home evening. We really had a great time.

Little Fisherman

2010-09-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

Andy is quite the fisherman, and Ethan is following in his footsteps. He doesn't quite have the patience for fishing, but he sure enjoys being with his dad, and reeling in his line. I think it is certainly a sport that the two of them will enjoy together for many years to come.

Splish Splash

2010-09-14T16:29:00.001-07:00

Ethan is quite a character. He loves to entertain people, is very outgoing, and will talk to anyone. He also enjoys teasing, tickling, and making other people laugh. He is quite the little comedian. Andy was in with him in the bath tub on this particular day, and he did this all to himself to get a laugh. We love this little guy!

My little Superhero

2010-09-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

While Andy was home from work to help me with the baby, he ran plenty of errands for me, and he'd usually take Ethan so that I could have a little nap with the baby. On one of his first outings, he purchased this cute spiderman outfit. It didn't come with the mask, my mom and dad bought that for him in Mexico on their cruise, but he likes to wear them all together anyway. He WOULD NOT take this outfit off for 3 days straight, that is until Andy went back to the store and bought the Batman outfit as well. So, for 3 weeks, Ethan has been a superhero. The other picture is him in a wonderwoman cape. This was my cape when I was little, and I believe my Aunt Colleen made it for me. Anyway, he also loves to wear it. He flies around the house pretending to rescue and save everyone. Too cute.

We let him watch one of the real spiderman movies not too long ago, and he apparantly paid VERY close attention. When he had on his spiderman outfit with the mask, he came over to me, pulled the mask halfway up, and kissed me. Too cute. I love my little Superhero.

Pirate Island

2010-09-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

Addy had her first babysitter on Saturday night. Thank you Grandma T and Grandpa T for taking over for the evening so that Andy and I could spend some time with Ethan. He LOVED our pirate waiter, and loved to play all the shooting games. We collected a bunch of tickets and were able to buy him pirate tattoos, an eyepatch, a pirate hackey sack, and a few other little pirate items that he loves.

Ethan kept saying he was scared of the skeletons while we were eating dinner and was pulling the funniest faces.

On our way home, he absolutely had to have on his pirate hat and eye patch. He looks really spooky while sucking his thumb and holding his duckster doesn't he?

Addy's 2 Week Check Up

2010-09-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Addy is doing extremely well, and growing like a weed. She's up a pound and an inch as of her 2 week appointment last Wednesday. The doc said she's as healthy as can be, and hopefully she stays that way!

We are in love with our little Addy! She is a great eater, and is up to 4 oz. a feeding already, and usually eats every 2 hours. She only cries when we change her diaper or she's ready to eat. She sucks on your lower lip while waiting for her bottle to be prepared, and she loves to lay on her tummy. She is a very pleasant and good natured baby. Most nights she'll sleep for 4 hours at a time, and I am thanking my lucky stars for a baby who is letting me get some rest. :)

Ethan has had a bit of a rough adjustment with Addy, but today he was totally cute with her. She was crying, waiting for her bottle, and Ethan went and got her a blanket and put it on her. Such a sweet gesture, because when he is hurt or upset, he wants his blanket (duckster).

We love our two precious little ones. Funny how when they get here, it just seems like they've been with you forever.

addison's birth announcement

2010-08-28T17:55:00.001-07:00

Addison's Pictures

2010-08-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

She's here!

2010-08-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Introducing Miss Addison Lee Allen. 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 1/2 inches tall. We are thrilled.

Not Quite Yet

2010-08-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

And the amnio says . . . the bun is not quite cooked enough. So, we have to give our girl one more week of baking time, and then she should be fine. So, the plan is to have a c-section at noon, next Wednesday, August 18th. I'm excited that there is an end in sight, but I was so hoping that we'd have her here today, and I was a little disappointed. Oh well, she'll be here soon enough, and then I can get that pesky gall bladder taken out that's causing so many problems.

Never a Dull Moment

2010-08-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's going to be quite an interesting week. Last night we spent most of the night at instacare with Ethan. Turns out he fractured a metatarcel in his foot. He tipped over in one of our kitchen chairs, and it the chair landed right on his little foot. He has to wear a little boot around and won't walk on it at all. He keeps telling us that "I hurt real bad."

I've had a lot of bird poop on my porch lately, and wondered where the birds were sitting. Last night when we came home there were 4 birds sitting on the sign hanging on our front porch. So, we were checking them out, and when we walked in the house, one followed along with us. Andy spent quite a few minutes chasing the bird through the house trying to get it back out the front door. Quite a scene.

Today we're off to the surgeon to figure out when we can get my gall bladder taken out.

Wednesday morning we're going in for an amniocentesis to determine if little Addison is ready to be delivered, and if she is, then we are scheduled for a C-section on Thursday!

Cross your fingers for us, because it would be wonderful to be holding our little one on Thursday! That way we can get this stupid gall bladder taken care of earlier than later.

Potty Success

2010-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Since I've been at home for a few weeks, I decided it was an excellent time to start potty training Ethan! He'd done super good. We've had a few accidents here and there, but for the most part, he lets me know he needs to go potty!

He chose his outfit this particular day. Notice the big boy underwear, and remember that he's got on a fleece pj top in July, with Buzz lightyear shoes! :) Lovely!

Addison's Room

2010-07-28T06:33:00.001-07:00

She better be an angel . . .

2010-07-21T08:12:00.001-07:00

All I have to say is that this little one better be an angel when she comes for all the heck she is putting me through :)

Summer Update!

2010-07-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

We have had a great summer so far, and have taken Ethan to do a bunch of fun things, but shame on me, I haven't taken hardly any pictures. So, here are a few to catch you up on our summer of fun.

Ethan is loving to swim this summer and we have been over the rec center countless times to let him enjoy the water. He's had a ball, and next year I will hopefully have time to put him in swimming lessons. I think he'll love them by next summer.

Last week when Andy was off, we took him to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving point, and then over to Pirate Island with Grandma and Grandpa T. It was a ball. He enjoyed the pirates, his dinner, and playing all the arcade games. Andy and Grandpa T enjoyed the arcade games as well. We couldn't pull them away from some sort of shoot 'em up game that they were interested in.

For the 4th of July Weekend we did oodles of fireworks, went to the Riverton parade and carnival, and watched the Riverton fireworks. I think Ethan had a ball. Like I said, I didn't take great pictures, but here are a few of the carnival.

Thanksgiving Point

2010-07-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

I took Ethan and his cousin Charlotte to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum today. They had a great time, and as an added bonus, it was the Museum's birthday, so they had all sorts of extra games and activities to do. He got a fire breathing dragon painted on his face, and they were able to go through a scavenger hunt through the museum.