The Greatest Blog in the World - Tribute

Play Time

2011-12-29T00:37:00.001-07:00

My little dogs love eating on the floor.

Remember perfection? The pop scares me everytime.

Grace just couldn't get this train a goin.

This is a presentation of a 3 month old cub by Emma and Roman. I wish the audio was better, but you can get the idea. After the video the kids pet the cub too early without the teachers permission and it went wild.

Fall

2011-12-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

It's never to late to pay tribute to Fall; My favorite season in Utah. I love the view from my front porch.

Kate playing at a park

Baptism

2011-12-28T23:27:00.002-07:00

Hell Froze Over!

I'm a wife, I'm a mother, I'm a blogger, I'm a Mormon!

While laying in bed one night after church Chad mentioned that I could answer "yes" to all the questions they ask you to get baptized. For the most part I could. I decided getting baptized was my way of showing the Lord that if it is true, I'm willing to do it. I always looked at the LDS faith as all or nothing. I liked some things, but not others. Then I decided I don't have to like it all. I would rather actively work on my testimony than just wonder what's true my whole life. My kids need some kind of faith to guide them, and I'm not looking to start my sect inside my family and steer my kids in opposing directions. Crazy though. I remember telling Chad when we met "Don't even try it!" I did stay strong for 15 years. I had a lot of people working on me.

Cute Girls

2011-12-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

Some moms master the art of hair styling. I am not one of those moms, but every now and then a babysitter comes along and shows you your childs' true hair potential. (where to put the apostrophe?)

The picture above was for Lia's 2 month well visit. She was a little over 2 months and weighed nearly 13 lbs and was in the 50% for weight, 30% for height. Our first slightly chunky baby!

Little Lia

2011-12-28T22:36:00.001-07:00

At 2 months Lia sleeps a lot. I'm jealous! (photos from October)

I will take it for the team and post this picture of my sister and I. She came down to see Lia and my parents and was a great help. My sweet Mom was going to send this pic in a mass email to all my relatives I haven't seen in years. Things that make ya go HMMMM.

Barnum and Bailey

2011-12-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Chad took Emma, Roman and Grace to the circus in SLC and it did not disappoint. They saw dancing elephants, tigers leaping through fire and many other amazing things you will not get to see. Chad left the camera in the car, but he did take a few redeeming photos when they returned.

Gymnastics

2011-12-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics has given Grace the opportunity to wear multiple leotards. She is truly learning the art of proper outfit selection. (phone pic) - I feel like I need to note every sub par photo.

Her latest trick

Halloween Fun

2011-12-28T21:20:00.003-07:00

Grace at her Kindergarten Halloween Parade. Bad pic, but had to include the kid sitting next to her.

My Cowgirl

Cheetah Girl (Grace's creation of course) We were all supposed to be cowboy/cowgirls... and I was the cow. However, only Kate ended up wearing her costume.

The king and his unruly son

Our Halloween party had to include the mysterious pumpkin juice with dry ice fog effect.

Another excuse for sugar cookies

My helper

Side note: My cute Kate was recently telling the babysitter to come to her room to see the big goose. They went upstairs and she exclaimed "There it is! Ahhhh!" They proceeded to her closet to see another "goose". We were perplexed until she said "The gooses go wuhooooooo!" Oh, Ghosts!

Towers

2011-12-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Try to find the repeating theme

In Jake's own words "I build my towers!"

Oldies but Goodies

2011-12-28T20:27:00.001-07:00

Posting these pics from July when it's December is really bumming me out. I miss Summer. Here are my kids with some neighbor friends eating frozen gogurts on my favorite purchase, our kid size picnic table. Good times!

Jake dressed to the nines while directing cement truck traffic

Dressing up just for fun

Say "cheese" means pick your nose

Or cry

Superheroes!

2011-10-01T23:39:00.000-06:00

What started out as snowflakes turned into superhero masks

Kindergarten

2011-09-13T22:51:00.000-06:00

Grace was so excited to start school and ride the bus. She didn't hesitate, and I didn't have time to get sappy because Kate was throwing a big fit. She wanted to ride the bus too.

Grace started gymnastics and loves it. I got her this cake to celebrate her big day. Her day was even more eventful when she lost her third tooth. It was loose so Chad tied floss around it and wanted to attach it to a door knob. Grace wasn't having that. He convinced her to keep the floss on and just play with it herself. Kate walked by, saw the floss dangling and without hesitation pulled it. So funny! Grace was pretty sad, but once she remembered the tooth fairy she cheered right up.

Welcome home Lia

2011-09-13T15:35:00.001-06:00

August 24th, 6lbs, 12 oz, 19 in

I was induced. I got a call from the hospital at 5AM asking for us to arrive at 6. I got on the pitocin at 7:45 and had her at 2:45. I got an epidural when I was only dilated to a 2. I felt lame, but the contractions were starting to be more intense and closer than 3 minutes apart. I learned from Jake's induction that how far I'm dilated does not correlate with how hard the contractions are. Once I got the epidural they broke my water. I went from a 2 to a 10 in 2 hours. No pushing again. I'm so happy that she has arrived. She's a good baby and eats and sleeps like a healthy newborn. I'm tired, but all is well. Chad is a big help, and I love that he works from home...although I'm not sure he likes it.

Grace loves Lia and helps me out a lot. She is in afternoon kindergarten so in the morning I have all 4 at home (3 under 3). In the afternoon Grace goes to school, Jake and Kate nap, and so far Lia sleeps some too. It's heaven! Jake and Kate ignore Lia for the most part. They held her once and Lia flailed her arms around and they both whined and said she was hitting them. They love to put their head in her face and say "hi" and they love to chat with me while I feed Lia. They have adjusted well. Did I mention I have a full stock of popsicles, suckers and gum :)

2 more weeks

2011-08-09T22:46:00.000-06:00

My doctor asked if I'd like to schedule an induction for Aug 24th. I'm due Aug 30th. I had told myself prior to this that I wanted to go into labor on my own. I did that with the girls and things went smoother and were less painful than with Jake's induced birth. However; I immediately answered "YES!" Now I know when I can finally meet this baby, and that I can be home for Grace's first day of kindergarten. I also feel like Chad and I know that these will be the last 2 weeks I will ever be pregnant again...ever. It's exciting but also bittersweet. It took us nearly 4 years of trying and the help of fertility for Grace to arrive. We had been married for 9 years and the bonus was that we traveled and built a home together. When Grace arrived we felt complete.

Kate arrived about 3 years later, with a little fertility help, and I felt so blessed to have 2 healthy girls and to have had the experience of being pregnant and seeing what a little Chad/Angie would be like. Then Jake surprised us just a few months later. I was able to tell Chad on April 1st, 2009. This was a shock for Chad, but I was so happy. After 12 years of marriage we finally conceived on our own. The fact that Jake was a boy was the icing on the cake. When he arrived 2 days after Kate turned 1, I realized our lives were completely changed and the chaos began. My body had also changed. I welcomed back fat, varicose veins, ingrown toenails, stretch marks, sagging everything. I was worn out and tired... and very happy.

The decision to brave pregnancy again was less of a decision and more of a gamble. A gamble I felt was a safe bet. We thought 3 kids was perfect. It had been a year since Jake arrived and we were starting to think how nice a future would be without diapers, interrupted sleep, veggie baby food, spit up. I was thinking how nice it would be to lose those last 10 pounds and start enjoying bike rides, tennis, hiking, dare I say free time. Then our answer came on January 1st in the form of a positive pregnancy test. Wow. Our plan to just see what happens in the next year hadn't even started. Every Mom has her own story. I never thought mine would include being pregnant 3 out of the last 4 years. I'm excited to start the next chapter but appreciate the journey.

Hope my next labor goes as well as the others. My last two were each 6-7 hours long once I arrived at the hospital. Most importantly I hope she's healthy. We are trying to decide on a name. The top choices are Leah, Claire, or Faith.

The 4th

2011-07-23T23:14:00.002-06:00

We usually go to Idaho Falls for the 4th, but I didn't feel like going this year being so pregnant. We just had a fun low key day at home as a family.

Water Party

Leave it to Grace to pretend her water balloons are baby chicks. We had to call Amy to get the names of her pet chicks: Rocky, Flip, Maple and Buck

Apparantly no one celebrates the 4th here. It's all about Pioneer Day. The parks were empty.

On our way to get a snow cone

No thanks, I don't want a bite.

So we have no photos of the kids with me pregnant. These were all so good I just couldn't choose.

Icecream Mistake

2011-07-10T22:38:00.001-06:00

Jake can turn anything into a big mess. He did not disappoint!

On the Farm

2011-07-10T21:59:00.003-06:00

We took the kids to the farm at Thanksgiving Point and it was a hit.

The Latest

2011-06-15T12:35:00.000-06:00

Jake eating apples and trying to make us laugh. His latest joke is yelling "Hi". That's it.

He loves a hat and sunglasses

He's getting into everything

Loves to say "cheese" when I take his picture

Grace started gymnastics preschool and loves it. I had her dressed in jeans and a shirt but she changed at the last minute into a dress. I had to talk her into the leggings so she wouldn't be on display.

Jake and Kate on their way to a water park. I love that they held hands.

Oral Surgery

2011-06-08T19:43:00.003-06:00

Grace went to the oral surgeon to have an extra front tooth removed. She had a loose baby tooth, a new extra tooth coming in, then an adult tooth behind it. She was so excited about the surgery. Here's the outfit she picked out on her "oral surgery day".

Her Smile Before

The Extraction, bloody shot courtesy of Chad

Post Surgery Smile

They gave her an IV and put her to sleep and the recovery has been really easy. She gets the pink medicine (who doesn't like that - yum!)

The tooth fairy gave her two gold dollar coins which she used to buy slushies.

Best of Times, Worst of Times

2011-06-01T22:35:00.003-06:00

Kate and Jake love/hate eachother right now. They were laughing so hard in the van the other day. I let them each have a little snack container and they would run away from me when I would try to get them out. Here they are in all their messy 18 month and 2 1/2 year glory. Jake has a big goose egg on his forehead and scratch from a fall; one of many lately!

Cheers!

It's the best of times and the worst of times right now. Kate and Jake are so cute/so whiny. I'm so thankful to be pregnant, but I'm so tired and big. I don't recognize myself anymore. Kate and I were eating lunch yesterday and she leaned over, gave me a hug and said "Thank you Mommy." She then did it over and over saying "Thank you Mommy, Love you." Today when I put her down for a nap she kept crying and saying "turn around, turn around!" I had no idea what she wanted. I then saw her CD player was turned sideways and put it back straight and she smiled and closed her eyes. Yikes!

Our Little Graduate

2011-05-22T22:33:00.003-06:00

Grace is done with preschool and will start kindergarten in the fall. She loves being 5 and tells me how big she is all the time. She also has random thoughts she loves to share. The other day she asked if I knew that the color blue was actually "blue blonde". (we had been discussing hair color earlier) She then said, "See this chair. (it was teal) This is blue blonde Mom." She then explained how purple is really purple gold. The details of this color enlightenment lasted about 30 minutes as I pulled weeds outside. Once she knew I had really listened and could confirm her idea she moved on. I asked how she knew all this. She said "I'm 5. I just know."

Her Last Day of School

Kate's favorite "trick"

Jake's favorite pastime: cleaning up what others leave at the table

Grace wanted to nap outside so Jake asked for a blanket and joined her.

Kids on the tramp

It's Spring

2011-05-05T23:18:00.003-06:00

Snow on the mountains, grass on the ground. All is right with the world.

Scooter rides again, who cares that the sun is blinding them? The sun is out!

One happy guy

A ponytail and summer clothes

A guitar to reminisce about our recent trip to see Matt and Kliss in Vegas. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures, but we all had so much fun. Grace found her new husband in Zack, I'm not sure he's ready to commit. We hiked, went to a show called Mystique (trippy circus), and ate lots of great food all cooked by our gracious hosts. We partied late and by the 3rd night I was hammered. It made for a long car ride home but well worth it.

St. George

2011-05-05T22:51:00.002-06:00

Girl's getaway to St. George...

My one and only picture

We hiked snow canyon, shopped, ate, relaxed. It was fun to be with Melanie and Amy without our kids (as much as we love them :)) We missed Tami and hope to make it an annual event.

While we were away Clint came to our house and the kids and boys survived. Someone took these fabulous shots with my camera

Josh

Charlie could be a stuffed animal

Sophie

conference weekend

Easter in Idaho

2011-05-05T22:39:00.003-06:00

Easter was warm in Idaho! I am documenting this so I have proof the next time I complain about weather. We went to an egg hunt at Melanie's kids school which was great.

Sarah

Michael will be 14 this month. I remember dating Chad when he was born. Yikes!

Kate enjoyed putting stickers on her face instead of the eggs.

6AM Easter morning

Grace and Brooklyn with Rags

Another Girl

2011-04-27T22:48:00.000-06:00

We are having another girl due Sept 4th. Scary for Jake who is already too influenced by his sisters.

Exhibit A

Random

2011-03-24T22:52:00.000-06:00

I finally downloaded my phone pics for the last year:

Two Happy Princesses

Grace just turned 5 and was Belle; Roman is the Beast.

A typical day

Headband, bed head party

Kate found the neighbor girls boots

I found this gem from 1975 at Savers recently

VDay breakfast special

Jake 1 year ago, he's 17 months now :(

Water Party

2011-03-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

If only my camera was working. Grace, Kate and her friend decided to have a water party today... in Grace's bedroom. I knew something was up. It had been over an hour and no drama. I decided to enjoy my time and pay the price later. I then heard Grace chatting with her friend.

Shayne: What should we say?
Grace: We should tell the truth.

The kids come down all soaking wet in swimsuits. Kate was especially cute in Grace's swimsuit wrapped around her neck twice to keep it on.

Grace: Mom, we got wet from a water party.
Me: Go upstairs right now. I'm coming up to talk to you.

It turns out she had a bucket and they each took a turn filling it up from the bathroom sink and dumping it on each others heads. They laid a Dora nylon tent on the floor to cover the carpet. Nice! In the end it worked out ok. Water can dry, and hey, everyone needs a little water party in the winter.

An awesome side note: Kate had a poopy diaper. Grace took it off and wiped her with toilet paper, then put on her swimsuit. So who knows, maybe there's a little pee in the carpet too. FUN!

Pregnant yet again

2011-03-01T23:22:00.002-07:00

So we are having 4 kids I guess. Chad and I were just talking about how complete we felt with 3 kids. I guess the Lord had to make it happen quick before we made it final. Wow. Exciting and overwhelming!

I wish I could go back in time to tell my sad little 27 year old self that everything was going to work out with kids. If I could just wait five years I'd have 3 kids and one on the way. We feel blessed. I'm in my 13th week and due Labor Day.

Bring it on.

A Typical Day

2011-01-13T22:45:00.003-07:00

Loves this chair... gotta love the calic

Jake has started to walk, and I forget how scary it is when they start climbing. He loves the stool now. The other day he was sitting at the dining room table and that freaked me out.

I had some trick or treaters. Grace is Hermione after ballet practice.

I'm so glad Grace included Kate and chose this dragon/lion costume

Kate loves to sit on the toilet. No actual transaction to note.

A New Year

2011-01-13T21:08:00.005-07:00

Grace is still dressing up in outfits that are too small

Everyone loves to apply too much chapstick and other mischievous things in the pantry

I was holding Kate but heaven forbid I go to the bathroom. When I returned Ally had taken good care of her.

My sister sent my kids their Christmas gifts on New Years, which was perfect. They were so excited to yet again open presants. Tip -don't let your kids get in a box of peanuts nearly naked. They are probably dirty and stick everywhere.

How much is too much?

2011-01-13T18:41:00.016-07:00

This is too much snow! I love a good snow storm, and at Christmas time it's great. Shoveling it so you can pull into your driveway after an 8 hour car ride that typically takes 4 is too much.

At least Grace got to have a late night snow party

Gotta love this close up. Chad's head fits into Jake's snowcap (almost)

The hightlight of our after Christmas trip to Idaho Falls was Leo's for Emma's 7th Birthday. Of course I have no pics of that.

Jake held his own

Grace loved her Harry Potter Costume.

Kate likes the sweeter things in life. A sucker was all Santa should of brought.

Jake and Kate love their indoor slide. It will be the focal point of our great room until the Summer. At least they are entertained.

We had a containment issue when the adults tried to eat dinner. Ally and Kate were in the street. It's dark. I don't know why Amy didn't catch them sooner.

A shepard. Grace was dying to be Mary but I was proud of her for thinking up the role of Angel.

We let the kids eat first and decorated the table. We gave them the 5 star treatment.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T23:20:00.003-07:00

Jake and Tami's little girl Taylor

18" of snow

2010-12-21T22:29:00.004-07:00

I got to do a lot of shoveling the last few days. We lost our shovel today but it was found by someone slowblowing the sidewalk. Chad bent our other shovel today while clearing the driveway.

Um, maybe it's time to put on the grill cover.

Snow Day

2010-12-15T22:38:00.003-07:00

Loves being outside, even when soaking wet

Grace, Kate and a friend kick the crap out of a snowman I just made

Original Songs

2010-12-15T22:00:00.003-07:00

I was playing "Deck the Halls" on the piano when Grace came over and told me I was singing it all wrong. This is how it goes:

Note: The upcoming ward Christmas Party was her inspiration.
Deck the Holly to the Jolly
Santa's sleigh is going to be at church tonight
The real Santa's sleigh from the real north pole
I know that there's going to be a guest
I know there's going to be a guest at church

Kate trying to sing "Twinkle Little Star"

Twinkle, Twinkle
"I want to see"
Twinkle Twinkle star
How I wonder what u
Up Above
Twinkle, Twinkle
How I wonder
hmmm, lost her place?

Harry

2010-12-03T11:08:00.003-07:00

Meet Harry Potter. A lot of thought was put into this getup. After "Harry" went to the bathroom he said: "Boys don't need to wipe when they go pee, right?" Ahhh. That's my Harry.

Finally, some sun!

2010-12-02T22:56:00.002-07:00

Jake and I had to take advantage of a "warm" day.

Come eat dinner with us

2010-11-30T21:23:00.003-07:00

Eating dinner with our 3 kids involves little eating sadly. It is a game of us guessing what their next request will be, while watching them goof off and spill, crunch, squeeze and discover the food on their plates. It is however entertaining.

This is actually breakfast. Kate always wants what someone else has.

Thanksgiving in Idaho

2010-11-30T21:06:00.004-07:00

It was cold in St. Anthony... too cold to get a picture of tube rides!

Grandpa Randy's famous Micky Mouse pancakes

Grace had a lot of fun playing with Cheri's daughter Brooklyn

Some of the crew

Kid's table

I wish I would have taken a picture of the pies. Melanie made chocolate and chocolate peanut butter cup, and Barbs had pecan, pumpkin, apple, berry and german chocolate pies. They also baked a turkey and a ham for us pigs. We loved staying and eating all the leftovers.

Jake's 1!

2010-11-12T21:49:00.007-07:00

I have a very strong bond with Jake. He wants to be held often and I don't mind. He has a high pitch scream and instead of annoying me, it makes me laugh. He spins in a circle on his bum when he hears music, smiles all the time, and I just love to be around him. He snuggles me more than my girls. Men, they are such babies from the beginning;) Some of our favorite pics:

Eating some icecream

His latest stats from the Dr.
19lbs(5%tile), 28inches (5%) head (49%)

Kids Birthday Party

2010-11-12T21:41:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday Kate

2010-11-11T21:47:00.008-07:00

Kate turned 2 Nov. 2nd. She is so cheesy. She loves to get noticed and makes the cutest scrunched up smiley face when I catch her being naughty. She loves gum, Dora, saying "oh no!" "mmm yummy" and is so good at taking naps. Sometimes she will even ask to go to bed. It's her passion for the pacifier. She only gets one in her crib, and now that she's 2 I should really cut it off, but I can't! When I put her down she pops one in her mouth and arranges the others neatly in her hands, then shoves her stuffed monkey in the corner and uses it as a pillow. She can wake up and play for an hour, just talking to herself. She's a little pinter with huge blue eyes.

We got a babysitter and just took Kate out to the Park and McDonalds:

Earlier in the day she insisted on getting this bandaid on her nose

Being a spaz

Here are some of our favorite photos:
She did grow into her alien eyes

Her latest stats from the Dr.
21 lbs (1%tile), 32 inches (16%) head (3%)

First Snow, BOOOO!

2010-11-11T21:42:00.004-07:00

7:00 AM, Oct. 26th

Grace's first snowman - I told her I'd help her if we did it on the deck

Halloween

2010-11-11T21:26:00.004-07:00

Mom likes, Jake doesn't

Grace is helping Kate look at the camera. Thanks!

Kate going to the dark side

Sophie

The rest of the gang at our Halloween Party

Short but sweet

Prague, Czech Republic

2010-11-05T22:27:00.022-06:00

When Chad told me he had a computer conference in Europe I said YES! When he said it was in Prauge I said, Where is that? When I researched it out we decided Clint had to come because he served his mission there 15 years ago. We all had an amazing time.

I realized the only pics I have posted of my trip thus far are of the Bone Church. Prague is a historic city with a lot of beauty too.

Behind us is the St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle (the largest castle in the world) It dates back to the 9th century.

THE FOOD!
Gelato with Ellen (Clint's acquaintance from Idaho Falls we just happened to meet)

You can just buy a block of cheese at this stand. I thought it was bread.

They list the grams of food on the menus. After ordering Melanie said: "I think I might have ordered too much food. Mine was 650 gms and most dishes are 150." We all got to help her polish off the ribs.

The Restaurant in Kunta Hora where we ate the above food.

Clint and Chad with Mike (Ellen's husband) You can tell they are friendly eh? We loved having them along.

THE BUILDINGS
Our Hotel, The Santini Residence

The ceiling in our room

Outside the St. Vitus Gothic Cathedral

Inside

Outside the gothic church in Kunta Hora

Inside

The Astronomical Clock - In Prague we were told that the poor clock maker's eyes were gouged out so he could not repeat his beautiful work but reading online now that seems like a legend. What kind of a legend is that?

Old Town Square

Charles Bridge

TOM CRUISE WATCH
Tom Cruise was in town shooting Mission Impossible 4. We saw some movie crews but no Tom.

Who's this creepy guy? Movie extra, Tom in hiding, psycho killer

This must be Tom's hotel

WE ARE SO FUN AND CRAZY!!!
Now I finally have a post worthy picture of myself.

Action shot: Chad as Jason Bourne, not too shabby

The perfect fig leaf

Where's Melanie? Yikes!

POLICE
"Respect our laws!" That is what I was reprimanded to do after paying a policeman $50 for not having a subway ticket. It was awkward for us all. Chad was at a conference and had my subway ticket. I decided, no big deal. As we are going down the subway escalator a cop is checking for tickets. Clint and Mel proceed to show him their tickets and I pretend to be aloof to all this and get back on the escalator to get a ticket. He asks where I am going and Clint says "I don't know." After this we meet and a different cop inspects my ticket (the other is busy) and we ride. All is well... for the moment. Later in the day we stop at the same station and the policeman eyes me and starts yelling at Clint in Czech. Clint says in Czech: "You are talking too fast. I can't understand. Something about in the name of God and a ticket." The cop then got mad because I didn't have my passport with me and said he could take me to jail, or I could pay a fine. He was mean. I was scared. I'm glad Clint can speak Czech. He was a great help.

WORTHWHILE STUFF
The John Lennon Wall

We made it to church. Clint even met with some people he knew on his mission. Ironically a couple from Provo were giving the sacrament talks. They did have earphones with missionaries translating into English in the other meetings. What an experience!

The Bone Church

2010-10-29T22:28:00.006-06:00

We just returned from a great trip in Prauge,(Czech Republic) This post would of been perfect for Halloween.

This church originally built in the 1400's was decorated with the human bones of 40,000+ people, many of whom died in the plague. The bones were later arranged artistically as a reminder of the impermanence of human life and inescapable death.

Now That's a Good Dad

2010-10-28T22:03:00.002-06:00

Little Gems

2010-10-06T20:53:00.005-06:00

While cleaning the office I came across a quote from Grace I wrote down:

"The Lord is NOT on my side. I'm just a ninja turtle."

If you have seen the David and Goliath movie, there is a song during the battle about the Lord being on David's side. Obviously the Lord would not favor a turtle.

In a conversation Grace and I had the other day she was pretending to a Mom and said:
Grace: Angie, is Grace ever naughty?

Me: Sometimes

Grace: What do you do to her when she's naughty?

Me: Put her in timeout.

Grace: Sweetie, you know what I do when my kids are naughty? I give them a cold shower. Have you given Grace a cold shower when she pees her pants?

Me: No, she likes really warm showers so I bet a cold shower would make her sad.

Grace: You should try it. My kids always want to get out of the shower but I say NO five more minutes!

She then proceeded to discipline an imaginary child who just hit someone. I now know what face expressions I give because she looked truly tormented about it.

O My Crap!

2010-10-03T22:11:00.006-06:00

Grace pooped in our backyard today. Yes my four year old pooped outside while playing with her cousins. In her own words, "But Mom, I was being a horse!"

In happier times...

The thrill of finding a praying mantis

Her first preschool fieldtrip of the year to a dentist office and pizza place

How many kids are at my house?

2010-09-12T00:03:00.003-06:00

I thought my kids were in the backyard, but apparantly they were going on a trip in the van and invited some friends

Sisterly Love

2010-09-11T23:51:00.004-06:00

Grace has really grown to love Kate and Jake and includes them in her play...whether they want to or not

Grace "helped me out" by getting Jake some more snacks

Kate helps out by eating Jakes baby food, which makes Jake gobble it down

A new park

Grace wanted Kate to leave her alone, so she sat on this ledge, but guess who followed?

Idaho Falls Company

2010-09-11T23:33:00.004-06:00

We are awful at taking pictures when we get together, but the highlight of our Summer has been having our Idaho Falls cousins visit. When they come to stay our kids are in heaven.
Chad took Justin and Josh on a hike to the Y

Of course our Utah cousins are just as fun

Clark Family reunion in Morgan

How UNcool Can We Be?

2010-09-02T16:01:00.004-06:00

We traded this....

For this! Now Chad gets noticed by the kids and not the chicks.

Amy's Kids

2010-09-02T15:35:00.005-06:00

Roman loves being a true cowboy now that he has worker cloves

Ally turned 2 in August

This baby is well taken care of. I need an Emma! Grace is in training.

Roman is always the gentleman.

Baby Sophie falls victom to the blindfold hairbow

First Day of School

2010-09-02T12:25:00.003-06:00

Grace started Preschool Sept. 1st and was very excited. Some neighbor kids are in her class which made it easy. I tried to say a formal goodbye the first day but she was too busy talking and playing. She even told her teacher all about a bee sting she got. Hopefully my social butterfly will learn how to spell and write her name.

Pleasant Surprise

2010-09-02T12:05:00.003-06:00

Jake is growing up too fast. Today Chad was playing with the girls upstairs and Jake was on the main level crawing around. Chad heard him cry, but then he stopped and it got all too quiet. As Chad got up to check on things Jake came crawling around the corner. He climbed up all the stairs at 9 months old! I'm impressed because I haven't seen the kid climb a single stair at this point, not even 1 knee on the first stair. I'm very glad I did not witness the event.

Baby Sophie

2010-07-29T23:13:00.007-06:00

Amy had her baby on Tuesday the 27th via c-section. Mom and baby are doing great!

Sophie Christiana Anderson, 6lbs, 18 1/2 inches

While we are introducing cute babies, here's Taylor, Tami's little girl, 8 months

A Summer of Highs and Lows

2010-07-26T15:35:00.009-06:00

It's been one constant party this summer. Amy let the kids help on this cute cake for Justin's 36th birthday.

An especially fun trip to McDonalds

Grace spazzing out before going on a fishing trip on the river behind Grandpa Randy's house. She loved the boat ride and all the baby sharks Grandpa caught.

Just wondering the streets listening to birds chirp

A "wheeler" ride

Lots of sleepovers. Roman passed out early.

Clint playing with his kids until the Idaho fireworks start

This Summer has been filled with lots of good BBQ's. Tami's husband Jerod is the chef here.

Cousins take such good care of eachother

Lots of parks and fun

I don't even have photos of Clint and Mel's recent trip here where we went to Lagoon, the Lehi pool, jumpin jacks. It's been a fun and busy Summer. Chad started his own software business with a partner, Bonnie's visiting for a while, Amy is having her 4th kid tomorrow!

With all the blessings comes some sad times as well. Over the 4th of July weekend we learned that Chad's cousin had lost her little boy Max in a boating accident. Max's funeral was especially hard. He would have turned 10 July 8th and loved life and people. He was very talented in music, surfed with his dad, loved Star Wars and legos and was a joy to be around. He will be missed by all who knew him. Our hearts ache for their family. We love you Leanne and Ryan.

Our good friends Mardie and Danny moved to Boise and Chad's cousin Matt and wife Kliss moved to Las Vegas. When things change it reminds you of relationships that are important to you and why we live this life.

The Kids

2010-07-26T15:26:00.004-06:00

"These are spiders, not olives!"

Kate's getting into everything. As compensation, she will play in her crib for an hour after she wakes up. It gives me just enough time to clean up and start over again.

She puts on underwear by herself

Whenever I try to take a picture of Jake he beelines it to the camera

He just put himself to sleep

Daddy Long Leg

2010-05-27T23:00:00.004-06:00

Grace comes running into the kitchen today exclaiming "I found a new spider pet and he needs a home. Look, he's so cute!" She then proceeds to release the spider from her fingers and allows it to climb all over her hand and arm. I'm just in shock. This girl is not afraid of bugs, but to actually catch a spider and not get creeped out by all those legs crawling all over your skin... it blows my mind. I proceeded to quickly explain how spiders die when you bring them inside and gave her an empty planter pot to make the spider a home in. Luckily Grace decided spiders love to swim, and he drowned in her "pool". Well according to her he's just sleeping.

Another quick story. My mom is visiting and wanted to watch the final episode of Grey's Anatomy. I was sucked in while Grace quietly ate cereal at the table (and could see the t.v.) I should of never let her watch the episode. There was a crazy guy in the hospital shooting people. I know; I was rivited and she was being so good... and she never said anything about it. That is until a week later. Today my Mom heard her tell a friend "Let's play there's a shooter in the hospital." That is a parenting low point :(

San Diego

2010-05-16T15:57:00.004-06:00

We had an adventurous trip driving 12 hours to San Diego with our 3 little kids. We went to the beach, lots of great parks, the aquarium and out to eat. I give the kids a 6 out of 10. Grace had a lot of fun and hopefully made some lasting memories.

On our drive down we got to stay at hotels with pools for the kids and we saw Mike and Di in St. George, Dave and Emily in Las Vegas, and Ryan and LeAnne in Oceanside. I did nearly all the driving which in our situation is the coveted spot. Chad had to assist the kids most of the trip and was a pro. Elmo's ABC DVD and Dora were our best purchases as it kept Kate and Grace entertained multiple times. Shoving fruit snacks down their throats also did wonders. One fun surprise was a random free petting zoo outside a Utah gas station. That really set the bar high for the rest of the trip. We were super impressed by a stylish rest stop in Utah too. A park like set up where kids played football, a family posed in a large tree for a photo, glass tiles in the restroom and a pet area. Is this how my tax dollars are spent? Anyway, you can tell this is no luxury vacation.

I got to see my sister Beth and Mom and Dad. I am thankful they have a sense of humor and enjoyed my kids. Chad and I got to go to dinner with Beth twice after the kids went to sleep and I am still dreaming of the cheesecake we had. After 4 nights in San Diego and our 6th night in a hotel we decided to drive home all in 1 day if we could make it. We left California at 11:30AM and got home at 12:30AM after a MacDonalds/Gas Station/Little Ceasers/Walmart/Gas Station stop. I know Chad and I will have many memories of this vacation!

This is a picture of Jake when we got home. He was so happy!

2010-05-16T15:26:00.004-06:00

Mother's Day

2010-05-16T14:50:00.003-06:00

Chad doesn't have the best memory. This is how my Mother's Day was: We are traveling to see my sister in San Diego and eating breakfast at the hotel. Two ladies walk into the lobby and the front desk gal says "Happy Mother's Day!" Chad then turns to me with a sheepish look and says "Happy Mother's Day!" It's OK because every day with him is truly Mother's Day (gag me). It's actually true. I'd much rather have someone who appreciates me and helps out all the time than someone who puts on a show one day out of the year. Forgetfulness isn't so bad.

Cooking and Chatting

2010-04-21T22:40:00.006-06:00

We made frog cupcakes for Grace's preschool class (she was the snack helper). Later in the week we made chocolate chip cookies, but Grace decided we were making sugar cookies. I just let her ice them and put sprinkles on.

She has been saying the funniest things lately like "I'm still hungry. My belly buttons not wet yet." What does that mean? She recently reminded me how she loves positive reinforcement. She was pretending yet again to be Emma and I said "Wow Emma, did you do up those buttons on your jammies all by yourself?" She answered sadly "No, but the thing that Emma did do good is I put my shirt over my head!"

Two Babies

2010-04-21T22:10:00.003-06:00

Grace Turns 4

2010-04-04T20:59:00.004-06:00

Grace turned 4 on March 7th and had a princess party. Ironically she wanted to be Luke Skywalker at the party and wear pajamas. We got her a bike as the grand finale, but she just stared at it for a while and said "Can I go put on my make up now?" Funny girl. She's growing up too fast. So fast that she tells me she is 6 and can do everything by herself because she's Emma (her cousin). The main thing that I remember about Grace the last few months is constant application of lip balm. She tries to take lip gloss or chapstick to preschool, in the car, to bed. Her imagination is always evolving and her poor friends can't seem to follow her games of Percy Jackson and AnnaBeth (The Lightening Theif), Alexa and Leona (Diamond Castle Barbie Movie), or the many characters in Star Wars. She doesn't mind. The friends wander around the house looking for toys and asking for fruit snacks while she roams around finding them outfits and getting dressed up herself. Her latest character is a baby rat that whines and talks like "dah dah"- not my favorite.

Warning:
This video contains off key singing you may not want to subject yourself to.

Jake's happy

2010-04-04T20:47:00.004-06:00

I think Jake is going to be pretty mellow... for now. Here he is enjoying some attention from Grace.

Ms Indepent

2010-04-04T20:40:00.003-06:00

Kate is starting to say new words, which I tried to capture on video, but she just wanted to make me laugh. This girl does what she wants when she wants.

Talent Show

2010-04-04T20:03:00.004-06:00

Here is Grace singing "mama's going to buy you a mocking bird" - with some original lyrics. We've all sang a song we thought we knew the words to.

The Many Looks of Grace

2010-03-14T10:44:00.004-06:00

Sporting a bed head hairdue and size 9 month onesie

Classic Cinderella

Swimsuit (every 4 year olds favorite) with a 2T skirt, tights and headband

Ballerina

Doing ballet while trying to keep her press on nails intact

Jake's 4 months old

2010-03-14T10:29:00.002-06:00

Jake turned 4 months old on March 4th. At his Dr.'s visit he was 13 lbs, 24 inches long. That made him in the 25% for height and 20% for weight. His head size was in the 50% which is a shock for us and our previous off the charts small headed babies. Jake is now in his own room and on more of a schedule for naps and bedtime...YES!!

Got to make a change

2010-03-12T14:43:00.003-07:00

Today Grace had a sad but true observation. I was watching American Idol and she said "That girl is wearing a dress." She then looks at me.. "Moms wear sweats and girls wear dresses." Someday I will have a chat with her about having babies and how your dresses don't fit anymore.

Pineapple Delight

2010-02-17T22:34:00.004-07:00

Nothing like fresh fruit and a big mess. You may notice a white upper lip which is not from milk. It is from nail polish her sister applied and then gave her to run around the house with. Luckily the carpet is cream and brown so you can't see it. You can just feel the crunch as you walk on it throughout the house. AHHHHH.

Did I mention the hair? Everyday I do her hair cute and after a nap it just looks like Flock of Seagulls. This video is only of her eating (no tricks). Wish I could be considered cute when I'm chowing down.

Not Much Going On

2010-02-17T22:18:00.003-07:00

I was very proud of Grace for sharing her coveted and only heart shaped sucker from her preschool valentines party. Kate was pleased.

We got Kate Elmo for valentines. She LOVES Sesame Street which helps keep me sane.

Doing her duty

Grace forcing Jake and I to play Bunko while she tells Luke Skywalker he's late

Jake happy as can be in his girl blanket with scratches all over his face from his own nails.

Superbowl Sunday

2010-02-17T22:05:00.003-07:00

We had a great Superbowl Party at Matt and Kliss's. It was a good game with great food and lots of cousins for our kids to party with.

Jake's Blessing

2010-02-17T22:02:00.003-07:00

He's 3 months now and such a blessing in our lives.

January, Time to Throw Up

2010-02-07T14:45:00.006-07:00

The title of this blog was inspired by my family's recent sickness, but lets also give credit to this dreaded thing we live in called Winter. Give it up already! We all know that life sucks when you are sick, but sympathy and empathy are quite different. I got a little reminder in January.

First Chad had strep throat and maybe the flu. He took 3 days off of work which is unheard of. Then poor Grace threw up for nearly 4 days, then Kate, then me. Then I tested positive for strep, but I didn't even have a bad sore throat yet so I crossed my fingers...and I didn't get that. Instead I was blessed with diarrhea, and since I didn't know how to spell diarrhea, I learned from Wikipedia that this horrible thing I had was the "condition of having frequent loose or liquid bowel movements." Ya right. This is a somewhat personal topic, but I am sharing this because I have never experienced anything like it in my life. To those that I have made fun of because of your frequent diarrhea I apologize. Chad came home from work that day as I was "unavailable" for the kids.

Which leads me to the uplifting part of my ranting message. Being married is awesome. To those people who say marriage isn't really necessary anymore and want to be all independent, I say marriage (when you really believe it to be a binding promise) is as cool as James Bond (or insert other cool thing.) I couldn't think of anything that is cooler than marriage. No matter how gross I get someone is there. When my kids are crying again someone is there. When you don't know where the throw up bucket is someone is there. You share everything, good and bad, and it makes the experience better. I am so thankful for my family.

Poor Chad got strep again in February, so I am posting this to make a statement that we are now done being sick in our household.

Kate in Heaven

2010-02-07T14:26:00.003-07:00

What the??

2010-02-07T14:20:00.003-07:00

Wondering what you may be looking at... I have tried to tastefully crop this picture of Chad's bruised leg. We thought it was post worthy. This is what 1 day of snowboarding can do (when you suck).

Jake Smiles

2010-02-03T21:26:00.002-07:00

Princess Obsession

2010-02-03T21:04:00.004-07:00

From sun up to sun down it's all about dressing up and getting married, going to the ball, putting on make up, finding magic wands and eluding evil queens with poison and dragons with fire. My life is like a cd player stuck on repeat. One morning Grace woke up and put this on before coming downstairs. Grace was pretty upset that Kate doesn't know how to have a tea party yet
Giselle impression from Enchanted -Note the evil cousin wanting film time

Well Visits

2010-01-14T22:07:00.004-07:00

Jake was 2 months on Jan 4th, but his well visit with the dr. was just today. With each kid you stop caring about details like scheduling dr. appointments on time, and arriving on time :) Jake weighed just over 11.5 lbs and was in the 30th percentile for weight and 10th for height. Kate went to her 15th month checkup early and she only weighed 17.5 lbs and is not on the charts really for weight or height. She looks healthy and the Dr. said not to worry. He just reminded me to stop her grazing habits, sit and eat normal healthy meals, food before drink, etc. Like I have a problem with any of those...
Kate is healthy sometimes! Here she is caught in the act.

Chocolate Monster

2010-01-08T17:31:00.002-07:00

Emma's 6th Birthday

2010-01-08T17:26:00.005-07:00

Emma had her 6th birthday celebration at Leo's.

Some Rides

Greesy Pizza

The Cake

Cupcake Aftermath

Idaho Trip

2010-01-08T16:24:00.004-07:00

We went to Idaho after Christmas. Kate was NOT good in the car and we smashed our van's back windshield and taillight by backing into Randy on his 4 wheeler in his driveway( Chad, not me!) Other than that we had so much fun and Grace asked if she could stay in Idaho forever.
Ally + Kate = trouble

Taken a snooze on Grandpa Randy's couch

Bath Time

Brooklyn (Cheri's daughter) holding Jake

The kids really liked tube rides with Randy pulling them on the 4 wheeler. No pics :(

Jake Smiles

2010-01-03T23:04:00.004-07:00

Jake managed to crack a smile on his way to church for the first time Grace playing with Jake. There is a small smile at the end of the video.

Christmas

2010-01-03T22:40:00.004-07:00

Some Christmas Highlights...
pj's on Christmas Eve

Jake's 1st Christmas

Kate lit up when she got this sippy cup and sat in her favorite spot to enjoy it - Jake's bouncer

Grace opened about half her gifts and sadly said "Santa didn't bring my tutu!" Good thing Santa remembered.

What's goin on

2009-12-08T21:59:00.003-07:00

Jake is 1 month now. He just started to roll over and smile -jk. This picture was taken on the day of his 2 week dr.'s visit. Everything was fine, except later that same day I went back to the dr. because Jake fell from my chair onto the hardwood. I had no one to blame but myself and an overactive bladder. I left him in the boppy pillow on the chair after a feeding (I had the U shaped pillow facing the unsafe way) and as soon as I heard him crying I knew what happend. He had a goose egg on his head so I went in and they did xrays, etc and all was well. I felt awful!

Grace is loving this nightgown from her cousin Sarah. She gets so many great clothes from family. Her hair is in buns because she's Princess Leia, but also a mermaid. She's been really good with Jake and very interested in my feedings. She said to me one day "Mom, I'm feeding my baby from my chest. This side is plain (milk) and this side is strawberry." delicious!

Kate is wearing a wig from my Princess Leia Halloween costume.

I've been so impressed as to how quickly Kate picks up on things. Since she was 12 months she copies everything we do. If she sees a brush she combs her hair, and in this case she was thrilled to get the headband on herself.

We got the xmas decor out after Thanksgiving and this bell was a big hit.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T21:49:00.004-07:00

We had my parents and Amy's family over. It was nice because we each prepared a different part of the meal. It was very delicious and the cousins had so much fun. This year I am of course thankful for Jake and our families health, but I have to say Chad really makes everything OK for me lately. Without the help I'd go nuts!

Ally

enjoying a deviled egg

Update on Kate

2009-11-13T12:28:00.004-07:00

Kate just had her 1 year Dr. visit. She's in the 5th percentile for height and 3rd for weight (16.9 lbs and 27 inches long). She also had a double ear infection; This is her 3rd ear infection/cold in the last 3-4 months! She is such a happy girl and loves to show off, but when not feeling well she clings to me which has been hard with a new baby. She's is also getting 2 new teeth poor thing. She has changed so much in the last month. Now she is walking everywhere and the dr. was impressed at how she goes from sitting to squatting to standing without using her hands. She's into everything but in a curious vs destructive way. She says "hi" whenever someone new walks into the room and claps for herself often. I wish I could freeze time and enjoy her more because after having Jake, she no longer seems so small. Here's what she has been up to:

Kate's 1st Birthday

2009-11-13T11:56:00.006-07:00

Not so long ago..

We celebrated Kate's Birthday Nov. 2nd by going to the park - She loves to swing and go down the slide. Pumpkin pie is a favorite at our house so we just cut her a slice with some whipped cream on top.

Halloween

2009-11-13T11:47:00.002-07:00

This year we ponied up and went all out for Grace's favorite holiday. She is of course Luke Skywalker.

He's finally here!

2009-11-07T13:54:00.006-07:00

Jake was born at 9:45PM Wednesday the 4th and weighed 6lbs, 10oz, 20 inches long. I am so proud that he is our biggest baby! The delivery was bad the first half. I was induced and put on pitocin which made the contractions hard. Once I had the epidural I only took 45 minutes to dialate from a 5 to a 10. I literally pushed twice and he was out. Chad reminds me I have "easy" labors because of his small headed genes. I really enjoyed the hospital stay (pain meds and nursery for the baby at night), but was happy to come home on Friday. My Mom and Dad are here for a few weeks and Chad, Amy and Bonnie have all helped too, so I'm loving life right now!

Home Stretch, Nov. 9th or Bust!

2009-10-16T22:55:00.004-06:00

Still pregnant, but now we can count down in weeks instead of months! I'm finishing my 36th week and feel great... (ya right), but no real problems. I'm so uncomfortable I want to have the baby already, but I'm also so overwhelmed with "getting everything ready" and taking care of the two I have that I don't want the baby to come out - so it's a nice balance. Chad and I are still thinking of naming the baby Jacob (Jake for short), but sorry to all Jacob fans, I don't really like that name. This whole pregnancy has been dashavu since I'm due the same week I was due with Kate. Why I did Lagoon again this year I'm not sure. Life is good with Kate taking her first steps and Grace anticipating Halloween so she can be Luke Skywalker and I can be Princess Leia. Chad is reading right now, a rare moment of relaxation before the weekend chores start. I'm thinking he is going to be content with stopping at 3 kids.

Sleeping Babies

2009-09-22T21:58:00.001-06:00

Chad's work party

2009-09-18T11:06:00.007-06:00

Chad's summer work party was at the Park City Olympic Park. They had lots of fun activities, none of which you can do while pregnant, but Chad and Grace had a blast. We took Emma and left Kate with Amy.

Early Mornings

2009-09-18T10:58:00.003-06:00

Kate's an early riser, 6:45 AM. We have a little routine of going on a walk before Grace wakes up.

May Trip to IF

2009-09-13T16:19:00.006-06:00

We rented a hotel room for a night and the kids loved the pool

The Zoo

Crazy Monkeys

Sombreros

2009-09-13T16:01:00.004-06:00

Back in May we visited IF and ate at a Mexican Restaurant.

Pictures of the Girls

2009-09-11T16:50:00.005-06:00

So I finally got professional pictures taken of the girls. The last time I did this was at Walmart when Grace was 6 months (pathetic!)Thank You to my friend Mardie who took the photos and made the girls matching bows and bracelets.
These look distorted a little, but not if you click on it for a bigger view.??