The Haws Family

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve found us spending time together at home. We started our day slowly and then we had some friends over in the afternoon to play games. We had a great time. Then we had a nice family dinner together, followed by making cookies for Santa. After we finished our cookies, we opened our Christmas PJ's. The girls were so excited about them. Then they oh so carefully put out their plate of cookies, milk and reindeer food. The girls could hardly wait to go to bed so that Santa would come and visit.

Ear Surgery Number 3

2011-12-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

After we moved to Boise Aaron started have even more problems with his hearing. He was worried that his cholesteotoma had returned. So we went through all the proper channels and ended up at a specialist. His doctor is one of the best in the state and specializes in cholesteotomas. We couldn't have been happier. He told us about what he would do and how he could make it so that Aaron will not have to have any more surgeries - most likely. So in Aaron went and 2 1/2 hours later he was in recovery. After surgery we found out that once the doctor had gotten in there, he realized that he couldn't do what he originally thought, so the entire game plan had changed. So Aaron came out with a permanently larger ear canal and an implant.

Aaron was in significantly more pain this time around and it took us a while to convince him that he had been through major surgery (even though it seems like a small body part) and that he really had to take it a lot easier than he was prepared for. He is doing great now and his ear is almost back to its original size. He still looks a little lopsided, but it will fix itself. He can also tell that he can hear better already and the packing isn't even all out yet, so that is super encouraging. Now I'll know that when he can't hear me it's more because it's selective and not because he just really can't hear! We feel so blessed to have found this doctor and we are so happy that Aaron is safe and recovering wonderfully.

While we were waiting for Aaron to come out of his stupor, the nurses brought the girls these hats. They just thought it was the best thing in the whole world!

Updates

2011-12-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

I am finally updating which means there are a lot of posts, even from before we had Grayson. I didn't realize that I hadn't even blogged Halloween! So here it is, and still coming! Enjoy!

Visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus

2011-12-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to head out to RC Willey so that we could visit Santa and Mrs. Claus. The kids were so excited and they certainly talked their ears off. Not telling them about things they wanted but about things that are going on around them. It was really cute and they loved it.

Gifts

2011-12-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

I'm just so proud of our [neighbor/teacher/practically everyone] gifts this year that I just had to show it off. I think it turned out so cute and so yummy!

Our Tree

2011-12-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

We found a beautiful Christmas tree this year. We were so excited to decorate it. We started out like most people do, by putting the lights on. Of course all of our strands of lights had a short or two so we had to pause and wait while Aaron went to the store to buy all new lights. Once we finally got the lights on we went to ornaments. Molly just hung them all in one spot and almost always on the strands of lights instead of a tree branch. Lilly was definitely a little more picky about where she placed each of her ornaments. When the kids are done decorating the tree, that is where I come in and ever so secretly re balance the tree and spread out the ornaments. I just love to see how proud they are of the work they did. Decorating the tree is just such a great way to begin a holiday season full of fun and memories.

Happy Birthday Aaron and Heather

2011-12-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Happy, Happy Birthday to us! We had a great time celebrating our Birthdays this year. Aaron made me feel so special and we were able to finally go out on a date! We had Grayson with us, but he was easy to take care of. We started our evening by seeing Breaking Dawn (Twilight) Thanks honey for taking me. Then we had dinner at P.F. Changs. It was delicious! It is kind of nice that we get to celebrate together every year. My Birthday was on the 3rd and Aaron's was on the 5th.

Happy 32nd Birthday to the love of my life. I love and adore you and appreciate so much all that you do for me and our family. We couldn't ask for a better husband and father!

1 month old

2011-12-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

Here is Grayson at 1 month. He is a good baby who eats, sleeps and needs diaper changes. We love having him in our family!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

This year we were able to make the trip to the cabin so that we could spend Thanksgiving with Aaron's Sister Lauren and her family. Sarah and Ian were also able to make it. We had a really great time and the girls just love spending time with Eliza. Grayson was hardly ever put down and nothing could have made him happier. We played games, laughed a lot, and ate great food. Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving with us Lauren and Family! We had a fantastic time.

This is how Grayson spent his Thanksgiving meal. Nikki and Eliza.

Molly and Lilly. Sarah and Ian

Oh Chandler! Ken and Nelson.

Aaron and Lauren. Molly spending time on the couch. That couch always does funny things to her hair!

Bath Time

2011-11-29T12:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't really taken any pictures of Grayson and his first bath, so we just snapped one... sometime around his very first bath.... I think it works.

I swear something just happens when you have 3 kids. It's like the picture taking get so much less than they were with your first and your time split 3 ways is, well, split 3 ways. And then you add in the time you need for your husband/marriage/relationship and well... you can see what I'm saying. So I must apologize now to Grayson. I'm sorry, but I will try my best to document your life as you grow up. I may not always get the picture taken, but I will certainly be there no matter what to support you through it all. And in the end, I hope the memories we make together will out way the lack of pictures.

10 diapers

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

So I send Molly upstairs to bring some of her diapers and here is what she brings....

It's like diaper-palooza! It takes her like 5 minutes to get them because she tries to bring so many and then she can barely keep a hold of them, so they spill everywhere. But she is just so darn proud of hereself and so proud of the fact that she got them all down the stairs all by herself. She is such a silly girl!

Cleaning

2011-11-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

At our house we have been really trying to give the girls some more responsibilities, especially when it comes to cleaning the house each week. So, every Saturday morning, the girls fight over who gets to clean the toilet! I can hardly believe that this task is their favorite one. We had to take a picture, just so that we can prove to them in the future that yes, you actually liked doing it. Yes, your were only 5, but so what,now clean the bathroom!

A Month in Review

2011-11-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

One week old

two weeks old

Two weeks old

two weeks old

Two weeks old

three weeks old

We are finally adjusting to having a new little one here in our family. He has been a great baby. He sleeps at night and only gets up when he is hungry, then goes right back to bed. I was totally prepared for a baby that wanted to have awake time in the middle of the night, but he is not like that at all. His awake time is between 8 and midnight and then he is ready for bed. It is great! We are also starting to establish a better routine with everyone. Maybe one day soon we will have it all down pat, but for now we are pretty flexible and just adjusting to all the new dynamics of our house. The girls are in love with him! So much so we tell people that he has 3 mothers.

During the first few days that he was home, anytime he would cry, Molly thought that he was hurt or in trouble. It took a while to convince her that babies just cry. Twice she picked him up from his bouncer when he started to cry. The first time she picked him up under his arms and then called to me that she had him. I was surprised that first time and we talked about not picking him up, because she is still little, and I thought that was that. Well the next time she picked him up, I was at the sink making his bottle and she says, "I have Grayson". I turn around and she is holding him by an arm and a leg and he is upside down. I kind of, might of freaked out just a little and we then had a long talk about not picking our brother up. But, I'll be honest, I would have taken a picture of it had I not been afraid that she was going to drop him!

Lilly has been a huge helper she loves her brother and wants to protect him from everything. Needless to say, he gets a whole lot of kisses and hugs from his sisters!

Going Home

2011-11-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

We were so happy when we could finally take Grayson home from the hospital. He came home on Tuesday the 8th of November. The only thing that was keeping us there was that he had to finish the antibiotics that they had started him on. He is absolutely perfect and they couldn't ever find anything wrong with him. We are so glad we don't have to drive back and forth to the hospital anymore, but we were so lucky to have my Mom here. That made everything go a lot smoother. Thanks Mom for everything! We appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Our first family photo

Grayson

2011-11-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures of Grayson during his first few days of life. Needless to say, we are in love....

The Peepee Teepee

2011-11-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

My good friend Britni made me some peepee teepees for Grayson. I had one in the diaper bag and Lilly found it and, not knowing what it was, put it on her head and said "Look Mom it's a little hat!" She is so silly!

Meeting our Brother

2011-11-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

The girls got to come to the hospital and be in the NICU so they could meet Grayson for the first time. They were enthralled with him and loved him from the very beginning.

Welcome Grayson Michael Haws!

2011-11-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Grayson Michael Haws has finally arrived (much to my surprise!). I honestly didn't believe that he would come on his own, but that shows how much I know, or don't know in this case.

I started having mild contraction on Wednesday afternoon. Nothing big, just a little uncomfortable. Thursday arrived with still more contractions, but again I was convinced that I couldn't possibly be in labor and besides the contractions were still 10 minutes apart anyway. On Friday I saw my doc. and she told me that it is possible that I am in labor seeing as I was dialated to a 5 on Friday morning. They hooked me up to the machine just to check and of course I was having hardly any contractions at that point so they sent me home and said that if the contractions get to being 5 minutes apart then I need to head to the hospital.

So we went on with our day. We took the kids to a movie and lunch and I was getting increasingly uncomfortable. By 6 pm everything started to change. Suddenly my contractions were becoming 6 minutes apart and Aaron and I were debating on whether or not we should head to the hospital just to get checked. I didn't want to go because I was convinced that they would just send me home. I know I probably sound pretty dumb to most of you who have had babies, but I have never gone into labor before, and especially not early, so I really have had no previous experience on which to draw, and I was still only mildly uncomfortable at this point! Anyway... I called my Mom, who just happened to be almost to Boise heading home herself. She asked if I was in labor and I said I think so, so please come. About 10 minutes after I hung up the phone at about 7:30 pm my water broke. This is the point that I consider labor really starting for me. Aaron found a neighbor to come help give me a blessing and then we waited for my Mom to arrive so we could leave the kids.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:30 pm and by this time the contractions were really strong and I was ready for my epidural! At our hospital you have to check in and then they check you to make sure that you really are in labor. I was not such a fan of this step in the process because it was quite clear to anyone with eyes that I was in labor.... no questions asked. So when the nurse came in, she took one look at me and checked me (I was at a 6) and wheeled me right over to a labor and delivery room. Thank you very much! So I arrived in my room at about 9:00 pm and at this point the contractions were coming every minute and I was a 7 almost 8. I was pretty much begging for drugs at this point. I am a believer in them, and I really wanted them!

By 9:15 pm the anesthesiologist explained that because I am high risk and they didn't have any record of me at all (thanks doc., I think this step needs to get fixed by your nurse) that he had to wait for lab work to return before he could do the epidural. This did not make me super happy. But then he said he might be able to do a spinal block but that he had to make a phone call first to make sure he could proceed. I readily agreed and he came back in and said that is what he can do. He then of course explained that it works faster but only last 1 hour. At this point I think I would have agreed to anything!

So by 9:30 pm I was feeling good. That spinal blocked worked a miracle! by 9:45 pm the doctor arrived and I was at a 10. They got everything set up and Grayson arrived at 10:05 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 11.6 oz. and was 20 3/4 long. We are so happy that he is here!

At about 3 am, when we were all settled, I sent Grayson to the nursery so that I could get some rest. At 5 am the pediatrician came in to tell me that they had to send Grayson down to the NICU because he was having some apnea episodes. Basically he would just stop breathing. He did this 3 times in the nursery and then he did it once more down in the nicu. They thought that it was because he had some kind of infection, so they started him on some antibiotics. It has now been officially 48 hours since his birth and he hasn't had any more complications. His tests are all coming back great and he is doing superb. He is eating, pooping, and sleeping like a champ in the nicu. Now the doctor thinks that he just forgot to breathe a couple times during those first few hours of life. I mean they have a ton to learn to do all of a sudden! Anyway, We are very hopeful that he will come home by Tuesday at the latest. He just has to finish the round of antibiotics and then he should be good to go. The girls can hardly wait to have him here so that they can help with him too!

I am so grateful that this little boy has joined our family!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween to everyone! I hope you had a wonderful, fun and safe night. We had a great time. We started off by making homemade pizza with some friends from our neighborhood. Then we headed out and went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. It was fun to be able to go with someone. At one point Molly was running to catch up with the big girls and she tripped and fell. Of course she hurt herself, but at that moment she was more worried about her candy that she had spilled than herself. She was just so funny about it. Anyway, after trick-or-treating, we let the kids eat an obscene amount of candy while we had hot chocolate and played pictionary on the wii. It was a great evening! Thanks Checketts for spending it with us.

Ward Trunk-or-Treat

2011-10-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Ward Trunk-or-Treat. We arrived to the party and started off by having chili, homemade root beer and cupcakes. After we were finished eating we got to go and do different games that they had set up. They had a bounce house, scarecrow ring toss, pumpkin bowling, Halloween bingo, and a haunted house. The girls had the best time. They loved playing the games and getting a treat for it. Lilly even won at bingo! Then we decided to go through the haunted house. We knew it couldn't be too scary because off all the kids, so we thought it would be no big deal. Molly was so excited to go through it, but Lilly was more afraid. We got her inside and she hated it! She was so scared and nobody even did anything to us. Molly loved the entire thing and was laughing while Lilly was crying. It was kind of humorous. When we got to the end of it, Lilly literally ran outside and we had to rush to catch up to her. For the rest of the night Molly just kept telling us about how she wasn't scared but "Lilly was scared and she cried!" Anyway, after that eventfulness we headed to have the trunk-or-treat. The girls loved it of course. Free candy is the best thing ever in their world! All in all I think it was a pretty successful ward party and we had a great time getting to know new people.

Our little bat and bumblebee. Lilly wanted to be the bat because the skirt on her costume lights up! That sold it in her eyes!

37 Weeks

2011-10-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at 37 weeks. (Not my best picture!) This is the biggest I have ever been and I am definitely feeling it! I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Grayson and every time that I go to the doctor I hope she will tell me it's time. I am still feeling good. Just trying to take it easy. I am definitely less comfortable when I sleep now, so I am pretty tired every day. But hey, I know once he arrives I won't be getting much more sleep anyway, so I might as well get used to it now!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

This year we had a blast carving pumpkins for Halloween. The girls were very specific in what they wanted and so we did our best to help them. Never mind that Molly did not want anyone to carve but her and Lilly was very sweet to let her Dad help her, but she too wanted to have complete creative control. Basically all we got to do was draw on the design and then clean up after them! It was great and a lot of fun. We made it easy on ourselves and just carved the girls pumpkins then we did Aaron's and mine later. It worked out well. We can hardly wait for Halloween to get here!

Molly's finished pumpkin

Lilly's finished bat and pumpkin pumpkin

BSU vs. Air Force

2011-10-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron took Lilly on a little daddy/daughter date to the BSU football game. Lilly was so excited to get all dressed up to support "her broncos" and they had a ball. We dropped them off at the game and they got some lunch, watched the game and came hope happy because of course, our broncos won. Aaron was excited because it was the homecoming game. When we picked them up, one of the first things that Lilly said was that it was a really long game! That's OK, it was a good experience for both of them and a good chance for us to see the mass amount of people that attend the games. It's not very hard to pick out the Boise State fans around here.

Dropping them off at the game. Molly was busy in the car chanting "Go Boise State" Ready for the game

Ready for the game

I'm glad you two had such a good time!

The Purse

2011-10-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is my purse. It's polka dots are fading more and more everyday and it is starting to show it's use, but I love it. I am going to miss this purse when I must make the switch to a diaper bag very soon. I think the thing I am going to miss the most is all the compliments that I get. Almost everyday and in almost every store that I walk through people are always stopping me to say that they like my purse or to ask where I got it. Whenever we tell them where we got (Flea Bay in Pocatello) there is always a sad sigh from people that are just a little disappointed by my answer! It has gotten to the point where we find it kind of funny and Aaron is starting to tally up how many compliments I get in just one day out and about. Aaron is also starting to call it the "legendary purse" and that's why I just had to blog about it. So that one day we can look back and laugh and remember that yeah, this was a super cute purse and apparently a lot of other people think so as well. I don't think that I will ever be able to buy another purse with quite the same appeal again!

Settlers Park

2011-10-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been so nice. It has been perfect play outside weather. I decided to take the kids to a park that I just love. In the summer it has a splash park and they do a family movie night. They have a huge play area, a musical instrument area and a rock climbing area. Needless to say there is a ton for the kids to do. They had a ball! They could have played nonstop for hours if I had let them. Now almost everyday Molly asks if we can go to the different park, instead of the one right across the street from our house. I think it is just because she is in love with swings!

Painting Pumpkins

2011-10-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to come up with more projects for the girls to do at home and I thought it would be fun to paint some pumpkins this year. Molly loved to get as much paint on her brush as she possibly could and then smear on globs. Lilly was a little better, but in the end they both just randomly painted. They really didn't want to stop painting and were both a little upset when they ran out of pumpkin to paint on! Anyway, I thought it was a fun little project and they love to go outside and see their special pumpkins.

Boise

2011-10-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

We are in love with Boise! It has just been so good for us and the kids. Since we have moved here the girls have played outside more than ever before. We are surrounded by neighbor kids that just love to play outside. Little girls are knocking on our door asking if the girls can come out to play. It is like a whole new world for me. I feel like I have to adjust and catch up. I have never before let them play outside alone in Pocatello before, but here, we feel so safe in our neighborhood and with all the other kids outside I am semi-comfortable (I check on them often, I just can't help myself!) letting them just play outside while I finish up whatever I am doing inside.

Lilly has gotten so much more confident on her bike now, and she is really trying to talk Aaron and I into taking off her training wheels. I think she doesn't want them any more because the girl next door doesn't have any! Someday soon we might see what happens there. She also doesn't seem to be as freaked out by bugs anymore! I know, it's a miracle! It might help that we have so many flies around here that she has just had to learn how to get used to them. Whatever, I am just glad that she is loving playing outside and not screaming because of some bug outside. Lilly is growing up and loving school. She is doing so well and we couldn't be prouder of her. We just had parent/teacher conferences and she got a glowing review from her teacher. Great job Lilly!

Molly is loving her new found freedom to be outside. It seems like every morning the first words out of her mouth are "Can I ride my bike?" She just wants to play outside all day! She is finally settled into nursery here and I think she has come to realize that nursery is nursery no matter where you are. There will be toys, snacks and singing and that is what she loves the best! The little girl next door has the coolest toys. She has a power wheels Escalade car and an electric scooter. Molly can't really drive the car yet, but she was rockin' it on the scooter. She thought it was the best toy ever! It is so nice that Destiny (the girl next door) is willing to share her toys with the kids. They always have a great time together and an even better one when the electric toys come out. Molly has now decided that she wants a scooter of her very own. We will just have to see. Good thing Christmas and her birthday are just around the corner!

All in all we are adjusting well. We have had the opportunity to see family from both sides quite often and we are loving the visits! Aaron is working really hard in school and doing really well. As for me, well my weeks seem to fill up fast with visits to the library, visits to the doctors, picking up Lilly from school, PTA, and just carrying this baby for another 4 weeks. I have finally been ordered to take it a lot easier, so now I am trying to sit down more than normal. We will just have to see how that goes...

2011-09-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we headed up to Pocatello for my baby shower. My good friend Sarah was so sweet to put one on for me. It was really nice and we had a great turn out of people. Now I feel like this baby will have something to wear when we have him! Thanks so much Sarah and to everyone who came. It was greatly appreciated and it was so nice to catch up with everyone.

The banner

We made caramel apples with chocolate chips as the thank you for coming gift

Here is the tag on the apples

Sarah stamped these napkins. I love them

Back: April and Me

Front: Amber and Amanda

this isn't everyone, but of course I didn't get that many pictures!

In this picture back: Ashley, Suzi, Peggy and Theresa

Front: Chelsea and Nikki

Molly's Hair

2011-09-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I wanted to try something different with Molly's hair so I straightened it. I could hardly believe how long it was! It made her look so much older! I loved it though. I just thought she looked so cute. I also loved how she posed for the picture. She is such a girl!

The Hansen's Came to Visit!

2011-09-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today the Hansen's came to see us on their way home to Seattle. I was so excited to see Britni again because it has just been too long. It was so nice to catch up, have some lunch and watch how great all our girls played together. Even though our visit was short, I am so glad that you guys could come by! It was so great to see you all again! Missing you already!

30 Weeks!

2011-09-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at 30 weeks. I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of "the belly" and probably should, even though I really don't like to take pictures of just me. But anyhoo, we are feeling good so far and now I will start seeing my doctor every week. We are going to get to know one another really well now! This is definately the biggest I have ever been and so, needless to say, it is also the most uncomfortable I have ever been. I don't remember not being able to sleep, or my body being more achy, but such is the life of a pregnant Mommy. We already know that we won't be going to 40 weeks (so says my doctor - bless her!) So we expect to have our new little boy in about 2 more months! We couldn't be more excited!

Oh Molly!

2011-09-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

Molly loves to dress up and she especially loves to wear sunglasses. As you can see she will wear them everywhere. But what I think is even funnier is that she wears them upside down every single time! We love you Molly!

Go Boise State!!

2011-09-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce that Aaron was officially accepted to Boise State University in the MBA program. We are so proud of him. Good luck honey!!! We know you'll do great!

First Days of Kindergarten

2011-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Lilly started Kindergarten this year! We are so excited for her and she is even more excited. We started our week off by meeting her teacher and having a little orientation in her classroom on Monday afternoon. Her teacher this year is Ms. Calame (cuh-lamb) and she is in morning kindergarten. Our school doesn't start until 9:00 am so we have the chance to have a pleasant morning and then it is off to school. Molly thinks that she misses Lilly while she is gone to school and is always so excited to pick her up everyday. Good luck Lilly. We know you'll have a great year.

Outside her school

The first day of school

She just had to show off her backpack

And of course Molly wanted in on the action

Off to the bus stop. I finally let her ride the bus and she was so excited. She was practically prancing all the way down the street. She got on the bus so fast that I couldn't even get a picture of it. Besides, there are a lot of kids that ride at our stop anyway. She did wave from her seat though, and after school she said she loved it.

Congratulations Chelsea and Eric George!

2011-08-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to LA to see Eric and Chelsea be sealed in the Los Angeles Temple. Because of school, we left late Thursday night and made it to Reno. On Friday we went the rest of the way to LA and stayed the night there. On Saturday we attended the temple and watched the sealing of Chelsea and Eric then we had lunch and drove another 3 hours to the valley for their reception. Then on Sunday we got back into the car and drove home. We were tired to say the least but so happy to be able to see everyone and to see Chelsea and Eric. Congratulations you two! We wish you all the happiness in the world.

Cousins and some of Eric's neices and nephews

Our little family of 4! Won't be long til it's 5!

The girls

Coming out of the temple

Lilly and Molly just love Chelsea so much!

Nikki and Heather

Happy 5th Birthday Lilly

2011-08-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Lilly just turned 5! I can hardly believe how fast time has gone by. She is such a big girl now. She loves to color and is really into creating things right now. Crafts are becoming something she wants to do almost every day. She loves to play wii and any video game and she loves zoobles. She is still afraid of any kind of bug and so she therefore loves to play inside a majority of the time. Her favorite food is meatballs and will ask for those any chance that she gets! She is such a great big sister and is so helpful. We love you Lilly! Happy birthday!

Her new Zoobles. She got the little one from her Aunt Linda and the play set from Molly

She also got a Leapster! She was so excited about it. She got this from Mom and Dad and from Grandma and Grandaddy Haws.

Molly always wants a piece of the camera action!

Her cake. I just love to make fun cakes.

Moving in!!!

2011-08-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

We are all moved in to our new house in Boise! It is so nice to be that much closer to being settled in. Lilly got into a box during the process and it reminded me of the last time we moved. We are loving Boise and love having visitors!

My view all the way to Boise

Our New Home!!!

2011-08-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

We moved to Boise! It was pretty much a whirlwind decision but we are all settled and happy in our new home. We decided that it was time for us to make a change. Since Aaron hasn't been able to get a job doing what he wants, he decided that we needed to go back to school for his MBA. After praying and fasting we decided it was the right choice for us. So we pretty much decided we needed to move by the first of August. We found our home on the second day of the search and we couldn't be happier. It is right across the street from a park and the neighborhood is quiet but full of kids. The girls are getting settled and Lilly is excited to start school at the end of the month. Aaron is starting school soon and I am busy getting new doctors and getting everyone settled. We miss all our Pocatello friends, but we are so excited to make new friends here in Boise!

Moving

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

We're moving........need I say more? Don't worry, I'll be back soon!

Lilly's Teeny Tiny Hello Kitty Birthday Party

2011-07-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Since we were moving before it is Lilly's actual birthday, I wanted to give her a birthday party before we left with all of her friends in Pocatello. She really wanted a Hello Kitty party and my friend suggested one other thing... making it a teeny tiny party. It was so much fun to prepare! We made teeny tiny party invites (which I'll take a picture of later), and they were complete with magnifying glasses and all. Some of her friends couldn't make it, so she had a smaller party. It was nice and she loved it! We had a lunch of mini grilled cheese sandwiches with baby carrots and mini crackers. I was also able to find mini ice cream cones to go along with the whole theme. The only frustrating thing was that it was so windy on the day of her party (thank you Pocatello! - I do not miss your windy days!) So things were repeatedly blowing away. I was able to get pictures before the streamers and balloons gave in to the wind! Oh, and confetti on a windy day... not a good idea! Thanks everyone for coming. Lilly misses you all!

The birthday girl. She wanted to wear a Hello Kitty outfit for the party.

The craft.

My teeny tiny party hats and markers.

The table

The mini waters. I just thought they turned out so cute!

decorating their bags

Playing "Don't Eat Kitty"

Molly loves pinatas

Mini cupcakes. We couldn't get a candle to lite because of the wind so she just pretended to blow them out!

Mini ice cream cones.

Molly had a great time!

California

2011-07-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

I spent a whole week with my Mom visiting my grandparents in California and these are the only pictures I took! How pitiful is that!?! I just thought this was really cute to see Molly sitting on top of the air mattresses reading books.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July we had kind of a quiet day. We spent the weekend up in Preston with some of Aaron's family and attended the fun community events. We had a great time and it is always nice to spend time with family. We decided to come home a little early because I was leaving for California the next day. We waited for what seemed like forever for it to get dark because the girls were really excited for fireworks. Finally we got outside and lit the sparklers. The girls and I love sparklers! Then we watched the firework show from the park right by our house. The kids loved seeing all the lights and Molly was particularly impressed. She just danced around and was so happy the entire show. I hope everyone had a great 4th!

Shriners Circus

2011-06-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

In June the Shriners Circus came to town. Lilly has been dying to see the circus. So we decided it was time we take her to the circus. It helped that the kids were free! It was actually a really great show. There were tigers and bears and elephants and all kinds of cool stunts. The kids were really tired by the end, but of course they wanted to do one thing and they chose to get their faces painted. Lilly wanted a butterfly so Molly of course followed suit. They had a great time and it was a great show!

T-Ball

2011-06-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Lilly started T-ball this week. She was so excited to get the chance to do it this year. She has been asking for quite sometime to do some kind of sport. I was so impressed to see her out there during practice. She did really well. She listened to instructions so well. She threw and hit the ball without any problems and she was even able to hit the ball off the T on her first try. It makes me so happy to see her trying so hard and making new friends.

Yellowstone

2011-06-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

We just got the opportunity to go to Yellowstone National Park. I have never been before, so it has been Aaron's mission to get us there before we happen to move, or something. Anyway, we chose a pretty rainy day on our first day in the park. It was cold, and we didn't see a ton of animals. Which is funny because Aaron had spent days talking up "the animal park" to the girls. We drove the entire main loop of the park. It was pretty fun. I was really impressed with the amount of geological activity that takes place there. The girls did a really great job to. We stayed at a lodge in the park and then spent the next day finishing the park. We had a great picnic and a great time.

Old Faithful

This guy was just walking down the middle of the road. Not very pretty while he's loosing his winter coat

The lower falls...I forgot which ones

The upper falls.

The Miracle of the ring

2011-06-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

*WARNING* this is a long story....sorry!

We had quite the experience the other day. At 2:30am I was in the bathroom and I accidentally flushed my wedding ring down the toilet. It just slipped right out of my fingers and went straight in the bowl. It didn't even hit anything on the way, it went right down the middle. I was horrified as I just stood there and watched what happened. I gave a little cry and went to find Aaron and tell him what happened. He was pretty cool and collected, while I was crying my eyes out. I was especially upset because I knew we didn't have insurance on it. But believe me, I'm going to get it now!

We tried, without any success, to retrieve the ring ourselves. We decided we needed to call in a plumber. So we sat down and went through the phonebook. We called several because we wanted to see who we could get to come the quickest. Then we knelt down and said a prayer. We just felt like we should really do that. It's just that we have been going through so much lately, and this became the icing on the cake.

At 6:30 am a plumber called us back and was to our house by 8:00. We all kind of assumed that it was a lost cause to even try but we knew that we had to give it a shot or I would always wonder just a little bit. After he arrived other plumbers called and almost all of them said that it was a lost cause. We were very blessed to get the plumber we did. He had previously retrieved a ring for another women. Her ring was also supposed to be a "lost cause", but because of that experience Chaud plumbing wanted to come and give it a try.

He looked through the pipes and even cut into a few. When he removed the toilet he found that it had never been properly installed however many years ago and it was missing a flange piece. I think he felt really bad for us, so he offered to put in the piece we needed for free. He really was a good guy. We found out that he is the owner of the company and that he is a bishop. He really did try to help us out. He even called a local jeweler that he knows well and got them to give us a discount if we wanted to go look at rings.

So anyway, While he was repairing the piece he had to do something with the toilet to make sure it could all go together the way it needed to. He tipped the toilet at just the right angle and out tumbled a rock and my wedding ring right behind it! It was truly a miracle! Someone, years ago had flushed this rock down the toilet and no one ever knew about it. It was just the right size to get stuck, but to let everything pass on by at the same time. We knew our toilet ran a little slow, but we had no idea something like that was stuck in there. And to top it off, my ring was one of the things to get stuck with it.

We were thrilled and elated and we knew from that moment that Heavenly Father really does hear and answer our prayers. And even though it isn't always in our time frame, they do get answered. We kind of needed that lesson that day and it is definitely one that we won't be forgetting anytime soon. After Chaud left I think he was just as affected as we were because 5 minutes later his wife called because she too wanted to share in the blessing of it all. It was truly a miracle that day.

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Lilly was so excited to graduate from preschool. She in now officially on her way to Kindergarten! I can hardly believe how big she has gotten. Her preschool class has only 6 kids in it. They have all learned so much this year. They did a cute little program for everyone and Lilly really knew all her words. Then they put on a little play for us. It was a variation on the 3 little pigs. Then we watched a video of their school year and then it was time for the diploma. Lilly was so proud of herself! Great job Lilly. We are so proud of you and can hardly wait to watch as you enter into this new world of going to school!

Ellie, Braden, Abigail, Lilly, Mckenzie and Seth

Getting her diploma and hat

We are all going to miss Miss Suzy!

Dad and his girls

Birthday Treat for Preschool

2011-05-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lilly's teacher at preschool has all the kids celebrate their birthday's at some point in the year. So those who have summer birthday's will typically get to celebrate them in the last month of the school year. All throughout the year I had heard that almost everyone has brought in cupcakes for their treat at school, and this was fine, except it seemed like half of the kids couldn't eat a cupcake without getting it all over themselves. The week before it was Lilly's turn to bring her treat, her friend Seth brought cupcakes, but this time the frosting was a very bright blue. The kind of blue that stains not only clothes but skin. Luckily they had their treats after their class pictures were taken because from what I heard it was a nightmare. There was blue frosting all over the kids. On their clothes and all over their faces.

So, for that reason I chose to do something a little different, and it ended up being a huge hit. I decided to make these Hello Kitty cake pops. I found the how-to at the bakerella website. Awesome website, by the way. I could have made cake pops a little easier, but Lilly has requested a Hello Kitty birthday party this year, so I decided to stick with her theme. All the kids loved them and they were the perfect treat. Hardly any mess at all.

If you ever decide to make these, send me a message and I'll give you all the how to changes that I had to make. I don't have a cake decorating store near me so I improvised on a few of the steps. All in all I think they turned out really cute.

Announcement

2011-05-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

The time has come for us to announce that we are expecting baby number 3 this fall! We are so excited to be adding to our little family! Lilly is hoping for a baby brother and she also told my doctor that she hopes he sparkles! (she is all girl!). Molly on the other hand is saying it will be a baby sister, and I am guessing that she is right. We are hoping to find out in another 3 weeks what we are having. I am seeing my normal doctor along with a neonatologist due to the fact that I am high risk this time around. I am feeling better now that my first trimester is coming to a close. We are just so excited to have a new little one and to have it here in time to celebrate the holidays!

Updating.....Finally!

2011-05-11T14:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I am finally working on getting everything updated. There is a ton, so be sure to read older posts cause I'm sure I have that much updating to do!

ISU Graduation

2011-05-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

WE DID IT!! OK, well Aaron did it! He has officially graduated from Idaho State University. I am so very proud of him. The girls thought it was great to watch it and we had such a nice time with our families. We really appreciated the support. Thanks for coming! Congratulations Aaron. I am so very proud of you!

Cinco De Mayo at Preschool

2011-05-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Lilly's preschool celebrated Cinco De Mayo by learning some Spanish and then having a pinata to cap it all off. Molly had a good time, but Lilly had an even better time. She just wanted the little toys instead of the candy (Hey, not too bad) although she came home with her fair share!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't get to dye any eggs this year, or really do a hunt we decided to throw an Easter Egg Hunt. It ended up being a ton of people from the ward and we had a great time. Of course on the day of it rained all day, and so in the middle of rain drops we sent out the dads to hide the eggs. There were so many that not much hiding could happen. The kids all had a great time. Afterward they were all thoroughly entertained by their candy so the adults could have some fun. We had a white elephant exchange and there were some pretty great things. I ended up with highlighters (which I loved... I have a thing for office supplies!) and Aaron ended up with a carpet cleaning certificate. Not too shabby considering the limit was $2.00! It is always fun to see what people have laying around their homes!

Easter

2011-04-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

We got home from our trip just in time for Easter. The girls were so excited about the Easter Bunny - well OK, Lilly was excited, Molly just goes along for the ride. They had a great time seeing what was in their baskets. Then it was time to get ready for church. They loved their new dresses. They were so excited to go to church and show them off. After church we made a nice dinner and spent the evening at home. We were still pretty tired so we just decided to lay low for the night. Happy Easter everyone! We hope it was great.

My New York Hot Dog

2011-04-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

During our trip to New York I wanted to do, well, kind of stupid things. I really just wanted the true New York experience. So on our last day, on the way to Penn Station we accomplished one more thing. We bought my first ever hot dog from a street vendor. It was just like any other hot dog, but hey, it was the experience that counts! We had such a great trip. We learned a ton about the city, we were all exhausted but had truly accomplished a ton! We learned that our hotel was in Soho, and we were practically in Little Italy. We had no clue! We had a pretty good laugh about it. Thanks Mom and Dad for this trip. It was truly awesome and we had the best time!

New York Day 2

2011-04-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

On Day 2 we started with a trip to the bakery next door for bagels. They were delicious in fact we went there both mornings for them. Then we headed out to the Staten Island Ferry so that we could see The Statue of Liberty. It was a nice little ride while we all vied for a spot at the railing so we could get the best shots. Ah, tourists!

This is the Manhattan Temple. It was just so cool to see it in the middle of everything!

Dylan's Candy bar. The stairs we real candy. It was three floors of sugar madness. They had pretty much anything you could wish for.

New York at Night

2011-04-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

We took the night tour over to Brooklyn. It was the best tour that we had taken yet. Our guide was so knowledgeable and we learned more on that one tour than we did on all the others. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. It was also really cool to see New York at night.

New York!!! Day 1

2011-04-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ah New York! For anyone that knows me, you know that this has always been a dream. I have wanted to go to New York forever. I even wanted to live there for a while. But now I have kids and must be content to just visit. It was a quick trip. We had 2 1/2 days to spend there. We got up early and took the train from D.C. to New York. Once we arrived the insanity ensued. I'm pretty sure that I ran everyone until we all dropped into a heap at the end of the trip!

My first look at the city. This is right outside Penn Station and Madison Square Garden

Slumming it on the subway. It was definitely a really nice way to get around the city. I actually didn't mind the subway and thought it was a great way to get around. Definitely better than the 3 taxi rides that we took. Those taxi's can sure make you feel like your life is about to end!

This is for you Amber! and this is the reason we wanted to get to New York so early. My mom wanted to catch the show that Amber and her listen to every week.

Right off of Times Square was this awesome deli. I was hankering for a good dill pickle and the server there brought me 3 of them. She was my friend that day! They also made these huge eclairs. As you can see, they were quite large, but so delicious that we ended up going back and buying three more then next day!

This is the show that we saw, and yes, that is Harry Potter. We were pleasantly surprised to see that he could dance and sing! It was a really good show and we had a great time. John Laroquette (from night court - anyone? anyone?) was also in the show. He was hilarious.

Then we got tickets to go on the bus tours around the city. This allowed us to see so much more than we could have seen on our own. We had a great time seeing the city this way.

Washington D.C.

2011-04-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad took Aaron and I to Washington D.C. and New York for Aaron's graduation. I think I might have been more excited than Aaron. We had a fantastic time. We spent only 1 day in Washington so we really had to book it. I will say that I have never walked so much. We covered a whole lot on foot. I was super tired at the end of the day, but I was determined to see it all in 1 day. Our first stop was The Capital building. My dad was really excited about this one. My Mom and I were more excited about the pretty trees and blossoms. There were a ton of people because apparently it was spring break for pretty much everyone on the east coast. There was a ton of school groups there as well. This was a really pretty building and it was cool to see the view of the mall from it.

The National Museum of American History

2011-04-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

As we didn't have a lot of time to visit the Smithsonian, we decided we had time for one museum. We chose to visit the National Museum of American History. It was really cool to see all those things that are true American Icons. We also got to see the Original American Flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner. We couldn't take a picture of it, especially since it was housed in low lighting and it looked thread bare. We saw Kermit the Frog and the best one... Julia Child's Kitchen. My dad didn't understand why were excited about this one. Dorothy's Red Slippers from the Wizard of Oz came next, and I have to say that they weren't as sparkly as they were in the movie. We did the entire museum and we learned quite a bit. I was also really excited to see Lincoln's top hat and coat. I think we definitely chose the right museum to visit.

Lincoln Memorial, White House, etc.

2011-04-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was the Reflecting Pool which we were sad to see was under reconstruction so there wasn't much to see there. Then we headed up to the Lincoln Memorial. There was a lot of stairs at the end of our long walk. My dad counted them, but I can't remember how many there were! It was really cool! I was so excited to see it. There was so many people in there we were lucky to get as close as we did.

Next we walked to the Vietnam Memorial. It is really humbling to see all those names up on that wall and the flowers that people leave behind. It really makes me appreciate what we have. Then it was onto the White House. We walked to the front side and decided I was good and didn't need to see the backside of it. I may have been a titch tired at this point. Then it was a long walk back to our hotel were we collapsed for an hour before heading out to a great dinner. I was more than happy to go back to our hotel room after dinner. I was tired, needed Tylenol and a good nights rest because we had to be up early the next morning so we could head to our real destination.... New York City!

Nap Time

2011-04-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Sometime Molly will actually sit down long enough to realize she is tired. Then we have a nap. Well this is what I found the other day. Lilly decided that she needed some shade to help her nap better. She carefully placed this umbrella over Molly and it didn't move until Molly woke up. Such a thoughtful sister.

Family Movie Night

2011-04-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

We love to have movie night with the kids. We find it to be a really fun time to introduce classic Disney's like the Herbie movies and Pollyanna and such. Anyway, Lilly loves them. So we make a little popcorn and settle in. The girls have the best time staying up a little later and getting to eat Mom's fabulous popcorn!

Trampoline

2011-04-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

This year we got a new trampoline. The girls were so excited. They could hardly wait for us to get it put up. They love to jump and it has certainly been a lot of fun. Finally I have something for them to do in the backyard. This is all a part of my master plan to get them outside more. Maybe I am just a little bit tired of the winter gloom and I am ready for a little time at the park!

Bikes!

2011-04-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

We have been really working with Lilly on riding her bike. Well I am happy to say that she has it down. She loves to ride it and asks to all the time. Molly has also decided that she wants to ride. She can't exactly pedal so it is Flintstones powered. All in all I think that it will be a super fun summer!

Solvang

2011-03-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend time with the rest of the family down in Solvang and Santa Ynez. We always have such a great time. Lauren took us in to Solvang so we could enjoy some of the unique sites. Thanks for going with us Lauren!

The Santa Barbara Zoo

2011-03-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

On the one sunny day in Santa Barbara we decided to head out and go to the zoo. We had a really great time. Because of all the rain, all the animals were really active on this one sunny day of the week. Lilly loved the otters. They were so active and playful. Aaron had a great time with a white cockateal?? He would whistle and then the bird would whistle back at him. Then the bird would just start dancing. He did it forever, until we got tired of it anyway. Molly's favorite part was the fake hill and the cardboard boxes. She had a blast sledding on a box and couldn't get enough of it. All in all it was a really fun day! We always enjoy the zoo.

Yogurtland

2011-03-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

After the zoo we headed downtown to the Farmer's market and a stop at Yogurtland. It is one of those yogurt bars where you pick your yogurt and toppings and then pay for it by the ounce. Anyway, the kids love it. Apparently they love it so much I even ended up relinquishing mine to them as well!

The Beginning of Spring Break

2011-03-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

We started our Spring Break off in the rain. It rained most of the week. We also started with a trip to the dentist and then lunch at Pascucci. I am sure you have heard me mention it before, but we LOVE Pascucci. I don't know why, we always leave with garlic breath but hey, we like our Italian I guess. Anyway, the little fountain in the restaurant ended up being the hit of the day for the girls.

After lunch we headed to the Ty Warner Sea Museum. We had never been here before. The girls thought it was great although they didn't want to touch any of the sea animals. Lilly got brave enough to touch the sand shark and the star fish, but Molly wouldn't touch a thing. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and a great way to get out of the rain.

Lilly's First Visit to the Dentist

2011-03-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Lilly has seen the dentist before... a.k.a. her Grandpa, but she has never before let him take a look at her teeth, and she has certainly never sat down in "the chair" But, during our trip to California over spring break she was very willing to get her teeth checked. It might have helped that they had an entire day at preschool dedicated to teeth. We also did our part by reading the Tooth Book and talking about checking our teeth before we can go to Kindergarten. Anyway, she was so excited to get her teeth checked. While we were waiting Lilly kept saying "I am not going to bite my dentist Mom!" I just thought it was so cute, how sincere she was. When it came time for her to get her teeth checked/cleaned she sat right down and opened her mouth. She loved getting her teeth "tickled" as we call it. Her Granddaddy was so impressed with her teeth that he even had Uncle Max come in to check them out too. Lilly was so happy that everyone told her she had such nice teeth. By the end of it all, Lilly left with a huge smile, a great experience and mermaid electric toothbrush. Great Job Lilly!

Swim Lessons

2011-03-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

Lilly has been doing swim lessons lately. She has really gotten so comfortable with the water. I couldn't ask for more! She can now go under the water without freaking out, she is also fine now without the water wings and she can swim by herself with a noodle now. I can hardly wait to take her swimming now. It will be so much fun to see her enjoying herself instead of being so nervous about it. Way to go Lilly!

Rain and Swimming

2011-03-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Anytime there is a hint of rain Lilly has to wear her rain coat and boots. She just loves this outfit.

Molly on the other hand can't wait until she can go swimming. She loves, loves, loves the water!

Disney On Ice

2011-03-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my sister and I went to Disney On Ice. We decided to go again this year and when my sister told my Mom she wanted in on our fun too! So we ended up having a purely girls weekend in Utah. I brought Lilly and Molly, April brought Claire and my Mom brought Amber. We also hung out with April's friend Anjie and Mckinley. Anyway, we started off at The Myan for dinner. This is always such a fun place to go. The kids were enthralled with the shows and the water and just the atmosphere in general. We had a really great time. Back at the hotel we decided to take the kids swimming at around 10:00 pm that night. They were exhausted but wanted to go swimming so bad that we had to take them.
The next day we went shopping, and shopping and more shopping. I think we were all ready to drop by the time we were finished. Then we had dinner and headed to the show. We originally decided to get the cheap seats cause we thought that wouldn't be too bad. They were first row. well we got to our seats and they were so high, we were all a little nervous about it. So nervous that my Mom took us back downstairs and upgraded our tickets. (Really, we are all afraid of heights! So thanks mom for the upgrade). Anyway, the only seats left were 7 rows back. They were the best seats ever! Molly and Lilly loved it. Lilly was much more quiet than Molly. Molly just cheered and hollered and loved the show. She got pretty rowdy when Mickey and Minnie came out. They are her favorite! Anyway, we had a great time! It was so much fun to spend time with family.

Craft Time...Again!

2011-03-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Sarah and I have been wanting to do a craft for a while now. We just couldn't decide what we wanted to do. We ended up deciding to make these measure boards for the girls. One for my two and one for her daughter. We were so excited to get started on this project. It took us some time, but in the end they turned out super cute. I think it's awesome to see what you can do with a cricut and some paint! The girls were so excited, they wanted to measure themselves as soon as they were finished.

Bowling

2011-03-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

We recently went bowling with our friends the Feils. We always have such a great time. The kids especially love it! They think it is the greatest game ever. Lilly always gives us such funny little poses. I am proud to say though......for the first time ever....... let the record show that I, Heather, came out on top! By a lot. Needless to say, everyone must have had a very bad game because I never win. And most of the time, the kids beat me too.

Our Little Fashionista

2011-03-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

Molly has turned into quite the fashionista at our house. Before she was born we got Lilly a dress up chest, which she has never really played with. She just isn't into dressing up, but Molly, oh boy! I took her into Lilly's room and opened the chest and you would have thought that it was Christmas, she was so excited. I knew she would love it. She is very particular. She is already picking out her own shoes to wear and if we don't put the right ones on her, well let's just say, it's like the world might end for her! She is loving Barbies right now. We just recently got a Ken doll and she is so funny. She just walks around and she will tell anyone who will listen that this is Ken. She is all girl! I just found this fun tutorial on making your own play make-up. I can hardly wait to make it because I know that Molly is going to have a hay day with it. We sure love our girly-girl. She is so much fun!

Sisters

2011-03-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

These two girls just love each other. They fight a lot! But they also play a ton together. Molly wants to do anything that Lilly does. I feel so blessed to have these two girls. They are so much fun.

Our Trip to Utah

2011-02-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I were lucky enough to go on an overnight date to Salt Lake. We ended up dropping the girls off in Rexburg with Nelson and Nikki and then they drove the girls home and stayed with them for us. We started out on Friday in Rexburg having lunch with my sister, our niece Alex and Nikki. It is always nice to be with people you love. Then we left the girls and headed to Utah. We arrived and checked in to our hotel. Then we got ready for our nice dinner out. We went to The Melting Pot. We have wanted to go there for quite some time so we were so excited. It is a fondue restaurant and we loved it. It's like we got to play with our food for the entire meal. Aaron would definitely say that the cheese and the dessert were the best..... and they were! After dinner we headed to a movie and then back to the hotel. The next morning we woke up (on our own... there were no kids to do it for us! - you parents understand) and then we got ready, got breakfast and then headed to do a session at the temple. Afterward we had lunch with more family and then headed home. The kids were happy to see us, and I'm pretty sure Nelson and Nikki we happy too!

We had such a great time. It was the first time we have ever done anything like this and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was definitely rejuvenating and nice to spend some uninterrupted time with Aaron. Thank you again Nelson and Nikki we really appreciated it! Oh, and the picture above... well, you be the judge.

Finally Updating

2011-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

Our life has been so busy lately. Between my church calling and appointments and swimming and dancing I haven't had much time to really blog. Besides which, every time I find a few minutes the pictures never want to load, so I just give up and walk away before it makes me too upset. Anyway, I am finally going to get serious about this and get things updated. So make sure you look far enough down, because I'm adding things all the time!

Sleeping on the Stairs

2011-02-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Molly has decided that she doesn't want to take naps anymore. Some days she does really well, and other days, not so much. On this day she was really grumpy and I told her she needed to calm down. So she went and sat on the stairs. When I turned around there she was, fast asleep on the steps. Poor Molly..... or is it poor Mommy for there are no more naps in our house!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day we didn't go out because it was on a weekday and we had all the normal stuff going on. We decided to celebrate in style at home. The girls got a heart shaped pizza and even had their own fun little table. Aaron and I had a nice dinner all alone after the kids went to bed. I even made my own little flower arrangement. I wanted to make it feel like we were in a nice restaurant. I think I accomplished it. We hope every one had a great Valentine's Day!

The Cupcake Carrier

2011-02-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

For the girl that I visit teach I decided to make her this cupcake carrier. It was so fun to make. I am lucky that I only have one to visit teach at the moment so it was possible for me to make something a little bigger than I normally do. I almost want one for myself.

The Cabin

2011-02-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

We went to the cabin with our friends the Feils and my sister Amber and her friend Amanda. We had a great time. We played games, watched movies, played in the snow, played the Wii, had a Speed Slice Tournament and watched the Super Bowl. We had so much fun just relaxing and sharing in good food and laughs.

Our Outdoor Cooler

Amber's Friend Amanda

Sarah and Jasen squaring off during our Wii tournament

Molly fell asleep on the floor in front of the fire. Aaron loves to hang by the fire and apparently Molly got that trait too.

We turned around and snapped this of Lilly. She is just absentmindedly watching t.v. with her kitty on her head.

We played in the snow and had a great time!

Molly had a blueberry stuck on her face. I thought it looked like a beauty mark

Stake Cultural Night

2011-02-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

Our stake did a Polynesian Cultural Night. It was so much fun. We ate traditional food and watched a great show. A lot of the youth worked hard to preform great dances for us. It was even cool to watch the stake presidency and the high council get in on the action. They weren't very good at it, but they tried hard! All in all it was fun to be out without the kids and with other adults and to be able to get to know others in our stake a little better.

Jeff Blauer and Aaron

The High Council

Molly's A Working Girl

2011-02-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

The other night at dinner Lilly decided to put her napkin on her head. Of course, Molly had to do what her sister does. So they are playing and Lilly tells us that she is a girl and Molly is a Working Girl. We cracked up. I was just so funny to hear her call her sister a "working girl". Ah Lilly, we love you!

Cupcakes!

2011-02-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Ah Cupcakes! We love cupcakes. Normally we make sugar cookies, but this time we decided to try cupcakes with the girls. They always have a fun time. Lilly is getting so precise with her frosting. She still loves to put piles of sprinkles on top, but hey she loves it. Molly just likes to lick the frosting off and doesn't really care to cover the cupcake, (ah, my kind of girl!)

frosting her cupcake

getting so precise!

Snowman Building Fun

2011-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

The other day we finally had enough wet snow to build a snowman with! The girls were so excited about it. Lilly loved it and helped to add everything that she could. Molly just loved walking around and picking up snow. Occasionally whining and occasionally having a good time. Lilly also loved the snowball maker that my brother gave us. She thought it was so cool that she could make a perfectly round and perfectly packed snowball. Thanks Uncle J.R. the girls love it!

Doesn't Molly look so happy to be there!?!

Showing us how to make the perfect snowball

Here it is!

Girls Night

2011-01-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

Girls Night In is....

A picnic on the floor....

Popping up something they love...

Making it into something they love even more...

Settling in for a good show and...

Taking self portraits...

Aaron went to the cabin overnight with "the guys" so we stayed home and had a great time. Lilly loved staying up later than normal and now any time that Dad is gone she asks if we can do it all over again.

Molly

2011-01-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Molly is 2 years old now. Time sure is flying by. She is such a joy to have around our home. She loves loves loves shoes. She will drag them all over the house because she just wants to wear them. She loves to say "I'm ready!" and "So excited!" She loves to go in the car and will sometimes cry when we get to our destination because she knows that means she has to get out of it. She is now in a booster seat and so much happier. She talks non-stop about everything. She loves the Nursery at our church and she loves to play with her sister. She thinks Lilly is the smartest most fun person in the world - so that means she copies everything that Lilly does. She loves to help in the kitchen and to cuddle with her Mom and Dad. We love you Molly! Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Molly and Orrin

2010-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

On Christmas night we celebrated Molly and Orrin's Birthday. Orrin was born on Christmas and Molly's Birthday is the day after. They were so excited that they got to open a couple more gifts. Orrin got some Toy Story toys and and outfit. Molly got a Weebles Tree House, an outfit and a talking purse. They were so excited about it. After gifts we put some candles into the pumpkin pie and sang to them. They didn't care that it wasn't real cake. They were just excited that they got to blow on something!

The girls with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Farmer

Lilly and Grandpa

The girls with Grandma

Uncle J.R.

Aunt Amber

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was spent at my parent's house. We had a great time. For some reason I don't have any pictures of Aaron or I - even though I know I took some. It's our camera! But, Good news - I got one for Christmas! I was so excited. Aaron got a GPS for the car. I took some video of the morning and I'll post them if I can figure it out. We had a great day filled with great people.

Lilly got a princess castle, a pillow pet and a few other little things from Santa. She also got a bike from Aaron's parents and another princess castle from my parents. She loved everything that she got. Her reaction was priceless. In the bottom middle picture she is freaking out a little. I got this nice head scratcher/massager thing, she said it made her arm twitch.

Molly first saw Lilly's things and was super excited. We had to redirect her to her things and her reaction was even better. She loved the car. She got right into it first thing. We couldn't get her to come out of it. She wouldn't open any presents. She tried a few times, but if the gift wouldn't fit in the car with her, then she just threw it out. She figured she didn't need it if it wouldn't fit in the car. She rode in it all day! I would say that Santa hit the nail on the head with that one. She got really good at opening presents though and she thought it was great to clap her hands and yell with each gift that she opened.

My Mom got this pretty bowl that they picked up in Hawaii on their last trip.

J.R. doesn't look like he got anything, but he made out decent with a t.v.

My Dad got a Kindle - which I had to teach him how to use. I think he likes it now.

Amber made out with a blue ray player and Despicable Me with a blow up minon. She was loving life!

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

This year we decorated gingerbread house with our friends the Feils. We had a really good time. Aaron and I had a little trouble with our house though. We had originally bought one of those pre-built houses that all you have to do is decorate. Our friends were giving us a hard time about it. So for our house we went and got one of those kits were you put the whole thing together. Meanwhile, the Feils went and got a pre-built house! It was a disaster! It fell apart so bad. First the roof went, then the sides. We were trying everything to prop it up. By the end of the night we called it our trailer that got hit by a tornado. It all worked out. Aaron was a little annoyed by the whole things, but we made the best of it. The kids just decorated the pre-built houses and they had a great time. I think they ate more than they decorated, but sometimes that is the point with the little ones! Thanks for decorating with us Feil Family. It was a blast.

Sarah and Jasen

The disaster!

Aw, we still love each other!

Decorating The Christmas Tree

2010-12-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

It is so much fun to decorate the Christmas tree. Lilly is getting so big and she loves to help in any way that she can. Molly just stands there looking pretty, but Lilly gets into the heart of it. We found a really great Christmas tree this year after much debate. You see, our original plan was to go and get a Christmas tree while we were at my parents house for Thanksgiving. We made it to Boise without any issues, but while we were driving (just past the temple, I might add) we got into an accident. There was black ice everywhere, so many people stopped in the middle of the road and even more people sliding to avoid them. We didn't have a chance at avoiding the car in front of us. Luckily no one was hurt and the other car wasn't too badly damaged. We got our car into a body shop to be fixed and insurance set us up with an.... I don't even know what it was called, because I hated it so much! Anyway, needless to say we could no longer get a tree at my parents house.

So we found one here in town, and I loved it! It was so pretty once we got it all decorated.

She could hardly wait to get going!

Aaron doing the lights

Lookin' pretty

She loves ornaments

decorating the tree

Ah, sisters

We tried to get family self portrait out of the deal, but it just didn't work!

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

This year we celebrated our Birthdays by going out!!! It was nice to be without the kids for a while. I can't believe that Aaron turned 31 this year and I turned 28! Time is flying by us. Happy Birthday Honey! I love you. Thanks for doing all that you can for our family. We sure do appreciate you.

Amber's Sexy Face

2010-11-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Amber spent quite a bit of time with my camera. She was trying to do a sexy face....

I'll let you be the judge!

And because of the sexy face, my girls decided they had to give it a try too!

We love Amber!

Zims

2010-11-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we all headed out to Zim's Hot Springs for an afternoon of swimming and fun. We all had a great time. Of course, Aaron had to roll around in the snow. Once he did that all the little boys thought it was pretty cool and so they did it too. It was pretty funny to watch! We swam for a while and then we headed inside for some lunch. Afterwards, my Dad gave all the kids 4 quarters that they could use however they wanted in the arcade. I put 50 cents into a moving rocket ship for Molly. She hated it, so we put Grant in instead. We were all waiting for Grants turn to be over but the rocket ship just kept going! It was still going when we left which meant it had been going for at least an hour! All the kids that wanted a ride got one. There was no better way to spend 50 cents! We had a great time with the family. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us!

Getting ready to go swimming

Everyone in the pool

The infamous rocket ship

Here it is again!

There was a nice storm hitting while we were there. It was a winter wonderland!

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We were with my family in White Bird. It was cold, but we had a great time. We started our day with family pictures. They turned out great! Then we went on with our festivities. My Mom made all of us girls aprons. She also made a matching one for our little girls too. I think that her thought was that if we all have aprons then we can't get out of helping with the cooking! Just kidding! We loved them, they turned out super cute! We couldn't really seem to get a decent picture out of the deal, so what you see is what you get! After dinner we just played. I somehow ended up playing Mary Had a Little Lamb on the glasses (you know, like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality?) And then we had an evening of games. It was a great Thanksgiving and I hope that all of you had a fantastic one too!

They loved wrestling with Aunt Amber

Playing the glasses, as you can see Amber is about to loose it!

Lilly was outside playing for a really long time. Here are her rosy cheeks

Little miss Ava

Our Aprons!

Growing Up

2010-11-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am hitting a new phase in my life right now. It happens to be a phase that comes with a lot of introspection about who I am and my life. I have always come across as a confident strong woman, and yes, I believe that is because of certain life experiences which I have had. Those life experiences have shaped a lot about who I am today. But lately I have had to wonder about a few things. Here I am, I have 2 children, I am married and getting ready to embark upon a whole new phase in my life. If ever I am given a task (which is a lot) then I do that task and complete it with confidence and assurity. But when I am in a group type setting I back off. I don't say a lot and I think it is because I feel like I am just so young and all these people are much older than me. So who am I to tell them something they should be doing? But as of late I have realized a few things. There have been some things happening with Aaron's thesis (not surprisingly) but they are things that are totally out of our control. It is because of someone else's errors that we are out a lot of money and time. I have come to realize that I am a strong and intelligent woman. I have come to realize that I know just as much as someone that is older than me, and yes, they may have the life experience behind them, but what about me. If I don't stand up and use those tools that I have worked so hard to gain, then how am I to ever learn from my own life experiences? I feel like I am growing up again. Does that make any sense?

I know I am an adult and all, but once again I feel like my personality, my whole being, and even to some extent my belief system is maturing even more now. I am afraid that if I don't start learning and growing and stop being intimidated by someone just because they are older, then one day I will wake up and be one of those older people who will then be intimidated by some "young punk" who thinks they know it all. I am not saying that I want to become a "young punk" but I am saying that it is time for me to embrace the new me that is starting to emerge.

I am a strong woman who has a lot of knowledge. I am a woman who is trying to make better decisions and make better choices, not only for myself but for my family. I am a leader for not only my children but for other children as well. I am excited and scared about the changes happening all around me, but I hope I can embrace them and grown with my husband and my children. The kids are just getting so big now, and I want nothing more than to enjoy this time that I have with them. I don't know if this little rant means much of anything. I guess I want to know, does anyone else ever feel this way?

My New Bed

2010-11-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

Molly has just hit a new phase. She is now in a big girl bed! She is so excited about it. She doesn't cry anymore when it's time for bed and she is willingly going into her room. She loves it! I think she is sleeping better than ever. I was nervous (as usual) for her first night, but she did great. Her nap time went great too. I am so happy for her and hope she keeps loving it.

climbing into her bed for the first time

A Flash Back

2010-11-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Since we were taking a few pictures of Molly and her new bed, Lilly wanted one as well. While I was taking the picture it reminded me of the first time with her new bed. She has sure grown up a lot! I love you Lilly!