Four's a crowd

Can't believe it is a new year!

2012-01-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

So we have entered a new year! So here are a lot of pictures from since Christmas.

We went to my parents to house for Christmas eve and here was the try after Santa came. It was fun to have Jesse there to have the magic of Santa in our home. We also had a really need talk with the adults about memories and some lovely stories were shared. I LOVE Christmas Eve!

Jesse got some little parachuter men. And my parents landing has always been perfect for this kind of thing. So him and his Aunt Katie had a good time doing this.

Matt, my brother in law, making his famous rolls. It's a must during the holidays and I could have a meal alone of these rolls. We call them one-hour- rolls.

The Christmas goodies. There are layers to this. It was pretty ridiculous really. But what can you expect when everyone likes to bake?

Jesse got a new bike and his Uncle Paul helped him ride it around outside. He was in heaven!

The Christmas loot we brought home. A little ridiculous.

Jesse developed Croup the day before Christmas Eve and he was ok for a little while but it worsened the day after Christmas. We all got to be a little lethargic for a day. It was kinda nice to be lazy!

Charlotte's first time eating yogurt on her own.

not too successful.

Jesse turned 4 on January 5th. We tried to make the day special for him so it started out with balloons all over his room (blown up and put in there while he was sleeping). I woke up to him in the crib with Charlotte playing with balloons. :)

He also woke up to the house decorated.

And insisted on wearing his doggy costume.

AND we had some delicious monkey bread for breakfast. Yes, it is as good as it looks

Riding his bike some more.

Going for a walk/bike ride together.

We let Jesse open a present from his grandma and grandpa Summers on his birthday. The rest he'll open today (Sunday) when family comes around.

Jesse helped me make his cupcakes.

Andy was sleeping for his graveyard shift. Charlotte was in bed as well so Jesse and I sang happy birthday and he got to blow out some candles. It was quiet but he liked it.

And that was our last couple of weeks. Loads of fun! What a great year we are looking forward to.

December

2011-12-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little behind. It seems when I try really hard to do well at one thing, the other things suffer. In this case I was trying to eat well, drink all my water, stay in my calorie intake, and exercise. So everything else seemed to go to pot. I have not given it up this week but am trying better to manage my time :)

So here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks:

Jesse is really into costumes right now so here is one he favors

Playing outside on one of the "nicer" days. Charlotte always wants to ride what Jesse is riding so this is the compromise.

For one Christmas Party I made mincemeat pies. Very fun! And sort of traditional in the family. These ones were a little big for my taste so I borrowed a small tart pan and am going to make them again for my family :)

I have started letting Charlotte eat on her own. It is always a big step for myself to do this because I HATE messes and especially when our dinner table is over carpet. But I let go and let her eat her cereal with a spoon each morning. She actually ends up eating more with her hands but it is practice AND it keeps her entertained more than anything else! This morning she went through two bowls of cereal.

Sunday we had Andy's cousin and his wife and daughter over. This is Grayden and Sophie. Such a fun couple and an ADORABLE little girl!

Monday morning we decided to do another family tradition of sorts- eggs and soldiers. Jesse has never been a fan of eggs so we thought we would try this. He only ate one but it was progress!

My smart little man playing a rolling marble video game. Andy and I are always amazed at how he thinks and how coordinated he is in these things. Hopefully we can mold that cleverness into something more....productive? :)

Jesse is always the big helper and here he is helping me separate the red beads from the rest. After a while he told me: "Mom, it's okay that the black is with the red." And I looked in the bowl and apparently he was sick of the task and started just putting whatever beads wherever. hmmm...

And here is the finished project! That is right- I only get three Christmas cards! Hahah. I am sure that when I start getting on the ball enough to send out Christmas cards then I will get more in return. But I am happy for those that remember me :)

I will not be updating again until after Christmas, so Happy Christmas everyone!

Holiday's begin!

2011-12-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

Utah trip, Part 2:

Jesse LOVES his uncle Bobby who always takes the time to give him special attention. Here they are playing a game.

Aunt Tiffany reading Jesse his evening book. He loved to have everyone there to read him a book each night.

Downtown Ogden there by the municipal building they have the Ogden Village which is a large amount of small (basically children) houses that are decorated. Hard to explain but Jesse LOVED it! He was running from house to house to see what was next. This picture is kind of dark but Jesse was holding hands with his cousin Theron. cute :)

Cousin Theron:

Jesse being a solider:

The little decorated houses:

Family picture, minus Andy. This gives you an idea of what is inside the houses. So fun!

Monday morning early we headed out of town and on the way through the canyon we saw many people parked on the side of the road. We were pretty confused and wondered what they were looking at. Lo and behold there was a steam engine coming around the bend and we were able to see it!

Eventually when Charlotte gets bored with food she just starts to crumple it into small peices. We looked back and there she was, covered in crumbs.

A couple days after we got home we got a REAL tree to put up. It was fun and it smells so nice!!!

The finished product.

This kid can make quite the faces....We made an ornament together (thanks Shelly Stephan!), and I couldn't get him to pose normally.

These socks lining the wall is our newest advent calendar. I told Jesse that if he is good, a little elf will come by each day and put a present in his sock. Sometimes this little elf comes in the middle of the day and Jesse will be out of the room and I yell telling him that I saw the elf and he will look and look for him!

My happy Charlotte! I capture a rare smile. This girl has been so moody this week- I hope this isn't a permanent thing!

Beginning of Vacation

2011-11-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

Thursday we left for Ogden, Utah. We headed down in anticipation of seeing Andy's sister, Tiffany, come off her mission on Tuesday. We have been busy running all around doing the things that we like to do. Here are a few pictures from the beginning of the trip:

Kids asleep in the car (I was the only one awake at the time)

Once we got there it snowed the next day. I made sure to have all the kid's snow clothes so that we could do some playing in this foreign concept of snow...Charlotte liked it but got cold quickly.

Andy must have missed it so much that he wanted to do some shoveling...

Jesse acted like he was born for the snow! Throwing snowballs, making angels and just generally being a boy.

We decided to build a snowman and he turned out to be huge!!

Here is our finished snowman...mustache and all..

Coming in from the cold. Katie was with us because she was flying to Oregon to do some hunting with my dad.

Saturday night Andy and I headed to a BYU home football game. It was chilly but fun to do something we had never done together! They won 42-7.

We even got matching hot-chocolate mugs. YUM!

Cosmo even came up close to us!

Sunday was an experience- Charlotte was grouchy pretty much ALL day! Andy and I didn't get to sit down for one moment until she went home before sacrament for a nap. Jesse was good so that made up for Charlotte's grouchy mood.

Jesse got a hold of Grandma's camera and figured out how to use it. :)

And our weekend ended by playing a game of Settlers of Catan- one of our favorites. Here Andy is in one of his more "normal" poses :)

More pictures to come of Tiffany's return on Tuesday!

Fall adventures

2011-11-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

So we carved our pumpkins a week after Halloween. It was a busy week for us...Jesse got to do his own pumpkin this year for the first time (with the exception of the knife). He LOVED it! Except getting his hands dirty in the gook but he did a good job. Here he is with his personally designed pumpkin:

Andy helping me with my pumpkin:

Scooping out the guts. Jesse actually touched them this year. In the past he wouldn't at all!

And the lit masterpieces.

A couple days later Jesse and I did some leaf rubbings and made a garland. He was pretty proud of it. :)

Jesse is into a phase where he loves to help with EVERYTHING! He has gotten really good at pulling the chair away from the table to step up and help in the kitchen. Here we are making pancakes. Bad lighting...

My mom and I went to the temple together on Friday for a much needed break. SO lovely! And all the trees were in their fall splendor. So we couldn't help but take some pictures.

And my little man got some new church clothes AND a hair cut. This makes him look so grown up!

I just finished this about an hour ago. On to the next towel!

And this week will be just as busy! We are heading to Utah on Thursday for a much anticipated homecoming of Andy's sister Tiffany.

Autumn

2011-11-06T15:50:00.001-08:00

It really has been an uneventful week. Lots of relaxing due to the fact that we are all sick. There is a terrible nasty cold going around and we ALL have it. Even my poor Charlotte who doesn't understand why her nose doesn't work properly. When she can't drink her bottle she looks at it like there is something wrong with it. Poor thing.

Anyway- We ended up at my parents for a Halloween gathering of sorts. It was fun just to be around everyone. We didn't do much besides eat and play video games. Now I am not usually a gamer but every holiday we pull out "snowboard kids II" on the Nintendo 64. It is SOO fun to play it with everyone. We were all rolling in laughter at the end of each round :) So we didn't go trick or treating which may sound lame, but Jesse had loads of candy from the ward trunk or treat and other events. And he didn't notice or care much. And had plenty of time to wear his costume to other events. Here is some of the [horrible] candy that Jesse got. We have been slowly working through it and he is loving it! (Obviously)

'Tis the season for pumpkin food! We made these delicious whole wheat pumpkin pancakes for breakfast one morning and we all LOVED them! Go here to see the recipe. I had mine with molasses which I don't usually do but oh my it was just yummy. And now my mouth is watering.

So that is my week. We have Christmas music playing nearly all day now and are counting down the days to getting our first REAL family Christmas tree. Happy Holidays everyone! :)

Halloween

2011-10-30T19:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend has been a busy one with all the things going on. But we did manage to relax here and there and spend some time together. Today Jesse and I were able to go to church all by ourselves! What a treat!!! Andy was sick so he stayed home (while Charlotte got her much needed 3 hour nap) and Jesse and I cuddle through church. So nice! Here is my big boy right before we left for church. I am going to buy him some new pants this week because his legs are growing out of all the ones he has!!

For Halloween we went to the Camas "Boo Bash." I should say Andy because I was tutoring. But I wasn't too dissapointed because I was told there were many lines and lots of people. It is basically an event where you walk around downtown Camas, which is small and very cute, and trick-or-treat at each store. On Friday we went to the Church's trunk or treat which was fun but crazy. He loaded up his pumpkin with candy and I have managed to stay out of it. Here are out costumes that I made for our family:

What concentration!

early in the week for family home evening we went to a pumpkin patch and then came home and made pumpkin rice crispie treats. Or Andy and Jesse did. I chose this pictures because holy cow they are so alike!!

Can't get a good face out of both of them at once!

And to top of the weekend I will be getting up early to Substitute for a Kindergarten class. That should be interesting....

Busy week!

2011-10-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Andy worked a twelve and to top it off Jesse was sick. So we didn't go to church which usually provides me with some kind of respite from my everyday routine. So to change it up we went for a walk along the Colombia River. It was a BEAUTIFUL evening.

And the kids loved it to boot!

Heaven!

Pretty sunset as well!

The kids got out and played and Charlotte seems happiest playing in the dirt. Or chasing Jesse around and doing what he is doing.

Monday we went to The Dalles where Andy has a business meeting. It was four hours so we had to find something to do. They have a Colombia Gorge Discovery Center there that was perfect! Jesse loved all the cool exhibits and we even got to see live birds of prey! Cool :)

An old buggy. Glad I didn't ever have to use this mode of transportation.

Kids discovery room. I want one of these for the kids bedrooms.

A tent similar to the ones Lewis and Clark stayed in. Jesse wasn't too please apparently...

And what did we find but a replica of the "Mormon Handcart!" What it was doing there- I am not sure, but it was kinda cool to see it!

Charlotte enjoying her first independent slide ride.

Still in The Dalles at my favorite restaurant and what made me make the trip in the first place: COUSINS!

And these cinnamon rolls are worth the drive (and the calories!). This was after we had eaten half of it. They are the size of dinner plates!

Later in the week we were able to drive to Bay City (by Tillamook) to visit my Grandma. We stayed over and the next day Gram taught me to embroider. What a day! Mom took the kids and went outside and basically watched them all day (THANK YOU!!) and I spent the time at the kitchen table slaving over a masterpiece. Ok not really but pretty good for a first attempt.

It was a treasured memory I will always have with just my Grandma and me. :)

Another Week. Where is October going?!?

2011-10-09T17:45:00.001-07:00

What a week! Well it really wasn't that busy now that I look back. But I got lots accomplished! And that always feels good. First of all, I canned my first batch of Salsa!!!! I think it turned out pretty well but I won't add as much apple cider vinegar next time- makes it too sweet. And I am a salty salsa kinda girl. But still good.

This week for Jesse's lessons we were learning about the letter "I." Jesse just soaks everything up so quickly and our lessons are over in less than an hour. It seems as if he wants to learn more so I tried some words with him this week. We used some scrabble pieces and put them together to see how he did and he READ his first word ALLLL by himself!! I am so proud of this little man! Other things we did: learn about inches, do "ice-cream cone math," watch ice melt, and make ice-cream sandwiches. We have so much fun together. :)

Char finishing up her last birthday cake. Of course she was more into it when 10 people weren't staring at her.

And decorating our "I" for the school board with eyes. Doesn't work too well but great for Halloween. :)

And that's all! I am enjoying blogging every week and hope that everyone else is liking this posts. Oh and I started a new challenge: the Body for Life Challenge. I have lost 4 lbs this week. It is encouraging and I am going to keep it up!! WOOHOO!

Another week with a busy weekend

2011-10-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

And so it was H week. A few things we talked about and activities we did: holes, honey bees, hands, hungry caterpillar...and much more. The following pictures show our fun activities for this week:

For this activity I found a bunch of small objects around the house to put into a bag and he had to guess what he was feeling when he reached in. He loved it! We'll have to do this again soon...

We made our own hungry caterpillar using leaves and paint. This is not the finished product but it turned out pretty cute :)

Jesse is learning how to put his own shirts on. It's hard, but he is getting there. I wasn't much help during this picture because I just sat and laughed at him!

Good entertainment (outdoor pool)

General Conference was this weekend and it was FANTASTIC! This year I did a packet with Jesse of different things to do while watching. He loved it and it kept him pretty occupied. Here are a few of the activities:

This one we colored and cut out pictures of the presidency and they stood up. He was actually making them talk to each other in this picture :)

Charlotte and Daddy being silly. She was laughing at the feel of his whiskery cheek. So cute :)

We celebrated Charlotte's first birthday this evening with close family. It was lovely. I cannot believe my little monster is one!! I love this girl and her penguin walk and slobbery kisses. I love her funny hair and her twinkling smile and gaping teeth. I even love her cute wild tantrums she is beginning to throw. They make me want to just laugh at her. I am thankful every day for a spunky lovey little thing. Here are a few pics of the house decor:

Tuesday is her official birthday. Here's a shout out to the biggest one-year-old mama's girl! And that's all! It was busy but we have a busy week ahead as well!

G week, family pictures and such

2011-09-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here is our "G" board. It was a fun, but low-key week as we had many crazy things going on. But here is Jesse. He was confused about "Giraffe" because it doesn't start with the normal "G" sound. He is a little too young to get the differences so...we'll get there next year. He is signing "G" in this pictures too. CHEESE!

We learned about Germs. He doesn't like having dirty hands so it was very appropriate for him. He went and shook dad's hand and they both had germs they had to go and then wash off. I thought he got it until his friends showed up the next day and he said: "Here let me shake your hand. Now you have germs." like it was fun? Oh well, we'll get there :)

Miss booger eating blueberry scones (read on)

Previously mentioned blueberry scones. SOOOO yummy! Go here for recipe (from my Aunt Candy's blog). They were so easy and I made them in no time for breakfast one morning!

I have been feeling particularly crafty this week and made this eye-mask for myself. The morning light always wakes me up and keeps me awake so this was perfect. Jesse was kinda freaked out in the morning when he found me with it on.....

Coloring page from school.

For my dad's 64th birthday I made him a special treat. Candied ginger. Personally, can't stand the stuff. Even soaked in syrup and coated in sugar. EVEN dipped in chocolate (see next picture). BUT if you (or a loved one) is a ginger lover then this is a must-try. It was a big hit- not only with dad but with my little brother Paul and sister Kristin. Go here for recipe. Another easy and fun to make recipe.

Ginger dipped in dark chocolate (after it has been candied). Again- a big hit!

While at my mom and dad's we did a photo-shoot of sorts. My mom is a great photographer and has taken classes to perfect her skill. She is buying newer and newer gadgits and why not take advantage of those and let her practice? :) following is what we ended up with:

(love this one)

yep. they liked it

Which one is your fav?

"F" week!!

2011-09-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

So far so good on my weekly posts :) It at least makes me feel good about myself. Here is my little man looking so grown up! He wore his first zip-up tie today and it was just too cute. I can't believe he will be 4 in January! Love this kid!

Here is my other little squirt growing up quickly too! This week she has decided to perfect walking because she is taking more and more steps! She is in love with Jesse's Piano that he got for Christmas when he was one. It's fun that she loves it too.

For one of our topics during our "F" week of preschool, we learned about feelings. We tried to decided what Calvin was feeling here and even made some of the faces. Following is the photo shoot of silly faces :) (see if you can match Jesse's face with Calvin's face)

We also learned how to fold, and make fans. :) fun!

And lastly, our "F" board. Full of lots of goodies that helped up remember what starts with f. Jesse has really taken off lately with the beginning sounds of words. He tries to figure out what everything starts with. My favorites so far (not that they are all this way): "chip. chhh, chhh, chhh.....T for chips! Right mama?" or "Drink, dr, dr, drrr...J is for drink!" Now if you say those two words you will realize why those sounds are so hard for a three year old to understand!

Oh and he has learned how to spell and write "Jacob" (his best friend), "mama" and "dada" on his own. So fuN! Until next week!

Happenings this week

2011-09-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get better at posting because who wants to read a blog that never updates? So here I am trying to do bi-weekly posts. Charlotte has been taking lots of steps this week and even completed a journey from the couch to the chair walking. CRAZY! And I'm so not ready. She gets into things as it is. I am fearing for the book on the lower part of my bookshelf. So here she is figuring out how to climb things. It was inevitable I would eventually have a climber since Jesse was so timid.

I do school with Jesse each day (m-f) and we are going over the alphabet, learning new subjects along the way and having fun with art projects. My main focus was to help him to learn the sounds better and start to be able to recognize letters when hearing sounds. He has made huge leaps this week and is starting to point out beginning sounds with letters. I love the "aha" moment even though he doesn't realize what he did! Here he is practicing numbers and circling (fine motor skills).

Fun way to practice the letter "E":

Another fun way to play with the letter "E":

ANNND Jesse being his own photographer. He has started to take more pictures of other things: like my backside as I am bending over. But I wasn't about to post THOSE pictures...hehe

And my sister Anne got her first teaching job!!! HOORAY!! Kudos to her and especially since it is high school chemistry, a subject and audience I would rather die than teach. But I did tell her I would sub for her since it is in the district that I sub for. Here is her classroom pre-decoration. You can kind of see her in the right side of the picture in the prep room cleaning. So I decided to post this for those who know her and may not get to see a post out of HER for....well a year maybe :)

And that's all.

New tip!

2011-09-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Okay so this new tip comes with a little bit of background:

I am tutoring a few kids in a family and I have come up with my own lesson plans. The first grader I am tutoring is working on word recognition and memorizing sight words and such. So I make this activity for him called a word slider:

Well my word sliders have looked really ridiculous until I discovered a new tool I could use to cut the lines in it: a seam ripper!! Have you ever tried to poke a small hole/cut a straight line in something that you wanted to look nice and clean and ended up bending/ripping/generally ruining your project? I have. Thus the seam ripper. Hope this helps in some way!

What HAVE I been up to?

2011-08-23T21:13:00.001-07:00

August has been a good month for us. We have had lots of fun outside, started school with Jesse (here at home), watched Charlotte go from crawling to cruising, and much more! Following are pictures (some you may have already seen) but are some of my favorite from the month.

Jesse is always thrilled for one on one attention. Here he is doing one of his favorite things: playing games with Dad. Can you tell how happy he is?

Jesse is aspiring to be a photographer. Can you tell what it is?

A new chair that is a permanent fixture in our living room. Room for both Charlotte and Jesse.

Popsicles have been our treat of choice this month with the heat. Can you tell what color we were eating? Jesse had never seen his tongue turn a different color so he was very fascinated. :)

Jesse loves dressing up in costumes, and always with his goggles on upside-down. Never a dull moment around here!

More Daddy time. Here I convinced them to make cupcakes together. He is now obsessed about helping me in the kitchen and I end up usually letting him do the "dishes" which consists of him playing in soapy water with clean dishes. Oh to be a three year old!

Our tent we just purchased, and we get to use it this weekend!

Two happy siblings sitting together.

Of course I had to go blackberry picking with the fam. So fun! And I love the reward of hard work. :)

With school we are learning a new letter each week. He pretty much knows them but it doesn't hurt to go over the sounds and new words and concepts. He LOVES school and pretty much asks to do it all the time! What a cute kid :) (this is a cow in the picture by the way)

Jesse normally doesn't love vacuums and runs away when I get it out. This time I let it sit around for a while and he started playing and talking to it. Maybe it will cure him of his phobia? Maybe not...

More "school" but with colors and mixing. And his first fingerpainting experience

Oops, accidentally got myself!

mixing colors

Playing outside

more vacuum love

More school- what a smartie!

And Charlotte's Daddy time. I sure have a good husband who never hesitates to spend time with his little ones. The kids adore him and I am so thankful for him!

Enchanted Forest!

2011-06-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had not been to Enchanted Forest for about 8 years. Andy and Jesse had both never been before so it was a fun trip! Jesse was really excited about all the fun things to see. These are only a few of the many pictures we took (i.e. my mom took).

Ab Lincoln was there! Jesse didn't know who he was but he was pretty convincing if you ask me! And Jesse got to hold a real-ish gun so he was pretty pleased.

The shoe slide! Jesse couldn't get enough once we forced him to go down.

Going down as a family. Charlotte-hahah

The crooked house, one of my favorites.

The witches mouth.

What a sport!

Ice Mountain. I think I was more nervous than Jesse was. I don't like roller coasters so I thought Jesse wouldn't like it. He seemed to do all right as long as dad was holding him. You can't see him in this picture but he is hunched down in front of Andy.

Me nervously waiting to see his reaction...

Moms can have fun too, right?

Hahaha, Jesse got turned around on the slide- it was pretty funny

We all had fun because there were activities for all ages. This game was controlling boats in a little pool.

It was a fun little vacation!

June and little vacations

2011-06-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some odds and ends of pictures of what we have been up to this month. Most of the pictures will be of when we took a little vacation to my parents. While staying with my parents we traveled to the beach and went to a nearby theme park- Enchanted Forest. We also had a chance to play in the kiddie pool and enjoy the outdoors. Andy was able to take the vacation with us because he was in between semesters of school. School has started back up and we are busier than ever (thus the posting of these 2 weeks later...)

We have a stretch of grass in our backyard and it is wonderful for Jesse to play on!

He is becoming quite the little golfer. And like most boys/males he excels at most sports (not to brag or anything..).

Here we are enjoying a day outside on the porch in the kiddie pool at my parents. Charlotte is crawling now!!

Love this!

I took just a few pictures of the beach because I was preoccupied with keeping Charlotte close. Both the kids LOVED the beach! (And so did Andy as you will see...)

In the backyard at my parents. Charlotte is still not certain how she feels about grass....

While at my parents Andy volunteered to help my mom with the garden. I got ONE pictures of him doing it :)

Jesse keeping occupied by riding Papa's trailer.

The next post will be of when we went to Enchanted Forest. Stay tuned!

Poll Time!

2011-05-28T14:52:00.001-07:00

Please vote on my poll!

Trip to Utah

2011-05-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Lisa came home from serving a mission in Indiana for our church on Tuesday. We were lucky enough to be at the airport to greet her!!

Here is Andy waiting for Lisa to arrive:

Jesse "showing Lisa how smart he is" (by saying the ABC's)

The group that was there:

Andy, Grandma Summers, Laurie (cousin), Melissa (cousin), Grandpa Summers, Lisa, Christina, Theron, Jesse, Jesse, Terri, and me.

Jesse couldn't get enough of Lisa or "di-da" or "Katie" as he would call her over the next couple of days...

Jesse being a knight

Charlotte snapped out of her grouchiness to allow for periods of cuddliness (not long mind you)

Jesse LOVES his uncle Robert- he would get down and play with him any time!

I LOVE this shape kit- robert got it from a retiring pre-school teacher. I NEED one of these so if anyone sees one, please let me know!!

You put the shapes onto the color and pictures and Jesse was addicted!

We were able to visit my brother in Roy and it was fun to watch everyone spend time together. These three were playing games on the wii (I think). I got my hair cut. Thanks again Julie!!

Not so little anymore Lukie. He looked so good and happy after several weeks of medical problems. He has red hair and I just adore him!

Their game faces are ON!

Charlotte LOVED maggie! She doesn't let a lot of people hold her, especially when meeting them the first time but maggie just took her and walked away and she was fine! She rocked her and sat with her and cuddled her- it was pretty cute. :)

One of the last days we went to the Ogden Nature Center. All the trails were pretty much flooded and the kids were grouchy, but we had fun. :)

There was a bird-house contest and this was the winner. Check out a few of the other contestants:

They also had a bird exhibit but my camera didn't want to take pictures of the birds through the bars. This was the best picture I got and I don't even remember what kind of bird it is.....I am a disgrace to the family when it comes to remembering bird names. Ha!

It was a lovely trip! It was relaxing and fun. A few other memorable events: Robert got his kite stuck in a tree, climb the tree, and then fell out of it while we were looking the other direction. Haha. (He didn't get injure which is the only reason I am laughing). We also took everyone miniature golfing at a glow in the dark golf course. Jesse loved it of course, and Andy was the winner- even with Charlotte strapped to his front! I also got my first sunburn and am still recovering from it. We are trying to re-adjust to being back but enjoyed the time away and miss everyone already!

Look at the older posts because I posted a few other pictures!

MISC

2011-05-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

I am running out of clever post titles (not that mine were ever that clever), can you tell?

Here are just a few cute pictures I needed to post:
I know I have posted a million of Jesse reading with me/himself/his dad, but they are just too cute!

"What, am I doing something wrong?"

Jesse showing some brotherly love, and Charlotte not minding too much...

We made some Cinco De Mayo bracelets for an activity. Not that he even knows what that is, but it was still fun to do something crafty

He had to wear them for a while of course

The ONE sunny day we got outside this year so far. We LOVED it!

I just happened to put a long sleeved shirt on Jesse and the poor guy has my red-faced genes. But he was having fun :)

Charlotte's first encounter with grass

Thanks for stopping by :)

April

2011-05-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some odds and ends of pictures. My parents lent me a camera they don't use anymore so I was just trying to get used to lighting and everything. So here they are:

Charlotte getting me quite wet while bathing. I have to cover myself with towels. :)

Jesse enjoying a treat- you can tell he really likes it because he doesn't often lick his fingers.

Jesse's playing with his "trains."

I just loved his bright-eyed look of Charlotte's

I LOVE this cute little outfit

More playing

Jesse's morning bleary-eyed look.

Charlotte is rolling around everywhere and finds all kinds of things to be into. She loves stringy things and found some strings hanging off this little magazine holder (that holds cloth diapers).

Hopefully there will be more pictures to come since I am enjoying using this new camera.

March into April

2011-04-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

We have had a quiet beginning of the month but it is soon to get busy. This week Andy starts up his third semester of school with classes in Chemistry and English. He is really enjoying being a student and has earned two 4.0s for his last semesters. I am proud of the work he is putting into school. He is going to initially get a degree in nursing and then go from there.

Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to the last couple of weeks:

Jesse and I enjoy "quiet reading time" together the last month of so. It has replaced his naps and it is something that we can do together that is a breather in the middle of the day while Charlotte is sleeping. He loves it- especially since I let him pick out whatever books he wants and he reads them all himself.

Here is Charlotte with her new favorite snack (a mum-mum cracker):

She feels so happy to be doing something independently (and so is mom!)

I love this look and had to capture it:

We planted some veggies and herbs this last weekend with the help of Jesse. He had fun digging the holes and putting plants into the dirt. We are still green to gardening so it will be a little bit of an experiment to see what grows this early in the season. We have strawberries, peppers (red and green), oregano, roma tomatoes, and walla walla onions. Yum!

My three favorite people. My husband is such a good dad...

Charlotte in her church outfit one morning.

Jesse with his dollar store treat :)

And a pirate! Arrrgh matey!

We are looking forward to sunnier weather where we can all get outside and ride our bikes or simply go for a walk. Have a nice week!

A day like any other...

2011-03-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our days pretty much blur into each other because nothing unusual or exciting is happening this time of year. Andy finished another semester of school (this being his second) and will be moving onto the next one. He still has about a year before he has his pre-req's done. Here are a few pictures of our goings on:

Dad loading up the babe to go on a walk

Jesse very happy about his treat (yes he is a little spoiled...I can't help it, who can resist that?)

Charlotte hanging out with dad while he does a little gaming.

Jesse LOVES this puzzle from Grandma and Grandpa Summers and puts it together at least 4 times a day. We had a melt down because one of the pieces was missing the other day!

Eating dinner and being silly with dad.

Charlotte attempting to sit up. She'll get there :)

Okay so maybe sometimes out of the ordinary things do happen; my little sister returned from her mission from Texas! Here she is, grown up and everything. :)

Here is just a funny face that I captured with Charlotte :)

We have been having a hard time with Jesse's bedtime/sleeping lately so I got some advice (thanks Carrie) and we have started skipping naps and going to bed sooner. So instead of naps, after Charlotte goes down for her second nap, we have "quiet reading time." I thought that I would read some books to Jesse but NO! He HAS to read the books to me. He won't even let me touch to page or anything! So silly :). This particular video is of him reading one of our favorites "No, David" by David Shannon. So enjoy!

Bragging

2011-02-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

What mom can't help but brag about their amazing kids? Well I am no exception. I think my kids are the cutest, smartest, most wonderful things ever (most of the time) and just want to take a blog to write about them.

I took these series of photos in a matter of seconds. Apparently Jesse has done the photo booth somewhere before because he got the idea perfectly, whereas I did not....I think I was trying to get just a nice picture of us smiling together but Jesse had different ideas. hehehe they make me laugh. Especially the last one :)

My Charlie is getting so big. She is such a Mama's girl. I am warning you now- if you see her and she cries while looking at you- it is just a phase. One that I may not live through if I can't get some peace. Not really...but someday's I do love her smiles just for me.

Jesse told me he was "lettering" or in other words writing. He is quite imaginative when he wants to be. He is pointing to the letter "x." That's my boy :)

And he likes to pretend like he somebody else. Can anyone guess this pictures? It's Buzz Lightyear of course! The plumber was here this morning and he asked his name and Jesse said his name was "Tony." Where he got that I am not sure....but I just laughed and the guy said "Is that your alias?" Jesse is such a character and is constantly cracking me up!

He loves this board that he can erase over and over again. The other day he drew the letter "D" and showed it to me and proudly said "D, for dada!" We have been working on our letters casually here and there and I am please to see that he catches on so easily.

February Happenings

2011-02-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

This month has not been too busy for us- we have just been going about our regular routines. Andy works, goes to school and I squeeze in work somewhere in between a few days. It works for us and our children never have to go to daycare so I am happy :).

My Charlotte is getting so big! Here she is in her ducky bathrobe:

And her cute twinkly eyes :)

And this was her first time in her saucer- it is a big hit because there are buttons that make noise and colors light up

I came into Jesse's room the other day and saw this. :) I am hoping that Jesse likes to read as he gets older.

For Valentine's Day, we decided to let Jesse make some heart cookies. Here he is with Dad helping him cut them out:

Andy bought me tulips- they remind me that spring is just around the corner!

We had a special Valentine's dinner as a family. (You can tell these two are related with their cheesy wide-mouth grins...)

Here is my little man with the finish product of cookies. He even frosted a few himself!

We are looking forward to seeing my little sister in a week- she comes home from her mission from Texas! It seems like forever since I have seen her :). Another big event is we are moving into a new place! It is in the same area but less rent and a little bigger. It is a townhome too so it feels a little more "homey." This will happen in less than a week so I have lots of packing to do!

A weekend away

2011-02-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

So occasionally I get the chance to head down to Salem and spend a "weekend" with my mom. It is always a much-needed break and I enjoy just sitting around talking with her. This last trip we had a nice day with the kids and spent some time outdoors.

Here is a picture of Jesse with some glasses that I used to wear when I was his age. Priceless....

We went to Mission Mill- an old mill that made yarn? Things out of wool? Maybe I really should look through the museum there more often. Anyway, they have ducks on a river that Jesse LOVES to feed.

My bald little Charlotte.

A group shot! Pretty cute I think. Again I must mention these are all taken by my mother's far more superior camera. I don't even want to put my pictures up because they would pale in comparison to hers. :)

Jesse being his mischievous self. Can you tell? Love it.

Again, like his father, pulling a face for the camera.

Me and my baby!

So cute!

She has turned into my little thumb sucker! I just think it is CUTE!

A few updates- Jesse wrote his first letter yesterday. It was "M" for momma. :) I feel loved. He has hit a coloring high in his life- he finds pictures online to print off and he colors them so fast I feel like that is all I do- press the print button for them to print! Also, we are moving at the end of February into something a little bigger, with some green spaces, and into a more private area. We absolutely LOVE this area and the ward we are in so we will probably be here for a while! My baby sister comes home on March 3rd from her 18 month mission in McAllen, Texas. We are really looking forward to seeing her again. Other than that, we are doing well! Andy is getting good grades in school and I am subbing, tutoring an awesome set of kids, and otherwise loving life! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.

Baby Shoes

2011-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

I recently made a pair of baby shoes that I LOVE! I got the pattern from my friend Alissa Ellingson- so THANK YOU! :) They are relatively easy to make and you can make them with pretty much any fabric that you would like. I added a few embellishments as I made them which was a fun personal touch. I see more in my future. Here are the pictures:

What FUN! Here is the link to the pattern (http://www.stardustshoes.blogspot.com/), and the directions are very clear! This link takes you to a blog and if you look on the right side of the top of the stardustshoes blog a link titled "cloth shoe pattern" will lead you to what you need! Have fun!

Jesse's birthday

2011-01-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

This post is full of an assortment of pictures including Christmas, Charlotte's blessing, a Nutcracker outing, and Jesse's birthday. These particular ones were all taken by my mother.

We had family over for Charlotte's blessing, even Andy's parents. It was a nice day!

Jesse with both Grandpa's

Charlotte happy with the attention :)

Charlotte was blessed in the same outfit I was blessed in. It was very special and had a nice story behind it. Here we are before church.

Anne encouraged us all to go the Nutcracker this year so we all dressed up and went together. It was a fun way to celebrate Christmas as a family (notice no men. ha.)

Charlotte in her Christmas eve outfit :)

Reading the traditional "'Twas the Night before Christmas" book on Christmas eve.

Uncle Paul with Charlie

Charlie getting a bath in the only thing suitable- a big bowl. Hehe. Grandma did the bathing

Jesse turned three on January 5th! Here is his train cake we made for him.

Me and my little man!

look real closely at his fingers- he is telling papa how old he is.

blowing out the candles!

And diggin in

His favorite gift: a fishing pole :)

Happy new year!

A little here and there

2011-01-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

Andy's parents came to visit us the weekend of December 19th for Charlotte to be blessed at church. They first thing they did was grab both grand children and give them lots of attention! I think they were missed :). They flew in from Utah and we only see them once or twice a year.

This was also their first time seeing Charlotte. She was a big hit as she is with most people

While they were there we had an early Christmas with them. Jesse was excited regardless of how he looks.

Grandma with her grandbabies

And opening presents

For Jesse's Christmas present we got him this Home Depot tool bench with a bunch of cool tools. He really likes the goggles as you can see in the prior picture.

Charlotte is getting so big!!

I LOVED this outfit she got for Christmas from her Auntie Anne and Uncle Matt.

Brother and sister hanging out...

He loves to have her on his lap. He really is a good helper!

She is always a happy baby!

Do you think she looks like me? I love my Charlotte! She is the perfect addition to our family! Congrats to all those who have had babies lately, it is wonderful to be a mom!

Holiday Time!

2010-12-06T18:20:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Here we are decorating our lovely, fake, tree. It really is a nice size for our family and our apartment, even though I would like to have a real one :)

Jesse was SOOO excited he couldn't stop moving!

A couple days later we decided to try our hand at some holiday snowflakes.

Well I was making the snowflakes, Jesse was just cutting up paper.

Cheese!

The only reason we were able to is because Charlie was being good. She has her moments, but when she is good she is good!

The after-affects of the snowflakes. Jesse told me where he wanted them to go and we put them up. We even put up one of his own creations. Most beautiful I would say

Our little town puts on a holiday festival each year and Andy was working so I went with some friends, Britannia and Justin. Jesse enjoyed sitting on Justin's shoulders.

The lighted camas tree.

There was even a police car that Jesse was able to sit in. AND he got to turn on the lights!! The cop asked if he wanted to see the back but Jesse didn't want to. Too bad...

We had the chance to sit on Santa's lap (Jesse did) but I asked Jesse and his response was: "Yeahhh, NO! No I don't want to sit on Santa Clause lap." Not a fan of strangers in costumes- must be related to me.

Happy Holidays everyone!

My babies

2010-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

I recently took the last test to receive my Washington teaching license and my mom came up and watched my kiddos. She, as always, took some fabulous pictures that I wanted to share.

Here is Jesse at bedtime, brushing his teeth. Well in this picture he is actually "spitting" like mom and dad do when brushing their teeth (but when he does it nothing much happens).

What a big boy!

Jesse sitting at his art table and coloring. I wish he would do this more often because it is just too cute!

Here he is getting reading for nap-time with his froggy. This froggy has saved us the last couple of nights and made Jesse feel safe in his bedroom.

While Mom was here, we were determined to get some cute pictures of Charlie. She is beginning to smile more at me when I talk to her! She is just the cutest!

I won't be able to do this for much longer!

My sweet baby.

I just loved all these pictures and it shows how Charlotte is changing and getting bigger each day. I am enjoying watching her go through this and am determined not to feel the need to rush her infancy. I love my babies!

Another October Post!

2010-11-01T15:02:00.001-07:00

So I have never posted this much EVER! But I am loving all the great opportunities these seasons provide for pictures! I couldn't resist this picture of Charlotte- my mom took it at her house. CUTE!

Another picture taken by mom (in fact these all are)

Sleepin away!

Kisses for Mama. He is still my little man who loves to give me kisses.

Our little tomato with his pumpkin. What possessed him to strike this pose?

He is getting to be such a big boy and can put on his own shoes! Very helpful!

Charlie snugglin with dad :)

Jesse wanted to hold Charlie- for maybe 2 seconds (that is why Grandma kept her hands there)

On our way to trunk or treat! I was the farmer that grew the tomato and pumpkin (or gourd as she isn't big enough to be a pumpkin!). Andy was a political activist. His shirt says "friends don't let friends vote democrat." Funny! (

Charlie looking at her papa? Or maybe the shine off his bald head. haha. jk love you dad

Halloween Cards

2010-10-31T18:51:00.001-07:00

My mother found the most adorable halloween stickers and she made little cards to put them on for Jesse (and other grandkids). Charlotte was sleeping so I decided to take time to spend some one on one time with Jesse and make these cute cards. I decided to lay out the stickers and let him pick where they would go. These are authentic Jesse cards, decorated by Jesse himself. :)

First card with a candy theme:

Second Monster card (his favorite)

A skeleton card (the skeleton apparently has the body of a candy corn)

Bat card!

This is him pointing to his favorite card (the monster card!)

And now he is signing his name :)

We are going to send these out to a few missionaries we know with a picture of him in his Halloween costume. :) Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving!

2010-10-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

We were a little late carving pumpkins this year, but they will last through Halloween and not rot with this soggy weather. It was Jesse's first year really getting into it, and he even picked the face out that he wanted on his pumpkin. Here are a few shots of our fun evening:

Jesse didn't want to touch the slimy insides, so he was glad to have a spoon. He called them "poopies." It was pretty funny.

Dad was the one that helped Jesse carve his pumpkin.

Jesse's look of disgust at the slimy poopies...

She may look like she is being tortured but this is really the only way that I was able to get her to be happy for a few moments while we carved. This is what she looks like right now actually while I am typing this post!

Andy starting in on the carving!

I showed Jesse how to shoot the seeds (why not right?), and he had more fun doing that than anything else. There were tons of seeds on the ground, but he had fun doing it. He even hit Andy in the head a couple of times. Hahah

Proud of his pumpkin!

This was suppose to be Charlotte's pumpkin but since I did the carving, I just made whatever I wanted. It was suppose to resemble the converse star. :)

The finished product! Mine is on the left, Charlotte's, Jesse's and then Andy's. It was a fun night! (p.s. Andy's pumpkin is suppose to be the "power" symbol found on his x-box and various other places).

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

We are loving this fall weather and the clothes that we can now wear- gloves and scarves.

We went to a pumpkin patch close by (called Joe's Place) and it was a simple little farm with a cute little store. There was also a hayride to go on, so on it we went! Jesse got a free apple and that seemed to be his favorite part.

They provided wheelbarrows to pick up the pumpkins with, and Jesse insisted riding on the inside. Charlotte was strapped into a carrier and was toasty and warm and sleepy.

Jesse found many small pumpkins his own size to pick up.

We asked him to get one for his baby sister and he thought we meant he was to give it to her. He came up to me (I was carrying her) and said "Here baby sister!"

There were what we came home with. Jesse was pretty pleased.

The day ended with snickerdoodles and apple cider from the store. It was a nice day to get out of the house and we now have pumpkins we look forward to carving!

Photo Shoot!

2010-10-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my Mom's wonderful camera and love of taking pictures, we had many opportunities to take some candid pictures of Charlotte with a few of Jesse squeezed in as well. So these pictures are all taken by my mom.

Charlotte Pearl

2010-10-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here I am a couple days before delivery. We made the decision to do a c-section because my body was being uncooperative and we were ready! Can you tell?

7:10ish pm, Charlotte was born, weighing in at 8.0 lbs. She was quite the screamer! The nurses all made a comment about how loud she was and for this reason she was rated a "10" on their scale (I forget the exact test). But this isn't a usual occurrence :)

I love her little rosy lips!

Grandma holding her moments after she was born

Papa holding, and apparently "hogging" her after she was born. I think everyone was smitten, just as I was :)

Auntie Kristin

Uncle Paul- I was thankful to have my family close by the day she was born- it gave me added comfort

A proud daddy

While my mom was here she managed to do many fun things with Jesse. This particular picture is of her at the library during their children's story time. He LOVES it!

And later that day they went on a picnic :)

Jesse came to visit- excited or nervous- I couldn't tell how he felt.

He was pointing out that she had a nose and other parts just like Jesse

Holding Charlie for the first time

Kissing Charlie goodbye- he was quite sweet :)

Me- do I look tired?

Bathing at home with Grandma

Riding bikes with Grandma! Here is a good place to give a shout- out to my awesome Mom and what a wonderful Grandma she is! Her little grandson (and other grandchildren) love her because she is willing to spend so much time with them, even when she is tired! She took Jesse for a walk in our neighborhood and he was in heaven!

Mom and Charlie

Bright eyed!

I crashed shortly after I got home :)

Sweet hands..

Sweet smiles (while sleeping of course) although she sometimes looks at me and smiles!

Spending time with Jesse is important too...but sometimes hard to fit in with the busy newborn.

Can't get enough Kisses!

Grandma and Charlotte

I had to put in a picture of this quilt my sister Anne made for Charlotte. Isn't it AWESOME?! She is constantly surprising me with little thoughtful gifts. I am a lucky sister!

Here she is (Anne) with lots of loves for her neice.

Thanks for all those who have supported and helped me. Even though Charlie is only a week old, we love her and feel she has been in the family forever! Until later

One last blog before.....

2010-10-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

39 weeks and here I am awaiting my surgery. For those of you unaware, I have a scheduled c-section on Monday, October 4th, at 6:30 pm. This is due to an uncooperative body, a previous c-section, and lastly, my comfort :). This picture is me about a week ago. Yes, I am about as uncomfortable as I look.

Trying to do all the last minute things has been exhausting, but we squeeze a few fun things in for Jesse. Like making cookies, and of course, licking the mixers.

This is how my house looks each day. Usually I have Jesse just dump out one box of toys at a time, but this day in particular I didn't have the energy to really chase him through the house getting him to pick up (and helping) with each mess.

Today we had fun putting up decorations around the house. It is a fun year for Jesse because he is beginning to understand the things that go on. He is holding a lantern I bought for him at the store. He LOVES flashlights so I thought he might enjoy this. I was right, he drags it with him everywhere. :)

Well this is adieu to all my readers for a couple of weeks while I recover and get used to having a newborn around the house again! For those of you who voted on my poll, thank you, and thanks for the comments! I am convinced that I Charlotte needs a middle name. Now I just need to convince Andy. He flipped a coin the other day (in his favor of course) BUT I am not going to let a coin make this decision for me. I will wear him down yet....

Vote on my poll!

2010-09-13T18:11:00.001-07:00

Andy and I are having a hard time deciding whether our baby should have a middle name- so I am wondering what my "viewers" think! Take two seconds and vote on my poll! If you have suggestions about what you think sounds cute, fire away! Thanks!

Potty Training!!

2010-09-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

We have been potty training for the last two weeks! It has been very exciting to see Jesse becoming a little boy instead of a toddler! He has had a few accidents, but overall we have had a positive experience and he has even gone to town with big boy underwear on several times!

The other day we went out to eat (a rarity) and he was not only really well behaved but he told us he needed to go potty, we took him, and he remained dry for the rest of the night! He has had more accidents in the last couple of days which I can't figure out, but overall I am a happy mom!

I made him his own "potty book" for him to read so he could be motivated. It may seem silly but he loves looking at the pictures and knows it is important to do each step!

This is today- he sometimes goes all day with just underwear and a shirt on, but more often than not we have put pants on him and he does just fine. Here is sitting on my counter because he has figured out how to climb up the stools and is quite entertained! Whatever keeps him that way :)

A little over four weeks and counting until baby arrives! :)

PIE!

2010-08-31T21:00:00.001-07:00

I got really lucky when I found my hubby- he LOVES to cook! And I LOVE to eat! SO what a pair we make! Some of his latest yummy recipes he has whipped up for me are: cream of broccoli soup (first time making it for me ever in the four years we have been married), Clam Chowder (his favorite), Patti Melts and this lovely delicious desert:

Yes ladies, this is a homemade crust, which I am TERRIBLE at making! I am patiently waiting for him to get home from a scouting training so I can dig in!!

Camping in Bend, Oregon

2010-08-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

So first of all, it is never easy to camp when you are eight months pregnant. I had a pretty easy time of it because my husband is such a champ and helped a lot with Jesse- as well as my parents and my sister and brother. This trip was planned MUCH in advance and we looked forward to it for several months. Camping in Bend has always been somewhat of a tradition and I love it there...We stayed at Paulina Lake about 30 miles or so out of Bend and it was pretty! The only down side of the entire camping trip was the MOSQUITOES!! They must have been lacking for company for many months because they came at us like starved beasts....and never let up! Anyway here is Andy and Paul getting ready to do something, I can't remember what.

The first day we were there we decided to go visit the obsidian flow/fields. They are really spectacular if you haven't seen them before and Andy was quite taken with all the obsidian everywhere. This particular flow comes from the Newberry Volcano, not far from where we were camping. Lots of interesting geological history in Bend!

You had to climb quite a ways to get to the top and Jesse was such a trooper! With the help of Grandma, he probably walked about a mile and a half on his own!

It was very sunny (and very hot) so Andy said he couldn't keep his eyes open. But his hands are resting on a large piece of obsidian. This was towards the top of the stairs and further up the view just got better.

Here is the ever helpful and patient Grandma helping Jesse (even though she is loaded down with many things herself!)

The same day we visited Paulina Falls. It was beautiful and something I am not sure that I remember seeing before.

The great guys in my life...

Jesse at the camp site. I didn't have the heart to pile on loads of clothing because it was warm during the day so unfortunately Jesse was bitten about 20+ times by the mosquitoes. He still enjoyed playing and hardly noticed the little pests.

Second day we went out with my parents to do some caving. It was quite a nice little drive, for the first cave that we looked for was closed down due to vandalism. Jesse was quite the sport- and how could you not be with Grandma sitting next to you entertaining you with her phone!

We finally found a cave to visit... The Lava River Cave. We watched a video at the visitors center and it was nice to learn a little about what we saw inside. This is at the top of the trail....

And this is descending into the hole! Notice we had coats on because the temperature dropped about 30 degrees or so. BRRR! Our noses were read and runny when we finally came out of the cave. Andy really enjoyed it because his family was big into caving when he was little. This was a type of cave they didn't visit often (being from Utah and all) and so it was an adventure!

Walking down the steep stairs. Look closely at Jesse- the black band on his hat is a flash light! He insisted on having one just like papa and dad. :)

We had a great time regardless the discomfort of bug bites and sleeping on an air mattress. I would do it again if it meant some well spent time with my family! Ps I now only have 6 WEEKS left and am counting down the days! Until later!

To see more pictures (from a better camera and more experienced photographer aka my mum) click here.

Playing in the park

2010-08-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to brave the heat this afternoon and spend some time at the park. It is a secluded little park where very few people visit. It is sad that Jesse doesn't have anyone to play with but we keep occupied. One nice thing about it is that it has a GIANT field behind it that is SHADED which is LOVELY! We slumbered in the grass, played, picked flowers, and just enjoyed the cooler shade. There is a river close by which I am sure you can get to from the park, but I will explore that option with Andy sometime. I got a few cute pictures of Jesse and I laying around-

Here he is flying his airplane.

The heat can be enjoyable so get out there!

July/August

2010-08-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got a new camera- just a cheapy one, and I am still getting used to the settings and finding the best ones for each situation. That is why you will find a few blurry and funny colored pictures in this post......

To start off our month, it was Andy's birthday- his 26th!! Man he is getting old! But still young at heart :) He wanted a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting so I tried to make it look a little more masculine with some chocolate piping on the top. I am not good at piping so it turned out looking a little bit...sloppy. Still yummy though.

Jesse is CRAZY about birthdays and any opportunity that he can sing happy birthday to someone he does- including himself on random occasions. Here he is enjoying some cake!

A silly face (suppose to be a smile).

One day I became ambitious (and was feeling the nesting vibe big time) and decided to make some pretzels! They were wheat and quite tasty but Andy didn't LOVE them so the next batch was made with half wheat and half regular flour. I am LOVING them and have made them several times since. A good snack!

Toppings were: sesame seeds, cinnamon and sugar, and kosher salt (for the second time I made them).

We grew tomatoes this year and they went a little crazy- there are two planted in a pot on our balcony and I am amazed they both survived. It is the 11th of August and we have eaten two red ones so far with many more to come!

In our spare time, Andy and I have taken up cribbage quite seriously. There was a time when he beat me over and over (seriously like 20 times in a row) but now the beginners luck has worn off for him and we compete evenly. It is a fun way to enjoy some quite time and do something together.

Jesse building some blocks.

The family reunion we have once every two years came up with year and we headed to the beach (Barview) to camp and attend the festivities. It was just Jesse and I camping with my sister Anne, Bro-in-law Matt, Paul and his gf Kayla, and a bit later Kristin. It was fun, but tiring. Lets just say and I am NOT going camping again during this pregnancy without Andy. Jesse was good but keeping an eye on him was busy- this was his 2nd camping trip EVER!
We went to one of our favorite beaches Cape Mear. I locked my keys in the car and my cousin, Brent, helped me fix the problem. Thanks Brent!!!
Of course we had to have a bonfire and roast hot dogs. This particular hot dog was dropped in the sand because Jesse insisted that he hold it- but then I wiped it off and insisted that he eat it. Ha..thats what you get you little stink! :)
Anne and Matt brought up their kyack and let Jesse go for his first ride! He seemed to love it, although he sat very stiffly the entire time! I didn't get a chance to go but I wasn't all the broken up because water isn't my favorite thing- especially when I am prego.

Off they go (Uncle Matt, Jesse, and cousin Than)

During the reunion they had a sawdust coin hunt and Jesse (with a little help from Auntie Kristin and Mom) found a nice little pile! It was dusty but fun. :)
It has been a while since we visited Tillamook so we made a quick stop at the cheese factory and did the traditional things: take a cow picture,

hug (and kiss) the cows,

spy on the workers,

and of course eat some ice cream. This particular variety was sticky bun. YUM!

This was the last morning of camping and I had given up trying to keep Jesse clean. He rolled around, sat in, and kick the dirt.
This was his favorite spot because you could see the neighbors next door. They were Asian and had some cute little girls that talked to Jesse.
Andy and I laughed when we saw what Jesse made the other day. Jesse LOVES to watch this music video by Ben Folds (and practically has all the songs memorized). He usually plays his piano, but this day his bright little mind made up this microphone to sing into as well out of his pipes. It is now a common occurrence.
Well, that is all for now, but I am sure more pictures are to come! I am 7 and 3/4 months along and it is going quickly! I recently changed OB's and am hoping this new one is a little more....understanding. The next couple of weeks are filled with more camping trips and spending time together as a family awaiting our new arrival!

2010-07-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

The 25th was my Mom's birthday and Jesse and I drove down to celebrate with her. We decided to stay the night and spend the next day quite busy and having lots of fun!

We went to a park that had a few water toys, and Jesse loved it- after he figured out the water wouldn't hurt him.

Here he is figuring out how to push the buttons.

I had more pictures of put on from the water park but my computer won't let me for some reason....Here he is enjoying a "special drink" as he calls them.

When Papa came home we went to a park where he again had a blast!

He had lots of attention and Grandma and Papa both spent time doing things with him-

Papa took a few minutes to hit some golf balls and each ball he would hit Jesse would say "Whoa!! Good Job Papa!"

Then we ended the day by eating ice cream.

He loves to share everything!

What a fun day we had!

It is nice living so close to my parents and seeing them a couple times a month. We are looking forward to the next couple of months because we have some camping trips coming up! Jesse has only been camping once and it will be interesting to see how the copes, especially since I will probably be on my own for one of them (without Andy that is).

July!

2010-07-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

We have had a full month of July! My month started off with visits to the hospital for pre-term labor. After various visits for about three days in a row, I was deemed "normal" and they sent me home with medicine and advice to "take it easy." I am still having braxton hicks contractions about 4-5 an hour, but I guess that is normal?

This picture is of the tie Jesse and I made for Andy for Father's Day. Cheesy, yes, but fun and a good memory nonetheless. Jesse got a bunch of ties from his Auntie Katie and he had to wear one to fit in. :)

Lately we have been slowly working on the idea of potty training with Jesse. He didn't like the underwear at first but he has gotten used to it and will now wear it around for a little bit. His favorite things to do in the bathroom are wash his hands...

and read books on the pot.

Around the same time I was in the hospital, my brothers-in-law came to visit from Utah, Robert and Brent. It was a nice visit although we had a couple of 90+ degree weather days that were a little miserable. One day we visited this little air museum in Vancouver. It is the oldest operating air strip in the U.S.!

Jesse was thrilled with all the planes and he even got to ride in this little plane that is normally a flight simulator. There were also several other displays where you felt like you were actually flying planes! What a fun day!

Here was a cute little airplane that Jesse "flew" and you could actually move the rudders! Cool!

When Robert and Brent left, we drove behind the airport from a recommendation from my Dad and found that you can park right next to the landing strip to the PDX and see all the big jets come in! Jesse sat on my lap and we watched about 10 big and little planes come in and take off! Jesse LOVED it and keeps asking to go back.

Here is just a picture of a little mom and son time. He has a hard time sitting him in my lap anymore because he elbows and jabs in all the wrong places. So here is our solution: he uses my belly as a pillow and it is the right size right now :).

This week we took a trip to Mt. St. Helens. It has been years since I have been there and it was fun to take Andy where he hadn't been before. We drove to the visitor's center and then up the road to get a better view of the mountain. (Sorry this trip wasn't well documented).

Our trip ended at some Bluffs where we could see into this beautiful valley and eat our lunch. The mountain was a little bit clouded over but it was still pretty and very interesting to become more acquainted with its history. One the way home there was a cute little restaurant in the middle of no where and they served cobbler so we had to stop and get some. Cherry apple cobbler and strawberry rhubarb cobbler- what a treat!

Here is Jesse "trying" to be good at the little table waiting for our treats.

While at the bluffs we saw this helicopter take off and Jesse was thrilled! It was right in front of us and we saw the entire thing! They now have helicopter rides that can take you to see the crater inside the mountain. How neat that would have been to see that!

This picture is from the visitors center where there was a cute little trail to walk to Silver Lake. I decided to snap a picture of Andy being goofy and Jesse, as always, imitating him. What I am going to do with these two?!?

The next month will be busy and I am glad of it! I have girls camp coming up (I am the assistant camp director for the ward), the Mills Family Reunion in August, more camping in August and my prenatal appointments are now closer together now. I am currently 27 weeks along and time is flying! The next months will go quickly and we are excited for what they bring!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a shout out to my great hubby! We just celebrated 4 years together last month. I am very happily married to someone who has become my best friend. He is funny and is always making me smile or laugh and I always enjoy just sitting around and talking with him.

But that is not what the holiday is about right? He is a great father too always taking time to play or rough-house with Jesse. Jesse clearly loves his daddy and I think is going to grow up with a lot of his good qualities. We celebrated in a few short hours between Andy waking up and going to work. I made him some grilled pork chops that were YUMMY! I am including the recipe because I think everyone should try it!

1/4 c honey

3 T soy sauce

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

Mix, dip pork chops, and grill. While grilling

continue to add the glaze so the chops can soak it up.

YUM!!

Now on to me. :) I reached 24 weeks this Sunday

and everything is on schedule and going well. I feel

good. I have been working out for the last month and
it has given me more energy to play with Jesse and just

do what I want to do. Plus I just feel good all around.
I am actually going to take me doctor seriously this time

because I don't want to end up with another almost 9 lb baby.

Here is my 5 almost 6 month pic:

Here are a few pictures of the little man doing

what he loves to do:

Throwing rocks in water

making silly faces while eating his favorite treats (brownies)

Play with cars down his "slide" (part of a set of blinds)

and reading books to himself. I am convinced he is going to love reading. Today I caught him several times laying in his bed reading a book to himself. He is getting good at quote books that we read often and I love to listen to his version of the story.

That's all for now! Happy summer!

Ridgeway Heights

2010-06-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have no pictures to post today because I am still without a camera. My mom, on the other hand, is very excellent at capturing every moment we are with them, which as been often in the last couple of weeks. If you want to see some pictures of our family outings, just view my mom's blog "Ridgeway Heights" and scroll down through the last couple of posts. These posts include: a day at bush park, hiking at sherwood falls and many more of our adventures. I will get better about taking pictures of my phone I guess until I have a sufficient camera. Thanks!

And then there were four....

2010-05-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Tiffany came to visit us for a week and we had a lot of fun! While she was here we went to Multnomah falls, the beach, boneville dam, and a few other misc places. It was so nice to see her, and this would be our last time for about 18 months! She left for the MTC on May 5th (two days after she got home from Oregon). Here are a few pics of our adventures:

These are Jesse's new sandals which he was anxious to show off (Old Navy $2.50)

Latrell Falls (I think) had a nice little hike to the base and
it was beautiful to see up close!

At the actual Mutlnomah Falls, and Jesse loved riding on Tiff's shoulders.

About a week later Andy's parents came down to visit as well! We have had an eventful month!

We also went to Multnomah Falls with them but did a few more hikes than I had done before. This particular falls is Bridal Veil falls and was well worth the steep hike!

A cute pictures of Jesse looking up at me

We visited the park where Jesse learned how to go down (and climb up) the slide all by himself. As you can tell he is pretty pleased with himself.

Sorry about all the nude pictures- but this one was funny. He found some snow boots recently that he hasn't been able to part with. I let him run around without clothes on in hopes that he would tell me if he had to go to the bathroom (didn't happen ps) and he winded up with the boots on, watering my plants for me on our porch! Our neighbors probably think we are crazy or neglectful parents :). Anyway it was too good to pass up a picture.

When we went to the beach with Andy's parents it was a wonderful day and both Dad and son had some fun in the sand.

Jesse was so funny when we went to this particular beach (Nesquin)! He let us bury him and then wouldn't get out of the sand. He looked so warm and comfortable and kept on saying "blanket" and "Jesse sleepin." He was a mess to clean up, but he enjoyed it.

Visiting Mo's for lunch.

Here is a current pictures of me pregnant. Not a flattering one by far, but I just thought I would post something. Jesse just chose that exact moment to need to be held. I am getting to where i can't pick him up too easily anymore. My back has gotten more sensitive to large loads like Jesse (35 lbs!).

Here is an ultrasound taken of our little one. Our little girl- that's right, we are having a GIRL! We are pretty excited and have already bought an outfit. I am going to have a problem with girl clothes because there are SOOOOO many cute ones out there!!! (IF you can't tell this is profile pictures of the side of her face, and her knees are pointed towards her nose, pretty cute little position).

Jesse was entertained for hours this morning playing with his little toys on the table. He is such a good boy!

Jesse updates: he loves Pizza! We don't have it that often, but he seems to think so many other things are pizza-like spaghetti. :) He is a very good helper and loves to water my plants (as seen in the previous picture). He understands a little of what is going on and the new addition to our family, but it will take a while getting used to. I was in the garage getting out different things to clean up (going through some nesting) and Jesse insisted that they were his toys and he wanted me to take them upstairs so HE could play with him. I got out the swing and he was pushing a leaf in it, and a little too vigorously at that.....We'll be talking to him about the baby lots and lots over the next couple of months so he doesn't do the same to her in the swing. A couple of stories: When we were in the ultrasound he looked at the baby that we were pointing out to him (not that he knew what was going on) and said "I love you baby." It was pretty darn cute. Also when we went to the beach after he was buried in the sand, we headed home so I took off all his clothes to get him in a new diaper and feeling a little cleaner. I set him down next to the car (naked mind you) and the next thing I knew he was half way accross a public parking lot streaking!! It was pretty funny and I am not sure how he was able to run barefoot on the pavement because it hurt my feet! But he was laughing and thought he was a big shot....We'll have to not have him be naked so much or something :). Anway, that is all for now! I am halfway through my pregnancy and loving feeling the little baby move around! Until Later!
Oh and Andy and I are celebrating our 4 year anniversary today! Its been a wonderful four years! Love you Andy!

April Adventures

2010-04-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

We have had a couple of slow weeks but we
have tried to do a few things that don't

cost us much money. Thankfully we live in

a beautiful part of Washington with many

things to visit and many sights to see.

First, Andy wanted to take me to Stevenson,
a small town about 30 miles from us. It is

cute and quaint, but has all the accommodations

you would want around you. We were driving down

the street and I told andy that all little towns have

to have an ice cream store....and there it was! This

wonderful little store where we stopped and fulfilled
one of my many cravings!

They had this patio out back where we enjoyed
our ice cream. Andy had Huckleberry Cheesecake,

and I had "Hopscotch" which was a combination

of white chocolate, caramel, butterscotch pieces and

a few other yummy surprises.

We recently inherited my parents BBQ and

since we LOVE to BBQ, it has been put to use

several times already! This was for when we made
Patty Melts. YUM

Anne and Matt recently invited us to the Japanese
Gardens where they have free passes. It was a wonderful,
peaceful way to enjoy beautiful art of nature! Jesse loved it too!

My camera on my phone really does

this little justice, but it was so beautiful,

I could have spent hours there!

Andy wasn't 100% thrilled, but I think he eventually

enjoyed it. He likes places where you can be loud

and goof off...and we had to "shush" him many times :)

Andy and I taking the usual picture

Many varieties of flowers to view-

I think my phone did pretty good on this one!

Well that is about it, but I am looking forward the week ahead of my when my sister-in-law Tiffany will come and visit us. She will be leaving for her mission to Forth Worth, Texas on May 5th, so we are pleased we get to see her before she leaves. I am sure we will have many adventures and hopefully many pictures too! My birthday was lovely and my husband (and mom) pampered me during the day. I have been to several other flower gardens between now and then so if you would like to see pictures of those, my mom always has her camera on her and is good at documenting those trips on her blog. Her blog address is under "Family" and is titled "Ridgeway Heights" so go and take a look to see more pictures of Jesse and I. Thanks for reading!

Silly Jesse

2010-04-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting this pictures. I had to make a few adjustments to it to make it appropriate but it just cracked me up! He was walking around in my high heels and I couldn't resist getting a blackmail picture for when he is older.

A few of Jesse's latest: When we do anything silly he always says: "Silly Mama." Usually it is applied to dada because he is the silliest.

The other day I didn't want the candy in my mouth anymore and he wanted it (it was a hard candy ps) and so I put it into his mouth and he spit it out, smiled and said "gusting mama" (as in disgusting mama) hahah.

He LOVES his mr. potato head his aunt anne and uncle matt got him for Christmas. He sleeps with it, takes a bath with it, and brushes his "teeth." The other day I caught him kissing it and saying "love you tato head." I Have to write all these things down so I won't forget them!!

He says "Pee-you!" when I change his diaper now. He insists on wearing his snowman (Christmas) pajamas about 4 times a week.

And lastly I have been telling him when he wines "Stop it Jesse. You are not a baby." He now says it before I can but while he is still whining. You may have to just hear it to have it's full affect. :)

Anyway, I am awaiting pictures from my mom from easter and then I will post again (remember the broken camera?). Thanks for reading!

Multnomah Falls

2010-03-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

First I have to preface this post by saying that I have a smart 2 year old. He can access my iphone's pictures and many applications. You ask my why I let him? I only let him when he is sitting down (so it can't be dropped) and when I have an eye on him so he can't make any calls. Okay, so now to the story. We decided to go see Multnomah Falls, a falls that Andy has passed many times on the free way and never stopped to see the beauty. My Dad let me in on a little secret about these backroads that you can take and although they are windy, they are WELL worth it. Here is one view point that we stopped at:

So we traveled on stopped at about 3 more view points and several more falls. If you are ever in this area these are some scenic views you just can't pass by. You take the Historic Highway 30 from Corbitt through to Multnomah Falls. So here is a picture of Jesse and I stopped at one of the falls. Unfortunately my husband didn't get the falls in the pictures because it is hiding directly behind us.

Well The trip took us about 3 hours because we stopped and walked at many places. Jesse examined every stick he came across, and jumped (literally) in every puddle that he saw. These rain boots he has come in VERY handy. His pants were soaked by the end of the day!

After we made it through all the way to multnomah falls, we took the freeway home and I handed my phone to Jesse to keep him entertained. After he went to bed I sat down to do some blogging and realized that he deleted all but these two pictures from our trip. We are probably going to do it again and document it for the memories. I can't be mad at Jesse because he didn't know better and I have learned a lesson! Anyway, it was beautiful. Here is a internet pictures of multnomah falls:

We walked up to the bridge above the lower falls and we got almost soaked! Here is an interesting fact for you: Multnomah Falls is the NATIONS tallest YEARLONG waterfall. Cool!

Doings of Late

2010-03-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Not much has changed around here in the last couple of weeks. Andy's schedule has become more regular and only in the last week have we been able to do anything out of the city together.

Wednesday, we decided, very last minute to go to the beach. The closest beach to us now is, sadly, two hours away!! Cannon beach and Seaside both lie directly West of us so that was our destination. Little did we know that it was spring break for all of the Oregon colleges/high schools/ etc..We decided on Cannon Beach because it had been forever since I had been there! To make a long story short, it was VERY crowded. It is quite the tourist area with many shops and restaurants to choose from. So we made our way to the beach and then decided we were hungry for traditional chip sandwiches. It took us about half an hour. Many dollars later we had what we wanted and headed back to the sand. I took my camera out and dropped it right in a puddle; ruined. I had brought Jesse's boots and he decided to go wading the water a little too far and fell all the way in...there were a few laughing onlookers and my fiery pregnant temper wanted to tell them to....well I wasn't thinking any nice thoughts towards them. Oh and I must add that my husband was one of the laughers.

So anyway, we headed back towards the car and went home. It was an interesting trip but it was nice to be able to walk barefoot in the sand and enjoy the beautiful weather a little. I only wish we lived closer to the less touristy beaches...

Some updates on Jesse: he is really booming in the speech category. He says sentences now and puts most of his words together. "Momma put glasses on" is one of his latest big sentences. "Jesse get three books" is another bed time usual. We are convinced we have a genius on our hands because while we listen to different youtube songs (usually the beatles) he knows how to use the mouse and restart the ones he wants to listen to again. His favorite songs right now are the beatles "Don't let me down" and Jack Johnson's "Bubble Toes" I think it is called. He LOVES music and is quick to catch on and sing to any tune.

One of my favorite parts of the day is bedtime. I know you are thinking that I am happy to get Jesse down to bed, but that's not it! We have a routine where we bathe, brush teeth, say prayers, read three books, and then turn out the lights. After we turn out the lights we usually sing a couple of songs. Its during this time that he lets me cuddle him and I LOVE it! He is so cute and gives me kisses and tells me "I love you" over and over again until I say it back. He is such a precious little boy and such a joy to have around!

We are looking forward to April because we will be having a few visitors. Will and Julie will be coming down to Mom and Dad's house for almost a week. Then the week after Tiffany (and maybe Brent) will be coming down for a week. They are both getting ready to serve missions so this may be our last time to see them for a while.

Anyway, I think that is all I can't think of for now. I found a few cute random pictures to post. I will use my phone for pictures but this computer doesn't have itunes yet. So these older (yet cute) pictures will have to do! :)

Being Prego

2010-03-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

I feel like being pregnany has given my gumption (anyone seen The Holiday?). I am the leading lady in my own story...but it also makes me grouchy and unpredictable. Just ask Andy! So lately I have been standing up for myself in ways that I haven't done before. Let me just share a few examples....Today I sent an email to the parks manager of Camas because I have found dog poop on several of the parks in MANY places and now refuse to go to those parks. I am frustrated and disgusted that anyone would leave their dog poop on the playground where kids play. I said, in a not so friendly way, that he needed to take care of the situation because it was reflecting camas in a not-so-great light. He immediately got back to me...The other day I was talking to my attorney and the secretary had given my false information about something (money) that had me a little furious. I told her I didn't appreciate her calling me a liar and told her I didn't ever want to be dealing with her again. Okay so that was a little harsh and I did call and apologize but I still won't be ever asking or dealing with her again. Last example, some smokers outside my complex don't seem to take me serious when I ask them to move. I have been polite (even when inside I wanted to scream and tell them how vile they are) and I asked them to move. I can smell it, it makes me sick. Next time they do it, the apartment manager will hear from me. So there you go. There have been many other instances that have set me off (like this lady telling me in goodwill that my kid need to "put a cork in it") and so forth, but I feel that my blood is often boiling. Maybe it is because I am noticing it more, or maybe people sense I am a ticking time bomb or something.....oh well. Oh yeah and I was close to telling my bishop no when he asked me to talk in church, but I thought that was taking it a little two far. :) What do you guys think?

Ben Folds Five

2010-03-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

Our little man is obsessed about a group called Ben Folds Five. It is some music that Andy has liked for a couple of years. If you can hear it in the background, there is a lot of piano mixed with drums and a guitar. He request this group every day and can keep busy just dancing in a circle to them. I think we may have a future musician on our hands......

Due 10/10/2010

2010-03-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the 8 week ultrasound of the next addition to
our family. We figured it was about time that Jesse had
a sibling. We are both very excited but will work hard
to enjoy the next few months of "Jesse time." Jesse

doesn't really understand what is going on and nor will
he until the baby is actually here. I talk about the baby
in mommy's belly and he will kiss my belly and say "hi" to
the baby but that is about the extend of his caring.
I will keep everyone updated with pictures etc over

the next few months. Right now all you need to know
is that I am enjoying the morning sickness phase of
the first trimester and am counting down the days until it ends :)

I was craving a doughnut one day and so we got chocolate covered doughnuts. I often tell andy how lucky he and Jesse are that they get to be spoiled by the cravings that I have. :)

One of our weekly trips to the library. Jesse wanted to carry the books as we he wants to help with everything else now-a-days.

Too heavy....

Outside the front of the library.

Andy's glasses broke so I took him to the store to pick out a new pair. I insisted on going with him and I am glad that i did because the pairs he liked were NOT for grown adult men (sorry andy). And jesse wanted in on the fun. Cute huh!

February 2010

2010-02-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

This month has been an odd one for us...we are going through many changes in our family right now but more specifically Jesse. After turning two he went through a period of "unrest" I guess you could call it and wouldn't sleep in his crib and was crankier than usual- throwing the ultimate fits. So we have switched to a toddler bed (which I forgot to get a picture of). He is doing much better now! He also went to a doctors appointment for his 2 year check-up and I was a little nervous about the new doctor. I was impressed with the staff- they were professional

but knowledgeable and very aware of Jesse's needs and frights. They had him put on this robe for the examination and I thought it was the cutest and funniest thing! Jesse wasn't quite sure what to think....

For Valentine's Day I decided to start a new tradition that we always did in our family. I got up early Sunday morning to make Andy and Jesse a special breakfast and spent the night before
making a (cheesy) Valentine's card. I had fun doing it and I am excited to keep up the tradition! (It's a fruit pizza by the way)

One Andy's day off this week we went up to Lacamas Lake to take a look around and go for a little walk. We found a trail that took us to the end of a peninsula of sorts and spent a while throwing in rocks and sticks and anything jesse could pick up. It was beautiful day and we are loving the area we have moved to!!

Here is just a cute pictures I found of my boys reading some books together.

This picture needs a little explanation. During Jesse's period of "unrest," he started doing things he hadn't done since he was a newborn: ONLY wanting to sleep in our bed (only happened about 3 times for naps), falling asleep while I was holding him, and being able to move him while sleeping and having him not wake up! It was the weirdest thing! This pictures was one day around noon. He had gone to bed about midnight the night before (only because he cried in his crib about 3 hours) and then didn't wake up until noon or one!!! I had picked him up out of his

crib and he stayed asleep! I played with his toes, pinched his cheeks etc.. and he wouldn't

wake up! Lets just say I am happy he is somewhat back to his old routine and
I get some time to myself each night :)

Anne invited me over one day to do some scrapbooking. I am no expert, in fact this was probably my first time. These next pages were done with the help of Anne and her good advice! We decided to make an "adventure book" of Jesse and a few highlights of his life. I loved doing it and it wasn't so overwhelming that I couldn't figure out what to make. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to keep working on it!

Other updates: I am getting fingerprinted soon for my washington license and will then have a teacher certificate to teach in the state of washington. I am looking forward to teaching again (probably substituting) because I feel it has been a while and I may be looking my touch (even though it was only since December)! Our house is mostly put together and it is good to feel moved in and comfortable. Andy is adjusting to his schedule and we are looking forward to a big year!

My little man turns two!!

2010-01-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

Jesse turned two on January 5th, 2010. I can't believe he
he is so grown up!!! There are many pictures to follow so enjoy!

His birthday cake was themed Wall-E. He LOVES

the movie and at one point watched it twice a day.
This cake was made special by Jesse's Auntie Kristin.

He saw it and wanted to touch it....

I think he was pretty pleased about it.

Blowing out his candles. He doesn't get much
air flow through those lips, so......

.....Mama had to help.

Traditionally licking the candles. In his case, biting them

because he was unsure why I was sticking it in his mouth.

Yummy!

These are the Wall-E figurines that I bought online

from the Disney Store. They were quick to ship them
since I only came up with the cake idea days before his
celebration.

Andy's brothers, robert and brent, were visiting this weekend
and Jesse loved seeing his Uncle bobby and uncle bubba.

Silly Andy.

Snarfing down cake.

Present time! It was fun to watch Jesse open presents
because he was excited to open them.

Some NEAT books that he got from his Grandma and
Grandpa Summers in Utah.

Some pipes that his dad bought and cut up
so he could put them together (definitely his favorite gift).

Open this now!

Okay maybe I will open one more present....

Open this present now!

With his papa!

He got a tool set with a COOL screw driver!

It actually works, makes the right sound, and
you can reverse the direction of the drilling!

Dad had to "help" him put together his pipes.

This was the morning that Brent and Robert left for Utah.
It was fun to have them here and Jesse loved it!

A couple of days later Auntie Kristin decided to do a little

photo shoot. Love these pictures!

Well that's my Jesse and most of what has happened in the
last little while. I still am arranging my house and cleaning it in a way that

it is presentable for pictures so stay tuned...

Moving!!

2010-01-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well we are finally moved into our new place and how exciting it is!!! We moved to Camas, Washington. It is located just right outside Vancouver, Washington and is only miles away from many of my favorite stores. We picked this location because Andy just transferred to the Boneville Dam working armed security. This is a new step in our lives and we are looking forward to many new memories and fun activities done in this area! our new address is:

1718 SE 11th Street

apartment 202

Camas, WA 98607

We are only minutes away from Anne and Matt (the closest we have been to them in.....well a long time). We are minutes away from Ikea, a fabulous super wal-mart store, a cute new library in historic camas, the beautiful Colombia river (have I convinced you to come visit yet?), and TREES!!!! Oh man I am happy that the summer will be green and there is water near by. Our apartment has many wonderful features including a huge kitchen, a walk in closet, a big bathroom and the list goes on.

Our next step in our lives is complicated. Our little boy just turned two and that is about how many years we wanted between our kids. BUT Andy still needs to go through school, and I would like to find a job subbing or teaching in the area. This leaves having more kids is being put on the back burner(...or does it? we shall see). I am days away from receiving my Utah license. I will then get my Washington license and go from there. Andy is excited to learn there is a fantastic volunteer fire department in the area and he is going to go check it out sometime this week. We have many wonderful things ahead of us but most of all we have been very blessed by a Father in Heaven who is watching out for us.

If you are in the area and are passing through, don't hesitate to call! I will post pictures soon when there are not as many boxes and clutter around!

Christmas Fun!

2009-12-28T20:40:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of Jesse just waking up on Christmas morning. We somehow managed to sleep in until almost eight and it was bliss! Usually our mornings start around 6 Christmas morning. Anne and Matt and Paul had stayed the night so we were able to be with family. Kristin arrived early in the morning (that is what woke everyone up!)

Here is the loot under the Christmas tree!
I believe Jesse's was about half of that stuff! He
made out like a bandit!!

Opening one of his favorite things- balls. :) They
are spread all over the house now

He has finally understood that opening presents is fun. This year he took joy in ripping open all the presents but then wanted to play with everything as he unwrapped it.

Mr. Potato head has been one of his favorite gifts. He loves to take the pieces off and shove them into random holes. We have seen some scary looking Mr. Potato head's lately!

Me donning the AWESOME apron that my sister, Anne, made me. It looks funny with what I am wearing...well lets just face it- who is pretty on this morning anyway? I am opening some facial products my mom got me!

Jesse playing with his bus!

Christmas dinner. Jesse was hungry if you can't tell. He wasn't too thrilled about picture time.

I threw a few of these pictures in to show how he was last Christmas. This doesn't look that different, but i can tell a difference!

He was so teeny! My little boy is approaching the big number 2 in January and it is a crazy thought!! I will post more on his birthday. We probably won't have a big party this year because it still doesn't mean that much to him...but next year! Happy birthday little man!
We are thankful for this time of year but look forward to the changes coming up. Andy has found out that he will be moving to a closer dam hopefully in the middle of January. This means we can get into our own place and start meeting new people in the area. We are just looking forward to seeing each other more often and being close to family.
Jesse's latest: He is SMART and has really good eyes. He is always the first one to point out deer, airplanes, buses, or any kind of noise that we pass. He also signs each of these things with great enthusiasm so I am happy to see that he has not lost that. He is all around a cheerful little boy and is enjoying being around mom more. I have started a new trick with him: I say "marco" and he says....(you might think polo) but he says "marco." hahha it is great because wherever he is or whatever he is doing he will always answer and I know what part of the house he is into and if he doesn't answer then i go running.