Brad, Amy and Little Misters

Daddy-Daughter Dates

2012-02-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Bad news: our camera battery charger is lost somewhere in our house still. I have no idea where I put it and I am ususally SO on top of knowing where it is. Sad. But my sister found a charger at WalMart in CA so hopefully soon we will be back to having our camera on a regular basis. Since I like to blog with pictures (a lovely OCD trait of mine) and I have no real recent ones, I figured I could post on something I meant to post. But what? I looked through some pictures and found something to blog about- daddy-daughter dates.

My dad with the two boys before Jack was born

On my 16th birthday, my dad came home from work with a dozen red roses. Just for me :) He then took me out on my first date. I was so excited to have my dad as my first date and get special time with him. At this time, he was also Bishop of our ward so it seemed extra special to have time just for me. We went to Red Lobster and had an awesome time. I will always remember that special day/night and am so grateful my dad did took me out for my first date.

Few years later...

As most of you know, when we were pregnant with Gavin we had to live with my parents before grad school began. Right before Gavin was born, I asked my dad if we could do one last daddy-daughter date before I had two kids and who knew when we could do it again. This time, we went out for dessert. There is a Ghirardelli factory/store near their house, so of course we went there!

They have these amazing sundaes that I was all too eager to try.

I love my dad. He has always been a great example to me, making sure us girls knew how guys are supposed to treat us. He always worked hard for our family and instilled in us the importance of the gospel in our lives. I wish we lived closer so my kids could gobble him and my mom up (and vice versa)... and because I miss them all to much :) I love seeing my kids love my parents. Hopefully it won't be too long till we see my dad (my mom is coming up NEXT WEEK for my sis's bday)!

after looking at my pictures, i am seriously realizing i need to take more pictures- and maybe get in a few with people other than my kids... the last picture i have with just my dad is from 2007 when i was recovering from being seriously sick... so it will NOT be on here!

246 Felt Circles Later...

2012-01-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I made something. Oooo I was so excited! Saturday night we rented a (lame) movie, which we completely mocked and enjoyed, while I sat on the floor tracing and cutting 133 felt circles. For what? For my felt wreath!

I found this felt heart wreath tutorial via pinterest (fyi- pinterest is my BFF when it comes to finding crafts and food. l-o-v-e it) and knew I had to make it. Unfortunately we have lame-o craft stores around here so finding the heart wreath form was basically impossible. While on my search, though, I came to realize I didn't really want to make another seasonal wreath (hi, $$$. don't have much of you). Why not just make a year round one? So I got a round wreath form instead (and wouldn't you know- they had the heart ones in stock just to tempt me on my decision) and found this tutorial. Back to Saturday night, I got half of the wreath completed and ran out of circles.

Sunday we had to stay home from church because all three boys had colds. Poor things. While home, I decided why not trace and cut some more- 113 to be exact. So I did and it went much faster. That night I finished the wreath and was oh so happy! What I really liked about making this was how you didn't have to be a perfectionist... at least, I wasn't! Here is the basically finished project:

I am still trying to decide if I should spice it up a bit- flower? a "W"? white ribbon? Something else will probably happen, but for now, this will certainly do.

Snow Day

2012-01-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

We had a SNOW day (more like morning...) here about two and a half weeks ago. I totally forgot I took pictures of James and Gavin having fun, so here is the belated post about it :) Ironically enough I am writing this while it is 55 and beautiful outside. Such crazy weather for this winter...

We woke up to snow and I figured if I could get Jack down for a little nap and bundle the boys up, we'd go outside and enjoy it before it melted. One thing I love about snow in Oregon- it melts the day of. I miss Rexburg, but I do NOT miss snowy winters. Once Jack went down, we got all geared up and headed outside. They were beyond excited. Gavin had never been in it before and James hasn't been in it since we lived in Rexburg and he was almost one (he hated it, but what baby doesn't). I kinda hope it snows again to let them play in it some more!

Goofball...

And here is a short little video of them walking around in the snow. FYI- pretty sure what James is talking about is The Polar Express

3 Months

2012-01-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

Baby Jack turned 3 months old yesterday. I didn't think time would go by as fast/faster with this little guy, but it really has! It still feels like I just barely had him. Though his life is pretty chill, here are some highlights about Jack-Jack:

- bath time is fun time and splash time. i had to buy 3 different baths to get just the right one (which ended up being the same exact one we had chucked when gav was done with it- it was a hand-me-down that was getting nasty)

- loves to smile and is HAPPY. oh man, he can smile it up! love love love it

- already a chatterbox

- is a super cuddler

- still isn't sleeping in a crib :( both boys adapted fairly easy and fast to their crib and/or bassinet, but not this guy. naps are in a swing and nighttime is in a sit-up/cuddle chair until feeding. then it's mommy-jack sleeping time! i love baby cuddles, but i look forward to him being in his own bed for good

- is starting to like his brothers and tolerate them more. yay!

- has been in 6 months clothes since he was 2 months old. yeah... bit of a chunk on our hands

- his hair is blonde some days, reddish others

- already showing he has super blue eyes. hopefully they stick around because they are gorgeous

- such a little bouncer

We are just loving soaking up our little guy. James cannot stay out of his face with all his love. Gavin enjoys him lots, too. I think he is curious as to why he doesn't answer his "hi's"... give it time, Gav :) I have a feeling the rest of his first year is going to fly by!

This morning Gavin went up to Jack to sit next to him and just play with him. Cutest. Thing. Ever. He was saying "hi", holding his hand, just being next to him, and gave him a kiss when he got up. I love my boys

Family Photos, Part II

2012-01-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Now for the indoor photos! We wanted them inside so we could do some for baby Jack's baby pics and get some extra ones of us as a family. So glad we did! If you missed the other family photos, go check them out.

Family Photos, Part I

2012-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

We got our family photos back last night! Oh my goodness, I am so in love with them. Our photographer posted them on facebook and on her website about a week ago, and I'm not going to lie, I couldn't stop looking at them. We were going to do one split session of outside, then inside photos. But Gavin had a meltdown and James just loooooved being outside and had a hard time sitting still (surprise, surprise). So we finished up the outside ones, and scheduled the inside ones for in our bedroom for the next week. She was so sweet to work with us that way and only charged us a little extra for the inconvenience (she was a steal already!). I am surprised at how much I loved having the pictures taken inside our home. Really made them so much more personal and the boys were so much more relaxed.

So prepare for yet another photo overload post because here are my faves from the outdoor shoot:

Rockin' It

2012-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

This is really of no importance, but felt compelled to share...

what is on my spotify right now...

Queen

hope you enjoy, too (and you are welcome that i just made your day rock)

A Slimy Guest

2012-01-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun fact about myself: I hate bugs. All. Bugs. Ants? Yes. Bees? Yes. Butterflies? Very much yes. Ladybugs? Oh yeah. Hate 'em all. A while back (way, way back), I posted about an eight-legged "friend" who I found on my parent's rose bush. Well, this time, a few days ago, it was a discovery of this fellow:

A slug. A HUGE slug! Eeeeewwwww!! I definitely shrieked when I saw him. But I toughened up and took a picture on my phone (to send to my sister so she could watch out for him when she got off work) and my camera to put on here. A final shriek was given when cameras were put away and the nasty slugger stretched out, sensing me and hunting me down with his little antlers/antennae. *Shudder*

Oh, and guess what? We came home from a small shopping trip last night only to find him on our front porch again. Please move somewhere else, disgusting slug. I don't like you.

The Birthday Day

2011-12-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we had quite the fun day yesterday for James. To show you, this is a total photo overload post. We told him that he would get a Superman birthday party. I was going to do a little party with friends, but I decided against it. But I still wanted him to get Superman! The night before his birthday we put up some simple red and blue streamers (Gavin's were awesome but a bit labor intensive!) and blew up a bunch of balloons for them to play with. James was so excited when he saw the balloons.

For breakfast we had chocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancakes.

Then the boys snuggled up for a show. They look so cute on the couch!

James was insisting on more Mickey Mouse pancakes for lunch... so I told him I'd make a Mickey Mouse cheese sandwich instead. He looooved it

Superman shirt!

The cupcakes I made! Yes, a little ghetto- but it worked for Superman! James loved 'em

I had all intentions of making delicious (Super)Hero Sandwiches- but I am lame and didn't realize I didn't have all the ingredients I needed. So we went to Red Robin instead for James' free meal.

Gavin got a hold of the ranch...

Mommy with baby Jack!

After Red Robin we headed over to the mall across the street for one of James's birthday presents- Build-A-Bear!! Whenever we pass it, he wants to go in sooo bad and hold all the animals. He was so excited when he knew he was getting one. He had a hard time choosing the one he wanted so we took a break and he chose his bear's outfit. What did he choose? Woody from Toy Story- Woody is his fave from that movie.

Birthday name tag!

Where's James??

We got home kinda late so had to bypass the cupcakes (so lame... at least he got his Red Robin sundae!). The boys hopped in the bath, came downstairs, opened presents, and then Skyped with Gramma and Papa Dell before going to bed.

Tonight we were able to do the cupcakes and he did great at blowing the candles out.

The fun has ended (though the balloons are still littering our floor... they need to go...) and the boys are staying busy with all their new toys. We're so happy we were able to have a fun and special day for James. One last time...

Happy Birthday, James!!

Happy Birthday, James

2011-12-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

My Jamers-

Where has the time gone? You are three years old! We are so grateful for you in our family. You have such a special love for life and for those around you. Every day you are growing and learning so much. You crack me up all the time. I love the time I have to stay home with you and your little brothers. I am so happy with how you've taken to being a big brother- you were made for these two little guys!

I think back to three years ago, and all the wonderful moments we had together our first day. I remember your first, beautiful cry- my baby had finally joined us and I could not believe it. We had waited so long to hold you and kiss you and just love you. Longer than just 9 months. After wanting a baby for so long and not being able to get one, you had finally joined us. I remember seeing you and kissing you for the first time, crying with happiness. I remember holding you that night and soaking you up, not wanting to ever put you down.

Here we are now. My little climber and jumper. You love to act out Tangled and be Flynn Rider. You are a runner, which is great except when you run away from me... which you do often. Learning to talk better and better every day. It's amazing what you pick up. You are a serious lover of the brothers. You are completely hilarious and we laugh at all the funny things you say and do. Such a crack-up.

Seriously, kid... I love you.

love- mommy

First birthday

Second birthday

Almost three!

Christmas Weekend

2011-12-27T00:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a fantabulous Christmas, I know we did.

Christmas Eve was a day to just relax and enjoy each other's company... and to run to Target to get some last minute things :) We had the boys in their Christmas shirts/outfits. James is wearing a shirt with characters from the classic "Rudolph" movie (looooove that movie) and Gavin is wearing Mr. Grinch with the dog on the back. Adorable. Jack is wearing "Baby's First Christmas", which Gavin wore last year (eek!!). Pictures were attempted... kinda hard to get all three of them sitting still.

Culprit: James

Hey, not too bad!

Would have been so cute... Gavin...

Once the boys were in bed, we loaded the presents under the tree and stuffed their stockings full

Oh, and I whipped up three little ties for church the next day. Talk about procrastinating a project- pretty sure I had the material for over a month.

Christmas day was mostly nice. We decided that it'd be better to open gifts after church. I love church, I love Christmas... but the two mixing this year did not go too well for us. We'll just say lots of fits... by a very tired one-year old. And some issues with opening only their presents... by an almost 3-year old. And a baby who decided to wake up to just cry during it all. But hey- that's having little kids for yeah! Still- they had fun, they loved ALL their presents, so it's all good. Before we started the opening festivities, we tried to get a family picture in front of our tree. Didn't quite work, but at least we got something!

Someone did NOT want to look at the camera

Now Christmas is over and I am oh so happy. I love this holiday, but it was just plain stressful this year. I finally got into the spirit of it all on Friday. I was into it the beginning of the month, and then it kinda went away. But it came back just in time! And now it's gone and my house is already un-decorated. It's awesome. Partly because of me not wanting it up, another part is getting ready for someone's THIRD birthday in two days! Can't believe it- when did my little boy become such a big boy? And we still have so many years ahead of us!

Oh My Sushi

2011-12-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

My sister has been trying to get me to eat sushi for a few years now. I've been pretty against it (aka frightened) of the whole sushi thing. I tried it once at a mutual where they had people showcasing their missions and what was served there. Well, someone who had served in Japan was serving sushi- I could not get past the seaweed taste. I started warming up to the idea a few years ago, but had to wait till all this pregnancy business ended. When Rach moved here, we were determined to eat sushi soon.

This last Wednesday we did it. With little Jack in tow, quietly sleeping, we left the other two boys with daddy and went to a local sushi joint. We ordered a California Roll and a Shrimp Pizza (i am so not ready for the raw stuff yet). Holy delish- it was amazing. I wish I had been more hungry! Eating sushi again is definitely in my near future

Revolving sushi bar

Mmmm... California roll

Ready to dive in

Attractive eating shot...

Shrimp Pizza- a-ma-zing

California roll again. And the delish pickled ginger

Baby Jack

Fuzzy picture, but do you see that smile???

Our waiter noticed our feeble attempts at a duo shot

Christmas Time

2011-12-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

This post is kind of a long time in coming, but we've been a tad busy...

Buy Christmas tree: Check!

Decorate awesome tree: Check!

Star put on by a special someone: Check!

Stockings hung: Check!
fyi- since taking this picture, we have added a real stocking for Jack. how horrible would it be if that was his for real stocking... sheesh

Small amount of Christmas decor: Check!

Project for Christmas: not even attempted yet, but it will be done!

Christmas shopping: almost Check

We have been busy bringing Christmas to our home since the first weekend of December. It is so fun teaching the boys little things about Christmas. James knows that Christmas is Jesus' birthday party and who his parents are. Today he told Rach that Joseph "is a great daddy". I thought she taught him that, and she thought I had taught him. So somewhere he picked it up that Joseph is a great daddy and Mary is a great mommy. Last night he started saying "Ho Ho Ho... Merry Christmas!" in a rather deep voice. Then out of nowhere I hear little Gavin say, "Ho Ho Ho". What?? He is growing up too fast (they all are, truth be told). I'm so excited for another first Christmas and to be spending it with our little family (though we would love to be down in CA). After Christmas, we've got a birthday to plan! The fun never stops!

Brad the Grad

2011-12-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

I have been MIA from blogging lately. My husband decided to "steal" the laptop last week, but I didn't mind because it was for a great cause. You see, Brad had his last day of his last term on Friday. And Sunday he turned in his last paper. We/he are officially done with school! Aaahhhh!!! So excited!! It has been quite the journey getting Brad's education. Here's how it has all gone down:

- Brad went to BYU his freshman year of college before he went on his mission. We'll just say the two didn't mix that great...

- Came home from his mission, another year at BYU. The relationship didn't change that much- Brad just couldn't 'click' with going to school and what he was majoring in (first mechanical engineering, then math)

- Decides to quit school and work for his dad (and meet me and get married!)

- I really thought I'd have to pull his teeth out to get him to go back to school (i am majorly pro-education). He surprised me a few months after we were married and told me he was going to reapply to BYU and BYU-Idaho to get his degree. Yay!! (and truth be told, i was rooting for BYU-I since that is where i went for my freshman year)

- BYU accepted Brad and off to Provo we went!

- The year went better than before, but at the end of our summer jobs in Colorado, Brad's arm was seriously injured on a job

- Go back to Provo and he attempts to go back to school with the injury. Turns out the nerve damage and pain are too much and the injury forces him to quit school once again

- Luckily I get a job as a manager at Victoria's Secret so we think we are golden again. Lo and behold, I suddenly become very ill (lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks... no bueno for me)

- With neither of us able to support our little duo, we decide to move in with my parents till we can get back on our feet (and they are just that awesome to take us in and nurse us back to health- so very grateful for them)

- At this point we have no idea what will happen with getting his degree. A few months after moving back home, Brad is blessed with a job at the Oakland Temple

- He decides to retake some classes via online to improve his GPA and try to get into BYU-Idaho. Brad also decides on a certain career path and wants to major in Statistics. BYU-Idaho doesn't offer that major but one of the classes he retook was Econ and he found he really loved it. Thus, his new found love and major are discovered- Economics.

- We hear back from BYU-Idaho: he got in! Next month we move to Rexburg

- Totally different experience in Rexburg: Brad loves school and does amazing in all his classes

- While there, Brad also decides that he wants to get his phD. Big news for me... kinda scares me...

- He applies to a few grad schools and graduates with his undergrad in Economics (i just want to add here how much we loved our experience in Rexburg. we loved being there and all the friends we made and we miss everyone!)

- We move back to California and anxiously await news from all the schools

- After hearing back from all of them we decide University of Oregon is the place for us- to Eugene we went!

- Brad started his first year of the Economics phD program- and it was overwhelming for both of us

- Fast forward to March and we learn about our surprise third baby. We deal with the surprise and talk a lot about our future. We decide it is in our family's best interest if Brad gets his Master's degree instead

And here we are! Though the years have been rough with getting Brad's education and all the other trials we have had through the years, we have also been so very blessed. Honestly, I never thought Brad would have gone this far and I am so proud of him. We are both so ready for school to be over and to enter the real real world. No more homework, no more weird hours, no more Brad staying up finishing projects, no more school. Huge HOOOOORAAAAAY!

Merry Christmas, Happy Graduation, New Job, and I Love You

2011-12-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

That basically covers this purchase

Say "Hello" to Brad's Black Friday buy. We had been planning on buying a new TV this year because ours is ooold so Brad went on the hunt on the great Black Friday. Definitely didn't plan on buying this big of a TV, but hey when it's a better deal than smaller TV's, why not go for it.

Welcome to the family, Panasonic.

Hide the Knives, Folks

2011-11-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

No worries- my kids are all safe and NOT playing with knives. The "problem maker" is mommy. Yes, I, Amy, needs knives taken away from me.

I have never really cut myself. Until this year. In the summer I sliced my pointer finger pretty good while cutting a watermelon. I pinned it on my clumsy pregnant self and all would be well once baby was out. Apparently not. Yesterday morning I got myself a delicious parmesan bagel out- unsliced. I always dread cutting up a bagel- so not good at it. But it is just too tasty to care. I got out my nice, sharp knife and started cutting and... BAM. Pain- I had cut my thumb and I could feel it wasn't going to be pretty. So naturally I started crying (i'm such a wuss- totally scared what it would look like). My little sister rescued me and we got me all fixed up. Luckily I hadn't cut it deep enough for Urgent Care but it sure hurts. Do you realize how much you need your thumb??? Well, we use it a lot. Seriously, it needs to heal fast (and no picture of cut because i hate stuff like that...).

In other news regarding awesomeness, I started exercising last night!!! Felt soooo great. I'm so ready to get active again!

like my game face?? i canNOT take a serious picture

Our Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

I gotta say, we've got lots to be thankful for this year. Three wonderful little boys, Brad's jobs, Brad graduating in two weeks (yes, two!!), our families, our home... so so much. Which is why yesterdays wonderful holiday was especially wonderful. Loved spending the day with my hubs, my boys, and my sister. Oh, and don't forget the yummy yummy food we devoured after Rach got off work. We aren't the biggest fans of turkey (i know, i know) so we decided to make one of our favorite dishes for the main dish- Swedish meatballs. Perfect Thanksgiving dinner :) Now for the Christmas season to officially begin!

Cute little Jack Jack's first Thanksgiving

The feast!

my Aunt Bev's rolls- seriously, so darn good

Caramelized Green Beans

Roasted sweet potatoes

Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes

Chicken sausage and apple stuffing from Trader Joe's

the spread- ooooh man delish

My plate- the first one

needy little Gav during cooking time

Gavin and Rach playing "chase"

Tomorrow I start really decorating for Christmas. So excited!!

New and "New" Toys and One Month

2011-11-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, a sister in our ward asked me if we would want a train table her kids didn't use anymore. Of course I said YES. Took me a while to actually go and get it (kept forgetting to call her)... but we finally got it Sunday! And brought it in yesterday. Needless to say, the boys are in love. One side is white (as seen below) and the other side of the top is grass and water. So cool. Right now it is being used for cars racing on top- James has train tracks, but Gav likes to steal them. This way minimal fighting goes on :)

Since Christmas is around the corner (can you believe that????) and we know the boys are getting some more toys, we decided we need to start putting some away to get ready for the newness. We took out the box of toys and put some away, and got very few out. One of the toys we got out was a dog we got James for his first Christmas. You know the ones that have the body parts and songs to sing to? We figured Gavin would really enjoy it since he is learning a bunch of songs and body parts right now. We were right. He loves it. And James has a new friend, too. My sister moved in with us last week and brought with her a mint green Care Bear. James quickly made friends with it and enjoys hugging, driving, and playing peek-a-boo with it. So our house is now being entertained by new toys and not so new toys. Love it

Not to leave little Jack out, here are recent pictures of our one-month old. Went by so fast (and sometimes not fast enough...)!

Maybe More to Come

2011-11-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

I think I have decided something- I think I have decided that I am going to try to blog more frequently. Not that I don't blog enough, but I would like to put more on here. I looked at my camera the other day (because it is finally fully charged- thank you, mom and dad, for letting me borrow your camera charger!!) and I have TONS of pictures I haven't put on here. Why haven't I?? I don't know- laziness? Probably. Do a lot of people read this? No. But I know family and a few friends do and I want them to see the randomness of our lives. So hopefully I'll be able to actually follow through with this goal.

Moving on...

In light of my goal of posting randomness, we took the boys out to lunch the other day. Burger King! We don't eat out very much and we hardly eat fast food. The point of this lunch-out was this: crowns. Yup. James was so happy to get his- Rach had made him one the day before and he loved it. Kept calling himself a king. He's too cute, for reals. Anyways, he loved it. Gavin was... a bit indifferent. But that is a 15-month old for ya! He rocked the crown anyways.

Blessing Day

2011-11-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last week we blessed little Jack. Due to possible work issues for my dad and surgery for my father-in-law in the upcoming months, we realized it was the best time to do the blessing with having our parents here. And that is what is important.

It was a beautiful blessing and, of course, made me a little teary-eyed. Something so special about a little spirit being blessed and given a name. Jack wore the same blessing outfit both James and Gavin wore for their blessings- I have loved having each of my boys wear that special outfit. I was a little scared Jack wouldn't fit it but he did! After the blessing, we took pictures outside the chapel (which i don't have right now because they are on my mom's camera) and then headed back to our place.

More pictures were taken, then my family had to leave. Definitely bittersweet seeing them go- having my mom and sister here was such a blessing. But the boys needed to get back to normalcy. The next day my in-laws left. It was great having them here, spend time with the boys, meet Jack, help us out, see the city and where we live. Hopefully it isn't too long before we see them all again.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

We have been having lots of fun around here for Halloween... brace yourselves for picture overload

We got ourselves an extra pumpkin to carve last week. We were going to go the traditional jack-o-lantern route but decided to add a kitty twist to it. We tried to get James to help get the guts out of the pumpkin... but I'm pretty sure he only put his hand in once. Maybe next year he won't mind the stringy guts.

Last Friday was our ward's Trunk-or-Treat. Seriously, such a genius idea. It was my first outing since having little Jack and it was oh so nice to be out and about and see familiar faces. James had a blast with the Not-So-Spooky Alley the Primary did- a room with balloons all over and a few "scary" items. May have been a few tantrums on leaving that spooky room...

I was so excited for the boys to wear their costumes. I made them a couple weeks before Jack was born. I got the idea here. They looked oh so cute. Jack was a pumpkin. Or more appropriately worded, pumpkin themed. He also looked beyond cute. I am getting so excited thinking of all the Halloweens with these boys and hoping they let me do themes as long as possible! Too much fun!

Halloween day was packed with lots of Halloween themed food and fun. Rach made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast with chocolate chips for a face. Yum!

Then we adorned our faces with some awesome tattoos...

Lunch time was mummy dogs and Halloween shaped mac and cheese. The pasta was a last minute addition found at Target before lunch- not going to lie, super excited when we saw it.

My mom and sister made Nutter Butter ghost cookies. The rumor is that these are mighty good as well, but I will probably never know because I don't like Nutter Butters. So I'll take their word for it.

We then made dessert for the night- Dirt Dessert. I used to love this when I was younger- so much fun! The boys didn't have theirs last night because we were a little late getting out for trick-or-treating. We tried to give some to James today but he wouldn't eat it. He may have convinced himself that it's real mud in the cup... oh well. Mommy dutifully finished it for him.

Brad didn't have to go to school due to a professor having surgery last week so he was able to be home all day (though still had to do school work... blah) but he was able to take a break for a bit and play with us outside. The boys had lots of fun having their daddy run after them and playing in the leaves

and Jack stayed inside

After dinner (which was taco soup- not very Halloween-y but still great) we got the boys all ready to head out trick-or-treating. It was so much fun taking the kids! This is our first year trick-or-treating. James first year he was only 10 months so we weren't about to take him around, last year it was on Sunday (and James had a super bad fever), so this was our first year! And our third First Halloween in a row. Sheesh. The boys did great. Our first house was a bit dramatic (which just happened to be a member of our ward, thank goodness). James didn't quite get it we weren't supposed to go in the house and was convinced we had to go in. Luckily not too much drama and didn't try to do that again. Gavin was great at walking up and taking one piece of candy and trying to say "trick-or-treat". After an hour of some awesome fun, we headed home to see the spoils of our adventure. Then the boys headed to bed.

It was one of the best Halloweens and I so look forward to having fun with my boys next year!

Home at Last

2011-10-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Jack and I came home. Oh, it is so good to be home.

Friday went exactly as planned. Brad and I were both so nervous that something would happen- Jack did great and came with no drama. We got to the hospital at 7am, got hooked up to monitors and an IV, slowly answered questions, talked to the nurses, relaxed... it was so weird having it go so slowly. The anesthesiologist came in and talked to me- she was awesome. My doctor came to see me at 9 and then we headed to the OR. Again, felt so weird calmly going in for the surgery. The anesthesiologist gave me my numbing shot before the spinal- holy freak, that hurt. I wondered after why I don't remember that shot hurting that much- yeah, I was in labor and dying for the spinal so that shot did not phase me as much. Then the spinal was given and worked it's magic. After getting prepped, the curtains were brought up and Brad was able to come in and sit next to me. I just held his hand, anxiously awaiting that first cry. And then I started crying- I was scared. I just wanted to hear him cry, just wanted to make sure he was okay, just wanted to hold him. The anesthesiologist was so sweet and made sure I was happy crying. Then she got the curtains ready and Brad popped up to see little Jack make his debut. Once again, the first cry was magical. Oh, how I love that moment.

From this point on, the delivery was very different (in a good way!) than my other deliveries. What usually happens after a c-section is they take the baby away right away with daddy to get the umbilical cord cut, weighed, measured, washed, etc. Then they bring them to the mommy so she can meet them for a bit and take them away during the rest of the surgery and recovery. With James, I got to give him a little kiss after his bath and didn't see him for another hour. With Gavin they cut the cord, wrapped him up, let me kiss him, and then again took him away for an hour. This time they brought Jack to the side right after being delivered so I could see him- so I got to see him in all his messy goodness, which I've never seen before. Then they took him away with Brad to get his cord cut (which daddy proudly did) and brought him back to me for the rest of the surgery. Oh my goodness, I cannot express how entirely amazing and wonderful this experience was for me. To have this immediate skin-to-skin, holding my baby while they finish the surgery, to have him with me in recovery. So so so amazing. They only took him away to bring him into recovery before me and weigh him. Then I got him back right when I was wheeled in.

We love this little boy so very much. I am always amazed at how quickly you can love something you have barely seen. Jack definitely has a place in my heart and I just can't help but soak him up. James loves Jack and cannot get enough of him. Gavin loves him and gives him kisses like crazy- which is saying a lot, because that little guy does not hand those out easily. It warms my heart seeing them all together.

Now we are home, adjusting to everything. Hardest part is definitely not being able to hold James and Gavin. I wish I could just scoop them up, but I have to wait a little longer to heal. Every day I feel better and better. I am so grateful for Brad being with me at the hospital and coming home at night to help put the boys to bed. I am so grateful for my mom and sister giving their time and energy to my little boys. All I can say is how unbelievably happy I am and I just love my family!

Here He Is

2011-10-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Jack Austin

October 21, 2011

9:26am, 8lbs 2oz

We are so happy he is finally here!

Mommy and little Jack are doing great and will be home in a few days

Night Before the Big Day

2011-10-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are having a baby tomorrow. Our third baby. Is this crazy to anybody else? The c-section is scheduled for 9am, check-in at 7am. And I'm planning on not going into labor a few hours before this time!

So much is going on in my head right now. I am trying to get it down here, but I just can't seem to convey things the right way. This is what I will say: I can't believe this is happening. I feel like our road to becoming parents has been crazy, to say the least. I love each and every one of my little boys and am so grateful to be their mommy. I am going to miss James and Gavin like crazy but I am so grateful they are in the safe hands of my mom and sister (and daddy when he isn't with us). I can't wait to meet our little boy and to just love him.

Tonight is our last night as a family of four. Tomorrow we become a family of five. Oh, how life will change. Now let's see if I get any sleep tonight...

Pumpkin Time

2011-10-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had some visitors come into town... MY FAMILY! My mom, dad, and Rachel are here to help us all get ready for the baby coming this Friday (though my dad came more to see some cute grandsons and help the girls get here safely- he is sadly leaving today). Once they got here and settled, we headed out to a nearby "farm" to go get some pumpkins.

We had so much fun. I had been to Thistledown Farms once before in the summer with some friends, but I had no idea they were going to have a pumpkin patch and other neat fall things going on. There was a horse-drawn carriage to the pumpkin patch (which we opted out of because we didn't really want to pay for it... we are so cheap...), corn maze, hay maze with a slide, pumpkins, apple donuts (which were a-m-a-z-i-n-g), apple cider, and, to top it all off, animals. James looooooved it (so did all of us). We saw roosters, chickens, goats, a pony, a donkey, more chickens, some bunnies, and horses.

After getting enough of the animals (and James was freezing to death), we headed inside to take a look at all the yummy goodness they had and to pick out our pumpkins. The boys each got a mini pumpkin while Brad and I got a nice normal one for the two of us. What are we going to do with them? I have no idea. I had plans of doing something cute with several pumpkins, but I'm kinda busy this week (you know... getting ready for a baby and all...) so I nixed that idea. And I don't really want to carve them because they are just such fun fall decorations. So for now they will just grace our front porch and be beautiful in all their natural goodness.

I am sure we will be heading back to Thistledown Farms this week- James is already requesting to see the animals again. And the apple donuts may or may not be calling my name...

It's the Final Countdown

2011-10-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

First of all... if you didn't think of a certain tv show/character/song with this blog title, here is a little treat for you... (i tried to find a clip with the song in it, but holy cow, there are none! lameness...)

Moving on...

Today is an important day for 3 reasons. And here they are:

1- October 11, 2003. Brad and I met. Wow. So grateful I went on that corn maze trip :)

Halloween, 2003

2- Gavin is 14 months old today. Oh, love that little man

3- And in tune with the title... we have got 10 more days till the little guy comes. The c-section is scheduled for the 21st! So the final countdown begins!

In two days I'll be at 38 weeks. It feels super surreal. I cannot... canNOT... wrap my head around us having a third little one. But he is still coming. And it'll be hard. Oh so hard. But I'm also counting on it being completely awesome once we work out a new groove for our family.

Our First Little Boy

2011-10-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

James, October 2010

I've been noticing (and it's probably just me) that someone has been a tad overlooked on the blog. And that is James. What in the world is going on in little James' life?? I chalk this up to a few things: 1- he won't sit still for a picture for the life of him (and i like posting with pics), 2- new things happen a lot less, 3- he has a bad mom. Hopefully I'll do a little better on updating on all my kids in the upcoming months!

James, October 2011

- James is growing up way too fast. it is unbelievable how big he is getting!

- he took his time last year learning/wanting to talk and is doing great right now. he is such a little parrot- seriously, watch what you say! though still not always clear, he is working on it and thinking through what he wants to say.

- still loves being a big brother (for the most part). gavin is putting up a fight more with toys so that gets to be fun. but they still make up and giggle together. and that truly is fun :)

- has a great imagination. i love watching him play and talk with his toys. his best friends right now are his Woody doll and Cat in the Hat doll.

- loves to read books. he has memorized a lot of his books and just amazes me at what he can remember

- has been potty trained for a little over a month and did/does great.

- such a runner. our time outside is usually limited because he likes to run away from us (and pregnant mommy cannot run after him anymore). hopefully this stage ends... or at least have him listen a tad more :)

- still obsessed with horses, but not quite as much. seems to come out more when visiting with friends

- loves trying to say prayers. in nursery he learned this little poem he surprised us with: "fold our arms, bow our head, close our eyes, prayers are said"

- still our little love. i really don't want this part to ever go away- just love my james loves!
- has a "pirate bag" that we take with us everywhere. you know, the essentials: sippy, snack, horses, samurai toy...

That is our little 2 1/2 year old. I can't believe he'll be 3 in December. We love James and are so grateful for his bright little spirit in our family. He is such a ray of happiness. I love watching him and Gavin become friends. As much fun as it would be to pause him, it is just so great to see him grow and learn!

We absolutely love our James

Happy October

2011-10-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Just want to put this out there...

we have officially made it to 'baby' month

crazy. and a little scary

18 days (or so) till we meet this guy

that is all (for now)

happy fall!

craigslist finds

2011-09-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

We had a busy craigslist week last week. We bought three things off of craigslist- all due to baby arriving soon, of course.

First find: dresser
The boys use aaaallll of their dresser so we definitely needed some more space. I had kind of forgotten about the need of a dresser until a week or so ago and right when we started searching again, I found exactly what I had had in mind. Yay! And I think we got it for a great price (considering how expensive dressers can be, sheesh). As much as I love this dresser, we are refinishing it. I'm not big on this color of wood. I wanted to get a 'before' picture buuuuut Brad jumped the gun and started taking hardware off and sanding before I could. Hey, can't complain about him getting it done! So here is where it stands now:

Refinished end result will be another post :)

Second find: bike stroller
These are hard to find around here. Everyone bikes. Everyone wants one of these. We were totally thrilled when we finally found a good listing for the bike stroller. It converts from bike stroller to being just a double stroller for walks. Bonus. We love it

and so do the boys

Third find and grand prize winner...

We bought a car!!!

Yes, we definitely need more space for Mister #3. Long story short: started looking 3 months ago, did lots and lots of research (van vs SUV, etc), almost bought 2 cars before this (one I didn't feel good about, one totally fell through on the seller's end). Then... this car was listed. In Eugene. Most of the cars at a decent price are in Portland, two hours away. We needed this car to work. And work it did. They even accepted our low-ball offer. Needless to say, we are in love.

craigslist, you done us good :)

So happy to check these off our list- now just 3 weeks and 1 day and we've got this little boy checked off too! But who's counting...

Our Fabulous Weekend

2011-09-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Our weekend was awesome. So so awesome. And here is why: 1- my sister and mom were in town for a few days (super yay!), 2- our anniversary, 3- went on a date!, 4- had a baby shower for #3. Prepare yourself for photo overload :)

Rach and my mom decided to come up for a few days to take a look around Eugene and just enjoy time with us and the boys. I cannot tell you how great it was to have them around. I've been a bit stressed lately and it was great timing on their part to come up this weekend. We shopped, talked, went out to eat, played games at night, and just had fun. On Friday night, we went out to VooDoo Doughnuts- yum yum. I love Downtown Eugene at night- soooo many interesting characters, it's awesome. Here is a pic of us before our grand adventure:

Saturday was a busy day for us. Since Rach and my mom were in town, we decided to move the baby shower my friend Ashley was throwing for me a few weeks early. It was an amazing baby shower- thank you thank you THANK YOU, Ashley! The theme was 'Mustache Bash'. Mustaches were everywhere (including my shirt) and we played 'Name that 'Stache' game. So fun and cute. I felt so spoiled.

The adorable rag quilt my mom made for the Mister

Ashley and I

Saturday night Brad and I went on a date. A date! We have only been on three since Gavin was born over a year ago so this was a major deal. We decided to go to a local Italian restaurant called Mazzi's. I got the Seafood Fettuccine and Brad got the Chicken Toscana. Definitely loved going there- though in my jeans, flats, and cardigan I oddly enough felt dressed up since a bunch of Oregon fans decided to go there right after the game. Lots of yellow and green!

On the way home we got a Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen- seriously, love those things.

Sunday was our anniversary- seven years! Wowsers. We celebrated by going to church and enjoying the last day with my mom and sister. It was great :)

Now we are back to reality, with just the four of us. But life will definitely not be too boring- school starts back up next week and we will be going back to that chaos. Oh the fun...

09-18-04

2011-09-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago, in the Oakland LDS Temple, Brad and I were sealed for time and all eternity

I love Brad.

I love how he helps me be a better person.

I love what a great and awesome daddy he is.

I love what an amazing husband he is- he loves me more than I deserve.

I love all that we have been through together, the good and the bad.

I love how happy he makes me.

I love how dedicated to school and work he is and all he does for our family.

I love how much he supports me.

I love our life together.

Brad, I love you.

Baby Tidbits

2011-09-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Gol, I feel so boring right now. Stuff (good stuff) is happening... but not quite yet ready to blog about. So in the meantime, I thought I'd share how baby #3/pregnancy is going!

- this little boy loves to shake, rattle, and roll. which i love. he was a late mover (compared to the other two) so i'm glad he is all caught up on the moving

- we are measuring perfectly. my doctor says i'm the perfect pregnant woman- no swelling, great weight gain, awesome blood pressure, right on target with size. is it weird that that makes me nervous? my pregnancies are perfect until delivery time... so let's pray for perfect pregnancy and drama-free delivery!

- pretty sure we have a c-section date. we are hoping for october 21st (katie, your birthday! should i name him after a BSB in honor of the concert? haha... nooo...) it's a friday, which we think brad will have free so he wouldn't be in any rush to get back to school or miss the delivery. here's to hoping!

- a name is picked out, but once again, you shall not know till he comes here! well, at least not in a public place. i'd love to tell you if you want to message me :)

- i hate saying this... but i'm done being pregnant. i'm super blessed with my pregnancies, we are blessed with this little boy. but enough is enough. we did the math- in the last three years i have been more pregnant than not. i can't wait to be done. i want my body back. i could go on and on about this, but i won't

- james loves to kiss my belly and call baby by name. basically adorable. he's such a great big brother

- gavin loves to cuddle my belly, but he has no idea his little life is about to change :)

- basic third trimester woes: sore back, restless legs (gotta love that at night), acid reflux, ribs hurt. nothing too bad or serious. actually- it is waaaay more difficult/painful to walk and get around. ah well.

- some serious questioning going on of how this little guy is going to look! will he look like his brothers? more like james? more like gavin? like neither of them? will he get the blue eyes i have somehow given to both boys? questions questions...

That is basically all that is going on with Mister #3 and me! Still not that exciting, but better than nothing :) We (mostly I) am anxiously counting down the weeks till his arrival. This Thursday I hit the 34 week mark, which means we will hopefully only have five weeks from this Friday till that little boy is safely in our arms. Then our little family and lives change forever ♥

Sleeeeepy Head

2011-08-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

This is how Gavin fell asleep for his nap yesterday. And slept for almost three hours (in his crib after the cuddles were over). Mommy was very happy. As was Gavin when he woke up quite refreshed. Gotta love bunny-pillow loves!

Oregon Coast

2011-08-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

This time last year (literally, a year ago today) we moved to Eugene. I can't believe we've been here for a whole year!! Another thing I can't believe is... today we went to the coast for the first time. Boy, I feel silly it's taken us this long. But let's admit it- been a crazy year for us!

We headed out late this morning to Florence, OR. We wanted to get lunch first, but since we had a big breakfast we decided to walk along the boardwalk and then around the downtown shops for a bit. Lucky for us a little otter (pretty sure it was an otter...) decided to grace us with his presence while he ate some fish and swam! James loved seeing him and was sad when the otter had to go play with his friends.

James loved this wooden bear and wanted to give it a hug

After walking around for a while, we headed over to Mo's, a place we've been told by several friends to try. It was good! I don't like clam chowder... I want to, but I just don't like it. Every once in a while, I'll try some to see if I still dislike it. Lo and behold, this stuff was good. I ate my whole cup... and took a picture for those who wouldn't believe me:

And we took some fun pictures as well:

Brad got fish and chips, I got fish tacos (yum, yum, YUM). Once all our bellies were full, we headed to a beach about 5 miles away. This was Gavin's first time to a beach, and it's been a while since James has been. Let's just say, they loved it. Gavin couldn't stop laughing at falling in the sand for a while, the little cutie. I thought James would be more scared of the water, but we had a hard time keeping him out of it. We had this long stretch of beach for him to run, and run he did. I stopped walking after him, realizing I'd have to walk back and that would be no bueno for my body right now.

And that was our little day trip to the coast! I'm hoping to find more beaches and maybe more of a beach beach next time. It's been way too long since we've been to the ocean and we want to go back lots.

Party for Gavin!

2011-08-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Gavin's birthday party! The theme: primary colors. I didn't really like any other themes I was coming up with/seeing, so I figured a color scheme would be super easy. And it was! We love easy :)

We invited some good friends over

decorated the night before (which is good, since it took Brad 3 hours to do the streamer job- such a good daddy)

had some yummy, sugary, somewhat healthy food

ate cupcakes (with homemade frosting that would not set up sooooo don't judge the frosting job)

the one-year old "blew out" the candle again

and devoured a cupcake again

and a big brother wore himself right out

The boys loved loved loved having their friends over and we are so grateful we were able to share his birthday celebration with everyone. Here's to many, many more birthdays and parties for our little guys!

Rockin' the Bangs (... i hope)

2011-08-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

For years I avoided having bangs. Like since the 5th grade. My hair in that area did this weird... wave... thing. It was just weird. So I avoided them- duh, who wouldn't. I didn't start using a straightener till after I graduated from high school- but I still avoided the bangs like they were the plague. A few years later, I went with the swoop. Loved the swoop. That was as far as I would ever ever go. Then in Rexburg almost two years ago (has it really been that long??? that is kind of sad...) I went to a stylist that totally pumped me to go the distance. You know what- I loved the bangs. Holy cow, they sure were a lot easier with a straightener (and knowing what the heck I was doing with my hair, unlike my 5th grade self). But I'm lazy. And always let my bangs grow out. So I basically stopped getting them.

I've been trying to figure out what to do with my hair because I've been super bored with it and I thought, Hey, why not commit to the bangs? C'mon! Not that hard, right? So I found a stylist in Eugene and showed them a picture of who was inspiring me in the bang department. I came out with wussy bangs that still swooped over. Blah. That was in April. Gave me time to think- did I really want them? Yes. So after further research, found another salon that rocks and is well priced and got the bangs again today! I'm super happy and totally going to keep them longer than a month or so. Especially since they do free bang trim- heck yes! There is seriously something so refreshing about getting your hair done and loving it. And with the way I'm feeling these days (sore, fat, etc) I needed the boost. Yay!!

In baby news, we are now into the 29th week. Which means we've got 10ish weeks till we hold this little guy!

and apparently i was in a goofy face mood tonight because here are some extra shots for giggles...

Our One-Year Old!

2011-08-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

Gavin is ONE today! My oh my, has this year floooooown by (for the most part). We love this little guy. It has been just great watching him grow and learn. And so much more will happen this year! Some things about the one-year old:

- he is a walker. has been walking for about 2 1/2 weeks now. took his first steps on father's day and then took his time to fully commit :)

- still a chatter-box

- loves, and i mean LOVES, food. his dislike list is quite short

- already climbing stairs
- has 6 teeth

- since learning to walk, the outdoors is where he wants to be
- loooooves books. as in, destroy them. pretty funny

- absolutely adores his big brother. james and gavin will just start laughing at each other over nothing. it's basically the best thing ever.

- very, very happy. but can also be quite the opposite. this kid can scream. but we'll still keep him :)

The birthday boy was a pretty happy guy today. We all mostly just hung out, did some grocery shopping, and enjoyed being with each other. It was the best. I just couldn't help thinking back to last year, how I was just soaking up our new little newborn. Was that really a year ago? I'm so grateful for him in our family. He is a huge bright spot and fits perfectly.

To celebrate, we had cupcakes! To make it a little special, I made them half blue, half white. Aaannd I swirled blue and white frosting. Not the best frosting job, but the colors look pretty awesome.

Here are some videos of Mr. Gavin. The first one is the cupcake attack- he was reaaalllly good at taking it down. The second one is just Gavin being Gavin.

Happy birthday, Gavin. We love you!

The Birthday Girl

2011-08-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

Mom and me

Today is my mom's birthday!

I love my mom.
I am so lucky to have her as an example in my life.

She is one of my best friends, always ready to listen to me (which is every day).
She always has the best advice for me, whether I want it or not (i usually do).

Meeting Gavin

I feel so blessed that she was able to stay at home with us kids growing up. One of the best, yet simple memories of growing up is coming home from school on a rainy day and having freshly baked banana bread waiting for us to devour :)

She has supported me through so much in my life. I can't begin to explain how much she has been there for me.
She loves all of us kids, kids-in-law, and especially the grand-kiddies.

Happy birthday, mama. We love you!

A Pointless Crave

2011-08-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

I got my glucose test done today. "Yay"! It actually isn't that bad for me- tastes a little funny, but really not that bad. I chose to eat some breakfast and fast for 4 hours to go do it- holy cow, I was ready for food a whiiiiile ago. But I didn't cave, got my blood drawn, all done! I reeeeaaaally wanted to stop on the way home for something completely unhealthy- but nothing sounded good to me. Because nothing would compare to the meal I had after last year's glucose test... and what I wanted today...

Oh, In-n-Out... If you only knew how much this pregnant girl has craved you with every single pregnancy. Please come live closer to me :(

Almost There

2011-07-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ugh.

This week has been loooooooong and tiring. Why? We (last minute) decided to MOVE! Of COURSE we did, because we are WE and are crazy. A duplex across the street from our old apartment was available so we decided to take it. We figured we would be spending a tad more a month on rent, but it would totally be worth it. Our last place... well... we had a love/hate relationship. Mostly dislike, though. Then we read through our contract/lease to make sure we could move out with no penalties (yes, we could) and found out to stay at our apartment would actually cost us more than the place we are moving to. Pat us on the shoulder, we are just that awesome.

We started moving Tuesday and we are still moving. Though we are soooo close to being done. Tomorrow it should (rephrase: better be) over. To say I am sick of the process is an understatement. You'd think moving across the street would be a whole lot less stress (it isn't). And I'll add, being pregnant and taking care of the two kids and being in between two places- I'm basically exhausted. I'm such a wuss. Oh well :)

On other 'almost there' notes...

- I am 27 weeks. Folks, this is the third trimester. When did this happen???

- We are officially counting down to a one-year old birthday. 13 days!! Aaanndd I'm not going to be a lame mom like I was for James' and Gav is going to have a birthday party! It's going to be awe-some.

Harry and I

2011-07-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

I met Harry when I was a sophomore in high school. I fell in love... fell in love with his world. When I started the Harry Potter series, only the first three books were out. Thankfully my friend, Ashley, had the first two books. We bought the third and then lent it to her and her family. It was a Potter-swap :) From then on, you better believe we were at all the midnight book releases, waiting in line, ready to start the new Potter adventure. I love these characters, I feel like I've lived in their world (wouldn't that just be the awesomest? it really would). I know it's kind of lame to be so attached to a series of books, but you feel like you watched them grow up. Or even that you grew up with them. In 2007, the last book was released. I was so excited, yet so sad. You better believe when I finished that book, tears were shed. It was an end of an era.

the final book!

But there were still the movies! I have to think of the movies and the books as different things or I get too nit-picky. I enjoy the movies and when the series ended, it was nice to still look forward to more Potter events. Alas, that has now also come to an end. I didn't think Brad and I would be able to go see it anytime soon because of the kids and finding someone to watch them. Surprises of surprises, my friend Ashley (yes, the very same one from high school- she lives in eugene! crazy, right? different story), texted me on Friday saying they could watch the boys if we wanted to get tickets to see Harry Potter. Um, YEAH!! We got tickets for last night (so the boys were sleeping) and you better believe I was suuuuuper giddy!

The movie was awe-some. Really. Yes, there were very small things that weren't like the book but I forced myself to ignore them and just enjoy it all. All I will say specifically about the movie is:

- Molly Weasley- you rock

- Neville- you did not disappoint and were awesome

- Ron and Hermione- job well done. you know what i mean ;)

And yes, I cried during the movie. Twice. I also teared up once, but it was on a kind of random part and so I'm chalking that up to nostalgia + pregnancy = emotional. I wanted to get pictures of us before the movie, but the theater was already kind of dark... so they are kind of creepy pictures of us... our expressions didn't help either...

Farewell, Potter and friends. I will continue to reread your books and live in your world. Maybe someday we'll meet again.

Parks (etc) Fun

2011-07-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Now to get back to our ol' boring lives (though Mr. Baby will make more post appearances, no worries) :)

The summer can't seem to decide if it wants to be warm or cool, and is just being both. With that, we are trying to take advantage of being outside when we can. Though this is hard when you have a 2 1/2 year old who runs away all too easy and all too fast. So when we can go places with daddy or friends, we are there!

One adventure: the park. What a fun day for the boys! Gavin loved the swing, as did James. He was giggling like a fool.

Another adventure: a fruit stand. Well, it was more than just a stand. I don't know quite what to call it- a fruit barn farm? That works. We went with a group of friends and were able to see a koi pond (with the BIGGEST koi fish i have ever seen!), goats, horses, and play on a playground. The goats were in the coolest enclosure ever- they had a skywalk (i kind of made that word up...)! For a quarter, you got a handful of feed for the goats. James didn't really want them to touch him so he threw it at them. I don't blame him... I wouldn't get that close to them either :)

the skywalk! neat, right?

I have faith the summer will permanently heat up! Or at least have more warm days than it's been having. And we will continue to have lots of fun!

The Low Down

2011-07-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you for all your congratulations and kind words. We have some awesome friends and we are so happy to finally be sharing baby #3 with you all!

So... here is a breakdown of this pregnancy- all the ups and downs. It's going to be honest... and maybe a little TMI. And on the lengthy side, with some pictures in between to make it bearable :)

The beginning: March 5th. We were at Wal-Mart and we were deciding if we should buy a pregnancy test or not. Since I had just had a baby 7 months ago, I hadn't quite gotten back on track period wise. I had an idea of what it was like, but I was already stretching that 'late' mark out by now. Plus, I had been noticing the past week that my appetite was off. But I passed it off as nothing, noting that I wasn't any extra tired than I normally was so all was well (the things we tell ourselves to avoid the obvious, right?). There was definitely a 'feeling' that I was, which I tried to downplay to Brad (don't give the guy a heart attack until those two lines appear!). We got the cheap test and head home, a little nervous.

Baby at 8 weeks

Get home, decide why not take the test now. Test taken. Lines?... or line?... or lines?... there? Is that a line? Definite vertical line, but the horizontal line on our 'plus' was baaaarely, if at all, discernible. Not wanting to chance our 'yes' or 'no' on a barely there line, Brad being the awesome husband that he is, runs back to WalMart and comes home with a double pack of the digital pregnancy test. Bless his heart! Take another test that night... 'error'. Are you freaking kidding me???? Ridiculous!!! Needless to say, I was none to happy and a tad on the anxious side. But we would wait till morning. Morning comes and... well... only one word showed up: Pregnant. I couldn't believe it. Neither could Brad. That was a loooong day for us.

Feelings: So many feelings went through me that day, and the week following. Honestly, none of them all that good. I felt anger, panicked, sad, overwhelmed, etc. Most of all, I felt guilt. I would just look at Gavin and start crying. I had been looking forward to watching my two little boys grow up a little and have them all to myself for the next two years... and now I was going to have to divide my time between three? I felt like I was robbing Gavin of his time. I had a really hard time accepting that it was all happening, and that it was all good. I couldn't see past the haze of selfishness and guilt.

Baby's foot

I was also bleeding. Not a scary amount, but enough to wonder what was going on. I scheduled an appointment for that week with my doctor. He checked me out, did an ultrasound on the outside of my belly to make sure it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy, and guessed me due October 27th. I also got my blood drawn. In a few days, I got it drawn again to make sure my hormone levels were going up and no miscarriage. Obviously, everything was great.

Bump at 15 weeks

Acceptance: After I wallowed in self pity for a week or so, I finally started to pull out of the shock. I began to accept it. It was obvious this little spirit had to come now, for some reason. I then had another appointment so we could see baby. I saw him on the screen and I just felt peace. Peace was a feeling much needed at this time :) A few days later, I had more of a breakthrough. I had flashbacks of trying to get pregnant, overcome with what that felt like. What would I rather be going through- struggling to get pregnant again or having a surprise pregnancy? The answer was simple: I was grateful and happy for this little person inside of me. I was blessed to have this little spirit. We will be blessed to have him. It may be rough, but it can be done. As one of my friends said to me, how can you not be happy about a baby? With that, I came around. I started to be happy, to look forward to welcoming him. But we still weren't going to tell people yet :)

Spilling the beans: First person I told was a friend in the ward. She watched James for me the first few appointments. I had to tell someone and talk to someone- so grateful for her listening ear :) At week 14, we told our parents but told them to wait to tell our siblings. When we were pregnant with Gavin, we had talked about keeping our third a secret longer. Having it be this early, it cinched the deal :) After that, started telling it to friends here. They'd figure it out soon enough- was already showing! May 25th, a day before my 18 week mark, we had the ultrasound to show us our third little boy (and I guessed right, by the way- go me!) Then we told our siblings, but wanted to wait to tell everyone else. After that, either you knew because you were family or because you saw me. And then came the blog announcement :)

Thus far: Here we are, hitting the 25 week mark today. The pregnancy has really flown by. My morning sickness was "worse" this time- as in, the nausea lasted all day instead of just parts of the day. I know I am totally and completely blessed in that department. I felt the baby move at 17 weeks, and he really started moving at 22 weeks. I am constantly tired. For the first time, raw meat completely grosses me out. I always thought that was funny when girls said that about being pregnant- not so funny anymore. I'm better now, but I still don't like it. Blech. I am super happy it is another boy. Can't wait to see these boys grow up together! It is a definite c-section again. You can have two c-sections and still have the option of a VBAC, but since Gavin's birth was a partial abruption the doctor doesn't think it is in our best interest. And I'm with him- just get it done. We'll see if he can come in a boring, scheduled surgery.

25 weeks!

I think that's basically it. Still reading this? I know, it was long. Again, we are happy for this little boy to join us in our family. We know it's not going to be easy- Gavin and baby #3 will be 14 1/2 months apart. James doesn't turn 3 until the end of December- that is 3 under 3. Someone has more faith in me than I have faith in me as a mother, I tell you what! I love our little boy, I know he is coming at the right time for him. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father for helping me through this. For trusting me with another child. Just for all the many blessings we have had and are continuing to receive. He truly is with us always, watching out for us.

Lastly... you better believe I am on the lookout for an awesome tie pattern... going to be making lots of those! Oh, I can't wait to get these boys all matchy-matchy for Christmas and Easter (and anything in between!).

For All to See

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

We've got a little surprise headed our way...

and he wants to say hello to you, too...

Baby at 18 weeks

Surprised?

Not as surprised as WE were!

Baby boy is due October 27th

Scheduled c-section: TBD

*More details to come!

* Please no Facebook wall posts.

Keeping it quiet a little while longer on there :)

Our 4th of July

2011-07-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Happy (belated) 4th of July, everyone! Our 4th of July was busy, but low key all at the same time. It was great.

We got to go over to our friend's house, the Hemenway's, and play in their kiddie pools and the sprinkler hose. James had so much fun. And so did Gavin! We were pleasantly surprised when after a little whining, Gavin absolutely loved being in the shallow kiddie pool. It was so fun to watch the two boys enjoy themselves in the water and the sun with their little friends.

After the fun, we headed over to another friend's house, the Peterson's, for a BBQ and some fun. James decided he didn't really want to play with others so he holed up in the play room upstairs, playing by himself. And behaving, so I was ok with it! Gavin loved crawling around in their big house.

Daddy took James outside to try his first sparkler! Unfortunately, I didn't know and did not get a picture. But even more unfortunate, on his second sparkler a part of it fell off and James tried to pick it up... and burned his little thumb :(

So sad... Thankfully, Amy (the hostess) had some spray pain reliever which seemed to help a lot. James actually had quite the accident-prone-day- earlier he had scarped his leg coming down from our little garden wall, tripped on the hose and scraped his knee pretty good, and fell a few more times. Just one of those days!

We headed home and got the boys to bed and missed out on fireworks. But it was all good still because we just loved spending time with everyone and celebrating our country's birthday.

Zoo Expedition and Farewells

2011-06-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Ok- I am pretty sure I can finish talking about our trip in this post. Whew!!

Before we get started, I have to put these pictures of Gavin up. He found the DVDs and went to town. My mom gathered them all up to take away the temptation... and he simply moved to the second shelf to keep the mischief up. Silly boy.

The Saturday before Father's Day, we went to the Sacramento Zoo. We got to go with my parents and my sister. I am so glad we did! If you haven't noticed, James has a love for animals (just like his mommy and daddy) so this was an exciting trip. We got to see a bunch of animals up close. Yaaay!! The best part for James (which we didn't get pictures of because daddy had the camera... shame, daddy) ;) was the monkeys. He loooooved them. They were pretty entertaining... and pretty hard to pull him away from them. But we did and he recovered.

The Monday before we left, we headed over to Brad's parents house one last time. What surprised us was all the family in California were there too! So... there were 11 grandkids and 7 kids and kids-in-law (brad's oldest bro couldn't get away from work). What fun! And to add to the fun in true Central Valley tradition- it was over 100. Aunt Amy (yes, i have a SIL named Amy) was awesome and brought her slip-n-slide for the kiddos to enjoy. Would James have anything to do with it? No. He wanted the horses. Luckily, they also got the hose going with the sprinkler so he finally would play in that... then he got interested in the slide and had lots of fun. It was great catching up with everyone before we left.

We were lame and didn't get any pictures of the boys with Brad's parents (i know, SO lame of us!!). But the day we left, my dad came home from work to see us a little bit before we went. I had the grand idea to at least get pictures of them with the kids. So here are a few of those:

Also before we left we took advantage of extra hands and got some nice photos of the boys and our family in my parent's backyard.

This one of James is so cute- but so sad his smile is behind a dinosaur!

We didn't do much, but just being with family and enjoying each other was plenty. Hopefully it won't be too long till we see everyone again!

Bit of This, Bit of That

2011-06-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

To make posting about our vacation a tad easier on myself and not write a bajillion different things, here are a few random highlights from the trip. May be long, so I understand if you get bored :)

James loves to be outside. It was so nice having a yard again and letting him play in front or out back. I would have pictures of Gavin outside, but he isn't quite as in love with the great outdoors as big brother. Still doesn't like grass (almost instantly cries when put down on it), doesn't really like sitting on a blanket on grass, and just wants to crawl on the pavement/cement. Call me crazy, but I don't think that is the best surface for a baby's legs. So our outdoor-doings were mostly done during nap time.

The day after Brad came we went to the park a few blocks away from my parent's house. This is also the park where Brad proposed (in the trees pictured below). Good memories :)

Now here are some pictures of Gavin. This kid is a food hog. We discovered he loves the cream filling in Oreos... then we accidentally discovered he likes all of the Oreo. James was eating his cookie and took the top part off and Gavin quickly snatched it up and shoved it in his mouth. Made for quite the laugh and quite the mess.

can you tell he loved it?

Then on a really hot day we went to Ripon (where I grew up) to their splash park to cool off. Needless to say there were lots of kids there and James was a little intimidated. He was one of the few little guys. But with Daddy and Aunt Rach, he was able to enjoy it a bit.

Gavin didn't want to be in the water at all.

What was a hit for James was the sprinkler attachment for the hose in the backyard. We would twist the hose so the water would stop coming and he would count, "2...1...3!!!" (yeah, his counting to 3 is a bit off) and we'd let it SHOOT out in his face and he'd run away laughing.

Well, I think that is enough randomness for now. Sure is a lot to write about when you have fun for almost 3-weeks!

Horse Of Course

2011-06-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

We have an obsession that just won't go away: horses. James loooooves horses. We're not sure how this obsession became so strong, but it's here and it is staying.

This boy was in heaven this past week because his Grampa Jim (Brad's dad) has horses. Five to be exact (which is a low number for him). He's something of a cowboy in our eyes. We first went over without Brad and got to see and pet the horses. James was beyond excited. He kept saying, "Papa's horse".

Once Brad was here, we made a trip out to their house again. We weren't able to ride, but he got to be up close and personal again.

Next time, he got to ride. Lucky boy. He was so excited. Brad would tell the horse, "Good boy" and pat him on the neck. So, of course, James would copy him. He would switch between saying "Good boy", horse noises, and yee-haw. Cowboy in training, I tell ya.

Our good-bye visit, he got to go riding again. Like I said, lucky boy. He just absolutely loves being around the horses... and unfortunately has no fear of them. I love that my little guy has no fear, but at the same time he freaks me out. Horses aren't really the animals you want them walking freely around. We all had to keep an eye on him for sure.

With this awesome experience under his belt, this horse obsession is here to stay. Now we just need to get him a hat and some boots to make him legit.

We're Baaaa-aaaack!

2011-06-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Last night... wait, wait... correction: early this morning we pulled our car in front of our apartment here in Oregon. We are back. From a wonderfully long/extended vacation. It's good to be back, but mostly it's not. We both hate living so far from family. Things I already miss:

- family. duh

- talking to adults more than children

- a yard

- my sister's clothes (i miss her more than her clothes, but she is boxed up in 'family')

- carpet. we have fake-wood laminate flooring. i want carpet back

- a nicer place to live :)

- family. yes, this is so missed it gets two

There is probably more, but within the 14-hours I have been home these are the things most missed thus far. Ah well, such is life. Could be lots worse than a 9-hour drive (because we've been much further than that). So get ready for a slew (or more like a few) vacation posts! I bet you can hardly wait to see them.

Lazy Much

2011-06-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed, I've gotten a tad lazy with my blogging. And here is my awesome and totally valid reason: we're on vacation. Oh yeah! We are having lots of fun... doing not too much :) My wonderful mom came up a week and a half ago to Oregon for a few days so she could take me and the boys down with her and escape finals week. I hate finals/midterms week(s). Hardly seeing my husband becomes excessive, taking care of kids 24/7 by myself, alone... I don't like it. So why not go hang with some awesome family members? It turned out really great for both Brad and I (though we missed each other like crazy). I got to keep my sanity and Brad could study study study. This last Friday Brad was done with finals and drove the 9-hours south to join us and we are just loooooving having him around. We have no real idea when our vacation is going to end and we are just enjoying the sunshine and family. Hopefully I'll get out of my laziness and post a little something about our vay-cay thus far. Hopefully.

Scrunchiness is Happiness

2011-05-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

These are picutres of James at 10 months. He started doing what we called "The Bitter Beer Face". And these are the best ones we have of them because he moved so much, but you get the idea. He would go around with his face all scrunched up, and breathing heavily through his nose. Was hilarious. And he would always laugh after he did it. Such a little cutie.

These are pictures of Gavin. He has developed his own scrunch face. And it is the just so cute because he just smiles and laughs while he is doing it- his own little way of showing how happy and excited he is. He was sick all weekend with a fever so this was some definite much needed happy time on Sunday morning. He was doing it so much, we were able to catch it on video!

Unfortunately, by night time he was back to this:

He is almost back to his normal self, but not quite. But we can't wait to have our scrunch face back and happy.

Um... Little Dude?

2011-05-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

You've got a little something riiiiiiight there...

Who knew you could look so cute and happy with something on your face. Gotta love babies

The Big 30

2011-05-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Brad's 30th birthday. Woooow. I got me an old man (toooootal joke). I was going to write this on the day of his birth, but the birthday boy hijacked the computer to look at REI for hours. And that is okay. Because it was his day. And I like REI, too.

The day was nice and simple. After church we relaxed and hung out with the boys. Then Brad got full-parent duty while I cooked his meal. You know the way to a man's heart is his stomach so that is exactly what I did. I am grateful to report I didn't disappoint (yay!). Dinner menu: sweet pulled pork (cafe rio style), cilantro lime rice, Cuban-style black beans, cilantro ranch dressing and fresh tortillas (from Costco- i'm not that awesome). It. Was. Goooood.

We then, of course, went on a walk. We love our walks. Came home, got boys ready for bed, talked to different family members, put boys down, and enjoyed birthday cake. Angel food cake with strawberries, ice cream, and whipped cream.

Again, delish. Gifts included mula, REI giftcard, REI membership, and a tent to be purchased this week from Costco. He got on the laptop to see how to use his newfound REI giftcard and we watched the Survivor season finale (go, boston rob!). Verdict from the bday boy: a perfect day. Mission accomplished!

9 months

2011-05-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, Mr. Gavin is 9 months old. And he is just so much fun to be around. Here are some 9 month old fun-bits of Gav:

- looooooooves to chatter. all. the. time. it is hilarious

- is eating food, but is a bit stubborn on the whole, "oh i have to chew my food?". he'll do it, but not consistently. little stinker

- is 100% crawling- and forwards! at about 7 months he started moving around (oh so awkwardly). sort of in between army and the worm crawl. then it transitioned even more into crawling... but backwards. now he is going the right direction and loving it. and getting super fast

- loves balls. the best one to watch him with is our big blue ball. he'll just sit there with it and attack it with his mouth. and it's huge compared to him

- is a certified momma's boy. eesh

- a water bug just like his big brother. bath time is happy time in our house

- laughs super easy. he's so so ticklish, it's great

- a definite snuggler. love his loves

- has definitely found his flirt gene. his brother has taught him well :)

There you have it! He is such a delight and we are loving watching him learn and grow. This is definitely one of my favorite stages. Now just 3 more months and we've got a one-year old...

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

I love Mother's Day. It truly is a celebration not just for those of us that are current mother's, but for all women: mothers, mothers-to-be, daughters, sisters, wives, aunts, mothers-in-their-own-way, etc.

I love my boys. I love being their mommy. Even if it is frustrating at times. The good definitely outweigh the not so good.

I love my husband. For making me a mommy. For loving me despite all my faults and craziness. He is too good.

I love my mother. She truly is an amazing woman and I am who I am today because of her. I am truly blessed to be her daughter.

Happy Mother's Day to all you awesome ladies

Platanos

2011-05-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

We had a special treat tonight in our household: platanos fritos. Aka fried plantains. Brad served his mission in Guatemala and when you ask him his favorite thing he ate there, he will quickly reply, "Plantains." We've been wanting to do this for a while, but have never really noticed plantains in the grocery store. Till now. Yes!

A couple months ago we bought some nice, green platanos from WinCo. Looked online for a recipe... uuhhh... they are supposed to be waaaaaaay riper than green to fry. Oops. So we waited for them to ripen. And waited. And waited. They weren't turning color at all! Then Brad checked them and they had a bit of mold. Blech. He threw them out. Turns out, since they take so long to ripen from the green stage, all you have to do is wipe the mold off and let them keep going. Again- oops.

A few weeks ago I had Brad run to the grocery store (not WinCo), and what does he come home with? Platanos... nice and yellow. Much better than green. So we brown bagged them and waited for the black stage. Which was tonight. Perfect timing, seeing as how it is Cinco de Mayo and all. Brad heated up the skillet, got some oil going, sliced the plantains, and fried them up. Once done, he sprinkled them with sugar (you can do salt, too). They were pretty good. Brad loved having them and we are definitely doing this again.

Who Doesn't Love Some Pink?

2011-05-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Guess who is having a giveaway on her blog? Guess who has themed her blog ALL pink (and it's adorable) for this giveaway? Guess who is doing it all for an awesome cause?...

Not me. I'm not that cool. But my sister is! She is helping out one of our dear friends with raising money for her walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day For the Cure walk. Rach is dedicating this whole week to pink and raising awareness on breast cancer. She has some pretty interesting facts on there, too.

Rach is having a giveaway for a super cute necklace, earrings (of course), and a broach. Of course you want to enter, right??? The easiest way to enter is to be a follower and leave a comment. Simple. Or blog about it (like moi). But the bestest best way: every dollar you donate to the cause you get an extra entry. Also, if you buy some uber cute pink earrings from her etsy shop, every dollar is donated to the cause. I call this awesomeness.

I know we are all struggling. It's hard to find a few extra dollars to donate to something like this. But I think it is safe to say all of us has known someone who has been affected by breast cancer- whether a relative or a friend. My best friend's mom was a breast cancer survivor. She was one of the most amazing people I know. When we moved away, we heard her cancer had come back. During our senior year she passed away. That is too young to lose your mother. In my mind, this cure- this is for you, Mrs. Ho.

So if you can, please give to this cause. Someday we'll get the cure :)

From Last Weekend

2011-05-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sooooo I realized I didn't put anything on here about last holiday weekend. Well, about what we did and what not.

The weekend started on Friday, when we had an Easter egg hunt at a friend's house across the street. James had so much fun being with all his little buddies and finding eggs. He did a lot better than last year! And daddy was able to be with us for the hunt, so it was extra special.

Saturday was beautiful. Oh man. I l-o-v-e the sun! We took our little family on a walk and then came home and got blankets to sit on the grass near our apartment. Gav isn't the biggest fan of grass but enjoyed being on the blanket and James looooooved running around to his heart's content. Gotta soak up the sun when you can around here.

Sunday, of course, was Easter. We went to church (and got there on time! 9am meeting time, folks. this was good!) and enjoyed the talks (what we caught of them). Best part: we got invited over to one of our friend's house for dinner. Which was great because I totally spaced it on planning Easter dinner (i blame it on my birthday distraction). We came home and went on another walk because the sun was shining for 10 minutes and we had to take advantage of it! Then we headed off for our amazing meal at the Christiansen's. They are so sweet and we are so grateful for them sharing this holiday with us. And we love talking to them :) They have 3 kids, the youngest being James' age. Their kids just love ours and play with them and it is nice and relaxing. Our Easter was just perfect.

Of course, I didn't realize I had completely forgotten to take pictures of the boys and Gavin's first Easter till after they went to bed. Ah well. I made Brad take one of Gavin sleeping on me because he conked out out of nowhere. Sleeping babies- priceless.

Don't judge how awful I look

He is Risen

2011-04-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

"But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord."

- Helaman 14:17

Another Year

2011-04-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

Another year has passed. I am now one year older... and I hope I am one year wiser. At least a teeeensy bit. This birthday marks a new era... I am now in my late 20's. Oh my goodness. Feels kinda odd, in a mostly good way. Moving on...

It was a great day. I hung out with James and Gav (who were awesome today- thanks, boys!), ran a few errands. Got to talk to a few friends here. Skyped with my family. Brad took the night "off" and I got to enjoy him. One of the best parts was going out to dinner, to this Indian place called Taste of India. So. Good. But we were in for a surprise because...

no kids!!

The restaurant was downtown, near UO, so we were going to pick Brad up after Gavin's nap and head straight there. I don't like burdening people and we can't afford baby-sitters, so kids come with us. I had just turned out of our complex when my friend called me. She said she'd watch the kids for me. Are you for real? She is seriously one of the sweetest persons I know. I quickly turned around and said I'll be there pronto. I felt guilty, but awesome all at the same time. We haven't been on a date, just Brad and I, since Gavin's been born. So 8 months? Yeah, waaaaay too long. I dropped them off, said my thanks, and headed to UO. I didn't tell Brad and the confused look on his face when I pulled up was great. Off we were to our food... with no kids!!

It was so nice just to be with him again. We just talked and talked. I love him. Anyways, our food was just so amazing and I was just so excited, I documented it. Yuuum.

I got the Saag Lamb

and Brad got the Chicken Masala

and we got an order of garlic naan. my oh my delish

After dinner, we ventured to pick up the kids. Headed home for bath time and "toclate PIE" (James interpretation). I did NOT want to bake my own cake so I bought this Chocolate Creme Pie. Very good.

Then a few presents to open with family via Skype and off to bed for the boys. Next up... time. For ourselves. Which meant watching the episode of "Parenthood" we missed last night. And now I am going to stop blogging and go get some cuddles with my Brad.

Parenting Magazine Contest

2011-04-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Got an email today from parenting.com- they are having a cover contest! And being a mom who thinks I have the cutest kids (don't we all), of course I entered my adorable boys. Since we just took their photos after having their hair cut, I had the perfect pictures just waiting to be uploaded.

So, if you have the time to register, go ahead and vote for James and Gavin. Unless you want to enter your kids... which I wouldn't blame you for doing. But we would appreciate your votes- c'mon, you gotta admit they are pretty stinkin' cute.

Here is for James, and here is for Gavin. Thanks!

Mail Call!

2011-04-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

I love getting packages in the mail. You can just feel the love. Even ones you paid for. It's true. This past week was extra special because we got two packages in the mail! You can imagine my giddiness.

Monday the first package arrived. This one was one we paid for, but like I said, still felt the love.

We ordered our lovely Dell laptop from Costco- gotta love that place (though the online store and i had been fighting an ugly battle before the purchase went through). Oh, how I love our laptop. Besides the obvious convenience of having it downstairs instead of upstairs, I have a favorite part of our new device: cuddles in bed watching shows/Netflix (like the first season of Glee- awesome. makes me sad with how this season is going though...). LOVE this. So nice. Buuut I have to admit... I think I set a record with our new computer within hours of owning it. What record? Why, letting a VIRUS on of course! A popup came up of how many viruses were on our computer (do you know how many years it's been since i've seen a popup? this one looked legit!) so of course I wanted them off my computer! And the "anti-virus" was the virus. Awesome. Needless to say, with help from my brother and Brad working on it, virus was eradicated the next day. I will probably be ruthlessly teased about this until I die.

Package #2 arrived a few days later and it was one sent from home. I was not allowed to know the details of the contents, and being the super insanely curious person I am, I think I was more excited for this package.

I was/am so excited about this, I am listing the contents. Yes, I am a nerd.
1- new dress from the mama. love it
2- adorable purse my sister got me for waaaaay cheap at the flea market. can't wait to make this my diaper bag
3- FLATS! i brought these home with me in december and have missed them dearly since. i was secretly hoping i would find them and i DID
4- earrings i ordered from my sister. so stinkin' adorable. i got a pair of bunny ones that i am totally wearing for easter.
5- stickers! for james :) he looooooves stickers so i am excited for these to completely entertain him
6- spring band-aids. rach saw these for $1 at jo-ann's and decided i needed a box of them too. heck yes.
7- H&M sweater for my birthday. i love this store, but have never purchased anything from there. mainly because i go when i'm pregnant or they are revamping. not the best timing
8- cd's. story: a month or two ago, our cd's got stolen from our car. boo. it didn't bother me at first, but i kept thinking of all the sentimentally burned ones we had and it bummed me out (like our wedding ones, a few from my brother, one from my friend with all the Moulin Rouge songs, etc). so rach copied some of her music for me and i am oh so grateful. and happy. we're talking some dashboard, relient k, mae, jimmy eat world, all-american, soundtracks... loveliness. and i got a surprise birthday mix cd too. looooove it.

So thank you Costco and family for our packages. They were received with love and can't wait to get more.

Snippity Snip Snip

2011-04-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, both boys got hair cuts. Yay! James was looking pretty shaggy (the kid is talented in the hair department) and Gav was looking reeeaaaallllyyy poofy in the back.

We've been buzzing James' hair since he was 6 months old, but the last time we did it it was just too short. So scissors it was. I was going to do it, but Brad stepped in as the official hair cutter and did the job. And a mighty good one at that. All we had to do was put on his favorite show, Little Einsteins, and we were a go.

Then came Gavin's turn. He was adorable. Just loooooved looking at himself in the mirror the whole time while Brad buzzed his hair. Such a happy little boy.

Before

All done! Here are the after shots (James was from a few days after because it was the first day we actually did it and he would cooperate). Such handsome little devils...

All You Need Is...

2011-03-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

This past week was Spring Break/term break. Brad starts his third term this Monday. Boo (but yay, too). You wanna know what we did that was super fun this week for Spring Break? Absolutely nothing. And not in a good way. We had plans to go to the coast, but guess what... I got sick. Of course I do the week we get to spend together and relax. Of course!! You can tell I'm none too happy about it. Luckily, it's only a cold. But it still bugs me. I thought I was getting over it, but today slammed me back down to reality. We went to Costco hoping the laptop we wanted/needed was there (it wasn't) and then browsed some. Yeah... I was about ready to faint by the time we got to the car. Love that feeling. But Brad has been trying to take care of me and it's been niiiiiiice.

I decided since mommy wasn't feeling good, mommy got to watch one of her movies today. And I chose Emma. I love this movie. Love. How can you not?? Hope you all have seen it. Anyways... so you know that scene where Emma is playing the piano and singing? Then Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor) starts to accompany her on the second verse? And you swoon a little at his voice and smile? It always makes me think of Moulin Rouge when Ewan McGregor comes out of no where and has this incredible voice! And you instantly fall in love with him. Well... I did. Seriously another one of my all time faves. Now I can't get Moulin Rouge out of my head. So I've decided I'm relaxing once again and watching it tonight. And I will thoroughly enjoy it and sing as much as my cold-ridden voice will allow. And wish I could dance like the dancers in Roxanne.

Baking Pals

2011-03-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

I did a something last week that is hardly ever done in my house: I baked. Don't get me wrong, I love to bake. I love to be in the kitchen. But I just never make the time for stuff like this. So I finally did. Gavin was down for a nap, Brad was home, James was (mostly) behaving and distracted. Time to don my apron and get going! So I thought. I promptly heard some incoherent ramblings from a tiny someone... yes, James was tugging at my apron and pointing at my other (and smaller) apron for him. It was adorable and I promptly tied the waist apron on the Jamers. My volunteer was ready to get going! He quickly grabbed his two favorite "toys"- his spatula and his spatula... but two different kinds. Seriously, why are they both called spatula? Beyond me. Moving on...

We set out to work... meaning, I did everything and he ran around in all his apron cuteness. I'm pretty sure I need to make him one (maybe in a nice blue, or green, or anything but pink) now. His assistance didn't last long, but I survived and turned out some decent chocolate chip cookies. I'll tell you this much- the husband suuuuure enjoyed the baking.

Gotta love toddlers not holding still...

Major Blessing

2011-03-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Newsflash: school isn't cheap. In fact, it is downright stressfully expensive. When we/Brad started grad school, we had to figure out how much this was going to cost us in the end. We got our loans and found out we didn't have any "extra". And we needed that because grad school is a full-time job. Brad puts in at least 40 hours a week into his studies and classes. No time for a job. We got an extra loan (thank you!)... which barely covered the minimum of our monthly expenses. We (meaning I) was starting to feel the pressure of our budget. It just felt like it wasn't working and we needed just a little extra loan money from the school. Brad was going to ask for more loans, but instead he went to the head of his department and asked for a GTF spot. A GTF is like a stipend- they pay your tuition, you grade and/or hold discussion groups, get an office, and get a nice little paycheck each month. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but this would be a huge blessing and a definite answer to prayers. We heard back from them a day after he asked for it last week and- he got it. I cannot even express how grateful I am. This is such an amazing blessing and will help us out more than words can say.

I'll be honest, I've been feeling a bit down on and off since we've moved here. What with a new baby, juggling two little ones, husband gone a lot, stuck at home sometimes, new area, no family, money stress, hard time making real friends, Gavin starting to be randomly fussy these past few months... it was getting to me. And I felt alone. Like alone. I have quickly learned that I am not. Heavenly Father knows me and He knows our needs. Just because He doesn't answer every plea right away doesn't mean He isn't listening or caring. Yes, I have learned this lesson before and apparently I will continue to learn it. This blessing has really humbled me and I am grateful for it. Everyone needs a wake-up call and a reminder, right? Even though this was "only" an answer to our financial needs, it speaks volumes of how much Heavenly Father cares for me and my family. Hopefully I'll remember this when dealing with everything else :)

Slightly Obsessed Friday

2011-03-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

Nail polish. Can't live without it- seriously. I hate it when I'm not able to have nail polish on my nails.

It's been in the last few years it's been a must in my life. I mostly blame The Hills (that's right- my guilty pleasure show. until lauren left. boo kristin). Lauren always had some on and it just seemed to add something. It just spices up your life!

At first, I only really liked black... then hot red... then hot pink... I'm open to almost anything right now (budget permitting- hence my small collection). This last week I was sporting this duo

black with sparkles. Yes please. Complaint: sparkles don't come off so easily. But it looks dang good.

This is what will rock my nails this week... because, let's be honest, does it really last more than a week? Maybe if you can pay for the good stuff. Which I cannot. Love the student life.

and i'm guest posting on my sister's site, i heart... today! be sure to check it

I Love HIM

2011-03-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

I love his squinched-up grin and giggles

I love how he laughs at almost anything

I love how he still does 'Muscle Man' (which he's done since he was 8 months old)

I love when he wants you to go with him he says "hand" and takes your hand

I love it when he is really sleepy, he plays and plays and plays with his hair- or someone else's

I love his hugs and how he'll give them endlessly

I love his kisses

I love that he has learned when the camera is on him, to say "cheese"

I love how excited he is when Brad comes home from school

I love how just plain adorable he is. Seriously, too cute for words

I love when he holds my hand on walks

I love our special moments

I love his snuggles

I love story-time

I love him

Slightly Obsessed Friday

2011-03-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

You know what I am just loving right now?

Thermal pajamas

I have been dying to have a pair (or more, let's be honest) for a while now, but just couldn't pay the price for the ones I was looking at. Black Friday rolled around and I found some at Old Navy that were a bit more plain but still adorable- and affordable. But the line was crazy crazy crazy and I was not up for it. Sad day for me, but hopefully I would find some in the holiday season. Nope. So... I went to Old Navy a week or two ago and there they were. Still cute. And... even more on sale than at Black Friday. I got a pair. I may have even gone back this past week and gotten yet another set of them... maybe.

Can I just tell you they are oh so comfortable? And that every night I try to get in my pj's as early as possible?

Shatter

2011-03-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

Scene: Boys went down on time tonight. Yes (except not a 'yes' but an 'oh poor baby' for the 2-year old who has a fever/cold and went down at 6:45)! Pop in movie. Snuggle. Movie over. Ugh. Dishes need to be done. But do they? Yeeeaaaahhh. Otherwise it's going to be done in the chaos of our morning. Scrub (two) plates clean and put on counter to put in sink later since dishwasher doesn't have room for them. Turn around. CRASH.

Wha...? Yeah, the Corelle plates fell off the counter. One of them was perfectly intact. The other one... not so much. More like in a bajillion different pieces across the floor and in my foot. Still stings a little, a little blood- nothing that bad. But I was already down one plate, so now... I have 6 plates. Boo. I guess they are only shatter resistant, not shatter proof.