{Life is RAD.}

When I need to talk to someone older than 3.

2012-02-08T11:35:00.001-07:00

I've heard that men in general use less words a day than women. Now, I married me a talkative husband (thankfully), but I still could out talk him any time. I LOVE to talk, you could even say I NEED to talk, A LOT. Verbalizing my thoughts, whether important or absolutely pointless, helps me keep my focus and prevents serious brain overload.

Yesterday was one of those days. I knew if I didn't spit some thoughts out soon, to somebody who understood what I was saying, that I may or may not EXPLODE.

So here they are, in all of their randomness. And I now feel much better. :)

Anna's got the most beautiful eyes with darling lashes. Some boy is going to fall for those eyes someday. I don't know where that blue came from, but seriously...GORGEOUS.
She refused to nap. ALL DAY. And she won't eat solids hardly at all. She just wanted a bottle. And then the nose started and a little cough has begun. Here we go again...
Chubby babies really should be required to where turtlenecks at least once a week. CUTE.
Evan poured the milk himself. Into an actual cup. And didn't even spill. This could be the beginning of something wonderful!
Evan in his Sunday suit may be the most adorable thing ever. It just makes me want to hug him. Which I do. Which I think he may be getting tired of and wondering why his Mom only loves him on Sundays. (JK of course...)

Anna totally got my gappy teeth. (My front teeth are mostly fake. I hope you are so surprised by this because they look so natural.) She also has an under-bite like Evan. No idea where that came from.
My left eye closes more than my right when I smile. I don't know why. And I can't make it stop. I may simply have a defective eye. ...unique.
Evan doing what Evan does best (above)...doing his own thing. Comfortable? I think not, but he'd say otherwise.
New game: Evan climbs to the top of the stairs, screams "Come one Anna, faster!" And she is SO tickled by his encouragement that she can hardly climb at all due to her shaking excitement. Eventually we make it to the top...eventually.

I like stripes now, I think. I didn't for a long time. Oh, I thought they looked just fine on other people, but not on me. I think someone told me to always say NO to horizontal stripes unless you want to look chunky. But guess what? Stripes. Are. RAD. And really kind of a fun change.
My hair is getting longer which means it's easier to put up, which means it's been up everyday this week. Which isn't bad. I just need to get more creative with my up hair. It's kind of boring me.
Do you see those necklaces...hanging on the lamp? Well, you just might be wondering what those are and why I took a picture. So, back when David and I started dating we were doing the long-distance thing. I visited Utah once and we spent the whole day in Salt Lake City. FUN, I tell you. We went to a Jazz Festival outdoor thing and they gave us necklaces. And I joked with David about how he should where his. And he did. For the rest of the day. (And green brings out his eyes, but you really didn't need to know that detail...) Anyways, he was cleaning in our room and must have found his necklace and just hung it up there. I don't know if he was trying to be cute or not, but it was CUTE. So I grabbed mine so they could hang there together in some kind of adorable symbol of our relationship. (deep.) Let's see how long it takes him to notice that mine is there too. This is why marriage rocks my friends...'cause you can be weird and the other person likes it. And may even find it endearing.
The garbage can has become Evan's new toy spot. He keeps setting toys there, like it's a table or something. Which is fine. Except what does one do when they think they are being a great multi-tasker and have a 20 lb baby + bottle in one arm and and a pile of garbage to throw in the can filling the other hand AND only one finger to push that little button to open the can. Do you launch the toy? Yes, if it's not breakable. Do you get Evan to come move it? OR there is always just standing there perplexed at your predicament for a full 30 seconds before you decide what to do. (Which is the option I've been choosing...because not deciding is a decision-see how I'm learning life lessons in the most unlikely ways?)

Buying toys for children is becoming so silly to me. Evan found a lunch box and played with it for a good hour. Filling it up, carrying it around, going to work, going to school, etc. He even put on his boots to make me really think he had somewhere to be.
Anna's hair. She's kind of got a reverse mullet goin' on. Short in the back, long in the front. I'm a little perplexed at what to do because we're letting it grow out, but she has some long pieces that are longer than the other long pieces and probably need to be trimmed, but I don't want to do serious damage. I mean, a girls hair is important to her, ya know?
I hate when I spend forever trying a new recipe for dinner and the only part that actually tastes good is the salad that took 5 minutes to put together.
Evan's room used to always be SO messy. And we'd clean it (or Mom would clean it) every once in a while, but this wasn't really working for Mom anymore. Evan loves routine. We added picking up his room to his bedtime routine. He now knows which toys go in which boxes and INSISTS his room is tidy before he'll go to bed. Ahaha...I'm sneaky. The only inconvenience is on us because really, sometimes you push them through that bedtime routine as fast as physically possible because you want to go to sleep too. But Evan's room is clean-er than it used to be. And I smile about this. And give myself a high-five for being oh so clever!
How do 4 people create so much dirty laundry SO quickly?! There is a laundry monster living here...I feel like I do laundry everyday almost. LAME.
Also, I teach YW's on Sunday. And I'm not feeling nervous at all which is weird for me. I think it's because I feel pretty comfortable around these girls these days. They are pretty AWESOME.

Well, I'm kind of talked out. Surprisingly. Thanks for listening. You rock!

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

2012-02-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Read to you (and altered slightly) by The Evster. Enjoy!

This boy.

2012-02-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

(That's cottage cheese in Evan's mouth. Knew you wanted to see THAT.)
No one even told me how cool 3 year olds are, especially this one.

I mean, he's still completely crazy, but as his vocabulary increases he makes me smile and laugh out loud several times a day.

Some favorites this week...

After spinning around in a circle until he fell down, "Mom, did that look COOL?!"

And, randomly..."I'm feeling happy. Am I making you happy?" (Probably the cutest thing ever.)

Me: "Evan, please pick up your books." Evan: "How about you pick up my books?" (He acts like this is the best idea ever...as if that is a completely rational request.)

And I wrote this one on facebook, but it's worth recording here too...
I looked in the mirror and had peanut butter on my eyebrow. (One guess as to who had recently eaten PB. Hint: It wasn't me.) I came out and asked Evan if he had noticed...He just started laughing while giving the most unconvincing "Nooo..." of all time.

During the Sacrament today, he took a piece of bread off the tray and exclaimed loudly "I got a BIG one!" And he kept repeating it. And the more I tried to get him to zip his lips, the louder he said it. He doesn't really have any sort of inside voice.

So we had his 3 year old check up. And I was wondering how it would go. He was A LOT nervous, but finally stepped on the scale after they promised him a sticker. (Stickers are powerful people...very powerful.)

Stats: he's off the chart...still.
Height- 41" >97%
Weight- 41.5lbs >97%
Head-BIG (20.5")

They asked lots of questions and tried to get Evan to stand on one foot. He shook his head no about 20 times, but they finally determined he's healthy and developing just fine.

At one point we were talking about behavior and I was trying to describe Evan's personality. Quiet mostly, but extreme as well. I guess they call this "intense reaction." When he feels something, he REALLY feels it and expresses it strongly and LOUDLY, whether negative or positive. Yep. Cool.

I've always loved this kid and all his "Evan-ness" but this week I've just felt more attached to this little dude. We are alike in so many ways, and because of this maybe, I feel like we understand each other a bit.
There is so much good in this boy. So much enthusiasm for life. I hope he holds onto that always.
Year 3 is going to be just swell. And most definitely entertaining. Stay tuned.

Growin' up and stuff.

2012-02-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

This little lady was chillin' with me in the kitchen because she likes me. I just glanced down to make sure she wasn't ingesting crumbs off the floor and she just looked so much more like a toddler than a baby, sittin' there, eatin' her puffs.

Trying to act all natural even though she can sense the cameras presence.

She's actually starting to thin out a bit because she's moving around SO MUCH. Luckily those chubby cheeks are still there...I'm not ready for those to be gone just yet!

So, she had her 9 month check up today even though she is almost 10 months old...but, ya know. It works.

Stats. (Can I just say she's getting harder to carry....'cause she is.)
Height-30" ---97%
Weight-22.5 lbs---90%
Head-18"---90%

Oh this girl...it's weird to think she hasn't always been around. Life just feels so normal with the 4 of us, but I guess I'll probably feel that way with each kid.

The good news is, I don't have to ever worry about disciplining her. Evan's got it covered...
"Anna! Stop yelling! It's TOO loud!"
"Anna, don't hit me!"
"Anna, stop splashing!"
"Anna! You can't have paper books!" (Never mind that Evan left them on the floor...)
"No, Anna!"
We set the rules, Evan enforces.
Well, Anna actually just ignores him. Which I guess is good. We don't want him feeling too powerful. :)

We'll be having a 1st birthday here before too long. Crazy how fast this first year has gone. We sure love this girl.

Some fun with foil.

2012-01-30T11:07:00.003-07:00

So, I know everyone and their cousin has been using Pinterest, but I just barely finally got around to signing up. And I've come to the conclusion that I could spend my whole life on there. Which is bad, but I promised myself before I pin or re-pin hundreds of cool ideas, I better actually try some of them. I mean, what good are toddler craft ideas going to do me if I'm still pinning them when Evan is 16...and we haven't done any yet? Yeah.

I always find these cool craft or play time ideas that have a list of supplies much too long and much too expensive. Bummer. But guess what?! I found a cool new blog that I love with my whole heart, practically. Want to know what it is? Okay, I'll tell you....

FRUGAL FAMILY FUN BLOG

Even the name just gets me, ya know. Not to mention the plethora (yes, I just used that word) of good ideas! You see, we have some serious savings goals this year and since it's not even February yet, I should probably stick to those, or something.

So this little craft that improved Evan's mood for the rest of the day AND gave him something to show Daddy AND gave us some fun Mommy Evan time AND improved Evan's ripping skills (He was a pro by the end.) only required foil, double sided tape, and paper. That's it. Brilliant I tell you.

I think he's thinking this is cool business.

The intense focus of a dedicated crafter.

Excited to hang it up.

Ta da!

I'm starting to feel like winter is lasting forever. And to survive these long days without too much TV time (which tends to make a certain person grumpy.) we are going to borrow some other peoples creativity and craft and play and craft and play some more until Mr. Sun decides to join us again.
Thank you internet. You have saved me from being a boring mom, at least for a day. Awesome.

Just some things I want to remember. ♥

2012-01-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

Evan's new found tortilla love. And how he thinks it's the coolest thing ever to make a sun out of it.

And teach his friends how to do it as well...

This is Allie. I like her. She's got spunk. I complimented her sticker picture she was creating and she said, "It's gorgeous!" And I said, "Gorgeous, huh?" And she said, "Yes, gorgeous is a fancier word for pretty." I tried not to laugh too hard. But it was so funny and cute.

He's being a dog. At least that's what he tells me. He crawls around like this almost everyday. That kid has always had a serious interest in shoes. And that face...haha.

Evan would never sleep on me like this, he would wake up if set upright. She was out and I snuggled her close. And I loved it! Is there anything better than snuggling a sleeping baby? I think not.

She wants to crawl into and under everything. She just hangs out in there, and under the table, and treats the chairs like an obstacle course.

Lately I've had a few more people say that Anna looks a lot like me. I don't really see it, but every time I see those long fingers and toes I think well, shoot...at least I gave her something. :)

These two kids are all mine. Cool, huh? I hope they feel lucky to have gotten a crazy mother. I mean, life may be a little weird, but at least it will most likely be interesting...or something. Heh.

Except sometimes not.

2012-01-24T17:12:00.002-07:00

I worry sometimes that I give a false sense of optimism. I mean, Life is RAD. Except sometimes my days are not. Generally I try to avoid focusing on negative things here on the blog because doing so tends to make me feel worse, not better. And there really are so many things that are good and happy and uplifting and great all around me.

But today's been hard. And honestly I didn't do so well at handling everything. Between a 3 year old who has decided going on the toilet is not as awesome as he originally thought, a very mobile little girl who is also teething, a house that looks like it's been neglected for a month instead of just one day, and fatigue that has left my motivation level at 0...Yeah, to say 'I lost it.' would be more than accurate. Today stunk..x5. And that's okay, ya know. It could've been worse...(I can't think how exactly, but I'm sure it could've.)

And then, just when an overwhelming feeling of discouragement was pressing down on me and I was thinking that the intention of motherhood must be to suck you dry of all your physical and mental reserves and see if maybe you're still standing at the end of the day (Dramatic I know, but it felt true.)...I remembered something I read earlier this month. It was a quote by President Monson from the Ensign:

Sometimes courage is

that little voice at the

end of the day that says,

"I'll try again tomorrow."

That's really what it comes down too, isn't it? To pick yourself up again, dust yourself off (or in my case-wash the peanut butter off your pants where someone used you as a napkin), and try again.

I've never really thought of courage that way before.

I wanted to write this post because I needed to vent, but I also needed to say how happy I was that a prompting came just when needed, that I feel a little bit of hope piercing through the discouragement, leaving me with the feeling that I have a Father in Heaven that wants me to succeed. I'm grateful for these two kids that let me try again, over and over again.

Ya know, David told me the other day that I need to give myself credit for the things I am doing right. That you can recognize room for improvement, but still feel good about the effort you have made and the small victories you have achieved. I've been thinking about it ever since. And I'm not very good at it. But I want to be, and that's a start.

In other words: be nice to yourself. And try again tomorrow.

Sleepy laughter. (Videos of Miss Anna.)

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Anna hits this point in the evening when she's super tired, but not super cranky yet and she thinks EVERYTHING is so funny, including me. (Which is kind of nice.)

And I actually got videos to upload. It's a miracle. (Sorry for the poor quality. We're using our old camera because someone named Evan killed our last one. We still like him though...)

The snow is back.

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I kind of got tired of snow last winter. It was always there. Layer upon layer upon layer.
Growing up in western Washington made snow a novelty. We watched for it, even prayed for it to snow, just once...just enough to play in and have school cancelled for the day. Just one white Christmas. Etc.
Well, I think winter wants me to love snow again. We got a bunch of it in November. It melted. And that was that until this week. And it's back. And as those first flakes covered the ground, I felt the familiar excitement return, and I hope it lasts.
I still dread driving in it, but there is something majestic about everything covered in white, especially those mountains surrounding us.
It's a lot colder this time around though, so we didn't stay out long. But it still made our whole day...

So excited. "I'm gonna jump in the snow, Mom!" "I'm going to lay down!" "I'm going to build a snow man!" "I'm going to make tracks, like a kitty!" (He pretty much was talking and giggling the whole time.)

Still not sure how she feels about this snow business.

Who needs food when you have snow?!

Me telling her how awesome snow is. I think she gets it...don't you think?

Anna's eyes in natural light=gorgeous. She's just such a little cutie pants!

Um, it's hard to hold kids in snow suits. And she wanted her hands out so bad.

The cutest elephant ever.

All the way to the fence and back..."making tracks."

He could care less about the cold. Practically had to drag him inside.

Anna and I went in to warm up and watched Evan through the window. He thought it was hilarious because he's Evan. :)

Actually our neighbor Amelia (she's 2) came out to play after this which made the whole experience 10x more rad. She laughs as much as Evan and they spend most of their time just looking at each other and laughing. They also have a little girl around Anna's age and even though they just stared at one another, I'm seeing some definite friendship potential.

It was a lovely snow day.

Do your own thing.

2012-01-19T14:00:00.001-07:00

It works for Evan.

And it makes us smile.

He's such a goof. :)

We're in Trouble with a capital "T".

2012-01-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's happening. That stage is here when I find myself spending the majority of the day picking up and relocating a baby, putting things up higher, making sure the baby locks are all in place. Taking paper and little stickers and string out of her mouth. Nap times become down time, I mean for me. It's almost time to start the nursery count down, I feel like. And she's only 9 months old!

The results of fighting hard not to take that much needed second nap. Dinner turns into nap time.

She's started this lovely habit of stroking her hair while insisting on feeding herself chunks of banana. Maybe she likes that sticky feeling? Or maybe bananas do wonders for your hair? Maybe I'll give it a try. Never mind that it's nearly impossible to wash it out without shampoo. But look how happy she is! Feeding yourself pretty much rocks.

The other day she went right up the stairs and got to the top before I heard her squeals of delight. So now we have this lovely gate...because coming down the stairs is not something I want my 9 month old doing. Evan keeps letting her through the gate. (She'd follow him anywhere.) We're working on it. Crazy girl.

I feel like Evan unintentionally gave us a false sense of security. Where he was nervous about things and pretty chill with his surroundings, Anna lacks any sort of reservation and is filled with determination. The toilet seems to be her daily goal...which she finally successfully plunged her hands in the other day (she was so thrilled).

Did I mention the screaming. She does it all day. Mostly when she gets removed from unsafe situations or if something she really wants gets taken away. But sometimes just to let us know she's there. I'm not sure if it's a girl thing or an Anna thing.

And guess who pretty much has 2 more teeth!!! (What a star.)

Oh, she's Trouble for sure...but look how CUTE she is...

She "talks" and giggles and smiles and spends each day making us fall in love with her all over again. She's just so spunky! Holy smokes I love her!

But really sweetheart, you don't have to walk for a while, for reals...

I'm totally cool with you taking your time. (Heh...I wish.)

Must be love. ♥

2012-01-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

So, the other day when shopping I saw these little dry erase boards. And I was inspired.

"David, look! It's our LOVE board!"

And he gave me the look that says 'You're a complete weirdy, but I think your weirdness is pretty cute.' before replying with, "Our what?"

Me: "Our LOVE board! We can write lovey dovey notes to each other on it!"

(There may have been another weird look at this point.)

So I hung it up in our bathroom.

And now just look! He even drew a little heart too!

(Although...our handwriting looks awfully similar right here. I think that means I write like a boy. )

He doubted the power of the LOVE board, but we've already deepened our relationship because of it.

He knows that as much as I love shoes, he'll always come first. And I now know for sure, that new shiny piece of electronic goodness that is David's new toy has not trumped me on David's priority list. (This is good to know...because I was wondering...)

Yep, it's LOVE. ♥

Baby Weight Banished!

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

High fives all around....oh yeah!!!

I'm actually not completely excited and thrilled as one would normally be in this situation. You see, I didn't exactly hit my goal the way I wanted to.

I had 17 lbs to lose at my 6 week check up after Anna made her entrance into the world. Istill had 3 lbs to lose when I left on vacation mid December. I'd been doing the couch to 5k program and had just completed week 5 of 9. I was feeling good. I knew if I could just focus on vacation, I'd meet my goal by January 11th, Anna's 9 month birthday. 130 lbs was in my grasp. That is what I weighed when I got pregnant with Anna and that's the best I've ever felt, as far as being in good shape goes.

Well, I left for vacation sick, was sick on vacation, and came home and was sick some more. GROSS.

I exercised ONE time. And for me, no exercise leads to bad eating. It's a vicious cycle.

So, I assumed I'd have more weight to lose once home and well again...what can you do, right? I'd resigned myself to the fact that I might not meet my goal on January 11th, but I would meet my goal before Anna turned 1.

So, I got home. And I got the FLU. I can't even remember the last time I had the flu this badly. My insides felt completely abused. I hurt everywhere. And even after the violent vomiting (nice visual, huh?) ceased, my appetite was at ZERO. The thought of eating was just too much. My body needed fluids and fruit. That's what I wanted, and that's almost all I could stomach, along with a few crackers. It was awful. And then with a viral infection on top of that, my appetite is making a very slow return.

So, I hopped on the scale randomly one morning...126. WHAT?! Cue thoughts:

I'd lost 7 lbs from the stinkin' flu! Do you know how much muscle I probably lost! I can't even remember the last time I weighed that. That's 12 lbs less than when I got married! This can't be healthy....

And it's not. I know that. I was hoping to be fit, to have built up some muscle, to feel strong and good. 126 would be just peachy if it was a healthy 126. But it's not. I puked my guts out. I feel weak and tired and pretty much like garbage. LAME.

Now that weight loss isn't a goal, I want to focus on being strong and healthy. I want to push myself. I don't know how to measure progress, except to listen to my body and focus on how I'm feeling.

Physical health has become so important to me. It effects every area of my life, especially my ability to feel the Spirit. I'm going to be nice to my body this year.

Here's to a healthy 2012!

Birthday Boy! He's 3.

2012-01-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Evan didn't really get what we meant when we said, "Bud, your birthday is tomorrow! You're going to be 3!" Evan: "No, 4!" (Now just you wait mister...Mom is already having a hard time with you growing up...don't be skipping an entire year, kapeesh?) Finally, on his birthday I busted out the streamers and something clicked for Mr. Evan..."For the party? Yeah, for the PARTY!!" He's pretty much hooked on birthdays now.

Over the past couple weeks David and I have noticed this little person look is changing. "He's thinning out a lot." "Yeah, he's losing that baby look." "His face looks older." "Are these pants already getting too short, I swear we just bought these!" Etc. He's growing up, leaving toddlerhood behind forever. It's sad, but not too sad. It's also exciting. Evan's our guinea pig, so each age, each transition, each everything-he-does is a first for all of us.

The night before his birthday I sat thinking about my Evan. Labor to get Evan here was awful. It wasn't the length of time or the pain as much as how I felt mentally and how physically ill I felt. He was so skinny and long and had the cutest little dinosaur cry ever. We had no idea what we were doing. And he didn't seem to mind. Cool. I had some serious baby blues after Evan was born, but he was happy, always smiling and eventually laughing, constantly getting a kick out of life. His enthusiasm was infectious. I needed my first baby to be this little dude. I was unsure of so many things, of my new role as a mother. All I knew was that I loved this little person. And I felt loved by this little person as well. He let me know I was doing just fine in his happy Evan way.

Sometimes I find myself wondering what kind of man he will be. And the thought I keep having...A good one. He doesn't know how to be any other way.

Daddy surprised Evan at lunch time and brought him a slice of pizza home. They bonded.

And then we busted out the basketball hoop! Evan is not the most coordinated kid ever. He's just got a really big body that he doesn't seem to know what to do with most of the time. But he loves balls, so he was A LOT thrilled about this.

As was Daddy. Mostly because he scored the whole thing for 15 bucks at Wal-Mart because it was the one on display from Christmas. I used to think it would be awful to have Evan's birthday right after Christmas, but have you guys seen the crazy good sales that go on?! Heck, we're going to get Anna's birthday presents too.

The intense focus required to unwrap presents.

Evan's cousin got a laptop for Christmas and Evan kept playing with it as often as he could while we were there. Grandma noticed and got one for his birthday. Way to go Grandma! It was most definitely received with enthusiasm.

And a doodle pro! He was pretty thrilled.

Daddy did the cake this year. We were going to do dinosaurs, but David got this construction play set for 5 bucks and thought it would work really well for a cake topper/theme. Evan thought it was RAD.

Creative eating. That's what we call that.

Fire. He can't get over it. It's awesome every time.

Make a wish!

Look at our festive hats!

Anna wasn't too interested in wearing the hat.

Happy Birthday Mr. Evan! Hope being 3 is amazing. It mostly likely will be. You're just cool like that.

Grandpa and Grandma Holbrook's House.

2012-01-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

The day after the wedding we headed to Utah to visit the Holbrook family. We were basically sick the entire visit, but it was still fun to be there. For reals. It was too short a visit, that's for sure.

We had another Christmas practically. And I like Christmas.

And some CUTE hats were involved. (I feel that the hat really helps pull the attention away from the stained shirt. Do you concur?)

And a really cool calendar. So get this...I'd almost bought a calendar earlier that day. Good thing I didn't because this calendar is RAD. I mean, it keeps you informed of really important holidays, like National Bubble Bath Day, for example. I absolutely love it.

Evan thought this was the coolest thing ever. And he totally bonded with Summer. (Even though it looks like he's trying to stab her in the below photo.)

Cousin Brooklyn. They share some serious Elmo love. That girl cracks me up.

♥♥♥

He's a great Daddy. And that little girl adores him. And I'm only slightly jealous of this, mostly just proud.

We'd been sick and stuck inside and absolutely needed some fresh air. So we headed to the park with Grandpa. It was COLD, but perfectly lovely.

Grandpa. is. COOL.

We did some sparklers for New Years. Living life on the wild side, practically. Evan loves fire. Typical boy.

Anna didn't know what to think. But I can't get over her face in these photos. Funny girl.

Happily freezing. Evan was so bummed when the sparklers were gone. "No, they're not." over and over again.

And of course, Anna got to bond with her best cousin buddy Harrison. They are only a couple of months apart in age. I feel like they're pretty much best friends by now. He's a cutie and he smiled at me several times, which means I think he likes me, which means I'm pushing for favorite Aunt status.

Evan being Oscar. His idea.

Story time! Grandma supplied us with a bunch of new books. She's cool like that.

I wish we'd had more energy for our visit and a longer visit in general. It's so hard having both of our families living so far away. Love you guys! Thanks for the memories. Until next time!

Kim's married. It was lovely.

2012-01-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

We had a wedding 2 days after Christmas. Crazy that was, just sayin'. But the bride and groom were happy as could be. And that's what counts.

Our trip was worth it just to be in the temple with Kim and Spencer as they were sealed for time and all eternity. The rest of the day was chaotic as expected, but not the temple. Kim was absolutely glowing. Her smiles made me smile. I felt love as I sat there. The love we share as families and the love we feel from Heaven, all intertwined and filling up my insides with light and peace.
David and I sat hand in hand, sharing our own smiles and reminiscing about our own wedding nearly 4 years ago. I'm so grateful for the temple and covenants and the promised blessings that come with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the above experience, I've decided to forgive Kim for choosing to wed on such a cold cold day. :) The reception was lovely as well. And it was so great seeing people from our old Chehalis home. Everyone is changing and staying the same. I've discovered I know a lot of good people. And I've missed them more than I realized. It was so good to be there. Have I mentioned that yet?

{borrowed photo...}

Sister Katie...who knew that would be one of her best jobs?! She's also very good at getting glasses of ice water, fyi.

Anna with Uncle Dan

♥

I had some sarcastic thoughts...but it was her wedding day so I will refrain.

Such a Kim thing to do, and Emily is handling it surprisingly well.

Twins we are. I debated about wearing my wedding dress to the reception as a joke, but I'm not sure she would've forgiven me for that one. But maybe, I mean, matching is always cool.

Me and Em.

Anna with Uncle Matt. Best friends by now.

Evan found a friend. She was making the cake and fell right for that innocent young man in the dashing suit. He got to snitch frosting, more than once.

My two Grandma's. Glad they both could be there too!

Anna with Auntie Em.

I love that he wants to cuddle still...even though let's face it, he's getting a little hard to carry.

Goof.

The bride and groom with my Mom and Daddy.

Evan was doing this weird snake thing across the floor for a while. He also threw that ball at the happy couple while they were dancing their first song as husband and wife. Classy, Evan.

Thanks for letting us be there. And welcome to the family Spencer! Love you guys!

Christmas.

2012-01-07T21:25:00.001-07:00

Christmas was lovely in all of its Christmas-ness. We had a sick little Evan on Christmas Eve, but he luckily perked up by the evening...just in time for the traditional Christmas pj's and family togetherness. All the kids went to bed surprisingly well, considering the excitement level. Christmas morning came. Evan and Anna were both snot nosed. David sent me to church with my parents and stayed home with the kids. We came home and opened presents and just spent the day surrounded by family. Evan was excited, but completely overwhelmed by everything going on. Anna just wanted paper and bows.

My sister took this picture of Anna. I love it! That's just her personality right there. Happy. Curious. Hair a little crazy from her latest adventure. Bright eyes. Dimples always hinting of their presence on those chubby cheeks. That's my girl.

Christmas PJ's! A family picture with everyone looking AND smiling. Holy smokes...it's a Christmas miracle!

Cousins. ♥ Evan (2) Tanner (4) Anna (8 mos) Hunter (6) Haylee (2) Greyson (1)

The chaos that is a large family at Christmas. I love it.

I love that second picture so much. He loves that girl. And she loves him. And they look deliciously cute in their new pj's!

Santa brought a paint with water book, he knows what's up.

Laughter and smiles, thoughtful gifts, kids everywhere, inspiring music, yummy food, family, love, Christmas lights, happiness. Yep, it was most definitely Christmas. And a good one too. Hope yours was awesome.

Grandpa and Grandma Walker's House.

2012-01-06T14:16:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to lie, vacation was rough on our little family. We brought colds with us to the Walker house, picked up another cold while there, picked up the flu in Utah, and now have another viral infection that has now gotten to all of us. We are so EXHAUSTED.
But I'm so glad we were able to go still. We really like our families. We just may not take that long of a vacation with so much driving at once ever again in our whole lives. That's all.

With Emily getting home and then a certain twin sister of mine getting married 10 days later, I decided to stay and have some bonding time with my family while David headed home and back to work for the week. And don't think I'm a baby, but I am. I knew I would miss him because I like him a whole lot, but I REALLY missed him. It just felt weird. I guess it is the longest we've been apart since we got married. And I didn't like it one bit. Nope. Not to be cheesy, but we really are bestest of friends and I missed his companionship. Also, I knew he helped with the kids a lot, but guys...he helps with the kids A LOT. Like super daddy pretty much. It was a nice little reminder to be grateful for that guy.

Evan got some serious cousin time. He could spend his whole day, and did at times, just watching Hunter, Tanner, and Haylee. They fascinate him, I think. And Anna smiled her way into everyone's hearts. It was nice seeing and bonding with everyone that was there. Some snapshots from the week:

Yes, that's Anna's thigh. I was worried you were forgetting how glorious they are.
Evan is licking that candy cane. The bad part was when he ran to the neighbors yard to give their candy canes a taste too.
My Mom spent a lot of time sewing up dresses for the wedding. She's a sewing superstar.
Tanner, pictured above hanging his arms over the front of his bike, "This is what I do when I get tired." Haha...love that little dude.
I really like all of those crazy kids pictured above. Yep.

It was a good time. And then David got back the day before Christmas Eve. And I was quite happy about that, as you may have gathered. Up next: Christmas!

Emily is home. And still normal.

2011-12-30T11:17:00.003-07:00

We've been vacationing. And it's been awesome, and tiring, and exciting, and RAD. And I have lots to blog about...so let's get started...

FIRST, Emily Rose Walker has returned to us from somewhere by Africa! And I'd like to report that she's still completely normal (we were worried). She's still funny, and sassy, and all around pretty cool.

Do you see the staring crowd? We made quite a scene.

Me with sister Katie, whom I love. I didn't get enough photos with her during this trip. She's probably sad about this.

David's got major diaper bag carrying skills. And probably kept me from leaving it sitting somewhere.

Em and I dipped pretzels together. She made fun of my pretzel dipping skills. And we bonded.

She slipped right back into our family dynamics (funny how that happens...) and I've decided I like her.

Also, notice the above photo. She and Anna became the best of friends upon their first meeting.

That's all of the Walker kids up there, (except Joey and his family...missed you guys!).

I'm so glad Evan is such a happy child. {That was sarcasm, just in case you missed it.}

So glad we got to be there! Love you Emily Rosie/Mil/Missy!

Santa Claus came to...Walmart.

2011-12-14T15:59:00.002-07:00

Santa was at Wal-Mart of all places. (For the record: he wasn't a very convincing Santa...but whatever.) The fact that Evan actually sat on his lap is a BIG deal. And Anna reminds me of the kid from UP! in that first photo...do you see it too?...haha...priceless.

Also I think someone is getting a little impatient for Santa Claus to really come...

He sat there for 5 minutes just talking to himself and staring at the tree. I love watching kids at Christmas. It's pretty much the best thing ever. Yep.

When you turned 8 months old.

2011-12-12T13:18:00.003-07:00

December 11th marked your 8 month birthday. 2/3 of a year lady...slow it down a bit!

No worries though, you looked REALLY CUTE for your special day. You dazzled everyone at church that you chose to smile upon. You did, however, surprise those elderly sisters behind us when that sweet face decided to growl and scream. (I still think they found you adorable, I think.)

You're a little fussy these days, mostly because you almost have four teeth, and that's gotta be seriously uncomfortable business. Stinkin' teeth.

We still think you're sweet, but honey, you're getting sassy too. Oh that determined face, that high pitched scream! Anna, you're such a girl. You're saying "mum mum mum mum" when your mad, "dadadadada" when your not (I'm trying to get over that...) and Evan gets your best laughs. You think he's rad, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Your baby chub pretty much rocks. We love your pudgy cheeks and those thunder thighs. Nothing slows you down though, you're crawling and sitting and even climbing a bit. We love that you're getting around so well, and we hate it at the same time. Mostly because you feel like everything on the floor must be edible and your attention to detail is quite remarkable.

You make the BEST faces when you get excited. Your limbs tense up and straighten and then those toes begin to twirl. Then comes the gasping for air, the huge smile that changes your whole face, and often a few good squeals. You're awesome.

You're kind of a picky eater. We kind of don't like that. Let's stop that okay? Cool.

Oh, and Daddy is totally tickled by the smiles you give him every time he gets home for work. If you're trying to be the favorite, keep that up.

You are finally start figuring out how to keep brother slightly under control. He doesn't know what to think about this new development. Mostly he's surprised you don't like it when he tries to roll on your head. He just loves you too much sometimes.

And some serious shoe love has begun. Shoes are cool. But I'm sorry to say that you have big feet with long toes like Mom...shoe shopping is not going to be as exciting when you're in size 11's. We'll probably bond over this though, fun!

The door stoppers are your favorite thing ever.

And how did you end your 8 month birthday? You chilled by the dishwasher because watching Mom do dishes is on your list of fun things to do.

We're glad you're here with us this Christmas. Thanks for making us all happier. Happy 8 months baby girl.
(I got that way super cute ornament {HERE})

If I believed in omens...

2011-12-11T19:07:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure this would be a good one.

I mean, how many times does a recipe call for 4 eggs...AND those eggs decide to smile at you?! Seriously. So far nothing too crazily exciting has happened, but I have a good feeling about tomorrow.

I hope your food smiles at you today. And I hope it changes your life.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

2011-12-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it ALL?! The lights, the tree, the countdown, the stockings, the baking, the smiles everywhere, the excitement building in children as the day they look forward to all year looms closer and closer! And the nativity that is displayed, and quietly serves as a daily reminder of why we feel such joy, not just at Christmas time, but every day of our lives, if we choose to. It's a marvelous time.

We put up the fake tree that we have come to love. Hanging all sorts of randomness on it, until it was sparkly and bright. I love the mismatched ornaments, each one representing some memory or tradition from years past. No tree skirt, but this red blanket does the job. And our dollar store stockings, including one for Miss Anna this year. I love those stockings, because we were so poor when we bought them and we were so excited to be spending our first Christmas together, waiting for the arrival of a certain little boy that joined us 2 weeks later. Someday I'll make a tree skirt and stockings, but for now this is our Christmas, and I love it.

And then there's my cookie ~~monster~~ helper...

We probably should have labeled the plates: "May contain essence of Evan. Consume with caution."
My Mom always baked a lot of goodies and took them to neighbors and friends. Once the aroma of sugar cookies filled the kitchen it officially felt like Christmas. The baking was fun, but A LOT of work with two little people around. I may tone it down next year...my helpers need to get big enough to do some serious helping. And I may not bake at all until next Christmas. I'm kind of over it for an indefinite period of time.

We even had our first "Christmas miracle", as my sister Kim would call it. She's funny, take a look at her BLOG. David was being such a kind soul...in all my baking excitement, I'd already cleaned the kitchen 3 times or so, and after delivering cookies and getting kids settled down, I just didn't have the heart to do it again. So I was going to leave them there. Which says a lot, because I dislike nothing more than waking up to a dirty kitchen...feeling like I'm already behind for the day.

Knowing this, he jumped right in. (Which isn't the miracle, because he's this nice A LOT.) He was previously sad because I'd given away all of the chocolate covered pretzels. But then it happened. He grabbed a bowl to rinse when, what to his wondering eyes should appear, but a chocolate covered pretzel sitting right in the bottom! David gasped and I'm not sure who said it first, but "It's a Christmas miracle!" was shouted out and we all felt real good. ('Cause miracles make you feel that way. Although, I think David felt the best because he got to eat the pretzel. Hmm.)

David: Pretending to be excited about doing the dishes and enjoying his Christmas miracle. FYI, I love that shirt on him...he looks real good. Yep.

Evan and I made paper ornaments for the tree. His star is featured in the above collage. He's getting so good at drawing faces. He keeps talking about how Santa's coming, "...but not yet. At Grandma and Grandpa's!" He loves the tree. Loves it so much we have a broken star and 3 broken ornaments...but who's counting? Mom is. That's who. I didn't need that glass ball from 2nd grade anyways (sniff sniff)...sorry Mrs. Kindle...I cherished it while it lasted. Sometimes he's too tall...this is one of those times. But that's okay for reals...as long as he keeps his fingers off of my nativity, I should still love him by the time Christmas gets here.

A little Christmas shopping left, lights to go see, movies to quote and watch, and music to listen too. And all the traditions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to look forward too. Days filled with the Spirit, and family, and some serious memory making. And how awesome that Christmas is on Sunday this year.

Hope you are all feeling excited about this time of year. (It's meant to be exciting. So be excited, kapeesh?)
Merry Christmas time!

The clock is ticking.

2011-12-05T10:43:00.001-07:00

I'm a planner. I like things pretty much set. I make the list. I check things off. And hope everything goes as smoothly as anticipated.

We leave for a long vacation in less than two weeks and things are getting crazy around the Holbrook house as I try and knock things off that list.

Of course, life still happens while you're prepping for a future time. (I think that was deep, maybe.)
So, of course we've been making time for the important things...

Like cat watching.

From the safety of the house. I mean, what if that thing actually expected us to touch it?! Right, Ev?

And some serious growing is going on. Her thighs are so over those size 3 diapers...

And we've been making more than enough time for being completely crazy...

But did you know that the craziest people are more often than not also extremely smart? We've suspected we've had a genius on our hands for quite some time, but this has confirmed it. He wrote his name all on his own up there, after seeing it written out a few times here and there. Do you see those E's?! Simply amazing.

Speaking of smart, how in the world did she think to go back there?

She got herself good and stuck. I had to move the couch to get her out. No crying was involved, but lots of yelling. I guess she thought maybe I'm in charge or something and should probably get her out of this apparent predicament. So of course I snapped a picture first. (parenting point +1).

And of course, always enough time to just be cute...

And she's saying Mum mum mum mum...well, more like yelling it, but I'll take what I can get.
Life is just silly, mostly.

She's coming home. ♥

2011-12-01T17:51:00.001-07:00

It's December 1st people, and as I flipped over the calendar page today I noticed a little square already filled in, the 17th "Emily comes home 1:20"...holy smokes!

You see, I haven't been a very good missionary writer. Let's not talk exact numbers...she did hear from me, she may just be questioning my love and devotion, that's all.

But that picture has been on the fridge/wall the whole 18 months. (It's from when we were roommates at college.) And I've thought about her lots and have missed her LOTS too.

I even had a dream the other night that I tried to give her some of my clothes...you know how return sister missionaries need clothes...when she got home, and instead of being full of gratitude she yelled at me and told me they were ugly. (Rude, right.)

Me and Em are really different, but we're Walker sisters, and us Walker sisters have a serious bond, because we're all awesome. (That's not prideful, just fact. :) I just really like her. And it's going to be awesome having her home. I've missed her laugh and her making fun of me for being crazy and her funny text messages that made life a little more smiley and about a hundred other little things.

The whole Walker clan is gathering from all over the place for Kimmie's wedding. All of us. (It's been a while.) That's a lot of people and it's going to be insane and amazing. I pretty much dig my family. See you all soon...LOVE YOU!

Baby Girl Blanket.

2011-11-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I made this for my friend Rachel. She is having a baby girl oh so soon.
I had some cutting issues, but it kind of all came together. As long as she doesn't try to fold it evenly, she won't even notice. :)

Feels good to be sewing again.
Oh, and I LOVE the girly animal print.

Todays best conversation.

2011-11-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Evan: (singing) "We are a happy family..." Stops singing. "We are a happy family, huh Mommy?"

Me: Yes we are, bud.

Evan: (continues playing)

Me: Full of good feelings. [thinking] Holy smokes that was the cutest thing ever! Text Grandma.

Time to blog.

2011-11-29T15:54:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we had a YW's lesson on avoiding crisis living and using your time wisely. Those lessons always cause me to reflect on how I spend my days and inevitably the question crosses my mind:

Do I blog too much?

And I thought about it for a while...
And I realized the actual blogging...writing, uploading photos, etc...doesn't really take long at all.
(Redoing the blog design 10 times a week is another story...we'll talk about that later, maybe.)

And then I thought, well shoot-why do I like blogging so much? Why do I do it?

And I think I mostly figured it out...

I enjoy it. I really do like it. It's kind of a creative outlet, I guess. Takes the place of hours and hours of scrap booking.
For family. Both our families live far away and I want them to know these kids. With everyone so busy, this is one of the best ways to keep them updated.
Family history. I print each year out into a blog book to keep with our family photo albums. A family journal of sorts. I printed out 2008, the first year David and I were married and I love looking back at it already. I hope our kids love it too.
This is probably the biggest reason...To remind myself why I chose this life. Motherhood is hard. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing, and wonderful, and pretty much awesome. But if I'm not careful I lose my focus. I quickly get caught up in the repetitiveness of each day...food, and diapers, and sloshing poopy underwear in the toilet (sorry, too much detail), and baths, and laundry (oh I don't like that one bit)...repeating this over and over again. I lose my focus. I start just getting through the days instead of enjoying them and my attitude and motivation go right out the window. Not cool. So I blog. Because I know this is the right choice. Being home, being here everyday, being Mom is like my dream job. But happiness is not automatic just because you know you are where you are supposed to be, doing exactly what you know you're supposed to be doing. You have to choose it and you have to find it everyday.

Blogging does that for me. I try and capture the happy and silly things that make life awesome, that help me remember why I do what I do everyday. It keeps me happier really, and everyone is happier when Mom is happier (you know what I mean).

And as nice as comments are, knowing people understand or relate or just think your kids are stinkin' adorable (which they are:), they are not the reason. I finally realized I blog for me. And that is a good reason.

And after all of this deeper than deep thinking, I've decided to keep blogging. K cool. :)

Evan + mail =♥

2011-11-28T18:52:00.001-07:00

So Evan likes mail. He likes checking the mail. He likes mailing letters. He more than likes envelopes and stamps. When we go on walks, he points out all of the mailboxes, always surprised and delighted to have found another one. :)

So one day he got to send both sets of grandparents real mail and put it in the real mail slot. He was quite tickled about this.

And then just today he got his very own mail in the mailbox from Grandma and Grandpa Walker. And he was good and thrilled about it...

Thanks Grandma. You made someones day.

If you need a photographer...

2011-11-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Evan is available. He specializes in feet and toys. He only has a camera available when he can sneak one.

Contact me if you're interested or would like to see more samples. :)

And did you guys know you can schedule blog posts to appear later?! I can sit down for half an hour, upload some pictures, and write a few posts to be published over the next week or so. This is going to help me keep up with things so much better and avoid post dumps of like 10 posts in 3 days as I try and catch up. Awesome.

She's got skills.

2011-11-25T15:30:00.001-07:00

She's getting into everything! I'm constantly taking pieces of food or paper out of that cute little mouth. Which is dangerous work, ps. (Those little teeth are sharp.) Vacuum, sweep, repeat! She can find anything! And she's not crawling for reals yet, but can obviously get around just fine.

(And before anyone gets worried, the top electrical outlet without the child protection is totally safe. Her mother may have broken one of those stinkin' protector things, leaving the plastic in the outlet. I do amazing things like that sometimes.)

Only enough time to glance up when her name is called, and then right back to the books.

She crawled up there all on her own...and she seemed quite pleased with herself.

Should've gotten her a box for Christmas.

She's been 'talking' up a storm too...always has something to say. We like her. She'll be 8 months old on Dec. 11th. OH crud...which means I only have until January 11th to accomplish my goal and rid myself of the rest of this baby weight...which means I should probably get serious about exercise like TODAY. 9 months to put it on...9 months to take it off. 9 months seemed like a lot longer a few months ago. I am in need of some serious motivation...leave a pep talk in the comments if you feel at all inspired. Better go vacuum....again...

Happy Thanksgiving.

2011-11-23T22:55:00.001-07:00

From us to you! Hope today is awesome and that you are surrounded by happy people and delicious food. Here is a little bit of Evan art for your holiday enjoyment. Tilt your head silly...it's a turkey! :) (He's more of an abstract artist.)

And of course some inspiration:

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help. We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." (Thomas S. Monson)

"As with all commandments, gratitude is a description of a successful mode of living. The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us. President J. Reuben Clark, formerly a First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: 'Hold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours is not the task to gain them, they are here; yours is the part of cherishing them'." (James E. Faust)

Pretty much the only pictures we took yesterday! David did an awesome job on the turkey...who I just remembered we named "Felix." We had friends over and it was AWESOME! Hooray for the holidays!

For the recipe we used, you had to separate the skin and put the seasoning inside...I'm glad David did it.

Felix...is it wrong that we named him?

Hinting sometimes works.

2011-11-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

I'm a total hint-er. Like the kind that expects David to read my mind. (Which he really should be able to do by now, right?) I've gotten better about not 'hinting' as much, but old habits are hard to kill, ya know.

Anyways, David never really hints. He just comes right out and says it. Which leaves me not having to read his mind...which I still try to do...which means I'm always trying to take things that he said and twisting them to discover what he really meant. A much harder job I'd say. And then he has the nerve to actually just mean what he said. SOOO confusing. ;)

Anyways, over the course of our marriage and especially in the Winter when it gets dark earlier and the cost to heat this place goes up up and UP...David often gives me a hard time for having the heat set high and for having so many lights on. I just get cold so easily and I like light, A LOT. (I told him I could just make sure I'm pregnant every Winter and then I'm sure I'd be warm enough...he didn't seem to be too keen on that idea for some reason. And I thought I was being all logical like and everything.)

Obviously I wasn't really letting the message sink in...so, he resorted to my language of hinting, which I thought was awfully clever of him. For reals. And the power company helped him out too. (Such a giving time of year.) They supplied free stickers and everything, to be sure I absorb the message.

All of the sudden I was surrounded...

And my personal favorite...

I'd like to say I've been completely inspired and had a change of heart or something profound like that. I think I'm doing a little better. I mean, we have those energy efficient light bulbs, so....ya know.

Mostly to such requests I respond like this...

You have a good point(s)...just maybe I'll think about it sometime.

Every time I see a sticker I just giggle. And lots of times I even turn off the light or turn the heat down 1 degree and give myself a mental high-five.

Anyways, thanks for making me laugh David. And way to speak Wendy language...it's not an easy task, I've heard.

Grateful.

2011-11-23T10:07:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you forget what you've got. It's so easy to do, I think for all of us. We get reminded though. Sometimes we experience personal loss and struggle that makes us so grateful for times of peace. And then sometimes we hear another persons story or watch someone else go through something we've never imagined. And we hurt for them. And then suddenly we are overwhelmed by the blessings around us, by the significance of little things. And then the things that had become mundane or things that we had begun to take for granted, are suddenly treasured and once again placed in their proper place in our hearts.

That happened to me this morning. I sat down to eat breakfast and checked my email and then with kids playing happily on the floor and me not wanting to start the day, I took a peek into the blogging world. And I stumbled upon a story that caused my vision to blur and a silent prayer being said for people I don't and probably will never know in person. You see, they've been experiencing hard things.

And then I thought about trials. And I thought to myself, "I really haven't had any." (Not that I'm asking for them...) I was born to parents who loved each other and were totally commited to our family. I never wondered if they loved me, because I knew they did. My childhood was normal, safe, happy even. The gospel was ever present, weaved into our home life. There were countless opportunities to feel the Spirit, gain my own testimony, and feel that Heaven was aware of me and that my choices mattered. I was able to get an education. I've met so many people that have blessed my life by their example and willingness to share bits of themselves. I met and married David, someone who fits me so pefectly and loves me so well. We've had no problems having babies, and have been blessed with two healthy little cuties. David has a job he enjoys, and even when he didn't I was able to get to know and really love and appreciate my Holbrook family. We live in a lovely home right now, in a beautiful place, with good people all around us. Life has been sweet.

But I know I've grown and I know that my perspective has changed over and over again for the better. There have been inward struggles, choices to be made, commitments to keep, lessons to internalize, decisions to make everyday to keep me headed in the right direction. So I guess you could say I have had 'trials', just ones suited perfectly for Wendy. I remember a YW's lesson I taught and there was a quote that I wish I could remember word for word...it was something about how each of our lives is structured so that we can grow the most. I feel grateful for a Father in Heaven that knows what life experiences will be suited for our personal growth...for his awareness of the details...for hard things that take us where He knows we need to be.

Everyone has hard things, ya know. Whether obvious to the world or silently pressing on their mind and heart. I love this new song by Hilary weeks...Everyone has their own sign to hold up, unique to them.

Thank you to all of you that share your stories. That help me to feel more compassion for others and more grateful for the life that surrounds me. Thank you for helping me with my own hard things.

Grateful...
This morning I got to wake up and cuddle with David for a few minutes before he left for work because our babies slept in. I've been picking tiny pieces of stems off of grapes for a very happy Evan, who also made the funniest face after he pulled the 15lb frozen turkey out of the fridge. Anna actually put her head on my shoulder and cuddle with me for a few minutes while awake. I love how she twirls her feet and how her arms and legs stiffen when she gets excited. These two kids laugh so much.

There is so much love around me. I'm so glad for the reminder today.
(Sorry if that was kind of a ramble...that's what happens when I let my thoughts spill out without trying to organize them first.:)

Glowing balloons.

2011-11-22T10:30:00.001-07:00

My cooler than cool friend Holli Child sent me a link to an awesome blog: Play At Home Mom.

Someone shared an idea...glow sticks + balloons! So, for family night we did it. Evan was ECSTATIC. We turned off all of the lights...threw balloons down the stairs, up in the air, spun them around as fast as we could, used a blanket to launch them, etc. It was awesomeness. The pictures didn't turn out too well, but you get the idea...

Can you see that smile? :) And Mom and Dad had fun too. And Anna was mesmerized.

The first thing out of Evan's mouth this morning, "Can we do balloons again?"

Success! Try it...kapeesh?

Lots and lots more snow.

2011-11-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

We woke up to this...

At least a foot of snow out there it seems. (Also, notice the cat prints? At the front door too. I think someone may be confused about where he lives.)

I'm really glad we played yesterday. Ally lives a couple of doors down, and Evan thinks she's awesome. (And she cracks me up too.) He followed her around for a while, doing everything she did. I hope she was flattered.

She just got cold. And tired. But she looked so cute in her puffy suit.

Falling on purpose.

And of course he had to eat it and it must've been as yummy as last year because he went back for seconds...and thirds.

I tried to help them build a snowman. It was "special"...and then Evan knocked it over. Evan had so much fun, he tried to run away when it was time to come inside. Luckily he can't move that quick in snow pants.

I really do like the snow. Of course, I haven't had to drive in it yet...so...maybe I'll feel differently later. But there is something awesome about everything covered in white and the crisp freshness of winter air. We're going to love this winter, and we're going to do our best to enjoy it. (Remind me I said that come January, ok?)

Turtlenecks rock.

2011-11-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

When you already kinda sorta have a very small almost never visible kind of neck...turtlenecks are not always the most flattering thing on the planet...but doesn't she look AWESOME!

I just adore those cheeks so much. Lately I've had to pull little bits of whatever she found on the floor, out of her mouth. All I do is squeeze those chubby cheeks and she gets the biggest grin and opens that mouth nice and wide.

Waving at her fans. (That's you.)

First snow.

2011-11-15T09:13:00.001-07:00

We had our first hail/snow. It came fast and left just as quickly, blue taking over the sky once again. The weather changes its mind a lot, I've noticed.

Once The Evster realized it was snowing, we had shouts of "Let's go outside!"..."It's like Christmas time!"..."It's getting on the dirt!"...etc! Anna watched Evan in fascination and started to get smiley and shaky excited herself. So we went outside. And they were of course as cute as kids could be in such a situation.

Did you want to see how cute they were? Okay, I'll just show you...

Always taking everything in.

Evan's excitement level always makes me smile. It's pretty much contagious.

She's so good at looking adorable.

*Chuckle*....are you diggin' Evan's high-water pj pants? You may or may not be thinking to yourself...why is that child not at least wearing boots to keep those little cankles warm?

And my answer is...I tried. But according to that child, they were something new and "too big" and were going to ruin is first snow experience of the year, and maybe even his whole life. (He didn't say all that...it's just what I gathered.)

"Mom, the house is DIRTY!" After picking up snow out of the dirt and chucking it at the house.

And 15 minutes later, skies were blue and we went in to warm up little fingers and cankles.

Next time, gloves and boots little man, or we stay indoors.

Winter is here!

The weekend.

2011-11-14T09:10:00.001-07:00

I think the weekend is supposed to be some kind of rest time, but we packed it full and and now I feel like I need to recover from the weekend. But it was so awesome.

She smiles almost every time you kiss her cheek. ♥

♥♥♥♥♥

Sometimes I wonder how she could possibly like him so much. It must be because stuff like this doesn't seem to phase her one bit.

Whenever we tell Evan we're going somewhere he gathers together the first 3 pairs of shoes he can find. :)

On Saturday we headed to Spokane for a Temple trip, and haircut, and Anna pictures, and a dinner at Wingers. We were greeted with some snow and LOTS more snow on the way home. But no snow this morning. Winter keeps hinting that she'll be here to stay soon.

Anna got in some good car napping.

And Evan was as silly as ever. He insisted on wearing his hat and putting it on himself.

Love those dimples. ♥

The driver. And stuff carrier. And kid carrier. And kid watcher. And the only one that could get a nervous and tired Anna to smile for some pictures.

Before the hair cut.

And after. Not the best picture, but I LOVE IT. It was so easy to do the past two mornings and it's the kind of cut that is going to grow out and not look weird. And it hasn't gotten pulled yet. And David really likes it. (Bonus!)And it looks good curly or straight and I like it. Did I mention I like it? I think my thinner hair might just look better/healthier when it is shorter. Gives it a little more "oomph"...ya know.

Finished the evening at the Stake Dance. I love being in Young Women's! They are so spunky and they bring out my crazy side. David gave a talk on Sunday. First time since moving here. (Don't know how we managed that one...) He did awesome, but thinks he didn't. Also, spirituality is super attractive...just sayin'. (In other words he looked waaaaaay cute during his talk.) We really love this ward...they pretty much rock.

♥♥♥♥♥

And now it's Monday and David is back at work and I really should get off here because our house looks like a hurricane hit it, but all I want to do is play with Evan and Anna and try to think of some reason why David should have the day off today and somehow convince myself that it is still the weekend. Ya know?

But I'll probably go be productive. Maybe. Happy Monday to you! :)

He likes to tease.

2011-11-10T09:40:00.002-07:00

So once upon a time yesterday Anna was getting her beauty rest and Evan was in need of some serious Mommy play time. (I don't know why exactly...I think because he likes me or something cool like that.) But Mommy all of the sudden had one of her headache attacks (pretty sure food is the culprit...just figuring out what food...bleh.) The lovely Mommy found herself needing to lay her head down, but the young Evan really didn't like that idea. So they compromised. They sprawled themselves out on the floor and colored and colored and colored. And Evan couldn't even tell that Mommy's coloring was less than focused. He just wanted to color with his best coloring buddy. So there they were, when all of the sudden while coloring a very happy picture of a dog, Evan exclaims, "It's a bunny!" and looks at Mommy with his best 'I am so totally am tricking you right now' face of delight. And knowing her part well, Mommy says, "Are you sure it's not a dog?!" In which he replies, "NO! It's a bunny!" In which Mommy replies, "Oh...hi bunny!" Which then sends young Evan into squeals of laughter and further delight. But then young Evan, being the funniest funny that he is, slaps his leg and says in the most delightful (this story is full of delight) thrilled voice of all time, "Mom, we're bein' funny!", followed by further squeals of delight. Which then sent Mommy into such laughter as well. And then her headache didn't seem so bad because laughing makes everyone feel better. Coloring is magical...or maybe young Evan is. THE END.

Life this week.

2011-11-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

I feel like we've been super busy, but I can't for the life of me remember what we've done.

Of course, today has been one of those days where I walk into a room, stand there for what seems like a long time, trying to remember what in the world I was doing.

(you know that you know what I mean.)

This kid is, well, crazy. (But don't tell him.) He has me cracking up one second and completely frustrated the next. He goes from hitting and throwing to being helpful in a matter of minutes. He's testing boundaries like it's his full-time job...which I suppose it is, now that I think about it. He's so good at being a nearly 3 year old...I might even make him a certificate or something to recognize this skill. Yep yep.

Anna Banana...mostly sweet, but she has finally decided to vocalize her opinions. If we take away something she wants with her whole heart, she lets us know. :) What I love about this age though, she forgets why she was upset within 30 seconds. I wish I could do that!

Don't you just love her! Earlier today she was crying so I picked her up and patted her back. She started patting my back too. So I stopped, and she stopped. I started again and she started again. (And now I can't get her to repeat such cute behavior.) But I feel like she was saying, "You're doing such a good job Mom, I'd high-five you if I knew how to do that sort of thing!"

I love daddy...and BANANAS! Guess who has finally started eating and therefore sleeping longer?! We're celebrating at this house...seriously! Thank you for eating, baby!

♥♥♥♥♥

He refused to look at me for the picture. But he's had some seriously cute bed-head lately. Probably time for a trim.

Lately when I tell him to be careful, he says, in the cutest little boy voice of all time, "I'll be careful Mommy, I promise." And then when he wants to help with something. "Mommy, I want a turn. Can I mop please?" And he repeats this until I let him have a turn, but his voice stays at that same sweet pitch. I really have no power to resist it.

Not even staged. If Anna's on the floor, Evan will find her. And he's even nice sometimes.

I love this picture.

Okay, so I may have encouraged this one. :)

He stayed like that for a while. Comfortable I guess. Haha...the other morning I was in my bathroom getting dressed when I heard Evan screaming...like an afraid/hurt scream. So I run out and he's in the hallway shaking like a leaf. You want to know what scared him? A troll. That he left in the hallway. I guess its eyes looked creepy in the dark. He thought it was a bird and that it was going to attack any second. Poor kid. He's such a nervous little guy. But I tried not to laugh. I mean, trolls do have creepy eyes. He was also holding a container of apple sauce? Only Evan.

Oh, and forget telling kids to be good or Santa Claus won't come. We talked about Jonah and the Whale for Family Night and David says to Evan..."You better listen to Heavenly Father or you'll get eaten by a whale." Followed by a very serious faced Evan. (That's good parenting right there..;)! Oh goodness...guess who's getting up in the night if Evan has whale nightmares? Hint: not Mommy. :)

So yeah, that's life around here lately. It sort of rocks. Hope your life rocks too.

Just Some Thoughts.

2011-11-08T14:28:00.001-07:00

The Young Women were in Relief Society for opening exercises on Sunday and I was finally able to snag a copy of this book. I've only read the introductions so far, but there was quote that jumped off the page. Worth sharing I'd say.

Sister Belle S. Spafford, the ninth Relief Society general president, said:

“The average woman today, I believe, would do well to appraise her interests, evaluate the activities in which she is engaged, and then take steps to simplify her life, putting things of first importance first, placing emphasis where the rewards will be greatest and most enduring, and ridding herself of the less rewarding activities.”

I really need to simplify. There are so many things I'm interested in and so many things on my to do list. But then the BEST things often get ignored. I often rationalize because so many things are "good" and often require less energy and thought than the "best" things. Ya know? Always doing the important things first requires self discipline and awareness that I haven't quite gotten the hang of...like ever. Now I've just been thinking and thinking about how I spend my time and what I worry about...trying to take an honest look at myself. And it's been interesting.

This coming years goal: SIMPLIFY.

Now to figure out how to go about that exactly. :) Ha!

It's a Halloween post.

2011-11-01T12:17:00.001-06:00

Such a silly and fun holiday. We figured this would be the first Halloween Evan had a chance of remembering long-term...so the festivities included 2 pumpkin carving sessions, a trunk-or-treat, a work party, and good old-fashioned trick-or-treating. It was intense and crazy and much too much sugar was consumed. (And not just by Evan...candy is addictive...EVIL!) Tons of pictures, I know, but they looked so CUTE...

Daddy and Evan just before the trunk-or-treat. He was so pumped!

Pumpkin #2...turned out pretty cool. (Sorry about the blurry/weird pictures...Evan got a hold of the camera and adjusted the settings. I thought I fixed it, but no luck.)

David's work had a little carnival for kids. Also got to meet some of David's coworkers that I hadn't met yet. Doesn't David's cubicle need a serious facelift? I'm thinking streamers, but he said no...hmm...I'm still thinking about it so you know I'll take action soon. Oh, and I know David and I failed to dress up, but I am wearing pumpkin socks...so, I'm totally festive.

Our cute little Elmo.

This kid loves crafts. Well, mostly he loves glue.

They had so many fun stations and candy bowls everywhere. It was kid heaven.

He got pretty good at sticking sticky things.

Hanging with Dad. ♥ Anna was completely mesmerized and overwhelmed by our chaotic surroundings. She was so good, just not as smiley as usual.

Showin' off his creation.

Just before trick-or-treating. Is she not the cutest pumpkin you've ever seen?!

Evan kept trying to squeeze her little hand.

"You guys, get him away from me."

Her chubby cheeks and this costume are best friends. Don't they look so good together?! (Thanks for the costume, Bri!)

Who knew she'd be a natural Halloween model?

Elmo got rained on...his fur is looking a little sad.

Haha...Evan's face cracks me up here. David has some serious Daddy cuteness ♥...just sayin'.

And the winner for funniest picture of the night goes to...ANNA!:) She was so over pretty much everything.

She slept through all of trick-or-treating. But woke up in time to get into Evan's candy. Such a good sister.

Why Evan wouldn't stop kicking his legs as fast as possible when we put him to bed. He was so tiredly excited.

Highlights from the evening:

1. Evan ringing people's doorbells a minimum of 3 times followed by a knock followed by opening their front door if they still failed to arrive and place his treat in his bucket. We tried to explain the whole waiting idea...the saying thank you...etc. Maybe next year.

2. The kid that asked David if he could have an extra piece of candy for making him laugh. (He was dead serious about this.)

3. The kid at the work carnival who was practically shaking when he saw "Elmo" and got so excited and wouldn't stop pointing. Totally cracked me up.

4. David cooked salmon and yams for dinner and we just might make that a Halloween tradition. It was totally delicious and so nice having some real food between all the goodies.

5. It was just an all around fun afternoon/evening. I like those kind.

So, today...we are on a candy detox. David hid Evan's pumpkin and some serious candy rationing is happening from now on. (Halloween candy should have a warning label: give your kid more than one piece and he WILL go crazy!)

Hope your Halloween rocked as well.

Now...onto Thanksgiving! Shoot, I really love this time of year!

Sick.

2011-10-28T20:12:00.003-06:00

Anna and I wishing we were at the trunk-or-treat with Daddy and Elmo (yes...he was Elmo last year...don't judge). We even wouldn't mind getting rained on and everything...

Chilling with the web cam as our noses run and throats burn. (Did I mention we were fine yesterday. Fantastic.) This is fun, but one of us would rather be a chubby little pumpkin and the other wants free candy and some serious socialization. L-A-M-E. Blog whining...hmm...it may become a new hobby or something.

PS: David just called to tell me that Evan is having the time of his life. Without his mother...sniff. Every time someone gives him candy he yells "I got another one!" (Daddy better be taking pictures.) I'm so stealing his good candy...and I don't even feel guilty about it.

The stats are in.

2011-10-28T09:48:00.000-06:00

A little over 6 months old...crazy girl thinks it's okay to grow when I'm not looking.

The results are not surprising, but impressive just the same...

Length: 28 1/8"-------98%

Weight: 18lbs 11oz---90%

Head: 17 1/2"----------95%

I love everything about her, ya know. She has changed us all for the better, in just 6 months.

(She's like magical, or something.)

She's army crawling, trying to eat any little piece of anything she finds on the floor, and she finally took a spoon yesterday. Most of her time is occupied by simply looking adorable-she's so good at it.

We love you sweet Anna. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for being awesome.

Falling for Fall.

2011-10-26T10:14:00.001-06:00

It's getting cold around these parts. The hardest thing about living here, for me, is the gloomy days that inhabit a large chunk of the year. In December it will start getting dark at 3:30 in the afternoon. I thrive on light. I just do.

But I so LOVE Fall. Colorful, crisp air, and just the feeling of change in the air. Knowing that the holidays are coming...filled with family, and pumpkin smells, and baking, and hot chocolate, and warm socks, and comfort, and HOME.

The other day we had some gloomy weather, but we had been inside for far too long. We needed to go out. I didn't have anything creative planned and didn't think we'd stay out that long, but after about 10 minutes the sun broke through the gray and showered us with light, making the colors of Fall look even more brilliant than before. It was AWESOME.

Evan ran through leaves and colored with chalk and played in the dirt. We munched on apples as the day got brighter and brighter around us. It was so lovely.

She won't hardly take a spoon, but someone has some serious apple love.

Laughing at Evan.

She dropped three slices on the ground...oops.

My little bright eyes. ♥

Enjoying some apple too, but a little less messy about it. He did talk while eating though, and sprayed my face, but...ya know.

Notice: fuzzy warm socks.

Evan's new game...He rings the doorbell. I say, "I wonder who that could be!" He gets the most tickled look on his face and says, "I think it's Evan!" And I say, "Evan!" all surprised like. Then repeat.

During our doorbell game. :)

Check out those cute crooked teeth. Um, adorable! And painful...don't let her chew on your flesh.

I love his little under-bite with my whole heart. ♥

Intensity. Focus. I think she thinks everything is supposed to fit in her mouth. :)

He sat there for a full minute it seemed. I wanted so badly to know what he was thinking!

I hope, like REALLY REALLY, that we have a few more surprise sunshine afternoons.

Spooky.

2011-10-23T20:19:00.001-06:00

We've been getting into the Halloween spirit around here. Sort of.
Whenever I think of Halloween this song always pops into my head. We had it on VHS, but YouTube has saved the day...
This video creeped me out so bad when I was little. Which seems funny now, but you see how it could be creepy, right? I mean, it's creepy.

David and Evan carved a pumpkin, even though it probably won't survive until Halloween, because "Evan could not wait any longer." (Cough...David could not wait any longer.) They were both so excited and Evan watched in fascination through the entire process.

Evan's top pick...THE DRAGON. (And he says 'dragon' cuter than anyone I know.)

The dark + pumpkin + fire...I mean, can the life get any more thrilling?! Not really. :)

David's got pumpkin carving skills. (One reason I married him. It's on the list right after "diaper changing skills." :)

♥♥♥ Some serious Daddy love. Poor Evan...come tomorrow and he's stuck with Mom again. (A Mom who only makes pumpkins out of paper instead of carving them in real life. So unCOOL.)

Happy Halloween people!

Baby Blanket.

2011-10-21T09:05:00.000-06:00

My awesome Mom always makes all of her grandchildren flannel baby blankets with matching burp cloths. I'm kind of in love with them. Lightweight, but still warm, soft, perfect size, etc.

I usually buy baby gifts, but I have a friend that is having a boy soon and I thought it would be a fun idea to make a blanket.

I'm kind of in love with it and would probably keep it, but that just doesn't seem nice.

I ♥ cute fabric.

A simple project, but fun...and there are so many awesome flannels to choose from!

And David helped me pick out which stitch to use as the top stitch. Isn't he soooo crafty?

(Please ignore my dirty stairs...vacuum the stairs or sew? Hmm...it was a toughy.)

I've made a list that keeps growing of craft projects I want to do. My goal is to always be working on one and not to worry about how long it takes to finish. Slow and steady, right?

Hopefully I'll have some more cuteness to showcase soon.

Happy Friday!

So different.

2011-10-20T23:36:00.001-06:00

Anna is trying to crawl already. She can get up on her hands and knees and although she hasn't figured it out completely, she's almost got it. We're kind of in shock. It seems like she just figured out rolling...

I know you shouldn't compare kids, but it amazes me how different these two are.

Evan army crawled for what seemed like forever and was uninterested in trying to do things any other way. He crawled when he felt like it. He walked when he felt like it. He just took his time, eased into things. That's Evan, he finds a way that works for him, gets comfortable with it, and won't try any other way until he wants to (no matter how hard you encourage otherwise). He is pretty chill and very quick to laugh most of the time, but push him past his comfort zone or try and do things different than what he had in mind and he digs in his heels and turns into mr. intensity.

(A certain individual says Evan has his Mommy's personality, but let's not talk about that here. :)

Anna's jumping through stages as if it's no biggy. It's like she's saying "Well, rolling was cool...I wonder what crawling will be like..." And she goes for it. She just seems so ready for every new adventure, no apprehension, no scoping things out, she just wants to see and touch and try everything. You may think it's too young to notice, but she has a real openness about her, to new people and new experiences. (I need to be more like that.) She smiles a lot, but has less extremes. She seems more comfortable with life and confident with where she's at right now. (Holy smokes...she's a lot like her Daddy.)

{I really love this little girl. She is full of sweetness.}

I love that they are so different. And yet they adore one another.

David and I can get Anna to laugh, but it takes some work.

But Evan...I don't know what he does, but he sends her into fits of giggles and squeals. It's like she's surprised every time that he could be so funny. The best is walking down the stairs. Evan usually walks in front of Anna and I, tips his head back to smile at her, and she just can't control her laughter. And of course Evan loves it too.

She hasn't told me this, but she thinks he's awesome. I'm pretty sure.

And she is so patient with her big brother who pokes and rolls and squishes and sticks his fingers in the corners of her mouth to 'make her smile.'

But he worries about her too. Okay, so it's kind of funny, but whenever Anna's wearing a long sleeved shirt and her hand gets stuck in her sleeve, Evan has a panic attack and has to get it out right away. I think he thinks her shirt is trying to eat her or something. I try to be serious in these moments because he definitely is, but it's funny...so, ya know.

I feel like them being so different is such a good thing. Does that make sense?
Love that these two totally unique individuals were sent to our crazy little family.
(They were probably excited about it...hopefully.)

(Also, I wrote this post tired...so I hope it makes sense, but I'd been thinking about it all day and wanted to write these thoughts down before they were forgotten.)

He makes me smile.

2011-10-18T22:03:00.003-06:00

Evan held that bucket on his head for a good 20 minutes. Why you ask? Not a clue. When I asked he just smiled. He's such a goof face.

Also, he was really patient with me today. More than I was with him.

There is something really amazing about this kid. He just has a wonderful and good spirit about him.

He's totally a keeper. He's my Evan. ♥

A burst of energy.

2011-10-15T16:15:00.001-06:00

Most days I walk around in what I like to call a 'mommy fog.' It happens when too many consecutive nights of interrupted sleep occur. (This can last years, I've decided.)

It looks kind of like this...

Eyes forced open...huge circles...and an obvious foggy cloud over my head.
You're functioning, you're awake enough to take care of the little cuties (hopefully), but some sort of switch in your brain has been turned to survival mode. You just feel foggy. There is no other way to describe it.

I usually start the day okay, especially since I've been trying to eat better and exercise more, but by the afternoon I'm ready to sit down and watch Bob the Builder right along with Evan. I sludge through making dinner and keep glancing at the clock wondering why David isn't home (when it is secretly only 4PM) and have thoughts of putting Evan to bed for the night by 6PM.

The other day, approximately 2 to be exact, the afternoon came as it always does, but what's this? A burst of energy! I felt like going for a run or something. (Which may have been the better option.)

Energy is an interesting thing. We must choose how we channel it, what we use it for. Ya know? So what did I do...I'll tell you what I did....

I closed all the blinds (don't need the neighbors knowing how weird I am in real life) and had a dance party with Evan. We watched his potty dvd that has some pretty cool songs and music videos. We sang, we danced, we twirled, and laughed pretty stinkin' hard.

And then I wanted to make him laugh harder because I'm nice like that, so what did I do? I acted like I was going to drop him and then threw him up in the air. He loved it. And so I repeated this several times of course. Until we were both pooped and he stopped saying "Again!" We had some good memory making going on here.

Fast forward to yesterday. MY. ARMS. HURT. And today, MY. ARMS. HURT.
I've been very sore before. I mean, just pop in a Jillian Michaels dvd and she'll make muscles hurt that you didn't even know you had...

But guys, I can't straighten my arms. You know how your hamstrings can get super tight? (Or maybe that's just me...) It feels like that. Straight=pain, so I'm probably not going to unbend my arms for a while. The question is, how am I going to avoid picking up Anna or carrying anything heavier than my phone?

Last weekend David helped gather and chop wood with the Elders quorum. He came home very tired and sore. Like he couldn't use his arms very well. At all. And instead of being sensitive to his plight, I let a judgmental thought pass through my mind..."It can't be that bad." Yes, yes it can be that bad. David doesn't think that my arms could possibly be as sore as his were.

What goes around comes around, I guess.

My arms would like me to commit to never again throw a person. Deal.
And maybe I'll try and not be so judgmental about peoples muscle soreness. (Unless of course it's obvious they are totally faking...;).
Next time, I'm going for a run.

2011-10-12T12:44:00.000-06:00

He's getting funnier by the day.

Me: Evan, what are you doing?

Evan: I'm getting in trouble!

Evan: What did you do to the floor?

Me: I vacuumed it, bud.

Evan: You vacuumed it?! You DID?! (While throwing his arms up in surprise.)

Evan: (referring to Anna) He's cute! He's waaay cute!

Hey baby girl! Mom, she's smiling!

Me: Evan, you need to finish your banana before you have a popsicle.

Evan: Um...maybe later. (while tilting his head to the side, all contemplative like.)

(After seeing a picture of his Uncle Matt on facebook...)

Evan: It's Matt...and Evan! And then very serious like: We gotta find him.

(Evan doing the potty dance.)

Me: Evan, do you need to use the potty?

Evan: No! I'm good.

(Less than a minute later.)

Evan: Mommy, I need to go potty!

He got out of bed this morning looking very upset like and said "I need to find the Christmas tree....mumble mumble mumble."

Me: You need to find the Christmas tree?

Evan: Yeah.

Me: K. ????

His tooth brush plays music. And he dances and sings while he brushes. I really should record this.

You know what's also funny...his favorite thing in the world is watching videos of himself. He can sit there for half an hour watching and laughing at himself. (I think that's healthy...maybe.)

And the funniest thing he's done lately, I can't even tell you, because later on in life he would probably disown me for sharing such a story. But it was laugh out loud for longer than a minute funny. And he keeps doing it. And it's still funny.

I've decided it is awfully wonderful to have such an amusing child. And a child that is amused so easily. I just have to look at him weird and it sends him into hysterics (when he's not being a grump, that is. whatever you do, do not try to make him laugh when he is determined to be grumpy).

He keeps us smiling and laughing and rolling our eyes around here.

Thanks for cracking us up Evan. Love you, bud.

Big kids.

2011-10-10T21:49:00.001-06:00

We sort of have giant children. Which we talk about a lot, but if you had giant children, you'd talk about them lots too. Maybe.

I'm serious. And I understand the large head, as I have one myself. (That's Walker genes right there.) And even the big hands and feet...me again. But it's the height we can't figure out. David is 5' 6" and I'm 5'5". And our parents are by no means tall either. Must be some random gene coming through. Who knows?

But you see, it doesn't really matter of course and most of the time I hardly notice. Compared to Evan, Anna looks just the right size. But I get reminded a lot. Every doctor visit for instance..."Well, he (or she) is off the chart. What have you been feeding him (her)?" (Jk...they don't ask the food question.) Evan is currently the size of the average 4 year old and who knows what Anna's stats will reveal next month. (Who even knows if those things are accurate anyway?) But still, ya know.

The other night at mutual one of the young women, in reference to Anna, asked how old she was. "Almost 6 months." I happily replied. She responded, "Wow! She is BIG!" And I gave the knowing smile I always give, relieved that they know how young she is when she can't sit up yet or sing them the alphabet.

Evan is a big flirt at the store. Those cashiers love those dimples. (What girl doesn't?) But since he turned one it seems they thought he could talk. "How old are you little guy?" Blank stare. I answer, he's 1, or he's 18 months, or he just turned 2 last week. "What's your name?" I answer, this is Evan...he's (insert age). Then they stare at him, smile, and go back scanning.

The biggest issue is stuff. Firstly clothes. These two jump sizes so fast as babies. On a happy note, they hardly have time to destroy anything. But there are so many little cute outfits they don't get to wear. OH and shoes! Anna fit into a size 3 pair of shoes today and I packed up a pair that was too small that another child had clearly walked in. (These are worn ...someone with this little of feet can walk? How is that possible? Anna isn't even crawling yet!). Did I mention, the first thing the doctor said when he saw Anna was "Whoa, look at those feet! So long!") Evan's in a 10, a 10!

Don't even get me started on car seat straps...
Anyways, I could go on, but you're probably bored by now. We just recently got this new high chair that attaches to one of our regular chairs. It's supposed to last well into toddlerhood...we'll see. She's kind of big in it already. But oh goodness...look how CUTE! I mean really, she's adorable!

She's started solids...kinda. If she'd open her mouth it might work better.

I love my big kids. The end. :)

PS: Anna just started doing her own little Xena war cry. Okay, it doesn't sound like that really, but it's almost as funny and less annoying. :)

She'll be 6 months tomorrow! Crazy girl...♥.

When Daddy comes home.

2011-10-06T23:20:00.000-06:00

♥♥♥♥♥♥....

I'm the favorite until Daddy gets home, and then it's over. Evan hears the garage door and instantly goes into panic mode and tries to hide just in case Daddy tries to "get him." Anna watches his every move and smiles if she even thinks he's looking in her direction. And Evan is ready to play hard (in other words, attack). They love it. ♥ And I love it too. Especially on those particularly hard days when I just need David hugs. We're so grateful he is ours to keep.

I told Anna to act natural, but well, ya know. And is anyone else wondering what this scene will look like when Evan is a giant 4 year old and tries to tackle Daddy...(I practically just snorted thinking about it.). I'm pretty much smart for marrying him.

♥♥♥♥♥

What we did during conference.

2011-10-04T00:16:00.002-06:00

We ate hairy arms.

And did some pretty intense paper folding.

And colored lots.

And Evan started saying "I wanna see the Prophet." (Which was totally cute PS.)

And we went on some walks in between times.

And of course we listened some too. :) Hope you enjoyed it.

You can listen HERE if you missed it.

(There are a few talks that I may have been slightly distracted during. Lucky we have the internet!)

Also, we're in OCTOBER people! Let the holiday season begin!

The Quaker Oats man.

2011-10-01T23:07:00.000-06:00

Evan and I share a love of oatmeal. He often sees this classy fellow pictured above and every single time he {almost} yells..."Grandpa! It's Grandpa!"...and I would correct him, but it's too funny. Okay, so I say "Yeah, he looks like Grandpa...kind of I guess." But mostly I just chuckle to myself and hope he does it in front of Grandpa someday.

I don't know which one of you Grandpa's looks like the Quaker Oats man, but I feel like you should be flattered. I mean, Evan is probably convinced one of you invented oatmeal. So not only were you both already on top of the Evan's favorite people list, but you are now 10x cooler. Be flattered.

{Grandpa H. & Grandpa W.}

We love these two men so much! Thanks for being Evan's Grandpa's. ♥

...And thanks for being as cool as the Quaker man. ;)

Chalk Days. ♥

2011-09-30T10:19:00.000-06:00

Sidewalk Chalk: colorful, messy, and used to write on the ground=Evan's dream come true.

We've colored A LOT this Summer/Fall. Evan NEVER gets tired of it and he asks for the "talk box" everyday.

I noticed two things about this little dude yesterday.

1. His drawings are changing. He used to be fondly referred to as "The Line King" but now we have circles and swirls and other shapes without names. It's been fun watching him get more creative.

2. He looked at me with the most adult expression on his face and I caught a flash of a look that was way less like a toddler and more like a little boy. This has happened before as he transitioned from baby to toddler and I'm sure will happen many more times, but it made me feel a little sad...and happy I suppose.

Mostly it sent me into "not my babies!" panic mode and a renewed determination to enjoy these two a little more today.

Speaking of looking older...♥. Her eyes are so beautiful.

Loving life Evan style.

(And yes we have a pumpkin. David loves 'em and insisted we get TWO early to make sure we get "good ones." Evan keeps asking me to open it. :) Halloween is going to be so fun this year.)

Lovely, lovely days. ♥
If today is not as fun as you intended, grab some chalk. (I'm being serious.)

Hmm...

2011-09-29T00:22:00.001-06:00

If I folded a load of laundry every time I changed my blog design...well, lets just say our clothes would be a lot less wrinkly...

PS: I'm thinking of chopping that hair off. Well, I've thought about chopping that hair off at least 12 times in the past year. Earlier today I was ready to do it! But now I'm flip flopping again.

David is no help because he "loves my hair short and long"...very cute♥, but you see what problems his indecisiveness is causing my indecisiveness. (You should see us in decision making mode..."Well, it really doesn't matter to me." "Well, it really doesn't matter to me either, you pick!" Back and forth until David finally decides and then I express that I'm unsure of his decision.

Also, it kind of seems like a silly time to have short hair, with Fall upon us and all. More hair would certainly keep me warmer? But at the same time my lovely baby girl loves clenching wads of my hair in her death grip causing my head to bend in very uncomfortable and awkward directions.

And my twin sis Kim just got her haircut and we're twins so...
And I love the feeling that comes with a new look that I love.
But it takes so long to grow it out...sigh.

Someone could decide for me. That would be super swell times 5.
I feel like I'm being weird. Which means it's time to sleep. 'Night all.

"Bye bye Mommy, I'm going to work!"

2011-09-27T22:41:00.001-06:00

Evan spent 45 minutes opening and closing the cupboard and telling me bye bye as he "left for work." (He stands at the door and waves at Daddy everyday..."Bye bye Daddy, bye!"...over and over. It's adorable of course.)

I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I refrained from telling him that most people don't wear Cars bibs when they go to work...but then I thought-most people aren't Evan...he could probably get away with it. He only stopped when he was forced to come out for dinner. And I love how he says "Mommy" in his little Evan voice. He's been making me smile a lot lately. I like that kid lots. ♥

General Relief Society Meeting

2011-09-24T23:14:00.000-06:00

I really needed this today.
Days are passing by so quickly and most of the time I'm not the best at taking time to ponder and focus on feeling the Spirit.

There I was sitting in the chapel without a little cutie on my lap or another asking me for milk or crackers or books. I got to really listen and ponder and just soak it all in. A recharge of sorts.

I suppose everyone takes away their own thoughts from the messages shared and the feelings present. For me, it was that I simply need to focus on being who I truly am.

There is so much happiness and joy that is meant for each of us as daughters of God. I know that as we embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ we will find it. We are meant to feel peace and joy and love and happiness.

I felt love tonight. And for the first time in a while, I felt that our Heavenly Father is extremely aware of the details of each of our lives...aware, and interested, and concerned, and ever present. Sometimes we just need to give Him a brief window of our attention to remind us of that.

As I glanced around the chapel at all the wonderful women surrounding me, most I've whom I don't even know, I felt a wonderful sense of belonging and purpose. This is His Relief Society. This is His church and His gospel. This is reality. I felt a renewed commitment to make choices that will allow me be a part of it all.

Blessed. Loved. Comforted. Encouraged. Yes, I needed this today. Hope you loved it too.

(And if you missed it you can listen to the talks HERE.)

Just a minute.

2011-09-24T20:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, when Mom says just a minute...a minute is too long and you have to take things into your own hands...

Right, Evan?

Oh food!

2011-09-23T18:16:00.001-06:00

I'm kind of on this new healthy eating kick.
Basically I've been dealing with some minor health issues for a while. The kind that don't land you at the doctor, but definitely affect your quality of life.
And I read THIS post on a blog I follow (because she's inspiring and funny) and was a little more than intrigued. Stomach aches...check. Head aches...check. Periods of depression...check. Lack of energy...check. Holy smokes...

Could all of that get better just by eating differently? Worth a shot I'd say. Also weight loss without having to count my food???? Um, yes please. (I HATE/LOATHE counting calories, but it's the only thing that has really worked for me before.)

So I bought a raw food book and did a little research. The 100% raw lifestyle didn't quite feel right to me, as most extremes don't, but the principles made sense. Waste=weight. We need plenty of raw food in our diet to keep things functioning properly and to rid our body of those things that it doesn't need. Eating like this has positive effects on mental and emotional health, etc.

Made sense, fit in with the word of wisdom. Sweet!
So, I've decided to focus on whole foods. With a little dairy and meat added in. This seems balanced to me. It feels right.
Also, I'm going to have to phase into this new way of eating. My "all or nothing" attitude that I usually take into new endeavors would most certainly lead to failure.
This is definitely a lifestyle change, and those kind take time.

This week I've been focusing on eating raw food until lunch and then trying (and cheating a lot) on making healthier choices throughout the day. Holy smokes guys! When I cheat, remorse quickly follows. I almost instantly enter tired foggy zone. It's making so many foods way less desirable. I never feel hungry or that I'm restricting myself in any way. My energy level has improved. I lost 3 lbs this week (the scale has been stuck for a couple of weeks). I'm really starting to FEEL GOOD. :) :) :) :) :) :)

Did I mention this involves NO COUNTING food!!!! I just can't get over that...

So, I'm going to create a page at the top of the blog with yummy, oh so healthy recipes that we try and like enough to make again. Mostly for me to keep them all organized like, but also because I want you to secretly try them too.

And I found My New Roots blog, through the blog above...I think, and I LOVE IT. She knows her stuff. And it will be a wonderful source of recipes!

Now I just gotta get my exercise a little more consistent...oh, and be about 10 times more patient with myself.
I'm so ready to have more energy for life, if that makes sense.
Oh food...I think I'm going to start loving you.

A small victory. And a tooth.

2011-09-22T17:09:00.001-06:00

So...he went on the potty! And he forgot to pull down his underwear.

BUT this is progress people...I'll take it!

I think it's going to take a while longer before it 'clicks'...but it's a start.

Also, he got a jumbo marshmallow for going on the potty.

This led to him repeatably going to the potty, sitting down, jumping up and yelling "MARSHMALLOW!", followed by giving me a look that I'm pretty sure meant "Mom...you're really not getting how this is supposed to work."

(No, bud...sorry, but no. The last thing I need is you high on marshmallows.)

The only way Evan would wear the big boy pants again was if Leap could too. (Sometimes you just need a friend.)

I tried to make a big deal out of Leap wearing them, but honestly, I would've worn them on my head if I thought it would motivate Evan. Hopefully by birthday #3, we'll have a full time potty user! :)

♥♥♥♥♥

In other news...this little lady has her first tooth after a lot of drooling and only a little fussiness...

I don't know if you can see it, but it's right there on the bottom. (I love the bottom teeth!)

My favorite is when she's eating and she can't help but smile, leaking milk everywhere and showing off that little bit of white poking through.

She's been doing a lot of this.

And she likes being on that tummy.

And the one on the right won't leave the one on the left alone, but she still loves him.♥

Drooling like a maniac. Another tooth maybe?

Mostly every time she wakes up she just seems a little bigger, a little older. She could stop that for a while.

It's been one of those weeks, but I love these two. ♥

Hope you all have fun weekend plans! :)

Grocery Bag Holder.

2011-09-22T15:52:00.001-06:00

Found THIS tutorial. Needed one of these REALLY bad.

(Under the kitchen sink was more than chaotic.)

Instructions were easy to follow and it turned out really well.

Plus the fabric makes me happy, which is what fabric is meant to do, I've decided.

I actually opened the cupboard today and smiled to myself.

Organized spaces makes me happy. I'm such a nerd most times.

Anyways, if you need one, you should make one too.

I love him, probably.

2011-09-19T21:17:00.004-06:00

There is no one in the world quite like Evan.

And he drove me nuts today.

Don't get me wrong, I love that little stinker and like him about 99% of the time.

But he drove me nuts today...I think I already said that...

We attempted the potty training thing again. I was feeling optimistic and positive. I should have known it was not the best day when someone was a little on the grumpy side this morning. He wasn't feeling it, but I tried my best to project my excitement and positive vibes about this new adventure onto him. (This never really works. But for some reason I keep trying my hardest to tell him how to feel.)

Two accidents in big boy pants and he did not like being wet and expressed this quite strongly.

After the second time, he knew what the problem was. It was those stinkin' big boy pants! He refused to put them back on, and I didn't want to force it and set us back another 6 months if you know what I'm sayin'...

So, I thought I'd be clever. You have two choices Evan, either put on dry big boy pants or stay sitting on the potty. Naturally I thought he'd choose the big boy pants, but I was very very wrong.

He sat playing on that potty and reading books and eating watermelon and drinking milk and doing who knows what for 4 hours! 4 hours people....(who knew the potty was the best baby sitter of all time.) And did NOT go potty once! Who knew his bladder was that strong? Not me, for sure!

As he sat there I attempted to think of reasons why potty training Evan should be David's job.

David's way less of a pushover.
I went through childbirth.
Evan's a boy...so it makes sense...or something.
I don't want to...
And I don't want to.

BUT I kept coming back to: David works all day to support our family. RATS!

Finally I came into the bathroom and gave him a good hard Mom stare. I was tired, Anna had been extra fussy, I had hardly made a dent in my to do list, my head hurt, I had to fix dinner, and I then I let myself think what you're really not supposed to think in this situation.
"Maybe I should just put on a diaper."

And then Evan stuck his finger up his nose.

And I put on the diaper.

I caved, I took the easy way out! And you know what the worst part is? That diaper was wet within 5 minutes! If I had only waited a bit longer...

Do you know what happens to a toddler that has been unusually still for long periods of time? All that pent up energy exploded, mostly onto Anna.

"Evan, don't squish her." "Evan, no kicking." "Evan, her head!" "Evan, she's crying for a reason!"

I'm so tired. But on a happy note, we're trying again tomorrow. And it might go better or something. I mean, one of the zillion ideas that pop up when you google "potty training" has to work for Evan. (right?)

Yeah, I still love him, and mostly like him still...probably.

PS: Floor puzzles rock.

Birthdays!

2011-09-14T12:34:00.002-06:00

We are now 25 and 27! (I accidentally typed '17' at first....haha...sorry David. That would be...awkward.)
I remember when 25 seemed so old to me...now it's not.

Instead of buying presents this year we decided to take a 2 day getaway to Seaside! This is where we went on our honeymoon. We were so excited and my lovely Mom watched our two kiddles. (And they didn't sleep too well for her...sorry Mom, and THANK YOU!)

Portland Temple, sunshine, cute little inn on the beach, walks on the cool sand, a morning run on the beach, yummy food like hot chocolate and popcorn, a sappy movie, exploring downtown, feeding seals, arcade games, getting startled by a "test" tsunami warning, seeing a massive fish washed up on shore, and talking about everything and anything.
Short, but packed full of awesomeness!

♥♥♥

I love Seaside!

We stayed in that tiny little place tucked in between the big hotels.

He doesn't know quite what to think of me most of the time.

Well, you can see why that might be.

Yummy. Delicious. And not too "heavy"...Fultano's, we will visit you again someday.

David and I spontaneously decided to enter the arcade world. I mean, you can win tickets which translate into prizes people. (You would've done it too.)

Probably not my best game, but it was intense, for sure.

So serious. He really wanted to win. Me trying to smile while my husband becomes addicted to video games...noooooooooooooooooo!

David's best prize!

My prizes: a candy bracelet AND Fun Dip! It's like a dream come true. At least it was when I was 12...mostly it just made me feel sick.

Shark museum.

His face makes me laugh every time I see this picture!

Our seal friend. We fed him fish heads. Now he likes us.

Our sandwiches from the Tsunami Sandwich Shop. Another place we highly recommend.

Can we really get enough of this? Not really.

Haha...the tide snuck up on David. He tried to out run it, but he got soaked. I saved his shoes though. I'm nice like that sometimes.

Celebrating with the family. Did you know it is almost impossible to blow out birthday candles while laughing? Try it sometime.

Evan was so excited to help. He is also very supportive of my baby weight loss goals...he exclaimed "I wanna eat it!" and took 3 ginormous bites of MY chocolate dessert...right off my plate!

David had cinnamon rolls. Yummy YUMMY!

Evan was ready to help this time. He likes fire.

Happy Birthday David! I LOVE YOU MOSTEST!

(Did I mention he cheated and made me a homemade gift? And I didn't even have time to top it. Overachiever.)
And thanks everyone for all of the phone calls, and texts, and cards, and messages, and birthday love. :)

Until next year then....

PS: I'm digging the large pictures. Hope they're not too overwhelming.

Also, I'm all caught up on this blog for at least a day. :) Awesome.

Washington Family.

2011-09-14T10:22:00.001-06:00

I really like my family. Like a lot. Like I wished we all lived on the same street. "Walker Lane" (I've named it and everything...it would be side by side with "Holbrook Court" and life would be just peachiness.)

But alas, this does not yet exist in real life, so we have to spend some serious time in our little car venturing to see these people we love so much. Not that we don't love Rocky...we just don't love him enough to spend 8-12 hours a day riding in him on a regular basis.

My Mom and Dad no longer live in my childhood home/town, but being in western Washington still feels homey and all that. I love being there. Eating yummy food, reminiscing, spending time in some serious greenness, and picking on each other as much as possible.

Our family has grown a lot from the original 10, but that makes things all the more exciting. Not everyone was home, but it was AWESOME still.

My Grammy pictured with her favorite grandchild.

Katie wasted us at Boggle, but whatever. I guess I still like her and everything.

Boggle. It wouldn't be vacation if I didn't get to play with my Grandma's. (They both love it.)

Foam, delicious!

Snuggling with Grandma. ♥

Backyard time. Evan practically lived outside all week. It made me wish we had a fenced yard even more.

He was kind of fascinated with Molly.

♥♥♥♥♥

We're such weirdies.

Evan copying Molly. The kid wanted to play fetch, so I obliged.

Joey and Sister Sarah trying not to judge me for treating my child like an animal. (Thanks guys...love you!)

"Throw it again, Mom!"

Anna with cousin Coby.

Grandpa with Anna. Serious bonding time, for sure.

Great Grammy with Anna. ♥ We celebrated my Grandma's 75th birthday while there. I love this old lady lots. :) (She loves being called "Old Lady.")

My Daddy!

She is a little strange, but I still love Molly.

Which kid looks more like David? I keep going back and forth.

I really love white onesies. We need more of those.

We visited Great Grandma S. too. She hadn't met Anna yet. She's 86 and hasn't changed for as long as I can remember. She is so fun to talk to and she promptly filled us up on intense amounts of sugar. Love her. So glad we got to visit. Evan didn't want to leave. All you can eat treats and cartoons...he was hooked.

Sugar. Takes you up quickly and down just as fast.

Guess who's starting rice cereal?! She started waking up in the night to eat a TON even when she ate lots just before bed. The spoon still kind of confusing, but she seems excited.

Grandma and Grandpa even had sidewalk chalk!

Evan thought this was cool. Even though he kept commanding Mommy to draw instead of trying it himself. Silly kid.

BUBBLES. ♥

We also got to see my brother Dan and Amanda with their son Greyson. I don't have any pics of them except one that did not turn out at all. Love you guys still!

*****

Can hardly wait for December! Sister Emily will be home from Africa, Christmas, Kim getting married...EVERYONE will be home. I can't remember the last time we were all together.

And then we visit the Holbrook fam right after.

I can hardly contain my excitement! Ahhhhhhhhh! :)

Rolling.

2011-09-13T17:11:00.001-06:00

Someone's been rollin' around. A little bit more everyday. 5 months old now, ya know.

She's starting to laugh more, mostly at Evan. He can get her to laugh harder than anyone else can.

She watches him all day long. ( I just hope she missed him coloring on the table and trying to drink out of the ketchup and syrup bottles this week.)

She smiles the biggest when Daddy gets home from work.

And Mommy's hair is becoming a favorite for those grabby fingers.

We all love this little angel. She just fits. ♥ Happy 5 months, pretty girl.

Riverfront Park.

2011-09-12T11:14:00.000-06:00

At the end of August, we met my sister Bri with her 3 kids and my sister Katie in Spokane at Riverfront Park. It was a crazy fun...yummy snacks, hot weather, rides, an IMAX movie, cool family, and excited children made for a GREAT day.

Evan's first ride ever. He was terrified.

It barely moved and David went with him, but our sensitive kid was not impressed.

He doesn't like trying new things, but after he does he usually loves it. So we kind of push him along slowly. David took him on a few more rides and even though he looked nervous we had no more tears. Heck, we even had a few smiles.

He survived!

♥

Bri braving the mini roller coaster with her kids.

She is pregnant and was starting to feel sick...she is so brave.

Anna did this most of the day. I think she loved it all.

David went on the scrambler with our nephews Hunter and Tanner. Thankfully. The rest of us would have puked our guts out. (Sorry. Kind of a gross visual.)

Evan and I share a cotton candy love. If there is cotton candy present, we will buy it. Period.

Our niece Haylee. This girl is about 5 weeks younger than Evan. She's a riot. The things that come out of her mouth...and she was so excited about everything. She's eating chips in this picture. I've never seen somebody eat chips as fast as Haylee. Quite impressive, really.

Awake to eat and stretch a bit.

She is sooooooooo chunky! I really ♥ it!

Sister Katie. A very good kid helper. Seriously. Also she's smiling because she got to spend the day with me. Lucky.

We rarely have all 4 of us in a picture so I had Bri take a few snapshots. It was such a pretty park.

♥♥♥♥♥

It was such FUN! The whole day. Definitely one to repeat.

Um, we can't get over her cuteness.

2011-08-30T17:10:00.000-06:00

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The refrigerator.

2011-08-30T10:16:00.000-06:00

Someone can open the fridge in our new place.

Do I dare check his bedroom for hidden goodies?

...I still can't figure out when he got the potato out of the fridge...sneaky pants!

Washable Markers.

2011-08-28T23:12:00.000-06:00

Crayola rocks. Evan was THRILLED to be using markers.

He tried to keep them on the paper, but he's 2...so...yeah.

It washed right off of him, his clothes, and the table. Not to mention the couch episode we had today when Mom was trying to kill a gigantic spider and Evan got a little too excited with marker in hand.

I found THIS tutorial and thought Evan would LOVE it.

(We didn't have a paintbrush so we just used a couple Q-tips.)

He did! So proud of his creations.

The intensity of an artist. This is serious business.

Ta daaa!

Try it. ( And I don't just mean if you have a toddler.)

It was fun!

Dirt.

2011-08-25T15:13:00.002-06:00

We've been trying to enjoy the last bit of summer. Our evenings are already starting to cool down. Fall is quickly approaching.

Evan got this gardening set for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa H. And this is the first time he's used it in the dirt/sand. (Although, it's been used for several other purposes...hats, water toys, holding crayons, pretending to dig the carpet, etc.)

He was excited, see the dimples.

Is there anything better than dirt? Clearly not.

Anna watching. I'm pretty sure she was ready to dive right in and play.

Wet! Even better. We've built several mountains and even busted out the dinosaurs.

The best times being a mom have got to be when I chuck my to-do list, slow down for 5 minutes, and we play. Life is so simple in Evan's world, and for a few minutes it feels simple in mine.

LOL...as I'm typing this Evan is "performing" songs from Beauty and the Beast. Gosh I like that kid.

Anna: 4 Month Stats

2011-08-21T12:48:00.000-06:00

Little Miss Anna Banana had her 4 month check up.

She was adorable, smiling at anyone and everyone and drooling enough to soak us both.

She wasn't a fan of shots, but who is? Seriously.

Evan actually behaved himself quite nicely at the doctor and the library. On the way home he kept saying. "I was good! I was quiet! I helped!" It was like a dream or something.

(One I hope we repeat.)

Height: 26 1/2"= >98%

Weight: 15 lbs 11.5 oz=85%

Head: 16 3/4"=90%

She's LONG. The flat spot on her head has almost rounded out completely. Her bottom gums are swollen, but her teeth are not even close to popping through. (We're in drool heaven.)

She's healthy, so grateful for that.

Oh, and she rolled...off the ottoman! She's okay, but she hasn't rolled since. I think it shocked her a bit...to say the least. (This is the end of unsupervised time on the bed or couch.)

She'll be rolling and crawling all too soon.

We just love this smiley, chubby, bright eyed little girl. Happy 4 months Anna!

He clearly doesn't need naps.

2011-08-16T22:46:00.000-06:00

Ever since we transferred to the "big boy bed" Evan has been refusing to nap. He'll do quiet time, but he won't fall asleep.

So at 5:20PM...just before dinner...he was sitting next to me on the couch and all of the sudden fell into my lap. Startled me for a second...but definitely still breathing...and drooling...fantastic.

Sleep had overtaken him. The poor kid is exhausted. He was like this for an hour and a half, regardless of the noise...

♥♥♥

And this little beauty got floor time without being jumped over, used as a pillow, or squeezed a little too much. I think she enjoyed it. She's working on rolling, but her practice time is seriously limited. Safety first, motor skills second. :)

♥♥♥

Anna adores Evan...Evan adores Anna.

I hope they always, at least most of the time, enjoy being siblings.

At least for me, siblings as friends was/is one of the coolest things ever. I want them to have that too.

Huckleberry Picking: or not!

2011-08-15T09:27:00.004-06:00

We went huckleberry picking on Saturday...kind of. We drove up the mountain, parked somewhere, and looked for berries. It was hot, but fun. Evan kept looking for "bears" instead of berries. We're glad we didn't see any of those. :)

Evan was so excited. And I think Anna had a good time...how can you be wearing green pants with white polka dots and not have a good time?

David was pretty adventurous. He went to all the hard to reach places to get some nice ripe berries.

She's cute!

Berries!

I hope he always makes this face. ♥

David spent forever after we got home picking these teeny tiny berries off the branches.

But guess what we found out today. They WEREN'T huckleberries! But they were edible. (So we're all still alive and everything.)
David made a delicious apple/berry crisp last night. We ate it with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

If you want to come visit us sometime (in the summer), we'll go berry picking...and maybe we'll find huckleberries next time.
LOL...too funny! This is going to be bringing us smiles for a long time. :)! Ha!
We love this place. ♥

August already.

2011-08-12T12:12:00.000-06:00

This pretty girl is 4 months old. Past the newborn stage and desperately wanting to roll and sit up.

Evan loves this girl. He always copies me and says "Hi baby girl!" ...except really close to her face. It's so cute. And she appears to love him back, even when being smothered.

@ the beach.

@ the park.

Bein' airplanes.

The chubbiest chubby cheeks.

Popsicle ♥.

So grateful for smiley children.

His shirt pretty much describes our whole cookie making experience. But check out that smile. Sugar makes children happy. (I've decided baking with Evan requires at least 2 adults...minimum.)

Guess who's finally showing some interest? :)! We're going to try again soon. (Please work this time...please oh please!)

*****

Happy August!

Just in case you were having a bad day...

2011-08-04T17:12:00.000-06:00

Here's the happiest girl ever featuring some fantastically chubby thighs to bring you some serious smiles.

The kids.

2011-07-31T20:23:00.000-06:00

From Evan just for you. ♥

This little dude is a sweety.

We've had a rough couple of days with him being 2 and me trying to be patient. (Notice I said trying.) I love his guts, for sure, but if he wakes Anna up one more time using the surprise attack method...we are going to have some serious issues.

I guess I just feel like saying "No!" over and over again for the same things isn't really working. In fact, this method is failing miserably. Time outs too. We are at a loss. And he knows I'm a push over...he can sense it.

But I'm sure he'll turn out normal in the long run. (Maybe.;)

He is now officially sleeping in a big boy bed. We've had a few thuds as he rolls right out of bed onto the floor...and continues sleeping? Weird.

Last night he came in our room at 3:30AM and said, "Mommy.....I want to take a nap." It was totally cute and made me wonder how I could ever be exasperated with such a cutie pants. By all means Evan, go take a nap...a long long nap. He just wanted to be hugged and kissed and tucked in again.

I hope he doesn't mind being the "trial and error" kid. He's seems to like us still. I think that's good.

He's quiet and crazy and intense and funny. He's just so Evan.

We sure love him.

Anna.♥

So smiley. I mean seriously, if you make eye contact, instant smiles.

This past week she's really getting the hand eye coordination thing down. You hold a toy in front of her and those blue eyes get huge and her arms start shaking. Then she focuses and slowly brings her hands together around the toy. It's so cute.

She desperately wants to sit up.

She's adorably chubby. And is growin' like crazy. I had to bust out the 6-9 month sleepers and onesies because her torso is so long.

Surprisingly she's quite fond of Evan. I don't think she's made the connection between getting smothered and poked and her darling big brother.

She seems quite social. I don't know if that's just a girl thing or simply her personality.

She's quite a yeller too. Good lungs, very good lungs.

I love how she throws her arms up over her head when she sleeps. And the look of recognition on her face when she hears Mommy or Daddy talk, but hasn't seen us yet.

I love my brown haired blue eyed girl.

PS: This is our backyard. You can be a little jealous if you want to.

I feel exhausted these days, but part of me likes the reason I'm so tired. It's a good reason, a very good reason.

I get to watch these two grow. How cool is that!

Vacation, etc.

2011-07-26T17:01:00.000-06:00

We had a good trip to Utah, visiting family and friends. It was fun and exhausting all at the same time. Can I just say that packing for two kids and trying to recreate some sense of familiarity and routine while away from home is quite intense. They handled it quite well considering. And Evan was SO...let me repeat that, just in case you didn't catch the emphasis...SOOOO excited to see everyone!

We hit a deer on our way there. Well, it kind of jumped on our car and bounced off the hood. Oh so scary. But Rocky (our car) still runs. His ugliness has increased dramatically, but he's a trooper for sure. So grateful he still works...fingers crossed he lasts until we can save up some $$ for a more recent model...like less than 10 years old. ;)

We're all sick over here...again. (Seems like we've been sick A LOT lately.) About half way through the week a nasty sore throat and feeling oh so tired slowed me down a bit...er, or a lot...but we still had fun. Lots of good company, delicious food, swimming, games, and relaxing.

Here's some pictures we took...so grateful for happy memories.

I think this little girl looks a lot like her Daddy...just sayin'.

Evan being silly.

Visiting friends: Rachel...she's having a baby girl in December!

Erica w/ Carter and me w/ Anna. I think they're going to be friends or something. :)

And my favorite Holli Child. She's such a superstar.

I was able to see some of my Walker family on their way through Utah. I love this picture of Evan with Uncle Matt. Pretty much sums up their relationship. He adores Matt.

My sister Kim...if you look close you can see her engagement ring...:) :) :)!!!

Me w/ Mommy.

Chillin' with Mom. Love her cuteness! ♥

Evan has an incredible ability to entertain himself. He grabs a few toys and enters his own world, having conversations with himself that I wish I understood. Love that he's still little...big, but little. :)

David and Jennie.

Super Sarah.

Summer. She's a fish...I'm pretty sure she spent more time in the pool than out.

Climber.

Lovin' the playground. Even though it was HOT.

He loves Aunt Jennie.

So nice spending the week together. ♥

Me and Jennie. I really like this girl. She and I were sick together. Bond!

Evan and his cousin Brixton playing catch with Grandma and Grandpa in the pool. They were so excited. It was adorably cute.

Evan with Grandma.

Hangin' by the pool.

Grandpa, Evan, and Daddy.

I don't have pictures of half the people that were there! Luckily Dad Holbrook took some shots of the whole group that I'm going to have to seriously steal asap.

Thanks for a great vacation everyone! So good to see you all and hopefully we'll see you again around holiday time. Love you bunches! Keep in touch. ♥

*****
Now to finish unpacking from vacation...and from moving. Hopefully we all feel better soon because being sick=absolutely no energy to unpack anything or enjoy these lovely sun filled days.

Moving In.

2011-07-09T14:01:00.000-06:00

We're at the apt cleaning. I took a break to feed Anna and thought I'd do a quick update. We won't have internet for a little while and I knew you'd all miss these darling faces...

{tough guy. he's too rad.}

{ ...still getting used to the helmet.}

{bathing beauty.}

{getting quite expressive.}

A bunch of men in the ward helped move all our stuff over last night. We had some babysitting help with Evan (Oh thank you!). Today is cleaning and unpacking until our arms fall off. :) Fun...?

But we really like the new place.

Let's hope we don't have to move again for at least a year.

(I just realized this will be the 5th place we've lived in a little over 3 years. Craziness.)

Stuff stuff everywhere.

But we're happy. We like this beautiful place. We love the people here. David likes his job.

For now, this is life. And we like it. :)

Not sure when you'll hear from us next, but enjoy July...it will be gone all too soon.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-07T19:31:00.000-06:00

{handsome boy.}

(not his bike. i promise.)

{she looks good in polka dots.}

We went to a BBQ!

Good friends. Delicious food. Fireworks. Fun.

Evan held fire without inflicting injury on himself or others. And he had a BLAST.

Anna slept through the festivities, but was awake long enough to be admired, of course.

David and I had an all around good time.

Definitely a good 4th. Happy Birthday America!

(Or as David described Independence Day to Evan, "Today means we're not British." :)

Hope yours was swell too. ♥

Randomness.

2011-07-02T16:26:00.002-06:00

So, we're packing. 'Cause we're moving! Like in a week or so. (Yeah...kind of last minute, like we just found out yesterday that someone wanted to buy our contract.) And then we're going on vacation to see our Utah family...we love them lots. And then who knows. Life is about to get crazy on a whole new level...

David is totally dominating me on # of boxes packed, but I think I just pulled ahead for diapers changed today. You can't win everything. (Although I'm going to try. ;)

And all this packing and cleaning and cleaning some more will lead to a cute little town home and smoke free bathrooms. Not to mention opening our windows and being able to breathe in fresh air instead of second-hand smoke. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) <-----This is how we feel about that. Seriously. Also, 3 bedrooms...washer and dryer still (score!)...air conditioning...and a little more wiggle space for these little people....

Well, mostly for this guy...

Anna seems to be excited though...

Oh, and her thrush is GONE! Thank you purple stuff. But she refuses to nurse. :( Which has been stressful and hard. My milk is definitely going away. I'm grateful for formula, I just wish we didn't have to use it. I'm glad I was able to nurse/pump for this little while at least.

*****

I've been totally slacking in my blog commenting lately. I promise I'm still reading them...I love reading your blogs, so keep me updated. Kapeesh? Also, I find it ten times harder to blog in the summer, but there are always more things to blog about. Does that make sense? I have to keep it updated though because I get our blog printed as a book each year and I don't want to miss anything!

Also I've been meaning to post tons of cute videos of my darling children of late, but for some reason blogger won't let me upload 'em. I know this makes you sad.

*****

Baby weight. Ugh. 15 lbs needs to please just disappear. None of my cute comfy summer clothes fit. And I feel like jello. I've started running and doing my videos, but it's such slow process. If anyone will do it for me I'll give you a sticker...actually 5 stickers. :)

And I know Anna is only 3 months old and it took 9 months to put it on, but still...I prefer it be gone sooner rather than later. Ya know?

*****
I almost forgot to introduce our most recent visitor...

Pretty much the BIGGEST moth I've seen in my whole life. It's wing span was at least 4-5 inches and it's body was creepily thick. David found it when he was taking out the garbage and brought it inside for us to see. Evan and I were both slightly nervous (can you imagine that thing flying up and just chilling on our vaulted ceiling...), but it was still pretty cool.

Evan has been talking about the bug for days now. And he thinks Daddy is pretty stinkin' great for bringing it inside. (Such a "cool dad" thing to do.) But alas, we returned him to the wild. He hung out right outside our door for a short while, but has since moved on. We just have exciting stuff going on around here.
*****

I better go help pack. Anna is back asleep and David is determined that we pack all non-essentials TODAY. He's very motivating. I hate packing. But I like change. (The good kind.)

Hope you all enjoy your 4th of July weekend!

She's Purple.

2011-06-27T21:29:00.000-06:00

Anna's thrush (yeast infection in her mouth) is being quite stubborn. We thought the medicine we were using was working, but then it flared up again so...onto phase two: Gentian Violet.

It's REALLY violet. And messy.

And hopefully it gets rid of it for good.

If not, I'm afraid my milk supply, which was already lower than normal (I've never been able to produce enough milk...), is going to disappear completely. Pumping just isn't quite the same thing as nursing. And it's annoying. For anyone that's ever pumped long-term, all I have to say is:

Wow. You are seriously impressive.

Anyways, purple is definitely one of her colors, but purple lipstick? A little too intense I think.