Thanksgiving was awesome...

my pictures were not. So I will just tell you about it. We spent the day in Napa with our dear friends, Lisa and Merrill. We had a relaxing morning of eating and cooking, a delicious dinner in the afternoon, and went to the movie and had pie in the evening. It was a good day. Lisa is such a fabulous cook, everything tasted amazing! It was such a relaxed day, we didn't even use a tablecloth. That's right, no formalities that day. In the next couple of years we will probably each have a fork and eat straight out of the pan. That will be awesome too.

The next day Jamie's aunt and family came by for a visit. They had been in Sacramento visiting family and used a day to come down and see us. We had a really nice visit. It was good to see them again and nice to have some family around, even if just for a few hours. Again, no pictures, but they were so kind as to bring us a gingerbread house the we put together on Sunday. The boys loved it!

They would put one candy on the house and then two in their mouth. The usual gingerbread house building process.

It was cute to see Parker figure it out and start to really get into it.

The finished product. We were all very pleased with how it turned out. My favorite, was when Jacob told Jamie to put 158 on the front. When Jamie asked why, he was told, "because that's their address". We asked him if he wanted to use our number instead and he said, "No, because their address is 158." How dare we question.

I love that it is Christmas time and I love that I have my stuff together a little more this year so I can enjoy the season as it comes, instead of wondering where it went.

We are so blessed and I truly am grateful.

The One You've All Been Waiting For

This sums up our week in Hawaii. We did everything at the speed of chill and did our best to do everything with "Aloha". (We decided that this is their catch-all word that could mean anything, like "Smurf".)

For those that haven't talked to me in the last year to hear me talk about going to Hawaii, in August Jamie and I had our 10th anniversary and to celebrate we spent a week on the island of Kauai. My parents flew out and stayed with the boys so it was truly a vacation!
Of course, we had a great time. It was so nice to have concentrated time for just us and uninterrupted conversations. It was fun to reminisce about the last ten years and talk about where we were and where we are now. We were gone long enough that I actually missed the boys. Sadly, I can't say that about every time I am away from them.
One of the nights we were there we went to a luau. I went to Oahu about 12 or 13 years ago to be a bridesmaid for one of my roommates (rough I know). At the luau especially, it brought back some fun memories of my previous trip. One of which included the groom's aunt trying to teach me and my friends the "Sophisticated Hula" to perform at the reception. Let's just say the 10 year old in the picture below, did a much better job than we did. Of course the pig was delicious and Jamie has now tasted poi.

This is the salt water lagoon at our hotel that was one of our favorite spots to relax. I especially enjoyed the nice girl that walked around asking if we needed anything. So of course I got a delicious fruity drink to enjoy while I sat in paradise. There were hammocks behind us that Jamie took advantage of, but in my current condition, they were a little tricky for me.

Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was beautiful. I loved the green mixed in with the red rocks and the contrast of the blue sky.

Tunnels Beach where we did some awesome snorkeling. We spent our last day beach hopping on the north side of the island. We snorkeled at 2 different beaches and just enjoyed another one or two.

This was our last sunset on the island. We were at Hanalei Bay and it was amazing. The sand was so soft and because of the small bay, it was a little more protected and the waves didn't get as huge. At this point we look like we had been on vacation for a week. A little sunburned, quite relaxed, and enjoying our last night responsibility free. There were even a few times Jamie turned his Blackberry off and left it in the hotel room. That's how I knew he was serious about enjoying this time together and a much needed break.

A huge thank you to my parents, because without them, this week would not have happened! Thanks also to the many people that were willing to help my parents if needed and those that took Jacob or Parker to give my parents a little break.

Such a great week, too bad we waited 10 years to go!
Aloha!

Happy Halloween ...

from Indiana Jones and your friendly neighborhood garbage man!

And how awesome are our Mr. Potato Head pumpkins? They were 10 minutes start to finish, no clean up, and the boys actually helped instead of Jamie and I scraping and carving for an hour. Good thing the boys liked them, because you know I'm using them year after year.

Happy Trick or Treating!!

Oh Boy, Oh Boy ....

It's a Girl!!

What?! I had kind of been thinking it was a girl but wasn't going to be surprised if it were a boy. Instead, I'm actually quite surprised it's a girl. We are very excited, especially Jacob. He has been wanting a little sister. Everything looks good. Strong heartbeat and everything where it is supposed to be.
Today is my half way point. 20 weeks down, 20 to go.
(Isn't she already so cute all curled up in a ball and snugly?)

Something’s missing…

Jacob lost his first tooth today. He could not have been more excited. It was loose enough that it practically fell out on its own. After lunch Jamie pulled it out and Jacob barely even noticed. He was excited to slurp the spaghetti we had for dinner through the hole where the tooth used to be. Before bed tonight, he wrote a note to the tooth fairy to see if she would be kind enough to leave the tooth but still leave him money anyway. He said he wants the money to help buy more Legos and that he was ok if she had to take his tooth as long as she left the money.

He's officially a big kid.

Isn't This How Everyone Watches TV?

You know what they say, "If the bag fits ..."

*I took this picture a couple of hours ago and after taking a break and playing for a bit, I just now turned to look at him and he is sitting watching TV, in the bag again. I guess he has a new preferred spot.

Go Jacob!

Guess who just read a book all by himself? No, not Jamie. I know I have a thousand other posts to do, but Jacob read Green Eggs and Ham all by himself tonight and we were so proud that we had to let the world know. Jacob was obviously very proud of himself and had a big goofy smile on his face when he finished and said "Who wants to give me a hug?"

Another Parker First

(Sorry about the picture, it looks like I scanned in a torn photo and it's blurry. Did I mention I don't like our camera?)

Parker had his first slice of pizza a couple of days ago. I discovered Little Cesar's doesn't have egg in their crust, so I ordered him a sausage pizza, without the cheese. It looks a little weird because it is just sauce and meat, but Parker was so excited!

It's not uncommon for us to do a movie and pizza night and Parker has always just had to look at everybody's plate with a delicious slice while he was eating chicken nuggets or a hot dog, again. When I told him we were getting pizza and that I was getting some for Parker too, he just looked at me confused and said, "no have pizza, has cheese and milk". I mean seriously, how sad is that?

He started jumping and yelling, "I yuv pizza!" when I explained to him that they were making a special Parker pizza that didn't have any cheese or milk. He was still so excited about it, that that was the first thing he told his dad when he got home from work, was that he had some "Parter Pizza".

It seems strange to be so excited that may son can eat pizza, you don't get more common, but I am thrilled to add another item to his repertoire.

A Kick Off To Our Summer

This is a pitiful representation of pictures from our trip, but I was too busy enjoying myself to pick up the camera. Besides, my bro-in-law got some great ones, I just haven't bothered to get them from him.

The day after school ended, we loaded up the car and headed to St. George, Utah. It was my family reunion. All of my siblings, their spouses, and kids were there, including my nephew and his new wife. In total, we had 36 people, it was awesome! It was so fun to be together again and renew friendships.

My niece, Cecily, with the boys. She couldn't get enough of Parker, but I was happy to let her try.

It has been YEARS since I've been to Southern Utah. I forgot how red everything is, even the dirt. It's very pretty though with lots of fun places to explore.
Jamie and Parker on the Red Hills with the St. George temple in the background.

Who knew Jacob would love so much climbing? Almost everywhere we went, he was at the head of the pack, trying his best to keep up with the big boys and going up every rock that looked even a little bit possible.

Mason, Parker, and Micah in their "Man Cave". All of the cousins were so good to my boys. Since I'm the youngest in the family, most of Jacob's and Parker's cousins are a bit older than them older. They were all so cute to them and willing to help out.

Our least favorite part of the trip was when Parker ate a peanut. It was our last day there and the entire crew was getting ready to leave for Zion's Nat'l Park. Jacob came to me and told me that Parker ate a peanut. I ran to him but he had an empty mouth. I asked Jacob if he saw him eat it. He told me no but that he saw a broken peanut on floor by him. I then found an open trail mix bag not too far away. About 20 minutes later, Parker had a few red bumps on his face and he started to just look different. I said, "Parker got a peanut, here's Jacob and some snacks, we'll call you when we are done and meet up later," and we were off. We selected "Hospital" on our GPS and we got there in about 8 minutes. Every minute that ticked by, he got more swollen, more uncomfortable, and scratching lots. It was so sad.

Here he is in the ER bed, asleep, with his IV because the last time we had to do the steroid orally, he threw it up. I was very sad to miss the big day together, but so thankful, once again, for family that we could just hand Jacob off and know that he will be loved and taken care of. Parker recovered well and was playing that afternoon like nothing happened.

We had a great trip! My brother did a great job planning it and made me wish, even more, that my boys had cousins and/or grandparents around. Not as an exception, but as a regular thing.

My Brother Came to Town

I have a brother that lives in Oregon. He and his family had finished a family vacation with my sis-in-laws family in San Diego, and we were their pit stop on the way home. We only got to have them for a couple of days, but it was really fun to hang out with my big brother again, even though he still calls me "Brat" and torments me a little.

We had a picnic lunch at the park by the Palo Alto Children's Museum and then headed over to check out the museum itself.

This is my brother, Devin, helping Parker figure out how to make the ball go up. I love that Devin has his fist clenched too and moving it in a circular motion, it really did help:)

Parker spent awhile at this exhibit. I only encouraged him, because maybe one day he'll be on The Price is Right and end up playing Plinko! You never know.

My darling nieces with the boys.

We had a little Don Pico for dinner that night, put a movie on for all of the kids in my room, and the four adults watched "Kicking and Screaming" in the living room. It was a fun and easy couple of days. We love time with family, in any time duration we can get!

July 4th and more Parker sickness

I threw my last party as Activities Chair for my ward. We had a 4th of July Pancake Breakfast, complete with flag ceremony and children's bike parade.

I didn't get nearly as many pictures as last year, but I was sure to get a picture of the tables that I arranged as a flag. I thought it was very clever even though I don't think many people got it. There were even stars on the blue tables in the corner, courtesy of Chelsea.

The very next day I was called as the Primary President. I enjoyed the party planning, but I know Jamie is glad to be done with it because let's be honest, I made him do a lot too. I've been in the primary for a number of years and it is fun to be back, just taking me a little longer than I expected to find my groove.

As for Parker, another ear infection led to more junk in his lungs and more breathing treatments. This is Jacob being the awesome big brother that he is and helping out. Notice neither one is taking their eyes off the TV though. Priorities, after all.

He did it!!

My first born graduated from Kindergarten today. I am officially a parent of a 1st grader!
(Wish me luck!) There he is with his fabulous teachers and principal.

*Do you like the serious face? I had to yell at him to come back for the picture because he took off as soon as they gave him his certificate, already too busy for mom.

Jacob's Play

Jacob's kindergarten class had a unit on teamwork last month, as part of that, they put on a play. They preformed "Three Nanny Goats Gruff".

He was one of the narrators and it was darling! He did such a great job, as did the rest of the class. They had all memorized their lines, they needed a little prompting from time to time, but they are 5 and 6 after all. There were lots of songs too that everyone sang together. They even painted the scenery, it was all too cute.

It was really fun to watch and I was so proud of Jacob for all of his hard work. We got the whole thing on video if anyone would like to come over for a personal screening.
(Thanks to Lisa, Josie, and Ronna for coming to watch and support my boy!)

A Little Disturbing, Isn't It

I find it sad that when I saw my son on the couch last week, just relaxing and enjoying some Dora, all I could think of was George Costanza, and now, that is all you will think about too. You're welcome!

My Unexplained Absence

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't blogged in awhile. Our computer has a bunch of viruses and we can no longer get online. It is thanks to Jamie for being home long enough that I can use his laptop to let you know we are still around and our life is still as uneventful as ever.

We are working on fixing the problem and in the mean time, I will leave you with this:

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! I had a day off yesterday, then woke up to breakfast in bed, darling cards, and a pound of See's. I had a nap after church, read for bit, and was treated to a delicious steak and artichoke dinner. It was while I was reading that I realized how hard Jamie had worked to help the boys understand what the day meant. Jacob was running down the hall and stubbed his toe. He started crying and when I asked him what happened, he said, "I hurt my toe and you can't help because it's Mother's Day and so you are taking the day off and can't do anything!" I told him I can always help him, no matter what day it is. By then, however, Parker had done something to make him laugh and he was over it. Awesome!

My boys are amazing and I certainly felt loved!

Engagment Picture

Is it just me, or does this look like a glimpse into my son's future? At least I like the girl and her family.

She's Gone

Chelsea actually left this time. She has gone back to school in Idaho, and even though her original plan was for her to return about 3 months ago, we loved that she stayed as long as she did.

I've known Chels since she was about 13. She is easy to hang out with and fun to have around.

Thanks Chels for all the times you helped me and always being so willing to just hang out with us.

Jacob and Chelsea finishing dinner at the Pancake House (this was her good-bye dinner the second time she was supposed to go). Every time it was time for her to go home Jacob would grab on to her legs and yell, "No, I don't want Chelsea to leave. She is supposed to stay for a sleepover!"
Reading stories to Parker before he went to bed, he was very into the story.

My boys think the world of her and so do I. We miss you Chels!

Don't Look Now ... But I am Updating My Blog!

We went for a quick trip to Tahoe this weekend and it was fun! The weather was perfect, we were actually warm out on the hill. The drive up took too long because of typical Friday afternoon traffic, but we pushed through and were just happy to arrive. We checked in and went straight to the pool. It was heated but still cold so we spent our time in the hot tub. We had an early night so we would be ready for sledding.

Jacob couldn't wait for the sledding hill so he climbed on the huge snow drift just outside our window. I was actually inside when he did this and all I saw was my son slide down and get stuck in between the snow and the window. He paused for a second and scrambled back out.

Jamie and Parker on their first run. Parker didn't think it was quite as fun ...

and it wasn't because of this. He was already crying before the sled tipped.

Jacob was a natural. He had his serious face on most times he went cruising down, that kid is all business. My favorite was when he was going so fast he went all the way to the bottom and kept going up the dirt hill at the end. I watched the whole thing from the top and laughed the entire time.

Chelsea came too and we loved that she did! She is so fun and the boys just love her. I loved the time I fell off and she was right behind me so she crashed into me less, but glad to have her none the less.

It was a quick trip because Jamie had to fly out Sunday morning for work, but I thought it was totally worth it. Jacob keeps talking about the next time we go to Tahoe. It is a lot of work to get ready to play in the snow though. It takes a lot of stuff, (thank you to everyone that lent us snow gear!) willingness to spend a long time building snow people, and the possibility that your 2 year old will not enjoy any of it. All in all, it was a great trip and I am glad we went, but I think it solidified that we are a beach family.

The Big 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER!!

We have survived another year, allergies and all. It was two years ago today that my water broke, I drove myself to the hospital, and at 1:42pm, this little love joined our family.

Parker is so fun. He loves his big brother, trains, and rockin' out to some good tunes. Just a few pictures to see how he has grown.

You are such an important addition to our family, Parker. We love you!!

Let's Just Be Friends

Now I know that Jacob and the garbage have been together for a long time, a really long time, but people change. They grow apart. It's not you -- it's me. The last few weeks I've begun to witness something I wasn't actually sure was ever going to happen. Jacob doesn't wake up on Tuesday morning and remind me that we take out the garbage tonight because tomorrow is garbage day. You don't always find him at his perch bright and early Wednesday morning, sure there were those first few weeks after the split body truck came, but the spark seems to be gone. Most amazing of all, the garbage cans are still at the curb on Wednesday night when Jamie gets home from work.

Now I'm not saying that there isn't still excitement to see trucks on the street, or that he doesn't still pray for our garbage man, by name, from time to time. Just that maybe garbage and Jacob aren't quite as tight as they used to be. It seems odd, it's like breaking up peanut butter and jelly, but these things happen.

This isn't a bond that goes away over night, but for now, I think it is safe to say, they are at a new point in their relationship.

You'd Never Know it was Janruary

For our Martin Luther Holiday we went to the beach. Isn't that what everyone does? It was a gorgeous 75 degrees. We went with our good friends, Josie and Justin. As you can see, Parker was enjoying himself thoroughly.

Jacob and Charlie playing one of their games that I never fully understand.

The guys, minus Jamie.

It was a perfect day, other than the fact that we were expecting it to be colder so I was in jeans. That part sucked. Other than that, it was a pretty good way to spend a day off.