Blayne and Rachel

Year 7

2011-04-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Outback and grocery shopping at Walmart - still a super hot date after 7 years.

After Blayne brought me home flowers on Friday, Darek was ticked that Daddy hadn't gotten him anything. i told him that Dad got me flowers because we got married 7 years ago and we love each other. Darek spent the rest of the day saying he wanted to get married. He asked Mia if she would marry him and she said Yes - coincidentally we have this picture.

Spring

2011-04-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the first day in about 6 months that the weather gave us a break and we could go outside. It was opening day at the zoo and we absolutely loved it.

Monkeys

Running from one animal to the next.

Easter

These sunglasses didn't come off all morning except for the last picture.

Must Love Dogs

2011-02-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Mia turned 2 two weeks ago and, although we had some camera malfunctions, it was such a great day. She had been asking for a "Princess Cake" for weeks and probably would have been content with that and nothing more.

-Mia is definitely a light in our house. She laughs and smiles all day long.
-She speaks amazingly well. When I put her to bed she says, "Bye Mom, see you soon!".
-Every time we get in the car (and regularly at home) she says, "I need a song." Or, "I need to dance." And she likes her music loud.
-She loves chocolate milk and drinks way too much of it.
-She is very independent. She has to open doors herself, she doesn't like to be carried, and she always has to put on her own shoes (she often tries to put on her own clothes, but will let me help with that).
-She always has so many "things" that she has to carry around the house, and her purse has come in very handy. Lately it's been the balloon Daddy got her for Valentines' Day (this has been so annoying because she seriously wants to take it everywhere), her princesses from her birthday cake, her FurReal friend (a little cat), and her horse from a gift Polly got her.
-She wears her boots all day long (it takes a tantrum to get them off). Even if she's not wearing anything else.
-She is a dream come true.

Also, Blayne got called to be in the branch presidency of the Spanish branch a few months ago. Mia's nursery leaders there (who don't speak any English), told me that she speaks Spanish very well. She tells them "Si", and always says she wants "mas" at snack time. What a hoot.

And, in completely unrelated news, we got a dog. I made the mistake of taking my kids to the animal shelter to "look" at the animals. Both the staff there and my kids were not going to let me leave without a pet. Having a puppy has been a HUGE pain. But my kids are in love with her, so what can you do?

In the Mud

2011-01-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

About 20 minutes after playing in the snow, Mia got stuck in the mud. Her little boots really wouldn't come out. She just looked so sad.

Mia's favorite gift

2011-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

2011-01-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

This was our first Christmas in our own house and it was WONDERFUL.
Darek spent weeks worrying about whether his name would be on the naughty list or not.
There were many times when he was sure Mia's would be.

My family - Mom, Dad, Luke, Dan, Jeffery, and Jackson - all arrived on Christmas Eve. My sister Grace was with us too. Darek woke up at 5 am and ran into our room telling us that Santa had come (he had seen the presents down the hall). We kept him in our room until 8, got Mia, and the rest of my family was already up. The kids tore into their gifts. We had the breakfast casserole my mom makes every year along with cinnamon rolls. Darek and the boys spent the rest of the week playing video games.

We saw Santa weeks before. Darek knew what to do.

Mia wanted to see him, but from a safe distance.

My mom stayed with the kids and the rest of us went skiing. It was a BLAST. Other than my dad, none of us had really been. We took a lesson together and had so much fun. All of the boys picked it up like they'd been doing it for years. Blayne and Dan were speed demons, Luke and I were steady and sure. Blayne was hesitant to go at all, thinking this just wouldn't be his thing because he hates the cold. Within a few minutes, he was loving it and can't wait to go again.

2011-01-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

We went to the library for story time yesterday. Haven't been since last year.
Darek sat quietly on my lap, Mia ran loudly around the room and then out of the room.
Darek whispered as we looked at the fish. Mia ran up and down the aisles yelling, "Here fishie, fishie, fishie!"
Darek slowly and conscientously chose which books he wanted. Mia indiscriminately threw one book after another off of the shelf and onto the floor. With Mia screaming in my arms and Darek walking quietly behind me, we left.
And I'm sure we'll go back. There's not much else to do in the winter.

Mia, at home, is the easiest child on the planet. She entertains herself all day long. She is charming and happy and independent.
She's still happy when we leave the house, but her independence means she runs everywhere except for where I am. She gets into everything. It makes me crazy.

Darek, at home, is ridiculously difficult. He is attached to my hip and wants me to do everything with him. He does not give me any breathing room.
When we leave the house, he's incredibly easy. He listens well and is entertained by what's going on around him. It's the best way for me to get some space.

Darned if you do and Darned if you don't...

After the library, we went to McDonald's. Darek and Mia were best buddies - she's too little to pull herself up in the play area, so he'd give her a boost and they'd laugh all the way down the slide.

But when Darek made a new friend, Mia was on her own.

First Love

2010-12-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

Grace came over to eat last night with her boyfriend and two of her roommates.
Darek was "taken" with Grace's roommate Megan from the moment she walked in.
He asked me her name at least 20 times, trying to make sure he had it right.
After we finished eating and everyone was sitting around chatting, Darek, unannounced and with complete boldness, climbed up on Megan's lap, wrapped his arms around her neck and whispered "I love you Megan" in her ear. He kept his arms around her neck for at least a minute, then he climbed down and went about his business.
I have NEVER seen him do anything like that EVER in his life. It was absolutely adorable. When I told him I wanted to take a picture of him with Grace's friends, he went straight to Megan.

Halloween

2010-11-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten that celebrating Halloween can span much more than just a day - not that I would change it. Darek had a Halloween party at school, we went to the Halloween carnival at the local elementary school, the next day was some kind of vendor sponsored city-wide trick or treat event downtown (with a shout out to Kluane for saving us almost an hour of waiting-in-line time), and Saturday was trick or treating. Both Darek and Mia are fascinated by the "scary" parts of Halloween. They loved the automated ghost and witches that would make noises when you walk by, they were into the monsters and scary costumes - kinda weird because I've never liked that stuff.

Playing musical chairs at the school carnival

A fairy of sorts :)

Getting ready to go downtown

This Week

2010-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get the kids to go home after they saw this puppy at the park. Darek held it forever (until it would wiggle away and then he'd chase it and hold it again). He's always asked for a dog but now it's gotten crazy.

Darek has started karate class - my new favorite thing. The truth is, I needed something to get us out of the house, so I decided to find him some kind of class. Punching and kicking and yelling for 30 minutes, along with the discipline thrown in could not be more perfect. And it is possibly the cutest thing ever. Darek behaves SO well and is awed by his teacher.

This October may be the very best weather I've experienced in my entire life. It's been in the low 70s for most of the month with constant sunshine. We've spent a ton of time at the park.

We went to a friend's birthday party. Let me add that Latin Americans throw the very BEST parties. Incredible food, music, pinatas, a fun jump - amazing.

Blayne plays football with the old men on Saturday mornings.

Big week

2010-09-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Darek finally pooped in the toilet and he started pre-school: Best Week Ever.
After his first poop in the toilet, we gave high fives and hugs, etc., then I told him it was time to flush it. He got upset and said, "No don't flush it, I love my poop. He's my friend, he's like a fish." The poop was a "he"? So I asked him if he wanted me to take a picture of it before we flushed it and he said yes. We took about 6 pictures, some of the poop by itself and then Darek wanted to get in some of the pictures with "him". Darek asked to look at the pictures several more times that night. It was a very proud day for all of us.

And then Darek started pre-school. I didn't take any pictures of his first day because he was nervous and I didn't want to make it seem like a bigger deal than it already was by pulling out the camera. School is just two hours a day/3 days a week. It's just a few houses down the road and his teacher is wonderful. He's still getting used to it. On the second day of school he told me he wasn't going - that he would go when he was "taller". But we talked him into it. I'm sure he'll absolutely love it in a few days.

Mia got SillyBandz in the mail from cousin Alex and Aunt Katy. No instructions needed on this one.

We're still spending all of our time outside. Please let it last!

Oldest Child

2010-09-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Darek monitors what Mia does. He mostly calls her "Baby" and lets me know if she's too close to the street, if she's climbed up on the table, if she's made a mess, etc.

There are three nurseries in our ward. Mia was supposed to come to the one that I teach while Darek was assigned to a different one. When he realized that she was going to a different nursery, he cried and said, "I want my Baby..." so now they go together.

At Family Night this week Blayne was helping Darek pray - Darek repeated exactly what Blayne said until Blayne said, "Bless Mia that she'll be a good girl." Darek repeated, "Bless Baby that she'll be the Best girl."

Don't get me wrong, Darek knocks her down and takes toys and jostles her for attention, but he is ultimately her protector.

Giving Baby a ride on his scooter.

Mutual adoration

Mia

2010-09-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

4 necklaces, 2 bracelets, 2 babies, 1 pacifier, Darek's shoes. A day in the life of Miss Mia.

Marbles and boxes

2010-09-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Darek got his first pets last week. It was his reward after getting his jar full of marbles (he earned the marbles through being obedient, helping around the house, etc.). He wanted to name both fish Nemo, but Blayne convinced him to name one Boo Boo (what?). Darek's working on filling his jar again and the next thing he wants is a robot - I'm thinking that could cost more than a $.25 fish.

Painting yet another box made into a robot. He spends hours on painting projects and there's something so precious about watching a three year old being so thorough and absorbed in something like this. I absolutely love it.

On Sundays we feed the ducks at the river. Sometimes Idaho Falls looks mighty fine.

Her Loves Us

2010-09-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

After living with us for 5 weeks, my sister Grace went back up to school at BYU-I last week. The kids LOVE Aunt Grace. One night I was putting Darek to bed and he asked where Grace was. I told him she was with her friends and he said, "Her loves us. Her really, really loves us." And she does.

Remember When...

2010-09-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Remember when we laughed until we cried (and cried until we laughed), and stayed up all night, had crazy drama, and ate cake and ice cream for three meals a day, held hands, shared secrets, and figured out who we were? Some things never change. To the next ten years

Then (Liberty Square, Provo, UT. October 2000)

Now (Together in San Clemente, CA. Husbands and kids at home)

2010-09-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Mia puts on jewelry EVERYDAY. She usually wears multiple necklaces and puts all my hairbands on her arm (plus a few silly bandz that Grace gave her). She puts on her own socks and Darek's shoes - she can get his on easier. I absolutely love watching her be a girl.

Darek was playing "cowboy" and tied up his 4 wheeler with a rope. Then he beat it with a foam bat - I'm pretty sure that's not an accurate game of "cowboy".

Recently

2010-08-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

About every other Saturday Blayne takes Darek to Lowes for their free project. They both LOVE it and Darek gets to paint his project later (I have to attribute all of this info to Ashley, she knows everything). If you want to check it out, go to http://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com

Mia hanging out at Darek's swim lessons

Darek at swim lessons.

Blayne's friend Scott, who is a pilot in our ward, pulled up to our house last Monday night and before I knew it Blayne was yelling, "Scott's taking Darek and I up on a plane, see ya later!" Luckily they left fast - before I had a chance to say no. And thank you Scott for the adventure!

Robot Boy

2010-08-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Kids make the best use of boxes. Darek was pretending to be a robot in this one before I even cut holes in it (pretty dangerous).

It took us a LONG time to convince him that it was best to take off his robot box to sleep.

He found this poor cat in our garage and followed it around all day. Torture for the cat, fun for Darek. He needs a pet, Daddy.

THIRTY

2010-07-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Truthfully I'm not planning on aging gracefully. I'm planning on lying about my age and digging in my heels the entire way down the timeline. But thirty was not as absolutley horrific as I expected. My sister-in-law Katy ended up staying at our house a little more than two weeks and she was like a gift in herself. She cleaned the house and organized my basement and pantry and fridge (I realize that it's a little pathetic that there was so much work for her to do). And to top it off, she watched all of the kids while Blayne and I headed over for a quick trip to Sun Valley. It was our first night without any kids since Darek was born. And It was wonderful - Sun Valley is a great getaway. Then on Sunday, Katy made dinner and a cake and let me take a nap (didn't Blayne get off easy?) Katy and the kids left today and now the house feels so empty (and organized :) We loved having you!

Bear World

2010-07-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Blayne's brother Bryan and his wife, Katy, came to visit on July 4th. It was wonderful. They have kids close in age to ours: the boys could not have fought more if they tried and the girls were precious.

We went to Bear World (and somehow I didn't get any pictures of bears), but they had these great rides:

Cousin Bradley

July

2010-07-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

July is my favorite month of the year. With Independence Day and my birthday and the summer sun, it cannot get better. On July 3rd Blayne and I ran the Firecracker 5k - I got first place for the 30-35 age group; kind of a backhanded award since I was still two weeks from being 30 and not eager to get there, but I'll take it. After the race was the city parade. Blayne's parents had come up for the holiday and we had a great time watching the parade together.

2010-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Blayne and I ran a 40 mile relay with these folks (yeah, that's just 5 miles per person):

After the race they did prizes and the kids jumped in bouncy houses, ate hot dogs, and danced to live music.

And then we got home and they had to play in the dirt before bed. A long, sunny, wonderful day.

Brothers (in law)

2010-06-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Now that Blayne and Joe (my brother)are working in the same industry, they not only get to bounce ideas off of each other over the phone all week, but they meet up all over the place. Here they are in Pittsburgh, PA checking up on an energy investment - it's all about oil.

Lost Tooth

2010-06-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Darek lost a tooth last Thursday night - yep, that's about 3 years too early and it was totally traumatic. He was playing with a toy dragon that had all kinds of horns and he put the head in his mouth. It got stuck. He started to panic, Blayne went to try to help maneuver it out, and the next second the dragon was out and blood was everywhere. That little baby tooth came out. Darek was screaming - I'm sure it was very painful, the blood was scary, and having the new gap totally freaked him out. After he calmed down, his main complaint was that he wanted his tooth back. He got the idea that if we took him to the doctor, they'd give him a tooth to replace the missing one.

Anyway, the tooth fairy left him a dollar, he got a toy and all is back to normal.

Thirty!

2010-06-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Blayne turned THIRTY on June 1st. I felt like we needed a big party, so first I surprised him with a trip to California to see his family, and then we all surprised him with a PARTY. I flew my brother Luke in from Boston to provide the music and it was the best birthday ever (if I do say so myself). We all needed the break from the Idaho weather and we spent most of our trip by the pool. Blayne's parents got him tickets to a Dodgers game so he and I hung out in LA for a day without the kiddos and caught dinner and the game. It was absolutely wonderful. Oh how I love that man...

Surprise!

Cousin Sheldan and his girlfriend with Luke in the background

Aunt Shelly and Grandma

The After-Party: the guys watched a fight on tv

Just a Boy and his Dog

2010-06-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Darek is of the belief that he has his own dog; although that dog lives in California with his grandparents.

Sad little boy waiting for his dog to dry off (after swimming in the pool), so that Grandma T would let her in and they could play again.

2010-05-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

He's a blue dragon (eating a banana while saying cheese). Bless Crayola

2010-05-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Blayne's investment firm hosted an economic forum yesterday. All three local news stations showed up. He didn't get 5 minutes of fame, but he did get two seconds :)
Here's the link to one of the stories:

http://www.localnews8.com/news/23534458/detail.html?taf=idaho

2010-05-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the zoo. The big deal of the day was that Mia threw her shoe into the fenced-off Pelican area (those are seriously freaky birds). A pelican picked it up and had it in it's scary bird mouth. I was going nuts because this was the second pair of the same shoes I had bought her and I did NOT want to buy another pair, so I was telling Blayne "You have to jump in there and get it! GET IT!" So Blayne starts whipping at the birds with a jacket to get them to drop the shoe and back away from the fence. Then Blayne jumps over the fence (totally illegal) grabs the shoe, and jumps back over the fence. I think it was the first "My dad's a HERO" moment for Darek. He talked about it for the rest of the day saying how Daddy jumped over the fence and the birds were going to eat him, but he got the shoe and jumped out. A Big Day.

Mia at the Zoo.

Darek got me a SpongeBob coloring book for Mothers' Day.

Talking to Uncle Kevin on Mothers' Day

2010-05-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

How can you tell when Grandma T was here?

I don't have a before picture, but I can tell you that Mia's room contained her crib and nothing more (and the crib had the same blue bumper that Darek used) - you would have had no idea that a little girl slept in there. But after Grandma T was here:

THANK YOU! And a big thanks to Teri's friend Kim (aka Lady) who helped. We LOVE it!

2010-05-03T19:08:00.001-07:00

Last week I took the kids down to Orem so that they could see Grandma Polly who was attending Women's Conference. And I forgot my camera. They had tons of fun playing with their Johnson cousins and Polly. We made it back to Idaho in time, grouchy and exhausted, for Blayne and my sixth wedding anniversary.

It's so nice to remember that sometimes it's about us and not just the kids.

Mia's lovin' her doll. When she gets up, when she eats, when she plays, she wants her baby.

Darek requested that I take each of these pictures. The first one, well, he was sick on Sunday and said, "Take a picture of me sick." So I did. The second is him holding a Mr. Potato Head hat on his head.

Crying on the treadmill

2010-04-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

I do not understand what is happening to me! On Friday I was running as fast as I could on the treadmill, listening to Black Eyed Peas, when I started bawling - right in the middle of running. And this wasn't the first time! I don't know if it's the sudden endorphin rush or what. It's like all the stress that's wrapped up inside comes pouring out; sometimes it's actually tears of joy. It's the weirdest thing and yet it feels SO good. Crazy. (And I don't stop running either :)
I took a wonderful two hour nap today. I thought that kids made the Sunday nap obsolete, but locking myself in the bedroom in the basement did the trick.

Mia has started throwing tantrums. Last week she laid face down on the floor at McDonald's, crying and kicking her legs, because I took away a chicken nugget that she was eating off of the floor. Lovely. She becomes indignant when we tell her no. Especially when Daddy tells her no. But she still looks like an angel.

Darek is constantly pretending. This is him putting gas (dirt) in a bucket which he will then put in his 4 wheeler. He is alternately a lion, penguin, a Mom or Dad, Max (and I'm Ruby), or anything else he can think of. He is very into "best friends". When I get mad at him or send him to his room, he'll cry and say "But you're my best friend" and to be honest - it totally works. He has a different best friend every day of the week. He has been such a GOOD boy.

2010-04-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

When I'm in the kitchen, Mia will come up and point to the radio. I turn it on and she walks into the front room to dance - oh it's so darling.

2010-04-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Busy. Uncle Joe came to visit, followed by Grandma T, followed by my friend Natalie and her fiance. We've absolutely loved it, but we haven't taken many pictures.

Darek has been tough. They say 3 is the new 2 and well, it seems to be true here. He is relentless about things that he wants, and being independent, and he takes my patience to its absolute limit.
Last week I was telling him (not calmly) to get out of the pantry and he said, "You don't talk to me like that." Oh crap. He talks non-stop about anything and everything. We were driving down the road and saw a homeless man outside Wal-Mart holding a sign. Darek pointed out that the man was holding a sign and asked me if he was sad. We went on to have a 10 minute conversation about why the man was holding a sign, how he needed money to buy food, and how Darek wanted to give him money (I know that I should have stopped to give the man money but I was on the opposite side of the street and couldn't turn around). He wants to talk about everything he sees - it can be adorable, entertaining, frustrating, and exhausting. I'm trying to appreciate this stage for what it is.

Mia, on the other hand, is in a darling phase where she entertains herself, sqeals over baby dolls and daddy coming home, and generally smiles all day long. She loves to push her doll around in a stroller, do whatever Darek's doing, eat and play. So cute.

Playing with Uncle Joe.

Mia has started horning in on Darek's play dates. But since they were dancing and playing with dolls, it was right up her ally (not that Blayne would have appreciated this scenario :).

Easter!

Blayne and Darek play "Lions" almost everyday and part of their routine is eating food off of the floor like they're lions. So they took their Easter candy and put it on the floor - the baby lion joined in.

2010-03-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

The superhero known as "The Mailman". He puts on his red Spiderman hoodie, and his two-sizes too big Spiderman snow boots and that makes him The Mailman. He's obsessed with the mailman since he mailed his grandmothers letters last week. He also took it upon himself to bring the family food: a can of enchilada sauce.

One of the best things ever: a baby-sitting co-op. Four families taking turns watching all the kids every other Saturday. Last Saturday was our turn.

Score

2010-03-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

I very rarely take my kids to the mall for several reasons:
-I don't want to spend any money
-I don't have a double stroller which means Darek has to walk which means...trouble
-The dumb car strollers you can rent at the mall: on the rare occasion that we do go to the mall, Darek asks me 1,000 times to get a car stroller. It doesn't help that we see multiple other kids cruising along in them. The dang things cost $5 to rent and you only get $1 back when you return it. Ridiculous.

(This was taken in November in Iowa)

Today gave me another reason to dislike the mall. I was letting Darek and Mia play in the terrible excuse for a play land when a little boy threw up in the middle of playing. How many surfaces had he touched that Mia and Darek touched? Good grief.

I took the kids to Payless afterward and asked if they had hand sanitizer which they did, yay! And then I told Darek that we could go look at the car strollers. Sometimes it's enough to just let him sit in one while it's attached to the machine (totally cheap on my part, I know). But we were in luck - someone had left their double car stroller next to the machine without locking it in place! My two kids were in heaven! A great day for them (even if it does mean that their expectation for getting a car stroller will be that much higher when we go next time).

Darek's 3rd Birthday

2010-03-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Darek's 3rd birthday was very highly anticipated (by him). It started with Mia's birthday 6 weeks ago that got him very anxious about his own birthday. Two days before his birthday, we bought a dragon cake at a cake auction (boy scout fundraiser) and told him it was his birthday cake. That did it. He talked about that cake and asked when he would get to eat it 100 times before his birthday. He had decided that he would eat the face, daddy could eat the feet, Mia could eat the tail, and Mom could eat the belly - and he told us this over and over again. His birthday was on Sunday, so we had eggs for breakfast at 8:00am followed by birthday cake at 8:30am. We just couldn't wait anymore (at least we had some protein first, right?).
Our 3 year old Darek:
-wrestles with daddy everyday after work
-still uses a blanket and pacifier (I know - the pacifier has 1 day left)
-sits on my bed with his blanket and pacifier and watches tv when he gets overwhelmed
-always says "I want a hug" when he's crying and gets sent to timeout
-absolutely LOVES family night
-laughs really easily
-takes toys from Mia
-yells for me to get Mia when she's near the stairs saying, "Baby's gonna fall - get her!"
-loves nursery and school

Darek desperately wants Blayne and I to play with him constantly - blocks, play doh, drawing, etc. We know that it won't last for ever, so we do what we can. We are crazy in love with out little man.

He got this scooter as a present, pretty cute.

Warmer than it looks

2010-03-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

Sure there's snow on the ground, but not nearly as much as there has been. We played outside for hours today and it felt absolutely wonderful.

Darek has been potty training. On Sunday we were sitting on my bed and out of the blue he said, "I wanna go pee pee in the potty." There's been a kiddie potty sitting in the bathroom for months and nothing would convince him to use it. Just wanted to do it in his own time I guess. He hasn't had an accident since (although he won't poop in the toilet).

And Mia has been walking for a few weeks. She looks so cute and little tottering around.

Please keep coming Spring...

Cousins!

2010-02-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Ashley (my brother Joe's wife) came to visit this week. Truthfully, it wasn't the most ideal trip for her. First, Joe accidentally booked her and Boston's return tickets for a week later than his making her trip two full weeks long. Then, just a few hours after Ashley's flight left Columbus, Joe received an email from his company informing him that his trip was being cancelled altogether. Yep, Ashley was on her own.
Ashley spent a few days in Salt Lake before spending a week with us. I loved having a girlfriend around. We stayed up late every night (although she stayed up even later since her kids threw up nearly every night - adding to the excitement of her trip).
And for the kids, all kinds of excitement:
-Boston got to go to school with Darek.
-We went to Blast Off on Wednesday where they played in the ball pits
-An open gymnastics gym on Thursday with trampolines and foam pits
-Leo's Place on Friday for pizza and playing
-And a friend's house on Saturday; this has actually been one of the greatest things ever: a few of my neighbors and I are doing a baby-sitting co-op where every other Saturday we all drop our kids off at one person's house so that we can go to the temple or on dates. LOVE IT! This Saturday (after we dropped the kids off) Blayne and I gave Ashley a tour of the wonder that is Idaho Falls and then we went out to eat.

My little Valentine

2010-02-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

Darek had his first Valentines' Day party at school today!

Winter fun

2010-02-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

I should've realized by now that there's a huge difference between the way I picture how things will go in my mind and reality.
Saturday was absolutely beautiful. We haven't taken our kids outside to play in the snow at all, so we thought it would be perfect. We borrowed a sled from the neighbors and I thought Darek would be in heaven going down hills and being pulled by his dad. Nope. All he wanted to do was pull the dumb old sled behind him along the shovelled sidewalk. And after 15 minuted he wanted to go inside.

The two minutes Darek sat in the sled being terribly annoyed.

Mia's turn.

Reality.

This is Darek, "going to work." He gets Blayne's wedding ring, an old watch, and a "briefcase" and comes to tell me he's going to work. He leaves the room for a few minutes and then comes back in the room to tell me "I'm home!" And I cheer and hug him. It really is a cute game.

What's a Hexagon?

2010-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Darek walked up to me last night, opened his hand, and said, "Look Mama, a hexagon - six sides." And sure enough, it was...

This is what he was holding:

I about died! Not that it's useful information, but it was so cute - thanks Sesame Street.

We went to a Gymnastics gym today that had open hours for young kids during the day. The kids LOVED it. They had trampolines and foam pits and mats of all different shapes and sizes.

Games

2010-02-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

One of Darek's favorite games is "Go to sleep with me"; it's second to "Get Me" which is just chasing him down the hall. It's amazing that he can pretend to sleep so well, but getting him to sleep for real is a nightmare!

The daily bathroom mess. I either need to get up early enough to get ready before Mia's up, or let her scream outside the bathroom door while I get ready. Neither sounds very appealing, so instead I pick up the contents of my bathroom drawers and cabinets every single day.

It's been a busy week:
-we had playgroup at our house; Darek's had lots of friends over to play (we've been helping some other moms get a break :); Darek smashed Mia's hand in the door and we went to get x-rays (it's fine but majorly swollen and bruised). And just to make sure that things stay tricky I realized that I had somehow thrown a dirty diaper into the washing machine with a load of laundry (I realized it when I was pulling the clothes out to put them in the dryer - awesome surprise); Darek emptied out our garbage can onto the living room floor so that he could play "Garbage Truck" with one of his toy trucks; Mia has peed on the carpet more than once (everytime I change her diaper, she's off like a rocket as soon as I get her diaper off - I'm going to have to start sitting on her). And the general disorder of our house continues. But since I've become resigned to it, I'm a much happier person than I was a few months ago. Just another day in Paradise, right?

Happy Birthday Mia!

2010-01-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

I realized today that it's possible that birthdays are more for the mom than the child. Everytime I look at Mia today I think about being pregnant with her and the moment she was delivered and bringing her home from the hospital and how she changed our lives. I love having a day to remember it all!

These are the things that stand out about 1 year old Mia:

-She really is a monkey; we have to securely strap her into everything or she will get/fall out. Grocery store carts are dangerous because the buckles aren't enough to keep her down. She turns around in the seat, stands halfway up and growls at people (happily). Plus she gets into EVERYTHING. Her latest game is to throw things into the toilet when I'm not looking. Our bathroom is a constant disaster.
-The growling definitely gets attention. She does it all the time!
-Blayne says she's like me because she's so happy for the most part, but goes from calm to screeching in no time.
-Her first word was "Dada" and the only other word she's added is "Daddy." She absolutely loves her daddy and he is completely wrapped around her finger. When I tell him that she's driving me crazy, he says, "I cannot believe that little angel would do anything wrong."
-She's very clingy.
-She's little (or at least she looks it). People always say, "How old is she? Like 8 months?" But the truth is, she's right on track for her age.
-She completely holds her own with Darek.
-She is happy to laugh or smile for anyone who will look her way.

She is our little angel and we are absolutely in love with her!

Shout out to a local business

2010-01-26T13:25:00.001-08:00

Last week I was at a convention and met Bart, the owner and man behind the idea of Tech Time Rentals (by Wal-Mart on Hitt Rd.). I thought his concept was such a great idea and I think it's important to support local businesses, so here's the deal:

You can rent all kinds of electronics and other items from Tech Time at a very low rate. For example:

Portable DVD players: $12/day or $22/week
Cricut machine: $20/day
Cricut cartridges: $5.50/3 days
All kinds of Canon and Nikon camera lenses and accessories: $7.50-$45/day

There's GPSs, Game systems, Computer equipment, and all kinds of other stuff. Check out their website for more information and items you can rent: http://www.techtimerentals.com/index.html

Like I said, let's support local businesses!

He's Mad

2010-01-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

Darek's totally into emotions lately. When I get irritated he says, "You're mad at me?". And then I can't be mad cause it's so cute. He tells me that he's mad at least once a day and makes the face below. He regularly asks me if I'm happy, sad, or scared. I love it. It makes me feel like he's a little man.
Today he told me he wanted a Crabby Patty for lunch after watching Spongebob and he told me that he wanted to go to the moon on a rocket ship (oh, the influence of television). He's also started drawing on himself with markers and telling me that he's a robot or a tiger (depending on what he sees when he looks in the mirror after he's done drawing on his face).

Mia's rockin' this Pebble's ponytail everyday 'cause that's all her hair can handle. This is the face she makes to be funny.

2010-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

Nothing new, but we're all happy and healthy. The earthquake in Haiti has really been on our minds as Blayne and I both served missions in the Dominican Republic which borders Haiti and is home to many Haitians. One of the greatest new members I met on my mission was a Haitian man we called Cloudy. He was educated and a deep thinker. The Dominicans were very hard on Haitians - in Cloudy's neighborhood, there was one outhouse shared by a large group of people; they put a padlock on it so that Cloudy and other Haitians couldn't use it. Cloudy painted to earn money and could be found in his home (a concrete slab smaller than 100 sq. ft. with cardboard/scrap metal walls) painting nearly everyday. He'd take his paintings to the main tourist area of the country to sell them. The painting he gave me is my favorite item that I brought home. Haiti is a place where there was not even close to enough food and resources on any normal day. On top of that, third world countries don't have rescue teams, (legitimate) police forces, entitlement programs, homeless shelters, or other government resources. Any earthquake that might occur in the U.S. isn't even in the same realm as an earthqake occurring in Haiti. Just a reminder to think about what you can do to help those who are truly suffering.

And on a brighter note, this is a boy after his dad's heart: polishing up his piggy bank after he filled it with money.

A few more

2009-12-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

Cousins Alex and Jenna hangin' with Papa

The three boys watching a movie

Pictures with Grandma and Papa. Who do those screaming kids belong to?

Christmas morning

2009-12-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

2009-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

We had Christmas Eve at Grandma Musick's house - a tradition you can count on: A great meal, singing the "12 Days of Christmas", Santa Claus stopping by, and a gift exchange.

Darek was afraid at first...

But after he pulled himself together, he ran back to Santa and climbed on his lap all on his own. So proud. My favorite part was when he took his candy cane from Santa and then charged back up to get one for cousin Bryan when Bryan was a little too afraid.

2009-12-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

I have no problem letting the kids make messes if it keeps them entertained and I can clean it up later. Blayne on the other hand, can't stand it. But the other night Blayne sat and watched Mia unload a box of tissues with a huge grin on his face. She would laugh each time she pulled one out and you could see the twinkle in his eye. Wrapped.

Darek said she's getting too big.

Made graham cracker houses at school today.

He and his friend Stacy took turns doing each other's hair.

2009-12-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

I had a great weekend - a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in 8 years came up to visit; one of those friends where despite all the time that's past, it seems like nothing's really changed.
Blayne is working his buns off and the kids are active and awesome.

Darek has really been into Mr. Potato Head. He walked around like this for awhile last night and was completely serious.

Mia was growling at Darek. She is NEVER still.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2009-11-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

The Good: All 7 of my siblings were in Des Moines for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to catch up, to make fun, and to give thanks. Mom made the most delicious food ever. We went to the mall, took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese; Grace, Ashley and I saw "New Moon"; Blayne, Luke, and Joe did a Thanksgiving day run; the kids fed the sheep and rode on the tractor. Something fun for everyone.
The Bad: It took us 4 flights (with three layovers) to get to Des Moines. We were all exhausted.
The Ugly: Pink eye, ear infection, throwing up on Blayne in the middle of the night - all from Darek, all while we were in Des Moines. A tough week for the little guy.

In the end, we're sure glad we made it! It ain't always easy to get together with family, but it sure is worth it.

The News

2009-11-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Blayne - He's officially made the transition to working as an investment advisor and he is in hog heaven. This is what Blayne has wanted to do for years and the right opportunity presented itself a few months ago, so we made the leap. Last week he flew to San Francisco to meet with a company who works with investments in capital equipment (like ships, semi-trucks, etc.). Next week he'll go to New York City to meet with a company who works with Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). He's got his own office here in town and he couldn't be happier.

Me - I took the GMAT (the test required to get into MBA programs) 2 months ago and did pretty well; although not as well as my stinky brother Joe. I'm not planning on starting school next fall, so here's a few reasons why I took the test:
1. I'm turning 30 next year and it was just one of those things on my list that I wanted to do before I'm "old."
2. I was feeling the need to do something outside of being Mom. I'm not good at crafts, sewing, decorating - things that I wish I could do - and I needed a little boost.
3. I really would love to get an MBA. The GMAT score is good for 5 years, so if we decide that it's time to go back to school, I'll be able to slip right in.

I didn't send in any applications but several really good schools, like BYU, Carnegie Mellon, Darden, Notre Dame, etc., asked me to apply to their programs which was an ego boost I needed.

Here are the reasons I'm not going (because truthfully, Blayne has been 100% supportive and left it up to me):
1. BYU is the closest school that I'd be interested in attending and it's 4 hours away. Blayne's work is in Idaho Falls, at least for now, and if I want him to be our family's provider then this is where we need to be.
2. MBA programs require at least the time committment of a full-time job. Truthfully, there are days that I daydream about being back in the excitement of a University, but I could not bring myself to leave my kids with someone else all day.

I learned a valuable lesson: there are things that we all dream about doing, but maybe those things seem too far-fetched to be possible - like getting an MBA (or any kind of education), starting our own business, writing a book, whatever it might be - but all you have to do is start taking steps in that direction. I bought a study book, studied when my kids slept, registered for the test, and took it. Simple as that. And something that had seemed so distant became a very real possibility. So take a step.

2009-11-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

We got the Toys R Us "Big Book" toy catalog several weeks ago and that has held Darek's attention more than any other book we own. The thing is, I think he just really thinks it's fun to look at the toys (he doesn't make the connection that, hypothetically, we could go to the store and buy them).

Old Navy

2009-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

While I do think that Old Navy has decent prices on decent kids' clothes, I can't stand going in there with both of my kids. I only have a single stroller which means Mia gets the seat and Darek walks. Old Navy has so many trinkets and toys at the front of the store (balls, keychains, piggy banks, umbrellas,etc.) that it's torture trying to get Darek to leave those alone and follow me.
We went last night and Darek talked loudly and non-stop about every item at the front of the store. Several people had started to pay attention to him, and then he arrived at the mannequins placed at the front of the store. There was a mannequin dog placed next to the mannequin people. Darek yelled, "I wanna kiss the doggy mama!" So he walked over and started kissing the dog all over it's head. Then he picked up the toy bone off the floor in front of the dog and licked it from one end to the other. Disgusting. There were probably 15 people watching, including employees, and I wasn't sure what move to make. I didn't want to buy the dumb bone, but Darek had licked it all over with witnesses! Welp, I decided that since the bone had been on the floor anyway, Darek was at least as bad off as the bone. We left the store and we'll be back when Darek's 20.

Family pictures

2009-11-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Janae Anderson, from our ward, did our family pictures last week and did a FANTASTIC job. Our kids could not have been more difficult and yet Janae was able to pull off some awesome pictures. Below are just a few of my favorites. Thanks Janae!

More Halloween

2009-11-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

Darek is giving me a run for my money lately, mainly because he is on Mia like white on rice. Whatever she picks up, he takes away. Whenever she's nearby, he pushes her over. Other than when they're napping, it is constant. It's driving me crazy! He's spending a good amount of time in timeout.

Here's several things about the kids that I want to remember at this stage:

Darek; 2 years, 8 months

-He loves to tease. Like if I say "How's my boy?" He'll say, "No, I'm Daddy's Boy" with a huge grin (and he says the opposite to Blayne). Or he'll tell me he wants to give me kisses and when I lean close enough he'll blow raspberries on my face.
-One of his favorite things to do is play hide and seek with Daddy
-He enjoys playing with other kids, especially older kids (as I think most toddlers do).
-He likes trucks and tools
-His favorite show is "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse"
-He is very bossy
-He definitely requires a gentle touch and kind persuasion. The more he is pushed or the more demanding I am, the more he digs in his heels. He will go to his room a hundred times rather than be pushed against his will. Little things like changing his diaper can be very delicate.
-He is my little love

Mia; 9 months

-She is amazingly easygoing and generally very happy
-She squeals and laughs when Blayne comes home from work. She crawls around after him all over the house.
-She plays on her own and entertains herself really well
-Her sweet demeanor belies the fact that she gets into Everything. She turns over garbage cans, unrolls toilet paper, emptys out drawers and cabinets.
-She's going through a stage of major stranger anxiety and screams when anyone, other than Blayne or I, hold her.
-She is truly a little doll baby.

Party Animal

2009-10-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

I think after today Darek has become a huge Halloween fan. He had a Halloween party at School this morning which he loved. And then we had a ward Halloween party tonight. Not only is he diggin the treats and games, but he loves seeing the other kids' costumes. I've never been one to love Halloween, but it's different through the eyes of a darling little two year old.

Aunt Grace helped Darek decorate his bag to hold his treats.

Heading out to the party.

Mia has ended up with three costumes this year, but what girl doesn't love having options? She'll make it through all three. In the meantime, how cute are the cheerleader and the football player?

I took this right before Darek went to School - I love it

P.S. Yes, Darek was a football player last year for Halloween too. Although last year was a Dallas Cowboys jersey and this year it's a BYU football jersey. Any guesses as to who chose his costume?
And I'll be honest and say that the uniform is so big on him that it'll probably be his costume next year too :) Make it do or do without, right?

The Park

2009-10-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

We've already had snow more than once this month, yet Saturday was possibly the most perfect day of the year. We had a great time at the park.

Blayne didn't have to take turns with anyone.

Mia ate dirt.

Darek played with this ladybug forever. He lost it after awhile and spent the rest of the day looking for it. I loved watching him concentrate on that little bug - he's rarely as still as he was for that period of time while he watched the bug crawl up his hand, onto his arm and back again. Oh, it was precious.

Darek had the stomach flu at the beginning of the week and I got it on Thursday. By 6pm, I had to go to Urgent Care because I hadn't been able to keep anything down for 24 hours - even a sip of water had me throwing up like crazy. The doctor gave me a shot that helped me keep down some fluids and put me to sleep - thank goodness. So now all is well and we're ready to tackle next week :)

Chubby

2009-10-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

In order to prove that I was, in fact, chubby (as I said in my last post), I decided to post the evidence. This picture, along with several others, is rarely allowed out of hiding. But I am obligating everyone who sees this picture to post an embarassing photo of themselves on their blogs - I'm tagging all of you.

Basically, I started gaining the "Freshman 15" about 6 months before my Freshman year (and I didn't stop at just 15 :). The fact that I had bad hair, clothes, and make-up to complete my look was just an unfortunate coincidence. By the time I served a mission, I did have those three things under control. When I came home from the Dominican Republic, I got sick because of the changes in my diet (mainly drinking milk again) and lost weight. So there you have it. Chubby.

First Date

2009-10-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Friday marked 6 years since Blayne and I went on our first date. We were both working at the MTC at the time and had served in the same mission. As missionaries, Blayne thought I was chubby (which I was) and I thought he was full of himself (which he was). We worked the same shift at the MTC and our classrooms were two doors down from each other so we talked everyday. After a month and a half of working together, Blayne called me up on a Wednesday night and this is how it went:

Blayne: Steve and I are going to grab some dinner on Friday. Do you want to go?
Me: Sure.
Blayne: Are you sure you're ready for this?
Me: Ready for what?
Blayne: A date.
Me: A date? Let's not call it that.

I enjoyed hanging out with Blayne at work and I didn't want it to turn into anything more than that. But off we went on our first date on October 10, 2003. We went to eat at a small restaurant in downtown Provo with Blayne's cousin Steve and his date. After eating we went bowling. I had to admit that it was the most comfortable first date I had ever been on. We talked and talked and talked. We had a few stops and starts in our relationship after that, but we were engaged by mid-January.

So Blayne and I went to dinner on Friday night to reminisce about that first date and how far we've come. We laughed hysterically (tears running down my face) and ended up running multiple errands in an effort to stay out together as long as possible. I've certainly ended up with the man of my dreams.

Hermana Holloway and Hermano Andersen - showin' up for our shift at the MTC

Back when we were dating.

2009-10-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Mia is standing up on everything. I thought maybe a girl would just be sweet and cuddly and sit in my lap all day, but she could not be more wiggly. She's still a doll.
Darek tries so hard to be good, but he cannot resist pushing Mia over if she's within striking distance. Lots of timeouts for this boy.

Zoo

2009-09-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

We took our Joy School group to the zoo today. Here's five of the munchkins below:

Mia liked it too :)

Bragging Alert

2009-09-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Blayne and I ran in a local 5k this morning and I was the first female finisher and the 5th finisher overall; the best part though, was that I beat Blayne :) To be fair, he ran a half marathon last Saturday and a 10k the Saturday before that, both of which are way too long for me. In fact, I was dry heaving with about a half mile left to go today. As I passed the one girl in front of me (at about 15 yards from the finish line) I totally almost threw up. I'm sure that grossing her out helped my strategy to get past her.
This picture was taken with my phone:

Darek started sleeping in his new bed last Saturday (we haven't moved the crib out yet). He's actually been great about just staying in his bed, but two days ago he chose the floor instead (pictured below). Today Blayne put him down for a nap and he came out of his room 30 minutes later. Blayne put him back in his room and told him that he couldn't come out until Daddy came to get him. We went to his room an hour and a half later and he was asleep on the floor right next to his bedroom door - as if he had accidentally fallen asleep while waiting for Daddy to come get him.

Blayne is out tonight on a ride along with one of our neighbors who is a highway patrolman. He's been wanting to go for awhile and he made sure to wear his running shoes in case he has to chase anyone down :)

2009-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Provo to say good-bye to Kevin as he entered the MTC. It is a great experience to see a young man begin one of the most life changing adventures of his life. Kevin was ready and anxious to serve.

While we were there I got to hang out with one of my good friends from BYU, Catherine. It had been close to 6 years since we'd seen each other. There's something about old friends, friends who "knew you when", that make reuniting all the better. It really took me back to my days at Liberty Square living with 5 other girls. Whether it was hanging out with neighbors like Catherine and Dorothy or lounging in my own apartment there was always someone to talk to and gossip to catch up on. There was never a dull moment then and there's never a dull moment now, but for completely different reasons :)

Mia is a mover and a shaker. Life was truly easier before she could crawl. She turns over garbage cans, opens drawers, takes Darek toys. She crawled onto this platform and then couldn't figure out how to get off. She's constantly into something. But she sure is a doll!

Say What?

2009-09-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Darek has an Elmo backpack that he calls his "Purse". Blayne has a computer bag that Darek calls "Daddy's Purse". He calls the colander a "helmet" (thus the picture below). He has a babysitter named Alexis whom he calls "Sassy" (which is purely the result of his not being able to correctly pronounce her name). Oh how I love the things that come out of babies' mouths...

Homesick

2009-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

My mom and sister, Grace, came last week for Grace to start as a Freshman at BYU-I. It's bittersweet when my mom comes, because I feel the loss of not living near her that much more when she leaves. She spent hours building blocks with Darek and we had lots of time for girl talk.

Grace and I took Darek to the zoo where they let him brush the goats. Heaven.

All or Nothin'. Either Darek takes away every toy Mia touches, or he piles up each and every toy he owns around her in an effort to share. She's not real crazy about either option.

Grace as a BYU-I student. The other two are kids she's known from Iowa/Indiana.

Fall Fever

2009-09-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

We've had a rough week. Both kids have been sick; which means they haven't slept well; which means they've been grouchy; which means I'm grouchy. On top of which, Blayne was out of town for most of last week which means we three grouches were on our own.

Yesterday, though, was a beautiful day and we were able to sit and enjoy it (we haven't had many beautiful days this summer). Darek and Jakob used the hose to drink water and spit on each other (lovely) and Mia enjoyed the grass.

The best new development is that Darek has started Joy School for two hours once a week. There are six kids his age. Today was the first day and he LOVED it. Amen to a weekly break.

2009-08-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Darek sometimes has a hard time with Mia using things or playing with toys that were/are "his." Before I pulled out the camera and took this picture, he was hanging off the high chair saying "Get out Baby!" Obviously once he saw the camera, he had a new interest.
He's actually gotten really good about giving Mia a replacement toy when she has one that he wants. Like he really doesn't like her to play with his cars, so if she has a car, he'll find a new toy to give her before he rips the car away from her.

Ready for church! Darek was trying to squat like Blayne.

I was trying to finish getting dinner ready and Mia was hungry - Darek was happy to help.

Crawling

2009-08-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

This baby girl officially started crawling on Saturday - she's not incredibly fast yet, but it won't be long. She is such a doll. About an hour after I put her to bed last night, Blayne told me that he missed her. She has absolutely captivated her dad.

The UpSide

2009-08-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

We just got back from nearly two weeks in California. It was unexpected, but we had to make sure that Papa Kenny was alright after being involved in a car accident.

And here's the UpSide:

All 5 Andersen siblings together for probably the last time before Kevin leaves on his mission.

Darek and cousin Bryan were best buddies and followed each other everywhere. This was naptime with Kenny. Hmm.

Celebrating my birthday albeit a little late :)

We made a quick visit to the beach and relaxed. The water was Freezing and yes, that is Aaron Jenkins in the background soaking it up. Blayne joined him later and they were absolutely the only two people in the water (except for a few surfboarders in wetsuits).

After a 14 hour drive, we arrived back home yesterday at 12:30am feeling much better knowing that all is well with our families.

2009-07-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

This week we went to two of Blayne's softball games, Splash Park (it has tiny little water slides for small kids), and our neighbor's birthday party. Thank you for free entertainment!

This is Darek and his friend Jaxon at Splash Park. Darek thinks Jaxon is the greatest thing since popsicles.

Just chillin' with the iPod

His new thing is "I wanna smell." So he sniffed the flowers (which Blayne got me for my birthday :) all day.

Over the weekend

2009-07-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

I think that the best thing about summer is that I don't watch the clock as much. Between playing outside and going to the zoo or the park or any number of other activities, time just passes leisurely by and I love it. This weekend we went to the Summer Festival everyday. Darek loved the train (Idaho Falls style), the horses, the music, and I loved the fair food (you know what I mean, the fattening, fried, and chocolate dipped stuff).

Yep, this is the train:

This is what Darek wore to church today (I got the picture of him walking out of nursery). I call it Choosing My Battles.

Baby Girl

2009-07-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is a quick video of Mia just being her darling little self. It seems like she's getting big so much faster than Darek did. She's a sweet, happy baby and we're absolutely in love with her.

This week there's a Summer Festival in our area that Blayne helped out with a little bit (and where he'll be promoting TheDressList.com and the Idaho Health Guide). It's basically like a state fair with tons to do, so that's what we'll be up to this weekend. It opened last night and we spent hours there. A little country band played music and Darek sat on the floor as close to them as possible. Everytime they finished a song he'd yell, "Again!"

God Bless America

2009-07-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

On July 3rd our wonderful neighbors invited us over for a BBQ and fireworks. It's so fun and relaxing to be able to just go hang out next door. Darek loved running around with all of the other kids and did not want Blayne and I embarassing him by checking on him. However, he gave us a run for our money before we left our house. He had wanted to put on two shirts followed by a zip-up sweater followed by a zip up sweatshirt and then one more shirt earlier in the day. Keep in mind that it is July and so I wanted him to take it all off before we went to the neighbors. He did not want to. You may notice that he also has on two hats and two pairs of sunglasses at his neck. It is his daily uniform to wear a hat, watch, and sunglasses (but only at his neck). He's a hoot!

On July 4th, Blayne's cousins came and stayed with us and we had a ball hanging out with them. Did we enjoy fireworks that night? No. We put our kids in bed by 9pm and watched Dateline. I absolutely love fireworks on July 4th, but I'm a pansy about dealing with an over-tired 2 year old.

Darek and his 2nd cousin Maxwell

I love July 4th and I really am Proud to be an American. Sure we've got our problems, but what a great day to show gratitude for our freedoms, for our countrymen, and for the blessing it is to live in a country where we can believe as we choose and have hope for the future.

2009-07-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Forget the dirty laundry, dirty dishes, unorganized everything...these babies need to play.

2009-06-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

The second I saw this video, I thought, "This is totally going to be Bryan Andersen and Baby Alex in a few years."

This Week

2009-06-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mia's been rolling over for a couple weeks now. Every single time I set her down, she rolls onto her stomach. Even in her play chair-it's not working out too well for her.

We've had rain just about every single day for 2 1/2 weeks now. Summer has definitely not come to Idaho yet. But somehow Blayne and I are able to find some time almost everyday between showers to pull our lawn chairs outside and watch Darek play. We live in a wonderful neighborhood where there are always other kids and parents outside for Darek to play with and for Blayne and I to chat with. We LOVE it. Alayna is Darek's friend who lives two doors down. He's given her a ride around the church on the back of his Power Wheels more than once. What a stud...

And of course, Happy Fathers' Day to all of the wonderful Fathers in our lives. My kids are so blessed to have Blayne as their dad. I think even he is surprised by how hard he has fallen in love with his two babies.

Darek

2009-06-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Darek has turned into the most pleasant little man over these last few weeks. He's had a big jump in his speech which I think has helped him to be less frustrated and throw fewer fits now that he can talk more. He's still a two year old, but a much happier one. He's been a Daddy's Boy for awhile, but it has reached a whole new level lately. He copies Blayne's every move whether it's mowing the lawn or lifting weights (and Blayne loves it). He still loves to hold Mia while he watches tv and he always holds her hand when they're both in their car seats in the car. Today after church she was playing on the floor and Darek brought me two bows. One for Mia and one for him. Then he got two toys - one for Mia and one for him -and he laid down on the floor next to her. She got fussy, so we rolled her onto her back and gave her a pacifier, so he insisted that we roll him onto his back and give him a pacifier.

Lately I have felt so grateful that Blayne has a job that allows him to be there when Darek wakes up in the morning, play with him every afternoon, sit next to him at dinner, and put him to bed at night. For a little guy who lives in complete adoration of his dad, life could not be better. I realize that it may not always be this way, but it sure is a blessing.

2009-06-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Home from Iowa and I have to say it was a wonderful break from the daily grind. It wasn't until I was away from Darek that I realized what a constant vigil having a two year old is. I'm so in love with that boy, but it was a nice vacation. And Blayne has never been so happy to have me come home. I've already been home for two days and he still keeps telling me how happy he is that I'm back - I love it.

We had a great time at Grace's graduation party, I got to see my brother Dan and his girlfriend Amanda, I stayed up all night (literally) talking with my sister Ashley, and spent a ton of time at the mall - it couldn't have been better.

I'm so happy for Grace and excited that she'll be going to BYU - Idaho in the fall. And I have to add that I'm so blessed to have Ashley as my sister-in-law. It's amazing how some of my best friends have come into my life through marriage, and in this case, my brother's marriage.

Joe and Ashley's baby, Reese, and baby Mia. I'll admit that I'm totally jealous that their kids are born with full heads of hair.

Glad to be back?

2009-05-27T17:02:00.001-07:00

We got home on Monday from a week and a half in California and I can't say we were thrilled to be home. We went down for Blayne's cousin's (Loral) wedding. It was beautiful and Loral was the most beautiful bride. We got to see a lot of Blayne's family and just enjoy the day.

On top of that, Blayne and I stayed in Santa Barbara for an extra night (with Mia), and his parents took Darek home to Bakersfield with them. Now that was a treat. Once we got back to Bakersfield we were able to just relax, enjoy time by the pool, and hang out with Blayne's family. Did I miss the Idaho wind? Not for one second.

The thorn in my side is that the charger for my camera doesn't work and I haven't been able to take pictures for a month - I hate it.

On Friday I leave again for my sister Grace's high school graduation. It's just Mia and me. That's right, Blayne and Darek are going to be home alone from Friday to Tuesday. This is gonna be good :)

Ear Tubes

2009-04-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

I got the call from a nurse at the hospital today telling us to arrive at 5:45am on Friday for Tube Time.

When she said to get there at 5:45 I said, "PM?" and I meant it - I thought There is no way they expect a 2 year old to be at the hospital by 5:45 am, right? Wrong.

Then she asked if I had any questions. Unfortunately, I watched Oprah yesterday which was all about MRSA, a horrible infection that is mostly spread in hospitals. I just had to ask. "Ummm, is there any chance of him getting MRSA?" She actually laughed which, to be honest, made me feel better. She said that it is highly, highly improbable - as nervous as it makes me, ear tubes are just a tiny procedure. But I'm totally anxious.

Darek's idea:

Do It Yourself?

2009-04-22T11:54:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday Blayne and I headed outside with rakes, hoses, sprinklers, seed, etc. determined to get our lawn in shape. By noon we decided to hire someone else to do it.

We've already gotten 3 bids.

We are just not do it yourselfers no matter how hard we try to be. Here's a "before" shot and hopefully we'll have an "after" shot in a few weeks. Not that we'll be able to take credit for it.

Pictures from today

2009-04-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Darek loves his sister. This morning when I had her laying on the floor, he laid down next to her and held her hand. This afternoon we were playing in his room and he wanted me to put him in his crib and then he begged me to put Mia in there with him. The bottom picture is him telling me "Bye, Bye" as in "Leave the room, Mom." Obviously Mia wasn't crazy about the idea.

In other Darek news, at the Doctor's office on Friday the doc said to Darek, "Well aren't you a tiger," because he hit her hand everytime she tried to look in his ears. He growled at her then and has been growling sporadically ever since - he loves being called a tiger.

Upgrades

2009-04-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Darek upgraded his Power Wheels vehicle to a larger model today. We bought it at a garage sale last summer, but he found out today that he could reach the pedals. He knew exactly what he was doing and took off around the neighborhood - and this one goes a lot faster than his old one, unfortunately for me. The boy is obsessed with all cars, trucks, airplanes, buses, etc.

I upgraded my "jumping around in my house" workouts to "running" thanks to my beautiful new treadmill. This is another one of those instances where having a salesman for a husband comes in very handy. He traded services to get it for free. And I have to admit, a treadmill is one of those things I've always wanted, but it always seemed like the money would be better spent on other things. Oh, I love it so much (and Blayne too).

And just a picture of my sweet baby.

And so that his grandmas know, Darek's ear infection is back. Today marks one month since it was first diagnosed and he's on his fourth round of antibiotics which do not seem to be working. He doesn't sleep well and he's very grouchy. He has a consultation with an ENT next week who will then schedule him to have tubes put in. I only wish it were sooner!

Just an update

2009-04-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

-Blayne was out of town in Washington for work Monday-Wednesday. Thursday and Friday nights he helped with the Idaho Falls Health Fair after he was done working for the day. It was a busy week.
-Kevin, my brother-in-law, went home to California after living with us for two months. He couldn't have been an easier house guest - I barely knew he was here except that the trash was always magically taken out and the dishes were done. He's got a lot to look forward to.
-Darek was pronounced cured from his ear infection on Tuesday (after three rounds of antibiotics), and finally slept through the night this week...until last night when he woke up screaming at around 3am. I swear, if that ear infection is back....
-Mia is doing so much better sleeping at night. She goes down around 11pm and only wakes up once. During the day, however, she really does not want to take naps anymore.
-I signed up for a GMAT prep course. Blayne paid for and took the course and you get a second round for free if you want it, so I figure why not?

All in all, our day to day life is the same old thing. I don't leave the house much because I could easily be over-powered by the two kids, but I'm grateful for the simplicity.

2009-03-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as Darek charged at his pediatrician screaming "No! No! No!" and trying desperately to push her out the door the moment she walked in, I wondered where we'd gone wrong. Earlier during that same visit, a nurse had to take Mia from me so that I could chase Darek, who had run out of the patient room through the halls and into the waiting room. What had a doctor ever done to him? (Sure enough, he did have to get a vaccine, but he didn't know that beforehand!)

When we left the doctor's office - where Darek had dumped a box of 144 crayons on the floor (that belonged to the office), pulled that white paper off the exam table onto the floor, and strewn several books and toys - I felt like I should leave a generous tip for the doctor and staff.

Darek's Photo Shoot

2009-03-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Darek had his picture taken by Miranda Johnson, an incredible photographer in our ward. On the day of his appointment he had an ear infection, had not napped, and was incredibly grouchy. I knew that it might have been smart to reschedule but I had made the appointment weeks in advance and I felt like it was one of those things where if we didn't do it that day, we'd never do it. Sure enough, he threw fits and cried during most of his appointment - but because Miranda's amazing, she managed to get some AWESOME pictures. These are just a few of my favorites:
(You can find Miranda's photography blog at www.sweetpea-photography.blogspot.com )

2009-03-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Darek is getting to the point where he wants to do absolutely everything himself. It's driving me crazy. He even wants to wipe his own bum when I change his diaper. It takes 10 times longer to get dressed for the day or get ready for bed because he wants to take his clothes off and put the new ones on by himself - so after he struggles unsuccessfully for several minutes by himself, he'll finally let me help. And it doesn't end there, he has to do everything on his own - or at least try. I thought the whole independence thing was supposed to kick in during the teenage years - we're fighting already! Is this what Terrible Two means? Or is there more coming? Please say NO.

Kevin was lying on the ground throwing a ball up in the air while he talked to Blayne, so Darek had to lay down next to him and do it too. (And he made Dad join in.)

Another picture from Mia's Blessing weekend.

After Mia had cried for quite awhile, Papa took her and laid her on his stomach and she stayed there awake, but perfectly content, for a long time.

Since You've Been Gone...

2009-03-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Blayne will be home tonight after leaving early on Tuesday for Twin Falls. He has overnight trips regularly, but this time, well...
I didn't shower or even change my clothes from the time he left. I didn't brush my hair (but I did brush my teeth :). I didn't clean the house or leave the house.
Thank goodness he didn't come home early. Now I've gotta run and make myself look like a wife worth coming home to.

More Blessing Pictures

2009-03-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

You Go Girl

2009-03-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

We blessed Mia on Sunday and while she cried through most of her blessing, I thought about how lucky she is to have been born into an extended family of such faith. And the line of women she has to look up to, wow! Between my mom and Grandma Crowder and Blayne's mom and Grandma Musick, I hope that she inherits their love of the Lord, their faith and steadfastness, their commitment to home and family and gospel principles. These are women that I admire and that have been wonderful examples to me, and I'm grateful that my daughter will have them to look up to as well.

My mom, Paula, at the hospital the day Mia was born (making sure Darek was kept in line)

Blayne's mom, Teri, on Mia's blessing day

Blayne's Grandma Musick on Mia's blessing day. Grandma Musick crocheted Mia's blessing dress and she looked absolutely beautiful.

Hallelujah

2009-03-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

For the last two nights Mia has gone to bed by 12:30am which I realize doesn't seem incredibly early, but before then it was between 2:30-4:00am every night. I feel like a new person!

Darek has an ear infection, our kitchen disposal broke, then our dishwasher broke, our shower was backed up - but with a good night's sleep it's all good.

Party On

2009-03-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Darek's 2nd Birthday was Saturday, March 7. We went to Target to let him pick out a toy and got lunch from McDonald's, woo-hoo! We're so in love with this little boy.

He's coloring in his new Elmo coloring book with Uncle Kevin. Kevin tried desperately to get Darek to stay on his own page.

2009-03-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

This may be sacreligious, but it is a hoot to listen/watch Darek pray. While he actually knows a lot of words, when he prays it's all jibberish with a few real words thrown in here and there. Like many kids, once he sees the video camera, he stops what he's doing but we did our best to capture "A Child's Prayer." (The 2nd one is the best.)

Bedtime Routine

2009-02-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

How can a bath possibly be a "soothing" part of the bedtime routine when this is what it looks like?

It's 20-30 minutes of laughing hysterically and throwing water over himself and the entire bathroom. It sure is fun, but I highly doubt it helps him settle down for bedtime.

Darek wants to cuddle with Mia every time he sits down to watch t.v.

2009-02-27T16:44:00.000-08:00

Nothing new going on. I just wanted to add another picture. I took Darek to his friend Jaxon's house yesterday-it was a much needed outing for both of us (and we decided to take Mia too). He got to play and I got some girl talk time with my friend Brooke. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so that we can get out of the house more, but we're doing great. I love these babies!

A few pictures

2009-02-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

This little girl insists on being held all the time.