Justin

Our January

2012-01-30T21:28:00.007-07:00

It's nearly February so I thought I'd document a few of the fun things we did this month. We started out the month playing with leftover Christmas boxes. I feel like I've taken SO many pictures of my kids in boxes... but the joy that boxes hold never gets old for them. Ezra has been really into books, especially his "David" books that he got for Christmas. They love the picture of David running down the street with no clothes. Okay, I love it, too. There's just somethin' about a little bare bum. If you haven't read these books, they are so cute! And to sum up the other pictures below, Ez still makes lots of silly faces and Nolan captured a picture of me in deep thought (not really, probably just planning the weekly menu or something) at the computer - it's kind of a typical pose when I get a spare second.

Grandpa John and Grandma Sherri came for a visit. We went with Lacey and the kids to the new children's area of the Church History Museum near temple square. The kids had a great time! Afterward, we got stuck on a hill of ice and slipped around and spun for a good 5 minutes. After some maneuvering, my driving skills got us out (okay, I was nervous there for a bit, though).
We also went swimming at the indoor pool with our cousins last week. I was tired of the kids being bored. I really don't love swimming, but the kids love it and they eat and sleep well afterward. It's worth it! They also had so much fun going down the waterslide.

For family home evening one night, went out to a new yogurt and smoothie shop that opened recently. So yummy! Smoothies are the one thing I can count on Ezra to eat. Too bad he spilled the last bit on the carpet.

The boys love to help me cook. Don't worry, I wasn't using that colander!

When Ezra dozes off to sleep, it's Nolan's chance to love on him. Ezra likes his personal space and gets mad when Nolan tries to give him hugs, so Nolan takes advantage of when Ez won't fight back. He really is a loving big brother (but sometimes a tease).

And I thought this was a funny way to find Ez asleep in his crib... barely clinging to his greatest love in life. What would we do if we lost his blanket?!

We also had a visit to the Utah Firefighter's Memorial Museum. There were 6 moms (myself, Kimbrey, Brianne, Amber, Marilee, and Rachelle) and our 11 boys! One of the moms has older daughters... it's nice to know that one of us is capable of having girls! The boys loved climbing all over this fire truck and checking out the many others that are there. What a perfect outing for little boys. The best part for me was going to Taco Tuesday afterward at Cafe Rio.

I hope all of you are coping with winter time okay. We're so glad to have lots of friends to help these long afternoons indoors to pass quickly.

Cookie Monster

2012-01-30T11:13:00.003-07:00

Grandma Petersen sent us home from Logan with a big tin of chocolate cookies. Ezra loves to help himself to the cookies by pushing a chair or stool up to the counter. But he won't finish them... I'm constantly finding the remnants of his munchie moments. So I'm eating lots of cookies, too, because I don't want them to go to waste after he's only taken one nibble! He's such a terrible eater that he can't even finish a treat!

New cousin!

2012-01-22T18:48:00.004-07:00

We're so excited to welcome little Ryan Sorenson into the family. He's so precious. He was named after Ryan Andrews, one of Justin's cousins. And now our boys have two cousins named Ryan! (My niece is also named Ryan; she's nearly 9 years old.) There will be several "Ryans" to keep track of. Jodi seems to be recovering well after her c-section. I enjoyed holding a tiny baby. I love to hold other babies and then give them back to their rightful owners when they squirt their pants or need feeding. Ezra wanted baby Ryan to see the Elmo toy.

Grandma K. now has 5 grandsons age 6 and under: Ezra, Jack, Nolan, David, and Ryan.

We spent two nights at Grandma Petersen's house. We had several visits with Grandma K., Jodi, and our fun cousins (David and Jack). We even spent the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa Moulton. We had plenty of time to visit by their fireplace since both of our boys fell asleep. It had been 7 months since we'd seen them so it was good to have some quiet time to catch up on all that's been going on. That last evening, Conner and Courtney Petersen hung out with us. Conner was teaching Nolan all about fishing.

It was a quick trip to Logan since we were home in time for church. Our boys always have trouble going to sleep when we're away from home but luckily Grandma Petersen has a king size guest bed that we could all fall asleep in together. Nolan and Ezra sure are cuddlers! After they doze off we take them to their own bed, but it makes for a long bedtime routine. It's always nice to get back to our own house where they fall asleep easier. Hopefully, though, it won't be as long before we get up to see the grandparents again.

Just thought I'd give an update on our boys really quick:

Nolan's favorite thing to do is play Zelda with Dad (still, after 4 weeks since Dad got it for Christmas). He has started playing with friends more often, and is beginning to learn some sight words at preschool. His most common phrase lately is, "I just don't wanna talk about it!" or "I just don't want to hear it!" I'm working on lecturing less so that he doesn't have the need to say that all the time.

Ezra's most common phrase is "You idiot!" I think he heard it on a show I was watching (of course he wouldn't learn it from Mom or Dad). We've really tried to put a stop to it (soap in his mouth and time out) but I think our only choice now is to try to ignore it. Hopefully he'll stop when he doesn't get attention for it. But the rest of the time he talks so cute. People are always commenting that he talks so well for how tiny he is.

One more present

2012-01-10T16:00:00.003-07:00

Our kids are getting easier and easier to travel with. The ride home from St. George went really well. Justin got the idea in his head that he could hook up the Wii and play from the backseat of the van. I wasn't sure that sounded fair since I'd be doing most of the driving. But he pulled it off and the kids were so entertained with him playing the new Zelda (his favorite Christmas present this year). They beg for him to turn it on all the time.

We stopped in Beaver... my boys love this giant rocking chair. Even Justin joined in the fun!

The day we arrived home, we told the boys we had one last Christmas present for them. We had taken it to the cabin but decided it would be a pain to set up and then take it down again. They were so excited for their new mini trampoline! It's a great way to get their energy out during these long winter months.

Geocaching

2012-01-04T15:53:00.007-07:00

I think we've found a great new hobby! We tried out my Dad's new geocaching GPS and had a really fun time "treasure" hunting. We found 3 within a mile or two of Grandma and Grandpa's house. Nolan even found one of them... the rest of us couldn't see it! The GPS seemed pretty easy to use and recorded all of our findings. I think that one of these days I'm going to have to get Justin a unit so that we can go geocaching when we hike. But for now it's a great thing to do when we see Grandpa John!

The weather at our home is pretty warm for January, but I'm already missing the gorgeous 60-degree weather we had while visiting my parents in St. George. Too bad Justin came down with a cold... we would have been outside a lot more!

We spent New Year's Eve at Keeley and Bryan's house. It was such a yummy feast of our favorite foods (shrimp, pasta salad, hot wings, spinach artichoke and 7-layer dips, etc.). My nephew, Blake, dressed up for the stake dance. He's so smooth!

While in St. George, Justin and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We had a yummy dinner out while my parents watched the boys. I can't believe it's been 8 years already! Here we are, fresh from the temple ceremony. It's always fun to go out and reflect on our special wedding day.

Winter Fun

2012-01-04T15:41:00.003-07:00

The cabin didn't have much snow to speak of this year, but after Christmas we headed to Brian Head for pizza and then over to Strawberry on Cedar Mtn. for some sledding. We all had a fun time, except when Ez and I crashed and I landed on him, squishing his little face into the snow. Poor guy. He went up again, though, and was happy as long as he was on the reindeer. It felt good to be out in crisp, clean air.

The Big Day

2012-01-03T17:30:00.004-07:00

Santa came a day early at the cabin. The Rignell family had to head home on the 26th and so this made it so that they could enjoy a relaxing day after Christmas. Sometimes the day after is the best! None of the kids complained. We started our morning at nearly 7 a.m. with a glass of orange juice (another family tradition). I was grateful for the extra hour of sleep... usually we wake up at 6.

I'll let the pictures do the talking and just mention some of the memorable gifts and moments.

The little boys were quite fascinated with Uncle Bryan's new train whistle. Keeley received a framed baseball picture that Bryson had drawn in his art class. It was taken from a photo of himself. It looked really great! And all of us siblings went in on a Geocaching GPS for my Dad. We later used it in St. George and it was really fun.

It was so fun to spend Christmas with all the cousins. All the big kids are really patient to let my boys try their new gadgets and put up with Nolan's tackle loves.

It was a wonderful time! It's always a relief, and a bit of a let-down when it's all over.

Christmas Anticipation

2012-01-03T16:50:00.007-07:00

It was our turn to spend the holidays with Justin's family, but his Mom was heading to Guatamala on Christmas Day. So instead, we were very excited to pack up and head to Alton, UT. The cabin is the perfect place for a big family to spend the holidays! We were only missing Grady and Darian this year, but we still had seventeen people. You can imagine the stack of presents for that crowd. They didn't really fit under our little forest of trees. Nolan had a great time using them as giant blocks and making tunnels and pathways.

Christmas Eve started with a scare. Uncle Bryan was adding a log to the fire when a large metal bar from the back of the fireplace came loose and tumbled to the floor, scraping Bryan's shins on the way down. Ez was nearby, but luckily not in the way. Unfortunately, it landed on Ezra's dear blanket. It immediately burned a hole through it and melted through a rug. Bryan grabbed the closest thing he could find, our stockings, to quickly pick it up and put it back on the granite hearth. The stockings survived and thankfully no one was burned. Bryan's nylon pants had several melted spots. Ez was sad about his blanket but took it well. He would carry it around and sometimes he'd quickly throw it down and say, "I touched that hole!" He didn't like the feel of the black melted part. Luckily Grandma Sherri cut off the burn and sewed it up nicely once we got to St. George. I'm so glad that Bryan was careful that kids were out of the way!

Last year we enjoyed a family talent show, but we didn't feel like anyone was especially talented this year so we tried something new. It was a fun game similar to white elephants that we've played with Justin's family in the past. Here we are setting out the gifts and planning what we'd try to win.

Christmas Eve wouldn't be complete without making gingerbread houses, or in our case, a gingerbread train. There was actually a lot of whining and complaining during this activity, however, so maybe next year we'll have to make Christmas Eve complete without it! If you're wondering why Nolan has a mustache and goatee, it's because we spent much of the day filming a new edition of the Ligtermoet family nativity. Nolan was a shepherd and I was too lazy to scrub off his facial hair. It had been 7 years since we made the first movie, so some of the grandkids were wanting to do a remake. Hopefully it will be at least half as good as volume one, which was pretty amazing.

Yeah, Nolan was sucking on the red icing. Gross, but it's Christmas, right? When else would I let him do that? Some of the kids started asking around 2 p.m. to open their Christmas Eve p.j.'s. They said, "I just want to wear them all day!" Nope... we didn't allow it. They had to wait for our traditional Chinese dinner of homemade egg rolls, orange chicken, and fried rice. It was delicious, as always. There was some griping that we should have made Grandma Lillian's chop suey instead. I won't name any names (Bryan). After that, the kids could finally open their pajamas.

As the evening was winding down, Grandma Sherri made her hot wassail. I've loved this drink since I was a kid. It just tastes like Christmas! This would have been a better picture if I hadn't changed halfway into my pajamas. I guess I was just as excited as the kids!

I love Christmas Eve because kids are so eager to go to bed. And luckily our kids are still young enough that they still go to sleep easily without lying in bed with too much anticipation. Wasn't Christmas Eve the worst night's sleep as a kid? It was rough.

Christmas Program

2011-12-20T10:17:00.006-07:00

Nolan did a wonderful job singing and saying his part at Miss Marissa's Christmas preschool program. His part was part of a longer poem: "red-leaved poinsettia, white Christmas rose." We were impressed with how well he annunciated the words. He did so good at knowing the songs and their actions.

My friend gave me these pictures and she also uploaded some videos to share. You can see those here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b6GNjAPwY0&feature=player_embedded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkfUZCuELCA&feature=player_embedded

Second Santa Note

2011-12-17T13:44:00.002-07:00

The other day the boys received a movie from Santa via Portable North Pole's website. If your kiddos haven't received one, you should check it out. Nolan loved his movie and then asked to write another note. We sent Santa the email, but here is what it said:

Dear Santa,
I'm waiting for Christmas. I can't wait! It can't be any longer. Don't do it on Christmas night because I'm waiting. The end.
Love, Nolan

It turns out that Santa really is actually coming a day early this year. With work schedules it just works better, and Santa was okay with it. Good thing, too... I don't think Nolan could have waited!

It's Official...

2011-12-14T13:51:00.005-07:00

...the boys now have an awesome playroom to call their own. I was really wanting to put some sheet metal up on the wall, but I finally let the idea go. I think it would have looked amazing since it's a robot room, but the logistics were making it difficult and I didn't really want to spend more money on that right now. So I finally just stuck up the vinyl and called it good. Nolan said, "Look Mom! I'm holding the robot's hand!"

Ezra thinks stockings go on heads. I tried to explain by putting it onto his whole leg, but it was no use. He kept asking for help to put it on (to balance it, is more like it) and then he said, "I'm like Santa!"

Nolan has really practiced hard to make his Christmas ornaments a work of art.

And the best toy for my boys to date....

is a cardboard box and markers! I wonder if Santa will be able to top that!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-13T14:42:00.005-07:00

We sent out a handful of cards this year, but most of our greetings go out over the internet. We hope it's a happy Christmas for all of our friends and family.

We had a good visit with Santa at our new grocery store (which has been so nice to have nearby) last week. There was no line, he gave out giant candy canes, and they even had photographers taking pictures. I thought, "Oh great, they're going to charge for pictures." But they told me to come back several days later and they'd be ready to pick up. Sure enough, they were waiting... for free! I know it's a silly thing to be so happy about, but it seems like even getting a picture with Santa can cost an arm and a leg and be such a headache to wait in line. What a relief! Ezra was silent with a little grin on his face that got bigger when Santa gave him a candy cane. Nolan told Santa that he wants a surprise this year.

I helped Nolan write a letter to Santa. He did a little of the writing and then I just wrote what he told me to. And he's sticking with the "surprise" request. Cute. It's so fun to have kids understand the magic of Santa Claus.

And we've also been doing some new traditions to help us remember Christ during the season. The book "A Christ-Centered Christmas" has been wonderful to use for Sunday activities and family home evening lessons this month.

I highly recommend it since the activities are simple and can be adjusted for kids of all ages. Every time we do one of the traditions we get to place the corresponding figure into our nativity. We're still anxiously awaiting the lamb, the wise men, and the baby Jesus. We most recently talked about the shepherds, made shepherd staff (candy cane) cookies, and shared our thoughts about Jesus by candlelight as we ate our cookies.

Ezra-isms

2011-12-07T19:45:00.002-07:00

I occasionally mention things that Nolan says so I thought I'd share some of the phrases that Ezra has been saying lately.

Whenever I ask him to do something ("Finish your dinner" or "Time for a tubby!", etc.) he'll get his typical scowl on his face and say, "I just don't wanna talt about it, Mom." He can't say his "k" sounds yet.

When we knock on someone's door, he'll yell "Trust me!" until they open up.

I was sitting on the couch last night and he walked up to me and said, "I'm just packin' up. Just packin' up some stuff." Not to be rude, but sometimes I wish it was Ezra that went for short business trips instead of his Daddy.

Lately he's been scared of the dark. I hope it's a short phase. If I turn the light off he runs out and says, "Those monsters will get me!" Ezra still wakes up in the night when he sleeps in his room, but if I put him in the queen bed downstairs with Nolan he sleeps all night. Maybe he's scared and just needs a buddy to sleep with. I know how he feels.

I was reading a conference talk by Quentil L. Cook and Ez said, "There's Bro. Ramsey!" That's our neighbor who Ezra just adores.

And one little quote from Nolan: Today I made all of our neighborhood Christmas treats and then we drove around to everyones' houses. I was a bit exhausted. I started to sit down to watch a show (which I changed my mind and decided to blog instead) and Nolan said, "I think we better call a bunch of people and tell them to come for a party."
I said, "Why would we have a party today?"
He said, "Just 'cause I think you're pretty bored." I love how a mom can sit down for not even 10 seconds and someone mistakes her for being bored! Ha!

A Happy Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T14:20:00.003-07:00

We had planned to spend Thanksgiving in Logan, but Justin's grandparents were going out of town and we would only have a small group for dinner, so we ended up spending Thanksgiving at home. It was the first major holiday that we had stayed home. It was just the four of us, Grandma K., Jon, and his two daughters, Amanda and Sarah. I was a little skeptical about whether or not I could cook so much food, but it turned out great. Luckily I didn't have to do everything. Kathi did the turkey, green beans, rolls, and a yummy frozen fruit dish. I was most nervous about the stuffing, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was moist and flavorful. We had a great dinner together!

After overeating, we watched the movie "Everest" on Netflix and then played a little Wii. Then it was onto the pie: pecan, pumpkin, and a yummy chocolate/whipped cream pie that Jon brought. Grandma K. slept over another night and started the boys on the "Ha Ha" laughing game. Then we settled in for a Christmas movie on Netflix. We found some old classics from the 40's. Wow, it was really old! It was so nice to slow down and have some good family time. I think I might be tempted to spend holidays at home more often.

Goodbye Fall

2011-11-19T11:17:00.005-07:00

I'm pretty bummed to see Fall winding down. We didn't do all that we wanted to do (pumpkin patches, corn mazes, some hiking) but we had a good time. Justin is swamped with work and school, so we've had to have family bonding in shorter intervals of time. We've had two or three snowy days, though, and the boys are pretty excited about it (much more excited than their mom). It's a lot of work getting kids into all the snow gear, I'm just sayin'. And then they come in all soggy.

I had a fun birthday this past week. Justin surprised me with a cake and an electronic reader! I was so excited! The morning of my birthday, Nolan wanted to wrap presents. I told him, "I don't think we have anything to wrap." He said, "Well, you can borrow my Legos to wrap up. You can." I said, "It wouldn't be a surprise, though." He said, "We can wrap them now and when you open them tonight you won't remember!" It's true, I do have a terrible memory... but maybe not that bad.

My parents both came to stay the weekend and they took us out to eat. It was nice that they have finished guest rooms to stay in. My Dad finished everything except several built-in food storage shelves. He's amazing! We're just so lucky to have had his skills and cheap labor (I mean free labor). He also gave us many good ideas throughout the whole process. And when I had an idea, like this corner ceiling cabinet in the family room, he was able to make it work. He was always happy to put in the extra effort to do the special things.

My mom had a neighbor getting rid of her curtains so she snatched them up on my behalf. She sewed my "inspiration" material on and then we got them hung while she was here. They turned out so cute! I couldn't be happier with how the colors turned out. It feels so relaxing.

My sister, mom and I went out shopping one day. We kept commenting on how nice it was to have a delicious lunch without worrying about keeping kids happy and busy. This Thanksgiving season, I'm especially aware of all that my parents have done for us. My Dad has worked so hard and spent so much time, and my Mom has never complained about having him gone so much. I'm sure there are things she'd like done around her own house, but I'm so glad she shares her handy man! Here's the vanity in the guest room and the completed bathroom. I kind of wish my bedroom was downstairs!

It wouldn't be like me if I didn't share a silly sleep picture. Nolan is crazy about art, cutting, and doing his workbooks. Sometimes it just wears him right out.

Sleepy Boy

2011-11-08T19:50:00.002-07:00

Ez sacked out on the couch/table a few days ago. Nolan can't help but give his little brother loves when he's asleep. I wish he'd do that while Ez is awake rather than all the chasing, poking, teasing, and bugging that goes on.

Birthday time!

2011-11-08T19:30:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Justin's birthday with lunch at P.F. Chang with the kids, Grandma K., her boyfriend Jon, and his daughters, Sarah and Amanda. The kids always behave because the food is so good. Grandma K. drove the boys home while we went to the Gateway to see Footloose (we liked it!) and to get dessert at Biaggi's. It had been a really long time since we had gone out. Justin's been working long hours and studying for his online Stanford class. The night before had been especially difficult for me with the kids and it was so nice to have a break. This is the last of 4 classes; soon he'll have his certificate. The end is near!

Later that night we made Justin stop studying to blow out his candles and open presents. He received some nice hiking poles and some Legos. Last week, Justin celebrated the successful launch of a satellite that he was a part of at work. He had worked on the radio on board and he was so relieved when they were able to achieve communication. I was so proud of him that I got him the "Satellite Launch Pad" set. He thought it was pretty funny. Happy Birthday, honey!

Nolanisms

2011-11-06T19:52:00.003-07:00

Just now I was reading on the couch and Nolan said, "Mom, do you speak your mind?" I told him that yes, I usually do. He said, "Congratulations, Mom! You speak your mind!"

Last week, Nolan was hanging out in the front yard with his friend, Clarice. Her Dad is a mechanic and was out working on a car, revving the engine. Nolan walked over and said, "What are you doing?"
He said, "I'm trying to fix this car."
Nolan said, "I think you might have to take it to the dump!"

The other day Nolan came to me wearing cardboard triangles on his arms that he had cut out and taped himself from a box waiting to be recycled (he's really into cutting, coloring, taping, and anything that he calls "art"). He wanted Dad's HAM radio because Daddy had once told him that at work he was helping to make a radio that will help soldiers at war. Here he is:

He said, "Mom, this is my armor. Will you drive me to a war?"
I said, "You'll have to have a pretend war, because there aren't any real wars that we can drive to, thank goodness."
He said, "Is there no war in Utah?"

Ezra has been talking like a regular kid now. He has quite the vocabulary. Ez was trying to watch a show and Nolan was being noisy. He said, "That's enough, Nolan! I'm watching my show!"

And whenever we give Ezra a squeeze he says, "You love me!" Yep, we do.

Halloween Fun

2011-11-01T16:25:00.006-06:00

We made caramel apples. Yummy!

We had a great time at our ward party last weekend. We trick-or-treated to different themed rooms and even crawled through a huge tunnel. Here is Nolan and his friend, Jaxon. Nolan didn't want any part of the costume parade on stage, but Ezra was game.

Nolan had a great time at his preschool party. I helped out and was able to see first hand how he behaves at school. I'm hoping it wasn't an accurate picture of the situation since it was Halloween (very exciting) and I was there. My kids are always better when I'm not around. At least that's what I'm told.

We carved one pumpkin this year. I'm really the only one that cares about it, so I didn't want to stretch myself too thin. The best part really is unveiling the goo inside. Other than that it's just a lot of work. But our ghost pumpkin turned out cute. No finished product picture, unfortunately.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Nolan agreed to be a skeleton again. I'm not a big fan of dealing with costumes. But they sure look cute.

Dad took Nolan and Ez around our street and after about 12 houses Ezra said, "I want to go home now." Not sure why he was done... it was so warm outside. But I went out with Nolan, and he filled his pumpkin to the brim. Maybe staying out for an hour and a half was too long for him. Oops. I guess I miss trick-or-treating myself. Plus I like to pick out all the best candy (chocolate), therefore I benefit from a full load. He came home and ate a pack of M&M's and then fell asleep on the couch. Ez ate candy all night and left half of it on his face. Fun night!

Church Boys

2011-11-01T11:41:00.003-06:00

These boys clean up pretty well. Ezra loves to go to nursery. We've never had any trouble with him being happy to be dropped off... we're so lucky! Nolan says he doesn't like to go to church, but once we get there he is fine with going into class. Sacrament meeting is another story. We count our blessings if Ezra dozes off with his blanket, but we can't count on that happening too often. There are so few things that entertain him at this age. We mostly have to whisper-read some books in his ear. Nolan does great, though. He still hasn't mastered the art of whispering (for some reason he really struggles with keeping his voice soft) but he loves to draw, especially mazes that he makes for us to solve.

St. George Visit

2011-11-01T11:29:00.005-06:00

It had been six months since we'd been to St. George (last Easter), so we were all excited for our visit. Aunt Lacey and her 3 kids drove with us so it was a full van of kiddos, but they all did really well. Here are the highlights:

We loved playing outside at the park. It was a gorgeous 75 degrees!

We had a campfire and a little hike at Red Cliffs. The kids loved exploring, it's just too bad the sun had to set so soon. I had to crack up when I saw this picture of my Dad. He's crouching down to tend the fire, but it looks like something else! And while my sister wasn't looking (she is usually very tidy when she feeds her tots) I gave Travis a whole s'more. Wow, what a sticky kid. I got your back Trav... he loved it!

The cousins played and played. Ez and Travis took a tub and we had to take a picture to compare their size. It's so funny that Ezra is older by 13 months but I'm pretty sure Travis weighs 13 pounds more (not really, but you get the idea).

We went to the Dixie State College homecoming parade where we got way too much candy. We even saw my Aunt Barbara in the parade!

Grandpa babysat while my mom, sisters, and several nieces and one nephew went to see "Thriller" at Tuacahn. I hadn't been in six years so I really enjoyed myself. Those zombies come out of nowhere and loved to startle, or just stare at us. But eventually we got some pictures with them. Kendyll doesn't look entirely comfortable with the idea.

My boys also had a great time swimming with Grandpa, visiting the cousins at Aunt Keeley and Bryan's house, and going to Krave for a yogurt treat. Luckily we had Halloween to look forward to, otherwise it would have been sad to go back home.

My Sweet YW

2011-10-30T22:06:00.003-06:00

I was missing the young women on the first Wednesday after being released. But the doorbell rang and several came to the door holding this:

What sweeties! I wanted to make sure to post because the note is so clever... I might need to remember it for the future. It was like pulling teeth getting the kids to leave the candy on long enough to snap a photo!

Nolan the Photographer

2011-10-30T21:46:00.004-06:00

He's really good at what he does. He can really get in the zone, too. I just downloaded my camera and there were nearly 80 shots that he had taken. Good thing we have a great battery! Here is some of his work.

I have a feeling he may have captured Ezra working on "his business." And as a side note, have you ever seen so many outlets in such a small space? That would be Justin's doing. We're going to have a sweet movie area... yeah, in like 10 years. Ha ha!

Here we have a puppy portrait (his favorite subject) and an action picture as well. Maybe pup was having a hard time sitting still! I love how he's give us different emotions, and captured extra chillin' in the playroom.

And these are completely random, but I'm glad he captured our pumpkin family... they're pretty cute! Ez always picks up the little one and say, "Oh, beebee pumpkin." It's the closest thing we have to a baby girl in this family.

Risk-Taking Monkey Boy

2011-10-30T21:35:00.004-06:00

I debated about whether I should share this picture. One reason: I probably shouldn't have taken it. Justin said not to put it on because people out there would report me as being abusive. That's a little harsh, maybe, but he does have a point. Ez was doing something dangerous, for sure. Two weeks ago I was downstairs and Nolan came running down saying, "Mom, Ezra is being naughty. Come see, quick!!!" I started up the stairs and realized Ezra was just above my head on the railing. What a little stinker! I'm not surprised, if I was a kid I would do it, too. But he seems so little to have tried climbing over there. I stood behind him and got him to go back, realizing he was quite steady, luckily.

After he got down, I went to get a drink of water. A minute later, Nolan says, "Mom, Ezra's doing it again!" I turn around and my camera is sitting right there on the counter. So my impulse is to grab it and snap a picture before getting him down and putting him in time out. Does that make me a bad mother? By the way, he hasn't done it since. Thank goodness.

End of an era

2011-10-10T15:03:00.004-06:00

It had been 3 years and 2 months since I'd been called to Young Women's in our ward. I was the second counselor for only two months and then our ward split. I was then put in as the secretary and have really loved it. I've been through 3 different presidencies and have continued on as the secretary. I always felt so lucky! We had many great activities, and I was able to attend two youth conferences (during one summer I was due to have Ezra). I've loved serving with the other leaders and getting to know the youth in our ward.
But I knew the end was coming soon, and yesterday was the day. But I got lucky all over again: I'm now an activity day leader for the 11 yr. olds! I'm pretty excited to get to know my partner, Allison, and the other leaders that do the younger age group. I think I'm going to love these new girls. It's going to be great!

New words

2011-10-06T09:50:00.002-06:00

Today I colored my hair and Nolan was studying it over lunch. I said, "Do you notice that my hair looks different?" He said that he did notice and asked what I did to it. I said, "I dyed it so that the color is a little darker."
He thought for a second and said, "Oh, when did you kill it?"
Dye... kill... New words can be so confusing.

ERASURE!

2011-10-04T10:48:00.004-06:00

I've only been to several concerts in my life: Clay Aiken/Kelly Clarkson combined concert, Enrique Iglesias, an American Idol Tour concert, and The Beach Boys (my sister, Lacey, tells me that one doesn't count, but I had a blast with my mom!). Justin has only been to several as well: Gypsy Kings, Collective Soul, Kelly and Clay concert with me, and oddly enough, The Beach Boys! How interesting that we'd have that in common. Well last week we added another concert to our list: ERASURE! Justin and I went with Lacey and it was excellent! It was such a fun experience. We spent half the time laughing at the backup singers and their hilarious 60's moves (which is odd, because it's an 80's band), and watching in awe at the lead singers' flamboyant, feminine dance moves. Lacey called the night before the concert to get my reaction to a clip of one of Erasure's previous concerts. If you only watch for 28 to 30 seconds you'll get the idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH0SoZNdozs

Needless to say, Lacey and I were laughing so hard at that and were quite excited to see what the concert would be like. Justin was downright nervous that we'd spent actual money on it. But we were a little disappointed that he didn't even dance with a feather boa! Justin was glad he wasn't wearing a leotard. It was such a fun time. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Keeley and Bryan there with us. We could just picture how Bryan would have been dancing. It was a Wednesday night so they couldn't get up here from St. George. We missed them!

It was awesome how the keyboard player was rockin' the gargoyle on the right there.

Keeping Healthy

2011-10-02T17:01:00.005-06:00

I've been so lucky to have a great way to exercise for the past 4 and a half years. A group of ladies in my area work out together at our nearby church. We rotate who teaches (I teach zumba and occasionally yoga/pilates) and all of our kids can run around and play with each other and the nursery toys. It's nice to know that I'll always have friends to socialize with as I work out and thankfully, it's free! It's really been a blessing because I typically have back and neck pain but as long as I exercise regularly I feel great. Here are my wonderful exercise buddies! Sadly, one of the Michelles just moved and we'll miss her. But we're always having people come and go, especially as many of us are in the baby-making years. Soon our friend Anne will be back! We're missing a couple in our pictures, but most made it in.

Erin, Christie, Amber, Michelle, Ali, me, and Brianne

Sam, Holly, Michelle (the moved), Kirsten, Christie, and Jalena

And we finally got a bike and a bike trailer. The boys have loved going for rides, especially to preschool. We delayed it because we didn't have any place to store it between bike rides (our garage is tiny). Between frequent rides I put it behind the fence and cover it with a tarp to protect it from the sun. But we found a great storage option when we know it will be a few days or longer between rides. These bike pullies are so easy to use and don't take up any floor or wall space in the garage. We can even hoist up the trailer! If you're interested, we found them at amazon. The weather has been gorgeous and even Justin "steals" my bike and takes the kids out. We'll get him a bike some day, but he takes a long time to compare and make a decision!

Primary Program

2011-09-26T14:02:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Nolan's first primary program at church. He had a week to learn his part, but I was amazed that he had it memorized in about 24 hours. I wish my mind would be as quick as his! I watched him walk into the chapel holding a girl's hand and then he helped her later on to get up the steps to the stage. So sweet. He said his part so well: "Moses chapter 1, verse 39 says 'For behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'" The only trouble was that he made an early exit and said, "... immortality and eternal life of..." He left everyone hangin' there a little, and several of us couldn't help but chuckle, but I felt like my little chest was gonna bust open with love! Way to go, Nolan!
It's too bad that after that he didn't want to sit up and sing the songs and later came and sat with us, rather than on the front row with his class, but I'll take what I can get. Justin and I were bummed that he didn't sing "Praise to the Man," but we know he knows it. I asked why he didn't sing it and he said, "I just love that song so I wanted to listen to the kids sing it."

A good read

2011-09-26T13:58:00.004-06:00

Last week Nolan came home from preschool all excited to tell me that they had read a story about "Nipple Buttercup." I asked more than once if he was sure that was the name of the girl in the book. Each time he said yes. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself the rest of the day each time I thought about it. Today I asked his teacher what she is teaching our children. We had a good laugh and she explained that the story was about "Nettie Buttercup." Good... I was starting to wonder! The best part is that Nolan had no idea why I thought it was funny. Here's to his young, innocent mind. I love this age!!! He's finally easy to take everywhere, he's generally agreeable, he's learning a mile a minute, and he's fun to joke around with.
The other day Ezra bumped his head and was crying. I went to hold him and he tooted on the way up. He immediately stopped crying and said, "Oh! Toot! Skooze me." I laughed and Nolan asked, "Mom, why are toots so funny?" I guess they're not always funny (but let's be honest... most of the time they are), but it was a great remedy for a bonked head.

Race time!

2011-09-22T21:22:00.002-06:00

Last weekend was Justin's work party at This is the Place Heritage Park. We woke up bright and early so that Nolan and Daddy could run in the 5k race. They did a great job and Nolan was thrilled to receive a medal for his efforts. We had a good time the rest of the day, especially watching Nolan get his first shave at the barbershop and riding the trains. Even the candy cannon was a good experience (unlike last year when Nolan got lost in the mayhem), except for the brief moment when candy landed on Ezra's head and made him cry. But then I popped some taffy in his mouth and he was good to go.

Artwork

2011-09-22T21:17:00.003-06:00

I've been really excited to decorate the basement, but Ezra beat me to it. Thanks, buddy. Thanks a lot.

He thought his little body needed some decorating, too.

It's getting exciting around here

2011-09-16T20:54:00.003-06:00

It felt a little like Christmas Eve last night. I kept waking up with a flurry of excitement in the pit of my stomach. Knowing that our basement carpet would be installed by the next night was almost as good as waiting for Santa. My Dad, Justin, and I have spent countless hours in the basement. Until you've finished a 1400+ sq. ft. basement it's hard to explain how much time and effort it takes. The trim, caulking, and painting have been endless. There were times when I wished we had half as many doors to paint and caulk. We've been so grateful that my Dad would come up about every 3 weeks and stay for 3 or 4 days to work. He's a busy guy and we've been so spoiled to have such a hard worker on our team (and doing most of the work). We couldn't have done it without his smarts and strength. And just under two years after starting to draw up our plans, we are nearly done! Other than raising kids (and all that comes with that), I think the 3 things that I've worked the hardest on in life are my college degree, our yard, and our basement. It was especially tricky because I always wanted to be able to make progress downstairs but then one of the kids would need me, dinner would need making, or the house upstairs would get too dirty to ignore. It's been a juggling act for all of us, really, in different ways. I'm not that good at juggling so I'm glad to see the end is near. And now I get to decorate! I. Am. So. Excited.
Along with all of the work, we've had some great moments together. Nolan and Ezra have found so much joy in "helping out." Nolan was actually a big help in sweeping up all the sawdust.

Here's my Dad in action. And I forgot to mention that he also would take us out to eat sometimes. He works for free AND buys us food. How did we get so lucky? Nolan and Ezra were always so excited for Grandpa John to come visit.

Here are a couple of before shots:

Even Ezra was so in love with the carpet pad when it got here.

And I don't want to give many "after" shots right now. I'd like to save them for when I have furniture and some cute drapes I'm planning to make with my Mom. But here's a teaser. It's not tacked down yet, but it gives an idea of what's to come.

Now that the basement is nearly done, we can start to organize the storage room that is currently stacked to the ceiling... literally. Man, we look like hoarders! We've still got lots to do, but it will be exciting!

Man vs. Mud

2011-09-11T19:48:00.006-06:00

I saw the mud, I went through it, and I conquered! I've never had any desire to do a 5k run, but I figured that if I'm going to run, it would be a lot more exciting to do it in the mud. And it was! Justin's mom, her boyfriend Jon, Aunt Karen, some cousins (Sharlie, Jared, Mariah), a few friends and I were part of the 12-person team called "Swine Flew." We arrived at the American West Center in Logan with our capes, pig noses, and tightie-whities over our pants. Not sure whose idea it was to wear the underwear, but I went with it. There was nothing white about them when we were through.

The first obstacle was a huge slip 'n slide where we got soaked right off the bat. There was also a 100-yard trench of sludgey mud that came up to my chest. I could barely get my shoes to come out of the thick mud. Thank goodness my shoes never came off! They would have been impossible to find. There were all sorts of messy moments and more slip 'n slides. I swam across a freezing cold pond and then ended the race in a huge mud bath. What a great time. Yes, I did get tired but I pretty much jogged the entire time. I love how Nolan is keeping his distance from me in the picture below. It's true that it was at a farm, and there may have been more than dirt in that "mud."

Afterward, we let Nolan try out the Boggy Bayou area for kids, complete with a bounce house, suds, a slide, tires, and a mini mud trench. He loved it! Even Ez got in on the soapy suds action. There was also pony rides and a train! The only trouble was that it was a cool sixty degrees outside and I was freezing as soon as I stopped running. I had the best, hot shower of my life afterward. And we had a fabulous pizza lunch with Grandma Petersen, too. What a fabulous day. I'd love to do it again!

Here's a little video of the big event. It was tough for spectators to see what was going on, but Justin did pretty well capturing a couple of moments. It's not easy to film with two little boys at your side, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbgPqNdeeI8&feature=youtube_gdata

Off he goes

2011-08-31T13:14:00.002-06:00

It's time for another year of preschool! Nolan had been saying things like, "I just don't like my new teacher," and "I don't like my preschool class." I knew he was just being silly, trying to get a rise out of me. But in the back of my mind I was wondering if the first day would go smoothly. Luckily, it did! He was happy to find his seat and start socializing with his friends. He came up with this little pose when I took his picture before we left the house. Then, at school, he did the similar hand sign again. He didn't want to get too close to his new teacher, Marissa, but I think he'll really love her after a week or two. She's going to be great!

Last night, Justin started off Nolan's school year with a father's blessing. Afterward, we started to leave the room but then Ezra started yelling, "Mama! Bless me!" We came back and Ez was sitting in the chair with his arms folded, ready for his turn. Justin obliged, but halfway through Ezra kept moving his head around and saying, "Ow, Daddy!" Yeah, it was real painful! What a nut.

This morning, I let Nolan have some juice (which we rarely have) with his breakfast. Unfortunately, I forgot to have his use the bathroom right before school. I remembered when I got home. I was counting on getting a phone call saying there had been an accident, but thankfully he managed to stay dry... juice and all! When I picked him up he said, "Mom, every game we play at that preschool is so funny!" He didn't say much else, but it seems like it was a good experience.

Space Museum

2011-08-29T22:09:00.002-06:00

We went to the Clark Planetarium with our friends last week. Nolan called it the space museum. We had a great time and I had fun socializing with my friends Brianne, Nellie, and Marissa (who will be Nolan's new preschool teacher). After checking out the meteorites, walking on the moon and Mars, and checking out the "wrecking ball" (the Foacault pendulum), we headed to the food court at Gateway. After that it was off to the fountain for some cooling off. I didn't do a great job with pictures this go around, but it was a great to get out of the house!

A Day Out

2011-08-29T21:43:00.004-06:00

Our membership was running out, so we went to "This is the Place" Park one last time. Other than the train ride and getting ice cream, we captured most of the highlights in the pictures below.

The petting area is our favorite. The pigs were fun to watch as they kept harassing the goats. And then we laughed as two goats licked out our entire stroller. First they started with the basket underneath and then moved to the seat. I know, it's pretty gross. Have I washed out the stroller yet? Nah.

Nolan met up with some kids who were acting as pioneers for the day. One 5 yr.-old know-it-all was busy moving rocks into the wooden train so that they "could build a new temple." Nolan joined in and soon found a rock to contribute. The older boy said, "No, we can't use those rocks. They have to be granite! And I'm the prophet!" Wow, he took his acting seriously. Nolan said, "I just think it would be beautiful with both kinds of rocks."

I love the picture of Nolan sitting down with the goat. They're having a deep, heartfelt conversation together.

Like I Said...

2011-08-29T21:21:00.002-06:00

... the kid really can sleep just about anywhere!

And he's recently taken up drawing mazes and maps. This one is quite intricate.

In the band

2011-08-29T21:01:00.003-06:00

When Justin was in high school, he was a drum major for his marching band. He went to school in San Diego and their band was huge. It was quite prestigious, not really like my high school where it wasn't that cool to be in the band. Anyway, I think some things run in the genes because the other night we were on a walk and Nolan's ears perked up when he heard the band practicing at the high school down the street. So we went and got the car then drove over to have a closer look.
Nolan sat on the grass and watched the pep band practice. Pretty soon, several girls were motioning for him to come closer and help them play. He ran over to me and said, "Mom, those girls want me to play their instruments." I could tell it was a casual practice because some kids were messing around and their teacher wasn't caring. I told him it was okay. So one of the girls came over and taught him how to properly play the tambourine. Every time the teacher started up the song, Nolan could be heard playing perfectly on beat! He eventually joined up with the band, standing just feet away from the teacher. He did a great job, until the teacher stopped the songs and Nolan would keep on playing. Oops. We let him play for a good ten minutes, until Justin walked over to get him. Nolan reluctantly gave the tambourine back and the girl told him to find her at the football games and he could play the tambourine again. He was so thrilled! For several days he would say, "Mom, I played in the band! Can you believe that?!"
Maybe someday Nolan really will be in the band, just like his Dad!

So sleepy

2011-08-22T15:02:00.004-06:00

Nolan is my deep sleeper. He can't help but take a nap in the late afternoon nearly every day. Here's where I found him after an episode of Phineas and Ferb had ended (he watched on the computer through Netflix). This kid can sleep anywhere!

And this has nothing to do with it, but check out the awesome artichokes in our garden. They are so delicious!

Last Joys of Summer

2011-08-22T13:33:00.005-06:00

Nolan is only in preschool, but school starts soon and it feels like summer is coming to a close. I'm sure we have lots of warm days ahead, but we're trying to squeeze in as many fun activities as possible.

We checked out "Jump Around Utah" after getting an online deal. The place isn't really big, but the kids had a blast and it was easy to keep track of them because it never got too busy. We'll be going again since we have one more coupon to use. The only little problem was that the front door was always open a little bit and Trav kept trying to sneak out. We laughed because his hair would blow straight up every time he walked back in. We love his hair! They only have swamp coolers, so it was a bit warm in there. Nolan did so much jumping that his hair was soppin' wet. Euw... time for a shower, buddy.

After all of that jumping, we went to eat at "Mo Bettah Steaks." It's a great Hawaiian quick -style restaurant. They have delicious macaroni salad as a side dish, their meat was fabulous, and we cooled off with a giant snow cone to share. So yummy!

Some friends and I went to Herriman Reservoir to meet up with our friend, Terrah, who moved away some time ago. It was fun to catch up with her while letting the kids play in the sand and water. Nolan keeps saying that he wants to go back to the beach! There were lots of little boys to play with. It got quite exciting when all the youngest ones were throwing dirt at each other.

And last of all, we enjoyed the fireworks show nearby that celebrates our little community. I am amazed each year at how great a show it is. It was nice that it was over around 9:30 or so... it was much easier for the boys to stay up than it was for the 4th of July.

More Progress

2011-08-22T13:24:00.003-06:00

The past two weeks have brought about much progress in the basement. We've got closet organizers installed, bathroom floor (which we love!) and a working toilet, and I think I've finished painting my last batch of trim. This is a huge milestone. I think I painted 7 or 8 different sessions, each one about 2 to 3 hours. I typically have to do it during Ezra's nap, and if I paint longer than that, my kids go crazy or the paint supplies begin to dry out. Usually it's the kids, though. If only I didn't have hours and hours of touch-up painting ahead of me! My Dad is such a hard worker and the kids will really miss Grandpa John when he doesn't come up as often. The ironic thing is that we'll finally have a guest bedroom, but my Dad won't need to stay in it very often since he won't have work to do! It won't be long until carpet now... maybe only 3 to 4 weeks!

One of my favorite places

2011-08-15T17:07:00.006-06:00

Yes, we went to Park City..... again. We stayed at a Bear Hollow condo and had a great time! The kids enjoy playing (and sometimes fighting) with each other, and it's always nice to be with my sisters and my mom. We missed my Dad (he never wants to come, though) and Grady. Here are a few of the things we did:

Stopped in at the cemetary to wander around and take pictures. It's such a beautiful little place.

We laughed at Ezra's expressions in the car.
Went to the mountain resort to ride the alpine slide and get caramel apples and sugar crystal suckers. Bryson and Blake are such good cousins to my boys... they're always tossing them around and keeping them busy. There is some teasing, too, because at the end of the trip Nolan kept telling Bryson that he couldn't be his friend anymore. I'm sure Bryson was crushed.

We played at the city park, which we love! It's all fenced in so that kids can't escape. They have dirt diggers (always a hit with Nolan) and fun things to climb. The main attraction was the zip line. Even Aunt Lacey gave it a try but it hurt her hands. There was also this really large, boisterous Dad that gave it a whirl, too. His shirt came up and his pants nearly went down as his feet were dragging on the ground. Lacey and I couldn't hide our giggles. Nolan did a great job hanging on the entire time.

Justin and Nolan even found a great 3 mile hike nearby. They had a good time together.

We ate at Kneaders, went swimming, did a little school shopping, and took some nice walks in the cooler Park City air. As we were leaving, Nolan got all quiet and sad and then asked, "Why can't we just stay at the Park City hotel for days and days?"

Just before arriving home I realized that I'd forgotten my big cosmetic bag. Justin asked if it was really worth the gas money it would cost to drive back up to get it after church. Well, it had our sonicare, the kids' sonicare, my flatiron and blowdryer, and all of my makeup. Yeah, I think it was worth it. After picking it up we then drove over the mountain to the Brighton area and walked around Silver Lake. It was a nice end to a lovely week!

Unashamed

2011-08-15T16:41:00.002-06:00

I want to remember these...

2011-08-15T16:33:00.000-06:00

I never knew freckles could be so precious.

Nolan's First Talk

2011-07-31T17:49:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, the Primary counselor called to see if Nolan would give a last-minute talk in church. We said yes and began working on it right away. We talked about temples a little bit and then Nolan told us the things he wanted to say. We drew some pictures as prompts for him to follow and he did surprisingly well at memorizing most of it. He did such a great job! I was so proud of him as he spoke clearly and looked up at the audience. Afterward, I asked if he thought it was fun giving his talk. He said, "Yes, that was so fun. I'm so lucky!" I told him that all the kids got quiet so that they could listen to him and he said, "Yeah, but then they started laughing and that wasn't good!" You'll see why some of the kids laughed a little. Here is a recording of his talk later that afternoon.

We tried to get him to do it one more time while looking up more. He wasn't too into it, and this is what happened.

Ken and Barbie go to Dance Camp

2011-07-31T15:24:00.014-06:00

Justin and I spent the past week at the BYU Ballroom Dance Camp. We took 5 hours of Viennese Waltz and 5 hours of Cha-Cha. Both of those dances were performed at the final banquet. We also took 4 hours each of Tango (our favorite!), American Swing, and West Coast Swing. There were 3 hours of the Quickstep, which is every bit as difficult as you've heard them talk about on Dancing with the Stars, but it was so fun! We also did a little Salsa, Samba, and Foxtrot. Overall, we held up very well. Our feet were sore and smelly, and at one point Justin had to ice his arm (he got a little excited on one of the cha-cha moves and pulled a muscle). But we didn't overdo it either. We ditched one or two dance classes and a lecture so that we could go see the final Harry Potter movie (fantastic!) and go to the temple. The last time we'd been on a trip for more than one night was 5 years ago, before we even had kids, so we wanted to work in a little relaxation, too. It was also great to eat out at yummy Provo restaurants together.

We were surprised to find very few other people our age. There were 280 "campers" and I'd say we were among the youngest. We joked that sometimes it felt like we were dancing at the senior citizen center. The youngest dancers were taking more advanced classes. Sigh... some day. A lot of these dancers have been to camp 20 to 30 times. And I hate to say it, but it doesn't show. Thank goodness they love it despite how well they may or may not dance. I was lucky to have Justin to dance with. He is a great lead. Many couples would switch partners, but we typically did not. We didn't arrange for babysitters and vacation time just to dance with other people! The one class that we did switch, we had several ladies saying afterward, "Oh, your husband is such a good partner! You are so lucky!" Believe me, I know. How many husbands would do this for their vacation in the first place?

One of my favorite parts was the morning warm-up. It had some components of jazz dancing, which I haven't done much since high school. Justin could tell I was having so much fun that he snapped a picture. The teacher, Mic Thomson, has danced alongside many famous people, including Michael Jackson in "Dangerous." He was in the first Pirates of the Carribean movie, Enchanted, and he does lots of work for Disney. He even choreographed High School Musical and Tarzan at Tuacahn. He was so much fun!

Our instructors were fabulous! They have won many competitions and some are even current champions. Here is a look at our Viennese Waltz teacher. She and her partner were recently on Dancing with the Stars as guest performers. Here are Urs and Agnes:

Click here if you want to see their amazing performance to Michael Buble on the show.

We also loved Ron Montez, who was an amazing dancer in his day, and can still hold his own on the dance floor. He was one of the choreographers on "So You Think You Can Dance" a few years back and is the host of the long-running America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS. Here's Ron:

Speaking of Ron, before the final banquet started he came over to us and asked our names. Uh-oh... we knew something was up. We started to fear that we would be asked to come out and start the open dancing or something. We enjoyed a yummy dinner and then they started in on giving several (mostly silly) awards. Well, they called us up and we received the Ken and Barbie award! The dance director, Lee Wakefield, said, "We have so many wonderful couples that come to dance camp and this year we'd like to give the Ken and Barbie award to them. Aren't they cute together?!" They gave us our own Ken and Barbie dolls. It was quite a fun surprise. For the rest of the night, everyone said hello to Ken and Barbie (no one knew our real names). We had thought that nobody would really watch our performances, but after receiving our award we were wrong. Before we began we could hear all the teacher assistants yelling, "Go Ken and Barbie!" So much for going unnoticed! The performances went well, and Justin and I had a fabulous time. We count that night as one of the most memorable since we have been together. It was fun to be dance partners all over again, similar to how we met as partners on the folk dance team more than 8 years ago. It was great to be at BYU and be reminded of the many memories we had on that campus.

So here we are driving to dance camp. Boy, were we excited!!!

And here we are waiting for the shuttle bus at our hotel so that we can begin classes for the day.

Here we are just after getting home... it was so great!

A big thank you to Grandma Sherri, Grandma K., and Aunt Jodi for watching our little rascals. We're so glad that our kiddos were in good hands. They had a great time with cousins and even went to the zoo!

One of the mornings, Grandma K. and Jodi couldn't find Nolan anywhere. They were started to get frantic and even check outside. Finally, he was found sound asleep sitting straight up in his closet. He had gone to the bathroom at some point and then returned to his closet without any bottoms on. This kid can sleep anywhere!

Puppy Portrait Session

2011-07-31T15:18:00.003-06:00

As I was downloading pictures from the camera, I saw about 30 pictures of Nolan's puppy come up. He's got a fierce love for this puppy and can't help but photograph it on a regular basis. I think he's really done well with the lighting and capturing puppy's personality. Here are just a few shots from the photo session.

Dance Party

2011-07-21T10:31:00.004-06:00

There was a full house of kids over to play one day last week. Thank goodness for "Just Dance" on the Wii. Ryan and Kendyll had a good time playing with our neighbors, Nicole and Katelyn. It's just too bad they had a certain two boys following them around all afternoon!
There's been a lot of painting going on lately. I only have the closet doors left, thank goodness. I was skeptical at first, but Nolan really does speed up the process. He earns beans if he does his best painting.

And I've never seen a kid love reading more than Ezra. He's either begging for a treat, or begging to read. It's as important as sugar to him. Going to bed used to be a quicker process, but now the boys insist on reading LOTS of books! That night we were reading our favorites, books about our Grandma and Grandpa Moulton.

Summer Outing

2011-07-21T10:01:00.008-06:00

We finally decided to take a break from the basement work and head up a nearby canyon to roast marshmallows. It was nice and cool outside, and the s'mores tasted so good! The boys liked being out in the sticks, but after a while Ez just wanted to play in the van, go figure. While we waited for the coals to get hot, Nolan entertained us with a song and dance. He told us it was "in another language," so we couldn't understand what he was singing about. But his love for performing shone through. He's got some pretty cool jump moves! We love our toasted marshmallows on Fudge Stripe cookies. It was Ezra's first time trying s'mores. He loved it until he realized he couldn't get the marshmallow off his hands. He then tried wiping it off in the dirt. Yeah, that didn't work either. Angry Ezra.
After getting wiped off, we headed to the playground and the nearby creek. Nolan and Daddy crossed a precarious log and did some brief exploring while Ez threw rocks in the river. I loved that we could drive right home and not try sleeping in a tent with monster Ezra. We're so glad to have some mountains nearby.

Nolan's Bean Jar

2011-07-21T09:49:00.003-06:00

When summer started, I instituted a lima bean jar. Nolan can earn beans for doing all kinds of "jobs" for me. He earns beans if he happily gets dressed, does his coloring/workbooks, picks up toys, helps stir the brownie mix (yeah, that one is really hard work!), is a good boy at Wal-Mart, etc. My favorite job that he does for me is reading to Ezra. We find all the books that are the most simple and then they point to the pictures together. It is such a big help, even if it's only 8 to 10 minutes, when I'm trying to make dinner and Ez would typically be whining at my feet.

Nolan filled up his bean jar for the first time last week. It took him about 6 weeks but he was persistant. I let him pick a toy that was less then $10. He's pretty happy with his rescue truck/trailer with snowmobile. Way to go, little helper! The bean jar is also great for threatening to take beans away if he's acting up. Whatever works!

4th of July

2011-07-05T13:14:00.009-06:00

We started out our 4th of July weekend in Logan since Justin's family from San Diego was in town. As it turns out, Jodi and her two boys came as well. Nolan was having a great time visiting his little uncles and cousins from California. We attended Courtney Petersen's baptism and Hugo Andrews' blessing. There was lots to do (the boys even tried fishing, but with no luck), but unfortunately it was a rough weekend. There were some extended family problems and on top of that we had a terrible hot night. Ezra just doesn't know how to sleep anywhere but his own bed (and I've mentioned before that he doesn't even do great there, either). So after only one night we decided we'd had enough excitement and couldn't bear another sleepless night.

When we got home, Ezra begged for a truck ride. It felt so great to head out in our clunker and be together on a dirt road. The boys had such a great time getting up close to the passing freight train and Ez was so comfortable that he dozed off... just like Grandma Moulton said she always used to do when the truck was theirs.

We went to the local parade with my sister's family. The kids were in the street the entire time waiting for candy to be thrown. After that it was off to Home Depot (our home away from home) and then home to work on the basement and yard. Luckily it was a cloudy, cool day. That night the kids were very excited for our four fireworks (yes, only four, but Nolan thought that was so great). Thank goodness we had pop-its and sparklers! They were a hit. Since aeriel fireworks are allowed now, we took a quick walk around our neighborhood to see them. There were so many! We ended the night with a big fireworks show, but we kept our distance from crowds so that we could get home quick since Ez was sound asleep. Nolan kept saying, "This sure was an exciting day. That was so fun!"

It was good to teach Nolan a little about why we celebrate Independence Day and the significance of the flag as it went by in the parade. I love our country and I'm so glad that my family and I get to live here.

Hiding Spot

2011-06-28T14:42:00.003-06:00

We're still plugging along with the basement a year and a half after starting. It's nice that Justin and I can do more of the work now, so that my Dad isn't doing everything himself. It's nice to feel like we're actually contributing since it is our house. Justin is currently finishing up the electrical and I'm painting trim. Ez found a new hiding place under one of the sawhorses that I've been using to prop up the trim. He was so comfortable under there playing that he left me a present in his pants. Nothing like a private hiding place to make ya regular!

I have a feeling the kids won't love the basement nearly as much when it's finished. However, Nolan did say last night during our family home evening prayer, "Please bless that the basement can get done."

Wet Weeks

2011-06-28T14:26:00.006-06:00

The past two weeks have mainly consisted of swimming lessons at the nearby pool. The boys can't get enough of the water. I think I was done after the first day. Ez just wants to be on his own swimming with floaties rather than participating in the Mom 'n Tot activities, so he's a handful. Plus I just don't love all that sun, chlorine, feeling like a wet rat, sunburns no matter how much sunscreen, and the packing up and getting out the door every day. Other than that, it's, er, wonderful.

But these boys really do love the water and Ezra is so wild! He jumps in over and over and always says, "Mom! Wot dis (translations: watch this)." It's pretty fun to watch since he's such a little guy. His jumps are more like little belly flops..

Nolan always loved jumping in when he was younger, too, but has had to learn to like it again. He's getting much more comfortable and has even gone off the diving board into his teacher's arms. He will also hold his breath and go under for a second or two. Good job, buddy!***Update: It was the last day of lessons today and Nolan now jumps off the diving board all by himself (wearing a life jacket) and doesn't even need to be caught. He really worked up his courage and has done so great this week!

Toddler Bed for Ez

2011-06-28T14:21:00.002-06:00

Ez has started climbing out of the crib so we transformed it to a toddler bed. I wasn't ready, but I guess he was. He sure was thrilled with it (and Nolan), can't you tell? It was a rough start, but he seems to be used to it after a week. He goes to bed easy enough, I just wish he'd stay asleep all night and stop waking up at 6 a.m. One of these days I'll get 7 hours of sleep in a row, but such is the life of a mom!

Park Play

2011-06-19T16:59:00.004-06:00

Grandma Sherri drove Keeley and Kamrie up last week for a fun visit. Nolan had been so excited to see Ethan and Kamrie but it turns out that Ethan couldn't come. Good thing Kamrie was so much fun that he didn't feel too sad after all. We went to Liberty Park for some good outdoor play time. The kids had fun on those rickety old rides. Nolan still talks about riding the fast ferris wheel.

My Dad drove up earlier and worked on the basement (it now has paint!) so we all went out to Spaghetti Factory for dinner one night. Wow, Ezra sure is a challenge at restaurants. He wouldn't stop taking my spaghetti and scattering it all over the both of us. He drove me nuts but luckily it was a delicious meal. I should know better than to go to a restaurant without Justin. He was on a business trip.

Ez wants to be outside all the time. Thankfully summer has finally arrived so that he can. Here's one thing he loves to do:

Birthday Parties for Ez

2011-06-19T16:08:00.009-06:00

We had a fun party at our house a week before Ezra's birthday because some of my family from St. George were able to visit. It was fun to have cousins over, including Kamrie whom we don't see all that often. Ez was so thrilled with his new water table, bubble-blowing gun, and new sand/water toys. Also, if anyone is looking for a fun game for toddlers, we are loving Cranium's Cariboo Island. Nolan plays it very well, but even Ezra gets the idea and has a lot of fun. Ez was so funny when we all started singing the birthday song to him. He got happy and embarrassed at the same time, so he needed to cuddle into Dad.

We also had a party at Grandma K's house on his real birthday. There were many grandparents and other family from Justin's side. The boring white cake was fun once we cut into it. Nolan kept saying, "Isn't it so beautiful?" Ez would have known exactly how to blow out the candles if Nolan hadn't blown them out before he had a chance. What are brothers for? At this party, Ez got new books, a shopping cart, some clothes, some backyard toys, and a "Critter Clinic." This is also another outstanding gift for kids that are 2 or 3. It had great reviews on Amazon and has sure been a favorite of Ezra's. The little keys for the animal hospital rooms are a fun challenge. Ez kept making the piggy sound and loving his new pig, so I had to capture his piggy face.
Our weekend in Logan was really nice. Nolan had a motorcycle ride to Ryan's place park, we swam at Campbell's, we went to see Grandma K's band play at Summerfest (it was freezing cold, though), visited Moultons and rode their pretend pony, took little wagon rides to play in Campbell's backyard, and Nolan even slept outside in the tent with Grandma. As we were leaving home, he said, "I wish we could live at Grandma's. Her house is better than ours." We even had a little Father's Day celebration today just before going back home. Kathi made a delicious dinner and Justin got an ipod Nano and an iTunes card ... we're not sure if we're keeping it because, sure enough, he said exactly what I thought he would: "My phone already plays music."

Grandma K offered to watch the boys while we went to the temple and a matinee with Grandma P. Nolan was very excited for us to go. He kept saying, "Go, go, it's time for you to go to the temple. You don't want to be late." We saw the movie "17 Miracles." Though we can't recall all 17 miracles that they portrayed from the Martin Willie handcart companies, we loved the movie. It was beautifully done, even though it was apparantly low budget. We highly recommend it!

Letter to my Ezra

2011-06-19T15:42:00.006-06:00

Dear little guy,
You just turned two and how the time has flown... and yet not really. There are still many long nights where you wake up multiple times, you scowl and whine, you make a sound which we lovingly call "the screeching eel," and you beg for "tweets" all day long. Sometimes the days are so long that we count down until Dad will come home and put up with your fresh batch of whining. Even Nolan tried to teaching you to say, "No whine." It didn't work.
But we love your angry, scowling face. In fact, we often ask you to make it. Maybe we should stop that. The best moments with you are when Nolan is making you laugh, when you are eating (because it's rare that you eat... period), when you come to us with a book then turn around and back into our lap, when you are playing outside, and when we come to get you from the crib and you say, "Oh, hi Mom" or "Oh, hi Dad." You might be stubborn and cranky, but your cute face and happy smile make up for it. You are so smart, you even know all your colors and can count to 4 on a good day. And you really do love to share, just not with Nolan. We are lucky to have your big personality in our home. Someday your strong will will be a great influence for good.
We love you, but please start sleeping through the night. After all, you are 2 now! And can we get some more of these faces? Please?
-Love Mom

And here's a note from Nolan. He asked me to help him spell out the letters, but he thought of what he wanted to say. It reads, "Dear Ezra, It is your birthday. It is a great, great day. -Nolan"

New Drinking Fountain

2011-06-04T15:43:00.003-06:00

We have officially removed the hazardous pipe that Ez got stuck in earlier this week. I came home from youth conference to find that Justin had completed the new drinking fountain. This will be so handy when we're out in the yard. No more tromping in the house for a water break. Justin had a hard time choosing the color of spray paint. I laughed when he told me that he called my mom to get her opinion. The boys are so thrilled with it, too. And it turns out that there's a built-in "stool" for Ez to get drinks as long as Nolan will turn the spigot for him.

I wasn't as excited about attending youth conference this year because it was just our ward and I knew we'd actually have to put forth more work once we got up there, as opposed to when we attended at Snow College last year. It was held at the Heber Girl's Camp, in their convenient cabins. We did have a great time though. The youth in our ward are lots of fun, and so are the other leaders that attended. We really enjoyed planting flowers and hauling dirt at the temple, doing the ropes course and riding the zip line, and playing lots of games. It was nice that Justin was able to stay home with the boys. They had a good time except that Ezra had a stomach bug one night that he had caught from Nolan. Justin said he was up almost every hour. Um, yeah... I'm really glad I went to youth conference after all! Thanks for taking good care of them, honey! It's always good to get home and love on these boys.

Basement Update: My Dad finished everything up to the point of drywall. We hired the rest and now the mud and tape is finished! We've got the paint ready and we're choosing the carpet this week. It's getting very exciting around here. And very disorganized since we've moved everything from downstairs into one crammed storage room or our master bedroom.

911 for Ezra

2011-05-31T07:17:00.005-06:00

Yesterday we had quite the scare with Ezra. Justin and the boys were outside planting bushes and I was cooking dinner. I heard Ez start crying. I went outside and found him underneath the stairs with his head stuck in this large pipe.

The pipe has been sitting outside under our stairs for a long time, as it waits to be painted and made into a backyard drinking fountain stand. I thought I'd be able to give a gentle tug and that he'd come right out. But that wasn't the case, he wasn't budging. His jacket hood was up and contributing to the problem. Justin came running over and tried as well. This kid was definitely stuck. I could see his mouth and he was crying and continually saying, "Stuck!" We could see his nose, but just barely. Ez must have been so scared because he couldn't see a thing.

Justin ran in to get some oil and scissors. We cut away his hoodie, which probably didn't help. And then I poured a bunch of oil in my hand and tried to get it back in to the point where he was stuck. I couldn't reach that far. Nothing was working. We were both starting to get a bit panicky so Justin called our neighbor to run over. He came in his socks! What a great neighbor. He couldn't actually help, but it was good to have someone there that wasn't feeling as frantic.

Right after that, Ez squirmed around and then went deeper inside. At this point his nose was pressing against the inside of the pipe. I knew that if he went any further he wouldn't be able to breath. That's when we decided we had to call 911. That was a scary moment because we realized that we pretty much felt like it was out of our hands and we would need to depend on others now. Ezra is still crying but luckily Nolan had gone inside to get his beloved blanket and that helped calm him to be able to hold it. He was trying to squirm around anymore.

Since he was crying so hard, his nose was getting really snotty and gross. Ez doesn't like a messy nose so he started to stick his hand up to swipe at it. As he did this he somehow arched his neck a little and managed to get loose on his own. We were so relieved! Justin was able to call 911 back and tell them that Ez had gotten out and that he was just fine except for some bruising around his forehead. I held his dirty little squished face and we just cried. I had pictured the firemen using scary tools to cut him out of the pipe and Ezra being terrified. I'm so glad it didn't have to come to that. And thankfully he didn't go any deeper where I would have feared for his ability to breath. It was quite a scary 10 to 15 minutes.

The problem was that the pipe has a rubber ring inside that is designed so that once something goes in, it doesn't slide out. We have since put the pipe away and will be finishing the drinking fountain as soon as possible. We had never thought it would be a hazard. Clearly, Ez thought it was a tunnel for crawling into.

Afterward he sat in his high chair for 30 minutes just breathing deeply and calming down. I was so glad that I had to hurry inside and finish cooking dinner for a friend. It was good to be busy with something. It took a long time for that panicky feeling to go away. Even hours later I felt a little shaky.

Our Ezra keeps us on our toes. And thankfully he's doing just fine today, except for a couple of goose eggs on his head. I asked him just now if he got stuck in a pipe, and captured this picture as he answered, "Oh, stuck."

**UPDATE**

It appears that he has not learned his lesson. Check out those eyes... he's watching you!

Preschool Grad

2011-05-29T20:39:00.003-06:00

Nolan is now a preschool graduate! His first year, at least. We had such a fun night celebrating our smart little guy. Ms. Anna-Marie has been a great teacher and put on a wonderful program. Nolan went through a rough few weeks where he didn't want to go, but in the end he was loving school, his friends, and teacher. His special friend, Sophia, was his teacher's little girl. Those two seemed to have a special bond all year long.

Just before the program started, Ezra decided he wanted to graduate, too.

Nolan helped write his part and even did a great job memorizing it in only two days. We couldn't be more proud! Here's a video of the highlights so that faraway grandparents can have a peek.

Praise to the Man

2011-05-28T14:50:00.004-06:00

For the past year or so, Nolan's favorite song has been "Praise to the Man." He was so pleased when our Primary began practicing it for the sacrament meeting presentation. Here is Nolan's rendition, including a somewhat inappropriate "dance break" in the middle.

School Boy

2011-05-19T12:03:00.008-06:00

First of all, I got the results back from my second biopsy. It was the exact same information (dermatofibroma, a scarring-type lesion that may have resulted from a bug bite). I'm more than a little annoyed that we had to pay for the whole thing twice, but I guess I need to focus on the fact that it's nothing serious. As the remaining part of my fingernail grows, I will eventually have no nail left (probably in the next three months). At that point it will be a long wait to see if any new nail will begin to grow.

Now on to something more fun: I just thought I would do a little post about what a good boy my Nolan has been lately. He loves preschool again, and has been the best helper around the house. He did a great job helping us plant our garden last week, too. Here is my handsome boy on his way out the door to preschool. He insisted on the boots and 3-D glasses.

Here is some of his fantastic artwork. He is always drawing monster trucks, complete with flags, a number, and a long ladder for the driver to climb.

He draws some great cargo trains, too.

And here are the sweet presents I received from the boys on Mother's Day.

We love Park City

2011-05-14T20:37:00.005-06:00

Last week we were lucky enough to use a friend's timeshare in Park City. The boys were so pleased to stay in a hotel. Nolan remembered the place from last year and was excited to use the exercise room and the swimming pool. The boys even tried out the jetted tub. Justin still commuted to work, but our weekend and evenings were so relaxing and fun to spend together as a family.

The place even had an activity room with puzzles, games, and big beanbags to play on. There were also daily activities. I won ice cream in the Wii tournament (Justin was the only other participant), we decorated cookies, and went to movie night in the theatre. We also enjoyed the toy section at TJ Maxx, where Ez got a new book and Nolan picked out a new logging truck.

The highlight for me was having some friends come up and spend the second half of the week having girl time. Justin took a day off so that I could have a break from the stresses of being a mom. It was perfect timing since Mother's Day was coming up. We ate great food, did crafts, watched movies, shopped, and talked, talked, talked until midnight or later every night. It was 3 days and nights of pure bliss. I felt so refreshed when I got home and I loved all of my boys so much more after having a little time to de-stress. Thanks, honey!

Ski Day

2011-05-14T20:32:00.004-06:00

Justin took Nolan up to Alta two weeks ago and hit the slopes before the resort closed for the season. The lifts are free after 3 p.m., but it's too bad that their website failed to mention in the ad that they close at 4:30! Justin got up there and rented the gear and realized they only had about an hour for Nolan's first ski experience. It was rushed but I think they had a pretty good time. I asked Nolan what his favorite part was and he said, "I like riding the ski lift and going to the ski restaurant!" I so wish I had a picture of him in his little skis, but like I said, it was a rush!

Easter Report

2011-05-14T19:25:00.011-06:00

I meant to post this two weeks ago and just never got around to it. After being in St. George I spent the week cleaning and doing loads of laundry. Then we packed up again and left for Park City (more on that later) so the blog journal got put on the backburner. Here's the quick report of our Easter festivities.

By special order, we have the bunny stop by on Saturday instead of Sunday so that Sunday we can focus on the real meaning of Easter. The boys loved their basket treasures and hunting for candy hidden around the house. After finding all of the plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, Ezra decided to crack open a couple. I came upon him rolling around in his jelly beans with a smile of ecstasy on his face. Rolling around in candy is my idea of a good time, too, Ez!

The Mathis family (my grandmother's family) Easter picnic was held at Mathis Park, as usual. We flew Nolan's new kite, tried to catch water balloons from a slingshot (Grandpa got an injury which I actually captured on camera), ate yummy food, and played with Grandma Sherri's parachute. And the pinnacle of Easter excitement was the candy hunt in the field. Nolan was at the perfect age to understand how to be fast and get lots of candy to share with Mom and Dad.

Ever since Easter, Nolan typically says the following in his nightly prayer: "Please bless the other day, and the other day, and the other day, and the next day that it can be Easter."

Spring Break

2011-04-26T15:25:00.006-06:00

It was pretty wild and crazy last week in St. George at Grandma and Grandpa Ligtermoet's house. With my two boys and Lacey's 3 kids, it was quite the noisy house! Ezra got his whine on during the drive down, but we made it just in time to enjoy Sunday dinner with my other sister's family. The kids spent the week playing out back in the sunny weather, going to parks, taking little hikes, doing sidewalk chalk, watching movies, and swimming. Ezra does so great with floaties. He can even float on his back.
Justin joined us for Easter weekend. He took Nolan on a fun hike to Scout Cave. My two hiking boys can't ever get enough! We attended the Arts Festival to eat lunch but unfortunately didn't see any art. My boys really don't allow us to wander around and enjoy that sort of thing. We also attended two baseball games, one of Bryson's and one of Blake's. During one of the games, the kids went to the field next door and enjoyed their own pretend game. My boys kept putting dirt in their hair. It turns out the vacuum worked really great for getting it out before they had a tub.

One day while there, Nolan found and put on Grandma's reading glasses. He walked over to where my mom, sister, and I were talking. He said, "Can I have some herbal tea, please?" in his best Grandme voice. What a little impersonator! Later he begged Grandma to make him some herbal tea. After several sips, he decided he couldn't stand the smell: "Eugh! It smells awful" he said.
One of the highlights of the trip was enjoying my mom's gym. I went to 3 zumba classes, an exercise ball yoga/pilates class that kicked my butt, and a soothing p.m. yoga class. I loved it all! Overall, it was a great trip. There were moments of chaos and frustration, of course, but the cousins had a good time playing together. I'll post more about Easter soon.

Moultons in St. George

2011-04-26T14:56:00.007-06:00

Last week, the boys and I drove to St. George with my sister and her kids for our Spring Break and Easter weekend. While there, we were able to visit with Justin's grandparents. We hadn't seen them since October. They were vacationing in St. George, too, so it was fun to meet up for a couple hours. They were amazed at how the boys have grown and Nolan and Ez were happy to get reacquainted. Grandma even came prepared with fruit snacks. Ezra instantly liked her after that, of course. We met at the splash park and then had lunch together at 25 Main.

Lunch was completely ridiculous. I've seen kids (especially my own) be naughty before, but Ezra really outdid himself. He threw everything on the ground that he could get his hands on. Then when the food came he would take bites and then before swallowing he would slowly let the food dribble out of his mouth. It was so gross. Truly he was a little stinker. But thankfully Nolan was well-behaved and we loved our white pizza.

Not convinced

2011-04-26T14:45:00.002-06:00

My dermatologist called last week and said that they are not convinced that my biopsy results were correct. Apparantly they don't typically see this type of tissue under a fingernail so they've asked me to come in again and see a different doctor. Now I'm a little bit worried all over again. And just when my finger was really starting to look and feel better. I'm pretty disappointed.

I suspect that I may have to do the biopsy all over again. I guess I'm glad they are being cautious and thorough, especially because my finger is oddly larger than my other pinky. I don't go in for two more weeks. Ugh.

Results are in!

2011-04-13T11:29:00.007-06:00

Warning: There will be graphic pictures in this post. If you can't stand the sight of blood, pass this post by. You'll see a gorey finger. This finger has nearly consumed my thoughts for the past week so I needed to include this post to print in my future blog journal.

For the past 3 to 4 years I've had a strange soft spot at the top of my pinky fingernail. It recently started looking bigger, pink, and causing my tail to be ridged and brittle. I went to one dermatologist and they told me it was some kind of tumor, but they couldn't get me in for a biopsy for another 6 weeks. Luckily I found another doctor that could get me in the next morning. Here's the finger before:
The procedure wasn't that bad. They cut into the soft area and took a small piece out for the biopsy. It was bleeding a lot and he put in 7 or 8 stitches. He was worried about getting the whole thing because it could destroy my nail matrix and cause my nail to grow improperly. I wasn't too concerned about that, I just wanted to know that it wasn't cancer.

The local anesthesia began wearing off as soon as I got to my car to drive home. One naproxen wasn't doing the trick, and after getting my tires rotated, I was really in pain. As I was making the 30 minute drive home, I couldn't stand it. I took a second naproxen but didn't have any water. For a good 24 hours it still felt like that pill was stuck in my chest. Must have scratched going down. I was really hurting for another 3 to 4 hours, and even the rest of the day it maintained a steady ache and occasional throbbing. I was on pain meds for just over 24 hours.

I was handling things pretty well until I changed the bandaging that evening. I had watched most of the procedure and when it was numb it didn't really phase me. I wondered why a little thing like this could be so painful, but then seeing the hole in my finger made me realize it was pretty deep. I had to look away because I felt a little faint. Here is what I saw: It's been a week now and I've been dreading and anticipating the news, just hoping that it would be good. Luckily, it is benign... no cancer! The doctor called it a dermatofibroma. He said that is thought to be "a scarring-type reaction to an insect bite." Dang mosquitoes. Who knows if mine really is fromt a bug bit. I don't have to do any more treatment. Thank goodness they don't have to cut anything else out of my little finger. I'm pretty sure the nail will never look normal again, but thankfully I'm still healthy! Here is the healing process one week later. The stitches will come out on their own and the sensitivity and occasional aching should go away soon.

The New Face

2011-04-12T11:06:00.005-06:00

Ezra has learned a new expression. Oh, if looks could kill... I just can't help but laugh whenever he does it, so now we've reinforced that it's a good thing for him to do. We say, "make your silly face" and he does it on demand. He is really starting to show us more and more personality. He does have a temper and goes on little angry tyrades, but mostly he's a happy little soul.

Nolan had his 4 yr. check-up because we received news that there is some new vaccine that he needed. It turns out we were able to do his Kindergarten shots at the same time. No more shots until junior high! He was pretty brave but it was still sad. He is in the 45th percentile for height and the 10th percentile for weight. But there was a funny moment when the doctor was going through some milestones and asked Nolan to draw a person. Nolan took the pen and drew a square with another rounded line on top. I said, "Nolan, draw him a person. Draw Nolan's body." He looked confused and said, "But I drew the handle!" It turns out he had drawn a purse! I explained to the doctor that Nolan does, in fact, know how to draw a person and actually draws himself and Daddy anatomically correct.

We've had crazy weather lately. A whole week of snow storms were followed by a warm, sunny day that was perfect for pulling weeds. Nolan was excited to use his umbrella that he painted at school, and Ez was trying to get as wet as possible. Grandma K came for a visit and brought a fun snow toy. Why is it that Grandma K always has the best toys?

Justin captured a cute moment last Sunday. He turned on Music and the Spoken Word and Nolan pulled the chair up close to watch. Both boys got their cuddlies and sat next to each other to enjoy the music.

Some of Ezra's favorite things in life are putting baskets/empty trash cans on his head and wandering around the house. He also loves bathroom fixtures. He loves crawling into the sink and sitting for a while, or sitting in the potty (whether full of water or the dry one that's isn't yet installed in our basement). Well, last week our toilet seat got a crack in it (I'm blaming Justin!) so we let Ezra have the cracked seat. We cleaned it good and then let him enjoy it. And there's that new face again!

Laryngitis

2011-03-30T12:00:00.010-06:00

The boys and I all came down with colds this week. We are mostly feeling better, just a little cough hanging on. But I went to singing practice yesterday (a small group of friends are going to sing in Sacrament meeting soon) and my voice was not happy about it. I can barely talk now. A couple people called on the phone today and I'm sure they were looking to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Nolan has been so sweet to his brother this week (mostly). Ez was trying to tug his shirt off and Nolan helped him to get it off and then proceeded to gently tickle Ezra's tummy and back. Ez just kept chuckling with delight. Then today, Nolan went in the bathroom, found my hair pick, and started gently doing Ezra's hair. Ez cuddled up and got a look of contentment on his face and Nolan said, "I'm taking care of Ezra. It will make him feel better since he's sick." Luckily my camera was within arms reach. I'm trying hard to rest my voice, so we've been doing lots of hand signals and pointing. Nolan does a great job understanding me. When they do things that annoy me, I just let it slide. Surprisingly, we're having a great day. Nolan is obeying me better than ever! Perhaps I've lost my voice to teach me a lesson: life would be easier for me if I ~~yelled~~ talked less and let the little things go. Like does it really matter if we watch 4 movies in a row? Or if they eat handfuls of jelly beans one after the other? How about locking themselves in Nolan's room and giggling mischieviously? I see no problem with any of that! You've heard of kids setting up an ice cream or lemonade stand, of course. Well, the other day I came out of my room after getting ready and came upon this. Nolan said excitedly, "Mom, I made a water stand for you!" Thanks, buddy. Well, if you're trying to get a hold of me in the next few days, email is best! You don't want to hear this scary voice.

Preschool Lapbooks

2011-03-27T21:17:00.006-06:00

I've been busy making file folder games and some lapbooks for the boys to work on. It turned into a big project because I wanted them all laminated. Lots of printing, cutting, and more cutting. But they weren't expensive, even after 10 feet of lamination at my local copy store! I was really hoping to find some strong glue, but nothing was working. I tried hot glue and liquid fusion. I opted for staples. Sturdy, even though they're not pretty. Here are the two more elaborate lapbooks I made, one "fireman" and one "astronaut."

I did two more traditional file folder games, too.

And lastly, I found some activities in the Friend magazine that looked fun.

They work great with dry-erase markers and some sticky-back velcro. Nolan is really enjoying them and even Ezra loves doodling with the markers. We have since learned that it's not a good idea to do these on the couch (it washed out, thank goodness).

If anyone would like to make these for their little squirts, just go here or here. I didn't do much research so there are probably other fabulous free folder games out there.

Going Crazy Fast

2011-03-20T18:31:00.003-06:00

These boys are giving me grief. Nolan's whole personality is changing and it's been a real struggle to become reacquainted with my own little boy. He no longer wants to go to preschool, he's not as outgoing, he is worried about making mistakes and sometimes doesn't want to try new things, gets anxious without mom or dad nearby, and he seems to be needing more attention and love than ever before. We are even having potty training challenges (I thought I would be over this hurdle by now), especially at night. I wish I knew exactly how to help him through this new 4 yr. old stage in his life. We were able to attend the temple last night and it was wonderful to feel some inspiration and extra love for my sweet boy. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our challenges and won't leave us to guess at how to be good parents.

Ezra is also very needy. He follows me like a puppy. Speaking of puppies, he was naked for about 2 minutes before I could get him into the tub, and he found a corner to pee in. Nolan had to tell me and the look on Ezra's face was hilarious. He pointed to his puddle and it was obvious he knew it was wrong. Just like a puppy. He also begs for treats all day at the pantry door. I'll just finish getting him something and then he's asking for another snack. Luckily my boys love fruit!

So we've been needing something to stir up our long days. What could be better than a sandbox?! Oh boy, were they excited! They play great in it together and it gives me some time to take a breather, even if it's just to fold laundry. It's always nice to let my mind rest from the constant noise of toddlers. I've only noted two downsides, so far: Ezra begs to be in the box all day, and it's still too chilly to count on playing outside just whenever they want. And second, my house just got grainy. Sand is basically clean, but it's just something else to sweep and vacuum. Still, it's worth the happiness and much better than playing in our hard, rocky dirt!

Recently the Young Women in my ward were given prayer rocks. I had a few at my house and Nolan fell in love. So we just had to make our own. He's quite pleased with his little friend that sits by his bed and reminds him to pray.

Yesterday I attended a Vision Forum with my sister where we could learn more about her eye condition, advancements in treating it, and coping with blindness. Wow, my sister is a strong, upbeat woman. We also enjoyed a fabulous lunch and trip to Costco without out kiddos. When I got home, Grandma K was here to visit. Justin was learning to be an electrician in the basement. Kathi came down so that we could go out and do a temple session (in exchange for a little help with her taxes). It was really a good day and a much-needed break. Usually the boys stress out a little when we leave, but not with her. She's way too much fun! My most sincere thanks go out to her. Grandma K helps us stay on the safe side of crazy (but it's a fine line for me).

My Mom's hutch

2011-03-13T20:34:00.003-06:00

I love looking at the projects over at All Things Thrifty, so when my mom was doing some redecorating I practically begged her to redo her desk/hutch like a project I had seen there. It turned out so fabulous. Way to go, Mom! I am so excited for my basement to be done so that I can start in decorating and maybe learn how to glaze furniture, too.

We have Daddy back!

2011-03-13T16:30:00.003-06:00

So it finally feels like Spring is officially around the corner. I just noticed that our little tulips are beginning to poke out of the dirt. I can't wait to send the kids in the backyard to play more often.
The great news this week is that Justin finished his online Stanford class. It was a tough one because it involved a lot of writing, which he just doesn't enjoy. There were many nights that he needed to stay at work to do homework so that he could study in peace. We don't have a separate room that's quiet and the kids don't understand why Dad can't just play when he gets home. Justin has been busy with a project at work, too, and has been working longer into the night. One night I heard him sneaking into bed at 5:30 a.m., but he was typically gone from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. I won't pretend that I was always supportive. I tend to whine and complain when I'm dealing with the kids on my own from morning until bedtime. They really wear me down. I'm sure he'll still have some late nights, but he thinks the worst is over for a while. This was the first weekend in a long while that Daddy has been home to play. It's been so great! I've enjoyed have an adult to converse with.
He's such a hard worker, that when he told me he got a raise and promotion, we knew we needed to celebrate. What a treat it was to get a babysitter! My Dad happened to be in town working on the basement and he graciously took us out for a wonderful dinner at P.F. Chang. We're so thankful that Justin has a great job that he enjoys. Here's to you, honey! I hope you get a chance to relax a little before we have to start working on the yard.
This past week I ordered my first Bountiful Basket. We received lots of yummy stuff, but my favorite was the tiny tender asparagus, green beans, a pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, and blackberries. It's so fun to have delicious produce that I wouldn't normally buy (and it's yummier than store produce, anyway). The only trouble is that I also bought a box of grapefruit, apples, and oranges being sold door-to-door. We've got lots of fresh food to eat!

Birthday Boy!

2011-03-08T15:00:00.006-07:00

It seems like we've been celebrating Nolan's birthday ever since Disneyland, but today he is officially 4 years old. It's a pretty normal day around here, except that he took treats to preschool and got a present from Miss Anna-Marie. Oh, and he did get to choose oatmeal for breakfast (I actually let him choose every morning but made a big deal of it today) and a cheese tortilla for lunch.

We celebrated his birthday last Saturday with Grandma K, her boyfriend Jon (our first time meeting him), and Daren's family. He received a Leapster, a DoodlePro, Lincoln Logs, SuperSipperz, and some summer clothes. He also got a Lego set but it was one he already had, so he enjoyed going to exchange them and chose the game KerPlunk. It's pretty fun even for Ezra, when he's not trying to eat the marbles. Nolan said all the appropriate things while opening presents: "Oh, thank you!" and "Cute!" and "I love it!" Except the next day he opened a present that I'd forgotten: it was the Little Rascals movie. He said, "I just don't want to watch this movie. You can take it back to the store." Okay, he's not perfect.

The boys have been loving the new presents. The connecting straws are quite entertaining. I'm sure Nolan wishes that Ezra would love the Lincoln Logs a little less (he's like the tornado that comes through to destroy his creations).

Most importantly, I thought I'd record some of Nolan's personality, even though I know I could never do him justice.

- loves drawing pictures (even draws himself anatomically correct)

- gets treats for Ezra so that he can have some ("Mom, I shared a treat with Ezra. I'll have some, too.")

- more timid and cautious lately

- always wants to read his picture Book of Mormon and cuddle before bed (not really cuddle, he just wants us to lay in bed by him)

- interested in geography (he wants to drive to Canada and South America for a trip: right, like Disneyland wasn't far enough!)

- bites his fingernails and toenails (I know, right?)

- strokes Ezra and says, "Oh, he's so sweet" whenever Ez is sleeping or sick

- loves chicken nuggets

- does an African Gumboots dance that Justin used to do on the folk dance team

- enjoys baking with me (I've tried to get him out of the kitchen but it doesn't work)

- loves playing with his cousins, Ryan and Kendyll

- told me he doesn't want to be 4... he just wants to stay little

- has an amazing memory

- very polite, always saying "No thanks"

- loves fruit

- learns quickly

Happy birthday to the man in my life! I say that because my little world revolves around him, but I'm sure glad he's in it. We love you, Nolan!

Superhero

2011-03-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Nolan came to me and said, "Look Mom! I made Ezra a superhero!" They were both so pleased with their application of Mom's makeup.

The End of our Trip (I Promise)

2011-02-28T12:28:00.007-07:00

So here are the final random pictures that I didn't want to leave out when I print our family journal.

When both kids needed a little break they did pretty well to share the single stroller.

We learned some lessons on this trip that I'll share just in case any of you readers are thinking of going soon:
Never bring a 1.5 year-old to Disneyland. They have a difficult time waiting in lines, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Ez did pretty well, but I'd rather not take my chance ever again.

Always eat 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to. Before you know it everyone is cranky and starved, especially Mom!

Always put the kids to sleep an hour earlier than you think they need to, otherwise there will be tears, many tears (also especially from Mom).

The night time shows/parades never seem to be worth it. World of Color was pretty cool, but it's so tiring to wait for a decent seat and then hold kids on shoulders so that they can see. Ez fell asleep anyway. When our family is a little older we'll probably love the night life.

There are many new things coming, especially in California Adventures Park. It might be worth waiting until 2012 when Cars Land and other areas are finished. Should be exciting next time we go (but I hope it's not sooner than two or three years from now)!
On our way back we spent time with Grandma and Grandpa before pressing on home. Ez was sure happy to play with Grandpa and Nolan loved telling them all the rides he went on. The rides really got long coming home, and Justin was pulled over for speeding only 30 minutes away from our house. Thank goodness that we ended the trip with a warning and not a pricey ticket!

Character Love

2011-02-27T17:53:00.005-07:00

These boys absolutely fell in love with all of the characters they met. I had no idea they would react that way. We had always said that a character meal would be fun, but that our boys probably wouldn't care too much about it yet. Well, our feelings started to change after seeing their eyes light up and Ezra's glowing smile. We spent half of our Disneyland time with Justin's Dad's family. We were so excited when they offered to take us to the character breakfast at Grand California's restaurant. What a treat! We loved the food and the kids were so happy to cuddle those big critters. While on our trip, we realized that our camera is no longer working properly. Some of the buttons, their functions, and the zoom won't work. I'm bummed that I can no longer adjust the brightness of the flash. We all look a little washed out. But thankfully it still works well enough to capture these boys and those big character hugs. Nolan and I (he insisted I join in... oh good) even had a chance to do a congo line and dance with the chipmunks.

Ezra definitely had a little crush on Minnie Mouse. There weren't many people around, so Minnie kept coming back to Ezra and even danced with him. Nolan was pretty pleased to meet Woody and one of the army men.

While at the character breakfast, Brandon and Evan were celebrating their sixth birthday. Grandpa Corey and Kathy thought it would be fun to celebrate Nolan's also, even though he still had a couple weeks to wait for the real day. It was a fun surprise when they came to sing to the kids and brought cupcakes for everyone, even Ezra. The rest of the day Nolan wore his birthday button and workers in Disneyland would wish him happy birthday throughout the day.

Disneyland

2011-02-26T20:01:00.006-07:00

Nolan was pretty excited... just check out that smile as he found his seat on the shuttle that first morning. We headed to the Nemo subs for our Magic Morning, since that line is always so long. That's one ride I'd be happy to skip honestly, but Ezra begs to watch "Emo" everyday. He was quite amused by the whole ride. His favorite rides, though, were the carousel and the Ladybugs that spin like teacups. I loved hearing him giggle the whole time as we'd spin around. He really loved exploring on Tom Sawyer island (thankfully he didn't get lost forever in those tunnels) and the Challenge Trail in California Adventure Park. Here are some of Ezra's best Disneyland moments.

Nolan just barely squeaked by the height requirement for several rides, including the Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, and Soarin' over California. Before our trip, he would always say, "I'm going on the Tower of Terror first!" We thought it best to ride several more easy-going rides to get him warmed up. The time finally came, though, and Justin said he did great. He even told Justin he liked it. But a bit later, I asked him to come with me on it since Justin had gotten a switchpass. He said, "No I don't want to go again. I am scared of every part of that ride." Well, here's where my awesome parenting skills kicked in: I had him ride it with me anyway. Okay, looking back, I should have just gone by myself, but he was pretty willing as we walked on (yes, lines were really short). We got inside and a lady was talking to him and he told her, "I just hate every part of this ride. I don't like going down faster than gravity." But the little guy was perfectly happy getting strapped in. When it was over, I asked him if he liked it better the second time. "No, I told you I hate every part." Whenever we went on the bigger rides he would get off and say how he's a champion (that's what the name Nolan means). One evening they said he wasn't tall enough for the runaway train even though he had ridden it that morning. We bought him some taller shoes the next day and he was good to go the rest of the time. They're so picky, so if your kids are just making the height requirements, buy thick soles!His favorites were the "mine train" (Big Thunder Railroad) and Soarin'. That kid was the happiest I've ever seen him as we soared over the forest and ocean on that ride. He was pleased with the Haunted House, Matterhorn, Pirates, and Small World, too.

So they had many great, happy moments, but it's amazing how for us parents it felt like there were way too many bad moments. Exhaustion was the main culprit but there wasn't much we could do about that. They would take naps in the stroller, we packed plenty of snacks, but it was still just so much stimulation. Nolan even knew it. After a fit from him, he calmly said, "Mom, it's just because I'm so tired." I think my favorite picture from the whole trip is when I captured Ezra in one such moment. Not sure what he was mad about, but he was really trying to give us a piece of his mind! If looks could kill...

Long Trip (Part 2)

2011-02-24T11:10:00.007-07:00

While still in San Diego we visited Justin's Dad's house. They had done some kitchen remodeling, which was fun to see and our boys always love to play with their 3 little guys, twins age 6 and one that is 3. They have a beautiful yard where we could set them free.

That night we had a surprise from the hotel. They upgraded our room to a fabulous suite. Extra space is always good when kids are involved. The next day was Valentine's. We all gave each other treats and the boys got Beauty and the Beast to enjoy in the car. We spent the day at Lake Miramar where we enjoyed the ducks and a long walk around the lake. So long, in fact, that we began to worry. Justin turned back to get the van to pick us up on the other side of the lake while I continued on with the kids. I probably walked nearly 2.5 miles before we finally met up. Turns out the lake is larger than we realized. But the weather was beautiful and it was good practice for the upcoming days of walking at Disneyland. Afterward, we headed to the beach near the UCSD campus where we had a picnic and enjoyed the ocean breeze. Justin even had me show the boys the UCSD (he went there for a year) library that is built like a giant tree.

On the drive to Anaheim, the boys thankfully slept for us. Always a blessing when they sleep in the car. Sometimes I don't really think my boys look much alike, but in that picture they definitely do!

After checking into our hotel, we discovered that we had the Disney channel. What joy! It turns out that Dad likes Handy Manny as much as the boys. Later, we walked around the Downtown Disney district. The highlight was the Lego store. I don't think Nolan realized there were entire stores devoted to Legos. What a thrill! We let him handpick his own collection of Legos to take home as an early birthday present. It was pretty fun choosing Lego bricks as if they were bulk candy.

We finished off the night with dinner at Buca di Beppo, near our hotel. Oddly enough, Justin and I decided this day was one of the best of our entire vacation. It's funny how it was the only day that wasn't really planned out, the kids were pleasant, and it didn't cost much money. Later you'll read about how we ran our kids ragged, pressured them into riding rides they don't like, and then tried to make them sit down for a nice meal at a restaurant. More to come!

Long Trip (Part 1)

2011-02-22T14:11:00.004-07:00

We have ~~survived~~ returned from our Southern California trip. Our main purpose for the visit was to celebrate my Nana's 90th birthday. It was great to see her and to get reacquainted with some of the Ligtermoet side of the family. I hadn't seen many of them since our wedding seven years ago, and some since childhood. Nana put on a happy face, but it was a difficult time because she is soon packing up and moving to Kansas to live in a senior home where she'll be near her daughter and granddaughters who are nurses. She's worried about being cold there so we gave her a blanket with a collage of our side of the family. In many ways it was the end of a long era. I've grown up visiting my Nana and Papa in San Diego and when we visit now it won't feel the same without her there. I doubt we'll see Nana as often, but wish her all the best. She's really an amazing woman. I love how she always reminds me to give Justin a big kiss for her whenever we speak on the phone.

While in San Diego, we visited the beach and pier in Oceanside with my parents, Lacey, and Travis. I'm already missing the beautiful weather and warm sun. Ezra hasn't had many chances to really run fast and far since it's cold outside at home. But he really took off at the beach. If only I could let him experience that freedom more often. It was great fun to watch him chase a seagull and get too close (for my comfort) to a pelican.

Keeley's family finished their time in Disneyland and joined us for Nana's party. That evening, we snuck in a little shopping time while the men took the kids swimming at the hotel.

The next morning we went to Nana's Presbyterian church service and luncheon. We enjoyed experiencing a different church setting. They put on a program afterward celebrating Nana, but sadly we missed that because our kids were getting too restless. My parents said it was really wonderful. We all wished we'd had more time before going our separate ways to school, jobs, and Disneyland (which is what I'll write about soon).

Keeping Occupied

2011-02-07T13:51:00.005-07:00

Justin has still been working some crazy hours and working hard on his Stanford class. There are a lot of papers for him to write, and he's never loved writing. So I've been trying to keep these boys from getting bored. Luckily our friends asked us to go to the Gateway children's museum one last time before their membership expired. It was Ezra's first time going since he's been up and walking. And we had a yummy lunch at Hot Dog on a Stick. The place is pretty pricey so we're always grateful when we can bum our way in with a friends' membership. Thanks, Brianne!

I also buzzed the boys over to the Living Planet Aquarium before our membership expired there. I guess it's the season of expiring memberships! Nolan was very protective of Ezra and didn't like it when he ran too far away. He was always tugging the poor little guy this way and that. But we always love the aquarium because the fish have a sort of calming effect on all of us. Almost makes me wish I had a fish tank at home. But not really; I don't need anything else to keep clean!

This morning we also had playgroup at Macey's grocery store. Nolan is behind the black balloon.

They gave us a tour and little handouts like string cheese, fruit leathers, suckers, and balloons. It's always great to let Nolan see new things and get away from the dull routine of a movie here, legos there, drawing pictures, and playing computer games. See, he got so bored the other day that he just fell asleep right in the computer chair!

Last week I cut some wraps and triangle bandages for my emergency pack. The boys like to play with them so I practiced doing a splint on Nolan. He was pretty surprised when he stood up and couldn't bend his knee. Ez is sporting a mock arm injury. Aren't they cute little practice victims?

Liberty

2011-01-26T20:45:00.002-07:00

We've been reading about Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty in Nolan's picture Book of Mormon. Well, today was a rough day for Nolan. He spent lots of time in time-out and wasn't done when I had to go to Young Women. I gave him a tight squeeze before I left, but apparantly it wasn't enough. Justin said he was upset for nearly an hour later because I hadn't given the required "love and kiss." I forgot the kiss. Big oops. Justin kept trying to calm him down by giving him options of things to do. Nolan finally said, "I have no liberty! I don't want to make any choices!" It's good to know that he pays attention during scripture time. Nice application, buddy. And yes, I gave him plenty of kisses when I got back.

CERT

2011-01-25T19:17:00.003-07:00

I'm one of the newest members of CERT, the Community Emergency Response Team. It took two Saturdays from 8 to 5, but now I feel like I could actually save your life in an emergency. Well, if I'm brave enough to leave my house and find someone to watch my kids after a major disaster, then I could go save your life.
There was a lot to learn, and even though I was out of my comfort zone at times, I'm glad I took the course. The most exciting part was doing the mock disaster. There were about 13 or 14 "victims" that volunteered to get all bloodied up so that 5 of us CERTs could practice. I so wish I had pictures of us (this is what we looked like, though).

It was the real deal... not just ketchup smeared around. One guy that I helped had a pole sticking out of his stomach while his girlfriend sat screaming by his side. After accessing for shock, I tagged him and she grabbed me and wouldn't let me leave. It was quite realistic in the fact that people who are desperate aren't anxious to let help walk away. There was also a "bone" sticking out of someone's shin, and several other nasty wounds. We had to carry two victims out on a back board. The first time around was crazy. Most of us weren't prepared for how real it would feel. But the second time went well. I'm now feeling the importance of keeping more medical supplies on hand so that my family, neighbors, and community will be safer.
It's really a great program. It only costs around $45 and they give you a backpack, hard hat, gloves, mask, and eye protection that you'd need to use if something happened in the community. I hope that you'll consider getting trained, too.
There will be trainings coming up in the future. Visit the CERT website to find out more. Get in touch with Robin (her email is on the website) if you'd like to get trained.

Prayers

2011-01-25T19:12:00.002-07:00

There was a time when Nolan really didn't want to say prayers. Now he volunteers every time. Here are some of the phrases that we can expect to hear when he prays:
"Please bless our Grandmas and Grandpas, and our other Grandmas and Grandpas."
"I'm thankful that heaven is real."
"Please bless the other day, and the other day, and the other day, and the other day...." This goes on and on and we're not exactly sure what he means by it.
"Thankful that Mommy, Daddy, Nolan, and Ezra can feel good."
"Thankful I have a spirit."
And here is one thing that I wish he'd say:
"Please help me to stop peeing my pants."

Bald Spot

2011-01-25T14:22:00.002-07:00

I thought it would be fun to make paper snowflakes with Nolan. He hasn't used scissors much and I thought it would be good practice. Well, I left him alone with the last snowflake for about two minutes, and I came back to find little hairs littering the table and his shoulders. He told me, "I just cut my hair here on top." I really couldn't see anything where he was pointing so I figured it must have been just a little here and there - not enough to do much damage. Well, it wasn't until two hours later that I really noticed the bald spot on the front of his hairline. My first thought was, "Thank goodness he isn't a girl." It would have been so much more noticeable. I'm starting to think that practicing with scissors isn't really neccessary at this point in his life.

Favorite Place to Play

2011-01-25T14:03:00.002-07:00

We have a new favorite place to play: Classic Skate in Sandy. My mom and sister had said that it would be a perfect place to let the boys loose for a while, and they were so right! We bounced, went down giant slides, climbed through "the jungle," and played some video games. I was amazed that with the coupons from Classic Skate's website, the outing only cost us $4. We even came out with candy necklaces with the tickets we'd won. And we practically had the place to ourselves on a Monday morning, which is good because I think I had nearly as much fun bouncing as the boys did (I felt a little too old for it, but it was fun to be silly again). So if anyone is looking for a place to let your kids release some energy during these cold months, check it out. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we'll be back.

Just so you know: Their mom's club is usually from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes unlimited bouncing, skating, exploring "the jungle," and 10 tokens per child for $7.50 each. However, check their website because they always have coupons that might apply to mom's club. I thought I'd have to pay for myself since I need to be in there with Ezra, but I was free!

Winter Activities

2011-01-19T10:21:00.004-07:00

I always think that January is the longest month, until I get to February and March and they both seem long, too. Winter just isn't my favorite time of year, especially since having kids. We get so tired of being at home all the time and when we do go somewhere it can be really frustrating when the kids act out. But here is what we've done to break up the monotony of being cooped up at home.

We've played in big boxes! Nolan sat for hours in this box just drawing picture after picture. His favorite thing to draw is the shark with spinning teeth from James and the Giant Peach. He also draws hotels and cities with lots of windows.

During one especially long day, I decided to get the kids out of the house even if it took 30 minutes to get ready. For some reason, getting snow clothes on takes us forever and by the time the kids are ready I'm nearly too pooped to go outside. It seems like every time I look down to grab a hat or glove, I look back up and the kiddo I'm trying to dress is halfway across the room already. They never stay where I put them. But we made it to a nearby park for some spur-of-the-moment sledding. It was worth it when I heard Ezra giggle as he would slide down each time. If only his shoes had stayed on! As I watched Nolan go down, I looked back and Ezra was running down the road, already 50 yards away. Once again, they never stay put!

Nolan is going through some changes lately that I'm hoping are normal. He is much more sensitive about what is in movies and on TV. We tried to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Turns out he was really disturbed that Wonka put some coats in a big vat of liquid for making candy. I think there are stranger parts in that movie, but he did not want the coat in there. Also, he tries to hide behind me when he has done something naughty in front of others. He embarrasses much more easily. And when we are having a discussion about something he's done wrong, he says, "I just don't want to talk about this right now." He never used to care about being scolded so we're all trying to adjust. He is still very particular and when something isn't right he'll launch into a tantrum. I get so angry when I try everything I can to make sense of what he is asking for and if I don't guess right, look out!!! Big blow up. I'm hoping he won't be so volatile in the coming years. But I'm afraid he gets it from me so maybe he won't grow out of it at all.

At last week's Primary activity, he decided that he didn't want to stay. I told him there would be treats and games and friends, but he said, "I just don't want to do this right now. I don't need those treats." So we went home. At least he's polite about it. Now he says that about preschool sometimes but I practically shove him out of the van anyway. Luckily he comes home happy. I just love this little guy and hope that he will mellow out a little so that I can, too.

Big Appetite

2011-01-11T16:48:00.004-07:00

Ezra cut some new teeth and has had a change in his appetite. He normally eats like a bird but lately he wants to eat constantly! What a wonderful thing for our little tiny guy. The other day he sat in his high chair for about 2 hours while Justin refilled his tray with various cereals. Nolan wanted to help and accidently gave him way too many Cheerios. Ez must have been overwhelmed because that's when he gave up on eating and threw them to the floor. It was a Cheerios explosion! But since then he is always begging for snacks and eating his meals so well. My job is to stock up on healthy things. Here's my happy little eater. We just hope it lasts! Does anyone have any great snack ideas for my kids? I'm must be in a rut because I can't seem to think of very many healthy (and easy) snacks for give them. Even if you think it seems obvious, jot them down for me anyway. I'd like to compile a snack list so that I can refer to it when I'm making my weekly grocery lists.

And this is not my idea of a snack... I just thought it was cute that his stocking stuffer sucker is bigger than his head.

Christmas morning

2011-01-02T17:51:00.004-07:00

Santa found his way to the cabin! Since we did better at video taping than snapping pictures, here is the rundown of the beloved presents:

tent w/ tunnel and a camp set
pillow pets
zhu zhu pets
Handy Manny motorcycle
Lego Duplo construction set

Justin and I were so pleased to received two new pillows (actually good quality, unlike the cheapos I usually buy) and a King down comforter (we've spent the last 6 weeks making do with our old Queen comforter on our new King bed). Every night when we slip into bed we feel like it's Christmas all over again!

Nolan spent nearly the entire day tucked inside the tent with Legos of some sort or another. Ezra had new things to play with but seemed to only get excited about the candy canes. When he was done with those, he chose to wander around the cabin aimlessly, making the sign for milk at the first sight of either mom or dad. At one point Grandpa John flipped on the light in his bathroom to find Ez sitting in the sink in the dark with a grin on his face. Every now and then I would take him and put him in the sink because of the expression of joy it produced. Grandpa John also lifted Ezra onto his lap only to find that his little legs were soaking wet. Apparantly he had found a toilet bowl to swim in. What are we going to do with him? As for Justin and me, I was eager to dive into reading Book 2 of The Hunger Games and Justin practiced piloting his new helicopter.

I'm so thankful for the joys this Christmas season has brought. The best part was seeing the excitement in the eyes of Nolan (Ez is just barely "getting it"), being near my loved ones, and partaking of delicious holiday food. 'Til next year, Santa!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-02T17:06:00.005-07:00

This year we spent Christmas at my parents' cabin in Alton. All of my siblings and their families were able to be with us this year. We spent the day making cookies, decorating a gingerbread village (Uncle Rob ended by painting his face like the Joker), and playing on the big snow hill. That evening we enjoyed our traditional Chinese dinner of orange chicken, egg rolls, and ham fried rice. We have officially given up making chop suey, since it is so much more work than the orange chicken.

Afterward, we managed to pull off our first family talent/comedy show! I started warning my family about this a month or so back, only to be scoffed and laughed at. But I persevered by encouraging and forcing some people to participate. We had several musical solos (Blake on the piano, Grady on the guitar, Kamrie on the violin), vocal solos (Ryan, Kendyll, Kamrie, Ethan, and Nolan all had one or two numbers), two cheers (led by Darian), a humorous ballet exerpt (by yours truly and the not-shy husband of mine), and a comedy routine of sorts (Bryan and Bryson). It was such a good time that my family might actually allow me to announce another one in a year or two! Thanks, everyone, for being good sports! And just in case some of you are wondering: yes, Justin made his dramatic entrance in little bike shorts. At the end of our show some of the younger kids kept asking him: "Were you dancing in your underwear?" Seriously honey, it was awesome!

After opening new pajamas, reading the Christmas story in Luke II, setting out Santa's cookies, and a bedtime story from Aunt Keeley, the kids were eager to get to bed with the rule that they not wake until 6 a.m. It had been a magical day!

18-month Ezra

2010-12-20T21:02:00.004-07:00

Today was Ezra's 18 month check-up. He weighs 19 lb. 11 oz. which puts him under the 3rd percentile in weight. He is in the 35th percentile for height and his head circumference must have measured normal because the doctor didn't mention it. He's our little peanut but the doctor didn't act worried, even when I mentioned that he eats like a bird. The great news about being 18 months is that he is finally legal in nursery! He did great his first week... let's just hope it continues.

I'm sure many of you have heard the sad news about the Provo Tabernacle fire. I remember having stake conferences there while at BYU. It was a beautiful building. But I thought I would share these pictures from Deseret News. They're so fascinating and they somehow seem fitting at Christmas time. Even during difficult trials, Christ is always there for us.

Christmas Card

2010-12-17T11:40:00.002-07:00

Consider yourself greeted! We hope everyone out there has a magical week and a wonderful celebration with family and other loved ones. We are so grateful for all that we've been blessed with, and we're especially glad for this time of year when we can focus a little more on Christ and His sacrifice for us. Happy Christmas, everyone!

Santa's Lap

2010-12-11T20:45:00.006-07:00

We had a quick visit with Santa today at our nearby clubhouse. Wow, Santa's beard sure has gotten thick. We couldn't even hear what he was saying under all of that fluff. And Mrs. Clause must be giving him a few too many cookies... there was very little room left on his lap for the children to sit. But all of that aside, Nolan told Santa that he wants a "big, big, giant motorcycle" and Ezra didn't cry so that's about all we could hope for. Ezra does say "ho, ho , ho" very well, but didn't share that talent with Santa.

While Justin was out of town last week, I took the boys to see the lights at temple square. Why go without the Daddy, you ask? Well, I asked Justin if he wanted to go a week ago and he said, "But I just get so, so cold." I guess he really is from San Diego! But we had a nice time and even enjoyed dinner at The Lion House. It was a balmy 40 degrees and drizzled on us a bit, but it was a good night compared to when it's typically 25 degrees.

And here's a look at our snow tunnel from last week's storm. Quite impressive and still standing (barely) 7 days later. We were all excited for Ez to wake up so that we could show him, but he wasn't that impressed. He must take after Justin because he was too cold and started crying about 3 minutes in. I'd cry, too, if I refused to keep gloves on! Justin tried making it through but had to reverse out. I was in the middle of baking but was talked into going through. And no, this is NOT an announcement... I am not pregnant although the picture would suggest otherwise.

Tubing Video

2010-12-09T21:31:00.002-07:00

It took us a while to get the video of Nolan tubing off of Justin's phone, but we figured Grandma K would especially love it. Better late than never!

Pretty Girl

2010-12-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

Last night at tithing settlement, our bishop asked Nolan if he was planning to serve a mission. Nolan said, "Yeah, I will go on a mission to Brazil and I'll find a pretty girl in a black dress." We're thinking we need to tell him a little bit more about the actual purpose of an LDS mission!

Turkey Day

2010-11-29T14:48:00.006-07:00

First of all, welcome winter! Here's Nolan playing on our 4 ft. snow hill. We're thinking of making some kind of fort.

This year, Justin's father's side of the family rented a cabin in Park City for Thanksgiving weekend. We met up with them at The Canyons to enjoy a fabulous "Turkey Day" buffet. Justin and I were thinking it felt odd to be going out to eat, but as soon as we laid eyes on the food we both decided that we could get used to it! There was too much... I didn't even have a chance to try everything. Nolan and Ezra loved the miniature kids buffet, especially all the fruit and chocolate sauce. The kids surprised us by behaving pretty well so it was a wonderful meal. Thanks to Grandma P. who made it possible! We spent the rest of the afternoon at the cabin visiting and letting our boys play with their 3 and 5 yr. old uncles (Justin's little brothers).
On Friday morning we drove up again, and I headed straight for the outlets and found some sweet deals. It was the first time I've been shopping on Black Friday. I think one of these times I might like to go early in the morning or start at midnight. After lunch, Justin took Nolan tubing at Gorgoza Park. It was pretty fun, but also very crowded. We were thinking that it would be fabulous to go this weekend instead. So if any of you are interested in some family fun, head up there. They have a conveyer belt that drags you and your tube up the hill. Justin and Nolan had to stick to the shorter hills, but Nolan had a ball! I even wore Justin's coat (so that it had the pass on) and took Nolan down for the last run. We couldn't all go at the same time because kids have to be 3 years old, but we did drag Ezra around and he just laughed and laughed.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing at home and putting up Christmas decorations. Nolan was so happy to see the toy nativity scene that he kept saying, "Thank you, Mom" over and over again. Ezra can't get enough of the lights on the tree. It's going to be a fabulous season!