The Morgans

Folsom

2012-01-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

With Carson out of town for the weekend, I was left with just two kids which I have to say after juggling three felt like a mini vacation at times!

Although I wasn't about to drive to the beach to meet Carson, I thought that we could have fun close to home so I called my childhood friend whom I don't see often enough and we met at the Folsom Zoo.

These two are close in age but apparently Caitlin is a giant!

After arriving, the kids wanted to play at the park there so we didn't see any animals but did manage to catch the second to last train ride prior to it's closing which the kids loved!

If you've never been to downtown Folsom (or Fair Oaks) there are always chickens/roosters roaming free. These particualr chickens were fearless and came inches away from Caitlin several times before being shooed away.

It was a beautiful day and it was nice to catch up, thanks for meeting up with us Chels. Cait has been saying "friend, Gracie" repeatedly since the park!

Play

2012-01-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

At the end of a day I sometimes sit back and think, "what did I do all day?"
...Please tell me I' m not alone in this!

Aside from bathing, dressing, meal prep, and damage control to the house, my days are filled with playing with my 2 kids {and feeding the other} Here's a glimpse at a day in the Morgan house.

Inside

Caitlin stealing bites of daddy breakfast even though she had the same thing herself!
She is a beggar!

Bowling

Games

Wrestling

Outside

Spilled bubbles-ggrr,

Chalk

Goodnight, sleep tight.

Although the days sometimes seem mundane and I get overwhelmed {i heart bedtime!}, I consider myself lucky to be able to spend so much time with my kids and help them explore the world around them, even if we didn't go anywhere!

All Girl

2012-01-13T07:42:00.001-08:00

Caitlin is such a girly girl {which I love} she mothers her baby dolls, "cooks" for us, requests flowers for her hair, loves the telephone, and is always into my stuff, particularly my nail polish! She will often come out of my bathroom with a chosen color and with a slight tilt of her head almost demand "nails" Our little girl is getting big...

Caitlin broke her leg 3 days after Owen was born {great timing huh?!} and has been in a cast ever since! She will be getting it off today and we are all excited!

A Name and a Blessing

2012-01-08T20:45:00.001-08:00

We had such a wonderful with family! We blessed Owen and are lucky to live so close to our families! We attempted a family picture but I am learning that it is nearly impossible to get everyone to cooperate-so we're keeping it real! Ha-ha, our life is CRAZY!

some of the fam

Carson loves cousin Ava

Afterwards we had our families over for dinner.
Little did Owen know that our party was just for him!

We had soups, bread, salad, fruit and the best of course was dessert! I tried a few new soup recipes and gave out the Lasagna Soup recipe 8 times...I was delicious so I thought I'd share!

Also, this cake, Chocolate Oreo Cream Cake {if the name isn't appealing enough} was AMAZING! I'm really not just saying that, Carson who doesn't have much of an appetite and whom I can't ever bribe with dessert wanted more--I've never been so proud!

1 month

2012-01-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our little man as I like to call him is one month already! We love his squeaky voice and little noises. The kids think it"s funny when you burp, toot and poop-of course! You eat every 3-4 ours but the whole process takes about an hour so it feels more like you eat more often! He weighs over 10lbs. and i s very strong. He loves to arch his back and can lift his head up and hold it for quite some time. We all love our little Owen!

Kiddos

2012-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

With Andrew's business, we have our fair share of boxes, packages and deliveries but this is the best package I could receive! Love them!

First Bath

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

Owen liked his first bath but with it being winter and all his least favorite part was getting out!

Afterwards, he smelled so good and even had a personal stylist help with his hair!

So fresh and so clean!

First week home

2011-12-15T18:46:00.001-08:00

We are all in love with this "little man" as we call him. He is a sweet little guy.

Carson is especially smitten and loves to hold him and talk to him often.

Caitlin also loves to say "hi, baby Owen!" She threw us a curve ball by breaking her leg, so I am getting a workout by carrying her and him everywhere!

I think we are adjusting; I am coping by retiring to bed at a ridiculously early hour but it's the only way to get in some decent shut eye so I am take on the day with 3!

We are lucky to have this little baby and he truly is the BEST Christmas present!

Owen Thomas Morgan

2011-12-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

After waiting for Owen to come on his own, I was induced on his due date, December 7th. I was given Pitocin which was gradually increased throughout the day...it was pretty uneventful and pain free until 2:30pm when my MD broke my water and I got some Toradal to help with the pain and for an hour it helped and then the contractions were getting worse and although they were dulled they hurt bad! After being "forced" to push {I didn't want to because I was in so much pain} he was born at 4:32pm 20 inches long and 8 lbs. 10oz. He was a BIG boy!

I tore a little and as the MD was stitching he didn't numb me all the way so I could feel it and would flinch and being as I was holding Owen, he would cry. Dang doctor!

This picture cracks me up because it was taken right after Owen was born, I hadn't moved from the bed, nor did I freshen up I think I was thrilled that the pain had stopped!

The kids got to the hospital about an hour after he was born and the nurse was giving Owen his bath so Carson and Caitlin got to see us without the baby initially, something that I prefer and think helps with the transition.

After opening their presents from Owen, Carson was anxious to hold him.

I have never seen such a proud brother, he even reminded us by holding up both hands with a concerned look on his face that he needed to wash his hands prior to holding the baby. He is such a good boy and LOVES his little brother!

Caitlin wasn't sure what to thin of the hospital room at first. She took everything in and finally relented to sitting with me after she was sure I wouldn't bite!

We are a family of FIVE! Crazy!

Moving to my postpartum room was comical because the kids all wanted a piece of me.

Andrew took the kids home that night and when they left Cait was kicking and screaming hysterically "mommy, mommy" I cried because I felt like I was already being a bad mom. Andrew later told me that a kind nurse was nice enough to offer her a Popsicle which made her happy.

I find hospitals to be the most un-restful place imaginable so I was happy to get to home home the next day. Here Owen is ready to come home from the hospital the next day.

Oh, baby!

2011-12-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Carson went to Cayucos without us because with minus two weeks until the EDD we thought it was best not to travel too far. That meant that Caitlin had us all to herself, something that she loved...can you tell?! She has so much personality!

While we had some one on one time, I tried to ease her into the reality that we would soon be having a baby...something that I do no think she understands AT ALL!

She loved playing with the baby is is very sweet, let's just hope this is how she reacts to her little brother!

Shades

2011-12-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

Caitlin found these glasses Carson had and wore them until I took them off of her. It was funny to see her eat and watch a show still wearing them! Her future is just too bright!

Santa

2011-12-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

We met Santa yesterday and the kids were excited!

Carson wanted to be sure that he knew that he wanted a Spiderman suit for Christmas. Caitlin said she was going to ask for a doll and liked looking at Santa from afar saying, "ho, ho, ho" but when the time came to sit on his lap, she was not so sure...she is super shy!

She did however, like the candy cane she got and is in fact still talking about the candy from Santa today {she has a major sweet tooth!}

Next stop was Santa's Elf for balloons; the kids waited patiently and Ms. Elf was speedy and really good.

Caitlin got a purple dog (her favorite color) and Carson got a sword and holder.

Next stop was Mrs. Claus's kitchen for some cookie decorating and hot chocolate.

It was a fun afternoon gearing up for Christmas! I just love this time of year!

Buddy

2011-12-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

We've done Elf on a Shelf for the past few years and have loved it! For preschool Carson gets to bring a share item each day he goes to preschool and naturally he wanted to bring buddy. The only problem was that one of the "official rules" of buddy is that kids can't touch him so we asked Santa for special permission to take him to school.

The morning of school, Carson found Buddy in his back pack with a note...saying that he could go!

Carson was so excited! This time of year is just magical!

Sleepless

2011-11-29T03:25:00.000-08:00

Laying in bed tossing and turning for an hour or so led me to get up, roam around the house and eventually settle down for a middle of the night blog post. I guess my body is trying to get me used to be "up all night."

This past week was Thanksgiving and although I am suffering through a sinus infection, {hopefully} the last week of this pregnancy and the last few weeks of school I truly have so much to be thankful for.

First and foremost is my family, especially my kids.

Carson is 4 and a half and is growing out of his pants like a little weed. He is very inquisitive and LOVES school...he almost cries on the days that he doesn't get to go! He is also super social and ALWAYS carrying on a conversation or singing-sometimes it drives me crazy but what can I say, he likes interaction and he's just a happy kid. He is really into break dancing and stretching and can almost do the splits own the middle-ouch! He'll run around, stretch and do his version of push-ups and then run to the fridge for muscle milk and then ask me to feel his muscles as if they just grew right then and there!

This picture below cracks me up! Want to know why he chose this candy? He thought they were Smarties and he made the comment that they would help make him smarter! I love how naive and innocent he is. At this age, they truly have magical thinking!

Caitlin is almost 22 months and such a silly girl. She is speaking really well and clear. CArson always talked but you couldn't always understand what he was saying. Caitlin articulates well and I think this fact will make the transition with the new baby easier. On Thanksgiving, we discovered that she can count to 10--very clearly, without prompting ALL by HERSELF! Crazy!

This girl knows what she wants and has a hard tiem when she doesn't get her way-uh-oh...we're working on that! Her favorite color is purple and her attention span is getting a little longer which is nice because she'll actually sit down and watch something with us. She loves to jump and rough around up something that I know Andrew loves but she is also a true girl who already gets excited about new clothes and shoes and loves dresses and requests flowers for her hair. She also makes you feel special because she gets super excited when she sees people and will sequel and then run to you laughing in delight.

I am so glad that they are friends. The first thing Caitlin says every morning when she wakes up is, Carson. He's usually still asleep but she can't wait for him not to be!

I am also super grateful for the man of our house whom I don't take pictures of often enough...I'll have to make that a project of mine or something because he isn't hard to look at ;) He takes care of lots of things that I don't even have to think about and it's so nice!

Love them all and am getting anxious to see what personality and dynamic our little guy will bring to our family. I am truly blessed.

Scripture Power!

2011-11-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

We have been reading scriptures with Carson every night and last month for his reward he wanted donuts and with Krispie Kreme re-opening it was a special treat especially because I don't buy donuts or haven't for almost 10 years. He loves charts and after he reads he gets to color a shape (last month was leaves, this month hearts)...he NEVER forgets to color them it's kind of cute!

Those of you who know Carson will appreciate the fact that after taking a few bites, being encouraged to eat more, he declared he was done...and this was what was left! He has so much self control!

I have loved hearing him recount the stories from the scriptures! We use the kid version with pictures and we've made it through the Book of Mormon and D&C and are getting towards the end of the old Testament! Just finished reading about David and Goliath and that is now his favorite scripture story. No greater reward than fostering a love of the scriptures when they're young!

Keeping it Real

2011-11-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

I was recently reading an article in the Church News that I felt was just for me. It was talking about our expectations and how when we expect to micromanage and control our everyday lives is when we end up frustrated, overwhelmed and disappointing in the way the day turned out.

I like things to go a certain way {who doesn't} but this made me realize that it's ok for milk to spill and to trip over toys or to have your kids not listen all the time...it's normal! It basically was a chill-out call to myself.

On that note, I am thankful for my little one's and their pitter-patter feet and squeals throughout the house. When they are grown I know I will probably miss their little hand prints all over my freshly cleaned window or door.

For now, I am glad that they are healthy, happy and love each other because who could ask for anything more?!

Maternity Shoot

2011-11-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

Let me start off my giving a BIG thank you to Liz. We went out last Saturday and despite the cold went on a little nature hike and she knew exactly what she wanted me to do so I give all the credit to the amazing pictures to her. When I look at these pictures all I can say is wow! I am impressed with the stellar job she did. Being pregnant I don't fell uber attractive but I these pictures make me think otherwise!

This pregnancy from the get-go has seemed like a whirlwind...unlike the others, it didn't take us as long as we thought it might to get pregnant and I didn't find out I was pregnant until 11 weeks. Combine that with school, two kids and life, I feel like I haven't given this baby as much thought. We are excited {nervous too} to be having number three and we will be officially outnumbered and that makes me feel overwhelmed but I can't wait to meet this little guy in 3 weeks!

Owen, we love you already!

Pumpkins

2011-11-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

We haven't carved pumpkins for a few years because Carson was grossed out by the smell and texture of the pumpkin guts but had been requesting to carve them.

the plan

He still didn't enjoy the smell and minimally tolerated touching the guts but was so proud of his finished project.

Andrew helped with Carson's and I did one so I guess we had a spooky boys pumpkin and a not so scary jack o lantern.

The kids had so much fun and naturally, Carson can't wait until next year!

Mummy's

2011-10-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended the Clark's annual Halloween Bash. As usual, we waited until the last minute to figure out a costume. I was out running errands and Andrew calls and says, let's be mummy's! So I went to a thrift store and bought four white sheets and we proceeded to "recycle" them by tearing them up. I felt kind of bad because mid tear I saw that one of them was form Potterybarn-oops. Then we died them in black tea for a distressed mummified look.

After wrapping ourselves, which took much longer than I thought (little neighbor girl arrived to babysit and watched in fascination) Soon enough, we were off and I began to slowly unravel upon moving so that after 5 minutes or so my leg bandages were pooled around my ankles.

We had fun and I am proud of Andrew for such a good idea and I think we look pretty spooky, don't you?

Mean Old Witch with a Hat and a Pirate

2011-10-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

2011 costumes; Mean Old Witch with a Hat and Pirate Carson

Can't believe it's Halloween again! We've had a crazy week with s surprise 50th for Mary Monday, our trunk or treat Tuesday, Andrew's birthday and the arrival of our family car {yeah!} Wednesday, and various other festivities throughout the week. Here our the kids in their costumes.

Carson didn't like his "make-up" until he got to show it off to his friends so after we got home it was dark out so his pictures are inside instead.

Only in CA

2011-10-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

It is October and Fall, or is it? Last weekend it was unusually hot so I turned on the sprinklers and let the kids run around. I may or may not have joined in the fun in order to cool off too :)

Before getting into swim attire, we were playing in the grass, and after I came inside, I found a banana slug attached to the inside of my shirt! After shrieking, I showed the kids. Carson thought it was pretty cool and Cait had a similar (more dramatic) reaction as mine, we're such girls.

Andrew has been gone to Scout training the past two weekends, so the kids and I have been having fun.

Super glad the scout training is over and was looking forward to this weekend with Andrew and then there was work; somebodies got to do it right?!

Reunion time

2011-10-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Reunion: a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around a milestone anniversary of their graduation.

It's been ten years since graduating from high school and I feel like it just happened. Where has the time gone?! With my reunion next week {why am I going?} I was attempting to think of what I have done with myself since.

Looking back, I am amazed at all that I have been able to accomplish. Sure there are some goals still in the process of being completed but overall, I am happy with my progress and isn't continual progress what we're striving for?

In the moment and throughout our busy lives it is hard to comprehend the impact we are making on the world; not only in the improvement of ourselves but by the relationships we form and by the lives we choose to live.

I met Andrew, fell in love and got married in the temple.

We were so young, and I was SO tan!

I supported Andrew through college and then we settled down back in Cali, saved like crazy and bought a house.

I have been pregnant 3 times {counting currently of course} Pregnancy to me is always such a fascinating thing to think that I can grow people, amazing indeed.

We've been fortunate enough to be able to visit some amazing places; Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New York, Utah, and Wyoming. Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, and Mexico.

I've been able to make physical goals and achieve them; 1/2 marathon and RAGNAR. Maybe a full marathon next-who knows.

My point in all of this is to remind myself to keep moving forward, one day at a time.

The following quote has been a favorite of mine since high school

" You will never 'find' time for anything. If you want time you must make it."-Charles Buxton

Let's make time each day to do what matters most and in doing I know that I find that much more happens in my mundane days than I realize because they all kind of glob together into a foggy memory. Here's to life! You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

We had a mellow week so Wednesday we headed to the pumpkin patch despite the rain the previous evening and the 80% chance of rain. Thinking it might rain, I didn't really get ready as I normally would and what do you know I ran into almost everyone I knew...doesn't that always seem to happen?!

It turned out to be a beautiful day, just a little muddy but we didn't mind.

Our first stop was to see the animals. This has always been a favorite of Carson's and Caitlin didn't mind this until we went to "groom" the goats and then she was hysterical. You see, she is kind of afraid of most animals but it probably didn't help that while I was holding her I also had four goats with their hooves on me standing up {I'm sure she thought they were trying to eat her}. Carson thought it was amusing and said the goats must have known I was a mommy.

Next stop, the trains and horseys. It was cute because Carson couldn't wait to show Caitlin the wooden horses and as usual Cait can't get enough of Carson (she can say his name pretty clearly now).

This picture makes me laugh just trying to imagine what's running through their little minds. It probably went something like this; you want me to do what now?! Look at you-again. We're so over it. Just ignore her. Oh I can't wait until they're teenagers.

Look at how tall she is...don't they say double their height at age 2? Well she isn't 2 until the end of February and I would be shocked if she were close to 6 ft. She's growing like a weed.

We took in the pig races before we boarded the train, then jumped in the hay and took a hay ride to pick our pumpkins.

By this point in our adventure {the little missus sure keep me on my toes} I was wishing that Andrew was with me because I can't carry Caitlin and pumpkins at the same time and she kept tripping on the vines. Let's just say she had an emotional day.

While in the search for some perfect pumpkins, Carson found a large sqaush! He thought it was the funniest thing amidst all of the pumpkins.

I think our favorites might have just been the food; a caramel apple, corn dogs and in addition to our pumpkins we brought home apple cider and a pie...I guess I must have been hungry!

Note to self: bring your husband next time!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-10-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Fresh out of the oven...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and they are good!

Gotta love pirate helper who also love taking pictures...

I actually messed these up by not paying close enough attention to the recipe. It calls for 1 C. canned pumpkin, not the whole 14 oz can-oops! The end result, they tasted great but look like monster muffins because of my error. Live and learn.

1C. canned pumpkin
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. vegt. oil
1 egg
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 ts[ baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. choc. chips

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-09-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

So I know it's been awhile but I haven't tried anything new lately until this week after stumbling upon a new site, Annies Eats! I am excited and plan to make several new recipes from there this week...I'll let you know how it goes! Andrew really liked them and he is usually my worst critic! Sorry I don't have pictures but we were hungry and ate them all up before even thinking to take a picture.

Halibut Fish Taco's

For the fish:
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 tbsp. minced cilantro
¼ tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 lb. white fish (halibut, cod, tilapia, etc.)
Salt

Ingredients:

For the cilantro cream sauce:
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
6 oz. nonfat greek yogurt (sour cream is fine too)
1 clove garlic, minced
Pepper, to taste

For serving:
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Green onions, chopped
Red cabbage, shredded
(Or whatever sounds good to you!)
6-inch flour tortillas

Directions:
Combine the lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, cilantro, cumin, and garlic in a pie plate or shallow dish. Whisk together until well blended. Place the fish in the mixture, turning to coat. Let marinate 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the cilantro cream sauce. Combine the lime juice, cilantro, greek yogurt, garlic and pepper in a small bowl. Mix until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the fish in the pan and cook without disturbing, 3 minutes. Flip the fish and cook on the second side 2-3 minutes more. Remove to a plate, season with salt as desired, and let rest for a few minutes. Shred the fish into bite-sized pieces with two forks.

Assemble tacos on flour tortillas with shredded fish, cilantro cream sauce and toppings as desired.

*The only I added to her recipe were pinto beans to make them a little more filling. Make them, you won't be disappointed!

Apple Hill

2011-09-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid we would go to Apple Hill at least a couple times during the fall season. Well, we had never taken the kids because we always opted for Bishop's Pumpkin Patch instead {which we agreed is best for kids} and I hadn't been for at least 12 years and it had been even longer for Andrew so we thought it was about time.

The kids had fun climbing, watching people do pencil rolls down the hill, got to feed the ducks, watching a kid reel in his catch the fish from the stocked pond, and riding their train.

My mom came with us and it was nice to have an extra pair of hands...plus the kids loved being with her. In fact, when she dropped her off, as soon as our car door closed and Cait realized that she was leaving she was crying hysterically saying and pointing out the window, "Gigi, Gigi!"

It was a little early yet to be buying pumpkins so the kids chose their favorite one and we took their picture by it. Carson is super cute but Andrew says he is going to regret taking this picture!

Two kids and a baby, we are going to have our hands full!

Cait is showing you her belly too!

30 weeks in this picture. Time is going by pretty quickly!

What a great start to Fall!

Caitlin's favorites

2011-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

She loves to dance and wants music on all the time! It's really cute! She is also really into accessories.

Sunday I was wearing a necklace and went to put her into her car seat and she saw it and said, "mine" while patting her chest...so I got her one. The awesome thing is that she keeps them on! She is tough and kind of crazy but 100% girly which I love!

She is also an Elmo junkie, liking the short burst only offered from Youtube instead of a whole show, which is great but doesn't let you get much done in 2 minutes!

She also enjoys playing with play dough and these days will repeat almost everything you say...she's getting to be a talker which is nice because now we have a better idea of what she wants!

Caitlin loves to play at the park and swing REALLY high on the swings! If we're not pushing her high enough, she'll say, "more, more!" until she is sky high.

After dropping Carson off at pre-school the other day we headed straight for the park before it got too hot. Side note, she LOVES her brother; cries when he leaves and is super excited when she sees him again...he is obviously way more exciting than we are!

She had fun just doing her thing and I enjoyed watching her and following her around making sure she didn't hurt herself climbing.

We just love her!

The Circus!

2011-09-17T20:41:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I had heard that the "real" circus was in town and suggested that we could go because I remember going when I was a kid and I loved it! So we surprised Carson! Caitlin is still young and restless so we made it a mommy and me date instead of fun for the whole family. Carson was super excited just to see the Power Balance Pavilion and we hadn't even made it into the arena!

Once inside, the noise was overpowering {and a little obnoxious if you ask me} but then again we were at the circus! Oh, and don't get me started on all the outrageously priced concessions and circus paraphernalia they sell and all the people who buy it-no wonder we are in debt people!

Waiting for the show to start watching the pre-show clowns...then lights out! The show was about to begin!

The show opened with the Star Bangled Banner with a patriotic elephant. I don't know what it is about elephants but I really like them! They had 8 total and I just kept thinking "where in the world do they keep these things!"

There was plenty to look at; clowns, elephants, jugglers, "tall" guys, gymnasts, tigers, trapeze artists, horses, zebras, strong men, and a crazy guy that was catapulted from a cannon across the court literally on FIRE!

Carson of course loved everything FIRE and commented on how brave the guy being shot out of the cannon was!

Just before bed, Carson said, "this has been such a fun day!"
That just makes it worth it right there!

Next time Andrew can take Cait and Carson while I stay home with little one
(29 weeks btw! Going by WAY too fast!)

End of Summer

2011-09-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Summertime is my favorite and I can tell the end is near! I love spending my days with these two little munchins. Like anyone else, we have good days and bad days but moments like this or when they stretch out their little arms and hold hand the whole way home from errands make it all worth it!

Carson got to meet his teacher Miss Jamie and his pre-school class yesterday.

He can't wait for school and keeps asking questions about Miss Jamie. He's especially excited because she lives close to us!

We also have been swimming less and less, in fact when we went to the Ranch House we were the only one's there! I guess that's what happens when you go during soccer practice and dinner time. We loved having the place all to ourselves!

Carson has gotten to be a great swimmer this summer {as long as you don't make him} he loves to swim and I love seeing how much he has learned and how brave he is!

The kids favorite part always is taking a shower..I love it too because that's one less thing I have to do at home! It's a win-win!

18 months

2011-08-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is what happens to your baby in 18 months! We are in love with Cait...can you see why?

She has so much energy and is so much fun {when she's not whining or hurting herself!}

She weighs 25 lbs 8 oz. and is 2 ft 9 inches.

She can point to all of her body parts and loves to make animal noises when prompted. She also LOVES music and dancing. In fact, in the mornings while eating breakfast she sits in her highchair and shakes her shoulders as her way of asking for some tunes.

She loves milk, crackers, dried blueberries, raisins, and cheddar cheese.

She is becoming a great talker. Here are a few things she likes to say:

Thank you {in the sweestest little voive EVER!} This is my favorite thing that she says!
up
Ice
Puple (purple)
Shoe
Wa wa
poop-such a lady!
Mo (more)
a-No with a high pitched inflection
book

We love you Caitlin!

Microcell

2011-08-19T16:36:00.001-07:00

For the past 4 years anytime we would receive cell phone calls at our home we would have to go outside, away from the covered patio in wind, rain, or blazing heat to get any kind of coverage. WE were not satisfied but didn't think we could do much about this lack of coverage.

However, after being in Montana and getting perfect reception even floating down a river in the middle of nowhere did we get a bit more disgruntled. I mean we live near a freeway and a school in a highly populated area so we expect to be able to use our phones dang it!

After complaining several times to AT&T, we finally got a Microcell and viola! We are free to stay indoors of we choose and roam the house without having to stand in any particular place hoping to keep a 1/2 bar of coverage! We couldn't be happier!

Mr. and Ms. Potatoe Head

2011-08-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

After swimming outside we came in for some pre-dinner playtime. Caitlin often wears these potato head glasses around the house while playing and it is pretty funny and today was no exception. I found her playing wearing these stylish yellow glasses!

What do you think about Carson with a stach? HAha!

Annual TFR

2011-08-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

This year the Thomas Family Reunion was at Shaver Lake. Lots of cold nights {hence the loss of my wedding ring :( }, warm days, water fun, sun, dirt, dust, campfires, marshmallows, crafts, horseshoes, laughing, visiting, we did it all!

Carson loved having the freedom to just roam around and do his own thing.

He and some cousins found and caught snakes, frogs and moths.

He also ate a record number of roasted marshmallows and participated in the talent show by doing a dance to Whip It.

Caitlin spent her time playing in the sand, dipping her toes in the water, getting dirty and eating whatever food she could get her hands on, even if it was dirty food!

Carson loved, loved, LOVED camping and when we were in the car getting ready to head home he said, "mom, when I ask to go camping again, you say YES!" He is such a negotiator because we hadn't even left!

Wide Open Spaces part 1

2011-08-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

Last week we traveled to Montana to check out Andrew's parents new place in Dillon. Andrew and his Dad have been coming up here for a week in the summer for a while now for fly-fishing and now we get to go to!

Aside from the horrendously long 14 hour drive, we enjoyed our time there! Andrew and his Dad got some fishing in and we all relaxed and enjoyed a slower paced life for a few days.

We went to an old prison

Not sure why this raggedy Ann and Andy were outside the prison but Cait was hamming it up so here you go. PLus, you would never guess that seconds prior to the pictures with Andrew and Cait that she had just been hysterical for no reason, such a faker! Glad she cooperated because, these are a favorite of mine!

We played games

We at eat MacKenzie River Pizza which we loved. Not only were the pizzas yummy but they had some delicious salads too!

I had my hands full, can you tell?!

One day we made our way to Bannack State Park which was founded in 1862 and was a mining town up until the 1950's. This place was so historic, you just don't see places like this in California! This was our favorite destination and I loved imagining peoples way of life while we toured through their streets, homes, saloons, hotels and schools.

One of the homes, the walls were literally paper thin!

With a little help, he was able to life the wheelbarrow-made of steel!

The old school house

On the chalkboard, were the original schoolmarm's rules, they were pretty strict.

My favorite in Bannack was the Meade hotel. Gorgeous staircase, wide hallways, and beautiful casing on the windows and hallways and spectacular views...let's just say I would want to live there it was massive and well built!

old school oven...the door weighed a ton!

Carson had kind of been hesitate to go inside some of the old buildings and Papa bet me that Carson wouldn't go inside the prison, well he did on his own and got $20!

Wide Open Spaces part 2

2011-08-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

We went on a hike to a beautiful river (can't remember the name now) and got some fishing in after our picnic.

Carson found some bullets and thought it was a real find, they are now safe in his special drawer.

We also had boat races in the river that ran through town. The flow was pretty quick though and I couldn't catch one of the boats so had to run fast to the next spot. I finally got it but Carson's got away, or I should say it won the race.

Boat launching from the bridge

The boats were off!

Missed it but oh-so graceful!

I finally got it!

We will be visiting every summer from now on so I guess we'll call Dillon our home away from home.

Imagine

2011-07-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Since being pregnant, my energy level has been down. I haven't been my typical self and don't feel like doing much. This week was especially bad because Caitlin had the flu for 4 days and wasn't keeping anything down. So when today rolled around, I was done. In thinking of ways to occupy two kids who's interests vary, I decided to try Play Dough which is a favorite for Carson but Caitlin normally just wants to eat it!

I was thrilled when Caitlin was interested-bingo!

I of course moved her into her high chair to minimize the mess!

So fun to see they're imaginations at work!

First Scripture and Prayer

2011-07-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

Carson is becoming such a big boy, in stature and ability. A couple of weeks ago in Primary he sat up front and told them that he was giving a talk...only he wasn't. Because he had volunteered, the next week he got to say the 2nd article of faith and give the prayer. The microphone wasn't working so he did his best to use a louder voice and recited the article of faith {which he had memorized with a few prompts}. We are so proud of him!

It's a...

2011-07-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Baby!

A big high five!

Arm and profile. Profiles are my favorite and I think he looks like Caitlin.

Sucking his thumb

We are having a BOY!

We are thrilled! I has guessed girl but couldn't be happier with another little boy. Caitlin will continue on as the only Princess and rule the house. She'll be in the middle of two boys but she can take it!

Carson was jumping up and down in excitement, however I don't think we will be consulting him on names because his consist of Spidey, Finn, Jakie, Nick, Pixar Cars, and Ha.

Here's to getting a bigger vehicle, moving Caitlin into a bed, getting cold weather boy stuff...and the list goes on! Yeah!

Fairytale Town

2011-07-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Such attitude! Stubborn, independent little thing but she warms up soon enough!

Weather here has been fall-like cool and I have been enjoying it! We headed to Fairytale Town yesterday and had fun leisurely exploring.

go-go gadget arms!

A couple fun memories include:

-"The sheep look dead!"-Carson

-Caitlin being charge by chickens, Caitlin terrified running into me and knocking me over! (In my defense, I was kneeling). These chickens were not aware of personal space!

-"Stay out of the water Cait, I don't want a crocodile to get you!"-Carson
He is super protective and it is cute!

When I was a kid the crooked mile was my favorite...how long is it really though?

Carson loves Owl's House and the Pirate ship

Caitlin is content to just run around

We had fun! Although they leave me exhausted, I love my kids!

My Belly Bump

2011-07-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Anyone else getting sick of just seeing my kids on here...trust me they are much cuter to look at! This pregnancy is flying by and this is my first belly picture at 19 weeks that I had to remind Andrew to take. This poor kid is already flying under the radar!

We have our ultrasound appointment this Friday and are anxious to know if we'll have another boy or a girl. We each have our guesses but it's always a 50/50 type of thing and we'll be happy with whatever we are having.

What's your gender prediction?

Red, White and Blue!

2011-07-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

got a sun spot...too bad it's right in Carson's face!

We enjoyed a pretty mellow 4th weekend. Attended church on Sunday and then Monday, our church had a pancake breakfast and flag ceremony in the morning and then we relaxed and forced naps knowing that the kids would be up late.

cannot get this girl to smile!

We went to our sister in-law (the one and only; aka Robin) brother Jason's place to swim and BBQ.

Carson is such a great swimmer now, we call him our super swimmer! We're so proud of him!

Carson loves fire so was explaining to everyone that when it got dark we could light the fireworks. He couldn't get enough of the fireworks.

The start of the show!

Caitlin on the other hand wasn't quite sure what to think of them! After her first initial reaction of fear to more than sparklers, I held her on my lap and covered her ears.
She was still expressionless {she has the blue steel thing down} but I think she enjoyed them.

Like Daddy

2011-07-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Carson looks up to Andrew and always wants to help him with whatever project he is doing. This particular day, it was mowing the lawn. I sure hope that he does grow up to be like Andrew!

Carson is a SUPER helper!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

For us, peanut butter and chocolate is a great combination!
These were easy and delicious!

Peanut Butter Temptations

1 bag if mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1 stick of butter
1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C Peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from candy (delegate to the kids!). Mix ingredients together and shape dough into 1 inch balls and place into muffin cups. Do not flatten. Bake for 10 minutes and then take them out and immediately press peanut butter cup into the center.

Morality

2011-07-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

This land is my land, this land is your land...the 4th of July is this weekend and to honor our country, instead of just enjoying this holiday as usual, we decided that we should do something to show our appreciation for the land we live in. We kept it simple today by picking up trash along a trail that we walk often on the way to the park!

We had done this before but having it near the 4th made is seem like it was for a purpose! It was a good lesson for the kids on taking care of the Earth that Jesus created for us and helped to reinforce what we do with our garbage when we're done with it!

My helpers were great and despite the heat, we completed our job with only one "I'm tired" complaint which was followed by, "me too!"

We did it!

Guns

2011-07-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

There is something to me about bubbles that is nostalgic about childhood. Like a typical boy, Carson loves guns. He usually gets a bubble gun each summer whose life is short lived because they end up breaking and I vow to never buy one again...this one was a birthday present and is holding up well. He's happy, Caitlin is entertained and I think it's always nice when I don't have to lose my breath blowing bubbles! Yeah for {bubble} GUNS!

What summer's are made for

2011-06-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, late in the afternoon Andrew caught us all reading! The kids were being good so I slipped into the other room to finish The Glass Castle which I would highly recommend. I love books and I am so glad that my kids do too! We head to the library once a week and come home with a back breaking back of books that I have to make sure I keep track of!

I love my bookworms!

Liz's shower

2011-06-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Can I start by telling you how much I just love Liz?! She is confident, beautiful and fun to be around!

Special Sesame Chicken Salad ReciCan I 15 I was happy to throw her a shower for the upcoming arrival of her baby girl, Camilla Jane. I can't wait to meet this little lady!

We had yummy food and great company!

We ate out on the deck and I was worried because the day was a scorcher with temperatures over 100 but fortunately, it cooled off and we even got a little delta breeze so most chose to eat outside!

We had the guests make collages of what they thought Camilla could/would look like...people got pretty creative! (I forgot to get a picture of this so maybe Liz will post it). It is always fun to see the little girly outfits and accessories!

Her friend Caitlin had just gotten back from moving back from Hong Kong, I had heard so much about her and was glad to finally get to meet her. She was nice enough to do the favors, yummy cookies with letter pressed monogrammed C for Camilla!

This is one of the two salads that were served. This recipe if form taste of home and you'd need:

1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin oranges, drained
2 cans (8 ounces each) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-1/3 cups honey-roasted peanuts
1 package (9 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
1 package (6 ounces) dried cranberries
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and place in a very large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, sugar and pepper. Pour over pasta and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Just before serving, add the remaining ingredients; gently toss to coat. Yield: 22 servings (1 cup each).

The other was another bowtie pasta salad and a favorite of ours!

box bowtie pasta
bag of spinach
3 avocados, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
gorgonzola cheese
parmesan cheese
Girards champagne dressing

Father's Day

2011-06-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed Father's Day and started out making Dad his favorite breakfast of French Toast! We even added a little Mexican flavor with some Horchata-yum!

We all enjoyed breakfast!

Andrew is the best Dad for many reasons but my number one is that he always makes time for us. He often jokes that it is a "Christmas Miracle" that he is able to get any work done at all. We love having him home and hope that we don't get in the way--too much!

pretty sure he was in the middle of work when they bombarded his lap!

Just can't get enough of them!

We all love our daddy and I love him more each day as I see him interacting with our kids!

DDS

2011-06-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Carson had his very first dentist appointment today with Uncle Dave.

We had been preparing him by letting him know that he got to go after his birthday. So when we pulled into the parking lot he said, "look at all the cars, all of these people had their birthdays too!" He really thought that everyone who had had a birthday recently was at the dentist. Too cute!

See his big boy teeth growing?

He was a little shy and did great! It was extra special because Chelsea was working today so she got to clean his teeth.

She asked him how many teeth he had on top and without hesitation counted to 10. He was right! I was so surprised! Chelsea thought I had couched him but we hadn't talked about it at all! I mean he have a Dr. Seuss tooth book but I'm pretty sure it only talks about having 16 grown up teeth on top and bottom. He is one smart kid!

When we left he said that he really liked the dentist and he wasted no time asking me to show Dad the picture of his his big boy teeth growing.

He is getting so big!

Summertime!

2011-06-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

With strange un-seasonally cold weather the kids are soaking up being outdoors and in water. You would never have guessed that we had actually just come home from swimming...they just can't get enough!

Sheeps! Goats!

2011-06-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

In our area the sheep and goats are used for weed control and are constantly moved from one field to the next. The other day I passed them on a run and decided that to take the kids to see them later that morning.

The fencing that they have up to keep the sheeps contained is electrically charged so I warned the kids not to touch it. Carson was such a sensitive boy and was warning Caitlin the whole time about the fence even when she was a safe distance from it. He even shed a few tears thinking that she might get hurt. He is the BEST big brother!

It is always fun to see animals and I love life in Lincoln! It is so beautiful!

It's a girl thing

2011-06-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Caitlin is now almost 16 months. She is stubborn, loves food more than any child I have ever seen and typical of most girls, she is emotional. Almost every situation ends in a screaming and crying...see the tear above? At times such tears are justified and other she is a great actress.

When I am discouraged, I often find myself thinking, why can't she be like Carson and then I remember that Carson is the way he is partly due to age (it helps big time when they can actually talk) but the other important part is that we are raising him {hopefully} to become a Christ-like child and have already invest more time into him.

This week I had an ah-ha moment and realized that instead of comparing the two children (soon to be three) that I have because they are and will always be individuals. Diversity is important, just as the role of mother and father are different, they are that way for a reason. Perhaps Caitlin's emotional side will help her to be more sensitive to others. However, it is not up to me to decide this.

As a mother my job is to teach them, nurture them, love them and guide them through this life...and that is just what I will do!

4

2011-06-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Carson's 4! Carson is the sweetest boy, always being complimentary and helpful.

Andrew's brother sent this to Carson for his birthday and I thought it was really neat!

Right now his favorites are:

-blue
-the book goldilocks and the three bears
-the story about Nephi being protected
-playing outside
-Wacky Tacky

We celebrated by having a carnival party...that was supposed to be at the park but due to rain we moved it (mostly) indoors and had a blast!

The kids loved all of the games and especially all of the prizes!

Bean Bag Toss

Pin the Tail on the Donkey

He got it!

Duck Hunt

Go Fish

Water-gun Target Shooting
..the FAVORITE {probably because it involved guns, boys love their guns!}

Pin Drop

This one was pretty difficult but a couple of kids got the pins into the jars!

Water Balloon Toss

I kind of wish we would have saved the painting of the faces until near the end of the party because Carson looks sem-sun burnt in all of his pictures!

We finished off the party with hotdogs, water melon, juice drinks and cake pops!

I love seeing Carson with all of his friends; boys are so much fun!

Punta Mita

2011-05-31T18:57:00.001-07:00

Couples Retreat May 21-28, 2011

Let me just start off by saying that I have never been on a vacation this luxurious or relaxing. We had been looking forward to this trip for over a year and it did not disappoint. It also could not have been possible without the generosity of the Edgren family (thanks Liz for the hookup!) Take a look back with me as I wish I were still there! Also, I am not a fantastic historian so my days may be a little mixed up.

Saturday

We left early for SFO and landed in Peurta Vallarta, despite the predicted end of the world; we made it!

Our first night was in a condo in Hacienda de Mita. We were anticipating something pretty average but soon realized that this place was enclosed by three manned gates with security guard patrolling continuously. Plus, we had a private pool with the beach literally steps away!

the guys: Sean, Scott, Eric and Andrew

We were also blown away by how nice these accommodations were...in fact we could easily have stayed there our entire week and loved every minute of it!

taking it all in...we were kind of in shock for the first couple days and then it began surprisingly to feel like home. We wasted no time enjoying the amenities!

this was the beach a few steps from the patio...uh-mazing!

Sunday

After pinching ourselves, swimming and taking a walk we made our final move to Lagos dos which included Francisco and Reina;

both of which took excellent care of us during our stay by cooking us a big breakfast and late lunch (their food was far better than the pricey beach club), providing transportation and making our rooms "fresh" every day...I could easily get used to being taken care of!

Andrew even snuck a little work in!

view from the yard

this banana tree was within reach of the kitchen window, how convenient!

This house had 4 masters. Here a few pictures of our room.

indoor and outdoor showers and the royal treatment every day!

Monday

We went zip lining, a first for us. The course we went on had 13 individual lines and they were all awesome! We didn't feel comfortable taking our camera with us but we wish that we had.

Line 5 was especially amazing. It was overlooking the ocean, with breathtaking views. We were surprised to discover that we were pretty worn out after zipping through the jungle.

We then headed for the small town of Sayulita for some smoothies and beach time.

The best part of that day was coming home to a hot meal complete with homemade guacamole and a variety of fresh salsas!

Tuesday

The guys got up early for some deep sea fishing while the girl had a lazy day reading (I read 3 books during our stay!) and lounging poolside.

check out those sharp teeth!

After such a strenuous day, (ha) we had massages at the house and then headed to El Anclotes for dinner on the beach, literally! (best fajitas in town! So good in fact that we went there again for our last meal!)

Wednesday

We hit the jackpot by discovering Kapuri Beach which quickly became our favorite!

The best part was that we were the only ones there!

We went snorkeling right off shore and saw tons of colorful fish, a blowfish and even a crab.

This beach had fantastic waves and we took turns boogie boarding.

We ate dinner that night at the Beach Club. The views were spectacular but none of us were impressed by the food.

Thursday

We got our negotiating down after a HOT bus ride to Peurta Vallarta where we went souvenir shopping for our kids.

I fell in love with all of the hand embroidered shirts and dresses but overall most booths had the same old stuff.

This traffic signal had us laughing because the little guy ran faster and faster as the time expired.

Friday

It was no surprise that we made our way back to Kapuri Beach for our last day in Mexico. The water was bath temperature, the waves were perfect and we couldn't get enough of basking in the warm sun.

yeah, I totally ate it!

Aside from our activities, the trip was pretty low key which is exactly what we wanted. We loved walking around the neighborhood checking out all of the amazing homes. Their yards were my favorite, talk about outdoor living!

Apparently legend has it that these trees that lined the streets in the "compound" were used to torture people...talk about a back scratch-OUCH!

We were all sad to go and are already scheming and dreaming of our next trip back!

We truly had the time of our lives! It was refreshing to be away from the kids...speaking of kids a big thank you goes to Stephanie for taking such good care of them!

Adios!

Fab 5

2011-05-25T02:55:00.000-07:00

Can you read their shirts?

Well, it's true! We will soon be a family of 5-that's crazy!

I just love them and can't wait to see what #3 will look like!

I had my first doctors appointment and am due December 7, 2011!

This pregnancy has me feeling tired and hungry with a keen sense of smell. I didn't know I was pregnant until I had the stomach flue and then was suspicious of other symptoms I had been having.

I am 12 weeks and we nervous and of course excited!

Caitlin is "so big" and Carson, naturally wants a boy and I think we are going to wait and be surprised this time...that is if I can wait!

Looking forward...

2011-05-16T06:37:00.001-07:00

to this vacation of pampering and relaxation!

One week, no kids. Been saving my magazines and some great books for some pool/ocean side reading. It will be heavenly!

We heart pancakes

2011-05-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

We love strawberries around here! Carson is always asking for them and Caitlin thoroughly enjoys them slurping while devouring them!

My friend Sheena recently posted this recipe and we tried it this morning and it was yummy!

Whole Wheat Strawberry Pancakes

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/8 cup ground flax seed

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 cups milk + 1TBS vinegar (as a substitute for buttermilk, which I never have on hand)

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for griddle

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups diced strawberries mixed with a bit of honey

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, flax seed, sugar, the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together milk, butter, and egg. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet to 350°F. Brush griddle with melted butter. Spoon batter onto griddle 1/3 cup at a time. Sprinkle with diced strawberries.

Cook until edges are set, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter and strawberries, adding more butter to griddle and keeping prepared pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven.

enjoy!!!

Sugar & Spice

2011-05-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

In preparation for Mother's Day (my mom's coming over for breakfast), the kids and I made Cinnamon rolls! I only make cinnamon rolls like once a year, usually Christmas so this will be a special treat.

Sure it made the job a little more messy having them help but not too bad. They were both great helpers and were so into it!

Looking at these pictures makes me realize how quickly they grow because I remember Carson the pirate apron that I made that he is still wearing used to drown him just as Caitlin's does now. I am so grateful that I am a mother and that I get to spend my days with these two cutie pies...I think it's funny that Cait has flour on her nose!

These are going to be gooood!

Little Fish

2011-05-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ever since last summer, Carson has been wanting to know when he could swim next. The weather has been nice, so we headed to the pool!

can't we just get in the pool already?

Caitlin is quite the handful constantly getting in and out of the pool wandering around,wanting to go in the big pool and on the hunt for snacks, of course!

Carson, loved the water and is getting more adventurous going in the big pool with friends...it was a surprise to see Ava show up, Carson was in heaven!

We sure look forward to and enjoy our summers, thank goodness for Uncle Eric's pool!
Someday maybe we'll have one of our own!

Anticipation Kills

2011-05-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

So 5 weeks ago, our three year old t.v. decided to stop working...bummer I know.

First, we were shocked and then a little angry for a coupe of reasons; first it's big=$ and second we purchased it thinking it would last {I'm not sure how long } but certainly more than 3 years! So for two weeks we looked in to fixing the dang thing and after a couple of estimates, in the $600 range we decided that it wasn't worth it to fix because who knows, it could break again soon and then we'd be out some money.

Because we weren't in the market for a new t.v. we didn't know what we wanted. That took another couple of weeks.

Now, I am not a t.v. person per say. Growing up we owned a t.v. it was one of those units encased in wood that sat on the ground. Pretty similar to this.

We didn't have cable, and were only "allowed" to watch it on Saturday mornings. We watched a lot of Disney movies and I read a ton of books {because really what's a girl to do when your siblings go to bed early and your homework's done}-well, I read.

I'll admit, I was sheltered, both from t.v. and the radio. I didn't realize this until I was in 7th grade on a fieldtrip when kids on the bus started talking about shows they were watching or songs they liked...I was clueless! But it was nice because I didn't know what I was missing!

After we were married and lived in the dungeon with few social gatherings in the middle of winter, I became hooked for the first time on t.v (remember the O.C....I was obsessed!) I remember planning our activities around shows-so lame!

Now, we'll watch the t.v. in the evening and of course it makes a good babysitter when I need to shower but I always openly voice my disdain, "who has that much time," "I always have things I need to get done" and " I could live without it."

Live without one we have but in these 5 weeks I have come to realize that I enjoy relaxing and being able to snuggle up and watch a movie.

With that said, I have never been more excited for a t.v. than I am right now. After patiently waiting (we had it shipped on a cargo truck-I guess it's safer but it is much slower!

The t.v. should be arriving today and {after a little complaining} the manufacturer is going to fix our old one too!

From 0-2, I couldn't be happier!

RAGNAR

2011-04-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that Ragnar was better than I anticipated! Naturally, I was worried about being with a bunch of sleep deprived girls but everyone behaved themselves. Going into the race I knew that for me the lack of sleep was going to be harder than the actual running itself...it took me 3 days to feel normal again.

I am getting so ahead of myself, why don't I start at the beginning?

Our team name was "Tutu" Fast and consisted of 12 girls from my ward.

Our ward also had another team, the Domestic Diva's. Thursday morning we all packed up and drove to Pasadena.

Road trip!

Lucky for us, we were able to stay at Hilari's parents home (redhead) and her parents spoiled us!

After arriving and unpacking we headed to a local place, Bella's to meet up with the other team for some serious carb loading! We ate garlic bread sticks, spinach salad, pasta with a kind of spicy meat that I cannot remember (it was gooood!), and pizza. We ate so much because they would bring out our food on separate plates so we didn't realize until we needed to unbutton our pants how much we actually consumed.

After dinner we wasted no time decorating our cars (something that I thought was completely pointless) but it turned out that's the Ragnar thing to do!

One comment I have to make because you will obviously notice...aren't all these women super glam?! Don't they know that they will be running a totoal of 200 miles...crazy! But that's just how the ladies in our ward are, practically perfect!

Heading to check-in in Huntington Beach.

Race day we were pumped! Besides being cute, the tutu's helped us use our feminine whiles to get all sorts of free stuff (3 cartons of muscle milk, 5 boxes of shot blocks and countless pictures) Not to brag but we were pretty popular!

Pre-race the other thing I had not been that enthusiastic about was running in tutu's but let me tell you, people ran in much less!

Being as I was #2 runner I was in van 1 and luckily, we only had to run once in the heat. My first run was close to 11 am and it was already in the high 80's! I ran the first 2.5 miles at 6.2 min/pace but was dying of heat and my mouth was drier than the Sahara so I had to slow it down. Overall 5 miles I averaged 7.02/mile.

pretty sure this is the 1 and only picture of me actually running.

Coming in after running I was panting and warning everyone of the heat something that they didn't take to hear until they were running in it! 9 kills!

After our vans runners were done we abused Target and used their bathroom to change our clothes and freshen up. Then we had a late lunch, early dinner at Chevy's.

My second run was at night started at 8ish and I had to sign a special waiver for this particular run because it was mostly on a horse trail with uneven footing and the possibility of poison oak, rattle snakes, mosquitos, etc. What the waiver failed to mention was that there was a random cement step in the middle of nowhere without a flashing light that I and many others tripped over! After I fell I was crying and seriously didn't think that I was going to be able to run. I walked it off and went on my way. This leg was 9.4 miles and I felt awesome, I could have kept running for awhile longer bleeding knee and all. 9.4 miles with my pace being 8.02/mile...not too bad considering I walked a little while! Kills were 17!

By now, we all wanted to sleep but with less than two hours (van 2 had mostly short runs) until we had to run again we went to the hotel to shower and rest as much as possible. Surprisingly I was able to fall asleep, granted it was like for 30 minutes...I must have been really tired.

My last run was 7.4 miles beginning close to 6am. It had tons of hills. My pace was 8.32/mile with 12 kills. You are probably wondering what a kill is huh?! We didn't harm anything except for maybe a couple runners prides. When you pass a runner it is considered a kill.

When our last runner was running we got interviewed by a local channel in San Diego and even made it on the news! {I spy me!}

It was relief when our van was done running. We went and got some food at Pat&Oscars because we hadn't eaten since linner the day before at 3pm. The hard part was waiting for the second van to finish so that we could get cleaned up and back to the house.

Back in Pasadena, Hilari's parents had salads from a local favorite and cupcakes from Dots! I told you we were spoiled! We even managed some R&R in the spa before showering and crashing hard.

Ragnar was fun and I am sure to do one again however, I am not sure of when I will commit being as I could barely hobble through 3 miles 4 days after the race! I seriously felt like I was 80 years old...I am really hoping my bum knee feels better soon.

Besides running our butts off, we had fun!

I am so glad I got to know the ladies on "Tutu" fast a little better, they are all amazing women!

Eggstra Fun

2011-04-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today we dyed our Easter eggs.

Easter is yet again another commercial holiday so we are going to try to keep the commercial aspects of the holiday for Saturday and remember that Jesus loves us very much and that after he died he was resurrected. Because of what he did for us, we will be resurrected and live with Heavenly father again.

When we think of Easter, we should think about the first Easter and remember the love that Jesus Christ has for us. He gave his life for us. He was resurrected. We celebrate Easter to remember Jesus so we will try hard not to think about the Easter bunny!

Back to the commercial part of Easter; Carson commented that the eggs smelled horrible and I thought that was an extremely true observation, the eggs are stinky!

Carson loved coloring the eggs and even wanted to do more!

His favorite thing was to alternate an egg between blue and green which made a really pretty turquoise color.

Caitlin was really interested in participating from start to finish. Even when she was still in her pj's when I was setting up she wanted to be right in the action! Eventually, Cait ended up smashing and eating an egg and then spilling blue dye everywhere which actually ended up being kind of artistic because I cleaned it up with the white towel--guess it's our forever Easter towel now which works because it matches Carson and Andrew's Easter ties!

Easter Mommy and Me

2011-04-22T06:52:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, my good friend Lisa invited our ward to her parents property in Auburn (which was brave of her considering how many primary children our ward has-close to 300!) Her Dad has build a miniature train track around the yard probably about a mile long.

They have a play structure with swings and slides, a soccer field, vintage popcorn popper, plus a really cool little play house.

Carson of course loved the trains!

Naturally, Caitlin couldn't get enough of the kitchen.

After the kids had ran around for awhile, it was time for the Easter Egg Hunt. The scenery made for some great pictures because of the natural wildflowers in the field.

Carson was ready to go find some eggs but Caitlin wasn't sure what to make of all of the kids running around.

After the egg hunt, blankets were spread out and kids were everywhere making messes and eating their lunches. We had so much fun! Definitely a great Easter memory!

Freezer Jam

2011-04-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

I went to a new store in my area called Sprouts and fell in love! It was fresh, no soda or name-brand products anywhere. Plus, their prices were great! I seriously spent 1/2 of what I normally do for a week. An example, Braeburn apples were .44 per lb...I though it might be a joke! I loaded up on strawberries and realizing that it was humanly impossible to eat 8 cartons prior to them going bad, I decided to make a favorite of ours-freezer jam!

Now for me the bar is set high because Andrew's Aunt Becky is the queen of freezer jam. I won't be comparing mine to hers but I was pleased with the results! I made 6 jars and can't wait to put them to good use!

Yummmmm!

Joy School

2011-04-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

For a couple of months, Carson has been enjoying Joy School with some friends from church. I had been enjoying it too being as I hadn't had it at my house yet!

Last week the boys came over and we had so much fun!

We blew bubbles, finger painted with pudding and explored in between being crazy hyper we also had a lesson and read a couple of stories.

I loved the expression on their faces as we were being spontaneous!

Confidence

2011-04-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Carson playing at a friends and Caitlin is asleep. My plans were to take a nap too but there is a jack hammer working loudly busy building houses behind ours so my idea of a nap will have to be only a dream-boo!

Sunday night I was having a particularly bad evening. Caitlin wasn't happy (but was loud!) with anything we did. We put her down, she wanted up. We picked her up, she wanted down. I was feeling overwhelmed, under-accomplished and a little depressed.

Specifically, I was thinking to myself that I can barely get anything now and school is a breeze, how am I to get though a tough semester come Fall? I have been through the ringer with this nursing program and I always want to give up {I think any rational person would have by now}. I am sure we have all felt this way form time to time and I am no exception. I do my best but sometimes it seems like it isn't good enough!

Then I remembered a talk that I read here about opposition. Paraphrasing, it said that opposition can happen at anytime and anyplace..."It can happen when you are trying to get an education. It can hit you after your first month in your new mission field. It certainly happens in matters of love and marriage. It can occur in situations related to your family, Church callings, or career."

It went on to say that once you have made a decision beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.

Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness.

Face your doubts. Master your fears.

“Cast not away therefore your confidence.”

Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.

I found these words uplifting and encouraging. I know that bad feeling come from the adversary and he wants us to feel hopeless, lost and confused but we have to fight off such feelings...and count our blessings!

My better half

2011-04-07T13:51:00.001-07:00

Being a stay at home mom {one who happens to be in school too} is not always easy but then again it's not all that bad.

The best thing is that I am my own boss. If I don't feel like putting my laundry away-so what! But I know it will be there waiting for me the next.

Even with the rough days of whiny kids, no naps, meltdowns during dinner prep, endless messes, feeling like a broken record and being a human burp cloth at times there are so many things that i do not worry about.

Why do I not worry you wonder because of my husband. Honestly, I don't give him enough credit. Not only does he work, he plays with the kids, pays all of our bills, plans for our future, and is Mr. mom when I am away.

Our roles are so diverse that on a typical day it makes it hard to compare them; home, food and shelter vs. nurturing, cleaning, nap nazi, reading, cooking, and crafts. All I know is that I complain much more than he does and tend to expect maybe more than I should but recently I realized that his roles are just as important, if not more {because really if he didn't bring home the $ who's going to pay for the fabric I just bought to make little ties?} I like to think that we compliment each other nicely and I love it when he says that he couldn't live without me. Truth is I couldn't really live without him.

Moral of the story; I am grateful for my man and all that he does for ME.

Messy

2011-04-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

With Cait by my side I was mixing a brownie mix and I let down my guard for a second and the next thing I knew, Cait was thoroughly enjoying the spatula! Seems to be the story of mydays lately, it's hard to get anything done!

Creating Fire

2011-04-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

At joy school Friday, Carson came home with a plastic magnifying glass. As soon as Andrew saw it he took Carson outside for what Carson now calls "a mean trick."

Carson was so excited...he carried that magnifying glass EVERYWHERE that day, barely setting it down. Currently, it is in his "special drawer" for safe keeping.

I spy

2011-04-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

Carson came frantic into the house and headed straight for Andrew to tell him that he saw a snake in our backyard. They went out to find it sunbathing on our rocks. Not to worry, it was just a harmless garter snake but Carson felt much better in his Dad's arms.

Lobster??

2011-03-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Friday I went to Costco right when they opened to pick up a few things (mainly milk). Check-out was speedy because the lines were short for once! Upon arriving home and unloading the car I realized that I had something that I did not buy (nor would really consider purchasing) in my cart and this something was $32 worth of lobster!

Immediately I called Costco and proceeding to explain how I was surprised to find this with my other items. Apparently the old man in front of me had purchased them but it was left on the check stand and was put into my cart instead. Joe (real name) thanked me for my honesty but said that the man had already come in realizing he had been robbed of his pricey dinner and told me to enjoy the lobster because if I brought it in they would have to throw it away!

First of all, I like seafood but have had lobster like maybe once (can't remember if it was crab or lobster) so I had no idea what to do with it!

If you ever have this problem here's what you do:

Cut shell in half right down the middle.
Combine butter, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and pour over lobster
Broil 15 minutes
Garnish with lemon juice and have the butter sauce from above in little bowl for dipping

It was tasty!

We brush our teeth

2011-03-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Caitlin loves her toothbrush. The other day she made her way to the bathroom, climbed up on the stool, found her toothbrush and started brushing...she must take after her mom! When I was in kindergarten, my mom got called in for a special parent-teacher meeting. The teacher asked my mom if I was allowed to brush my teeth at home. I obviously was and my mom confirmed this. The teacher went on to explain that I frequently raised my hand in order to get permission to go to the bathroom. After awhile the teacher was curious about my bathroom habits so she checked on me...she found me brushing my teeth! Apparently whenever I ate something, even something small I would brush my teeth. In my defense I was just being an obedient child and doing what my mom had taught me-brush after you eat!

T-ball

2011-03-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

We signed Carson up to play t-ball and today was his first day! For the next four weeks on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons he has t-ball. His friend {the other Carson} is also on his "team" so that was fun for them. Due to the plentiful rain storms we have had lately, the field was too wet and muddy so they met on the black top instead.

I love the expression on Carson Lowe's face!

After meeting coach Celeste she had them warm up and then gave them a 10 second water break.

Today, she went through the basics; throwing (parent participation required which is kind of tricky when you have a little one too), running bases, hitting the ball, and outfield "biting like an alligator."

in "outfield" just waiting

When one of the boys would hit the ball all of the kids would congregate to the ball and forgetting who had actually hit it and then they all ran around; as expected...it was amusing to watch!

waiting for their turn to bat

When it was Carson's turn to bat he hit the ball and then paused forgetting to run. By the time he started running; despite his speed a boy had captured the ball and was chasing him as he was approaching 3rd base. Carson had this look of determination on his face and even after he was tagged kept running.

He told me, "that boy was chasing me!" I don't think he really understood what was going on! One practice down and Carson had fun! As we were leaving the school Carson told me "I like my coach, she was nice!"...he may or may not have been influenced by the dum-dum he was sucking at the time :)

Bedtime

2011-03-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

...is the best time!

Cleaning Conumdrums Revisited

2011-03-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

So I'm not sure why I thought this post was going to be a good idea. I started feeling under qualified to give cleaning advice. I mean, sure I have cleaned houses besides my own but besides that what expertise do I really have to offer?

I will preface this post saying that what is written here are my opinions on how I do things. If you have something that works for you; that's great...I want to hear about it!

Furthermore, after I got a request to post pictures I almost threw in the towel because I am not one to wants to display my house. Just opening my cupboards and taking these pictures made me feel like I was walking around in my underwear!

So just so you now I am posting pictures not to show off (there is truly nothing to brag about) but because they were requested.

On those same lines, I took the pictures just how things were so rest assured that I am keeping it real! Now that that is off my chest, on with the answers....drum roll please!

Cleaning:

I clean in zones and usually in the same pattern. Having a cleaning pattern makes it less likely that you will forget something and have to go back and do it. An example would be; bathrooms, dust, kitchen counter tops and range, sweep, mop, then vacuum.

The shower; one of my most dreaded and time consuming chores!

I clean mostly in street clothes but if I am to do a "dirty job" such as the shower I would have on "work clothes" and my cleaning apron...picture is horrible' St. Patty green not so flattering shirt when combined with the apron and oh so blurry but that's what you get for taking one when no one was home trying to finish this dang post!

For me the apron helps to have everything together when I clean so I don't have to go searching for anything when I'm on my hands and knees already. So for the shower I would have: a cup, two sponges (regular and bristly one), a toothbrush, softscrub (or similar) and plain old windex.

Nothing fancy here. Wet shower, apply product, scrub (in between the tiles, corners, everywhere!) Use cup to rinse shower out. Spray faucets and entire shower with windex, dry with towel.

Shower doors however are a different story! Go here to find my secret!

Organization:

For me, everything needs a home. For me I like to use baskets. Some I have purchased specifically for this others I have had forever and have simple recycled them to fit our needs. Basically, be economical, it doesn't have to looks fancy but if you have the budget, go here for storage solutions.

One thing I particularly love is the shelving in my kids closets; they have shelves, drawers and a place for all their shoes...now if only our closets had that! ;)

Kids bathroom: extra toothbrushes, floss and paste

Hall closet; nothing fancy. Board games and blankets and you can see our red 72 hour backpacks peeking out from the floor.

1) first aid supplies 2) batteries 3)sunscreens and aloe 4) shoe polish- now I don't know why we have an entire basket full of shoe polish but we do!

The strategy of having designated homes for things works for me because if something is out of place I am not searching for a place to stash it to get it out of the way because there is a place that I have designated for it {perhaps a little reverse psychology on myself but it works!}

This one was hard for me because I don't pay the bills. But when I get mail/bills I have a certain place I always put them. Bills go to Andrew (divided organizer) once paid they get filed.

However, if you don't have place for files you could use ringed binders, folders with dividers , or plastic dividers with pockets. The rest (mail, magazines, important papers) has a home in a basket until I can go through it. An ingenious way to store receipt that weigh down our wallets is Quick Receipts...truly awesome!

Kitchen: baking ingredients and cook cooks together-check.
pans and lids together-check, check

I keep some kid stuff in the kitchen so it's near the table. Bin on left has crayons, pencils, markers, coloring books and paper. Bin on right has music stuff (life saver during dinner prep! The top shelf has learning stuff and craft supplies.

Pantry

Lucky for me I have a pantry. This really was a must-have. We {Andrew} likes having a variety of cereals so our shelves vaguely resemble an isle at the grocery store.

Again with the "like-things" together.

Noodles in a basket next to their sauces.

Packets of dressings or drink mixes in another container (this one happens to be a random reusable plastic glade container that I already had, who's lid grew legs and ran away!)

Another thing I did in the pantry is placed the things that I need access to most often in front. I don't get the canned goods that often so they got the boot to the back of the pantry.

House of Smith's has an inspiring pantry but for me it was a bit too fancy because after all it's just a pantry!

Glad that's done! Hope I didn't bore you.

Now I have a question for you; what are YOUR cleaning secrets?

Playing in the Rain

2011-03-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

When the weather is bad I have a natural tendency so stay inside. Conversely, kids are naturally drawn to the outdoors and don't really care what the weather is like. Yesterday it was wet out but had stopped raining. Although wet, spring was all around us and I thought, "why not let them go outside?"

So Carson grabbed his rain boots and water gun and we played and explored.

We all got wet and had to change our clothes and I guarantee that we all had more fun seeing the signs of spring and being outside than we would have if we had stayed indoors. We need to do this more often!

We encourage you to go outside!

Getting our craft on

2011-03-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last week, with the nice weather we had a craft day outside. Carson was going to paint and I knew Caitlin would want in on the action. I also knew that I didn't want paint all over her clothes {or in her mouth} so I decided to let her "paint" with pudding.

While Carson painted a bird house; the pudding only kept Caitlin entertained for about a minute in her "designated spot" before she was painting anything she touched!

I still have yet to try and get the pudding off of our patio furniture-oops!

Cleaning Conumdrums

2011-03-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

Cleaning is one of those things that must be done and unfortunately is NEVER completed. Just knowing where to start or the type of products to use can be a chore in and of itself, leaving us frazzled and frustrated before the task of cleaning has even begun. I am frequently asked cleaning questions so I want to know what yours are!

You have until Tuesday the 15th to leave all your cleaning/organizing conundrums as a comment and I will answer them later that week! (example: is there a certain way to make a bed?) Now I have to go finish cleaning because that's what I do on Mondays!

Dallas

2011-03-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

When Andrew and I were dating (on the way to a symphony no less-one and only let me tell you; we are not that cultured!) I mentioned to him that I wanted to name my future kids Dallas and Madison...his response was "you mean salad?" I was so confused, apparatus Dallas spelled backward is sallad-who knew?! The reason I bring this up is because Carson says he will eat salad, "when I'm a Dad." We have been trying to convince him through peer pressure {Carson and Ava both love salad} that salads not that bad. He finally agreed to try it.

Do you think he enjoyed it-not one bit. But he put on a fake polite grin and managed it down. No salad or Dallas for us anytime soon!

Sacramento Zoo

2011-02-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Last Monday (Cait's birthday) the sun was shining bright and we didn't have any plans so we headed to the zoo. Now, let's not let us confuse the term zoo with staying at home because sometimes that feels zanier than the real deal.

I had not been to the Sacramento Zoo since I was a kid and was sad that they no longer had a hippo {I guess he was my favorite if I even remember there being a hippo}. Carson loved looking at the map and asking what we were going to see next.

I have to admit, I will keep going to the Folsom Zoo for a couple reasons; 1. the price is more reasonable and I think their variety of animals is pretty good 2. their train is WAY better!

When I grow up...

2011-02-26T15:38:00.000-08:00

Carson has been making BIG plans regarding his future. Almost everywhere we go and anything we see's that he wants the sentence starts like this, "when I grow up" or "when I'm a Dad." Because he has these comments so frequently {it's borderline ridiculous} I thought it would be fun to keep track of what he thinks he wants.

When I grow up...

I want to be a firefighter and a doctor, a rock star and a Dad

I want a BIG truck to drive in the snow with...and a car
I want three kids and three car seats and their names will be Sally and Nick...I guess his wife gets to name one of them!
I want to be your neighbor
I want a lawn mower
I want a BBQ
I want a gun and a knife
I want a house; will you come visit me?

Now that I am writing this I can't remember all the rest but knowing him, there will be more!

Because of his firefighting ambition, Scott offered to let us come by his fire station. Carson was ecstatic...until we got there and saw the fire engines and trucks. Looking back he was probably intimidated by the sheer size of the engines and the new surroundings. I mean the tires alone where just as tall as he was!

When we left he couldn't stop talking about his experience. His favorite things included: the ax, 3 fridges, the hose and Scott. Scott, thanks for sharing your work with us!

Shirt dresses

2011-02-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

For Cait's birthday, I decided to glam up some summer onesies.

The project was pretty simple and I spent under $15 for everything-pretty good huh?!

I purchased 3/8 of a yard of each coordinating fabric. I had to cut off about 6 inches of it but I used the leftover to make matching hair bows. Tutorial found here. The only thing I did differently was I always put my flowers onto hair clips so that they can be clipped to a head band and when Cait is bigger she can use them in her hair as well.

I ironed the hemline, then sewed it. Next I took to needle and thread to get the gathered look prior to sewing the fabric onto the onesie I sewed about 1/2 a part and them gathered it.

Finally I pinned the skirt to the onesie and after sewing around it and doing all of this 4 more times--waallla.

I love how they turned out and can't wait for her to wear them so with that said, I am wishing that it were spring!