.

My Girl!!

2011-02-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

This is Ellie at 6 months!!

She loves

mommy

crawling

eating

being with her brothers

sucking her thumb

jumping in her johnny jumper

walks

smiling

pulling up on things

suckers (courtesy of Luke)

playing with toys

the camera

and still

waking up several times a night to flash me her sweet smile.

And we are so glad she is ours!!!

Family Pictures

2010-11-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to finish this post for weeks. Still not finished, but here it what I've got.....

My cute friend Anna just moved here from L.A. where she mostly shot the red carpet, but there is not a huge market here for red carpet events??? So she asked if we could help her build her portfolio. Free pictures??? Sure.

Ellie Kate at 2 1/2 weeks

2010-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Fort Jackson is a huge army base near our home that has numerous training schools and about 1/3 of all the recruits do basic at this base. Therefore, we get lots of soldiers coming and going in our ward. Lee was one of those soldiers, he is an amateur photographer and wanted to get his lens on Ellie and so here is one of the pics he got.

Ellie's First Two Weeks

2010-10-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

I guess we have all been a little bit tired!!!

I love it when they sleep with their little bums in the air.

I told Luke not to come out of his room and so he didn't.

This is what I found on my floor when I went to sleep.

Trying to give up his nap, but he just can't.

Sneaking a little snooze in my favorite new chair (thanks mom and dad).

The Nest.

My sleeping beauties.

A Little Preview of Family Pics

2010-10-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Ellie Kate

2010-09-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Miss Ellie Kate arrived at 2:59 p.m. on July 12th, weighing in at 8lbs 3ozs. and 20 inches long.

Me and Ellie after a semi-unexpected natural birth.

Ellie is not quite sure about Dad yet???

The boys were so so so excited to see her and welcomed her with open arms. Every time Luke prays he thanks Heavenly Father that baby Ellie could come out of mommy's stomach.

Ellie was born 4 hours before my dad's flight left. Thanks for cooperating Miss Ellie so that Grandpa could hold you before he took off.

My mom stayed for 10 days and took care of everything while we I had a chance to get to know Ellie. I am not sure that I have been caught up on laundry or had my house that clean since she left. Thanks mom for everything.

It's a Girl!!

2010-04-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

We are growing (Both of us)!!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby girl at the beginning of July.

March 2010

2010-04-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a green lunch, a visit from the leprechaun's, and some fun St. Patty's day experiments courtesy of Granny Goose.

Ezra and Luke are both playing soccer this year. Luke is such a little peanut out on the field. The first practice he cried and said they are all too fast!!! But they both ended up scoring at their first game. Go Panthers!!! Go Comets!!!

The Zoo with some of our favorites Abbie and Zeke.

The Fire Station with our Ward Play Group, thanks Lindsay!!

Catching Lizards in our p.j.'s

Nacho Libre

2010-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Spencer and the boys watched Nacho Libre and today this is what I found................

The Big Fifty

2010-01-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

In September, my mom celebrated her 50th birthday!!! With all the kids gone, except for Beau, they decided to take a trip to celebrate her half-century mark. Because we are so far away, Spencer and I decided to that we would create a video of pics and family memories for her to enjoy on her big day. Here are some of the pics we included:

What is so great about my mother??? The long days and nights she endured with a brand new baby as my father worked and studied. The fact that she had four children by time that she was 27. The hours and hours spent in the car as she ran us from one activity to the next. Her willingness to do things like be the PTA president and the team mom. The many many nights she sat up with a sick child. Her talent for school projects, posters, etc... The times she put her arms around you when she could tell you had had a bad day. Her love and concern for others. Her willingness to always help others. The hundreds and hundreds of swim meets, dance competitions, baseball games, football games, that she sat through rain or shine. The many nights that she stays up worrying about the decisions that her children are making. The way she still takes care of us even though we are all old and grown. The spontaneous shopping trips. The tears that we shed as we leave after a wonderful visit. The love and time she shares with her grandchildren. And the way she loves the gospel and tries to emulate the Savior in all she does.
We are so lucky to have you as a mother, mother-in-law, and grandma!!!

Thanks for being mom!!

We love you!!!

A Great Weekend with Gummy and Gumpy

2010-01-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Gatlinburg, TN with Gummy and Gumpy and had a blast. These two sure know how to travel and their energy is unreal. They spoiled us on our short weekend with dinners, shows, a trip to the aquarium, swimming, staying up late, entertaining the kids, doughnuts, t-shirts, snow cones, ice cream, taffy, and delicious breakfasts of biscuits & gravy, waffles, omelets, etc.... (can you tell we like food???)

We are so lucky that our grandparents love to spend time with their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. They are constantly doing everything they can to cultivate relationships, teach us about marriage, love, life, and the gospel - even if it means that for three days they have to endure 2 rowdy boys running in and out of their bedroom because we were lucky enough to have adjoining rooms. Thanks Gummy and Gumpy we sure love visitors!!!!

A trip to the Smokey's with Gummy and Gumpy

2009-09-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Gummy and Gumpy happened to be in Tennessee two weekends ago and we were able to meet them and spend the weekend with them. It was wonderful (more details and pics to come).

Family Pictures

2009-08-26T19:50:00.001-07:00

So, the last week we were in Utah I had a brilliant idea to get our family pictures taken. A few phone calls, an awesome photographer, and some willing participants and this is what we got.

Thanks so much Shanna for the short notice, we love them!!!

I think they turned out pretty good considering we were trying to get ready for the pictures and our flight that left at 6:30 a.m. the next morning.

Don't let this one fool you!!

This is pretty much sums up Luke for the entire photo shoot!
Thanks for being patient!!

On the other hand, Ezra was eating it up and pretty much did everything Shanna asked.

Love this one!!!

Thanks again Shanna!!

The Gym

2009-08-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I was at the gym, keeping to myself, and enjoying my workout when a woman got on the cardio machine next to me. I continued my workout not really thinking anything of it when.....I hear someone singing. Yes, singing!!! I know what you are thinking, she probably had her ipod on super loud and didn't realize she was singing. So, I quickly glance over to give her a hint that she is singing way to loud when I realize that her eyes are closed. This little tiny lady singing at the top of her lungs about praising Jesus, with her eyes closed, and her body swaying, all while on the treadmill. Pretty impressive huh???

Memorial Day

2009-05-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Fillerup's we had our first successful rock climbing adventure!!!!
They took us to North Carolina and we hiked to the top of a gorgeous mountain with a beautiful view. We hiked, rock climbed, enjoyed good company, and had a picnic for most of the day. Our kids love Nynke and Mel, and they are so nice and patient to have us and our two little ones tag along. They even brought a children's harness so that Ezra could give it a try. He was a little hesitant at first, but ended up thinking it was pretty fun. Spencer was awesome and I at least made it to the top (sorry folks no butt shots of me this time).
Can't wait till next time!!!

Luke loved his ride in the back pack!!!

The beautiful view!!!

Enjoying some lemonade with Nynke after the hike down.

Picking Strawberries

2009-05-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

My Little Angel!!

2009-03-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

1- Screwdriver thrown at head causing intense bleeding.

2- Smashed hands after tipping over a chair.

3- Band-aids to cover up the wound from picking up a razor by the blade.

4- Hours of sleep.

3- Timeouts for pinching, hitting, punching, bugging brother.

2- Bruised knees after jumping from a countless number of things.

1- Tired mom and it is only 2:00.

By the way, all of this was caused by this sweet little angel!!!

Go Gladys!! Go Gladys!!!

2009-03-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Allen's we had the opportunity to see Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices Choir Perform at our local Stake Center. It was awesome!!! An amazing production filled with gorgeous music, beautiful testimonies, and a whole lot of singing, clapping, and amenin'!!! Gladys and the Choir really bring a special Spirit to their performance and if any one has the opportunity to go, I would definitely recommend it!!! She shares the gospel to all through her wonderful words, and her beautiful story of how she found the truth.

Ezra

2009-03-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I am playing with Ezra and he looks up at me all teary.

Me: Ez what is wrong! (he crawls into my lap)

Ez: I don't think Heavenly Father made me very good!

Me: (holding back laughter and acting very concerned) Why?

Ez: (crying) I think he made me wrong!

Me: I don't think he made you wrong, you are just right!

Ez: Then why don't my eyes move?

Me: What?

Ez: Your eyes, Dad's eyes, and Luke's eyes all move, but mine just stay forward!

So, that explains all the studying of his reflection in the mirror and moving his eyes around.

Got it!

Two Boys, A Marker, And No Mommy

2009-02-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

1,000,000 Visitor

2009-02-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

So, one night we were super bored, and I happened to grab a local magazine that tells about all the commutity events for the month. I started to thumb through the magazine about 4:30 and noticed that it was $1 night at the local children's museum. I washed the kids faces and threw them in the car and grabed myself a hat, since I had yet to shower. Then, dawdled in the parking lot with the kids while I finished my conversation with Marianne. Then........

we walked in, paid our three dollars,

confetti fell all over, flashes of light, people cheering, the entire staff watching, news cameras, a radio station, a photographer, we were the 1,000,000 visitor.

You may wonder what this entails, a 5 year membership to the children's museum, a large gift basket, a $100 gift certificate, an interview on a local radio station (with a bad caser of laryngitis), a clip on the news, and mine and my kids pictured in several local magazines.

The t.v. station and radio station interviewed us, of course they interviewed Ezra, and instead of saying something sweet he spit into the microphone. Since, that got such a good laugh he proceeded to do it every time they asked a question, at least three or four times.

Ezra and Luke were super excited to dive in and see what we won!!!!!

Halloween

2009-02-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

What? Halloween was 3 1/2 months ago? Who knew? Well just thought the fam might want to see the little ones in their cute Halloween costumes. We loved not having to wear a winter coat or pancho to go trick-or-treating. Ezra is still totally obsessed with Cars and when he saw this costume he had to have it. Luke had no choice, Ezra liked sharks at age 2!!

Luke loving his cupcake!

Ez and Luke at the Church Trunk-or-Treat

Ez modeling his costume!

Mom and Ez trick-or-treating.

Getting the goods!

Trick-or-treat!

Can you believe this little boy is the same age as Ez.

Ezra's school parade.

Us at the law school carnival.

Birthday Party

2009-02-03T23:06:00.001-08:00

Birthday parties can be a bit lame when there is no one to celebrate with!
So, I tried to make it a special day for Luke by doing some of his favorite things.
We went to the zoo!!!
He can spend hours watching the bears and the monkeys, literally!!

We went and grabbed a bite at a local joint that was recommended.
It got two thumbs down.
But the company was good!!
I think Luke tried to crawl over to the other booth at least twenty times.
Dumped ten sugar packets.
Dropped four forks.
Spilled two glasses of water.
Threw ten fries.
Patted the lady's head behind us 5 times.
Ate 3 bites.
Paid forty bucks.
And left the waitress with a big, fat mess.
But..................................

How can you resist that sweet face. This is Luke as the monkey cake, a special request from the birthday boy, was unveiled.

And Luke blowing out his candles. Every day since his birthday he asks me if he can blow out fire. How can you not love that little guy. He also loved his lightning mcqueen trike and all the many other sweet gifts that he was sent. Thanks everyone for remembering this little guy on his birthday, it definitely made it a little more fun!

Luke Ba Ba is Two!!! (If any one still looks at this)

2009-02-03T22:12:00.001-08:00

My little Luke is two!!

Today you are only 22, maybe 23, pounds
Full of energy
Finally sleeping through the night
You have the blondest, cutest, curliest hair
(even if you do get called a girl now and then)
Today you love mommy-time.
Monkeys, bears, and dogs are your favorite
You could drink milk and eat fruit all day long
Fish, peanut butter, and hot stuff always comes out
Today you think Ezra is the coolest
You love people
You have the sweetest most mischievous little face
Spinning until you fall down make you laugh
Today you love your electric toothbrush
You are talking so well
We finally figured out what bear sha shaash means- the bear necessities
Today you love to climb and are very curious
You are happy, easy to smile, and super cuddly
Chapstick, guns, and playing with tampons are your favorite toys
Today you don't like being said no to ever
You still cry a lot
You are sweet, sensitive, and caring
Today you can make any stranger smile
You give the best hugs and the sweetest kisses
You make everyone feel like they are your favorite
Today you are have a strong will and are a bit stubborn

Today we are so glad you are ours.

We love you!!!

Luke Ba Ba

Charleston

2008-10-22T17:01:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a quick weekend trip to Charleston. It was amazing!!! It is an extremely beautiful city with so much history, amazing food, nice people, and breath-taking beaches. (My camera was out of batteries and I forgot to bring the charger and so here are a few of the places we visited, thanks google images.)

I was able to get a couple of pics at Folly Beach before the battery died. The pier at Folly Beach. There is nothing Ezra loves more than playing in the sand and so what is better than miles and miles of endless sand? And Luke enjoying the drinks that we got before we went to the beach. You would never know that he wasn't even on the charts for weight by the way that kid eats.

A really amazing bridge that connects Charleston to the Isle of Palms beach.

Battery Park

This Park is located on the coast of Charleston and is rich with history. It is across the water from Fort Sumter and has cannons that were used in the war. Pretty cool. There are all kinds of memorials and statues that tell about the history of this area.

The Battery.

A really ritzy area on the coast, near Battery Park, with lots of huge, old, beautiful homes.

Rainbow Row.

Hyman's Seafood.

The place we went to dinner. It has great seafood, hush puppies, fried okra, mac & cheese, and they give the kids free ice cream at the end. What more could you ask for?

We walked out onto the pier and there were people catching crabs. We saw a couple people pull out crab. Kinda cool. The boys loved it and Ezra thinks we should bring our own net next time.

A famous open air market. The building was built in the late 1700's or early 1800's and behind it there is a huge open air market with tons of vendors selling a variety of stuff.

There are women and children all over the city, especially near the market, that weave this grass into baskets, hats, flower, and all kinds of things. It was actually a tradition that was passed down from the time of the slaves.

King Street.

This street is lined with people and expensive shops. We were quite the spectacle with our double stroller. I can't tell you the number of times we were stopped by people telling us how cute our kids were and then asking a question about our ridiculously large stroller that took up the entire sidewalk. I am not sure if they really thought the kids were cute or if it was a dare to talk to the spectacle of a family that was taking up the entire sidewalk, or to get a closer look at what we Utahns call a double stroller.

We stayed at a really nice hotel for a great deal. Thanks priceline.

When we pulled up to our hotel there was a huge Farmer's Market that was going on across the street. It was great! We had gyros, German patries, crepes, and some vegetarian tofu thing that was delicious. There were also tons of vendors, but because we got there at 1:30 and things shut down at 2 we were bummed we couldn't hang around a little longer.

We miss you Charleston and hope to visit many more times!!!

Fall

2008-10-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love fall??? It is definitely my favorite season. The crispness in the air. The perfect evenings. College Football. The promise of an exciting holiday season. Wearing jeans and sweatshirts. The start of a new school year. Spencer not coming home until 9:00 p.m. everynight. The changing leaves. And pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

Delicious!!!

A Sunday at the Temple

2008-10-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sunday's ago we decided to drive over to the Columbia, South Carolina temple. (Our first couple of Sunday's were a little lonely and a little long with no one to have dinner with, no one to visit, nowhere to go, and church at 9:30.) This is just one of the little temples, which is only about the size of a stake center, but it was beautiful. I am always amazed at the way the temple grounds are so intricately manicured and well taken care of.

The temple!

Ezra is at the age where he will never smile and even when he does it is that "cheese" grin that every three year old does that you really wish they wouldn't. Thank goodness for candid shots right.

Luke not having such a great day!

First Day of School

2008-10-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

I know that this blog is a little bit late, but I had to post some super cute pictures of my boys on the first day of school. Although it can be a little bit overwhelming, I think both the boys are loving school. We see Spencer about an hour a day. Luke is missing Ezra a ton, all day long he says Ez? Ez? Ez? And everyday he asks if he can stay at Ezzie's school and play. Ezra love Ms. Gabrielle and is making lots of new friends. In fact, the other day he looks at me and says mom my teacher says that we praise Heavenly Father. And I said oh really and what does that mean and he sang a little song that goes like this, Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him in the noon time. Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him, till the sun goes down. He said it's how she prays. They sing it everyday before snack time. Welcome to the Bible Belt!

Ezra and his listening ears.

After school, Luke couldn't wait to see Ez!

Luke blowing kisses as Ezra leaves.

Ezra loves to climb on the top of the car while I buckle Luke in his seat.

Ezra giving Luke a big hug before he goes.

The Boys on their first day of school!!

My family will appreciate the shot of Ezra looking over his shoulder. Every year on the first day of school my mom would make us take a shot like this and Spencer thinks it is hilarious. I am actually still not really sure why she had us do that!!!!!

Ezra really really wanted to make Dad a cake to celebrate his first day of school, but really he saw me get into a cupboad with a bunch of sprinkles and cake decorating stuff and he wanted to play with the sprinkles. Isn't our cake lovely?

MY MOM

2008-09-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Who would fly to South Carolina and organize, move things, hang pictures, buy lights (because none of the bedrooms have overhead lights???), take us to Sam's, hang out with my boys, take us to dinner, and a million other things. And on top of all of that sleep in Luke's room and for all of those who don't know Luke is a HORRIBLE sleeper. I think he wakes up about five times crying in the night. MY MOM!!! Aren't mom's wonderful? What would this world be like without mothers? My mom was so hopeful and such a good sport!! I am lucky enough to have the greatest mom in the whole world. Our family would not make it without this lovely woman. Thanks mom we love youand miss you like crazy!!!!

Riverwalk Cafe

2008-09-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

We also ate at a yummy restaurant called the Riverwalk Cafe. They had really good seafood and the boys loved it because they could throw peanut shells on the floor. Unfortunately, they did not quite get it was just the peanut shells we throw, poor waitress, but we did leave her a good tip!

At the Riverwalk Cafe, eating peanuts.

Mommy and Luke at the Cafe.

Ezra after getting soaked in the water with all of his clothes on!

Luke trying to decide if he likes it and Ezra about to run and jump in a huge pool of water on the sand.

Myrtle Beach

2008-09-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a quick weekend trip to Myrtle Beach. It was a great getaway from our crazy life. The beach was beautiful. It was clean, warm water, white sand, fireworks, music playing, and yummy food. Ezra loves everything about the beach, the sand, the water, and the seashells. Luke, we are working on!

Pigsty

2008-09-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

So, the other day Ezra, Luke, and I had nothing to do, after the sixth straight day of rain. (We received a lot of rain because of hurricane Fay that hit Florida.) We decided to go check out the local library. Suprisingly, it has a really neat children's area with art tables, couches, lots of really big stuffed animals, a table full of puzzles, a puppet theatre, story time, days they do art projets witht he kids, and other fun activities that go on during the week. The library is decorated in the theme of Where the Wild Things Are and it has trees and a mural of the monsters and is really really neat. Ezra loves the library and he picked out a bunch of books for us to read. One of these books happened to be a book called pigsty, by Mark Teague. It is a great book about a boy who doesn't keep his room clean and pigs come and take over his room. Well for some reason Ezra really internalized the book and now is always concerned about us leaving his room or the house messy in fear that pigs will come and live here. It is hilarious, aren't three year olds sweet!

We are Here!

2008-08-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

We are finally here!!!! After a whirlwind three weeks, we finally made it to the beautiful South Carolina. We have had an extremely busy and exciting last three weeks. It started out with an awesome and amazing trip to Alaska with the Olsen fam. We had an incredible time seeing bears, eagles, eating, whale watching, viewing glaciers, zip lining, eating, dancing, playing cards, chatting, oh and did I mention eating. We arrived home on Saturday and Spencer was driving a huge, 26 footer, Penske truck with all of our junk to South Carolina on Thursday. Needless to say we were in quite a rush to get everything packed and on its way. We were suprisingly successful, but not without many long nights and help from lots and lots of good friends and family. Thank you again everyone! While Spencer was driving the monstrous load to SC we were living at my mom's and trying to tie up all of the loose ends.

And.....now we are here! It is a beautiful place (the pictures are just a couple that we have taken of the scenery and campus here) and there will be posts to come to tell you about our adventures in the old SC.

Ezra is Three!

2008-04-28T15:05:00.001-07:00

My little baby just turned three! It is hard to believe that Ezra is already three. I was just thinking about the first year of his life and it seemed like an eternity, but it is crazy how fast it really goes by. This year has brought so much fun and excitement, of course with the challenges. We have done everything from potty training, transitioning to a big boy bed, learned letters, sounds, numbers, how to pray, learned all about the apostles and prophets (his latest kick since President Hinckley died and general conference), how to kick a ball, how to talk back to your mom, how to help mom, how to share toys with your little brother, how to hit, use potty words, kill things, talk about blood and guts, laugh when you fart, wrestle with dad, and of course we have played hours and hours and days and days of Thomas the Train. This year has been a blast. It is so fun to watch them grow and learn. They grow up so much between two and three it is hard to believe. He has turned from my little baby to a little boy and I have loved almost every minute of it.

Ezra really wanted to celebrate his birthday at Jungle Jim's and so that is what we did. We packed up my sorry attempt at a train cake, his stuff for his new bed, and invited my parents and the Biesingers to come along. Ezra got a bike from Grandma and Grandpa and some awesome pool stuff from The Biesinger. We also had a party with Spencer's family on Sunday where he cashed in on tons and tons of Thomas Stuff he was ecstatic.

Little Lukers

2008-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

As all of you know I have been MIA for the last several months. But, I have decided to recommit myself to blogging and so here we go. I plan on attmepting to catch up in a series of posts over the next couple of days, but we will see. I am just going to start with some random pictures of my little Luke. He is getting so big and he is cute as ever. My mom (who is an amazing photographer) took these super cute pictures of Luke at Ezra's birthday and I just had to post them.

Lost Camera and Tag

2007-12-28T21:45:00.001-08:00

So, I lost my camera and that is why there have been no updates for so long. But, good news, I got a new one for Christmas and so we will be back in action. Yeah!!!!

Tag-you're it!
The name of this game is to answer the following 10 questions and then tag 4 other friends to do the same on their blog pages...

Best thing you cooked last week...I usually cook a lot. But, with all of the holidays and now that we are in San Diego nothing. I guess I cooked a really good spinach and pasta salad for Christmas Eve.

When was the last time you cried?
I am definitely not a crier. To be quite honest, I have no idea.

Five things you were doing 10 years ago:
1. I was in junior high and was loving it.
2. I was on the swim team at Brighton High School
3. Talking on the phone a lot.
4. Hanging out with friends.
5. Taking dance and piano.

Five things you were doing 5 years ago:
1. Getting married to my sweet, sweet husband.
2. Trying to finish up my undergraduate degree.
3. Moving into Pinnacle Reserve Apartments
4. Working with little kids at the Boys Ranch
5. Trying to do sharing time with 5 little sunbeams running around.

Five things you were doing 1 year ago:
1. Vacationing in San Diego
2. Vacationing in Arizona while my husand was in China
3. 8 1/2 months pregnant
4. Loving every minute of staying out home with my little Ez
5. Hanging out with the Young Women.

Seven of your favorite hobbies: reading, working out, going to dinner, hanging with my family, vacationing, taking pictures, shopping, and being with friends.

Five favorite foods:
1. Frozen Blueberries
2. Jamba Juice
3. Bread
4. Chocolate
5. Sushi

Five places you've been:
The Carribean, Several countries in Europe, Florida, New York, & DC

Five Favorite Memories:
Giving birth to two sweet little boys, getting married to my wonderful husband, my freshman and sophomore year of college, going to europe with my family, seeing ezra after coming home from a long week at girl's camp, and too many more to mention.

I am tagging: Brooke, Shanna, Di, Annie, and Sis

October 2007

2007-11-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

I had Ezra and Luke's pictures taken at Trolley Square in October and I thought they were so cute. Janelle of Atellier Photography did such an awesome job. Of course both my kids got really sick the day before we got pictures and so neither of them were cooperating, and Luke usually loves Ezra but wanted nothing to do with him. However, she got some really great ones. I love the cute close-ups and the ones that they are interacting, so cute!

Ezra & Luke

2007-11-14T22:12:00.001-08:00

9 Months

2007-10-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Luke is nine months today! Time just seems to be flying by. Ezra, being my first, it seemed like I just couldn't wait for him to do everything. I couldn't wait for him to walk, talk, crawl, stand, eat solids, whatever. But, with Luke I feel like I am enjoying every minute and he seems to be doing everything way too fast. He started to army crawl before he started to sit up, so I never even got any of that great time where they just sit there and play with all of their toys. So, he reminds me of Marianne's little Jack and Annie's little Elle. He is almost standing on his own, has been crawling for almost three months, and has been walking along furniture for probably a month and a half. I am not sure if he is just nimble or if he is doing his best to stay alive! (Aren't big brothers fun!) We have loved having two, it has been so fun to watch Luke's little personality emerge over the last couple of months, he is super sweet.

Bear Lake

2007-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

I forgot to blog a really fun outing that we had over memorial day this year. Lauren and BB invited us to go up to Bear Lake and so we jumped at the chance. We love Bear Lake! It is so much fun and totally relaxing, thanks to Jackie cooking all of our meals and BB, Flint and Lauren taking care of the rest. Ezra loved it and we all had a blast. Besides the fact that the first night Luke and Ezra wanted me all night and so I think that I got a total of one hour of sleep starting at about 7:00 a.m., we had a great time. Ezra loved riding on the 4-wheelers, finding shells, swinging on the swings, and playing with one of his favorite friends Brax. Thanks Biesinger's.

The Romney's

2007-09-14T16:11:00.001-07:00

We had an awesome June with my favorite sister and her kids. We love it when she comes to visit, but it also makes us sad to think that we will never get to live by our favorite cousins. While Brooke was here she definitely kept us busy. It seems like we had something going everyday, wether it was bouncing off the walls or just hanging out at Grandma Kimmi's. We miss you and love you Romney's! (P.S. There are no pictures because my mom is such an awesome picture taker that I always forget to bring along the camera! Thanks Mom!)

Cheryse & Mark's Wedding

2007-08-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

On June 20, my sister-in-law Cheryse was married to Mark in the temple. This was a much anticipated event for the whole family. They had a really nice dinner the night before at the lion house, where Mark sang a song he had written for her. It was really sweet! Then the next day was busy, busy as we attended the ceremony and set up for the reception. Cheryse was a beautiful bride! The evening actually ended up really nice much to some people's surprise. Since I have told many of you about the wedding, I thought I would post some pics so you could see exactly what I was talking about. ENJOY!

All About Me

2007-08-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

Since I have been out of the blogging world for some time I did not even know what this whole tagging thing is, but it looks like Shanna LeRoy has tagged me and so here it goes.

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. LDS Family Services as a Counselor and Adoption Worker
2. Utah State Hospital as a Social Worker
3. Utah Boys Ranch (Sunshine Solutions)
4. Provo Juvenile Court (sat there every day and practically did nothing)

4 Movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Hairspray (I love it because the main girl reminds me of one of my bff's Aspen)
2. Grease
3. Girl's Just Want to Have Fun
4. Newsies

4 Places I've lived:
1. Draper (twice)
2. Provo (a couple of times)
3. Sandy
4. Who knows, our house is up for sale!

Favorite TV Shows:
1. American Idol
2. So you think you can dance
3. Singing Bee
4. House

Places I've been to:
1. Mexico
2. Several countries in Europe
3. Grand Cayman
4. Belize

My Favorite Foods:
1. Bajio's salads
2. Sushi (Happy Sumo)
3. Cadbury Mini Eggs (it's a good thing easter is only once a year)
4. Bread

Websites I visit daily:
1. My email
2. Friends blogs
3. The MLS
4. Comcast.net to check out the news

Places I'd rather be:
1. San Diego
2. Hawaii
3. Hanging out with my sis!
4. Somewhere I have never been!

Blog Buddies I want to tag:
1. Brooke Romney
2. Marianne Christensen
3. Annie Egan
4. Diana Willardson

Elder Olsen

2007-08-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

So, I finally decided to get back to the blogging world. I want to apologize for being MIA for a while, but our summer has been really crazy. The first post that I am going to do is about my cute little brother Beau. He is currently serving a mission in Madagascar and has had some really crazy experiences. The most recent one he shared with us could definitely be the most unusual. They have a holiday in Madagascar where they dig up the bodies of their ancestors and redress the bones, dance with them, have a huge feast, and then rebury them in their new attire. There are many more details, but that is the jist of it and he sent home some pictures and this is a little excerpt from his letter...."On Friday, we were invited by a member to go roll some bones: or what we call here a famadihana so we took some time out of our p day to go do tha. All I can say is it was crazy! This culture absolutely is crazy! I sent some pictures of it. I have a picture in the grave: me wrapping a dead body, a picture of them carying the body out of the grave, and then the party with the food: yes that is a cow head, a pig head; and the rest of the guts; it was honestly the craziest thing I might have ever done in my life, it was so nuts! I was carrying a dead body on my shoulder and wrapping some guy in new cloth, it was crazy:! A once in a lifetime experience. It was funny bc it was a big fam reunion too and this fam was shocked we knew malagasy..." I think that our little Beau has definitely been forced to grow up the last year and a half.

Love Being the Mother of Two

2007-06-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

It is funny how when you are pregnant you really aren't sure what to expect with your second. I remember having thoughts like, "will I love him as much as I love Ez? will he be as cute as Ez?" and for all of you that are wondering the answer is yes to all of your questions. I have loved being a mother to two! Each moment with Luke is just as precious as when I was experiencing it with Ez (Actually to be totally honest, I think that because I was so overwhelmed with the whole baby thing the first time around I think that I am able to enjoy the preciousness of Luke even a little bit more). And they are so different from your first that you love them for completely different reasons and the same reasons too. I almost feel as though I wished away Ezzie's first couple of months because I was just excited to get him to the next phase. Luke's first couple of months seem to have flown by and it seems like I can't get enough of each stage. Also, there are definitely times it is easier to love a sweet little baby than a naughty little two year old.

Luker's Blessing

2007-06-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

Luke was blessed on May 5, 2007 and it was such a fun event. We love an excuse to get family and friends together. Spencer did a great job on the blessing, and Spencer said that Luke was smiling and laughing the whole time he was giving the blessing. He has really turned into the sweetest boy! Thanks everyone for your help and support!

More Pictures by Jamie Hammond

2007-05-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

Pictures

2007-05-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to tell people that my sister has a photographer friend coming into town the week of June 11-16. She is an awesome photographer. These pictures were done of our family by her in December and we were so happy with the way that they turned out. She will shoot anywhere you want to. Her sessions are usually about an hour and she will do each kid, family pictures etc all in the same session. She can do pregnancy, family, kids, newborns and will go from SLC to Provo . She is $125 for the session, then you can buy prints from her or get a CD for $75. I think she would also do a Christmas card. Also, if you book with five people she will take $50 off. Like if Marianne, Annie, and Di wanted to and maybe Di's sisters or something, you don't all have to do it together just book it and say you have four other friends who want to book with her. Do you get it?
Her website is http://www.jamiehammondphotography.com/ is you want to check it out! Let me know if you are interested.

2007-05-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Then that weekend we wanted to do something really fun for Ezra to celebrate his birthday. So, we decided to head to Thanksgiving Point and go to the petting zoo. We thought Ezra would love it! Well, we were totally wrong. He was freaked out by every single animal from the rabbits to the chickens to the cows. (He is definitely his mother's son.) He would not even get close to them, but we did finally get him to do the pony ride after much coaxing.

2007-05-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

On April 16, Ezra turned two years old! Ezra had a great birthday. We started the celebration on April 7, with a joint birthday party with his cousin Camden (his birthday is on the 15th) because Camden's mom had a baby (baby Beckitt) on Ezra's real birthday. Ezra got tools from his cousins Hunter, Gage the little guy in the picture), and Ashlyn and he was so excited. That was his favorite present. He had to open it right away and play with all the tools and even wear the outfit. He wanted tools so that he could help his daddy fix stuff.

Dying Easter Eggs

2007-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

However, his favorite easter activity was definitely dying eggs. He loved it! He loves to get messy and he loves colors. He also was so excited to taste the eggs and to enjoy the fruits of his labor. And since the Easter Bunny forgot to visit our house this year he got to take these fun eggs home from Grandma Olsen's.

The Big Egg Hunt

2007-04-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ezra was so cute at the easter egg hunt. He would look and look for the eggs but he could not find them. They would be right in front of him and he just could not see them, it was hilarious. So we helped him find some eggs and when he realized there were candy inside of them he was really excited. After every egg he would find he would have to sit down and find out what the treasure was inside.

Easter

2007-04-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Holidays are a blast with a two year old. He is starting to understand and participate in the traditions and parties and all that comes with holidays. He wasn't so impressed with the clothes, but Mommy thought that her boys looked too cute!

Spencer and the Boys!

2007-03-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Spencer is also loving being a dad of two! This is kind of the slow time for work and so he has been able to spend some extra time with his two little buddies. He loves the newborn stage. He loves the smell of newborns and loves to cuddle them and so he is a big help. But, he also can't wait until they are old enough to play basketball and hang out with him. He seems to have adjusted to the sleepless nights pretty well, meaning that he does not hear a peep out of either of the boys when they wake in the middle of the night. Lucky him!

My two Boys!

2007-03-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

It is so fun to be a mom of two. You forget how fun it is to have a sweet little newborn who takes up all of your time. Luke is such a cuddle bug and loves me to hold him all day and all night. I was just informed by Annie that if I don't want Luke sleeping with us until he is nine months that I better be a little more strict about him sleeping in his own bed. However, in the middle of the night when he is crying it is a lot easier to slip him into bed with me and know that he will fall right to sleep. So I hope he figures it out soon. The first two weeks were long and he cried a lot, I think he had a rough time adjusting to this cruel world, but now he is such a sweet little guy and seems to be loving life.

Brothers

2007-03-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Ezra loves the camera! He has been working on adjusting to not getting all of mommy and daddy's attention. He actually loves his brother Luke and loves to give him kisses. He also loves to hold him and pick him up and can't wait for him to be big enough to play. The other day he was so kindly showing Luke his trains and ended up almost hitting him with one as he launched it through the air. But other than that he is loving being a big brother. And I am just trying to get used to juggling two!

Lukers

2007-03-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

When Luke was about 2 1/2 weeks we took the boys to get pictures.

2007-03-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Luke was born on January 22, 2007. He was born at 12:20p.m. and was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. The labor actually went really well. Luke was due on January 20 and since was not cooperative I ended up being induced on January 22. I went to the hospital and they got me hooked up on the pitocin about 8 or 8:30 and from there time flew. The labor was pretty good, except for that I could feel my whole right side. The doctor's were awesome and we were just grateful little Luke Mitchell was healthy.