Pumpkins!

After Garrett's last soccer game, we had to make a quick trip to ML and decided to hit the pumpkin patch we'd heard about over there. While it wasn't anything fancy, the kids loved it. I'm sure Todd loved that the whole expedition was short and sweet, too. :) Somehow I missed getting a picture of Garrett picking out his pumpkin, but they all had a fun time picking out one just the right size. I think Garrett was looking for a giant pumpkin, but there were none to be found :).

A couple of days later we decided FHE would be the perfect time to do something with those pumpkins, the kids decided on painting them. The girls painted their entire pumpkins pink and purple, and Garrett was going for more of a camo look with green and black. I had to laugh when I heard Lauren on the porch chatting with her friend about how they thought Garrett's pumpkin was "ugly, but we won't tell him that!" Too funny! Oh those little princesses. :)

Fall Soccer 2011

Yep, serious bunch these Killer Bees....not sure how this turned out to be the best picture I got :)

We had an interesting soccer season this fall. All in all Garrett was happy so that's ALL that matters. :) We started out the season late, and Garrett was on one team but there weren't enough players on another team (that practiced with them) and Garrett was the one who finally made the switch. They did have some good little players on this team, it's fun to see them get more competitive each year. This was the first year we've ever had to travel for games (and because we started late we only had to do that once).

This year we also found out Garrett might have allergy or excercise induced asthma. He was having a lot of trouble with endurance on the field and would sometimes stop with his hand to his chest. He kept saying he was just feeling his heart beat, but I could tell by the way it slowed him down there was more to it. We finally got him in to our family doctor and they have referred us on to a pulmonologist. In the meantime he gave us a prescription for an inhaler and we saw a HUGE difference in the last couple of games. While we were grateful the inhaler helped, I am still planning to take him to the pulmonologist toward the end of the month to make sure we are covered for the next sport he plays.

Testing, testing, 1...2....

So does anyone read this thing anymore?! LOL! I was feeling a bit nostalgic tonight and reading through some of my posts over the last few years. First, where the heck has all the time gone? Second, wow, have I become a blogging slacker! Since my reason for keeping this blog is that it is essentially our family journal, I've decided I need to remember to post about the little things, as well as the usual holiday/sports season/big life events stuff. :)

Soooo...what have we been up to? For one, preparing for that little bundle of joy I told you about here . Oh yeah, and that little bundle of joy is a BOY! See....serious slacker here, we've only known for 12 or so weeks now and I'm just now posting it on my blog! I can't begin to tell you how excited we are to add another boy to the family! We have a little over 7 weeks (yikes!) left to prepare for this little man. Part of those preparations must include buying a new vehicle, something my dear husband has been in denial about. I'm not too worried, though, because it HAS to happen. I've given in to the fact that it may not happen in my time frame, and may not be exactly what I was hoping for, but it will happen and whatever comes, comes. We should also be coming up with a name for this little guy, but have come to the conclusion that boys are very hard to name and putting it off just sounds better than fighting, ahem, fretting about it. :) I have to say a little about this pregnancy.....it has been one of my easiest. Not to say that my teeth aren't falling apart as usual or that my back isn't KILLING me half the time, but at least to this point it has gone by very quickly and at least when I sleep, I sleep semi-well compared to when I was pregnant with the girls. Now, here's to hoping the next 7 1/2 (give or take) weeks go just a well! Garrett's really enjoying school this year and has been keeping busy the last month or so with soccer. His new favorite position is goalie, which surprises me, but to each his own! We have noticed some issues with his breathing/endurance this season so I took him to our family doctor and he will be referring us to a pulmonologist for further testing to see if he Garrett may have exercise-induced asthma. We only have a couple weeks left this season, but it will be nice to have some answers.Lauren is back in ballet and LOVING it. Other than that, she has been working hard on her home-preschool workbooks and amazes me every day with her ability to soak it all in. This girl loves to learn. She writes her own name very well and is working on her middle and last names. She's always asking me how to spell this word or that word so she can write "letters" to her friends. Such a sweetie!
Our little Ella is just busy, busy, busy! Just this morning I was informed by Lauren that Ella had gotten hold of a permanent marker and proceeded to leave her signature on the walls, bunkbeds, toddler bed, not to mention HERSELF! If you happen to see her and it looks like she has a black eye, that's because the purple marker hasn't scrubbed off yet!!! I'm not sure how I'll survive this busy little girl once we have the baby. Luckily she's as sweet as she is busy. I love the new things she comes up with every day, and her ability to quote movie lines...it's pretty hilarious. Luckily she hasn't heard and/or quoted anything too embarrassing...yet!

I think that about sums up our lives at the moment. Hopefully the posts will get more frequent, even if the only ones reading them end up being US!

A Big 2nd Grader!

Wait! Didn't we JUST start summer vacation?! How is this little man already starting 2nd Grade?! Well... ready or not, today was the first day of school. The weather was more than happy to cooperate, already dropping 10-15 degrees from what we've been enjoying the last few weeks. I was almost shocked that he had to run upstairs and grab a sweatshirt before getting on the bus this morning.

We were as ready as could be....we went to the open house last night and met his new teacher, Mrs. Firl. I was a little disappointed to see that none of his close friends are in his class, in fact they all seem to be in one other class, but that will just give him the opportunity to come out of his shell more. Daddy gave him a sweet blessing last night. He was too anxious/nervous/excited to eat a good breakfast this morning, but I was finally able to talk him into a trail mix granola bar. We were relieved to see his bus driver from last year, Melissa Adams, this morning. I was a little anxious for him, but I knew he'd be fine. I just can't believe how fast he's growing up! He had a great first day, at least he's excited to go back again tomorrow....I'd say we're off to a great start!

4th of July Weekend 2011

Not even sure where to begin with our whirlwind 4th of July weekend this year! Friday I had planned to go to Spokane to be with my cousin's family as they were sealed in the temple for time and all eternity (so sad I had to miss it, but soooo excited for them!). I was unable to find someone to watch my kiddos, so instead we took a little trip to see my friend Ashley and her sweet baby and kids. We hung out for the afternoon and then headed to a sprinkler park for a bit before dinner. I'm not sure why I have no pictures other than those from the sprinkler park, and even then there are none of Lauren running through the sprinklers. Maybe because she spent most of her time elsewhere, like the sand or the playground! Here's a few that I did manage to catch....

We had so much fun and I'm very much looking forward to the next time we get together!

Saturday was mostly spent around the house. Todd got to go fishing that morning with a friend and managed to catch a walleye. We decided to do some dutch oven cooking that night and headed out to Todd's parent's house so we could spend some time with them and use their fire pit. After a yummy (although a little late) dinner, we roasted some marshmallows over a fire. It was a perfect night to enjoy being outdoors.

Sunday we went to church, then headed off to a Cole family dinner. I love family dinners and just hanging out with everyone, talking and laughing. Mom and Andy took Garrett and Lauren for the night, so we made our way home with just Ella. She definitely missed her big brother and sister and ended up being pretty high maintenance that night. She even ended up sleeping with us.

Monday morning, we headed back over to meet them and have breakfast with their ward. It was at the Cox Pond so there was lots for the kids to do. It wasn't in our plans but all of the kids ended up in the water at some point. Todd and I enjoyed the time in the bench swing there just watching the kids have fun with their cousins. We went to my mom's to get some rest (which we ALL needed, Garrett and Lauren both slept all afternoon) and headed out to watch my brothers and cousins do awesome in the demolition derby. On the way home we stopped at my cousin Mishelle's house just in time to have hot dogs and s'mores, and watch all the fireworks over the lake. We arrived home one tired bunch (I felt so sorry for Todd who had to get up at 5:00 the next morning).

We had such a fun weekend and I am so grateful for all those who have sacrificed for our freedom, so that we can enjoy all the amazing things that I hold most dear in this life.

Little Miss Ballet....

Lauren had her first ballet recital early this month. It was so, so fun to watch her beaming on that stage. She loved every minute of it!

Last Day of School 2011!

Here's Garrett with Mrs. Barbre on the last day of school. I can't believe my little man is moving on to 2nd grade! Yikes! Garrett says his favorite things about 1st grade were:

- Math

- Writing

- Good friends

- My teacher (he says he will really miss her :)

He also earned his Junior Jogger's shirt a couple of weeks before, so proud of him!

And in case you've been hiding under a rock....

Pretty sure EVERYONE knows by now, but for the sake of catching up on my blog....

Ella's going to be a big sister around December 5th :) Big brother Garrett is of course hoping for a boy!

Portraits of the kids...

I've been meaning to update with these pics of the kids for forever. Todd's sister, Chelsea, took these pictures for us around Thanksgiving time. Love them and I think they show my kids' personalities very well! Thanks, Chels!

New bikes!

Since our kids' birthdays (well except Lauren's) fall in the middle of winter, we decided to get the kids bikes for Easter this year. The Easter Bunny brought Ella's bike, and helmets for Garrett and Lauren. Then we went to the store the next day and they picked out their bikes. They have had sooooo much fun riding the sidewalks and driveways, and sharing their bikes and/or scooters with the neighborhood kids!

Spring Break 2011

This year Spring Break just happened to coincide with a conference Todd was scheduled to attend in Seattle. We decided to pack up the kids and make it a family event. While Todd attended his classes I took the kids to the Seattle Aquarium and Pike's Place Market one day, and Woodland Park Zoo the next. At first I was a little intimidated to take the kids out by myself, but I'm so glad I got over that because we really did have a great time. I was surprised at how quickly we got through the aquarium, so we went back through part of it again. I was in no hurry to walk back up the hill to where I had parked (waaaaaay too far away) so I just let them go at their own pace. One of the places we spent the most time was at the flannel board with an ocean background and lots of flannel fish to move around. The tide pools were high on the list of favorites, and so were the seals and sharks. Nemo and Dori are always a highlight too. By the time we got back I was exhausted, my head and ear and tooth hurt (pressure left over from a sinus infection), and my back was killing me for some reason. I took an hour nap as soon as Todd got back and woke up feeling even worse. The clinic across the street wouldn't see me (because I wasn't a King County resident of all things) so we ended up at the ER. A few hours later I ended up with a prescription for pain pills which I didn't want to take because of my pregnancy. She said it was safe, but I don't like pain pills anyway and wanted to get confirmation from my doctor before taking anything. The kids were all sacked out on the couches by the time I made it out to the waiting room. Sooo....we got me some Tylenol and headed back to the hotel. Of course the next morning I woke up feeling fine!

The zoo was a crazy whirlwind of requests to go see this or that animal and back to see the ones that somehow one child might have missed the first time around. Of course the favorites were the tigers, the elephants, and the jaguar. We hit the bug exhibit on the way out and had each of the kids thoroughly weirded out. The lady in the exhibit even fed a spider while we were there and Garrett wouldn't go near it.

One thing Todd and I noticed about Seattle (not that this was news to us), is the diversity that we saw in the University District. You see people of all races and religions and personalities. It was almost like being in a foreign country compared to our little town. We felt a little funny toting our 3 kids around too, epecially amongst all those college kids. All in all we had a great time and I'm so glad we made the decision to go. It was great making memories with the kids, I only wish that Todd had been able to join us for more of the fun.

Easter 2011

I. Love. Easter. Love it! Just like Christmas, there's way too much commercialism, and it's really easy to get caught up in it all. This year (as with all years) we tried really hard to make sure that our kids learn the true reason we celebrate Easter. We had a special FHE to talk about the Savior and his sacrifice, and the miracle of the Ressurection. By the end of the weekend, anytime I'd ask Garrett why we celebrate Easter, he'd get that tone of voice, tilt back his head and say "because Jesus was resurrecteeeeeeed." Well, at least we got through somewhere, LOL!

Another reason Easter is right up there in my list of favorite holidays is the time we get to spend with our families. This year gave us 3 parties to attend. The Saturday Cox party was especially great this year because the weather came through in rare form. We enjoyed a beautiful sunny (nearly windless) day eating so much yummy food, the kids looking for Easter eggs in the rocks and sagebrush. We came home one tired bunch and practically fell straight into bed. Well, everyone except the Easter Bunny, of course!

Sunday morning we headed to church in the ward I grew up in so we could be there for the Cole party that afternoon. The kids came away from Grandma Cole's with buckets overflowing with candy (oh joy, LOL!). It was quite windy that day so we stayed indoors a lot more, eating more and more, and visiting and laughing. Ella fell asleep in chair, so my cousin Cassie moved her to Grandma's bed, where my cousin Conrad was hanging out watching TV. Ella was pretty out of it, but looked around and crawled over and cuddled up with him. Then fell back to sleep! We were totally cracking up at my stranger-shy little girl cuddling up with him.

Then we headed over to Dodge and Lindy's for the final party of the weekend. I totally thought I wouldn't be hungy, and I wasn't when we got there, but all that yummy food enticed me once again and I had another plate full of food! Sooooo good! The kids hunted for some more eggs, and Lindy had them dye some eggs too. I was so beat from the weekend, I vegged on the couch (bad, bad mom!). We had more great visits and finally headed home for the night, again completely wiped out from the weekend's festivities.

I am so grateful for my Savior's sacrifice for me, for the opportunity we have each year to celebrate the fact that He lives. I truly hope that I can teach my children to love their Savior. I am grateful for the family that I have been blessed with, the one I was born into, the one I married into, and our little family that continues to grow in blessings. I am grateful for the knowledge that because of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to be a family forever. There's nothing more precious to me than that.

Lauren's 4!

Lauren's birthday was something talked about daily (maybe even hourly!) for months leading up to her first "friend" party. She had opinions about pretty much every aspect of the party. In many ways it was lots of fun to get her input. She invited five of her little friends for lunch, fun games and activities, and of course cake! As I was making her cake the night before, she was adamant that she was going to stay awake until the cake was done. About 11:00 I notice my little helper had disappeared and was snoozing away on the couch....some helper! ;) I also worked on some of the decorations while the little miss was sleeping so she was pretty excited to wake up to all the fun things on the walls.

We had a great time at her little party and I was amazed at how well behaved those girls were! I guess I'm just used to wild boy parties or something, but the girls did great. As each girl came in, we got a picture of them (to be used in one of our crafts), most of the girls decided they wanted Lauren in their picture with them, so cute! Then they sat down and colored a Tangled picture. Here was the first shocker for me, they colored until I told them they had to stop so we could move on to the next activity! We had lunch of mac and cheese, apples, and corn dogs (by Lauren's request), played a couple of games, made some fun crafts, then on to yummy cake and ice cream. We barely had time to finish up and start opening presents before parents started arriving.

All in all I'd say Lauren's first big birthday bash was a success! A HUGE thanks to my mother-in-law Velvet for being there to help keep things running smoothly! :)

Happy VaLeNtInE's Day!

I've noticed as my children get older and begin to understand holidays other than Christmas, I find myself getting more excited about all these other holidays, as well. We've been celebrating Valentine's Day in our house since last week when Todd sent me roses. That night we worked on Garrett's valentines for school, and Lauren was feeling a little left out. The above picture is what we did, although to see them in person is much cuter. I found the idea online last year (or maybe even the year before). Since Garrett is such a BOY, I've never been allowed to get crafty with his valentines. It's all about the superheros or sports for him. And while I'm sure Lauren would have jumped at the chance to have something more "princessy", she was just happy to have something to give to her friends. Especially once we added the suckers! Friday night Todd and I were able to attend a tri-ward dinner and enjoyed chatting with friends (HUGE thanks to the Balciar girls for volunteering to watch the kids, they had so much fun!).

Unfortunately Todd leaves for work while everyone else is still snoring away, so he didn't get to join us for a yummy breakfast of chocolate chip waffles (which I highly recommend with strawberries/strawberry syrup and whipped cream, seriously.... H.E.A.V.E.N.). We'll make it up to him with some delicious dinner and dessert tonight. I suppose I should go figure out what that is going to be......Happy Valentine's Day! :)

The Birthday Boy

So Garrett had his 7th birthday a couple of weeks ago, so I guess I'd better blog about it before we hit Lauren's birthday in March. :) I'm not sure what we'd do without this little man in our lives. He is the sweetest kid. Still on the shy side, but doing so great. He enjoys school, loves his class, and also very much enjoys his days off. He's found something of a new love for reading, which I'm hoping will continue to grow. He lost his first tooth just before Christmas. He will be finishing up Mat Muscle next week (still can't talk him into doing tournaments) and will hopefully be starting up soccer next month (long story short, I didn't get the paperwork in on time, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll be able to play in the U-8 league. Garrett has grown to enjoy video games a lot more since getting the Xbox for Christmas. Mom enjoys the motivation it gives him for getting his schoolwork done first, and the time restrictions for playing. He is almost ALWAYS a great helper around the house, and helps with Ella with minimal complaints.

Since it was an odd year birthday, his party was limited to grandparents (although he did talk us into letting his cousin Brenton in on the fun too, Hallie got to tag along too and was Lauren's buddy for the night). We had fun putting together his Ben 10 themed cake and headed out for pizza. The kids were so entertained by the video games, we were lucky to get any food in them at all. It turned out to be a great little party and we had one happy birthday boy.

I just have to include this picture I snapped of Ella and Andy that night. It was too cute watching them "play".

Here we go again!

I'm back to play catch up. Here's what we've been up to the last month:

We had an amazing Christmas, as usual. Got to spend time with both of our families, wouldn't trade it for the world, even if we do a lot of driving. The kids got pretty much everything they asked for, Santa was good to them this year. The Xbox being the favorite by far. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures on Christmas morning, we took video and I'm having technical difficulties getting the video to load. I got very few Christmas cards sent out this year, just got busy doing other things. Here's what it looked like and hopefully I'll get started a little earlier next year!

Here's the one and only picture I got on Christmas day before accidentally leaving my camera at my in-laws for the weekend. I had to get a picture of these cute girls in their matching pajama's from Grandma and Grandpa.

New Year's was spent watching movies. Garrett and I were the only ones who made it past midnight, everyone else crashed long before that. It was fun to spend time with my little man. Although he couldn't figure out why it was such a big deal to watch the ball drop and why we had to stop the movie for it. :)

The new year has brought an exciting change for us, Todd started a new job today. It's a really great opportunity for him to work in the Occupational Safety and Health field, which is what he is working toward with his Master's Degree, and a field we thought would take a long time to break into. What's not so exciting is the hour long commute, but we found out the bus might be great option for him. We are feeling so blessed, hoping this is just the beginning of a wonderful year for us.

I've been busy getting into some bad habits while my husband has been home the last few months, and now trying to find some motivation now that he is back to work. I taught a couponing class tonight in our ward and I think that was a good step to get me going again. If I can just catch up on my house I would be a happy woman. Hopefully this week....hopefully....

Garrett is in Mat Muscle once a week and is excited about that. We had to bribe him with ice cream afterward, knowing that he would enjoy going, and he really does. Last night we had to skip as we decided to go ice skating with some friends for FHE. We got there a little late so we were in a rush to get out on the ice. Lauren lasted about two minutes before she decided she'd had enough. I found out later she told Todd that she "wanted to go ice skating where it's warm, not cold." Guess we need to explain exactly how ice works. Garrett stayed out there the whole time, but spent more time on his rear end than his feet. Our friends even grabbed a walker for him to use on the ice, but the poor kid just couldn't stay up very well. Toward the end he did get a teensy bit better. Today he told me he wants to go every day for the rest of the month so he can practice! Love that he is willing to try again, but would like to find some more comfortable shoes because the rentals were killing me! Thanks to Josh and Ashley for inviting us along and providing the refreshments!

Well I think that about sums up the last month for us! Excited for this new year and what it might bring.