Casper Family

Pink

2012-02-02T15:51:00.001-08:00

Suddenly there is a whole lot of pink in our house. So much so, that Ty is convinced that Ellie’s name is not Ellie…it’s Pink. He refuses to call her anything else. So, Ty has officially given Ellie her first nickname—Pink.

Easton can’t seem to refrain from calling her “it”. Every time he sees her he says, “It’s so cute. Let’s keep it!”

Here’s just an overload of pictures from the last week…Jesse and Lauren were real concerned about their germs.

She looks a lot like her brothers, but she surprised us with her dark brown hair. She is sleeping really good. She eats good, as long as it’s from a bottle…for some reason since day one, she has refused to nurse…it’s the only thing that makes her mad. We are working on that… When she is mad, the sure fire way to calm her down is lifting her in the air up and down…it works every time. My official due date isn’t until Feb 6th, and I am so glad to not still be pregnant. She is so sweet, and we just can’t get enough of her!

Ba-da Da-da Daaaa! (that’s a drumroll)

2012-01-25T09:15:00.001-08:00

Introducing….Ellie Jayne Casper

Born January 24, 2012 at 2:59am

7lbs. 13oz. and 20 inches long

Ellie Jayne’s Birth Story

Monday at midnight, I started having minor contractions 2-3 minutes apart. We headed to the hospital. I was only dilated to a 2 & 75% effaced, so we walked around a bit and changed to a 3, but my contractions slowed after that so the nurses sent me home, but was confident that I would be back later that day.

3:30pm on Monday, I had a regular checkup with my dr. I was now a 4 and she said if I could get some good contractions going to go to the hospital and she would break my water. Awesome.

Ace and I went over to a Wal-Mart close by and did some laps hoping to jump start some contractions. No Luck. We headed home, and I took a nap. Around 8:30pm my contractions were back and we were on our way back to the hospital. As luck would have it, I got a nurse who was just a real beast. She told me I was still dilated to a 4 and that my cervix was way too high, and I wasn’t in labor. (I tried to explain that I have been told this on both my other pregnancies and my cervix moves down fast, and my labors are fast after that…she didn’t listen) Even though my contractions were hurting and were 2-3 minutes apart. She said I wasn’t having this baby for another week. I found out later that she lied to my dr. and told her my contractions were irregular and 10-12 minutes apart.

She wanted to give me a shot of morphine and send me home. I thought getting a shot of morphine seemed ridiculous, so I said no to the morphine, but since she told me I wasn’t in active labor, we headed home (again). The drive from the hospital to home is a good 30 min drive. On the drive home, the contractions started to really hurt. I convinced myself that I just needed to go to bed and relax.

I tried to sleep, but the contractions almost instantly became unbearable. Ace said we are going back right now. I hated the idea of getting sent home again (I mean, really, it’s my third kid…I should know when I am in labor right?), but at this point I knew the feeling of the contractions I was having…it was the kind where, during my other deliveries, I am requesting the epidural.

I couldn’t get up off of my hands and knees. Ace and my mom got me into the car, and we were off to the hospital…again. But this time, I thought it was very likely she was going to be born in the car. It was snowing, the roads were wet, and Ace was going as fast as he could, going straight through red lights and everything.

We got to the hospital in record time. The dumb nurse was there, and as I am hanging on Ace barely able to stand, she had the nerve to say, “Well, let’s see if it’s the real thing this time.” I wanted to slug her, but then my water broke (or more like exploded) all over her floor and I was satisfied with the fact that she would have to clean it up. She checked me, and I was dilated to an 8 and completely effaced. And guess what…the cervix was low and the head was right there…weird.

My favorite person came in, the anesthesiologist. He said I was going to deliver before an epidural would take affect so he gave me a partial spinal tap or something (I didn’t really care at this point) and it worked almost immediately. Yay. My Dr. came in, apologized for the idiot nurse, and then I pushed a couple times and out she came. So, we arrived at the hospital at 2:20am and Ellie was born at 2:59am.

I am happy we made it, and that I got an epidural. She is perfect, and healthy, and we love her tons!

Ty is 3!

2012-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

I’m sitting here 37 weeks pregnant wondering how it’s possible that 9 months of being pregnant seems to drag on and on, and yet once the child is out, times just fly’s by. It feels like I just had Ty, but here he is, three years old. Unbelievable.

We did a low key birthday this year. Basically because I am lazy, and with the baby coming and Easton’s birthday I just was not really in any kind of mood to do a party. Family came, we opened presents, and ate food…really does it get better than that?

Ty’s day started with a cinnamon roll breakfast. He was happy.

I had plans on making a real cute Blues Clues cake, but going back to the lazy factor, I did cupcake toppers instead.Present Time!

He blew out his candles like a pro!

Some things about Ty at 3

-He is still a mommy’s boy through and through. He comes up to me all the time, gives me a hug and says, “Mommy, I am your cuddle bug.”

-He says words super cute. He pronounces his ‘S’ with a ‘CH’ sound. He said this to me the other day. “Don’t chep in the chow, ‘cause you will get all chowy.” (Translation: Don’t step in the snow, because you will get all snowy)

-He can basically manipulate anyone to get what he wants. There is something about him that people just can’t say no to…and he knows it.

-He loves being in the kitchen. Cooking or doing the dishes are his favorite things.

-He has an insane ability to find hidden treats or candy and devour before being caught.

-He still loves his ‘beebees” (blankets)

-He has zero interest in using the potty…in fact he prefers to stay as far away as possible.

-When they aren’t fighting, Ty loves to try and do everything Easton does.

-Ty is very sensitive. His feelings get hurt easily, and he bursts into tears.

-Ty was telling Ace all the things he loves the other day. It went like this: “I wuv Mommy. I wuv Gamma Leelee. And I wuv candy.” Ace asked if there was anything else, and he said, “Oh, and I wuv pizza.”

So there you go.

Happy birthday Ty! We Love You!

A Day Ice Skating

2012-01-16T19:54:00.001-08:00

The other day we headed to do a little ice skating with some of our family. It was the boys first time ever, and everyone was nice enough to take turns taking them out on the ice considering no body wants to see a big pregnant lady skate/fall on the ice. I just took some pictures. The boys both couldn’t get enough. Ty basically laid back and let everyone scoot him across the ice. Easton at least tried to move his feet a bit…not that it did much good, mind you.

This is a constant family argument. What color is Jesse’s jacket? Orange or Red?

How many people does it take to help Ty skate?!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T13:10:00.001-08:00

Christmas was great for everyone this year. We started on Christmas Eve morning with a Casper Family breakfast. The food was delicious. I didn’t get any pictures because I was too busy ~~losing badly~~ beating all the boys at basketball.

Then, we all went to Texas Roadhouse for a late lunch…It’s a little hard to get these boys to look at me for a pictureAnd when they do it look like this.These guys looked, but they don’t look to happy about it.

Then it was off to my family….

For our version of the nativity story.Wrapping the babe in swaddling batman clothes.Glad tidings of great joy…or something like that.

“Twas the Night Before Christmas” read by Grandma Leelee

And then, we all went for a drive to look at the lights and for Santa in the sky. When we got back, Santa had been there!So lucky us. We opened all of our presents on Christmas Eve.

Yes! Just what I wanted…Socks!A quick story…about three days before Christmas, Easton decided he wanted a remote control car from Santa. Well, the problem was that Santa had already gotten something else for him and Ty. But Easton was convinced Santa was going to bring the car. (Side note: Easton has never in his life even mentioned a remote control car…ever.) So, Santa knowing best, left a special note for Easton. Easton was thrilled about that. But more thrilled about what he got from Santa.They each got a razor scooter. Easton opened his first, and the only thing he said was, “BOOM. Scooter.”

Then Ty opened his, and in his sweet little voice said, “Boom Baby. Scooter”Sam was loving her new perfume.Trundle Bundle Super Hero PJ’s. What could be better than that?Sliding down the stairs in them…that’s what.Ty his ultimate favorite thing from Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Ryan…Kitchen utensils. Look at his face…just dreaming up all the things he can make.Poor Sam is always stuck with Jesse’s action movies so we got her a 4 pack of some romantic comedies to even things out.What could it be?Look at that happy face!The boys bonding over some cheese and sausage.Christmas morning we surprised Grandma Leelee with this cute little table. We had to be very sneaky. Jesse and Ace went to get it at jesse’s house after she went to bed. Then set it up (very quietly) for her to see on Christmas.

What a fabulous couple of days, spent with good food, family, and more good food. Merry Christmas!

Leading up to Christmas

2011-12-29T12:25:00.001-08:00

December has been a busy, busy month. Here’s a little sum up of all that we did before Christmas…

First came our favorite tradition of “The Forgotten Carols”. It was excellent, as always.

And then we were off to the Family Christmas Party/Grandpa John & Uncle Steve’s Birthday Party The sisters with Grandpa JohnAunt Nancy getting in on the action

Then Ace and I, the boys, and Brad headed to Richfield to visit Ace’s Grandpa Roberts.

We did some farming…Grandpa Roberts kept us safe with his door locking mechanism

The highlight of the trip was, of course, the mechanical chair…

After the Richfield trip, it was time for a wedding. Jessica and Chase tied the knot! Woot woot!They were trying to get a family shot, and apparently Easton felt left out so he ran up before the picture could be taken without him Not really sure what’s going on here, but she’s the bride, she can do what she wants.

Congrats guys!

The Big Boy Bed

2011-12-20T13:25:00.001-08:00

Both of my boys have never attempted to climb out of their crib, so in turn, I tend to leave them barred up in the crib for as long as possible. And so, here we are 2 months before the new baby is here, moving Ty into his big boy bed…

It’s been a week, and he only snuck out of bed once on the first night. Since then, he has stayed put and loves going to bed every night.

The Big Boy Bed…

= Pure Happiness.

“I Got Sucked By A Cup”

2011-12-12T12:27:00.001-08:00

Last week, we were getting ready for school. I told Easton to go brush his teeth. I heard him goofing around in the bathroom, but he does that every day so I wasn’t too concerned. About 5 minutes later, he came out looking like this…Let me emphasize that it was ten times worse in real life.

I asked him what he did to his face, and an instant look of shame/guilt came over him. He wouldn’t fess up at first, but when I showed him his face in the mirror, he finally said,

“I got sucked by a cup”

I tried not to laugh. I failed. Miserably.

This cup to be exact.

It lasted for a good 3 days. And nobody could even look at the poor boy without laughing.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-12-05T12:40:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was full of great food, friends and family. Before Thanksgiving, the boys and I made a quick trip to Idaho to visit my two best college buddies, Dawn and Courtney. We ate treats, stayed up too late, visited our old stomping grounds in the Clark Building, and were basically lazy all weekend long. Apparently, we had way too much fun because I only took one picture the whole time.These kids had so much fun together.

Thank you girls for a great weekend! Thanks Courtney for letting us stay at your house. And thanks to Courtney’s hubby, Aaron for being the babysitter of my crazy boys every night!

Time for Thanksgiving! First round, we were off to the Casper’s. Food was delicious. Raylene had some pre-Christmas gifts for everyone…the boys got flashlights to look for the Elf on the Shelf. Best gift ever.

And then, Raylene gave the couples a gift. We all got a box of Christmas letters that are supposed to look something like this…Real Cute.
But when I opened my box of letters, I had to wonder if Raylene was trying to tell me something…We were all laughing, and when I snapped this picture. Raylene said, “Oh No! You are going to blog about this, just like the Luggable Loo!”

Then it was time for round two with my family. We went up to the Midway House with all the family. My uncle Curtis made a deliciously moist fried turkey without burning the house down, which is a bonus. Then just played games and chilled.

And last, but definitely not least, round three was Saturday with my dad and family at Macaroni Grill…

I love Easton’s face in this one.

We wandered around the Riverwoods for a bit.

A great family Thanksgiving weekend. So much fun.

A Trip to Farm Country

2011-11-16T12:34:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks back, we met up with Carson and Aunt Rebecca at the Thanksgiving Point Farm Country.

We saw some animals…Carson was attempting to pet the wrong end.

We played some games…Check out Easton’s hip action

And ended the day with pony rides…

It was a super fun day, and we all had a great time. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Halloween Festivities 2011

2011-11-02T11:57:00.001-07:00

We had a weekend full of Halloween fun this year. A trunk or treat, a ward carnival, a school party, and we finished it all off with good old fashioned trick or treating.

I’ve said it before, but thinking of a pregnant costume is tough for me. Especially when trying to do a family theme. Ace wasn’t too thrilled about my idea this year. He doesn’t like the movie very much, but he was a super good sport and went along with it (and pretty sure he secretly enjoyed it). Especially when I reminded him that he wouldn’t have to hot glue pretend ears to his head.

Here’s the line up: Ace is Willy Wonka. I am Violet, in the process of blowing up into a blueberry (incredibly fitting, if I do say so myself). Easton and Ty are the official Oompa Loompas.

First off, we headed to the Trunk or Treat at Raylene and Larry’s ward. Just the kids dressed up for this one.Brothers and their boys.

Then we headed inside for some games…Carson as a cute little monkey trying for a hole in one.

Easton had the girls cheering for him.

Ty was just happy to be there.

Saturday was our ward party, we all dressed up for this one. Even Grandma Leelee got in on the action using my Princess Peach costume from last year.

More gamesMore treats.Happiness.
We won first prize for the costumes at the ward party, and we were awarded Gummy Pirate Teeth Candy...are you jealous? You should be.

Monday afternoon was Easton’s school party.

They sang us some songs. Easton looks thrilled.Easton and Mrs. Story --They almost got blown over by a crazy wind burst--

And then we were off to go trick or treating …back into costume one last time.

It’s hard to see in the photo, but I think Ty’s favorite part was getting to run down driveways over and over. He’d say “Weeeeee” everytime.

Best house of the night?Probably the one with a giant movie projector playing “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” in their driveway.

It was a fun, fun year. Easton and Ty both thought being Oompa Loompas was pretty cool. Ty never wanted to take it off. He’d say, “No. I don’t want to. I want to stay a Loompa Loompa forever.”

She’s Still A Girl

2011-10-27T11:09:00.001-07:00

I keep having dreams that this baby is actually a boy. And then I have to return all the girl things that I’ve bought. It has me a little paranoid to buy girl things, and the things I have gotten, I have yet to take the tags off and wash them. I know, it’s completely ridiculous.

I had another ultrasound to make sure everything was still okay. It’s all looking good. So, I asked the technician to double check. She said “definitely” a girl.

Here’s a couple profile shots of our cute girl…

I am really excited about having a girl. My crazy pregnancy dreams just keep making me nervous that I’m planning for the wrong gender!

School Stuff

2011-10-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

We’ve had a few fun things happen at school. First, Easton won lunch with the principal…this happened when I signed up for something (I feel like I am signing up for something every dang day). They gave your kids tickets to play a bean bag toss game. I got two tickets, and gave them Easton to play the game. The first toss he made it in the hole to get a piece of candy. So now of course Ty, wanted to get a piece of candy. I told Easton to throw the bean bag to the same spot to get a candy for Ty. But apparently, he wanted to test his skills and went for the hardest one, and made it! This won him lunch with the principal. And I still had no candy for Ty…not good.

Since Easton doesn’t get to have lunch at the school considering he is only in Kindergarten, this was kind of a big deal. So, he went a bit early that day and had lunch in the cafeteria with the principal (whom Easton now calls “The Lunchable” instead of the principal). We packed him a special lunch, and the best part was he got to officially use his Batman lunchbox. Best. Day. Ever.

Next was the school carnival. The boys got their faces painted…

Easton was a bit concerned by the whole thing.

But it quickly turned into pure happiness.

Ty was completely freaked out.It took him a while to get over it.But after he had a tear stained/batman face, he decided he was ok with it.

We went on the train ride…And Ty got his mojo back.

Mostly.Yay for Carnival Day!

No clue what Ace is doing, by the way.

And Last, but definitely not least. It was school picture day.

I just love the forced smile, showing no teeth, hillbilly look he was going for here. But, I have to say he’s still pretty darn cute.

Like Father, Like Son

2011-09-27T10:27:00.001-07:00

What happens when Easton gets ahold of the camera…

What happens when Ace gets ahold of the camera…

Can you see the resemblance?

Ultrasound Says…

2011-09-20T13:56:00.001-07:00

I want to say first, that everything they saw on the ultrasound looked normal. The placenta has moved out of the way, so they are just going to keep an eye on it, which is just the best news. They didn’t get good images of the lip and spine, so I am going to have another ultrasound in 4 weeks to double check those things.

Now for a walk down memory lane…

I remember growing up, playing ‘house’, and dreaming about having a bunch of little girls…picturing boys as my children wasn’t even a thought process for me because boys were, well, gross. And probably because the only little boy in my life was my little brother who (AT THE TIME) was my one, true enemy.

When I first got pregnant with Easton, I realized my thoughts had changed. That I was thrilled about the idea of having a boy just as much as I was excited about having a girl.

With Ty, I do remember thinking it would be nice to have a girl just so that we had “one of each”. But I also thought how much fun two boys would have together…plus it would be ten times cheaper. When we found out Ty was a boy, we were so excited.

I thought for sure by the time I was having my third, that I would be desperate for a little girl. But that never really came. I kept watching Easton and Ty playing together, and I was completely content with the idea of having another boy. I mean, I just love boys! Of course, Ace and I loved the idea of having a girl too, but I think we were both assuming it was a boy, and we were super excited about it. Almost from the beginning, I guess out of habit, I was calling this baby a “he'”. Easton and Ty both non-waveringly said it was a boy… Easton mostly because he is currently obsessed with patterns, and the pattern he really wanted was, “boy-boy-boy-girl-girl-girl-boy-boy-boy-girl-girl-girl” No matter how many times I tried to explain that pattern would never happen just for the mere fact that there will NEVER be that many children, but still, he was sure that it was a boy.

As the ultrasound was getting started, the tech was asking about my other kids. I said, “We have two boys.” and she said, “Let’s hope this one is a girl.” (a comment I have heard a whole lot these days) I said, “Actually, we are really going to be happy if it’s a boy too. I’m thinking it’s probably a boy.”

As soon as I said that, she stuck that thing on my belly and she immediately said,

“Oh!! Nope. It’s a girl!”

Both Ace and I said, “What?! Are you sure?” She said, “I’m so sure. That was the easiest gender telling I’ve ever done.”

It was as if this poor little girl was so sick and tired of hearing me say “boy” she wasted no time letting us know, she was no boy!

I was so shocked. I still don’t know if it has sunk in all the way. I went to the store with my mom (who, by the way, has wasted no time in purchasing a whole slew of pink), as soon as I was in the baby section I went immediately to the boy section…it took me a good 10-15 seconds before I realized I was in the wrong section!

We are so excited to meet this little baby girl! And more excited that she is growing and that everything is looking good.

“I’m Just Ty”

2011-09-16T16:55:00.001-07:00

Ty: “Mommy, I’m Superman!”

Me: “Hi Superman!”

Ty: “No. I’m teasing. I’m just Ty.”

That’s the kind of conversations I have with Ty. And they always end in “I’m just Ty.”

Some others things about Ty at 2 1/2ish:

First, he has a way of sucking people into his sweetness. Somehow he can get anyone to do anything for him. People always say they can’t believe how sweet, calm, patient, etc… he is…. Here’s the thing, it’s all a big show. He is using you to get candy!! I watch him get his way all the time using his incredible manipulation skills. He sucks you in, and once you’re in there is no getting out. He has you in his clutches. He even managed to pull Penny in…which is no easy feat. (She normally tries to avoid the torture that is involved being near children)

Most of the time, he really is a super cute laid-back kid. Loves to cuddle, has a soft sweet little voice, and is always saying cute little things. But he does have a dark side. There is no in-between with him. Either he is happy as can be, or the world is ENDING.

Right now, the way he talks cracks me up. He tries to talk just like Eason, but sometimes he can’t quite pronounce things right. And other things he says all the time, and they make no sense whatsoever. Some of my favorites:

“How bout a sishy piss” {How about a fishy kiss} This is his favorite way to give a kiss (with your lips sucked in to look like a fish) I will say that never have I heard anyone say the word “piss” and make it sound adorable.

“Pease Piss Mine Owey” {Please Kiss My Owey} I mean, come on.

“Hey you know what? Eastie said no hitting outside. Okay?” There is no translation for this one. He says this at least 3 times a day, and I really have no explanation.

"The Honey Ge-ger come on” {The air conditioner came on} This one took me so long to figure out what he was talking about, and again, no real explanation. Except he is obsessed with the air conditioner unit.

Me: “I love you, Ty” Ty: “No, I wuve you” Me: “No I love you” Ty: No, I wuve you This game continues until he starts to cry saying, “No, Mommy I WUVE YOU!” and I let him win.

“Let’s sing Bity Bity Bider” {Itsy Bitsy Spider}

“Hey. Look at me do.” {Hey. Watch what I am doing}

Ty has a love for all things kitchen. Especially doing the dishes. As soon as he hears the water on he comes running in, grabs his step stool, and says, “I wanna help you do dishes.”
It is also very rare to ever see Ty without some kind of kitchen utensil in one or both of his hands at all times. His favorites are measuring cups, spatulas, and wooden spoons.

He seems to thoroughly love to make a mess with anything possible. Ripping paper to shreds, dumping every basket/bin of toys out all at once. He always says with a smile when he is caught, “I’m making mess.”

But his OCD comes out if the mess gets on him. He hates to be dirty, sticky, or spilled on. If he does get dirty, it generally ends in tears.

A few seconds after I took this picture, he realized what he had done to himself and it was all over.

No matter how crazy or manipulative he is, we just love our little Ty. He really is just the funniest kid and makes us laugh everyday.

Back to School-2011

2011-09-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

Easton started Kindergarten this week. He’s been waiting and waiting for this day. Every time going to school was brought up he’d just say, “I’m so excited! I so excited!” Time to line up...Look at all those moms and dads

Easton found his name tag and was ready to go.

But, not without one last hug from Ty…

When he got home, we ended the day with some cookies and milk. It doesn’t get much better than that.

So far this week, the thing that has made Easton the most excited is the new friend he met, Tanner.

The first day, that’s pretty much all I could get Easton to tell me about.

The second day after school, Easton got into the car and immediately said,

“My school is so cool! I have the coolest best friend ever!”

Whoa, best friend status…that was quick.

Third day at the play ground before school, Easton came up to me concerned and told me Tanner wasn’t here. I told him he’ll probably be here soon. When Tanner arrived and saw Easton he said, “Hey man! Hey man!” Easton turned to me while dramatically pointing at Tanner he yelled, “Mom! HE’S HERE!!!”

I love that Easton has such a good friend so quick. They are so funny to watch. And I love that he is so excited about school. Now I hope he comes home just as happy and excited everyday.

The Last of our Summertime

2011-08-22T12:31:00.001-07:00

Summer is almost over. Easton starts Kindergarten next week. Crazy. My favorite part of the summer…the weather people talking about a “heat stretch” of 90-95 degrees.

Although this bed rest stuff has caused me to mostly watch from the sidelines, we have had a whole lot of fun.

T-ball came to a thrilling end…

Easton called his award his "Piston Cup"

There were many a days spent in the water…. This next photo with Easton on the slide makes me laugh. First, because of the very alert and attentive life guard. Second, because we went to this pool with our cousins, and at one point Easton ran off with all the boys. I went to look for him with the cousins and he was no where to be found. By then, I was getting worried, looking all over the place for him when I see a little head and bright green water wings coming down this giant slide. I couldn’t believe the life guards were letting him go down by himself…but then again, lets refer back to the guard in the photo. Easton went on the slide at least another 20 times…but this time with me watching him.

A fun night with my best friends from High School and their hubbys.

And as with any great summer, a whole lot of watermelon

Riddle Me This...

2011-07-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

I sent this picture to all of our family.

Some got it. Some took a little while. Some had no stinkin clue.

And so, just in case it doesn't make any sense...

Baby number three will be here right around February 6th!

(Let me just point out, Easton's B-day is Feb 5th and Ty's B-day is Jan 10th...all three will be nearly exactly three years apart)

We are super excited, and can't wait to meet this little one!

This pregnancy has been a little bit different than my other two, though. About three weeks ago, around midnight (of course), I started bleeding... a lot. I know that this is a pretty common thing to happen, but it has never happened to me. Needless to say, I was in a major panic. We went to the emergency room, and waited, and waited, basically thinking the worst.

They finally took us in for an ultrasound.

And we saw a very healthy heart beating. (sigh of relief)

The babe was moving, jumping, and flipping like nothing was wrong. Nobody in the ER really could tell us what was going on, but the baby was fine, and that's all we cared about. They put me on bed rest until I saw my Dr. Let me say how fun that is with two boys. Ace was great. He took work off for a couple days to help. He cooked, cleaned, and served me anything I needed.

The next week I went into my Dr. And we had another ultrasound done.

The baby was just fine.

But then my Dr. pointed out a small problem. I have a low-lying placenta, or Placenta Previa. Basically, the placenta is in the wrong spot...too low in the uterus. It can cause a serious amount of bleeding, and generally leads to a C-Section. My Dr. said it is very possible for the placenta to move to where it is supposed to be, but for now, I am supposed to take it easy, (not total bed rest, which is good news).

We are just so happy that the baby is okay, and grateful that we know what the problem is.

P.S: If anybody has ever had this before, I would love to hear what happened and maybe a little of what to expect.

Water Vs. A Pile of Wet

2011-07-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

The other day, we were getting ready to go somewhere. We were all out front getting in the car, but the sprinklers were on, and this obviously distracted Easton. Easton began running and splashing in the puddles on the driveway. Ace, not wanting Easton to get soaking wet right before we left, had this conversation with Easton:

Ace: Easton, get out of the water please.

Easton: {No Answer- continues to splash}

Ace: Easton, come on. Stop jumping in the water.

Easton: {Again, no answer- continues to splash}

Ace: I mean it, Easton. Get out of the water, right now.

Easton: But Daddy, this isn't water....it's just a pile of wet.

Ace: Well then, stop jumping in the pile of wet, please.

Easton: Oh, ok. I'll stop.

I'm still not sure what determines a "pile of wet" vs "water" , but Easton seems to know.

The 4th of July 2011

2011-07-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

(Side note: I apologize for the multiple posts...but I am officially all caught up on blogging. Woot.)
By Monday, we were all feeling pretty great, and ready for fireworks.

Ace made yummy Shish Kabobs and Raylene, Ryan, Rebecca, and Carson came over for the party.

Wow. That's Safe.

Brothers, and fireworks. Not a good idea.

What a show!

Then, we headed around the corner from our house to see the big fireworks...

Happy 4th of July!

The Sloan's Came Home

2011-07-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

My Uncle Tim and his family came home from being Mission President in Equador. They've been gone for three years, and got home on Saturday night. This story kind of goes wrong and mostly gross at this point, but I'll try to keep the details to a minimum.

First, we were planning on going up to the cabin with Ace's family all day Saturday, but Friday night, Ty started throwing up. Nice. He threw up three times that night. So in the morning, Ace took Easton up to the cabin for the day, and I stayed home with poor little Ty. Ace got home that night, and stayed home with the boys so I could go to the airport to welcome home Cindy and Tim late that night. We made it to the airport in the nick of time...

(we may or may not have borrowed this sign from a well prepared family nearby)

The whole family (minus Jessica who is currently loving life in Jerusalem)

I'll caution you, this is where things get bad. I was given the duty of driving the girls home. Lauren, Lexi, Steph, and Nat. By the time we got to the car, I wasn't feeling so hot. I thought I could just make it home and go to bed, but then, we got stuck in major traffic. I couldn't hold it in any longer, hung my head out the window, and well, yes, I threw up while driving on the freeway. Perfect. Plus, I had 4 teenage girls freaking out in the back. I eventually made it home, and crawled into bed. An hour later, we woke up to Easton screaming, Ace ran in his room and, yep, you guessed it, Easton was now sick. The rest of the night continued with every half hour either Easton or I hanging over the toilet. Not a real great night.

The reason I shared this nasty story was because the next day my family was having a welcome home dinner fest, and we didn't get to go because of this awfulness. I was super bummed. My mom took my camera to document the event.

The sisters are together again.

The girl cousins

The boy cousins
Apparently, the food was just too good for Jason to pull away for a picture

Cindy and Tim meeting Chase (Jessica's boyfriend) for the first time. What a great shot.

It looks like everyone had a great time. Wish we could've been there, but really just happy that we are all feeling much better, and we didn't get anyone else sick.

Our Summertime Events

2011-07-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

This summer has already been so busy, I'm now trying to play catch up, blogging about all we've done. So here comes some collages full of pictures of all the fun things we've been up to.

Click on them to make it bigger

First up, we had the annual family reunion. It was great to see everyone, and the kids had a blast as always.

Then, my Aunt Allie came into town, so we loaded up all the kids, and headed to Seven Peaks. I hadn't been there since I was in high school. It's still crowded as ever and loads of fun. The kids slept real great that night.

And then it was my birthday! Ace came home early from lunch and brought home a delicious lunch, we went to dinner with my parents, and came home for some cold stone cake. Yum. Ace and all of my family pitched in and surprised me with this:

I have been dreaming of this machine for EVER. I'm pretty stinkin' excited.

We went to the Lehi Parade. Easton left the parade with a purse full of parade swag. It was hot, but the LDS Stake Presidents made an appearance, so it was well worth the heat.

And last, but not least we went to an Owl's Baseball Game with my mom and her co-workers. They gave us free food, a free game, and a fireworks show afterwards. A great night.

Although, because of the awning we were sitting under, it kind of made it a half firework show...

So that's a sum up of what we've been doing these past few weeks. It's been fun, busy, and just great. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the blogging for the rest of the summer.

At the Cabin With Some Vegas Friends

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

Our old neighbors from Vegas made the very long trek up to the cabin with us for Father's Day weekend.
It was so fun to see them again. The kids didn't miss a beat...they acted like they had never been apart, and had a blast together.

We did a whole lot of four-wheeling...

Had lots and lots of delicious food...

Did some frog hunting...

Had some s'mores

And lots of exploring...

We had such a fun time seeing our neighbors again! Thanks guys for a great weekend!

The First of T-ball

2011-06-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Easton is officially old enough to play T-ball this year, and he couldn't be more excited. This last week was his first practice and game. He loved every minute of it.

First, practice.

Meeting the team.

Running a lap. A little competition there?

Now onto the real deal....

Team huddle

Playing the outfield

He hit it out of the park! (Well, more like past where all of the kids on the other team were standing, but still, he did pretty great if I do say so myself.

Contemplating whether or not he should go get the ball...he decided not to.

Ty enjoyed himself too...

Great job teams!

Aunt Lolo and Grandma Leelee came to cheer Easton on too.
(Don't mind my camera strap blowing in the wind in the last picture...it suddenly got very windy....if you couldn't already tell by Grandma Leelee's hairdo :)

The Summer Buzz

2011-06-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

I should say, "The Much, MUCH Needed Summer Buzz"

Here's Proof...

Easton Before

Ty Before

Easton After

Ty After

Hair always grows back...right?

Last Day of School and Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Easton had his last day of preschool on Thursday.

I'm not sure he truly understands that he won't be seeing his teacher or friends from school again, but he was still thrilled to make Mrs. Bailey a nice card to go with her gift.

Easton and Mrs. Bailey

Easton has loved his preschool. But we drive past his future kindergarten everyday, and he can't stop himself from announcing he will be going to the "big kid" school in September.

Right after school, we all headed up to Park City for the weekend. My dad got us another great room at the Canyons Resort. This one had 4 master suite bedrooms, kitchen, and living room. It was pretty great.

First, we did a little outlet shopping...

The boys were happy with their super hero hat find.

The hotel left us a basket of goodies. One of which, was a volcano toy. You pour water on it, it erupts, then dissolves, and hidden inside is a mini dinosaur which grows into a bigger mini dinosaur 72 hours later.

Riveting.
You can tell by Ty's facial expression.

We had some great food

Of course, we did a lot of relaxing/movie watching...

The boys enjoyed their first jetted bubble bath

Saturday, my family came up for the rest of the weekend.

Easton and Uncle Jesse checking out the view

Which obviously ended in some teasing.

Another of Jesse just treating his girlfriend with the greatest repect....A walking massage

It was a real great family weekend. Thanks, Dad for getting us such a great room! So fun!

Take A Look, It's In A Book!

2011-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Easton is reading.

He has been reading for a few months, but now he can do it pretty much all on his own.

He has always loved books, but loves them even more now that he can read them himself.

These are some of the books he learned from....these have some ultra thrilling plots going on.

I mean, "A Hat", that's a page turner.

We are super proud of Easton for how much he has learned, and I love to see him so excited to read. So fun.

Here's a video of him reading an excerpt from "Fox Has A Nap" (yet another page turner):

Let Me See Your Happy Face

2011-05-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

"Can I see your smile, Ty?"

"Bigger!"

"Bigger!!"

Even "BIGGER!"

And, if you want to see the smiles in action with the added bonus of delicious churro cinnamon and sugar around the mouth, here's a video:

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day I woke to quite the loot...

Then that night we had a family gathering celebrating my Grandma, Uncle, and Cousin's birthday's.

Everyone looming around the food table

The children were shunned to the basement.

Grandpa John, my mom, and Lolo

Then, as usual, the night turned musical

With a few interruptions from Storm Troopers here and there.

Ty with my cousin, Jen.

This one is funny because, generally Ty is pretty leery of other people.

But it seems that he will be your best friend if you have any kind of electronic devise playing any kind of video. As soon as he heard noise coming from her phone, he insisted on watching with her.

It was fun to be with so much family,

and even though my children seemed to be no less (maybe even more) crazy this Mother's Day,

I mean, I wouldn't have it any other way...

Happy Happy Mother's Day!

A Salt Lake Day

2011-05-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Our cousins were in town for the week, so naturally, we thought we'd brave the Church History Museum with the 5 kids under the age of five. Side note: four of those five kids are boys.

Corbin and Easton

It was a bright and sunny day.

On our way to the Children's Book of Mormon Exhibit we found the giant magnet quilt board.

Did a little fishing off Nephi's Ship.

Played some Book of Mormon Stories computer games

Grant and Ty

Easton and Corbin both making their car noises, spit and all.

Ty, of course made his way to his favorite thing, the play kitchen.

The kids all did really well at the museum, so then we bravely ventured to see the Christus....That room really echos, a lot, which 4 boys really find very entertaining.

I love this shot. They were all so in awe of how big it was.

A picture with Grammy.

Notice all of them looking at the camera...a true miracle.

At the Reflection Pool

"Hey, kids look over here!"

"No, this way. Over here!"

"Who has the biggest smile? Look over here!"

"Okay. Whatever."

No matter the craziness, the kids had a whole lot of fun, and it was great to spend time at Temple Square with family.

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

We had a real great Easter with family, egg hunting, and so much chocolate.

First up, a Egg Hunt with my extended family.

The little ones were given a head start...

But, it wasn't long before the big kids came to attack.

We finished up with some great Easter games.

Right after that, we went Easter party #2 with the Casper's

Easton and Corbin showing off the muscles

Coloring eggs

Miraculously, the Easter Bunny found us again, and the kids were on the hunt.

All their baskets were overflowing.

But, believe it or not, Sunday morning we woke to more goodies.

Uncle Jesse showing Ty how to use his new helicopter toy...

Who looks more in awe here?

Our attempt at the family shot.

We took a bunch, and well, Easton's face was pretty much the same in all of them.

Grandma Leelee and the boys

And now I present the

"just look over here and be happy for two seconds"

photo series

Say "CANDY!"

Getting along...so nice

Tighter squeeze.

This can only end in tears...

Yep.

And my favorite...

Happy Easter!

Children of Destruction

2011-04-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Take a good look at these boys...

Happy, healthy, innocent enough....
This picture was taken when Easton came over to me randomly and said, "Mommy, me and Ty are being nice and happy to each other, so you should take a picture."
Cute.

But don't let them fool you. These two have been on some crazy rampage lately. Here's just some of the damage that has been documented...

This is my pillow. Thanks to Easton for making it a little less 'blah'.

This is my other pillow. Apparently, Ty didn't want to be left out.
(This was done on a separate day)

This is a headrest from my car. Easton sits in the very back of our van, and somehow smuggled a pen into the car to create this masterpiece. I have reason to believe this was done over the course of multiple car rides before he was caught. (He is ridiculously sneaky)

And this one, this is the back of a shirt that Ace is wearing. And if you can't tell, that would be crayon, everywhere. How could Easton manage to color the back of Ace's shirt while he is wearing it without him noticing, you ask?? Ace sometimes has Easton scratch his back. Generally, Easton isn't the best back scratcher...but this day, Ace kept thinking, "Wow, he's really getting good at this...." ..Well, now Ace knows better.

Ty's weakness is the pantry. If Ty goes missing at any point during the day, he's in the pantry. He sneaks in there, closes the door, and quietly rummages/nibbles through the good food. (I'm guessing, very similar to a mouse)

Needless to say, all markers, pens, pencils have been hidden, very well. (although I'm not going to lie, I have been real tempted to burn all art supplies)

But even with all that, they're still just cute.

Birthday Festivities

2011-04-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

It was my dad's and my cousin Chad's birthdays a little while ago. We celebrated with a feast, cakes, and a whole lot of candles. It took a lot of time to get my dad's candles all lit, we pretty much nearly started a house fire...(no offense Dad)

If you're wondering, yes, Chad is using a paper towel to light the candles...safety first.

Can he do it all in one breath?

Yes! Victory!

Take a look at all the smoke (again, no offense Dad)

Now, Chad's turn. Jesse and Sam prepping the cake...they played it safe, no paper towel fires this time.

I really love Chad looking on from a distance.

(side note: we didn't shaft Chad on frosting his cake, it was just strawberry shortcake...toppings came later)

Nice job Chad. Take a look at Ty offering his help.

Happy Birthday to my Dad

and to Chad.

Hope your day was super Rad.

I apologize for that; just had to keep the rhyme going.

Dinosaurs Don't Like Shrimp

2011-03-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Easton and I had this conversation this morning during breakfast:

Easton: "Mommy, Dinosaurs like to eat meat."
Me: "Yeah some of them did."
Easton: "They even like people meat."
Me: "Yeah they probably would eat people."
Easton: "They would even eat you because you are meat."
Me: "Well, I guess so. But I hope I don't ever get eaten by a dinosaur. What about you?"
Easton: "Oh no. They won't eat me, because I taste like shrimp, and Dinosaurs don't like the taste of shrimp."

So, in case you ever come across a meat eating dinosaur, make sure you taste like shrimp...you'll be fine.

The Move, and Playing Catch Up

2011-03-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

The move happened. It was insane and exhausting. Ty hasn't been sick all winter long, but apparently thought this was a good weekend to get an ear infection (his second one in his life by the way) and RSV. Yep.

But we had a whole lot of help, and it is done. Yay.

Jesse and the friends after a long, long day.

(I didn't get a picture of Ace's family, but they were all a huge help. Larry got us the truck, and Uncle Stan let us use his trailer. Raylene spent hours cleaning the new house. Larry, Ryan, Brad, and Stan all loaded and unloaded and loaded and unloaded all of our dang stuff. They were all just awesome. Thanks everyone)

And a very special thank you to my cousin, Ginay, who watching Easton for me all stinkin' day...which, I guarantee saved my life. Thank you thank you thank you!

Here is a picture of the new place...who loves the blue accents??

Below, I've posted just a bunch of stuff that has happened over the last month or so that I never got a chance to post about. I apologize for blog overload.

Saying Goodbye to our Long Lost Friends

2011-03-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

We met Oscar and Silvia and their adorable little girl, Fabiola while we were going to school at BYU-Idaho. They had just moved there from Costa Rica...which is where Ace went on his mission, so there was an instant friendship. I spent a lot of my time eating Silvia's awesome food while everyone else sat around talking in Spanish. We had a whole lot of fun together, but we all eventually left Rexburg, and it was hard to stay in touch.

It has been years since we've gotten together, but we were able to have dinner with them and some other mutual friends and it was great. Other than the fact that it was a farewell dinner because they are moving back to Costa Rica. Just Lame.

It was so good to see them and their other two kids they have added to their family since we last saw them. We are going to miss you guys....Again!

(That's little Fabi in the middle...she was around 2 when we met them...crazy)

In the Mountains of Idaho

2011-03-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, we headed up to Mandy and James cabin in Idaho for some quality family time.

It was beautiful, and there was snow.

Lots. Of. Snow.

(that's the roof of the cabin they are climbing up)

There was a separate part of the cabin that we weren't using, so the kids used it as their secret play space whenever they weren't in the snow.

It was a great, relaxing getaway.

Thanks Mandy and James for the invite.

We are now official cake decorators

2011-03-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Me and my cousins, Jessica and Emily, signed up for a cake decorating class at BYU because well, why not. And we pretty much rocked it. It was a month long class and we mostly learned different kinds of decorative flowers to make....although our lily's may have looked more like octopus legs creeping out of the deep sea, it was a whole lot of fun, and we all passed with flying colors.

The Gale Center with the Cousins & A visit with Grandpa Roberts

2011-03-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Aunt Mandy and her kids came into town for the weekend, so we got the cousins together at the Gale Center in South Jordan.

It had a Tee-Pee with a drum,

A pretend house and food

The kids all had fun, and the best part was it was all free.

Can't beat that.

Ace's Grandpa Roberts came up from Richfield for a little visit....this was the very first time I have seen him leave Richfield, so of course we had to stop by and see him

Flippety Floppety, Hippety Hoppety

2011-02-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

We're moving.

Again.

Does that really shock anyone at this point?

Let me just start with a little background about the situation we are in right now and go from there. It gets just a little complicated, so I urge you to not read this if you already have a headache today, it's sure to only get worse.

Since our move from Vegas was quick and slightly unexpected, we have been staying with my mom until we figured out where we wanted to be and what we wanted to do. But back up about three years ago, my mom moved into my Aunt and Uncle's home to keep the house open for their kids and take care of all other house things, because they were called to be Mission President in Ecuador.

So, really, right now we are staying with my mom... in my Aunt and Uncle's house. The mission will be coming to a close the beginning of July. So my mom was also trying to decide where to go next. She really wanted to move back to Orem where she was living before, but my sister, Lauren is going to be a Senior this coming year, and doesn't want to go to a new school now.

Ace and I haven't been sure about where exactly we want to live, and not sure if we want to buy or rent....blah blah blah. Realizing that we needed to do something, and that we wanted a good year or two to find the perfect house (so I never have to see another moving box again), and then realizing that my mom needed at least a year in Lehi for Lauren's senior year, we came up with our really odd/weird but genius plan to rent something together and split the cost. Giving us all the chance to save up some money and make future home decisions with less of a rush.

We are renting a house that divides the space so that it works for two families, so that we all don't go nuts. It's going to be, my mom and Lauren on one floor and us on the other floor. It definitely is some weird family dynamics going on, but we've had fun so far, so we're just changing it up a little. I am so grateful to be close to family, and that we have found a way to help each other out. I am really excited to go somewhere and start to feel settled. The good news is most of our stuff is still boxed up. The bad news, we have a whole lot of stuff.

Easton is really excited to move. I guess it's really become a normal thing for him. He talks about it a lot. We had this conversation today:

Easton: "Mommy, are we moving tomorrow?"

Me: "No. But we are moving soon. In a couple weeks. Are you excited to move?"

Easton: "Yes! I am so 'essited' to move! Can I pick my room?"

Me: "Yeah, you can."

Easton: "Ok good. If there is a red room, I am going to pick that one."

Me: "Oh. Is red your favorite color now?"

Easton: "No. My favorite color is still 'Ornange', but red is just a good color for a room."

Anyone painting your rooms...keep that in mind.

Unfortunately for Easton, there is no red room in this house...not sure how to tell him.

We're moving on March 5th. It's gonna be fun!

Barf.

Toes to Head...No Big Deal.

2011-02-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

I've said it before. Ty is flexible. He always has been. But, it still sometimes completely freaks me out the way he can bend his body. His temper tantrums nearly always end up with him throwing himself into a crazy back-bend thing that looks like he should snap in half, but miraculously, he doesn't. He can maneuver himself in and under anything...he tends to get stuck in between the lower bars of chairs a lot. But, my favorite move he does is the one that started it all....

Here he is then:

And here he is now:

The only thing that has changed is that his feet now reach to the top of his head--

which tends to lead to less toe-eating.

Just changing it up with a little split move.

And just because, who can resist a baby in a diaper and boots?

Party for 3?

2011-02-09T16:03:00.001-08:00

Easton turned 5 on Saturday. So crazy.

We started the celebrations the night before with family and friends at Pizza Pie Cafe. Delish...

Easton was happy.

The whole gang.

Easton raked in the gifts

He got a DVD with all four of the old 'real' batman movies. Uncle Jesse really wanted this one for himself, but Easton wouldn't go for that. I can't remember how scary these ones are or if he'll even be able to watch them, but he sure was thrilled about the idea of it all.

Just one of Easton and Steven.

The next day was the main event. Let me preface this by saying, Easton has been talking about having a Batman Birthday Party since the day after his 4th birthday party. He wanted to have a big Batman party with all his friends there.

This is all fine and dandy, and I was more then happy to oblige. But then, we moved. And his friends that he so dearly wanted to be at the party did not move with us. Sad. We've had a little bit of time to make some friends, but not too many. So his plans for a Big Batman party changed to a rather petite party, but I think we still all had fun nevertheless.

Everything had to be all batman.

I made a Batman cake. (don't mind the measles looking frosting...I used our favorite rainbow chip frosting thinking the chips wouldn't stand out so much after I colored it yellow...I was wrong.)

and I made him a new Batman cape. (NOT from a T-shirt this time)

Once the TWO guests arrived we played a game of "Bat-a-rang the Enemies"

You like how I balanced them with old VHS cases? That's not white trash at all.

Then, headed downstairs "to the Batcave!" to find the glow-sticks.

This is what it looked like...except dark

Really dark. With glow-sticks.

More Presents.

Time for cake.

And what party wouldn't be complete without a little silly string fight...

Poor Ty.

The whole group together

Happy 5th Birthday ~~Easton~~ Batman!

Somethings about Easton:

-First, he loves Batman

-Loves to tease his little brother

-Calls Ty "Little Buddy" all the time

-Loves to color, and he is pretty great at it

-Loves to go to school, and is learning new things everyday

-Loves to sleep in...it's not a good day if he wakes up before 9:30

-Favorite food is Shrimp, he is not picky and is always willing to try new food

-Loves to read books

-He is the craziest kid I've ever met

-Curious about how everything works

-Loves to play in the snow and to be outside

-Loves to run

-He is the ultimate movie watcher...he would sit all day long watching shows if I let him. He doesn't ever get up when a show is on...he goes into some kind of crazy trance

A Day of Discovery

2011-02-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, my cousin, Ginay and I squeezed FIVE car-seats into my minivan and headed to the Discovery Gateway Childrens Museum. Surprisingly, everything went really smoothly, and we all had a whole lot of fun.

Ty's favorite part of the whole day were the tubes that gushed air out every time he opened it...

The kids were so busy the whole time, I never got a shot of everyone together, but we all had great time and we will for sure be going back again.

A Weekend Getaway and Things

2011-01-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

Here's what's been happening lately...

Lauren competed in her cheer competition...

and they placed 1st in the State.

(That would be Lehi High School I'm talking about...who would've thought?)

We got to watch Jesse record for his up and coming CD...

Brad had his birthday. We celebrated at a Japanese restaurant where they cook the food right in front of you. Cool. But again, Ty doesn't do well with fire, so the giant flames that feel like your flesh is melting of your face wasn't really his cup of tea...(I wish I got of picture of his face, but I'm sure you can imagine it).

Even though this family shot is blurry, it's just kind of great.

Happy Birthday Brad.

Last weekend we headed up to Park City because my dad has some pretty great connections with the snazzy hotels/ski resorts up there and he hooked us all up with super incredible rooms/homes.

We were welcomed with personalized notes and treats on the beds...

We spent the whole weekend eating, just hanging out, eating, watching movies, and eating.

Ty even made a break-through with Uncle Jesse while we were there. And now, they are on their way to being best buds.

We all had so much fun...

Easton said to Ace, "Daddy, I love it here. Can we live here forever?

Ace: "Well, I don't think so..."

Easton: "Please Daddy. Just say yes.... I will give you a big, big treat."

Thanks Dad for the awesome VIP treatment. Such a great weekend!

Just Ty at 2

2011-01-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post some little tidbits about Ty since his birthday...

The very first thing I need to say about Ty is he is nothing like any other child I've ever met. I'm sure people say that kind of thing about their own kids a lot, but I promise you, he really, really is his own personality.

There is no real way of describing him, but if I had to choose one picture to say it all, it would be this one...

You wanna see a close up?

When I took this picture the boys were just running around playing, and when he saw me taking pictures he stopped right in front of me, and struck this pose. Every time I see this picture, I just laugh. I mean, look at that face.

-He loves to help cook. He will sit on his stool, and watch anyone for hours while they cook.
-His favorite toy is either a spatula or a wooden spoon
-He loves to sneak into the pantry and he can open up any kind of snack/package by himself
-He, very annoyingly, loves to say the word "no" all the time.
-He can say pretty much anything. Some of my favorite words he says: Hot cocoa, WOW, cookie, woo-hoo, whippie, OJ (oday),
-He is very picky about who he likes, and it takes him time to warm up to certain people.

-He has a real problem with Uncle Jesse right now. This is what happens every time Jesse touches/picks him up:

-He still loves his "bebe's" (blankets) and prefers to have two blankets when he sleeps
-He has decided to follow in his brother's footsteps and refuses to change out of his Batman PJs
-He walks around singing "na na na na BATMAN" a lot.
-He loves to color on everything. EVERYTHING.
-Still ridiculously flexible. Bends himself in half on a regular basis.
-He has a funny little trot-run when he tries to go fast.
-He loves to sing, but not in front of a lot of people. Mostly he sings in the car when he thinks no one is listening.
-He is and always has been dramatic, and I am sure it is only going to get worse considering it's year 2
-He knows his colors and animals, but also doesn't like to share that with anyone.
-He loves the snow (or bubbles as he calls it)

Ty makes us laugh everyday. And hopefully the "terrible" is kept to a minimum this year.

Ty is 2

2011-01-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Ty's birthday. I can't believe he is 2. It's just ridiculous how fast it goes by. We celebrated with all the family on Saturday. Ty has been super into anything Sesame Street, so I thought I would try to make an Elmo cake and Cookie Monster Cupcakes:

Ty seemed to like them...

The Grandmas' and Ty

Ty raked in the gifts

Uncle Jesse sang us a few songs (while Easton flew cars around)

Proof I was there.

And then we had cake.
If you remember from last year the candle blowing was traumatic. And, if this is at all possible to remember (which with Ty, it really is), I'm pretty sure that Ty may have a bit of PTSD from that first experience with fire. Here's what happened this time:

Even though he didn't like the candle blowing, he seemed to be okay with the cupcake(s)

Yesterday, we gave him another cupcake and tried the candles again. Things went better...

Happy Happy Birthday Ty!

Mammo Lips

2011-01-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ty likes to make up his own words for things. He calls his blanket "bee-bee", and his bear "ba-ba". And he calls oranges "Mammo". The way he says blanket and bear kind of make sense to me, but I can't figure out how Mammo comes from Orange.

He loves his Mammos. Just recently, he figured out that a slice of the Mammo fits very nicely on his lips...creating "Mammo Lips".

Grandma Leelee joining in on the fun.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T08:49:00.000-08:00

It all started with Christmas Eve Breakfast with my family...

Delish.
Then, we went to see Santa...

Easton loved every minute of it. Ty pretty much freaked out, but somehow, through some kind of Christmas Miracle, the picture looks like he was slightly calm through it all...not true.

And then, Christmas Eve Night, the real fun began...

We read the Nativity Story, and sang songs.

Then, we went outside to look for Santa. It was a foggy, foggy night and we couldn't see anything, but luckily Santa must have brought Rudolph along because by the time we got back, Santa had found our house ...

Incredible.

First, PJ's--we had a theme this year...

And then more presents...

A fun night.

Then Christmas Morning, we headed to the Casper's for another delicious family breakfast and more presents...

Grandma Raylene made cute quilts. Cute quilts for everyone. So ridiculously awesome. (That pink one on top is mine...cute).

No real reason for this one...I just like Easton's face in it.

Just a great Christmas all the way around.

For all those who I didn't have addresses for, here is our Christmas Card, for your enjoyment...

The "Forgots" Tradition & David Archie

2010-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Forgotten Carols. I love it. I have gone nearly every year since I can remember. When I got married, Ace got pulled right into the tradition (he makes fun of it all, but I know he loves it deep down inside). This was an especially great year, because we got to go with the rest of my family for the first time in forever.


From furthest to closest: Chad, Jesse, Sam, Lauren, Mom, Jessica


Jessica, looking incredible

The show was fabulous, as always. Plus, nothing gets you in the Christmas Spirit like linking arms with complete strangers. Until next year, Michael....

Now onto the next performance...My mom somehow won tickets from the church "lottery" for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & David Archuleta Christmas Concert. Now, for those who haven't heard, people were going crazy for these tickets, they were free tickets, but limited seats. And...my mom won 4 tickets. So, my mom, Jessica, Me, and Ace headed up to see the show. We were just excited to be able to go, but then we got there and were shocked to find our seats were located in the third row from the front.
Can't really beat that.

But then, in walks President Monson, and some of the apostles right in front of us...

Yep. That blob would be Elder Holland waving to us. Ace said they locked eyes for a second :)

And...I love the way Jessica just popped her head right in that shot.

The night was marvelous. The choir and little David did great. (side note: my mom is totally obsessed--in a very non-creepy way--with David Archuleta)

Another fun part of the night...They narrated the story of John Parry, the man who started the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The cool part, John Parry happens to be my Great, Great, Great Grandpa. My Grandpa John has told my family and I that story all our lives. It was so neat to hear it told like that.

Living at Grandma's

2010-12-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

We are having a whole lot of fun. Pretty much the boys are in heaven. I mean, what child wouldn't love living with Grandma? Just some things the boys love about Grandma's House:

The Hand-print Closet under the stairs is a real favorite.

Decorating the Christmas Tree... check out that concentration.

A huge yard with...get this, actual real grass. Incredible.

They don't care how cold it is, they beg me to go out everyday.

Easton started a new preschool, and we are all happier for it.

And when Grandma Leelee gets home Ty won't let her out of his sight.

Where Grandma Leelee goes, Ty will be running right behind her.

He especially loves to help her cook.

And most nights end with a little chocolate treat.

Nothing to complain about.

The Move & Giving of Thanks

2010-12-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

We have been here almost two weeks. I still feel like I'm here on vacation, not actually living here for good. I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that it was Thanksgiving-we would have been here anyway, and we are living where we normally just come to visit. It's Weird. A good weird, but weird.

Just a few things about the move...

First, Ace got the job offer on that Friday and they asked him to start Monday. So, Ace left Sunday night, and I stayed behind with the Kidlets to pack the house to be ready by the next Friday. And well, it was a long week.

Ty managed to find every single marker in the house and so very lovingly used the walls and floors as his canvas...

And then, Ty thought it was a good idea to climb the mountain of boxes over and over, until he got stuck...

And, during the move, we found Easton's Secret Stash...

This special treasure was under my china hutch. Easton's favorite hiding spot (especially right after Halloween) was shockingly in the corner right next to my hutch....

I really wish I had taken a picture of his reaction to me asking him how it got there...just a look of true terror.

Ace worked his first week, then drove back down the next Friday with his dad and brother to do the move. Saturday was the big day...we had some awesome guys from the ward help us load the truck (again).

Easton got to ride in the moving truck with Ace, and hasn't stopped talking about it.

We arrived to snow, and lots of it. Ty, being the Vegas baby that he is, calls the snow "bubbles" and there is no convincing him otherwise.

We have our stuff officially being stored in four different locations...

My mom's house

My in-law's garage

My in-law's spare bedroom

My brother-in-law's spare room

FUN for Everyone!

Ace is really enjoying his new job. The environment is way, way, WAY better than his last job; he loves the people he is working with.

Thank you to everyone who helped us move... or dealing with our stuff (or us) in your house for the next little bit!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Onto Thanksgiving Weekend...
We had our "Feast" as Easton calls it, with my family. So great not to have to travel anywhere.

Good food.

Maybe too good.

Then, we headed over to the Casper's to celebrate Corbin's 4th birthday...

Cake and Presents

Can't go wrong with a pinata. Just stand back a little.

Ty got himself a sucker.

Easton got up close and personal with baby Tessa.

Then we tried to get a shot of all the Grand-kids. This is what we got:

Now, every time we are all together we try this and every time the pictures all turn out just like this. But my problem is with Papa Larry... Do we really have to try to get you to smile at the camera too?!! :)

A great weekend, and really, so so much to be thankful for.

Welcome to Utah

2010-11-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

We've made it.

We arrived late Saturday night, and decided we were all way too exhausted to unload anything. We woke the next morning, ready to unload, to this:

It continued to snow all day long. Yep.

Utah has welcomed us right in. We feel loved.

On The Move

2010-11-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

When we moved to Vegas, the plan was to be here for 1, maybe 2 years at the most...get some good work experience and then be on our way. That didn't happen. We have been here 4 1/2 years. And, in a very unexpected way, it has become home.

Ace just got a job in Salt Lake, so we are leaving Vegas behind and heading to Utah Valley! We got the job offer really out of the blue on Friday Nov. 12th and will officially be moving this Saturday. So, in other words, it's going to be a super great week: packing, changing utilities, packing, selling washer/dryer, packing, changing mail address, packing...etc...Jealous? You should be.

For the first little bit, we will be staying with the ultra thrilled Grandma Leelee, until we figure out where we want to be living...

The timing for everything has just seemed to fall into place, and we've just been going with the flow. Feeling a little in Limbo-land, which has been weird, but it's been neat to watch how everything keeps lining up (especially different from what I had planned out in my head)

There are things that I really, really won't miss about "Sin City"

-Having to be prepared at all times to quickly avert my eyes from any given billboard/taxi advertisement
-Grocery shopping in 120 freaking degree weather
-The dust
-The ridiculously angry drivers who would rather you crash into a tree on the side of the rode than allow you to merge
-The Pig Farm
-Rocks being considered landscaping

Some things I WILL miss

-Feeling like going to a buffet and having more of an option than Golden Corral
-My Target and Kohl's: they are never crowded and always have everything and such awesome sales...ohhh I love them so much!
-Game nights with our awesome neighbors
-ALL our super great friends.

We have wanted to leave Vegas for so long...I never, ever thought that I would be so sad to go when it actually happened.

We are excited about being close to family (for the first time in our marriage, even), and for some new experiences, but it is going to be sad to leave this crazy town behind...

When I Grow Up...

2010-11-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

"I am going to be Batman!"

Easton's Preschool class had Career Day the other day. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and immediately he said, "I am going to be Batman. I will fight all the bad guys, and keep us safe."

I spent a good two weeks before this day talking with Easton about different things he could be (firefighter, police officer, doctor) but nothing interested him. Nothing even came close to Batman. The day arrived, and Easton went as Batman (meaning a pajama set from Walmart and an old t-shirt made into a cape), while his classmates were, you know, a cop, an animal doctor, a construction worker.

I do love a child with some imagination, but I really couldn't help but laugh a little at him showing up as Batman to career day.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

We were the Super Mario Gang...

Luigi & Toad

Mario & Princess Peach

Luigi, ready to shoot a fireball.

Just a couple of the cute little Toad...

This year was the most sewing I've done for costumes, ever. My favorite part of it all was the making of the hats... The Mario/Luigi hats were so fast and easy, and that made me happy. The toad hat...well that is the reason we all decided to be Mario characters, because really, no one could be a cuter Toad than Ty...He is pretty much a replica of the real thing. One bummer, I never found a halfway decent blond wig for my costume, so Princess Peach was a brunette this year.

The night was a trunk or treat success:

Collecting loads of candy.

Ty was pretty thrilled about the whole thing. He walked the whole time and refused to let me hold his basket even when it was ridiculously heavy...apparently afraid pieces of candy might go missing.

All the walking exhausted them, so they chowed down on some hot dogs.

I love dressing up as a family for Halloween, hopefully I can get a few more years in before there is a major protest.

Halloween Party

2010-11-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

We went to a couples Halloween party last week. So fun. Everyone looked awesome.

We had super yummy food, and played some games:

Look at Julie and Julie roll those tootsie rolls!

And we carved pumpkins

A super fun night with friends!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2010-10-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Easton had his first field trip this week. His class was combined with the other three classes Mrs. Aubrey teaches...a lot of kids, but everyone had fun...

The big blow up slide. This was Easton's favorite part of the day. He wouldn't get off the slide. I had to convince him that there were other things to do.

The spin-twisty ride that looks like it was built in 1857, was another favorite.

The petting zoo...it seems to me that Easton was interested in other things...

A panorama of the whole gang

A group giving their best smiles

Summer Leftovers

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

Fall is here. We've even had rain the last couple days...incredible really. I used to really love Summer--school was out, warm weather, swimming...there was nothing better. But since living in Vegas, my perspective of the seasons has changed. I dread that first 100 degree day of Summer knowing that it only gets worse from there, and I have gained a great appreciation for Fall--the colors, the cute decorations, and the super fantastic weather. I love Fall. But before Fall totally takes over, I never posted some of our Summer swimming pictures...

Easton also finished up his swimming lessons. He can now swim nearly one length of the pool by himself, dive for diving sticks on the shallow end, float on his back, and dive/belly flop through a hula hoop...

A Week of Friends

2010-10-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

We drove back Sunday, and Courtney, her daughter Taylee, and Dawn, some of my best friends from college flew in for the week to just visit and see the sights. In college, it was the four of us, Courtney, Dawn, James, and I. We banded together and helped each other create some pretty spectacular lesson plans! There were so many late nights setting up, and creating lesson plans until the late night campus security guard would come kick us out. We made so many great memories, and have stayed in touch ever since. Poor James didn't come on this trip...just for the girls. Sorry James :)

Easton & Taylee in their capes and swords...this is pretty much what they did all week.

They tried swimming...it didn't last long, just a bit too cold.

Just chilling watching a movie

We were trying to get innocent little Dawn to try out a Slot Machine, but apparently all three of us are too innocent because we couldn't figure out how to even work the thing.

But alas, Dawn lost her innocence eventually...Half Naked Gladiator Man walking around the streets picking girls up for tips...only in Vegas.

Belagio Fountains are the best.

Dawn's very first pedicure. Yes!

We went to The Lion King. Awesome.

Ace was so super great and became the designated babysitter for us while we went out on the town, then he suffered through watching Glee and Chick Flicks with us. Poor guy. Ace is the best.

Such a fun week! It was so great to see you girls!

A Week in Utah

2010-10-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Ace had a couple of interviews in Utah, so since we had nothing holding us back, we went up for the week, and spent time with the family and watched conference.

Many Rides on the swing

Good food.

Carson & Ty

Tons of water fights

Easton still says he won...

Grandma Leelee & the boys

Uncle Jesse serenading us

We all thought Ty was just being grumpy here...until after the picture when Jesse noticed his watch snap thing had been pinching poor little Ty's tummy. So sad.

Aunt Lolo showing us her cheer skills...that football player looks a little distracted from the game.

Okay, this is the Lehi Pioneers Mascot. Pretty much the creepiest thing I have ever seen. (no offense to all you Lehionites out there, but seriously... creepy.

Shakes at the Purple Turtle. Delish.


Chad working hard in the yard...never saw that bird coming and became the bird's bathroom.

Another fun trip to Utah. It was nice to have a little more time with everyone.

A Long Time Coming

2010-09-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Crazy week last week. First of all, Ty got the tubes out of his eyes...Finally! His eyes kept getting all goopy so we've had to postpone the surgery 3 different times.

The surgery was going to be a fast one, so we made it a family affair. Woke up at 5:00 in the am (even though his surgery wasn't scheduled til 8... does this annoy anyone else?) and traipsed around the hospital in our PJs.

Ty got all dressed up in the purple gown, once again.

Including the ever-in-fashion duck feet socks.

Super fascinated with all the techno gadgets

Ty got the playroom all to himself

The surgery went good. So fast, there was no need for an IV this time. They just used gas to put him to sleep, so he woke up a lot faster and acted like nothing had happened.

The Dr did say there was a lot of goopy stuff (I know, nasty) still in his right eye. That means that we have a 50/50 shot at the tear duct getting clogged again...if it does clog again we get to put larger tubes in. yessss. So far, his eyes are looking good. I don't want to jinx anything though so we'll just wait and see.

One little thing about this whole ordeal is that Ty has gotten so used to eye drops. He has had them pretty much his whole life. Now he reminds me to put them in his eyes every morning and night. He gets so excited about his eye drops. He unscrews the lid and holds it for me, then just laughs and laughs while I put the drops in...who does that? So funny.

Next little tidbit from the week, Ace got laid off from his job on Wednesday. Which is really a bitter-sweet thing. He hated the company he was working for...the people were not nice, he was working awful hours, and the jobs weren't really what he was wanting to do. But then, it did give us an income, so... that's where the bitter comes in.

Really, we feel incredibly blessed that he was able to have a job for so long. We have known for a long while that it was only a matter of time before it happened so we've prepared for it the best we can....that's why being in this home is so good, we have no lease agreement and a rent payment we can pay. We are in a sort of limbo right now...not really knowing what is next, but that's the fun of Life...right!?

So, anyone want to hire an awesome, hard working, totally cool guy? Just let us know :)