The PaXveNtureEs

It's 7 pm on Friday Night

2012-01-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

The husband is not home. All to your Paxventure benefit!

North helping me cook food. This was sort of a malted pancake mix crepe.

Going outside in the snow in footed PJ's. It was so cooold this morning. I can't believe they went out!

Playing in the fridge. It is super full because we just did a major Costco run. I love having a full refrigerator. It is such a blessing.

The winkin' blinkin' kid!

Birthday Highlights

2012-01-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Tyler has some more pictures I may add later, but here are the ones from the "presents and cake" part of the day.

Jewelry made by the kids

Christmas re-cap

2012-01-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the cutest pictures. Ava and Violet had many highlights but North's was definitely stuffing his face full of candy for several days. Wow, that kid has a sweet tooth. Guess I shouldn't have eaten so many sweets while preggers.

Eating at Maggiano's for Heather and Rhianna's birthday. (Thought this one was cute of us)

TV time with the kids. Ahhh, peace... (We only do TV on the weekends)

Christmas at the Culver's

Hanging out with my brother Bryce and his wife Stephanie

Nativity

Christmas morning

Stocking

Swing Set!

An Entrepreneur's Wife

2012-01-08T15:29:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about this post for a long time. I googled it once, and nothing came up. Not very surprising. An entrepreneur's wife can't say much most the time. It's hush hush unless it's up on someone's website or in the news. My best, most glamorous guess is that it's kind of a secret club. That apparently no one blogs about.

Being an entrepreneur's wife, at least in the early stages, means many things. Kind of like being the wife of a graduate student. The sideways glances, the grimacing laugh. The, "How are you?" question followed by a, "Fine," in an odd voice that is only best described as a mix between crazy and clueless. Underneath that, "fine," you feel exactly that. You are fine, but you do in fact feel crazy and pretty clueless about what the outcome of this adventure will be.

Being an entrepreneur's wife means sacrifice. Just because the business is in the green, does not mean you are. Whatever you take home, takes from someone else's paycheck, or the viability of the company existing one more month. Insurance is not a given. Dental probably even rarer. Pensions? 401ks? You're on your own. There is something called equity in the company that is dolled out, but I have yet to see what that really means.

Being an entrepreneur's wife means you're an entrepreneur too. It's not just your husband working. It's you too. Whether that means you are the "stable" income, or whether you are bootstrapping the business by working. One of my friends from high school recently came to visit. She worked for two years while her husband started his own business. It worked out quite well, and now she is able to stay home with her newborn son. She could definitely relate to the short-term sacrifice that invests in your future success. Although I do not work, I live through his work. I know what is going on. We ride the ups and downs together. There is also an entrepreneurial way of thinking that is contagious. Always trying to think of a new business idea or a way to make things better. I am not a creative thinker, but I do think up some ideas on occasion. My husband, on the other hand, probably thinks of 10 business ideas a day. Not all of them are viable. But it is really fun, and it brings us together.

Being an entrepreneur's wife means you will not be able to explain what your husband does. Or rather, you will explain, but people will not understand. In the mid-size city we live in about 80 percent of the people have very traditional jobs. Engineers, doctors, accountants, military. Professional careers that can be easily described in one word. They are a doctor. They are a teacher. They are in advertising. Performing that task equals a paycheck. Just mention the company name and people will know how 75 percent of your life operates. When you say, "entrepreneur," or "starting my own business," you are in the minority 20 percent that is either associated with poverty and eccentricity, or the super successful elite. Not much middle ground. It takes too long to describe my husband's venture, so I try to just not explain. Just say IT startup, or something like that. They always want more information. So I oblige them. But to be honest, I feel like I need an elevator speech and some key messages written for me (note: this was my former job, create messages like this)

Being an entrepreneur's wife means you will pray ... a lot. Belief in God is how we survive. Even if Tyler wasn't starting his own business, God would be how we stay strong. When we were interviewing for jobs, I kept getting this panicked, nervous, competitive, jealous feeling. In our church we believe strongly that our feelings are promptings of the Holy Ghost. So you pay attention to them. Looking back this panicky feeling was most definitely a sign that the corporate path was not for us at this time. When his business got funding from a venture capital firm, it was relatively calm, and just normal! Every time I get a feeling of doubt (daily, or hourly) I pray asking if this is the right decision. I always get a calm, good feeling. I am not saying that bad things won't happen in the future, but I know right now that we are making the right decision and we gave it our all.

Being an entrepreneur's wife means so many things. Sometimes it gets a little lonely, so if you are in this secret club, let's not be so secret, okay?

Happy birthday to meeee!

2012-01-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today I am 30. Yikes. If I put my childhood glasses on, that is "like totally ancient." but sitting here today, I'm getting used to it, and kind of looking forward to all that a new decade brings. Some people have said that the 20s are hard because you are so broke, and by the 30s you finally get to enjoy some benefits of working so hard. Another friend said that 30 was the best year of her life. She got married, bought their dream house and had a baby!

In the midst of my happy thoughts I have to admit I am thinking about death a little more. Thinking about death when you are younger usually involves stupidity or a tragic accident. Death past 30 usually involves life choices or genetics. So my life is either half over or one-third over. I'm okay with that, even though it does make me a little sad. Okay a lot sad. In the midst of my sad thoughts yesterday I had a knock at the door. It was a friend, April, who told me she was taking me out to lunch! I got there and there were 10 dear friends from church there for my birthday! Who cares if I didn't have any makeup on? It was so awesome. I was feeling so terrible and they were all there for me! It was so wonderful. I cried. (ive been crying a lot lately... Must be another sign of getting old.)

I love to be all cheery on my blog, because life is so good. But I want my children and family to draw strength from hard times too. So here's to being a little more real, a little more loving, and a little more giving. Can't wait to see what another 10 years bring!

Budgeting resolution?

2012-01-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

Since we have had a very tight budget that would give most anyone a panic attack, I thought I'd offer my advice for creating and sticking to a budget. In no particular order
- evaluate what you spend. Shockingly, gifts is a huge spend for us each month. There is no way to really get around this, other than to plan for it ahead of time! Also making gifts is a good idea, but I usually spend more making a gift than buying it. Is this weird?
- use mint.com. Set it up and then each Sunday night go through and categorize everything. This way all those alerts will diasapear and you will know what is being spent where.
- another huge spend for us are work lunches. Bring a loaf of bread, some peanut butter and jelly. No planning or tupperwares.
- we spend 500 a month on gas. No advice here, just venting. Sorry! Tyler just has a long commute.
- turn down the thermostat. I am perpetually cold, so this sucks, but it does make a difference. My lower limit is 65 at night and 68 during the day. However, I do know people that turn it down to 59 at night. This is insane, but I may have to do this someday!
- avoid any type of monthly payment. No, I am not saying stop paying the bills, but nix cable, gym, Netflix, data phones, what else is there? Anyway, this may suck too but we are talking about saving cash and saving for something amazing, or just pay off debt! Nothing beats that feeling!
- food. Ah, the category in budgeting that I hate the most. Hate is a strong word, but I am using it. For some reason this is where budgeting gets tricky. If we have an excess of gifts to buy that month, guess where the money comes from? The grocery budget. Suck.. We have three mouths that are constantly hungry. I am NOT a coupon shopper. Maybe I am too prideful. Well, probably I am. It seems most those coupon foods are just junk promo items and I would eat twice the amount of junk that I already do. Here are my grocery tips not using coupons:
:make a list of commonly bought items and compare prices between stores. For example we compared Costco, kroger and Meijer (a local version of WalMart) we found that unless an item was on sale at Meijer, Costco was always less expensive. Kroger was always more expensive.
:use what you have and get creative! You know all those canned foods you never use? What about that giant bag of (fill in the blank). Use it! You would not believe how many dinners and lunches I have put together when I "didn't have anything planned" or set aside
:make it from scratch. Do you love bloomin onions? hamburgers? Milkshakes? Make them at home and save a bundle. Plus, you don't have to tip and will come across amazing recipes!
:don't buy cereal. Put this on the crazy list. I know. But having a huge can of oatmeal to make from scratch is way healthier and much cheaper than spending $3 to $6 on one box of cereal that will last us a day. Literally, that is how fast we go through the stuff.
:don't buy expensive meats, or meat at all. This may not be an option if you or someone you love is a huge carnivore, but you can buy a ton more veggies or even organic if you don't have to spend $10 to $20 on a cut of meat.
:plan ahead. Every Friday I do not feel like cooking. If I have something frozen, like a pizza, on hand, I don't have to worry about spending eating out. Plus digiorno with breadsticks, cookies or wings included in the box is way too genius of an idea to pass up.
:avoid grocery shopping like the plague. The less you do it, the less money you spend
:stock up on basics like milk, eggs, flour and rice. You will be amazed at what you can make!
:find some great cookbooks. This is good motivtion
-find tips that work for you. Maybe you are not willing to turn down the heat, but you are willing to cover the windows with plasic and turn down the hot water heater. Just do it!
-swallow your pride and shop at the Salvation Army. I got Ava a whole school wardrobe for less than $100.
-haircuts. Yeah, you know what that means. Long hair that your significant other will love (even if you hate it), and more natural color. You could also try to do the color yourself. I cut our family's hair. If you need a tutorial let me know!
-really evaluate needs and wants. When our kids were babies I got their photos taken at 4, 8 and 12 months instead of 3, 6, 9, and 12. Now each birthday I take their photos myself. We do have a nice camera, but the money saved from photo sessions is piling up!

Those are my best tips. I didn't inclue stupid things like nixing vacations because that is too obvious. If you have to buy it with a credit card, don't do it.

Best wishes for you all in the New Year. Maybe we'll all strike it rich this year and never have to worry about topics like this again!

Merry Almost Christmas

2011-12-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights from the past few weeks.

Violet's ballet class had an open house where parents could watch them do their moves.

This picture is pretty funny because each of the girls are doing different moves.

Ava's class had a party. Here she is playing bingo.

A "Gingerbread" play house.

A snowball fight made with mismatched socks.

They also made ornaments, decorated cupcakes and had snacks.

Visiting Santa was the best this year. We took the girls ice skating at Campus Martius park and inside the Compuware building was Santa! No line, excellent Santa. It was wonderful. We will probably have to go back there every year.

Ava quote, "I can't wait until Santa comes because then we're going to be rich!"

Merry Christmas!

Getting Crafty

2011-12-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

Usually we don't get super crafty until January, but it's started. Am I crazy for letting my 17 month old paint? probably. But the giant smock worked like a dream.

We also started making gingerbread cookies. You can fit 3 kids on one small stool!

There is a sound that goes with this that's pretty funny.

Violet is really allergic to raw eggs. So she can't help as much as she would like. She gets these odd itchy bumps. So she just enjoyed watching.

Reflections 2011

2011-12-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Ava won second place in the 2011 Reflections Art contest at school! It was the most entered category. We are so proud of her. From the time she was little she has loved drawing and getting messy. I think that is pretty much how she is.

She was so proud of herself. Just beaming. Seeing your kid so happy is just priceless.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2011-12-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

It's not the first snow, but it's the first really fluffy flakes that have come down.

A Gift for Scott Norton

2011-12-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

As many of you know our dear friend Scott Norton was diagnosed with stage 2 brain cancer. Scott has many friends, family, and acquaintances that would like to offer him words of support, but live across the country and perhaps around the world.

We are organizing the making of a "Fighters' Quilt" to uplift him when he is down, cradle his family when they need strength, and give them something to memorialize this time in his life after he beats this disease! We are all fighting with him.

Who: Anyone who knows Scott or his family

What: Write a message of inspiration to Scott on a 6 in by 6 in piece of fabric

Why: To show support for one of the most amazing people we know

How: Write with a sharpie or other permanent ink on a 6 x 6 piece of fabric.

If you do not have one, simply e-mail me at thepaxtons@gmail.com and I will mail you one with a return envelope.

*Make sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch around the edge of the square blank*

When: All squares need to be in by Jan. 31.

Where: Mail the squares to me, Sarah Paxton, at 520 Parkdale, Rochester, Mi 48307. If you need additional information, or have questions, please e-mail me at thepaxtons@gmail.com

Spread the word! Please share this post in any way you can. We want TONS of squares!!

Day 25

2011-11-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for hope. We had an excellent talk last Sunday about hope, and it really made me think. Especially about the differences between hope, belief, faith and expectations. There is a lot of deep thinking in exploring the differences between each of those words. Hope just makes my heart feel good. Having hope is what motivates us to do pretty much everything. Hope is why I try my best each day. Although I am far from perfect, I really do try. What an inspired emotion. I am truly thankful for it.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Today I have been incredibly blessed to see a lot of my family. My grandma, aunt, uncle, aunt, mom, dad, step-dad, and add another grandma for good measure. In an increasingly connected world, isn't it ironic that while we can call, Skype and text, actually seeing family is becoming a rarity? Maybe this is a realization as my immediate family grows older. But I am blessed with probably too much family close by. Along with a host of living relatives, even my great grandma, grandpa, uncle, and numerous other relatives are buried in the local cemeteries. Yikes! It is so nice to build more memories together.

In the end, all we have is family. Through thick and thin. Hard times and good. I love them. They made me who I am. Even though I think I am different from them, which I am, I look in the mirror and I see my Dad's eye color, my mom's hands, and a multitude of other characteristics that come from them. And I am proud of it. Thanks for sharing this month with me. It is really fun blogging every day! I wish I had more than 5 min. to complete my thoughts. Until tomorrow. Give thanks!

Day 23

2011-11-23T09:59:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for a baby who naps. It is so nice. I hope he keeps napping until he goes to school all day. Yesterday he slept for 3 hours (yessss!) And although it doesn't happen often I get that much rest, I love it. And I love him. The girls only napped until they were 2. I recently read a book about scheduling, and it said even if they fight it, still make them nap! As it is, the girls wake up at 7:30 and party until 9. I guess I should put them to work! :)

Day 22

2011-11-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am incredibly thankful for hmm... let's see. Just for what we have. Every year around Christmas I say, "I wish I had ...." fill in the blank. Sometimes its money, sometimes its a job, sometimes its a baby. Perhaps this is just how I am, always waiting until the next milestone, thinking life is going to be so much better than how it is now. But honestly, life is great. I have healthy kids, a fabulous husband, and just enough money to pay for what we need.

Day 21

2011-11-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Thanksgiving! I went grocery shopping and it was so fun to see people actually talking to each other, all buying turkeys, desserts, etc. Us Michiganders aren't the most friendly of people at first glance. The store shelves were even bare in places! Can you imagine if people made dinners like this each day how different the world would be? Maybe a little friendlier, a little fatter, and a little more goodwill (due to all the leftovers being shared with neighbors :) It was also odd to see husbands at the store pushing their kids around, their wives giving directions, and them looking a little overwhelmed.

Day 20

2011-11-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for our backyard. We had a little bonfire and had family home evening. It was chilly, but so nice. I love our little family :)

Days 16-19

2011-11-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's scary how fast this month is flying by. That must be indicative that Santas workshop has many orders!

- Day16 I am thankful for my dad. He is great, and there is always something special about daddies and daughters. We don't get to see each other very often, but I know that he is always there for me. Love you!

- Day 17 I am thankful Tyler can take our girls to work with him. Ava asked him a month or so ago if he was the principal of his work. So funny. The answer is yes, and that feels good. He just moved into his new office and it is seriously awesome.

- Day 18 I am thankful for date night. I am totally burnt out by the end of the week and it is so nice to have something to look forward to. It was even nicer this week because Grandpa and Grandma took all 3 kids for the night. I actually got some sleep it was so nice.

- Day 19 I am thankful I won at Settlers of Catan. Horrible numbers but good luck! I never win, and this is major in my book.

Day 15

2011-11-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

I am thankful I can stay home with our kids, especially when they are not feeling well.

Day 14

2011-11-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

I am thankful we live in a place where our children are learning from a young age what it means to be different. Some lessons are hard, but by making small choices now, the big choices will be easy when it counts. Today was a hard, but I'm proud of Ava for making a good choice. She has set a good precedent for her brother and sister.

Day 13

2011-11-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my sunbeams. These are the 4 year olds i teach at church. There are 8 of them, each one incredibly different from the next. Chattiness, speech delays, wiggles, inactive, shoes on, off, lost or under the table. Lost, found, always hungry, looking up down or who knows where. As soon as they start to get it together off they go to the next class. I love you kiddies!

Day12

2011-11-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for mothers. My mom, and all the other wonderful mothers who have touched my life in different ways. Here are some of the things I have learned:
- unconditional love even during the most trying of times
- teenagers don't care what your house looks like, they only care if they are welcome
- mothers work hard and run the whole show
- it never too late to learn and change
- you can never have too much food in the house
- be sensitive to promptings and act

Day 11

2011-11-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

As it is Veterans Day, I am thankful for all those who have served to protect the freedoms we enjoy. I often get asked what ethnicity I am. To which I reply, "American." My family has been here a long time, and has served in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WW1, and WW2. I am thankful also for the sacrifices of their wives. Living with someone who has been traumatized and exposed to the worst of what humanity can do is an adjustment to say the least. The stories my grandmas tell of the night terrors, photos of concentration camps, burying weapons in the back yard sound like a movie, but it was their reality. My step-great grandpa survived mustard gas in WW1, and had episodes from it for the rest of his life. We are fighters in this family, and I am proud of them!

Day 10

2011-11-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for prayer. The opportunity to commune with our Father in heaven, and thank him for what he has blessed us with. Also to seek his guidance on whatever we are worried or concerned about. It is a true joy.

Day 11

2011-11-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for sun in the morning, and the promise of a new day. We are able to look out and soak in the possibilities of a chance to make a differrence and try our best.

Day 8

2011-11-08T18:11:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful I found my phone. It has been lost for a couple days. Not that I wanted to call anyone when I didn't have access to a phone, but if someone needs to contact me I would feel bad that I didn't have it. I looked high and low. Behind things, in pockets, under couches, in drawers, laundry, cars. It was in Ava's backpack.

Day 7

2011-11-08T04:06:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for each of my children. For the first time in a very long time I put Violet to bed without Ava. Ava was still coming home from work with Tyler. It was so sad to just have one little girl all alone. She was scared (of course), so I had to lay down with her. We only had Ava alone for 16 months before Violet came along. We are so thankful for them. I appreciate their noise and messes a little more each day. Duble trouble can be fun. Sometimes :)

Day 6

2011-11-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my mommy. Moms are the best, and I am so happy she is here. Tomorrow we are adventuring down to Detroit to see Tylers work and eat some yummy food.

Day 5

2011-11-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am grateful for our health. So easily our lives could be so different. The past years through school and even now I feel like we have been protected. I know that this has strengthened my faith. May I always be one who returns and says thank you, when a blessing or gift is realized. To my Heavenly Father I say thank you, to my family I say thank you.

Day 4

2011-11-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for the promise of a new day in a few hours. I am also thankful for my best friends, no matter where they are or how often I get to see them.

Day 3

2011-11-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thankful my mom is coming so I have to really clean my house. Thankful for Avas amazing kindergarten teacher.

Day 2

2011-11-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for one of the last warm days before it gets cold. Put on a coat of stain on the deck. It's pretty much black, so I'm sorta freaking out, but it will look good once it's dome with the accessories and everything. Change is good, but sorta scary!

Thankful Challenge

2011-11-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

I am going to blog every day in November about something I am thankful for. Won't you join me? Today I am thankful for the best of friends, an old car that is still working, and brothers in law that can help with projects around the house. And, of course, a sunny and rather mild start to November!

Pioneer Family

2011-10-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have been reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and have been LOVING them!

Ava and Violet at Ava's school party:

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

We bought a giant pumpkin. It was really pretty easy to move with the aid of a sheet and another person. The seeds from it were huge, and it wasn't that bad to carve at all.

A Weekend Up North

2011-10-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

Went Up North last weekend. It's nice to have friends with connections!!

Violet, Bella and Ava

Riding KC the pony

Four Wheeling

Chillin' in a Sweet Pad

Charlevoix

A Chilly Michigan Morning

For more pictures, just click on any picture and it will take you to our album. There are many!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

Love,

The Wilders

Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura and Baby Frederick

FHE

2011-10-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

I believe craft shows charge a lot for this type of thing. We did our own for FHE. :)

Outdoorsy

2011-10-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Our tree. Priceless.

Violet spent the day with Daddy so Ava, North and I had some quality time. She has been dying to get pumpkins, so we did. Now that she is in school I do miss her a little, and the time spent just with her is less. She is at such a fun age! Still gets into some hijinx, but still great.

Or Indoorsy

Post-family picture. I promise the picture will be better than this :) LOL Carbs much? Also note North's favorite lounging position. It must be a man thing.

Tent forts. Ava's other front tooth is on its way out. She will be front-toothless by the end of the week. I promise. Literally it is hanging. Violet said, "There's a hole in her tooth." Meaning, you can see the top root hole.

Halloween Preview

2011-10-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Fall Fun

2011-10-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

What we've been up to:

Toddler Busy Bag Exchange -

A craft swap of sorts where you make one activity X amount of times, depending on the number of people attending. In the end you swap with everyone else and you have tons of different, fun activities for your kids! What we received in return:
-Build your own snowflake and memory game
-rubberband peg board
-lace beading
-bear counting
-felt shape button game
-make your own pizza

Trying on hats:

This beret from Paris never really fit Violet. So happy North at least had it on for half a second!

Stacking things:

Skipping school:

Not really, but Ava did have her first day off from school. I had tons of plans, but only about 50% came to fruition. She slept in and we went to Detroit to have lunch with Daddy and ate at this amazing creperie, "Good Girls Go to Paris." It was uber yummy, and pretty "hipster" as daddy would say - aka, good people watching.

Taking Walks:

Since I'm in charge of the ward's playgroup now I better step it up in the cheap adventure department. Yes, the sign says, "Mastodon Crossing." While they were building a Wal-Mart across the street they dug up some mastodon bones.

And perhaps most impressively we all went on a bike ride! Tyler hitched up two kids in the bike trailer and I got a cheap seat from Meijer and had Violet on the back one way and North in the back on the way home. It was so liberating!! Ava really needs to learn how to ride a two-wheeler, but until then, this was just amazing.

Motherhood and the Rearing of Children

2011-10-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our church's semi-annual General Conference. I seriously loved it. Twice a year we get to hear directly from prophets and apostles what the Lord would like us to hear. Is it a message of love? Is it an answer to prayer? I could just feel the Holy Ghost so much in our home it was wonderful. I am definitely going to have to go and listen to a few talks again.

One of the most striking talks was this one. Although the message is had to hear when babies don't come as you want, it had many other important messages for me. One: marriage, and the decisions you make in it are a partnership between you, your spouse, and the Lord. You may say this, but is the Lord taking an active role in how we decide things? Two: Don't judge others. Three: Things may be tight financially when raising children, but that is what will bring the most happiness. Four: We need more little LDS babies!

If you're still reading this post consider this message from a Christian blogger who is not LDS. If I had time to blog all my thoughts, perhaps I could have written this expression and twisting of the world's view versus our Heavenly Father's. Right on, sister :)

Avas first soccer goal!

2011-09-24T11:41:00.001-07:00

Ava scored her first goal today! She was so excited and proud of herself. We are so happy for her!

Dog Days of Summer

2011-09-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

N is now walking about 95 percent of the time.

My cuties!

Ava's First Day of School

2011-09-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here she is! Her comments were:

-"The girls didn't make fun of me"

-"There wasn't play time, just story time" (after I left)

All the parents pretty much stayed there the whole time. They had a scavenger hunt around the classroom, made a face of themselves, hung pictures of their families, read, did puzzles, and more. It was great!

She wore the same dress I did my first day of school.

Changes

2011-09-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Ava starts school tomorrow. My mom asked, " Are you excited about it?" After thinking about it, I really discovered that I am not. Ava is over the moon excited. But to a mom this step ushers in more shuttling kids back and forth, less time for doing whatever the heck we want to do, and a little more peer pressure both for Ava and for me. It's not that I want her to stay a baby forever, it is more out of a love for our somewhat isolated life. For some reason I have always felt extreme expectations from others. I do realize that life will always move faster than I can keep up with, and I do realize that I have to live my own life, not anyone else's, but homeschooling for preschool has completely taken out that element of life/stress. Ava is smart, she had a father's blessing last night and she is ready. Here we go!

Home again

2011-08-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

It's been really quiet on this blog lately, hasn't it? We've finally moved in, most our boxes are unpacked, and I'm slowly shuffling into a new routine.

-Ava is registered for school. It was a hard decision, but the school is great, and she is excited.
-We've cut down a tree and have one more to go. We're also refinishing the deck which is a huge job.
-The girls are having fun in the backyard. The more they are outside the better!
-With old, thin walls, I hear every single peep North makes. He's also had a nasty, nasty diaper rash that I'm thinking needs some attention in the hot washing department.
-Milo has escaped a handful of times, but seems to enjoy running in the yard and eating some sort of plant.
-This feels more like home than at any time during the past two years. I seriously love our little old house. I love my paint colors, appliances, clean grout and wood floors.
-We both already have callings. Tyler's serving with the Young Men and my calling is very similar to what I have been doing for the past few years with the children.

If you forget what our house looks like you can see here. The only rooms that are completely different are the last pictures, because that room is now fuschia and white (the girls' room) and our room is now in the back of the house and a cheery-green color.

I will try to pull out my camera soon and take some pictures. Violet has to debut her Ava-styled haircut. :)

In the Box ....

2011-07-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Out of the Box ...

Clearly outside "the box" is so much more fun.

We've been packing up our lives here in Ann Arbor. Just as we were starting to have so much FUN here! Seriously, it's going to be hard to leave. There is always something fun to do. I think our move date is July 28. :)

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

WT Camping

2011-07-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Who's kid is that? Looks like he's naked and about to jump in the fire.

Oh, that's MY kid.

I guess mom had better go sit in the woods and take pictures for a while.

While the kids work.

And Dad makes the food.

While his brothers are climbing trees.

Great Grandma's Birthday

2011-07-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Lucas, and the kids' Great Grandma turned 94 on July 1st.

What a special occasion for a great great lady!!

1st Birthday Party

2011-07-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

The weather was great, and we were so blessed that some family could make it!

The dirt cake:

Tyler, his dad, oh, and Jared all wore the same outfit for the occasion.

Happy to see Great Grandma

Practicing those big boy steps

Birthday boy!

Digging in

Yeah, I'd feel like this too if I had a whole dump truck full of cake

North's 1st Birthday Photo Shoot

2011-07-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

It took some coaxing. But here is my little smartie pants.

Happy Birthday to My Little Man

2011-06-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

One year ago, as my mom said, I was hopelessly complaining that my skin was hurting. You see, I was about to deliver a 9 lb 7 oz baby. Not an easy task for a 5'2" girl.

Today I still bear some of those scars, but it is with the greatest joy in my heart that I can say that North is one! I am so proud of him, and the sweet, joyful, stubborn kid that he is. The past year has been full of spit-up, constant cloth diaper changes, laundry, 100% breastfeeding (NO FORMULA EVER!), crawling, laughing, sleepless nights, cute smiles, countless pictures and snuggles. I am extremely proud of myself for still nursing him and cloth diapering. As my mom also says, "The first birthday is really for the mom." So today is my day too. I survived. I am proud. There is something really special about mothers and sons. It seems like these precious years are just going to fly by. I love him so much. His future is bright. He has a higher calling - more than I could ever imagine - and I am already proud of the little man he has become.

Violet's 4 year photo shoot

2011-06-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

It was so eventful I had a Father's Day hangover on Monday. Exhaustion! Now to gear up for North's birthday on Friday and party on Saturday.

Our Violet has been blooming for 4 years

2011-06-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Birthday to our Violet Jane. You make each day sweeter than the next.

It is hard to believe it's been four years.

Here's a little bit more about Violet:
She loves to color and draw
She is constantly sounding out words
She has a good sense of style
She is always talking about how her hair is "getting straight"
She is sensitive but pretty tough
She hates physical exertion of all types
She loves sweets, and is motivated by food
She is independent, and happily plays by herself
She likes to dance and sing, but is still shy

We love you!

Sunset

2011-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

The other night we were driving home and there was the prettiest sunset.

Domino's Petting Farm

2011-06-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Next to the Domino's Pizza HQ, there is a petting farm. It has been on my list, but now that we are moving soon we finally made it there!

Alpaca

North desperately wanted to crawl around in the poo and chase the animals. I may be lenient and let my kid chew woodchips at the park, but I'm not THAT lenient.

The longhorn cattle were chasing this poor goat down the fence.

I just love this picture.

Things got crazy when I purchased some carrots for the kids to feed to the animals.

Ava didn't really want to feed the pigs, but I felt bad for them.

There were a lot of baby goats, and this little guy made us laugh. He was RUNNING around full speed, under, around and through the gates. The worker was calling to him, "Your mom's over here! Come here!" Nothing like an animal to bring a smile to your face.

Here he is in action.

Domino's was fun. A bit pricey, but fun. It is a non-profit though so it all went to a good cause.

Hello?

2011-06-10T07:36:00.001-07:00

For the longest time I have been trying to get N to say, "Hello," into the phone. He finally did it :) Since I don't know how to work the video on my camera, I took some photos that captured the moment. His voice is so high and cute!! (Someday he will make me delete writing this)

Audrey's DONE with high school!

2011-06-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Audrey finished #5 in her class of more than 400. We are so proud of you!

North had a great time :)

I love to see the temple, I'm going there some day.

2011-06-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

For us, temples are a symbol. Not just a pretty building. They are a symbol of eternity, faith, family, togetherness, and our efforts to become better people.

Anyone can go to any temple grounds at any time and enjoy the spirit that resides there. Although you need a special recommend to go inside, more information about our church can be found here.

Nichols Arboretum

2011-06-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

There was a peonies festival at the Nichols Arboretum on Saturday. Because of the cold weather and "delayed" spring, they weren't fully in bloom, but it was pretty.

My favorite heart shaped one:

Don't let me saying there was a delayed spring fool you however, this day was 100 degrees. It was HOT.

There were people swimming in the river, which looked fun. And it may be more fun for the undergrad-crowd. Don't know if I'll go again. The Botanical Gardens are much more fun with a family.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

2011-06-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

We love you.

The girls made you a special tie.

And you got a composter :)

Debrief

2011-05-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

-Tyler's mug is in Fortune NOW! We are thrilled. I'll post a picture of what his co-workers got him.

-My SLR camera has been sent to Cannon AGAIN for repairs. It had better come back working. So many moments NOT captured!

-Violet has the best sense of style. It may look a little crazy, but the tutu with striped tights and a patterned shirt really looked cute today.

-North is a screaming and talking maniac. He loves to stand at the window and yell at the top of his lungs. He can clearly say mama and dada, and attempts Ava, Violet, Milo (pretty clear), and Bye bye. He also loves to climb. Today he climbed up on a basket to get to the piano, attempted to get up onto the keys, but thankfully he is not tall enough. He also pulled himself up on the couch. I think he has super-human upper body strength from all the crawling.

-He has been waking up at 6 which is killing me.

-He isn't close to walking. Crawling is much faster.

-Need to decide what the heck I'm going to do for all these June birthdays. (Tyler's June 3rd, Violet's June 16, North's June 24, Our Anniversary June 25th). All ideas will be considered.

Naples Break

2011-05-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

After Disney we headed south about 3 hours to Naples. A nice relaxing break from the crowds! It was still HOTT though.

Still eating sand.

Standing - as usual - during the meal.

Focusing.

Picking bits of sand off her foot.

Daddy digging a huge hole.

Us! Old school style, holding the camera out in front of us.

The waves were really big that day.

Passed out.

Family Photos

2011-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dress Up

2011-05-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Before we left for Disney I was going through my closet and arrived upon what most married women store in the back corner - their wedding dress! I tried it on. It didn't fit me. So I tried it on Ava. She had a blast. It is so poofy and huge she couldn't move much. Violet wouldn't get near it.

Ava's Disney Highlights

2011-05-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

I tried to make Ava's highlights different than Violet's. Ava is over 48 inches tall so she could ride most anything. Here she is on Dumbo all by herself!

The teacups with mom!

Belle :)

The castle.

Meeting Daisy.

And Stitch. (Although the Stitch ride was AWFUL. Do not waste your time.)

Dressing up for the Princess dinner.

Meeting Snow White. She said the Snow White ride was her favorite.

And Tigger.

On the Magic Carpet ride with Violet.

Eating "something cold."

Watching the parade. Can you tell how hot it was? 95!

Playing "where's Izzy" before meeting Rapunzel.

And of course meeting her.

Violet's Disney Highlights

2011-05-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Riding Dumbo

Riding Winning the Pooh.

Shooting with Buzz.

Popsicles were a hit!

Seeing the castle that changed colors.

Avoiding photos.

Meeting Belle.

And Cinderella.

Although Ariel was really nice and waved to her in the parade.

And waiting and waiting to meet Piglet.

Riding the Magic Carpets.

Chillin' in the stroller.

Getting to hold hands with the worker before we met Rapunzel.

And a highlight for both was meeting Rapunzel and Flynn (I think that's his name)

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes ...

2011-05-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

What do you want to do after you graduate?

Go do Disney World!

Of course this blessed event coincided with the breakage of my camera, so while Cannon was fixing it, we had to Pentax.

North's Trip Highlights:

The kid does not sit. Ever. Thank goodness for straps and harnesses.

Winnie the Pooh ride.

The "arching the back" move. A classic. Now you can see how it felt to have him pull the same move in my stomach.

Another hit was the "peek a boo napkin" move.

First parade.

Playing in the closet.

The most anticipated event of the year

2011-05-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Graduation happenings began with an MBA kids graduation with the dean. It was SO nice. Even juice boxes on ice, grilled cheese and cupcakes!

Let me tell you, it was hard to get those kids' MO assignments in. Lots of nagging.. (JK)

This was North's favorite part.

The actual day of graduation Are You a Human hosted a luncheon for the team and their families. Their office space is at a place called TechArb in the Google building.

Ta Da! Then the big day. There was a nice reception at the school.

Then the graduation at Hill Auditorium.

Followed by dinner at Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse.

Congrats Babe! SOOOOO Glad it's DONE!

Easier Easter

2011-05-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last year we burned ourselves out on making tons of visits and doing Easter, so the same weekend we did Kirtland, it was Easter. We had a small celebration once we came home and enjoyed remembering the resurrection of Christ.

Our annual "follow the string to your Easter basket."

Kirtland

2011-05-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

We needed a little break from Ann Arbor life, so we headed over to Kirtland, Ohio, which is near Cleveland. We stayed at a weird weird Holiday Inn Express in downtown Cleveland. Usually we LOVE these hotels, but this one was downright strange.

The first Latter-day Saint temple was built in Kirtland. Although the church no longer owns it, and it slightly differs from modern temples, it still is a special place to remember where the early Saints lived and struggled. I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area!

Down the street is a renovated historic downtown Kirtland that the church does own. They have an old-fashioned store, mill, houses, etc.

These faces are funny :)

New Pictures!

2011-05-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

From Untitled Album

Once in a lifetime

2011-04-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Tyler was having lunch with a friend during the fall and he said, "You didn't come to b-school to just get any job, you came to get your dream job."

Well, sometimes dreams do come true. Tyler and his co-founders of Are You a Human? spent Wed - Sunday in Houston. Read on ...

Highlights from the press release:

Rice University Business Plan Competition awards $1.3 million in cash and prizes

The world’s richest and largest business plan competition brought 42 teams from across the globe to pitch their new technology business plans to more than 250 judges who themselves are successful venture capital investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. More than 700 people attended the banquet that marked the conclusion of the three-day RBPC.

FORTUNE covered the competition again this year and will feature the winners, teams and competition in the May 23, 2011 issue of the magazine and on CNNMoney.com beginning today. (CNN called them today, whhaaaat? and Tyler will be in the May issue of Fortune magazine)

Are You a Human?, University of Michigan won second place overall for a total of $154,100, which included the $100,000 Opportunity Houston Technology Prize and the $15,000 cash prize for second place sponsored by Finger Interests. Are You a Human? has developed a simple, secure, game-based human authentication tool that replaces the distorted text images known as CAPTCHAs.

Their elevator pitch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SV9qQqD7EE

Some team photos:

A week in photos

2011-04-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo last week. It snowed.

I decided the double stroller needs to go to a new home after this outing. No need an almost 4 year old should be pushed for several miles.

Aunt Audrey came to stay with us for a few days over her spring break. We went to Pizza House (amazing!), the Hands on Museum, and Bounce Zone.

Here is North. Booger and all. He also has been getting this strange rash on his face. He doesn't know how to scratch, but he will rub his chin on my shoulder. It seems to be aggravated by my washing his face. So if you see this kid with a dirty face, don't judge!

A & V here posing with their new tent. It's really a mosquito net meant for outside purchased at IKEA, but man, this was too cool to pass up! Here they are playing "Belle."

Xtreme Bounce

2011-03-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

To beat the gray-ness' round here we headed over to a bounce place. Believe it or not, we had never been to one before. $10 - not bad to kill some time one afternoon.

Ava had a great time. Violet went down twice and then hung out with N and I. Pretty much clinging to my leg. Not like anyone else was there, we practically had the whole place to ourselves.

Ahhh, then we had the beloved St. Patrick's day craft. I'd seen a cute leprechaun craft where a hand print was turned upside-down to make the beard. So we started with that, and then I read the girls a story about a leprechaun. Somehow they turned evil, grew an extra couple legs, and the markers and paint just went crazy. Pretty funny.

Bunny Buns

2011-03-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

I usually wouldn't have posted something like this, but we worked for 4 hours producing these little (or big, rather) bunny buns. Rising, resting and rolling. They turned out super yummy.

I always enjoy looking at people's yummy baking pictures, and am rather proud of these. The recipe can be found here

It comes from a kids' magazine called the Friend, and the girls are really beginning to enjoy reading the stories.

Where are we?

2011-03-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

No, it can't be. The sun? Here? Now?

Today we went to the park twice. TWICE!! Once with a coat, once without. I think my camera is in shock. The pics even look a little washed out.

There is nothing quite as glorious as the first days that point to spring. It's been a long, hard winter. Much worse than last year. If I were a pioneer I probably would have died. No joke.

This is representative of the WILD imagination that is taking place in our house lately. The girls seriously could just play and imagine all day.

A whole lotta this going on

2011-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Tyler has been working harder than I have ever seen him work. Maybe it's because he's really excited. The other night I came home and he had 12 ft. of butcher paper taped across the wall with arrows and words going everywhere.

First Loose Tooth

2011-03-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

One week after after Ava turned 5 I noticed her teeth looked a little crooked in the front. I asked her if her tooth was loose, and she didn't know. I checked, and sure enough, it was loose. Fast forward one month and suddenly the tooth was much looser. It looked something like this:

I kept telling Ava if she kept wiggling it, the tooth would fall out! A short time later, it happened. My baby's first tooth fell out.

Voila! A new smile for Ava. Blood and all.

My mom said I lost my first tooth at 4, so it is no surprise Ava lost hers so soon. I was kind of sentimental about it because this was the first tiny tooth that poked out so many years ago with so much anticipation. That first little tooth on that sweet little baby isn't there anymore.

Congratulations Tyler!

2011-03-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

We had some good news a couple weeks ago :)

Zell Lurie Institute Announces the Winter 2011 Dare to Dream Grant Recipients

The Dare to Dream Grant program encourages students to move through the business creation process by offering business development seminars and $500 - $10,000 in funding. Within the program, students meet deadlines to produce deliverables that guide them through the business development path from a nascent idea to formulating and assessing potential businesses to planning and launching these businesses. The program awards up to $100,000 per academic year in the Fall and Winter terms.

The following teams were awarded grants for the Winter 2011 phase:

Winter 2011 Integration Grants (up to $10,000 each team)

AYAH, LLC $5,000 - Tyler Paxton (MBA ’11), Reid Tatoris (MBA ’11), Biswaroop Palit (MBA ’11), Benjamin Blackmer (MBA ’12), David Levitch (MBA ’11)
Develops and markets a game-based CAPTCHA that is simple, intuitive and secure

ReGenerate $ 10,000 - Paul Davis (MBA/MS ’11), Nolan Orfield (PhD/MSE ’13), Bobby Levine (PhD ’13), Hunt Briggs (MBA/MS ’11)
Provides food service operators with on-site biodigester systems

STIgma Free $5,000 - Rameshwar Rao (PhD ’14), Sasha Cai Lesher-Perez (PhD ’14), Jeremy Holzwarth (PhD ’14), Patrick Ingram (PhD ’14), Joshua White (PhD ’14), Bethany Tong (MBA ’12)
Develops and sells point-of-care diagnostic devices for small clinical and home use to test for sexually transmitted diseases

StrideSports $10,000 - Brian Beard (MBA ’12), Grant Weber (MBA ’11), Patrick Fay
Designs and produces standing bicycles

Home again Home again Hippity Hop

2011-03-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

This is what my parents would say every time we pulled into our driveway.

I am glad to be home with my hubby. It was a much needed break from laundry, cleaning and the perpetual gray skies that shroud Michigan this time of year. I think we may go somewhere each February because it is a tough month to get through. Some weeks I only leave the house a handful of times because the cold and labor of getting everyone ready, there, and happy is too much. This seems really sad. Maybe I should work on getting out more? But let's face it - 3 kids are a lot to tote around everywhere and I already get looks and comments constantly, "You certainly have your hands full, don't you?" Why yes, I do, but I love it.

Here are some of my absolute favorite pictures. If you want to see more, click on the picture and it will take you to the online album.

We had a fabulous time with Grandma. My days consisted of waking up, working out, feeding the kids and making the tough decision of whether to go to the beach or the park/water park.

From Untitled Album

Flying with 3 kids alone

2011-03-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Note to self:
Prepare to sweat the entire flight
Eat enough so I can nurse the baby the whole time
Dress baby in onesie because my body heat + everyone else's makes for one hot experience
Pray you do not sit behind a grumpy business traveler - if anyone would have crossed me I think I would have punched their lights out (thanks P90X and Jillian)
Prepare to tell magical stories
Have snacks and water a plenty in the older kids' bags so they can get them out themselves (not in diaper bag)
Make sure portable DVD player is charged and movies are ready
Say a prayer

We are in Florida!

2011-02-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be outside of Michigan. I braved a snowstorm, de-iced plane, and flying alone with 3 kids. But it is SO worth it! The weather and sun are so needed in this family.

Day 1 we went to the zoo because kids were free today. It is President's Day.

Ava really, really wanted a slushee. Grandma's make a girl's wish come true!

Playing outside with the palm trees.

This is the view out the back of the condo.

North eating sand and SITTING! I can't believe he is sitting. He NEVER sits. But apparently this got his attention.

Little hands and feet.

Sunset at the beach.

Me and three of my loves. Miss you babe! You better schedule that flight out here pronto!

Ann Arbor U of M Natural History Museum

2011-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats another Freebie in Ann Arbor! This museum was FABULOUS! Big dinosaur bones, amazing planetarium talk. Definitely recommend.

U of M Dental School Photos

2011-02-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

We were playing before we went to the U of M Natural History Museum. Here are my fav pictures. If you want to see more, just click on the picture, go to the untitled album and surf!

From Untitled Album

To Homeschool, or not, THAT is the Question

2011-02-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

When I tell people I am thinking of homeschooling Ava they get the funniest look on their face. It's a faked smile concealing pain and concern. Very disturbing, but I see it so often it must be worth blogging about.

You see, the question that is almost always on my mind these days is whether I am up for homeschooling, and if Ava would be ok with it. Somedays my house is so chaotic I think, "No Way!" Then other days, the house is clean, the laundry is running, the baby is napping, and the girls have a great reading lesson. I think,"This is AMAZING!"

You see, I was a great student of pregnancy and baby literature. Now, being a mother has morphed into the school-year phase. It seems like many a mother stops reading up on how to parent, what to do, the stages, etc., and when I looked this up - and what to do with these school-age children, it occurred to me, well, why don't I TEACH them something?

Another friend taught both her boys to read by the time they were 4 simply because she didn't remember her mom teaching her anything. Wow.

The thought of homeschooling also forces me to take a good look at my behavior, schedule, communication, etc. Am I emotionally prepared to teach my children what they need to know? Does our schedule allow enough time for teaching? It seems like every time we have to go somewhere I end up yelling. Hence, my 1 1/2 ft. reading pile downstairs. If we're already going nuts, what is going to happen next year?

There are about a million other thoughts I have on the subject. But the bottom line for me has come down to - what is BEST for our family? Tyler will be traveling a majority of the week for his job. I will do anything possible to keep our family unit #1 on our list.

Perhaps this takes "Together Forever" to a whole new level!

One of our Dreams

2011-02-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, we were almost certain that we would adopt our next child.

During this time I was ready to just charge everything on a credit card to make my baby dreams come true. I saw wonderful families created through adoption. And also importantly I saw birth mothers lives completely changed for the better. Leading happy, "normal" lives.

For any adoptive couple, they have already gone through struggles with infertility, doubt, and feelings of hopelessness. It really is not fair that after all these powerful emotions and deciding to proceed with an adoption there is one other hurdle they must face: the cost.

Two years ago while I was busy making baby plans, Tyler was getting ready for grad school. Our budget was tight. Too tight for comfort. But I was ready and waiting knowing that somehow we were going to pay for our baby. How can anyone put a price on the gift of love for a child?

Now to my point.

After all this time, Tyler and I formed a dream of one day creating a scholarship fund for hopeful adoptive couples in graduate school. These families are still young, but limited in their abilities to make their families grow by finances. Adoptions can cost up to 50k. Or more.

School is an investment but it doesn't mean life should stop, right?

We don't have a name, we don't have a start date, but we do have a dream.

Just wanted to share it with you!

P.S. There was the cutest adoption story in The Friend. Did you read it? It made me cry.

Happy 5th Birthday Ava

2011-02-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

From Untitled Album

Happy Birthday Ava! You are so beautiful and fill our lives with absolute pure joy every day.

5 marks the beginning of school, the beginning of reading, the beginning of a whole new world.

You are a daughter of God, and we see his light reflected in your spirit each day. May we know how to magnify that light in the best way possible and be blessed with knowledge and patience. Thanks for being a great kid.

We love you more each day.

2011-02-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

Stuck in the House 'Ness

2011-01-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

I have been holed up in the house (too cold, too cloudy, too snowy). So here's what we've been up to!

I have been dying to use my new Cricut, so here's my first project:

Old Salvation Army frame -

Turned learning board for the kids!

From Untitled Album

I put the vinyl behind the glass so it wouldn't get destroyed every time a dry erase went on top of the words. It was very time intensive, but something I'd been meaning to make for a long time. I should have also added "Number," but who needs numbers?

N has discovered the stairs... Here he is in action.

He also enjoys playing with his carseat.

Tyler got N a Johnny Jumper. I don't think this is exactly what it was meant for, but he likes it.

Violet has an amazing talent for falling asleep wherever she is, no matter what is going on around her. Nothing ever changes around here.

In Case You Missed it, Cmas is Over

2011-01-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

Finally our Christmas celebration ended. Whew! We exchanged gifts with Great Grandma Lucas, Dee, Bryce, Stephanie and Grandma and Grandpa Mclean.

Tyler's backpack from his freshman year of college and his mission finally broke! It was replaced by an REI Garage Sale North Face backpack we got for $10.. It has some quality issues, but hey, in our family we CANNOT pass up anything North Face for $10.

This is a really neat Christmas gift Heather made us. The Scrabble letters are perfect! And she said she didn't have to buy anything for it, she had all the materials already.

Before you look at this next picture, let me clarify. Currently there is over a foot of snow outside and it is freezing cold. But apparently just a few short weeks ago it was sunny and pretty outside! This is the girls playing on their new bike.

Ahh, yes, then it was my birthday on the 3rd. The last birthday of my 20's. The 20's have been good. A little chaotic, but really really fun. I have been so blessed by my parents, and now by a family of my own it makes me excited for the next year, and years ahead. Tyler worked much of the day, and I didn't get dressed for much of the day. He made me a cake, but had a little snafoo with the frosting he was really disappointed about. This is really what the cake looked like in the end. I was really really spoiled!!!

Here's the snow out our back doorwall. I had to creatively position the camera so you don't see a parking garage, or a building behind us, but nature is always fun to photograph. Also it is taken through the glass. No way I was going out there!!

Lastly, there has been a whole lotta this goin' on. North really isn't good at putting food from the tray into his mouth, so I stuffed a banana into this little feeder thing and he loved it! He ate half a banana, which for him is a ton! He loves making a complete mess of himself, and refuses to have his arms and hands not involved in what he is doing. Usually I give him a spoon and I have a spoon and we just rotate through the spoons, with him grabbing and taking whatever spoon I have, then I take the one he has discarded. Tonight he also (sigh) almost pulled himself up onto the girls' bed. If he's like this at 6 mo., I can only imagine what he's going to be like at 6, 16, and 26!!! Ahhh! I guess with a name like North, what do I expect? Forget the music lessons, rock climbing it is.

From Untitled Album

Date Night!

2011-01-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas the girls were in some serious need of some daddy one-on-one time. Tyler took Violet to get her nails done and Ava bowling.

North Modeling Pictures

2011-01-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

My dear friend is selling crochet hats and asked North to be her boy model. He's a really smiley kid, so it was pretty easy. Plus, the hats are super cute! (If you would like to buy one, they are $20, just leave a comment with your e-mail and I'll send it along to her)

2011-01-01

2011-01-01T18:50:00.001-08:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

Everyday life

2010-12-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

Another Ava photo special.

Pre-tooth

It looks like he's crawling, but he can't actually really move yet. Love that cloth diaper bum, huh?

Thanks Heather!

2010-12-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread men, the girls loved them :)