The Bell Family

Christmas Day

2012-01-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

***Sorry, there are NO pictures for our ENTIRE trip to Seattle because I forgot to pack the camera. It was a sad day when I realized I had forgotten it :( I did take a couple videos, but only on Christmas morning, so that doesn't really make up for it.

On Christmas morning the boys woke up around 7 or so and when the rest of my family got up a little bit later we all went down to open our stockings. My family got a little surprise during this time as well...

Yep, it's true. We are expecting baby #3 on June 26, 2012. We are very excited about it, now that the shock of it has worn off...it was a surprise for us as well. I have a feeling it's a girl this time...I hope I am right.

After we opened our stockings we went and had breakfast which consisted of the most delicious cinnamon rolls EVER. As well as hot chocolate and little Cutie's oranges. Then we went and opened presents before finishing getting ready for church at 11. Parker has really gotten into the whole Christmas experience this year and was really excited to see what Santa had brought him. After each present he opened he started asking for another one to open. Tyler sort of got into it, but I think next year will really be a blast with him too. The boys got some clothes, a couple movies, books, puzzles, games, and a couple other toys. Here are a few videos of the boys opening some of their presents.

Once we were finished opening presents we went to church which was very nice to do on Christmas day to help keep the spirit and true meaning of Christmas in our minds. The rest of the day consisted of relaxing, watching the newest Harry Potter movie that I got, talking to my family down in Arizona as well as my brother who is currently on his mission. It was a great day and I wish it could have been Christmas day longer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE :)

Seattle Vacation

2012-01-16T11:01:00.001-07:00

For Christmas this year we flew from Boise to visit my family in Kent, Washington. It was the first time we have all flown together and it was an interesting experience, but overall wasn't too bad. We drove to Boise Friday afternoon, and stayed at Chris' grandparents for the night. Our flight didn't leave until about 4:30 pm on Christmas Eve so we hung out and just took it easy. I had been sick for the whole week with a bad sore throat and cough. Later that day, Chris' brother drove us to the airport so we didn't have to park our car there for a week and a half. Because we had so much stuff to take with us, he had to help us take it all inside! Ha Let me just paint a picture of how much stuff we had...2 car seats, 1 stroller, 3 suitcases, 1 pack and play, 2 backpacks and one carry-on bag (then add 1 more duffle bag on the way back home!)!!!! We decided that we probably won't be flying with the kids for awhile (or at least at Christmas time, where you have to bring gifts to and from)!

Anyways, the boys didn't really do all that well on the flight to Seattle because they hadn't had naps, and it was close to dinner time and we didn't have enough snacks! Luckily it was only an hour long flight, otherwise it could have been much worse!! When we got to my parent's house we ate dinner and visited a little bit before putting the kids to bed so we could wrap all the gifts we brought with us and get all organized. The rest of the trip consisted of playing a lot on the Wii, going shopping, playing with their cousin, playing games, doing puzzles, going out to dinner, trip for both boys to the Urgent Care center for eye infections, making a gingerbread house and making sugar cookies!! We all had a great time, even though Chris had to work most of the time. The boys had a blast and Parker really had fun playing with his Uncle Connor. It rained.the.WHOLE.time (except for maybe like 1 day)!! Typical Seattle weather though right?

The flights home were a lot better. I say flights because we had a 3 1/2 hour layover in Spokane! Not really the best airport for having long layovers with little kids. It's the smallest.airport.ever. They did have 1 toy to be shared with all the kids in the terminal and at least it was fairly open and not very crowded most of the time so the boys could run around and get their energy out. And there is only like 2 or 3 options for places to eat. Anyways, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Tyler ended up taking a nap in the stroller for about an hour or a little more, until the janitor lady came by and emptied the mostly empty garbage cans near us and shaking the empty plastic bags to put them in the noisy metal can. That woke him up...NICE! Oh but did I mention that our flight from Seattle to Spokane only had 21 people on the whole plane??!!! Yeah that was awesome! Chris and I each took a row with one of the boys!! The plane from Spokane to Boise, however was not so empty...it was completely full. But Parker fell asleep in the car seat as we were taxiing to the runway and slept the entire flight, so that was nice, we only had 1 child to entertain!

I'm glad we were able to go and hopefully we can make it back soon, before another whole year goes by!

"Time for Prayers!"

2012-01-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Every night when we say it's time for prayer's Tyler immediately stops whatever he is doing and runs and sits in this exact same spot and folds his arms showing us he is ready! It is just too cute!!! These pictures were taken the same night we decorated the tree. He now has a new spot and he kneels instead of sits!

Decorating for Christmas

2012-01-16T10:22:00.001-07:00

This year I didn't put up all of my Christmas decorations. But I did insist that we a least put up our Christmas Tree!! I was so excited to get it set up because I love how it looks all decorated. However, it wasn't quite the same this year due to some very active boys who couldn't leave the tree alone! They enjoyed helping to put up some ornaments though and Parker even got to put the angel on the top of the tree!!

Helping Tyler get the ornament on the tree...

Putting the angel on the top of the tree!!

Good job Parker!!!

We only put the decorations on the top 1/2 of the tree, unfortunately, Parker still managed to find a way to pull some of them off to play with them. We only ended up with a couple casualties! Hopefully next year will be better!

We had a fun evening together decorating the tree. The boys are at that age now where they have fun doing it too and it's so fun watching them get all excited!!!

Family Pictures

2011-12-02T10:32:00.001-07:00

This year I wanted to try and get our family pictures with all the pretty fall colors and leaves and before the snow came. Well we were able to get them done before too much snow fell, however because of timing issues we were unable to catch the fall colors in our pictures. I was also a little disappointed because we were going to go to a couple different locations but with it being a bit chilly, the boys both having colds and runny noses, and them being cranky we were only able to do one location. Despite all of this, we still managed to get some really good pictures! Here are a few of my favorites :)

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T14:46:00.005-07:00

This year we packed up the car and headed down to Cedar City, UT to spend Thanksgiving with Chris' entire immediate family at his aunt's house. It was a bit overwhelming in that there were 29, yes 29 PEOPLE staying in the same house for 3 days!!! It was crazy, but fun all the same. The boys had an absolute blast having SO many kids to play with everyday, all day! Thanksgiving Dinner was so delicious, including all the different flavored pies we had! Most of the boys and kids went out in the morning for the Turkey Bowl...which didn't last long for Parker or Tyler because of the wind, but I think everyone else had fun. We played a lot of games, watch a few movies, cooked and just enjoyed catching up with everyone!! Thank you so much Aunt Heather and Uncle Dave for letting us ALL come and invade your house!!

TURKEY BOWL

Parker liked playing when he could have the ball, but there were a few times when he tried to run for it to pick it up and someone got there first and snagged it, which made him sad and he would just walk away. This was his first big game that he has ever played, especially with so many people that it was hard for him to realize that he needed to let everyone play. I still think he had fun though! Even my nephew Kaydon and Tyler got to play too!!Kick it Parker!!!Tyler's turn to play with the ball!Story of his life...Big Brother ALWAYS getting to the ball first!! haha He was POOPED!!! It's not very often that you see Parker go lay on the couch or chair and have to fight to stay awake, he's usually always go, Go, GO! We were just about ready to eat our Thanksgiving lunch/dinner, or I would have put him down for a nap. (Wish I would have because when we put him down after we ate, he had perked back up and didn't end up sleeping...little stinker!)

FAMILY PICTURES

Friday afternoon we went out and took family pictures...it's been A LONG time since we have had the whole family together!It's only gonna get bigger!!!Maria & Jeff and their adorable little boy, KaydonValerie & Nathan and their cute and hilarious girls, Ella, Lizzy, Sammy & Rachel!

Happy HALLOWEEN!!!!

2011-11-01T20:53:00.005-06:00

We actually made it back to civilization for Halloween this year! Trick or Treating was the ONLY thing we were able to do for the Halloween holiday, which made me a little sad, but last night was a blast! We met up with my aunt and uncle in Idaho Falls and took the boys trick or treating with their kids around the neighborhood. It was awesome because their youngest is just a few months younger than Parker, so it was really cute to watch them get all excited and run up to each door. Tyler got the hang of it really quick too and would try to squeeze his way through to the front of each door. He also loved holding his bag, and then we got him to start saying "MOOOO" at each door, that just made him even more cute!!!

I just love Ty's costume...he looked sooo cute!!Because of Parker's obsession with Thomas the Train this year, naturally he wanted to be Thomas for Halloween!!It was so cute because all three of them were holding hands! My cousin, Boyd, was Clifford the Big Red Dog, he was too cute :)Checkin' out what he has in his bag!Ty decided to ditch the bag and head straight for the door...he may have tried to enter each house, as well as tried to return to each house after leaving! That's when we decided to carry him to each house! lolDefinitely the cutest little cow I've ever seen!The only good picture of Parker in his costume...Love them!! :)I wasn't able to get pictures of the boys in their costumes until after trick or treating, and they were so TIRED!! And, we only had one small casualty...Ty tripped over his bag and hit his head on the corner of a metal milk box :( Tyler was checkin' out what he got in his bag.Clifford going through his candy!! Everyone really scored this year and came away with LOTS of candy and goodies!

Major Snow Storm :O

2011-11-01T13:27:00.004-06:00

Last Tuesday night and ALL day Wednesday we had a major snow storm. I'm not talking like just 4 or 5 inches, we got at least over 12 INCHES people!!!! It was crazy! I had never seen so much snow in my life come down all at once. Needless to say it was one of those days where you just want to curl up in sweats and watch movies and drink hot chocolate. We at least drank hot chocolate, but we also attempted to play in the snow...it didn't quite work out like we'd hoped. It was cold, still snowing, too fluffy to really sled down, and too deep making Tyler not a big fan!! It sure was pretty though watching it come down and was sure pretty after it stopped too.
These next few pictures seriously cracked me up! Haha, he couldn't really walk in the snow, and when he would try he would fall over and then had a hard time getting back up! It was classic!! There was only like an inch or so between him and the top of the snow. haha Parker is getting tired and cold, it wasn't quite as much fun for him either as last time.My best attempt at getting a picture of me and Tyler...Tyler wasn't really cooperating with me :(Okay, now don't be fooled...that's not all the snow that was on that car...there was quite a bit MORE!! It seriously took me like 20-30 minutes to dig it out of the snow, 2 DAYS later, after some had melted too. It was insane, and not the most enjoyable task out there! lolSo Pretty :)I took this the next morning, there was definitely over an inch...CRAZY, especially since the day before it was in the 50's and dry!!

Candy Sorting

2011-11-01T13:18:00.003-06:00

Last week Parker wanted some of his mini M&M's, so I thought this would be a perfect time to have him work on sorting the colors and then counting each color! I got a paper plate and divided it into 6 sections and then had him put each color in a different section. He did surprisingly well for his first time! His counting has gotten a lot better lately and can count at least up til 12 without missing a number. I was a little surprised when I heard him do it the first time because every time I heard him count he would always miss a number hear and there and then start over! He has known his colors for quite a while now, but this was just his first official color sorting activity. I guess since what was just way too easy, I'm going to have to find some other, harder things for him to sort!! He had fun though....I think!He was pretending to be a dog, and wouldn't use his hands! haha

Potty Training Week 2

2011-10-18T21:20:00.003-06:00

A recap of the 2nd week of potty training, hopefully much better than the first!!

Monday 10/17: Today was a fantastic day! He wore the same pair of underwear ALL day long (except during nap and bed time)!!!! He woke up wet, but I think that was just because we didn't quite make it in time. We even went for a short (1 hr) trip and he stayed dry the whole time. He also did poop in his diaper during nap time but other than that Parker did fantastic!!!

Tuesday 10/18: This morning Parker woke up dry and he made it to the potty! The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful, except for the one accident that he had. I had to run a few errands in Breckenridge so I put him in a diaper just to be on the safe side and when we got back a couple hours later, he was still dry! Yay :) Nap time again consisted of pooping in his diaper, twice. And then he had another accident before dinner, so over all it wasn't the best day but, I have faith that it will be better tomorrow!! He is doing a lot better about keeping his diaper dry, and I think he knows now that he has to go potty in the potty and not his diaper. He did finish out the night by going potty again before bed, so at least we ended the day on a good note!

Wednesday 10/19: Parker woke up dry again in the morning and after his nap. I believe he only had 1 accident today.

Thursday 10/20: Parker went poop in the potty again today! We have been staying kept up in the house the last couple days to try and really make sure he gets it, and I think we are getting closer. Maybe tomorrow we will venture out to the park or something to get out of the house. We are so proud of how well he is doing! He did have 1 accident today, however, but only having 1 accident each day for the last few days is awesome.

Friday 10/21: Today he didn't quite make it to the potty when he first woke up, but that was mainly our fault for not helping him get there faster. We then took a short 1-hour trip to the park and he stayed completely dry the whole time!! It was great :) After his nap he was again dry and a little bit later in the afternoon, right before dinner time he had one accident. Then after dinner we took a trip to the store and he stayed dry. On the way home we asked him if he needed to go potty and he said he did, so we hurried our fastest to get home before he had an accident. Well, he held it and went in the potty! Good job Parker! The days are getting better with only really having 1 accident in his underpants. I don't really count the ones in his diaper because most of the time it's just us (me) being lazy and not taking him to the bathroom.

Saturday 10/22: Parker again woke up dry this morning!!! We might just have to try and risk putting him to bed with underpants on and see what happens! A couple hours later, after breakfast he went poop and pee in the potty...YAY :) Can you tell I just get even more and more excited as each day passes? Just the thought of only have 1 child in diapers is just so nice and so close! This afternoon we had to go grocery shopping and look for costumes for the boys up in Silverthorne (about 45 minutes away or so). We decided to risk it and let Parker wear his underpants the whole time, but went prepared with extra clothes and a towel for his carseat in case he had an accident while we were driving. On our way up there we found out that Chris needed to go to Vail first to pick up some primer for work which is about 30 minutes or so in the opposite direction of Silverthorne...it made me a little nervous, but luckily since it was nap time the boys both fell asleep and slept the whole way. When we got to Sherwin Williams we asked if Parker needed to go potty and he said yes, so we took him inside and he went! Then when we finally got to Target we had him try again, but he didn't need to go, so we just continued our shopping. Right before we left we had him try and he still didn't need to go. However since it was dinner time we found this burger place that we wanted to try (wasn't really that great by the way!) and afterwards we asked if he needed to go and he said yes and he went!! We had a couple more stops to make before heading home, but to sum it up...We were gone for a good 6-7 hours at least and he stayed dry the ENTIRE time!!! He even went again when we got home, which means that Parker went the ENTIRE DAY without having 1 single accident, in a diaper or underpants!! WOOHOO Parker, way to go :)

Sunday 10/23: Today was accident free also, except he did poop in his diaper this morning before his bath..ggrrr. But other than that, he did great! Even at church! I'm pretty sure he has the concept down, now we just need to fine tune everything and get him completely out of diapers and having him actually tell us that he needs to go so we don't have to nag him about it all the time. I had really been dreading doing this for quite some time but the whole process really wasn't as difficult as I had thought it was going to be!!! I'm glad the worst part is finally over! Hopefully :)

Finger Painting Extravaganza

2011-10-17T20:41:00.004-06:00

Tonight I let the boys do some finger painting after dinner, with some edible 'finger paints' (a.k.a. vanilla pudding with food coloring) mind you. I'm pretty sure it was a hit and they will be wanting to do it again!
It took Parker a couple minutes to get the hang of it and actually put his hands in the 'paint'. I had to push his hand in and show him how to do it and then he was all for it! He really isn't someone that likes to have dirty hands, so this was a big step for him! He refused to taste it though! lol Tyler had absolutely NO problem getting dirty and playing around with all the colors!Getting a little messier...I just LOVE this picture!! It cracks me up :) I don't think he could get any messier!! hahaMmmm...Yummy!!!

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for ICE CREAM!!

2011-10-15T20:03:00.004-06:00

We found a cute little place that makes homemade ice cream so we decided to treat ourselves to some! The boys thoroughly enjoyed theirs!!!Tyler was being goofy and was arching his back and sticking his tummy out while I was trying to take his picture...Silly kid!!This is him doing his "looking glasses" for our church primary song, Popcorn Popping. He likes to do the hand motions for this song, it's too cute!The sugar has clearly started to kick in!!

Breckenridge, CO

2011-10-15T19:38:00.004-06:00

Today we decided to walk down the Main Street in Breckenridge and look at all shops. It's such a cute little town and even though about 1/2 the stores/restaurants were closed until November, it was still fun to walk around and see what they have. We walked through a couple kid's stores and one even had a whole section at the back of the store of toys, train set, mini trampolines & slide, coloring tables, bouncing horse and TONS more for the kids to play with. It was AWESOME and the boys never wanted to leave! There was even a minuscule little park, we're talking like one tiny slide made from a rock and a platform thing they could climb on and that's it. Parker had fun playing there for a few minutes though. That is until he noticed everybody playing in the river a short distance away. And not it is definitely not warm enough to swim in the water and it was freezing too, but of course Parker still needed to go and touch it! We also attempted to take a couple pictures, but it didn't quite turn out all that well. I guess that's how it goes when both boys are tired from not having naps and are restless.I really wish this picture had turned out, it would have been so cute! Ty was actually crying and wasn't wanting me to hold him, Parker wouldn't cooperate as usual and smile for the camera and I don't think Chris knew his brother was taking the picture because he wasn't smiling. Grrr...oh well I'm sure we'll get a really good family picture of us some day!!This would have been cuter if Tyler would have stood still for just a couple seconds more!!! lol

Potty Training Week 1

2011-10-12T13:33:00.006-06:00

This is just a recap of Parker's 1st week of potty training, mainly for my record, but feel free to read it if you'd like! He has progressed some every single day and we are anxiously looking forward to the day when he is completely out of diapers!!!!

Monday 10/10: Today I decided I wanted to start officially potty training Parker once and for all. I made up a sticker chart for him and once he fills up a couple rows with stickers he gets part of his Thomas and Friends Train that we bought him (It has 2 parts and we decided to split it up instead of giving him the whole thing at once.) The morning didn't really go all that great. He had a few accidents before 10:30 am and it didn't really help matters having Tyler want to be right in the middle of the action. Parker did however finally went potty on his Car's potty after lunch!!!! WOOHOO :) I decided that I'm just going to focus on day training first until he gets that down and then work on night training. So for nap time I just put his diaper back on and then since we had to run some errands later that afternoon/evening I just left it on and just took him to the potty fairly often. Not too much else happened on the first day.

Tuesday 10/11: This morning he woke up around 5:45 and when I asked him if he needed to go potty he said YES!!! I was surprised he actually said that since every other time I ask him if he needs to go he says no. Anyways, so I took him to the bathroom and he actually went after about 5-10 minutes! YAY!! I thought that maybe this was a start and that it was actually starting to click...but that was the only time he actually went in the potty on the second day too :( I guess I am just going to have to be patient and it will come. It's just seems to be a lot harder than I had thought it would be. It's almost as if he doesn't really care about going in the potty or something because it doesn't really seem to phase him if he has an accident. I can't help but get a little frustrated, even though I shouldn't. I know he will get it, hopefully sooner than later though!!

Wednesday 10/12: He got up early again and I asked if he needed to go potty and he didn't really say anything this time, but went to the bathroom with me anyways. After sitting there for about 5 or 10 minutes again he didn't go. His diaper was wet when I took it off, so he must have just gone before I could get him to the bathroom. And then I stuck him in some underwear and just set the timer for ever 15 minutes and he went potty in his potty once more!!!! So far, before noon he has only had 1 accident!!!!! Even though he has only gone once every day for the last 3 days, I think it's definitely a start and as each day passes I learn a little bit more and the fact that he only had 1 accident this morning is again definitely some progress. I just need to stay strong and not give up and maybe by the end of the week he will be going more than once a day in his potty chair. One can hope right?! lol

Thursday 10/13: Today was a little bit better. He went almost the entire morning without having an accident! Overall he went 3 times in the potty and was able to finally earn part 1 of his Thomas and Friends train!!! He was so excited and he can't wait for the rest of it!

Friday 10/14: The morning was a bit of a struggle with about 2-3 accidents before lunch time. However, after his nap he was on a roll and went in the potty 3 times IN A ROW!!!! No accidents all afternoon/evening. I think we are finally starting to make some progress?! We are so proud of him!

Saturday 10/15: This morning when he woke up a couple hours later than earlier this week (thankfully!) I took him to the potty and even though he had gone poo in his diaper, he was completely DRY!! I sat him on the potty and he went right away. He then went potty another 3 times in a row with out an accident! So I guess that makes it a total of 6 times in a row from yesterday evening to mid morning today. Pretty awesome :) We then spent the rest of the afternoon in Breckenridge and I think that may have set him back just a little because he didn't go the rest of the day :(

Sunday 10/16: Today was an AWESOME day to say the least!! He woke up this morning with a completely DRY and clean diaper! Yep that's right, clean and dry!! I was so proud of him! I stuck him on the potty and he went right away! When we had him go before we left for church he was a little wet and wasn't able to go. That's okay, especially knowing what I know now. We kept him in a diaper while we were at church just in case since he hadn't been telling us that he needed to go. Well, since our drive to church is 40 minutes we had him try to go potty when we got there and he didn't go. However during the middle of sacrament meeting he actually said he needed to go potty!! WOOHOO :) lol So I asked him if he really had to go and he didn't say anything but just left our row and out the chapel door...quickly I might add, so I followed him since Chris was with Tyler in the hall. And surprise!! HE ACTUALLY WENT!!! Needless to say I was probably more excited than he was because lets face it, it was the 1st time he actually said he needed to go without us asking him and then he went! Anyways, in the middle of nursery (after Sunday School for Chris and me) I went in and took Parker to try and go potty. He was still dry but didn't have to go. When church was over I picked him up from nursery and asked him if he needed to go potty and he didn't really say anything but Chris informed me that his teacher said Parker told her he needed to go right at the end of nursery. So I quickly took him and he went AGAIN!!!! I got even more excited!! He went again after lunch and this time actually went POO for the first time (this potty training round anyways. He's gone 3 times before)!

After his nap he sort of woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was a little cranky so we didn't really push the whole potty thing. He said he didn't have to go. Well during dinner he said that he needed to go, so Chris took him in and his diaper was a little wet, but that's okay, he went poo in the potty again!!! Anyways, overall it's been a GREAT day!! After 1 full week, I think we are finally starting to make some awesome progress! In no time he will be a potty trained BIG BOY :)

1st Snow!!

2011-10-08T19:17:00.006-06:00

Yep, you better believe it!! October 6, 2011 was the very first snow of the season here in good old Alma, Colorado. It's crazy that just last week we were enjoying all the pretty fall colors on the trees and now in just a matter of days the seasons have completely changed. Looks like we don't get to enjoy fall this year, which I'm a little sad about because it's so beautiful.

Well last night and this morning it snowed a good 3-5 inches. It was so pretty outside with all the trees covered with nice white fluffy stuff!! We had decided to go in to Denver today, which is about an hour and a half from us, and go shopping and possibly try to find a fun pumpkin patch to take the kids to, if the weather was okay there. So we ventured out after Tyler's nap and just took it slowly down the mountain towards Breckenridge and Frisco, the two towns right before the freeway. It's only about 35 minutes to get there but it took us a little longer with the snow, hills and switchbacks, but we got there and grabbed some lunch to eat on the way to Denver. When we got on the freeway we were immediately slowed way down to like 4 or 5 mph and cars were slipping and sliding, we saw several people chilling on the side of the road both voluntarily and involuntarily, a few people almost collided with us and so we quickly decided that it just wasn't worth it to go to Denver today. So we just got off at the next exit, in Silverthorne, and did a little shopping there. Since our main snow/winter stuff is still in our storage unit in Idaho we didn't have anything for the boys to wear to play in the snow. We headed over to Target and took a look to see what we could find. It just so happens that we were able to get everything, boots, hats/gloves, and snow bibs for both boys and snow pants for me and an inter-tube to play with. It was fun, even though we didn't get to go to Denver. The boys are now all set for the coming winter season :)

When we got home, we got them all dressed and went outside to play for a bit...and they loved it! To see the rest of the pictures on my Facebook, click here. To see a cute video of some of the fun, click here.

The view from our house on the very 1st snow day!The lovely snow this morning after it had been snowing most of the night...Tyler wasn't too sure about the snow at first, but he warmed up to it pretty quickly.Parker's 1st Snow Angel of the season. Much improved from last year, I might add!Hard to believe that Parker wore that coat last year! haha He likes eating it...didn't take him long to figure that out!Right before he felt the need to throw snow at me!!And it came back to get him...haha Tickle Fight!!

Sunday Afternoon Drive

2011-10-02T15:41:00.006-06:00

Today we decided to go for a drive in between Conference Sessions to get out of the house and enjoy God's beautiful creations! We drove up to this spot that Chris goes to to make calls up the mountain from where he makes calls. It had gorgeous views and was a fun place to see the valley below. We love it here in Colorado and just can't believe how pretty it is all around us. ENJOY!!!
Don't you just love the colors of the trees??? I'm sad because the trees are already starting to lose their leaves and will be bare in probably a week or two :(Chris' brother is living with us right now so he came with us on the drive!I couldn't get any of Parker playing where he was facing me, so this will just have to do. He sure does love to run!Just love his dimples!

Update

2011-09-29T15:00:00.003-06:00

Well, I thought I would just give a little update on us and where we are now! We were originally supposed to move to North Carolina by the middle of August for our next job. It was perfect timing really because my brother was leaving on his mission on the 3rd of August so we decided to drive over for his farewell on July 31, then drive up to Idaho and spend a week or so there getting all of our doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, eye exams, get my license renewed and switch some stuff in/out of storage before we headed over to North Carolina for 9 months!! Well, as luck would have it, we found out the day our ABF moving trailer was scheduled to be picked up and shipped over to NC that the job has been delayed for awhile and we wouldn't be going there. Perfect! I guess I can be thankful that we found out before it was picked up so I was able to change the destination to just have it sit in Oklahoma City until we figure out what we are doing.

Chris actually left Idaho after a couple days while I stayed there with the boys and did all of our appointments and spent time with my family. At the end of the week my step-dad drove with us back to Oklahoma, where we were going to stay until the job was completely finished. What should have only taken a couple more weeks actually took about 6 weeks and we finally officially moved from Oklahoma last weekend!! All of our stuff was still all packed up in the moving trailer, so we just used rented furniture and lived in the apartment we had been living in since we hadn't closed out the lease.

That brings us to now. We have moved to the beautiful mountains of Colorado!! We are living in Alma, CO which is about 11,000 feet in elevation, but is absolutely gorgeous. The cabin we are staying in is beautiful and has awesome views of the mountains. The trees are all changing colors and are currently bright yellows and oranges. There is a little creek running down the side of the mountain right by our house that we can hear when the windows are open. There is a nice big deck that wraps around one corner of the house. We will only be here for about 4-5 weeks, as long as the snow holds out and doesn't make it difficult for the concrete trucks to get to the job. We have already seen some moose as we were driving up to the house. They walked right in front of us and one of them actually walked right by the side of our car. The boys loved it and were pretty excited to see them. I don't have any pictures yet of everything, something I hope to do very soon! And as far as where we will be going next, that is a mystery that won't be known until closer to the time we will be leaving here!!! Definitely keeps life interesting!

Oklahoma State Fair

2011-09-29T14:40:00.004-06:00

Last week Chris had to go into Oklahoma City to get some things for work and we noticed there was a fair going on. So I looked it up online to see what fair it was and all the details. Turned out that it was $3 (it's usually $9/person) admission/person that day so we decided we didn't want to pass it up! It was a lot of fun and we bought Parker a wristband that gave him unlimited access to all the kiddie rides. He LOVED it! It's so much fun because he's finally getting old enough (and tall enough) to be able to enjoy the rides. We let him do some of the rides for awhile and then we walked all around the fair and saw some animals and ate some dinner. Because we weren't planning on going to the fair when we headed to Oklahoma City we didn't have the stroller with us, which meant that we had to carry Tyler the whole time. It was a long afternoon, but totally worth it and we are glad we went, plus it was the perfect time because by the time we left it was getting more and more crowded because people were getting off work and finished with dinner and whatnot. And sadly because it was spur of the moment, I also didn't have the camera with me :( I took a few pictures with my phone, before it died, but they weren't all that great!This ride he rode on a couple times. He finally was able to drive a car! lolHe of course had to ride on the train. I think it's interesting how the seat belt is over their legs/feet and not their lap...do they really think that will keep them safe in their seats?! hahaParker loved jumping on the bridge at the very top and wasn't scared at all. It was funny to watch because there were several kids that were scared and crying and didn't want to go any further and then there's Parker who's jumping on the bridge having the time of his life, scaring the other kids even more! lol I guess boys will be boys!!

Pottawattamie County Free Fair

2011-09-10T15:15:00.005-06:00

Last night we decided to check out the county fair. It was okay, nothing like the county fairs I'm used to in Washington, but the boys had fun! We went and looked at the animals first and then watched a couple of the tractor pull races before heading over to the rides. In the animal barn they had a little kids area that had a sandbox they could play in. Tyler wasn't really too sure about it.On the Merry-Go-Round!I was really surprised that Tyler didn't freak out on this mini-roller coaster, but he seemed to really like it! Little daredevil!I think it's safe to say that a day or two in Disneyland wouldn't be a waste. Parker could have ridden the rides all night if we let him!! Guess we should plan a trip!

Bricktown

2011-09-10T14:55:00.004-06:00

On Labor Day we decided to drive up to Bricktown in downtown Oklahoma City and walk around. We had driven past it several times before and since it was about 20 degrees cooler than it had been ALL summer, we decided we would go check it out. It was really pretty down there and it was nice to just walk around outside for awhile. Later that afternoon we went over to our friend's, the Hadsalls, house for a BBQ Potluck. Chris played Volleyball and the boys had fun playing outside. It was a lot of fun and were glad we were able to go!They have a Water Taxi that takes you through that canal through Bricktown and they tell you all about it I guess. It would have been fun to go on it, maybe next time.We ate lunch at Sonic before we walked around much And we ended the day with a trip to Bass Pro Shops, where of course the boys had to sit on all the tractors and 4-wheelers!It was a nice relaxing holiday that we were able to spend together as a family! Happy Labor Day!!!

POP'S

2011-09-10T14:43:00.004-06:00

There is this cool little Diner/Gas Station on Route 66 called Pop's. They have over 500 different kids of sodas all in glass bottles and we had heard it was a fun little place, so we decided to go. The food was amazing, probably the best cheeseburger I've had in a LONG time! Seriously! The whole place was really cool. The walls on both sides were glass windows but they had pop bottles on the windows from top to bottom (glued on shelves of course). After we ate we went over and picked a few sodas to try and then headed home. It was sort of a long way to drive just for a burger and some pop, but it was still pretty fun!!Pop bottle lined walls!Apparently this lights up at night in a few different colors.

More Birthday Festivities!!

2011-09-10T14:25:00.004-06:00

Even though we already celebrated Parker's birthday in Idaho we celebrated it again on our actual birthday, August 18. Mainly because we hadn't really celebrated mine yet, and I wasn't about to pass up cake and ice cream! We didn't do anything major, just dinner and then cake and ice cream and a little shopping. It has gotten to be a little tradition of ours to go to Red Robin on our birthday for dinner, we have gone there the last 3 years! We had to drive about 45 minutes just to go, but it was totally worth it!! I just love that place :)The boys just weren't really cooperating with the whole picture taking process, so these were the best ones we got!Thoroughly enjoying his ice cream sundae..mmmm Yes, I realize we are wearing different clothes, but since Red Robin was so far away, by the time we had gotten back home it was late and we were all tired...Plus, we kind of forgot about the cake! So we just kept the celebration going for another day! Who says you can only celebrate once a year!!??

3 Years Old :)

2011-09-10T14:06:00.003-06:00

I am so behind in my blogging, but here are Parker's 3-year pictures. My step-mom took them when we were in Arizona and they turned out too cute! He is constantly learning new things and is quite the crack-up. He really talks up a storm now, which has been fun to hear what will come out of his mouth next! Now that Tyler is getting big enough to play with, Parker is really enjoying the rough housing side of having a brother!! Parker LOVES going to nursery and playing with his friends and the toys. He is getting really good at learning the primary songs and loves to sing them with us. Reading stories is also getting to be one of his favorite things to do and loves reading the same books over and over again.

He also really loves to play outside and swim in the pool. This year he has had plenty of opportunities to go swimming and has fully taken advantage of that all summer long! He is my little fish and is absolutely fearless when it comes to water. He had his first session of swimming lessons this summer and had a blast, still needs to work on the listening aspect of it, but it was good for him to have to start focusing on something. We love you Parker and are so glad you are part of our family!!!

All Aboard for Parker's 3rd Birthday :)

2011-09-03T12:48:00.007-06:00

What? Seriously? I have a 3 year old? When did this happen?!! However crazy it sounds to me, it's still true, Parker turned 3 years old on August 18!! After our trip to Arizona to see my brother off on his mission, we continued our drive North to Idaho. We had several things to do before our next move so we went back for a week and stayed at my Aunt's house. It was perfect because my mom, step-dad and brother were also there visiting the same time we were! We decided that since almost everyone was in Idaho we would celebrate Parker's birthday a little early.

Now, even though he turned a year older I was so super excited to throw his party this year! Mainly because this was the first year that he had been asking for literally months in advance for a specific type of party. Any guesses? If you guessed Thomas and Friends, then you guessed right! He has been saying that he wanted a Thomas birthday with a Thomas cake for the last several months, mainly around someone else's birthday (Chris' and Tyler's). So because of this I may have gone all out for his party! haha

We celebrated it on August 6 at Rexburg Rapids (Rexburg's new outdoor water park!) with most of our family and some friend's of ours. It was a blast, the weather was perfect (for Idaho it was perfect, but for us coming from over 100 degree, humid weather, it was a little chilly!), but fun just the same! Parker got lots of Thomas stuff (back pack, lunch box, coloring book, trains, place mat, tin box), bubbles, clothes, puzzles and a T-Ball set! He loved it and still talks about it when you ask him how his birthday was!

The almost complete set-up, just missing the balloons! (And because of the wind, the "Happy Birthday" banner didn't stay up much longer after this picture!)The Birthday Boy :)A few of my cousins, Lizzy, Elise and Brinley. Lizzy put the party hat's on Parker like that, too funny!Me and the Birthday Boy :)How cute is the cake?!? He was able to keep the train, which he loved!Getting sung to...Blowing out the candles!!My attempt at getting a picture of the adorable Thomas balloons, but the wind just wouldn't cooperate!Parker LOVED the cake! While we were getting ready to sing to him he kept sneaking some frosting off the sides, he even did that to the left over pieces...so Chris just gave him another one! (That's his special plastic plate that I got him...I know, just a little overboard with whole thing! lol)A couple of his friends, Carson and BrinleyOur friends, Jon and Sydney (Carson and Brinley's parents)My cousins, Kolbe and EliseMy brother, Connor and my Step-dad with TylerMy step-dad with TylerOne of the many bubble sets he got, such a great gift and he loves bubbles (despite what the picture depicts!), but then what kid doesn't?!His t-ball set, which he really likes, when he's not hitting his brother with the bat! Should have seen that one coming! hahaHis cool new backpack, which will come in handy for all his books and coloring stuff for our long trips.One half of the new water park: slides and lazy riverOther half of the pool: Kid's splash area, rock climbing wall and pool. It really was a nice water park. the bottom of ALL the pool areas were padded with this soft rubber padding, instead of concrete...so nice!
Family PictureHappy Birthday Parker, we LOVE YOU!!!!

Farewell Elder Ellsworth!!!!

2011-08-17T15:55:00.005-06:00

My brother, Carsten, left for the MTC on August 3 from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. We all wanted to see him off, which meant that since his flight was at 7 am we had to be there by like 5:30 am and it’s an hour or so drive from my parent’s house!!

**Disclaimer: Okay people now don't judge, we had to be up by like 4 am, which is just too early for some of us to look decent, let alone get the boys up and dressed! Normally I wouldn't take them out in public in their pajamas and barefeet! However, if it makes anyone feel any better, Tyler can't walk yet so doesn't really need to have shoes and I DID bring Parker's sandals but being as it was so early and still dark out I couldn't for the life of me remember where I had put them (turns out they were stuck behind one of the rows of seats in our car!), so we mainly just carried him!!

Aunt Gabby looking at this cool statue, replica thing with Parker. Apparently he really liked it, but since I didn't even know it was there until seeing this picture my step-mom took, I have no idea really what he thought of it! haha Last picture with Carsten for 2 YEARS!!Carsten's Dad and Step-momLast family picture before he leaves!It's crazy to think that when he gets home from his mission, Parker will be 5 and Tyler will be 3! I really don't know how I feel about that!!So long Elder Ellsworth have a great time on your mission!! We are so proud of you and can't wait to read all about it. WE LOVE YOU :)

Tyler's 1st Haircut :)

2011-08-17T15:53:00.007-06:00

On August 2, 2011, my sister gave Tyler his 1st Haircut!!!! It wasn't super long, but it was quite a bit thicker on top so she basically just evened it out a bit. He did really well and he looked a little bit older when she was all done :( Thanks, Kels, it looks awesome!!

BEFOREI thought this picture of the two of them was so precious!!Apparently he wasn't quite sure about the whole thing at first, but he calmed down pretty quickly......after we gave him a comb to play with!!DURINGAnother adorable shot!I guess the comb just wasn't as much fun as he thought, so he went for my phone instead!"Hey Guys!!!"AFTER"Okay, seriously are we still doing this?!"My handsome little guy!!

1-Year Old

2011-08-17T15:27:00.005-06:00

Yep, it's true...Tyler turned 1 on July 12, 2011. I still can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital. He has been a joy to have in our family. The first couple months of his life were a little more difficult because we think he may have been a little collicky, but once he grew out of that, we were good! He has always been my little eater and I fear he will eat us out of the house, probably sooner than I would like.

The week after his birthday I was determined to get him to sleep through the night, because I was just plain tired of getting up 1-3 times every night!! I knew he could do it because he was big enough, so I asked the doctor what we could do. She said to just give him a sippy cup of water and lay him back down, maybe give him a snack right before bed to fill him up. She said it may take about a week before he gets used to the new schedule and may cry 45 minutes or longer at first, but he'll get it. So that night I tried it and it really wasn't all that bad and by the 4th night he was sleeping COMPLETELY through the night!!! Woohoo, I'm still not sure why I didn't try this sooner! I also wanted to completely get rid of the bottles since we were planning to move over to North Carolina, I just wanted to pack all the baby things away and put them in storage when we went to Idaho. So that same day that we started the night sleeping routine, we nixed the bottles and he's been bottle free ever since and doing great!!!

We have started teaching him a little bit of sign language and he now knows "Please".
The walking thing hasn't quite started yet, which I think I'm okay with. However, he is getting really close! He has started standing on his own the last few days for a few seconds. I have a feeling he will be walking in the next couple weeks :/

Here are his stats:
Height: 29 3/4" (50%)
Weight: 22 lb 11 oz (50%)
Head Circ.: 18.5" (75%)

My step-mom took some pictures for the boy's yearly pictures this year. They turned out so cute!! Here are my favorites of Tyler:

Benihana's- July 30, 2011

2011-08-17T15:00:00.006-06:00

This day just keeps on going! After we finished taking family pictures my dad and step-mom took us all out to Benihana's for dinner to celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary and Carsten going on his mission. Can I just say, WOW!! This restaurant was such a cool place and the food was amazing! I'm so glad we were able to go. They cook your entire meal right there in front of you and the chef did all these cool tricks to make it more entertaining. The boys were just in awe by the whole thing, which I'm sure helped to keep them awake, because lets face it naps just weren't included in our day of fun!

Sportin' his cool new hat :)The picture is blurry, but it was the only one with both boys wearing their hats. Aren't they just so cute?!So, Tyler wanted my lemon, so I let him have it and his expression was just the funniest thing ever! It seriously made me laugh so hard, I know I'm such a mean mom, but seriously it was really funny!The chef put his spatula under it and made it "beat". lolThe delicious food! I'm getting hungry just posting these! haha Parker wasn't smiling for anything, he was so dead tired, I'm still amazed he didn't just keel over and sleep through dinner! (Normally he would sleep in the car, but who would when his aunts have i-phones with fun games, such as Angry Birds, on it! lol)He had no problem taking over my parent's complimentary ice cream sundae though. He pretty much ate at least half of it by himself! hahaHappy Anniversary!!!! We LOVE you :)

Family Pictures- July 30, 2001

2011-08-17T14:36:00.008-06:00

After we went to the water park (see previous post), we came home and got ready to take family pictures. This will be the last family picture with Carsten in it for 2 years!!!Missing Stephan and AllenSISTERS!!!We will miss you Carsten, you sure are one funny brother! Can't wait to see you in 2 Years!My sister, Kelsey and her husband, AlexMy new favorite of Chris and I!Kelsey with her "COOL" nephews!!

Sun Splash, Arizona

2011-08-17T14:16:00.004-06:00

We were able to spend a few days in Arizona at the end of July to attend my step-brother's mission farewell. We had a blast visiting our family and Chris even got to have a little vacation, which he really needed! On July 30, the day after we got into town, we went to Sun Splash with my sisters and my brother-in-law and his sister and kids. We had so much fun and wished we could have stayed longer.

Parker loved these slides! They were only for little kids so they didn't get run over by the big kids and the water was only like 2 feet deep.My little sister, Gabby, with her nephew Tyler...so cute!Tyler wasn't as much of a fan of the water spraying up from the ground as he usually is......He's all about going down the slides!! I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my thigh from holding him as he went all the way down. He just kept going, over and over and over! hahaJust look at that face! That's one happy kid, right there!Parker was pretty excited because he was able to ride down on the BIG tube slides with us! He loved it and now every time we pass a water park he talks about going down the water slides! It was so fun to go down with him, and it makes spending the money to go to a place like this a little more worth it!!

Roller Skating

2011-08-11T09:36:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago we Parker was invited to a roller skating birthday party for our friends in Oklahoma. He had never been roller skating before and it had been a LONG time since I have done it, so it took a little while to get used to it again. I think Parker had fun, but he seemed to want to play the video games and just skate on the carpet instead of venturing out on the rink! I got him to go all the way around once though! It was a fun little activity/place to go before we left Oklahoma.

I just loved how cute he looked in his little skates! They were so tiny..hahaHe loved "playing" this game more than skating I'm pretty sure!WOW, I can't believe how out of shape I was when it came to skating...It took us forever to get around the whole ring. (I like to think that I was just going slow because I didn't want to hurt my knee, so I was just being careful! lol)Parker loved his cupcake and ice cream!He was sooo tired though, since he didn't get a nap!Tyler enjoyed crawling all over and trying to steal people's drinks and food that were put on the benches!! haha Happy Birthday Jared!!! Thanks for inviting us :)

Like Father Like Son :)

2011-08-06T07:21:00.002-06:00

While we were packing up our apartment, Parker found his dad's hat, sun glasses, and pliers and "went to work"! Haha, it was so funny!

Tyler's Birthday Extravaganza!!!

2011-07-17T13:47:00.008-06:00

We took 2 days to celebrate Tyler's 1st birthday! Since his actual birthday was on Tuesday, July 12 we decided to go out to dinner when Chris got off work and then celebrate it on Saturday at a water park with some of our friends from church. For dinner we went to Chuck E. Cheese's and they seemed to have a pretty good time, although I think they would love it even more when they are a little older and can play more of the games.

The classic Chuck E. Cheese's picture! I'm just glad I got a couple pictures of this because the picture machine was broken :(Climbing up the slide, which by the way he made it all the way to the top...By HIMSELF!Parker was really tired, I can't remember if he had a nap that day, but I'm kinda think maybe not!CHEESE!!!! :)On Saturday, July 16, we invited our friends (Hadsall Family and Walker Family) and Chris' brother Greg to come with us to Pelican Bay Aquatic Park. Both families hadn't ever been there so it was fun that they were able to go. We had a blast and everyone was worn out afterwards. I realized today that every time we go to this park I take pictures, but always in the same area. I haven't really gotten any pictures of them playing anywhere else...oh well they are still cute!When we were tired from the pool we had everyone come over to our apartment for Pizza, Cake and Presents. After Tyler went to bed the adults played a game while the kids kept playing quietly in the next room. It was a fun-filled day!!The Walkers gave him this really cute V-Tech learning toy, which of course he loves because it has buttons and it makes lots of noise!He got sippy cups, and bath toys, gift cards/money and books too!!His adorable cake from Walmart!His very own birthday "smash" cake!He sure loved that cake!HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!!!! :)

Independence Day 2011

2011-07-05T20:21:00.005-06:00

This year was the first year in awhile that we weren't in Idaho for the 4th of July. We missed being with family and attending the parade and fireworks in Idaho Falls, it just wasn't quite the same. However, we still had a pretty fun day here in Oklahoma. Chris did a little bit of work in the morning and then we all packed up and headed to Pelican Bay Aquatic Center to do a little swimming before we had to pick up Chris' brother, Greg, from the airport. We were there for about an hour or so and then hurried to the airport, and hurried back to the pool where we spent about another 1 1/2 hours or so. It was a blast and a perfect way to spend the ~~HOT~~ afternoon!! The boys were both exhausted and conked out about 2 blocks from the pool. We went home and got dinner and just relaxed for a few hours. Tyler went to "bed" for a little bit since the only naps he got yesterday were in the car. Around 9:45 pm we woke Tyler up and all headed over to the school where Chris is building the dome and we watched the firework show done by the casino. It was pretty good, but I found myself not really paying all that much attention to it this year. Since there was no music or presentation to listen to with the show, it was just really quiet and not quite as good. There were some people shooting off some big fireworks in the parking lot where we were and Tyler wasn't too sure about them at first but he actually did really well and watched a little bit of the show when it started. Parker also seemed to lose interest. All in all though it was a nice day and we were happy to be able to spend it with Chris and his brother!!! Happy 4th of July!!!!! :)Tyler has aged from 11 months to about 80 years old in this picture, complete with white mustache!!!! hahaCould it be? Is Parker really starting to let me take his picture again???!!!We only had one injury yesterday...if you look closely you'll see a nice scrape/bruise above Tyler's right eye...he fell head first out of the stroller in the bathroom at the pool. I just wasn't quick enough, I felt so bad for him but like his brother he bounced back rather quickly and was fine a few minutes later!Since Greg got here Parker has been pretty attached to him and gets all excited when he sees him, it's pretty funny. All you other Aunts and Uncles to the boys better step it up if you want to compete for the spot of favorite aunt/uncle, because right now I am pretty sure Greg is winning!!!Parker said the fireworks were scary so he was peeking through the opening in the stroller watch them. Haha After several attempts, this was the best picture we got of the family!

5 Years Baby!!

2011-07-01T14:04:00.003-06:00

June 24 was mine and Chris' 5 year ANNIVERSARY!!! I can't believe how fast it's gone and how fast it will continue to go. A lot has happened in the last 5 years. Some of the highlights are: we both graduated college at BYU-Idaho, we had 2 amazing boys come into our family who keep our lives entertaining and fun, and have moved 4 times, with no end in sight of moving around the country with Chris' job.

We kept our anniversary this year pretty low-key, mainly because it was on a Friday and Chris had to work that day and really early the following day, so we had his brother Greg babysit for us and we went out to dinner to Olive Garden (love this place!), went to Sam's Club to pick up a bunch of water for work (yeah I know, exciting right! haha But the closest Sam's is like 35 miles away, so we just decided to kill two birds with one stone!), then we went to Target and walked around, looked at strollers since we decided our gift this year was going to be a double stroller for the boys. I am really tired of having to try and keep taps on Parker when going anywhere! We actually found one that was on sale, it was a jogging stroller that someone bought online and then returned it. We had never really considered jogging strollers, but since it was on sale were snatched it up! However, once we got it home and unpacked it we realized why we have never considered them...they are sooo bulky and it didn't fold up very easily!! Definitely wouldn't work very well at airports or fit very easily in the trunk of a car or travel around with us very easily, so we too took it back to the store and our search continues! After Target we headed over to Academy Sports to look at Kickboxing gloves for me (I went to a class with a friend at the YMCA and absolutely LOVED it, so I wanted my own gloves to use when I go again, because I will be!). After that we headed home.

I know not that exciting of a night, especially when most people consider 5 years one of those anniversaries that you go all out on and go on a trip or at least do something bigger than in previous years, but it was a nice and fun night just the same. It was nice to be able to go out to dinner and walk around the stores without the boys screaming and yelling and to be able to actually get through a conversation without being interrupted!! Thank's again Greg for watching the boys, you're awesome!!!

It has been an amazing 5 years and I look forward to the next 5 and the rest of eternity with you! I love you Chris, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

The Jasmine Moran Children's Museum

2011-06-21T12:21:00.012-06:00

This past Saturday afternoon we took the boys to the Children's Museum in Seminole, OK. It was a blast! We took a train ride, played with bubbles, pretended to be a car mechanic and a construction builder. We went to the grocery store, pretended to be a pilot and fire fighter amongst other fun things! Tyler even had fun playing with some things.

This was a cool little Jungle Gym with carpet on each platform, and.......a slide to get back down and start again!Water WorksTrain RideHere we go! The train ride was a nice little ride, and of course Parker wanted to ride again!He was thoroughly thinking about whether he liked the train ride or not!This was a cool train and a great picture taking spot!On their way to Fight Fires!!EMT?All the boys had fun with this. It was pretty cool.Car Mechanic's Boy's Will Be BOYS!!!A glimpse of Tyler's angry side!!!Future Pilots?Dinosaur SearchingTyler wasn't at all fond of the sand. This could be interesting considering our next job is on the beach in North Carolina!! I'm hoping he will get used to it :)Grocery ShoppingBuBbLeS

11 Months

2011-06-19T15:54:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's really true, Tyler turned 11 months old a week ago today :( It seems like just yesterday he was born and now he is growing and learning a ton of new things everyday. This last month he mastered the skill of scooting around on his tummy, pushing up to a sitting position, pulling himself up to a stand and starting to do a little bit of sign language ("All Done" and "More"). He is truly a blast to have around and is starting to torment & play with Parker more and more. He is getting much better at saying "Mama" and has started to say "Dada" and "Bye-Bye" a little bit as well!

This past month we have also worked on going to the Child Center at the YMCA. He is a lot shyer than Parker is and isn't particularly fond of being left with other people he isn't used to. It took me a few days to figure out the secret to leaving him there...As long as he has his blanket he can stay in there as long as I need and he won't cry and will actually go and play!!!! But he is always excited to see me when I come to get him. Only a month away and my little baby won't be a baby anymore! :(

Pelican Bay Aquatic Center

2011-06-07T15:26:00.005-06:00

This past Saturday we went to this awesome water park in Edmond, OK with Chris' manager and family. It was really fun and very inexpensive compared to other bigger water parks. The boys both LOVED it and I think we may just have to go back a few more times. There was a splash pad, jungle gym/slide area for the younger kids, a dinosaur toy to climb on for the smaller kids as well, 2 big water slides, a rock climbing wall, lazy river and a whirlpool type thing. It was a blast and I'm glad we found it!Taking a bottle break!!Tyler wanted so badly to crawl and move around on his own, which he will most likely do by the end of the summer. He loved sitting there and splashing in the water though.I love this picture and am SO happy I got one of him actually smiling!!This was a fun little toy. Tyler even liked climbing up it.Such a cutie!!!

Memorial Day

2011-06-07T14:47:00.006-06:00

Memorial Day was a fun day for us. We took the boys (well mainly Parker) to see Kung Fu Panda 2 (amazing by the way!) and then headed over to our friend's house for a BBQ. They had invited several families from our ward and all the kids played outside and we all just sat around and talked and ate. It was nice and relaxing. After most of the group left everyone that was left decided to go swimming, and Parker had a blast! While we were in Texas we bought him a life jacket so it would be easier to take both boys swimming by myself. He has gotten used to it pretty quickly and can now kick around the pool like a pro!

Parker LOVED this bike and did not want to share for the life of him...luckily for the most part all the other kids were busy playing with other stuff so it wasn't a huge problem. I think we may have to get him a bike of his own for his birthday!Tyler even loved the bike and wanted a turn as soon as he saw his big brother riding it.Tyler only mildly enjoyed the pool. It was starting to get a little cold out and he really isn't a huge fan of his floaty thing so he only lasted about 5 minutes before getting out.Jumping off the ladder was another favorite activity of Parker's.Riding around on daddy's back:This was Parker's favorite game, getting thrown back and forth across the pool!Because the movie was right during nap time and the BBQ was immediately after, the boys didn't get a nap and they were sure exhausted! When we got home that night we laid them down to get them ready for bed and they both rolled over with their blankets and were out in less than a minute! It was too funny! I love the fact that Tyler not only has his blanket but he has a hold on Parker's as well.

It was a fun day and we are glad that we have made such good friends to hang out with! Happy Memorial Day!!!!

Brotherly Love

2011-06-07T14:36:00.004-06:00

A couple weeks ago we went down to Texas to pick up some material for Chris' job. We stayed in a really nice hotel for cheap thanks to Hotwire.com! One night Chris was playing with the boys and he got this picture....We managed to head to Texas just in time too because a nasty stream of severe storms with huge hail, tornadoes and the works tore through central Oklahoma. The storms did go all the way down to Texas too but we were luckily just barely south of them and we didn't get anything except for an exciting lightning show! We found out when we got back that 5 tornadoes went through our county that day, one of them being about 5-10 minutes away from us!! Scary!

New Found Freedom

2011-06-07T14:30:00.003-06:00

Tyler has been scooting around the house for the past month or so and it took him all of about 1 day to locate all the cupboards! He sure has a blast with them and loves to open and close the door.

Almost There!!

2011-06-07T14:23:00.003-06:00

Tyler has been working on pulling up to things the last couple weeks and he's almost got it. He can get to this point pretty easily and he tries to completely stand but hasn't quite gotten there yet....it's only a matter of time though!

10 Months

2011-05-15T16:44:00.005-06:00

Wow, I'm really slacking on all of Tyler's monthly updates!! Maybe one of these days I'll actually get a picture on the actual day he turns the next month old and get a post up on that same day!!! I really can't believe how fast time is flying by. It seems like just yesterday that Tyler was born, and now he is only 2 months away from being 1. What happened?! Well he is getting more and more fun as the days pass by and it's so fun to watch as his personality keeps growing. This month has has mastered "scooting" backwards to where he wants to go, which usually consists of under the coffee table where he then does his daily workout of lifting the table with his legs! (Go here to see what I'm talking about). Crawling hasn't been of interest to him yet, and I'm really starting to wonder if he'll do it at all or if he'll go straight to walking. He is loving to stand at the coffee table or chairs and play and won't bend for the life of him when we try to sit him down on the ground. His coordination is also getting much better when he holds onto our fingers and walks with us.

Fighting/bugging Parker has also been something that he has picked up on rather quickly. When we go to Sam's Club and sit the kids next to each other Tyler immediately starts grabbing Parker's shirt, hair, anything he can reach and then Parker will either do the same, or get annoyed and start screaming. It's actually quite entertaining, although I'm sure I will get bugged by it later on.

One huge difference I'm already seeing between the two is their eating habits. Tyler is no stranger to food and inhales anything that is put in front of him (Parker on the other hand rarely ever finishes his dinner, if he even eats it at all). I have a feeling he will be the child to eat us out of house and home. Baby food is no longer tolerated as his main food source, which means I have quite a bit of it sitting in my cupboards untouched! Sippy cups are also not a problem for him and likes to take Parker's cups and drink from them too. He even learned how to sip from a straw in a matter of about 30 seconds and is a pro at that also.

Tyler knows what he wants and when he doesn't get it, clenches his fits and screams/growls until his face gets red and then is happy as can be when he gets it. He will get mad when Parker takes a toy/book away from him, which happens quite often. This kid is definitely a HUGE fan of the water, making bath time entertaining. We have taken him swimming at the YMCA here in Oklahoma and he was a huge fan of the little slide, of the water shooting up from the ground and even wearing a life jacket and laying on his back and kicking up a storm in the lazy river! The instant he sees any sort of water he starts kicking and getting all excited to go play in it...definitely will have my hands full this summer!

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T13:41:00.003-06:00

I had a GREAT Mother's Day!! Chris made a nice breakfast, which we actually had time to eat before going to church at 10!! Church was great as always, although what made it particularly better than most Sundays is that the boys were actually quite good!! Tyler even fell asleep on the floor in Relief Society, which really made me sad when church ended and I had to wake him up to leave. But it was really nice to be able to actually sit through all the lessons and hear every word. We had a small lunch when we got home and then the boys took naps and I was able to just relax and do nothing....awesome!!! I love being a mother but sometimes it's just nice to sit back and not have to worry about doing anything for awhile. A special thanks to Chris for taking over all the duties including making dinner and doing the dishes afterwards!! :) We also talked with Chris' family and some of my family over Skype, which was fun too. Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's out there!!!!

A Night at the Park

2011-05-03T14:42:00.005-06:00

We heard about this park from one of our friends in the ward so we went and checked it out the other night. It is an awesome ~~little~~ big park!! It really reminded me of a park we used to go to as kids in Oregon when we would visit my grandparents.Tyler really liked these little bells and got a little upset when Chris went to put him back in his stroller.He loved this little chair swing.Parker was telling me to put Tyler behind him.

3-Year Old's Birthday Party!!

2011-05-03T14:20:00.003-06:00

We have been getting to know a few of the families in our ward, which has been really fun. We have already hung out quite a bit with them the last few weeks. On April 25 we were invited to a birthday party for this adorable little girl, Brianna Walker. She turned 3 on Easter and her parent's threw here a fun little party the next night. We had pizza and cake and ice-cream and a few games as well. All the kids had a blast playing together and it was crazy loud, but really fun just the same.

I know this is not exactly the best chew toy for a baby, but I swear we were watching him the whole time!! He loved pulling it through his teeth!!Eating Pizza and watching Bolt (the birthday girl is the one in the pink plaid shirt, seriously so adorable!)This was a cute little game. They had to catch as many flies as they could with their little noise blowers.Catching his fly!Tyler liked playing with the butterflies hanging from the ceiling.

9 Months

2011-05-03T13:56:00.004-06:00

I know this post is a little late, but Tyler turned 9 months old on April 12. He is growing so fast and we are having a blast watching him grow up. This past month he has mastered the art of rolling ALL over the place. He had rolled over once or twice a couple months ago but never really felt the need to use it as his mode of transportation. We are currently trying to work on the whole crawling thing...when we put him in the crawling position he will sit there for a few seconds and rock back and forth, but then he flattens himself and rolls over. Hopefully soon he will start this new venture! He started clapping and babbling a lot more also. Tyler definitely cares if Parker takes a toy away from him and gets very upset (actually quite funny to watch sometimes!). From the time we moved to Oklahoma and now Tyler has gotten RSV, along with an ear infection in each ear, and cut another tooth. Definitely has made for a tiring month! Well I wasn't planning on taking him into the doctor until his 1-year appointment so I didn't have to go and find a pediatrician here in Oklahoma, however since he was really sick I had to find one anyways, so here are his stats:
Height: 29"
Weight: 19 lb 11 ozI may have been a little busy to get an actual 9-month picture, so this one will have to do, even though I have already posted it!

From Baby Food to....

2011-05-03T13:48:00.003-06:00

Complete solid, regular food....Practically OVERNIGHT!!

Easter

2011-04-24T21:29:00.008-06:00

Easter was a nice relaxing day, except for the fact that it ~~rained~~ poured ALL day, complete with thunder & lightning the ENTIRE day as well. We went to church, took naps, had a small egg hunt and had a nice dinner (ham, potato casserole, jell-o, and green beans). It was great to spend the day together as a family and think about the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Tyler's 1st Easter Showing me what the Easter Bunny brought him:I LOVE this picture of Tyler-man :) hahaTheir baskets were apparently much more interesting than taking a picture!Closest attempt at both boys looking at the camera...Parker stole Tyler's musical Reece's Bunny and he wanted it back!!Hope you all had a HAPPY EASTER!!

Tyler's Easter Dance

2011-04-24T21:29:00.004-06:00

While I am working on catching up the blog here is a video to hopefully tide you over! We got this cute little stuffed animal for Easter and I think it's safe to say he's a fan!! Enjoy :)

Easter Egg Hunt Part 1

2011-04-24T21:28:00.006-06:00

This past Saturday we were invited to a friend's house in our ward for a big Easter Egg Hunt and BBQ. It was a blast and the weather decided to hold out until about an hour after we went home!! There were a few other families there with their kids as well and we all brought eggs to hide. After the hunt we had BBQ chicken, salads, dips, cookies, and drinks. Parker had a blast and it was a fun thing to do for Easter, especially being away from our family.

(Can't figure out why it's turned like this...)Tyler wanted in on the action too...Closest I got to a smile...goofy boy!Talking with his new little friends Carter and Brianna.Parker LOVED this little tractor, it was just his size!All the kids after the hunt with their baskets and candy!

Bubble Clouds

2011-04-24T21:28:00.003-06:00

This past Friday was an interesting day, weather-wise. We were under a tornado watch for a good part of the day and then right around dinner time the sirens started going off and we were under a tornado warning. So we ~~threw~~ put everyone into the car and drove over to the public shelter at the fire station. We stayed there for about 30-45 minutes and then left. Nothing really came of the storm, but now we know where to go and whatnot. It was predicted that we would have more storms through the night and since the sirens weren't very loud we were afraid we wouldn't be able to hear them while we are sleeping, so we headed over to Walmart (quickly becoming our daily go-to place) and picked up a weather radio along with a backpack and snacks and whatnot to put inside for our "Tornado Warning" bag. It's got diapers, wipes, snacks, a few toys and stuff to do for the boys, water, bottles and basically stuff that we would need to keep the boys entertained and taken care of while we are in the shelter. I wanted just 1 bag to have to take instead of 2 or 3 bags, plus the boys if I were to have to go by myself during the day or something.

Anyways, when we were leaving Walmart we saw all these people standing by the door looking at the sky and we were like what is going on? We thought maybe they were watching a tornado or something. But no, we got outside and saw what everyone was looking at.How cool are these clouds?! I've never seen anything like it before, they were simply amazing! And with the sun going down it looked even more cool.

Easter Egg Dying

2011-04-24T21:27:00.001-06:00

The other night we were finally able to dye some Easter Eggs. Parker seemed to enjoy it a whole lot more this year than last. (He didn't throw them into the cups this year!) It was fun to do this with him while Tyler was asleep.The closest one of Parker "smiling" at the camera. He is turning out to not be very photogenic/cooperative, hoping it's just his age!!That's better!! So cute :)

Chris' Birthday

2011-04-24T14:41:00.004-06:00

Chris turned 29 on April 12, which being a Tuesday meant he had to work all day. Since he had to be to work at 7 I got up at 5:30 am to make him breakfast before he left. We then kept the Birthday spirit going by bringing him lunch and cookies at work. And then when he got home we went out to dinner at this Mexican Restaurant we had been wanting to try followed by ice-cream cake and presents. It was a nice day and Chris even said it was the BEST birthday ever!!

Birthday Breakfast consisting of pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, strawberries and orange juice!Goofy Tyler at the restaurant:Tyler being his cute self...All day long Parker kept saying it was his birthday, so naturally he had to help his dad open the presents!I love this picture because it looks like Parker is telling Chris what this gift is and what he's supposed to do with it. hahaAll the loot he got from us...He also got a gift card and some spending money.Happy Birthday Chris!!! We Love You :)

All Tuckered Out

2011-04-24T14:38:00.002-06:00

The other night we put Parker down for the night and at one point when we walked around the corner we saw:

Oklahoma City Zoo

2011-04-09T16:21:00.005-06:00

Today we went with the Jensens (the other family here with us for a few weeks) to the Zoo in Oklahoma City. It was so much fun and the weather was perfect in the morning. We decided to go first thing so we would be done by the time the hottest part of the day rolled around. Some of the animals we saw were bears, wolves, lions, elephants, rhinos, eagles, alligators and several others. We didn't even make it to part of the zoo because it was just so big! After we saw the animals that we did see we let the kids play on this awesome playground to deplete the rest of their energy for the ride home! They had a blast and I'm so glad we got to go...we may just have to go again while we are here so Parker can see the Children's Zoo (which we didn't make it to).

We rented a double stroller since we don't have one...Parker didn't really sit in it very much however...oh well it became a great place to pack our stuff into!Don't really know what this was, some rhino looking thing! lolParker didn't really want to look at the camera...at all!Tyler was all for it, however!Family photo!Elephant #1- This exhibit has only been open a week apparently. It was pretty amazing, and huge!Elephant #2Amber, her 2 girls and Parker at the Elephant ExhibitCougar!Sarah and Parker found a squirrel on the path and stopped to watch it for a minute.Grizzly BearOur last attempt at a family picture...Tyler was too interested in the waterfall behind us, which made it a little difficult to get him to look at the camera!The awesome playground (only a part of it) that the kids loved!

Dean Weigant Park

2011-04-08T20:11:00.007-06:00

A couple of days ago Amber (the other mom that's here in Oklahoma for a couple weeks with us) and I went for a walk with the kids (she has 2 girls) and stumbled upon this cool park. It's an older park with older toys, but they have toys for kids of all ages. In fact, it looks as though the toys for the younger kids are a lot newer. The kids had a blast, but since I wasn't intending on going to a park, I didn't have my camera...so I got Chris to go with the boys and me last night after dinner.Looks like I have two boys who love being outside!!

Sick Kiddos :(

2011-04-03T10:34:00.002-06:00

Well we didn't waste any time in all getting sick within the first couple weeks of being here! Parker got sick first with a fever one day and the cough and runny nose shortly followed. Luckily his only lasted a few days. He in turn however helped out by giving it to the rest of us. Only, Tyler got it worst of all. He had a fever of between 100 and 102 degrees from this past Monday through Wednesday. He lost his appetite, wasn't sleeping well, had a runny nose and a nasty cough, and had thrown up his bottles a few times those three days. I decided to get a recommendation for a pediatrician so I could take him in on Thursday to make sure everything was okay.

I was able to get an appointment that afternoon with a nurse practitioner who quickly found poor Tyler had an ear infection in each ear, and on top of that he tested positive for RSV (a serious respiratory virus that makes it hard to breath and is down in the lungs). I was so glad that I decided to take him in since that morning his fever was gone. We left with 3 medications and a nebulizer. The nebulizer is a machine that blows air through a tube to help diffuse medicine out of a mouthpiece or mask into Tyler's mouth. He actually does really well with it. He has to have that every 4 hours (for 4 times every day) and he will usually just sit there and suck on the mouthpiece. We also found last night that he is working on cutting another bottom tooth! Poor guy is just a mess, however he is doing SO much better!! I am happy to report that last night he only woke up once after he got up at 10 pm.

It was so sad seeing him feel so miserable last week with his eyes half closed, and just very somber and motionless and I'm so happy that he is doing better! Chris and I are still overcoming our sore throats and stuffy noses, but we are also just about over it too and we'll finally all be back to normal!!

Cruisin'

2011-04-03T10:14:00.003-06:00

While we were waiting at Sears for the tires to get put on, Chris took the boys on a little walk and found a car stroller (you know, one of the ones you rent at the mall?) that someone had left, so that gave Parker something to play with. Both boys loved playing with it!He's on a mission!!I love how Tyler gets so mad when Parker tries to play with the car too...He started clapping last week too, it's so cute!

Moving Recap

2011-04-03T09:38:00.002-06:00

**Mainly for my journaling benefit! But feel free to read all about our adventures the past couple of weeks!**

Since we got stuck on Sunday night we had to wait until Monday to hear from the dealership. When we finally heard Monday evening they told us that the transmission was toast and that it would take about a week or so until it was fixed. We could NOT wait in Wichita a week so on Tuesday afternoon we took our rental car and drove down to Oklahoma so Chris could get started on the job. Wednesday was spent checking in to all the apartment complexes we are renting for us and the crew, and going to get some stuff to get us through the rest of the week (our trailer was still parked at the dealership in Wichita).

Chris then spent Thursday-Saturday working and on Saturday afternoon we took the company truck up to Wichita to pick up the trailer (we will no longer be pulling anything with our car!). Well as luck would have it, about 15 miles outside of Wichita the front tire blew out on the truck!!! Due to a slow leak in one of the other tires the spare was being used and the other tire was back in Oklahoma, which meant that once again we needed to call a tow truck AND a taxi. Awesome! The irony here is that about an hour before the tire blew one of Chris' managers called and told him to go ahead and put 4 new tires on the truck whenever he gets a chance. Looks like his chance is now! At this point Chris and I were just laughing because it seems we just can't go to Wichita without breaking down just outside of the stinkin' city. Things got done a lot quicker this time around and it only took about an hour and half to get picked up and dropped off at Sears. We called Sears about 6 pm and said we would be there in about an hour or so and asked if they would be able to put all new tires on tonight. They said they would. Well turns out Sears isn't very quick about putting new tires on because we got there around 7:30 pm and left at 10 pm with ONLY 2 tires put on!!! (They close at 9) Not very impressive, which meant that once again we got to stay in a hotel. But we got all of our stuff finally! We'll just get to go back to Wichita 1 or 2 more times to drop off the rental and pick up our car, and hopefully we'll be able to go up event free!

Chris finished up the footing of the building on Monday which gave him the rest of the week to be able to work at home . The other 2 tires got put on in about 15 minutes at a tire place here in town (that's more like it!). We also found out that the warranty company would only pay for 5 days for a rental car, so we decided to head back to Wichita to return it and just use a company car until ours was done. The dealership called us and had told us that it was going to be at least another week until the transmission was done because the warranty company took so long to decide that the dealership can just rebuild it and then it takes a few days for the parts to come in, so we didn't want to pay for another week or so for the rental. We drove it back without any problems!!! Then while we were eating lunch we got a call saying the parts for the transmission had come in early and the guy cranked it out last night so it was ready for pickup! YAY!!! That means we don't have to go back a 4th time!

And now, after a week and a half of getting here we are finally all moved in and mostly settled in!!

Bath-Splashin' Fun

2011-04-03T07:58:00.002-06:00

On our last night in our apartment we gave the kids a bath. This is just a little view of what happens at each bath time...all those involved (whether you're in the tub or not) gets soaked!!

And the Adventures BEGIN!!

2011-04-03T07:45:00.004-06:00

Well as I mentioned before, we wanted to buy a car that had the capacity to haul a trailer of our stuff so we wouldn't have to drive separately. Little did we know that on Sunday we would only get to Wichita, Kansas, or about 20 minutes before Wichita, before we had trouble! When Chris looked in the side mirror he noticed a bunch of smoke coming from the car so we pulled over to take a look and found that there was stuff leaking from the transmission. Great. So since we didn't want to drive it anymore we had to call a tow truck and a taxi (since we couldn't all fit in the tow truck) and get towed to our hotel (which I had just booked through Hotwire about 20 minutes before!). Well it took about 3 1/2 hours or so for the tow truck to get there and get everything hooked up and situated and for the taxi to get there, which meant by the time we got to our hotel and got dinner it was around 10 pm!! Luckily we weren't very far from a big city, with a Ford dealership close by.
A little preview of the car!Just hangin' out in the tow truck while we wait for the taxi. He was a little nervous about being in there at first, but as long as we stood there right next to him he was fine!

Saddle Up

2011-04-03T07:30:00.004-06:00

When we hit Rock Springs, WY we stopped for dinner at Arby's and then walked over for dessert at McDonald's so Parker could get some energy out. Let me just say that was the nicest McDonald's I have EVER seen!! It had a fireplace, soft sofa-chair things in the play area, little tables with saddles for seats for the kiddos and apparently TV's in the bathrooms! In the kids area they also have a console thing with 3 different video games, which was really all that Parker wanted to play with at first (not really what we had in mind!).

Moving :(

2011-04-03T07:25:00.002-06:00

We left Idaho on March 18 for Shawnee, Oklahoma. We will be here for about 3-4 months for Chris' work. The school is building a dome for a new cafeteria. We were sad to leave Rexburg and all our family and friends but we shall soon be back!! It's always a new adventure going somewhere new for a while.

New Car!!

2011-04-03T07:18:00.002-06:00

That's right, we finally bought a new car on March 9, 2011!!! We have pretty much grown out of our little civic making any sort of long trip virtually impossible with 2 little kids, so we looked for either a mid-size or full-size SUV, that also included a tow package so we could haul a trailer whenever we move. We ended up finding a car we love...a White 2004 Ford Explorer!! It's in really good condition, under 100k miles, leather seats, the 3rd row that folds down into the floor, rear air and a tow package! The boys love it, Parker calls it the truck and the best part is that when we have another child we won't have to find another car for awhile still!!

**Since we bought it a week before we moved, I have been too busy to take any pictures. I will get some shortly!**

8 Months

2011-03-13T21:37:00.003-06:00

Wow, this month has gone really fast and I am still finding it hard to believe that Tyler is now 8 months old! He is getting bigger and bigger, loving to eat every couple hours and loves watching his big brother play. He hasn't started crawling yet, although he can push himself backwards, but that's about it for now. Eating everything has become a favorite pastime of his and has tried pancakes, waffles, bread, cheerios and several new 2nd step baby foods. This little guy has already learned to steal food off of Parker's plate, as well as try to grab his arm and basically annoy him at all costs (it is quite funny!).

I love getting him up in the morning or after naps and seeing his happy little face and kicking legs as he plays with his little mirror and stuffed cow. He is always so excited to see us! Fortunately he also hasn't gotten any more teeth. His bashful/shy stage is starting to set in also and he will rest his head on our shoulders when meeting someone new. For now this is kinda nice because I consider it cuddling, however I really hope it doesn't become a problem later on down the road!
I can't get over how adorable Tyler looks in his new church clothes!! It's a little bittersweet because he looks so big in this outfit though :(

$8 Tie Guy

2011-03-13T21:31:00.003-06:00

Last night when we went to the store to get a few things the $8 Tie Guy was set up in front of the door. As we drove past to find a parking spot I noticed they had some little ties and definitely had to go take a look. Sure enough, they had perfectly sized ties for Tyler and Parker, hence....
How handsome are they??!!

Mr & Mrs Havig

2011-03-02T10:36:00.012-07:00

Now, the reason we were in Arizona to begin with. My sister, Kelsey, got married on February 19 in the Mesa, AZ Temple to Alex Havig. We were there for a whole week which was a blast, but it just went by way too fast!!! We got to go through the temple with her for her first time on Thursday night which was an awesome experience. The Mesa temple is absolutely beautiful and we were grateful to be able to attend with her. On Friday night I spent the night with my other sister Ashley at Kelsey's apartment, which was fun and very nice because that meant I got a night off from Tyler duty and got to sleep through the night (except that we didn't actually get to bed that night until 1:30 am...figures!!lol). It was fun, we started off the evening by getting pedicures with one of Kelsey's friends and my sister Gabrielle, went to In & Out Burger for dinner, talked, finished up her slideshow for the reception, and did some last minute shopping for the reception.

In the morning we got up and got ready for the big day!!Kels, Me, AshKelsey was surprisingly not nervous at all and was just excited all around! We were all ready about 45 minutes before we even had to be to the temple, which was nice because we could just sit and relax. The weather was absolutely horrible with terrible winds, and sideways rain making it also very cold! Despite that though Kelsey didn't let it ruin her day. The ceremony was done by our Grandpa and was absolutely beautiful! Because of the weather we couldn't do any pictures at the temple, so we all headed to the church where the reception was and did the pictures there. (The lighting in the gym was horrible so our eyes look all crazy and I couldn't fix them!)

My mom and step-dad with the happy couple!Grandparents (Left: My mom's parents; Right: My dad's parents)My mom and her 2 sisters and 2 of my cousinsMom and Kels (I absolutely LOVED her dress!!!!)Step-dad & KelsAsh, Me, Kels and GabbySisters!!!The Wiser Clan (missing Stephan and Allen)Step-mom and Dad with Kelsey and AlexDad and KelsBridesmaids! (Love the dresses, but the shoes were killer and came off right after pictures!!)Afterwards we went to the luncheon at Tia Rosa's, a delicious Mexican restaurant! It was truly amazing!The reception was a blast! It fit their personalities perfectly with dancing and tons of food and cake and even a couple games! Parker enjoyed running all through the gym and even loved dancing at the very end. It was decorated so cute and everything turned out so well!

I just love this picture of Kels and Tyler!The boys sure love their Aunt Kelsey!First DanceDaddy Daughter DanceCutting the very cute cake!They literally smashed the cake in each other's face...Garter Toss (Look at their shoes!!)They played this game where they raise the shoe of who they think is the answer to the question (For example, Who will clean the bathroom? They both raised Kelsey's shoe for that one, I'm pretty sure. There were several other questions that I can't remember, but it was a fun little game!)Dancing with Parker...he had a blast (and kept a pretty good beat too)!And there they go!!!

Congrats Alex & Kelsey!!!!

Balloon

2011-03-02T10:32:00.002-07:00

While in Arizona we met up with Chris' sister, brother-in-law and their 4 girls at a fun park. Parker got a cool blue balloon from his cousins and the next day Chris was getting Tyler ready for the day and had given the balloon to him. It looked so cute from down the hall, I just had to get a picture!

7 Months

2011-03-02T10:20:00.003-07:00

Tyler turned 7 months old on February 12. He is constantly growing and changing, and this month was no different. He cut 4 teeth within a week and a half and 5th one has just popped...yikes! Talk about a rough time, he really isn't a very good teether and gets really fussy. Thank heaven for Ora-gel!! He is a champ eater and is now eating 3 real meals each day as well as plenty of bottles. He loves the little Graduate Puffs, which has been awesome if he starts to get a little fussy and I don't have a bottle or food with me. He did really well on the car ride to Arizona as well. I was a little nervous and he did have his moments, but overall he was awesome. He also graduated this month from his infant seat into a big boy car seat!! He really seems to enjoy it much better because he is more upright and can see a lot more. I didn't expect to have to buy another one this early since Parker was a year before we bought him a new seat. Just goes to show how much Tyler is growing!

Believe it or not, we actually wore jackets in Arizona! Only in the morning though, by the afternoon it was beautiful and made me just want to move there that much more!

Exhausted!!

2011-03-02T10:16:00.004-07:00

Tuesday, February 15 was a tiring day for Tyler...it consisted of sitting in the car for 8-9 hours on day 2 of our drive to Arizona. When we got to my parent's house we visited for a little bit and then it was time to get him ready for bed. My sister volunteered to feed him and when he was done I looked over and saw this...

Blogging Hiatus

2011-02-28T10:21:00.013-07:00

Holy cow it's been forever since I have blogged!! I blame part of that on Chris taking the computer for 3 weeks to Oklahoma, leaving me with nothing!! And then the rest of the time I have just been either too busy or too lazy to catch up on everything that has happened in the last month and a half.

Alright, where to start...

January 17-February 3:

While Chris was gone I bought Parker a Cars puzzle at the dollar store, turns out he loved it and wanted to do it everyday! Our ward had a Family Game Night where we just had a bunch of board/card games and had finger foods to snack on. The Relief Society was in charge of planning this activity and since I'm on that committee I was in charge of creating a bean-bag toss game for the younger kids to play. It turned out to be a really fun night and Parker had a blast running about with the other kids while I was able to play a fun card game with several other people, which I wasn't very good at!! Afterwards, I ended up keeping the bean bag toss box for a little while because Parker loved playing in it.
Tyler was having fun in his exersaucer while Parker played in the box!Tyler has been making these really funny faces lately that make us laugh so hard, and I was able to capture them on camera!! Quite hilarious...
Parker's new thing, since he knows he's not supposed to push Tyler over, is he now will sit behind him and give him a "hug", but then leans back on the floor, pulling Tyler back with him. And then Parker get's up leaving poor Tyler lying down! This was right before he did that...
Chris was supposed to come home on February 2nd in the morning, however a crazy snow/ice storm decided to blow through the night before, leaving him stranded until Thursday!! However, he did make it safely and we were excited to see him!

February 7:

Parker kept wanting to put the empty Eggo Waffle box on his head, so Chris cut a hole in it so he could see. Being the nice big brother he is, he wanted Tyler to have a turn wearing it, which was pretty cute!
The beginnings of the crawling stage...maybe?? As I'm writing this Tyler still hasn't started crawling, however I feel it's just around the corner. He can push himself up better than the pictures depict and will push backwards a little. He also doesn't mind being on his tummy for longer periods of time.
Taking a little rest...he will do this every couple minutes or so, to rest his arms, I guess!

February 10:

I went in to get Tyler up from his first nap and I saw this...
It was too funny and when I walked in he heard me so all at once his feet start kicking up a storm, while his face was still covered!

February 11:

Bubbles!!!! Tyler had never seen bubbles before and was quite fascinated by them.
There's that face again! haha

February 14:

Valentine's Day! We spent the day driving down to Arizona, which we did in two days. So I let Parker open his gift/card before we left. It was simple this year and he just got some Reece's. Chris got me some yummy chocolates and I did the same for Chris. We celebrated the week before which was fun too!

1/2 a Year Down....

2011-01-14T12:28:00.003-07:00

...only 1/2 a year to go??! Seriously, where has the time gone? Can Tyler really be 6 months old already?? These last 6 months have just flown by and my little guy is quickly turning into a little boy :(

Some of the things Tyler has been doing lately include sitting like a champ, playing more with Parker, playing in his exer-saucer, trying new foods (eats oatmeal, rice cereal, green beans, sweet potatoes, & peas. Squash didn't really agree with him...maybe we'll try again in a few months!), learning to drink out of a sippy, taking better naps (1-2 hours sometimes!), spitting and blowing raspberries, loves bath time, hates the car seat (unless his cover thing is off, then he tolerates it!), and just being as cute as ever!

He is growing like a weed too, he gained 2 1/2 pounds in the last 2 months making his weight a good 17 lbs 11 oz (55%)and he grew just over 2 inches making his length 27 inches (72%). His head circum. is 17.5 inches (71%). Tyler has already passed Parker's stats at his, get this, 1 year checkup!!! I have a big boy on my hands, but we sure do love him!! Happy 1/2 Birthday Tyler-bug!!

He got his little outfit (minus the jeans) for Christmas from my mom...it's a 12-month size!!

Moving Day

2011-01-12T10:56:00.004-07:00

No we are not moving...yet anyways! This past Saturday we decided to FINALLY move Tyler into Parker's room!! We had to completely rearrange things to make everything fit, but it looks really good now! It's so nice to have our room back. Parker was a little jealous of having to share his room at first, but now seems to be fine with it. I'm still trying to figure out the whole nap time routines now to make sure they both get the rest they need!

Despite what it looks like, we can still open the closet door! Don't mind the missing door on the changing table...Parker stripped the holes that the hinges screw into, so we still need to fix that!The room all put together...next project = Bedding for Parker's bed. We had bought him some sheets to start off with, but he needs a thicker blanket for now, so I just put my blanket that my Grandma made for me for my High School Graduation. It works for now, while I'm still trying to figure out just exactly what I want to do for his bed!

Ready to Ski!!

2011-01-12T10:54:00.004-07:00

While we were cleaning out Parker's room he found Chris' ski backpack and helmet and wanted to wear them, it was pretty funny! One day he will be able to go up with Chris...

Sitter

2011-01-12T10:42:00.003-07:00

Tyler started sitting up on his own on January 3 or so and he's doing so well! He seems to like sitting and playing much more than laying down on his back, but who wouldn't?! He still loses his balance after a while sometimes, but for the most part he is a professional sitter!

So Hungry!

2011-01-12T10:36:00.002-07:00

One Sunday after church we had just walked in the door and apparently Parker was a little hungry because he didn't even wait for us to get his coat off and put him in his chair before he started eating!

Precious Moments...

2011-01-12T10:31:00.004-07:00

Last week I was sitting on the couch and I looked over to check on Tyler and this is what I saw...This is about as far as Tyler will go when it comes to rolling over, he just doesn't really like it, just like his brother!

Handsome Little Man

2011-01-12T10:23:00.003-07:00

We got Parker some suit pants, belt, and tie for Christmas (he needs a new shirt too, but I couldn't find one in his size before Christmas). Here he is showing off his new clothes, which are a little big still, but will allow some growing room!

(It looks a little sloppy in this picture, mainly because his shirt is a little too short and won't stay tucked in!!)He's growing up so fast! :(

Christmas Dinner

2011-01-12T10:14:00.003-07:00

On Christmas afternoon we went down to Idaho Falls to have Lunch/Dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. We had soup and salad and garlic bread. It was all so delicious!! There were 3 different kinds of soup and I may have had a little of each! For dessert we had Peppermint Ice Cream, cookies and these amazing Mint Chocolate Brownies that my Grandma made. It was fun to get all together on Christmas. We sat my cousin Boyd and Parker in their booster seats next to each other on the floor and well, they weren't really fans of that idea, or at least Parker wasn't...Parker is about 8 months older than Boyd and they play pretty well together. It was really fun to watch them chase each other through the house! They made my aunt and I laugh pretty hard at one point. We'll have to get them together more often.