The Lindquist Family Blog

2012-01-26T22:53:00.001-05:00

Christmas with Nana and Papa

Finally getting around to posting this. We were excited to share Christmas with Nana and Papa (Lindquist) this year (well...last year now). The drove down from cold Indiana to enjoy the spring like Christmas weather down here in Georgia with us, and it was wonderful. One of the super lame things about living so far from family is that our kids don't get to hang out with their grandparents or cousins very much. So this trip was really awesome for them to be able to have fun with them. And fun it was!

Pops played all kinds of games with the kids and even taught Brody how to play chess and checkers and the huge 4 person chess board he built. They loved every minute of it and we loved to see them all together.

Me and my sweet mom tried to make some sweet treats in the kitchen. I've had this idea that candycane and white chocolate chips would make awesome cookies. So far I can't seem to perfect the recipe to make reality match my imagination, but Mom and I had a great time experimenting to tried and get it right. The were good, but I'm hoping for excellent next Christmas!

Of course the first thing, the last thing, and most things between those that the boys wanted to do involved some type of climbing on Grandpa. I'm so glad that he has the health and strength (and the willingness) to get on the floor with the boys and wrestle with them. They love it! They are never happier than when they are wrestling with papa. Even little Penny joined in this time and had a good time jumping on papa and chasing him around.

For Christmas Eve we tried something new since the weather was so nice - we went out to the backyard and roasted marshmallows after dinner! The Winn family came over for dinner (which was excellent) and then we all spent some time in the backyard talking and eating treats and s'mores. It was a good time and we especially loved the cool temperatures we were blessed with. Luckily Bridger escaped the fire with only a minor burn. You'd think kids would remember by now that those metal roasting sticks get hot when you put them in the fire!

The boys used some of their own money to buy gifts for Nana and Papa. This year Bridger got Papa a very cheap pair of hillbilly teeth which he thought were very funny, but had trouble keeping in his mouth. Nana was gifted with a whoopee cushion, which she used as a scapegoat and we all used for a good laugh. Brody and Bridger were asking everyone as sneakily as they could (which is to say not at all) to stand up for a second so they could see how tall they were. Low and behold, every time I or someone else sat back down after being measured some unknown pressurized gas that must have been secretly building up expelled itself! I just don't know how that happened! Excuse me!

Since the weather was so wonderful we went on a few walks along the trail and in the woods near our house. The boys went exploring all over the place, threw rocks in the streams, crossed under barbed wire, and trespassed on private property. What more can you ask for in a good adventure? Penny wanted to show Nana everything she found interesting, like bark pieces and big leaves and fallen trees and the stream she'd fearlessly get close to.

It was a good Christmas with family and friends and we all gave and received good things. The best gift was to have my parents here. A close second was the remote control Helicopter from Jess. Now that Bridger and Brody have their personalities more developed it was easier to get them good gifts. Bridger has been silently dancing all over the house with the use of his mp3 player and headphones and Brody has spent hours putting together various contraptions with his knex-like building set we got for him. Bridger has also been learning to read much more with his Hooked on Phoenix kit. Penny has not taken to riding her new little trike, but would love to push around anyone else on it. Jessica is working out with friends 3 times a week with her snazzy new Skechers and yoga pants. I'm sure she'll be able to run circles around me and beat me arm wrestling in no time.

We are looking forward to an awesome new year full of surprises and changes! We are glad to announce we are pregnant with twins!! And we are moving to Utah!! And we just bought new couches! Okay, well, one of those is true anyway. (hint: its the couches.)

Catching Up On December

2011-12-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

December always seems to fly by and be extremely busy. This year I thought I had kept things simple enough to not be as busy. Turns out I hadn't. We had stuff going on every weekend, school parties, baking, shopping, and the usual business of cleaning and laundry and keeping my children alive. It's not a bad busy, but it makes everything go by so quickly.

Every year since we moved here to Georgia in 2005, we have gone to Lights of the South. It's a huge light display that you take a hayride through to see. It is beautiful and amazing and we love it. The kids get to sit on Santa's lap and play on a playground and we stand by the fire to stay warm. It's a magical place.

Brody and Bridger each told Santa what they wanted for Christmas, although by then they had changed their minds multiple times and after this they changed their minds a few more times. I don't think Santa ever figured out what they wanted.

This is what happens when you try to bring Penny near Santa. She's a little dramatic, it's true.

Aaaaand back to happy.

We also built and decorated a gingerbread house together. The boys did all the decorating themselves. I love to watch their creative minds working together. The first year we did it I was anal and wanted the house to look perfect. I'm glad I let that go.

Penny contributed too. Any candy that fell off of the house or was left unattended for more than 1.5 seconds quickly got stuffed into her mouth. Side note- I'm sure most kids like candy, but I've never seen anyone like her before. She will do ANYTHING for candy. Even if it includes pain. She'll eat food that she hates. And if she sees candy and doesn't get to eat it, watch out. She will cut you.

More December catch up to come....

Better Late Than Never..... Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T16:12:00.000-05:00

This year I was too lazy to do Christmas cards. During the week of Christmas, I slept in, took naps, and lazied around all day with the family. We did get up and get dressed for church on Christmas and here are some pictures of my good-looking offspring.

We had a good Christmas and a good Christmas season. We love to see our children as their understanding of Christ grows and they begin to understand the true meaning of Christmas. We are grateful for our family, our friends, and our Savior.

We hope you all had a good Christmas and that you felt loved and blessed!

Brody's Piano Recital

2011-12-13T18:58:00.000-05:00

Brody started taking piano lessons in September. It was a rough start. He kept saying he didn't want to keep taking the lessons but when he went to them, he would come home happy and excited. I think it was just overwhelming for him to spend all day at school and then have to keep using his brain when he got home. Eventually he started getting used to it and now he loves it.

His first recital was last Saturday and he played Jingle Bells. His teacher asked him if he wanted to play a duet with me and he said yes so we played together. He practiced a lot and did a great job! When we got to his teacher's house, he said he was feeling nervous and his face was red when he was done but he did awesome. I'm so proud of him.

Here he is with Sister Jenkins and all of her other students.

We Are Thankful

2011-11-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

We didn't take any pictures on Thanksgiving Day. I'm not sure why. Probably because we were busy cooking, eating, talking, socializing, and being thankful. Obviously. We had a good day. We have such good friends. They are more like family. We had the Winns, Rhodeses, Calls, and 3 service members who are in training on Fort Gordon.

For Family Home Evening the Monday before Thanksgiving, we talked about all the blessings that we have and made a thankful tree. Everyone wrote a few things they were thankful for. Some included family, friends, chocolate, Halloween, clothes, Jesus Christ, humor, and binky (thanks for your contribution, Penny). We have so many things to be grateful for and we hope to try harder to be thankful every day of the year.

October

2011-11-02T13:04:00.000-04:00

Not a ton happened in October. It was Adam's birthday but he kind of had a lame day. He worked the night before and the night of his birthday so he just slept all day. He had picked out his gift earlier in the month so he didn't have any gifts to open from us. Oh well- they can't all be amazing right?

This year Halloween was pretty low key as far as costumes are concerned. We went to the ward trunk or treat on Friday and it was over in like 17 minutes. Kids move fast when they are working for candy. Also, no more costumes that require masks. My boys refused to wear them so it just looked like they had oversize leotards with pants on.

Our good friends the Glovers moved to Texas so we had a little barbeque to say goodbye. Trying to get 12 people to smile at the same time is ridiculous.

This is Jaren Glover. They don't have kids of their own yet and so they love helping us with ours. Penny stayed in nursery for the first time ever the week Jaren took her to class and stayed with her for a little while. Our kids call Jaren "tickle monster" and only recently realized he actually has a first name. With Adam in the bishopric at church and me playing the organ, the Glovers have been so helpful sitting with the kids while we were both on the stand. We're going to miss them...and not just because they babysit for free. They're pretty cool.

Jaren and Emily with the kids who LOVE them!

For drug awareness week, the boys' school had a different fun day every day. One day they wore their shirts backwards, one day they wore their hats and sunglasses. One day was crazy sock day so we got some fun socks at Target and decorated them with buttons and pom poms. I promise- Bridger was thrilled. I don't remember what he was whining about but it was most likely something really stupid.

Summer gone again

2011-10-01T08:05:00.000-04:00

Here in Georgia it has cooled down quite a bit and we are moving into one of the nice months of the year when we don't have to run AC or the heater. Before we say hello to nice cool weather though, lets say goodbye to the scorching heat of summer.
Looking back on the pictures from this last month it doesn't appear that a whole lot happened to us, but I'm sure that is not the case.

I went on a temple trip with some friends. We packed a car full and made the trip to Columbia, SC. It was so fun! Lots of good conversation, a nice temple session, and then Frosties from Wendy's on the way home.

Bridger started school at the beginning of September. He is in the Georgia lottery funded Pre-K at Brody's school. His teacher is so sweet and he loves it! He was more excited about riding the bus with Brody than actually being in school. I was a little worried about how he'd act in class (he is really active and has a lot of energy), but he has been great.

Getting on the bus for the first time!

Have you ever seen a happier face? I love this picture.

This is when he got off the bus in the afternoon. I think I was more excited to see him than he was to see me. I asked him about his day and asked him to give me every detail and he said, "I don't remember." So I'm just assuming that he had a good day.

Adam took Penny to Indiana to see his little brother and it was my turn for our babysitting co-op. 1 adult, 8 kids, 1 movie, lots of quesadilla = a really fun night! It was so easy- we have such good, obedient, and happy kids in our group. Love them. They watched Rio and went to bed like champs.

We took a quick trip to the beach with my friend Alexis and her 3 kids. Hilton Head was beautiful and all the kids had a great time.

I found these boots for Penny and decided it didn't matter how much they cost, they had to be on her feet. Good call, right? I love them- and she loves them too. I could eat her she's so delicious.

My dad came for a few days last weekend to ordain Adam a high priest. It was a last minute trip and we were so grateful that he could be here. My kids love him (Penny loves the Mike n Ike's he always seems to have with him) and they got to go for a day at the park while I had a baby shower here at the house. I love this picture- Penny's little hand resting on Grandpa's lap. She doesn't take to strangers too kindly but she always warms up to my dad so quickly.

I love this- his little bulky body and his happy face. He reminds me so much of my brother Mikey.


If you saw the progression of photos for this one, you would see that Penny ended up looking like an angry elf. We are posting just the happy one for your benefit.

July is gone already!

2011-08-12T23:22:00.000-04:00

July in Augusta, Georgia can be summed up in a single word: supasweatyhot. Of course we spent some time at the neighborhood pool with friends, but sometimes the water there was simply unrefreshing. We enjoyed turning the hose on and chasing each other around the backyard a bit as well. There is nothing quite like the thrill of chasing down a small defenseless child and spraying them down menacingly with cold water. Ahhhh, the good life!

We also took some time out to see the firework show they had on base to celebrate the 4th of July. Brody and Bridger were actually able to stay awake for the whole show, which was excellent, but about 30 seconds into the ride home the were out for good. I wish I got a picture of the inhuman angles of their necks as they slept like rocks in their seats. How do kids do that? Seriously, the bent neck and the fountain of drool - its amazing.

Grandma and Grandpa Parry were able to stop by and see us this month as well! The boys had a blast hanging out with them and even got to go see the new Smurfs movie with them. Here is a nice shot of Brody "helping" Grandma with a game on her phone. It was very intense.

Jessica loves her mama and papa. They got to sit and chat it up more than they have in a very long time and loved every bit of it. It was sad to see them go as is always the case. Thanks for coming out to see us!

While Grandma was still here we made the drive out to Hilton Head to check out the beach. When we arrived we saw so many people out riding bikes that we thought the air must feel so cool and there must have been a fantastic breeze. Boy, did they have us fooled. When we first opened the van door it was a wave of hot muggy air - worse than Augusta! The hotel where we stayed was great though and gives an awesome military discount. We played in the pools, and of course, on the beach.

It was Penny's first time to the beach. We thought she might be a little hesitant to go near the water, but she loved it. She ran around excitedly pointing at the birds and the dogs and trying to chase them down. She wasn't a huge fan of the water, but the rest of us enjoyed swimming around in the waves and walking in the cool sand.

The boys loved digging and playing in the sand. They kept trying to dig a huge hole, only to have the tide come up and wash it away. They were much more fearless in the water this time than the last time we made it to the beach. At night while the kids slept and Grandma Parry stood guard, Jessica and I took a long walk along the beach as the sun set. It was really nice and made us wish we could live a bit closer to a beach like that.

Oh, and I forgot a swim diaper for myself. What a mess I made!

Last week marked the start of first grade for Brody. He was super excited. We went the week before and met his new teacher at the brand new school he is zoned for. Everything looks terrific and we think he will have a blast despite his dismal daily reports. "I had a bad day", Brody will say. "Why Brody?" "Because Joey wouldn't let me sit by the window on the way home from school." ".... Uh...was that the only thing bad?" "Yes." "Okay, well you don't know what a bad day is. Be happy." He is a bit of a pessimist. He does enjoy learning though. We only hope he doesn't get bored and start being the naughty kid in class. First grade is all about learning to read and do math, but Brody already reads at like a 5th grade level and does multiplication. Soooo....maybe we'll have him in college next year. Or hire him as an accountant. Is that legal? Probably, this is Georgia after all.

We found out that Bridger got the spot to get into the Pre-K program at Brody's school, so starting next month they will get to ride the bus together. Honestly, I don't know how good I feel about having Bridger gone all day long five days a week, but I guess I better get used to it. Like I remind Brody just about every day: "You better get used to it, you'll be doing this every year for the next 15 or so." Bridger is also very excited to go to school and to ride the bus with Brody.

So Penny feeds herself now! Yay! Changing her clothes after every meal gets ridiculous though. That girl can eat. She can pack down cereal, or a hot dog, or some fruit like nobody's business, and as soon as she's done she makes a b line for the pantry asking for a snack. But look at that face - would you, could you say "no"? Don't be a sissy! We do. Take that, cute face!

What Would You Do For Free Food?

2011-07-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to see Cars 2 with the boys. Our good friend Shalynn watched Penny so we could all enjoy the movie without chasing her. The movie was really cute and the boys were laughing hysterically during a lot of it. Right after the movie, thanks to a reminder text from Hannah, we rushed home to get ready for Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. We had about 20 minutes to dress like cows (or a dalmation in Penny's case, but close enough) and then we headed to Chick-fil-a for dinner. It wasn't as crowded as I though it would be and our $28 meal was on them. We looked ridiculous but so did everyone else there. We ran to Target afterwards and looked more ridiculous, since no one else there was dressed like us. All in all, a good day. Fun movie, free food, and Target. What more could a mom want?

Fun Times

2011-06-30T15:55:00.002-04:00

I suppose some of you haven't had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Penny do a hearty laugh, and show her skills. Well, here you go. Enjoy!

Getting all caught up

2011-06-26T20:47:00.000-04:00

So of course there was a lot that happened over the last few months besides us going on a totally awesome cruise. I'm going to sum up each of the events with at least a thousand words and a short description of those thousands. Above we have our first event. Bridger was a clown for Circus Day at his school. He made a very good sad clown. Cudos to Jessica for putting together such a great costume for him! School is over now. Luckily, he graduated.

In April the newly renovated Atlanta, GA temple was reopened so we took the kids to the open house. I'd like very much to say that it was a spiritual experience, but mostly it was exhausting trying to keep Brody and Bridger from destroying the place and whining their faces right off.

While in Atlanta we took advantage of the aquarium there and took the kids for the first time. They actually really enjoyed it and so did we. They have some whale sharks there that are just amazing! There is a glass tunnel we walked in and watched the huge animals swim above us! We all loved it. Brody was also very proud of himself for touching the stingrays and even one of the little sharks.

Also, we celebrated Jason Woodward's birthday and home coming from Iraq. Jessica and I realized that we really love to dance and party like crazy people. We had so much fun that night. We were sad to say goodbye to the Woodwards, but hope to see them out in Utah some time. If anyone doesn't know, Jess and I can really boogie. In the picture above I'm doing my world famous "Carlton Banks dance".

Penny loves bikes! This picture of her catching a ride from Bridger is just adorable.

For Easter this year we got the boys some nifty little rain boots. I think they wore them twice before they turned them into dirt buckets. Don't they look cute though?

This picture can speak for itself: Cute.

We had a bunch of families over to do an egg hunt in our backyard the Saturday before Easter. It was a lot of fun to see the kids run and go crazy looking for the candy, but it was most fun to see Penny go to town. We pretty much let her have whatever she wanted. I think she ate several chocolates, caramel, cupcakes, and cookies. She would just go from person to person scrounging and stealing. She looks kinda gross and messy, but I assure you she is quite delicious.

In the picture above the string is caramel - not snot. Luckily.

The Galans came over and I loved this picture of all the kids on the swing in the backyard.

When Eliza was here Penny got her very first hair cut. It turned out to be a cute little bob. How could it not be cute, right?

Also, I finally finished the fire pit. Just in time for summer! Yay! We roasted mallows and had s'mores for the first time and I'm pretty sure Penny thought marshmallows were bits of heaven neatly packaged.

Brody turned 6! He chose to have just a family party at Chuck e Cheese so we brought his presents there and even ordered the pizza there (which wasn't too bad actually). Brody had a ton of fun and loved running from game to game trying to get more tickets so he could trade them in for lame toys and cheap candy.

There is a little roller coaster motion video that they all sat and watched together. Its even cuter in person.

Brody is normally afraid of sweaty mutes in animal cartoon character costumes, but for some reason he actually went right up and hugged Chuck. Bridger and Penny were terrified.

Penny LOVES putting all kinds of big shoes on and trying to walk around in them. She can hardly move in my boots, but it makes for a great picture. Even not being able to move she starts complaining as soon as I take her out of them. What a weirdo.

We also had to say goodbye to our good friends, the Galans. We had them and a few other families over for some good times. In order to say goodbye the girls all jumped in the air and the guys built a human pyramid. I have no idea why. Well, in the case of the guys I know why - it was because the alternative was not going to happen. The girls wanted all of us guys to lie down on our backs in a circle with our heads together. We said that was not going to happen.

Penny learned to play the piano! And she is really excited about that! She also loves to dance. Her dancing consists of bobbing her head and swinging her right arm furiously as she turns in a circle. IT. IS. MAGNIFICENT. TO. BEHOLD.

I finished the first phase of the playground I'm building in the backyard. Its a covered sandbox and I think it turned out pretty well. Penny and the boys love it and spend plenty of time out there, but now we find ourselves having to bathe them more than once a week. Tragic! Also, as I was building it we discovered what we believe to be poison ivy again. Brody and Penny and I were all affected by it so we cut the tree down that had the huge vine growing on it. Good times. Also, poor Penny didn't know how to scratch an itch. When we started scratching her poison ivy spots she would freeze and just have this look of amazement and enjoyment, like "ah, yeah, that's the ticket. What is this magically scratching and why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"

Penny in pigtails!!

I think that pretty much brings us up to speed. Lately we've just been hanging out, working in the backyard, swimming at the pool, and shopping. Speaking of shopping, this last Sunday was Father's day. Jessica made the mistake of going shopping with me on the day before when I had a sense of entitlement. I ended up getting a quart of chocolate milk, a Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream pint, blueberries and strawberries, all the fixins for sandwiches, and Fruit Loops. Needless to say, I had a great Father's day full of yummy food. Jessica was also nice enough to let me have a nap and fix me one of my favorite meals for dinner. I love her and I love our family! Woot!

Don't feed the fish!

2011-06-22T21:08:00.000-04:00

Looking at the picture above you probably are thinking "Wow. That lady with the huge glasses on her head next to that mildy attractive guy is really hot" and you'd be right. You might also be thinking: "Wow. They are in a beautiful place and are probably having a perfect day" and you'd be wrong.

We are in a place called Costa Maya, Mexico. It has gorgeous sandy beaches, pristine blue waters, nice people, and great weather. We decided to go scuba diving for the first time in our lives. We booked with some little place online that told us to walk past a bunch of buses right off the pier and go to where some cabs were sitting. We did, and quickly found that the guys not by the pier didn't speak English. Luckily Ben was comfy enough with Spanish that he could tell the driver what we were trying to do, but honestly for a while there I thought we'd end up lost in some back alley. We ended up in an alley, but not lost.

We booked a tour that included a 1 hour training session with Jorge and Claire, who both spoke pretty good English. We like them a lot. They were very knowledgeable, personable and concerned with our progress. The girls went with Claire for their lessons and the guys were with Jorge. I could see Jess in the shallow waters scooting about like a pro and figured I would do the same. Turns out that trying to clear my mask under water turns my brain off. If you've never been scuba diving you have to learn to clear your mask by lifting it slightly from the bottom and blowing air out of your nose. Well, apparently that is near impossible for me to do and if I had panicked the 15 times I tried I probably would have drown in 4 feet of water. Jorge probably thought I was a moron - I know I did. Its like I just forgot how to blow out of my nose! In the end we both figured that I should just be really careful not to move my mask once we got 40 feet under. Jessica was awesome at it and picked everything up like a wiz. Shari was good at it too, but very scared to go out to the 40 ft water. She was brave, though and faced her fears.

They took us in this little boat pictured above to a place a few minutes from shore where we could anchor and dive to 40 feet and swim around the corral. It was all fine and dandy until that boat stopped and I started a rockin'. Some find the rocking motion soothing, but I find it to be gross. In fact, I was just telling Jessica that very thing when I puked over the side. I had taken a dramamine that morning, but it wasn't helping. I figured once I got to the bottom where the waving wasn't so pronounced I'd be fine, so I dropped in with Jessica and we held on to the rope to slowly descend to the bottom. I was doing okay and in control and kept giving Jorge the "OK" sign. Once we got to the bottom Jessica and I started to swim around a bit. Suddenly I didn't feel so good. I took my regulator out of my mouth, barfed, put it back in and went back to breathing. Apparently, you can barf through those, but I didn't know that. I also didn't know that at that moment Jessica thought I was going to die. I didn't though. In fact, I didn't die the other 3 or 4 times I spewed under water either. (sidenote: great thing about puking under water is you don't have to clean it up!) I was becoming quite the pro, but I decided I didn't want to attract any sharks and finally told Jorge I was ready to end my scuba experience. He took me back up to the boat where I promptly asked to be taken to non-wavy land. Jessica and the others swam peacefully with the fish and even saw a giant lobster. They all thought it was a great experience. When they came back to shore they told me they were very impressed with my survival skills and my cool under pressure. I agreed. (now that I think about it though, it freaks my freak.)

Before going back to the ship Jessica was able to finally buy one of the dresses for Penny that she had been wanting during our whole vacation. Its a cute little yellow dress....er, shirt. Apparently Penny is much larger than either Jessica or I had remembered. Either that or she grew A LOT while we were gone because the "dress" we picked out only fit over her huge head after cutting it and only went down to her waist. They grow up so fast, right?! Even still, there is no denying that she is adorable.

Finally! I'm finished blogging about the cruise...now I can go back and blog about everything else that happened in the last few months! And while I do, I'll be planning our next cruise!

Zip and Dip in Honduras

2011-06-04T17:11:00.000-04:00

So for our third port we ended up in Honduras where Jessica's brother Michael is currently serving as a missionary. Jessica was giddy just for that little fact alone, but as it turns out there were plenty of other fantastic things to be giddy about in Honduras. Like, for instance, zip lining in the jungle.

When Jessica realized that some of the ziplines were going to be over 300 feet above the ground and over 1000 feet long she had a tiny panic attack. I'm happy to report that after I threw her off the first platform and she survived she found the experience quite liberating. (I'm kidding. I didn't have to throw her off. She did it all on her own.) There were 8 lines for us to go on with two cables each for safety. Jessica and I, and everyone else with us, had a blast leaping off the platforms, turning upside down and screaming like sissies all the way down the line. It was awesome. There really is no other feeling quite like that of running and jumping into air with the ground a hundred feet below and feeling your harness yank your insides and outsides up to your chest. Aside from the torturous harness straps threatening to end all hopes of future Lindquist children the excursion was very enjoyable. Props to Shari for facing her fears and taking the leap!

This is my infamous launch pose. You really have to have your game face on.

At the end of the ziplining there were a couple of monkeys that we could play with if we so chose. Surprisingly Jessica bravely so chose. The monkey crawled all over her, pulled her hair, sniffed her, tried to steal her money, and made her look slightly retarded. It was funny to watch. Personally, I was terrified and refused the monkey's advances.

After the zip line adventure we were bussed over to a private beach area belonging to a condo community there. They played loud music and tried to get everyone involved in games, but most people just sat around as if the only thing they wanted to do at the beach was lay in the sun. (lame) We were the first (and only) ones to volunteer for the canoe races. First the guys went and although my intense masculinity intimidated Perry and Jess they were able to some how pull ahead. Jessica and Cari won their race against Shari and Sarah, so at least one of the Lindquists was able to represent. For her valiant efforts we were awarded a free sprite. Might I add that Jessica is one hot oarer...oarswoman...oarator...oar-spinner-person...kayaker. We'll go with kayaker. The point is, she's hot and I like her a lot.

As you can probably tell from this picture, the backgrounds were amazing.

After our races we played two games of volleyball. Well, I suppose I should clarify: we spent some time watching each other serve and wishing we had enough skill to actually get a good volley going. In the end though the best server won. Twice. (I wont lie - it was me. Perry was a close, but distant, second). With the music playing and the sand flying it was a lot of fun to be there. At one point we all stopped playing to go over and do some dancing as well - which we rocked at. All in all the day at the beach and zip lining was super fun. Unfortunately for Shari and I, it was so fun that we neglected good sunscreen practices and burned our faces and arms and legs and shoulders right off. Poor Shari was fairly miserable the rest of the trip. I was sensitive and red-faced, but it came in handy during embarrassing moments.

You betta Belize dat!

2011-05-23T20:47:00.001-04:00

Continuing the Cruise saga, our second stop was in Belize City, Belize. Some of you may have heard that Belize is a poor and scary place to have a stop in and that you need to be very careful. We had heard that same thing from several people and that we should only do the excursions through the cruise and that we should...blah blah blah. We didn't. We went and booked a Cave-Tubing tour with VIV tours through shoretrips.com and we don't regret it at all.

So, when we first met our guides, I was honestly just the tiniest bit judgmental. The first one we met was Rocca. He's a black dude with yellowing eyes, dreadlocks, and baggy clothes. As we left the safety of the port with him silently leading the way I was thinking: "I hope we don't die." We jumped in the van with the other guide, Kareem, driving and began our trip. Rocca sat so he could face the back of the van and all of us and just began telling us all about Belize, the city, the people, the language, and the places we past as we made our 45 minute drive to our destination. Once he got going he seemed to open up a lot and was just super friendly and knowledgeable about everything around us. It made for an interesting drive, despite Jessica and I not being able to sit next to each other and whisper sweet nothings to each other. I had to settle for the stranger in the back.

The place we went to for the Cave Tubing is a national park where a lot of different tour companies bring their people. We were lucky enough to arrive just as it began raining a little and cooled the place down a bit. Our tubes were the Cadillacs of tubing, but for the first bit of the tour we had to carry them before they could carry us. We walked with our tubes for about 40 minutes through the jungle to get to the entrance of the cave. The trek was long, but we enjoyed talking to Rocca and Kareem about the plant life and animals around us. Kareem said he used to work in an office with a never-ending stack of paper work to do. Now his job is to take people through a 2 mile cave every day. Guess which one he likes better. I have to admit I'm a bit jealous of his current job.

Although, apparently not every tour guide has it so great. As Rocca and Kareem lazily pulled our 8 person groups down the river in the caves we were passed by a few tours on a time crunch. The cruise-booked tours are so big and are so time sensitive that the guides have to go as fast as they can. We watched a few poor guides working as hard as they could to pull 8 lazily floating tourists passed us. We enjoyed being able to listen to our guides talk about the caves, but honestly it was just interesting and on the verge of boring. Most of this trips enjoyment came after we got out of the cave. We jumped off rocks, we chewed allspice leaves, we watched people get stuck in the weeds and panic in three feet of water, we skipped rocks, and we laughed with Rocca and Kareem. And when I say we laughed with them it was because it was impossible not to laugh when Rocca laughed. It sounded like this, and this is only my second rate impression of what his laugh was.

The video is short because I think if the laugh was looped you'd all go a little bit crazy. As I was making it Jessica gave me the evil eye.

Anyway, after the caves Kareem and Rocca took us to a little restaurant with authentic food, and although it was not iguana like we wanted, the chicken, rice and beans were really good.
On the drive back to port as Rocca was telling us about the city we passed an LDS church and simultaneously we said "Hey that's our church!" and Rocca said "Hey, that's my church!" So it turns out he is a member there in Belize and we compared primary stories with him. His favorite primary song is "Popcorn Popping". Go figure. No matter where you go in the world the church is the same right down to the primary songs.
Its hard to really adequately describe how much fun we had in Belize, but it really was - great company, great conversation, great scenery, and great helmets. Being with our friends and making new ones with Rocca and Kareem was just a great experience and a lot of fun. "Don't stop Belizen!"

Cruise = Batrageously Bumpilicious (Part 2)

2011-05-17T22:09:00.000-04:00

Continuing on from the first post... (if you haven't read it, check it out)

Our first port on our Cruise through the Caribbean was in Cozumel, Mexico. We decided to do something wild and adventurous so we booked a tour to drive some two person dune buggies through the jungle there.

When we first arrived the tour guides brought out all these animals and told us that we were not allowed to take pictures with them, but that we could buy some from them. Uh, huh. I'm not down with that. I thought the tour might be lame because of that initial impression, but luckily I was very wrong. Turns out that a few lame animal pictures can't spoil a bumpy ride through the jungle or a trip to a bat cave.

The dune buggies were very bumpy, but a lot of fun to ride. Jessica had a headache before we even started out, so it wasn't as great for her, but I was squealing like a fat little kid at Halloween. We got to drive a lot longer than I anticipated, but if there was one time when I would have liked some rain it was during our Cozumel trip. All the reviews talked about getting super muddy, but without rain all we got was super dusty. We had to wear hankies over our faces so we didn't just make mud in our mouths. At one point they even let us gun it and take the buggies over a little jump to try and get some good air. Way cool.

Interestingly, the best part of the trip was the secondary attraction. About midway through the xrail driving we stopped at a bat cave. You know that old Batman joke? "What did batman say when he was sitting on the toilet?" "doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, Batman!!" (to the theme song) Well, it turns out that is very accurate. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to sing "guano guano guano, Batman!" So there was this big cave creating a natural water pool. Bats hang from the top of the cave. Then they poop into the water. The guides asked if we wanted to swim. Of course we said, "Heck yes." We all jumped in and felt the exuberant rush of inhaling the wonderfully delicate sent of sulfur and bat guano. Jessica gagged. Ben flopped. Cari made funny faces. Shari almost threw up. I laughed. A lot. The people who were with us but not part of our group chose not to swim and I'm positive they are regretting that decision even now. We all paddled through the murky waters to a low overhang that led into a separate cave where only a tiny sliver of light came through. We ducked under the stalactite and entered the pitch dark cave where we could see nothing, but hear the sound of hundreds of bats overhead. It was cool and creepy all at once. Nobody felt the need to spend too much time in there. We scurried out of the pool and laughed about what the slime on us might be composed of.

After our refreshing swim we hit the xrails again and drove back to where we began. I think we all drove a little bit faster in hopes we'd be able to get back on the ship and shower a few times. I make it sound a little gross, but actually it was quite fun. That is not something that we get to do every day (thankfully), but it is fun to do once in a life time. If you go to Cozumel, I highly recommend you take the tour, and take the dip too. Just try to forget that the water smells like a neglected construction site porta-potty.

Cruise = Fantasterrifically Awesmagically Perf-rad-ect (Part 1)

2011-05-15T13:19:00.015-04:00

Warning: The reading of this blog post (and the 4 to follow) may cause severe jealousy, dry mouth, envy, heart palpitations, dry eyes or death (by laughter). You may also experience the side effect known simply as reaching-for-wallet-to-book-my-own-awesome-cruise. If you experience any of these conditions please consult a travel agent immediately. Cruises are not right for everyone (read: small kids). This is going to be long.

So, as many of you know Jessica and I had the absolute good fortune of ditching out kids for an entire week and going on a cruise to the Caribbean with three other couples. It was a long time in the planning and it was a miracle that everything came together so perfectly to allow all of us to go at the same time. Before I get in to the events I want to give a big hearty and appreciative shout-out to all the babysitters who made it possible. Eliza, without you our kids would have been extremely lost and scared while we were having fun in the Caribbean. Thanks for not making us neglectful. You're terrific.

So on Saturday morning Jessica and I leaped from bed at 4:30 am to begin the excitement! We met Jess and Cari, and Perry and Sarah and began the drive down to Port Canaveral, FL to meet up with Ben and Shari. The drive went by surprisingly quickly after we fired Perry as navigator. The fact that nobody was asking if we were there yet probably helped as well.

The Ship: Carnival Dream
So, what did we do when we were stranded on a ship in the middle of the ocean? Whatever we wanted!! We sunbathed on the deck of ship, we ate, we read books, we slept, we ate, we showered, we ate, we ate, we talked and ate at the same time, we played Cranium, we ate, we did some Karaoke, we ate, and then we had dinner.

Funny thing about dinner: our dinner seating assignment was at 6pm. When we got there it was very crowded and we were at a long table so we couldn't all talk to each other at the same time. Brave Perry asked the Maitre'd if we could get a different table. The Maitre'd, whose name was Ante and who was from Croatia, said he'd be happy to get us a circle table at 8pm with the young crowd and was surprised to find us there at all. It was only then that we noticed that, indeed, we were the youngest people in the dining room by far. Apparently only oldies-but-goodies eat at 6pm on a cruise. So we were moved to a nice spot on the second floor of the dining area at the table waited on by Jose Luis and Johnny - both from Peru. They were awesome and kept up with all of our demands: "No, foreal, nobody at this table wants coffee or alcohol." "Yes, Cari really does want to order one of each, and yes she really does plan on eating all of them." "Yes, that really is the sound of us rubbing the tops of our glasses with our fingers." The dining room food and desserts were really good and it was fun to have so much variety. They had these delectable fruit soups as appetizers that were simply delicious. Jessica even dared to try a lot of the features, including lobster (which she describes as feeling and tasting like a glob of fat). We were all very proud of her culinary bravery.

Unfortunately the food outside of the Dining room was mostly just OK. The french toast was good, the Indian food was not bad, the burrito bar was good, but the chocolate bar they had one night was....gross. I think the "chocolate" bar was collected after the burrito bar was all eaten up, if you know what I mean. The one gift that kept on giving was the soft serve ice cream machine. I think I probably had 15 cones of ice cream or frozen yogurt during the trip. Jessica probably had 15 on the first day. And hers were no joke - perfectly formed twirls of chocolatey-vanilla deliciousness piled 6 inches high on a tiny fragile cake cone. MMMmmmm.

Some things you should know about Karaoke: I sing horribly, especially with a live band behind me. At least they were so loud I did not have to hear myself. Everyone else looked like they were having a good time imagining me dead with duct tape over my mouth. But, you know who sings worse? 4 tween girls picking random songs out of the book. When we got to Karaoke one night we were excited to see that we were the only ones in the room besides these girls. That excitement ended when we a) heard them, and b) saw they occupied the next 10 slots on the line up. Where was a Mexican kidnapping cartel that night? Jessica and the other ladies with us sang some Dixie Chicks and then we bolted. Relatively they sounded like Celine Dion (the best singer in the world).

There was a family friendly comedy show each night before dinner that we enjoyed attending. The comics were hit and miss, but usually we ended up laughing quite a bit. Since it was "family friendly" there was no swearing or sex jokes...but there was also not a whole lot of material it seemed. Random kids without parents around would sit in the front row and the comedian would try to pull something funny out of them - sometimes watching them choke for material was funny enough. The downer to this part of the cruise was Jeff "the fun dude" Shaw. He was the guy who introduced the comedian each night, told the family friendly rules, and tried to tell a few jokes. The dude was a dork. He was so unfunny that the only time we laughed was when we made fun of him after the fact. When he tried to tell people to take their crying kids out of the room during the show he made it so awkwardly uncomfortable that I'm amazed everyone didn't just leave. Also awkwardly uncomfortable: his jokes about him being like Ellen Degeneres. The truth is, they are probably a lot a like, except she is funny, happy, and likes other people.

On the ship there is this wonderful quick water slide that shoots you faster than you might think into a toilet bowl type thing at the bottom where you slide in circles until your momentum finally dies. Perry won the contest between the men for the number of times around the circle. By only letting his shoulder blades and one heal touch the slide he made it around the bowl 6 times! For a trophy he got to take home wing-shaped flesh wounds on his shoulder blades. I failed miserably at this, but I did dive in once head first on my belly and another time head first on my back - both of which were very much against the rules, but also extremely fun.

One of the other really fun things we did as a group was crash the dance club in our jammies. There was no real reason for this except that we could. We danced like we were all back in high school. It was a lot of fun and we totally owned that dance floor! By owned, I mean we flopped around like hyper fish. Who knew that Jessica and I could still move that much, that fast, that fluidly? Probably nobody. But now that we know it we are going to dance a lot more often in our living room, that is fo sho.

There were also a couple of formal nights for which Jessica looked absolutely stunning. I felt like I was some kid escorting a hot actress because I won some sort of lottery. Seriously. Have you seen that blue dress? Jessica + wavy hair + blue dress = Amaaaaaaaazazing.

One of the shows we saw was this hilarious juggler named Edge. He was very entertaining to watch and Ben and I even got to go up on stage to help him out with his Chinese yo-yo tricks. He would spin this yo-yo around and then chuck it at Ben's face where he had a kite-shaped bow that would bounce it to my kite-shaped bow that would bounce it to the girl with a giant net to catch it with. I'll admit that I was a little skerd of the thing hitting me in the face, and even though I caught it with the bow it did hit me in the nose a bit. No harm done and the show was fabulous. I even got to tell my own little joke on stage!

We saw a couple of good variety shows and did some other stuff on the ship, but I won't continue to bore you. Suffice to say: the ship itself, with the shows, the mini-golf, the hot tubs, and the giant movie screen was a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday, Penny!

2011-03-29T09:54:00.001-04:00

Our little Penny is one year old!!! It seems like she just came to us, but at the same time, I don't really remember what life was like without her.

We celebrated last night with the Winns, whose little boy Rhett turned one on Friday. We had dinner and then cupcakes, which the birthday babies demolished in minutes. When they were nice and covered in frosting and cake, they held hands and smiled and tried their best to scrape as much frosting off their hands with their teeth as possible. Then they had a coed bath (I don't have those pictures yet) to clean up. It was a fun night with great friends.

Some things about Penny right now:
She loves to eat bread, crackers, and Nutrigrain bars, but will eat baby food jars of fruits and vegetables and yogurt if I beg.
She loves to wrestle with her dad and brothers.
Every day when Brody gets on the bus, she waves bye-bye to the bus.
She has a 6th sense of when the stairway gate is open and will bolt to the stairs and climb up before anyone notices.
She is terrified of going back down the stairs.
She is usually happy and usually a good sleeper.
We love her so bad.

It wouldn't be a party without the dads trying to stuff whole cupcakes into their mouths. Oh wait- it would still be a party. It would just be civilized. Right guys?

Penny Learns to walk and talk and balk

2011-03-14T20:45:00.004-04:00

So, I understand that many of those who may read our blog have not been privileged to see sweet little Penny using her new found ability to carry herself to trouble on her own to feet! This video should remedy that. Its a little long at 4 minutes, but it starts Feb 6th and finishes yesterday. It was less than a week between her first couple steps and her walking all over the place. I hope you all enjoy!

(oh, and it was filmed using our awesome Flip HD Ultra, so you can make it bigger and see her snotty nose up close and personal!)

Best. Birthday. Ever.

2011-02-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

I turned 28 last week. That's kind of old, right? 27 seems so much younger than 28. I'm not afraid of getting older, though. I think it's fun to look back on my life and see all of the experiences and choices that have brought me to where I am today.

I am so lucky to have a good husband and good friends. It's something that is very important to me- having people around me who I can count on and trust with anything- especially since I am so far away from family. I have met such good people in my life who have made my life richer and more enjoyable. On my birthday, I was reminded of how blessed I am to have people who love me.

I woke up on my birthday to balloons filled with messages, streamers all over the house, and a pan of brownies, all of which Adam had woken up at 4:30 to prepare. Then I got to go to lunch with my friends Cari and Shalynn, which was SO FUN!! I love adult conversation! They're so nice. When I got home, Adam was home from work early and had cleaned the house while I was at lunch. I was thinking what a great birthday I was having. Then it got better! Adam said we were running to Walmart so we loaded the kids in the car and took off. Then we saw Cari's van going to our house so we turned around and Adam ran to "see what was going on". He called me inside and the biggest surprise was on my couch. My friend Hannah, who moved away 15 months ago and who I haven't seen since was in my house! She had flown in from Texas to surprise me. It was SOOOOOOOO COOL!

So we spent the weekend together having fun and talking and getting pedicures. Then on Friday, my friend Rachel from Atlanta showed up at the door and surprised me. So many fun surprises!

Adam pretty much took over household/parenting responsibilities for the weekend so I could enjoy it. He also put together a surprise slumber party with a bunch of my friends so Friday night he took the kids to a friend's house for the night and we had the house to ourselves. We played dance games on the Wii, talked, ate junk, laughed, and finally fell asleep around 3:30. It was so fun!

Just Dance 2- Rachel was such a cute little pregnant good sport. And Megan pretended like she didn't like it but now she secretly plays in her own living room. =)

Kelly made me a YUMMY strawberry cheesecake that we ate at MIDNIGHT.

This is my favorite picture! Sarah and Harrison snuggled together sleeping. SO CUTE!

Cari and April- love these girls!

Hannah, me and Rachel

So pretty much what I'm saying is that my 28th birthday ended up being the best birthday I've ever had. I have nice friends and a nice husband and a nice family who bombarded me with nice phone calls all day. I'm telling you- I'm blessed.

A little catching up to do...

2011-01-16T13:44:00.003-05:00

For those of you who are devout fans of our blog this is about to be very exciting for you, because we have a load of pics to show you. For those of you who aren't devout fans you must not know us - get out!
In the last few months a lot has happened that we haven't gotten around to blogging about so I'm going to try and do some catching up; mostly with pictures, but with a few choice words as well.
Below we have our first specimen. As a Christmas season tradition Jess and I hold a white elephant gift party at our house with a bunch of friends. As in times past this years (or last years now...) was a riot. Some of the great gifts included ancient cheese balls, half eaten chocolates, ladies heals, a cheese hat, a sad Santa, and this years favorite pictured below. Unknown to Cari Winn, she gave an autographed photo to Ben Davis; the reaction was hilarious.

For some stupid reason I decided to go fishing with some guys from work in the middle of December. The boat we were on drove us 50 mph across the lake and I just about turned magically into Frosty the Snowman. And to top it off, all I caught was this one lame fish.

As always we went to Lights of the South, but this year's fun was marred by a 45 minute wait to get in to the place. "Really? You're gonna have a thousand people and two registers? Really? How bout you ask Santa for a few more registers and some brains."
On the plus side, we cheered up the World as a whole by showcasing Penny in this outfit.

Our good friends the Woodwards had us and others over for a Murder Mystery dinner. It was a lot of fun. You may not be able to tell, but my character was a highly intelligent, very attractive, absolutely funny studmuffin. Jessica's character was not. She was an old maid.

The night before Christmas we dressed up with some friends and did a nativity play with the kids. It went miraculously smoothly, and the kids may have even figured out what we were doing.

My new camera has a setting that we take auto shots 10 at a time. We took advantage with quick funny faces. All below are actual funny faces, except for Bridger's - he really looks like that.

For Christmas this year the boys got a lot of good stuff and were pretty (obligatorily) grateful for all of it for about an hour. It was fun to see their excitement opening the gifts and helping us and Penny open ours as well. I think the star of the show this year was that they both got Leapsters, which have provided some very pleasant trips shopping. For those who don't have leapsters, here is what you do. 1) buy leapsters 2) go shopping with kids 3) put kids in cart with leapsters 4) enjoy shopping without crazy kids running all over the place and asking you to buy everything they see. Its awesome.

Oh, and I got an electric shaver that has converted my face to a baby face. (assuming your baby shaves very closely)

Penny is an animal; a very, very, extremely cute animal. Oh, and she is also a little "Emo" - Rockstars are jealous, Zebra's are confused.

Jess and I got some gift cards to go out to Outback steakhouse. We took advantage of them just this last friday night. We left the house with a babysitter in charge and zoomed off to eat at 5:30. It was only 3 hours later that we were finally seated and eating!! Our names were on the list for an hour and a half! What is going on here, people? Food was good, the company was awesome. I love my wife.

After Christmas we took advantage of the half off sales to get a kit for gingerbread houses and let the boys make their own. They really enjoyed it and did pretty well at putting them together. However, I think the part that Bridger liked best was putting it in his mouth. He licked that house clean.

This is the scrunchy, squinty version of Penny. We looooove her face! (and so do you of course.)

Our boys are pretty fantastic too. They are both very smart and mostly well behaved. Brody's reading skills are amazing, and Bridger's ability to make Penny laugh is too. How did we get by without these three little people to make us so happy and crazy?

We rang in the New Year with a Wii dance party. Our rad friends, the Galans, have the game "Just Dance" - and boy, did we! It was a lot of fun, and a lot of exercise. In case any of you are confused, the picture above is actually me, not just my face on a 12 year old's body. Also, I dance just as well as you might imagine a skinny white boy would. I have a video of the girls doing the dance, but I think they would all threaten my life if I were to post it for all to see! Let's just say I never knew Jess could move like that.

We also did some karaoke in which Jess and I were able to showcase our fabulous singing voices. For those who don't know, I sound like Josh Groban (in my head) and Jessica sounds like Lady GaGa (in my head).

Bridger turned 4, as noted in the previous post. We had a little birthday for him at our house. In the backyard we played "Red light, green light" and he got to be the sign holder - hence the look of pure enjoyment below. Its the power. Bridger loves to have the power! Unfortunately for Jessica, it was too much for her. The children mobbed her.

What Bridger doesn't like is... well, pretty much everything else about his party. That kid's face looked like the below depiction 95% of the time. This particular shot is right after the no-hit, lame pinata emptied its candy at his feet. Wouldn't you be upset if a bunch of candy landed on your foot?

This year we got a little snow again, only this time it quickly turned to ice. The boys learned its a little difficult to do ice angels, but that in the excited words of Bridger: "its real ice! it tastes just like what comes out of the freezer! its really real!"

And, I will leave you with this adorable shot. Penny standing, and clapping with pigtails and shoes. Seriously, I have to hand it to Jess and I - we make really, really cute kids.

Happy Birthday, Bridger!

2010-12-30T12:34:00.002-05:00

I love this boy. He has so much personality. He is always thinking of others and always has a compliment for you. ("I really like your dress, Mom. You look like a princess!") He loves to sing and dance, but not in front of other people. He tries really hard to remember to say thank you and to show appreciation for what others do for him. He loves Lightning McQueen and Curious George and peanut butter and honey sandwiches. He is such a good big brother to Penny. His eyes light up when he sees her and he can make her laugh more than anyone else. He is such a blessing to us and we're so grateful he's ours.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Heather, we decided to put balloons in his room so when he woke up he could see all the balloons and be so happy! Well, maybe it's not such a good idea when he wakes up before the sun. He came out confused saying, "Mom, there are so many balloons in my room...I won't be able to get out of my room when it's time to wake up." (He was already awake AND out of his room). We went and turned the light on and then he was happy and excited about the balloons. It was a little anti-climactic for me.

Happy 4th Birthday, Bridger!

Ouch

2010-12-28T08:11:00.003-05:00

See these two tiny little teeth? They have caused a lot of suffering around here. Poor little Penny has been working on those teeth for months. They are finally here and guess what? They're sharp. So sharp that Penny is now 100% on bottles. Her smile is still as cute as ever, though.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T15:27:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We're so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us. We love you all and hope you have a wonderful new year full of blessings and happiness.

Christmas Time

2010-12-22T16:13:00.002-05:00

We have been busy with Christmas activities all month long. Between Christmas parties, decorating, trimming TWO trees (we found a little tree at a garage sale so the boys get to decorate their own with all of their homemade ornaments), making cookies, Christmas crafts, and school activities, we have been busier than we've been in a long time. It's nice to have fun things to do, but I also love to hang out at home watching Christmas movies with popcorn and hot chocolate. Here are some pictures of what we have done.

I've always wanted to string popcorn and put it around the tree. This year I finally did it. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. It was fun!

I got this advent calendar from here and it has been really fun for the boys to pick their surprises every day. Most days are a Hershey kiss but there are also some bigger treats too. Some of their favorites so far have been Pez dispensers, movie night (we watched Elf), and ornament craft, and Go Fish cards.

I made these with old frames I had lying around and with my sweet cutting machine. I saw it here and pretty much copied it. I LOVE it and can use it every year (minus the bottom text).

I love that our nativity set has Mary holding baby Jesus instead of Him being in the manger. Who doesn't want to hold their newborn all day long and memorize their little facial features?

This is just a bonus. Penny likes to crawl up to the office door when it's closed and give us her sad eyes until we open the door for her. She also likes to "latch on" to the glass on the door. It's attractive, right?

Falling

2010-12-02T15:14:00.001-05:00

Fall here in Georgia is so nice. It's such a nice reprieve from the summer heat. It represents the end of heat, humidity, and miserable sweaty days. We have some old trees in our backyard that we are so thankful that the builder left for us. We get thousands of leaves falling onto our grass. We also have a trampoline a few feet away from said grass. Adam decided it would be fun for ~~him~~ the boys to fill the trampoline with leaves and go hog wild. He even hid under the huge pile of leaves and when they came out, he jumped out and scared them. They had so much fun. Something about boys and anything dirty just go so well together.

Leaf angels.

Adam obviously joined in on the fun and made it rain leaves on the boys to their hearts content.

For Bridger's preschool Thanksgiving feast, we made these turkey cookies. Yeah, they're cute, but they taste SOOOO good!

Fall Picnic

2010-11-06T11:54:00.000-04:00

I love when the weather starts to get cooler. It's such a relief from the hot sweltering heat and humidity here in Georgia. Brody and Bridger spent hardly any time outside during the summer and so now they are loving it. They played outside for over an hour and a half today. Being friends and building and digging. Then for lunch they had a little picnic on the trampoline with all the fall leaves that I refuse to remove until they're done falling. They interlocked their legs and laughed and smiled and relaxed while they ate. It made me happy. It was just a small moment in life that made me appreciate the wonderful little people that are mine. Now they are back to pushing each others buttons and arguing, but you can't have the good without the bad, right??

Halloween Part 2

2010-11-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Penny as Pebbles Flintstone. Maybe someday I'll try to post the video of her going after Brody's candy pile. I don't know how babies come out knowing what is inside those candy wrappers.

The boys both wanted to be Spiderman. Brody picked the black one because he said it meant he could be mean. What I'm wondering is, why are they standing like that? And why do they make kids' costumes so lame? Bridger's is pretty great with the muscles that bulk him up (although he was convinced his muscles weren't muscles, but things that only mommies have). Brody's costume could easily be used as a leotard. Don't worry, though. Today we picked up some better quality costumes for 50% off for next year.

Halloween Part 1

2010-11-01T21:50:00.000-04:00

Every year, I get excited about all of the traditional holiday activities. It seems like the holidays all start with carving pumpkins for Halloween. I always think it will be so fun for the boys to pick a design and help us carve the design into a pumpkin that we joyfully pick out at the store. This year, it started just like I imagined. A fun trip to Walmart where the boys picked out the coolest pumpkins they could find. We invited some friends over, which always adds to the excitement. Picking out the design- exciting and fun. We're on a roll, right? Right! Then it comes time to scrape the pumpkin guts out and it starts to get less exciting. Here is a representation of what I always think the whole night will be like:

Here is a representation of what most of us feel like when it's all done:

This is a pretty common face for Bridger these days. He's kind of pouty. I can't remember what this was about but it probably had something to do with him not wanting to help with the pumpkins.

This is what he did instead:

This is what I'm talking about (happy faces!):

This is NOT what I'm talking about:

The final product:

Maybe next year I'll look back on this post and realize that it's not as cool as it is in my head. But we'll probably do it again anyway. Because that is what traditions are for.

Going Back to the Time of Adam's Birth

2010-10-24T21:21:00.004-04:00

This last week, Adam turned 30. That's right. He's old. I am now officially married to an old guy. For his birthday bash, I decided to ask everyone to come dressed in 80's garb (Adam was born in 1980). Best decision I have ever made. Seriously. If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then here are like a million amazing, hilarious, and disturbing words for you:

Shari and Kelly came as a couple since their husbands are both deployed.

The Galans.

The Pilkingtons.

The Winns. You are seeing zebra print spandex pants and not just imagining it.

The Rhodeses.

Adam was depressed that he was the only guy without a wig. Also, I'm not sure why we don't have a picture of the Glovers but he had a pretty amazing mullet and she paint splattered her shirt.

Group photo. These are some of the funniest people ever. I had to really use a lot of bladder control around these peeps.

We played a bunch of "Minute to Win It" games and it was so fun! And hilarious. And not just because everyone looked like fools trying to complete a task dressed like a freak (as illustrated in the pictures below).

Blowing cups down with balloon air. I couldn't complete this task because I was laughing too hard. Have you ever tried to blow a balloon up while laughing? You probably can't do it, either.

Stacking M&Ms on straws. And Cari having a good ol' time in the background.

This chick can get a cookie from her forehead to her mouth in 6 seconds flat in case any of you were wondering.

Getting pennies out the toes of pantyhose. See all the cute little babies in the background?

Megan got the pennies so fast but then couldn't get her arms back out of the pantyhose. Hil. Arious.

Check out the no smoking sign shirt thingy. Who DIDN'T own one of those?

This sure is what I married. Pretty hot, right?

Shari shaking her booty to get the ping pong balls out of the Kleenex box strapped to her bum. Ben, if you are reading this, it was hot. Smokin' hot.

Dantzel rocking hard core for those ping pong balls.

Don't you love those gloves?

No words.

Is it just me or does it look like Aaron is doing a graceful dance? Or maybe tiptoeing?

Mullet buddies. Sadly.

And there you have it. Happy Birthday, Adam! I hope you enjoyed your twenties, because it's all downhill from here.

True Love

2010-10-15T12:54:00.002-04:00

Bridger loves Penny more than I've ever seen a little boy love anyone. When I bring Penny down from her bed in the morning, Bridger's eyes light up and he stops whatever he is doing to come play with her and try to get her to smile, although he really doesn't have to try. The feeling is mutual. When Penny sees Bridger, she'll let out a giggle without him even looking at her.

You have to click on this picture to see the amazingness that is her opening her mouth wide enough to eat her food and then her spoon and then Bridger.

The other day Bridger asked if he could feed Penny her breakfast. He did great! And she loved it. I hope they stay close friends forever.

Mid-sneeze. She looks funny. And kind of sad. But she's not.

My Source of Happiness

2010-10-05T20:15:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I was feeling overwhelmed and unhappy in my situation in life. Being at home all day with kids who don't appreciate anything I do gets draining. I was tired from not getting a lot of sleep and feeling sorry for myself. Then I had a dream that one of my children was taken from me. I woke up scared and tremendously sad. I hugged each of my children more often that day and realized that I had been taking so many things in my life for granted. Every day since I have tried to appreciate the funny things they say, the innocent little faces each of them have, and their individual personalities that are so bright and happy. It is hard sometimes, with the tantrums and whining and bad attitudes. I am really trying to show them my love more and to enjoy (almost) every moment I have with them. I love them so much and they really do make me happy.

This is Brody on his way out the door for the bus. He was in a hurry and not thrilled about having to stop for a picture. He is so big and is learning so much.

Bridger loves his family. All day long I hear, "You're the best mommy ever ever ever" even after he gets in trouble. He loves Penny more than I've ever seen a little boy love his sister.

Penny is scooting all over the place and is starting to sit up on her own. She is getting so big and remains our sweet happy baby.

Love Them

2010-10-03T17:17:00.003-04:00

I am so grateful for these three men. They are such good examples of faith, kindness, gratitude and having a positive attitude. I needed to hear everything I heard in General Conference. I want the feelings of hope and the desire to be better to last long enough for me to change. I'm looking forward to finishing the sessions I missed yesterday...while I was working the Oliver Hardy Festival...more on that to come.

Scooter

2010-09-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

Penny is now mobile. Especially when there is a cell phone that is not within her reach. Or if there is a spot of carpet that hasn't been barfed on for a while. We get so excited when she scoots around so we cheer and clap and laugh and she just looks at us like, "Yeah, what of it?" I love her.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2010-09-25T12:02:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe a few weeks ago on a blog called Oopsey-Daisy and have been really excited to try it. I love anything with cinnamon and sugar. I could eat just the streusel that goes on top of apple crisp like popcorn. I have tried a few cinnamon-y recipes in the past that were okay, but these muffins were SO GOOD! The muffins alone (even without the topping) have such a great flavor. Maybe you should go make them right now! Here's the recipe:

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Muffins

2 c. flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. cream of tartar

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. butter, melted

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping

1 c. sugar

2 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either butter a 12-cup muffin tin or use cupcake papers.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix lightly with a fork.

Fill the muffin cups with batter. Top each muffin with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. It can be applied heavily.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Camping Out

2010-09-19T08:35:00.013-04:00

Last weekend I took the boys out for a little camping with some of our friends and this was the result: Dirty faces, lots of sweets, running around with flash lights trying to scare people, throwing rocks in the lake, trying to catch little fish with our bare hands, making sand creations on the beach, going for nature walks, checking out the nature station at the park (who knew beavers were so huge?), and staying up late listening to the noisy forest around us. It was fun. I'm pretty sure the boys think being out in the woods is better than Disney World. At least, there was less complaining. Of course, how could they not be happy with no need for hygiene and a mouth full of fire roasted marshmallows?

Rockstar

2010-09-13T08:15:00.000-04:00

Last night Penny went to bed around 6:45, ate at 6:00am, then slept until 8:00. That's my kind of baby. She really is a rockstar. And I'm not just talking about her hair.

Attack of the Hair!

2010-09-08T20:51:00.002-04:00

Um, I can't even come up with words cute enough for this picture. Maybe you can, how about a caption contest! Give it your best shot.

Attitude of Gratitude

2010-09-05T16:26:00.004-04:00

Last night was quite the adventure. I was pretty sick and took some Nyquil to help me sleep but told Jessica to wake me if she needed me during the night to help with Penny. Well it turns out she didn't have to wake me. At around 10pm Bridger burst into our room. He covered his mouth and Jessica ferried him to our toilet where we had to watch him retch over and over. It was the first time since a baby that he had to vomit and it was really sad to watch, but he took it like a champ. He didn't cry, just talked normally in that little voice and went back to bed. The second time, he ran into our room with a blood-curdling scream that scared us half to death. He went in a and threw up again and went back to bed. Unfortunately, the scenario repeated itself every 45 minutes for about 5 hours straight. He couldn't keep anything down.

Sometime in the night the power shut off too and we worried that Penny would wake without her white noise fan.
Then, early in the morning Brody came in to tell us he wet the bed.
Then Jessica woke me with her sobbing. She had dreamed that Bridger died.
Overall, I'd say last night ranks high on our list of worst nights ever, but on the upside Penny didn't need to eat until almost 5, so that was nearly 10 hours straight.

With all this, and being a bit sick myself, its actually hard not to be grateful. Strangely all these things just serve to remind me how wonderful we normally have it. That our kids being sick and sad is something rare. That we have comfy beds and a home to sleep in. That Brody and Bridger are completely out of diapers, and normally don't wet the bed. That our children are alive and well and generally happy. We have everything that we could need and much more. Even at times like this when things aren't "perfect" we are well taken care of and have medicine and food and water. We have the Church. We have awesome friends. We have it all.

I think of all the families in Pakistan and Afghanistan who have lost their meager livelihoods and homes, who worry about strangers or bombs killing them in the night, who wonder what they will eat the next day, who ache for rest and health. What would it be like to be a parent there? A parent who loves and cares for and worries about their children just as I do mine, but they don't have the comfort and ease that I enjoy, or even the means to give their children what they need. And not just there, but places all over the world. How can I not be overwhelmingly grateful for everything we have and enjoy on a daily basis? We have it so good, its amazing. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much.

Penny Candy

2010-08-14T10:20:00.003-04:00

Penny is now 4 1/2 months old. She weighs 16 pounds and is 25 1/2 inches long. She seemed so small to me until I saw my friend's newborn yesterday and Penny was like a giant compared to little Everlee.

Here are some reasons why we love Penny:

First of all, look at that face. When she smiles, she has a dimple in her right cheek. She loves being tickled and listening to us sing to her. She can roll from front to back but then gets frustrated because she hardly ever gets back to where she likes to be.

She is sleeping well at night, only getting up once to eat in 12-13 hours. Naps aren't fantastic, but we take what we can get.

She rarely cries in the car anymore. That was annoying while it lasted.

She is almost always happy. Even when she's hungry or tired, we can usually get a little giggle out of her. She babbles and squeals and is generally delicious.

And finally, she is very studious....

We love her face off.

Bridger's Turn!

2010-08-12T12:42:00.003-04:00

Today was Bridger's first day of preschool. I knew it was coming and we were both looking forward to it but it just kind of snuck up on me. I dropped him off and he was a little nervous but then he suddenly looked up at me and smiled and said, "Bye, Mom!" And that was that. I left feeling strange and came home and hung out with Penny for a while. I even got to sew in peace during her nap!

When Bridger got home he told me all about his day and how much fun he had. He was most excited about the fact that he got to ride home with his friends.

I was a little lonely without Bridger today, but I have a feeling I'll get used to it.

Back to School. Back to School....

2010-08-09T11:23:00.004-04:00

"...to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Ohhhh, back to school. Back to school. Back to school. Well, here goes nothing."

Today was a big day for Brody. First day of Kindergarten. First day riding the bus. First day in a long time he'll come home to a relaxed mom.

Waiting for the bus.

We met Brody's teacher and bus driver Friday night at open house and they are both really sweet. The bus driver came right up to our house to pick him up, which will be really nice for me.

This morning Brody was so excited...I had butterflies in my stomach when the bus pulled up. It's hard to put your little kid on a bus with big kids and not very much supervision. I'm sure he did great. I'm so excited for him to experience a good school with good teachers. He's going to love it!

This was Brody's face when he saw the bus pulling up. Pure excitement.

I was tempted to just get on the bus with him and ride to school with him. It was a bittersweet moment. Bridger broke down and cried watching the bus pull away. Poor kid was missing his playmate already.

The Other Side

2010-08-02T20:56:00.008-04:00

Hi! It's Adam. You can probably tell by the curiously handsome writing and overly mediocre wit. I'm going to blog today about the time I was able to spend with my parents a couple of weeks ago. As some of you know (and most of you don't) my 'rents have had enough of America and are moving to a new and wondrous country full of opportunity and pineapples called Hawaii. I hear it's strange there; men wear skirts, women wear coconuts, and babies can hold their breath for an hour while riding dolphins in between surf lessons. It sounds amazing and maybe that is why they are choosing to abandon me and move to this strange land. Maybe the lure of long walks on beaches, dangerous volcanoes, and the set of "Lost" are all just too much for them to resist. Perhaps they will have the heart to at least fly us out there in a couple of years and watch our kids while Jess and I honeymoon on a totally different island.

In any case, on their drive to the island they decided to stop off at our place in Georgia and have one last hoorah. They were actually nice enough to fly me up there on Sunday night so that I could drive down with them from Indianapolis and just share some no-kid time with them - something we have not been able to do since I was like 5 or something. I know that 12 hours in the car and one night in a motel on a full bed (advertised as a queen) doesn't sound like a blast, but it was actually quite a lot of fun. I suppose that some people out there might not like their parents or have nothing to say to them, but I LOVE my parents and enjoy just about every minute with them. It was quite fabulous to just sit and talk to them for hours and hours. We did play a game or two and eat some food as well, but mostly it was just time in the car talking and laughing and crying - and then stopping to get gas. ( the fuel kind- though, that BBQ place was a little iffy.) I love that in a series of conversations with my parents we can laugh about memorable "natural gas leaks" (much like an oil leak, except the blowout-preventer usually works), and also share spiritual experiences and thoughts.

Well, we obviously made it down to Georgia without dying (thanks to my Mom's excellent driving skills). The next few days with them were a blur of wrestling, and trips to the pool. Unfortunately I had to work most of the days they were here so I wasn't able to spend that much time with them during the day, but after the kids went to bed we could play games and talk.

Let me just tell you this: in the mind of my little boys they have two Grandma's, one Grandpa, and one hairy jungle gym with gorilla hands. I have no idea where my Dad gets all the energy that he expends wrestling with Brody and Bridger. He must save it up during the year and store it in his...love handles. (Sorry Dad, I suppose that's a better explanation than reality, right?) The fact is Brody and Bridger loved being able to wrestle and play with their Grandpa Gym. They also loved that my Mom was patient enough to play Sorry with them for like three hours straight. Once again, she must save up patience all year. (And I don't know where she stores it. Since she is practically perfect in every way she probably has a magical purse full of it. And I'm not full of it.)

Luckily we also have a pool in our neighborhood that allowed us to take a break from wrestling...or at least move locations. It was a lot of fun to go to the pool each day and play sharks and pirates and monsters and blow water at each other and throw kids through the air. Good times. I'm sure you can tell from the pictures how much fun we had. Don't you wish you could have been there? And now a commercial break.

Hello Georgia friends! How are you? Fantastic! Does your pool look like my pool? No! Can your pool BE my pool? Yes! Should you come over and swim in our pool? I don't know! Do you like the
look of fresh cool water? Do you want to dive into clear deliciousness and lounge while your children splash and play? Of course you do! Swan Dive! - into the best pool friendship of your life. So Georgia friends, Should you come over and swim in our pool? You tell me!
(If you don't get why that is funny shame on you. Watch this!)

Now back to our regular programming. While the 'rents were here my Mom had her Birthday. Can you guess from the picture how old she is now? If you guessed 35 you are probably closest. Obviously! Look at that youthful smile! We had a simple celebration.
Also while they were here Jessica and I were able to go on a date without kids. The kind without kids are fun. We decided to go to Adventure Crossing and play some air hockey and a round of mini golf. Let me just say that I am way better at both of those things than Jessica. So how she won both of them is a mystery to me. However, losing has never been so much fun. I love being a loser. It was a lot of fun to act like teenagers again and laugh carelessly. It was also a lot of fun to look at the actual teenagers there and remember how nice it is to not be two of them.
I can't really remember what else happened during the week. It was fun. I will miss my parents A LOT. It's not like we lived very close when they lived in Indiana or Illinois, but Hawaii...well, its a totally different country. I wish them luck there and hope that they have tons of financial success and meet lots of great people who see how awesome my parents are.

This is Penny. "Hey Penny, Richard Simmons called. He wants his head band back."

The Sixth and Final of Many Posts About Our Trip to Las Vegas: Family

2010-07-22T20:06:00.005-04:00

This is everyone. Well, everyone minus Adam, which seems to happen more than it should. He had to leave halfway through our vacation to go back to work, which was/is lame.

This is when my brother Michael went through the temple. I'm so glad I was able to be there. He's special...and not in a handicapped kind of way.

My mom pretends that she's not hilarious but here's proof that she's funny (and attractive). Side note: Zach, that doesn't look right. Are you sure that period doesn't go after the parenthesis?

All six of us were together. That hardly ever happens. These are my peeps. For real.

It was so so so good to see Jacob. We weren't very close growing up. As in we hated each other's guts. I love that as a grown-up, he is funny and has become a lot less violent (wink to Jacob) and a lot more considerate. He made me laugh. A lot. And how cute is he as an uncle? Also, I kept Jack's face in the picture because he smiles whenever a camera is out and I like it.

The Fifth of Many Posts About Our Trip to Las Vegas: High School Friends

2010-07-22T19:55:00.003-04:00

Whenever I go back home, I try to see some of my old friends. Kendra and Heather are now moms, just like I am. It is always fun to get together and catch up. This time was no exception. We took the kids to a jumpy bouncy place and they LOOOVED it. Brody still talks about wanting to go there again soon. Too bad.
These are two cool girls.

Brody, Marissa, Gabe, Bridger, Casen

(Gabe always has his hand around Marissa. He is a sweet big brother.)

The Fourth of Many Posts About Our Trip to Las Vegas: Trips to the Pool(s)

2010-07-22T19:37:00.004-04:00

We went to the pool quite a few times while in Las Vegas. It is way too hot there. The humidity here is suffocating and disgusting but when I was outside there, I could feel my skin burning. It is slightly worse than the heat here. I think.

We went to the pool at the condo that we own there but it was kind of lame. My sister Eliza lives at an apartment complex with a really great pool. There is a kiddie section, a really cool waterfall-over-rocks thingy and nice chairs with shady umbrellas. She let us swim there a few times and we loved it there. It was a nice escape from the gross hot air. We went once with most of my siblings but I don't have those pics. Adam was a kind photographer. I guess I could have taken some pictures of him but I'm not thoughtful like that.

Brody learned to swim while we were there, which is awesome since I spent $10 on some nice arm floaties right before we left for Vegas. Now he's too good for them apparently. He was so excited that he learned how to swim and that he's not afraid to go underwater anymore.

Bridger and I hung out together. He had fun jumping into my arms in the pool. He's a sweet little boy. Also, don't worry. I cropped out Brody picking his nose in that picture.

'Nuff said.

The Third of Many Posts About Our Trip to Las Vegas: Everyone Gets to Meet Penny!

2010-07-22T19:17:00.004-04:00

This was Penny's first trip to Las Vegas (and also her first trip out of the Augusta area). She did great on the plane rides, especially considering the fact that on the way home, we got stuck in Dallas overnight and had 3 flights altogether to get from Vegas to Augusta. She's a trooper. A cute one.

We were excited for everyone to meet her and fall in love with her like we have.

Uncle Jacob/Potential New Testament Movie Cast Member

Aunt Laura

This is Kendra, my best friend from high school. She loves babies more than anyone else I know. It was fun to see her with Penny.

Uncle Zach. Don't be alarmed. He hardly ever looks this creepy.Cadence is going to be such a good mommy. Isn't she sweet?

Ummm...I always forget the difference between second cousin and first cousin once removed. I think Amelia is one of those to Penny. Plus my dad and her dad are twins so maybe half aunt?

Grandpa Parry deserves a shout-out for all the times he "babysat" my kids while they were sleeping. Thanks, Daddy.

Also, thanks, Mom for all the babysitting (minus the quotation marks) you did for me. You're am-A-zing!

The Second of Many Posts About Our Trip to Las Vegas: Cousins

2010-07-22T08:51:00.007-04:00

Since we live in gross hot Georgia, our kids rarely get to see their cousins. I only have one brother who has kids and his kids are all close in age to my kids. We just like having babies at the same time.

Grayson, Brody, Jack, Bridger, Penny, Cadence
Playing Duck Duck Goose. Check out how happy Jack is. I love it!
We got to meet baby Grayson for the first time and boy is he yummy.Brody and Cadence. I am so glad they love to play together. One of my favorite moments was when I was listening to the 4 big kids play. Cadence was the only girl and the 3 boys were shooting each other and picking out who the bad guys were going to be. Then I heard Cadence: "No! We're playing getting married! I'm the mommy and you're the daddy!" I guess that's the difference between girls and boys.
Bridger was so excited to see Jack. Jack doesn't look AS excited but I'm sure he was.

I loved watching the kids love each other and play together.
How can you not love this face?

The First of Many Posts About Our Trip to Las Vegas: Brody's Plane Ride with Grandpa

2010-07-22T07:50:00.003-04:00

Brody got to go for a ride in Grandpa Parry's airplane when we were in Vegas. I had told him that Grandpa had an airplane when we were on the way to Vegas and he couldn't believe it. When Grandpa said he would take him for a ride, he was so excited.

Doesn't he look like a (really young and under-aged) real pilot?

Take Off.

Bridger didn't get to go this time but he got to "pretend". He and Adam stayed behind and watched the airplane fly.

Are You Being Eaten Alive?

2010-06-17T08:27:00.003-04:00

I have always been a mosquito magnet. Every summer (especially since we moved to Georgia) I have dreaded the inevitable itching and bumpy legs and arms. The constant scratching because the cortisone cream is either missing or doesn't last long enough. I have always wondered why I seem to get more bites than other people, especially Adam. We can be at the park for the same amount of time and stay the same area the whole time and I will come home with 50 bites and he'll have none.

Last week Adam was at work and a friend of his was being eaten alive and Adam was unscathed. Adam said, "You must have O- blood." His friend couldn't believe he knew that! Adam was just joking- because that's why my blood type is and that I attract the bugs. That got us thinking...do mosquitoes prefer a certain type of blood?

I did a little (and I mean like 5 minutes) of research this morning and it turns out he was right! Type O blood is, for some reason or another, more appealing to mosquitoes. Type A (Adam's type) is the least appealing.

I thought this was really interesting. Oh...you didn't? Weird.

Summer = Swimming!

2010-06-08T20:36:00.005-04:00

Today we went to the neighborhood swimming pool for the first time as a family today. It was Penny's first swimming experience so we were pretty excited about it. We couldn't wait to see her squirmy shocked face. We got her in her cute little ruffly swimming suit and loaded all of our floating devices, towels, sunscreen, and our trusty portable baby swing and headed over to the pool.

This is the look that says, "I look goooood."

We were a little disappointed, but also thrilled that Penny LOVED it. No funny faces, no screaming or whimpering. She just enjoyed the refreshing cool water. And the fact that she looked so amazingly adorable probably made it all the more enjoyable for her.

Brody and Bridger were fighting over this *baby* floater the whole time. They need swimming lessons bad. They are both afraid of the water.

After Penny was in the water for about 10 minutes, she was exhausted and passed out.

Penny Love

2010-06-05T15:30:00.000-04:00

We Just Had to Celebrate

2010-06-04T12:20:00.001-04:00

Happy National Donut Day!!!

Krispy Kreme is giving away free donuts today if you want to celebrate it too!

Brody is weird.

2010-05-23T09:09:00.006-04:00

Warning: This blog post contains poop material that may not be suitable for all viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

So, Brody is Five. That was our last post. Yay! Right? Well I'm going to tell you three stories that have all happened in the last week or so and you tell me if Brody is normal or if we should be worried.

1) I heard this conversation between Jessica and Brody a few nights ago at bed time while I was bottle feeding Penny on the couch.

Mom: “Brody, why don’t you have your jammies on?”

Brody: “I was going poop.”

Mom: “Did you wipe?”

Brody: “no”

Mom: “Why not, Brody?”

Brody: “Because I don’t care if my bum hurts a little bit.”

This same conversation has repeated itself at least twice since then. He claims that because he "can't get all of it" that he shouldn't have to deal with the hassle of it at all. We claim he is gross.

2) As I was opening the gate to go into the backyard on Friday when I saw bridger approaching with his jean shorts unzipped.

Me: “What are you doing?”

Bridger: “I’m going to go pee in that dump truck” (indicating his toy dump truck)

Me: “Bridger, you can’t pee in there. If you need to, go by the tree or something.” (Yes, this is Adam writing)

Bridger: “But Brody went poop in it yesterday.”

This fact was later confirmed by Brody himself who apparently had no issue with it and could not see what the fuss was about. What possesses a little boy to go poop in a dump truck instead of coming inside to the toilet? I mean it makes sense to drop a load in a loader, or take a dump in a dump truck, but seriously? The house is like 5 feet away.

3) One night this week after dinner I took all the kids for a walk around the neighborhood. When we got home I got on the computer and the boys sat on the couch to watch a show before going to bed. Jess was sewing at her craft table (something she has found to be quite relaxing and that she is quite good at. I love that girl.) Anyway, so after the show was over Jess and I got up and walked out of our "office" and into the living room to get the boys.

Jess: "Alright, its time for bed, go up stairs and get your jammies on."

Brody: "pooped." (sorta high pitched like)

Jess: (thinking he was joking, she talked to him kinda baby like) "Did you go poopoo in your pants?"

Brody: "On the walk."

Jess: "Seriously?

It was quickly discovered that Brody was not joking. At. All. At some point during our walk (30 to 45 minutes before this time) he had pooped in his underwear and then had come home and just plopped onto the couch to watch TV. Now our couch was indeed covered in poop juice where Brody had been sitting.

Jess: "Brody!!! Why didn't you come in and change your clothes?!"

Brody: "I wanted to watch TV."

Makes perfect sense right?

So there you have it. Three "funny-if-its-not-your-kids" stories for you to mull over and decide: Is Brody just a normal kid, or is his brain "Abby Normal"?

I Have a Five Year-Old

2010-05-16T19:14:00.004-04:00

Five years ago today, I was at the hospital meeting my new little Brody. It was my first day as a mom. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time. I had no idea what was in store for Brody and me. I was clueless as to how dang hard being a mom would be. How frustrating and how maddening it would be at times. But I also had no idea what it would feel like to watch my child do wonderful things that would fill me to overflowing with happiness and gratitude.

Now I know.

For some reason, five seems a lot older than four. It's like the beginning of a new stage of life. Kindergarten, riding the bus, becoming more independent. Not having complete control over what influences him. It's scary and I don't really like it but I'm also excited to see what Brody will do and become.

So here are a few things about Brody:

His favorite food is quesadillas (he calls them tacos).
His favorite color is blue.
His favorite tv shows are science shows. Anything on the discovery channel or science channel, including Mythbusters, How It's Made, and Build It Bigger.
He is terrified of riding his big boy bike. ("I wish I could be like Bridger. He's not afraid of anything.")
He love love loves counting and spelling and is learning how to read. He will count to a hundred when we're driving around in the car.
I'm so grateful that Brody was sent to me. He is so innocent and forgiving of my failings and shortcomings. He loves me even when I'm impatient and short with him. His smile melts me.

Happy Birthday Brody. I love you.

Lately

2010-05-11T10:55:00.003-04:00

Things are starting to feel more normal here. Penny is getting on a schedule (kind of) and I am feeling more human. School is about to get out for the summer, which I have mixed feelings about. It's nice to have Brody gone for a while during the day so I have one less child to spread attention to, but I am done with driving to Brody's school every day. Penny is not a big fan of her car seat (meaning she screams every time we're in the car) and it's an inconvenience to have to take Bridger and Penny into the school to have to get Brody.

So here's what's been going on in our house lately:

Brody is getting better and better at reading every day. He loves to learn and do puzzles and activity books. He still has the sweetest smile and still loves to snuggle and hug and kiss. He sure is turning 5 this week which is kind of freaking me out. 5 is old. And he's mine. It's just weird.
Bridger is the best little "Penny helper" as he calls himself. He will do ANYTHING for me if it involves Penny (not so much with anything else). He loves to put her binky back in, tickle her, and try to make her smile. He also loves to put his foot on her face and poke her in the eyeball, which we're trying to teach him is not really okay. His face lights up when I bring her into the room and he immediately runs to be by her side. She's going to have a great friend when she gets older.
The boys' new favorite thing to wear to bed is one of Adam's shirts. They think it's so cool. They also have a hard time going to the bathroom in the middle of the night without soaking their big shirts in pee.

Penny is the sweetest baby EVER. The boys were cute and cuddly as babies, but also really fussy and they didn't get the whole "sleep is mandatory" thing. Penny is just what I needed- a baby who loves to sleep, eats quickly, and doesn't cry hardly at all (unless we're in the car). She is a perfect little mini person who we all love so much.

Adam is always busy with his job, the Navy reserves, his calling at church, and being the best dad ever. He is always willing to take the boys somewhere if I need a break and he pretty much takes over when he gets home from work. He's nice.

I have been a sewing fool lately. I sew a little every day to relieve stress and to remind myself that I am capable of doing more than changing diapers and breastfeeding. Having a girl has awaken the craftiness in me once again. There are so many fun things to make for little girls. Fabric flowers for headbands, dresses, shoes....I love girly stuff.Here's a dress and some shoes I made for little Penny.

I just realized that this sounds kind of like a Christmas newsletter. How embarrassing. Oh well. You didn't have to read it.

We're pretty excited about our trip to Vegas next month. We can't wait to see everyone!

Penny's Blessing

2010-05-04T14:56:00.005-04:00

These past few weeks have been kind of a blur to me what with the newborn-in-the-house-so-no-one-gets-any-sleep-around-here thing. It has been interesting to try to adjust to having three kids. Interesting meaning crappy. Grandma, is it okay for me to say crappy on here?

So anyway, this last Sunday was the big day for Penny to be blessed. She was a good girl for the blessing and was obviously adorable in her little dress. Unfortunately, there was some microphone malfunction and so I only heard about half of the blessing. Luckily we sat about 3 rows from the front, otherwise I wouldn't have heard anything. I always like to take notes so that we and our children can look back and remember what was said in their blessings. Here are a few highlights:

Penny was blessed to have the instinct and inspiration to follow the Spirit and a desire to get to know those promptings, the desire and moral character to be the daughter that Heavenly Father would have her be, a strong knowledge of God's love and parents' love for her, that she will be a good example to others, and continued health, strength, and vigor to live a happy life.

If she receives all of those blessings, she is going to be rad.

It is really stressful to take a family picture after church. And I'm not taller than Adam, I'm just wearing heels and am higher on the hill than he is, okay?

I'm so grateful that Adam is worthy to exercise the priesthood and that he was able to bless Penny. It is a blessing that is easy to take for granted.

Penny with her brothers, who absolutely adore her. Bridger is the best little helper any new mom could ask for. He love love loves little Penny. Also, he looks a little Mad Hatter-ish in this picture, but in reality, he is a handsome little feller.

Pretty Penny

2010-04-21T07:59:00.005-04:00

My amazing friend April came over to take some pictures of Penny. Never mind that she had just had a c-section a week before I had Penny. She's so talented and so sweet. Here are just a few of the pictures she took:
If anyone in the Augusta area is looking for someone to take their family's pictures, April is the girl to call. She's so good with kids and amazing with a camera! Check out her website: aprilmitchell.blogspot.com.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:22:00.006-04:00

Easter snuck up on us pretty quickly this year and nearly caught us unprepared, but we were able to throw together a nice ham dinner last night thanks to Jess's mom. It was delish - but of course stubborn Bridger didn't think so and ended up going to bed at around 6:30. Too bad for him.

Here are some pictures of the boys with their little Easter baskets and of the egg hunt we put on for them in the backyard. They loved it and I loved the fact that there were lots of places to actually hide the eggs this year.

Jessica and Penny are both doing really well. Penny amazes us with her ability to sleep. Jessica is still very sore and remembering the pains of nursing.

Somehow she and her Mom were still able to make the traditional cinnamon rolls yesterday, but this year you'll have to come and get them if you want them.

We hope you all are able to pause for a moment or several today and remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the hope offered in the reality of His resurrection. We are very grateful for His example, for His love and for His willingness to do all that was required of Him. We're especially grateful to know that because of His life, we can enjoy our lives with our families for eternity.

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

2010-03-30T20:52:00.006-04:00

Penny Jane Lindquist
Born March 29th 2010
at 3:41 pm
In Augusta, Georgia
20 inches long
8 lbs 4 oz
lots of gorgeous hair

I've posted just a few of the pictures on this blog because of the ridiculously slow process of getting them on here. For those of you you want more (which I'm sure is all of you), you can click on this sentence and enjoy the photos there.

We arrived at the hospital on Monday morning around 6:30 for Jessica's scheduled induction, which we were able to get because of the size of previous babies (9.10 and 8.10). The nice nurses at Trinity showed us to our room and after very little time Jessica was rolling on Pitocin and getting the process going. At about 8 her doctor came in and mercilessly broke Jessica's water and "agitated" things to move along the labor. While Jessica squirmed quietly in obvious pain, I squirmed quietly in obvious imagined pain and thought about how grateful I was that I am not a woman and that Jessica was a brave, strong one.

After about 4 hours of very painful contractions about 2 minutes apart Jessica finally asked for an Epidural to ease the pain, thinking that at that point she was surely at least a 7. After the epidural she was sorely disappointed to find out that she was a 5 and about 50% effaced.

Let me take a moment to say what an utter pansy I am. After only watching 4 hours of intense labor pains and a horrible IV episode, I was too wimpy to even be in the room for the epidural. I'm not sure why, but I get sick just thinking about it. Once again, I was grateful not to be a woman and to have an awesome one by my side. I would have passed out and given up at the IV.

Anyway, after another couple hours she was checked again only to find that Jess was at a 6 and 70%. Seemed like there was a long way to go. Penny had other plans I guess becuase just half an hour later when Jessica complained of pressure and pain the nurse checked her and declared, "You're done! Don't push, I'll call the doctor." About an hour and a half after that he finally showed up.

When he walked in the door Jessica was already prepped and ready to push. It only took pushing through two contractions to get that 8 lb baby out. It was miraculous. Penny arrived strong and healthy and Jessica was a champ. I sat helpless by the side amazed at the process, and at my wife and new little girl.

Penny makes cute little faces (though her face is not little, its like a big ball of cherry red cuteness). She eats like she doesn't know how to quit, or want to. Her hair is so thick and lush I can't keep my hand off it. She is just perfect and we love her and hope you all get to meet her soon.

Thank you to all those who are so interested in our lives and willing to help us and rejoice with us on this awesome occasion.

P.S. 100 bonus points are awarded to those who realized that the bottom picture of the three above is actually Brody when he was a baby! Gotcha!

Off to see the Wizard...

2010-03-28T20:28:00.013-04:00

The Wonderful Wizard of Pitocin.....and then we get to meet the cutest little sweet quiet smiley perfect girl ever (we hope). How excited are you to meet her? We are pretty darn excited. And we hope she is cute, because there is a lot of competition in the family. We'll post pictures for you all as soon as we get them and can find time between poops to upload them.

So before we head out (haha. pun intended) tomorrow morning we want to get up to date.

Jessica has been hard at work making a certain room of our house rather girly. As far as girly rooms go, this one is delightfully pink and pretty. She already posted the pictures of various projects but the most recent include refinishing a glider and a changing table/hutch that we purchased from nice friends.
For the chair Jess removed the old cover and put on a cream fabric with brown buttons. I painted it with chocolate. The result is quite delicious as you can see.Looks like it was meant to be, right? I guess the thought of having another girl in the house has all her creative juices flowing. (That phrase sounds strange knowing that she'll be nursing tomorrow, but I'll leave it in anyway.)

Now, on to the hutch. It was a light wood, so we painted it a creamy ivory. By "we" I mean "I". Kinda like when I say "we'll" be having a baby tomorrow I mean "Jessica will do most of the work". Anyway, here is a picture of the new hutch, preceded by what it looked like pre-spray paint.

And here is the final room product. Even I'm jealous.

So now that we are all feminized, lets remember that we have two cute boys too.

A couple of weeks ago I gave the Mommies a day to themselves and took Bridger and his Buddy Lucas to the zoo in Columbia. We all had lots of fun and were able to see all the animals without a problem because we got there right when it opened on a Monday. The good side of this was that we had the park nearly to ourselves for a while and we got to park the car right in front of the entrance. The down side was that they apparently don't pay someone on weekdays to hang out by the giraffes so people can feed them. That was a let down. The rest of the time it was fun to see the boys look at the map and decide where to go and what to look at. They loved the bears and the gorillas, but strangely not the monkeys. It must be that they are not interested in their own kind.
Also a couple of months ago we started telling the boys that if they were reverent at church they could have a sticker after church and that if/when they accumulated 4 we would go do something fun of their choice. Well, after about 6 or 7 weeks they got enough to earn a night of fun. Surprisingly they chose bowling. Not surprisingly Jess packed her own.Seriously though, there are two secrets about the above picture that I should share. One is that Jessica is hiding a bowling ball behind her belly. The other is that the midget girl seemingly coming out of her belly is not ours... though quite appropriate.

Luckily they had some very manly and scary pink dragons that the boys could use to propel their balls. If not for that pretty dragon we'd still be sitting there waiting for Bridger's turn to end. I can't recall exactly, but I'm pretty sure I whooped them all. (Although to be quite honest Brody beats me every time when we play bowling on the Wii. I really try to win. I mean I distract him, I trip him, I give him the remote on my turn, but never failing, the little twerp finds a way to beat me. Last time he got 4 strikes in a row! Alas, I take my sweet revenge during Wii boxing.) And finally, because I can't think of any more recent adventures and because I need to get to bed for our adventure tomorrow. This last Monday night we taught the boys about the Stripling Warriors of Helaman. (We may have added something about having to defend their sister from other boys. You can never start too early, right?)
Alright, next post will be full of cute little baby pictures. Life will never be the same! Wish us luck!

Project Mode

2010-03-02T18:10:00.008-05:00

I have been in crazy lady project mode lately. I don't know if this could be considered nesting, but I have been at my sewing machine more in the last few weeks than I have ever in my life before. Maybe it's because the thought of all things girly makes me sweat with excitement. I have a long list of things that I want to make or learn how to make and when I am at a fabric store, just touching all the fabric makes me happy. I really do let my hand glide over all the beautiful colors and textures. It probably looks creepy but I do it anyway.

So here are a few of my recent projects:
I can't take a lot of credit for the painting of the baby's room. I told Adam what to do, did a little taping, and he did the rest. He's pretty good at painting after all the different houses we've lived in and painted. I made the crib bedding, which was an intimidating project, but ended up being way easier than I thought it would be. I highly recommend doing this. It saves a lot of money, you get to pick whatever fabric combinations you like, and it's not as hard as it looks.

This is a car seat tent. I'd never heard of these before but my friend Hannah made one for her cute little baby so I tried making one of my own. It's just like draping a blanket over the car seat so your baby can sleep or be shielded from the sun or from people who like to touch tiny babies who don't need to be touched. The only difference is that the blanket stays put and you don't have to deal with carrying the handle with a blanket wrapped around it. I heart this fabric. I got it at Hobby Lobby, which I also heart. Bad.
Finally, a quilt. I have made a few other quilts in the past and the binding of the quilts has always been the struggle I face. No different with this one. No matter how hard I try to bind the corners right, it doesn't happen. I'm okay with that, though. Good thing I'm not a perfectionist.

I also have been sewing flannel blankets like crazy (LOVE flannels blankets and the flannel sold at Joann's is dang cute). My next project: recovering the cushions of a glider we bought used and refinishing the wood part of the glider. Should be a huge frustrating project, but a learning experience nonetheless. I'll let you know how it goes.

Yay for projects, yay for baby girls, and yay for all the time I have now before the baby is born to do all this stuff.

Sweetheart Cafe VIII

2010-02-20T09:54:00.007-05:00

When I was growing up, there was a woman in our ward- Wendy- who had started a tradition on her first Valentine's Day with her husband. They didn't have a lot of money so she made a big sparkly heart sign that said "Sweetheart's Cafe" and she made a nice romantic dinner for two. They have done it every year since. I'm not sure how long ago that was but I know it was more than 25 years ago. Every year she makes it bigger and better and opens her house for people to come and see all her crazy decorations and the fancy family table. Just to be clear, I love her. When Adam and I got married, I thought it would be cool to do this too, so we have. Every year. It is never as cool or fancy or amazing as Wendy's but it's still fun and something we look forward to.Sunday morning for breakfast Adam made pink heart pancakes that were a big hit.
This year was the first time that we invited our kids for dinner. In the past, we have put them to bed and then had a late dinner together so that we could actually enjoy it without getting anger indigestion (see here) and last year, our rad friends the Winns had a babysitting night and offered to take our kids so we could enjoy our dinner. Since our boys are older and like fun things, we decided it was time to let them join us. Adam and I talked about it beforehand and decided that we weren't going to worry about them eating their food like every other night- we would just have fun and enjoy it.Our grill broke a while ago and we've missed all of our barbeque recipes so for Valentine's Day, Adam and I got each other a new grill (although we still couldn't bring ourselves to buy anything but the cheapest one we could find). To celebrate, our menu consisted of Honey Garlic BBQ chicken, twice-baked potatoes, corn on the cob and then heart brownies and ice cream for dessert. Oh- and Raspberry Pomegranate Italian soda with red heart ice for the drink.
Brody ate every bite of dinner and then ate so much dessert that Adam had to carry him to bed because he was so full. Bridger politely declined the potatoes and corn but he ate all his chicken and, of course, all his dessert. It was pleasant and fun and I'm so excited to do it again next year.

The First Lindquist Snowman

2010-02-17T18:05:00.004-05:00

Last week it snowed here in Augusta more than it's snowed here in 37 years. In fact, in the last 50 years, it has snowed more than 2 inches on only 6 occasions. We got about 6 inches. Pictures will do the scene justice more than my words can so....

I took this picture of Bridger thinking, "I'd better get a picture of him in the snow before it stops!" Little did I know....

It had no plans of stopping.This is the first snowman for Adam and for the boys (Adam was born and raised in Las Vegas- not a lot of snowman opportunities). Kind of strange that their first snowman was built in Georgia.Redneck sledding (in a laundry basket). By the way, in case you're wondering, I stayed at the back door taking pictures while staying warm. I'm not into freezing.
Bridger ready for a snowball fight.

And then it got really interesting...

I'm still not really sure what Adam was thinking when he stripped down and had a swimsuit under his pants, but to each their own, right?

In the morning, our yard was beautifully white and even more fun to play in with a little sun shining. We had snow on the ground for 3 days. See you again in 37 years!

Backtracking: I'm Older Now

2010-02-12T16:28:00.005-05:00

Last week was my 27th birthday. In the past, I have been slightly demanding as far as how I thought my birthday should go. I always thought it should be made special, even if you have to force people to make it special. Yeah- I know. I'm a piece of work.

This year felt completely different. I didn't much care to have it be different than any other day. Birthdays just don't seem to mean much anymore. I woke up expecting it to be like any other- Brody went to school, I started the laundry, and hung out with my gal pal Leslie (who was in town for a few days). My friend Sarah called and offered to take me out to lunch for my birthday. It was really fun to go out and do something a little different. When I got home from lunch, the house was spotless and there were flowers, a card, and chocolate on the table. I thought, "Wow. Leslie really went a little crazy." Actually, Adam had rushed home during work, cleaned like a crazy man and left me those delightful surprises. I know...hot right?I had a few friends drop off yummy birthday treats and got a lot of well wishes via phone and internet. Then for dinner, we went and checked out the new restaurant Cheddar's and loved it. When we got home, Leslie was back from her outing and she had brought home CINNAMON ROLLS! They were from a little bakery here in town and they were so good! She and Adam both knew that I'm not a big fan of cake so they came up with the cinnamon roll idea...because they're GENIUSES. I'm not sure why I have no pictures of Adam or Leslie but I promise they were there.I decided that every year from now on, I'm going to just consider my birthday just like any other day. That way, the little surprises and kind acts of service that come will make the day surprisingly special, just like they did this year.

This has nothing to do with my birthday, but I love this picture of the boys snuggled up together on the couch watching tv in the morning. They can be so cute...

Showered with Love (and Pink)

2010-02-07T08:08:00.007-05:00

My two sweet friends Kelly and Leslie got together and planned a girly girl baby shower for me and yesterday I saw the fruits of their labor. Leslie used to be my across-the-street neighbor (in our old neighborhood). She now lives in Alabama while her husband is deployed for a year. She and her baby Jack have been staying with us this week while she took care of some stuff here. Kelly is my new neighbor and in our ward. They are both so sweet and generous and apparently amazing at putting social events together.The shower started out a little stressful because Adam was at work so I had to get a babysitter to watch the boys while I went to Kelly's house for the shower. She forgot. I could see all the cars driving up to Kelly's house and I was sitting at home with my sleeping boys waiting for the babysitter. Once she was called and reminded she came over and I was on my way...sweating up a storm from the 10 minutes of stress the lateness caused me.

Once I was there, I was so relaxed. They had a soft throne of sorts that I sat in, which was so comfortable, but ridiculously embarrassing to try to get out of in my condition.This is me and my little buddy Ali, who I would love to clone for my little girl to look like.

There was so much good food and even better conversation. It was fun to sit around and talk with other moms, which is something I don't get to do as often as I'd like.

We played a game with ultrasound pictures. We had to name the body part on each one and considering I can't tell what's what in my own babies' ultrasounds when the technician is pointing them out, I knew I wouldn't fare too well. I was right. It was hard. I still don't know how Rachel and Jen got 100%.Everyone was so generous and little female got some serious pink gear. It was like everyone reached into my brain, saw what style I love, and gifted accordingly. She'll be looking pretty swank the first year of her life.Kelly, Amy, Denise, Chrysta, Leslie, Stephanie, Nicole, Jen, me, Emilie, Sarah, Rachel, Shari, Megan.

My friend April was nice enough to take a lot of the pictures before she had to leave and so now she's not in any of them. She's a great photographer as well as an amazing friend.

Gramps

2010-01-29T13:12:00.006-05:00

My Grandpa Parry passed away today. 15 days after the car accident that left him in a coma, he's gone. I know he's with people that he's been missing for a long time and that he will be more comfortable, but I feel a loss. He was a big man with a big personality. He gave me my patriarchal blessing, he sealed Adam and me together, and was a big presence in my life even though I didn't see him very often. So many memories. The world will be a different place without him.

Gangster Grandpa

Grandpa with 4 week-old Brody (who is yawning, not crying)

Best Friends

2010-01-15T06:55:00.002-05:00

Brody and Bridger have always had a complicated relationship. They love each other yet can't stop fighting with each other. They don't often play together for longer than a few minutes before they are coming to me crying or complaining. We often hear the words, "You're not my friend anymore!" to which we have to remind them that we don't say that in our house. Brody has brought home a few phrases from school that aren't really my favorite and now Bridger knows them too and they use them against each other.

This all changed when Bridger turned 3. It was like a magical day where they looked at each other and saw, for the first time, a playmate in each other. A few days after Bridger's birthday, we were all sitting together and Brody said, out of nowhere, "Bridger is my best friend." Now they love to play together and make each other laugh. Bridger will now go to Brody to help him with his jacket instead of me and Brody won't let Bridger leave his classroom in the morning without getting a hug and kiss. Granted, all of this camaraderie comes with having them gang up against me to stick up for each other or to get the other out of trouble, but I love to watch them together. I hope their friendship lasts a long time.

The Old Year (by Adam)

2010-01-08T21:19:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year! Christmas has been over for a while now so I guess I should go ahead and get the blog up about it. There is a lot to write about and I’m sure it was more fun for us to live through than for you to read, but I’ll write it anyway.

This year we decided to throw a little white elephant party with a few of our friends – only the twist was that each of the presents had to be comically useless. It was so much fun my cheeks (face cheeks) hurt. The gifts included some giant pants, expired cheese puffs, shirts with scary faces, and random family pictures among other things. I’m sure that both Aaron and Jess (Winn) will appreciate this photo.

We had a pretty full house for Christmas this time around, with my parents and my brother Kimball in town. We had tons of good food and played some good games, but I think the most fun was had by Brody and Bridger wrestling with their Grandpa. I have no idea how that man has so much energy, but the boys sure loved having him around and beating him up all day. I got a good wrestling match in with my bro as well, and though I’d like so say that I came out conquerer he actually did beat me in the end. My only excuse was that if we could wrestle at the same age I would beat him hands down. My 24 year old body against his would have pinned him in five minutes and left him crying. Unfortunately, with my 29 year old body the opposite was true. Yes, I really am that old.

On Christmas Eve after dinner we did a very small version of the Nativity in which Jess and I were Joseph and Mary (she’s even accurately pregnant) and the boys were shepherds. It was kind of a mess. Maybe its one of those things that needs to be done when the kids are a little bit older and have a longer attention span. Or maybe when we have a real donkey, instead of just Kimball.

Christmas morning was great (except that it began at 5:30). The boys were so excited to see all the gifts under the tree and know that Santa had paid them a visit, despite their many naughty moments this year. Over all I guess he thought they were “nice enough”. Whatever they were throughout the year, on Christmas morning they made great little present-passer-outers. In fact they were so enthusiastic about it that we could hardly keep up. They loved it and we did too and had so much fun watching the unwrapping process. We all got and gave great gifts this year, but my favorite of all is the new trampoline!! Woot. My parents helped us buy it for the boys, but really I think I am more excited about it than they are. We had to wait for the rain to clear up, but once it did and the sun came out it felt like spring and we put the springs on the trampoline. So far there are no broken bones to report. Also, for Christmas all of my brothers and sisters and I pitched in to get my parents a GPS for their car. Hopefully the number of times I call them and hear them arguing about which way to go in the car will be reduced.

Also, for Christmas morning I did something probably not very nice, but enjoyable none the less. I put pens in my Dad’s and Kimball’s stockings. Kimball was the first to unwrap his and, as expected, clicked the end of the pen to test it out. Bzzzzz. It was a shocker pen, and the shock on his face at having just been electrocuted was classic and priceless. I laughed quite a lot. When my dad opened his I assured him that his was not a shocking pen. I guess I deserve an Oscar because the old man fell for it and I was delighted to have another source of wild laughter. Ahhh. Good times. I highly recommend giving shocker pens for stocking or white elephant gifts. You’ll never forget it. Also, expect retaliation. Later that day or the next Kimball try to shock me with the pen while I was stirring something on the stove. The result of my reaction was messy and pretty hilarious, especially since it didn’t even shock me, I just jerked at the realization of what was about to happen and ended up tossing goop all over myself. Kimball nearly wet himself with glee; but wouldn’t you?

We also did the obligatory and traditional visit to the Lights of the South, only this year wasn’t as cool because it was COLD! Hello! “Harry, your hands are freezing!” Its always fun to see all the lights but when your nose and ears feel like they’re going to be stolen by elves and used as human popsicles it takes some of the fun out of it. (Not to mention adding the fear of cannibal elves into the mix) Luckily they did have a bon fire where we were able to restore our inedibility. As a side note, the animal on my head was borrowed from my sister Faith after I acquired the fear of elves.

On the Monday after Christmas I convinced Jessica to go to see Avatar in 3D with me. It was pretty rad. On the surface it is just a good movie, not something you’d quote all the time or anything, but the special effects were simply amazing. It was awesome to see the world they created come alive and look so realistic. As an added bonus you get to see a 10 foot blue alien woman pick up a human man and caress him lovingly… it’s weird.

Other than that it was pretty much like any other Christmas – lots of good food, lots of family drama, lots of games, and lots of listening to children whine and cry.

Oh, and I guess I should add in that Bridger is now a whopping 3 years old. We had a little birthday for him on Tuesday. He chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese where he and Brody burned through about 100 tokens in an hour and then chose pizza for his birthday dinner. Luckily he didn’t seem to mind the fact that his birthday falls so close to Christmas. I can’t believe he is 3 already. It seems like just 2.8 years ago that I watched him come out black and not breathing. He sure is a cute little very opinionated psycho devil. He makes us laugh all the time and we love him tons. (But really, he is psycho. Please. Help. Help me.)

Baby Dos and Don'ts

2009-12-23T20:22:00.001-05:00

Please check out this link:

http://www.newbornbabyzone.com/baby-care/the-dos-and-donts-newborn-baby-care-pics/

It will make you laugh.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-05T08:01:00.003-05:00

I'm not really sure what's going on here. He looks like a serial roll killer.
This year we have a lot to be thankful for. Adam has a great new job, we moved into our beautiful dream home, our boys are funny and delicious, and we have a female offspring on the way...what more could we ask for? We are also so thrilled that we're now approaching Christmas and it's easier to focus on the Savior, His birth, His sacrifice, and what it all means to us. We recognize our many blessings and are so thankful for them.

Disney World Part 2

2009-12-05T07:31:00.005-05:00

We had a few extra days on our military discounted tickets from the summer that expire before Christmas so we decided to make a quick trip down to Florida to use them up. I use the term quick loosely because 8 hours in a car with a 4 year-old and a 2 year-old doesn't go by very quickly. Especially when the 2 year-old decided to potty-train himself the week before so he had to go every time the car went under 45 mph.

We got to the hotel Sunday night and went straight to bed. We were so tired and were all asleep but about 8:30. The next morning we went to Animal Kingdom and spent most of the day there. The boys loved seeing all the animals on the safari and playing in the dinosaur section. We also saw the Finding Nemo Musical, which was way better than I thought it would be. One thing that we did this time that we didn't do in May was take the train to the petting zoo. We probably should have left that undone. It was a sad sad petting zoo. I was disappointed that Disney doesn't take better care of the animals there. It was just as sad as all the pumpkin patch petting zoos we've been to where the animals have matted hair and are stuck behind a little gate with no room to walk around. Bridger knows what I'm talking about:
One of the boys' favorite parts was riding the tram and bus when we need to get to another park or ride.

Monday afternoon we made our way to Epcot to ride the few rides that the boys would like. They love the Nemo ride and seeing all of the marine life in the aquariums after the ride. We went to a few of the different countries and just walked around.
Tuesday we went to the Magic Kingdom- my favorite place. Since I am large with child, I could ride on any adult rides anyway so we just did whatever the kids wanted to do. We waited for 40 minutes for a 3 minute Dumbo ride and we went on the carousel, which I normally would never do, since I can do that at every fair that comes to town. We also loved Mickey's PhilharMagic, Peter Pan, the race cars, and Pirates of the Caribbean all over again. I wish we lived closer so we could go more often. It really is a magical happy place.
Trying our hand at removing the sword in the stone. Bridger was ticked that he couldn't get it out.

Check out those neck muscles!

This is Bridger at nap time. He is such a good napper. When he was tired, he would ask for his sunglasses and for my jacket to hang over him and would lie down and go to sleep. It also gave me a chance to sit down and rest while he napped.
On a side note, we had a rather unpleasant experience with Bridger. Dad, you probably don't want to finish this paragraph. Just a warning. He has been doing really well with potty-training but was afraid to go number 2 so while we were at Disney World, he just held it all in and by Tuesday it had been 4 days since he had gone. We had to cut Tuesday a little short and run to the pharmacy to get some "things" to take back to the hotel to take care of it. It was really sad but made him feel so much better. He is now a champion at going to the bathroom and isn't afraid to tell you so.

Guess What We're Having?

2009-11-09T14:45:00.003-05:00

I would have posted an ultrasound picture, but it was pretty graphic. Seriously.

We are SOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Jacob and Laura

2009-11-04T06:36:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of the wedding pictures from my brother's wedding. Is that not one of the cutest couples you've ever seen? Good job, Jacob. Good job.

Finally

2009-10-31T14:59:00.010-04:00

I'm a little miffed because I just wrote half of my post and for some reason it disappeared and it hadn't saved itself. What's with that?

This month has been pretty busy for us. Besides trying to get our new house organized, we took a nice trip to Utah for my brother's wedding. It was great to meet Laura and to see her and Jacob get married. My family rented a house in Salt Lake so we could all have meals together and spend more time together. My grandparents also stayed there, which was great because I haven't seen them in a long time. They are still so funny and I loved getting to spend time with them.

My mom was in a bad car accident while we were there and my little brother's car has gone to car heaven. She was miraculously fine after the accident, although the shirt she was supposed to wear for family pictures got a big black seat belt mark across the front of it so that was unfortunate. I'm so glad she was okay. It could have been really bad, but she was protected. Plus, she's really attractive, okay?

After my family left, we still had a couple days to spend in Utah so we went to Thanksgiving Point and went to the dinosaur museum and Cornbelly's pumpkin patch. It was really fun for the kids, but I still don't see how they think it's okay to charge $10.95 a person just to get in. Even grumpy pregnant women who know they aren't going to ride any of the rides have to pay. We also drove down to Provo and went to Cafe Rio and the BYU creamery. Lots of memories there- and I decided that I wouldn't mind living in Utah with my family. As a single student at BYU, it was pretty lame, but there are so many things for families to do there. Also, we forgot our camera so as soon as Kimball sends me the pictures he took for us, I'll post them.

When we got home from Utah, we had a surprise birthday/going away party for our AWESOME friends, the Livseys. We have been friends- more like family- for 4 years and the military has ripped them away from us. Hannah has been an amazing friend and I already miss her a lot. Isn't her baby Mia yummy? You should see her smile. And yes- I sure did take a picture of their van driving away from our house...I was (am) sad, okay?

Then it was Adam's birthday. He's 29 now. I am married to a man who is almost 30. It feels kind of gross. I'm too young to be married to an old guy. We had a little family dinner/party to celebrate. He requested a root beer cake so I made his cake and I feel no shame in the fact that I stink at making and decorating cakes. I have tried to do cute stuff but it never works so I think I'll go back to the easy 9x13 pan method.

He's special. But he is seriously my favorite person ever. His hilarity might be the reason my bladder isn't so controllable anymore.

I guess for posterity's sake I should post the obligatory carving the pumpkin pictures. In theory, it's a fun little activity. In reality, it's hard and gross and messy. I love the pumpkin seeds after we season them (we found an awesome recipe!) and cook them.

Adam remembered a project he did as a child, which in itself is a miracle because he can't even remember even BEING any age younger than 16. So he decided to do it with the boys. They thought it was pretty cool and I thought it was pretty cool that I didn't have to do anything to decorate our trunk for the trunk-or-treat except hang their cute skeletons.

Just as a bonus, here is a picture of Bridger after he put my socks and his train conductor hat on.

After we get some hopefully decent pictures of the boys in their costumes tonight, I'll post them. I'm pretty excited to go trick-or-treating with them and then eat all their candy while they sleep.

We're In and I'm Out

2009-10-04T17:09:00.002-04:00

We haven't had the internet or a home phone for almost 2 weeks now. I think I've had enough non-technology time. I'm ready to be back in the loop. We are in our new house now, which we love. We are having some wiring problems, hence the no phone and internet. In order for me to write this post, Adam plugged a very long phone cord into the computer and ran it out the window to the outside phone box. It looks really ghetto. Still no home phone, though. We have to wait for the electrician to come (again) and fix stuff.

We have been busy hanging curtains and getting angry at shelves that don't want to hang right. I really forgot all the things (and expenses!) that come with a new house. Hopefully it will be done soon.

The other big news is that I got release as our ward Relief Society president. It was just the right time. It was a challenging two years for me but now I feel like I can have any calling and be totally fine with it. I just feel sorry for the new president. It's a tough place to be.

We haven't taken pictures of anything for a really long time so no photos- sorry, Mom.

We are heading to Utah soon for my brother's wedding and we are really excited to see everyone.

Just Wondering...

2009-09-13T16:19:00.001-04:00

How can something this small make someone so sick?
Fetal hosting is not a walk in the park, but it always ends up being worth it.

Dinner Time

2009-08-18T17:56:00.003-04:00

This is what our daily dinner routine consists of:

1) Making delicious food. I am a very picky eater. I make things that most people like because that's what I like. Nothing really weird or gross. I'm talking normal stuff like spaghetti and pizza and chicken dishes and soups. Good stuff, okay?

2) Getting the kids to the table. Usually there are threats involved and some whining on their part. It's like they don't want to eat. Okay, they really don't.

3) Once prayer is done, we dish out the food. There is usually loud crying or complaining or even screaming about what we are putting on their plate. Again, not alien weird food. Normal good food.

4) More threats, bribes, or whatever we can think of to make them eat.

5) None of the aforementioned methods work.

6) When dinner is over, we both sigh and hope that tomorrow's dinner time doesn't come too soon.

So now that we have established the norm, let me explain what happened tonight. We had spaghetti. I make yummy sauce that even has a little sugar in it. Who doesn't like sugar? We also had peas and garlic bread. The crying came when the sauce went on the plates (they like to eat just plain wheat noodles). More crying when the peas went on the plate. Threats, anger, etc. We finally got Bridger to open his mouth for a bite of THREE peas. He immediately started grabbing at his mouth trying to scrape the peas out his mouth. They wouldn't come out so he put his finger down his throat to try and get them out and he gagged himself and threw up his grape juice/noodle mix all over himself. Immediately after spewing he looked at Adam and with the most threatening devil face he could muster said, "NO! I don't like it!" Then more crying.

Brody fared a little better in that we forced him to take ONE bite of peas and ONE bite of noodles with sauce and he kept them in his mouth/digestive system.

To those of you with older children, when does this end?

And also, anyone wanna come over for dinner?

House Pictures

2009-08-12T07:30:00.002-04:00

Some of you have asked about our house. It is going really quickly. It should be done in a few weeks, but we aren't moving in until September 25. Adam's new job/getting out of the military kind of complicated the loan process so we have to wait until then to close.
Here is the house right after the landscaping was put in. It's kind of a weird angle, but it's to show the tree all the way to the left there. It's a Japanese Maple and I love it. I can't wait to watch it get bigger each year. Also, in case you're wondering, they don't stain the door until the very end. It's not going to be yellow.

So the vinyl is in the bathrooms, the hardwood is going in this week and the carpet next week. Then all that's left is the cabinets and it will be done. We can't wait until we can move in and have more space.

First Day of School

2009-08-10T20:18:00.000-04:00

Brody started school today. He went to a preschool last year for 3 days a week/half days but this year he is going 5 days a week for 7 hours a day. It is the Georgia-sponsored Pre-K program, so it's free, which is nice. He didn't get into the nice elementary school pre-k class so we enrolled him in the next best thing- a day care that also provides the Georgia Pre-K approved curriculum. It's not a clean place or an organized place but I am trying to have a good attitude about it. I'm really hoping Brody will like it. Today when he got home, I asked him what he did at school and he told me he couldn't remember. I asked him what he had for lunch (he's not allowed to bring his own lunch so he has to eat whatever they give him) and he couldn't remember. So who knows how it went. I'm sure he'll be fine.

Bridger was excited to drop Brody off at school and then later said he wanted him back. Bridger and I had a good time. We had a little while when we were both kind of bored and wonder what to do without Brody to play with. Bridger is way happier and nicer when Brody isn't around. Bridger even took a 3 hour nap, which gave me 3 hours to nap and have quiet time. It was amazing.

New Job

2009-08-04T10:55:00.003-04:00

Adam is finally done with the military. He started his new job yesterday. He is working in the same building as before, only doing something a little different with his language and he is now a civilian contractor. He gets to PICK OUT what he wears to work. No more Navy janitor uniform or the girly crackerjack one either. He gets to go to work with a beard and long hair and if he really wanted to (which trust me, he doesn't) an earring. It is liberating for both of us, actually. No more random pee tests, no more seminars about not doing drugs or raping people, and no more Navy Pride Day.

So here is Adam on his first day of his new job wearing snazzy civilian clothes.

I'm not sure why this creepy Easter Bunny picture is the only one I can find of him wearing his Navy janitor uniform.

We really have been grateful for the opportunities that the military has given us. We have met amazing people and friends that we will have for the rest of our lives. Adam has learned a lot of skills, gotten his degree for close to free and learned a few languages too. We have been really blessed. Now we are looking forward to the blessings of civilian life!

So can you tell I'm excited?

Family Pictures

2009-08-01T07:05:00.003-04:00

We had a service auction for Enrichment in May (or was it June?). It was a lot of fun. I knew what I wanted to bid on right when I got there. Sherrie and Jay Johnson are amazing photographers in our ward. Sherrie donated a photo session. I snatched that up as fast as I could. We cashed in a couple of weeks ago and went downtown to the Riverwalk in Augusta. Go to their website for a small taste of what they did:

http://picturethepossibilities.blogspot.com/2009/07/jessica-and-adam-family.html

Brody's School Blanket

2009-07-29T16:25:00.000-04:00

Brody is starting the Georgia-funded Pre-K program this year. It is freaking me out that he will be at school 7 hours a day, 5 days a week as a 4 year old. It seems crazy. But what seems more crazy is me- when he's home all day. You can't really beat free preschool. So anyway, they have nap time at school and each child is asked to bring a blanket to keep at school for their naps. Brody doesn't really have any blankets- he never got attached to one as a baby like Bridger did. My friend Hannah gave me the idea to go to Joann's and let him pick out his own fabric for a blanket to take to school. I know- she's smart. When we were going to Joann's, I asked what kind of blanket he wanted and he said he wanted a sheep blanket. There was no sheep fabric, but luckily he spotted this map fabric and immediately changed his mind. Then he picked out the blue backing. I made it today during his nap so when he woke up, he was really excited to lay down with the blanket on him. He laid it out and pointed out everything that is on the different states. Now I'm just worried that he won't nap at school because he'll be too excited about the "pyramids" in New Mexico.

Myrtle Beach

2009-07-21T15:15:00.004-04:00

We went to Myrtle Beach in 2006 when Brody was 15 months old. We had a blast so we decided to make another trip there this year during Adam's terminal leave before he starts his new job. We made it to the beach twice, Ripley's Aquarium, and the water park there, Myrtle Waves. We got a lot of sun and had some fun. Vacationing with a 2 year old and a 4 year old doesn't ever amount to 100% fun.

Funny story..we pretty much ate every meal out since our hotel room didn't have a kitchen. Once when we were sitting at the table eating, Bridger climbed under the table and wouldn't come out. He kept telling us to leave him alone and that he was going to stay under there for "a yil bit". He just sat there under the table for like 10 minutes. Then we realized that he had soiled his diaper under there. He was too embarrassed to do it in front of us. When I said that happened, once, I meant thrice. Three times he crawled under the table to do his business and wouldn't come out until he was sure he was done. You'd think he would be ready to potty-train. Well he's not, okay? We've tried. He hates the toilet.

Also, every time we went into the elevator at our hotel, Bridger said, "I want to go down the alligator!"

So anyway, here are the pictures:

Friendly sawfish at the aquarium.

In front of the aquarium.

These boys love each other. They don't always act like it, but I love when I see the love they have for each other in the things they say.

Bridger in the sand dog.

I thought this was creepy, but who doesn't love a creepy sand creation?

Adam built this sand turtle and the boys had fun collecting shells to put on top.
Adam's creations- sand turtle, Lightning McQueen, and sand castle. I think he liked playing in the sand more than the boys did.
Brody and I had so much fun jumping over the waves. I love the Atlantic Ocean. It is way warmer than the Pacific. Also, how thrilled would that lady behind us be if she knew she was on the internet?

Brody finally got the courage up to brave the BABY water slide at the water park like 30 minutes before we had to go. It took 3 hours of convincing. Then he went over and over and over again. Bridger- not so much.