The Searles

Christmas with the Christensens

2012-01-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

This year we headed north to spend Christmas with my Dad and Kristi. Andrea and Brandon were heading home the same day so we met up with them in Boise and drove the rest of the way together. We arrived 9 days before Christmas because we really wanted to enjoy the season with our family.

The day after we arrived we got to work decorating the Christmas tree. The kids were so excited. We decorated three Christmas trees this year and I think the kids could have done three more.

My sister Andrea with Halle

Andrea and Brandon

After decorating the tree they sent everyone outside to put up lights. My dad's a genius isn't he? He didn't have to do a thing except waited for us to arrive. We loved doing it.

Some cuddle time with Nana.

We played a lot of Scum this year. Yeah, I'm the king.

But I was happy to be his queen.

I don't know what Brandon's doing in this picture, so that's why I had to add it.

I could wake up to this view every morning. (Not talking about the hot tub picture) I just think Western Washington is so beautiful. Halle is watching them in the hot tub wishing I had thought to pack swimming suits.

Playing outside looking for fish.

A Christmas Tradition: We love riding the carousel at the Westlake Center in Seattle.

Here we are waiting to ride the monorail. Notice Josh holding Parker. He surprised us all this year by flying into Seattle and spending Christmas with us instead of his original plan to spend Christmas in New York. I was really surprised when he walked in the door and very confused.

Waiting to ride the carousel.

After riding the carousel Parker said, "Mom, I'm really good at that."

Andrea and I outside the See's candy shop. Another family tradition.

Eating Oreos with Grandpa. My dad is teaching Parker the proper technique to eat an Oreo.

To the cabin:

We spent Christmas at a friends cabin up Snoqualmie Pass. This cabin looked out over Lake Kachess. The views were amazing and our time spend there was so relaxing.

I love sitting by a fire and everyday while at the cabin we had one burning.

Justin and I along with the kids went outside to cut down a Christmas Tree.

This was Justin's first year having a real Christmas Tree.

Christmas Eve we had a family devotional which I loved. My favorite memories of Christmas have always been when we focus on the true meaning. We read the story of Christ's birth out of the scriptures and then Josh and Laurel sang.

We shared some Christmas memories and then the kids opened their new pajamas.

Alll ready for bed. They were so excited which made it fun for everyone.

Parker and Halle's Christmas Stockings and gifts from Santa.

Waiting to see what Santa had brought.

Halle showing off her new bracelets.

My sister Andrea let us give Halle some of her old dolls from when she was little.

Sledding

No Tram

2011-11-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we drove up to Snowbird Ski resort to ride the tram with Jeff and Janell and their kids. Unfortunately the tram was closed because a part broke so we took the kids on a quick hike.

On our way...

We arrived before Jeff and Janell so Parker and Justin went exploring while Halle and I sat in the warm car.

I love watching her write

Ready for Halloween

2011-11-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

Justin got home from Boston the Friday before Halloween so we carved our pumpkins a few hours after he arrived home.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

On our way to the pumpkin patch

"I'm going to find a pumpkin this big"

Parker had to have every pumpkin. He kept finding more that we just had to have and I kept sneaking pumpkins out of the wheelbarrow while he continued to add.

Returning the wheelbarrow after putting the pumpkins in our car.

HIking at Silver Lake

2011-11-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Janell and I took the kids hiking up Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was so beautiful and the changing leaves on the tree were amazing.

When the kids found stumps they would pretend to be statues.

Playing in the bucket of a tractor

2011-09-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am a little, more like A LOT behind when it comes to blogging. We have had an amazing end of summer and I was planning on sharing it all and then I did something stupid. While the camera was beginning to transfer the pictures to the computer, I unplugged the camera and deleted everything thinking that the pictures were already on the computer since I had just seen them when I selected which pictures to add. I lost all my pictures from the month of August. I lost the pictures from our trip to visit Jared and Val, camping, the night we stayed in Logan, UT and toured Utah State University, Parker's first soccer game pictures and lots of fun random pictures. When I think about it I want to cry so that's the end of that. No more thinking about it.

This is Parker's first year playing soccer and he is loving it. It's fun for Justin and I because each game we never know what kind of soccer playing we are going to be watching. Some games he wants the ball and he is in there trying hard to get it. We love the excitement of the break aways when he finally gets away from the mob and heads for the goal. The majority of the time we are watching a player who loves running with the mob but not to sure he wants to get into the middle of it. He loves when either team scores because he gets to sprint to the middle of the field and then roll or slide, whatever it is they are doing to celebrate.

During the week of September 11th there is a healing field at Sandy city hall. Two years ago I accidentally came across it and now I try to take the kids each year.

(the lens on my camera gets stuck)

notice Halle's hands on her hips mimicking Parker's friend Victoria.

I love what milestone #6 said:

Having hope in America even when all looks lost.

Parker was suppose to be in bed, but to Justin's surprise he had been in his room stamping every inch of his body.

A week with Grandpa and Nana plus a birthday celebration!

2011-08-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

My dad and Kristi came to visit the week of Parker's birthday. We went to Spring Mobile Ball Park to watch the Salt Lake Bees. There were a lot of home runs hit, just not by the home team. This picture was taken before the game so it makes it look like were the only spectators. Parker loved it and never once moved from his seat or asked for something to eat or drink. He was memorized.

Justin, Parker and Halle and Aaron and Laurel

Halle did not like Bumble!

To the Zoo:
This summer I have vowed to go to the zoo a lot, so we took everyone to the zoo. We always stop by the playground first. Parker loves the snake slide.

Halle was a bit more resistant going down the slide.

Justin and Halle and the elephants.

Justin, Halle and Parker

Halle is small, but she's atleast bigger than an infant gorilla.

Riding the carousel

Aaron and Laurel

Here we are on the train.
Dad and Kristi

Justin, Halle, and Parker

Aaron and Laurel

Parkers Birthday
On July 9th Parker turned 4 years old. We had a full day of celebrating.

First Parker woke up to find a string outside his bedroom door that lead around the house and out the front door to a brand new basketball hoop.

After Justin and My dad returned from golfing we all went mini golfing, one of Parker's favorite summer activities.

After he opened his last gift we took him outside and showed him his soccer goals that Justin made for him out of PVC pipe. Now I play soccer everyday.

Justin's mom made Parker's football cake. He Loved it. He wanted a sports filled birthday and that's what he got. Woke up to a new basketball hoop, went golfing(mini), had a football cake, received baseball bases from his cousins and Justin made him two soccer goals. I think he's one lucky boy.

I can't believe Parker is four years old. Maybe because he's so little or maybe because it feels like we just brought him home from the hospital. Either way time is flying by too fast. Parker makes me smile. He says the funniest things. He likes to use the word "remarkable" and when he asks a question and you do not give him a clear answer he will always say, "Yes or No mom"

Parker is small for his age and it has always been a concern of mine. At his four year old appointment the doctor has decided that she wants him to be evaluated by specialist. At the end of August we go back to the "Failure to Thrive Clinic" or a nicer term, the Follow Up Nutrition or FUN center at Primary Childrens. Then we have an appointment with an endocrinologist and then a GI specialist. I hope everything checks out and he is healthy and just waiting for a BIG growth spurt.

Independence Day

2011-07-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

This year for the 4th of July we went to the local parade which is surprising because I'm not a parade going kind of a person. I hate dealing with the traffic and crowds of people. I forgot my camera so I have no proof that we went. The kids loved it.

In the afternoon we had a BBQ at Justin's Parents house.

Here's Halle with her cousin Ellis.

Justin's brother Jeff going over the safety rules for sparklers

Halle wasn't particularly fond of the fireworks. She didn't cry, but she had no interest in watching. I love how she's plugging her ears.

The kids watching the fireworks.

Janell holding Ellis and Grandma Searle holding Halle

Parker lighting a firework

Halle's Birthday!

2011-07-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Halle turned two on June 27th. I started making her birthday cake and soon ended up on the phone with my mother in law in tears. She quickly came over and rescued the cake. It turned out great.

We celebrated with Justin's parents at their house. Parker was very excited to start opening presents. He was VERY helpful.

Halle showing off her new sunglasses.

Preparing to blow out the candles...

Blowing out the candles...

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

And she did. She only wanted ice cream, ooops.

Halle's birthday turned into a happy birthday Parker too. He loves the play food and dishes.

Halle at Two:
If you've had a chance to be around Halle then you know she's got plenty of attitude and she's not afraid to tell you when you are wrong. She likes to scream if things don't go her way. She's got plenty of stamina and she can keep on screaming at you from her crib as well. She also has a very sweet tender side that she seems to save for her dad. She is a big time daddy's girl. When she wakes in the morning she will yell for dad and if I go in to get her she will send me away and continue to yell for dad. She loves pediasures. She is quite small and under weight so it's a good thing except they cost an arm and a leg to keep those drinks stock piled in our fridge.

Halle is a great talker. She can tell me what she wants and she sure can boss Parker around. She often fills in for me. I may go to the stairs and yell for Parker to come for lunch. Then she will follow and continue yelling for Parker long after I have left.

She is smart! I know every parent thinks that their child is smart so I'm sure she is just average but to Justin and I we think she's a genius. She has mastered the alphabet including the sounds each letter makes. She loves to mimic Parker and I think that's where she gets it from. Justin occasionally reads bedtime stories in Spanish. Halles first Spanish word was anaranjado(orange). Every time I pull out the orange plate she yells, "anaranjado".

We love you Halle!

The Beginning Of Summer!

2011-07-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

The summer so far has been quite relaxing. I have been reading a lot which is a big reason why I have not been blogging. Any free time I have I am reading. I have probably read close to 8 books this summer and ready to start another. I told myself I needed to blog before I could start my new book.

Parker started taking swim lessons this summer and has loved it. After his first lesson he walked out of the building saying, "THAT WAS SO FUN!" It lasted three weeks and we will begin another three week session the last week in July. Here we are getting in the car to go for his first class.

The Zoo:
This year I bought a zoo pass with my neighbor and I am determined to get my moneys worth. My friend Chalyce and her two kids came with us.

Visitors: Sean and Sam/ Andrea and Brandon

While everyone was in town we took the kids mini golfing.

Us Searles are naturals on the mini golf course.
Afterwards we stopped at the Jordan River Temple to take pictures.

Baking Cookies

Playing outside in the sun.

Halle is a big time Daddy's girl. Here she is crying on the floor once she realized dad had just left to run errands.

Halle had a birthday. I have her birthday pictures still on my camera but her she is opening a package from Grandpa and Nana Christensen.

Here she is before church showing off her new outfit.

Our neighbors had a huge birthday party for their five year old and this is what we saw when we looked out our dining room window, Yikes!

They invited us over to let the kids try it out. My kids were not thrilled at all. This is actually a waterslide, but since the water was not on and the pool at the bottom was mostly empty we let the kids go down in their clothes. They didn't go very fast and were quite hesitant so Justin decided he would take them down. He put both of them on his lap and as he started he quickly picked up speed. He couldn't stop at the end and the three of them splashed right into the pool up to their chests. My kids were MAD. They wanted nothing to do with that slide. What's funny is that three weeks later at the Christensen family reunion there was a waterslide just like this one. I dragged my kids down it. One time down and they were done.

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

Bookin' For Boobies:
It's tradition that we spend the Saturday before Mother's Day attending the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City. This year I ran my legs numb and my two weeks of training paid off. I came in at a time of 25:20. Not bad!

Here we are before the race.

Halle and Justin sporting their eye pinks.

After the race, red faced and all. I was the only one who ran. Justin pulled the kids in the wagon.

Aaron and Laurel

After the race we headed to Tremonton to visit my mom's grave

The kids were already tuckered out by then and it was only 10:00.

Halle watering the flowers.

Is it weird to take pictures by a gravestone? We do it every time.

On the way home we like to stop at Red Robin. Aaron and Laurel joined us for lunch and visiting mom's grave.

Saturday night Justin and Parker went shopping for a mother's day gift. When they got home Parker came into my room and I asked him if he bought me a mother's day gift. Parker said, "No we didn't buy you a mother's day present, but dad did buy some furniture for outside." I was surprised and ran to the garage just in time to see Justin's dad's truck pulling away. I love the new patio furniture.

I love certain things about Mother's Day. I love sleeping in, eating crepes with strawberries and whip cream for breakfast, kicking my feet up while Justin works alongside his dad and brothers to make dinner, then continuing to relax while the guys clean up dinner and not having to change a single diaper all day. I however find Mother's Day to be a particularly hard day. Sitting in church listening to speakers talk about Mother's is really hard for me since I miss my mother immensely. This year I was determined to not cry. I am sick of having red puffy eyes and blotchy skin. This year during church I, for the most part, didn't listen to the speakers or the musical numbers. When I felt like I could cry I began counting. I counted by threes, fours, sixes, sevens, eights and nines. By the end of church I learned that I am a really good counter.

Happy Mother's Day!

Part 2 (catching up)

2011-04-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

A picnic in the backyard after another long Saturday of working in the kitchen. Eating outside was a must since our kitchen had insulation and dust all over everything. Justin was just ready to collapse.

Dad and Kristi came to visit because Aaron and Laurel graduated this past week.

They each wanted to walk with their own class so we had two graduations to attend. Laurel graduated in music and while we were sitting watching her graduation Justin leaned over and said, "This isn't all that bad. It's like watching glee." The class of music, dance and drama makes for a much more exciting graduation. Unfortunately we can't same the same for Aaron's. His was mostly two hours of names being read. About 700 total. It was a great day and we really enjoyed going out to lunch afterwards. Congratulations Aaron and Laurel. Now it's off to medical school.

Easter celebrations:

This Easter Justin was in charge of their baskets. We keep it really simple and pretty inexpensive. Justin raided the dollar bins at Target.

Halle searching for the Easter eggs that my dad and Kristi hid.

Parker was quite upset that he didn't get to hide the eggs, but once he got over that he had fun searching for eggs also.

We tried to get a good picture of the kids with Grandpa and Nana but Halle refused.

I even tried sitting in but she still wanted nothing to do with the picture.

Dad and Kristi left for the airport around noon on Saturday and that afternoon we had a Easter Party with Justin's family.

Justin hid these eggs. (Male Humor?)

Halle and her cousin Ellis play really well together. Ellis is a month older than Halle

Here they are kissing the glass on grandma's coffee table.

Halle's new Easter dress. This is her brushing her teeth right before church.

She wanted to wear her pink skeleton pajama bottoms with the dress. I felt this was a battle worth having. NO WAY!

Part 1 of a way too long post.

2011-04-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I've posted I don't even know how long ago this was. Parker had the chance to go with Dad and Grandpa to a Jazz game. He loved it and held onto the tickets for a good 2 days showing them off.

Here they are right after they got home from the game having a bed time snack.

Over three weeks ago we actually had two days of really nice weather. I decided as I was working in the yard that I wanted a garden so the next day I went to work on it.

While I was working the kids were playing. Every time I looked over, Parker had less clothes on than before and finally I looked over and he was completely naked. I had the soaker hose running along the shrubs and the two of them kept pulling on the end and getting wetter and wetter.

Justin took over once he got home from work. I love how the kids are just sitting there watching him work.

Our finished product. Now we just need some nice weather so we can plant seeds.

Andrea and Brandon came to visit during their spring break and the weekend they arrived was the weekend we had set aside to start our kitchen remodel. Our first project was knocking down the low ceiling and putting in can lights. Here is how the kitchen looked before.

Here it is during demolition.

And here is how it looked at the end of the day. Since we ran into some electrical issues we had to wait to put drywall up. Looks so open now and much bigger.

While Andrea and Brandon were in town, we hiked Ensign Peak. I love the view of the state capital as you drive up State st.

The kids got a package from two very important people. Parker got a jersey and Halle a dress.

Halle thinks her dress is a basketball Jersey too. She is always asking to wear her jersey when here and Parker play ball.

Just playin'

2011-04-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

We have had a few nice days but it didn't last very long. The kids love swinging on the tire swing especially Halle. She is so young and I just have to hold my breath the whole time she is on. So far she always holds on tight.

Goin' Fishin', another favorite of Halle's.

A Visit From Jared and Val

2011-04-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Jared and Val and their kids came to visit. We had a lot of fun and watched A LOT of basketball. Jared had to work leaving Val and I home with out their car. Val took the kids Thursday to ride the train and I stayed home with Halle while she napped. On Friday Val took the kids to Ikea while I stayed home with Halle. It was so relaxing. I cleaned for an hour then layed in the recliner and fell asleep while watching March Madness. It was so nice. Val's time at Ikea was not so relaxing. Thanks Val!!!!! Next time I'll take the kids.

Parker and Addie eating their St. Patrick's Day doughnuts.

Halle reminds me a lot of Addie. They sure had fun together.

These two couldn't love each other anymore than they already do.

And these two!

On Saturday we went out to lunch so the kids could get some energy out.

March Madness brought great excitement and hope that BYU would go far. We all bought BYU basketball shirts to wear.

We had a great time and look forward to our next group of visitors. Andrea and Brandon come this weekend then Dad and Kristi the next.

Our trip to Seattle

2011-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last week the kids and I spend time visiting Dad and Kristi in Seattle while Justin was in Memphis for work.

This picture was taken before our trip. I love Halle's hair and the amazing part is that Justin is the one who did it. He loves trying to put bows in Halle's hair, but she's quick to take them out.

Day 1- The flight there was great. Justin's dad helped us through security and stayed with us until we got on the plane.

It was not a full flight so Halle had here own seat which made it so easy. Coming home was a different story.

This was the first time we have visited without Andrea being there or at least her stuff. Parker was able to have his own bed and his own room.

When we got to the house Kristi went to get the mail and the kids watched her the whole time. I think it's a cute picture.

We had lots of fun with Grandpa and Nana. Parker especially loved playing Wii with Grandpa.

We were able to go on a walk in between the rain storms which lasted almost the whole time.

Nana made a basketball hoop for the kids. They loved it and she even cut a hole at the bottom for them to pull the ball out.

Halle eating her Funyuns

Every time we visit we always go to Ixtapa, our favorite Mexican restaurant. This time we tried a new place in town. It was good but I still think Ixtapa is better.

The kids were so willing to take a bath which is unusual. I guess we need a tub this size.

Saturday was sunny and the kids got to play outside, Finally! By sunny I mean not raining.

The kids love this tricycle. We took them for a walk on the centennial trail. Halle road the trike first and then Parker rode it back.

I love the Seattle Airport. I don't mind showing up early for a flight because the kids and I enjoy sitting in front of the huge windows watching the planes take off and land. Kristi helped us through security and stayed with us until we got on the plane which was so helpful.

We had a great trip and look forward to visiting again. Next time we hope Justin can come too.

Presidents Day Weekend

2011-03-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

Parker loves playing ball. He puts on his basketball jersey, running shoes, shorts and plays, plays, plays. Even in his own imagination he doesn't make all his shots.

Parker set up his own table in my living room. I am so impressed with myself because I allowed his creation to stay for the whole week.

For Presidents Weekend Andrea and Brandon came to visit.
Andrea needed to take every one's blood pressure and heart rate for one of her classes. In Christensen fashion, we turned it into a competition. Here Justin is analysing the results.

Justin wanted the lowest heart rate so he made himself completely comfortable and enjoyed some meditation time. Aaron's wife Laruel won, yet it's hard to get a clear winner at this game.

My new love, NUTELLA. We downed a whole jar in one day and I still wanted more.

I put it on saltine crackers and...

they were gone in seconds.

Parker's a big fan also.

We bought a Wii and Parker sure can play. Here is proof that he beat me. I have never bowled a 200 yet.

Justin turns 31

2011-02-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

Justin and I are so ready for spring to come, but in the mean time here are some more snow pictures.

I made this snowman with my own two hands and I think it looks mighty fine. Parker helped a little. He more gave the orders while I followed.

Halle now has real snow boots and snow pants. No more plastic bags for her.

Halle wants to be just like Parker. She insisted that I put this basketball jersey on her.

Justin turned 31 on Feb. 4th. Even though it's Justin's birthday, Parker is the one obsessing about the cake. If you know Parker then you know why.

Football, Football, Football

We buy a DQ cake once a year and that's for Justin's birthday. His favorite food is Ice cream and DQ's cakes are the best with the choc. and vanilla with the fudge/cookie crumb in the middle. MMMMMMmmmmmm.

Halle dressing herself Sunday morning. She hates the help and this is what happens.

On Saturday we organized our front closet. We added another shelf on top and one down below for shoes. It looks so much better than it did before. Don't you think Andrea?

The Month of January

2011-01-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in a while so I'm definitely playing catch up. It's been a while since we've had a big snow storm. We had a few good storms at the end of December and beginning of January. Parker loves the snow and can spend hours in it. Halle usually lasts five minutes and then done. Look at Halle's ghetto snow gear. We have bought her boots since this picture was taken, so no more plastic bags for her.

With the Utah Jazz in full swing and us watching at least three games a week, Parker is in love with basketball more than ever.

The biggest trial we have had this month revolves around food. At Halle's 18 month appointment, she weighed less than she did at her 15 month appointment. She had been sick, but nevertheless, what do you say to that. I was embarrassed yet I feel completely helpless. My kids DO NOT like to eat. After the nurse weighed Halle and noticed she weighed less she said, "Lets weigh her again. The ONE time this happened the scale was off." I knew at that moment the scale was not off and doing it again was just going to make me more embarrassed. At the end of this month we have to take both kids in to be weighed. If Halle doesn't make enough progress then they want to run some tests on her. I know nothing is wrong with my kids. It is simply a lack of calories and I feel I have tried everything.

Justin and I have diagnosed Parker with meal time narcolepsy. This is no joke. He does this all the time. Justin and I approach meal time ready for business. We are going to lay down the law, no one leaves the table without eating and then he just falls asleep. So frustrating.

Halle throws a fit and pushes her plate away the moment she sits down. Halle is harder than Parker because we can't reason with her. She screams and cries and finally Justin and I can't take it any longer and we put her down so she ends up eats nothing. We seriously need professional help and not because I think anyone else can do any better. I just need to see a professional fail so I can feel better about our efforts.

WARNING: This next picture is disgusting.

His favorite way to sleep at the dinner table is curled up in a ball. We tried to prevent this by putting him in a booster chair. He still fell asleep.

Halle finally fits into her Crocs that Nana bought for her a long time ago. She always wants to wear them and hates her other shoes now.

Andrea and Brandon came to visit this past weekend. We had a lot of fun but didn't take many pictures.

We went bowling which we haven't done in a long time. I did terrible, but so did everyone else.

Andrea's attempt to keep Halle busy.

I knew Parker loved to bowl, but we found out that Halle does too. After pushing the ball down the ramp, she would stand on her tippy toes and watch the ball go all the way down the lane.

She thought every turn should be hers so this experience was not all roses. We had a lot of fun and were glad to see Andrea and Brandon.

Christmas

2010-12-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

This year we stayed home for Christmas and enjoyed spending time with Justin's family who live close. On Christmas Eve we read the Christmas Story out of the Bible while the kids put pictures on the flannel board. Halle kept taking the stars and I eventually got curious as to where she was going with them. Justin found her throwing them away in the garbage. She's a busy body!

Grandpa and Nana gave the kids a new pair of pajamas. In the morning Parker didn't want to take his off. He told me he hadn't worn them long enough.

Parker made sure we left cookies and milk for Santa.

Christmas Morning: Here we are waiting to go and see what Santa brought.

Santa gave Parker a remote control car, that only turns left and Halle got a helicopter that sings.

Halle and her helicopter

Justin trying to figure out why it won't turn right

Halle trying on Justin's new shirt

Justin gave me a box of Self Esteem. What is he trying to say?

They are a cute pair of boots and I sure feel good when I'm in them.

Clothes for Halle

Andrea and Brandon gave us the game Jenga and we have played it several times already.

This probably is there favorite toy. It's a marble run similar to the one we had growing up.

Halle has been sick since Wednesday so while visiting Grandpa and Grandma Searle she was cranky and just didn't want to be bothered.

We had a fantastic Christmas and now look forward to the new year.

I read it for you mom!

2010-12-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

I finished reading the book, Nancy And Plum, by Betty MacDonald.

This book was one of my mom's favorites and she and I often read it together around Christmas. A lot of people have books they like to read around the holidays and this is one of mine. I called Andrea on Sunday to tell her that I was almost finished and she and Kristy had both already read it. It's a cute story, but that's not why this book's special. This book is special to me becuase it reminds me of my mom.

Temple Square

2010-12-16T09:48:00.001-08:00

On Saturday we went to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. It was way too crowded but we still had fun. Here we are waiting to get on the train.

Parker and his cousin Liam.

My favorite part of Temple Square is seeing the Christus Statue, yet ironically Christmas is not the best time to go and see the statue. Way too crowded. We tried to get a quick family picture and right before Justin's mom took the picture, a very tall man stood right behind us.

So we tried again and at that point the kids were done.

This picture is unrelated but I can't figure out how to delete it. Since our computer got a virus things just don't work like they use to, especially blogger and it is driving me crazy. I cannot move pictures around and spell checker doesn't highlight mistakes as I go. I think I did a few posts before realizing spell checker wasn't working. And I cant copy things from the internet and paste into word. If anyone has answers then please help.

Never leave Halle alone with a crayon or marker.

Candle Lit Lunch

2010-12-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here's Parker and Halle enjoying a candle lit lunch together. Actually, every meal lately has been a candle lit meal. Tis the Season! Oh, and every candle lit meal is closely supervised!

I love when Parker lets me cuddle with him. It doesn't happen often so it's worth remembering. We're watching the Jazz game so that's why he's ok with it.

The end of November brought so much snow and I didn't think I would see my lawn until spring. The past few weeks have been warm for December and the snow is mostly gone. Can you tell what this is a drawing of? Green Grass? Yard Lines? Circles(Football Players)?

He's a bit upsessed. He is sitting in the middle of 7 football fields that he has drawn and now they are all hanging on my dining room walls.

Just me and the kids

2010-11-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

This week Justin is out of town for work, so it's just me and the kids. Monday morning Halle woke up with an eye infection and Monday night Parker's eye started showing signs of infection. Both are receiving eye drops, Parker 4 times a day and Halle 3 times. I hate giving a 16 month old eye drops. I dread it and I don't think I have ever gotten a drop IN her eye. She is getting better so I must be doing something right. It's definitely a wrestling match each time.

Parker's new thing- DESTROYING MY KITCHEN

And I was wondering where all the computer paper was disappearing to. I should have just looked in the family room. This is only the beginning. There's a stack by the window.Halle LOVES to color and she colors on everything. This time she drew with pen on every section of our sectional. While I was cleaning it up, Parker was documenting it without me knowing. He has Andrea's old camera and loves it.

I reached for the magic eraser. Not sure if that was the best idea, but soap and water wasn't going to work. It lightened up the color of the leather or maybe that's what it used to look like and I just need to clean the whole thing.

Halle coloring!

The Day Before Halloween

2010-11-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am loving this weather. On Saturday we had so much fun playing outside together in all the leaves.

Justin was scooping leaves on them

Justin and Parker playing football. They always ended up in the leaf pile after every play.

A bunch of green thumbs:
Notice how tall our bushes have gotten. It would appear that they have grown around 4 feet tall in the last few months. Not true. Our first batch were turning red and not looking good at all so we dug them up, returned them and purchased these much bigger bushes for only three dollars more a piece. Fall is the best time to buy. These bushes are usually $26 but we snagged them for $8.75 at home depot.

For Halloween the kids were skeletons. Here in Utah, when Halloween falls on a Sunday, everyone goes trick or treating on Saturday. We went to one house and Parker didn't care to go knock on the door so we just went back home and enjoyed handing candy out.
These two are really starting to pal around with each other. I enjoy this part of Halle getting bigger, except I could do without the fighting and teasing.

Making Improvements

2010-10-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

For the past two years we have been working to decorate our house and still some rooms remain empty. Downstairs in our family room we have slowly been changing and adding to it. Since we have moved in, Justin has taken out the old wood paneling, added in a french door, dry walled, painted and more. Our walls are slowing getting pictures and art work up. Val just made me a new piece for my family room wall and it turned out perfectly. It's funny because she also did the pictures that are on the other wall. All the decorations so far have been done by Val. I do have one wall left you know? If you think of anything let me know Val.

On Saturday we finally went and purchased the entertainment center we have been saving up for. It's actually a buffet but we knew when we first saw it that it would work great in our family room. And the best part is .....
All the storage room for the toys. It holds more than you would think and now the toys are no longer piling up in the corner of the room.

My Two Skeletons

2010-10-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

I love the kids new skeleton pajamas and the best part is... they glow in the dark.

I love the pink heart on Halle's pajamas.

kids pictures

2010-10-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Val just posted the pictures on her photography blog that she took of the kids. Click on Val's Photography Blog to view the pictures. She does great work!

Vegas Vacation

2010-10-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Vegas to visit my brother Jared and his family. We had a lot of fun and the kids were excited to see each other. The first night we went out to dinner, buffet style which is an experience all its own when you have young kids. They actually did really good once we were settled and eating. We went to a park afterward and the kids played in the sand.

On Saturday we had a picnic and went on a small hike. It was a lot of fun and breathtakingly beautiful. Check out Val's blog for the amazing scenic pictures.

Here's Halle polishing off her juice pouch

Here's the gang on the trail. We couldn't keep up with them but luckily they stopped to wait for us at each new sign.

These two really like each other and get along perfectly. Looking at them you would think they are the same age. Addie's two and in the 95th percentile for height and Parker is three and in the "less than 5th" percentile, so that's what you get.

Cousinly Love

Here they are again. They swung together for nearly an hour.

Saturday the kids decorated a haunted house.

Val was kind enough to take pictures of Parker and Halle in her studio and she got some really good ones but it took a lot of work. I think my kids have probably been her biggest challenge yet. Parker did not want to take a break from playing. Val posted some of the pictures on her blog.

The drive home was long but we enjoyed it. While riding home Parker, out of no where, said, "Val's a crazy driver." Justin and I were both so shocked and a bit embarrassed, hoping that we were the only two people he had told that to. Then Parker said, Dad(Justin) is a slow driver." We started getting really interested at this point. He then said, "Jared is a fast driver." I'm guessing Jared taught Parker all of this new found knowledge and I'm still waiting for Parker to tell me what Jared said about my driving.

Thanks Jared and Val for the fun weekend!

Parker and Halle

2010-10-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Lobster Hands

What they do when you think they're asleep.

Aquaphor anyone?

Halle- right after her nap.

Hello Fall

2010-09-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Life is busy, busy and here are a few things we have been up to. First of all I know this looks disgusting so let me explain. My sister in law orders "Bountiful Baskets" everyother week and I joined her last week. Bountiful Baskets are ordered online and then on Saturday you pick it up at the fire station parking lot. You get a basket of fruit and a basket of vegetables and here's the fun part, you never know what you are going to get. We got two acorn squash and I didn't have a clue what to do with them because Justin and I don't really like squash. I found this stuffed acorn squash recipe online and it's so good. I know it looks a bit disgusting. We also got a honey dew and we made honey dew and lime sorbet, also very good. These are things I wouldn't have bought on my own so it has been fun finding recipes and different ways to eat them.

It's that time of the year. I canned for about 2 hours on Friday but I need to do more. We go through a lot of canned peaches during the year and store canned peaches just don't taste as good.

Here's Halle right before church. Is she not what you picture a little tomboy to look like?

Here she is putting on Parker's pants

Parker giving our family home evening lesson last Monday. Halle rips a page in my scriptures totally in half and that is what you hear right and the end.

Code Yellow

2010-09-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

When a child gets lost in Target it is announced over the employees' radios as a code yellow. I know thanks to Parker. While shopping everything was going great until Parker took off running. Parker gave me little to no warning that he was itching to run. We had been there for about 10 minutes and he was doing a great job holding onto the side of the cart until he saw the boys section with all the clothes and hiding places. I was embarrassed at first because I hate looking like the terrible mother that can't control her child, but as I tried to maneuver the cart around the racks to catch up with him he was gone and when I say gone I mean he was gone. I searched on my own for quite a while with tears slowly starting to surface as panic was beginning to set in. I finally asked an employee for help. I was really surprised to see her pull a radio out because I just assumed she would start searching with me. She put out a call to all the employees that there is a code yellow. Looking for a three year old boy with blond hair wearing a green shirt.

Soon after the code yellow had been issued, two employees found him running around the maternity section. I hope this doesn't sound bad, but I was really hoping to find Parker upset and worried but oh no. He had the biggest smile on his face and said, "I run fast mom." Oh yes you do!

Parker's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Parker's first day of preschool. I can't believe he's already three.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Jared and Val and their two kids came to visit. Saturday morning we took the kids mini golfing. It was quite challenging to play a competitive game of mini golf and still keep track of 4 kids.

Parker and Devin posing in front of the haunted house on the third green or the fourth, fifth... who knows.

easy does it

There was a lot of water and I feel we were quite lucky no one fell in.

Addie taking care of Halle

Justin, Parker, Jared, Devin, Aaron and Laurel all went to the BYU game against Washington. It was a sold out game and we were lucky to get some tickets. Val and I stayed home with Halle and Addie. I would love to have gone but I think Halle would have had a hard time with all the noise.

Monday we went hiking to Stuart Falls. It was a long hike for the kids but they did such a great job. Parker didn't mind the hike at all. I think he actually really liked it.

Spanish Club/Preschool

2010-09-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

This year I am going to be teaching preschool. I have turned a room in our house with an outside entrance into a classroom. I will be teaching Parker and five other students. I wanted no more than six because I can easily work with all six kids at the table and give them each plenty of time to talk and participate. I also started a small Spanish Club and we had our first meeting last night. I am blogging about it on my preschool blog so if you are interested in seeing how Spanish Club went last night you can click on the link(Nourish The Noggin).

28 bushes in all

2010-09-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were planning on finishing up some molding in the house until Justin started working in the yard and wanted to keep going.

Before

After

A Sweet Tooth

2010-09-02T12:09:00.001-07:00

Today after grocery shopping I looked at my kids and wondered, have they eaten anything today with real nutritional value. Sadly the answer is probably no. I went grocery shopping right before lunch which is a big mistake because the kids always start getting hungry while we are still shopping. It has become tradition to stop at the bakery and let Parker pick out a doughnut. This is one of my attempts to help him gain some weight. The bakery is our first stop where we always grab a complimentary cookie for the kids. Then towards the end we reach the candy isle and I let them each pick a treat forgetting that we have a doughnut already in the shopping cart. At checkout they always offer the kids "Smarties" but luckily I was "smart" enough to say no.

so now that there tummies are already full of sweets what do you feed them for lunch? I simply gave them each a bowl of grapes and called it good. Now I can say they have eaten something nutritious.

My kids are very picky eaters but the one thing they both like and eat without a fuss..

PIZZA!
(what a surprise)

Where do they learn this stuff from?

2010-08-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today as I was getting ready I noticed something on my vanity drawer. As I looked closer and started scraping it off I realized it was a booger. No big deal. We have all been sick so maybe while someone was blowing their nose it escaped under the tissue. This was hopeful thinking but I am sure not the case. Later today I found Parker building a fort on his bed. As I was talking with him I looked past him and noticed his wall was speckled with something. I'm sure every parent out there can guess what was covering his wall. Not again. This kids is on close watch and we are headed to the store to buy tissues and I am going to situate a box in every room of the house and yes there will be a box position right by his bed. Why, why, why do kids do this? Mine can't be the only one, right? I certainly did not teach him to dispose of them there.

A trip home with family

2010-08-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

This year the family all got together in Snohomish for Andrea and Brandon's wedding. We had an amazing time. I arrived with the kids on Monday before the wedding. I loved having the week to be with Andrea and help get things together. On Wednesday we had a bridal shower at the Schwartz's home. Justin flew in on Wednesday so he could be there to watch the kids while I was at the bridal shower. Friday was an extremely hectic day. We did a lot of food prep and began setting up tables and decorations for the outside reception. And just before leaving to get our pedicures Justin sliced his finger requiring 4 stitches.

Parker and Grandpa picking raspberries together

Outside playing in the sprinkler... and her hair

Camping in the backyard with Devin and Justin

On the day of the wedding it rained all day so we had to move the reception to the church.

Andrea and Brandon

Lexi, Addie, Parker, Devin

Andrea and Brandon with their nieces and nephews
Notice Parker and Addie, they sure love playing together

Taylor(Brandon's Sister), Laurel(Aaron's wife), Andrea, Michelle, Sam, Val

Parker at the Luncheon

Grandkids

Backyard baseball game. We used the tables as our home run fence

Grandpa and Nana with the grandkids

On Monday we went on a tour of Seattle. We started at the Ballard Locks and watched the boats come in. The Ballard Locks connect Lake Washington to the Puget Sound.

Here's the fish ladder.
Lexi and Parker

Next we saw the troll under Fremont Bridge. Parker was a bit freaked out.

Then we stopped at Gasworks Park. From this park you can see the whole city of Seattle

And this is the reason it is called Gasworks Park

Next we took the monorail to west lake center and had lunch.

At the Seattle Center our favorite thing to do is to try and touch the center of the fountain without getting wet.

On Tuesday we went blueberry picking.

Tuesday night we went to a Seattle Mariners game and they actually won, Yeah!

Saddly, when it was time to go home I retired our cups from the counter and threw them away. What a fun week.

At the airport we watched the planes take off and land before heading to our gate.

And here we are heading home.

"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." - Mark Twain

2010-08-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Justin and I got to spend 4 days in San Francisco without the kids. It was so much fun. I loved being able to relax. Justin had to go to California for work so he would work during the day and then we would go touring at night. As for me, I would wake up and have breakfast with Justin and then go back to our hotel room and sleep until about 10:00. Read, shower, read some more, go down to the pool and read some more, go get lunch and then read some more. It was so relaxing, but I was definitely starting to miss the kids by the end of the week. Justin's parents were kind enough to watch them.

The first night we went to a Giants baseball game. That thin jacket I'm wearing is all I brought to keep me warm. Big Mistake!

This picture is of an interesting memorial but I can't remember what it's for.

The cement pads looked like they were floating

Fisherman's Wharf

Alcatraz behind me

Lombard Street

The view by Coit Tower

Coit Tower

Some pictures of the kids

2010-08-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Halle is getting pretty good at walking. It is her preferred way to get around.
The other day Parker yelled from down the hall, "Mom look what I can do!" I ran to see him jumping off the pictured stool and over Halle. I'm not sure how he cleared her. I am just glad she has yet to get seriously hurt by him.
Yesterday while pulling weeds, Parker from over by the fire hydrant yells, "Dad, I think there's uncles in here." I'm sure this is related to the ants we see around the yard.

Reading outside with dad

Sharing Smoothies

They say it happens all the time.

2010-07-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I took my wallet out of my purse so we could look online at some car rentals for our upcoming trip to San Francisco. This morning I desperately needed to do some grocery shopping so I hurried to get the kids out the door and on our way to Sam's Club. I parked the car, got Parker out and then walked around to get Halle. Before pulling Halle out I reached to grab my Sam's Club card. I realized then that I had left my wallet down by the computer so I put my bag back in the car with my keys in it. I shut Halle's door and walked Parker back around to his seat. I went to open his door and it was locked. All the doors were locked. Right then fear set in. I had just locked my one year old in a hot car on one of the hottest days of the year with the temperature in the car quickly rising. Across the parking lot I saw a mother loading her car up and I ran to her to ask if she could help me. She had no cell phone which really surprised me but she offered to watch Parker while I ran inside to call for help. I put a lot of trust in this stranger and I am so thankful for her kindness. First I called Justin but he didn't answer so then I had no choice but to call 911. I ran back outside to find the kind stranger standing by the window of my car trying to provide Halle with some shade. By the time a fire engine arrived Halle had been in the car for nearly 15 minutes. If you are a mother of a young child you can probably imagine how upset I was. The fireman said that they wanted to wait for a police officer because they did not have the equipment to get into the car without breaking a window. They put a tarp over the car to provide shade but said if she starts sweating and really getting upset they would break the window. Luckly when a police officer showed up it took her only a few minutes to unlock the car. Trying to comfort me the fireman kept telling me this happens all the time. In this shopping center alone they get at least one call a week. It really did not make me feel any better but I will be much more cautious for now on.

Halle's walking... A little

2010-07-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Halle still loves to crawl and prefers to, but yesterday she finally took some steps on her own.

Sorry the video is sideways. I don't know how to turn it around.

Summer fun/ Starting to look like a Preschool room

2010-07-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

It's starting to look like a preschool and the kids are loving it.

Playing outside in the pool.

Halle playing on the stairs with Dad

Parker's 3rd Birthday and a fun weekend to go along with it

2010-07-12T17:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great weekend. Parker's Birthday was on Friday and it just so happened that Dad and Kristi had arranged to bring some stuff down to Utah for someone they knew back home so they arrived Thursday night and were here to celebrate with us.

Friday morning Justin and my dad went golfing with a group of guys from Justin's work.
Then they came home and took Parker golfing which is one of his favorite things to do with Grandpa.

While the guys were golfing, Halle, Kristi and I went shopping. While we were at Kholes we were looking at artwork and I reached to grab a picture and another one came falling down at me from somewhere else cutting my pinky and instantly turning it black and blue. It was extremely painful and the trauma to the skin and tissue just made the end of my finger numb yet I could still feel the pain. We hurried to get a first aid kit and I closed my eyes and let Kristi clean me up. The cut starts by the side of my nail and goes a little over half way around my finger. I worried that I was going to lose my finger but If you know me that's no surprise since I worry to the extremes usually.

We got Parker a wiggle car but so far I have been a bit disappointed. It doesn't seem to work as well as others I have seen.

For dinner we went to Sizzler with Dad, Kristi, Aaron and Laurel and then we had cake and ice cream at our house with Justin's parents.

Dee made Parker a Curious George cake which he just loved. Curious George has been Parker's favorite show for the longest time and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Halle hardly lets anyone else hold her, but she did warm up to Grandpa long enough for me to get this picture.

This weekend was the Christensen family reunion. Softball is really big with this family and I enjoyed watching Justin play. I didn't play because my finger still hurt but I know they could have used my skills out there.

Random pictures taken the past few weeks

Halle's not upset, she just does not like the flash.

Parker go a new pool last week because our old one popped. He was so excited so Justin let him sleep in it.

Halle's 1

2010-06-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Halle's 1st birthday. We opened presents and had family over for some cake and Ice cream. For her birthday we gave her a baby doll, a baby stroller to go with and a toy vacuum.

Grandma Searle found this cute birthday hat for her. She wore it longer than I thought she would.

Grandma Searle made her birthday cake. I told her I just wanted it to be purple and totally girly and she delivered.

Parker did the honor of blowing out the candle.

She certainly did not dive into her cake. She took a very apprehensive approach and soon with the help of a spoon and ice cream on the side she finally ate some.

Parker with his cousin's Liam and Noah

There she goes. She stayed quite clean and the only reason she got some in her hair is because she wanted to take the hat off.

Halle and her cousin Ellis playing in the sandbox. Ellis is about 5 weeks older than Halle.

Such a diva! Especially in attitude. Here she is opening her new phone. She holds it up to her forehead to talk.

Halle definitely came to this earth with a bit of an attitude but she can also be just as sweet. She is not as easy going as Parker was but she is more of a cuddler and very caring. She thinks Parker is the funniest person in the world and no one can get her laughing like he can.

Halle loves to play in her hair. Any time of the day you can look over and she will have her hands up in her hair. She also loves to dress up and put things on her head. She will crawl into her room, open a drawer and pull out anything she can find to pull onto her head. With the biggest grin on her face, she will crawl to find me. She loves playing with my makeup brush. She will pretend to dip the brush in blush and then put it on her face. She loves doing things she is not suppose to be doing. If I catch her crawling to the stairs I will yell for her to stop and that is when she begins giggling and picks up speed to try and make it before I can catch her. I feel very blessed to have a little girl and I can not wait for all the special moments we will have in the future as mother and daughter.

I found this Idea and I can't wait to do it with Halle someday. http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/

We started a notebook that will contain letters between me and my daughter, its a great relationship building activity and will become a wonderful keepsake down the road! (Not to mention that it works on handwriting, spelling, and writing at the same time, and you know, if you can sneak in a little school, hey!)

But really I’m hoping to gain some treasured insight into my daughter and what goes on in that sweet head of hers. As well as strengthen our bond, and even give us some “1 on 1” time with each other that can be difficult to find in a family of 6.

I copied Beverly’s initial letter almost to the T:

“Dear ****, Would you like to be pen pals? I thought it would be fun! Instead of mailing letters to each other, we’ll keep them in this notebook.

I will write to you, and leave the notebook on your bed. Then, when you want to write me back, you write on the next page and leave the notebook on my bed. You can write anything you like. It can be funny or serious or anything you want to write. Sound like fun?

Love, Mom
P.S. Write back soon!”

Summer to do list just got a little smaller

2010-06-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Halle's favorite toy in the whole house is the booster seat that Parker wants nothing to do with except when Halle is playing with it and then it becomes his booster seat. As you can imagine we have had many tumbles and bumped heads so now I try and make sure it is in the middle of the room waiting for her and not in it's usual spot in the corner.

Halle waiting to go to church

I have been wanting to get a little tikes climber for so long and finally I was able to snag one off the classifieds. They go so fast that unless you see the add within 3 minutes of it being posted they are always taken. Parker loves it and tells me it is perfect which makes me so happy.

These rain gutter bookshelves are so cute. I know they are not a new thing because I have seen them on a few blogs but I really like how they turned out. I saw this arrangement on Jen's blog who is my sister in law's sister in law. I love how she did the 4 shelves in the corner so I did the exact same arrangement and they turned out great. Parker loves them and it is going to be so much easier to find his favorite books and I can then avoid spending 10 minutes looking for them.

Making small talk

2010-06-17T21:14:00.001-07:00

Today while shopping at Carters Parker put a huge smile on my face just by being himself. He was playing in the center isle on the hopscotch that's painted on the floor. I was just off to the side but I could still hear and see him. Next to Parker was an employee who was restocking a shelf. Parker casually stepped towards her and said, "It sure is sunny today." She kindly agreed and Parker then continued talking. He said "I think it is going to rain though...it's the clouds..." I can't remember it all but he was just so confident with his little self that it just brought me such joy. I think he has mastered the art of small talk. Start with the weather and the rest will come or something like that. The employee was sure smitten with him and they did engage in a delightful conversation.

Memorial weekend and the days that followed

2010-06-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am suffering from severe lack of sleep. Halle has decided that 6:00 a.m. is the appropriate time to arise each morning. Her bowels work on overload and she is always poopy each morning so I just can't leave her in the crib and once she is pulled out of the crib to be changed then she is awake for good even though I am still sleep walking.

Yesterday Justin came home with a stomach bug and passed on the fantastic meal I made and spent the whole evening sprawled downstairs on the couch in pain. Unfortunately on those days kids still need to be fed, washed and put to be so last night I was flying solo. Then after nursing Halle at 2:30 a.m. less than an hour later Parker was crying and throwing up and oh yes he got the sheets, pillows, blanket, pajamas and Justin covered in vomit. So today after washing sheets, blankets, pillow and pajamas I found myself lying face down in Parker's room on the clean laundry that I was suppose to be making the bed with not being able to move do to extreme exhaustion. But then of course I was reminded why this is all worth it. Halle crawled over to me and sat beside/on me and began rubbing my back. She did eventually whack me in the face but that three seconds of back rubbing brought the biggest smile to my face.

Now onto the joys of potty training. We have just completed two full weeks and I think he is getting pretty good. We have had our ups and downs and I think now things are looking up. He finally pooped in the toilet this week which is really exciting since I am tired of dunking underwear in the toilet to clean them and having to experience those moments of shear panic when I notice Parker is missing and I can't find him. That usually means he is off pooping in his underwear. It took 3 trips to the potty in the span of 10 minutes and him screaming in terror and me rubbing his back telling him it is just poop before he finally did it. Way to go Parker. This morning while Parker was sitting on the toilet I left the room for a moment and was sent back in by Parker screaming, "My underwear, my underwear." I ran in and looked between Parker's legs and found his underwear floating in the toilet so I went fishing for underwear. It turns out Halle found the underwear and put them in the toilet while Parker was sitting there helpless, hmmmmmmmmm.

Last Friday we took Halle to Primary Children's to see a neurologist about a unique movement Halle started doing. I had a worrisome week but everything is just fine with her. He diagnosed it as a shuddering attack and unless it becomes more frequent or if she was to start losing consciousness while doing it then we would need to worry but she seems perfect to me.

Last Saturday we drove up to Tremonton to put flowers on my mom's grave.

Sunday Sean and Sam arrived and we got to visit with them and tell them goodbye before they started on their Journey to New Mexico. They had quite the trip and I can't wait until Sam has time to blog about their adventure.

Grandma and Grandpa Christensen (Parker's Greats)

Hanging out with their cousin Lexi.

Halle loves the sandbox

She can now pull herself up

Justin made Parker a tire swing. I love that he refers to it as his swing set.

Countertop arrived!

2010-05-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

Our granite arrived today and it looks amazing. Kristi and I drove around the Monday following Aaron's wedding trying to find the best deal and indeed we did. We got great quality granite at a steal of a deal. I know because I got many other bids before arriving at these guys' shop.

We need to do the finishing touches on the cabinet. Justin just needs to put the side panel on and the kick board.

Another week

2010-05-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

The bathroom remodel continues. Our vanity came on Tuesday and it looks really good. It's a bit dusty but I figure why clean it up now when we still have more mudding and sanding to do. It looks black in the picture but it's actually a really dark finish called "Coffee". The counter top was suppose to come Friday but he called that morning and said they had just purchased a new machine in the shop and so it's taking them a bit longer since the machine requires a bit of a learning curve.

Parker and Justin just got back from the father and son camp out. Parker had a blast but Justin forgot to take the camera so I have no pictures. They did however come home with a lot of bug bites. Justin looks like he has the chicken pox.

Justin came home and got right to work in the yard and Parker is so sweet to help.
.

A lot of Parker's bug bites are in his hairline so you can't really see them.

You can kind of see the bites all over Justin's neck but the sun makes them hard to see. His face is just covered.

Race for the Cure 2010

2010-05-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today was the Salt Lake City, Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. This event has become a fun tradition for our family and we look forward to it each year. This was our 5th, maybe 6th, year participating and it has gotten bigger and better each year.

Parker and Halle in the Wagon with their sign on the back that reads, "In Memory of Grandma".

Halle

Justin finishing the race

Jared was in town for business so we were lucky to have him join us.

After the race
One of the best parts about this race is all the creative team names. Some of my favorites include; "Saving Second Base", "Stop the War in My Rack", "These Boobs are Made for Walking" and "Save the Ta Tas" As Jared was suppose to be taking a picture of Justin and I he saw two guys behind us wearing bras and he had to have a picture. We also love their team name and Jared threatens to wear a pink bra himself next year.

Halle golfing with Parker

2010-05-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Halle hitting a ball around with a toy. It is amazing how fast babies pick up on new things. She had been watching Parker golfing and decided to try it too.

Aaron's Wedding and then some...

2010-05-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

My brother Aaron got married on April 23rd so we had lots of family in town visiting. Here is Parker eating outside with his cousins Devin and Adalynn.

Here we are celebrating Val's Birthday. That was one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had.

Here are the kids dressed and ready to go to the temple. Don't they look thrilled.

Aaron and Laurel

These two just love each other.

In the car trying to avoid the cold.

Grandpa with Adalynn and Halle

Halle is really getting around now

The newly remodeled bath

Halle is officially crawling

2010-04-20T19:22:00.001-07:00

She finally did it today. She is now starting to move those legs and it won't be long until she is moving fast.

2010-04-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to the zoo with Andrea and Brandon. Parker had so much fun and this time was by far the most excited he had been at the zoo.

Baby elephant

Giraffe

Parker and Brandon

Halle was such a good girl and loved riding in the stroller

Parker and Brandon

Here Parker is on the train

Parker showing off his newly added sticker to his animal chart

All Things Random

2010-04-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

When Halle was born she was given this cute pink bunny coat. We have been wearing it all week and I am getting stopped constantly by people telling me how cute it is. This picture does not do the bunny ears justice.

I was downstairs the other day while Parker was suppose to be upstairs napping. When I went to check on him I noticed his door was opened. I looked all over and then I checked Halle's room. He threw all of Halle's dirty clothes, stuffed animals and extra blankets into her crib. No big deal except Halle is under this mess napping. Luckily she remained asleep.

She is getting ready to crawl. She easily gets up on her hands and knees. Her hands know what to do but the legs just don't follow yet.

Nice weather means trips to the golf course

Justin's mom and I made new pillows for the downstairs couch

Every Tuesday Parker and I go to a mommy and me music class. A few weeks ago the teacher invited the kids to bring there Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, whoever. Justin made arrangements to work from home that morning and Parker loved having dad come to music class. I was amazed how many dad's showed up.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend minus waking up to more snow. We were enjoying spring weather until about two weeks ago and I cannot wait for nice weather to return.

As we were doing our Easter Egg hunt we noticed three ducks in the front yard. I am not sure where they belong but we have seen them multiple times this past week. Parker loved having them and had no problems taking a time out from searching for eggs (not to hard when you have no competition) to feed the ducks.

LDS General Conference was fantastic. We had the best set up to watch conference without being distracted by kids. We watched on the flat screen while Parker played Wii Golf on the little TV. Thanks Sean and Sam for letting us borrow it. Parker is loving all the sports games and is starting to get really good.

Parker got a kite for Easter. Here we are flying the kite. Parker loved it. My favorite part was watching Justin take off after the kite every time Parker would let go of the string. It looked like an Olympic sport watching him take off after it. It reminded me of the book "The Kite Runner" when the kids would run after the kites after the string had been cut during the kite wars.

Just Relax, He'll clean it up

2010-03-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

I like my house to be clean and with kids that is not always possible. When the house starts getting messy I can feel myself begin to tense up and get stressed and I then get the urge to clean. Today Parker felt it was important to remove every item from his room and place it in my neat and tidy living room. Unfortunately there was not enough stuff in his room so he began gathering things from the whole upstairs to put in his pile. This picture does not do it justice. I could not get all the junk into one picture. I am going to leave it until he is done and I promise that he will be the one to put it all away. He made this mess around 10 am and it is 2:30pm and I have not touched it. I made a path around it so I can easily get to the stairs and the front door. I repeat, I WILL NOT BE THE ONE TO CLEAN THIS MESS.

At least the downstairs is spotless so this will be my haven for the day.

"Remodeling" It's a Dirty Word

2010-02-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we've started another project in our house even though we have two others we still need to finish and this one is a big one. Many of you will recognize this to be the bathroom. The toilet that is pushed to the side should have been a clue. Justin tore everything out last Saturday including our 300 pound cast iron tub cracking the drain pipe in the process. Today Justin and his dad are working on fixing that drain pipe and moving the toilet over about five inches which means they have to reposition the vent coming from the laundry room. The vent runs right where I want my toilet to sit and if we do not move the toilet over it will be right up against our new tub. This project is getting bigger by the second but it is not all bad. Yesterday we bought a one piece fiber glass tub/shower. It was heavy, huge, massive and in no way going to even fit down our hall. I realized right then and there that that is why when I saw dad and Kristi's house being built that the tub/shower unit was in before they even started framing. I get it now. You build the house around the tub so now we are on to plan B which I am really excited about. I really did not want to get into tiling but after seeing all the cool things you can do with tile I am excited. This project may take us a really long time to finish but we will keep you posted as things become completed.

Justin is not only our auditor but he is our plumber, electrician, framer, dry waller, tiler, mudder, and any other non technical word that I can not think of right now.
However, I did learn a valuable lesson last night while at Lowes. See, we need to turn our single vanity into a double vanity so I went about finding out how to do it. I looked online and someone said that Lowes sells a kit all ready to go. While one of the employees there was explaining it to me I realized that I too can understand and fix things around the house. It really was not that complicated. He showed me the splitter that I would need and the pipes to combine the drain and really I felt quite empowered. He actually talked to me as if I new what I was doing. I think somethings around the house are easier than one would originally think. I do agree that sometimes it is wise to call on a professional but for Justin and I who are big believers on doing things ourselves, the internet and home improvement stores really make it all possible.

I am upstairs in the bathroom taking a picture of Justin working downstairs in the furnace room.

The mess of pipes and vents

Parker and his new phase:

I get him dressed in the morning and before I know it his pants are off. I probably put his pants on at least five times a day. Every single day Justin comes home from work, Parker has his pants off and I assure Justin that he did at one point have pants on. What is so wrong about wearing pants.

Halle right after her bath

Halle loves the water. She is the complete opposite of Parker when it comes to bathing. She loves splashing and having water on her face. She doesn't even care when I pore water on her head .

FYI- Last Saturday since we did not have a tub to use for Saturday night baths I bathed Parker in the infant tub. Would not recommend it.

Catching Up

2010-02-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we had family come to visit. We had a lot of fun but I have to admit that I only took one picture and that was of Parker and Lexi in the bathtub. Family came on Saturday which was Andrea's Birthday so I am glad we got to celebrate with her. For dinner we ordered dinner for everyone from Andrea's favorite chinese restaurant. Then later that night Aaron and Laurel picked up an ice cream cake for Andrea on dads expense. Thank You Dad!
Monday we all went to Ikea and then later the guys including Parker all went out in search of a flat screen TV. When I called Justin to see how the search was coming they had already purchased one and were trying to fit it into the car. I knew that there was a possibility Justin would find one that he would like to buy but honestly I was a bit surprised when they showed up with one. We also had new carpet installed in our basement downstairs last Friday, Yeah!

Justin turned 30 on February 4th

I got him a pull up bar which he has been wanting for a long time. Yesterday I counted him doing eight pull ups in a row which I thought was very impressive since I can't even do one.

Video of Parker reading the "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".

Video of Parker making Halle Laugh

Halle is changing so quickly. She has a ton to say and throws the biggest tantrums when you take something away from her that she wants. She is so beautiful and I love her blue eyes.

Parker feeding her a high end rice cake.

Dad and Halle golfing

Parker showing off one of his new football jerseys.

I got tired of him not eating so I strapped him down in Halle's chair

He's drawing a baseball game.

They Look Amazing Val!

2010-01-01T12:22:00.001-08:00

My sister in law, Val, took our family pictures in November and took prints and put them on foam board. We received them in the mail yesterday and I was on the verge of tears as I pulled them out of the box and saw the most amazing pictures of Parker and Halle and our family. Thank you so much Val.

It's been snowing and Parker is loving it. Halle, not so much.

A bit unique

2009-12-25T19:38:00.000-08:00