Little Munchkins

Birthday Boy!

2012-02-11T17:51:00.007-07:00

The face says it all, the boy loves legos.
Lego cakes from bettycrocker.com. Pretty simple, don't look too close at the frosting job.
A scooter and more legos!
Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for hosting the party.
20 Questions for Ben at age 7 (new family tradition, from pinterest(trying not to let pinterest rule my life, but it does have some great ideas))

1. What is your favorite color? red and black
2. What is your favorite toy? legos
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas
4. What is your favorite t.v. show? Star Wars:Clone Wars cartoon and Samari Jack
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Lunchable pizza box
6. What is your favorite outfit? light blue Star Wars lego t-shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Nintendo 64 Mario
8. What is your favorite snack? banana
9. What is your favorite animal? elephant, you know that!
10. What is your favorite song? movie songs
11. What is your favorite book? comic books
12. Who is your best friend? Payson
13. What is your favorite cereal? cereal crunch crunch (cinnamon toast crunch)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play pretend stuff like Star Wars, zombies, pirates, and Mario
15. What is your favorite drink? root beer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you? Ben (koala beanie baby)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? same as #13
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? hot dogs and a jar of pickles
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a zoo vet and teacher and animal researcher

Christmas Sssssssurprises

2011-12-31T07:52:00.015-07:00

We were very lucky this year to spend Christmas with both of our families! Most of the Morgan clan was there and Grandma Stephenson came too! We had our traditional Christmas Eve program with the kids dressing up like the nativity scene.
Grandpa's Angel
Such a great looking shepherd/Joseph
Listening to Christmas stories and the angel stealing the sheep.
On Christmas morning Santa left a note for us to take care of his friend. Both Ben and Maggie were very excited about their new pet. I didn't think they would get on board so fast. I am still trying to get on board.
Ben has held the snake...
Maggie has held the snake, kissed it, and let it crawl up her shirt.
She even draws pictures of it. I guess after ten years of keeping a pet out of the family I thought it was time to compromise. Seth has been very patient with me and has taken on all the responsibility with the kids. I keep thinking I can hold it, but when I see it...I chicken out. I know I need to just get it over with while it's a cute little baby. Apparently it can get 3-4 feet long! Yikes!
I also managed to keep a game system out of the house for 10 years and that too has come to an end. Seth was very happy with our gift from Grandma Stephenson and I was happy too. Now we can play games with her and our other family far away. Ben rocks at boxing and Maggie does really well with the bowling.
Lily got the cutest pink kitty from Aunt Melissa. She was so cute giving it hugs and hanging out with Uncle Jeff.
It was a lego Christmas. Maggie loves legos almost as much as Ben so she got some of her very own!
Grandma Stephenson helped Ben put together the big castle.
Dad also helped, but Ben really did most of it all by himself!

Lily's First Steps

2011-11-26T14:29:00.002-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-05T05:44:00.011-06:00

You are a true Stars Wars fan if you can guess who Ben was for Halloween. His dad enjoyed making his costume (except the helmet) and mom enjoyed not getting the sewing machine out once this year! Just a few hand stitches to tack the cardboard armor into place. We were very lucky that it didn't rain! I was so glad Maggie decided to be Dorthy and more glad that she never changed her mind! Thank you Kirsten for letting us borrow your dress.

Dad took the older kids Trick-or-Treating while I enjoyed a relaxing evening home with Lily.

On Saturday we had our ward Halloween Carnival thanks to my amazing Mom for putting it together a week and a half before hand!
There was a clown that made all the kids fun balloons. I couldn't believe how patiently they all waited for their turn. Maggie got a turtle to wear on her wrist.
Ben of course got a gun.
The cutest little ghost and bumble bee in the house had fun playing and getting their pictures taken.
I don't know what to say about these two, but I'm sure glad they were there.
They kept the kids entertained and wore them out really good until it was time to go. The kids really had a blast, thanks Mom for making it happen!

Slight Change of Plans

2011-08-26T05:54:00.011-06:00

In case you have not heard... we moved to Oklahoma! We both found new jobs and thought it was time to return to our roots. It was a bit crazy, but everything kept falling into place, so why not?
This was my view for three days. Ben rode up in the truck with Dad the whole time, while the girls rode with me. We had a great time singing to all the Dixie Chicks and Disney songs we wanted!

The first sight of Braum's was a sweet sight. We stopped for lunch. It was also in Kansas when the heat first hit us. Luckily now, about a month later, it has cooled to the low 100's.

Little Lily with Grandma and Grandpa.
The very best part of the move has been living 6 minutes from Grandpa and Grandma. Why oh why did we wait so long?
We are all settled in and the kids started school this week. Thank you Oklahoma for Pre-K! Miss Maggie gets to go all day everyday!! I think they are enjoying it and making new friends.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-03T21:05:00.001-06:00

Ben Happiness

2011-06-05T20:59:00.009-06:00

Whew...he made it! He learned all his ABC's and the sounds they make. With just a few calls home from the teacher and one ticket for throwing a snowball, he gets to go on to first grade!

The typical random person walking across right as his teacher hands him his diploma. Oh well.

Going out for lunch after graduation and sharing a hamburger with his best buddy.

A great big brother.

Other Ben facts:
1. He loves animals and wants to be a zoo vet when he grows up.
2. Likes to wear his clothes and underwear backwards.
3. Loves everything Star Wars and likes to be called Anakin Skywalker.
4. Has a fascination of learning about Egypt.
5. Also likes to learn about dinosaurs.
6. Very picky with sweets. He gives away lots of his Halloween candy and just likes plain regular chocolate chip cookies and plain regular brownies.
7. Loves to go to the comic book store with his Dad.
8. Loves to draw and cut pictures out of magazines.
9. Helped me title this post.
10. Just a typical silly boy that loves dirt, guns, legos, and his momma. And his momma loves him!

Sewing High

2011-05-01T19:34:00.018-06:00

It all started with this free t-shirt I have never worn and will never wear. I try not to be a pack rat, but I sure am glad I hung on to this! So I was looking at other people's sewing/crafting blogs and stumbled upon an adorable little white skirt. I was just thinking the other day how Lily needed a white skirt for the summer! So perfect right! And then I read how it was completely made out of a t-shirt and thought "I have a t-shirt!" I love how I can make something without going to the craft store to buy supplies. To make a long story short... I got to work right away and about an hour and a half later I did it and I LOVE it! I'm already planning a red one for the Fourth of July!

Here is my finished product. The original tutorial has great pictures and super easy directions. I highly recommend this sewing project. Seriously! The waistband is a sleeve and the drawstring casing is the hem of the sleeve! How creative is that? Too bad I can't come up with those amazing ideas, I just copy them.
I think she likes it. :)
And now I have a super awesome 80's workout shirt! (Please excuse my laziness for not turning the picture around)

I always feel guilty when I start a new project and don't finish an old one. Since Lily will be ready to eat solids later this month I thought it was time to finish the applique on these bibs. I was pretty happy with how they turned out. Now she will be all ready to eat her vegetables.

Blessing Day Weekend

2011-04-16T17:52:00.012-06:00

Finally, at almost five months old Lily received her baby blessing. Grandma Stephenson got this great shot of her a few days before her big day. Our first official family of five pic. Considering the rush before church, I was pretty happy with it.

The Morgan clan minus Uncle Greg and Aunt Linus. We missed you guys!
Grandma Stephenson with Lily and the beautiful blessing dress she made. Thank you again, it was perfect!
On Saturday both my little brother and sister graduated. Chelsea, in the middle, Jeff's new fiance graduated too. We are so excited to have you in our family! It was great being there for them. I just couldn't be more proud of my little sis! I like to think she followed in my footsteps, but really we had some great FCS teachers in high school.
The kids had a blast swimming with Grandpa and Grandma at the pool in their hotel.
Lily's first swim. That baby needs some sunshine!
Thanks for a great weekend. It was worth the wait.

Happy Baby

2011-03-16T21:45:00.008-06:00

We have been getting lots of smiley baby pictures lately. She just laughed for the first time the other day and of course it was the best sound in the world. We have truly been blessed with a very happy baby. She is so easy going and mellow and just as sweet as can be.
What's cutter than a baby in a bucket? I wish I had this thing with my other two babies. We are borrowing it from cousin Warren. It's so great because most of her gets covered with water so she's not so cold during her baths like the other fold up thing we had. Also, she can bounce up and down or just sit.
Mom and Lily on a Sunday morning.

I had to include this picture of the kiddos playing Harry Potter. It's the best when they play nicely together.

STAR WARS IS LIFE

2011-03-05T21:53:00.009-07:00

Ben turned six! I can't believe how old he's getting. I know...I'm going to be really blown away when he turns 16.We had a family party this year at the local pizza/arcade party place.
Uncle Jeff and Aunt Melissa came.
Uncle Barry, Aunt Sam and Warren were also there.
And our good old friends from college, Tom and Melissa and their two boys came up for the weekend.
We kept it simple this year and just went with Chewbacca cupcakes. I got busy that morning, so Seth took over and frosted them. I think he did a better job than I would have. Ben sure loved them.
Here are a couple of videos of Ben opening his Birthday card from Grandpa and Grandma. (It has to do with his STAR WARS obsession)

Club Foot Fixed!

2011-02-01T20:14:00.005-07:00

Lily's little foot is looking good! We are happy to be done with the casting process. Now it is on to the next phase. She wears these cute little boots all the time for three months. (I was bummed they didn't come in pink:) Then it should just be at bed time and nap time until she is about three years old. They don't seam to bother her one bit and they don't bother me too much either. I just love a sweet sleeping baby.
She just had her two month check-up. Like all my babies she has jumped to the 90th percentile. 12 lbs and 11 oz. and 22 3/4 inches. She has also been smiling lots and making cute noises. It's so sad how they get so big so fast, but doing new things sure does make it more bearable.

My Monthly Post

2011-01-12T20:49:00.010-07:00

December was a good month, even though it went WAY too fast. I got to spend the month at home making lots of Christmas goodies and a few last minute gifts. The kids enjoyed making these reindeer cupcakes from the Family Fun magazine. I also got to spend lots of time doing my most favorite thing... napping. And napping with this little bundle, life couldn't be any better.

After Christmas Grandma Morgan came up to spend a couple of weeks with us. It's been so wonderful having her here and getting to spend lots of time with the kids.
Lily is on her last cast! She didn't need quite as many as they had originally thought. She had her little surgery the Monday after Christmas and then the last cast has been on for three weeks. They went ahead and put a cast on the other foot because it was turned in a tiny bit and instead of waiting for it to get fixed with the boots they just wanted to correct it with just one cast when her clubbed foot had its last cast. So since we are almost done with the casts, we thought we would let the kids draw on them.
Here is their finished masterpiece.
We are excited to get back down next week to get them off and then move on with the next stage of this process. It will be so nice to give her a real bath again.

Lily's First Trip to the Shriners

2010-12-02T12:20:00.006-07:00

We have completed the first out of six to eight trips to the Shriners for Lily's Serial Casting. We were really impressed with the doctors and the hospital. What an amazing organization! I got most of my questions answered and just felt really good about the whole process. It will be neat to see how her foot changes.

Here is Lily with Grandma and Grandpa Heaps. It was wonderful to see them again. We so appreciate their love and hospitality. Here is Lily's cute little club foot. Sometimes she would hook it onto her other foot. It was pretty cute.

Here is her foot after the first cast! It was amazing to see how much it was able to stretch. She wailed (like the doctors said she would) for just a couple of minutes. They said the first stretch is the worst. But after they were done she did just fine and has ever since. The cast seamed a little bothersome at first (to me), but now it's no big deal. She will never know what happened.

So basically, the plan is to get a new cast on every week for 6 to 8 weeks. Then she will have a tiny surgical procedure where they will cut the achilles' tendon to allow it to grow longer and gives the ankle more flexibility. And then she will have some special boots with a bar in between. I think it looks like a mini snowboard. She will wear that 23/7 for a couple of months. No big deal, where is a 3-4 month to go anyway? Then she will just wear it for sleep time until 3 or 4 years old. Apparently a club foot always wants to be a club foot. So this will keep training the foot to stay in the correct position.
I just had to tack on a picture of the other kiddos loving her. I haven't seen one bit of jealously or anger since she came, just fighting over who gets to hold her.
I'm pretty sure the little culprit was Maggie. She can't wait to feed her applesauce. Too bad she will have to wait 6 months. I think that's a long time for a three year old. So when I came to check on Lily I saw this (that's a baby doll bottle, not a real one) I guess it could have been much worse. We are still working on the rule about not going into the baby's room when she is sleeping.

Maggie's Song

2010-11-27T11:03:00.002-07:00

She's Here!

2010-11-20T17:48:00.010-07:00

Lily Ann Stephenson

November 19th at 3:09pm

6 lbs. 15 oz.

We are so happy that she is here and doing just great. We chose to induce her a week early because that's what we did with Maggie and it went really well, so luckily this labor and delivery went really well again! All I can say is thank goodness for epidurals, so amazing!

We were surprised to learn right after her birth that she has one clubbed foot. With the technology and treatment available today we know she will be just fine. It was really amazing reading online about clubbed feet this morning and learning that both Kristi Yamaguchi and Mia Hamm had clubbed feet! I still remember watching Kristi's flawless Olympic performance. Her parents put her in ice skating when she was young for physical therapy. Everyone says, if you live in Idaho you have to pick up a winter sport so you have something to look forward to when winter comes. I guess we'll just start ice skating and maybe you'll see Lily in the 2026 Olympics!
Some of Lily's first visitors... Aunt Melissa and Uncle Jeff. What a blessing it is to have them so close. We sure will miss them when they both graduate in the spring.
And one more sweet picture with big brother. Big sister Maggie loved on her too, more pictures to come.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:00:00.006-06:00

We got lucky again this year with beautiful weather for Trick-or-Treating and a ward party.I liked this pose.
And this one.
Ben was a lucky boy this year. Part of his costume was "Toothless" from "How to Train Your Dragon." I guess in celebration of finishing the master's degree it's back to homemade costumes. Seth actually carved the head, I just covered it with fabric. And I dropped the ball with the wings and tail, they were pretty underwhelming. Oh and I didn't make Maggie's either so I guess I took another year off.
At the ward party I won best Pecan Pie in the "Nut" category. I owe that to my Mom for teaching me all that I know and who has also taken that prize at a ward party or two.
But Dad really won the "Best Dad of the Year" award for taking Ben Trick-or-Treating with him on his shoulders all night. It was fun hearing all the comments and seeing a complete stranger take their picture. Ben said to Dad, "Everyone loves our costumes, Dad!" I hope this is one Halloween he will not forget.

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2010-08-23T12:45:00.007-06:00

For Maggie's 3rd birthday, we had a very nice family party on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

It was extra special because all grandparents were there!

Grandma and Grandpa Morgan came from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Grandma Stephenson came from St. George.

And Uncle Barry, Aunt Samantha, and Warren were there too!

Happy Birthday Maggie! We all love you very much!

Second Post of the Year!

2010-07-01T21:58:00.005-06:00

Well it's a good thing I didn't make a New Year's resolution to post at least once a month. I thought about it, but knew better. Instead of listing all the reasons we've been MIA, I'll just say we are back and doing just great enjoying the very best part of Idaho...the SUMMER!! Spending lots of time at our favorite summer spot. And yes, Ben is sporting a mohawk for the summer. Maybe if we allow some extreme behavior now he won't feel the need for a nose ring later. On to other main events. I just became an Aunt for the first time and the kids now have a cousin! This is baby Warren and he is now three months old. We absolutely adore him, and it's the cutest when Maggie says in her little voice, "my first baby cousin" and "he's so tiny."

Also, Seth just competed in his first grilling competition. He did very well and I was very proud of him. He placed second so that was exciting. He looks forward to getting involved in other competitions in the area.

AND...last but not least, baby #3 is on the way! The little one should be arriving right around Thanksgiving. I certainly hope my next post won't be when the baby arrives...I'm not making any promises:)

Birthday Boy!

2010-02-24T21:19:00.010-07:00

Ben just turned 5 and he had his first friend party which turned out great and everyone had lots of fun. It was a dinosaur party, but since I didn't feel like making a dinosaur cake, I just went with a volcano with dinosaur toys around it. It was pretty easy and the boys had a fun time playing with it after we cut it up.

The typical birthday party games. Ben didn't quite grasp the idea of the spoon relay race, I don't think he meant to cheat by holding on to the egg instead of the spoon. Oh well, no one else noticed:)

Aunt Miranda and Aunt Melissa were there too!

Blowing out the candles.

Everyone got to make their own volcano in their cup with Sprite and a package of Pop Rocks. It was really tasty too!

We decided to make the pinata since a dinosaur egg shape was pretty easy with a balloon form. It was the first time I had ever done any type of paper mache and it wasn't too bad. I'm glad I started it early and did one layer each night for about four nights. Decorating it took the longest! Next time the crepe paper will go on like post-it notes. Oh well, it was a good learning experience.

I hope you had a wonderful Birthday Ben! We LOVE you!!!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T17:23:00.009-07:00

We had a very nice Halloween with very nice weather and a good amount of Trick-or-Treating.

Dad carved our pumpkins as usual. In case you're not a Simpson's fan, the big one is a regular occurring alien on the show.

And a cute Curious George for the kids.

Ben doing his T-Rex roar. He was a great T-Rex!

Aunt Melissa came too. Silly clown.

Maggie enjoying her candy. We had the hardest time restricting her candy limit. She probably would have eaten it all if we had let her. She also said the cutest thing while Trick-or-Treating. At one house Darth Vader was giving out candy and sure enough Maggie let out a huge cry as soon as he opened the door. Luckily Seth got her to settle down pretty quickly and Darth Vader gave her some candy. She said "Thank You Darth Vader" We thought it was pretty cute.

They're BaAack...

2009-09-20T14:05:00.009-06:00

Yay! Aunt Melissa and Uncle Jeff are back up for school. Which means free babysitting and a large crowd for Sunday dinner. We spent a BEAUTIFUL Friday evening at the farmer's market eating some amazing corn on the cob, cotton candy, and fudge. Can't get any better than that.

Since it's been a while since I've posted I thought I'd do a quick up date. On Labor day we took a nice drive up to Mesa Falls for a little walk and a picnic. The best part of the trip was that saw our old Bishop and his wife. What a fun surprise!!

There was a little museum and it was funny seeing Ben afraid of the dead bear on the wall.

He liked the moose.

Then last Saturday some of our good friends were taking their train out for rides. It's the cutest little train that has been in there family for years. Seth took the kids while I was out running a group yard sale for my FCCLA girls, which turned out to be a great success!!

Just a random picture of the kids playing in the dryer.

And another random picture of the first batch of many pints of tomato sauce we will be canning this month. We made a few mistakes with our very first garden, but one mistake turned out pretty awesome.

We planted exactly 18 tomato plants because I got them for really cheap at the high school horticulture sale.

I thought why not, having no idea we would end up with two hundred plus tomatoes. So if you need some tomatoes come on over!

Maggie Turns Two!

2009-08-16T19:41:00.013-06:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!! I was so happy Maggie has been loving puppy dogs because I really wanted to make a puppy dog cake. It was so fun and super easy! Plus, who wouldn't want to eat a twinkie with frosting all over it?

Aunt Sam and Uncle Barry came to the party. Thanks for the super cute puppy dog and backpack! I LOVE how it looks so much like her cake, that was too perfect!

Ben helped blow out the candles. What are big brothers for?

Maggie got the eat his nose, and her favorite part was the junior mint nose, so she got to eat the eyes too. It's her birthday, she gets what she wants.

Opening presents...

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the doll house!

Maggie loves her new Bath Time Baby, thanks Grandma Stephenson!

I also had to post a pic of my new haircut! Shortest ever and I'm so glad I did it. It was time for a change, thanks Meliss for holding my hand.

Back Together & the Tulsa Zoo

2009-08-08T12:47:00.012-06:00

Seth and I drove down to Oklahoma to pick up the kids from Grandpa and Grandma's house. They all had a wonderful month together, and now it was time to get back home. The drive back with a four and almost two year old was not as bad as I was expecting. I sat in the back between them for most of the way which kept the peace. I think I played "This Little Piggie" with Maggie about 85 times, but it kept the screaming down so it was well worth it.

Before we left Oklahoma we made a quick trip to the Tulsa Zoo. Thanks Grandma for the tickets! Ben is petting a bearded dragon after we learned about reptiles.

This is Oscar. He was around when Seth was a little kid.

We found Grandma's title.

Maggie loved the petting zoo. I think she was laughing at the goat.

They also loved the carousel, what a surprise that Ben picked the elephant:)

And the zoo trip couldn't be complete without riding the train.

Also, before we left OK, a little bird had built a nest in one of my mom's hanging planters on our front porch. We were so lucky to see one of the birds hatch the day before we left. This picture does not do it justice, it was the tiniest most amazing thing ever.

And now we are enjoying the amazing Idaho summer weather and eating fresh peas and carrots from the garden.

Oklahoma Friends, No Kids, the Seattle Coast, and a 10K

2009-06-26T21:11:00.012-06:00

This month we had a great trip with our friends from back home. Thank you all for making it happen and a BIG thanks to Grandma for watching the munchkins. We started out with a very nice and relaxing kayaking trip around the San Juan Islands/Annacortes. Our tour guide let this nice little crab walk all over his hands. We did not see any whales, but we did see a really cute seal pop his head out of the water a couple of times.

Basking in the sun... the weather was amazing that day, it didn't even rain.

The views were beautiful. I think this is the highest point on Annacortes.

The girls.

The boys.

On our last day we drove up to Bellingham for the 10K trail run. It was crazy and a lot of fun. I wish I had a picture of inside those trees. We were on narrow paths winding up and down, over tree roots, small creaks and muddy paths. One of the runners described it like it was the Congo.

After the race, we were so happy it was all done and everyone completed the whole race in the allotted time!

We also ate some great seafood. I was so excited to try my first scallops. They were everything and more I dreamed they would be. We will definitely be doing more couples trips in the future.

Catching Up

2009-05-31T21:07:00.010-06:00

Now that I'm done with school, Summer is finally here!! Which means... dirt cups, camping,

a zoo trip,

the Splash Park,

lots of popsicles,

and lots of MUD!!!

And Benj as Darth Vader.

I know, it seams like a whole summers worth of fun, but we have a crazy summer ahead, so we've been getting lots of family time in. Seth and I are about to head up to Washington for a trip away from the kids, then the kids and I will be in OK for a few weeks while Seth works hard at school, and then in July I have three more weeks of classes to continue the masters degree. We should all be back in August eating more popsicles and playing in the mud in our own backyard.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T19:13:00.009-06:00

We had a very nice Easter Sunday. This year the Easter bunny brought books and we had an inside egg hunt. Maggie did great finding lots of eggs. Benjamin found the hard ones that were up high, he really enjoyed that.

Maggie mostly enjoyed the candy. She LOVES candy and asks for it all the time, especially since she knows the sign for candy, she says it pretty well too.

It turned out to be a very nice day so after church the kids spent some time in the backyard.

We made our traditional Easter bunny cake. Benj helped put the face on.

Seth loves this tradition of carving/decapitating a cute little bunny. This year was especially morbid because it was the first time I have ever made a red velvet cake. I didn't have a cake mix so I looked up some recipes from scratch and thought I would try it, it turned out pretty tasty!

A Perfect Wedding Day

2009-03-10T06:28:00.008-06:00

We had a wonderful weekend in St. George for Aunt Samantha and Barry's wedding. She was a beautiful bride, it was a beautiful sealing, and the weather was amazing. It really was a perfect wedding day. Here are a few of my favorites...

Who Knew?

2009-02-23T19:31:00.002-07:00

Who on earth knew that brussel sprouts were so tasty?! I don't think I have ever had them before. My mother was a very good mother and did not make us eat many vegetables. She even made separate dishes without onions and peppers for us kids!! I know, we were spoiled. So at the grocery store I saw them and wondered what do those taste like? I was really excited about making them too! I checked with trusty Alton Brown and he suggested a simple steam with Kosher salt. Amazing! It looks like they can also be sauted, roasted, grilled, and wrapped with bacon. I can't wait! What do you do with brussel sprouts?

On the topic of learning something new... I saw the coolest video on YouTube about darning socks!!! Usually we throw holey socks away, but Seth has a nice pair of wool socks he's been wanting me to repair. I honestly didn't know how to darn socks. It is very fascinating, you should check it out!

The Year of the Elephant

2009-02-16T18:15:00.010-07:00

So we painted an elephant on his wall, he was an elephant for Halloween, and so it was pretty easy to decide what kind of cake to make. Once again, I got the idea from my favorite website (coolest-birthday-cakes.com) I was pretty happy with how it turned out, except for the dry frosting. I tried a new recipe and must not have added enough milk. Oh well. The best part was seeing Benjamin's face when he saw it. In this picture he is making the elephant noise.

We had his party at a bowling alley and it went pretty well for his first time bowling. He certainly didn't last a whole game, but he had fun.

The best invention for kid bowling, it was the only way he knocked pins down.

Aunt Samantha came and Uncle Jeff and Rose too!

Plenty of presents.

And blowing out the candles.

Happy 4th Birthday Benjamin!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Warning: Several Pictures Ahead

2009-01-24T11:53:00.015-07:00

It's been a while since the Grandparents have seen the kids, so I thought I would post a few of my favorite recent pictures. Such a good little Mommy! She always knows where her baby is and takes such good care of her.

I love how much she loves her Daddy. She gives great kisses too.

Jeff and Rose reading Maggie a book on Sunday night. She loves books and will sit on your lap and let you read them over and over. I love it!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Benjamin in the last couple of months. He is such a boy!

When I was at school Seth told me how Benjamin saw him reading a book in the bathroom. Personally I just get in and out, why spend leisurely time in there? Anyway, I guess he thought it was a good idea so Seth was able to get a few pictures. I think I'll be scrapbooking this one.

Since I bought a fun box of bandaids he's been obsessed with using them whenever he gets hurt, or where ever he gets hurt. I didn't let him put one on his tongue, but I did let him learn the hard way with the bandaid getting stuck in his hair.

Sneaking out of his room when it's suppose to be bed time! Too cute to get mad.

Well, I guess I'm all caught up. I'm sure I'll post again in about a month.

Christmas at Home

2009-01-06T20:35:00.006-07:00

We had a very nice and relaxing Christmas in our new home. It was the first time I was the host! Grandma Stephenson and Samantha came to spend the week with us. And Gretel too, Maggie was very happy about that. On Christmas morning she by passed her presents and went straight to Gretel and said "puppy!"

Santa brought Maggie her first baby doll and buggy. She's been such a good Mommy. Benjamin got his first Nerf gun. Dad got one too. I have to admit they are a lot of fun.

We even got Grandma in on the fun!

Aunt Samantha gave Benj this awesome lion! He loves it and it goes great in his jungle room. Thanks Sam!

Thanksgiving Trip

2008-12-03T21:51:00.013-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Las Vegas where Seth's side of the family gathers every year. Before the kids came it was easy to zip right down. Since the two munchkins we have not been, so after four years we knew it was time to make the trek. Luckily Melissa decided to come along too so we had extra help and it was just really nice to have her with us. We first spent a day in St. George and went to this new park because it was like 70 degrees! My new goal in life is to become a sun bird ASAP!

Maggie's new best friend...Gretel. Seriously, she spent the whole trip pointing at her and saying, "puppy, puppy, puppy" It was so cute I might have to post a video.

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful. Benjamin especially enjoyed his Turkey M&M. He did eat some traditional foods too.

Mom slaughtered everyone at Tribond.

You can't go to Las Vegas without hitting the strip. So Melissa and I took off. We found what is apparently the largest chocolate fountain. It was a little underwhelming, but we had some descent chocolate ice cream. We also met up with my good friend Shelley who was visiting another friend in Las Vegas for the week. We got all caught up on teaching stories and getting to work on our masters projects.

Then we caught a show of the dancing waters (seen below). We did some shopping AND some random guy asked us if we wanted to go clubbing!!! I only wish I could see the terrified face I gave him, I don't even remember what I said as we walked on.

And the highlight of Seth's trip...In and Out came to St. George. He got to go twice. On our way home we waited in line for a little while. It reminded me of when Krispie Kreme was huge in Orem around 2001. It was worth the wait. Pretty tasty hamburgers for the low price.

A Jungle Halloween

2008-11-01T15:53:00.009-06:00

Just before going Trick-or-Treating we got this great pose! Overall he did a great job but much to Mom and Dad's dismay he did not last long. He just wanted to get home to start eating his candy. And the very first thing he wanted to eat was a package of fruit snacks! Crazy kid! We tried so hard, but he just did not realize how many houses were out there ready to give him more candy. Here is Maggie as the sweetest Lion ever! She is greatly enjoying pieces of a cupcake at the ward party.

The full shot of the Lion. I let her play with her toothbrush to distract her from the obnoxious hood I made her wear. It really didn't take long for her to get use to it and she wore it the whole night!

Benjamin had tons of fun decorating his pumpkin. Way better than last year when he threw a fit because we wouldn't let him use the knife.

At the ward party all Benjamin wanted to do was the Cake Walk, which was great, it entertained him for a long time. And he only needed one cupcake. In the pose above he is really playing the elephant part well; holding up the trunk while making the elephant noise.

Benjamin and Maggie with neighbor friends at the ward party.

The Weekend

2008-10-26T20:10:00.009-06:00

On Saturday we took a little trip to a small Pumpkin Patch we had never been to. It was pretty cute with a big red barn and a large field of pumpkins to pick your own. At the Patch they had this cute set-up to take pictures. Great scrapbooking material was exactly what I was thinking! And I guess blogging too.

Although his face doesn't show it, but he was way more excited about picking a watermelon than a pumpkin.

Maggie's first pig tails!!! I made the bows to match her dress and I plan to make hundreds more.

Benjamin running around the house keeping from getting his picture taken. This was the first Sunday wearing a white shirt. The tie will come later, we are taking small steps.

Fun Halloween idea! Not my idea, totally Martha Stewart's. Nutter Butter cookies, melted white chocolate, and mini chocolate chips. Cute, uh?

This has been the best semester because it's the first one that Samantha, Jeff, and Melissa are here all together! We love having them over most Sunday nights. Sorry Sam, you didn't make the blog; next time.

Maggie loves to feed us her bottle. I guess Jeff didn't want any.

Thanks Mom for the super cute pj's!

Big Boy!

2008-10-06T20:50:00.004-06:00

Benjamin is potty trained! See the 'Cars' underwear, and out in public and everything! He must have been plenty ready since he caught on really fast. I had a couple days off last week for fall break, and thought now is the time. We had the timer going off every 15-20 minutes to just go and try. He only took that craziness for one day, then decided he could go all by himself whenever he needed to. On the second day, (Friday) we had to leave the house for his speech therapy so I thought we should put on a pull-up. He still wanted to wear his underwear so I said okay, let's go! And he did amazing! No accidents the whole time! We even went to the park afterwards. I should also say he was bribed with tootsie-rolls and dumb-dumbs whenever he went in the toilet. We are starting to break that because he has had a lot of candy in four days. And of course a super sweet picture of Maggie.

Tagged Twice

2008-10-05T07:39:00.004-06:00

I was first tagged by my friend Shelley.

You go to your fourth photo file and post the fourth picture from that file.

I was so HAPPY to see this one! It's Grandma Stephenson and two day old Maggie. We were so lucky to have Grandma come just before Maggie came, since I was induced it worked out perfectly. So Grandma got some good Benjamin time while we were at the hospital and then got some good Maggie time at home. We are always so glad when Grandma comes to visit.

We LOVE you Grandma! And we promise we won't make you watch the kids for a whole week all by yourself PLUS help clean a new house in the middle of the night before inspections!!! We owe you big time!!!
I now tag Misti, Noelle, Brittney, and Emily

Then I was tagged by Noelle. So here it is goes.

8 TV shows I love to watch.

1. The Office

2. So you think you can dance

3. The Biggest Loser

4. Project Runway

5. Top Chef

6. Friday Night Lights

7. Good Eats

8. Friends (reruns)

8 Places I love to eat.

1. Texas Roadhouse

2. Rodizio Grill

3. Cafe Rio/Bajio

4. The Melting Pot

5. Tony Caputos

6. Billy Rays BBQ

7. Zio's

8. The Backyard

8 things that happened yesterday

1. Slept in!

2. Watched Conference peacefully in my classroom while getting work done

3. Went grocery shopping for classes

4. Watched more Conference at home with noisy children

5. Laughed and cried during Elder Wirthlin's talk

6. Fed the missionaries

7. Made peach cobbler

8. Played True Colors with neighbors

8 things I look forward to

1. The next time my kids get to see their Grandparents

2. My parents coming to see my house

3. A date with my hubby

4. Seeing friends from Oklahoma

5. Benjamin talking

6. time to scrapbook

7. Thanksgiving in Las Vegas (hopefully)

8. My sister's wedding (we're not making plans, I'm just sayin)

8 things I love about Fall

1. My birthday!

2. Halloween, this will be Benjamin's first time to Trick-or-Treat!

3. The change of colors

4. Not having to rake tons of leaves

5. Memories of watching football all day long with my dad and brother while cracking and eating nuts.

6. Baking Season

7. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin cookies

8. Pecan Pie

8 things on my wish list

1. area rug for the living room

2. blinds

3. drapes

4. large media center/built-in look

5. clothes

6. tennis shoes

7. Best of Becky Higgins' Sketches

8. I can only name eight? I think it's time to count my blessings.

8 people I'm tagging

1. Jenny

2. Lauri

3. Cara

4. Kara

5. Linus

6. Shelley

7. Jenn

8. Jodi

I did it!!!

2008-10-01T21:39:00.003-06:00

I finally posted a video that's not sideways! I'm not sure how I did it, but I think it has to do with how I hold the camera when I take the video. Anyway, the kids were just playing one night and I had to get Maggie's cute giggles on video. Benjamin was being a puppy, he's very good at that.

October 1st or June 1st?

2008-10-01T21:18:00.005-06:00

We have been enjoying some very nice weather this week! We've just been hanging out in the yard eating popsicles, playing in the dirt, and moving sprinklers around. I haven't posted a picture of the front of our house with the sod and fence yet, so here it is! My super handy hubby made the window shutters with left over supplies from the fence. The garage window will get shutters too. We like them. Here is our front porch view. Anyone interested in being our neighbors? That lot is for sale! The house on the right is in the second group, under the same program we built our house. We wake up every Saturday morning hearing the hammers pounding. It truly is a wonderful sound because it's them, not us.

And poor Benjamin still trying to learn how to ride his bike:( Someday...

Miss Independent

2008-09-13T21:53:00.004-06:00

Twice now Maggie has insisted on holding the yogurt container and completely feed herself. I was pretty impressed, I didn't even mind the mess. I thought it was pretty cute.

House Pictures part 1

2008-09-06T09:01:00.011-06:00

My very favorite room in the house! I just can't tell you how much I love my kitchen! At first I was a little bumbed that we didn't have a kitchen pantry, but after seeing the space under that counter top! There's more room in there than the whole kitchen in my last apartment! And notice the microwave above the oven, it doesn't take up any space on the counter tops! That is very exciting. AND I got my favorite glass canisters out of storage, also very exciting!

Painting in Progress... Seth still wants to touch up the elephant and add a giraffe, monkey, and maybe a lion. I'm excited to decorate this room too! We all love it!

The kid's Jungle bathroom. The counter tops and tile floor are the same in our bathroom. My alternative motive for Halloween is to have Benjamin and Maggie be jungle animals and then get some portrait style pictures taken and frame them to decorate this room!

My other favorite room in the house! I am so glad we decided to let Maggie have her own room and now she has a real crib!!! No more getting rolled from Benjamin's room to the hallway to the kitchen!

Where's Maggie?

Maggie's letters will probably go to a wall or shelf when we get her some curtains. Can't wait to decorate her room too!

And the best part of our new house, a backyard for the kids to run and play and I can watch them from inside!

Maggie meets Uncle Jeff!!! Welcome back from the mission, (serving the Lord for two years in the Tuscan Arizona mission) we are so glad to have you here up at school!

Trip to Oklahoma

2008-08-21T15:57:00.013-06:00

It's always nice going back to the place you grew up. I was very happy to catch a few hard rains and a good thunderstorm! The smell of Daylight Doughnuts and devouring a chocolate Long John brought back lots of memories. I also enjoyed drinking Braums whole milk for two weeks, Blue Bell ice cream, brisket smothered in Head Country bbq sauce, Spinach Artichoke pasta from Zio's AND my mom's chicken enchiladas! Man I love food! I was also spoiled with a nap everyday! Thanks Mom for that!!! It was really a wonderful trip all around, including the plane rides!!! I was amazed at how well both of them did! I kept dishing out the new toys and treats and it worked like a charm! White skin from Idaho enjoying some serious sunshine.

Grandpa with sweet Maggie.

Grandpa and Benjamin working hard.

Thanks Aunt Melissa for the cute dress, sorry you had to work a ton, but we are excited to see you up at school soon!

These pictures were taken at Bounce U, (like Bounce University), pretty cute, anyway I love this pic of Benj screaming because it was so unlike him! After that first slide down he kept going up and down who knows how many times.

Grandma with Maggie.

Aunt Linus and Uncle Greg visiting from OU. Thanks for hanging out with us and for the super awesome pink track suit!

We celebrated Maggie's first birthday a few days early in Ok. Benjamin was a big help with blowing out the candle, opening her presents, and playing with her presents. That's what brothers are for, right?

The before and after of the ladybug cupcakes.

Well, school started today so the house is still not all together. Hopefully after the weekend we will post some pictures.

Home at Last!

2008-08-15T21:10:00.003-06:00

What a CRAZY last month and a half it has been! After Washington I took the kids home to Oklahoma to spend 2 1/2 weeks with the Grandparents. It was a wonderful trip and now we are finally living in our house!!! We are still unpacking so pictures of the house and trip will be soon to come.

Two classes down- One to Go!!!

2008-07-20T21:19:00.014-06:00

Things have been going great here in Washington. The classes have been very beneficial and not too stressful. We've found plenty of time for some nice R & R, and just a few more days to go! It's sounds like I will be arriving home in the middle of moving! If our inspections pass on Friday!!!

Washington update:
The dorm room. Thank you Shelley for bringing the T.V. and fan, and your laptop AND your cell phone! What year do I live in? We are definitely living the college life again; Marshmallow Matey's and communal showers! I was a little scared at first, but now I quite enjoy those showers. And who doesn't love cheap Lucky Charms?
The beautiful city of Seattle! From that view I saw the water, mountains, tons of trees, buildings, and cruise ships! It has been WAY too long since I've been to a big a city.
Last weekend we went to Seattle to visit Shelley's old roommate Amanda. She took us to Pike's Place, an outdoor market. And we ate at Chipotle's twice! Yum!

Vegetables, Fruit, and Cherries-EVERYWHERE!!!

It smelled pretty fishy, I didn't mind too much. I got a sample of smoked salmon, and it was tasty!
And tons of fresh flowers! They were only five or ten dollars! What a steal, if I lived in Seattle I would have fresh flowers all the time!
And we got some free entertainment. These guys were singing the Beatles. Sorry I didn't catch a picture of the nude bicyclists! I was behind a crowd so I only saw their backs and one bum!!! Apparently it's legal to be nude in Seattle as long as it's not obscene. When is it ever NOT obscene???
I have been LOVING all the fresh fruit stands; peaches, pears, apricots, and cherries!
My friend Shelley bought this 6 pound bag! I thought it was a little extreme, but now I owe her an apology because she has shared so graciously with me, which I am very grateful.

Embarking on a New Adventure

2008-07-05T09:29:00.005-06:00

Well, after 3 years of thinking about getting a masters degree, it is actually going to happen! I am heading up to Washington for three weeks to start a program designed especially for FCS teachers. I will take 3 classes during the 3 weeks, then continue a couple more classes online during the Fall and Winter. I am soooooooo happy my good friend Shelley who graduated with me at BYUI will be my roomy and motivator. It's going to be like camp! Maybe, I really don't know what it will be like but I am very excited. I am sad to leave my family, but I know this is a great opportunity for us. Maggie will probably be walking like crazy, I might miss moving day and getting the keys to our very first home, and I might miss Benjamin saying "where's mama?" And poor Seth will be taking care of the kids, working, and working on the houses. Anyone in the area that might have a free evening, please PLEASE call Seth to see if he needs a babysitter so he can work at the houses! Oaky, that's my plea for help. Thanks a Million!!!I'll be taking a greyhound up there. You might be thinking, oh that's too bad. But don't worry, I must say that I am a greyhound Pro! While still in High school, I went from Tulsa to Orlando through the deep south with all my siblings and no parents! I became quite the mother hen as we transferred buses in the middle of the night, sat next to some very nice ex-cons, and stopped every two hours to hear the driver say over the intercom, "smok'm if you got'm." What great memories I will always cherish. Thanks Dad for letting us crash your vacation with mom.

So I'm off to become the best Family and Consumer Science teacher EVER and to hopefully someday land a job at a University to encourage many many others to become FCS teachers so these programs will stay in the schools to teach the students basic life skills, instead of being cut due to positions not being filled or budgets being cut for new emphasis on academics, darn you NCLB! Fourth of July

We spent the afternoon having a BBQ at our new house with our new neighbors. Seth got some work done at our house. They built the back steps and patio, and worked on more fences. We are still waiting for the electrician to show up! Uuurggh!

Thanks Grandma for the great 4th of July outfits!

First Steps

2008-07-02T21:46:00.004-06:00

Maggie is about to take off! She really has taken a couple of steps on her own without holding on to anything. She is exactly the same age as Benj was when he took his first few steps, crazy!

Can anyone please tell me how to post a video that's not sideways?! I am so pathetic, I still havn't figured it out!

Patience is a Virtue

2008-06-28T20:55:00.010-06:00

Is patience really a virtue, or do they just say that to make you feel better when things aren't going your way? The house is making progress, I can't complain, it's just the way it goes. We still don't have an exact move in date. There are still many things to do and people to wait on. Saturday was an exciting day, our fence was completed and we have sod in the front and back yard! We bought our first garden hoses which was pretty exciting, but that excitement grew thin when we thought about needing to buy sprinklers, a weed eater, and a lawn mower. The new responsibility of taking care of a yard feels a little daunting, but once when we really get to enjoy it, I think it will be all worth it!

I got to help put our sod down in the morning, then when I picked up the kids I brought them back so Benjamin could run in the sprinklers. He was so happy, I just wished I could have watched him from inside my new home. Maybe one day we will actually live there.

And, of course he finds the mud.

Benjamin and Dad riding in the Skid Steer, it moved the pallets of sod around so we didn't have to use a wheel barrel, very nice!

Here is Maggie enjoying her first crawl in the front yard. She has actually taken her first few steps this week. Maybe I'll get a video later.

Our counter tops were installed this week which was pretty exciting too. We had them do a fancy beveled edge to show the natural alder to match the cabinets. The edge will be stained later to match the cabinets.

Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Our Dad...

2008-06-14T14:26:00.008-06:00

10. He takes me to the Splash Park, my favorite place!

9. He does all my favorite things with me; play-doh, reads stories, and teaches me how to be an elephant.

8. He lets me lay in his bed to watch Star Wars with him.

7. He takes me to the movies and lets me eat lots of popcorn. (Mom really appreciates those diapers:)

6. He wrestles with me and swings me in the air.

5. He works hard for our family and is building us a house, so we can have a backyard!

4. He takes me to McDonald's to get a Happy Meal and play in the playground until sweat drips down my face.

3. He gives Mom lots of hugs and kisses. XOXOXOXOXO

2. He rocks me to sleep and he thinks I'm the cutest baby in the whole wide world.

1. And the #1 reason why we love our Dad is because he is the BEST DAD EVER and we Love him!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Love, Benj and Maggie

1st Place- Best Looking Grandpa!

2008-06-14T13:49:00.003-06:00

And a big Happy Father's Day to my Dad who has always put his family first in his life. Thank you for sacrificing again, digging deep in your pockets to change our flight times for the benefit of my family. I can not express how grateful I am for all you have done for me and will always do for me. You are a great Dad and Grandpa and we couldn't ask for anything more! Have a wonderful Father's Day and I can't wait to see you next month!!! Love, Rachel

The First Four

2008-06-11T12:15:00.010-06:00

We were surprised that it has taken almost 3 1/2 years for Benjamin to get his first stitches. With as much bouncing around as he does, I'm sure they won't be his last. He fell on the edge of a window sill, cried a little, and didn't bleed for very long. We were also pretty lucky because it happened just before Seth came home so Dad got to take him to the doctor. Hopefully it wasn't too much of a traumatic experience getting strapped down and all, but he come home very happy with two suckers and ice cream. So hopefully that made it all better.

Here are some other sweet pictures I took of the kiddos today.

Benjamin loves to eat Maggie's ears and nose.

She doesn't seam to mind.

Hugs and Kisses

Peek-A-Boo!

My First Entry

2008-06-05T12:26:00.004-06:00

School is Out!!! YAY!!! And I have A TON of scrapbooking to catch up on, so I thought I should submit some pages this summer. For those of you die hard scrapbookers out there, I'm sure you are familiar with Becky Higgin's Sketches. (The best thing that ever happened to scrapbooking!) So this is the sketch that will be featured in the November Creating Keepsakes magazine and maybe they will pick mine! I'm sure they get hundreds so I'm not getting any hopes up for the $100 if they do!

My Sweet Boy

2008-05-21T19:13:00.006-06:00

Seth just told me about the most amazing things Benjamin said! For those of you that don't know him too well, or to update you on his vocabulary, he says about 20 words and only a few of them sound like they are suppose to sound. And he certainly doesn't make sentences or phrases. So when I came home from school around 2pm Benjamin was in his room napping. I got Maggie and we took off to run some errands. So when Benj woke up from his nap he was looking all around the house for her. Seth said he actually said, "where's baby?" as he shrugged his shoulders and hands out to the side. And that's not all! Seth played around with him and kept him looking for her and when Seth asked Benjamin, where is the baby? Then Benjamin said what sounded very clearly as, "I don't know". I was pretty excited to hear that story and that he can talk, just when it's super important. What a great brother!

He just finished his preschool class through the school district. He started going as soon as he turned 3 in Febuary and has been riding a bus all by himself ever since! There is also an aide that helps them get into all the car seats. He usually loves it, sometimes it was a little rough getting him out there by 6:45am! (He was the first one on, and the first one off)

I love this picture of Maggie eating his toes. As much as he pushes her around, she can really dish it back.

And another silly picture of Benj. This time the toilet seat is around his waist. And notice the elephant in half these pictures, it's his favorite toy.

We Know! It's GREEN, and We LOVE IT!!!

2008-05-13T20:37:00.008-06:00

Yes, it's a little shocking at first. But, imagine the "stainless look" appliances, the dark counter tops, and Seth's pottery to tone the green down. The skins of the cabinets still need to be put on too. I'm sure you can see the refrigerator goes in that big space on the left, then the dishwasher, sink below the window and the oven and microwave hood on the other wall on the right. We are pretty excited!

I was really happy tonight when Seth took me to see the cabinets that were just installed today! I even let out a few screams of joy. Thankyou Bro. Beazer for installing our cabinets. You are the greatest!

Here is our master bathroom. It is the same as the kids bathroom. The title was installed last week as well, and we are very happy with it. As well as the huge vanity! Six drawers! I know the blue is a little light and babyish, but I like to think of it as water, refreshing, spa like. Nice uh?

Sorry, the lighting is horrible! But this is the living room which is painted a Toasted Almond, which we also LOVE! It is also in the front hallway and back hallway.

This will be Maggie's room with a few touches of pink and green. Seth did a great job picking out this dusty yellow. Not too soft, and not too bright. There were just way too many colors to choose from! How could I possibly make that kind of decision!

This is Benjamin's room, we are thinking a Jungle theme. Seth might paint blades of grass with some hidden jungle animals. This was also the first green color we painted the kitchen, but we thought it was a little too neon, so we went to the next shade darker to what it is now.

First Word!?

2008-04-28T20:35:00.003-06:00

Maggie has been saying DaDa a lot! Who knows if she knows what she is saying, but I think she will be talking before we know it and will be teaching Benjamin a few words too! She also just learned how to clap really well! We think she's pretty cute. (And I hope this video doesn't come out sideways, I don't know how to fix it.)

It's Coming Along!

2008-04-26T20:52:00.009-06:00

This is what has been going on for weeks! I didn't realize it would take so long to hang all the doors and put up some trim. Just today, they finished the last two out of the eight houses. Just a little bit more detail work and we should be able to start painting next week! That is our walk-in closet and the doorway into the kitchen/dining area.

The guys cut the trim and nail it up. They have been doing a great job! And that's our dining area! And back yard!

This is what I did today, and almost every time I'm out there. Which is great! I love cleanup, because I can't mess it up!

My favorite room in the house! The kitchen! I'm so excited!

Our cabinets have been delivered! It was fun figuring out where they will all go. They will be installed when all the painting is done. (Maybe in two weeks!)

Here is our pergo (laminate flooring) with the cabinets, I hope they go well together in the real thing!

Welcome Back and Happy Birthday Samantha!!!

2008-04-22T19:50:00.004-06:00

We are so happy to have Samantha back from her mission! We missed her so much! It was fun to hang out with her back at the college scene where there was of course an old abandoned grocery cart. Everyone had all kinds of fun. And a big Happy Birthday, we love you Samantha!!!

Crazy Mom and Dad thought Benjamin was ready to potty train

2008-04-03T19:09:00.004-06:00

Maggie at 7 months

2008-03-25T21:23:00.003-06:00

Big girl eating cheerios all by herself!

We hope everyone had a Hoppy Easter! :)

2008-03-02T16:01:00.002-07:00

Camping Out

2008-03-01T13:24:00.004-07:00

Benjamin really loves his pop-up tent from Grandma Stephenson. When it came in the mail he slept in it all that night. He doesn't usually sleep with the Barney doll, (we don't encourage that) and he now sleeps back in his bed.

Maggie at 6 months

2008-02-12T20:39:00.006-07:00

While Grandma was here for Benj's Birthday she took these pictures of Maggie. We always love her professional pictures, they are mom's favorite to scrapbook!

Benjamin's 3rd Birthday

2008-02-12T20:16:00.003-07:00

Benjamin had a great Birthday when Grandma Stephenson drove up for the weekend with her friend Nancy from St. George. We did lots of baking and playing with new toys. Benjamin enjoyed all his presents. Much to Grandma's dismay, his favorite was the toy gun from Aunt Melissa. He is just all boy, what can we do! He also enjoyed playing with his cake, much more than eating it.

Outside- Done!!!

2008-02-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

After a long winter of what seamed like endless siding,
we are finally working on the inside of our house!
We put insulation in Saturday and start drywall this week.

Maggie

2008-02-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

These are very recent pictures of Maggie engaged in her favorite thing to do these days, grabbing everything in reach. It might be time to pull out the real crib.

Maggie

2008-02-01T15:39:00.001-07:00

I guess I need to learn how to post a video that's not sideways, sorry about that! And this is Rachel posting, not Seth.

This is Maggie at four months one Sunday before church.

Turkey Video

2008-02-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Christmas break

2008-02-01T14:49:00.001-07:00

These pictures were from Christmas when Seth smoked our Turkey! It was of course amazing! One day after Christmas I was trying to enjoy a turkey leg when Benjamin comes over and just devours it like a hawk. I thought it was pretty funny so I took these pictures.

Choo Choo!

2008-01-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

So far Benj has been a pretty good big brother. He likes to bring Maggie her toys. He puts her pacifier in when she cries. And he gets her bottle when it's time to eat. But playing together hasn't really gone beyond him pushing her too hard in her swing or her grabibg at him when he walks past. But, the other day I put Maggie in a box and Benj pushed her all around the house while saying, "chugga chugga... choo choo." They both had a great time!

Welcome to the Land of Tomorrow!

2008-01-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

Due to the rapid growth and excessive cuteness of our children, we have decided that the easiest way to keep everyone up to date would be through a blog. It may take us a while to learn all the ins and outs of running our own page, so please be patient.