Happy 6th Birthday Abigail!

This was Abigail’s year to have a birthday party. She decided she wanted to go bowling for her birthday. She was only able to invite a few friends since we had to be able to transport them all. She has so many friends at church, school, and from the neighborhood that it was hard for her to decide. It was a fun group of girls and we all had a great time.

After bowling we took the girls to McDonalds for sundaes. It’s no secret that Abigail likes Icebreakers so we decided to give each of the girls a pack of Icebreakers to take home as a thank you.

We invited Justin’s family over last night to celebrate Abigail’s birthday. Abigail requested a yummy oreo dessert. Much easier than decorating a traditional birthday cake.

Cleaning the Oreo mess:

Happy Birthday Abigail!

“All I want for (my birthday) is my two front teeth”

Before Christmas we teased Abigail that if she lost her other front tooth we could say “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” Well, she didn’t lose it until today. It’s been really loose for a while now, but unlike her other teeth she didn’t want me to pull it out. Her uncle even offered her $5 if she let him pull it out. She refused - maybe she knew he wasn’t good for the money :) The result – it fell out while she was eating a piece of bread and is nowhere to be found.

Abigail wrote a note for the tooth fairy: “Dear Tooth Fairy, I think I swallowed my tooth. Love, Abigail.”

P.S. Abigail came up with the clever title – her birthday is next Saturday.

Christmas in Utah!

We got home last night after spending Christmas in Utah. It had been five years since we’d enjoyed Christmas with my family - we had a great time. Here are a few highlights:

The girls enjoyed making cookies for Santa. Abigail is allergic to eggs so she wore gloves while she helped frost and decorate.

On Christmas Eve the family got together at my Mom’s and had traditional clam chowder. My Mom made a special batch of clam-free chowder just for me… so yummy. After dinner the kids reenacted the story of Christ’s birth. Abigail was the angel. Carly was too shy to participate (I guess the Rudolph performance was not a real breakthrough). Being the youngest earned Jason the role of baby Jesus.

The grandkids got to open a few gifts from Grandma on Christmas Eve. Grandma is a teacher and gave all the kids books... we love books!

Christmas morning was so fun. The girls were totally spoiled and received far too much. Jason didn’t get anything from us, but my Mom gave him his first truck, among many other things. I think he likes it.


It was a white Christmas for us. The girls loved playing in the snow. Justin went to several stores in search of snow boots and sleds… can you believe they were out? Thankfully, we have some great cousins who were able to supply us with everything we needed and more. Abigail and Carly went sledding with two of their cousins. Lots of fun for them.


Growing up, my family always went to Farr’s ice cream after seeing the Christmas lights in Ogden. We went to the lights with my sister and her family, but skipped the ice cream… we were already too cold. Besides we’d just had ice cream at Chick-fil-a. (Just a side note… we only managed eating at Chick-fil-a three times while we were there… a low for us … and a small disappointment for Justin)

The girls love playing games and made Grandma play many, many times.

(Grandma catching Carly with only one card left… no mercy for a three year-old)

We drove down to Utah so we were really at the mercy of the weather. On our way down we were able to leave between storms and didn’t run into any bad road conditions. We actually weren’t planning on doing it all in one day, but because it was smooth sailing we kept going.

The way back to Washington was a bit different. Although it never really snowed while we were driving, the road conditions could change in an instant. In Idaho it was really windy so the snow would blow onto the road.


In Oregon there were several miles where the road was pure ice. We even saw a semi-truck tipped over on the side of the road (wish I would have had my camera ready for that).


Thankfully, we made it home safely. It was a great trip and we’re so grateful to be blessed with such wonderful families. Thank you to everyone who made our Christmas so special!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Abigail loves our blog. She enjoys reading and looking at all the things we post. She gets a kick out of knowing that other people look at it too. She especially enjoys knowing that her Grandma in Utah checks it. She’s often asking me to post a picture or video on the blog so Grandma can see it.

Last week Abigail had a “Winter Celebration” at school. A few other Moms and I helped the kids with various craft projects. Abigail got done early and was able to make two reindeer hats, one for her and one for Carly. When we got home the girls were running around the house singing “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.” When I got out the video camera Abigail immediately requested I post their little performance on the blog. I told them they had to stand still for part of it, here’s what we got:

I hope this means our girls won’t grow up to be as reluctant to perform in front of others as their parents are.

Just in the nick of time…

Abigail lost her bottom two teeth back in April.

Today she lost her first front tooth.

Glad we got those family pictures taken last month!

My Scarlett Letter

I am feeling the joy and anticipation of Christmas. The girls are so excited to spend the holiday with their cousins and Grandma. I love their excitement and look forward to spending the holiday with family. However, I’m also overwhelmed with the stress of it all. If everything else in life could stop and I could completely focus on the holiday season I’m sure I’d be filled with the Christmas spirit. Life hasn’t stopped if fact it seems to get even busier.

I inherited the curse of cold sores, my Scarlett Letter. Usually I’ll only suffer through one or two a year. They can be brought on if I let my lips get real dry or most often when I get stressed out. I just got over a doozy of a cold sore last week. Last night I felt the tingle (some of you unfortunate souls know exactly what I’m talking about). I didn’t waste any time and applied medicine immediately. (By the way this stuff is expensive $12 for 0.07 oz.) I put more on before bed and even during the night. However, I woke up this morning and my small bump had multiplied into four. I must have been dreaming of packages that didn’t make it in time and minivans sliding off Snoqualmie pass into the ravine below. My only hope is that I caught it early enough that I can keep the cluster from taking over my entire bottom lip. Tis the season to be jolly….

Family Pictures

Today I received the cd of all the pictures we had taken a few weeks ago. Here are some of my favorites.

The Shocking Truth

I teach the young women at church each Sunday and we recently finished a series of lessons about physical health. When I received this teaching assignment Justin and I looked through the topics I would be teaching and this was one of the lessons we laughed out loud about. Not because it’s a silly topic, but because I’m one of the last people who should be teaching about physical health. The three areas discussed were diet, exercise, and rest. I have serious issues with all three areas.

During the lesson I confessed that maybe if I were to exercise I wouldn’t have such a hard time getting out of bed at 7 am. One of the other leaders laughed and said “what time DO you get out of bed?!?” If she thought 7 am was bad what would she think if she really knew the truth? She continued by saying “just wait til Abigail has school in the morning.” I told her that I have thought about this situation before and truly believe Abigail could get up each morning, shower, eat breakfast, make her lunch, come give me a hug and a kiss (while I’m still lay cozy in my bed) and head out to school on her own. One of the other leaders thought this idea was hilarious and since this day had brought it up a few times. I was with her again last night and while some friends were discussing the woes of parenting she jokingly said, “And then there’s Abigail who’s going to get off to school all on her own.”

I tried to explain that I really wasn’t joking. The shocking truth is that 90% of the time Abigail does get up on her own. And sadly it’s not because she wakes up early; it’s because her Mom wakes up so late. We actually have a rule that she can’t come into my room unless it’s after 8 am. Until then, and often much later, she quietly comes downstairs, eats her breakfast and reads… sometimes for hours. If Carly wakes up they can play together, but quietly. She doesn’t usually shower before I get up, but she has and definitely would. What five year-old does that? What five year-old should be expected to?

So this morning after feeding Jason, it was 7:45 am and as I proceeded to curl back up in bed, I felt a ting of guilt. I don’t know how often this will happen, but today I was the first one up.

Last week all the young women (and leaders) made a goal for the upcoming year. My goal was to get in better physical shape. If the lesson manual is true then fulfilling this goal could help me rise and shine at a little more appropriate time.

But until then, please continue to wait till after 9 am to call me :)

Mini Man

I love it when little babies wear outfits that you’d see on an adult or teenager. I think it is so adorable. Thanks to Jason’s cousin Haden he has lots of really cute handy-downs. Yesterday Jason wore a stylin’ red sweater and corduroys to church… Thanks Aunt Tami!

Santa Claus

Every year Santa takes time out of his busy schedule to visit our neighborhood community center. Today was that special morning. The girls were so excited and knew exactly what they wanted to ask for.

Abigail was first and decided she really wanted to ask Santa for Icebreakers. I’ve never had Icebreakers before, but her two friends that she walks home from school with have. This request is typical Abigail. She’s so easy to satisfy with simple pleasures. I think Santa encouraged her to make an additional request so she said she would also like a new outfit for her baby doll.

Carly had a little larger request and asked for a play kitchen.

Jason was completely oblivious to the whole experience and had no problem visiting with Santa. Santa even commented about what a great baby he is…. we think so too.



Carly enjoying a yummy chocolate donut… I’m glad we did pictures first.

Four Months Old!

Last week marked Jason’s 4 month birthday. He went to the doctor yesterday for his check-up, here are his stats:

Weight: 16 lbs. 5.2 oz. (75%)
Height: 26.25 inches (90%)

Happy Birthday Justin!

Yesterday was Justin’s birthday and to celebrate he decided he wanted to take the girls bowling. We haven’t been bowling together since 1999 so I was excited. We kept it a surprise from the girls and they were thrilled when we arrived at the bowling alley. The alley we went to was fabulous. It was clean, family-friendly, highly technically advanced and just all around awesome… nothing like any other bowling alley I’ve been to. One of the coolest things was that the bumpers would automatically come up whenever it was the girls turn.

So how did we all do? It was looking like I was going to get beaten by my three year-old. Especially after she got a strike in the eighth frame! Sadly none of us were even watching her when she got it. After Carly’s strike I found my groove and bowled a strike in the eighth and last frame, that last strike saved my ego and put me in second place behind Justin. Final Stats: Justin – 149, Holly – 86, Carly – 67, Abigail – 64. We had a great time and decided we definitely need to go bowling more often!

(Look at that form! and the big screen TV's)

(With all that power you'd think her ball would be cruising down the lane, not so)

(Birthday Boy and his little man)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Go Cougs!!! (They need all the help they can get)

My dad and brother-in-law, Darin, made the long arduous trip over to Pullman (and back, 5 hours each way) on Saturday for the WSU-OSU football game. My dad loves the Cougars but I have to remind him often that the real Cougars are blue. He has yet to catch that vision. My dad graduated from WSU and is always talking about how great the university is and how the grandkids will love going to school there. So to win them over to his side he brought home a special treat, besides the Cougar cheese. Abigail, Hallie, Carly, and Haden got Cougar t-shirts. Carly was so excited that she wanted to wear it to bed. Our girls love surprises like this and think Grandpa is the best!


As for the game, the Cougars lost 52-17 on a rain-soaked soggy windy day. But hey, for once, the grandkids are wearing my dad's color of choice. So maybe it was worth the long drive to see your team get whomped on in terrible weather. Always a positive side of things, right?

Abigail & Jason

I’ve been trying to get a video clip of Jason laughing; his giggle is adorable and will definitely make you smile. But every time he sees the camera he gets camera shy and stops laughing. I haven’t given up hope and will keep trying. In the meantime here’s a fun clip of Abigail and Jason. He loves his sisters and his sisters love to be goofy for him.

I need your help!

Before I begin let me remind you of my serious inability to make decisions... So we're going to get some outdoor pictures taken of the kids and family. I went shopping yesterday trying to find coordinating clothing for 5 people. Not an easy task. Idealy I would love to have us all in jeans with nice sweaters all in the same color group. I found out that is impossible. Justin is too tall to shop in normal stores and Jason is still so tiny. The only sweaters I could find in similar color for the girls was bright red, sure it fits the season, but I'm a little worried that having all 3 girls in red will be too much. The guys are a even bigger problem. Below are what few options I can come up with. Will any of them work???

(Girls in red sweaters, Boys in Brown)

(Red, White and Blue ... Christmas in July?)

(Girls in red sweaters, Jason black and white jailbird, Justin in charcoal)

(Girls red sweaters, Jason brown/tan raindeer, Justin brown sweater)

A little clarification…

So the other day one of our friends, after reading my post about our trip to Arizona, told Justin he thought I was ripping on Arizona. Let me clarify… We had a great time in Arizona. The purpose was to visit Justin’s family and spend some time swimming in the nice weather. We enjoyed both.

When we were visiting with my childhood friend we asked her what there is in Arizona that would draw visitors. She said golf and shopping. We don’t golf, but they do have some fabulous shopping areas there. I also think Phoenix has a lot more yummy restaurants than Seattle. Utah is also a great place for good food.

The weather was perfect for swimming. If it was any cooler than we would have gotten cold playing the water. I’ll be the first to admit I HATE being hot. Swimming in Phoenix in October… perfect. Swimming in Phoenix in July… not so perfect.

I honestly had a great time. Would I want to live there? No, but I’m sure a lot of people would say they would never want to live in Seattle… a place I have really grown to love. So I hope I have dug my way out of my Phoenix bashing hole. A huge thank you to everyone that made our stay so much fun!

I also mentioned that the traffic in Phoenix was way better than here, right?

Moments like this

This week has been crazy. I’ve had so much I need to catch up with after our vacation. My house is still a disaster zone, but I’ve gotten all the suitcases unpacked and the laundry is finally done. I’ve realized I’ve spent most the days getting my kids situated so I can do what I want or need to get done. The girls are very self-entertaining so they are pretty easy. Of course there are times they ask me to do something with them, but I’m really good at distracting them by getting them involved in something else. I can’t tell you how often I say “in a minute”, hoping they forget I’ve implied I would see to their desires. Jason is a little harder to ignore since he does rely solely on me for all of his needs. But after feeding and changing him he usually ends up right back in his bouncy chair or car seat until my services are required again. Wednesday, for a small moment, things were a little different. Jason had just fallen asleep in his crib when he spit up. I cleaned him up and laid him back down. He’s been sleeping in a bassinet in my room so his crib is still quite foreign for him so he started to fuss again. I decided to spend a few extra minutes and rock him to sleep. This is when I had my lightbulb moment and while holding my sweet little boy realized just how precious these moments with my kids can be. My little boy isn’t so little anymore. Soon he won’t want to cuddle up with his Mom. I stayed in that rocking chair for a long time and we ended up being late for the Halloween activity at the church. Being late would usually drive me nuts, but not this time. This moment was worth it.

Halloween

This was the first year we’ve bought Abigail a Halloween costume. When she was little we borrowed costumes and the past couple years she has been completely content just dressing up in one of our Princess dresses. This year, with a lot of encouragement from Justin, Abigail moved away from the whole Princess theme and decided to be a witch. The costume we bought was actually a size 8-10 so I had to pin it up quite a bit so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. I think we’ll put this one way for a few years til it actually fits better.


Carly wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to be. She expressed an interest in being a chicken, a bunny, and a fairy. Remembering that Abigail’s friend Linsey was a fairy last year made the decision a breeze. (Thanks for letting us borrow it Camille). I think her favorite part of dressing up for Halloween was when I put a little lipgloss on her. What a cutie!

As mentioned earlier, Jason was a pumpkin. Very fitting because I often call him my little pumkin’. Jason stayed at home with Justin while the girls and I went trick-or-treating around the block. The girls (and as a result, I) scored… I love Halloween!

Worth every cent!

I bought this pumpkin costume last year before I even knew if we were having a boy or girl. For only 49 cents who could resist? Jason looked absolutely adorable!

King of Free Stuff

Anyone who knows me knows that I love free stuff. At BYU I could attend almost any sporting event and catch something flying through the air like a football or shirt or gift certificate or whatever. Maybe it was my long arms or maybe just my desire to "get a good deal" which for me means spending nothing at all if possible to get something cool and almost anything free is cool. The girls love getting gifts I bring home for them from work (T-Mobile branded stuff). In fact one of their favorite gifts that I gave them was a wooden box with a T-Mobile brand on it that was originally filled with a bag of nuts but which now keeps the girls' jewelry. Anyways, to my point, attending the COST (Council on State Taxation) conference vendor fair on Thursday night in Phoenix really paid off! On my chair at work this morning was an Apple iPod Touch from a tax software vendor Corptax. Pretty sweet! I signed up literally on my way out the door of the reception as Holly and the kids were waiting to pick me up. Now to figure out how to use it….