Hide and Go Seek

The other day my 2 1/2 year old vanished. It took a while for us to notice but when you don't hear anything loud and he's not right under foot, it's time to start worrying. We looked up and down, no sign of the little tyke. I looked over and noticed the cat sitting intensely focused on the closed cabinet door under our TV, his tail twitching back and forth. Hmm...I wondered. I opened the cupboard to find my little devil, face glowing in the light of Ethan's "DS", volume turned down so as not to alert us, content as can be. This is a definite no-no in our house. This small child is not allowed to play with the "DS" but his ability to hide and do it so well was something to be applauded. We couldn't help ourselves, laughing and cheering his indiscretion. He must have hid out quietly for at least 15 minutes or more. Probably the best 15 minutes of his little life!

Warm Hearts and Hands

The other day we were out running errands. Ava announced from the back seat, "Mom. I'm going to be nice to Andrew all day!"
"That's great! It should be a good day then," I said as I looked back through my rear view mirror. And there they were, little brother and big sister, holding hands in the space between their car seats. My heart felt instantly warmer.

Green Boogers...

I know kids pick their boogers. I've seen it, I've done it (oh come on...you know you did too!!) But I've never had a kid quite like Andrew. Don't you usually discreetly wipe them on something...eat them...you know, dispose of them so that no one knows or sees? "Mom! Mom! Boogie. Need tissue." There is rarely a day that goes by that I am not asked to dispose of the green booger on the tip of Andrew's pointer finger. Oh well, at least I know they aren't hiding under my throw pillows!

Hair Did...

Boy, did this one need a haircut! Though I'm a sucker for the whole Matthew McConaughey look...or maybe it's the Owen Wilson...whatever, it only works if you get haircuts and this was too long and too out of hand. His head looked at least 3 sizes too big!

So as they say in Wonderland...."off with his head!" (what?)

And there you have it...the new and improved Andrew! (I think this time I was ready for it!)

No Promises

It's been forever. My last entry was in August. It's now December. I've simply been too busy. Ok, probably not, but you know, when you write a blog, you read lots and lots of blogs. I would sit down to write but I would first have to read. By the time I was done reading, there was no more time to write. So I stopped blogging. I told myself it didn't matter, that I was wasting time I could be spending on more important things. After all, I began the blog to keep the grandparents informed about their grand kids and they don't even read it. So, I moved on without guilt. What I didn't expect was that while I was no longer "wasting" my time writing, I was still reading! And to make matters worse, I wasn't taking the time to appreciate all the small stuff that happens all around me each day. Things I used to look for so that I could write something I'd appreciate later. I wasn't writing anything! And for that matter, I wasn't remembering anything either.

So, here I go again, no promises but I'm going to try. This time I'm going to worry less about being interesting and having good pictures to post and more about just doing it. I mean seriously, who reads this anyway? What audience I did have has probably grown tired of my lack of updates (sorry you three!). So here's to the small stuff that make up the memories I will one day treasure!

First Day of School....

He couldn't wait (neither could I). The time had finally come. School is in session!

2nd grade, here we come!

He likes his teacher. Fortunately, she likes him too. I was worried he would be sad that all of his friends were in the class he had originally wanted. Turns out, he has lots of friends in his class...I guess I'm the one who didn't!

Bedroom Makeover the DIY way...

When we moved in to our house just about 4 years ago, I was less than excited about the khaki green and mustard yellow color of the master bedroom walls but there were other walls that needed a change even worse...so the master was put on the back burner. Finally, something got done.

First, the paint. Pretty much a "blueberry" blue. Not as subtle as what I thought I wanted...but I love it!

Then came the furniture. The original color looked plain awful with the new walls. So, it was either an attempt at painting or a trip to the furniture store. Considering that a can of black paint costs around $10, we tried the paint first. It worked fabulously! Now my two end tables and chest of drawers are a sleek, smooth black that really makes the wall color pop!

But as always, something was missing. We have never owned a bed...I mean we have the mattress and the metal frame of course, but nothing to make our bed a piece of furniture all its own. So we made this:Yes, its a headboard. And yes, we made it out of a door! The idea was a collaborative effort between Todd, myself, and some general searches on the Internet. The beautiful woodworking was all Todd, and the finishing work, me. We started with a standard door. Cut about 4 inches off the bottom and re-glued the end piece.

Then Todd added some moulding detail along the top.

This is how it hangs on the wall...

And in the end, a $51 door becomes our beautiful headboard!

Now all we have to do is patch a pretty little hole in the bathroom and paint those walls and the master will be finished!

Happy Birthday Todd!

Yes, I'm writing this late....but it will show posted on August 8th....so that's ok, right?

Todd has officially entered his last year of the 4th decade of his life! We were lucky enough to spend the whole day together and child-free! (many thanks to Sandra and our evening babysitter)

We spent the day relaxing in the hot tubs, playing in the mud, eating a tasty lunch, enjoying a vigorous massage under the shade of the oak trees, and lounging by the pool. Glen Ivy is really time well spent.

That night we had dinner, great conversation, and good times all around!

Happy Birthday my love! You are a wonderful man and I am one lucky girl!

Finally...a trip to the BEACH!

Why did it take this long to feel the sand between our toes? We've got reasons...but whatever. We finally made it!

Love this kid!

Andrew's 2nd Birthday

and our trip to Utah - part 3.

Andrew turned two. Wow did those years go fast!

We had dinner and with Denise's help, we made some decent cupcakes.

There were bubbles

and Pop Rocks

and presents, of course.

but I think his favorite was the pack of Skittles he couldn't wait to get his hands on.

My little peanut is growing up. This one won't be left behind. He jumps, runs and fights with the best of them. He is all boy and full of life and fun! What joy he adds to our home!

Trip to Utah - Part 2

We had to take the kids out to the canyon - it was gorgeous and green and the water was flowing!

Most of the time, this was my view of Andrew...

The kids discovered a new love of hiking!

Our Summer Trip to Utah - Part 1

We spent two whole weeks...So I hope these pictures capture just a bit of the fun we had!

This was the quietest part of the whole trip...well at least as soon as Andrew fell asleep!

First we visited some good friends and enjoyed their lake "beach".

Then it was Family Reunion Time and swimming, swimming and more swimming!And nap time...My uncle's backyard borders the Provo river which was pretty heavy with water for this time of year.We did actually see a large and impressive fireworks show but the kids enjoyed the "show" before the show.

End of Year One

Ava successfully completed her first year of preschool. She was fortunate enough to have quite a few really great friends there at Busy Bee Academy.

Following the graduation and awards ceremony, we all enjoyed an fun and adventurous lunch at Rainforest Cafe.

To round out the festivities of the week, we took a trip to our local Build-a-Bear and she picked out her very own Jack Russell Terrier.

(Just a side note: The Build-a-Bear trip was a reward for a very successful and cavity-free trip to the dentist. Hooray!)