Sunday, October 31, 2010

halloween happenings



halloween, celebrated on saturday this year, was a magical event. i think i love that most about having young kids...everything seems amazing and magical to them, and it truly makes me happy.

friday night we decorated pumpkins. i didn't get any pictures of grey because he was SO excited i had a hard time keeping him still enough to do stickers. since the kids are a bit young for carving, we went with painting and sticker decor, and it was a HIT. grey also kept picking up his pumpkin pail and kissing it saying "love you punkin, love you punkin." he's a hoot.

saturday morning we were at the zoo early, and went trick or treating in costume. lyla was a pretty princess, grey a shark, and nate and i REAL salt lake fans. the zoo was the highlight of the day, and we enjoyed brunch with friends afterward.

saturday night we went to the in-laws and trick or treated for about 20 minutes. it was windy, cold, and rainy, but the kids still got their fill. oh, and i went as an 8 ball that evening. ha.


happy halloween everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

hey june!





this is for lauren, larissa, lynnae, libbie and blake. cute aunts and uncles who aren't here to see the pictures in person. enjoy!!

baby looks so great...its amazing to me how they move and wiggle when they are so tiny. seriously crazy. we can't wait until march!

Friday, September 17, 2010

things are moving quickly...

a fast update before i disappear from blogging for a bit:

-we move in precisely 2 weeks. crazy, i know. but nate will be 5 minutes (or less!) from work, its convenient to lyla's preschool, and super nice. can't wait to be back in sandy.

-we find out the gender of this baby on the 27th. so excited that my mom will be here, and we have names picked out! i will divulge when we know the sex. for the record, lyla hopes for a girl, but nate and i couldn't care less either way.

-i am 14 weeks, almost 15, and feel great! starting to get fatter, its crazy to me how much bigger i feel at this point in my pregnancy compared to lyla and grey. no weight gain yet though..

-i am also switching doctors and going to a mid wife. she can deliver at the hospital i want, and i am excited about trying to do childbirth naturally. i just need to convince nate a bit more. ha.

-nate and i found out that we will be attending the mls cup in toronto this november. very excited about this development...but getting a passport is kind of a pain. especially when you were born in california, live in utah, and can't find your birth certificate. sheesh.

-speaking of the mls...nate is still doing great at real, and we are already excited about next season. and of course, we love real and hope they go to the cup too so we can be obnoxious at the game.

-lyla absolutely loves preschool, and it appears that her teacher loves having her in class. i wish it were more than once a week, so we are looking into a great dance program for her this fall and winter.

-grey is trouble, and i bought him a leash yesterday. i have always made fun of parents who have those, but seriously, the kid wants to walk but also not listen to me nor stay near me. so he gets a leash attached to a puppy backpack. i hope it works!

-i purchased halloween costumes for the kids this week. lyla will be a pink princess that lights up (for real, the dress lights up) and grey will be a shark. i had to snag them while the stores still had a good selection. happy fall everyone! more to come.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

family pictures 2010



Mr. Grey at about 18 months!
-25 lb. 8 oz. and 32 inches tall

Miss Lyla at 3. Poor lady...it was over 100 degrees when we took these pictures, and i don't blame her for not smiling. she's a doll anyway.
-34 lb. and 39 inches tall!
these kids are so goofy...couldn't understand why i was making those faces at them.

i especially love the family picture...too bad we have to update it in 6 months...ha ha! i got it made on a canvas for my house. so excited.

summer wrap up

since i have posted twice all summer, i thought i would wrap it up with labor day weekend, and include our mishaps as of late.

-we spent saturday night at the real game. i was treated to club seats with my little lady, and we had fun. it was hot, much hotter than expected, but seeing our team win is always a bonus.

-labor day was exhausting. we went for an early morning drive, and ended up with a flat tire in salt lake. nate knew his tires were bad, and we were actually going to get the front tires replaced today. unfortunately, we made it to the neighborhood we were in search for, and the tire had totally blown out. nate tried to get the tire off, but mazdas are notorious for being difficult. after 4 hours, a tow truck, lunch at dee's, and $375 later...we have two brand new tires. note to self: don't get a flat tire on labor day. people and businesses are usually not around to help you. ha ha.

-did i mention this is not the only catastrophe as of late? a few weeks ago, i lost nate's car keys at smith's. we didn't have a spare set, and our car is EXPENSIVE to re key. our car sat for a week while we waited to see if they turned up and worked out insurance...right before we finally got the new keys, we found out someone had in fact found our keys! however, they decided throwing them away was a good idea...thanks people. thanks.

-and on sunday, we went to baby sam foster's baby blessing. we had a pretty good morning, but my kids were tired, and when we got home we realized the house key was on nate's set of keys (we hadn't replaced the lost one yet), and it was inside the house. awesome. calling a locksmith on a sunday is neither convenient nor cheap.

pretty crazy, right?

the highlight of the weekend was hanging out with family and friends at a labor day barbecue. andy and ashley are moving away this week...and i know we will miss them a lot. our babies are so close, and nate has always been especially close to his brother. we of course wish them well, and are so excited for them. good luck guys! we will be out soon!

Monday, August 23, 2010

evo fun

i have been messing with my phone again.
i found retro cam and fx cam for android. love it.
the kids and i had fun this morning. enjoy their many faces!






Saturday, August 21, 2010

Long overdue, but worth the wait!

wow. its been awhile. sorry about that.
for all of you who actually read this blog...i have been meaning to update it, but then more and more things kept happening, and i got more and more behind. i would forget to take my camera somewhere, and it just escalated. here i am, almost a whole summer of milestones behind me, and i don't have a lot to show for it!

so...you get the highlights, some random pictures, and hopefully more will come.

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS:
-nate and i celebrated our 5 year anniversary on june 22nd! we acted just like we did in high school--saw toy story 3, played some golf, and ate a delicious dinner at desert edge pub. great, great night. i will be mushy and say that i am so happy we have spent the last 5 years together. its been insane, fun, and the most rewarding 5 years of my life. i think we have started building a beautiful family and life together, so i can't wait to see what our lives look like in another 5 years.

-on july 20, i turned a quarter century old. eek. enough said. well, except that my family all went out to a yummy dinner at red robin, and my favorite present was my nook! thanks mom!

-lyla kate turned THREE on august 12th. i can't believe it still. she has accomplished quite a lot for just three years. she's fully potty trained, semi bi-lingual, can dance like a pro, and is so bright it surprises me everyday. she starts preschool in just two short weeks...along with soccer, dance, and all the other fun activities you can do once you're potty trained and semi-independent. she continues to be the sweetest girl i have ever met (i mean that honestly), and that's not just because she still takes a nap! she charms the pants off of all those she meets, and i just love her.
-we celebrated lyla's third birthday along with her favorite cousin dallin, who turned 4. we rented out the murray pool, and it was a lot of fun. the weather almost didn't cooperate, and i ruined her DARLING little mermaid cake, but it was still a great night.

-mr. grey turned 18 months on august 17th! let me tell you, this guy is hysterical. he would eat bananas all day, and he says EVERYTHING. serious. i am not being a braggy mom (well, maybe a little). he's started saying actual phrases like "dad, i see you!" and "mom, i spilled!" he still loves to snuggle, his night night, and anything with wheels. oh, and dora, thanks to older sis lyla. he even says "sneaky fox swipe stuff!" he loves to sing songs with his sis, and flirts with every woman in every store, everywhere we go. he's a hoot.-nate and i went to paul mccartney! i must admit, i wasn't jazzed, but when nate told me his generous boss at real got us the tickets, i decide to go for it. let me tell you it was the best concert i have ever been to. the seats were amazing, the crowd was so fun, and that 68 year old man played for 3 hours, and no break!! that's talent.-the rest of our summer has been spent with family, friends, at the pool, watching the mls champs in the heat, at the park, the bookstore, wheeler farm, the zoo and the aquarium.

AND OUR BIGGEST SUMMER ANNOUNCEMENT:
we found out on july 5th that we are expecting baby number 3 next march! that makes me about 11 weeks, and we are very excited. nervous too. so there it is! i am feeling great, and baby seems to be too.
lyla's cake minutes before i smashed it...it was so darling!

-more specifics on everyone to come soon!

P.S.--all (except the sir paul pic) were taken with my EVO. look it up. this phone is amazing. it was an anniversary present for both nate and i. another summer high light, for sure.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

thursday-ness






mom sent these pictures from her camera. just had to post. there are many more, but these took the cake.

we are all well. getting ready to take the kids to the zoo, and then enjoy some glee tonight with husband (after a really hard workout, of course). i am dying to ramp up my cardio so i can really start seeing results! then tomorrow its off to park city with some girlfriends and my sil for a ladies weekend..and to wish katie all the luck in the world with her 3rd baby.

happy thursday!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

who wants a cheerio?


She's a big girl now!


way to go lyla! i think i can officially say that lyla is totally potty trained. we are doing a pull up for nap and bed, but lyla even stayed dry last night!

we only had a handful of accidents, and she is now able to just go on her own with minimal help from me. we have even ventured out a few times in public and she has done a great job telling me when she needs to go. i think she really likes the independence, and i really like not changing her diapers.

whew, i have one weaned, and one potty trained. i feel like i am free! well, sorta.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

potty training: day 1

i decided on a whim (ok, not a whim...i really just needed to get it done), to potty train lyla today. she was ready, so i simply placed the underwear on her little behind, and we were off.

surprisingly...its been a great day. one tiny accident while she was helping me switch laundry, and its been smooth sailing ever since. she even went twice without even telling me she needed to...she just went in the bathroom. she even pooped, which i know is gross to talk about, but i think pooping twice on day 1 of potty training pretty much rocks.

if you know lyla at all, you would know that she's extremely independent and stubborn. she will do something when she makes up her mind to do it, and she will do it all herself. today was no different. she insisted on getting on the potty herself, handling her own underwear situation, and flushing the toilet. pretty much, i had to wait in the hall.

but here's what happens when i let my 2 year old pull up her own underwear. i can't wait to use these when she's a teenager.


crossing my fingers tomorrow is as great as today. way to go moo!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

as i choke down my chicken

i tell myself:

its worth it to feel so good in your own skin
its worth it to be a good example to your kids
its worth it to do something for yourself, for once!
the pain means your body is moving and working hard
i have always been able to do anything i set my mind to, and this is no different

so i look forward to that treadmill, and those hills.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

rsl cuties



until last year, i was never a fan of soccer. but, i have been converted! we have such a blast at RSL games, and the kids look wicked adorable. lyla is a cheese, seriously.

texas pictures


loved having his own seat!

Fort Worth Zoo--rated among the top 5 in the nation. it did NOT disappoint.


don't mess with his pretzel

can you see the cute lions? it was literally like a jungle there---and felt like it too


aunt larissa- age 15

with mom and aunt lynnae (age 13) on mothers day
mom and i on mothers day--i had e coli from the water here at home...i was still feeling like death that day.
aunt libbie (11), aunt lynnae (13), and moo
okay, all of the boys on my brother's football team are in THIRD grade...can you see my brother? he is about as tall as the coach. too funny.
gorgeous aunt libbie--she's only 11
uncle blake (9) and his favorite nephew
mom and lynnae at her 8th grade banquet...the big party to celebrate going into high school
gorgeous aunt lynnae!
we chilled at softball games

nemo!
how you survive a plane ride with 2 toddlers....