Happy Birthday Jessica!!!

Jessica is 4 years old today! Happy Birthday! Here are some pictures of her as a newborn- 4 years ago! Wow- I cannot believe it has been that long. She has been a wonderful part of our family!


This is from her blessing day. Her blessing dress was my blessing dress, made from my mom's wedding train. My mom added the embroidery while I was in the hospital with Jessica.
So little! She was only 6 lbs 10 oz a week late.Happy Birthday Princess!!! This is my second attempt at a fun birthday cake. The first was Kelsi's a month ago. Thanks to Emily Stevens for all of her cake decorating supplies, book, pans, tips... plus the idea to make the turrets out of rice krispie treats. I had a lot of fun. The whole process took a while, but Jessica and I had a lot of fun.

My Little Cowgirls

We went to an extended family reunion (My Grandpa's brothers and sisters) in Rexburg, ID. It was a lot of fun. My extended family comes from all walks of life, from big city slickers to real cowboys and farmers. The highlight of the reunion is that it is held at my Great Uncle Melvin's ranch where the kids have unlimited horse riding in the arena. This time they had an even smaller corral set up with the most gentle horses for the little kids that you could lead around. Last year DJ and I went on a 3 hour horse ride in the sand dunes, which was fun. Kelley's kids all came this year, too and it was a lot of fun.

Just Chillin' on a bench eating red licorice.

Where else is a perfect place to wear cowboy boots and a hat than on a ranch in Idaho. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of my favorite moment on the whole trip. My dad was leading around Jessica and her cousin Ben on the same horse. He was getting pretty tired of walking circles in the dirt, so he gave the lead rope to me. I was riding a magnificent, docile and obedient horse, but I was still a little nervous. Apparently, though, my horse was the lead horse and the kids and DJ's horses were more than happy to follow mine. Anyway, I led them around and listened to the conversation of the cousins (3 and 4 years old).

Ben "I want to be a carver some day. A really good one." (He had been watching my dad carve)

Jessica "Well, I want to be a Daddy when I grow up."
then "You could be a Daddy AND a carver!"

Ben "No, my Daddy doesn't carve..." and so on.

It was just so fun to listen to them nonchalantly riding a horse and discussing their career plans. And yes, Jes wants to be a Daddy when she grows up.
Kelsi was a doll. There is a great advantage to your child being on the shy side- they don't leave your site at a reunion full of strange people. My favorite was when I walked in the first time, I went up to a group of people to say hi to my Grandparents-her Great-Grandparents. Kelsi held onto the backs of my pant legs and peeeeeeked around one side, then peeeeeked around the other side. The second day, she ran right into the yard excited for the day, but still didn't get that far before coming back by me. She also cried when I tried to take her near the horses, which was fine by me. On the second day, she took a fantastic almost 3 hour nap in the house which is when we stole away to ride horses.

This picture was while the girls were waiting for Daddy to come home so we could pack up the car and leave. They were excited. And yes, Kelsi's pajamas are on backwards. That is the BEST trick I've heard.
So another story with career aspirations. A few days after the reunion we went to the SWEET'S Candy Factory out by the airport with Kelley, her boys and my mom, which was really fun- especially if you like the show "Unwrapped" on the Food Network. After "Candyland" as Jes called it, she was talking to me in the car. She told me that she wanted to be a "Candy Land Tour Dad." Apparently, her favorite job was the tour guide.

Jessica is a Monkey. I have known if for a while, but recently she has discovered a new favorite past time: climbing Mr. Dipper as she calls the tree in my in-laws back yard. It is a small, but a perfect climbing tree, except for the cement and rocks at the base... She actually got pretty high. The only problem is that Kelsi is also a monkey, but 2 years younger and does not have the same skill set, so she attempts to do everything her sister does, which scares me to death. The other day Jes jumped off the playground equipment onto the wood chips, and Kelsi followed right behind and fell flat on her face. Poor girl. I felt SO bad.

I decided to give the girls and in-between birthday gift since their birthdays are just a month apart and this easel was for both of them. It was a hit!

We have some news to share...

We are expecting a baby in January around the 16th. I am just over 12 weeks along. Here are some ultrasound pictures from our appointment today. The baby was SO active! He/she was moving its mouth, head and literally bouncing up and down in the womb several times. I think he/she was excited for us to meet them. :) It was so fun to watch and a really sweet experience. It is amazing to me that the baby is only 6.1 cm, yet it has arms, legs, eyes, a mouth and functioning heart. Craziness- what a miracle.

Happy Birthday Kelsi!!!

Kelsi is two years old today. She has been such a delightful addition to our family. We had a party for her at my parent's house on Sunday. This is the first year I decided to make a "birthday cake" (as opposed to a cake for a birthday) and I used a cream cheese fondant recipe I got from my foods teacher at BYU. It turned out pretty well. She had a good time and the cake tasted great. Today is pretty low-key, but we are trying to do some fun things for her. This morning we went to story time at the library, then lunch at the park. After her nap, I am going to make cupcakes for the neighborhood kids and we'll play in the sprinklers.
Happy Birthday Kelsi!!!
Here are some pictures of her 2 years ago when she was born.




We sure love her!

Not much going on...

We don't have that much going on. I keep checking other people's blogs and reading them and enjoying them, but I don't update mine unless I have pictures... We have been taking it easy lately. Our biggest item of interest is that maintenance came to "auger" our sink Monday, and they broke a pipe so Kelsi's room has been filling with stinky water all week. We finally figured out what was going on Friday night (of course) so they came by to fix it today. They found the leak and it is mostly fixed now. In the meantime, Kelsi has been sleeping in Jessica's room and we are trying to decided whether to make it permanent now or just wait until later. We want to put them in the same room eventually, but it is just so convenient to separate them...

Kelsi is blossoming. She is almost 2 years now. I was worried because she had been really sick for a month, then had an ear infection, so a first round of antibiotics, then a second and now she is just finishing up her third round. This is all during key language development months. She wasn't talking a whole lot so I went in to get her ears checked by an audiologist (in between the 2nd and 3rd rounds) and she still had fluid in her ears and it was affecting her hearing. No wonder she hasn't been talking a lot. Since we have gotten her the 2nd and 3rd rounds, she is so much more interactive and responsive and she is talking a lot more. My nephew had fluid in his ears and they didn't figure it out until I think he was 3. It was really affecting his speaking. Now he is 6 and speaks very well- you would never know. It is nice to be proactive. I will take her in again this week to follow up. We also have an appointment with a speech pathologist for a speaking evaluation to see how we can encourage language development. Jes was early talking, so I can't compare, but she was talking in full sentences by now. Kelsi is not that far behind, I just want to be proactive. (and the grunting and screeching were getting old) She has improved so much already.

Jessica is really fun. We definitely have days when we are closer and days when we clash. Does anyone else feel this way? I have discovered (well, DJ told me) that what she needs most to feel close is cuddle time- like when she watches cartoons. That really helps. She is very imaginative and will play for hours by herself. She definitely goes through phases- weeks when she will play by herself all day every day, and then weeks when she needs constant attention. She is such a sweet girl and growing up into a real girl- not just a toddler. It is funny to hear the things she says and comes up with. She LOVES playing with friends and we are doing our best to teach her to be inclusive. She is very excited for "Grandma Nettie's pool" and includes it in every prayer. If we forget in our prayer, she whispers "Don't forget Grandma Nettie's pool!" We are hoping to teach her how to swim this summer. She also loves preschool, gymnastics, playing outside and "inviting friends to come over and play," especially when I am outside with Kelsi and they sneak in. Funny girl.

K- Kelsi needs attention.

You just have to love a baby's laugh...

I was putting Kelsi to bed the other night and she was so slap happy. I always want to remember her sweet giggle.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Today is our 6th anniversary, and it has been such a wonderful 6 years. I wish I had digital wedding pictures to post, but they would take to much time to find and dig out. :) The past 6 years have been wonderful. We have both graduated from college, moved 6 times, 4 of which were cross-country back and forth to Connecticut, we have 2 kids, worked a real job, gone back to grad school... And had a great time. DJ is truly wonderful and I am so grateful for him. That fateful kiss almost 7 years ago started an eternity of bliss. :) (HE kissed ME, in case there was any question- he even admits to it now after 6 years.)

Last night the Swensons watched the girls and we went to Pei Wei and then shopped for a double jogging stroller and found a great deal on running shoes for DJ. Does anyone know of a good brand of jogging stroller? We were going to go to PF Changs, but as I was at the grocery store the day before, they had asparagus at a killer price, as well as spinach and strawberries, and I knew I had London Broil in the freezer, which we grilled in addition to fresh pineapple, and the asparagus... Why go out for an expensive dinner, when you have all the fixings for an amazing dinner at home-plus Pei Wei was really good. We also made roasted sweet and red potatoes, which we LOVE, we dipped fresh bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and had triple chocolate ice cream with fresh strawberries and snickers bar... but what to do the kids?

We decided to have a candlelight pajama party picnic (bajammies as Jes called them). (Thanks for the idea Kelley) It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures : )

(You can't see the table very well because of a placemat, but my mom painted it for Jes for Christmas with the "Three Little Pigs- it is fantastic) (Kelley wanted a picture- so here it is)

(This picture is what you get for setting it on the counter with a timer)Thanks Hon, for a WONDERUL 6 years!!! I love you.

I've got a Girlie-Girl

So apparently I am on a blogging kick. Enjoy while it lasts. :)

Kelsi has been sick for the last 5 weeks with a bad cold, at least one bad ear infection (the other ear had too much wax) and a sinus infection. I took her back in for a second round of antibiotics when she didn't get completely better and now I have my little girl back!!! Her personality is blossoming. I was worried because she wasn't talking a ton during a key language development month, but the poor girl could not hear! She has been saying new words right and left for the past few days. What a fun age!

It's Spring!!!

Spring is Sprung, the grass is riz... YEAH!!!!!! We have a beautiful tree in full bloom just outside our front window. What beautiful weather!!!





A little blurry, but funny girl.

I did it!

My triathlon was yesterday and I had a lot of fun. It felt REALLY good- I didn't go so fast that I was dead yesterday, but I completed the whole thing and had a great time. It was really nice to make the goal so long ago (in January) and complete it!!!

Here is the start. I am just behind the lady with the neon yellow jacket with the white stripe going down my black pant leg.

Here is the tail end of the run just before the bike. Our lovely camera battery died so we didn't get many pictures, but hopefully my parents got some good ones, too.

We think that is me in the swim in the center on my final lap. :)

My family and friends were SOOOOOO supportive. DJ was amazing and encouraged me to get out of bed and train, and many days he either got the kids up in the morning or put them to bed- some days towards the end both. Thanks Hon. My friends I was training with (Emily and Emily) bought me some energy gels the day before, called me and had a big poster on my door when I got home- so nice! My mom came to watch 3 weeks out of knee surgery, Brittany called me the morning of, on her way to take a final at 6:45 (yes- I was already up), Kelley called me from Kansas just before the race, and at the race were DJ, the girls, my parents, DJ's parents came and Britt came after her final and caught the swim. Everyone was sooooooo supportive. THANK YOU!!!

My sisters, DJ and I are thinking about doing one is August now. :) I am going to keep training, but work on increasing speed now that I know I can do it. What fun. I highly recommend sprint triathlons. Mine included a 5K run (3.1 miles), a 10 mile bike, and a 1/4 mile swim. I had to train for it, but it was very do-able. Triathlons are great because they are well rounded, full body, and you don't get overuse injuries as easily. Plus they are lifetime skills. I have always wanted to run a 5K and last week was my first one ever. (and I ran the whole time without stopping to walk- a HUGE achievement for me) :) DJ and I love bike riding with the girls. Last summer we often put the girls to bed by getting them in their PJ's and going for a ride around 8:00 pm (which came in great handy camping). Before, I couldn't keep up with DJ, even with him pulling the trailor. Now I can totally keep up and we can go for miles. The only swimming lessons I have taken were the summer before I turned 9. The first time I went swimming this January, I swam 6 laps and was THRILLED. Now I can swim a mile (64 laps) or more. What a great safety skill to have. Plus swimming is great exercise. Have I talked you into it yet? :)