Our so called life...

July 2011

2011-11-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new place in July. Addy is still trying to adjust to having her own bedroom and being on a different level through out the day than I am. She doesn't like to go upstairs alone and came into our bedroom just about ever night in July to sleep with us. She is slowly liking this place more and more. It kinda breaks my heart when she says she misses her old house and that she wants it back. Benson has done really well here. He mastered going up and down the stairs the first day and can sleep so much better now that bedtime is not playtime with Addy anymore.

Addy chose out a new pair of scissors to practice cutting paper for school and a pair of goggles for swimming. Funny that they go hand in hand with her art project! She makes me laugh! Benson is a busy handful and loves to get into everything! I have a hard time keeping him off the dishwasher while I am doing dishes. He is my little helper!

We had a great 4th of July spent with our friends! Delicious BBQ and great company. The kids had a blast playing together and blowing bubbles. Afterwards we went to Naperville fireworks. My kids were so good and sat in awe the entire time. Benson was so excited every time a firework would go off. He would point them out to his daddy.

At the end of July, I went with my ward to girls camp as the asst. craft director. The camp was in Wisconsin on Lake Geneva at a Methodist Bible Camp. Our theme this year was " The Holy Land". We had such a great time and I had a blast getting to know the girls better.

Trishia and I were in charge of all crafts for 170 girls and decorating the craft cabin. We made big tutorials that we hung on the walls that had step by step directions and pictures of each craft. We decorated with real pictures of Jerusalem, paper lanterns, and I made six pillows for the couches. We weren't able to do much decorating, but it was all we had time for in the end.

The crafts we had for the girls were: jersey knit bracelets, necklaces, beaded scripture bookmarks, fabric rosette rings, spray painted t-shirts, friendship bracelets, and chocolate dipping.

Girls camp was a lot of work to prepare for, but so worth it!

Addy gave here very first talk in primary on Temples. It was such a sweet talk. She was so excited that she had just been to the Hawaii temple. We asked her why she liked it so much there and she said " because it has beautiful flowers and fun bumpity bumps". Haha! Christian cruised her around on the speed bumps in the parking lot and it really made a lasting impression I guess. She has been announcing to anyone that will listen that she will be marrying her friend Jackson in the Hawaii temple. I better start saving now! Addy loves primary so much! She has a hard time waiting through the week to go again. She really enjoys singing time and learning in class. I can't believe she is growing up so fast!

I am Back!.....June 2011

2011-10-08T18:46:00.001-07:00

Now that summer is long gone and fall is on it's way out the door, I thought I would catch my blog up to date. I have wanted to for awhile but all those months of not posting have been hanging over my head! I could just start from today but I have a hard time leaving out our summer and any pictures of my kids. :)

So here is a re-cap of the month of June.......

Shanda came to visit me! It was so fun having her here. We filled our weekend with lots of shopping, swimming with the kids, White Sox game, boat tour of Chicago, sushi, deep dish pizza, staying up way too late, and treats from Rocky Mountain Chocolate. It went by too fast but we sure had fun!

We celebrated Father's Day with a yummy Japanese dinner and a trip to the park. Unfortunately the only picture I took of Christian and the kids all together is the one on the slide. My kids were at their most favorite place to be with their dad.... the park!

Benson started taking his first steps on 6/15/11. My kids and I were at Humanitarian that morning and he just stood up and took about 6 steps. The pictures below are from one evening the next week playing with a baseball. Christian would throw the ball and he would walk to it. I love how he toddled! Now he runs everywhere he goes.

We moved out of our townhouse the last week of June. I have really mixed emotions about it! I never really loved that house but I must say that I really miss it. Our life in Chicago started in that house and it's the only place Addy remembers. It's where we brought Benson home to and spent the last 3 years of our lives. There aren't a ton of things I loved about living there, but I have all the memories we made together as a family. I did love how open it was, the wood floors, all one level, and my appliances. That's about it! The rooms were kinda awkward in the main area, I hated the huge flight of stairs, and I really hated the yellow paint in the kitchen. There were 3 shades of yellow on the walls when we moved in. All the tan paint covered the worst shade. I planned on painting the kitchen but never got around to it. We moved for more space, a third bedroom, and a place for me to do hair. I just don't feel at home in our new place yet. It's hard to be so picky when it's just a rental and it's temporary. I am being picky though! I am worried we made a mistake moving... time will tell I guess. I have a huge list of projects that will make it feel more like me, hopefully.

Here are pictures of the house a day or two before we moved out. Remember.... my house never was this empty or clean! ( Thanks to two kids and all my hobbies!) I had pretty much everything packed up and the landlord asked if I would take pictures for the realtor. I am so glad I did! It isn't much, but it was my house and I will always remember living there!

P.S. That is not my window scarf! :)

Benson at 15 months

2011-06-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

- Weighs 23lbs 2oz 30%

-Height 32.2 in 76%

-he got his 7Th tooth

-he stands up without holding onto anything

-he took his first steps June 15

-he goes upstairs by himself

-watermelon and grapes are his favorite fruits

-he learned to say "dog"

-he loves to go on walks in the double stroller

-he loves the park

-he climbs up slides almost the whole way by himself

-he only napping 1 time a day (but he really needs 2)

-he points and then signs "please" or "more" for what he wants

-he can point to his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, head, fingers, and toes when asked

-he loves his hair done

-he puts lotion, food, and any liquid in his hair and tries to "style" it

-he is really aggressive but also super sweet

--he and Addy cause a lot of trouble at bedtime

-likes to feed himself with a fork

-he is still a really good eater

-found out the fun in unrolling the toilet paper and playing in the toilet

This month Benson has had some of the biggest changes in a while. It is amazing how fast they learn and develop. He has been standing for a long time, but recently figured out how to walk. He just randomly stood up at the church one day and started walking. He takes about 5-6 steps at a time before he falls. He doesn't walk much at home because he slips and falls on my wood floors. The poor kids legs are callused and bruised at all times.

Benson is the sweetest boy when he is all by himself. He tends to be more aggressive when Addy is around. He has to defend himself and protect the toys he is playing with. I guess he is so use to toys and other things getting snatched out of his hands. Benson's hands start swatting the second Addy is in his personal space. She has done really well with not taking toys from him lately, but he is still always on the defense. I really love watching the two of them play together. They are really silly and get in to trouble a lot. Addy will do whatever she can to make Benson laugh. Even if she knows she isn't suppose to play in the bathrooms or jump on the beds. It makes me laugh how much Benson always wants Addy's sippy cup. That is something they fight over everyday. He sneaks it and drinks the whole thing if Addy sets it down with in his reach.

Benson is communicating so much better. The screaming has been cut in half now that he can sign "please" and "more" for the things that he wants. He will point to something and rub his little belly over and over. It is so cute to see. He is starting to throw little tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. When he gets mad he sometimes hits and pinches. So he has been getting put in timeout several times a day.

We really enjoy Benson so much! He is so active and busy. He is so cute and I still can't get enough kisses on his chubby cheeks. I love watching him grow and learn alongside of Addy. They really are best buddies!

The Rest of May 2011

2011-06-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day

My family had a get together the night before Mother's Day. My sister was so sweet and helped Addy with a gift and the cutest homemade card ever! It was a really great day spent with my family. It's really hard to be away from them! I really love these pictures of my mom with my kids. Love you mom!

We flew back home to Chicago on Sunday evening. Christian surprised me with a spotless house and a delicious dinner! He gave me a cute cardigan and some jewelry that he picked out all by himself. I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful and caring husband. It was so nice to be home with him again. We sure missed him!

Mother's Day dinner in Chicago

Two weeks after we got home from our vacation to Utah and Hawaii, Addy had another dance recital. Unfortunately she missed 4 weeks of dance practice so she hadn't learned the dance. I had her go anyways. The dance was really cute! She would have loved doing it more if she knew what was going on. She again was really concerned about staying on her letter!

Watch the dance video here

Addy came home from dance and wanted her ears pierced. I thought it was crazy since every time we talk about earrings she would get all stressed out. I had told her when she was ready for earrings and could take care of them, we would get hers pierced. I thought she would be 10 before that happened. Addy would always ask my why every person she saw had earrings in. She was obsessed! She made it clear each time that she did NOT want earrings. I told Chris about our conversation, and he wanted to take her that night to get them pierced. I said "NO!" We talked to Addy all week long about what was going to happen when she pierced her ears. Addy still wanted them done!

On Saturday, May 27 we took Addy to get her ears pierced. She was so excited! She chose out silver sparkle earrings that matched her nail polish. (rhinestone flowers) I couldn't have chose better myself! She started to shiver and shake and her face was pale. I thought it was because she was scared mixed with a little bit of anxiety. Two people pierced her ears at the same time. I held both her hands, and when the earrings where in she was immediately in tears. She cried until the lady handed her a mirror. Addy said, " I look so BEAUTIFUL!" She was so happy! She was nervous for me to even touch her hair, for fear I would hurt her ears.

We went to lunch after and Addy was acting really weird. She wouldn't eat and didn't really talk much. She fell asleep in the car on the ride home. We had a few other places to stop, so Chris kept her in the car with him so she could sleep. At our last stop she had woken up delirious. She kept saying weird things and she was slurring her words. I pushed her in the stroller so she could rest. She said her tummy was hurting, so I got her some sprite to sip on while I finished up. Out of no where, Addy sits straight up and starts puking everywhere. It was so awful! She filled the stroller, my hands, and everything around us. The poor girl was so sick! That night she had a high fever and woke us up at 3:00 a.m. Her body was so hot she looked like she had a sunburn everywhere. Luckily by Sunday afternoon she was feeling much better.

Memorial Day

We spent Memorial Day in downtown Naperville. We had lunch, walked the river walk, played at the park, and threw money in the fountains. The weather was amazing! Addy requested her hair in pigtails so everyone could see her new earrings.

Hawaii 2011

2011-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Christian and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary this year. What way to better celebrate than a trip to Hawaii! I wasn't too excited in the beginning of bringing our kids with us, but it turned out to be a great vacation! Christian's parents came with us to spend some time with our family. I couldn't have done the trip without them! They even kept our kids over night so we could go out and spend some time together. Family vacation + alone time = a perfect trip!

I didn't take any pics of the first day there. We flew in, went to the base on Pearl Harbor, ate dinner, shopped for groceries, and went to bed. The next morning we went to our Hotel on Waikiki and headed for the beach. This was my kids very first time on a beach. They both loved it! We played there for a few hours until we were surrounded by jellyfish. Unfortunately, Christian's mom Jamie, was stung by one on the back of her thigh. The life guard posted signs up about the jellyfish after we had been swimming for awhile. Jellyfish are all over the shoreline for two days after a full moon. We caught a couple in a bucket to look at. I was a little too nervous to let Addy and Benson swim any longer, so we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up.

Benson loved crawling around in the water! He kept drinking the water even though he hated it. He would dry heave every single time! Benson also had his first couple mouth fulls of sand. it made him throw up immediately, but for some reason he kept putting it in his mouth.

Addy loved building a sandcastle with nanny Jamie.

That evening, we went to dinner and walked around Waikiki and looked at the shops. We ended the night with ice cream and smoothies.

On the third day, we went to the Dole Pineapple factory for some delicious ice cream. My kids were asleep in the car, so nanny Jamie stayed back with them while we went in for ice cream. Such a great grandma!

We drove to Waimea Bay to play on the beach. It was so cool to watch the locals surf the enormous waves. The beach goes up to a small hill and the waves were washing all the way to the top. The kids loved the waves crashing up on them. Even though we were all standing where the last of the waves reached, they could still pull my kids down the beach. Addy's new watering can was swept out in a big wave.

After we finished playing at the beach, nanny and papa took the kids back with them for the night. Christian and I went out for the evening and spent the night without the kids. It was so nice!

We went to one of Christians favorite restaurants, Duke's. We went there our first trip to Hawaii our first year of marriage. So it was kinda fun to go back there and remember our trip 5 years earlier. Our dinner was so delicious! I had baked mahi mahi and Christian had teriyaki steak. We walked on the beach all the way back to our hotel. It was a very relaxing evening!

The fourth day, we went to the Hawaii temple. It was so nice to be able to go with Christian! While we were inside, Dave and Jamie took the kids to BYU and ate lunch and walked around. When we were done, we took the kids with us to get more to eat at a little Japanese place and a delicious shaved ice. (I don't remember the name of it but it was super big and tasty!)

After lunch we drove to Poipu Bay to play in the ocean. We found a cool little spot in a cove where you could snorkel. It was beautiful! There were fish swimming all around us. My kids really enjoyed playing here. Addy met some friends that she had fun playing with.

On the fifth day we headed home. We really wanted one more day at the beach, but the flights were full the next couple of days so we didn't stay. The flight home was nice! Benson did so much better coming home because we stopped in L.A.

I really enjoyed my vacation in Hawaii with my family and Christian's parents. We could not have done it without them! My kids got to spend so much time with their daddy and grandparents.

Benson at 14 Months

-He is standing and walking around furniture

-points to everything and says "dat"

-loves walks in the stroller with his dad

-he lifts up his shirt to show his belly

-waits by the gate when daddy comes home at night

-still wont wear shoes

-he is very wild at church

-loves to brush his own teeth

-crawls at turbo speed

Easter 2011

2011-05-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year! Christian and I gave the kids their baskets a week early because we were leaving for vacation. The kids both enjoyed their baskets and the Easter egg hunt around our house. I gave the kids each a new outfit for spring. Addy held up her dress and wanted to put it on right away. Once it was on, she didn't really like it. She said to me " how about we give this to another big girl instead." It really made me laugh! I love her honesty.

Benson really enjoyed throwing the eggs around. I got some that were shaped like different sports balls, which he really liked. Once he figured out there was candy in the eggs he was so happy! He would open the egg, eat the treat, throw the egg, and then crawl to the next one.

The day before Easter, we got together with Christian's family to celebrate Jenson's 1st birthday. We met at the park for lunch and cake and ice cream. It was a really cold windy day, but that didn't stop the kids from running around, playing, and hunting for eggs.

I got a picture of all the grandkids but Holden. He was too quick for me! My kids are so lucky to have such amazing cousins to play with. After the park, we went to Christian's parents house to
extend the party indoors. Nanny Jamie and Papa Dave gave all the kids their Easter surprises.

Addy got to color her first Easter eggs this year with Nanny Jamie. I forgot our coloring kits so grandma let us use hers. Addy loved watching the eggs change different colors. She didn't want to take the eggs out until she was done stirring them. She decorated the eggs with a few stickers and put them in a bowl for everyone to see.

Easter morning we went to church and then to my parents house for brunch. My mom made lots of yummy food! My family gave my kids their Easter gifts and we had another egg hunt. This time it was just Addy collecting all the eggs. She got some money in her eggs to buy her a sand castle set for Hawaii. She was so excited!

Addy really loved her new dress up stuff and wore it all afternoon. She really loved the hat! My kids both really loved the new books which were perfect for our airplane ride. Thanks to both of our families for the fun weekend and for the gifts. We were so lucky to be able to be with our families on Easter!

Pinewood Derby and Fishin'

2011-05-23T07:30:00.001-07:00

Addy participated in the Pinewood Derby this year. She had a blast! To say Addy loves Scouts is an understatement! She is absolutely devastated when she can't go every week to scouts with her dad. Luckily, she always gets to go to pack meeting.

Christian decided a few hours before we had to be to the derby that the two of them were going to make a car. I left to go to the grocery store so all the construction, painting, and pictures were up to Addy and Christian. I must say I was pretty impressed with what they came up with! It was all finished by the time I got home. Addy was so proud!

Addy's car wasn't the fastest, but she was still so happy seeing it go down the race track! One of the races she got 2ND place. Not bad for a 3 year old first timer! She spent most of the day on the front row with all the scouts. Addy received an award for " Most modern design".

In the beginning of April we were still having pretty cold weather. Addy gets pretty stir crazy being inside. I let her go out on our deck to play some mornings while Benson is napping. We are stuck home everyday during nap times, but we make the most of it! She likes to blow bubbles, color with chalk, drive cars and trains, and fish.

One morning she asked for her fishing pole and went outside. I was inside finishing up making a quilt and I can see her through the windows from my table playing. I couldn't see her so I walked out to see what she was up to. Sometimes this means trouble!

I loved everything I saw! I tried not to disturb her quiet fishing moment, but I ran and grabbed my camera. The first thing I saw was the picture with her crack showing. I don't know what it is about the picture that makes me so happy, but it does!

Addy stayed outside fishin' all morning! She really enjoyed her quiet time on the deck. Somethings that come to my mind when I see these pictures are:

creativity, imagination, funny, innocent, CRACK, childhood, memories, and my silly girl Addy. Love her to pieces!

St. Louis and Christian's 34th Birthday

2011-05-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

St Louis

Christian and I decided we wanted to go away somewhere for the weekend. Neither of us had ever been to St. Louis and it was with in driving distance. We left our house super early in the morning and headed out for the 5 hour drive. The kids did so well! I was hoping they would sleep more than they did, but they were both happy. Our first stop was to see the Arch. The weather was fabulous! It felt so good to be in the sunshine. We walked the grounds and then went inside to the museum. Addy was scared of everything in there! There were statues that moved and talked and some big stuffed animals. So we decided not to stay long since her face was buried into her daddy most of the time inside.

We drove around and checked out all of St. Louis and some of the surrounding suburbs while the kids napped. It was so nice to actually have a conversation with Christian and see something new. We checked out the hill of Italian food, Jackman's Fabrics, Washington University, and some beautiful historic areas. We stopped at a big Mall and shopped for a bit. We ate lots of yummy food and had so much fun together!

The next morning Christian took the kids swimming while I got ready. Addy only lasted about 20 min because the water was cold, but she loved it. We went to Forrest park and checked out the zoo there. This park is very big and beautiful. Of course our kids loved the zoo best! On our drive home we listened to General Conference and enjoyed the time together. Benson didn't sleep one minute of the ride home! He was very restless but did pretty good considering.

Christian's 34Th Birthday

That following Monday was Christian's Birthday. He chose to go to Red Lobster for dinner. We had delicious crab legs and lobster with their yummy clam chowder soup. My friend Jami made him a raspberry and butter cream cake. It definitely hit the spot! Addy loved being in on all the action, while Benson wanted nothing to do with it! He was too busy playing with his toys to be bothered with presents and pictures.

Addy chose her daddy out a new swimsuit to take on our anniversary trip and a new wallet and shirt. We also gave Christian a fishing trip this summer on Lake Michigan. Hope he can actually take advantage of it!

Happy Birthday babe!

Addy's Dance Recital

2011-04-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about Addy's dance recital that happened the last week of March. Her class performed during the spring open house at Lifetime Fitness. It was so fun to get to see what she had been learning the last 2 1/2 months. The little girls in her class range from 3-4 and are so cute to watch dance!

My pictures are not the best, but that's what happens when you are holding a squirmy little boy who kept swatting my camera. I had a hard time focusing my lens! Addy really loves dance class, but she really loves being with all her little friends the most.

Click here to watch a video clip of Addy dancing. It is so funny how concerned she was about staying on her sticky note. I love it!

March 2011

2011-04-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind on my blog. I have the hardest time keeping up! There is just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Here is a recap of the month of March:

Christian took Benson to Utah with him for 3 days. That was the first time Benson has ever been away from me. It was so fun having some one on one time with each of our kids. Benson did awesome on the flight there and back. He was able to see both of our families and spend some much needed time with Christian.

Addy was a little sad she didn't get to go. We told her that daddy had to go to a meeting and get our taxes done and he would be back soon. We didn't tell her that she was missing out on two family parties with all of our favorite people.

I gave Christian our little point and shoot camera and asked him to take some pictures of everyone. Sadly he failed me! For some reason he decided to just enjoy the time in Utah and not take pictures. What!? Thank you Allyson for snapping some pictures! I was a little surprised to see what Christian dressed Benson in. I sent full outfits in the suit case, but in the pictures above he is missing pants one day and is in only his onsies the rest of the time. Men just don't understand! But he took amazing care of my baby and that is what really matters!

The boys skyped us from my parents house. Benson was so happy to see us! He was flapping his arms like crazy! Seeing Benson made me miss him so much. Addy wanted to leave right then and go over to Nanny Elaine's house. She was sad I couldn't take her that second.

Addy and I had a lot of fun on our girls weekend! Saturday I asked her what she wanted to do and she said, "I want to go to Olive Garden and have some salad and chocolate with no bad nuts." So that's what we did! Olive Garden for lunch and some shopping after. We came home and she played dress up all night. It cracked me up to see her playing in her bee costume. It's from Halloween 2 years ago. It was just a little too small for her, but she didn't mind. Addy also slept in it that night. It's funny what makes her happy!

On Monday we went to the Children's Museum with our friends. Addy loved playing with Madelyn and Ethan. The girls were so silly dressing up and putting on a show for us. They both did some crazy dance moves on the stage! Addy had a great time!

We had lunch at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants and then went to ballet. Addy asked me several times a day when Benson was coming home. She really missed her little buddy! We had a great weekend together, but we sure missed our boys!

Benson pulled himself up to the standing position for the first time on my furniture! He was so excited at first, but then couldn't figure out how to get back down.

For playgroup one week we met up at the park. It was a beautiful day and we were all so happy to see the sun. Benson's morning nap is right when playgroup starts, so after 10 minutes in the swing he fell asleep! I was turned around taking some pictures of Addy and her friends playing on a hill and when I turned back around, Benson was slumped over fast asleep. He definitely enjoyed the swing!

I forgot about St. Patrick's Day this year! I dropped Addy off at the park to play with her friend Jackson and I left to run some errands. When I got back I noticed my friend Jami and her kids in green. I had totally forgot to dress Addy in green! Benson lucked out because he had a little green in his shirt. So when we got home I changed her shirt so daddy wouldn't get her! We drove into the city to see Chicago River. It's amazing how they turn it green! It definitely was fun to see, but it was too cold to stay and hang out. Maybe next year!

More of Benson at 1

2011-04-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

The morning of Benson's birthday, I went and got him a new high chair. It seems silly that he is 1 years old and never had a high chair before. Addy sat in the Bumbo chair until she was 2 with no problem, so I thought maybe Benson would do the same. Silly me! Benson does not sit still and lunges out of the Bumbo. I should have bought him a high chair a few months earlier!

First time in his big boy high chair feeding himself.

I also fed Addy her EVERY SINGLE MEAL. She ate snacks by herself but that's about it. With Benson being number two, I don't have as much time and I have started to have him feed himself. I have a love hate relationship with meal times with this boy! I love that when he is hungry, which is all the time, I can just put him in the high chair and he can feed himself. I HATE that he throws his food EVERY SINGLE TIME! We are still struggling with eating all table food. He loves it in the beginning, but will only have a few bites before the throwing begins. So I still feed him baby food one to two times a day to make sure he is getting enough veggies and fruits in his diet.

I love the mornings with this boy! He is so happy when he wakes up and is very fun to play with. These are a few pictures after his bath on the morning of his 1st birthday. Of course he has a ball in his hand ready to launch at me!

-21.9 lbs 25%

-69% for height

-He is still taking 2 naps a day

-He wears mostly 24 month clothing

- He started crawling on his knees a week after his 1st birthday

-He pulled himself up to standing on Feb 24

-He got his sixth tooth

-He gets into anything and everything

-He loves to empty out all the toy baskets by throwing each toy one by one

-His favorite toy is still a ball

-He screams louder and louder by the day

-He likes to attack our faces when he is mad

-He plays peek-a-boo by putting his hands on his head

-He plays so well by himself but loves his sister to play with

-His new words are "Ahey" for Addy and "Ba" for balloon, bottle, and ball

-He loves to give high-fives

My parents visit

2011-03-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit with my parents. This was my dads first time coming to Chicago. It was a short but fun weekend! They arrived late Friday night. Addy was so happy to see them both. Of course it was so cold the entire weekend! We braved the zoo Saturday anyways. It was nice to sit inside for the dolphin show and warm up. My kids love the dolphins the most! We ate in downtown Naperville for dinner and made our 1st stop to the candy shoppe.

We celebrated Benson's birthday Sunday. My mom and I cooked all morning. It was so fun trying a new recipe out with my mom. I knew I wouldn't fail with her help! We all ate way too much! ( the taquitos were even better the 2ND and 3rd time) That night we relaxed and watched Despicable Me.

Monday, Christian and my Dad spent the whole morning changing the brakes on my Jeep. As soon as they were finished the girls headed out Shopping. Addy sweet talked Grandma into getting her a dress from the Disney store and me some new clothes. Gotta love that! We took my parents back downtown to Giordano's for dinner. We ordered some deep dish Chicago pizza! Then it was back for our 2ND round to the candy shoppe.

Tuesday we went into Chicago to the Science and Industry Museum. None of us had been there yet. A lot of things made Addy nervous there. Lucky for her, we all took turns carrying her. But she mostly wanted her papa. We didn't make it through the whole museum but we all really enjoyed it there. We went to lunch and then dropped my parents off at the airport. It was sad to see them go! It was so fun having visitors and I loved how much time they got to spend with my kids.

Thanks again for everything papa and nanny! We love you very much and can't wait to see you guys again soon.

Bensons 1st Birthday Party

2011-03-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Our family was so lucky to have my parents come for Benson's 1st Birthday! We were so happy to have them here for four days. While they were here, we had a little party for my birthday boy! My mom and I cooked my friends delicious taquitos recipe, home made re-fried beans, green sauce, and salsa. It was definitely a hit, thanks Jami! After we had cake and ice cream and opened presents.

(thanks Jami for the yummy cake!)

Benson loved his cake! It was so cute watching him lick the frosting off his fingers.

I started with a theme of robots, but I didn't get very far with it! It still turned out pretty cute though.

Benson really enjoyed all the gifts he opened. Addy helped with every single one! It was like it was her birthday! She is really enjoying all his new toys and books.

It was really fun to watch Benson play with his new toys. The farm house and tractor are both the kids favorite! They also love the new books. Of course I love all his cute new summer clothes! Thanks to our families for all the wonderful gifts. Benson is one lucky boy!

A trip to the E.R. with Addy

2011-03-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

2/7/2011

Monday night I was getting the kids ready for bed. Christian went to bed early because he wasn't feeling good. Addy was wired because she had a late nap. She was making me crazy and was begging to watch a show, so I let her lay down by her dad to settle down. A while passed by and I thought both Addy and Christian were sleeping. I had just sat down to watch one of my many shows on DVR and Christian was yelling my name from the bedroom. He was completely delirious! He said " Addy said she swallowed a pin, what does that mean?" I look at Addy and she said " My bobby pin was in my mouth and I tried to pull it out and I said (add choking noise here) and I swallowed it and it went down my throat, into my belly, into my knees, and into my toes." She was completely serious! I had a hard time not laughing. I twisted her bangs back with a bobby pin for ballet that night, and I guess she had taken it out and was sucking on it while she was watching TV. I didn't know what to do. We looked around for the bobby pin but it was no where to be found. So I decided to Google my problem. Everything I could find on the internet said to go to the E.R. I called my doctor's office and left a message with the answering service. With in 5 minutes the doctor on call called me back. He was shocked that I really believed Addy swallowed the bobby pin. The thing is, Addy doesn't lie. She always tells me what is going on even when she is the one getting in trouble. Plus the way she described that she was choking I knew she swallowed it. I remembered that the bobby pin was a mini one, so when I told the doctor that, he was more on board with the swallowing. He sent us up to the E.R.

Addy was a little nervous when I explained what was going to happen, but she really wanted the bobby pin out of her belly. The first thing Addy said to the nurse while she checked us in was, " my name is Addy and I swallowed a bobby pin". It was like she was at an "AA" meeting. It was so funny! Addy and I both told the story to the nurse and to the doctor. Addy said the exact same thing that she told Christian and I earlier. They both were skeptical but sent us to get an x-ray of her throat and lung area. I am not sure why the didn't do her stomach though. The biggest concern was whether or not the bobby pin was sitting on top of the stomach. If it was, when she went to bed, there is a chance it could come back up and choke her in her sleep. If it was all ready in her stomach the doctor just wanted to make sure she could pass it ok. The bobby pin was small enough that they weren't worried about it damaging her intestines. Really they just didn't think she swallowed it. They didn't find anything in the x-ray and the doctor thought the bobby pin was somewhere at our house.

Showing off her hospital bracelet when we got home.

The doctor was really nice to me, but I was irritated that they didn't believe me. I am not sure why he didn't x-ray her stomach but whatever. He sent me home with some paper work on "swallowing foreign things" and gave Addy a little talk. He was great and explained to her all about what is appropriate to put in our mouths and how dangerous it can be if we put "bad" things in there.

Long story short........ Addy passed the bobby pin! 4 days later it was in the toilet at my friends house. I so badly wanted to take a picture of it and send it to the doctor, but I didn't. I was seriously so happy! Mostly because I went right home and called the E.R. and got to tell them I was right! I was also happy Addy was ok.

Snow Storm and Valentine's Day

2011-02-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of February we had a huge snow storm. It was probably the biggest storm here in Illinois in the last 20 years. We were snowed in for two days! We ended up with so much snow. Sadly Addy has never really "played" in the snow. After church the following Sunday it started snowing again. Christian wanted to shovel before our driveway turned to ice. Addy stayed outside with him and was playing in the snow her church clothes. I brought her down some gloves but when the driveway was done she was devastated when she had to come in the house. We decided to let her play out on our deck. I put on her snow pants, boots, hat, and another pair of gloves and she was on her way back out. Christian shoveled her a path way and gave her somethings to dig with and she had a blast! She was outside for almost two hours. The snow was up so high I could see her making a snow angel out the window and she was above the top of my couch.

Valentine Decorations

It was so cold at the end of January that we stayed home a lot. I was getting a little stir crazy so I decided to make some Valentine decor for my house. I had seen a lot of fun ideas all over craft blogs and the internet and tried a few.

The first thing I made was the felt heart wreath. I had to cut 200 felt circles, which killed my hand, but it is probably my favorite! Next I tried a table runner with ruffles. This was my first time sewing ruffles. It turned out ok. Can't wait to try again! I also made my first fabric banner with the same scraps. The wood picture frame was a lot of fun. I have never spray painted any of my stuff. (I always used acrylic paint) Christian cut the wood for me and the rest is just glued together and painted. I love how it turned out though! The pictures were just some free printables I found on the internet.

My kids recieved two more Valentines packages. One from my sister Allyson and the other from pappa Dave and nanny Jamie. Addy loves getting surprises in the mail! My kids are so lucky to have so many people that love them.

On Valentines Day Addy had dance class. We put together some treat bags for her to take to her friends in class. She chose Mickey Mouse Clubhouse valentines and colored a picture on each one. Addy was so excited to pass them out. We went straight from class to pick Christian up from the train and then to dinner. We ate at Raku and had some delicious sushi and yakisoba. It was a very busy fun day full of meltdowns and lots of love!

Benson at 11 months

2011-02-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Before Benson turns 1 tomorrow I thought I better post some pictures I took of him at 11 months.

I probably say this too much, but man this little guy is handsome! I am not sure where he gets his looks from, but I know it's not from me. He is at such a fun and playful age! He loves to play ball. We sit and roll (or throw) the ball back and forth all the time. He loves everything about this game. As soon as the ball leaves his hands he is shaking in excitement! He makes all sorts of noises until the ball comes back. It is so funny! If the ball gets away from one of us he crawls to it and brings it all the way back to your lap.

Here are some more things about Benson at 11 months:

He is wearing 12-18 month clothing
He is army crawling to get around and he is very fast
He just figured out how to get himself up in the sitting position
He hates baby food and is pretty much done with it
When he is feeding himself he always rubs the food in his hair
He loves sugar (just like his mommy)
He is drinking milk now and loves it
He got his 5th tooth
He still hates anything on his feet. The second his socks are on he is pulling them off. He usually puts them on his head.
He has a new obsession of throwing things down our stairs
He is very wild in the bath and loves every second of it
Addy is his best buddy and favorite person to play with
He likes to color with Addy. He can color a little but mostly just likes to eat the crayons and throw them down the stairs.
He loves listening to music. At bedtime he listens to the Children's Songbook as he falls asleep.
He is a great sleeper and is still taking 2 long naps every day
He has cute rosy cheeks

We have all really enjoyed this stage with Benson! It is so fun being able to interact with him. He is such a good independent player like Addy is. I love that he can play with Addy or just roam and play by himself. He is such a great baby and I love him so much!

January 2011

2011-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights from January:

New Years Eve

Our New Years was very low key. We spent the evening with our kids. We went to dinner at the Olive Garden and both kids were very quiet through dinner and ate more than I have ever had them eat. Christian and I had an actual conversation! It was awesome! Addy had a meltdown of a lifetime when we made a quick stop at the grocery store on the ride home for some sparkling grape juice. It was awful! We rigged the camera to take our last family photo of the year and put the kids to bed.

New Years Day

I can't remember what we even did but here is our first family picture of the year.

My Little Sunbeam

Addy is in primary now and loves it! These pictures are of her first day as a sunbeam. I was a little nervous for her first day because I didn't know how she would do without being able to play and have a snack. She transitioned great! She loves her teacher Brother Swanson and all her friends in the class. Christian and I checked on her during singing time and class a few times. She stayed in her chair the entire time. I got a little emotional seeing her be so grown up! Her favorite day of the week is Sunday because she loves primary so much!

Princess Ballet

Addy started a dance class at our gym. It's a princess ballet class for 3 year olds. Addy loves her teacher Miss Jess and really enjoys being with 8 other little girls dancing and twirling around the room. Addy really wants some more dance outfits. One in every color to be exact. She saw a blue outfit at Target recently and said " If you don't buy me that dress Miss Jess will be so sad!"
This little girl is so silly!

Playing

These two pictures are of my kids playing before they went to bed one night. Benson loves to play with all the toys. He rolls and crawls to get to whatever he wants to play with. His favorite things to play with are usually whatever Addy has.

Addy was playing "row row row your boat" with her barbies. She was using her shovel as her paddle and scooting her "boat" across the floor singing. She definitely has a great imagination!

Hair

Addy is obsessed with hair. She wants to do her own hair or one of our hair everyday. Christian caught her in my bathroom flat ironing her hair. Luckily it wasn't plugged in! She has been watching me a lot lately when I have hair app. at our house. She always wants to "cut" or "paint" our hair. It's only a matter of time before she cuts her own hair. Christian was studying at the table and Addy pulled up a chair next to him and was doing his hair. She had the flat iron out and I let her use one of my bowls and a brush. Next thing Christian knew was his head was wet. So he asked her why and she said " I'm painting your hair." So I had her show me how she was painting his hair. She was licking the color brush and wiping his hair with it. I laughed so hard.
She didn't have any color in her bowl so she was improvising.

Potty Training

I have never said anything about Addy being potty trained. She has been for 4 months and has done great! We prepared her and said that when she turned 3 she had to wear big girl undies. The morning of her 3rd birthday I told her it was time. She got really upset and kept telling me she wasn't big yet. She went and hid in her room all morning. I caught her before she went potty and I had her sit on the toilet. I put her new undies on her and told her to tell me if she had to go. I had no idea what I was doing! I set the timer for 20 min and planned on having her go all day. She was pretty sad about it, but when the timer would go off she was so excited to run right in. She had one accident that first day which was pretty much my fault. I got distracted and forgot to have her go potty for a little over 2 hours. Besides that she has been dry every night and never had an accident again! I wish I could say that I have great tricks and tips and that's why she transitioned so well. Addy was just ready! She even gets out of bed to go potty at night all by herself. It is so nice to only be buying diapers for one kid!

Valentine Package

My parents sent the kids a Valentine package. Addy was so excited to open it! Benson got a cute measuring tape and a ring pop, which by the way are his favorite thanks to Addy! Addy got some new princess undies, a note pad and pen, a ring pop, and some other treats. Thanks Nanny and Pappa!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we spent the day making treats and hanging out at home. We gave the kids a gift to open that night. They each got new pajamas and a book. Addy was very excited about the books!

We didn't get our tree up until 10 days before Christmas. I really didn't want to get out all of my decorations. It's a lot of work for such a short time. So I decided one day while I was running errands that I would buy all non breakable ornaments. Who knows what Benson will do to my tree next year anyways. Plus I wanted it to be more fun for my kids. So I had Addy help me pick out a few ornaments and I chose the rest. I didn't get enough variety but it works for now. Addy put on almost every single ornament! She was very into the decorating this year. It took everything I had not to move all the ornaments around. I did move the few that were on the very bottom hanging in Benson's reach. But that was it!

Addy is very scared of Santa right now! She had no desire to even walk past him in the mall. She would freak out if she thought we had to see him. Christian was talking to Addy about Santa coming to our house to bring presents and she got really upset. She didn't like the fact that he would be coming in our house while we were sleeping. She wanted to sleep in my bed so she wouldn't be scared.

When it came time to go to bed, Addy left a picture she colored for Santa and a plate with a cookie and some carrots. Chris and I let her sleep in our bed and I told her I would meet Santa at the door.

Christian and I had to wake up Addy at 8:30 am. She was way too sleepy! We told her that Santa came and left her presents. Wrong thing to say! She finally came out because she couldn't wait to see if she got her lady bug pillow pet.

Addy asked for two things this year- a lady bug pillow pet and a scooter. She was very happy to see that Santa brought her both things. Addy went right over to her lady bug and gave it a big hug. She then got right on her scooter. She didn't want to open any of her presents. She just wanted to ride the scooter around the house. We had to beg her to start opening her other gifts.

Christian and I gave her a ballet outfit and a princess Tiana dress. She was so excited! She wouldn't continue opening any other presents until she was in one of her new costumes. She started out in her ballet outfit and danced around. She changed two more times before the morning was over.

Benson wasn't interested in us holding him at all. He just wanted to play on the floor and roll around in all the wrapping paper. Santa brought Benson a puppy pillow pet and the little people airport. He really likes to play with the airplane and car. He was such a happy boy all day!

We ended our evening with our friends coming over for dinner. I made my first Christmas ham! I know it isn't hard but it was fun having a reason to make it. We put our kids to bed and stayed up way too late talking and laughing. I had a great time getting to know Jared and Liz better. They are both so funny!

This is the only picture that turned out of both kids in their Christmas outfits. I really tried but I can't keep Benson's attention for more than 2 seconds! I can't get over how grown up he looks. Addy is an amazing big sister!

We had a fabulous Christmas! I enjoyed having Christian home the entire weekend and loved all the time we spent together as a family.

10 months old

2010-12-31T13:28:00.000-08:00

Here is Benson the week he turned 10 months old. Man he is such a handsome boy! I love his cute chubby cheeks! Benson is such an easy going baby. He spends most of his days playing on the floor with Addy. He is really liking to play with toys and gets around by rolling everywhere. He will get in the crawling position but then lays right back down on his belly. He screams and growls and is starting to get frustrated when he doesn't get what he wants.

He loves food so much! Way more than Addy did at this stage. He always wants whatever the rest of us are eating. If he gets a taste of our dinner before he has eaten his baby food, he wants nothing to do with the mush. Hopefully soon he will be done with all baby food. He loves anything with sugar. That was a given living at my house!

Benson is wearing mostly 12-18 month clothing. More for the length right now. He has 4 teeth; the front two top and bottom teeth. He is sleeping really good still. He takes two naps a day. His morning nap is the best lasting anywhere from 2-4 hours. He still "sings" himself to sleep which is something I will really miss. He finally will take a bottle and drink formula. Christian tried giving him a bottle while I was gone one evening this last month and he took it like it was nothing new. We had tried over and over the last 5 months with no success. He says "dad" and "mom" and waves bye bye. He gives kisses and has just learned to clap. He loves to do "patty cake" really fast. He is such a fun baby! This is the best stage right now!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

My family had a great Thanksgiving!We were able to go home and spend time with our families. This was the first year all of Christians siblings were together since we have been married. Aimee and John hosted a fabulous dinner at their home. They have plenty of room for our big family. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed everyones company. The kids had fun running around and playing with each other. They put on a play for us and Addy was an Indian and Benson was a rock.

Benson had his first taste of pumpkin pie. He loved it! He kept growling for more.

For family night we met up with some of Christians family to go bowling and play at the fun center. The older kids all played in a fun bounce house. Addy was too scared to try it out. She bowled with papa Dave, Christian, and Brock.

My mom and Andrea came to the movies with my kids and I to see Tangled. Addy wore her princess costume and brought along one of Andreas stuffed animals. It was so fun to see how happy she was. This was her first movie as a "big girl". She sat in her seat the entire show. She kept saying " I am so excited! This is so much fun!" Tangled was such a cute movie. One of my favorites for sure!

After the movie we shopped for a bit and Andrea took her on a train ride around the mall. Yes I was the crazy mom taking pictures of them as they passed us by. This day was one of the best parts of our trip for Addy!

Nanny Elaine took my kids and I to meet Allyson and Brooke at the festival of the trees. I have a lot of memories of going here as a child. I love looking at all the pretty ornaments and fancy trees. My favorite this year was a red and green tree. It breaks my heart to read the stories and to see trees that are not purchased. But it's still a very fun place to go.

Addy only made it half way through before she was tired. So she and my mom went and watched this senior clogging group. Addy loved watching them dance! I became addicted to fudge this night. I have eaten it plenty of times in my life but have never enjoyed it as much as I did this night! It was seriously AMAZING! Benson had his first taste of the goodness as well. He loved it too!

My family had a birthday party for me at my sister Allyson's house. We had a yummy breakfast and cheesecake for dessert. Everyone was so sweet with the gifts they gave me. I have the best family ever! Allyson had a necklace made for me with my kids names engraved on it. I love it!

After the party Brooke and Allyson helped Addy make a gingerbread house. She had so much fun! She plastered the candy EVERYWHERE! She was so proud of her house. It turned out pretty cute! Addy couldn't resist and helped Brooke make her house.

My mom was going through a few things from when I was little and found all of our old dance costumes. I remember wearing almost all of them! Addy was so excited to try one on. She danced around the whole night. She has been really liking to dance lately. She has been begging me to get her into a class ever since we went to her cousins dance performance. Addy has some silly dance moves and I love to laugh and watch her dance!

We had such a great trip home! We enjoyed all the time we got to spend with everyone.
Here are a few more highlights that I enjoyed:

-nights spent staying up way to late chatting and doing hair
-eating at Cafe Rio many times
-shopping with my mom
-making treats and sewing with Andrea
-pulling an all nighter on black Friday
-spending time with Christian

Johansen's Farm and Halloween

2010-12-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

As usual I am very behind on what we have been doing. I have had a hard time keeping up since I had Benson. I have been very busy taking care of these two little ones. They keep me on my toes and laughing. I have no idea where Addy gets her little personality from, but it's the best! Benson is such a sweet happy baby. He is getting easier the older he gets. My kids are a lot of work but worth every bit of it!

In October we went to Johansen's Farm for our 3rd time. We really enjoy it there. We went with our friends and their two boys. Addy and Jackson ran around the farm hand in hand giggling most of the day. Addy was very brave this year. She touched the animals for the first time! Her daddy helped her get over her fear. Well for that day least! She loved petting the goats and baby chicks. She kept saying " they aren't getting me they are so nice!"

We talked Addy into riding a pony for the first time. She didn't want to at first but I had Christian take her to the line screaming anyways. She lets fear get in the way of trying a lot of things I know she would enjoy. When Chris picked her up to go wait in line, she decided she really wanted to ride the pony. She was so proud of herself. The entire time she was on the pony she was giggling and happy telling Christian how much fun she was having. Addy and Jackson rode the ponies twice. We all rode on a wagon hayride and a train ride.

HALLOWEEN

We had a quiet Halloween weekend. On Saturday we went to our ward trunk-or-treat and chili cook off. Believe it or not but I didn't ever think I liked chili. That is probably because I have only had the good old Nalley's canned chili. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked my friends chili. Very delicious!

Addy had so much fun walking around to each car getting her treats and seeing her friends. She ended getting a ton of candy. Lucky for me I got to eat all of the candy with "the bad nuts." All the yummy chocolate!

My handsome dragon!
8 months old

Miss Snow White!

Addy has worn her costume more days than not. The first thing she asks me when she gets out of bed every day is "can I wear my costume?" I have let her wear it to the store plenty of times. That is something I never thought I would do! When she is "in costume" she can only be called Snow White. Everything about Addy changes. She is soft spoken and walks slowly and spins around a lot. She talks to herself and tells all of her babies over and over that she is Snow White. She walks around with her head in the clouds really believing she IS a princess. There is something so sweet and innocent about it. It really makes me laugh watching her. She has a great imagination! Addy is so happy in her costume.

Addy always chooses a princess for me to be which most days is Cinderella. "Cinderella can I have a drink? What are you doing Cinderella? You're so cute Cinderella!" Her daddy is always her prince and Benson is always Gus Gus. She is such a funny girl!

Andrea came to visit

2010-10-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

A day after I got back from Utah, my little sister Andrea came for a quick visit. She wasn't able to come to Disney World with us because of her work and school schedule, so she came and stayed the weekend at our house. This is her first visit that the weather wasn't super cold. Of course we shopped the entire trip!

Her first day here we went out to lunch and to the outlet mall. She found a ton of cute stuff at the guess store including a purple bag that I wish I would have gotten! That night we made some yummy stir fry and then I went to a friends baby shower. Christiann stayed home with the kids and Andrea and I went to the movies to see Life as we know it. Loved it! Definitely a cute show and of course I cried. It's a must see!

The second day Christian was off work so we went into Chicago for the day. We shopped Michigan Ave and enjoyed being outside in the great weather. That evening Andrea and I went out to sushi and at the last minute went to another movie. I hardley ever get to see movies so it was great! That was the most time I have been without both my kids in a long time. Christian is an awesome husband for letting me get some time alone with my sister!

The last day she was here we slept in and went to downtown Naperville. We walked around the shops and had lunch. We took Addy over to the fountains and to see the ducks. There were lots of red leaves everywhere. So we took the kids pictures and let Addy go crazy in the leaves. She had so much fun!

We had so much fun seeing Andrea while she was here. My kids always love all the attention they get from her. She always plays with them and is so silly with Addy.

Here is my Benson boy at 7 months. A few things about him at this stage:

-He is wearing 12 month clothing

-He weighs around 19.5 lbs

-He is rolling everywhere and pushing himself up

- He can sit by himself until he gets excited and then he falls over

-He is taking 2 naps every day

-Sleeping around 10 hours a night

- He is now sleeping in the same room with Addy and it's actually working out

-Favorite foods are bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, and squash

-He loves to play with Addy. He watches her every move!

Birthday Celebrations

2010-10-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

The first week of October we flew to Utah because I had to get some dental work fixed. My mouth had been hurting for over 2 months. My dentist fixed me up and I can chew again. While we were home, my family celebrated my mom and Addy's birthdays. We had a combined party at my moms house.

Addy in her "party" outfit. She wanted to wear this outfit for my sisters!

Here are the two birthday girls!

My mom ordered Ligori's take- out and made Addy a cute pink cake. While we were waiting for everyone to come, we couldn't keep Addy out of the frosting. She kept sticking her fingers in the side of the cake and licking the frosting. We would ask her to stop but she kept saying, " but it's my birthday cake." She loves frosting! Next thing I know she had her face right up to the cake licking the frosting right off! It was so funny!

Addy was spoiled by my family as usual! Her two favorite gifts were from my sisters. Her very own laptop and digital camera! She took over 200 photos at her birthday party. It cracks me up listening to her mimic what I say to get people to smile at her. She followed behind me taking pictures of everyone. There were a lot of pictures of double chins and close ups of peoples faces!

I really enjoyed spending the time with my family! My grandparents were able to stop by for cake and ice cream. We are always happy to see them! Christian was able to come for Saturday but had to fly home Sunday night. He went to the Priesthood session with his dad while we partied. They hadn't been to a session for a few years together.

On conference Sunday we met Christians family at the Layton Park to listen to the afternoon session. His mom and sisters made a yummy lunch and they had cupcakes and presents for Addy. She is going to be disappointed when she finds out she doesn't get 3 parties every year!

Here is Christian's parents with all 12 of their grand kids.

Ages 7 months- 12 years old

Singing "Happy Birthday", opening presents, and eating cupcakes.

We were so happy we were able to spend some time with all of Addy and Benson's cousins. They have so much fun together!

The Friday after Addy's birthday we had a little party for her at our house. We invited a few friends and their families over for dinner, cupcakes and ice cream. Addy wanted a Minnie Mouse party. She has really loved Minnie Mouse ever since we went to Disney World. I didn't do a lot, but I thought her banner and cupcakes turned out really cute. I had a lot of fun making them!

Making her wish.

Opening her presents.

Some of our guests.

Thank you everyone for all the birthday gifts and wishes for Addy. We really appreciate all the love and support we get from our friends and families. It is hard living away and celebrating these special days without our families. Our friends are great and we love them!

Happy Birthday Addilyn!

Addilyn is 3!

2010-10-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Addy turned 3 yesterday! These years are really flying by. It was so fun for her and I to look back through all her pictures today and pick out some to show you. She has changed so much through these last three years. Love this little girl!

We have really enjoyed having you in our lives. I am so happy to be your mom and I look forward to all the time we get to spend together. You have such a fun and feisty personality. You keep daddy and I laughing all the time. You are such a sweet girl! Happy Birthday! We love you so much Addy!

Family Pictures

2010-10-03T09:22:00.001-07:00

Here are our family pictures we had taken. I really love how they turned out! My kids didn't cooperate for long, but I am very happy with what Erin was able to get.

Labor Day

2010-09-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great Labor Day weekend this year. It was very busy! We had our family pictures taken by my friend Erin on Saturday, and then that evening we went to the Last Fling in down town Naperville. Addy remembered all the rides from last year and was very excited to ride again. I didn't get the greatest pictures since it was dark outside. Addy rode a dragon roller coaster that I thought for sure was going to scare her, but she loved it! She still shows Christian and I how she held on so tight.

On Monday we headed to Chicago to see my first Cubs game. I can't believe I have lived here 2 years and never have went to a game. Christian has been to several games with out me. It was our lucky day! We got FREE parking a few blocks from Wrigley Field. I was so excited since we weren't bringing our stroller with us. Christian was talking to a scalper out front to get us tickets when one of the workers there said he had FREE tickets for us. They were awesome seats! We were just to the left of home plate on the 4Th row of the first upper section. We could see perfectly! Addy really enjoyed singing the songs and watching the game. I thought for sure she would want to play up and down the stairs, but she sat in her seat the whole time. Half way through the game Addy realized she didn't have a hat on. She wanted to wear her hat just like her daddy! Benson was such a good boy and let us watch the whole game. I never know what to expect taking babies anywhere. He did great!

Some friends and I had another girls night to say good bye to Erin on Tuesday. We ate dinner at Qdoba and had yummy shakes at Culver's after. We always have so much fun! I miss you all ready Erin!

Wednesday night before the Bunderson's moved, I took Addy over to say good bye to Ella. Ella was Addy's very first friend here in Chicago. These too have played so much together. Addy named both her babies after her best buddy. We are really going to miss this family!

The girls were being silly and running around as usual. Chasing each other screaming and jumping on the bed.

August 2010

2010-09-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am playing catch up but didn't want to leave out a few of these pictures...

Addy's favorite chores to do-
Dishes

Watering the flowers

All summer long she would tell me "my flowers are so thirsty I need to give them a drink." I think she just likes to play in the water, but we would water them anyways. It's so different not having sprinklers or watering on a regular basis and still having the grass and plants so green. That maybe the only plus side of humidity.

Benson has two teeth now. The first one broke through a little before he turned 6 months and the other followed two weeks later. He bites everything! I didn't know what to expect with teething this time around since Addy didn't get any teeth until she was 14 months old.

These are just a couple of pictures of the kids playing after Benson's morning nap. Benson still really hates being on his stomach so Addy and I always lay on the floor with him trying to get him to like it more. But it doesn't always work. He was happy playing with us on this morning for a lot longer than usual.

Christian and I took the kids to Chicago to the Lincoln Park Zoo and to the beach. It was a really fun day! This is our least favorite zoo as far as animals go, but the atmosphere is fun. The best part for Addy was the little train ride.

Addy loved playing in the sand at the beach. She and Christian built a sand castle and dug lots of holes. The water was way too cold for either of the kids to want to play in.

I have no computer!

2010-09-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Right after I made my last post my computer decided to go out. We tried to save her but it looks like she is a goner. So I have been almost 3 weeks without a computer. It's frustrating but refreshing at the same time. It's amazing how much time I can spend on the computer. I have gotten a lot of things done in this small amount of time. Christian and I are still trying to decide what to purchase next. Another lap top or a desk top. Apple or PC. So many decisions I don't want to rush into it. So for now I am stuck without a computer.

August has come and gone, and Fall is on it's way! I am so happy for that! No more high 90's with 85% humidity. Maybe now we can go outside and play for more than 15 min. We have a fun couple of months coming up and the end of the year is approaching fast. Benson will be turning one before things slow down. That's really sad and weird to think about.

We have started putting our kids to bed 2 hours earlier than we normally have. I know it sounds terrible, but I have let Addy stay up until 10 most nights. To my defense, she would have never gotten to see Christian if I wouldn't have let her stay up. I must admit her sleeping until 10 a.m. was pretty amazing. I truly miss when Benson would sleep from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. I finally got Christian on board with my new schedule now that he only has 1 job and he see his kids on a regular basis. I love the quiet in the evenings more than you will ever know. Even if it is only quiet while I clean up the messes of the day, it's still quiet! I hate getting up early though. I realize 7 isn't that early, but it is for me. I am a night owl! It's really early when a certain little baby wakes up multiple times too. Oh how I dream of having three bedrooms again. One day it will happen. On a better note, Benson is napping at the same time every day now. I always get 2 naps but sometimes I get 3. He sleeps for 2-3 hours each time. Which now allows sewing time again and projects with friends.

Here are some more random things that have happened since I went to Utah a month and a half ago in no particular order. (I will catch up some day with a few pictures)

-We spent the day in Chicago at the Lincoln Park Zoo and then went to the beach

-Benson turned 6 months old

-Christian was called to be the Webelos leader in scouts

-Water was leaking from my house into my neighbors, so I went 2 days with my water turned off in both bathrooms and laundry room

-A lady hit my Jeep in the parking lot of the outlet mall

-Addy refuses to go on the Dora potty because she isn't "big" yet

-Christian went to Las Vegas for work

-Benson got his first 2 teeth

-We had our family pictures taken

-Christian passed his series 24 test!!!!

-I have a serious obsession with licorice and twix bars

-I gained back 5 pounds of the 20 I had lost ( darn those treats!)

-Had a really fun going away girls night for one of our friends

Our Trip to Utah

2010-08-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

I found out early the morning of July 12 that my moms dad had passed away in the night. It was a bitter sweet thing for our whole family. My grandpa wanted to be with my grandma so much. He has really missed her! My grandpa has only 1 living sibling, so I am sure the reunion was amazing. But we all love my grandpa so much and it was sad to see him go. I was lucky that my kids and I were able to see him the last couple times we were home. For that I am very grateful!

I talked to Christian about going home for the funeral and we started making plans. The flights were not good all week long. I had our bags packed the entire week waiting for a flight. We thought Wednesday would be our best shot, but we found out when we got to the airport it was a no go. Christian and I decided on our final plan at12:30 a.m. Thursday morning that we would fly out at 6 a.m. We couldn't get to Utah from Chicago but there were plenty of flights from surrounding states. Christian talked me into an adventure and I went to bed for almost 2 hours and then I was up getting my family out the door.

We landed in Minnesota a little after 7 a.m. and went to the hotel. Christian agreed to let me have the first nap since I went along with his crazy plan. Our hotel was about a mile from the Mall of America. So we jumped on the shuttle from our hotel and went to check things out.

We ate lunch at the food court that over looks the nickelodeon theme park. Addy wouldn't even sit still. She was so excited! She wanted to go on the rides so bad. I barely got a few bites of rice in Addy and we were off to ride the rides. We got Addy an all day pass and on every ride she went on she was in the height range where a parent could ride for free. Benson was abnormally content to just hang out in the stroller and play. He usually does ok for a bit but wants to be held after awhile. We let Addy ride for a few hours and then she went back to the hotel for a nap with Christian. Benson and I stayed and shopped. The mall is amazing to say the least! So many stores had additional accessory stores I didn't even know existed! I walked around for 2 hours just kind of browsing and didn't make it all the way through.

Christian and Addy came back and we went to dinner at Famous Dave's. Then it was back to the rides! All around the ride area there are people dressed as characters from the different nickelodeon cartoons. Addy really likes some of those shows. But when she saw the characters she freaked! She started crying and screaming! It was sad and kind of funny. I can't imagine why Dora and her 8 foot head wouldn't scare a 2 yr. old! The hamster from Wonder Pets was also pretty freaky looking. So whenever she saw someone and she started to panic, one of us would hold her and we would walk the other way.
I guess Disney World will be interesting!

Here are a few pictures from my grandpa's viewing. His flowers were so pretty! They had a tomato vine through out the arrangement. Nothing beats my grandpa's tomatoes!

This is where you could find Addy most evenings at my mom's house, outside pushing the shopping cart around the block. She loves to go on walks but really liked pushing her own baby while I pushed Benson. My dad walked outside with her for hours too. She knows papa would always take her!

We were lucky that this trip we were able to go to my mom's family reunion. It was the first year without my grandparents. It was fun to see and hang out with my cousins. Addy played the entire time in the sand and on the swings. Our last night there she had about an inch of sand on her scalp!

Benson turned 5 months old.

-starting to not sleep so great at night

- 2 naps a day

-rolls from back to tummy

-hates to be on his tummy

-wearing 9month & 12 month clothes

-loves bath time

- weighs a little over 17 lbs

-always smiles

-loves to play with Addy

Addy is a little over 2.5 years old. She is such a character! We laugh everyday at the things she comes up with.
-she is very clever and sassy
-loves nursery
- she sings "I am a child of god" and " I love to see the temple" all day long
- she wears 2t-3t clothes and her little foot is almost in a 7
-outside is her favorite place to be
- she loves to water the flowers and wash dishes
- the park is her favorite place to be with her dad
-she is very into paying with her babies and playing house

Cereal & Rolling Over

2010-08-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Benson tried rice cereal for the first time on July 9Th. He randomly will wake up in the night so hungry. He has been such a good sleeper so I didn't want to ruin his sleep pattern and get him into a habit of nursing in the night. So I decided to start him a little early on cereal hoping it would keep him full through the night.

Benson didn't quite get how to open his mouth for the spoon at first. Once he had several bites he didn't want to open his mouth. Every bite I would get in he would spit right back out. Addy loved feeding Benson. She got more on his face than in his mouth, but she did such a great job!

I fed Benson cereal two nights in a row with a successful nights sleep. On the third day he was pretty sad and grumpy all morning. He cried through most of sacrament. I left to feed him and to get him to sleep. He cried and screamed the entire time. He never turns down a feeding! He was grunting and struggling to go potty. Turns out that little bit of cereal backed the poor boy up. He didn't even eat a 1/4 cup between the two nights. I tried oatmeal the other night since it's suppose to be easier on their stomachs, but again after one feeding he was backed up. So we are not doing any cereal until after his 6 month check up with the doctor. Unfortunately Benson has been waking up a few nights a week. It's torture! He eats quickly and pretty much stays asleep though.

The very next morning Christian and I were getting some things ready for the day and Benson and Addy were playing on the floor. Christian noticed that Benson was on his belly. This was the first time he has rolled over. He gets so frustrated once he gets on his belly. He won't try and push himself up at all. Most of the time he buries his face in the ground and cries. Benson constantly rolls from side to side playing with his toys. Lately he rolls over again and again while he plays but fusses as soon as he gets stuck. I am not sure he realizes that he will be on his belly when he rolls to his toys.

4th of July

2010-07-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

We had a simple but enjoyable 4Th of July this year. We weren't able to go to any parades or firework shows but we did have fun with some friends. Sat morning 17 girls from our ward went and saw Eclipse and had lunch at Panera Bread. That evening we had a few friends and their families over for a BBQ. The kids ran wild through the house while all the adults chatted and ate dinner. Here are a few pics of us from that evening.

We planned on going to see fire works after the BBQ, but the time got away from us and all the kids were getting cranky and needed to go to bed. So we decided to just go outside and let Addy and her friend Jackson do a couple boxes of sparklers and snaps.

Erin gave the kids a glowing necklace. Addy loved hers so much she even slept with it next to her! Christian showed Addy how to spell her name with her sparkler. She definitely enjoyed what little fireworks we had.

Sunday we went to another BBQ with some friends in our ward. Christian tried some alligator hot off the grill. Gross!

Christian had Monday off work so we went swimming with Erin, Nate, and Ella. The girls had a blast splashing and swimming with their dads. This was Benson's first time swimming. He was very mellow and just relaxed in his floatie. Addy on the other hand wanted to be in the water swimming like a dolphin and splashing like crazy.

June 2010

2010-07-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

The month of June went by really quickly for us. We have been busy playing outside enjoying our summer. Here are a few highlights of our month.

Benson's First Hair Cut 6/6

Benson had the usual baby hair in the back. Long through the neckline and a big rubbed bald spot above. He has lost at least half his hair through the top so he was getting a little comb over. So I buzzed the back and sides with a number 1 and cut about an inch off the top. I had a hard time blending his bald spot because he was so wiggly, but it looks so much better. He hated the hair cut! He fussed through the clippers so I didn't do as good of a hair cut as I wanted. Oh well! He sure looks handsome!

Benson turned 4 months old 6/18

- Weight: 15 lbs 9 oz 73%

- Height: 25.75 inches 85%

- Head: 17.25 inches 90%

- 6-9 month clothing

-Sleep: 10 hours at night

3-4 1 hour naps through out the day

Brookfield Zoo Dolphin Show 6/19

The brookfield Zoo has a new dolphin exhibit that just opened up for the summer. We took the kids to check it out. Addy loved it! She giggled through the whole show. The best part was when the mom dolphin splashed Christian and the kids. Benson wasn't thrilled but it made Addy so happy. Worst part was when my skirt was sticking to me and I flashed everyone behind me. NEAT! Luckily a nice lady told me right when I stood up.

Fathers Day 6/20

We celebrated Fathers Day on the actual day this year. This was Christians first weekend of not working at the airport anymore. It has been awesome having him home. The kids and I got him a blue ray disc player that he wanted. He was definitely surprised!

Park

We have spent half our days this month at the park. Addy loves to dig in the dirt. She can't wait until Benson can play with her. Addy chose a pair of new sun glasses from Target. She wears them everywhere she goes! Such a stylish cutie!

Swimming 6/28

Addy had several play dates with Ella. They have a lot of fun together. The girls had a little lunch, went swimming in her new pool, colored with chalk, blew bubbles, and ate sugar cookies. They had a lot of fun running around outside. Thanks Erin for the cute pictures!

I am starting to get the hang of having two kids. It was definitely harder in the beginning! I seriously don't know how mothers do it. I guess that's why we have one at a time. (well some of us do!) Now that Benson is a little older he is more content to play on his own. He is a very happy baby as long as he is in your arms. I am really trying to enjoy him being so little because this baby stage is all ready going by so fast! He is almost ready for solid foods. Freedom! I mean that lovingly.

May 2010

2010-06-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

We are back from our 4 week vacation to Utah. We really enjoyed our trip. We loved getting to hang out with our families and the friends we were able to see. Thanks to both our parents for letting us stay at their homes. Here are a ton of pictures of some of the things that happened from our trip.

Mother's Day

I celebrated Mother's Day with my cute kids and my family. My mom made a yummy dinner and we visited and played outside.

Benson's Blessing

Christian blessed Benson two days shy of him turning 3 months old. It turned out to be a perfect day celebrated with lots of family and friends. Benson looked so handsome! I am very proud of my husband! He is a fabulous husband, father, and priesthood holder.

After the blessing we had lunch in Dave and Jamie's backyard.
The weather was perfect! Lucky for us because it rained a lot that week.
Thank you to our moms and sisters for all the help and for the delicious food.
Thank you to everyone who took a turn pushing Addy in the swing. She could not get enough! After several hours of swinging I had to make her sit down on a chair because she was sick.

Thank you to everyone that came and supported our family! We love you all!

Tree House

My parents and sisters were all taking work off to go with my kids and I to the Hogle Zoo. My dad was so excited to take Addy. The two of them had been talking about going for a week. Turns out that it rained the entire day! So we improvised and went to the Tree house instead, and then we met my dad after for lunch. Addy had a blast! There were so many fun things that she had never done before. Benson slept the whole afternoon! Later that evening my mom and I took the kids down to Allyson's house to hang out, watch The Biggest Loser, and have a hair party.

Bowling

We celebrated JC's birthday with some bowling and dinner at Chilli's. This was Addy's 2nd time bowling. She had a blast! She could push the ball all by herself. She danced around after each turn she had so proud of herself. She lost interest after a game and a half, so Andrea and JC took her to get tokens and play some games. Addy's favorite part was pushing the buttons and watching the tickets come out. She won so many! We traded the tickets in for two rings for Addy, and some yummy grape taffy for Andrea and I.

Cousins

The kids and I were able to get together with Christians sisters a few times. The kids had so much fun playing together. We went to the park, played at Aimee's house, had homemade pizza with nanny Jamie, and played wild in the backyard. Addy loves her cousins so much!

Memorial Weekend

We celebrated Memorial weekend with a BBQ and two visits to the cemetery. I went with my mom and Andrea out to put flowers on my grandma's grave. This was the first time I had seen her headstone. So pretty! I wasn't feeling good and I slept the rest of the day. I was up sick the whole night and slept half of Monday. I didn't get to eat any of the food my family had ( well except an ice cream sandwich). I did go with everyone to put flowers on my brothers grave. Addy and my mom cut flowers off a bush in the backyard to take. We showed Addy how we decorate their headstone with pine cones each year. My sisters and I have been doing this since we were little girls. My mom made me be in a picture with the family even though I looked like death. She was so sweet to give me her sunglasses to hide as much of my face as possible!

It was so great to see everyone! We miss living by our families so much! We are letting everyone recover for now, but Addy is all ready begging to go back over to her nanny and papa's house. We can't wait to see everyone again!

Heading Home

2010-05-07T13:20:00.001-07:00

pictures of Benson at 2 months old

The kids and I are heading home tomorrow. It will be the first time taking Benson to meet the rest of our family and some friends. My dad and Christians sisters haven't met him yet, so I am super excited! I am a little stressed for the flight since I am going without Christian. Nursing a baby and keeping a 2 year old happy shall be interesting. But I got to do it! Christian will be meeting us the following weekend for Benson's blessing.

I am not sure how long we are staying, but the plan is around 2 weeks. So hopefully I will get to see everyone and show off my little guy! Benson is 11 weeks old today and growing up too fast. It's been since the first week in January that we were last home. Addy is so excited to see everyone. Christian has been telling her she was going for awhile, so we have had a few melt downs the last couple of days when she couldn't go to her grandmas house that second. She doesn't realize we live 1400 miles away. She just wants us to drive over. Wish we could! We look forward to seeing everyone and I hope I survive all the traveling alone!

2 1/2 years old & 2 months old

2010-04-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Addy and Benson went to the doctor yesterday for their well check up and shots. I couldn't decide if I was crazy or not for scheduling them at the same time with no help. Our appointment went good. We really love our doctor!

First up was Benson-

Benson's 2 month Stats:

weight- 13 lbs 7 oz 78%

height- 24.5 in 88%

He is a chunky guy and very healthy! He still has a little thrush that I am having a hard time getting rid of. Luckily it's not bothering him at all.

-sleeping 7-8 hours through the night

- 3-6 month clothing

- eating every 2 hours

-loves to be held ALL the time

- smiles when talked to

We have loved having Benson with us, he is a great baby! Addy can't wait until they can play with all the toys together.

Addy was checked out last by her request. As soon as the doctor walked in the room she started saying " No band-aids not yet. Next week I have one, ok?!" It was so funny. I hadn't told her she was getting any shots until after her well check was finished and the doctor left the room. She just knew!

Addy's 2 1/2 year Stats:

-weight: 28 lbs

-height: 35 inches

She is right on track of where she should be. The doctor was impressed with her vocabulary and usage of words. She is very expressive and has no volume control!

- still napping once a day (on a good day!)

- 2T clothing

- loves to draw, color, and paint

- favorite place is the park

- discovered all things princess

-favorite song is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

-knows her alphabet and can count to 12

Addy is in a very fun stage. She is very silly! She will run around and pretend to fall to make you laugh. She constantly is asking me to laugh at her. She loves to play in her kitchen, take care of her babies, build towers, play trains, and of course color. She is into coloring with all neutrals. Every now and again she throws an orange or peach into the mix. We are struggling with sharing her toys right now. I try so hard to explain to her about sharing, but I am sure it will come with time. Her daddy is her favorite! She looks forward to him coming home at night.

When daddy is home nothing else matters!

Most days she asks to be called "Snow White." I get to be Cinderella and sometimes Gus, Benson varies day to day between lots of characters, but Christian is always The Prince. She figured this all out on her own. I try not to push the princess stuff on her because she is so young. It's amazing how they quickly figure things out. She asks to wear dresses and skirts all the time to be like a princess. I love how innocent and sweet she is.

Addy comes up with crazy stuff all the time. She has a great imagination! She is still talking in third person a lot. She has conversations with herself all the time where she asks herself questions and then answers them as well. It's very entertaining! One of my favorite things is when she makes a deal with you. If she wants something or doesn't want to do something she ends her sentence in " that's a deal?" It's hard not to laugh every time. Since we brought Benson home, Addy describes everything as "little."

"where is my little sippy cup?"

"can I have a little snack?"

"come her little baby"

"I played with my little friends"

my favorite- " where is my little daddy The Prince?!"

Having two kids keeps me very busy! We stay home a lot because it's to much work to get us out the door. Addy is growing and changing so much right now. It's so fun but sad all at once! I am so lucky I get to spend so much time with them both! It is definitely more work than I thought it would be. Very rewarding but hard! I love my kids so much!

Easter & Christian's Birthday

2010-04-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

Finally I am getting around to posting our pictures of our celebrations of Easter weekend. Benson just went down for his morning nap and Addy is sitting next to me watching Sesame Street. So I decided I better get these on here while the kids are cooperating. I forgot how much time an infant takes, but I am loving it anyways!

For playgroup we had an egg hunt for all the kids. They all had a lot fun! This was Addy's first one. Last year she couldn't walk and she and I were alone on Easter so I didn't do one for her. She loved it! She couldn't wait to open the eggs and eat all the candy! Doesn't she look so cute with her basket?

Erin took these pictures of all the kids together and of Addy and Ella. These are most of the friends Addy gets to play with every week minus five babies. We are lucky to have such great friends!

We celebrated Easter morning on Saturday this year since Christian had to work a double shift on Sunday. The Easter Bunny brought the kids some needed summer clothes and toys for outside. Addy loves her golf set that her daddy got here! She was a little disappointed the egg hunt had to be in doors since it was raining outside. But she had fun once she started collecting all the eggs. (notice Addy's pretty lipstick!)

Benson hung out all morning and watched Addy play. Addy was so sweet and shared her Elmo with him. She is such a great big sister!

I attempted to take pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits. As you can see I failed! Addy kept running away down the sidewalk. It's hard to do it with two! I normally just follow Addy around while she plays until I get a good shot, but I couldn't leave Benson. So this was the best I could do. You really can't even see what their outfits look like, just know they definitely looked cute!

Easter was also Christian's 33RD BIRTHDAY! He and I celebrated on Friday with a movie and sushi. My friend Erin watched Addy so we could spend the afternoon together. It was some much needed time together! We went to see The Bounty Hunter and to try a new sushi place. Benson slept the entire time. It was so much fun! We need to do things together more often.

We had a little family party for Christian Monday evening. Addy was so excited to help him blow out the candles! We had a BBQ and some strawberry shortcake. I thought for sure this year would be less crazy for Christian. But of course it's not! He has crazy schedules and is always on the go working so hard. Christian is an amazing dad and husband! We love him so much!

Happy Birthday babe!

Skinned Knees

2010-04-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Addy skinned her knees for the first time ever today. I feel so bad! Addy and Christian were at the park playing earlier today and she was so excited to be there. She was running up the sidewalk saying " park I love you, I missed you park", and she tripped on a crack in the cement and fell. Addy was sad but she didn't cry. She was more concerned that she had to have medicine and a band-aid. Christian told her she didn't have to just yet.

Benson and I came a little later and brought lunch over for a little picnic. Addy came running to me and said " no medicine, not yet". I felt so bad! Her knees look like they hurt. When we got home Addy wouldn't get out of the car. She said she wanted to just stay in her seat. I thought she wanted to go with her dad to work since he was leaving in a few minutes. It all came down to not wanting to go inside because she was scared to get a band-aid. I'm not sure why she is so scared of them.

I asked Addy if I could take a picture of her knees. She immediately started crying and ran to her room. She didn't even want to look at them herself. I convinced her to let me but she cried the entire time. I am so mean! I eventually was able to bandage her up. I agreed to put a band-aid on both my knees, which made things a little better. I changed her out of her dress and into pants so she could go back outside to play. She is scared to sit down or bend her legs. I am sure her knees are sore. I had to pick her up to lay her down so she could snuggle up for the night. Hopefully her knees will heal fast!

I couldn't leave this cute little guy out! Benson was hanging out in the stroller while Addy and I were coloring on the driveway tonight. He is such a handsome boy! His hair looks really auburn in the sunlight. He might be a red head.

I love his smile. Those cheeks are the best to kiss!

A little catch up

2010-04-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Since I have had Benson the computer has taken the back seat. So I am behind on what we have been doing. We stay home most of the time because it's too hard to get out the door. It seems like all I do is feed Benson. This little guy is always hungry! My body can barely keep up with him.

Benson is staying awake more during the day. He is smiling a lot and loves when you talk to him. He is such a sweet little baby! He will be 7 weeks tomorrow. Wow the time is flying by fast! Benson's 1 month check up stats: weight 10lbs 10.5 oz, 22 1/4 inches. He has out grown all his
0-3 month clothes and is now sleeping around 6-7 hours through the night. Last night he slept 7.5 hours!

2 weeks ago the weather started warming up, so we have been playing outside more. Addy has been really enjoying the sunshine. The kids rode in the double stroller to the park for the first time together. Addy loved having Benson next to her. Christian is so good about chasing Addy around. The two of them have so much fun together.

Both my sisters came to stay with me toward the end of March. Allyson came to visit first. Of course it was bad weather almost the entire time she was here. We did a little shopping, but mostly just hung out at my house, relaxed, and played with the kids. Sadly I didn't take one picture! We both kept thinking we would take some once we got ready, but instead stayed in our jammies most the time. I am sad I don't have one with her and Benson. I am happy she came and got to meet my little guy though.

Andrea came two days later and stayed for four days. The weather was a little warmer so we were able to get out more. One of the days we went to Brookfield Zoo for the first time. Of course Addy enjoyed seeing all the animals. Some animals were still inside from the winter season but we were able to see plenty. Christian bought us a year pass so we will be going there throughout the summer.

This last week the weather was in the 70's. We met some friends at the park and played outside in our front yard coloring with chalk and blowing bubbles. I was able to snap my first picture of Benson's little smile. He melts my heart! His smile is getting bigger and is sweeter than ever!

More Pictures!

2010-03-12T15:19:00.001-08:00

Here are more pictures Erin took of Benson and our family. There are a lot that I LOVE so I just decided to post a bunch of them. Erin was very patient and hung out with us for the afternoon. Addy was having an off day and wanted nothing to do with getting her picture taken, so we have a ton of Benson.

I think Benson looks like me in this first picture. I love it!

Pictures & Nanny Elaines Visit

2010-03-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

My friend Erin took some pictures of Benson when he was one week old. I love how they turned out! Here are a few of my favorites. I can't wait to see the rest! I will post some more when I get the pictures. Thanks Erin your the best!

My mom flew in last Saturday to spend some time with us. We were so lucky to have her here for 9 days! We didn't do a lot but that was the plan. She came to hold the baby, play with Addy and entertain me! :) My Mom and I got out one night and went and saw When in Rome. Cute show if you haven't seen it. We also did a little sewing, made a trip shopping, colored her hair, and lounged on the couch. I am going a little stir crazy being stuck inside so much. But I know it won't be too much longer for the weather to warm up.

Addy ended up getting sick last Thursday and is now just starting to feel better. She fevered for 3 days and has a cold. It's been hard keeping her away from Benson. She doesn't understand why she can't hold and kiss him. Addy has insisted on wearing jammies everyday all day since my mom has been here. But I can't complain since all we do is sit in the house. She did get dressed to take my mom to the airport yesterday.

We were sad to see my mom go! It was nice having company and some extra help. My mom is the only reason I got to take 2 naps and go to bed early one night. I value my sleep these days! Thanks again for everything mom. I can't wait to see you again! We love and miss you so much!

Here are some pics I took of Benson at 2 weeks. It makes me laugh how he just stares. It won't be too much longer before he can see us. Benson has been a great baby so far. He loves to be held all the time though. But they are only this little for a short amount of time so I can't resist. It does make it hard when Addy needs things constantly. Thank goodness he likes the sling! We are looking forward to the weekend when we can spend the day with Christian. We don't get to see him as much because of his busy work schedule. Hopefully I can survive until Saturday!

Our first week together

2010-02-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

A week has come and gone quickly since Benson was born. It's amazing how we can't imagine our life any other way. Addy has had a little trouble adjusting, which is expected. Sharing her daddy's attention is the hardest part. We had a few extreme melt downs until I figured out what was causing them. Her feelings were getting hurt so easily and it has been hard to let baby Benny use her stuff. Christian comes home at night and my calm little angel turns crazy and naughty. She wants 100% of his attention! They play wild and Addy runs around being crazy. She gets upset if I interfere with their fun. She has been getting into things and making some serious messes. Addy makes me laugh with her reasoning of why she did what she did. It's hard to be mad when you here that cute little voice tell you "I'm swimming" in the whole roll of toilet paper on the ground, or when she dumped the entire bag of marshmallows down her shirt making her have a "baby Benny."

On Tuesday night Christian took Addy out on a date. She got dressed up and I curled her hair extra special for her dad. She even wore lipstick! They went to Chipoltle for dinner and then to the library. During dinner she danced in her chair and kept telling Christian how fun everything was. The library had some activities going so there were lots of kids for her to be around. She loved doing the alphabet white board. She chose out some books, three movies, and an alphabet CD. Addy loved her night out with her daddy. Christian knows how to make her feel extra special! Addy definitely deserves this time with Christian.

Here are a few pictures of this week.....

On our way to Benson's first doctors appointment.

My cute boys snuggled up watching the Olympics.

These pictures are from yesterday right after his bath. Benson is 1 week old!

I am sure it will still take some time for the "newness" of the baby and all the changes that come along with it to wear off. Addy is such a great help for me during the day and is an awesome big sister. It melts my heart to hear her talk to Benson. She always says the sweetest things. Christian and I are so lucky to have two amazing kids.

Hospital Pictures

2010-02-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

Day #2 in the hospital Benson had his pictures taken. The hospital has a contract with a local photography company that offers them to every family. I like them much better than the picture we had of Addy. Benson was circumcised, had his PKU done, and an ultrasound on his spine right before these were taken. So he wasn't feeling his best and he is all scratched up from the eventful morning. Considering the situation and the fact that the photographer was only in my room for 10 min, I think they turned out pretty cute.

We went to the pediatrician on Monday and Benson is doing great. They measured him wrong in the hospital and were off 2 inches. His stats are now 8lbs 1oz and 21 inches long. He was down to 7lbs 8oz when we came home on Sat, but is eating like a champ and has gained back 8 oz in

2 days.

I am still trying to find my place at home. Today has been my first day alone with my 2 babies. Lucky for me it has been great! I am still in my cozy clothes and not showered but there has been no melt downs or fits so far. I am pretty sleepy but of course couldn't take a nap. Addy was settled into bed for hers but Benson was wide awake and wanted more to eat. I did get to sleep from 2-6 a.m. this morning which has made a world of difference for my day. If only I could get motivated to get some laundry done and the house cleaned up. That just might have to wait!

Baby Benson

2010-02-19T06:27:00.001-08:00

Benson is here!

He was born Feb 18 at 4:45 p.m. weighing 8lbs 4oz and 19 inches long. We are both doing great! Addy loves him! She was very excited to see her new baby brother. She kept saying to him " Addy right here baby Benny, I right here." She also said a few times, " hi little buddy!"

I loved having them together at the hospital even though it was just for a few minutes.

I was able to have a VBAC and the delivery was very quick. If everything goes as planned, we will get to go home tomorrow. Christian's parents are here taking great care of us. My mom will be here next week! I can't wait for her to meet my little guy. I will post more pictures once we are home.

38 1/2 weeks

2010-02-10T14:38:00.001-08:00

I am so excited that I am at the end of my pregnancy, but starting to also get really scared! I went to the doctor on Tuesday and I am dilated 1.5 cm. He said everything is looking great and I can definitely try for a VBAC. If I make it to my next appointment on Monday he will check me again and decide if he will start me or not. It's a waiting game and not knowing the outcome of the delivery make it hard for me. It's likely I could still have a c-section. I wish I had an exact plan of the delivery, but I know that's impossible. So I am trying to stay positive! However it happens I will finally get to be with my baby boy. That's the important part!

I have some great friends here and they are going to help out with Addy when I have the baby. I am so sad to leave her. It will be fun for Addy to play with her friends and spend some time with her daddy though. We are so lucky that both of our parents will be able to come and spend some time with us. I can't wait! We really miss them!

I want to remember how sweet Addy has been about the baby! It melts my heart every time
she talks to my belly. She wants the baby to come out so bad. (well at least for now!)

Here are a few things she says to him:

- "Come out and play with Addy"

- " I miss you too baby Benny"

- " Come out and I change your bum bum"

- " I love you baby Benny"

She tells everyone she wants baby Benny to come out and play. It cracks me up! He won't be able to play for awhile but I am happy she will have someone. I really hope she will adjust well. I am nervous for the changes and hope I do ok. I know it will be hard but I am ready to try! I am sure we will have our good and bad days. I all ready lack in the "getting ready" department these days, so I am fine with hanging out at home for awhile. I am so ready to wear my old clothes again. My same 5 shirts are getting really old! I haven't bought myself anything for so long because it feels like such a waste. I do love Christians house pants though!

Lets hope my next post will be pictures of the baby!!

JANUARY

2010-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

The month of January has come and gone so quickly! We had a very busy month and I never took the time to update what we have been up to. Here is a quick over view of all the fun things we did.

We spent New Years Eve with just the three of us. It was very low key but fun. We had dinner at Gioradono's Pizza and watched the countdown at our house. We were ready for bed at 10:30 but barely made it to midnight.

Addy and I were lucky to catch a flight home on New Years Day. We tried to get out of Chicago for a week straight but the snow storms were keeping us from going anywhere. We didn't get to stay long because I had to be back for a doctors app. But we definitely enjoyed our trip.

For part of my mom's Christmas present, my sisters and I gave her a ticket to the Jazz game. It was her first game ever. Too bad the Jazz lost. The highlight of the evening for me was my mint chocolate Dip'n Dots! Best treat ever!

Addy and I were able to go and spend two days with Aimee and her kids. Addy had a blast playing with Savy. She really misses her and talks about her all the time. They played with their babies, colored, cooked in the kitchen, had a tea party, and ran around screaming. We really miss being close to all of Addy's cousins!

Addy became attached to "bunny foo foo." He is a stuffed bunny I got in my Easter basket years ago. She named him and carried him around with a blanket the entire week. Nanny Elaine was so nice to let Addy bring him home with us.

We took a little trip to Arizona two weekends ago. Scottsdale has an office that we can maybe transfer to. I have never been so we thought we would go see what it was like. It was the last weekend my doctor wanted me to fly so we made some quick plans and headed out of the cold. The weather felt amazing in AZ. It was 60 degrees almost the whole trip. Not bad for January! We stayed in Phoenix at the Hyatt hotel. We had a great room! It was nice to have 3 days off with Christian and not a thing on our agenda. We caught up on our sleep and enjoyed our time together.We really liked Scottsdale and the surrounding area. We shopped a lot! I couldn't get enough of all the sales.

It rained on us a little Monday so Christian took us to see the Mesa Temple. Very beautiful! It's built to look like the temples from The Old Testament. Addy loved playing on the temple grounds and walking around the fountain.

We were lucky to have the weather clear up Tuesday morning. By 10:00 a.m. it was all ready 65 degrees! The sun felt amazing. Christian and I took Addy to the Phoenix Zoo. She loves animals so much right now and is very curious about them. We pretty much had the zoo to ourselves so we let Addy walk by herself most of the day. She definitely enjoyed the freedom from the stroller! Addy said her favorite of all the animals we saw were " the monkey monkey and Horton."

Last weekend some of my friends in the ward threw me a baby shower/ girls night out at Olive Garden. It was a lot of fun! I felt a little embarrassed to be receiving all the attention and gifts since it is my second baby. Everyone was so great and spoiled us! We have a fabulous ward here with a lot of support. Thank you to everyone that came!

I have been busy the last couple of days trying to re-organize and making room for the baby. Addy shares half her closet with all my fabric and sewing stuff. I have been trying to figure out other places it can go so the baby has plenty of room for his things. Not easy but I am making it work. It's hard only having two bedrooms. It won't be like this for much longer so we are making due with what we have.

I am down to 3 weeks left! I went to the doctor and I am not dilated and he hasn't dropped all the way yet. I still need another week to finish a few things and then the baby can come whenever he is ready! I just hope he hurries because my body can't handle getting any bigger! I am so excited to have him in our lives. I have been dreaming about holding him
and what he will look like for the last month. I re-fold his clothes and blankets constantly. I don't even know him yet, but I definitely am in love!

Christmas

2009-12-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

This year we stayed in Chicago for Christmas. My first year without my family. It was nice being able to wake up and have our own time in the morning, but by 11:00 it was pretty lonely! It was a lot of fun with Addy! She was so funny about her gifts. I am not sure she understands why she got all these new toys.

Christmas Eve we gave Addy a new pair of jammies and she got to choose one present to open. She picked Snow White from nanny Elaine. She was so excited to watch a new show! She snuggled up on our bed and made it through the first 30 min. Perfect for Chris and I! I still had a few things to clean up and we had to get everything out and ready. I wrapped the rest of the presents on the floor of my closet. Crazy idea! There wasn't a ton of room for a big pregnant lady but it worked out.

I got up at 7:00 Christmas morning to get breakfast in the oven and get the few last minute things ready. We had our video camera all charged and ready to go. Addy started yelling for us so Chris went to start the video camera so she could come out. For some reason it wouldn't turn on. We have two batteries and neither would work. Sadly we didn't get anything on video. It makes me sad because she said some of the cutest things. So I better get it into someone to have it check out. So here is our Christmas in pictures:

Chris went in and got Addy out of bed and told her Santa came and brought her some presents. She got a little scared. So I told her we got her some presents and so did both her grandparents. She felt much better about that! She was all smiles when she turned the corner and saw her kitchen. She went right up to it and started opening the doors. She said "yay yay tea party!"

Christians parents gave Addy this table and chairs. She loves it! She is all set up for her own tea parties now. I made her place mats, some dish towels, and wash cloths to go with her kitchen. I thought they turned out so cute. She didn't care much about them but it completes the gift. Plus it made me happy!

Addy didn't want to open any of her other presents. She was way too busy playing in her kitchen. We kept telling her there were more things for her but she didn't seem to care. She finally opened another tea set, dishes, and food for her kitchen from my mom. She also got a few more movies, princess figurines, a purse, a blanket and diaper kit for her baby, and some clothes. She was spoiled! I loved seeing her face light up with each present she opened. She must have said "thank you" a hundred times, which made it all worth it!
We had a great Christmas but definitely missed our families! Hopefully we will be able to get on a flight to go see everyone soon.

26th Birthday

2009-12-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago I turned 26. We celebrated on Sat by going out to lunch to a place called Gordon Bierch. We had eaten there this summer in Kansas City with my family. The food there is delicious! We shared the same crab and artichoke dip we had last time and I also had steak and tempura shrimp. It felt like a real date since Addy slept through the entire afternoon. After lunch we went shopping and picked up the kids a few things. Later that evening Christian took Addy out shopping to pick up groceries for my Birthday meal on Sunday. She was so excited to be able to pick out what cake they were going to make me. She chose a pink strawberry cake and pink frosting with sprinkles. I had a yellow cake on hand so I had Christian switch out the cake so it wouldn't be a pink overload!

Sunday was the big day. Right after church they got started making the cake. Addy was a big help! She loved helping pour and stir the mixture. Christian made me navajo tacos for lunch. (an all time fave of mine!) After Addy woke up from her nap it was time for our party. They decorated a little table by the Christmas tree. They sang to me and we ate our cake and ice cream there. It was a great Birthday weekend with the two I love the most! Christian always makes it extra special!

Thank you to both our families and friends for the birthday wishes and gifts! I was spoiled as usual! Now I just need some time before the baby comes to get some use out of them. I have a feeling I will be a little more occupied than what I am use to!

A little catching up

2009-12-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

We were lucky to be able to go home for Thanksgiving again this year. I do love Christians benefits! We had a great visit with both our families and got to spend a lot of time with them. I didn't take hardly any pictures. Surprising! We ate with my family early and spent the rest of the evening with Christians family. Addy had a blast with her cousins! They ran around wild all night. Being home makes me really miss living near everyone.

Last weekend was our ward Christmas breakfast. Santa and Mrs. Claus came for a visit. This was Addy's first time sitting on Santa's lap. We talked to her all morning about how nice Santa is and that he gives you candy. She was excited! Chris waited in the long line with Ella and Nate and Erin and I waited to snap some shots of the kids.

This is what happened when it was Addy's turn. She was so scared!

Mrs. Claus showed Addy the candy cane she was about to get and she was all smiles.
Whenever we bring up Santa now she says "Santa nice!"

We finally put up our Christmas tree. I really enjoyed doing this as a family this year. Addy loved all the ball ornaments. She was really into the decorating in the beginning, but by the time the night was over she was throwing the ornaments all around.

Halloween

2009-11-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

Now that it is almost Thanksgiving, I thought I better post a couple pictures of my cute bumble bee on Halloween. We flew home the afternoon of Halloween. We landed at 4:00 and went to dinner with my parents and sister Alice. It was a rush to get back to my mom's house and get Addy in her costume before it was completely dark. My sister Andrea was working at the mall, so we decided to go visit her and let Addy walk around inside. When she was given her first couple of treats she was so excited. I let her open up a sucker and that was all she cared about! Watching her walk around was so cute! The bum part of her skirt bounced around with every step. We didn't stay long because the mall was packed with parents in scary costumes. Addy wanted to be held when she would see them. She went trick-or-treating to two of my moms neighbors houses and was done for the night. It was a simple but fun evening.

These pictures were the best I could get in the dark. Addy was sick while we were home, so I decided not to torture her with a re-shoot!

My little Artist

2009-10-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Addy painted for the first time this week. She got to paint her pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. She liked it ok but really enjoyed painting on paper. This was fun to help her with her colors. She is still guessing but is starting to catch on. Addy has asked to paint every day since. It's messy but so much fun!

Here is my 24 week belly picture. I am a little bigger than what this picture is showing. Everything is still going great! My little guy is extremely active compared to Addy. It's great feeling him and knowing he is there. We are counting down the days until we get to meet him!

Johansen's Farm

2009-10-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I took our kids to Johansen's Farm this last week. It is the same farm we went to last year but Addy definitely enjoyed it more this year. They had a pumpkin patch and a petting zoo where you could feed the animals, but Addy was only interested in looking at them from a far. Addy and Jackson rode the train which was her favorite part of the day. We had a great time with Ella and Jackson!

Thanks Erin for sharing some of the great pictures you took!

Addy at 2

2009-10-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write a few things about Addy so we will always remember how fun and silly she is at this age. Addy loves to play with her babies. She is so sweet and takes great care of them. She is becoming a great little mommy! She still loves to draw and just learned to draw circles. She can recognize and say several shapes. Her two favorites at the moment are a circle and a star. She has mastered her puzzles and is learning her numbers and ABC's. When she counts she says, "1 2 3 6 8 10." She loves to sing the same songs over and over. Her faves are itsy bitsy spider, wiggle song (yo gabba gabba), the wise man, twinkle twinkle little star, sunbeam, bia bia ( a song I taught her from 2nd grade), and e-i-e-i-o.

I have to give her options every day when she gets dressed. I can't believe she all ready has an opinion with what she wears. She always tells me what "matches" to her. She is very particular on her jeans and pants. She knows the difference and lets me know when I mess up. The shoes are usually the hardest. She has her favorites and wants to wear nothing else. She loves her two new pair of boots which is a plus for the season.

She has started to mimic me a lot! I have noticed what phrases and excuses we say the most to her because she tries and uses them on me. She is starting to put all her words together and making sense. If I tell her we can't do something right now she says "when daddy's home." I guess I use that a lot! She still calls her dad by his name but says a "t" instead of a "c". Every morning we wake up to Addy saying "mornin tis, mornin mom." I love it! She is so polite and says "please" and "sanks" before and after anything you do for her. When I tell her I love her she says "yovins mom!" She says "stop it" now instead of "no." I dislike that phrase just as much! All night I hear " stop it tis!" A few favorites are when she says " awe man", "tome on guys" (come on guys), "Addy's happy too!", " meana" ( excuse me), " boo da boo" ( peek a boo), and " ahoo ahoo!"

Chris and I love Addy so much. She is my little buddy and I enjoy all the time I get to spend with her. I am excited for the baby to come and to see her interact with him. She is going to be a great big sister! Love you Addy!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2009-10-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 2 this last weekend! We were lucky to have my mom and sisters in town for a little party. She was spoiled all weekend with their constant attention. We had a great dinner, cake, and presents. Addy had angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream for her dessert. She knew right what to do when it was time to blow out her candles but needed a little help from Andrea.

Addy loved opening her presents until she had a few surprises. She freaked out when she saw Elmo and started to cry. Which is crazy because it's her new obsession at the moment. So Chris handed her another present to open. As the paper was torn back she started to scream and back away from it and again started to cry. Sadly we were all laughing! She was horrified by Mr. potato head. I have no idea why she was so scared. She got to open her baby stroller and highchair last which made her happy again. She was jumping around saying "ahoo ahoo!" (I love this!) So in the end she was very happy with all her gifts minus the two. She has warmed up to Elmo and treats him as one of her babies.

We had a great weekend! Thank you mom and sisters for the nice gifts and great company. Can't wait for our next visit. Thank you papa also for the gift you sent. Addy loves it! She has learned to draw circles on it. Love you all!

Guess What?

2009-10-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

IT"S A BOY!!!!

I went to my ultrasound appointment on Friday. I was very nervous but excited at the same time. I have only had one ultrasound when I found out I was pregnant 14 weeks earlier. I haven't been able to see the baby each Dr. visit like I did with Addy. I have been a little nervous of the unknown. I was happy to see and hear that the baby measured perfectly! All of his organs are developing on schedule. The baby was laying with his bum up when the ultrasound started and the technician immediately said "do you want to know what your having? It's definitely a BOY!!" His little profile is so sweet! He has extremely chubby cheeks like Addy did. His cheeks look so big right now that they take up his whole face. He flexed his arm and showed us his muscles. He is 12 inch long and weighs about 1 lb. This appointment was so exciting for me. We can't wait for this little guy to join our family.

Saturday we went shopping and got a few things for the baby. It is really fun to look at all the cute boy clothing for a change. Alice and my mom have all ready started spoiling him. I will have to get busy on all the projects for him. I still haven't decided if I want to make his bedding. I all ready have some fabric that I really like but I am still undecided. I do have 2 quilt tops all ready done for him though! :) I really look forward to having another baby. The change of having a boy will be a fun experience.

Ready Set Go!

2009-10-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday we had amazing weather! Sadly we wont be having too many more of these days. After watching conference Christian and I took Addy to the park. It was a little cool so she agreed to wear her hat (as long as I gave her a cookie) that aunt Ronna made her. She looked so cute! Addy had her fast running shoes on and was ready to play. She goes up the stairs and down the slide all by herself! Every time she gets to the top she says "ready set go." She is so proud of herself. When she gets to the bottom she runs over and gives us a high five and is back up the stairs again.

Christian took Addy up this big hill to roll down. He held her and they rolled together. She kept saying "again again!" They ran around wild. I really enjoy watching Christian and Addy play together. Addy was able to see some ducks, a frog, and a bunny while we were there. We are really going to miss our days at the park.

I took her back on Monday for 2 hours while we waited for Christian to come home. She met a little friend she kept calling "Buddy." He was a year older and wanted her to watch all of his cool tricks. She followed him all over the park. I love watching Addy interact with other kids. She is so happy to have someone to play with and follow around.

Nanny & Papa came to visit!

2009-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Christian's parents came to visit us this past weekend. We had so much fun with them here. Jamie flew in on Thursday evening. Friday morning we got to work on some projects we planned. She taught Erin and I how to make french bread. I have watched her make bread several times before, but this was the first time I was involved and paying close attention.

The bread turned out so yummy! We each kept a loaf and turned the other batch of dough into hoagie buns for french dip. The bread wasn't hard but I am sure it will take me a few times to get the hang of it. I am so excited to be learning more about cooking and baking. I am not one to just jump in and try things in the kitchen.

Dave and a work colleague flew in on Friday evening. We had dinner at our house and hung out there for the evening. Addy opened right up to Papa! She has always been a little scared of both grandpas. Addy had him on the floor playing in the doll house and sitting on his lap showing him her puzzles.

On Saturday the guys went golfing and the girls went shopping. Jamie and I found the best deals! We picked out Addy's birthday clothes from both of us and got a few things for other birthdays coming up. We got home just in time for Jamie and I to get changed for the Relief Society Broadcast. Christian took Addy to the White Sox vs Detroit Tigers game that evening. They had a blast! I was a little concerned that she would be to busy for the guys to enjoy the game and I didn't want her to be cold. They said she was great. She loved shouting the songs with her dad! Christian loved having her there with him. It was definitely a highlight of being a daddy!

A few pictures of Addy in her new jammies that Nanny brought her.

Jamie and I had projects going the whole time she was here. On Monday we made these hair bows that Erin showed us how to tie. (I made the flowers and the bows on the right and Jamie made the bows on the left.) We also did a lot of sewing and made some yummy lemon bread. ( I saved a loaf in the freezer for you to try when you come Alice!) I loved doing all the projects! We were pretty wiped out when we were done. Hopefully I didn't wear you out too much Jamie!

Jamie flew home on Tuesday evening, so before she left Addy got to open her birthday gifts from her. She was so excited as Nanny helped her pull the prizes out of the bag. When she saw the blocks she started saying " a-hoo a-hoo!" Nanny held up the clothes but Addy was not interested. Really they are more for me anyways. Addy played with the blocks for a little bit before we left. The first thing she told her dad when she saw him was " Nanny blocks!" She has played with them all day everyday since. Thank you for the gifts!

Thank you so much for coming and seeing us! I really appreciate the time you spent here. Christian loved getting some time with both of you since he is the one that usually misses out. Addy really got to know both of you so much more. She is talking about you both a lot and saying how funny Nanny is. Thank you Jamie for teaching me so much. It really was so fun having someone to do projects with. I loved having you here! We can't wait to come home and visit
everyone in Nov and Dec. Thanks again! We love you!

Jam and baby # 2

2009-09-22T12:50:00.001-07:00

On Friday Erin and I got together and made strawberry and grape freezer jam. It was so easy and fast. I should have made jam a long time ago! The girls played in the house together while we were getting things ready. They were both so good!

It took us 1 hour to get 3 batches made. The jam turned out so delicious. Addy and I have been having toast and jam every morning since.

I felt the baby move for the first time Friday night. I wasn't for sure if that was what I was feeling because I didn't feel Addy for the longest time. But I have felt the baby move every day since then. They are smaller movements for now. I am 18 weeks and almost half way through the pregnancy! I get to find out what I am having in 2 and a half weeks. I am so excited! It's becoming more real every day that a baby will be joining us. I can't wait to start getting things ready.

Cosley Zoo

2009-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

These were some of Addy's favorite animals.

On Saturday Christian and I took Addy to Cosley Zoo. The animals there are mostly native to Illinois plus they have a few others. Addy loved seeing all the animals. The whole time we were there she kept saying "animals eat." She didn't like to get very close without one of us holding her. There is a train caboose that had fun learning activities inside, another of her favorites. Some other animals we saw there were: turtle, fox, hawk, owl, snake, coyote, and a white tail deer. We had a great day at the zoo!

Luau and Playgroup

2009-09-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day our ward had a luau. It was a lot of fun! They roasted a pig and had other yummy food and treats.They had great entertainment and we enjoyed chatting with our friends. Addy and Chris spent most of the time looking for rocks to throw. ( a new favorite thing) Addy found two acorns and a walnut that her dad let her bring home. She thought these were the best treasures ever!

On Wednesday I got together with a few friends for a play date . We had the kids paint with pudding. It was so fun! Addy has never done this before so she was a little timid at first. She is a dainty painter!
She would stick one finger in the pudding at a time. She watched the other girls eating the pudding and finally decided to try some. She loved the pink pudding the best!
I thought for sure Addy would make a big mess but she she did great. We will have to try this again.

Ellery really got into it! She loved playing in and eating the pudding.

Madelyn painting her picture. She liked eating the chocolate pudding best.

Ella cruised around playing with the toys. She is such a happy content baby!

Madelyn has lots of fun toys for the kids to play with! She was so great to share. Addy loved playing with the doll house the best. I really need to get her one!

Thanks again girls we had lots of fun!

The Last Fling

2009-09-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Each year for Labor Day weekend our suburb has "The Last Fling" to end the summer. It's a fair that last all weekend long. Christian and I took Addy down for a little while yesterday. She loved walking around checking everything out. At first I wasn't going to let Addy go on any of the rides. They look ancient and I just don't trust them. There were a few rides for kids that looked ok. I didn't even know if she would even ride anything without one of us. It was worth a shot. I went and bought a few tickets and we walked over to the first ride.

The first ride was the Big Foot truck. The trucks were all hooked together like a train. Christian
took Addy through the gate and put her in the first truck. She got to be the head driver. I waited on the other end of the fence for the ride to start. I was so nervous for her. The worker pushed the button and the ride began. Addy immediately started spinning the steering wheel. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't look at us the first time around.
I don't know why but I started to cry. My baby is so big and she didn't even need me. She was having so much fun! Every time she passed Christian she would look at him to make sure he was watching her.

After she got out of the truck I asked her if she had fun. She showed me how she was steering and asked if she could go again. I couldn't resist! I went and bought her three more tickets to go on the train. She held her tickets and waited in line with her dad while I got front row to take her picture.

I was a little worried the safety restraint wasn't good enough on this one. But she survived and had a blast. Chris stuck his tongue out at her the first time she passed us, so each time she saw her daddy she would stick her tongue out at him. She was so cute sitting there!

I wanted her to go on one more ride. We chose a car this time. She loves to pretend she is driving so when she got in she was ready to go. I didn't know this before we chose this ride, but as the cars went around they would lift up in the air on one side of the track. I thought for sure this would scare her a little bit. She had a big smile on her face when the car went up and came back down. I am so glad she got to have some fun and experience something new. I loved watching her! It was the best $9 spent in a long time.

For those of you who don't know.....

2009-08-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

(our first Dr. app at 7 weeks)

Christian and I are expecting baby #2! I am due on Feb 20. We are very excited! Things are going really well and I have felt great. We have found an office here that we like. I wont know what I am having until Oct. 9th. My Dr. wont do the ultrasound until after 20 weeks. I am going crazy! I am the most impatient person ever and I really would love to start making some baby goods. But I guess I will just have to wait! My mom and sisters will be flying into Chicago the evening of my app. which is very exciting. A weekend full of fun baby shopping will definitely be in the works.

This is a belly picture of me at 15 weeks. I am showing fast! I am bigger than my last pregnancy but have gained less weight this far. I have only gained 2 lbs, but I know this can changed very quickly.

Addy and I went to our app tonight alone. Christian's train broke down right before his stop. So we had to leave him stranded. I was a little nervous about this because Addy was so busy at our last app. Surprisingly she was so good! They let her bring toys in the room with us to keep her busy. I was one of the last patients of the night so they were very fast. Christian made it right in time for me to schedule for the next app. But I was still happy to have him there.

(Dr. app at 15 1/2 weeks)

Our life is going to change so much with another addition, but we are ready!
I hope Addy transitions well. She is in a very possessive stage right now. Everything is "Addy's!" I am so excited for her to have a little friend at home. When you ask her what is in mommies belly she lifts up her shirt and says "no Addy's baby." She hasn't grasped the fact that a baby will be coming into our lives. She probably wont understand until the baby is here.

I really don't care if I have a boy or a girl. Either will be great! I just can't wait to find out so I can give the baby a name. We have decided on a girl and a boy name that we both love. So let the next 5 weeks pass quickly!

Rain

2009-08-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today our ward only had sacrament meeting because the air conditioning wasn't working. It was so hot and muggy! Right as we were driving into our subdivision it started to rain. Addy wanted to play outside so bad! Chris walked her out into the driveway a little ways to feel the rain. She loved it! I don't know why I let her get soaked in her church clothes, but I did. She had a blast splashing in the puddles! I couldn't resist taking pictures.

Testing out the rain all by herself.

Daddy showing Addy how to splash in the puddles. She learned really quick!

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Addy loved playing in the warm rain. We will definitely have to do this again!

Outside Fun

2009-08-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

Today Addy and I spent the afternoon playing outside. It was pretty warm so we decided to play in the water. She loves to play with the hose spraying whatever she can. I love her in a swimming suit! We had a lot of fun!

Addy wasn't ready to go inside yet so we got out her bike and side walk chalk. Did I mention she likes to draw and color? She made me lots of pretty pictures! I loved it! She rode her bike up and down the side walk waving to me as she went by. This girl can't get enough of being outside. I really enjoy this time we get to spend together. Her daddy takes her out to play every night after dinner. She can't wait for that time with her dad. Usually I am not invited but she sometimes lets me come.

We are really enjoying our summer days. If only it could cool down just a bit!

22 Months

2009-08-11T08:14:00.001-07:00

My baby is 22 months old! It is very sad but exciting at the same time. It is so much fun to watch her grow and learn. Addy is talking so much! Her favorite thing to say is "NO!!"
It makes me crazy some days. She says it even when it doesn't apply in the conversation. I think it's because she knows I don't like it! I love being able to chat with her. She says some really silly things.

Addy loves to color. If I let her she colors all day long. She has filled up every square inch of 3 coloring books in a matter of a few weeks. We have had a few incidents where she has colored on the floor and on the walls. We are trying to avoid these at all costs. Her other favorite thing to play with is her train set. She usually carries one around with her all day. Some days she even naps with a train.

She is going to nursery every week in church. She usually cries when we leave but has stayed the entire time each week. Sometimes it's hard for us to leave her, but it's really nice to go to class and listen to the lesson.

Addy is so much fun! It amazes me how much more Christian and I love this little girl each day.
I really look forward to each new stage with her. We love you!

Day 2

2009-08-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

On the 2ND day of trip we headed to downtown Kansas City to check it out. It was going to be another 100 degree day. Lucky for us the Annual District Art Festival was going on. It was so interesting to walk around and check out each booth. There were some amazing photographers and painters. I wish I could have purchased some pieces for my house.

We ate lunch at a really delicious Brewery. They had the best crab and artichoke dip! Addy really enjoyed her plate of ketchup. That girl is a dipper! After lunch Christian headed to the airport. His work really needed him to come help with some problems. So we had to continue our trip with out him.

We left Kansas City and headed for Nauvoo. It was definitely a long car ride! Addy didn't do as well this time. She really wanted to get out and run around. Actually we all did! But she did great considering she is not quiet 2 and stuck in the car. She kept saying she went potty so we would pull over and let her get out. Sneaky little thing! We sang lots of songs with her. She loves E-I-E-I-O! She wanted it mixed up a bit and was sick of singing about the animals. So we made up actions for everyone in the car. She remembered them quickly. We can't sing Old McDonald now without singing about my family!

Up next- Nauvoo

Day 1 Part 2

2009-07-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Far West

Far West is where the Pioneers went after they were kicked out of Independence. There, the four corner stones were laid for a Temple that hasn't been built yet.

Far West is out in the middle of no where surrounded by farm land. We took a bunch of back roads to get there. My cousins GPS was loosing signal but he managed to get us there.

Adam -Ondi -Ahman

When we finally arrived it was getting dark. The sunset was beautiful. There was a double sided rainbow over the valley. (it didn't show up in my picture) I have only seen fire flies once so it was really neat seeing them all around us.

This site closes at dusk and one of the missionaries, who is a care taker of the grounds, came to close up the gates while we were still there. He stayed and talked with us about the history and significance of the grounds. I really enjoyed and learned a lot from what he had to say. I had such a wonderful experience here.

This was a very eventful day. We were so lucky to have Ryan and Mariah come with us. I don't think we would have made it everywhere without them. Thanks guys!

Up next- Kansas City and Nauvoo

Day 1 Part 1

2009-07-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

On June 27Th we headed to meet my Mom, Alice, and Rookie in Independence, MO. We left our house at 5:00 a.m. I was a little concerned how our car ride would be because we have never driven Addy in the car for more than 2 hours at a time. She did great! She was extra sleepy and stayed bundled up in her blanket for the first hour and stared out the window. She slept for the next 2 hours while Christian and I jammed out to our music. My parents bought Addy a portable DVD player special for this trip. She watched Wonder Pets and her two favorite Baby Einstein shows. She loved holding her own t.v. on her lap! This was our first time ever seeing and crossing the Mississippi River. We arrived in Independence 8.5 hours later.

The 3 of us met up with the girls, my cousin Ryan and his daughter Mariah for lunch. Lucky for us Ryan had our agenda all mapped out and ready to go. We definitely wouldn't have made it to everything with out him!

Our first place we visited was the Temple Lot and Visitors Center in Independence. In the Visitors center they have the original photographs on display of Reflections Of Christ. They are beautiful! They also had a presentation about the saints traveling to Missouri.

Christian read some scriptures in Japanese for us at the Visitors Center. He did a great job! I kept teasing him saying he wasn't really reading and speaking the language. For all we knew he could be making it up. When he finished I asked him what he had just read and he said " your hair looks really nice!" He cracks me up.

Across the street diagonally from the Visitors Center is the Temple lot. The land is owned by the Community of Christ Church. The sign there says, " Aug. 3, 1831, Joseph Smith Jr., Prophet and founder of the Church of Christ, with seven other Church leaders, dedicated this site for the Temple in the city of Zion, where this church believes the Lord will come to His people in the last days."

The Community of Christ Church is the one with the spiral steeple. Across the street from this church on a diagonal is their assembly hall which has a domed roof.

Next we ventured to Liberty Jail. There they have the original key to Joseph Smith's cell door.
The sister missionary there gave a great presentation about Joseph and the other men incarcerated with him. What amazing men they were. The floor in the cell is the original flooring from when they were there. It definitely put things in a better perspective for me to see and hear what they went through.

Here are just a couple cute pictures from the day.

Up next- Far West and Adam Ondi Amen

4th of July

2009-07-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated the 4th of July with a BBQ at my house. Lucky for us my sister and Rookie were still in Chicago and Erin, Nate, and Ella were able to join us. We ate lots of yummy food but unfortunately it rained all day so we didn't get to go to any fireworks. It was still a very fun evening. We will have to try and see fireworks again on the 24th.

We were all busy eating and chatting that none of us took any pictures.
We snapped a few at the end of the night of everyone. Thanks for the pictures Erin!

I have lots of updating to do from our vacation. Between 3 of us we took around 1200 pictures.
Holy crap that is a lot! I will try and only post a highlight of each of our stops.
We had a great time and I enjoyed learning more about the history of The LDS Church.

Family Pictures

2009-06-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

My friend from Erin B Photography took our pictures for us. She did such a great job! I am so excited for how many turned out! It was very hot and humid and Addy didn't want to cooperate. Thanks again Erin, we LOVE them!

Here are some of my favorites....