Life is BeUTAHful

Funny Boys

2012-01-24T22:58:00.001-08:00

I love having boys! They make me laugh every hour of the day (in between time outs and tantrums) with their expressions, words, and look on life. I have to start recording some of the things Callum says so that I don't forget. I already have forgotten some things and it kills me!
Here are just a few photos of the boys lately:

Crosby loves the bath more than any baby I know! it's so fun to watch him play, and he is way more fearless than Callum was at this age. He dips his face in the water and tries to drink it. He puts his head under the spout. He is a little fish!

Trying to wear his goggles and getting distracted

So handsome!

I gave Crosby a "fruit pouch" (what do other people call those things? And he squeezed it alll over his face. Look at that expression. It's like: "whoops"

Finally, grocery shopping is manageable!! Callum LOVES pushing the mini cart and putting his food in there. He was listing the things in his cart "we've got cheese, fruit bars, yogurt, applesauce, bananas". So cute.

Going for a walk with Lola and the boys. He loves seeing the airplanes shoot across the sky

I've said this before: this kid is OBSESSED with his backpack. He loves putting in his toys, his sippy cup, his snacks and wearing it everywhere we go.

Ok so this photo just miiigggghhht be a little TMI. But it's my blog so I don't care. While bathing the boys, I hear Callum say "I peed in it mommy!" and proudly hands me this empty shampoo bottle. I am not sure he is serious but I look and realize he did indeed pee directly into this bottle. He was so proud and excited I just had to take a picture of how cute it all was.

Christmas in San Francisco and Canada

2012-01-24T22:30:00.001-08:00

I can't really believe we managed to do both SF and Canada this year for Christmas but surprisingly it went off without a single hitch. In San Francisco we had a blast visiting dear friends and family, enjoying the sites and getting into the Christmas spirit. I got to see my sweet friends Christy, Brittany, Cara and Jenna which nourished my little soul. We also celebrated four years of happily wedded bliss and went to eat at a nice restaurant as per tradition. We seriously love food wayyy too much. We took the boys to see Santa at Macy's, took them swimming in my parents pool (indoor- they live at the St Regis so it's their hotel pool) and saw lots of movies! That's not a commonplace occurrence for us normally so I relished it. The boys had a blast, Callum made cookies with his Koko and got Hanukkah lent from his Tatu. Koko also took him to see the train sets which callum absolutely adored. My dad cooked us a fantastic crab meal that was on par with all of his delicious food.
We didn't take hardly ANY photos and it kills me, but I wanted to write down the memories so that someday I'll know :)

Strolling along Market Street with Daddy. He kept asking to get on Ryan's shoulders.

While in SF, we went to the East Bay (where I grew up) and met up with great family friends. Callum had so much fun with Grace!

Croz and Kenz

Callum voluntarily opted to hang out like this- a rare moment for him! This is airplane blankie. This is the only blanket that matters!

Callum fascinated by the train sets. He saw Polar Express and it was love at first sight.

We ate at a restaurant called Fleur De Lys. This is the chef Hubert Keller. So dorky but we watch him on Top Chef all the time and had to get a pic. I was star struck :)

Our dessert was a play on the hamburger, fries, milkshake and condiments. It was sort of unreal!

From SF we headed to Toronto. We surprised Ryan's mom and grandpa for Christmas and got in early on Christmas eve. We had a nice time relaxing and spending time with Ryan's family and extended family. They are very tight knit and it's a great thing to be a part of. Since we'd already done Christmas at our house, we let grandma and papa spoil Callum on Christmas day. They are the only grandkids on Ryan's side so everything orbits these two little boys! It's so fun. Callum had a blast opening presents and was just in heaven. It's funny though, he was so tired on Christmas that he napped literally all day and went to bed early. So, we didn't open any presents until the 26th. Goes to show how busy little Zuzu was. Crosby was just happy to be there, loving every minute of it. Again we got so few photos but here are the ones we did get.
For New Year's Eve we went to the wedding of the Browns' family friend and it was so much fun! It was a great wedding and an awesome way to ring in the new year! The wedding was in Niagara falls, (about an hour away) so we decided to stay there instead of trying to drive back at 1am. Ryan's aunt was so gracious to offer her lake house, so we stayed there with Ryan's sister and husband. It was gorgeous. You could literally walk from the back yard to the water.
It was a great trip full of fabulous memories. So glad to have been able to celebrate Christmas with both our parents.

Callum handed out everyone's presents.

Giveaway

2012-01-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

My friend Bronwyn is giving away a nordstrom gift card on her blog. She is a fashionista with good ideas and a great sense of humor. She provides a lot of inspiration and education.

Follow her HERE and you could win!

Catching Up: Holiday Fun

2012-01-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun this year gearing up for Christmas! We fit so much into the season that my little heart sang. A sample of the things we did:

Watched elf and love actually.

Had hot cocoa with marshmallows and Christmas sprinkles.

Decorated Christmas sugar cookies and left them for Santa.

Picked out and decorate a tree.

Danced and ice skated at Ryan's work Christmas party.

Decorated a gingerbread house.

Had breakfast with Santa.

One of Santa's elves made balloon animals for the kids. Callum of course wanted a pirate sword. He and his best little friend Griffin (our next door neighbors) had so much fun sword fighting.

Celebrated our own Christmas morning as a family by opening presents and having a beautiful Christmas breakfast. This year we decided to try a Danish pancake as an homage to my heritage. It was delicious! We had fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and our traditional poppers.

Christmas morning Callum and Crosby woke up to the slew of presents from Santa (in actuality, more than half these presents are from their grandparents). I couldn't believe how much Callum understood. He was so excited for Santa to come and loved getting ready for him and his reindeer.

It was truly so nice to have these moments with just our own little family. Christmas is about spending time with loved ones and with family, but sometimes in the hustle and bustle of traveling and seeing everyone these small sweet moments get lost in the frenzy. I cherish these memories of our little family and the intimate setting before we left for Christmas (San Francisco and Canada).

Catching up: thanksgiving

2012-01-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

We went up to Idaho for thanksgiving and had a great time eating and relaxing. Callum had a blast with his cousins! I have sucked at taking pictures lately so I don't have a lot to show for our week but it was a great time nonetheless.

Thanksgiving dinner! It was delicious. I love knowing I can come back and have all my favorite thanksgiving dishes exactly the way I remember them. My mom and dad make a fantastic feast.

My Cute Parents

I wouldn't have posted this picture except it was hilarious that my sister posed in the backround. Classic Mckinley.

Kids table and the cousins.

sweet little Lils.

After thanksgiving, the boys and girls split and we each went to a movie. We all ended up seeing twilight--I never got into that craze but the movies are ok and it was fun to go with my sisters. I don't care what anyone says, I still love Jacob.
We were also able to play Laser Tag. It was a blast and I was surprised how much the guys got into it!

While we were there we were able to take a Krafchow family photo with almost everyone in our family, and all of the grandkids. This seems increasingly difficult, since getting together at the same time becomes more and more rare as all of our own families continue to grow. I am glad we had that opportunity and I think it turned out pretty cute.

It was a great holiday and I was reminded of just how much I have to be grateful for. It's a beautiful life!

ABCs

2012-01-11T12:50:00.000-08:00

I've had a case of the 'blahs' this week and I've been struggling with some things that feel hugely overwhelming right now. I try to remind myself that life is good and I have so many things to be grateful for; that I should focus on those things rather than the few things that aren't working. But I am having a really difficult time putting things into perspective.

This message has been just what I've needed to hear. I admit that I am not at a place where I am as optimistic as I wish I were, but I need to remember how important my attitude is and how having a good attitude is a choice.

I teach that to Callum everyday, and he gets that concept better than I do.

I WILL get there. I am determined. In the meantime, I wanted to share this message with anyone who may need to hear it as much as I did.

First Haircut

2011-11-20T10:55:00.001-08:00

For whatever reason, I had the HARDEST time cutting Crosby's hair for the first time. I don't know why I have a hard time admitting he's getting bigger, but I do. Despite my reservations it was time. His little wisps were growing to his shoulders and everyone wondered if he was a boy or a girl. So it was only fair to cut it :) Croz was a trooper and he definitely did better than I did!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Isn't he handsome?! Oh how I love and adore this baby.

Disneyland Pt 2

2011-11-20T09:41:00.001-08:00

Winnie the Pooh

Jungle Cruise. I had never been on this ride, and I was pleasantly surprised with it! Cal loved it and our little tour guide was HILARIOUS.

Callum and one of his many treats for the weekend... He picked this one out!

Callum and his best friend Griffin.

This was the Mickey Mouse clubhouse puppet show thing. It was great! Callum was dancing away with Griffin and Holden.

The Incredibles Parade.

Tower of Terror. I love Kimmy in this picture!!

The Toy Story ride was SO FUN! We'd have gone a million times if the line wasn't so long.

Callum on Dada's shoulders watching World Of Color.

Our final souvenir. They even make caramel apples special!! It's rainbow to celebrate World of Color.

Disneyland Pt 1

2011-11-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

We decided it was time for a little vacation, since we haven't had really good quality time together as a family since Crosby was born. What better place for a family vacation than Disneyland? I have wanted to go since Callum was born, so I was really excited to finally be planning our little trip. I have to say I am really glad we didn't go any earlier because Callum was just at an age where he could really enjoy it and talk about his favorite parts.

There is something really, truly, magical about Disneyland and everything is so much more special when you get to experience the magic through your child's eyes. This vacation was everything I'd hoped it would be and it exceeded Ryan's expectations. We went with our next door neighbors and then Ryan's brother and girlfriend met up with us for a few days, so it was a great way to spend time together as a family and then enjoy our vacation with more extended family and friends. We can't wait to go back!

DAY 1:

When we first got there, it was POURING rain. Like flash flood raining. It didn't stop us from enjoying the day and Callum and Crosby didn't even notice! Luckily it stopped raining about an hour after we got there and it didn't rain the rest of the time! We did Fantasyland this day and Callum LOVED Peter Pan. He asked to go on this ride probably five more times that day.

We had a nice long lunch to escape the rain in the New Orleans square.

Callum loved meeting "Wooey!"

"Whoa!! 'Cackels' mommy, cackels!!"

The finding Nemo ride. Callum LOVED this one. He nose was literally pressed up to the glass and he was just silent and still the whole time. (Except when he found Squirt and Crush, then he'd shout their names and point them out!)

Mr Toad's wild ride

These expressions just absolutely make everything worth it

He loves "fee ee yond" (infinity and beyond)

"Space Ranger, mommy!!"

DAY 2:

On our second day in Disneyland, Ruel and his girlfriend met up with us. We had way too much fun riding rides, watching the parade, and eating far too many churros! (I seriously sought out those churro stands. If I didn't know better I'd think I was pregnant the way I was craving those things!)

There was a huge Christmas Day parade being taped for the ABC Christmas special (airing on Christmas Day), so we stuck around to watch. Look for Callum on TV!

Nick Cannon was hosting the special. Too bad I'm not a fan, but it was fun to see them taping it nonetheless.

Captain EO tribute. LOVED it, even though it was NOTHING like I remembered it :)

We entered into ToonTown and both boys loved it! It was a great place for them to just run around and experience everything hands on.

This was one of MANY attempts to get a family photo. Have I mentioned how hard that is to do?!

Callum's first rollercoaster. Afterwards, Ryan asked him if he wanted to go on it again and he said "no thanks!"

That face! It gets me every time.

Oh how I love this tender little boy.

We met Mickey Mouse and it so worth the little line. I thought we'd want to just take a photo and leave, but I found myself wanting to give Mickey a hug and just hang around a little longer. I was surprised by how much I found myself loving Mickey!

Callum wanted to give Crosby a hug. Such a sweet brother!

That night, Ruel and Mandy were sweet enough to watch the boys so we could have a night out on our own. Our neighbors left their boys with their Nana and we had a fun night riding all the rollercoasters that we can't take our little ones on. Here's the pic from Tower of Terror. This is one of our favorite rides!

the castle all lit up at night. Like I said, just magical!

HALLOWEEN

2011-11-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

This year was a great halloween. We went trick-or-treating with our next door neighbors and Callum loved it! I couldn't believe how much our neighborhood got into the Halloween spirit, so I was a happy camper. After going trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, we met up with our great family friends and had dinner together, our kids all dressed in costume. Overall it was a huge success!

Crosby is pooped out. All you can see is his hood!

Accident Prone?

2011-11-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

I am starting to wonder if my fearless, independent, stubborn little two-year-old isn't accident prone. In less than a year we've had: a majorly burned hand that required a trip to the burn unit, a trip to the emergency room with a quarter lodged in his esophagus, and a broken leg. Yes, a broken leg.
It's times like these that I feel like Mother of the Year.

Since I've explained the first two little episodes, here is an explanation of the third event.

A little over a week ago, we went to our park and went down the swirly slide. Cal's shoe caught on the slide and his body turned but his leg didn't. I thought he'd twisted his ankle, (and didn't think it was even possible to break a bone that way) so I brought him home, wrapped his foot and put an ice pack on it. He went to bed about 20 minutes later, but the next day he was still in pain. I thought that was normal for a sprain so I didn't think too much of it. I gave it another day to heal and then realized that it just didn't seem like it was getting any better.
With his cousins around Callum surely would've run and played like normal if his ankle was feeling better, so when I saw him hobbling around with them I knew something was wrong. Finally I took him to the doctor and they gave him an X-ray that sure enough showed a fracture in his shin bone. The doctor reassured me that this is extremely common for kids his age and this type of fracture is even nicknamed the "toddler fracture" because so many toddlers break this bone. He also explained that it was good I waited because they wouldn't have casted it any earlier (to ensure any possible swelling had gone down). I am just trying to accept the fact that this might just be how it is with my little Zuzu for the next ten or fifteen years!

Callum got to choose the color of his cast (he had the options of white, red, blue, and purple). Decisively, he chose red right away and didn't even consider the other colors. The nurse brought over some glitter in a bin and there was blue, silver, and gold. Callum chose the gold, held it to his chest and said "Callum's". So a red and gold cast it was. It fits in well with his pirate fascination (and I think he secretly wanted to support his Niners. tee hee).

Messy Boys

2011-10-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it bugs Ryan, but I don't mind messes at all. Now, I don't like it to get to the point of chaos because I think that's how accidents happen, but I think just digging in and getting dirty is how you experience life and your surroundings. I like to think of it as a sensory experience so I encourage a few messes here and there. Clothes are meant to be worn; things are meant to be used. I know that more messes means more cleaning (and sometimes it simply gets old), but I just think these little boys won't be young forever. I know that someday I will miss cleaning up sticky handprints on my doors and walls, or frosting from little faces, or scribbles on my kitchen table.

Here are just a few snapshots of the messes as of late (and this is just a small glimpse of them!)

Fall Festivities

2011-10-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

We LOVE fall! We got a bit of a late start getting into the fall spirit but we pulled through and did everything we wanted to do. We carved pumpkins, watched Hocus Pocus, went to Garner's Village, decorated spooky cookies, made caramel apples (a complete FAIL!) went to cornbellys, went to my nephew's halloween birthday party, and had a blast with my mom, sisters and their kiddos. Stay around a little longer, fall. I am not ready for winter!

CORNBELLY'S:

Callum got some cotton candy from Koko. He was in heaven!!

HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY PARTY:

Mario, Peach and Yoshi.

Little Miss Minnie Mouse

PUMPKIN TIME:

ALPINE SLIDES:

Callum actually loved this ride. He went down it three times and by the final round he was cranking it to go faster :)

GARDNER VILLAGE:

we didn't stay too long because it was really cold that night but Callum loved seeing each witch and all of the "witches hats"

Callum loved the witches, but last minute he wouldn't sit with me. So pretend he is on my lap in this picture :)

Callum is saying cheese in all these photos but he didn't look at the camera, so I got him to say Trick-or-Treat. He is really excited to go tomorrow!

Finally, a photo with the witch in the background!

COOKIE DECORATING:

CORNBELLYS (round two. We went with our friends Troy and Amy and their little girl. Callum loved seeing Jovie!)

Just Hangin'

2011-10-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

When Ryan's mom was here she got Callum a little pull-out couch that turns into a bed with a blanket. It's so cute and Callum loves it, especially because it's Buzz Lightyear themed.
Crosby even wanted to try it!

Snow Day

2011-10-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we got a decent amount of snow at our house that lasted just a few hours. It was just enough time to get suited up and play in it! Callum wanted to make a snowman and Crosby just wanted to be where Callum was, so out we went. I am glad we took advantage of it because by mid-afternoon the snow had left us. I wish that's how the winters went: snow could come just long enough to play in it, then it could melt just as fast as it came and leave us with weather in the sixties and seventies.

Crosby at-a-glance

2011-10-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

I have to leave his left arm out to suck his thumb. He's going to be a lefty like mom and dad!

feeding himself with his feet!

handsome boy

love these blankets. Thanks Sara! :)

falling asleep in his bouncer.

So happy!!

Crosby's Four Month Stats

2011-10-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Much delayed, but these are Crosby's 4 month stats. He seriously is the most AMAZING baby I have ever seen, ever. He never ever cries; instead when he needs something he lets me know by sucking his thumb. When he sucks his thumb, he is either tired or hungry. Otherwise he loves watching his brother and keeping up with him. He loves watching and playing with mommy and dada. He loves the water. And he just loves being here in our family and having a body!

Height: 26" (75th %ile)
Weight: 14 lbs 6 oz (25th %ile)
Head Circumference: 16.5" (25th %ile)

Quarter

2011-10-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

While in OKC, Callum managed to swallow a quarter.
I didn't really know what to do because I know if it gets down the esophagus they can just pass it but if it's in the airway then they can suffocate. There is a big difference between those scenarios so I tried to be calm and collected to figure out what we needed to do. I could tell he was breathing, but I could also see that he was so uncomfortable that there was no way it landed in his stomach yet. My mom happened to be in town which was a lucky coincidence because otherwise I wouldn't have had a car.
So we get in the car, on the phone with 911 to locate the nearest hospital. Our answer? "Well, there isn't one" (no, I'm not joking). We were literally driving around hoping we were going in the right direction as we waited for directions. We tried to get a police escort so we could floor it and not worry about traffic but OKC police were just not on the ball.
While on the phone with the operator, I learned that if I was not careful the quarter could move into the airway and block breathing. I managed to stay cool, but at this point I was panicking on the inside. Meanwhile, Callum was throwing up everywhere, his little body trying to force the quarter out of his throat. Once we made it to the emergency room, I broke down. I knew we were in a safe place and Callum would be taken care of but the adrenaline had worn off and I lost my composure.
We immediately got an X-ray that showed us that the quarter was lodged in his throat and it was up pretty high. So they had to send a scope with a little basket down to retrieve it. Callum was in misery but he did amazingly well. We gave him a blessing and he folded his little arms and jumped up and said "AMEN!" when it was over. That night taught me so much and was a catalyst for a lot of personal and spiritual growth. I will always be grateful to Callum for swallowing that quarter and enduring a painful experience that I might learn from it. He is a great kid.

At the hospital with his Koko. It's the only photo I got of this little sweetheart (besides the pictures inside Cal's throat!)

Callum at-a-glance

2011-10-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

These photos are of Cal over the course of the summer.

He insisted we buy these. Then he broke them :)

Zuzu was invited to a princess birthday party where he was the ONLY boy. He just went along with the whole thing and had a blast. He doesn't discriminate :)

Snuggling with a blankie. (This is a RARE moment for him!)

Learning slowly but surely, how to use the potty.

Bed Head

getting used to his big boy undies

Playing Train

Callum is TWO!

2011-10-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Oh, how is it that my dear little boy is two? He is just amazing. I'll do an entire post on him and his milestones but for now, it's picture time! Cal is obsessed with pirates (as you can tell from my blog!) so we did a pirate themed birthday. It was amazing! My amazing friends from the summer helped with everything and the party was a HIT. He had so much fun being on a sugar high and seeing pirates every.where.he.turned. We had a pinata, temporary tattoos, bubbles, and lots of treats!

opening presents

frosting all over his face!

trying to carry his balloons everywhere

Arrh! CACK-kin HOOK!

Crosby and his girlfriend Harper :)

One of my friends made these amazing cake pops. She is SOO talented.

The party favors in their treasure chest.

A Reluctant Return

2011-10-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Whoa. I have been away for a while. I haven't even wanted to come back because there is so much work to do here, and let's face it, there aren't a lot of readers on here anyway! But I have to chronicle this because I have no other way of managing our photos, so here I am. The remainder of our summer was spent in Oklahoma City and Ryan has been on the go since. He stayed in OKC through September and then went to Austin (where I met up with him) and from there to Madison. So since the end of August, he's only been home about 10 days altogether! Next week he'll be in Northern California, but after that we'll have him all to ourselves for a bit, and we can't wait.
Austin was so much fun. We left the boys with Grandma and had a completely amazing week in a great city where we ate, danced, kayaked, listened to music, swam in the springs, and hung out with Ryan's sister and her husband. I didn't take a single photo and I wish I had. The alone time with Ryan was so needed, especially since we'd been away from each other for three weeks.
Now we're just gearing up for Halloween, trying to switch gears and get into fall. It's my favorite season and if I don't get on the ball I'll miss the whole thing!

Prepare yourselves for the onslaught of posts :)

Swag

2011-07-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

When we were in Idaho Ryan took Callum on a one-on-one father/son outing. They went to the mall where they read books at barnes and noble, played in the mall play place and got a snack. Ryan decided he needed a pair of shorts so off they went in search of some. When they walked into the store Callum saw a shirt that he pointed to over and over. He gave it to Ryan, who would try to discretely put it back on the racks but Callum would absolutely insist that Ryan bring it home. Ryan didn't have the heart to turn him down so off they went, t-shirt in tow. As Ryan told me this story I was anxious to see just what shirt Callum fell in love with....

I was just so tickled by Cal's preference for (insistence on?) this Elmo shirt and found it even funnier that Ryan bought it as it is not his style at all. Now Ryan wears it proudly as it's the shirt his little boy picked out just for him.

Yo Ho

2011-07-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

McQueen

2011-07-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend Tatu gave Callum a motorized McQueen car. Cal was absolutely infatuated with it and rode it non-stop. He'd take our hands and pull us towards the garage door about 103020 times a day so that he could ride it. The funny thing is he can't steer it very well yet so he goes over curbs, into bushes, along the side of the road. He cracks me up because he won't look where he's going, he loves to hit the button and then look behind him, all around, or bend down and look at a rock as he is going. We took McQueen on our way to our neighbor's house for dinner and it took about 20 minutes to get there :)
This kid loves his McQueen car!

And BEYOND!!

2011-07-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Callum LOVES Buzz; every time he hears Buzz come up he shoots his arm in the air and says "and BEYOND!!"
So naturally, my mom got all three grandsons (sans Crosby) matching Buzz and Woody jammies (Zen left his at home, though). Here are Cal and Hunter running around in them. I love these boys!

More Fourth

2011-07-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

On the morning of the fourth, we woke up early and all went to a pancake breakfast, as per tradition. Following the feast, we went straight to the parade where Callum discovered the joys of being a two year old without supervision. All bets are off when we're on vacation: no bedtime, no routine, and no limit to the amount of junk food available. At the parade, candies were thrown every few seconds from all directions and Cal couldn't get his chubby little hands on them fast enough. We looked over and he just had a little pile next to him and it kept getting bigger. We decided we finally had to cut him off, but he did a great job throughout the entire event and went down straight for a nap afterwards :)

After our LONG naps we had a huge barbecue, a big fireworks show, and some more four wheeling. I am glad we have a day dedicated to our independence, reminding us of the freedoms we cherish but some times take for granted. I love America!

My first Fourth of July!

Ryan taking the kids out on the 4wheeler

Off Tatu Goes!

Cal and little Seth. They are only a month apart and Cal loves him. He is sharing his drink!

The best photo I could get of these two :)

Lils' Birthday

2011-07-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 3rd was my niece Lil's birthday. This little girl is such a special, happy, beautiful baby and I simply love and adore her. She was born with a chromosomal disorder called Cri du Chat where part of the 5th chromosome is deleted. This little one is inspiring; she is determined to hit the milestones they say she wouldn't hit and does so with such a huge smile. She never complains. There is so much to learn from her; She has given us such a special opportunity to rely on God and grow both spiritually and personally. I only hope I can learn all she has to teach us. Her mom is absolutely incredible and I am continually in admiration of her strength, her faith, her positive outlook, her candor, and her example. She's a fabulous mom. To learn more about her story or about Cri du Chat, visit her blog.

So this little sweetie pie turned one year old this year! Almost of her cousins on both sides of her family were there to celebrate, plus both sets of her grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. She had a cake and we all sang happy birthday to her, and we also had sundaes and fireworks for her. Good times were had by all.

Lily sitting up on her one year birthday. She's amazing!!

I got this little outfit for Lils for her birthday. She couldn't have looked cuter in her festive little get up.

He's a little party animal :)

Callum doing fireworks with Dada. He loved them! he kept asking his Tatu "fi-uhx?" over and over again.

I love boys! look at that shirt!!

You know that red frosting on Lils' cake? Cal devoured it! It's no party for this kid without cake!

Bear World

2011-07-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

This year we went to Idaho for the 4th of July. You can't go there without going to Bear World. I've been to Bear World many a time and always love it. This year we brought Callum and Croz so they could see the animals themselves. Cal loves animals like crazy so I was glad he enjoyed himself so much. I tried to get photos of him pointing at the bears and the deer but it was hard because he was on my lap and it was so up close. But I just post what I have :)

Smartest deer ever. It was so hot out and this one was cooling off in and drinking from this sprinkler.

Such a good sport. It was hot that day and he just smiled away.

this kid was fearless around all the animals. he ran around like a kid in a candy store.

Southfield Fourth of July Celebration

2011-07-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Our little neighborhood does a big 4th of July celebration every year and because the neighborhood has been developing in the past few years the block party just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This is the 5th year they've done it and it was awesome. They started with a little parade where the kids regaled with their bikes with streamers, balloons and bells. Then we had a flag ceremony and a short patriotic program (complete with firecrackers), and finally a pancake breakfast. There were games for the kids, a temporary tattoo booth, and just time for the kids to play with each other and socialize. It was a perfect kick off to our weekend.

This is the demonstration that one of our military husbands did for all the kids. He talked about about WWII and how Americans prevailed. To keep their attention he blew all sorts of things up and made everything smoke. It was great.

Callum with his new best friends, our next door neighbors. How crazy is this? Their mom and I went to high school together and now we are literally a stone's throw away from each other. And she's not LDS, living in Utah of all places. So fun!

Pirate's Island

2011-07-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Callum has become thoroughly entranced and infatuated with all things pirates. It's really cute. It all started with Peter Pan and now it's moved on to Pirates of the Caribbean, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and all things skull and crossbones. When he sees a skull anywhere he shouts "pirate ship!! pirate ship!!" He did that to a little kid who was wearing a skull and crossbones t-shirt: he came right up to him, poked him in the chest and shouted pirate ship!! He is also completely fascinated by the crocodile. He makes his arms all big and makes a snapping movement and goes "tick tock tick tock".
We went to Babies'R'Us for diapers and Callumazoo saw a tshirt with a pirate theme and he insisted on having it. He wouldn't leave the shirt's side. So we indulged him and got it. I couldn't believe that he's not even two and he's picking out his clothes.
I just have to capture these cute things otherwise I'll forget them. I love this little boy.

So we went to Pirate Island with my mom and sister and Cal was elated. He saw Captain Hook, skulls, coins, smoke and bubbles and a pirate ship that he could play on. As if that all wasn't enough, there was an arcade with all sorts of rides and games. It was so exhilarating for him. Stimulation overload! At the end he got to trade in his tickets for a few tootsie rolls and it couldn't have been a better day for this little one.

A Walk in the Park

2011-07-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

We love to take walks to the park with the whole family (including Lola!) and lately Callum insists on holding Lo's leash. So I captured a few photos of him being a "big boy". See the boots? He was OBSESSED with these boots for a while because he could put them on himself. Problem is, he wouldn't wear them with socks (too hot) and those boots stunk sooo bad after a few days. So I had to retire them. But I at least caught a few photos of him in them.

PS thanks McKinley for telling me about the dropbox app. OBSESSED!!

Pool Party

2011-07-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my neighbors had a cute little pool party with two different little pools, a sandbox, and a sprinkler-splasher (what's the technical term for those things?) Cal had a blast and I got to know all our new neighbors. We LOVE where we live and know we've finally found our long term home. I can't remember if I ever even mentioned that we moved; we have indeed left Salt Lake (good riddance) and couldn't be happier. Life is mysterious that way. I kept resisting the cookie-cutter Utah suburbs life and fighting it every step of the way, but here we are smack dab in the middle of Happy Valley and we're loving it. Go figure. It's weird to think that sometimes I don't even know what is best for me and what will make us happiest; I think I have had a lesson in humility and faith.

Alright, tangent over. On to the pictures of this little pool party. Although he didn't love the cold water (his mother's son!), Callum had so much fun and he played so well with the other kids. He can sure hold his own!

Ah I love summer!!

2011-06-23T16:36:00.001-07:00

Things have been crazy around here lately and very busy... My thoughts are scattered and I really don't even know what to write. Life is hectic but good and being a mom to two under two is indescribable. So fun and so special, yet really difficult at times. Callum is definitely approaching the "terrible twos" and tantrums are a daily (at least) occurrence in our house. Crosby sleeps for 6 hour stretches in the middle of the night, which would be great if Callum hadn't gotten sick. Pretty much between the two of them we've been up nearly every hour for the past 10 or so nights. I'm exhausted. But in truth, I'm really content too. We're just in the throes of parenting and I realize I'm probably going look back on this time as the best phase of my life.

Anyway, back to what we've been up to (besides throw up and diarrhea and a hungry three month old). I haven't had Internet for the past few weeks and finally just got it. Then I tried to upload my photos from my iPhone to my computer and it failed miserably. So I finally got an app that will let me upload my photos directly from my phone. So here goes.
These are just a few recent photos of my little peanut. This baby is an angel. I like to say he is very sensitive to the emotional climate in his surroundings. When people are happy he is happy. When there is conflict it really stresses him out. he can just sense the mood of the room.
Alright here they are:

Three Months

2011-06-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

My baby is three months old today. Sometimes it feels like it's flying by way too fast, but with the major changes that our family has experienced since he's been born I can't believe it's only been three months that he's been with us. March feels so long ago!

This kid is such a dream. Here are some things about him:

He is a good sport about everything and loves to get lots of attention and smiles. He is a little Houdini like his brother was, and can get out of any swaddle I do. He is my little grazer--he eats a bit at a time quite often and he loves to fall asleep while being fed (despite my best efforts to do the opposite. Babywise anyone?)
Bath time is his favorite and he loves sleeping in his Boppy. He's not a big fan of tummy time, but after protesting for a bit, he invariably falls asleep during it.

He is a special little baby and he makes my heart melt every single time he smiles. He's just a complete joy. I could go on and on about my boys but it's because this time flies by so very fast and I don't want to forget how much I loved each and every milestone, each and every smile, each and every little trait and preference that makes Crosby, Crosby.

Obsessions

2011-05-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute and record a few things that Callum is into at the moment. He is SO CUTE right now I can barely stand it. He is talking like crazy and putting three words together to make little sentences. He also understands EVERYTHING. We have these door stoppers that are new at our new house and he was going through taking them all off the walls. We told him it was a "no touch" and now he walks around getting really close to each one without touching it and says in a very authoritative voice "No Touch!". He also tells us when he has a poopy and if he has a diaper rash he goes "bum hurt!" or "pee-pee hurt!" I just love it. He'll point to himself and say "Caggum" when he meets other little kids and he loves to give kids hugs and kisses. I love this little boy. Now to the point of my post, here are the things he is into right now:

Chocolate milk. This is his first love, and if we let him it would be all he ingests ever. He asks for "coco milk" about ten thousand times a day.
Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Grover. He isn't into watching the show, but he LOVES the characters! His new favorite is "Cookie Mo-mo".
Pixar. He is so into Toy Story, Nemo, and Cars. He calls them Buzz, Nemo, and McQueen, respectively. His new favorite right now is Nemo. He loves the whale scene and the turtles, but especially little Nemo. He also loves Buzz. Woody is okay, but Buzz is special. He loves to go around the house saying "And Beyond!!" thrusting his arm into the air.
He still loves animals and his new favorite is horses. He still goes around asking about Apple-horse?
He LOVES modes of transportation. Airplanes, helicopters, motorcycles, police cars, fire trucks, trains, buses, you name it. If he finds one, he points to it and shouts its name over and over and over until it passes.
He loves to dance. He'll just hear music and rock out on his own. I love it.
He is so into saying his colors. Sometimes he's right, sometimes he's not, but either way he says his colors everywhere. He is particularly into the color orange. (Or at least saying it? But he's right most often with orange).
He likes to count down the stairs. He's just repeating us but he loves to do it.
He loves Crosby. He always asks where "Cwoz" is and tries to feed him a bottle, hug him, hold him, and just loves to see him. It melts my heart.
He says his own prayers now. We'll start and he'll repeat us but he knows what he's saying. He bows his head and folds his arms and says about two words at a time.

What can I say, I am enamored of this little boy. He is more and more fun every day and he has the sweetest, funniest little personality. Actually he has a HUGE personality. People stop us all the time and comment on how gregarious and charming he is. He is a total joy.

Maui 2011 (part 2)

2011-05-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

These are my iPhone photos that I'd snap while we were out and about. We truly had such a wonderful time.

Callum learning to drive on the Mule with Tatu. He still talks about feeding the horses an apple on the "tractor".

such an angel!

Sandy little Boy!

On a date with mom. He got gelato!

My dad and his best friend (left) and business partner (right), modeling the t-shirts my mom and I got them.

The boardroom. Get it?

Zuzu loves his brother! He always asks to hold him. I let him, but I have to be careful!

Maui 2011

2011-05-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

After my seizure, my parents offered to let me stay with them in Maui to have some help and some R&R while Ryan was out working. Ryan jumped at the chance to know I wasn't alone while he was out in Oklahoma City. I am so grateful that he did because it was so neat for Callum to play in the pool and ocean, learn about a dozen new words every day, and most of all bond with his Koko and Tatu. It was a perfect vacation. Enjoy the slew of photos!

Tatu teaching Callum to water the trees. He LOVED this!!

Tatu gave Callum oreos and milk. Cal was in seventh heaven. He'd shove the entire cookie in his mouth!

Koko and Cal at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Cal was rocking out to the music here. He'd just move his head to the beat, it was SO CUTE.

He loves to eat off the table :)

The kids' table. My mom made them all a kids' meal and they sat outside. See that McQueen chair? That might've been Cal's favorite part of the whole trip. He LOVES Cars, Toy Story, and Nemo.

Little Croz Bones doing what he does best. Such a dream.

Cal splashed and splashed in the sink. This was also the PERFECT sink for Crosby's baths. He LOVED them!

Cal loved these goggles. they matched his Buzz life vest. (He calls it his "any beyond!" vest.

Callum and Shaman. He about DIED when he saw the tractor.

Cal made a friend. So cute!

Folk Songs

2011-05-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

When we were little, my mom used to sing us these songs that I can only assume were from her childhood passed down to us. As an adult, I decided to look them up online and see if I could find them again. I realized it was sort of strange that my mom used to sing them to us, but it was even stranger that we used to beg her to sing them. You see, these songs are devastatingly, heartbreakingly sad. We'd cry and cry and cry and then ask her to sing them again.

I looked up Little Boy Blue, and even at 25 years old I couldn't get through reading it without crying my eyes out.

Strange tradition, yes, but it's my childhood nonetheless. So I thought I'd share them on my blog in an effort to pass on these folk songs to yet another generation. I like that they exist through my mom's songs alone and until now hadn't been written down.

Little Boy Blue

(I think this one is pretty self-explanatory):

The little toy dog is covered with dust,

But sturdy and stanch he stands;

And the little toy soldier is red with rust,

And his musket moulds in his hands.

Time was when the little toy dog was new,

And the soldier was passing fair;

And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue

Kissed them and put them there.

"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,

"And don't you make any noise!"

So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,

He dreamt of the pretty toys;

And, as he was dreaming, an angel song

Awakened our Little Boy Blue---

Oh! the years are many, the years are long,

But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,

Each in the same old place---

Awaiting the touch of a little hand,

The smile of a little face;

And they wonder, as waiting the long years through

In the dust of that little chair,

What has become of our Little Boy Blue,

Since he kissed them and put them there.

Letter Edged in Black

The background on this one is that the guy singing this song was in prison when the postman handed him a letter written by his dad.

I was standin' by my window yesterday morning

Without a thought of worry or of care

When I saw the postman comin' up the pathway

With such a happy face and jolly air.

He rang the bell and whistled as he waited

Then he said; "Good morning to you, Jack"

But he little knew the sorrow he had brought me

When he handed me a letter edged in black.

With trembling hand I took this letter from him

I broke the seal and this is what it said:

"Come home my boy, your dear old father wants you

Come home my boy, your dear old mother's dead."

I bowed my head in sorrow and in sadness

The sunshine of my life, it all had fled

When the post man brought that letter yesterday morning

"Saying come home my boy, your dear old mother's dead."

"The last words your mother ever uttered

Tell my boy I want him to come back

My eyes are blurred, my poor old heart is breaking

So, I'm writing you this letter edged in black."

"Forget those angry words that we had spoken

You know I didn't mean them, don't you, Jack

May the angels bear as witness, I am asking

Your forgiveness in this letter edged in black."

Brain Update

2011-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Following my seizure, I had an MRI, a CT scan and an EEG. The first two came back normal but the EEG was abnormal. My neurologist didn't seem to think my brain waves looked epileptic but he couldn't rule it out either. So he rescheduled another one for 3 weeks later (as I was going to Hawaii for 2 weeks a few days after the first EEG) and I thought nothing of it. He told me I could go on medication but I didn't have to and that hopefully we'd get more answers after the second EEG.

While in Hawaii, I felt so relaxed and had such a great time that I felt sure that my seizure was a one time thing. I had no doubt in my mind that my health and medical issues were behind me. Last Wednesday morning however, I woke up disoriented, confused and with my memory impaired. I knew immediately that I'd had another seizure. My tongue was chewed up and my pillow was bloody.

I called Ryan who was in Oklahoma City for work and he hopped on the first plane back to SLC. I felt so bad that I had to pull him away from his busiest time of year and keep him away for who knows how long. On top of additional health issues that we thought were behind us, we are moving ASAP and have to make a decision as to where to go and what to do. Being an adult isn't easy!

Although things are a little crazy right now, I am trying to see it as an opportunity to grow. Things can always be worse and I am just grateful to have a loving, selfless husband and two perfect, beautiful boys. I am also grateful for our families who have been very helpful and supportive in this time of uncertainty and fear.

Anyway, I go back for my second EEG next Thursday and after my second seizure, I have decided to go on medication to prevent them. Beyond that I don't know what to expect, and I don't know what they will find. Thanks for all of you who have reached out after reading my blog--it means more to me than you know! I will keep you posted as I learn more. I hope to have good(ish) news.

Hoppy Easter!

2011-05-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year; even though it was very low key, it was just what we needed and it was perfect. We woke up to the Easter Bunny's treats in the backyard with a trail of eggs to Callum's and Crosby's baskets. I wasn't sure how Callum would react to the Easter egg hunt and basket, but he took right to it and had such a blast discovering each new toy and item. It was so fun to watch. We also decorated Easter Eggs and I was surprised by how much fun Callum had with those too, although he didn't quite get what he was doing. He kept breaking the eggs and saying "oh no! it bwoke!" He did decorate the eggs pretty well though, coloring them like a seasoned pro! Crosby dressed as a little bunny and enjoyed being a part of the festivities. I love my little family!

The Easter Bunny even remembered Ryan :)

"It bwoke! Oh noo!"

The finished product. Cal did great!

The Thing About Sisters

2011-05-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people ask me about my relationship with my sisters--what is it like? Are we close? I never know how to answer them. How to explain all the intricacies and nuances and inside jokes and fights and experiences in just a few words? I could say any number of things, but the truth is, no one really "gets" what my relationship is like with my sisters except them.

Sisters are your best friends, even when they don't really like you all that much at the time. They know when you're actually being kind of lame, and they know when you're not but sometimes you're being misunderstood. McKinley is the most fiercely loyal person I know and she knows that we can be mad at each other, say things about each other, but we'll be damned if YOU say anything about any one of us.

They are your sounding board; I know that I can come to Brittany and vent and not worry about what she'll think of me and that she'll give me sound advice and even tell me when I am wrong.

My sisters are funny. They get why Jewel's CD pieces of you is HILARIOUS. They like to do the same things on vacation as I do and they make things more fun. They laugh at the right parts in the movies. They always get the quote you're referencing when talking about something else entirely, and they get WHY you used it there. They know about our secret dorky things, like the fact that Brittany and I actually watched Center Stage twice in theatres because we liked it so much (was that just me? I know you liked it too Bert!)

The thing about sisters is that with the exception of Ryan, there is no one else on this planet that I have been my worst, ugliest self with. With no one else is it safe for me to unload all of my feelings, even when I am wrong, and know that after it all, they are there--just as they have always been. Even the strongest of friendships wouldn't withstand some of the conflicts or events that me and my sisters have gone through, but that's the thing about sisters, they're always mine.

Two Months

2011-05-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

My little baby boy is two months old already. It does fly by but this last month has been so busy and full of stuff: birthdays, blessings, Easter(that I need to blog about still), family in town, seizure, doctors tests and appointments (updates on that later, too), going to Maui, saying goodbye to Ryan for 5 weeks while he sells his brains out in Wichita, getting organized so I can meet him in Oklahoma city in a month, and being a MOM~ you know, just enjoying my sweet boys and the things they say and do. Anyway it feels like I squeezed a lot into April so it feels so far away too.

Cal needs his own post--this kid is full on talking. He learns about 3 or 4 new words a day and is now saying full sentences, which just blows me away. He is a crack up and I need to document all of his latest accomplishments.

But my little peanut, affectionately nicknamed "Croz" by his older brother, is such a joy. I can't even describe the way my heart melts when he smiles and goos and coos at me. He is just the most happy, content and loving child. I used to call him "sweet" but it didn't seem like quite the right word for him and I couldn't think of one that fit better until I heard Ryan use the word "tender" in Crosby's baby blessing. That's the exact word--he is a tender little soul and when he smiles it's like he is just so grateful to be fed and burped and held. He is a CUDDLER. This kid would much rather be held than put down which unless I am chasing the Tazmanian devil of a toddler around I am happy to do.

He loves his big brother and he just loves to "be". He is truly a joy and I love and feel so honored to be his mommy. Happy Two Months my little Crozbinator.

A Name and A Blessing

2011-04-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening, we had both sides of our families together for dinner at our house to celebrate Hunter's birthday and just all be together. We had Cafe Rio cater and Mike and Brittany brought a Banana Cream Pie from Maddox that is maybe the best of its kind, anywhere. It was so good! Because of the excitement of that earlier morning, I sort of dropped the ball on getting candles for Hunter's birthday and doing some of the other things I'd planned but I was just thrilled to still be hosting everyone.
On Sunday April 17, 2011, Crosby's dad, uncles and grandpas gathered in a circle to give Crosby a name and a blessing. It was a beautiful day, a beautiful blessing, and I am so glad we were able to have our families gather together for this event.
After the blessing we came back to our house for Kneaders sandwiches and treats from the Sweet Tooth Fairy. We had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and we just enjoyed the great weather and having everyone together. It was a great weekend and I am so happy we were able to all be together!

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Person!

2011-04-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Ryan turned the big 2-7! I love this man so much. He is my best friend and he is perfect for me. He can always make me laugh and is always in a good mood but he is also so responsible and such a leader. He makes me feel safe, always. I love this man--he is a great husband and loving, doting father. He has a huge heart and is generous and forgiving. He is humble and he makes things happen. I hope he knows just how highly I think of him and just how special of a guy he really is.
Every year, I make his FAVORITE meal: lasagna. I have a recipe that he loves and this year it turned out amazing. We had caesar salad and garlic toast and a homemade ice cream cake for dessert (another tradition is ice cream cake, but this time I made one and it was gorgeous!). He also got some clothes from his family and a laptop. I thought it would be nice for Ryan to get some letters from his family so that when he feels alone he can turn to their words and remember how loved he is. It was so neat to see everyone participate and to see what they had to write. I hope it was something he will appreciate as he gets older, too. Ryan loved having his family here and we had a great time together.
Happy Birthday, Brownie my love!

2011-04-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I woke up out of a deep sleep to two paramedics asking me questions about the most simple things. I thought because I was so tired, the answers wouldn't come to me so I told them to give me a few minutes to think of the answers. Answers to questions like "what month is it?" or "who is the president of the United States?" just eluded me and try as I might, I couldn't access the storage files in my brain. It didn't occur to me to wonder why there were paramedics in my room, I really wasn't wondering anything since I couldn't remember a thing. I remember seeing Ruel, Ryan's brother, in the background and couldn't remember why he was in my home.

They put me on oxygen and calmly wheeled me out on a stretcher to take me to the hospital. In the ambulance, they continued to ask me simple questions that I couldn't answer. I asked him what time it was and he told me it was about 6:30 am. I thought it was evening. I didn't know what month we were in, I didn't remember going to sleep the night before, I couldn't put my life in any sort of context at all whatsoever. I think I might have told them I'd had a baby 2 weeks prior instead of 6 weeks.

In the hospital, I was told I had a seizure. Ryan was right by my side the entire time and was terrified. As I started to remember more about current events in my life and place context around it, Ryan started to explain to me what happened from where he was.

It was about 6:10 am and he noticed my legs moving. He thought I was trying to get him to scoot over in bed but as he looked at me he saw my entire body convulsing and seizing. He ran and grabbed Ruel, who was in town for Crosby's baby blessing and Ruel told him to call 911. Ruel reminded Ryan to give me a blessing and I am so grateful that they did. Ruel said I came to almost immediately after the blessing ended. The seizure lasted about 1.5-2 minutes and by the time the paramedics got here it was over, but I had no memory of anything before what I already described.

Talk about a surreal experience. I debated writing about it because I tend to be more private about things, and this was a very scary, dramatic moment for me (DEFINITELY my first time ever in an ambulance, or even the ER for that matter). I ultimately decided to chronicle it in case there is something I can learn from this event later on in life. Poor Ryan was absolutely traumatized, and as hard as it was to have a seizure, I think it was worse for him to witness it. I think he thought I was going to die.

After a few hours in the ER and a CT scan I was released from the hospital, and was told that doctors were hopeful that this was a one time event, not something I will have to deal with my entire life--and for that I am so very grateful.

As to what caused it, there are jokes that it was all the hair chemicals that threw me over the edge, but doctors say it was likely caused by irregular sleep patterns (I do have a newborn--what am I supposed to do?) mixed with stress. I knew I had been stressed lately but I had no clue I was wearing out my body or my brain.

I am so grateful for my health and my mind. I am also so grateful for such a wonderful husband who is a priesthood holder that could give me a blessing in a time of need. I feel fortunate we had family in town to help with our boys while we were away and to be a support to us when we needed it.

I see a neurologist this week to get an EEG and to make sure my brain is normal but I am hopeful that this was a one-time oddity. Other than the fact that I am incredibly sore, my tongue is raw and bitten on, and I have track marks in my arms from the needles the nurses used in my arms like a pincushion, I feel normal again. I am just so happy it wasn't anything worse!

First things First

2011-04-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been such a fun weekend with both of our families in town for Crosby's baby blessing and Hunter's birthday (he turns 3!!). We also had a little excitement this weekend too but first things first: I must chronicle my botched hair do. She started out and the whole thing was a coppery, orangey color. So I asked her to add some blonde highlights and try to cool it down a bit since it was so warm. She redoes it, and 5 hours later it turns out like this.

What the heck?

This is worse than it was the first time she messed it up. How is my hair orange and purple? How is it too warm and too cool at the same time? I am over the upset of it now, but this has to be the worst a professional has ever done my hair--ever. AND she charged me. AND I paid her. I left, thinking I must've been too dramatic and it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. But, no, it's really this bad. It was quite the experience and if I can't laugh at it, I'll cry (while my hair calms down a bit). At least I fit in with all the Easter eggs!

One Month Old

2011-04-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Crosby is one month old already. It makes me so sad that the time is going by so fast. I love this little boy so much and he is just such a joy in our home. He is such a happy, sweet baby and he is a cuddly little guy. He does NOT like to be put down so I have become very efficient at doing things one-handed :)
I love having my little buddy around all the time. Callum loves his little brother and our home is so full with two sweet boys. It just feels like all this time we were missing Crosby and didn't even realize how empty it was without him. Now my heart is just so full.

I love you little peanut.

I Cannot Wait...

2011-04-01T09:40:00.001-07:00

...For this movie to come out. The book was amazing (and the movies are never as good) but I'm really hoping this one will impress. Please don't disappoint.

Giveaway

2011-03-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

My sister McKinley is giving away some yummy treats from Les Madeleines in Salt Lake City.

As a devoted, self-proclaimed foodie, I can't resist reposting this...

Go to her blog and enter. Good Luck!

Al Bundy in Training?

2011-03-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Callum likes to sometimes put his hand down his diaper and I've never thought too much about it. Last night I find him like this:

(Yes, my house is a mess. But please! I have a newborn, a toddler, and a husband who is out of town till Sunday!)

FROZEN in place for about 10 minutes!

So I ask him what his hand is doing, thinking he'll forget it was in there and take it out. But he just wasn't going to!

A third (failed) attempt at getting him to take his hand out. Oh goodness, this kid cracks me up!!

Conversations with Cal

2011-03-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

This video is a little long so it's probably boring to most of you but I think it's too cute not to share.

iPhone Photos of My Boys

2011-03-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here are just some photos that I have taken of my boys over the past few weeks. Thank goodness for my iPhone because these moments are too precious to have not captured, and yet they are so spontaneous that I never have my camera in these sweet or silly simple moments throughout my days.

Learning to put on his shoes. HE has to do it and he is a BIG BOY!

He's such a good boy

I love my boys!

Cal never sits still but this evening he came in, handed me the remote and asked for "Doors". He's all poised and ready. How cute!

Getting a cupcake with Koko. Licking all that frosting off his fingers!

So peaceful

Callum got into the chalk and decided it would be a great idea to eat it! I don't know how good it tasted but it sure made a cute photo!

On his new razor that Tatu got him.

Cal likes taking showers now and as I mentioned earlier, is OBSESSED with toothbrushes. How cute is he?

I caught him sleeping in the cutest position this morning, and tried to take a picture. He saw the flash and turned over with this sweet smile on his face. I love being greeted by this happy face in the mornings.

Aw, he is growing too fast already!

"Doors" and Other Ramblings

2011-03-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

My little Zuzu is twenty months old today and let me tell you he just keeps getting more and more fun. He is just such a little ham! He changes so much each day that I am afraid I won't chronicle all the cute things he does and says which makes me sad but I wanted to talk about his newest obsession. Callum has always loved opening and closing doors in our house (or anywhere else, actually).
My mom and he watched Monsters Inc for the first time a few weeks ago and my mom laughed and laughed at each funny scene, making Callum love the movie. She also pointed out all the Doors in the movie, which got Callum hooked. Now he comes into the room, hands me the remote and asks for "doors" every. single. day. He LOVES this movie!! I can recite probably every line from the movie thanks to this kid, but it is so cute and I love that he calls it "Doors".

Another love of Cal's is the movie Cars, which got him into actual cars. All day I hear "car! car! beep beep!" (and he'll point to his ear and point to the outside window when he hears a car drive by). If you ask him what a car says he goes "vroom! vroom!" He picks out his cars jammies every chance he gets and now he's into planes and trucks and fire engines and all the noises they make. It's really cute.

Callum is a really great big brother. He runs to me when Crosby is crying and notifies me that the baby is "guy-ee!" He puts his binkie back in for him and he rubs his head and gives him kisses on his own. He is such a sweet little boy!

He has also taken to calling me Mum-mum. Ryan thinks it's so cute because it's the British/Canadian way to say mom-mom but I can't really hear the difference. I just think it's cute that he's come up with it on his own instead of calling me mommy.

My mom was here for two weeks and it was so much fun to have her here. I cried when she left because it felt like a vacation was ending and how was I ever going to cook dinners and clean the kitchen and do the laundry and play with Callum and get sleep and leave the house without her? She was an amazing help and Cal loved all the attention from his Koko. Thanks again mom, I love you!

Fresh

2011-03-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

I love how fresh new babies are and they are even fresher after their first bath at home. Crosby's umbilical cord hadn't fallen off yet so we just did a little sponge bath.
I can't believe he is a week old already. I really want to slow time down and just savor this time with my charming, sparkling toddler and my fresh, sweet, tiny newborn.
If this is how I feel about my second child growing up too fast, I am going to be a psycho when it's my last baby. At least I am prepared for this.

Look at that cute little bum!

holding his binky already!

those luscious locks

The Birth Story

2011-03-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

Last week, Ryan and I decided at our last doctor's appointment to schedule an induction date for Friday March 4. On the morning of the induction date, we woke up at 6am to call the hospital and see what time they wanted us to arrive. They told us to come at 7:30 am. I showered and got ready, noticing that I was having contractions but not paying too much attention to them because I knew we'd be going to the hospital one way or another in a matter of minutes. I got dressed and as I was leaving I noticed a little trickle. I asked Ryan if my pants were wet because I literally couldn't see over my belly and he about died when he saw that my pants were soaked. I could not believe our good fortune and excitement around having my water break on the induction date! We got to relax, plan and prepare for our baby, but then end up having him naturally and not worry about any potential dangers of an induction! I always wanted my water to break on its own at home and never thought it would, so that was a perk.

We got to the hospital and my mom made it just in time to be there for the birth. We had the most amazing nurse, Heather and we loved our doctor. Because my water broke at home, they had to start me on pitocin anyway which let me tell you is way more intense than normal contractions are! I didn't mind though; after abut 2 hours of sitting around at a 7, I was at a 10 by 2pm. Our doctor asked if Ryan wanted to deliver the baby and he was all for it. We were trying to figure out how to video tape the birth, since Ryan was going to be with the doctor and otherwise occupied, so Yami (as our nurse called our doctor) suggested that I videotape. It was the best experience and I love my doctor for suggesting it.

Labor began at 2:12 pm and Crosby was here at 2:23pm. I pushed through 2 contractions and he was here. It was better than we expected or planned for and even as I type this I relish in the wonderful memories that I have on that day. It felt nothing short of miraculous, I feel so overjoyed to have two beautiful healthy little boys.

the final moments of this pregnancy!

Dad with the overnight bags and cameras!

I love this idea: our nurse asked us about our goals for delivery and wrote them on this board. I am excited to say each goal was met this time. It was amazing.

Ryan relaxing. He shot up at about 2pm and said "alright, I'm ready to have this baby!" The nurse came in and checked me a minute later and said I was at a ten and ready to push.

About to start pushing!

Videotaping my own delivery (don't mind the double chins)

Ryan suited up and ready to deliver this baby!

Our very first family photo

Dad giving Crosby his very first bath

Nice and clean!

Family visitors! I am so bummed that in my exhaustion I forgot to take so many photos of visitors that came. But it was great to have family and friends come. To those that did, thank you!

Tatu and Crosby

Amazing Geneal and Crosby

Crosby with his Koko and Tatu

Callum wanting to be a little baby again in Crosby's bassinet. Aw he is too cute!

What's in a Name?

2011-03-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

When we were pregnant with Callum, I was about nine months along when Ryan suggested the name Crosby. Although Callum always felt like "the" name, we always bring a few names to the hospital to meet our baby before we commit to the name. I really liked Crosby and didn't know why it appealed to me so we brought it to the hospital just in case.
In the hospital, we just couldn't shake the name "Crosby" and I couldn't explain why we felt so strongly attached to the name. This is partly why Callum went unnamed for so long; was he a Callum or a Crosby?
After Callum was born, my mom commented to us about how she really felt there was another soul in the delivery room with Callum. It was like a light went off for me; that was why I kept going back to Crosby--he was there too! It may sound a little crazy but immediately after Callum was born, Ryan and I knew we had another baby waiting to join our family-- a boy named Crosby.
When we met him we knew we'd met the very baby that anxiously waited for his turn when Callum was born in that hospital nineteen months ago. I will always treasure that experience and I have a feeling he and Callum are going to be very close brothers with a special bond.

As for his middle names, Ryan and I both loved Jude and it was on our list of boys names if Crosby wasn't right when we met our baby. When we went Israel (biblical Judaea) I fell in love with the name even more and I knew Jude had to be in the name somewhere. Robert is after Ryan's dad and grandpa and great grandpa Brown.

Welcome

2011-03-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

Crosby Jude Robert

March 4, 2011

7 lbs 9 oz 19 inches long

born at 2:23pm

We are so in love, and Callum loves being a big brother.

Callum is driving!

2011-03-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

When I let him out of his car seat, lately he has been crawling to other areas of the car to explore instead of going into my arms to leave the car. He is such a big boy!

The Final Stretch

2011-02-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how soon this baby is coming-- and the mix of emotions I have around everything. In about 10 days or so we will be a family of four and I am really excited for what that means. This baby is so a part of our family already that I am anxious to just be done and sort of start the next phase. At the same time I have so much anxiety around having two only 19 months apart. I already feel like I've forgotten everything about the newborn phase, so I don't feel like a seasoned pro but a scared rookie! I am also sort of terrified of the labor process, because as you may or may not know my last labor was really not a positive experience. I know this one can be a very different experience, but the fear is still there.

We have all been sick lately and I have been sleeping horribly so I think I may be the first mother in the history of time who has had zero nesting ability. I just could not find the energy to clean my house and the laundry kept piling up, the dishes sat in the sink, Cal's toys remained strewn all over the play room. I openly admit it would still be that way if it weren't for my husband and mom who helped out this weekend. Ryan called my mom early in the week because he is in St. Louis and asked if she'd come out and help while he was gone. I am glad he didn't tell me he was going to call her because I probably wouldn't have let him if I'd have known but I am so glad he did! My mom came right out and in a few days she whipped my house into shape. The house is now sparkling and she even got things for dinner ready so that Ryan can come home to a nice meal and I don't have to cook. On top of all that I got a day to play all day yesterday. First I had some "me" time and then my mom and I got lunch and went to a movie (we saw Never Say Never, which I am almost embarrassed to admit was amazing and I am a huge Bieber fan now).. I haven't had a FULL day of just me time in so long that I savored every moment of it. Of course I was happy to come home to my Zuzu but that was some much needed R&R before this next bebe comes.

Now the waiting game begins. Ryan will be home at midnight tonight and we still have a few last minute things to do to get ready for baby but the doctor thinks I could go into labor any day. Last week I was at 3cm and 80% effaced so although that isn't a predictor of when labor will happen, it does mean it could happen fast. With Cal at my 40 week appointment, I was dilated to 5cm before I even had a single contraction. So I need to be aware of any contractions so I can get to the hospital in time for an epidural! :)

We are so excited to meet our little lovie and the excitement and love for this little being certainly outweighs the anxiety and fear. The joy I feel from envisioning two little kids running around my house making a mess and making me laugh is so great that I know it will all work out even when I doubt my own abilities. Bring on the baby!

Pet Peeves

2011-02-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

Some things just drive me nuts. In no particular order, here are my top five pet peeves EVER. (ps. please don't be offended if any of these apply to you. They are just overall generalizations, not things that bother me about any of YOU!)

1. Utah Drivers. This pet peeve used to be "traffic" while living in California but now that I am in Utah, the drivers here trump any bad traffic I ever had in CA (almost.)
2. Cold showers. Nothing is better than a hot shower or bath after a long day, when I am achey and tired--but when I unexpectedly find myself in lukewarm or cool water, it isn't just annoying. It literally makes me angry in a way very few things can.
3. Ear piercings on baby girls. I just don't get it and I find it a little tacky.
4. Our law system. As someone who used to be relatively passionate about politics and law, I just find myself defeated at the flaws in the system and it makes me sad. The fact that someone with a marijuana plant can get 10 years in prison and a child molester or rapist can walk away with little more than a slap on the wrist makes me so passionately angry at the way our system works that I just find myself disengaging all together.
5. Grammatical errors/spelling errors/ etc. This one isn't exactly a pet peeve but because I notice almost every misspelling or error, it just always occurs to me that so few of us have been really taught the rules of the English language. I can't escape it; I see typos everywhere I go! Maybe this one should be a pet peeve about the flaws in the public school system rather than grammatical errors. On a side note please go out and read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. It's a dream come true and it's actually really entertaining.

What are your pet peeves?

Ode to the Sandwich

2011-02-19T17:32:00.000-08:00

The other day after my fifth Jimmy John's in a 2 week period, Ryan pointed out to me that I seem to be really into sandwiches this pregnancy. I realized he is right, but I never thought of it as a pregnancy "craving" because I've always loved sandwiches. Really, though...what a perfect food--bread stuffed with anything your little heart could dream up-- meat and veggies, hot or cold, the combinations are endless.

Sandwiches never feel too heavy after eating them yet they are always perfectly filling and satisfying, they never get old because there are so many ways to make a sandwich, and because any thing you can think of would be good in one, you can bust one out for dinner without even dealing with a lot of ingredients in your fridge/pantry. I eat sandwiches every day and I would be perfectly content if I did for the rest of my life.

A chicago style Italian beef. (McKinley you KNOW what I am talking about!!) Please, for the love of all that is holy, get one of these when you're in Chicago next. You can't get them anywhere else and they are to. die. for.

My mom used to make us these gourmet chicken breast sandwiches with pesto and red pepper spread, spinach on a nutty, crunchy wheat baguette. They are phenomenal!

My all time favorite sandwich: turkey, bacon, avocado on toasted sourdough.

The Italian sausage and pepper sandwich. I made this the other night and it was heaven in a roll.

Ah, the classic PB&J. When I was in kindergarden I was an INSANELY picky eater and every single day, without fail, I ate a pb&j sandwich. Here's a real testament to how good it really is: once I had a nanny (she must've been foreign) who made me a peanut butter, butter, and jelly sandwich. I gagged and almost cried at school that day. But--miraculously, it didn't change my feelings for the original. I honestly don't know if there is a better combination on earth than peanut butter and jelly. It actually probably deserves its own post.

Philly cheese steak. Little Daves in SLC makes a decent one, and I eat there way too much.

French Dip. This is a classic. Back when I was a really picky eater, I loved these things. Still do.

A classic Jimmy John's. Why oh why is it so delicious? Maybe it's because it's so cheap and so fast. Or maybe it's because their bread is so fresh and tasty. Here's the trick though: the first time I went here I was unimpressed and didn't like it. But you have to get ALL the veggies and hot peppers and then it's delicious.

Oh how I love you Sandwich. Thank you for being so well rounded, so perfect, so abundant and most of all so delicious. It is due to you that I don't eat cereal three meals a day.

Valentines Day

2011-02-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

We had a great Valentine's day yesterday where Ryan took the whole day off and we just got to hang out. We dropped Callum off with a wonderful friend who spoils Cal like crazy and had a nice dinner with quality time together. I love my husband and I love to see the way in which our marriage continues to grow each day. Some things I love about him:

He is always in a good mood and makes me laugh a lot.
He is a wonderful provider and really incredibly talented at what he does.
He is an affectionate and hands-on dad who adores Callum.
He is a good communicator and is very up-front and honest about what he is feeling, and very receptive and open to changing his ways too.
He is quick to forgive.
He values and respects my opinion.
He is my best friend.
He watches all my lame shows with me (he totally loves Emily. She better win!)
He is affectionate and tells me he loves me all the time.
He helps me around the house when I don't have the energy to clean.
And I think my favorite thing is how together we share a vision for how we'd like our lives to be when we are old. We both work together in one direction towards a common goal and it feels good to build a life with someone. Here's to a thousand more Valentines Days!

Blessing Weekend

2011-02-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend both my sisters blessed their babies; Brittany blessed Lily on Saturday and McKinley blessed Zenith on Sunday. It was great to have them back to back because we had a packed weekend that was really fun.

On Saturday we gathered at the chapel to hear Michael give Lily her name and blessing. It was a beautiful blessing and Lily looked like a little doll. She was so cute and sweet the whole time and everyone spoiled her with tons of attention! We love little Lils.

Lily in her beautiful blessing dress.

The men in the circle who blessed her.

the Ericksen Family

Lils and her grandparents.

Lils and her grandparents

On Sunday, we went to celebrate Zenith's special day and he looked so cute in the little outfit McKinley picked out, I could have just squeezed him to pieces. Although only those in the circle heard the blessing, it was a beautiful day and Zenith and his dad shared a special moment together. McKinley also threw an awesome open house complete with Cocoa Bean delicious cupcakes!

The men in the blessing circle.

Our side of the family with the beaming parents.

Three generations.

Look at that cute little outfit!!

We had a great weekend and it was nice to be a part of these special moments for my niece and nephew--I can't believe how fast our family is growing! I hope Callum gets a dozen more cousins soon (so get on it, Britt and Kinners! And ASHLEY!)

Eighteen Month Stats

2011-02-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Height: 34.5" (90 percentile)

Weight: 26 lbs 7 oz (55 percentile)

Head Circumference 18.5" (25 percentile)

Likes: toothbrushes, dental floss (he's really into the first two, he carries them around all day, brushing and trying to floss), food--fruit, juice (goo!), snacks (cookie?), and really anything except vegetables--, Lola, dancing and music, elmo, mom and dad, other kids- especially his cousin Ella, the Will.i.am. song on Sesame Street, the Katy Perry song on Sesame Street, bath time and bubbles, balls, his binkies, and talking up a storm.

Dislikes: Diaper changes, getting buckled into his car seat, going night-night, wearing shoes, vegetables.

Tangled

2011-02-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my little sister, mom, and I went to Idaho to help my sister Brittany throw Ella her 5th birthday party. The theme was Tangled and it was so cute! Brittany did a great job; she put pink and purple lanterns everywhere, balloons, and little Rapunzel details everywhere. We had a hair station where we decorated wigs that each girl got to take home and keep, and McKinley (I mean Rapunzel) read stories to the girls and helped Ella open her presents. There was pizza and cupcakes and it was a huge success. The girls LOVED Rapunzel. Brittany does a great job throwing parties, and McKinley makes the best princesses (she was Alice last year at Ella's birthday). Although, this might be the last year any of us can hope to fool Ella into believing she's really with the REAL princess, and not her Auntie Kinny.

One of the things that I was most impressed with was the combined skills and talents of my mom, sisters and me. On Friday night, we were presented with our resources: a blue dress that was too big for McKinley (and with a busted zipper), some ribbon, fabric tape, a long, stringy wig with all sorts of bald spots, stickers, and flowers. I was a little worried that we could pull it off in a few hours because it seemed like the separate elements of our ideas weren't going to come together. But my mom did McKinley's wig perfectly (twisting in her own hair with the wig), the three of us designed a pattern of ribbons for the dress, I did her makeup, and we added flowers to the wig all the way down the hair. Between the four of us we were so creative and innovative, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw then end result on Saturday morning. She looked great! The dress didn't have a single stitch from a sewing machine or needle, or even a hot glue gun. I just wish we had before pictures to really do it all justice.

The Little Gym

2011-02-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Callum graduated from his "birdies" class at The Little Gym. He is so cute in that class, I love watching him grow and explore and interact with the other kids there. He just cracks me up because he isn't really interested in the gymnastics part yet; half the time, he'd much rather open and close the bathroom doors, get into the cabinet with all the off-limit toys, and play at the drinking fountain/move the fountain stool all around. But he does love the music, the forward rolls, the bouncy balls, the rings, and the BUBBLES! He is such a happy kid and always gives Miss Megan high fives on his way out, running to get a stamp on BOTH hands (because one isn't enough!) It's a great way for him to get some of his energy out and I love doing it with him.

Trying to pop the bubbles with his mouth :)

Eighteen Months

2011-01-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

Callum is now 18 months old and he is no longer a baby. He is definitely a little boy and he is growing so fast and learning so much each day. Here is what he is up to:

New tricks:

He can count to three (un, too, wee!) though I am not sure he knows that he's counting

He can parrot almost anything we say, but his favorites are "baba, baby (his binkie), lola, no!, cookie (everything that tastes good is a cookie), apple (every fruit is an apple), nana (banana), uh-oh!, Hot!, goo (juice), ghee (I think that's good, but not sure. He always says "mmm, ghee!") brrrr!, bee (bread), elmo, amen (he loves to say this in the middle of prayers), eye, nose, ow!, bye, bye!, hi!, snow (but he says it like no) light, sky" and much more. He'll say yellow and some other words or phrases on cue and it's so cute!

He is still obsessed with food. Almost all the words he's learned has to do with food. He thinks about food nonstop and walks around the house asking for apples or nanas or cookies or gog-gogs (hot dogs) all day long!

He will hand me the remote and say "elmo! elmo!" and I'll turn sesame street on. Everything animated is "elmo!" though. Monsters are called Elmo, puppets, muppets, cartoons, all "ELMO!"

Cal has about 3-5 poopy diapers a day, and they STINK! So when I change him, I go "whoo! poopy poopy poopy!" and wave my hand in front of my nose. Now, Callum has taken to doing the same thing--waving his hand and saying "WHOO! boopy boopy boopy!"

Cal loves music and will dance and sing whenever songs come on. His favorite is to listen to CMT in the mornings and he zones in.

He can say the sounds that a dog, a kitty, a cow, a duckie, and sometimes a sheep make. It's so cute.

He can identify his nose, mouth, teeth, head, eyes, ears, and hands when you ask him.

He still loves baby bumblebee, and now loves the itsy bitsy spider, the wiseman built his house upon the rock, and popcorn popping on the apricot tree. He makes the hand movements for the spider climbing and for the house on a rock.

He laughs and laughs at so many things and he is such a happy baby. If Ryan and I are laughing about something, Callum will come in from wherever he is and laugh a loud fake laugh just to join in the fun!

He loves his cousin Ella, and if he sees a picture of her or something that reminds him of her, he'll say "ella! ella!" over and over.

He also is pretty into santa. We have a picture of Santa coming up to our car window and Callum will look at it and say "anta!"

He now says Eww when things are gross and says diaper.

He says thank you! all the time, except when it's the right time to say thank you.

He waves and says "hi!" to my tummy, and then gives it kisses. It is SO CUTE!

He says "all gone!" and shrugs when things are gone. He'll also say "one more!" or "right back!" when I say it first.

He LOVES hats. He'll go into his drawer, pull out a hat and put it on or give it to me to put on him. It's really cute how much he loves them!

He learned to say "I love you!!" and it just melts my heart.

He has learned when to say thank you at the right time.

He will bend his legs, crouch down really low, and pat his thighs and scream "Lola!" so she comes to him. It makes me laugh so hard. He also tries to be an authority figure to her; he'll point to her bed and say "bee!" (bed)

we love this little boy so much and he is more fun each and every day.

discovery gateway

2011-01-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Recently, I got us memberships to Discovery Gateway Museum so we can play as much as we want while it's chilly outside. Cal loved it, and I had to take pictures of his first time there. Man I love that kid and we sure have fun together.

Life is BeUTAHful

Funny Boys

Christmas in San Francisco and Canada

Giveaway

Catching Up: Holiday Fun

Catching up: thanksgiving

ABCs

First Haircut

Disneyland Pt 2

Disneyland Pt 1

HALLOWEEN

Accident Prone?

Messy Boys

Fall Festivities

Just Hangin'

Snow Day

Crosby at-a-glance

Crosby's Four Month Stats

Quarter

Callum at-a-glance

Callum is TWO!

A Reluctant Return

Swag

Yo Ho

McQueen

And BEYOND!!

More Fourth

Lils' Birthday

Bear World

Southfield Fourth of July Celebration

Pirate's Island

A Walk in the Park

Pool Party

Three Months

Obsessions

Maui 2011 (part 2)

Maui 2011

Folk Songs

Brain Update

*Hoppy* Easter!

The Thing About Sisters

Two Months

A Name and A Blessing

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Person!

First things First

One Month Old

I Cannot Wait...

Giveaway

Al Bundy in Training?

Conversations with Cal

iPhone Photos of My Boys

"Doors" and Other Ramblings

Fresh

The Birth Story

What's in a Name?

Welcome

Callum is driving!

The Final Stretch

Pet Peeves

Ode to the Sandwich

Valentines Day

Blessing Weekend

Eighteen Month Stats

Tangled

The Little Gym

Eighteen Months

discovery gateway

Hoppy Easter!