Going private finally...

As of Feb 15, 2009, our blog will become private. Really, there's just too many creeps and weirdos out there that I don't want knowing everything about us! At that point, I will be sending out an "invite" email to all who's email addresses I have. If you're pretty sure I don't have your email (or it's changed), or even just want an invite, leave a comment with your email. From then on, you will have to login to view our blog, and if you don't have a Google/Blogger (even Gmail works) account, then create one, it's pretty easy! THANKS!

Anyone want a lemon???

We love this video of Carson that we took last week. As you know, Carson will eat ANYTHING. So, while at a restaurant, I decided to give him my lemon from my water to see what he would do. Sure enough he liked it and it kept him occupied for at least 15 min! Even with the sour faces he was making, he still loved it!

Carson at 10 months

I seriously can't believe that our baby is 10 months old, let alone ALMOST A YEAR!! He's just growing up way too quickly. So, here's his stats as of last week. He weighs in at a hefty 23 lbs (it's actually only in the 75% compared to the 90% plus which he's always been in) and is a whopping 30 inches tall. What a BIG BOY!!! I put together a list of his favorite things right now, along with the latest milestones he has reached.

CARSON'S FAVES:

1. MOM. I'm definitely #1 in his book and yep, he's a Momma's boy, in a good way :)
2. Food. A close #2. The kid thoroughly enjoys meal time and would do it all day long if I let him. So far, the kid hasn't met a single food he hasn't liked and trust me, we've given him EVERYTHING (well, except candy and sweets). He even already loves avocados, olives, tomatoes, broccoli (I know, weird), some of the things that you would think wouldn't be tolerated at his young age. But his absolute faves would include: any kind of pasta (esp spaghetti which he slurps up into his mouth), rice, mashed potatoes, any kind of fresh fruit (esp bananas, oranges, peaches, grapes, and pears), veggies (esp sweet potatoes, peas, and beans), chicken, yogurt, applesauce, and cheerios. But really, the list could go on, he loves EVERYTHING. Thank goodness for non-finicky eaters!!!
3. Balls of all varieties. He gets so excited when he sees one and immediately crawls to go grab it. He esp loves watching Austin kick the soccer ball around the house or when we roll it to him.
4. Electronics, esp cell phones. Hmmm, deja vu? :) But what boy doesn't, yep, are we in for it AGAIN. Austin has broken so many gadgets in our house.
5. Books with noises and fuzzy textures.
6. His soft polk-dot blankie which he holds with one hand, while he sucks his thumb to sleep. Too precious.
7. Taking baths with his brother. It doesn't matter how tired he is by the end of the day, he thoroughly enjoys playing, splashing, and getting water dumped on his head, watching his brother.
8. His thumb. Hands down the cutest thing to watch-that chubby little fist up to his mouth. But boy, will we pay for that later!
9. Getting tickled. He esp loves when Austin tickles his face, he just giggles endlessly!
10. Gabbing, babbling, squealing...Carson loves to "talk"!

MILESTONES:

1. Crawling (he started doing this at about 9 months)
2. Standing up on things
3. Clapping (and for no reason)
4. Waving
5. Saying "mama", although I'm not sure it means anything yet :) He's been saying "dada", "baba", etc forever, but about a month ago, finally started saying "mama"!!!
6. Not nursing anymore! (Probably bigger for me!) We recently just weaned him to a sippy cup-YEAH!!!!

To nap or not to nap???

As Austin approaches 4 in a few months, I have long considered when I should give up his nap. For quite awhile now, he has been fighting me on naps (although he doesn't have them every day), but I'm not sure he's ready to go without yet! Or is it I am not ready for him to not have naps anymore? :) Austin is one of those kids that has never been a long napper, even when he was a baby he took cat-naps and could live off of only 11-12 hrs of sleep at night. He's always been healthy too, never an ear infection, strep throat, croup, nothing other than a little cold here and there. BUT the problem I run into is if he goes without too few naps/week, by 4pm, he's a PILL! Plus, he is rougher with his little brother, he doesn't obey as well, and he's even more wild and crazy! I guess as long as he actually falls asleep when I make him take a nap every other day (and he doesn't go to bed late), I should continue the napping, but this fighting me about it is getting old FAST! :)

From Nursery to Primary

A few weeks ago, our little Austin graduated from Nursery to Primary. He is officially a Sunbeam. WOW, does time fly by or what? We were actually in CA when this transition took place (the first of the year), and my parents' ward did a cute, little graduation ceremony complete with "Pomp and Circumstance" playing, graduation certificates, a parade around the classroom, and meeting their new Primary teacher. Those kids were so excited to be joining the "big kids"!

It's been a little rough with the transition, mostly because our church is at 11am, which distrupts lunch and naps, but so far, pretty good. The kids aren't used to the routine yet, so sitting that long is rough for SOME (including Austin!). Even though we've been preparing Austin for a change, it's still a different routine than what he's been used to for 2 yrs. Our ward has 2 seperate classes of Sunbeams too-about 10 kids in each. Mostly boys too-can you imagine?! :) Austin remains excited to go though-he loves to sing the songs, answer questions, color, and learn new things. In fact, he has already asked his teachers when it is his turn (to speak, recite a scripture, or say a prayer) in front of everyone! That would be our Austin-not a shy bone in his body!

A Day to Remember

Today is my birthday and what a day it's been. Mostly of course, due to the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama. (Yeah, thanks for stealing my thunder! :) But in all seriousness, it's a birthday to remember because it was so historical. For that, I wanted to record my thoughts and highlight quotes from the new President's speech today, so that one day my kids can know what truly a monumental occassion this day was.

I have to admit that although I wasn't initially an Obama fan during the campaign (I didn't like McCain either though), I have tried hard to step back and push the criticism, the hype, and the negativity out that sometimes clutters the media. Instead, I remain hopeful, positive, and more importantly, have faith that Barack Obama will be the kind of leader that our country needs right now. As we all know, it's a tumultous time for our country with the wars and the economic crisis and all, but I do believe we have chosen someone who inspires and motivates, who is prepared to learn and work hard, who geuninely cares for the American people, and most importantly, who loves our country. Today marks history as the first African-American President was sworn in as President, and I'm so proud to be living during this era to witness that occassion. It makes me even prouder to be an AMERICAN and hopeful that change will happen and that great things lie ahead for our country.

Here's some highlights from President Obama's speech today:

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America."

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies..."

"It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours," Mr Obama added. "It is the fire-fighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history."

"This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

2009 Resolutions

SOME of my goals for 2009 include:

1. Flossing EVERYDAY. Seems like an easy thing, but for me, it's something I've always struggled at making a daily habit. The good thing is I've never had a cavity YET (good genetics thanks to Mom :).

2. Read to my kids 30 min DAILY. It was much easier with only one kid, but I really need to be more vigilant about this. I swear doing just that makes kids smarter.

3. Bi-monthly date nights with Eric (even if it's just a trip to the temple). Weekly would be nice, but let's be realistic, that's expensive!

4. Train and compete in The Lotoja Classic (with Eric and a bunch of other friends), a 206-mile cycling race from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY that you complete in one day. I did it in 2003 and finished in 10 hrs. 30 min, so my goal this year is to finish in less than 10 hrs.

5. Attend the temple once a month DILIGENTLY.

Our Russian Missionaries

I had to post this picture because it's one of my favorites of my in-laws. These two left to serve a mission last Sept to Yekaterinburg, Russia! Can you just imagine how cold it is there right now?! Ok, maybe you can from the picture! They have a blog http://russiamission.blogspot.com/ to share with us their experiences, thank goodness for technology! And we can even Skype with them, how cool is that??? It truly is remarkable to hear about the culture, the people, the food, their travels (like having to leave the country every 3 months to renew their Visas), and of course, any experiences sharing the gospel. We sure love them and pray for them daily!

3 weeks of fun

CLICK ON TO BLOW UP


We spent 3 exhausting, fun-filled weeks during the holidays with my family in CA this year. We usually only stay two weeks(or sometimes less), but I stayed with the boys longer to help my parents move into their new house. The first week was pretty much spent preparing for Christmas since none of us had done or finished our Christmas shopping and projects/gifts. But we also squeezed in a few movies and went through the temple with my little sis, Trish. Second week was pretty much completely devoted to packing, moving, unpacking, dejunking, and organizing my parents new house. I think my Mom, Dad, and I can't remember the last time we were that exhausted! Last week was a little more laid-back (finally!) and so we got to squeeze in some fun with the kids at the park, the S.F. Zoo, a Children's Museum/Aquarium, another movie, and just relaxing at home. As enjoyable as it was, I was relieved to come home to Eric and our routine (along with Austin), even though things probably won't slow down yet (since now I've got to play catch-up!).

New found freedom

Carson's been crawling for a couple of weeks now, but I've finally got around to getting it on camera! He's especially motivated by food (the kid lives for it and will eat anything you give him)! I can't believe how big my baby is getting and that he is 9 1/2 months old! Does time fly by or what with the second child?

Sisters

Can I just say that I love my beautiful little sisters?! We definitely had our ups and downs growing up (esp when we are all teenagers at the same time!), but we are the bestest of friends now! We have so much fun together, we can always talk for hours, and unfortanely, we don't get together often enough. With one in UT, one in CA, and me in Boise, it's getting harder to see each other! I love how we are all alike, yet all different (in looks too). These girls make me so happy and I don't know what I would do without them! I LOVE YOU GUYS FOREVER!

Go Utes!

The 6th ranked Utah Utes beat the 4th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide HANDILY in the Sugar Bowl yesterday with a score of 31-17! HORRAY for the UTES!!!!! Now, we just need to get a better BCS system, so teams from smaller conferences have a REAL chance at a championship! Maybe they should follow the NCAA basketball championship brackets??!! :)


The boys decked out in their UTAH gear thanks to Matt and Jen!