Tammy and the Tantrums

2012-01-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

We are spending a few days up at the Lake for our Anniversary, per tradition. We thought it would be fun to try and get a few pictures of the kids down by the lake, but they were having none of it! The above picture is one of the better ones I got of the three of them together.

We bribed,

we cajoled,

we threatened,

we pleaded,

we made silly faces,

finally we gave up.

Oh well, there's always next year. We had told the kids we were going to get a cookie after taking pictures but since the kids were being so ornery, I told them we cancelled the cookie event and were going straight back to the condo.

Chaos ensued.

Who knew crying was so contagious?

Just breaks your heart, doesn't it?

Then I told them I was kidding.
After a particularly heinous anniversary dinner (why do we keep bringing them?! UGH!) we were driving back to the condo and saw a billboard for "Fritz & the Tantrums" headlining at one of the Casinos. Eric and I laughed that we have a lot in common with old Fritz, we know all about tantrums! I thought "Tammy and the Tantrums" sounded even better, so that's what I decided to call us.

I may never get a picture with all three looking at the camera at once, but my kids come with a money back guarantee that they will always, always give you a silly face upon request!

Birthday Girl

2011-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Birthday Girl

The Crew

Ava Millie

2011-04-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

The last picture before the big event! (I have no excuse for this picture! Is it the angle of those horrible hospital beds? I have never seen an attractive "person lying in hospital bed photo. I don't know why I consented to this one...I blame the drugs.)

Waiting...

waiting...

She's here!

Meeting the 'rents

Our smallest baby! 7 lbs 10 oz.

20 inches long

Meeting the sibs!

First bath

So sweet

Going home

Ava is just the sweetest snugly baby! She feels so perfect in my arms, and its already hard to imagine what life was like before she was born. Ellie is adjusting surprising well to the changes around here. Although I am sure we'll have some really hard days in the near future, especially when Eric goes back to work. Ellie just thinks Ava is adorable and is constantly touching her fingers and head and saying how cute she is. She can't pronounce the V in Ava, so she calls her Abe-a. I have a feeling its a nickname that is going to stick around for a while. Ellie thinks its hilarious when the baby cries. I wonder how long she'll think that's funny? Nate is a great older brother, which we already knew. He thinks both of his sisters are adorable (and only gets slightly frustrated with one of them when she gets into his stuff) and he is a great helper! I was watching the baby sleep this morning and had a panicky feeling that life is going by way too fast and before long all the kids are going to be grown up! I've always said I was not going to miss the baby phase, but Ava might change my mind!

Dem bones, dem bones

2011-02-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

I got the dreaded phone call from the school on Monday..."Mrs. Thornton, your son Nathan took a little spill at school today and it looks like he fractured his arm..." Ugh. Honestly, I thought Ellie would be our first child with a broken bone. I guess you can't predict accidents! Apparently Nate and some kids were playing "Transformers" and it got a little rough...Anyways, it was indeed broken. Both bones in the left arm just above the wrist. Unfortunately they were not able to set it using the old fashioned tug and pull method, so he had to have surgery and 3 pins to keep the bones in place. The worst part of the whole experience (as a mom) was that Nate was unable to have ANY pain medicine until actually went into surgery...6 HOURS after he broke it! I haven't ever broken a bone but it looks terribly painful! Nate was a trooper though, he did awesome and was so brave! Ellie was with us for 10 hours at the hospital and she did awesome too. Seriously she was so well behaved, I have never seen her that well behaved before or since! Nate is doing great now, the swelling has gone down so much and its much less painful now. He still has the splint on and will get his permanent cast a little later this week. My heart has been so full of gratitude this week for our friends and family that have called or stopped by with cards and gifts for Nate to cheer him up! It really made him feel so special. So thank you!!
**Just a warning...I am going to post a few pictures, so if you are a little squeamish, you might not want to scroll down.**
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Getting X-rayed

A close up

The bones *almost* went through the skin where that bruise is.

Poor guy had to sit like this for HOURS just waiting...with NO PAIN MEDS!!!

Getting prepped for surgery, after the initial attempt to set it failed.

Ellie watching a movie with Dad on his phone. Seriously what did parents do before smart phones?

Nate also lost his other front tooth that same morning he broke his arm, with all the craziness going on I forgot to get a picture of that! Of course Nate didn't exactly feel like smiling for the camera either!

TWO is better than one....

2010-12-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

This girl turned TWO today!!

She is the messiest...

the sweetest...

funniest...

most fearless...

loving little girl I know!

Ellie is so sweet and compassionate. No one in this house can sneeze, cough or even scratch an itch without Ellie asking if you are alright. She tells you she loves you about 20 times a day (more when she is sick, much more!) She loves to sing, read and watch TV. She loves soda and anything gummy (just like her mommy). She can count to 10 and gets some of the ABC's in the right order. She loves owls and her brother and has to sleep with all of her stuffed animals and babies. Ellie is the messiest child I have ever met (but she LOVES the bath so I guess it all equals out in the end) and she hates to go shopping with me! I think Heavenly Father knew exactly what he was doing when he waited so long to send her here, but I am so glad she finally made it!

AND...perhaps this next bit of information deserves its own post, but I have a feeling if I don't mention it now, i will never get around to it.....ERIC FINISHED HIS MASTERS DEGREE!!! I am so incredibly proud of him. There were days I didn't know if one or both of us would make it through alive but Eric managed to work full time, be Elder Quorum President, commute to school, maintain a *nearly* perfect GPA and was still the favorite parent (how does that happen?)! Yay Eric!!!

(sorry honey, I had to.)

Bangs!

2010-08-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ellie got a hair cut! My dear friend Ali trimmed it up and gave her some bangs! I personally think Ellie looks adorable either way, but I think she is pretty happy not to have all that hair in her eyes!

Before

After

Now we are Six

2010-06-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three
I was hardly me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

* The End
A.A. Milne

Karate Kid

2010-05-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Nate earned his first belt in Karate tonight!

Bowing to his audience with his instructor Brian

"Cheeky hands" kick

I couldn't help but tear up as he did his formations, he looked so awesome out there!

Breaking his first board!!

Getting his new belt (Orange) from Mr. Maris

Karate has been the BEST thing for Nate, he loves it and (I have to brag here) he is awesome at it. I am not sure if Nate was more excited to break a board or get ice cream afterward!

First lost tooth

2010-03-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

You know how you can tell a "real" cry from a "fake" cry, I can always tell when Nate is seriously hurt or scared, he has this totally panicked cry that cannot be faked, even though he sometimes tries :) I know when I hear that cry that to come running. Friday Night right before bed Nate belted out a "real" cry and I came running! Nate's face was sheer panic when he tearfully told me that he has a loose tooth. Yay! I was so excited, but I almost shed a few tears myself, I can't believe he is getting so big! Nate was so nervous and claimed to be heartbroken because "that was his favorite tooth!" The next morning, I wiggled it to see how loose it was and it just popped out! No traumatic string tied to the door knob or anything! Nate was still a bit freaked right after it happened but he is okay with it now. He refused to put the tooth under his pillow though because he didn't want to have a run in with the Tooth fairy so we put the tooth under a pillow on the couch. Good thing the tooth fairy knew where to look! The tooth fairy brought a gift instead of money since this was the first tooth. She was pretty generous if I might add too!

"The Hole"

The tooth (and Ellie trying to grab it)

Ellie's unhappy because we wouldn't let her have Nates tooth...poor tortured soul!

The loot.

Tutu

2010-03-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

I made this tutu for a friends babyshower but I had to have Ellie model it first! I think we are going to have to make one in every color! I love having a girl!

Looking to see if she is about to get in trouble for going into the street

Concentrating very hard...trying to walk on uneven ground

Trip to Home Depot

2010-01-30T17:53:00.001-08:00

2010-01-11T08:27:00.001-08:00

Nine.

2010-01-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite memories from 9 years ago today:
*Having to take a cold shower because Tracy took all the hot water, trying to shave my legs with goosebumps...
*Eric eating a couple of jalapeno corn dogs from 7-11 for breakfast on the way to the Temple
*Making it through the entire ceremony without shedding any tears until the very end when Sealer spoke about our future children.
*Jared being in EVERY single one of our wedding pictures
*Honeymooing in Vegas (Just like Elvis)

Some of my favorite moments today:
*Getting my carpet cleaned
*Getting roses
*Watching Nate having a blast at Karate
*Not having to cook dinner
*Grocery shopping with my favorite guy

2010-01-04T16:57:00.001-08:00

2010-01-04T16:55:00.001-08:00

Carson Slotcar Raceway

One.

2009-12-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

Seems impossible an entire year has already come and gone.
Ellie is 1!!!!

Christmas tree....oh Christmas tree

2009-12-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

You know, I was a little worried about putting up the tree with Ellie being "into" everything and all, but surprisingly she never touches it. No, Ellie did not do this. Nor did Nathan who painstakingly hung each ornament out of Ellie's reach. And in case you are wondering... this was not my doing either...nope, this was all Eric. Eric has always hated this tree, I think he is secretly trying destroy this tree a little each year until they come out with some kind of amazing tree that just pops out of a box and is already lit and decorated, then he will finally finish this tree off. Until then I will continue to buy replacement parts for this tree. Did I mention I LOVE this tree? Its so big and full and easy to put together and it was the tree we had when I was growing up until my parents gave it to Eric and I, so it was also free. Everyone who comes over thinks its real. They just don't make trees like this anymore. So when my new tree stand gets here, I will have her up and decorated... again. Nice try Eric, but you ain't getting rid of her so easily this year!

Nathan decorating the tree...when it was still standing

Halloween's Past

2009-10-31T10:10:00.001-07:00

It doesn't matter the costume or the year, Nate has ONE Halloween pose....

2009 - Luke Skywalker

2008 - Optimus Prime

2007 - Elvis

Happy Halloween!

Fall Activities

2009-10-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Nate hustled on the soccer field!

Ellie and Grandpa Thornton

Nate LOVES his trophy!

The Team....Go Wild Animals!

Having a blast on the "big slide"

Cousins

Luke Skywalker

Nate does this "pose" every year!

Nate and Raychel...I hope these two will at least go to prom together or something so I can pull out adorable pictures like this to show them! Awwwwe!

32 Big Ones!

2009-08-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I hit the jackpot when I married Eric, I am truly a lucky girl! I don't do much to embarrass Eric (well at least I don't THINK I do) so I thought I'd put together a little list of 32 memories/thoughts of my favorite guy for his birthday!

1. You can't remember where you set your keys down five seconds ago (literally) but you can remember what I was wearing the first time we met.

2. You love your family (and mine) unconditionally, even the crazy ones!

3. You always remember to take the trash out...when reminded.

4. I don't know anyone else who has a favorite number anymore except you...and today you turn 32 which just happens to be your fav number! How excited are you?!

5. You are seriously the best Dad, I couldn't wish for a more patient, loving, and fun dad for our kids.

6. You can fall asleep in less than 2 seconds although science would say that is impossible. Who else can brag that their husband defies scientific research!?

7. You are one of the best people I've ever met. You have such a pure and generous heart.

8. You would rather pick a spider up and walk it across the street than step on it, regardless of how many times I tell you just to smash it!

9. You love to work! Eat, Sleep, Drink, Programming.

10. You totally get my sense of humor, actually we pretty much has the same sense of humor, it's so convenient!

11. You always kiss me goodbye in the morning. I love that!

12. You will eat ANYTHING. I never have to worry about trying new recipes because I know even if it tastes horrible, you will still eat it, all of it! There is a reason I call you my "human garbage can"...in a loving way of course!

13. You don't talk much in a group of people (that's my job) but you talk non-stop when we are at home. Some people may not believe this but it's true.

14. You are so smart, I hope our kids got your brains.

15. You scare easily. Like the "jump out of the closet" kind. Its so funny!

16. You like to dress up for Halloween, I hate it.

17. You ALWAYS iron your clothes in the morning (and I lay in bed secretly glad you didn't ask me to do it!)

18. You've been through a lot, especially during your early teen years when your mom passed away, but you have an incredible outlook on life. Most people couldn't have handled that as well as you did.

19. You keep sentimental things (if I don't find them and throw them away of course)

20. You love the outdoors and are always trying to get us outside to do things together.

21. You are always trying to improve yourself, riding your bike to work, eating healthier, although some days we fail miserably, you are always trying.

22. You always support me in everything I want to do or try. Even if its expensive, hair-brained or it's obvious I won't actually be able to do what I say I want to. I know you've got my back.

23. You love toys...almost as much as our 5 year old. I am amazed you can sit and play legos for so long! Which leads me to my next one...

24. You are Nate's best friend. Well his best dude actually. He wants to be just like you and do everything you do. I would love it if he turned out to be just like you.

25. You and Ellie have the same facial expressions, it makes me laugh whenever I see you two together!

26. You hate it when I swear. I can't help it sometimes!

27. You always fall asleep watching movies. Always. See #6.

28. If you were to ever sing to me the song would be "I love Technology, but not as much as you, you see."

28. You are the epitome of "slow to anger". Sometimes I try to pick a fight with you just to see how you will react....nothin'.

29. You don't like calling attention to yourself, but you do like having red hair because it sets you apart.

30. I won't go into to much detail, but you are totally hot! ;)

31. Sometimes I think I don't deserve you...

32. But like "our" song says..."I can't help falling in love with you!"

Happy Birthday Eric!!!

Kindergarten

2009-08-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

The first day of school used to always give me butterflies in my stomach, but for Nathan it's pure bliss! He loves going to school so that makes it a little easier on me to watch him go.

Running late the first day! Not a good sign!

In front of his classroom

Picking him up after school (I forgot the flash but I had to include this pic, he was so excited to tell me about his first day!)

When we got home, he made a "fort" of pillows on my bed and CRASHED, complete with snoring!! I actually didn't let him sleep for very long because I knew he'd never get to bed tonight if I did, so When Ellie woke up from her nap (yes I actually had both of them asleep at the same time briefly) I let her loose on him. She was whacking him in the head and squealing, waking people up is definitely one of her many talents!

With Eric back in school too, I have to bathe both kids together right after dinner if it's gonna get done!

Eric actually started school today too! He is about half way done with his Master's Degree in Information Technology (or something like that). Luckily Eric got to come home after work for a few minutes before he had to go to class. It's hardest on Nate when Eric goes to school in the evenings. If you look closely you can see Nate's eyes are red from crying, but he will always smile for the camera no matter how devastated he is just seconds before!

Eric was thoughtful enough to get the kids "back to school" books to give to them when he left for school tonight. Eric gives the kids these Mr. Men and Little Miss books on special occasions or when he goes out of town. I love that it's a special little tradition between Eric and the kids.

With Eric back in school this year, I was a little nervous about doing "everything" by myself but I have a friend whose husband just got home yesterday from a year long tour in Iraq and I decided that I have NOTHING to complain about!

I just feel so fortunate that we have so many education opportunities in this Country and am grateful both my "boys" love going to school!

Rained Out

2009-07-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Eric and I have been itching to try out the fire pit with our new patio furniture as we are both fond of a good blaze! So we planned a fun dinner of roasting hot dogs, macaroni salad and s'mores last night. By late afternoon the clouds started rolling in but we thought we'd be able to beat any rain (if it actually rained since we haven't had any for several months) as it was still mostly sunny outside. We got the fire lit, the rest of the dinner on the table outside and the kids happily situated on blankets when it started pouring down rain! No warning at all! We were laughing like crazy trying to run all the food and children back inside. We were quite the spectacle and I am sure the neighbors all enjoyed watching Eric trying to roast hot dogs in a quickly dying fire while getting soaked to the bone. It was no use, the fire was out in about 30 seconds and we ended up having to microwave the hot dogs and eat them on soggy buns. We salvaged the rest of the dinner and enjoyed watching the the downpour (that only lasted 5 minutes or so but just long enough to soak the the wood and the patio furniture) from our warm dry kitchen table. Oh the best part of the whole situation was that Nathan kept repeating: "This is the worst day of my LIFE!" The rest of us thought it was quite funny!

Vacation

2009-06-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well I am only like two weeks late in posting this...I figured it was about time I posted, you know it's bad when you get tired of looking at your own blog! Here are some pictures of our vacation to California. My parents and all us kids took a vacation to together to celebrate my parents 25th wedding anniversary. It was so fun, great to see all our old friends in Sonora and let the cousins get to know each other better! We all had so much fun we decided we are going to do it every year!

My sister came out a few days before we left to paint the kids rooms! LOVE THEM!!!

Nate's room isn't done yet, we are adding a bamboo fence around the bottom half of the room. This picture doesn't show it, but she also painted clouds around the whole room. Its adorable. I can't stop bragging about it!!

Big Trees. Way back when they cut this tree down they built a bar and bowling alley on top of it! This is a crazy big tree!!

Nate and Jenna, cousins and BFF's for the entire trip!

Nate and I in front of the trees called "Mother and Son"

I have a picture of me around Nate's age, sticking my head out of the same tree. I love that I get to share some of my childhood memories with my kids.

The whole gang. I tried to find a picture of my mom with her eyes open....but her eyes were closed in all 8 pictures we took in this pose!

Tracy and Ryan, Tammy and Ellie...this picture reminded me of one we took 5 years ago...see next picture...

Tammy and Nate, Tracy and Jenna - Nov. 2004

Our old house. Columbia, California

We took a stagecoach ride and even got robbed at gun point, but we didn't have anything they wanted, oh well!

The vacation house we rented in Arnold, CA. This is the view from the 3rd floor bridge looking down and outside. There is a reason they call this house "Castle in the Clouds" #1-the house is enormous and beautiful #2-you are literally up in the clouds its so high up. Not only was the house 3 stories tall but you had to go up 2 incredibly steep driveways (think San Francisco steep) to get to it! You can't be afraid of heights and stay in this house!

I am so glad we got to do this together as a family and am grateful that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!!

Five Years ago....

2009-05-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

In some ways it feels longer...much longer, but in other ways, it seems hard to believe that five years have already past since Nathan was born. Most of you already know that Nathan was our little miracle baby. We were told when I was five months pregnant with him that he would not survive outside my womb. And today he is a awesome, happy, healthy, smart, wild, imaginative, lively, handsome, loving FIVE year old!

Five Minutes Old

Five Months Old

Five Years Old

Nathan's Five Favorites:
1. Transformers
2. Making Ellie laugh
3. Riding in the "sports car" with Dad
4. Playing with his "best dudes" (which is anyone really)
5. Sampling the food at Costco

Schooooool's out for SUMMER!

2009-05-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well it was Nathans last day of school today and he spent it napping on the couch with a temperature of 104 degrees. He was devastated he couldn't go to school today especially because they were going to celebrate his birthday today. It just felt wrong that my sick child cried for over an hour because he wanted to GO to school! Nate is definitely going to miss school and his friends over the summer! Nate tried to convince me he was feeling fine this morning and even got dressed to try and persuade me to let him go. I thought it was funny that he just happened to put on the same shirt he wore on the first day of school. It made me a little sad that a whole school year has already flown by. Nate has learned so much this year, he was one smart cookie before he started but now I can't believe some of the things that come out of his mouth! For instance when I recently referred to a spider as an insect and he corrected me by saying "Mom, spiders are not insects, they are arachnids!" My bad!

Nathan's first day of school - September 2008

Nathan's last day of school

Nathan, in case you happen to read this 10 years from now, I am really sorry you didn't get to go to school today buddy and I hope and PRAY you keep up this same enthusiasm for school in the years to come! A mom can dream, right?!

2009-04-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

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Lost and Found

2009-04-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

So....in a very typical "Tammy Moment" I accidentally deleted all the photo's off my camera. My Easter photos, Ellie's first bite of solid food and just some really cute pictures of both kids. Obviously I was sick to my stomach about it. Eric tried to recover them but didn't have any luck, but in a very "unlike me" move I posted my sorrows on Facebook. Eric's good friend Chad took pity on me and showed Eric how to get them back! I honestly didn't know there was a way to recover deleted photos! I was so excited I almost cried! So obviously I had to share them!

Easter (btw, if Nathan looks dirty in all the pictures, it's because he is! I swear I cannot keep that boy clean no matter how hard I try! He is just like that dirty little Peanuts character Pig Pen with a dirt cloud that follows him around!)

Nathan adores Ellie, it's pretty obvious!

I love this picture, they seem so comfortable just sitting together hanging out...oh and Nathan is not tan in this picture, that's just dirt.

Ellie's first bite of peas...she still isn't quite sure what to do with solid food, but I think she is coming around!

So...we let Nate watch Night at the Museum the other day and he picked up the phrase "He looks like a weirdy" and went around saying it over and over again to everyone, even to the kids at school apparently. So I grabbed the camera and asked Nathan what a "weirdy" is supposed to look like...and this is it! My own personal weirdy! And yes, Nathan is absolutely filthy in this picture, I know.

I love that this picture captures Ellie's crazy hair! It just won't stay down! Too cute!

Little Leprechauns

2009-03-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Apparently I don't do enough to make my children's childhood "magical" because I attempted to explain St. Patrick's day to Nathan yesterday and he FREAKED OUT! I made the mistake of telling him we were going to make a Leprechaun trap and he started bawling and clinging to me. Once I got him calmed down and explained they weren't real, I stuck my foot in my mouth again when I explained that you have to wear green so no one pinches you. That set him off again with a whole new fear of being pinched. He was terrified and kept asking how many times people were going to pinch him. I even had to go pick out his clothes yesterday afternoon so he could see that he would be wearing green today and wouldn't be pinched! If I had known he would react like that, I would have grabbed the camera! :)

Anyways, all turned out well, we didn't catch any leprechauns this year (although they did visit and turned our toilet water green and knocked over lots of stuff!) and he didn't even get pinched. Phew.

My little Leprechauns

Sweet Ellie

The infamous Leprechaun trap complete with gold coins and a false top

Blessing Noelle

2009-03-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to have all our family in town this weekend for Ellie's blessing today. It was beautiful and so emotional for me. We waited a long time for Ellie and there was a time when I thought I would never have a little girl to wear my blessing dress. Ellie was beautiful as always and I hope that someday she has a little girl that will wear that dress too!

Noelle and her great grandma

Eric's sisters Tabitha and Emily

The whole Fam Damily

Our little fam damily!

Beautiful Babies

2009-02-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

All of you that really know me, know that I am lacking a creative eye and that applies to photography as well. I am terrible with a camera and therefore don't take many pictures. I am sad that I don't have any professional pictures of Nate as a baby so I made sure I didn't make the same mistake with Ellie. So when I got the chance to have the kids photos taken I jumped at the chance. They turned out so cute, of course they are my kids and I am biased!

Nathan's Prayer

2009-01-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

The other night Eric had to work late so I asked Nathan to say our dinner prayer, he started saying a very mature and appropriate prayer when Ellie started crying. Nathan then said "Please bless Ellie not to cry when I touch her or BLOW on her." I was trying so hard to control the peels of laughter until he finished the prayer! Ahhh... so it's starting to make sense why Ellie suddenly starts crying when Nate's around! Love those kids!

Ellie Update

2009-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a month already! Ellie is getting so darn big! She is such a good baby and so darling! There is not much new to report so this post will mostly be pictures. Ellie sleeps, eats, poops, eats and sleeps, oh yeah and eats again! Occasionally she will grace us with a short periods of wakefulness during the day and make funny faces that I can never capture on camera. Nathan adores Noelle! He is CONSTANTLY wanting to touch, kiss, hold and talk to the baby! He is very affectionate and hasn't shown any signs of sibling rivalry...yet! So without further adieu...pictures!

My handsome boys

From Christmas...

Dear Santa

2008-12-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

As we were setting out cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer tonight, Nate brought a piece of paper over to Eric and asked him to write Santa a note. This is what he wanted dictated....

Dear Santa,
Don't eat all the cookies! Just have one.
Love Nate.

Nate has always had a hard time sharing snacks! Eric and I were laughing so hard (which is really painfully by the way!) We finally convinced Nate we should modify the note to say "don't eat all the cookies, just have some!"

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bringing Home Baby

2008-12-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

Just a warning...this post is going to be full of gushy, lovey baby stuff so if you are not in the mood for that, you better stop reading! So we were able to bring Noelle home yesterday (Friday) and she is doing so fantastic! She is just the perfect little baby! I don't want to jinx myself, but she seriously couldn't be a better baby!

I am also recovering quickly which is such a huge blessing. Nathan is doing fantastic so far! He loves having Noelle's undivided attention when she is awake and she is so interested in him too! Its so exciting to think that our little family is reuniting here on earth!

Eric still has a cold. He is pretty miserable but he is trying so hard to help out even though I know he isn't feeling good! We are quarantining ourselves for a few weeks, so I apologize to family and friends who have wanted to come see her but we decided we better try to avoid any further illness. I have always hated the flu season but now its got me constantly praying for good health.

Flu season aside, this is such a wonderful time of year to have a baby because of the opportunity it has given me to reflect on the birth of our Savior. As a mother it has made me reflect on my purpose here to raise my precious children (I love being able to say children now)with the knowledge of the Gospel and for them to know of their Saviors love.

Baby Noelle

2008-12-17T13:55:00.001-08:00

She is such a good baby.

Born at 12:30, 8 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches. Mom and baby are both doing great!

Click here for some photos of the last couple days:

Day 1 & 2

Christmas Time

2008-12-05T20:19:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Okay I just need everyone to know that I DID NOT PUT THIS ON HERE!!!! Eric has figured out how post things to my blog without my knowledge....I can't get him to stop! Does anyone know how I can block him from posting these crazy things! :)

7 Random Things...

2008-12-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

I always forget to fill these things out when I've been tagged, but since this baby is still not here, I figure I might as well do something....

7 things I can do...

Make "to-do" lists
Budget
Sew
Cook
Clog dance (although it has been a while)
Name most of the superheros, their alter ego's and arch nemesis - thank you Nathan.
Gossip

7 things I can't do...

Touch my toes
Get the motivation to clean my bathrooms
Style my hair as cute as Alison does
Sleep through the night
Remember much
Draw well
Make this baby come any quicker

7 things I always say...

"When is this baby going to come?"
"Eric, what are we going to name this baby?"
"What a nightmare!"
"I'm hungry."
"Dang it!"
"What the heck!"
"Whatch'a doin' Nate?"

7 things I always eat...

Club crackers
Cereal
chicken
String cheese
Milk
Lil' Cutie Oranges
Toast

7 tags...

Sherry
Alison
Donna
Kelly R.
Josephine
Amanda
Amy

Eric's total randomness...

2008-11-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

Eric figured out how to post pictures to my blog from his cell phone so he's been messing around with that all day. I don't even know what to say about this picture...

Turkey Trot!

2008-11-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

Nate ran his first race today! He ran the 200 meter dash (1/2 a lap around the field) in the annual Turkey Trot at the high school. He did awesome! He was so focused and proud of himself when he finished. Nate came in 4th or 5th but all the kids got a participation ribbon, a doughnut and hot chocolate (yeah that was the highlight for me too!) Maybe it's all the hormones but I got teary eyed when I saw him out there with all the other kids doing something all on his own. Nate told me after the race he was pretending to be Starscream (a transformer for those of you who don't have little boys) and that is what gave him the strength to run so fast! Gotta love the superhero complex!

That's Nate in the orange shirt closest to the camera.

2008-11-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

Just Nates size.

Showered

2008-11-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky to have great friends! I was given a baby shower this weekend, and it was so much fun. I really enjoyed just having a day to think about and celebrate this baby (still no name, sorry...I hate calling her "the baby" too!). All of my friends and family are so generous, I seriously don't deserve all the adorable things I got. Thank you Alison for hosting the best baby shower I've ever been to! We waited a long time for her to join our family and it was so fun to celebrate the fact that she is going to be here in just a few short weeks!

Everyone always wants a belly picture...so here it is! This is why I don't do pictures!

Alison and Roxy

Carole and Kaylee

Emily and her peeps

All Hallows Eve

2008-11-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

Nate as Optimus Prime...leader of the Autobots!

I don't want to complain......

2008-10-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

but well.....here I go. It all started two weeks ago when I came down with the stomach flu. It was nasty but luckily over within a few days, then came the pink eye, first Nate, then me, now both of us at the same. Bedding to wash over and over again, hands are raw from endless washing and hand sanitizer, and drops in the eyes every few hours. Okay, we are dealing....Then came the colds...and with the colds, a sinus infection for me and an ear infection for Nate. Coughing all night long, no sleep, can't breath, sore throat, no energy during the day. Totally wiped out, dishes piling up, cartoons (and guilt) all day. This sucks. And that brings us to today....

This morning started out just like the rest of the mornings this week. I am totally exhausted from being up all night, but I manage a good breakfast for Nate, after all we need our strength, right? After breakfast I plop down on in the rocker to watch some cartoons with Nate. The sunlight is streaming through the windows, warming up the house, Nate is quietly watching cartoons. Naturally I begin to get drowsy and the magnitude of not sleeping for the past two weeks hits me and I peacefully close my eyes for a little morning nap. I am not out for very long when a panicked little voice calls "Mom!" I am wide awake and Nate is running towards me with a horrified look on his face. I bark "whats the matter? What happened?!" and Nate replies "I stuck a lego up my nose and it's in there REALLY far!" By this time he is in a full fledged panic and I am not far behind him. I grab the phone, call the doc, grab a flashlight and a pair of tweezers and manage to get Nate to lie down so I can have a look. Yup, its in there REALLY far. The doctor says to go to the ER. We are still in our jammies, so we literally throw some clothes on and run out the door. Of course it's a nightmare there and it takes forever for us to be seen, but when they finally see us, they can't get it out. Apparently it was really jammed in there. Nate was such a trooper, he held so still and did exactly what they told him to do. So hours later they end up sending us to an ENT doc. He takes one look at Nate's nose and says he's not sure he can get it out either! I am just praying he won't have to have surgery. Finally after some medicine that makes his nostril open way up and some Novocaine, they are able to grab it! I have mixed emotions, relief and anger that a damn lego just cost us a couple hundred bucks!

The funniest part of the this whole thing is that when I was 4, I also stuck a lego up my nose. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Hopefully Nate has learned his lesson. I know I have...no falling asleep on the job and skip the ER and go directly to the ENT doctor the next time it happens, because inevitably it will.

New curtains - pictures for Tracy

2008-10-08T13:40:00.001-07:00

When it comes to creativity and talent, I got the short end of the stick compared to my sister Tracy. So while we were both pregnant, she would tell me all the cute things she was doing with her girl's room and the beautiful paintings she was painting. No fair! Anyways, were talking about pregnancy bring out our creativity and I decided I needed to make some new curtains for my kitchen sliding glass doors. I knew exactly what I wanted, but couldn't find anything that even came close, so it was time to make them myself! I was so excited they turned out exactly like I pictured them. They are really simple and super easy to make. Eric doesn't want me to mention this but he even helped me measure the grommets. It was fun to have his help on one of my projects! So anyways, Tracy, here are the pictures of the finished product you've been asking for...sorry it's taken so long to get them posted. And they are terrible pictures, the curtains are much cuter in person so you will have to use your imagination a little!

Grommets - so they slide open really easy. Super handy because we are always going out side from that door.

Waverly "Country Weekend" toile with red/cream ticking as the lining fabric.

Definitely , maybe...

2008-10-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

We had another ultrasound this morning and they are still saying it's a girl, kind of! It's funny because they keep wording it like "we are pretty sure it's a girl." Since this was the second ultrasound where they saw the same thing, we are going with "girl". I definitely feel like now is the time to start to do some shopping!

So now on to the fun part. She is sooooooo cute! She looks just like Nathan, but she has these big ol' "Angelina Jolie" lips! She has chubby cheeks already! She is only 2 lbs 10 oz, but she is already starting to get some fat on her! She is in the 50th percentile and everything looks great! I tried to scan the ultrasound pictures but it isn't working for me, maybe Eric will be able to get them to scan so I can post them.

One last thing....so the whole reason we had this ultrasound was because they were monitoring an ovarian cyst and a fibroid tumor under the placenta that could potentially cause lots of problems. When they looked today, they said both were completely GONE! It's pretty typical for the ovarian cysts to disappear, and the fibroids can go away on their own but it is more common for them to grow because of the estrogen surge. I was so shocked at our good news! Its so strange and wonderful to have a normal pregnancy and baby I almost don't know what to do with myself! I just feel so, so blessed and grateful and I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers!

Sleepy Time

2008-09-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know I've already done a post about Nate's silly sleeping habits but I couldn't resist this one! Since Nate has started pre-k, he comes home exhausted just about every day. Nate goes to bed nice and early (yes I am a sleep nazi) but sometimes days he just can't make it until bed time! The other day after school Nate asked me if I "had any dollars?" I told him yes and I could see where this was going. In our neighborhood the ice cream truck rolls around EVERY afternoon and has been the angst of many-a-disappointed afternoons. Well, it had been a long time since I let him get an ice cream from the ice cream truck. So when he asked if I had any dollars and then proceeded to ask if he could get an ice cream, of course I said yes and he was thrilled! He ran and brought me my purse and I gave him two dollars. Since the ice cream truck wasn't here yet, he took his money, got his shoes on and sat down on the couch to wait. A few minutes passed and he asked where the truck was but was being very patient. I barely noticed when he decided to lay his head down, but then I did a double take and saw that he was fast asleep - still gripping the ice cream money! Strangely enough the ice cream truck did not come that afternoon and Nate ended up taking a two hour nap! After about an hour he rolled off the couch in a sort of standing position, but he was still fast asleep. Eventually he fell on the floor, woke up, and whined for a minute then crawled back up on the couch to finish his nap! Every time he does something like this, I can't help but think back to when he was a baby and would scream in his crib for hours not wanting to sleep. Ahhhhh the joys of parenting!

Still sleeping....and he still has one of his dollar bills clutched firmly in his hand!

Funniest Man Alive...Eric thinks I am talking about him

2008-09-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night Eric and I got to see Brian Regan at the Silver Legacy. Yes I know its shocking, but we actually went out! We had such a good time. This is the second time we have gotten to Brian Regan in person, and I seriously didn't know I could laugh so hard. I was laughing so hard I almost threw up, I think all the belly jiggling bounced the baby right to sleep because she didn't move all evening! If any of you haven't heard or seen Brian Regan's act, just let us know we have a couple of his DVD's and we'd love to let you borrow them or better yet, come over and watch them with us!

The happy couple...happy to be out of the HOUSE!

So it's impossible to tell from these pictures, but we actually had AWESOME seats! We were in the third row from the stage, literally almost right in front of him. It was so cool to be able to see his facial expressions (one of the funniest parts of the entire act) so close in person instead of just seeing him on the jumbo trons.

He usually comes to Reno every year so let us know if you'd like to come with us next year, I guarantee it's worth the ticket price!

A New Era: The First Day of Pre-Kindergarten

2008-09-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

We have been looking forward to today for a long time. Nathan started pre-kindergarten this morning. A few weeks ago his teacher came to the house to introduce herself and get to know Nathan. He was hoping she would invite him to go to school with her that day! Nathan was almost too excited to stand still long enough for me to take his picture this morning.

Nate found a rollie pollie (his absolute favorite) right in the midst of our "photo shoot". He just had to save it!!

And show the camera of course....

There were no tears shed today, but I did get a little emotional when I went to pick him up, he was standing there among 20 other kids, looking around the room, trying to find me in the sea of parents. When he spotted me he got a big smile on his face! So precious! Of course I peppered him with questions about his day, what he did, who he played with but he got frustrated with all the questions and said "you just had to be there." Somethings I did find out:

He had a banana for a snack
He did not get to play on the computer today
The class has a cat puppet name "Curiosity"
He did not find out any other kids name in the class
He read a Spiderman book with his teacher
He swang on the swings

So if any of you are wondering if I spent the morning at a spa getting a massage and a pedicure, I regret to inform you that I did NOT! I spent three entire hours working on the Primary Program and folding laundry. So exciting I know! Nate is excited about going back tomorrow, I just hope his enthusiam for school continues beyond the first few weeks, poor kid doesn't realize how many years of school he has ahead of him....especially if he is gonna be a doctor!

Better late than never....

2008-08-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I don't recommend camping when you are pregnant, especially if you have a killer cold! I can now add this to my list of "things not to do next time". It actually wasn't too bad except for the not being able to breath part and yet in spite of problems we had getting there (see below) we actually had a good time. We went with both our families which always provides entertainment in its self. Here are some of the highlights...

We got the van packed up and noticed the tire was flat, so we stopped in at Les Schwab for a couple of new tires. Thanks Derek!
After the tires we stopped in to Costco for an air mattress, I wanted the best of the best, the Bently of air mattresses....the AREOBED! Turns out it's just as uncomfortable as all the other ones and I ended up sleeping in the car anyways!
Stopped at about 6 other places for things we forgot...I won't bore you with all the details, but it seriously took forever.
Finally got to the campground and Eric picked a tent site that was up on a hill! Setting up camp was definitely a work out!
Made dinner and went to bed early, but unfortunately couldn't breath lying down and had to pee every 30 mins.
Got up and attempted to sleep by the campfire, but was afraid of being eaten by bears at every sound, went and crawled in my parents car for about 1 hour of shut eye.
Got up early and snuggled in blankets with my mom for some girl talk while everyone else slept and laughed at how loud Eric was snoring! (and he claims he didn't sleep well! whatever!)
Ron made a killer breakfast and we stuffed ourselves silly
Packed up camp and went swimming at the hot springs
Had an impromptu picnic lunch by the side of the road and headed home for some real sleep and a shower!

When I was little and my Grandpa took us camping we would always get Spaghetti-o's heated up in the can over the fire, they were my favorite so that's what I made Nate for dinner, of course he loved 'em! Nate is a true camper, he loves it with every fiber of his being! I guess it's a good thing I like it too, except when I am pregnant and have a cold! :)

Our camp...

Nate was so fascinated by the bats!

Good Morning Sunshine!

A hike down the hill!

A new nephew

2008-08-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know my sister Tracy, she had her baby this afternoon. She surprised us with a boy this time! ( I could have sworn she was having another girl! I am so bad at guessing that!) They named him Ryan Alan. He was 8 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great. Everyone is totally exhausted but happy he is finally here.

Backyard Waterpark

2008-08-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

I love that Nate can have as much fun with a $10 blow up pool and a slide as we would have had at an expensive, crowded water park! I know it won't be this easy to please him as he gets older, but in the mean time, he had a blast!

Gotta love a face full of water!

I was wrong...or was I?

2008-07-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

So I guess my motherly instinct hasn't quite kicked in! Apparently we are having a GIRL! :) Well I should technically say the doctor is leaning toward it being a girl. She was acting very lady like and kept her legs totally closed the entire time. More importantly, she is healthy. He couldn't see anything wrong on the ultrasound but I need to have a blood test just to make sure. I am so relieved, I can't tell you how stressed I've been imagining all the things that could go wrong. She was so cute wiggling around in there, kicking her legs! It was so fun to see! Nate is a little freaked out by the "skeletor" ultrasound pictures. I think he was expecting to see a sweet, pink, little baby. We bought him a girl Cabbage Patch Newborn so he can have a "baby" too! I was more excited about it then he was! I go back in 10 weeks for a follow up appointment, so hopefully by then we will be totally sure that its a girl! Thanks for voting on the poll too, looks like the majority of you thought it was a girl all along!

I listen to my friends....

2008-07-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

So Keri just suggested that I post a poll on my blog to see what everyone thinks we are having...We find out Wednesday so we won't be left in suspense much longer! So if you care to exercise your right to vote, let us know what you think! You have a 50/50 chance of being right, pretty good odds I'd say!

Just for Amy....

2008-07-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

So Amy says I need to update my blog....I've been meaning to but apparently reading about our home improvement success is no longer interesting! So here ya go Amy!

On Friday Eric called in "sick" and we spent a really fun day in Tahoe and Reno. Eric hardly ever takes time off work, in fact he has like 3 months of vacation time accrued. I guess that is one of the cons of enjoying your job so much, you never take your time off. So this was a treat for all of us. We headed up to Tahoe in the morning and went for a little hike up to Eagle Falls. We actually planned to hike up to Eagle Lake which is about a mile farther up, but we quickly canned that idea once we got started up there! Back in the good old days, Eric and I would run that hike (up hill the entire way there!) Makes me laugh how much has changed since then! So instead of hiking we decided to take a little dip! We hadn't planned on going swimming but Eric found a great little pool at the bottom of some smaller falls to put our feet in. No one was there, but once we got in and were having so much fun, other people found our little secret way to get in and before long all the other hikers (and their dogs!) were joining us for a impromptu swim!

The water was COLD!!!

Nate decided it would be much more fun without clothes! He tried taking the underwear off to, but we had to maintain a little modesty!
This pretty much sums up how much fun we had!

After we got dried off, we headed around the Lake and up to Reno. I had some work files to drop off and afterwards decided to go to dinner at Claim Jumper. By this time Nate was a little dehydrated so we took our dinner to go and enjoyed a nice quiet evening at home. I love days like this!

Home Improvement

2008-07-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

I finally got a new faucet in the kitchen! Ours broke a few weeks ago and when we went to Home Depot to buy a new one, we were floored by the prices! We went on ebay and found the same faucet we wanted for more than $100 less! This is the second time we have had to replace the faucet since we moved here 4 years ago so I wanted to make sure we got a good one. It was worth waiting for it to ship because it looks and works wonderful!

Old Faucet.....

We are not disgusting I promise! I don't know how it gets so gross under there, but it does!
Nate and Eric hard at work! Nate must have thought watching Eric was really entertaining because he brought out some snacks and enjoyed the show!

New Faucet! Ahhhhhhhh.....

So a few weeks ago, Alison posted 5 things she couldn't live with out and asked everyone else to do the same, my fav things were pretty much the same as everyone else (Down East Tee's, Diet Coke, Paul Mitchell hairspray, etc) but I just need to post one of my own. I discovered it a few months ago and I am hooked! Bar Keepers Friend! It is the best cleaner I found and it's soooooo cheap! Everyone from Wal-mart to William Sonoma sells it but you have to search for it, it's on the bottom shelf most of the time! I swear this cleaner takes stains off your counter tops, removes scratches from your sink, polishes stainless steel like you wouldn't believe! It's the best! Notice the hard water stains when we took the faucet off, I just used a little Bar Keepers Friend and it took it right off! We bought a different style of faucet this time so we had to get those stains off or else they would show...not a problem for this cleaner!

Boys just want to have fun!

2008-06-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

This past week, I went to Cub Scout Day Camp so Eric stayed home with Nate for a few days. They had so much fun, I think Nate wants Eric stay home with him permanently! Maybe I should start looking for a job!

The ice cream truck rolls around every afternoon and one day Eric gave Nate a dollar to get an ice cream! Nate was SO excited! He ran toward the ice cream truck waving his dollar and he picked out a Sponge Bob popsicle. The lady told him he didn't have enough money and he was DEVASTATED!!! He was crying so hard! Eric gave him another dollar and went back to try again. When he got the ice cream he was squealing with delight and was so proud of himself. He kept saying "I did it!" Who ever heard of paying a $1.50 for a popsicle for crying out loud!!

Squirt guns were also a daily ritual while I was gone...

Expecting the unexpected!

2008-06-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle but it's true! Eric and I are expecting a baby! We are so, so excited! I have been getting a lot of comments from people who knew we were going through the adoption process because we were unable to get pregnant who weren't sure if I was pregnant or if we were chosen as adoptive parents, so I just want to clarify that I am pregnant! Everyone said this would happen, you go through the adoption process then you get pregnant, it's VERY common I guess! In our case, we had only just finished the mountain of paperwork that goes along with applying to adopt before I found out I was pregnant. I am so glad that we got to go through that process though because it got me so excited to be a mom again after we have had two years of disappointments in trying to have another baby. I KNEW that we would be parents again and there were more children that needed to be in our family. In fact adoption was the easiest choice we had to make in the last two years because it was going to be the answer to our prayers. I definitely feel like we will be looking at adoption again down the road.

Things are going really good so far, I am due in December, just exactly at Christmas time, which isn't exactly the time of year I would have chosen but beggars can't be choosers! We don't know what we are having yet, but we have had several name suggestions ranging from "Jesus" (since it will be Christmas) to"Corn Cob on a Tree" which is Nate's personal favorite (he just starts howling with laughter every time he says it!)

This really is a miracle for us, most of you know that we had exhausted all efforts and it got to the point where the doctor said we were just wasting our time and money. I am not sure if the lesson we needed to learn was patience or faith or something else, but I truly am grateful for my Heavenly Father's generosity and love. I have received more miracles than I deserve!

Tag......you're it!

2008-06-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

A. ATTACHED OR SINGLE? Happily Attached

B. BEST FRIEND? Eric, my BFF! :)

C. CAKE OR PIE? So hard to choose, I am going to have to go with cake since I was given a delicious lemon cake for my birthday today!

D. DAY OF CHOICE? Saturday since we usually spend the entire day together and I always get help cleaning the house!

E. ESSENTIAL ITEMS? The computer, i know, I can't believe I just said that either.

F. FAVORITE COLORS? Black, white, lime green

G. GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS? I LOVE sour gummy worms, not sure if they make them anymore though....

H. HOMETOWN? Well Sonora will always be my home, hometown, but I live in Carson City and am very happy here.

I. INDULGENCE? Chocolate, any kind, any where, any how.

K. KIDS? Yup, see "U"

L. LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT? My family, the Gospel, humor and fun.

M. MARRIAGE DATE? January 6, 2001

N. NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS? 2 sisters, 1 brother

O. ORANGES OR APPLES? Oh the little cutie oranges from Costco are heaven!!

P. PHOBIAS OR FEARS? Fears. I worry about bad things happening to the people I love.

Q. QUOTE? "How about corn cob on a tree?" -Nathan Thornton (I'll explain for anyone who really wants to know!)

R. REASON TO SMILE? Too many to mention! Let's just say I smile a lot! :)

S. SUPERMAN OR WONDER WOMAN? Superman because it reminds me of Eric

.T. TAG 5 PEOPLE: Hum...well you are assuming I know at least five people...how about Carole!

U. UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: Well, most people who read this already know, but I am having a baby! Yay!!!

VEGETABLES? Roasted zucchini, summer squash , red onions and mushrooms roasted in olive oil with some sea salt and pepper

W. WORST HABIT? I have to pick just one?! Celebrity gossip, there I said it. I am addicted.

X. X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND? Ultrasound since it lets me see our little "lima bean"

Y. YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? I would have to say Honey Nut Cheerios at the moment, even when nothing sounds good, I can always eat cheerios!

Z. ZODIAC SIGN? Gemini

I'm a model if you know what I mean....

2008-06-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

A few Sunday's ago, Nate had just gotten out of the shower and Eric had wrapped a towel around his waist. I thought he looked so cute and grown-up! I asked him if I could take his picture and he readily agreed! He started posing in all kinds of "model" poses, I swear I didn't tell him to do any it! I don't know where he gets it!

Party Time!

2008-05-29T14:49:00.001-07:00

Nate loves his birthday. In fact I think that was the first things he ever memorized was his birthday is on May 31st! Nate had a fun little birthday party today with his friends. Nothing fancy, just playing together, eating goodies and opening presents. We are lucky to have such wonderful friends!

Nate got a "special cake" this year. I am still feeling a little low on energy so I wanted something super easy to make and even easier to serve. I came up with this donut cake in about 5 seconds and it took about 30 seconds to make! Can't get any easier than that! Poor Nate, someday I will give him a proper birthday party!

I can't believe Nate is 4! He was our little miracle baby and I guess he still is. I feel so blessed to be his mom. Why he chose us to be his parents, I don't know, but I am so glad he did. He is so funny and smart and caring and such a BOY!! I love this picture of Nate, isn't it just like him to come out of the womb and immediately let us know that he is #1! He is asleep in this picture, and for months after he was born, he would sleep with his arm in the air like this !! So funny!!

Swimming Lesson

2008-05-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Nate had his first swimming lesson yesterday! That kid loves the water! I was surprised he wasn't afraid to put his head under, although holding your breath underwater does not come naturally apparently! He got a few unexpected gulps of water! Good job Nate!!

Fat Lip

2008-05-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Gotta love boys! The only day I was wishing and hoping to avoid all bumps and bruises, Nate's lip collides with Anna's head and he gets a big FAT lip! We were supposed to have our photo session with the photographer tonight to take our pictures for the adoption paperwork. Luckily our photographer is a friend and also a very skilled children's photographer so she totally understands about rescheduling, after all we can't have anyone thinking dear old mom and dad were responsible for it! This picture is after a few hours of ice and lots of love, so it doesn't look as bad as it originally did!

Making Memories

2008-04-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

The older Nate gets, the more I realize how important it is to make memories. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve my Grandma and Grandpa Altaffer. Some memories are of outings like camping, hiking, fishing and the frog jump! Some memories are more simple, like standing around the fire chit-chatting or sleeping under the electric blanket and taking walks down the road. We went to visit my grandma and grandpa this past weekend. The first thing Nathan said as we pulled away from their house was "I had so much FUN!" Nathan went exploring with "the guys," took a walk and found some great sticks, played an Indian drum, went on a bear hunt, played with tons of new toys, slept upstairs with mom, stuffed himself with Uncle Jim's tri-tip, and had an audience to show off his somersaulting skills! I love that Nathan enjoys doing the same things that I did when I was a kid. It's almost more fun experiencing it the second time around as a parent and seeing the happiness on Nathan's face! I love you Grandma and Grandpa!!

The lost Easter pictures

2008-03-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Apparently the "Easter Bunny" has lost his memory card with all our Easter pictures on it. The Easter bunny is very sorry and states that he will continue to look high and low for our lost pictures! :) We had very nice Easter though and I figured I better write about it because we may not be able to find those pictures! A few weeks before Easter we were shopping when Nate spied the Easter basket he wanted, it of course had a train in it, not just any train but an EXPRESS TRAIN! He was so smitten, he decided he wanted to write a letter to the Easter bunny to ask for THAT basket! Of course the Easter bunny could not refuse such passion for a Easter basket and delivered THAT basket Easter morning! Nate was thrilled to say the least, however upon assembling the train, Daddy Easter bunny discovered it was broken, Nate (luckily) was not phased by this at all because he has more fun moving the train around the track himself. Mommy Easter bunny was less than pleased, after all, we don't want any childhood memories of broken toys on special holidays! That reflects badly on the Easter bunny! Mommy Easter bunny was relieved Nate loved the train regardless of it's working order. On Saturday, grandma and grandpa Easter bunny had an egg hunt at their house. Nate was thrilled and couldn't believe all those eggs were for him! We are lucky to have such wonderful grandma and grandpa Easter bunnies that live so close and love to help make the holidays special.

Adoption Update

2008-03-12T12:19:00.001-07:00

A lot of people have been asking where we are at in the adoption process, so I thought I'd write a little about what we are up to now. We had our first appointment with our social worker on Friday. It went really well and got us really excited. They gave us a ton a of paperwork to start working on, so that will be our focus for the next month or so! Then when we get the official "approval" they will start on our home study. It's a long process and we are still at the beginning, but we are hopeful and we appreciate everyone's interest and prayers!

Monster Jam!!

2008-03-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well I guess there is a first time for everything! Saturday we went to Monster Truck Jam and it's been nothing but monster trucks since! Apparently all boys love monster trucks and Nathan may love them most of all! We had a great time and Nate would barely tear his eyes away from the track so we could take his picture! I am so glad Tye told us to bring ear plugs because it was CRAZY loud in there! I am posting one of the only pictures we took (out of a hundred or so) that Nathan would even glance at the camera. The other picture is of Gravedigger, the world champion of monster trucks!

Lots of Love

2008-03-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Eric was holding Nate the other day while we were waiting in line somewhere when Nate wraps his arms around Eric's neck and said "Dad, when I grow up, I want to be just like you!" It had to be one of the sweetest moments I've ever seen. I love my boys!

No Nap Nathan

2008-03-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

We decided to let Nate stop taking naps in the afternoon, he was definitely showing signs that he was done taking naps. During that first week of transition, he would get so tired in the evening, and one particular night he fell asleep during his breathing treatment, sitting up! He was out cold...he didn't even hardly wake up when I put his jammies on him. So why couldn't he have slept like that when he was 6 months old?!

Everybody else is doin' it!

2008-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well here we are! I thought I was really on top of this technology thing because I had a myspace page, but then I found out that is just the tip of the iceberg! Now everyone is blogging. I honestly didn't even know what a blog was until a few months ago, but here I am, giving it the old college try! Now if I can just figure out how to post a picture....wish me luck!