The Sylvia Scoop

So big!

2012-02-07T16:52:00.001-07:00

Delaney is growing up TOO FAST! She reminds me so much of her brother, always wanting to be facing out, held up,standing up, sitting up.. can't miss any of the action. She started sitting in her bumbo seat and loves it! She has even given me a few adorable giggles lately. She is 11 weeks old now, time has flown. We love her lots!

Super Bowl!

2012-02-05T20:49:00.001-07:00

This year was especially exciting for us. The Patriots are our team, so of course we were pumped. Andy was able to get his hands on a ticket, which basically has been a dream for him. He just her to drive down town since the game was here in Indy (so awesome!). He also was able to attend some private corporate parties and meet some hot shots! I stayed home with the kiddos and we had fun hanging in our team garb and eating junk food. Dallin is SOO into football, and loved watching. He didn't quite make it through the entire game. Too bad the Patriots didn't pull through though :( game

Smile!

2012-02-04T19:36:00.001-07:00

Big day yesterday at the Sylvia house. Dallin lost his first tooth! He is so darn cute. He couldn't wait to see what the tooth fairy left for him, so excited that he was up by 6 am! The next tooth is hanging on by a thread. I can't believe it took so long for him to lose, considering he got his first tooth at 3 months old!

Our new house in Indy!

2012-02-02T19:14:00.005-07:00

I realized I never posted about our new house. I dont have any pics of the inside, but here is a look at the outside. We dont have a fence (pretty much ALL the houses here in Indiana dont) but our backyard neighbors are awesome! We are on a corner lot, so there is tons of common area before you hit the road, which makes for even more play. I thought I would worry about no fence, but actually it hasn't been an issue. Especially since we have a swingset, the kids just migrate around that!

Siblings

2012-02-01T12:40:00.001-07:00

There two are a hoot. Sure wish they didn't fight all the time... but I am hoping this gets better with age!!

Utah visit

2012-02-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

I took a quick trip to Utah over the weekend to show off sweet Laney Bug, and get a chance to meet my newest nephew Graham. I decided to make the trip a surprise to my sister, which was soo much fun. My mom picked me up from the airport and we went right over to her house. My.mom went in first, and about a minute later I just busted open the door holding Delaney. My sister flipped out, such a priceless moment. I couldn't wait to hold my twin nephews again, which by the way have grown so much in the 2.5 months since I saw them. I was able to spend some lots of time with them, my in-laws, my nieces/nephews, as well as squeeze in a girls night. Time always goes by too quickly when I visit, I sure wish I could stay a whole week or two next time... whenever the next time will be :( Here are lots of pics from the trip!

Back in business

2012-02-01T10:42:00.001-07:00

So I recently discovered the Blogger app on my phone, which means I can re-enter the blogging world. I take almost all my pics on my phone, and so I never want to blog on the computer without the pics. Now I can just click on the app, upload a photo or two and poof... blog updated. I'm excited, stay tuned!

Delaney Rae

2011-12-18T10:13:00.018-07:00

She is here! Our precious little baby girl made her debut November 20, 2011 at 12:42 pm. She weighed 7lbs 11oz, and was 21". I went into the hospital for my scheduled induction at 7:30. By 8:30 I got the IV started and pitocin going, epidural around 10:30 and I was fully dilated by 12:30. WOW. Could not ask for a better labor than that! I pushed a couple of times and poof, I am a mom of 3! Delaney surprised us with her dark hair, but resembles her brother mostly. We are so in love with her! She is 5 weeks old, and so far life with 3 has been wonderful. We were fortunate enough to have Andy's parents in town for her birth. They stayed 10 days and were a huge help. We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with them as well (check back for another post on that). After they left, my parents arrived to spend some time here too! It was so fun for the older kids to have their grandparents here to spoil them. I have been on my own without family for about 10 days now, and I have managed to make it through okay so far! Delaney is a good baby, and the older kids are doing well adjusting. Here are a bunch of pictures from the past 4 weeks, including one of me the morning of delivery! WOW. It's sort of sad to think I will never be pregnant again, but I am so excited that our little family is complete and we are excited to continue on this journey of parenthood with our 3 little munchkins!

Dall and Claire

2011-11-18T09:09:00.002-07:00

With baby #3 just days from making her debut, I (like most mom's) have been getting a litte emotional thinking about my other two kids and how their lives are about to drastically change. I thought I would take a minute to document a bit about each of my sweet kids at this phase in their lives.

Dallin A:
-Mr. Social. Loves friends, playing with friends (mainly his new BFF Zach our neighbor
-Kindergarten goer. He absolutely LOVES school. I am totally amazed at how much he is already learning in the short few months he has been going. He reads, writes, and is using his imagination so much more
-Mr. Sassy pants. He has been acting like a teenage girl lately, talking back, gracing us with tons of attitude
-Wiggle worm. Cannot. Hold. Still. Ever
-Poor sleeper. Stil wakes up in the night, and up by about 6 every single day.
-Smartie pants. Just amazes me with his knowledge ever single day. Love it.
-Snuggle bug. Still loves to give hugs and kisses, and cuddle up with mom or dad. This never gets old.
-Mr. Artsy. He has been loving arts and crafts lately, something he NEVER used to like. Keeps him occupied for a bit, which I like,
-Imagination? What's that. He still struggles with this one. He cant play alone very well and has a hard time with free play when he is alone
-Has the most darling "crooked smile". Basically his bottom jaw is crooked and will definitely require orthodontic work in the future. Better start saving now!
-Is very adaptable. He has adjusted to moving twice and switching schools over this past year beautifully. So proud of him.
-Soccer star. Still loves soccer and is truly a natural. We are excited to try him in football this next season (per his request)
-Mr. Mature. In most cases I feel like I am interacting with a 10 year old!
-Tries to "parent" Claire. Seriously drives me nuts.

Claire A:
-Ms. INDEPENDENT. She is 2, need I say more?
-My little monkey. Seriously, she can climb ANYTHING and does.
-Picky eater. Lately she has been refusing so many foods. Hopefully it's a phase. I try not to read into it, but dont make her multiple things. She goes without if she doesnt eat it.
-Sleeps. All. Night. Ahh.
-Should really start potty training...
-Cannot wait for her baby sister to "Come Out"
-Dora obsessed. Like bad.
-Loves to sing songs, especially before bed.
-The word "No" has entered her life, and she is in love. Me, not so much.
-Has the typical love/hate relationship with Dallin. Loves him when he is gone and misses him, but they bicker like crazy when they are together.
-Loves to sit in the swing and go "high" like she is 5 or something.
-Seriously needs some help getting her hair to grow in thicker. There are literally bald spots on her scalp. Any suggestions?
-cuddle bug. She like her brother is very loving and offers hugs and kisses all day
-Plays well alone. It's a true blessing for us, really.
-Speaks really well, can talk in sentences and knows her ABC's and can count to 15
-Follows her brother around and wants to do everything he does.
-Is in love with my phone and playing games on it. Dangerous though, cuz she has accidentally signed me up for some monthly 9.99 playboy charge. OOps!
-She insists on using her hands to eat most things. Forks are no fun at all!
-Has a very sweet personality, but is definitely gaining a bit of sass
-Just melts my heart every day!

Well there ya have it, a little info about my kiddos. I will be glad I did this, more for my own reference in the future. Cannot wait to add the 3rd child to the list in 2 DAYS! I will keep everyone updated on the induction which is scheduled for 7:30 on Sunday morning. Until then...

Quick Update

2011-09-10T12:34:00.003-06:00

Since I am so far behind on posting I decided to give a quick update on our lives, and when I get time to actually sit down and post pictures I will, even if they are a few month's late.

Family Vacation: We took a family road trip to Boston over the summer. We rented a beach house on Cape Cod and shared it with Andy's parents. We were able to see both sets of his grandparents, along with many aunts/uncles and cousins. It was such a blast. We spent most of our time playing on the beach, building sandcastles and boogie boarding. My kids were in HEAVEN, and Claire even took her daily naps in our laps (how sweet). Dallin is a water weinie, and fearless. Claire was a bit more hesitant but loved being held and brought out into the waves! They both got so tan, but Claire did especially! Love that girl! We celebrated our 7th year wedding anniversary on Cape Cod (we also celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary here too).

Dallin's first ER trip: I cant believe we lasted almost 5 years without taking Dallin to the emergency room, but... it was inevitable. On the last day of our vacation in Mass, we stopped at a sandwich shop before heading home and there was a playground across the street. I decided to take the kids over there while Andy ordered the sandwiches, basically to let the kids get some last minute energy out before the long drive. Well after about 10 seconds of being there, I heard a cry from the dreaded monkey bars. I was over on the swings with Claire and I ran over to Dallin who was holding his arm. I knew immediately what had happened, and I freaked out. I started screaming and picked him right up. Luckily both Andy's parents and Grandparents were still with us, so I ran over to them. I calmed down, and Dallin wasn't even upset. I could tell just by looking at it that it was broken, so I knew we needed to head to the ER. I grabbed the nearest magazine and some guaze wrap and made my lovely homemade sling. Andy's grandpa guided us towards the nearest ER and we were off. 3 hours later, we were called back to the room and they took an xray that confirmed the fracture. Dallin was so incredibly brave, I cant even stand it!!! Anyway, they gave us a temporary sling and some pain meds and we headed back to Andy's grandparent's house where we set up a family sleeping pow wow in the living room. We had to extend our trip on more day, but it all worked out. Dallin was a trooper and didnt ever complain. When we got back to Indiana, we saw an orthopedic doctor who put him in a hard cast for 3 more weeks (waterproof)!!! We went about our normal summer and Dallin wasn't hindered one bit with the cast on!

Dallin's first day of school: We officially have a kindergartener at our house! Dallin started school mid August, and attends the PM class. His teacher is named Mrs. Sirken. There are 20 students in the class, and he is loving every minute of it. I drop him off at 12:40 and he rides the bus home! He gets home about 3:45 every day, and is all smiles! He is already learning how to read, little smarty pants!

We bought a house!!!!!: After months and months of eyeing the rental market, and realizing we would totally be OVERSPENDING, the thought of buying a house crossed our minds. We had a few reservations, the main one being we still have our house in Utah. We have good renters in there, but still, it's stressful knowing that we would be responsible for 2 mortgages. THe other hesitation was "where is Andy's career going to take us, and when?" The sports industry is unpredictable. A job opportunity could present itself at ANY TIME, and we were nervous about being held back because we owned a home here in Indy. Don't get me wrong, we are very happy with Andy's job now, but you honestly never really know what the future holds. We finally decided that we didn't have a crystal ball, we would be saving over $300/mo if we bought a house, and we ultimately would be so much happier in our OWN place, so we started thinking that buying might not be such a bad idea. So anyway, for months we had been getting listings from a local realtor, and didn't honestly think much about buying at the time. Then, a house came available that caught our eye. We decided to go look at it, but didnt love it in person. That next day another one came available, that was SO MUCH BETTER than the first one. I went and looked at it and fell in love. Andy went the following day, and followed the realtor to her office to write up an offer. That's how great this house was. We had to wait a few days for financing to fall into place, but once we got that approved we submitted the offer. After a few counter offers they accepted! They even included the swingset, washer & dryer and stand up freezer in the garage. Hello, am I dreaming? I am still kind of in shock, but as my house continues to pile up with boxes the reality is kicking in. We close on September 23, and I am thrilled. All 3 kids will have their own bedroom, and there is even room downstairs designated as a playroom. What more could a mom ask for! More to come on this!

One Year Anniversary: Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of our move to Indiana! I cannot believe it's been that long, wow. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, mainly for me. Andy has rocked it at his job, which is no surprise. Despite the almost hour commute each way (which is soon to be cut by at least 20 minutes in the new house) he has loved his job. I think around the 8-9 month mark the "newness" of this adventure wore off and the reality set it. I was pretty much a basket case. A lot of the expectations I had created for myself and the move had not been met, and I was feeling quite sad about it. I missed my family dearly, and the thing that was the most devastating was the fact that my sister Sarah was pregnant and I wasnt there to experience it with her. Nor would I be there to enjoy these boys when they are born and growing up. It seriously kills me. BUT... I have moved passed the pity me stage, and have entered the "this is my new life" phase. I have accepted the new life, and now with the new house purchase comes new neighbors (we seriously have a lack of kids in ours)and a new ward. I am really excited. I get to feel comfortable and homey in MY OWN HOUSE. The kids will have a playset, and one of the neighbors have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. Seriously? Good things are ahead, including the birth of my DAUGHTER! Cant wait to meet baby D. 10 more weeks!!!!!

That's about it for this post, I will try my hardest to get some pictures uploaded in the next little bit, but packing has taken precidence these days!

Happy to announce....

2011-07-21T19:53:00.002-06:00

We are thrilled to be adding another little girl to our family! Baby "D" looks great and we cant wait to meet her!

4th of July!!

2011-07-21T19:29:00.011-06:00

This year the 4th of July ended up being one of the funnest days we have had since moving out here! We originally weren't going to even do anything, we thought the kids wouldn't last through fireworks and we honestly didnt really know much about what festivities were even going on. Then Andy's friend from work called and invited us to go hang out with him and his wife over at Geist Reservoir. There was going to be fun festivities for the kids, food and fireworks. We decided to give it a whirl, but figured we would probably not last through the entire night to see fireworkds. We got there right at 5:30 when everything began and walked around. They closed this giant bridge off to traffic that crossed the reservoir, and people were all setting up chairs along the road. We snagged a sweet spot, and set up our chairs and spent the rest of the evening walking around, getting Dallin's face painted, ate from a local taco stand, kids played in a bounce house, and just hung out! Before we knew it it was already 9:30, so we decided to set up shop and stay for fireworks! The kids were soooo amazing, probably one of the best days we have had with them. Before the fireworks started, they relesed tons of the floating lanterns into the sky, my kids were totally in heaven (they both are absolutely obsessed with the movie Tangled). Dallin was very nervous for the fireworks to start, he has never been a fan of them in the past. Once they started, he loved them. They set the fireworks off from the middle of the water, and we were sitting right on the bridge! What a cool setting. Claire was in awe and she said "oo, awesome" after every one! Adorable. It was a great night, and we are so happy we ended up going. We got some super cute pics too, so enjoy!

Sarah and Ty Ty visit!

2011-07-21T19:14:00.009-06:00

We were so happy to have my sister Sarah and her hubby Tyler come out for a few days to visit! It worked out that it was over Claire's birthday so that made it even more fun. We had a good time hanging out, shopping, and talking all things BABY! My sister and I are both pregnant, dues just 2.5 weeks apart. This is her first pregnancy and they are so happy to be expecting TWIN BOYS! For Claire's birthday since we didnt have a real "party" I wanted to do something special that she would like. I decided that the Indianapolis zoo would be perfect, and boy was I right! She loved it, we all did for that matter! It was a gorgeous day, and the kids had a blast with Auntie Sarah and Uncle Ty Ty. Claire got to ride a "choo choo train" and Dallin a roller coaster. Afterwards, we hit up a restaurant called The Tamale Place, which we had seen the night before on "Diners, Drive-in's and Dives". We miss all of our family so much, it was so much fun to have someone come out and visit! I hope that I can make it out to Utah to see her babies before mine comes! Fingers Crossed!

Claire's 2nd Birthday

2011-07-21T18:47:00.004-06:00

Claire turned 2 on June 11, and we had a little celebration at our house. She wanted a Dora cake, and was spoiled with lots of gifts. She didnt quite understand what a "birthday" meant, but she still enjoyed it! We were so happy that Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tyler were able to fly out for a visit and be there to celebrate Claire's special day. We went to the zoo the following day, more pics to come on that!

Like most others, I wanted to document a few things about Claire at this age because they grow so fast, and we quickly forget.

-26 lbs 12 oz, 36" tall
-loves Dora, and Tangled (seriously she is in love with this movie)
-transitioned to a big girl bed at 22 months, and after a few weeks of naptime struggles sleeps like a champ!
-takes a 2+ hour nap every day
-goes to bed at 8, sleeps till 7-8 am
-is a pretty good eater, but has her picky moments
-loves fruit, oatmeal, bagels, noodles
-plays very well alone, and already has a cute little imagination
-is soooo sweet
-hardly ever cries, and is slightly sensitive. Instead of a tantrum she gives us a frownie face, or covers her hands over her eyes.
-has the smallest feet, still in size 5
-tans like nothin you would believe. So jealous.
-follows big brother around non stop, and does EVERYTHING he does
-is a MONKEY. I have found her on top of my van, the washer and the countertops numerous times
-is talking more and more each day. still nothing can compare to the parables that her brother spoke at this age, but it's fun to finally be able to talk to her!
-knows all her colors
-can sing the ABC's
-is super lovey. She is always giving hugs and kisses multiple times a day
-starting to really get into the girlie things, princesses, purses, babies
-anytime she wears a skirt or dress she just twirls and twirls. Cutest.thing.ever
-loves to swing at the park, and it has to be in the regular swing, no baby swing for her
-is totally in the "i do it" stage. Kind of annoying sometimes, but so stinkin cute.
-loves all things water related
-overall a very obedient child
-is starting to understand that there is a baby in my belly, not sure she quite understands that one day this baby will be coming home with us!

Claire, you are such a joy to have around. I love your personality, your hugs, and your smiles! You have been such an easy child, I sure hope this continues! We love you so much!!!

Someone had a birthday!

2011-06-13T18:06:00.002-06:00

Gorgeous Miss Claire is now officially 2!

..... much more to come about her birthday, and a fun weekend with Aunt Sarah and Uncly Ty Ty!

14 week belly

2011-05-31T06:55:00.002-06:00

I figured I had better start documenting the belly progress, since I really started showing at 10 weeks! I am 14 weeks here!

The Chillins

2011-05-30T18:16:00.009-06:00

Here are a bunch of pictures of my adorable kids, for your viewing pleasure!

Dallin's Preschool Graduation

2011-05-29T20:00:00.006-06:00

Dallin officially finished his second year of preschool. I have been so pleased with our choice for his preschool this year in Indiana. His school was a based on a Montessori curriculum, which Dallin really responded to well. Dallin had a great year, was "the center of attention" his teachers say, and he learned TONS! Dallin is already reading short words, he can add and subtract basic numbers and despite being the youngest in his class, he is totally ready to start Kindergarten in the fall. Dallin made quite a few good friends, a few of which we get together with for playdates. We are so proud of our little squirt, and like most mom's say, "I cant believe my baby is so old!!"

Conor, Dallin, and Delaney. The three amigos.

Dallin's best bud Conor! He and Dallin get along so well, and we love having playdates with him!

Dallin and his "girlfriend" Delaney! What a cutie!

The only family picture we could snap, thanks to my busy 2 year old

Our babysitter, Dani and Dallin. My kids ADORE her! In fact, Dallin always makes me count down the days until Friday when Dani comes! She was so nice to come watch Dallin at his graduation!

Easter Festivities

2011-05-29T19:29:00.006-06:00

I had to work Easter Sunday, so we opened packages from the grandparent's on Saturday night! The kids loved their baskets full of goodies! Easter morning the kids were up bright and early, so I got to watch them do their egg hunt for just a few minutes before I had to leave. Claire caught right on and had a ball finding her eggs. Dallin was a big helper and once he found his 10, he helped Claire find all of hers. The kids got all cleaned up and ready for Church with Dad!

Baby Talk

2011-04-29T08:32:00.002-06:00

The other day I broused through old blog posts and it made me think how grateful I am to have this blog. Even though I dont update near enough, it's fun to have documentation of things that I forget all too quickly. With that said, I am going to try and continue to document more frequently during this pregnancy so I can years from now flash back and re live these special moments!

I am just about 10 weeks along now, feeling decent. I had my first doctor's appointment where they did an ultrasound and we saw the little heart beat. I have been feeling exhausted, which I know is normal in the early stages, but mine seemed a little more unbearable than I had remembered in the past. I had a feeling that my thyroid was off, and sure enough, the labs came back that they were elevated. My OB adjusted my medication dose, so hopefully I can start feeling a bit more lively here as I enter into my second trimester. As far as "morning sickness", I dont really have any! Sometimes at night after I eat dinner I feel a little blah, but my days go pretty much nausea-free! As long as I keep that belly satisfied (like every 2 hours) then I am good to go! Speaking of that belly, it's definitely starting to make an appearance! 3rd baby syndrome for sure, plus I tend to show pretty early anyway! We waited to tell Dallin about the baby until after my first appointment just to be safe. When I told him, he just LIT UP! Now, he cannot stop talking about it. He tells everyone he sees that "mommy has a baby in her belly". He wants a brother, and if you ask me, I am pretty sure that is what he will be getting! I never had a "feeling" about the gender either way, but this time I am about 95% sure it's a boy! Part of me is secretly hoping for a girl, for Claire's sake. THey will be under 2.5 years apart and I think it would be fun for her to have a sister. BUT, obviously I am happy with either, and Dallin would love a brother! I cant wait to find out! Well, I bet the next post will consist of some sort of embarassing belly shot, so stay tuned!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-20T12:58:00.008-06:00

We took the kids to a local easter egg hunt this past weekend. They had a blast, despite the chilly weather. The kids were separated into age groups, so Andy went with Dallin, and I went with Claire. Claire was ADORABLE! I love how she is starting to really grasp things and is really becoming a kid, not my little baby anymore :( Here are a few pictures from the day!

Andy's B-day and BIG NEWS!

2011-04-20T12:48:00.003-06:00

Last month Andy turned 29! I was full of surprises that day, which these days are hard to pull off. I was scheduled to work until after 6 that day, but I had previously arranged to get off work early without tellin Andy. I also scheduled our Nanny to come over and sit at the house after the kids went to bed so we could go out! Andy was shocked, he had no idea I had any plans up my sleeve! Before we went out we celebrated with cake and gifts with the kids! We went out to dinner and enjoyed a nice meal without interruption!

The best part of the day was definitely the birthday card I gave Andy. At the bottom I wrote,
"Love, Ashley, Andy, Dallin, Claire and Little Bean."

This was his reaction!!!! In case you dont get it, we have another baby on the way!
I found out the day before his birthday, so I thought it would be fun to tell him in a creative way! We are thrilled, and cant wait to complete our family with this "little bean"

Surprise!

2011-03-18T14:38:00.003-06:00

So Andy surprised me by booking me and the kids a trip to Utah! We had talked about me going, but I really didnt know if it would actually become reality! We will be leaving on March 30, and coming home April 6. I am so excited to meet my new neice, June Elise Sylvia! I am glad she will still be in her tiny newborn stage, my favorite. I cant wait to see my family and friends too, it's been really lonely out here! The best part, Andy gets to fly on the same flight as us on our way to Denver, so that will be a huge help! I will post pics when we get back!!!

Winter Blues

2011-03-06T08:12:00.003-07:00

This has been the longest winter OF MY LIFE! I think it has been worse this year than ever before for a few reasons.
1. I now have 2 busy kids who are getting utterly sick of being inside all day
2. I am away from all of my friends, so the usual winter outings/playdates
have definitely been cut short this year
3. I still dont know all there is to do in this new city, so most days we end up home

BUT, I see and end to the cold, snowy/rainy/icy/floody days here in Indiana. I know my days spent wiping drippy noses and bundling up are soon coming to an end. Let me tell you, I have never been so excited for a little sunshine. I have definitely been feeling a little bluesy lately. Being lonely, and cooped up, and stuck inside during this horrid weather has played its toll on me. BUT, better things are in store. We registered Dallin for soccer (YEAH!), I have started a new job that gets me out of the house and socializing with other adults, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my newest niece, June.. still soo sad that I wont be there. Like, REALLY REALLY sad :( And, we have an awesome summer vacation planned at a beach house on Cape Cod! Now that's what I am talking about! My kids are going to DIE, water is so their thing, and the beach is going to be heaven on earth for those kiddos! Lastly, I just found out my dearest cousin is getting married in Virginia over labor day, so I am really hoping to make a mini road trip (10 hour drive) out of it and spend a few days out at Virginia Beach! All of these things keep me going every day... I have something to look forward to... that all involve SUNSHINE!

Been missing these cute faces lately....

2011-02-15T18:09:00.009-07:00

I always wanted to be a nurse....

2011-02-05T16:57:00.002-07:00

So I got a new job working at an Immediate care clinic! I will be working part time: one 12 hr shift a week and every other weekend. Perfect! I was supposed to start on Thursday, but turns out the nanny I hired decided to disappear off the face of the earth and never showed up. So, needless to say I had to call in my very first day telling them "I cant make it". I was mortified. Fortunately, they understood and it wasnt a big deal. Lucky me. So anyway, yesterday was my first official day and I was very excited to get back into the field. I hadnt worked for 5 months, so I was a little nervous I would be rusty! The day went really well, and it turns out the xray techs there are basically "just one of the nurses". I did everything the nurses did like go out and get the patient, bring them into a room, take their vitals and medical history etc. I take strep tests, help with urine samples, irrigate ears, heck maybe actually do an xray in the midst of all of that! It's been a great learning experience for me, but I am always up for a challenge! I enjoy all of the patient interaction on the nursing side, but still get to enjoy doing my job as an xray tech! It's the best of both worlds! As far as the nanny goes, I honestly haven't heard from her... I've called, left messages and emails. I dont know where she is, I hope she is not just being a total flake and avoiding me. Seriously, who would do that? So, I decided to start looking for someone else and I have a nice girl coming over on Tuesday to interview so hopefully she is a good fit! I have really enjoyed the time I spent being a stay at home mom, but I am excited that I have something to do just for "me". I get to meet new people, have some adult interaction and get a little break from the demands of my kiddos! Luckily, I am still going to be home with them most of the time, and they get some wonderful daddy bonding time during the weekends that I work!

House talk

2011-01-18T11:13:00.002-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about our future, mainly houses! When we moved here to Indiana we decided to rent a house since we knew nothing about the area or the market out here. We found a house online that fit our criteria but we never even got to se it before we moved here. We like our house, it's big and the kids have tons of room to run around! There are a few things that I really don't like, the main one is location. Because it's on a golf course, the majority of people in this neighborhood are retired. My poor kids haven't met any friends :( Also, Andy has found himself driving into he city most days which takes about 1 HR or more with traffic. Basically, if we could pick our house up and move it closer to downtown in a more family friendly area that would be perfect!! Obviously, that is not possible so now we have to consider moving... Again.... The thing that frustrates me most is that real estate here is so cheap, and we could serioulsy buy our dream home for 150,000-175,000, which would be cheaper than rent! The problem is we don't really know where Andy's job will take us in the comin years. I don't know if we are ready to buy something here, and then get a job opportunity somewhere else down the road. When you work in the sports industry, moving is inevitable really. The job he has now could likely be the first of many as he works his way up in the industry. So, you can see why I am battling the idea of buying a house vs renting. I will tell you one thing. I hate white walls and not being able to decorate MY house the way I want. It's hard being away from everyone here, and coming home to a boring house that I can't make my own... It's killing me! The plan as it's stands now is start looking for a new rental house around July (we won't move in until September when our lease is up). We want to know where we will be living by the time school starts in August! I can't believe Dallin will be in Kindergarten! But, I will continue tossing around the idea of buying a house...

The best tree EVER

2011-01-09T18:30:00.004-07:00

I had to post a picture of my Mom's Christmas tree this year! THis picture seriously doesn't give it justice. Every year I look forward to seeing how my mom decorates, and this year she chose the theme "winter wonderland". She is so talented, and we all keep telling her she needs to make a business out of it! Cant wait for next year!

Home for the Holidays!

2011-01-09T17:55:00.013-07:00

We were so excited to make it back to Utah for Christmas! We flew out in the evening and didn'e make it to Utah until 2:00 in the morning (4am Indiana time). We were all walking zombies and my kids only slept for like an hour during the whole time traveling. AHHH. But, we bounced right back and were ready for some Cafe Rio the next day! LOL! We stayed in Utah for 15 days, and had a lot of fun visiting with family and friends. We spent some time with our friends, watching football, girls night out, guys movie night, snowboarding with the boys, and much more! Our Christmas Eve was spent at my parent's house for our annual Christensen family party! I look forward to this every year, it's the only time I see my mom's extended family! Since we were staying with Andy's family, Santa came there and brought the kids lots of presents! We only opened Santa gifts before heading out to an amazing breakfast at the Little America down town with Andy's family! YUMMY! After breakfast we made it over to my mom's where we opened gifts and spent the afternoon visiting! We headed back to Andy's parent's house where we finished opening our family gifts and had dinner! We were busy until 8:00, which although tiring, was so nice! It was better than having Christmas over at 9:00 AM. My kiddos were so spoiled, and so were Andy and I! Dallin was all thing super hero... and I mean EVERYTHING. Costumes, action figures, shaving set, books etc. etc. etc. Claire was showered with girlie things like an Ariel Doll and Princess TuTu! It's nice to finally have some girl stuff in the house, although I will say she sure does love all of Dallin's toys. It might take a while for her to learn how to be girlie! Andy and I got lots of clothes, gift cards, money, and a Wii! Dallin is totally excited about this one! I also got a beatuful necklace from vintage pearl with my kids names engraved on the pendant. So cute! Well after all of the Christmas hype died down, we enjoyed more time with family and friends. I wasn't able to get everyting done that I wanted to, even in the 15 days we were there :( Sorry to anyone who I wasnt able to see. We are hoping to make it back in late March to see my neice June after she is born! I had to fly home alone with the kids, which I was totally dreaing. Fortunately, the kids did great, both flights were faster than expected and it worked out fine! Here are a plethera of pics from the trip. Sorry for not commenting on each one, but you all get the idea!

SNOW!!!

2011-01-09T17:45:00.010-07:00

My kids love the snow, everything about it. Whether it be sledding, making snow angels or just shoveling the driveway, they are not hesitant to get out and have fun! We have gotten lots of snow here in Indiana so far, more than usual (so we hear) so we have taken advantage as best we can. We made it out sledding before all the good snow melted and the kids had a blast, even Claire. SHe is fearless, just like her brother! Here are a few fun pics of some of our witner activities!

Back to work

2011-01-06T20:33:00.002-07:00

Since moving to Indiana the finances just have not been in order (story of everyone's lives, right). After much contemplation, we decided that it would be best for our family if I went back to work part time. I was okay with the idea. It's no surprise to anyone that I love my job, but part of me felt a bit hesitant because one of the big reasons for moving out here was so I could be a stay at home mom. I thought about it a lot, and this is what I concluded: I could stay home every day and be bored and poor, not being able to afford to do anything fun with my kids like soccer, or museums, or the zoo, or even McDonalds for cryin out loud... Or, I could work part time and give my kids the opportunity to do more. I guess you figured what I picked. I applied for a few jobs, with no response. I was getting a little frustrated because I feel like I have great work experience and was surprised to not hear back from them. Then right before we left to Utah for the holidays, a job was posted for part time every other weekend and two 6 hour shifts during the week. Alright, this sounds like it could be good... so I applied. I got a call the next morning and interviewed the next day. That interview went great, and she immediately scheduled me for a second and final interview. I found out there were over 40 applicants for the position! Crazy! So we headed out to Utah and I got a call New Years Eve from Human Resources offering me the position! HOOORAAYYY! I was so excited, and the best part, the pay is great, almost $3.00/hr more than I made in Utah! I will be working at an Urgent Care facility, which will be different from the Hospital setting I am used to, but the xray techs there do a lot more than just xrays. I am excited to broaden my skills in the medical field. As far as childcare, we have it pretty much figured out... Andy will be home for the every other weekend shift (8-5) and then he will be able to work half day at home once a week when I work the 2-8 shift, and we just hired a nanny to come to the house on the other day when I work 8-2! It's nice to know that my kids will still be with me and Andy most of the time, and not needing to be placed in day care! The whole goal of me working is this: SAVE MONEY. We decided that if I went back to work it would be temporary, and that's the plan. We are hoping to use the money to pay off a little debt, save, and then once that's done I can hopefully just go PRN and work occasionally after that! I will admit, I am excited to get back to work, it will be a nice break and a good place to socialize and hopefully make some new friends too!!

Turkey Day!

2010-11-29T19:03:00.004-07:00

This year we decided to shake things up a bit. It didnt make much sense for me to spend all of the time and money to cook for just our little family so we decided to head over to the Cracker Barrel. Best. Decision. Ever. No hassle, no mess, just a great night cozied up in from of a warm fire eating delicious food! We missed not being with our family back home, but we now are that much closer to Christmas where we get to spend 15 wonderful days in Utah!!!!

Our cute family, courtesy of delayed timer on the camera. Gotta love it.

There was a bit of a wait, so we hung out in the car watching a movie

The boys coloring at our table waiting for the food

Claire in the giant rocker outside of the restaurant

Dallin's Surgery

2010-11-29T18:41:00.005-07:00

As most of you know, Dallin has blessed us with 4 years of sleepless nights. He would wake up 2-3 times EVERY NIGHT. Well after talking with an ENT about his history and based on all the symptoms he presented with the doctor decided we would go ahead and remove his tonsills and adenoids to help with any obstruction that could be causing him to wake up at night. I talked to Dallin about the surgery a few days before, and he actually was really excited! He couldn't wait to go meet the "sleep doctor" and get to wear a mask and hospital clothes! The best part about his surgery, was we got go receive a special visit from Grammie! We didn't even tell Dallin she was coming, we just pulled up at the airport the night before and opened the door. Grammie popped her head into the car, and oh my, Dallin jumped out of his seat so fast and wrapped his arms and legs around her so tight. It was seriously the cutest thing ever, I teared up for sure! It was great having her there to offer a little extra TLC, plus Andy and I were able to both go with Dallin to the surgery center, whild Grammie stayed home with Claire. That was very nice! The surgery went perfectly, and by the sounds of it we picked the best doctor. Dallin did fantastic and came out of the anestesia great! The nurses couldn't believe how well he was doing. He was a bit swoolen, but after a bit he was up in bed eating Jello! We were discharged a few hours later, and he did great the first two days! Day three was the hardest, he didnt eat much, and was in a lot of pain. From then on he just got better and better! I was soo proud of him for handling it so well. He was such a trooper, and was back to 100% after about a week!

In the waiting room

All dressed in his hospital garb, ready to go

Sooo sleepy, just out of surgery

Heading home, still a bit drowsy wouldn't ya say?

Day 2: Making cupcakes with Grammie!

As far as his sleep patterns, let's just say it's improving. It is still not what we want it to be, but it's getting there. Last week he slept 3 of 7 nights all the way through the night. That is a HUGE step for us. The other nights, he has been waking up around 11 or so and then sleeping until morning. That is also an improvement. He used to wake up at least twice. So, I am happy with the results so far, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it only gets better from here!!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-29T18:24:00.009-07:00

We, like every other family on this planet, carved pumkins to kick off the Halloween festivities!

Andy and Dallin

Dall dug right in... for about 20 seconds. Mom to the rescue to help dig out the rest of the "guts"

My two cuties, and our finished products. Not too fancy, but that's okay, I am no artist!

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! I wasnt sure if Claire was going to understand it, but Dallin was definitely ready to hit the streets! We live on a golf course community with lot's of retired people so we thought that everyone would for sure be home. Actually, we were totally wrong. Basically every other house was dark, and nobody answered. We had to do twice the work!! Andy and I even dressed up a bit, which Dallin thought was pretty cool!

Surprise, surprise. Dallin wanted to be Spiderman.

Trick or treating was right up her alley this year. She loved being able to pick her own candy and put it in her pumpkin! And, she even kept her hat on the whole time, SHOCKER!

Spiderman and his little radioactive spider. Pretty creative, right? (actually it was really the only costume I could find on Craigslist about 2 days before Halloween, but we can pretend it was totally thought out)

HEAVEN!!

CANDY! Recently introduced to it, and totally in love!

Happy B-day to ME

2010-11-29T18:17:00.004-07:00

I turned 28 (back in October), so I figured I should document it even if it's a bit late! We celebrated by going out to dinner at a local steakhouse, and then eating yummy spice cake with cream cheese frosting the me and the kids made! It was pretty low key, and I definitely missed my family (birthdays are a HUGE deal in my fam) but it was still a great day!

Me and Miss Claire

My two handsome men

Gotta love the "action" shot!

2010-11-25T19:00:00.001-07:00

One day I will blog.. I promise.

Life in the slow lane

2010-11-02T17:38:00.003-06:00

One of the things I am LOVING about living in Indiana is the fact that my life has become much simpler. We used to juggle both our jobs, run from grandparent's house to grandparent's house, from barbeques at a friend's house to birthday gatherings at another friends house. On weekends it was always, "who should we call"? Dont get me wrong, I absolutley loved ALWAYS having so much to do. But, I think I got caught up in it a little bit. Okay, a lot. After moving away it's made me realize just how C R A Z Y our life used to be. My poor kids didn't hardly get to bed before 9, I was never home to cook dinner, I had no schedule as far as cleaning or maintaining my house etc. but looking back, I didn't really know any different.That's how it has always been. Now my life is simple. It's quiet. It's organized. It's peaceful. It's MINE. I love it. I love that it's 7:40 pm and the kids are sound asleep and have been for about 20 minutes. I love that I get to go curl up on the couch with my amazing hubby, sip on a diet coke, munch on some popcorn and watch our "shows". Ahhh, so nice.

Life in the fast lane is fun, crazy and full of adventure, but sometimes it's good to pull over, and take a ride in the slow lane and enjoy the scenery.

My dynamic duo

2010-10-18T20:03:00.012-06:00

Now that I live away from my family and friends, I figured I better post updates on these two little bundles of energy! They sure keep me on my feet all day long, and now that I stay home with them I am getting a hang of the stay at home mom role! I sure love getting to spend every day with them!

Miss Claire:
She is now 16 months old (where has the time gone). She is busy busy busy and climbs on everything. We spend lots of time at the park and people often ask me how old she is because they cant believe how well she manuevers around on the playground! She is talking more and more each day, my favorite saying of hers is "bless you". It just sounds so cute coming from someone so little. She also says, "touchdown" whenever she sees football, and "goal" when she sees soccer. Andy is so proud! We recently introduced her to an Elmo DVD that Dallin loved as a baby and now she is addicted. I just took her bottle away a few days ago, and she had no trouble at all (why does stuff like that always seem harder in my mind). She still absolutely LOVES her baths and now loves showers too! She is seriously the cutest, funniest, sweetest thing ever, and I just love every bit of her.

Dallin:
He has handled the move so well, way better than I thought! He started preschool just days after we moved here and he loves it! He goes to a Montessori school, which I hear offers such a great learning style! He is still incredibly busy, and always wants me to play with him. I have really struggled with this because it's hard for me to give him the attention he wants, give Claire some time and still try to manage the household duties. I have really been trying to encourage him to use his imagination more, and he is getting better. He loves dressing up like superheroes and watching superhero shows, of course. Soccer is still a daily activity around here, and he just started in a new soccer program here in Noblesville! We have been trying really hard to make friends, and spend every day at the park socializing! It's a great way for hime to get to play with other kids and gives mom a much needed break from playing spiderman all day! We took him to another ENT who told us we definitely need to get Dallin's tonsils/adenoids removed. I was relieved in a sense, because I know it is finally going to allow Dallin to get some restful sleep! No more 2-3 night wakings every night! The doctor said that the surgery should also help with some behavioral issues we have been dealing with too, so that is also a plus! Of course, he is still my sweet little boy who is SOOOOO loving, and so complimentary. He has such a big heart, and is so passionate about everything. Even though he tests my patience daily, I sure love this kid!

Newport, Kentucky Aquarium

2010-10-18T19:32:00.012-06:00

One benefit to living in Indy is we are just a few hours away from many nearby cities with great attractions! We wanted to drive in to Cincinnati and Kentucky so we found this great aquarium that is located right on the levy in Newport, Ky which is just across the Ohio River. We ate lunch at a great pizza place and then spent the afternoon at the aquarium. It was awesome and there were some really great exhibits! After the aquarium, we spent some time driving around Cincinnati and Andy showed me some of the places he lived when he was serving his Mission! He lived right downtown in a couple different apartments, and I tell ya, I wouldnt want to be caught walking around those streets. Pretty scary stuff. Then we headed to a city called Batesville, In which is another area he served. We found his old apartment there too! That sure was a cute little town, located just an hour from Indy! Crazy how life has brought us back to this area! Here are some pics from that day!

The view into downtown Cincinnati from Kentucky

The highlight of the day was when I got attacked by a bunch of Parrots! We entered a part of the aquarium where they let the birds fly around freely in the atrium. We were allowed to feed the birds with these tiny little cups full of some sort of liquid. I held mine up towards a tree when suddenly the bird I was trying to feed jumped right onto my arm. It was pretty cool until the other few birds came flocking over and landed right on my head! It was HILARIOUS! I was dying, and total strangers were taking my picture! To make it even worse, the birds were pooping all over me, it was quite disgusting, but seriously funny. Dallin and Andy sure got a kick out of it. Not sure why I became the landing pad for the birds, but it made for a good story!

Claire LOVES fish! It was one of her first words, so you can only imagine the joy she experienced walking through this aquarium. Love her!

Fall Festival

2010-10-18T19:23:00.005-06:00

Since moving to Indiana we have been fortunate to fill our weekends with fun activities as we explore this new state! We spent one Saturday at one of the many farms here called Stony Creek Farm. They hold an annual fall festival full of fun activities for the kids, including a giant bounce pillow (Dallin was in heaven), haunted house, corn maze, mini train ride, and a hayride to a secluded pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick out their own pumpkin (my camera died at this point in the day, boo.) Anyway, it was a great day, and we had a ball!

Welcome to Indy!

2010-10-18T19:15:00.006-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our plane ride to Indianapolis

Me and Dallin

Mom and Sarah (definitely a huge help having them come along)

Claire, definitely enjoying herself! Luckily the flights weren't full so I was able to bring her car seat on board. A total LIFESAVER!

I know this picture is blurry, but it was the only documentation we got of us entering our new lives in Indy!

Sunday Blues

2010-10-03T14:56:00.002-06:00

Just missing my girlies back home... LOVE YOU ALL!

We are here!!!

2010-09-15T12:14:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know we have safely made the move to Indianapolis! Andy drove our van and we hired a company that drove the moving truck for us! I had the luxury of flying out with my kids after Andy and the truck arrived! My mom and sister came out with me on the flight, which was a huge help. They also stayed a few days to help unpack and wrangle the kids while we got settled. I was able to finally see my house in person, which was so much fun! We absolutely LOVE IT! The town we are living in is called Noblesville, which is a suburb of Indianapolis. It is about 20 minutes north of the City. Our house is right on a golf course, in fact our backyard is the Golf course! It is so beautiful here, green and lots of trees. We are so close to many of the ammenities we are used to in Utah, shops restaraunts, etc.

Dallin was able to start preschool right away, which is great for him. He goes 3 times a week, twice for 4 hours and the other day for 2.5 hours. He loves it already and I am glad he has something to keep him busy! I met a girl from the ward who already invited me to a weekly "potluck" for stay at home mom's. I am so excited, it is tomorrow and I will get to meet some new friends! The kids have adjusted so well, they are already totally used to Eastern Time, which I was totally nervous about.

Andy hasn't really started work yet. He should be getting his new laptop with all the programs he needs on Thursday, and then he can dive into work!

Overall we have been loving it! It still feels like a bit of a vacation, but I think I can get used to it here! We cant wait until Sunday when Andy's parents come out (they drove our other car). It will be fun to spend some time with them! I will post some pictures of our house shortly!

Movin' TIme

2010-09-06T21:49:00.002-06:00

The time has arrived for us to move. We spent an exhausting weekend loading up the moviing truck and cleaning our apartment. Oh boy was that a task. It is so much different moving across the country vs. across the city. We litereally had to put EVERY SINGLE THING WE OWN in a box. Craziness. We basically played one giant game of tetris trying to get everything into the moving truck, and in the least amount of space possible (they charge per foot used). But we made it out alive, barely, so it's time to say our goodbyes and start our new journey. Andy leaves bright and early tomorrow morning to drive to Indiana. His buddy Chris is tagging along to keep him company during the drive. Of course, they had to squeeze in some sort of sporting event into the trip so they are going to a Chicago White Sox game on Thursday night. Then they will head over to Indiana. I get to stay here for a few more days and then fly out with the kids Friday! My amazing mom and sister get to join me on the plane and come hang out with us for the first few days in our new place!!! After they leave, Andy's parents will be coming a few days later. They are driving our other car out, and then flying home a few days later! I actuallly cannot believe it is all happening. It still seems a bit surreal in my mind. I am however, very excited. I cant wait to get settled and start a new chapter in our lives!

Cabin Fever

2010-09-01T21:08:00.010-06:00

We decided to have a last shin dig with our friends up at Jenny's cabin! It was a great little getaway and we were all able to find babysitters for our kids! We stayed up till almost 3 am and slept in till 9:00! Wow, that's unheard of once kids enter the equation! We spend the evening barbequeing and goofing off. We played some games, but mainly just talked and talked and laughed (a lot). We only stayed one night, but it was much needed! We are very sad to leave all of our amazing friends, but know we will always stay in touch!

The girls (minus Christa who came up later that night)

Kate and Me. My bestie for life!

My SIL Lacy and Me. We have become such great friends over the years. Sure going to be sad to leave

Jen (iffer) and me (shlee) Love this girl. Go Red!

Couldn't resist acting like we were 12 again!

I love this picture of Andy and me but the lighting was strange. Oh well, it's still cute!

The Girls.

The boys. these guys (minus travis) all grew up together!

Extendend Family Pictures... The Sylvia Clan

2010-08-24T17:09:00.010-06:00

We decided to get some family pictures with the whole Sylvia Family. We were in need of a good couple of shots, and with us leaving it seemed like a great time! We headed out to the ever so popular Wheeler Farm on a HOT HOT HOT August afternoon. We ended up getting some good pictures, but the kids weren't always looking or smiling! Oh well, what do you expect!!

Here is the whole Clan.

The Grandkids
L-R Dallin, Claire, Ellie, Grey and Lyla

The only decent family picture of us... oh well it's not too bad

The Sylvia Brothers. Aren't they a handsome little trio?

Miss Claire strutting her stuff. Didn't get any great ones of her but that's okay, she had her own photo shoot just the month before (which I still need to post)

Big "D"

Grammie and Granddad. These kids A-D-O-R-E their grandparent's. My kids are absolutely going to miss these two when we move :(

And now for the big announcement....

2010-08-13T07:08:00.004-06:00

(no I am not pregnant)

WE’RE MOVING TO INDIANAPOLIS

I know, it's a shock to most of you. I am still trying to absorb it all. Andy got a new job, his "dream" job basically. Although it will be sad to leave everyone, it is going to be a great opportunity for our family. I will be able to stay home full time with the kiddos, and am excited for this new journey. More to come.

The chillins...

2010-08-03T13:54:00.005-06:00

Here are some recent pictures of the kids that I felt were too cute to not share!

So, this is Claire's typical hair-do after about 30 seconds of being anywhere. She will NOT keep any bow, elastic or head band on. I try every day, but to my dismay she continues to win that battle.

Big D at the zoo! So handsome, I know.

Claire also at the zoo looking cute as ever... yes I am bragging.

Lately Dallin hasn't been napping consistently, only when I know we need to stay out a bit later than usual. Lots of times though he ends up zonking out on the couch for a cat nap while watching TV. Hilarious!

Friends

2010-08-03T11:25:00.005-06:00

I am loving that Dallin is old enough to have his own "friends". He is such a social kid as I have mentioned before, so any time we are able to get together with friends we are all over it!!

Dallin and Lyla- These two are cousins just a year apart! They are awfully fond of eachother, and I hope they grow up to be great friends!

Dallin and David- Our neighbor is just a few months older than Dallin. These two would play together every second of every day if we would let them. Dallin wakes up asking if he can "play with David". They play on the same soccer team and together they are one awesome duo!

Dallin and David again (pre-hair cut. Can you even stand those curls? Adorable)

Dallin and Kelan- My good friend Kristina's son (twin brother Kole not pictured) Last time we got these two together they were so cute together! It's funny how some kids just take to other kids!

Dallin and Miss Audrey- My bestest friend ever Katie's daughter has been in Dallin's life since the moment he was born. They love to play together, and although age and gender is causing a bit of challenge lately, they still have fun together!

Claire's 1st Birthday

2010-08-03T10:42:00.009-06:00

It's time I finally got around to blogging about Claire's Birthday (in June). We had a fun pool party planned but the weather had something else in mind.. so at the last minute I had to move the party inside. It was still a great time, Claire was in heaven over her new toys, especially the pink car. Can I even tell you how excited she was when she saw that thing... seriously people. Pure joy. I themed her party with cupcakes, and had this cool cupcake cake made (wow that was a lot of use of the work "cake" just then) She got her own smash cake, which she was hesitant about at first. After a little coaxing from mom you can see she was able to partake plenty on her own!! I am so in love with this girl, she is sweet, funny, cuddly, smart, BUSY, and always smiling. Happy Birthday!

just talk

2010-07-31T16:20:00.003-06:00

Hello! I feel like I haven't blogged forever (maybe because I haven't). Luckily my camera re-appeared so as soon as I get around to uploading the latest pictures you will get some recent updates from the last few months. A lot has been going on around here, we have kept busy this summer between parks, pools, splash parks, the zoo, soccer games, baseball games, and picnics! I love summertime, I just wish it weren't so flamin hot all the time. Being outside becomes almost unbearable, which makes for long days inside. Dallin needs to be entertained 24/7, which drains the heck out of me. I feel like his toys just sit on his toy box and he his nagging me all day to "play with him". I cant wait for school to start so he can have something to entertain him a few hours a week! Claire on the other hand is loving discovering everything, and she is FEARLESS. I thought girls were supposed to be less active, well she has proven me wrong. She is busy busy busy and climbs on absolutely everything. But, she is still the sweetest most easy going girl ever, and I love her. Not sure what I did to create such busy creatures, but man, they are sure cute!

So Dallin turns 4 on Monday, big kid. We are having an awesome birthday party for him, combined with my neice (and Dallin's sidekick) Lyla who will be turning 3. We rented out Murray Outdoor Pool, and the kids can just go crazy and have fun! It is going to be awesome! More details on that to come soon!

Lastly, for those who dont know, some big changes are potentially in store for our family. I will give more details when we get them next week so stay tuned to learn more (I know you are all intrigued).

2010-07-09T11:23:00.002-06:00

I cant seem to find my camera... anyone know where it could be? Blogging is no fun without it.

My baby is 1!

2010-06-22T07:54:00.004-06:00

I think most parents naturally get a bit sad when their "baby" turns 1. Well, I am no exception. Claire had her 1st birthday (pictures coming soon) on June 11. I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone, and I am so happy for the joy that she brings to our little family each day. She has been such a good baby so far, and I hope that pattern continues into her toddler years! Here are a few things to know about Claire at 1:

* 20 lbs exactly
* 29 inches
* 10 teeth (2-3 more cutting through soon)
* She started walking on her birthday!!!
* She babbles a lot, but loves saying "da da" "hi" "weee" "dog dog" and her version of "Dallin"
* Sleeps through the night consistently now (this just happened last week since I stopped nursing)
* Loves almost any food
* Drinks only whole milk in a bottle and water, doesn't really like any other liquid
* She is a MONKEY... climbs onto anything she can, chairs, beds, stools and stairs
* She loves putting things where they go, like lids on pans or cup, straws in the lids, electrical plugs in their proper outlet etc.
* She is the biggest Mama's Girl around!
* She is our tan girl, with huge dark dark eyes
* She has the happiest disposition, is hardly ever sad
* She talks herself to sleep for about 15 minutes every time
* Bath time is pure heaven
* Bows are basically non existant in our lives, she REFUSES to keep one in
* She is very giving, anytime she finds something on the floor she brings it right over to me. Or, when she is eating she takes pieces out of her mouth to "Share"
* She has given me more than one heart attack, one ER visit, one surgery, and multiple doctor visits! Second Child Syndrome I guess.
* She is very smart, I can tell
* She is brave, but cautious and very aware of her surroundings
* She is my sweet angel and I am so blessed to have her as my daughter

Love you baby Claire!

First ER trip

2010-06-15T07:33:00.005-06:00

You got it, we had our first EVER ER trip. It happened Sunday when little miss Claire decided to give us a small heart attack. You see, she has started walking but is still a bit unsteady on her feet. She was trying to step out onto my in-law's deck so I grabbed her hand to help her down. She stepped out onto the deck but sort of "spun" as she brought her leg around. I lost my grip and she fell totally sideways as if her legs got swiped out from under her and landed right on the side of her head. I thought, ouch that had to hurt, but didn't think much of it. She started crying and I picked her up to comfort her. She was sooooooo mad, and did that thing that babies do... how they cry out for a long time and then you are waiting for them to breath.. well I waited and then suddenly she went totally limp and her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she was totally unresponsive. I freaked and yelled down to my family "she just went unconcious". She snapped back into it after just a few seconds and seemed alright, she was just really upset. I was so scared and all I knew was that I wanted to take her to the hospital. At work I see so many head injuries and I didn't want to be that mother who waits days to bring their child in and they end up having a brain bleed or a skull fracture. I called up to the hospital and talked to one of the Radiologists I work with, and he told me it sounded like Claire had a post concussive seizure and that I better bring her up. So, around 7:45 we headed up to Primary's (by the way for you parents out there, seriously dont ever take your child anywhere else, this hospital is the best!) Once there, the doctors checked Claire out. She didn't have any huge goose eggs or anything, so they didnt seem too worried. They just wanted to monitor her for a few hours to make sure she didn't show signs of a brain injury. We stayed in the ER until 11:00 or so, which was sure fun with a 1 year old who's bedtime is around 7:45. She actually did pretty well, I kept her busy and we walked the halls and visited some of my co-workers. She would NOT let Andy even touch her, she was still scared, and just wanted her Mama. So it was a long 3 hours but everything checked out okay so we were discharged and we headed home (Claire lasted to about the exit of the parking lot before falling asleep, poor thing).

So we went to a follow up with her pediatrician yesterday and Claire is doing fine! After telling the Doctor the history, she thinks she had what they call a "Breath Holding Spell". I had never heard of this.

A breath-holding spell is an episode in which the child stops breathing and loses consciousness for a short period immediately after a frightening or emotionally upsetting event or a painful experience.

It is heredetary and she says it's likely that Claire will do it again, maybe multiple times. Some kids even do it while throwing tantrums. She said it's nothing to be worried about, and that it's good we figured it out so if it happens again we dont need to be alarmed. Wow!

So, we aren't 100% sure what happened. Was it a seizure, was it just a loss of conciousness or was it a breath holding spell? I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as Claire is okay the rest is irrelevant!

My sweet little Claire is sure giving us a run for our money these days!

Ensign Peak

2010-06-04T14:24:00.004-06:00

We took a little hike on Memorial day to Ensign Peak! We had a great time, Dallin did well and Claire LOVED being in the backpack carrier. I am excited I invested in this carrier, I think we will get good use out of it this summer!

My silly kids

2010-06-04T14:13:00.006-06:00

Dallin is all about being goofy and wanting me to take his picture.. these about sum it up.

Claire is my meticulous child, always trying to put things where they go, and I often find her wearing my scarves, headbands, etc. Little smarty pants.

Claire is all about climbing thigs lately. She discovered how to climb into this cute little chair, and now she spends lots of her time over there just climbing on, then getting down, and climbing on... you get the idea.

Megan's Wedding

2010-06-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

One of my girlfriends from high school, Megan, got married last week! Most of us girls have been friend since middle school, and although lots of us have gone our own ways we still get together often and laugh at old times! Love you girls!

Claire's 1 year pictures

2010-06-04T10:41:00.007-06:00

Check out Claire's adorable 1 year pictures

Visit this website:
www.cliquephoto.webs.com

click on portfolio and find her name

Enjoy!

FREEDOM

2010-06-01T10:28:00.003-06:00

I have officially weaned Claire. I am not really emotional about it, she could really care less, which is a bonus. I still give her a few bottles of formula a day, until she is 1 in a few weeks when I can really start the "whole milk" fiasco. Not too excited about that, so far the times I have tried giving it to her she just lets it run right out of her mouth and stares at me like, "what the he*% is this mom?" Oh well, I guess we will figure it out eventually. All I can say is, I wont be sad to throw this sucker right in the G A R B A G E

Yeah, I pumped for a whole year with this manual pump. I know it was only 2-3 times a week but I think I developed arthritis in my hand as a result. We were too poor at the time to invest in a nice double electric pump (wish I would have looking back) so I settled for the manual. Oh well, it served it's purpose and now I am free!

Overall, I loved nursing. I wasn't able to with Dallin, so it was a nice experience! I had no problems what so ever, and it was sure a good way to save some $$$! I am not a huge "pro nurser" because I know it is not for everyone, but I will say it was amazing and I am glad it worked out for me and my little Claire!

Claire's Surgery

2010-05-23T15:44:00.004-06:00

After 5 ear infections, and 4 different types of antibiotics in less than 3 months, the doctors decided it would be best to put typanostomy tubes in Claire's ears. I didn't hesitate for one second... my poor baby has been suffering for months now. Plus with all the fluid built up behind the ears, it tends to muffle sounds, delay speech and affect the equilibrium. Oh great, that is just what my 11 month old needs to be experiencing right now during probably one of the most crucial developmental times in her life.... no brainer. Anyway, we got the surgery scheduled right away and we went in on Friday. We had to be there at 6:30, Claire was a bit sleepy but cute and content as usual. She got checked out by the nurse practitioner (by the way Claire is traumatized for life after going to the doctor so often and needing wax dug out of her ear, antibiotic shots, etc.) and then we waited in the waiting room for a bit to see the doctor and the anestesiologist. They called her name about 7:45 and I walked her back to the "red line" and handed her off. She was so good, went right to the anestesiologist no problem. So I was just getting comfortable eating my donut in the waiting room when they came out to say they were almost finsished. Huh? It's only been like 15 minutues. It was true, they were in and out of there, super fast. The Doctor came out a few minutes later to tell me the surgery went great. They drained the fluid that was there and she was good to go! Yeah!! I know it was a minor surgery, but that doesn't make it any easier on mom! A few minutes later they let me go back to see her in recovery. She was just chillin with the nurse, no big deal.. it's not like she didn't just come out of anestesia!! The nurse couldn't believe how quickly she came out of it and just sat up in the crib and started babbling. That's my Claire for ya! We hung out in recovery for about an hour, made sure she could drink and hold it down and then we were out of there. 9:00 baby! It was smooth sailing, and I am grateful for that!! She has been overall pretty good since, the nights have been a bit rough, she has woken up in the night screaming, so she must still be in a bit of pain. Hopefully a few more days and she will be 100%!

She looked so cute in her little hospital garb. (minus the fact she could so pass for a boy here)

Waiting for her turn to go back... looking a little sleepy wouldn't ya say?

All fixed up!! This was later on in the day, and is probably the cutest picture ever. She was so proud cuz she was able to get my necklace around her neck! Love this girl.

Two toddlers + feeding hungry ducks =

2010-05-23T15:41:00.003-06:00

... the need to stand on the table so you dont get mobbed. Pretty darn cute if you ask me!

Pre School Program

2010-05-23T15:34:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago Dallin's preschool put on an end of the year program at Wheeler Farm They presented lots of cute songs and dances that they learned throughout the year. Dallin was so proud, he was up front and center the whole time dancing and singing his little heart out! We are so proud of all that he has accomplished this year in preschool. He is still our little smarty pants, and I am looking forward to next year of preschool while he prepares to enter kindergarten. We decided that we would start Dallin in kindergarten early (he just barely makes the deadline) mainly because he is so bright, and I dont want him to get too bored in school. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the program!

The scariest day of my life

2010-05-17T11:15:00.002-06:00

This morning I had a horrible experience that will stay with me forever. I decided to go out on the Jordan River Parkway trail this morning with Claire in the stroller and Dallin on his bike. Since we live so close, we walked over. When you get to the entrance of the parking lot there is a HUGE hill that takes you down into the parking lot. I went first with the stroller and when I got to the bottom of the hill (this was the first of two hills) I noticed Dallin was struggling while trying to walk his bike down the hill. I set the stroller into a little divit and turned to go walk up the hill to help Dallin. Well, that was the biggest mistake of my life, and I cant believe I did that. YOu always hear of stupid mistakes that change a life forever, well this almost did just that. Anyway, as I reached Dallin he screamed "MOM LOOK". I turned around to see the stroller 30 feet away from me going full throttle down steelply sloped parking lot. I screamed and screamed, and started booking it. All these horrible thoughts went through my mind in the few seconds I was running (okay sprinting). THe stroller was heading right for a trailer with it's ramp down, oh my gosh is this really happening. People say that when you have an adrenaline rush that miracles can occur... well I am a believer now. I dont know how on earth I was able to run fast enough to catch the stroller carrying my precious little girl that was going faster than I knew a stroller could go and was already a good 50 feet ahead of me. But I did. I caught up. When my hand touched that stroller my life changed in that instant. It was inches (no exaggeration) from that trailer, and I turned my hand so the stroller would swerve out of the way. THe only thing I could do in that moment was fall to the ground and just cry. I cried for a good couple of minutes, poor Dallin was still at the top of the hill with his bike wondering what the heck just happened. My little hero. I dont know what I would have done if he hadn't seen the stroller take off.

I am still trying to wrap my brain around the whole event. I honestly think it should have been impossible for me to catch up to the stroller. I am not a fast runner, the hill was too steep, it was already 30 or so feet ahead of me... how did I do it? Why didn't I just put the brake on when I went to go get Dallin? What would have happend to Claire if she would have hit that trailer? I cant even begin to think about that. I am grateful I dont have to. Our family was truly blessed today. My little angel sleeps peacefully in her crib right now, instead of at the hospital. Wow.

Mother's Day Tribute

2010-05-07T16:34:00.011-06:00

Motherhood...

... is the best thing that ever happened to me. I never loved so much, smiled so much, yearned so much, let alone FELT so much in my whole life. I have been truly blessed to be a mother, I know it is my calling in life.

Proud to be their Momma

Dallin. First born. Busy. Brilliant. Cuddly. Athletic. Hilarious. Curious. Momma's boy.

Claire. Little sister. Princess. Easy going. Loving. Smiley. Beautiful. Momma's girl

My mom is my inspiration. I know lots of kids say this about their parents, so maybe it sounds a little Cliche but oh well. It's the truth. She is that mom that never puts herself first. She loves her kids and grandkids more than anything, and she has been such a huge part of my kid's life so far. I hope I received her genes when it comes to parenting! We love you Nana!

Andy's mom (Grammy) is the sweetest, kindest most patient lady I know. I strive to be even half the mother she has to her three boys! Thanks for always being such an example and loving my kids like they were your own!

I wanted to include this picture of my sister-in-law Lacy because I feel she has played a huge part of being able to survive motherhood so far. We have really developed an amazing friendship over the years. Our kids are so close in age, and not a day goes by that we aren't talking to each other and asking eachother for advice! Thanks Auntie for everything you do!

This is my beautiful sister Sarah. She is not yet a mother, but I know that when that day comes she will be the most amazing mom. She has so much love to give, and I cant wait for her to experience the joy that I get to every day. Love ya sis!

Nightmares?

2010-05-07T09:11:00.002-06:00

Last night we experienced a first.. Dallin had a horrible night terror. It was about 11:00 and I was just dozing off when I heard Dallin crying in his room. I thought this was strange, because he normally would just come into our room if he woke up. So, I went in and found him sitting up in his bed screaming histerically. I picked him up and tried cuddling him on my lap, only to find that he was extremely aggitated. It seemed like he was in pain, so I thought maybe he had a stomach ache or something. His eyes were open so I assumed he was awake and alert, but just upset. After my failed attempts to soothe him I brought him into our room to see if Andy could help. Again, inconsolable. He laid in our bed and was tossing around like he was in excruciating pain. I kept asking him if his belly hurt and he said "yes". My first thought for all you x-ray peeps was "He has intususseption". Then we asked if he had a bad dream he said, "yes". I began to wonder if he was even hearing me. Then it dawned on me. This kid is still asleep. He was totally 100% asleep, eyes open and in the middle of a night terror. I got some cold water and rubbed it on his face, which did nothing. He started talking more about something random, still crying and rolling around. I could not wake this kid up for the life of me. I turned on the light and said his name really loud, it seemed like he snapped out of it suddenly. Then he jumped out of my arms and ran into the corner of the bathroom, crying. Then suddenly he bolted to the toilet and went to the bathroom... FOREVER. After that... totally fine. His normal self. Seriously, did that just happen. Was my son just having a nightmare AND had to pee so bad that he was trembling and couldnt hold still. It was quite the experience I must say, and I hope we dont have to go through any more nights like that any time soon!

Good Morning!

2010-04-25T21:27:00.002-06:00

I just love starting my day off with a little bit of this....

A little Sunday drive

2010-04-25T21:19:00.004-06:00

We decided to take a little drive today up American Fork Canyon. At the top, there is a cute little Reservior which I cannot remember the name of. Anyway, we got out and explored a bit and snapped a bunch of cute pictures. Claire missed out cuz she was sleeping in the car! We are excited cuz this little lake is going to be a perfect fishing spot for Dallin and Andy. We bought Dall his own fishing pole and he is sooo excited to go! We even have a little fishery right next to our house so they can just pop over whenever they want!

Handsome little guy!

My two favorite guys

Dall took this one of Andy and I. He is actually a pretty good little photographer I must say!

The Three Amigos

I'm a soccer mom!

2010-04-25T21:06:00.004-06:00

Well I have officially entered the soccer mom phase in life. It is more fun than I thought, and it doesn't hurt that I have a little rock star of a player. Dallin had his first game on Saturday and let's just say that he scored all 5 of his teams goals. He was AWESOME! It got to the point where I actually had to pull him out for a bit so the other kids could get a chance to touch the ball. Every time the other team had the ball, Dallin would bust on over there (to the bunch that is) and he would some how come out with the ball. He even managed to steal it from his own teammates a few times! Overall, it was a good time, and Dallin was in absolute HEAVEN. For those who don't understand Dallin's obsession let me just tell you... all he wants to do all day long is play soccer. This is probably why he is so good, practice makes perfect right? We have been joking that he is preparing for world cup 2030! We had lots of fans come to the game to cheer him on. Saturday marked the first of many many soccer games for our family, and I couldn't be more excited!

Easter.. just a bit late

2010-04-25T20:42:00.009-06:00

This year Easter was a blast, of course with a 3 year old in the house. We started off the day with a small little hunt at our house where Dallin found eggs and his basket. Then we headed over to my mom's house for brunch and more easter egg hunting festivities. The day ended at Andy's parents where we had a yummy dinner and can you guess, another easter egg hunt. Dallin was in heaven, and spoiled rotten. Claire was too of course but she didn't know it! It was a great day, and I just love how holidays are becoming soo much fun with our kids.

Claire and Dallin at home Easter morning!

Dallin posing for the camera. He has been such a butt lately when we want to take his picture always pulling some silly face

Claire Bear

The only decent family picture we got

Dallin and his cousin Lyla (BFF's)

Happy Birthday Andy

2010-04-01T13:38:00.007-06:00

The big 2-8!

We celebrated Andy's birthday on Sunday with my family, and Monday with his family. Monday we got babysitters and enjoyed a nice family dinner at Bonsai. It was such a good time, and the food was oh so yummy. Kind of pricey, but it was worth it seeing as how our eating out experience these days consist of Cafe Rio, Five guys, Training Table etc. (anything low key). Andy was spoiled by both families with some birthday $$$$, and I got him a new Invicta watch! I cant believe my man is 28. Not sure why, but 28 sounds so much older than 27. I will be there in a few months, geesh. Anyway, here's a couple of pics from dinner

.

All smiles

2010-04-01T13:16:00.004-06:00

Here are a few cute pictures of Claire from the park. She is so ADORABLE, I cannot even say it enough. She loves standing up and I will not be surprised if she is an early walker. The last picture is of my neice Ellie. She is only 6 months younger than claire, so they will be so close growing up! My sister and I were the youngest grandkids by like 20 years so we never had cousins our age growing up. I am happy my kids get that experience!

Some randomness...

2010-03-26T13:31:00.002-06:00

We've officially moved. It's sorta sad, although I really am loving the new place. I have tons more living space, which seems weird considering we downsized a bit. You see at our townhouse we had two smaller living areas, one which was downstairs and we hardly went down there. The new place has just one larger living area, and no stairs (can I say what great timing on our part as far as Claire goes). I have closets and cupboards that I am struggling to fill, so that's a plus. Dallin says to me the other day....

"I hate our old house... it was sooooo boring"

Well I guess we know where he stands on the subject.

Claire just crawls around giggling all day long, she loves the freedom to go wherever, and I love the freedom for her to go wherever as well!! I should get video of her laugh, seriously its so funny and she does it pretty much all day long. Happy little thing. Speaking of her, she is just dying to walk... all 19.5 lbs of her. she stands alone now for long periods of time and when she crawls she uses the bottom of her feet instead of her knees (does that make sense?) Maybe I should get a video of that too!

Today is Andy's birthday, 28 big ones! Happy Birthday babe! Love you!

Dallin is home sick today, throwing up. Poor guy, he was devastaed cuz Andy was supposed to go with him to school for a party but he threw up on the way so he turned around and took him home. Now he is home waching movies with Grammie.. I sure wish I could be there with him!

Movin Time

2010-03-19T08:25:00.003-06:00

Well we got the keys to our new place yesterday, so we spent the majority of the day moving boxes/bins over. Today while I am at work Andy will be bringing more loads over, and tomorrow we will move all the furniture. Wow how I hate moving, although its really forced us to become organized. We have donated tons of stuff to DI, and will be selling a few more items on KSL so thats a plus. Its amazing how much stuff a small family can accumulate over almost 6 years. I haven't really had much emotion about the move yet, mostly I was just excited for the money we will be saving. Yesterday, however, I started to get a little sad as we started slowly emptying our house out. We lived there almost 3 years, pretty much most of Dallin's life. We will miss being able to walk out our front door and hang out with neighbors at the playground, or be able to ride bikes around the common areas. I know the new place will bring new adventures, especially since we will be just a short walk down to the Jordan River where we can ride bikes, go for walks and feed the ducks! It will all work out, I know, and we will be happy wherever we are! Well, I will post some pictures after we get settled!

BUNCO

2010-03-12T07:25:00.003-07:00

I wanted to shout out to my bunco group and say how much I love these girls. It started out as a bunch of girls who lived in the same neighborhood, and now a year later we have become such great friends I debated about whether to leave the group when we moved but am glad I decided not to. We have such a fun group, each girl offers something different and we always have such a blast each month! I am glad I have made such great friends and will be able to keep in touch with all of you after I move!

Swing into Spring

2010-03-12T07:19:00.002-07:00

With spring approaching we have had some warm days here and there. We have taken full advantage of them and playing outside as much as possible! I set up a play date for Dallin with his little friend Cameron, which was tons of fun! Claire enjoyed her time with a litte swing action (her first time by the way and she loved every minute)

Weekend Getaway

2010-03-12T07:05:00.006-07:00

We ventured down to St. George with Andy's parents a couple of weekends ago for a quick getaway. It ended up raining most of the time, but it was still nice to get out break from the normal routine. We ate lots of yummy food, went swimming, miniature golfing and of course, shopping! The kids were great in the car and Dallin thought the hotel was the greatest thing on earth... especially his "big bed, the same size as mommy and daddys!"

The first night we drove around to find a park for Dallin to play at. We ended up at Dixie State and found their soccer field. The gates were open so we took full advantage of that and went and played on the field. Oh boy, was Dallin in HEAVEN. He was running around like no tomorrow, and was so excited to be able to play on a real field and kick into a real goal.

After playing soccer we noticed there was a baseball game going on across the street so we went and watched Southern Utah University play against Utah Valley University for a bit! Again, Dallin lovin his life!

Miss Claire being adorable as usual!

Dallin showing off his mad mini golf skills. Boy does this kid love all things sports! Like father like son!

An answer... maybe?

2010-03-09T07:23:00.002-07:00

I have posted before about Dallin's sleeping issues, how he wakes up 2-3 times every night. Well, about 6 months ago I took him to an ENT specialist to get his tonsils checked out because we thougth maybe he had obstructive sleep apnea. This condition causes them to stop breathing, and gasp during the night often waking them up. They are usually restless all night, and rarely enter the deep REM sleep. Well, the ENT visit left us with no answers because he said that Dallin's tonsils didnt look enlarged. I basically never thougth much about it again, and just figured him waking up was just behavioral. Now we will switch modes for a minute and talk about another issue that we have noticed with Dallin lately. We started noticing that he talks quite loud and is ALWAYS asking us to repeat what we are saying. Again, I never thought much about it, just figured it was a normal 3 year old behavior to always ask "what?" Lately, however, Andy and I have really felt that it was a problem, and we really feel like he has a hard time hearing. So yesterday I had to take Claire to the Doctor because she had an ear infection and I decided to mention this probelm to her. I was quite shocked when she told me that kids who have excess fluid behind their ears often times have difficulty hearing because sounds tend to be muffled due to the fluid. She looked in his ears and sure enough he had fluid behind both of them. She told me that the solution for this problem was to remove the tonsils and adeniods because this helped with the drainage. I went on to remind her of the sleep issues we were having with Dallin and how he snores and often gasps, is restless and wakes up mulitiple times during the night. She assured me that he truly must have sleep apnea, even though his tonsils aren't enlarged. Hello? Is this seriously happening right now? Is this the problem we have been dealing with for over 3 years now? Anyway, she wants us to get his tonsils and adenoids out and hopefully we can cure his hearing problem and sleeping problem... kill two birds with one stone. HOORAY! I am nervous though, like any mom who's child will be undergoing surgery would be.

8 months baby!

2010-02-19T07:35:00.003-07:00

It seriously breaks my heart that Claire is 8 months already. I think what makes me most sad is I cant say for sure that we will have more children. I just want her to stay little so I can really soak in this phase in her life. Claire, however, has other plans in mind. Here are a few milestones she's made in the last few months...
-she started crawling YESTERDAY
-she can pull herself up in her crib (I about had a heart attack the first time i walked into her room and saw her leaning over the edge.. phew.
-she weighs a whopping 18 lbs 11 oz
-she has four top teeth and two bottom teeth, and cutting two more
-she can say "da da" and "ba ba"
-she loves clapping and waving
-she eats anything, and would much rather have regular food than baby food
-I finally suceeded at weaning her from her 2 am feeding.. sigh
-she LOVES her daddy and makes the cutest scrunchy face when she sees him
-but she is definitely a mommas girl all the way
-bath time is pure joy to her
-she thinks Dallin is the greatest, and laughs all day long at him (BTW Dallin is pretty fond of her too)
-her hair has finally grown to pony tail capacity!

My sleepy kids

2010-02-19T07:26:00.002-07:00

Claire's cheeks get SOOO rosy when she is tired! She is so cute, and this is what she looks like when it is way past her bed time....

This picture was taken when Dallin was sick last week. He didnt really move from the couch for two days, which is sooo unlike him. He was fighting so hard to keep his little eyes open. I told him, "You can just close your eyes if you are tired". His response was, "but I cant see with my eyes closed". Adorable.

Our new chapter begins....

2010-02-11T15:45:00.002-07:00

So long our lovely home....

I am happy to say that we found renters for our home. Although it will be sad to leave I am very excited for this new chapter in our lives. We decided a few months ago after hearing of an amazing deal on apartments through Andy's work that we would rent our house out and move. We knew it was risky, and there was no guarantee that we would find a renter, but we went the first day and put a deposit down on the apartment anyway, knowing we had to take the chance. It has been a very stressful few months for us, money has been tight, and things were so unpredictable. We took the house off the market during the holidays and reposted it the end of January. We had a bit of interest, but nothing serious. Knowing that the move-in date for the apartment was rapidly approaching, we made a price reduction to try and generate more interest. Well it worked, and we had two applicants in two days. We debated between the two and ended up picking a nice professional couple with two teenage children. We feel really good about our selection, and will be signing the lease with them on Saturday. We will be moving out on March 18! I am excited that we will be saving hundreds of dollars each month, money we can finally start putting away! i can finally feel good about having gone part time at work, and Andy can feel less pressure as well. All and all it will be a good thing for our family! So with that said... Bring on the packing.

Sick little dude

2010-02-09T07:12:00.003-07:00

Our weekend consisted of....

-Two visits to the doctor
-One vistit to the hospital for a chest xray
-Lots of medicine
-refilling the humidifier
-wiping and enless dripping nose
-listening to non-stop coughing (poor thing, had hardly a voice left)
-lots of cuddling with mom
-3 days of kids shows/movies
-constant use of hand sanitizer

Basically, we had one poor sick little dude, and he is still not doing too hot.
Luckily (for Andy's sake), Andy's parents volunteered to come sit at the house with Dallin on Sunday so we could go enjoy watching the superbowl with Andy's brothers. What great in-law's I have, right? Dallin really enjoyed the time with Grammy and Granddad (as usual). I thought Dallin was getting a bit better as of last night, but when he woke up in the night with his fever/chills and oh so awful sounding croup cough I was quickly reminded that he was not better yet. Poor thing, I have never seen him like this EVER, he usually handles sickness very well and his hardly phased. I know he is not feeling well when he stays cuddled up in his blanke on the couch for the majority of the day. Now I just pray that my little Claire doesn't catch it... but I know that is wishful thinking.

Splish Splash

2010-01-26T07:13:00.003-07:00

I love that Claire is now old enough to bathe with her brother. Dallin sure thinks it is the coolest thing, he loves helping me wash her hair.... so cute. I am so lucky that Dallin just thinks the world of his sister. He is soo sweet to her, and always is kissing and hugging her. My favorite thing is sometimes in the mornings when Dallin wakes up and come in our room if Claire is awake I will tell him to go say hello to her.... and then I just lay in bed and listen in the monitor to him talking to her. Its the freaking cutest thing ever, and he always crawls into her crib and is lying down next to her. Gotta love these two, I mean how could you not?

Time for a change

2010-01-19T16:27:00.002-07:00

Well for those who may not be down with the latest and greatest Sylvia business, here is some news.....

We are renting out our house

........because.......

a) we got a sweet deal on a cheaper place
b) we need the extra money so we can save more
c) the market is lousy so we definitely dont want to sell
d) it's time for a change

So, there you have it. If anyone knows of anyone who needs a 3 bedroom townhouse in Sandy let me know!

I AM IN LOVE...

2010-01-17T16:43:00.002-07:00

WITH THIS CUTIE PIE. SOMETIMES I STILL CANT BELIEVE I AM AM MOM TO TWO KIDS, AND FEEL SO LUCKY TO HAVE A BOY AND A GIRL. CLAIRE HAS BECOME A BUSY BEE LATELY, SHE IS ON THE VERGE OF LEARNING TO CRAWL AND PULL HERSELF UP ON THINGS. SHE HAS TWO BOTTOM TEETH AND HER TOP 4 ARE CUTTING THROUGH AS WE SPEAK. POOR THING I CANT IMAGINE HOW PAINFUL THAT MUST BE. SHE IS STILL OUR HAPPY BABY, LEARNING TO SAY "DA DA" (OF COURSE, NEVER "MA MA" FIRST). SPEAKING OF HER MAMA, SHE IS A MAMAS GIRL 100%. SHE CRIES WHEN I LEAVE THE ROOM AND CRIES IN JOY WHEN I COME BACK... MELTS MY LITTLE HEART. SHE IS 7 MONTHS OLD NOW, AND I AM GUESSING WEIGHS ABOUT 18 LBS (MOST OF THAT IN HER CHUBBY BUBBLY LEGS, CUTE AS CAN BE). LOVE HER!

2010

2010-01-11T15:25:00.003-07:00

This year WILL bring me:

more memories
more laughter
more vacations
more date nights
more bonding with my kids
more energy
more money
more romance
more opportunities
more spiritual experiences

less sitting
less fast food
less soda
less worrying
less health problems
less weight
less spending
less trials
less clutter

Let's get this party started!

Can someone say "teething"?

2010-01-03T21:38:00.005-07:00

Claire is teething so bad, so I decided to let her have a biter biscuit. She was in teether HEAVEN! I tell ya, I never knew a 6 month old could throw a tantrum but oh my... when I tried to take that thing away she was not a happy camper. It was pretty funny actually. They are the messiest things ever though, pretty much requires a bath after. She started out clean, but as you can see by the last picture, she was a complete mess by the end. Oh, and can you even stand those eyes, I mean seriously.

My three favorite people

2010-01-03T21:34:00.004-07:00

My world would not be complete without these cuties in my life.... I am one lucky girl.

Sledding

2010-01-03T21:26:00.004-07:00

New Year's Day we headed out for some fun family time sledding. It was a blast, and Dallin sure had fun. We even bundled Claire up for some fresh air and I pulled her and Dallin around in one of the sleds. Unfortunately, I fell pretty hard on the hill when I tried walking down it to get Dallin and landed right on my butt. OUCH it hurt so bad, and now my tailbone is bruised. No fun for me. I cant wait for antoher snow storm so we can get some fresh powder on the hill. We had to drive around to find a hill that had enough snow on it. Next up... Skiing. Cant wait to get Dallin out on the slopes!

Our Christmas Season

2010-01-03T21:03:00.009-07:00

Christmas was a blast this year with a 3 year old in the house. Dallin was way into Santa this year and LOVED all things Christmas related... movies, cookies, advent calendars, decorating the tree etc. We even got to visit Santa a few times! Claire was just busy being cute and had fun crinkling the wrapping paper.

Big D with Santa

Baby C's first Santa experience

Our Christmas Eve consisted of this cute bundle of joy entering the world. Andy's youngest brother Gregg and his wife Erika had their first baby, Ellie Noel Sylvia. She came a few days early, but we were sure excited to meet her. She is such an angel and her and Claire will be just 6 months apart!

Ellie and her "Auntie Ashley"

Unfortunately, this was the only picture I took on Christmas Day because I used the video camera most the morning, but these two sure look cute sporting their new rugby sweaters and beanies. The kids were spoiled rotten, Dallin LOVED running down Christmas morning and seeing that Santa had come and even eaten his cookies. He got tons of toys, games, clothes and even a scooter. Claire got lots of infant toys, stacking blocks and clothes. Andy and I didnt buy eachother gifts this year because we got a new tv upstairs a few weeks earlier which we considered our gift to eachother. Our families were super generous as usual, giving us lots of amazing things... too many to name. We sure had a great Holiday season, and hope you all did too!

2009 in Review

2009-12-29T07:44:00.003-07:00

Top 10 2009 Sylvia Events-

10. We potty trained Dallin and got rid of the Binkie
9. Andy got laid off from the Utah Blaze, and then hired with REAL Salt Lake, then laid off again, and finally re-hired as a full time salaried position. Phew.
8. We welcomed a new nephew, Grey in February and a new neice, Ellie on Christmas Eve
7. Dallin started pre-school and LOVES EVERY MINUTE
6. We celebrated 5 years of Bliss in July
5. Andy ventured out on many "guys sports trips"
4. Ashley transferred to the new Primary Children's Outpatient Clinic and went part time
3. Andy graduated from the University of Utah
2. We added a new sister in law, Erika who married Andy's youngest brother Gregg

And the #1 thing for 2009 is....

1. CLAIRE ALDINE SYLVIA (the cutest, sweetest, giggliest, wiggliest, smiliest,
happiest thing ever) was born

Okay it didnt turn out as exciting as it was in my mind. It was hard to narrow it down to 10 things.. but oh well you get the idea. I am excited to see what 2010 will bring for our family. Now that I am not pregnant we are hoping to do more adventurous things including skiing/snowboarding and teaching Dallin to ski as well. We plan to take many hikes with the kids when the weather warms up and finally get to head out into the woods for some camping trips. We are planning a big trip back east to Boston and Cape Cod in July, and as always we are looking for different options for Andy to move up in his career. This will be the first year in our marriage where Andy is not going to school, and I am not working full time. I hope this means more quality family time for us to enjoy being The Sylvia's.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Lazy

2009-12-27T21:51:00.002-07:00

I am being a lazy blogger right now. I do have lots to post about, for instance Christmas, oh and the birth of my latest neice.. kind of a few biggies. Anyway, I am waiting for the motivation to come and then I will post... waiting, and waiting...

Giveaway

2009-12-14T20:08:00.001-07:00

11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven is giving away a gorgeous Hotslings baby carrier!

To enter click HERE.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

2009-12-10T13:42:00.002-07:00

... from the two cutest kids ever (I am not biased at all)

Oct/Nov in a nutshell

2009-11-30T20:19:00.014-07:00

Claire's 1st attempt at rice cereal... Yum

I can sit up!!

Me baby C and Dall supporting our REAL Salt Lake in the playoffs

Dallin and me cheering

Claire's first Halloween, isn't she just so stinkin cute

My pirate, pumpkin and hubby

Splish Splash... 1st time swimming and loved every minute

Andy got an all expense paid trip to Seattle to see his REAL Salt Lake Soccer team play in the MLS Cup. Boy did he have fun, and way to go REAL for "Taking the Cup"

Andy and his work buddies in Seattle

Me, Dallin, Claire and my mom went to the airport to welcome the winning team home (and Daddy of course who flew home on a private plane with the team)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Me and the hubbs

The three Sylvia Girlies

Grammy and Granddad with the 4 grandchildren (one on the way)

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. We sure did, and we have a lot to be thankful for this year.

The Amazing Race

2009-11-10T07:00:00.003-07:00

I decided I really want to audition for the Amazing Race. Ever since the show started I totally pictured myself on the show, and now even more than ever I feel inclined to audition. I am not sure who I want to be my partner though. I definitely do not want to go with Andy (no offense) because I dont really want to expose my marriage publically like that. I have considered my bro-in-law Tyler because according to my family we would be a great team... we both possess the right qualities but we dont really have a "relationship" per say... not sure if that would be an adavantage or not. We thought we would have a good case though... picture this

-Mormom mom of two partnered with her "rock band" brother in law
-We would sure look good together, we would look like blood relatives that is... both red headed and freckled, actually it might be a bit confusing.

If you are wondering, I am truly serious about this, and am just trying to decide who the best partner for me would be. I believe that the partnership can make or break the race. Let me know if you are interested.....

I got a feeling....

2009-11-06T18:40:00.003-07:00

I know people make fun of other people for posting on their blog about "how perfect their little life is". Today I just have to be one of those people... whether you like it or not. I am at work today, and as usual am counting down the minutes until I get to rush home and scoop up both my babies, hear about their day with grandma, and smother them with kisses. I am so grateful for my job, because it gives me an opportunity to truly "miss" my kids. That might sound weird but I have figured out that I am the type of mom who needs to get out, get some adult interaction and actually work in the career that I chose to go to school for. And at the end of my 2 lovely days of work, I ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT know that I have the best life waiting for me at home!!! My kids have taught me truly what my calling in life is, and that is being the best mom I can to them. I sure hope I do a good job! I could not imagine my life any other way, or under any other circumstance.

tear...

So Long...

2009-10-30T21:36:00.004-06:00

Today marks my last full day of work at Primary Children's Medical Center. I have worked there for 4 1/2 years and it has been AMAZING. I absolutely love my job and am so happy I took the risk and made a bold move when I started working there. I was absolutely TERRIFIED to be working at a Children's Hospital, only to soon find it was the best decision ever. If you are wondering, no I did not quit, yes I will still be working. Primary Children's opened a new outpatient clinic in Riverton, (not to be confused with the new hospital) The two are connected but offer totally different services. I decided to transfer to the Primary Clinic for a few reasons. First, it is closer to my house, and since I work 12 hour shifts a shorter commute was very appealing. Second, I was ready for a change of pace. The Hospital is very busy and fast paced, which is great, but again working long hours makes that very tiring on my body! I am very happy with my decision, and will still be working with the same Radiologists which is huge, and some of the my favorite people will be joining me at the Clinic. The good news is I am going to be working up at the Hospital every Wednesday night from 5-10 pm for some extra hours which means I still get to see some of my closest friends and keep in the loop. The Clinic opens bright and early Monday morning, but I wont be there till Tuesday! Yay!

Family Fotos

2009-10-23T21:51:00.010-06:00

We decided it was time to get some family pictures while the weather was still nice. Our friends the Clayton's were AWESOME and helped us with the shoot. Eric has taken a liking to photography lately and we asked him to come out and take some pictures our family. He obviously did an amazing job, and Jenny edited all of them with her mad photoshop skills. Thank you guys so much for being so talented and offering to help with the pictures. I love the way they turned out, so here are a few to check out!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-10-23T14:06:00.002-06:00

I turned 27 on October 19. Good times! I was considering putting down in my blog my 27 year old stats, you know, like we all do for our children. Weighting in at ____ that is where it stopped. Ha ha. Anyway, my birthday was fun, I celebrated with the in-laws on Sunday with cake and ice cream. Monday I enjoyed a yummy lunch with my girlies at my most favortie burger joint, eat-a-burger (thanks Jenny) and then went to dinner with my family and had cake and presents that night! Tuesday I got together with my girlfriends from high school at Red Robin and we celebrated both mine and Meghan's birthdays. WOW lots of food was involved in retrospect. I really cant believe I am 27, I think I always consider myself to be in my early 20's. One day I will realize I am old and wrinkly and saggy and all that good stuff.

My bestest friend

2009-10-18T21:51:00.007-06:00

*beware this is kind of sappy but I was just in one of those moods

My best friend Katie and I have been friends for years and years. When we were in high school we had that type of friendship where I went with them on family vacations, we had sleepeovers every weekend, out parents were eachothers second parents, you know that kind of friend. We have really stayed just as close as ever, and now with two kids each we still find time to get together as often as we can. Her oldest daughter Audrey is 4 and Dallin sure loves hanging out with her. Brad, her one year old and Claire I am sure will grow fond of eachother too. I just wanted to say how truly grateful I am to have such an amazing friend, someone who I still talk to every single day, tell everything to, and who just "gets" me. I love ya Kate!