Halie

I can't believe my baby is almost seven months old! So way back on November 12, 2009 I gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Halie Elizabeth. We did not find out what we were having so when we finally found out it was a girl we were very excited, well at least Jacie and I. She was born when all the hospitals had the visiting restrictions so the kids weren't able to come see her. Needless to say, when we got home they were very excited to see their new baby sister!

This is Halie's blessing day. My mom MADE this dress, can you believe that?! I had found this dress at a store and it was over $300 so my mom said that she would make it. It turned out just like the dress, same lace, same little tuck things, same everything. She is amazing.

As you can see Jacie is obsessed with Halie. She is pretty much in every picture! She loves her to death, sometimes it is good to have a little helper and sometimes not so much. Halie is very high maintenance so she wants to be held at all times. She is getting a little better now that she can sit and play but those early months were rough. I do have to say I am pretty good at doing things one handed!


These were taken the end of March, the first pictures of her really smiling. Every time I would pull out the camera I could not get her to smile, she would just look at the camera. She is such a happy baby (as long as she is being held!) and I am so grateful to have her in my life. Now that she is almost 7 months old she is pretty much sitting on her own, eating solids, and grabbing EVERYTHING! She loves her bumbo, her saucer, and her sister.

Im Back, Maybe!

When you don't blog for say 5 months there is so much that you miss that it is hard to know where to start. I guess I will start with where I have been. For 4 of the 5 months I have been spending all my time on my knees in the bathroom or sleeping on the couch! Why do we have kids again? I am pregnant with baby number 3 and due November 23rd. I haven't thrown up in about a month but have spent the last month trying to catch up on the things that I neglected for 4 months.
We had our ultrasound today and I was strong and didn't look at the gender. So we are having a mystery baby! I figured since we have one of each we would spice it up a little for number 3 and not find out what we are having. The ultrasound definitely isn't as fun but its good to know that everything looks good.

So some of the highlights that I missed are:
-Disney on Ice (March)
-Maddux turned 2 (April)
-Easter in Manti (April)
-Jacie graduated from preschool (May)
-Tim ran a half Marathon (May)
-Jacie playing T-ball and Maddux saying "its my turn" (May)
-Jacie's dance recital (June)
-Tim ran the Ragnar race (June)

Here are some cute pictures that my friend Amanda took!

Maddux was such a grump that out of all the pictures she took there is maybe 5 that he actually smiled.

Basement Fun

We are finally starting to finish a room in our basement. I am ready to get the guest bed out of Maddux's room and finally get it decorated for him. I also really want a toy room done but I'm still trying to convince Tim. This meant that we had to clean out some of the crap that is down there. I could not believe all the empty boxes. Why on earth do I keep empty boxes? The kids had a great time though. They loved helping clean, sweep, and most of all playing in all the empty boxes!

Art Project

Jacie loves to do art projects. If they are too messy I usually make her wait until Maddux is down for his nap. Jacie decided that she wanted to paint. Maddux immediately wanted his own paint brush. I thought this is just water and paint, the worst that could happen is a glass of spilled water right, no big deal. Well, while Jacie painted a nice picture Maddux decided to paint himself!

Jacie will not just smile she has to pose and make silly faces. What a girl!

The final masterpiece! I think he also managed to spill the water!!

Random Thoughts

I am always thinking of things to blog about but never get around to it. Tonight the kids are in bed and Tim is playing XBOX so I thought I would post a little something.
An update on Maddux. The last two nights he has actually made it through the night. I think that he has made one or two whimpers but that's all. It has been great. There is one bad thing though, Jacie for some reason has come into my bed the last two nights. Seriously can I just sleep all night in my bed and not have the share my pillow? She has had a little bit of a cold and so I think she wakes up coughing or something and then decides to come into my bed. Its kind of funny, she comes over to my side and just kind of slides in, then later usually takes over the bed!
Last Saturday night was the Miss America Pageant. Even though I am a former "pageant girl" I have always loved Miss America. I remember as a little girl watching it every year. The whole family, well I don't think Kyle, would make sure we had a pen and paper and then we would make our list of who would make it to the next round. This year was cool for two reasons. One instead of having just the pageant they had a whole reality TV show about the girls with them competing in different areas. It was nice because you actually got to know the girls a little and not just see them walking across the stage. The other reason that it was exciting was that Miss Utah was from Manti and won Miss Utah as Miss Sanpete (I was Miss Sanpete). It was just cool being able to see someone I know competing for Miss America!
As of December I am pretty much a stay at home mom. I went from working once a week to just working one weekend a month. I must say it is VERY nice to be home but at the same time it is a lot of work! It is crazy that going from one day a week to nothing could be that different but it is. I do love it but it is taking some getting used to! I am trying to be a better housekeeper, trying to do more with my kids, and trying to find things that I can do for myself. If any of you have any organizing tips or things that you do to stay sane please share because I am running out of ideas!

Again?

I know I have complained about Maddux and his sleeping habits but really, can he just get over it? He was doing so well for awhile, sleeping through the night and waking up about 7am every morning. I would prefer 8 but I will take an entire night of sleep over 8 any day! I can't even remember when it started up again but its been maybe a month. He wakes up at like 4am and just starts yelling "momma, mooommaaaa, momma" so out of selfishness I go get him and bring him to bed with me. Remember I love MY sleep! Now its every night and some nights its 1:30! Seriously, he is almost 2 and this has to come to an end! So now I am doing the whole let the kid scream thing AGAIN! I hate that when you give a kid an inch once he expects a mile every time. So if any there are any suggestions on how to get a kid to sleep through the night, every night I would love them!

Christmas Morning

We had an amazing Christmas. As the kids are getting older it is more and more fun! This year was especially nice because we didn't have to travel. In years past we have woken up and done our own present opening and then gone to Tims parents and then headed South to my parents for even more presents. It is great to see everyone but it gets kind of crazy. This year my parents came to my house as well as my brother and his family. It was a good thing that the kids slept in later than last year because we would have been in the dark. The power went out about 6:30am and didn't come back on until after 10am! It was kind of sad not to have any Christmas lights on but we managed. As I looked through our pictures I realized that I didn't take very many pictures and pretty much none of Jacie, oops! Jacie got a barbie house (no pictures of it!) and Maddux got a little 4 wheeler from Santa. Cayden, my nephew got the little pony, I think Maddux liked it more than Cayden did! We were very spoiled!

I love the Holiday Season but I am glad that it is over so we can get back to our routine. I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and wish everyone a Happy New Year!

The Month in Review

We have been busy this last month, just like all of you! Here is a little glimpse of what we have been up to!

Art projects, making toast, dress-ups at Grandma Thorsens (Tim loved that!), movie nights, arcade games at the movie theater.

Next we have Jacies dance recital. These things are always so dang cute! I thought Jacie did really well, she loves to dance and loves her dance class. All of the girls in her class are from our neighborhood so that makes it even more fun.

We can't forget Jacies preschool Christmas program and visit from Santa. Maddux thinks that he should be in school also. After all, anything that Jacie can do so can he! When I drop Jacie off at school he tries to sit down at the tables like all the other kids, he has even put his coat in one of the cubbies!

WHY?

Maddux has finally started to say a lot of words, that is if you speak Madduxese! He has two favorite words, NO and WHY? He will ask you a question and then after your reply he says "Why?" If you answer that question his reply is "Why?" I thought they weren't suppose to get into the Why? phase until later. Its not like he talks a ton and does he really understand what the heck my reason why is? I guess I figure it is because Maddux can do and will do everything that Jacie does, so since she asks why all the time he thinks that is just what you say after mom says something! His No's are pretty funny. Most of the time they are said with a little grumble in his voice "NOOOO." Maddux has also gotten to the stage when a camera is brought out he totally cheeses it, as you can see! I seriously love this age.

Final Port

Our last port was Puerto Vallarta. We had an awesome excursion booked for this one. We went on a canopy zip line adventure. It was SO much fun. First we took about a 45 min drive through the city and surrounding towns to get to our destination in the middle of the jungle. This was cool because we got to see what real Mexico is like, not just the tourist spots. The ride was an adventure of its own, we were with 6 other people and we all thought that it was better that the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland! I thought that I was totally going to freak out but when I got up there it was so easy and not scary at all. OK I take that back, after about 10 different zip lines, landing on single tree platforms 75 - 90 feet in the air, we had to rappel to solid ground. I was totally freaked out to do this but turns out it wasn't that bad or that hard! Notice the picture of the cattle herd. I thought this was hilarious. Everyone jumped up with their cameras (including Tim) to get a picture. After I asked Tim why he took a picture, he said "because it was a real cattle herd, you don't see that everyday." I said "Yes you do, they are out all the time in Manti!" Besides the mosquito bites I got all over my legs, this was a GREAT tour!

Allison didn't do the canopy tour because she is pregnant so when we got back, the two of us went to play on the beach and do some shopping. We definitely learned some valuable lessons for our next cruise. Number one, get away from the dock to find the best deals on Taxi's!

We had an absolutely AMAZING week and it was sad to see it end, although we all missed our kids. Tim and I were also sad to leave the beautiful sun and come home to cold, wet snow. Cruises are the best, total relaxation, no commitments, 24 hour food, endless amounts of food, entertainment, more food, and sleep! When can we go again?!

Second Port

Mazatlan was our second port. Here we boarded an "air conditioned" (not really!) trolley for a tour of the city. It is so crazy how they totally trap you to do things. First they took us to this look out to see the lighthouse and an iguana, they practically put the iguana in your arms and then it is after that when you notice that the guys shirt says tips for picture. You don't even have a choice! Then our tour guide takes us to this one jewelry shop that we have to spend like 20 minutes there for a "free drink" (again with a huge tip jar on the counter). After the "free drink" they take us to see the cliff divers. These crazy guys jump from the cliff right into rocks, I am surprised that we did not witness a death. We were then dropped off to shop. Mazatlan had awesome shopping, I got some great deals! Our next stop was lunch, again we had no choice, the driver stopped at a restaurant, the only restaurant around, and that is where we ate. At least the food was good! I do think that this was my favorite port because we got to see so much of the city and of course because of the shopping!!

First Port

Our first port was Cabo San Lucas. Here we ate some awesome nachos and went Snuba diving. Snuba is a mix between snorkeling and scuba diving. Your oxygen tanks are on a little raft then you are able to dive down about 20 feet. It is a lot of fun. There wasn't really any coral but there was colorful fish, a puffer fish and parts of a sunken ship. It is so cool to dive down to the bottom of the ocean and see whats down there. Maybe for our next cruise we will be scuba certified!

Cabo San Lucas

Tim and I after Snuba diving

We were also able to snorkel after we went snuba diving, not as cool but still fun!

Dinner that night at Ginza. Tim and Cameron ate here twice, all you can eat sushi!!

Vacay!

Tim and I finally got to go on a vacation without children! It was SO much fun and so RELAXING! We went on a Mexican Riviera cruise with one of Tim's old mission companions, Cameron and his wife Allison. Did I mention how much fun it was? This was the first time that we had ever been away from Maddux and the first time that we had been away from Jacie for more than a weekend. I was kind of stressed leaving them but it was a great trip. Thanks to Grandma Esther and Grandma Holly for taking our kids so we could spend a week in the sun!

Tim and I on the deck just after boarding

Allison and I even talked the boys into taking Cha Cha lessons with us!

This is the four of us on formal night. Allison is my hero, she does everything. She MADE her dress. I don't even own a sewing machine!

Trick or Treat!

I finally got around to posting pictures of the kids for Halloween. Jacie only wants to be princess', last year was Cinderella, this year Ariel. At least it isn't hard to get it put together! Maddux got to be Stitch, Jacie was also Stitch for her second Halloween. When we originally bought the costume we thought it was Eeyore but after we put Jacie in it people told us that it was Stitch. That was before we had seen ALL the Disney movies! The kids had a great time trick or treating and we still have way too much candy!

Tag

Thanks Kori for the tag. At least this one doesn't take much effort! Here is what you do.... pick the 6th folder in your pictures then pick your 6th picture in that folder, post that picture and give some details.

This is my sweet little Jacie. We were on our way to Manti to watch the 2007 Super Bowl at my parents, hence Jacie's Mike Vick jersey! Jacie as you can see fell asleep reading before we even got out of West Jordan. She looked too precious not to take a picture! I tag Marianne, Loni, and Brittany

Afternoon of FUN

Last Friday a few friends and I decided to take a trip to Gardner Village for their Halloween festivities. It was really fun. They have the place decked out with witches and all sorts of Halloween stuff. There were tons of people there but we still managed to take some cute pictures and have a good time. The weather was perfect, in fact it was on the hot side. All the kids were pretty well behaved, despite it being nap time. The only shop that we actually went in was the candy store (the most important one) there were just too many people and with that many kids, it is just asking for disaster. One of these days though I want to go back and actually do some shopping, they have some fun stores. Jacie was sad about one thing, the ducks were gone. I told her the witches probably scared them away, but that they would be back!

First Day of School

Jacie FINALLY started school. Her preschool is at the high school and for some reason she didn't start until October. I am so excited that she has started. It means that twice a week she is gone for 2 1/2 hours!! It was actually kind of sad because I realized that from now on she will always be gone during the day. My little girl is getting so grown up, and so TALL! Jacie loves school. She is learning her ABC's and all sorts of things. She goes to school with 3 other kids from our neighborhood which makes carpooling nice. She also has friends from last year in her class. I am slightly worried though. She is only 4 and she is already kissing boys! When she came home from school the first day I asked her what she did and she informed me that she kissed Rowdy! She is WAY too young! Luckily though, she said she kissed him on the cheek. The second week of school when I drove, one of the other girls was in back with Jacie and they wanted Rowdy to sit in back with them. When I told them they were just going to be in back the other little girl said that she wanted Taz to sit in back with her. I had to inform them that Taz didn't ride with us! I asked Jacie who she played with at school and she said "Taz, he's cute." Then I asked her what she liked about him, she said "his spiky hair." Way too funny. I seriously didn't think crushes started this early. But wait, what am I thinking, Jacie has always loved her "married guy" Devin as long as I can remember!

Pumpkin Pickin

These are pictures of Jacie, Maddux and their cousins Seth and Mia at grandma Holly's picking their pumpkins. Every year she grows pumpkins and then the grand kids get to pick the one they want. I am so grateful for this tradition because it means that I don't have to worry about getting a pumpkin for Halloween! Look how big they are. Grandma Holly has an awesome garden!

Conference Weekend

I finally made it to visit my parents new house in Price over conference weekend. It was a great weekend. We spent most of our time scrap booking. I enjoy scrap booking but it takes me so long to do a page that I rarely do it. Also my mom has all the cute supplies so I feel I have to do it with her! It was me, my sister, my sister-in-law and all the grand kids. All of the husbands had already made other plans so we thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to have a girls weekend. We also celebrated Cayden's second birthday. Its crazy how fast our kids are growing up. Jacie's favorite part of my parents house was their tub. That is all she wanted to do was take a bath! We tried to get the boys in but they didn't like the bubbles. Maddux would try and climb out screaming as soon as we put him in! Luckily Juliana loved it too so Jacie had a partner. Jacie also went to the Dinosaur Museum with my dad but I didn't send a camera. I thought him trying to chase Jacie was enough to worry about!