Christensen Crew

Pucker Up

2011-06-22T22:43:00.001-07:00

I am getting a taste of what my life is going to be like in about ten years. Peyton walked into the kitchen and said, "look at me, mommy." I turned around and saw this:

Flag Day

2011-06-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

We went out to Flag Day in Fairfield a couple of weeks ago and had a lot of fun. Peyton was intent on just a few things. She wanted candy, drums, trumpets and fire trucks. Well, she was not disappointed! The girls got a ton of candy and loved the parade.

Connor has a pretty smooth move with his feet!

Smile

Lisa came and joined us for the parade! We had so much fun hanging out with her that day! Gigi enjoyed hanging with her fourth daughter!

Peyton got on the merry go round at the park and stayed there the ENTIRE time. She loved it!

Callie loved going down the big slide. I remember going down it as a kid and thinking that was the best slide EVER. Callie wanted me to go with her that day, so I did. It is still pretty fun :)

Con-Man had too much fun that day and just needed a snooze!

CHEESE!

2011-06-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

I got a double jogger stroller so I can get out and run with the kids more. The girls really enjoy it also.

Say CHEESE!!

Hanging in the stroller!

Beautiful girl!

Some outside shots

2011-06-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

After Callie's dance recital we were hanging outside because the weather was actually quite beautiful and we were waiting for Gigi and Grandpa to show up, so I snapped some cute pics of the kiddos.

Just the three of them. Connor chewing on whatever he can!

Look at that face. Don't you want to just squeeze those cheeks!

So Sweet!

Hanging out Mom!

She is bustin some moves for me.

Hmmm, did something not taste good???

Hmm, but that does taste good, thanks!

Still chewing on the grass.

Dance Recital

2011-06-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Callie had her dance recital and she did fabulous! Miss Michelle has been so wonderful and we love her!! That morning, I was a little worried about what I was going to do with her hair, so I called Rachel and she so kindly came over to work some magic!

Super cute huh!

She is really excited that I keep taking pictures!!

Don't forget Peyton! Rach did her hair too and it looked awesome! Her turn for dance will be next year and she can't wait!

Callie and her friend Natalie from her class before the recital. Beautiful Tinkerbells!

Callie waiting with her class before the next song.

On stage with all the other dancers at the end of the recital.

I have a video to post, but it is too large and I don't know how to cut it down to a small enough video! If anyone can help me, that would be great.

Callie did fantastic. She works so hard to try and follow the steps just right and has no fear at all of the stage. I am so proud of her. I have enjoyed watching her develop and learn.

Manners

2011-06-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Me: Peyton, do you want to wear panties?
Peyton: Hmm, no thank you.
Run off to play outside.

I love my peypey

Utah Trip

2011-05-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

My mom went to women's conference with her sisters, so the kids and I bummed a ride and spent the week with Jane in Salt Lake City. We decided to take the van, in case any of us did some shopping. Hahaha. So, we spent Tuesday with mom before she headed to Provo and did some shopping. On Wednesday the kids, Jane and I went to Temple Square and looked around. It was quite fun and very beautiful. We saw a couple getting married, and the Peyton yelled, "princess!" Thursday we went down to IKEA and I got some much needed shelving then we went to Thanksgiving Point and went to the Dinosauer Museum. Wow, the kids had a ball. It was such a cool place to take kids and they had a lot of fun. On Friday, Joe watched the kids and Jane and I got to hang out for a few hours just us. THANKS JOE!! He went way above and beyond the uncle duties, and I was so appreciative of it. I really needed a little break. Saturday morning Joe and I ran a 5K his running store was sponsoring and Jane stayed with the kids. We ran in the snow, which was depressing considering it was April 30, but still fun and I got free socks and a free t-shirt! Then we packed up the car and waited for mom to arrive. Then we packed her stuff and, oh my. That is all I can say.

Side View without kids

I took this picture from the front passenger seat. Ryan's comment was, he loved how Callie was straining to see over the tsunami of purchases.

The trip was fun, a nice little break for me, having some help with the kids for the week and they girls love their Aunt Jane! And, I love my shelving from IKEA, so the cramped journey back was worth it!

Easter Morning

2011-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny visited the Christensen home for Easter this year. The girls had a great time, especially hunting for eggs, which they got to do A LOT this year.

I didn't get any pictures of them looking for the eggs, because Callie was a maniac. She was like the tazmanian devil running around. Peyton was trying to hold all of the eggs in her hand and keep picking them up. Hilarious. So, I suggested she put them in her basket and you could just see the lightbulb turn on. It was adorable and they had a lot of fun.

Since we have church at 1:00 right now, I had time to get the girls all dressed up and looking cute.

Callie has beautiful hair and she was a really good sport about it. Hairbows are courtesy of Rachel!

Peyton was being a goof. She loves to wear hats, even in the summer.

Connor in his white shirt for church.

So, I wanted pictures of the kids, however, they weren't cooperating so well. Peyton just cried and pouted, etc.

This is the best picture that came out. After Peyton got happier, Connor had decided that he had enough. Callie, of course, just loves to have her picture taken. So, overall, it was a typical Sunday morning in the Christensen home. Some tears, some laughter, some head shaking, all done by mom! :)

Another Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

The girls got invited to a friends house for another Easter Egg Hunt.

Peyton loved blowing the bubbles she got.

Callie with her bag of candy in her FAVORITE green sweatshirt

Callie and her friend Madden. They are the best of pals.

Gwyn and Peyton. Every time Peyton would grab a piece of candy she would say, "oooooh, my favorite!" Adorable!

Small Spaces

2011-05-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I sent the girls to get their pajamas on and this is what I found:

Peyton curled up in the laundry hamper. What a silly goose!

Little Helper

2011-05-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Peyton loves tools and working on things. So, my dad was helping with a doorknob problem at my house a few weeks ago and he had a little helper.

Connor's First Cookie

2011-05-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, what is this?

Wow, this is really yummy!

This is one tasty Cookie! Thanks Rachel.

Gonzaga Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

My mom told me about the alumni egg hunt at Gonzaga, so I took the kids down this year. It was pretty fun, they had lots of eggs set out, so all the kids would be sure and get some eggs. The downside to the hunt was that it was FREEZING! Seriously, it was so cold and the wind was blowing like CRAZY!! So, waiting for the hunt to begin was pretty rough, but they had fun looking for eggs, so I guess it's all worth it.

The girls, shivering in the cold

Peyton, cold and a little ornery

Callie, scrambling to find her eggs!

Peyton with her loot

Callie found a lot of eggs!

Doctor Stats

2011-04-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have decided to enroll Callie in kindergarten for this upcoming school year. She is going to be quite young, but I think she will do fine. Socially, she will be right there no problem. She is a little small, but athletics isn't really her thing and academically she is good to go. Anyway, we are trying to choice into Chester, and we are currently in there, but they can deny us admission until October 15, so we are crossing our fingers!! Anyway, I took Callie to get her kindergarten shots when Connor had his six month check-up. Two birds, one stone. Anyway, every day for the week before, she would say, "what day is it Mommy?" I would answer with the appropriate day then she would say, "ooooh, Monday is coming soon, and then I am going to have to get my kindergarten shots!" said with much moaning and trepidation. However, she was a trooper and did a great job. She was rewarded with five stickers and a milkshake. She was so sweet and even made sure she got stickers for Peyton. Always looking out for her sister! The stats are as follows: Callie, four and a half years old; 37 pounds-50% 42" tall-50% BP 80/46 (guess thats ok for a 4 yr old) Connor, six months old; 21lb 1 oz-95% 28"-90% Head 44 1/2 cm The question is, at what point will Connor be the same size as Callie? I would say by his second birthday!

Learning to Sit

2011-04-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

So, I have really been trying to get Con-Man to sit, but have been having a hard time. Part of that might be attributed to the fact that he has quite a big belly. So, he doesn't have the best balance, so my awesome friend loaned me her baby seat, which her two year old daughter can still sit in, but Con is squeezed in there. Seriously, I have to pull it off his tush. But he loves it! He watched a movie with the girls while I cleaned the kitchen.

Happy Guy!

Another picture Mom?

Just going to watch my show, thanks!

Giddyup Horsey

2011-04-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

My girls love their rocking horses. We had one that I think we got at a garage sale or something and then a friend of mine pawned hers off on us, insisting that we needed it. Turns out, its a good thing we have two! So, Peyton will always yell, "Giddyup" sometimes on the horse, sometimes not. So, my mom and dad were in Montana a couple of weeks ago and my mom was sure the girls would love cowgirl hats, so she brought them back for the girls. And guess who was the horse?

Can't tell yet?

It's Aunt Molly!!

We wouldn't want Con-Man to feel left out, so he is wearing Callie's purple cowBOY hat.

A Budding Photographer

2011-04-06T22:05:00.001-07:00

Callie loves to take the camera and take lots of pictures. Some pictures are not so fantastic, such as the twelve pictures of the mike and ike candies. Or the wall. The floor. The TV. You get the idea. However, once in a while, she gets something truly awesome.

Too bad my dad never checks my blog. Otherwise, he might say something about me sharing this amazing picture of him with the world. Enjoy everyone!

Ghost

2011-04-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Peyton talks about ghosts all the time, not sure where the idea was put into her silly little head, but whatever. So the other day the hamper was out and she put it on her head and laughed, saying that she was a ghost.

Funny girl makes me laugh.

Bath Time

2011-03-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

So, Connor is too big for his bathtub. Seriously, just a few drops of water and they flow over after I put him in it. But, he can't sit by himself either, so I have been putting him in with the girls and letting Callie hold on to him while I wash him up. Hilarious. She is a really good sport about it and really tries to hold that wiggly, slippery, big boy!

Me: Smile at the camera.
Kids: Cheeeeeeeeeeessssssssseeeeeeee. Accompanied by a cheezy smile
Me: Please, smile normal, at the camera
Kids: The results above.
Me: Oh well, I guess that is as good as its going to get

Callie being a good big sister and preventing Connor from drowning

Sunday Morning

2011-03-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

I got this adorable little tie for Connor from one of my friends, and I absolutely love it. Connor looks like a little man when he is all dressed for Sunday. Can't get enough of him!!

That's right, I am a happy, handsome stud ready for church!

See, I have this awesome tie

Ok, my shirt and tie are both awesome, don't you love them!!

Smile Kitty

2011-03-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, my mom watched the kids while I worked. So, we went out on Friday night and spent the night. When we got there, Peyton of course, wanted to chase after the kitty. So, my mom, being the good sport that she is, helped Peyton get the cat and helped her hold it and pet it, etc. See, her mommy hates cats and won't do that for her. However, getting back on point, so, the cat ran away and then Peyton managed to catch it again, and she was standing on the sidewalk and she looked just like my little brother Ty did at around the same age when he had finally caught one of the cats. So, I of course, ran for my camera and said, "smile!" So Peyton said, "smile, kitty!" Oh my goodness, I about peed my pants I was laughing so hard. So, after the photo session and the kitty smiling for the camera, Peyton and Callie went and helped Gigi feed the cats.

It's nice the girls get to enjoy time with the cats and Gigi and Papa's house, because their mother refuses to own them!!

Gaggle of Chicks

2011-03-15T08:48:00.001-07:00

So, I know that most of you have heard of Groupon, but have you heard of Gaggle of Chicks? Right now they have a promo going for an 8.5x11 photo book for only $15 plus free shipping! But the deal gets better. If you are new to Gaggle of Chicks, follow this link and you sign up and you receive a $10 credit. Yahoo! I just bought mine, maybe there is a chance I might get some of my photos put together.

Testimony

2011-03-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

I am really proud of my sweet Callie. She bore her testimony during Sacrament meeting today. She asked me, "Mom, can I go up there?" I asked her if she knew what she was going to say, and she said yes. So, she had to wait for one person, but they she walked up there by herself and with the aid of Brother Zorich, she gave her testimony about the church and that she loved her family, her daddy, and her friends. Of course, I cried, but I was so proud of her. She has been asking a lot of questions about our Savior and I am trying to answer her the best I can, and sometimes she is really confused, or concerned, but I know she is trying to understand, and I can't ask for more than that as a Mommy!

Crazy Crew

2011-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

So, I wanted to post a few pictures from the last little while. My friend Chari printed her blog into books and they look so great, so I am hoping to gain a little ambition so that I can have those cool books of my own!

Connor always such a happy little guy!! These little mittens are great!

The girls don't ever want to go to bed at night, or at naptimes, but playing sleep during the day in the living room is a favorite game. Go figure.

PeyPey loves hat. And looks so cute!

I took the picture of Peyton and Callie was a little jealous, so she donned the sunglasses and struck a pose.

What can I say, he's cute!

Is someone a little whiny?

Before the snow came, when we had springlike conditions, the kids and I were fooled into believing that wonderful weather was soon to be here. Wrong. However, they did enjoy the bikes for a few days!

I have such pretty princesses! The dress set from Gigi for Christmas gets a lot of wear!!

Callie loves to take pictures and she insisted on taking one of us. As you can see, I look ravishing this fine morning and Peyton is equally thrilled about getting her picture taken. Connor: who knows what he thinks about his crazy sisters.

Since Daddy is gone, the girls and I have a little more girlie time. So, we painted nails. This is an event normally reserved for Aunt Jane, but Mommy got suckered in this time.

I know, another one of just him. Believe it or not, I actually didn't post several, dozens. :)

If you are wondering, hmm, is she missing her pants? You would be correct. My delightful and stubborn Pey is not wearing pants because she is POTTY TRAINING!! And yes, she is pretty much good, we haven't had an accident in a while and she does all her business in the toilet. Is there celebrating at the Christensen home? YES THERE IS!!! My little Peyton has done great, we pretty much had the whole thing nailed down within a week. We leave the house with confidence and without fear or trepidation about how many panties we will soak while gone. Yahoo!!!!

So, we got this bouncer in California for Connor, and he did ok with it while we were there, but the real use has come from Peyton, who considers it her own personal recliner. Yes, she is watching TV and yes, she has no pants. Again, the potty training. She does great, just doesn't always put pants back on, but there is no need to get picky! We just like to model Dora panties at our house!

Ever since we got back from California in January, Callie wants to share a bed with Peyton, instead of her top bunk. But aren't they cute. Even though they fight, they are the best sisters and really do love each other.

Every princess deserves an oreo.

I flat ironed her hair and I think it looks so pretty. She has such pretty long hair and she loves it like that!

I know, enough already. But he is so cute!! And such a chunk. My little man is weighing in just shy of 20 lbs at 5 months. I see football in our future.....

Thanks for obliging me in the bragging of my children. Can't help, I think they are pretty great.
A little update on everyone:

Ryan: In Boise working toward his LPN, he is doing great, getting A's and really working hard. He just found a job, so that is a bonus and he gets to come home and visit on Friday!! We are so excited to see him!!!!

Abby: Staying home with the three crazies. I still work at Shopko pharmacy once a month and I was babysitting, but it proved to be a little more than I could handle. I still work in YW and love it.

Callie: She started pre-school last September and absolutely loves it!! She goes to Ms. Rita and Ms. Kara and is doing so well. She plays with her good friend Madden quite a bit, they love to have playdates. For some reason she is quite concerned about getting married, so I told her that she needed to find someone to love, and she said, "I love Madden!" Well, we loved Madden too, but then I told her she needed to wait until she was big like Aunt Molly. So, that delayed the marriage talk for a whole day. Gee, can't wait until she's 16 :) She takes dances classes and quite likes them and actually does pretty good. She concentrates and really tries to follow the moves. She loves being a big sister and loves to help me take care of Connor. Her best quote as of late was when she spent the night at Gigi's house and found the candy dish and she said to my mom, "Peyton deserves two treats because she went potty in the toilet. I deserve two treats because I smiled." Love it.

Peyton: Is two and half. Truly. She wants to do everything that Callie does and be big like her. The first time we dropped Callie off at school after being gone in California, Peyton didn't say anything, but I looked at her and she just had tears running down her face. She loves Callie but at the same time knows just what to do to make her really angry. She is recently potty trained and I am so proud of her. She LOVES Dora. A lot. She also loves to dress up in the princess dresses and play with the tea set. When I do my exercise videos, she is right there with me, trying her hardest to do the exercises too. She is a bit of a mischeif maker sometimes, ok, a lot. The other day, she inhaled seven of the ten packages of fruit snacks she had snuck out of the pantry. And she cut her hair. In the front. Bummer, huh. Oh well, it is growing out. She didn't talk at all until after Connor was born, but now, she never stops! I can't believe I was so concerned.

Connor: My little man is a very good baby, he gives the best smiles and has such a happy disposition. He loves the girls and he loves to be around the commotion. He actually gets the most upset when it is all quiet, because he loves the noise. He is growing like crazy and has started eating solid foods, well, baby food, and pretty much eats what I give him. Love him!

We are a crazy house, but it's a good crazy, usually. Blessed to have such a wonderful family!

2010 IN A NUTSHELL

2011-01-31T14:02:00.000-08:00

As I reach the one year anniversary of my last post, I feel inspired to update my fans, ok, mainly my mother as to the events of our life this past year. I have been informed on several occasions that a lot has happened so I should update. Again, thanks Mom!

February:
We found out we were going to have another baby!! So excited!! My brother John and his wife Emily had a baby, finally making me an aunt! We went to Rexburg for the blessing and had a really nice time.

March: I GOT TO GO TO NEW YORK!!!! Oh my goodness, had so much on my girls trip with my sisters and mom. Ryan's parents came and helped him with the girls while I visited the city. We went all over town, sightseeing, eating, shopping, eating, shopping and had a great time. We celebrated six years of marriage, and bought a minivan. With the upcoming birth of number 3 and all of the babysitting that I do, the Rodeo just wasn't cutting the mustard. So Ryan bought the car while I was in New York. With my blessing. I hate car shopping. With a passion.

April: Easter. Thats about it. Slow month, but my recollection a mere 9 months later may be fuzzy.

May: We took a family trip to see Ryan's family in California. Callie got to go to Disneyland for the first time and LOVED IT!! We had a lot of fun at the Magic Kingdom, truly is magical! We found out number 3 was going to be a BOY!!!! Ryan smiled for like a week. Seriously, so excited for a son! I also ran a half marathon, it was awesome. I ran with my good friends Shannan and Emily who were so patient to run with a pregnant chick, but I had such a great time and am so glad that I did it.

June: Aunt Molly graduated from high school, last of my siblings to leave Freeman. FYI, the best high school graduation I have ever been to. Air conditioning, cushioned seats and short. Thank you class of 2010, the audience appreciates it. All of my siblings with the exception of Ty, because he is in Zimbabwe, all came home for Molly's big event, so we had a great time getting together and visiting, etc.

July: Ryan celebrated his birthday, 31. Worked in our garden and just played, enjoying summer.

August: Callie turned 4. I went to Girls Camp as a Third Year Assistant Level Leader and had a great time. Even with my gigantic stomach, seriously, HUGE, I enjoyed camp, the girls and the other lovely ladies I worked with. There is something special at Girls Camp, a feeling that you don't get many other places. The chance to feel the spirit and be close to your Savior surrounded by His creations. Truly amazing. Molly left for college. Maybe it was in September, can't remember all that well, but we were sad to see her go, but excited to watch her begin this new chapter in her life.

September: Peyton turned 2. Connor James Christensen was born September 25. He was 8lb 6oz and 21 inches. My biggest baby, but everything went smoothly with no complications and we loved him immediately. The girls loved him right from the beginning, even Peyton who I was a little worried about! Callie started pre-school with Teacher Rita and Teacher Kara and loved it right away. Peyton was very sad to see her best friend leave three days a week, she missed Callie and wanted to go with her, but needs to wait her turn! Callie also started dance, which my little drama queen loves.

October: Peyton finally started talking. Incredible. Now she doesn't stop. Ever. And my mom passed the Washington Bar. This is a picture of her swearing in at Gonzaga Law. We are all so proud of her and her accomplishments. And really happy she doesn't have to take it again!!

November: We had a wonderful visit from Ryan's mom, dad and uncle who came for Connor's blessing. John, Molly and my Uncle David and Aunt Donna were able to be there. Kip and Emily tried to get there, but just missed it, I think we were running a little early at church that day. Jane and Joe and Beau and Kelsey came home for Thanksgiving and we had so much fun. Got some family photos taken by the incredible Randi. Of course, Black Friday shopping was amazing as usual. My sweet Grandma watched the girls for me so we could make it to Target by 4 am. She truly is the best! We also enjoyed a record breaking snowfall for the month of November. Lucky us.

December: We celebrated the birth of our Savior and spent time with family over Christmas. We all went out to the farm and spent a few days with family. We ate, watched movies, played the Wii and enjoyed spending time together. Callie had her first dance recital and did a fantastic job.

January: We took another family trip to California to go to Disneyland. This time, my mom and both my sisters joined us. We had so much fun. My dad decided to not go, so there were eight of us and we decided that we could all squeeze into the van. Yes, you are doing the math correctly, eight people, seven passenger van. Plus stuff. However, we managed to squeeze everything and everyone into the car and drove through the frigid cold to Utah where we picked up Jane and traversed the rest of the journey in the warming temperatures to California. We spent three days at Disneyland, one day at the San Diego Zoo and the girls went shopping one day. Ryan and my mom also did a deep sea fishing expedition. Mom decided that she enjoyed the water, but not necessarily in the cold doing some fishing. Callie is a roller coaster, theme park junkie. I think I will do a separate post about D-land. We also had a major family change last week. Ryan was accepted to begin a nursing program in Boise, Idaho, so he started last Monday for the 11 month program. He will be living in Boise, and the kids and I are staying in Spokane, with Ryan coming home when it is possible. Hard adjustment and we miss him, but he is doing a good thing for our family and the reward is worth the sacrifice.

Riverfront Park

2010-01-31T23:45:00.000-08:00

So my mom called and asked if the girls and I wanted to walk with them around Riverfront Park on Saturday. I thought that would be fun, and it kept the house quiet for Ryan so he could sleep, since this is his weekend to work, so he is super exhausted. Anyway, we had a lot of fun. It was a little cool, but not too bad, especially considering it is January! So, we walked across the bridge to check out what the falls were like.

Callie loved it. The waterfalls were pretty cool.

Peyton didn't.

Grandpa tried to cheer her up. She stopped screaming, but she wan't happy until we got off that bridge! So, we kept walking around, then we went to the big wagon and there a zillion ducks there. Not really a zillion, but lots. And geese. Really big ones. I think with this warm winter we have had, they have been eating well this winter. But you would think they were starving the way they swarmed my dad.

Callie helped him for a couple of minutes, but she got scared because the ducks chased her a little. I can't blame her, I stayed several feet back from them myself. They were a little scary! So then we played on the big red wagon and rode down the slide. It was fun. Again, Callie loved it, and so did Peyton, but I rode down with her.

We also played at the little playground down there, which the girls had a lot of fun doing. Overall, it was quite fun and Callie said a dozen times throughout the rest of the day, I had fun at the park mom, it was so fun. Totally worth it!

Beds optional?

2010-01-31T23:38:00.000-08:00

So, when I was coming upstairs to go to bed tonight, look what I found: Yup, apparantly the floor is more comfortable than the bed. Which she does have one of. It is just empty. So, I took a picture and left her there. Bad move? Not sure. I guess she wanted to sleep on the ground tonight. That blanket what my mom's when she was small. She lets Callie use it, but I know she is showing her love, because I think she really wants it back. Thanks Mom, Callie really does love that blanket!

This weekend Callie has been exploring her sleeping options. Friday night, Ryan was getting ready to leave for work and he came downstairs and said, "did you know Callie is sleeping in our bed. She is on your side. And her baby is on my side." Yes, you read correctly. Callie and her baby took over my bed. Sad. Sure enough, I came and checked out the situation, and Callie was all curled up and tucked in on my side of the bed, and her little baby was tucked in on Ry's side. It was cute. But I still scooched her over to her Daddy's side and crawled in.

Walmart anyone.

2010-01-14T13:17:00.001-08:00

I did something I dread almost as much as the dentist yesterday. I took the girls to Wal-Mart. Plus, it was almost lunchtime. Root canal anyone? So we are making the rounds, outside wall first, get my fresh stuff, meat, dairy etc. and things are going ok, could be better, could be worse and then we start into the middle. Hmm, I can sense things going downhill. So, this nice couple walks past us as I am asking the girls to please be nice and Callie quit squishing the groceries and seriously Peyton, do you have to drop the sour cream on the floor! This couple looks to be in their early to mid forties and they are smiling broadly and I am sure as soon as I go by, laughing at our ridiculousness. Next aisle. Oh, listen, Callie is singing. She changes between the chorus of Follow the Prophet and P-L-U-T-O (think BINGO only with PLUTO). And here comes the same couple. Again. This time, I swear they are laughing, so I said, I know you are jealous and they said THEY WERE!!!! Their kids were all grown, tell you what, I would of swapped that nice neat unsquished grocery cart for my disaster any day, but I think if given the offer, they probably would have kept theirs. See, they don't actually want their own kids small again, they wanted grandkids. So, I wish grandkids for them soon, my parents love them. Of course, thats because they don't take the girls to Wal-Mart. Last time my mom was with us, she left with the kids in tow and just went home. Can't blame her one bit! Final grocery inventory was one squished tomato, one opened carton of sour cream, mashed bread, two rolls of wrapping paper used as light sabers and one very frazzled mom. So yes, our trip was followed by Wendy's chicken nuggets and a nap!

Monkey at the table

2010-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Amidst the dinner drama with Callie, my little PeyPey is sitting in her blue booster seat chowing down on her fries, with a lot of hamburger in front of her. Because she LOVES to eat. Seriously. I would guess that she spends 75% of her day eating. Everything. Its incredible, she is like a machine and then her stomach starts sticking out really far and she is just so cute. Anyway, back to dinner. So, she is stuffing her face and I am trying to get her to eat some hamburger, which she usually loves, but she won't eat it. She keeps reaching across the kitchen for something doing her grunting/talking thing. Lots of grunting, no actually talking, unfortunately. Well, I have no clue what she wants, so I keep offering hamburger. No go. So, I finally really look around the kitchen and what do I see. Her monkey. Its this really cute black stuffed monkey that the favorite aunt Jane gave her for Christmas that Peyton carries around everywhere, she loves it. A lot. So, I pick up the monkey and hand it to her. She starts grinning and gives it all sorts of loves and then proceeds to stuff handfuls of hamburger in her mouth. Literally, stuffing by the fistful. Loved it. Apparently, she just wanted a little company as she ate!

Mean Mom

2010-01-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

It's official. I am a mean mom. We have a lot of trouble with Callie and her eating habits. Or lack there of. She doesn't eat very much and she is super picky. And it bugs me. Seriously, its food, it's good, it's healthy, just eat it! So, the other night I fixed hamburger pie, I was feeling really lazy that particular evening, so I scooped a small portion onto Callie's plate and told her she had to take three bites, because she is three years old. What do you know, she wouldn't eat it, as usual. So, I told her she could eat it or go to bed. It was 6:00. Pretty early still. However, that stubborn little creature chose to go to bed. She fell asleep on the floor and woke up around 10:30 wanting a story, etc. So, I told her she wouldn't eat her dinner, so she had to go back to bed and she didn't get a story. Yes, mean, I know. So, then last night, we had hamburgers. I again put a small piece on her plate with a few french fries. She dove for the french fries, but then I stopped her. No french fries or juice until she ate her hamburger. Oh, the look I received. A proud moment for a mean mom. So, after about five to eight minutes of faces and coughing and choking and gagging, and you get the picture, she manages to force that piece of hamburger down her throat and move onto her french fries and juice. I am wondering, how long is this drama going to continue? Unfortunately, I am forecasting many YEARS of drama with my little princess.

Time, how it flies

2010-01-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

As I have been scoping out everyone else's blog, I decided to quit being a loser and actually post a few things on my own blog. I kept waiting, because I was sure that I needed to catch up on the last six months, but I decided instead, I will just pick up where I am right now, otherwise I would do nothing. Not good.

2009-10-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

2009-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Strawberries

2009-06-26T15:42:00.001-07:00

We are so lucky to have strawberry plants in our backyard garden, thanks Lisa and Ryan! Our family LOVES fresh strawberries. No more words sn

Flag Day

2009-06-26T15:06:00.001-07:00

I took my girls to the Fairfield Flag Day Parade for the first time this year, and it was so much fun! Molly had stayed at my house Friday night, so she went with me, because Ryan had a couple other obligations. So, we got all our supplies, snacks, water, stroller, diapers, etc. and loaded up the car and went on out. Of course we were a little late, so I was pleased with the parking spot we got, just on the other side of the park. We walked over to main street and found an empty spot towards the end of the parade and got to see almost all of it, we just missed the Liberty High School band.

When I was growing up, they always threw candy at the parade, but I wasn't sure if they still did, so I didn't say anything to Callie, I just told her that we were going to a parade to see all the beautiful princesses. Well, sure enough, they started throwing candy and she was so excited. The people in the parade thought her and Peyton were super cute, so they got a lot of candy thrown just to Callie, because she was the only kid in our little area.

The sweet older couple next to us were scooping up the candy and giving it to Callie too. So, I of course, forgot to bring a bag for her loot, but that same couple pulled out a Fred Meyer bag for us. Thanks! We were able to see lots of princesses, fire trucks, horses, a couple of floats and a lot of old cars! Callie kept picking up the candy, playing "catch" is what she called it. About three quarters of the way through the parade, another little girl came and was taking all of the candy that got thrown, and so Callie was getting upset, because she wasn't as fast as this other girl, who was probably about 6. So, our sweet friend next to us was scurrying around getting all the candy he could to give to Callie, it was cute. After the parade we played on the playground in the park for awhile. Callie's favorite thing to do at this park was the carousel thing. They climb on and then someone pushes it around in a circle. Yuck. Those things make me sick, but Callie sat on there for 20-30 minutes and then when I made her finally get off, she just hopped off and ran on like no big deal. After that, we got ice cream to try and cool off from the HOT day. We had a great time and I am so glad that we could go this year. We can't wait to go next year!

Callie showing off some of her candy, the licorice, her favorite!

Peyton in the stroller.

Oooh, pretty!

The candy stash.

Molly and Peyton.

The Fairfield Flag float.

Callie covered in ice cream being a little grumpy.

Peyton covered in Molly's shebert. She LOVES ice cream.

Molly with her ice cream. Yum!

The Great Project

2009-06-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I can't move the above picture, so it stays.

Alright, my mom decided to change up their house quite a bit, so I wanted to post some pictures so everyone could see the changes, its amazing! The above picture is the carpet. Needless to say, they are getting new carpet put in, well deserved too! All the paneling got taken down and drywall put up on all the walls. The ceilings were retextured, old carpet pulled up and everything PAINTED. That is what I helped with, the painting.

This was the gigantic load of garbage that we hauled out of the house. Oh, and this was just from the painting, that isn't even all the old paneling.

Just a quick photo of the living half way through the project. Yes, we forgot to take before pictures.
This is a view down the hall to the back door. Previously, wall paper, now, painted a light blue, can't remember the shade now, but they are going to put up bead board, I think it is going to look amazing!
View from Kitchen into the Living Room. Again, note the furniture. The fam was basically living in the kitchen and the upstairs.

View from the bathroom hallway into the former TV Room and Beau's room. Note the bare wood floors. We ripped up the carpet, LOTS of staples to remove. That was my job. yuck.

Mom's accent wall. Yes, it is purple, but much calmer than the purple she picked out first. The other one was more a royal purple, like UW purple. Yikes. But this looks really nice, the lighter color is also a light shade of purple, but it actually goes awesome together.

Another view of the bathroom hallway.

The new back door. It's an awesome door, Mom is especially excited about the shade inside the window. Neat.

Another view of the door from the outside. With my reflection.

Beau and I in the former TV room. He threw himself on me very unannounced. Love my lil bro. Ok, not so little, maybe just younger bro.

The TV room is now the piano room. Hmmm, with Jane gone who is going to play the piano? I guess just Callie.

The living room view into the kitchen. Also down to barewood waiting for the carpet.

Again, the living room.

And Beau's room. Wow, is that blue? It's a little bright, but when you are in there, it feels like you are on the beach looking at the ocean.

Well, a very time consuming project that isn't quite done yet, but the house is looking awesome and my mom is really excited!

Who's Feeding the Baby?

2009-06-20T23:36:00.001-07:00

I made the mistake of leaving the applesauce and a spoon on the kitchen table with Peyton in the high chair. I was moving around the kitchen, getting it all cleaned up and I noticed some laughing and talking at the table and I looked over and what did I see?

Callie figured Peyton was hungry and fed her the rest of the applesauce! She is such a good big sister and always wants to help me with her. She like to feed her and lately enjoys trying to dress her. Peyton doesn't enjoy that activity as much as Callie, so I am sure you can all guess what I am going to hunt for to get for Callie for her birthday!

First Teeth!

2009-06-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

Peyton is finally getting some teeth, at 9 1/2 months! Ok, I took these pictures a few days ago, they are way more visible now, but she is getting a top eye tooth and a bottom front tooth. I hope some more come soon because if she just has those two, she is going to look a little lopsided.

Aunts Come to Visit.

2009-06-20T23:27:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my Aunt Tracie and Aunt Karley came to visit and we had a lot of fun. It is always fun to see my aunts, I am so blessed to have so many! The girls and I were able to visit with Karley and Kammi a couple of times (Karley is the maker of my girls bracelets!) and then Tracie saw my house for the first time and finally got to see Peyton in person for the first time. It was fantastic to see them again and I hope it happens again soon!

Aunt Karley with Peyton and Grandma Hansen in the background.

Aunt Tracie and Callie. Tracie knew what to do to try and warm up to Callie, so she was reading her stories. Callie started rather far away from Tracie, but scooted closer and closer the longer she sat there. We can't wait to see you again Tracie!

The Tricycle Episode.

2009-06-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

Last summer we bought Callie a tricycle at a garage sale for $2.50. A bargain, right? Well, she really didn't know how to ride it last summer, so it mostly sat in our garage. Then a couple of weeks ago, she discovered it again and hopped on for a ride. Ryan and Callie cruised down the street and back for a very short ride which took a very long time. So, the next morning we decided to go for a walk to Sam's house to visit. Well, we were going to go in the stroller until Callie spotted her tricycle, which she calls a bicycle. She insisted upon riding it, refusing to get into the stroller. So, we started walking, me pushing the stroller, Peyton riding in the stroller and Callie on her tricycle which she just figured out the night before how to ride. Sam's house is about 3/4 mile away and we were progressing very slowly. So, after 20-30 minutes, Pines was in sight. I set my goal to make it there and then we were calling it quits! Callie would hardly push the pedals, so imagine this picture. I am bent over pushing Callie on her tricycle with one hand and pushing the double stroller with the other hand with Peyton in it. I was wearing a bit of a low cut shirt, since when I got dressed, I had no idea I would be hunched over showing the world everything. I looked absolutely ridiculous! We finally made it to Pines and Skyview and I told Callie if she wanted to see Sam, she had to get in the stroller. Well, she was tired too, so she climbed in the stroller and I ditched the trike in someone's yard, then crossed my fingers that it would still be there when we got back. We walked to Sam's house and the girls got to play for a while, then we walked back. The whole time I am just hoping the stroller is still there, because it was such a bargain and I really didn't want to have to buy a new one. Thankfully, it was still sitting there. So, Callie promptly climbed out of the stroller to begin the long trek home. Yup, it's about 4 blocks, but it feels so much further. Anyway, we are moving along and one of the neighbors is outside doing a little yard work and Callie just stares at her. She waved at Callie and Callie just sat there and stared back at her while she was riding along. Oh my goodness. We finally made it home, which in and of itself was a miracle.

Since then, with all the practicing she has gotten on the tricycle, she has become quite adept at riding along. A couple of days ago she managed to ride about 3 blocks all on her own, without stopping and managing to steer while still pushing the pedals, a real multi-tasker! She looks really cute riding along and is having a lot of fun!

Hanging in the Kitchen

2009-06-20T22:56:00.001-07:00

The girls and I hang in the kitchen a lot. We are upstairs, so we are away from the computer and TV and I just clean up and we play around. Callie loves this nursery rhyme book that Grandma Mary gave her and it has a CD that goes with it, so she sits on the counter listening to the CD and reading along. It is amazing, she knows so many rhymes. Some of her favorites are Baa, Baa Black Sheep, Old MacDonald, Oats Peas Beans and Barley Grow and Three Blind Mice.

Pey is just a happy sweet baby and she loves to crawl around the floor and dig into the cupboards, or sit in her high chair and EAT!

Such a cute smile!

Yum, Banana

2009-06-20T22:51:00.001-07:00

So, Peyton loves to eat. Anything. I mean, she really loves food and she KNOWS when we are eating dessert, particularly ice cream. Most babies just pick up anything off the floor and suck on it, but she seems to know what is food and what isn't. So, she found this banana and started chowing down. It was cute, she was really gnawing on it.

Ty's Birthday

2009-06-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well, a few weeks ago Ty turned 19! He turned his papers in and just received his call to Zimbabwe. Yes, I am serious. My little brother is going to the other side of the world to Zimbabwe. He goes into the MTC on September 17 in South Africa. It's hard to believe, but I am very proud of him and he is going to be a fantastic missionary!

We wanted to have a picture of Ty with his nieces before he left so we can compare when he gets home how much everyone has changed. Both the girls love their Uncle Ty and are going to miss him!

Ok, the two pictures above are of the pie we had for Ty's birthday. We put all 19 candles on and he managed to blow them all out, I think. Maybe he missed one, I just can't remember. Anyway, Callie loves to blow out the candles, so we lit a few more for her to blow out also. She loves Happy Birthdays. We usually have to sing the Happy Birthday song every day for several days after a birthday. Ty was a good sport about it-what a sweetie!

Peyton is Crawling!

2009-06-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

When Ryan and I left for our cruise, Peyton wasn't hardly moving at all. She just sat there and if you put her on her belly, she just cried. While we were gone she had started to scoot around a bit, and then the first week back she became a mover and a groover. She craws everywhere and is pretty fast. She can get up the stairs very easily, but still working on coming back down. She would also really like to walk, so she pulls herself up on everything and walks around holding onto the furniture. Callie and Peyton are having a lot of fun playing-it is so sweet and I hope it continues!

Sisters!

2009-06-20T22:32:00.001-07:00

We took this picture when Jane came to visit for John's wedding. I am so lucky to have my sisters! I love them both and couldn't imagine not having them as my best friends! Thanks Molly and Jane, you are amazing and I love and appreciate you. Thanks for putting up with me and my quirks.

Cruise!

2009-06-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, FINALLY I am posting our pictures from the cruise! Oh my goodness, I am so late, but, better than never at all! First of all, I am a horrible picture taker, literally, I don't take very good pictures, plus, I usually forget to actually take the pictures, so there are quite a few holes in the vacation, but we'll take what we can get!

This is Ryan in our room. We were soooooo lucky and Mary got us suites! Sweet! It was absolutely amazing!
Ryan by our bed, seriously, one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in. Loved it. I got my own closet! Our bathroom was really nice, the whole room was amazing!

Us, out on our balcony the day we left Long Beach

This is at dinner the first night, that is Lee and Mary and the side of my head. Lee was in a car accident a few weeks before the cruise, so he had to wear that thing the whole time. There are a few good stories to go along with that. Hmm, first, the security people thought it was a camera case and asked him to take it off so they could inspect it. Oops. Second, I will keep it short. Hallway. Stranger. High-Five.

Ryan and I with the Astoria bridge in the background. You may notice the umbrella in my hand and Ryan wearing the sweatshirt. It was very cold and wet when we got off the boat, thankfully, it warmed up later on!

Yup, it warmed up so we could climb to the Astoria Column at the top of the town. Ryan was so excited we got to do this. Note sarcasm. Instead of walking up the road to the column, we took this shortcut, which was a super steep hill. That is me in the white jacket. I am on the phone making reservations for our zipline the next day.

After the long (seriously, from the boat, it was a really long, steep way) the column was closed, so we couldn't even climb to the top and look out. I was really bummed!

That is the Astoria Bridge in the back of this picture, mentioned earlier in this post, gives you an idea of how far away it was.

The tower may have been closed, but the view was breathtaking and so worth the walk!

At the bottom of the city, closer to the marina, that is the column in the distance.

YEA!!!!! ZIPLINING!! I was looking forward to this so much. This is a map of the zips we got to go on. There were 7 in all. Amazing.

Me, sporting one of the awesome yellow helmets that we got to wear!

This is Ryan's Uncle Jim, he went first!

Me, on our first zip. Do I look scared?

Ryan, myself, and the tree that we were all crowded around at one of the treetop landings.

Yes, this is all that was protecting us from dying. A net. We were high in a tree with a net keeping us from falling over the edge. That was what was scary for me. The zips were absolutely amazing. Waiting in the tree, scared the daylights out of me!

Ryan preparing to zip.

Ryan zipping.

Me preparing to zip with one of our guides Allison. Oh, I forgot to mention that we were in Victoria for the ziplines.

Hmm, think that is Ryan on one of the tree landings, but I am not sure!

Scenery. Stunning. It was one of the most amazing views perched up there in the rare Canadian Black Walnut Tree. Or a steel pipe for those a little more sophisticated.

Nice butt. The harness does a nice job of forming to your tush.

Me zipping on the longest one, it's just shy of 1000 feet and takes about 45 seconds, which is amazing, because you have enough time to really look around and take in your surroundings.

Me on the last zip =( It was super fast, the fastest one they have. And there was a strange person sitting on the side taking our pictures. Weird.

Because we did the ziplines, we didn't have a lot of time to look around Victoria, but I really wanted to check out the Empress Hotel, so we went with Jim and Sandy, who had joined us ziplining. This is the huge tree(s) that were outside the hotel. Very cool looking.

This is one view of the amazing Empress Hotel. That is Sandy, Ryan's aunt in the picture.

The interior of the hotel.

In Vancouver, my main priority was to go shopping. The city has amazing shopping centers, and I only scratched the surface! I could shop for a week there and probably still have more to see. We went to this one mall that had over 500 stores and it was so amazing, we went to a bunch of stores and still missed a bunch more! But, we did go into this Chinese grocery store that was at the mall. Strange. The entire place was Chinese, everything was written in Chinese and there were special foods and everything. It was quite interesting. I also found a couple of awesome clothing stores that I am going to investigate on-line! Anway, we spent a few hours shopping and then decided to try and see what else we could check out before the boat left at 5. The whole group had bought day passes for the public transportation there, which included the sky train, city busses and sea bus. So, Ryan and I hopped the sea bus and then took the city bus to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It was beautiful. They have a kind of reserve there in North Vancouver, and it was fun to wander around. A little bit expensive, but still a lot of fun!

This is a chair make out of a log.

This is part of their tree tops walk.

This is also part of the tree tops adventure. Notice my shopping bags!

This is the river the bridge crosses over, it was quite beautiful.

That is the bridge in the distance.

Ryan said we had to take this picture, since we like huckleberries so much in the Northwest.

This is the actual suspension bridge. Again, me and my shopping bags! It was pretty long and you really got to bouncing and swinging, especially in the middle and ESPECIALLY if someone small was running through there at the same time.

Me on the awesome sea bus.

Ryan on the awesome sea bus.

A picture of our ship in port.

A couple of random pictures of Vancouver.

That is our awesome sea bus! It just goes back and forth between Vancouver and North Vancouver all day.

Our rooms were all on the seventh floor. I was waiting in the hall and if I peeked down, this is what I saw. THe people are Jon, Patrick and Katie (I am pretty sure) they were making sure they got their money's worth from fountain cards!

Another picture of the lounge area. The boat was quite beautiful, a newer boat which was amazing. There was a lot of pink and very bright, because that is how Carnival does it, but a beautiful boat! The Carnival Splendor, at carnival.com if you want to see more pictures due to my lack of photography skills!

This is part of the crew. Katie, Patrick, Mary, Courtney and Katelyn. We were all there on the last night ready to watch the show. The Carnival Legend show, oh my, what amazing dancing! Well, not superb, but they tried and I guess that is what counts. The main showroom was pretty nice and the seats were pretty comfortable also.

Royal Carribbean also changed their Mexican Riviera itinerary and so we saw them a couple of times. This is on the way back, I can't remember if this is Friday night or Saturday, but that is them in the distance all lit up! They did pass us, also.

This is a picture of our ship at the Long Beach port. It is humongous!

Ok, these were supposed to be at the beginning, oops. This is us all hanging out waiting to board the ship. On Sunday, there was a lot of waiting, but because we were VIP due to the suites, we were able to get on the ship quickly!

More waiting. Gregg, Mary and Jim are visiting.

Ryan, taking a picture of himself, and my hair.

Me and Courtney.

Old Navy Coupon

2009-06-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Thrifty NW Mom is holding a fabulous Old Navy coupon giveaway. A $50 off $100 coupon for Old Navy. I tried to get one of the coupons on the Old Navy Weekly website, but I was too late. I am going to keep trying though, if you are able to get one, they are awesome! If you want to learn more about Thrifty NW Mom, click here.

Couponing

2009-06-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am getting into couponing. I have been following a few blogs that help with getting the best deals, and I am so pleased with how well I have been doing. I am sure that I could probably get a few better deals also, but overall, I am thrilled. Ryan will only eat Best Foods mayo, so it is on sale this week at Albertsons, and I found a coupon for $1.00 off, in Spanish!, but they took it anyway, and I got a couple of jars for .50 a piece, yahoo!!! I have been saving a ton of money and loving every second of it!

Kids say the funniest things!

2009-06-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to really watch what I say, because Callie is copying everything I say. The other day she was fixing something and she said, "There you go, perfect." I was laughing, because that is exactly what I say to her when I am doing her hair! A few other popular phrases include:

Ok, stay here, I'll be right back
Shake your booty
Hmmm, how about _______
No, these are dirty
Ok baby, crawl, crawl.....
No thank you (while screaming)
Wipe my bum

She is funny. I love to listen to her squeaky voice! Today she started dancing in the middle of Sherwin-Williams paint store. Yep, she was standing on the stool, shaking her booty and wiggling her body. I am pretty sure all of the customers enjoyed the performance. And Peyton just watches and laughs at her!

Side note, Peyton is a crawling machine! She can scoot along pretty much everywhere, and she also enjoys climbing the stairs already. She is actually pretty good and can even manuever down one or two stairs if she is reaching for her toys. She loves to stand there on the stairs and then bounce up and down, and she just laughs and laughs. We are loving her and her good natured spirit!

Smores Ice Cream

2009-06-11T00:13:00.001-07:00

I found the best ice cream. Dreyers Slow Churned Smores Ice Cream. Seriously, I could eat the entire container. In fact, I was eating it out of the container. Ryan laughed at me. But, I am giving it two thumbs up! Delicious!!!

Celebrate Burt Day!

2009-06-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

Cute Kids

2009-06-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

Alright, as I say later on in my posts, I just really think that I have cute kids, so these pictures have no purpose except to show them off.

Aunt Jane comes to visit

2009-06-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, Aunt Jane who is shooting for the favorite clothes aunt, came to visit us a little while ago. Her and Joe came for John and Emily's wedding (hopefully, I will have some pictures later to post for that) and we had a good visit! Unfortunately, not a lot of pics. Jane-if you have any to share, that would be awesome!

Jane wanted to go downtown and check out the falls, which was pretty awesome. Because of all the snow we got this winter, there is some serious action going on at the Spokane River. It was remarkable, I am really glad Jane suggested we go down there!

Ryan and I in front of the falls, on the bridge.

Peyton and Jane at church. Yeah, Peyton was a little stressed, but does still love her namesake aunt!

Yummm, Peeps, sticky and delicious!

2009-06-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

Peeps. Sticky. Delicious. Messy. Need I say more?

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

So, we went to an Easter Egg hung on Saturday at Callie's friend Sam's Grandma's house. However, me, being the awesome mom that I am, didn't take any pictures. She had a great time and was so funny. They had eggs with candy in them and eggs that were real egg shells with confetti in them for egg fights. Well, she figured out right away which ones had the candy in them and those were the only ones she would pick up. Thanks Susan and Bob, we had a great time at your Easter Egg hunt, and we are so glad that we were invited!!

So, on Sunday, I tried doing an Easter Egg hunt for my sibs and Callie, but the sibs weren't all that interested. We had dinner at our house and they just ate the candy out of the bag that Mom left upstairs. So, Aunt Joan and Molly hid eggs for Callie and helped her find them. She had a lot of fun and loved finding another egg.

Molly, emptying the egg into the basket. Callie insisted upon emptying the loot right away!

"Grandma Joan" helped Callie find all those eggs hidden in the basement. Both of the girls love her. Especially Peyton. She feeds her lots of yummy desserts!

Easter

2009-06-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny visited Callie this year and gave her candy and a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse book!

Yup, stickers were involved during our Easter festivities. And Peyton covered herself in them. It was really cute!

Grandma and Grandpa C are always so sweet to send little packages for the girls for the holidays, and this year the Easter gifts were a hit!

Callie loved the little bunny that changed colors, it spent many nighttimes in bed with her. She wasn't so hip on the chocolate duck sucker though. It was flavored lemon and she took a big bite and spit it out!

Grandma C also sent up this adorable dress for Peyton, it is so cute! Callie had a cute dress too, but she wouldn't take her coat off.

Park Day

2009-06-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from the school playground down the street from our house. It was the first nice day we had enjoyed in so long, the girls loved playing on the toys!

Callie loves to slide and swing, and she is fearless. When I push her on the swing, she tells me "faster, Mommy, faster!" And no slide is too long for her!

Peyton mostly like playing in the rocks. What can I say, simple pleasures! In the background of the above picture, you can see my stroller that I LOVE!!! Both the girls love it too and we cruise around the neighborhood in it, to the park, grocery store or Great Grandma's house!

Peyton is just like a fireman sliding down the pole......with Daddy's help!

2009-06-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am pathetic. I haven't blogged in over two months. For those family members that I know are not very happy about that, I apologize. Ok, I will catch everyone up and post some pics.

Yes, Callie is pottytrained!!!!!!!! It was a pain, but after looking back on the experience, it could have been waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy worse. So, she still wears a diaper at night, because I am too cheap to buy pull-ups, and sometimes during her day time nap, it depends on how much she had to drink at lunch. Going potty is still quite the process, for some reason, she feels the need to get undressed, as in take off her panties and pants all the way. I don't understand it. Plus, she still struggles getting dressed again, so basically, she is naked a lot!!!

Ok, the girls just looked so cute in their matching outfits, but they wouldn't cooperate while taking the pictures. So, I had to settle. But, I still think they look darn cute!

Ok, again, I just have really cute kids! And Callie was actually smiling, at the camera. It's a miracle!

Peyton is sitting!

2009-03-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

Peyton is finally sitting up all on her own. Well, she has been for a couple of weeks, but I kept forgetting to take some pictures, so I finally got that taken care of today. She is so funny, she wouldn't sit up for the longest time, and then one day she just sat there and has been great ever since. She was so cute in nursery on sunday, we were in there just filling in for an hour and Pey just sat there checking out all the kids, and they came over and tried to play with her, it was really cute.

In case you all are wondering about Callie's ensemble, she has decided she likes dress up after playing with her friend Alex. The best effect was in person, but you get the idea. There is furry stuff at the bottom of the legs. Oh my.

Prayer Time

2009-03-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Callie is growing up. A couple of days ago she was having some spaghetti-os for a snack, but she folded her arms for us to pray. So I sat down to say prayers and she said her name, so I asked if she wanted to pray. She said ok, and I helped her and she prayed for the first time, and has prayed every time since then. It is so sweet, she actually does a pretty good job saying all the words back. I love it! She has learned at least one thing that we have been trying to teach her!!!

Rock Star

2009-03-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

So, the girls and I were at Target getting a birthday present this morning and Callie is wandering the aisles looking for a present and we passed the endstand of Disney novelty toys. Well, I saw a few Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einstein stuff that I thought for sure she would be loving, but I was wrong. Oh no, she went for the Hannah Montana microphone. And it sings. A lot. So, foolish me got the microphone for her because she loves to sing and dance so much, and she has played with it the whole day. She loves it, she sings along and loves that the microphone lights up. All I have to say is American Idol watch out, Callie just might hit your stage in a few years!

5 Years

2009-03-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Ryan's five year anniversary. Holy cow, I can't even believe that we have been married for five years. Lots has happened in that time. We both graduated from college, moved six times, had two kids, bought a house, gone on two cruises, been employed, been unemployed and have loved each other through the whole thing! I am so lucky to have such a fantastic husband who works so hard for our family. We are so blessed to have been sealed in the temple and have our beautiful daughters sealed to us. Ryan is a fantastic husband and father, he is so sweet to me and he loves our girls. I am thankful for the last five years and anxiously look forward to the next five and more!

Gigi and Callie

2009-03-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Callie loves when people come over. So much. And she loves her Gigi (my mom). We started calling her Gigi, because these girls are so lucky to have so many grandmas in their lives. On my side, both of my grandmas are alive, plus my mom and on Ryan's side, his dad's mom and Ryan's mom, so to say there could be confusion would be an understatement, so I have been trying to think of different ways for her to tell the difference. Anyway, back on point. My mom's birthday was a couple of weeks ago so we had a little party for her at our house, and she got some lipstick and necklaces. Callie wanted to try them out.

Here are just a couple more pictures of the buddies!

Of course the Einstein piano had to make its appearance. That toy goes everywhere with Callie, its her security blanket. We go through batteries like crazy!!!

Pey Pey

2009-03-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, Our sweet Peyton is growing so much, she had her six month check up on Friday, she weighs 16lbs 2oz, so actually not as much as I thought, but she is still solid! She is the smiliest little thing, so happy! Since I banished her to the basement she sleeps through the night no problem, sometimes she wakes up a little early in the morning, ya know, like 5:30 a.m., but she is such a great sleeper now! She is getting better about sitting up. I think her belly was so big that she was off balance, but she is starting to stretch out a little bit more, so she has better balance. She adores Callie, just watches her and laughs at her and Callie is so sweet to play with her and try to tickle her. I love it! I tried giving her bananas this morning and for the first time she closed her mouth when food was being offered. She didn't care for them so much, but she loves sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and really any other vegetable that she is offered. Feeding time at the zoo is always entertaining. We love Peyton, I thank Heavenly Father for her every day!

This last picture deserves an explaination. When I took her in for her check up, Dr. Morgan told me that she has thrush, so I have to giver the gentian violet. Yup, I have never seen a mouth this purple. The picture doesn't quite do it justice it is something to behold!

Best Friends

2009-03-08T09:51:00.001-07:00

Callie and Sam Lodge are the cutest little friends. Callie just adores him and Sam is so sweet to Callie and is always so nice to her. Chari was such a sweetheart and watched the girls for Ryan and I on Valentines Day so we could go to dinner and she took these darling pictures!

Callie made Sam a valentine, but I think she wanted to hold it!

So I watched her boys yesterday so Chari and Joe could go to dinner last night and they were taking pictures with the play cell phone so I asked them if they wanted me to take a really picture, smile cheese, as Callie likes to call it.

They were having a lot of fun playing yesterday, but Chari had a lot more luck getting them to actually look at the camera and smile. Hmm, I guess I need some more practice!

10 Pounds!

2009-03-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Thats right, I have only 10 pounds to go!!!!! I am sure hoping these last clinging pounds are gone by my brothers wedding next month, so I have less than six weeks to kick it into gear, yikes, when I put it that way, pretty scary!!!!

Slacker

2009-03-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

So I am such a slacker, I made this goal to update my blog more, however, I have not been successful. So for all you lucky souls who check this out, ready for an onslaught of the Christensen family so I can catch up on everything that I have wanted to blog about!

Those Moments

2009-02-10T15:33:00.001-08:00

You know those moments that you love, that make it all worth it, that seriously want to make you cry because you love it so much! I had one of those Sunday morning. It was incredible. I woke up at like 8 (first part of the wonderful!) because Peyton had woke up so I went downstairs where she has been banished to get her. On my way I could hear Callie in her room PLAYING BY HERSELF, second part of wonderful! So I went downstairs and got Peyton, brought her upstairs and fixed a bottle and went back into the bedroom to feed her in my nice warm bed. About five minutes later, Callie comes into my room and says "hi mommy" and was all smiles. The saw Peyton and said "hi baby" and climbed up into bed. Then Callie leaned down and was hugging Peyton and sang her Little Einsteins song, You are my friend, I love you. She sang it to her several times and just hugged Peyton. It was the sweetest thing. In ten or twelve years, I want to have this story printed and have them read it and remind them they love each other! Everything is worth it, even if things are kind of tough sometimes!

DIVA

2009-02-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

My mom says its all my fault if Callie becomes a diva. She has more clothes than any child should have, multiple shoes, her sunglasses, I think you get the picture. So, she loves to wear her sunglasses and carry around my purse. The other day I told her we had to go to the doctor's so we needed to get ready to go. This is what I got:

Oh, yes. She is wearing her sunglasses, my purse, and a crown. Yup, the crown for my birthday that she has been wearing now for a week. After we got downstairs and she got her coat on, she folded the sunglasses up, put them in the purse and headed out to the car. Still wearing the crown. To the doctors office. Ah, I love my cute girl! Needless to say we received a few comments. And lots of looks. I am almost afraid of all the tricks that Peyton will learn so quickly!

Sick Kids

2009-01-29T11:48:00.001-08:00

Ok, sick kids are NO FUN!!!! We have had the crummy cough/cold stuff at our house for the last several days and I am tired of it. I know many of you agree, so, good luck to all of you still dealing with this disgustingness. I am SICK of the SICKNESSS!

Pictures

2009-01-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

Me and the girls, Callie loves her Einstein phone from Grandma and Grandpa C.

Callie wearing sunglasses, as usual. With her new shoes from Christmas that are still a little big.

Callie in the bathtub covered in diaper ointment. She climbed into the crib and got it, thinking that it was lotion.

Peyton, her first time with the rice cereal. She isn't sure what to think quite yet.

Callie and Peyton with their cute sister shirts! Thanks Grandma!!

Callie playing in Peyton's swing. If only she had liked the swing this much when she was a baby!

Callie hanging out with Aunt Molly. They are best buds!

Gigi and Papa at Christmas with the girls. Molly found the Santa hat for Callie to wear.

Peyton has the prettiest smile! Callie loves tv.

Callie and Peyton hanging out on the recliner, they LOVE each other!

Family Update

2009-01-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I know that we have family from far away that check this out, so I apologize I haven't updated anyone about the girls or put up new pics. I am here to remedy that situation!

Peyton-she is getting so big, she was 14 pounds at her 4 month check-up, so she is growing just fine! We are still working on sitting up, she isn't very stable yet, but we are working on it. She has discovered her hands and grabbing things, so she loves to play with whatever we are holding. She will go to sleep on her own, if I just swaddle her and lay her in bed, however, she isn't sleeping through the night at all. We are also working on that. I have a couple of ideas I am going to try and I am praying they work. I am tired. Very tired! She is eating solid foods now, well, rice cereal. Yuck. I put applesauce or apple juice in it to make it a little more pallatable. She hated it the first time or two, but now she eats the whole bowl and is doing great, just messy, of course! I love my Peyton, she is so cute and fun. She smiles so much and loves Callie.

Callie-she is my bundle of energy. She just goes and goes and goes, like the energizer bunny. She loves to play with her friends, especially at play group and nursery. She is very into Little Einsteins, trains and animals. She is talking so much now, I can't even believe it, she learns new words every day and pronounces the words she already knows so much better all the time. Her favorite game to play is to make animal sounds, she knows quite a few! She also loves to sing!! Her favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, 5 monkeys, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes and Book of Mormon Stories. She also loves Peyton so much! Today, I put Peyton down for her nap and she was crying a little bit. Callie was insistent about going into the room because "baby's sad." It was cute and frustrating, because baby needed to sleep, but Callie was so noisy because she wanted to go comfort Peyton. She is a good big sister and is getting so fun to play with.

I love my girls. I am so lucky to have them. Granted, sometimes I have to remind myself to be thankful for them, especially at 3 and 5 am, but they are amazing!

Ryan is working so hard. He is putting in long hours at their stores, so we are very hopeful that these new stores will be successful and all the hours will be worth it! He is a good husband and good father. The girls both adore him and Callie loves to play with her Daddy!

I am lucky enough to stay home with my sweet girls and I don't have to work outside the home and am so grateful for that! I am working on getting this house organized and I have been reading the Fablehaven books. Love them. So cute. I have also been running in the mornings with my friend Chari. Thanks Chari, you are such a trooper and I really appreciate it! I am working on the last of the Peyton Pounds. My vow for the next pregnancy. Stay away from french fries and fast food, no matter how easy it is. It is not easy to work off. I got my craft room all cleaned and organized, so I am trying to do a little more scrapbooking. I got one page done, only like 500 more to go!

Well, hopefully you aren't all too bored with my family update, but this was as much for me and for anyone else!!

New Year

2009-01-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I have been a total slacker about blogging, however, it is a new year, so it is my opportunity to start fresh and be better. About everything. So, I have set some goals for myself. First, I have to thank my friend Valynn, I finally visit taught her after way too long and she was so good about reminding me of the more important things in life. So, in January's visiting teaching message, Sister Beck tells us the essential things we need to be doing in this life, so, goal #1 is to do those essential things. #2, I am organizing my house! I have already started, I have like 5 areas done, which is fantastic. It is taking me a while, but I will get there!!! #3, I have 13 lbs to lose still and with some upcoming excitement in my life, I need to lose that weight so that I look good in pictures! #4, I am going to try and be a better wife and mother. Not perfect, because I want something that is attainable and realistic, but I can be better! I hope that you are all having a fantastic new year, I know I will be. Oh, and #5, I am going to be better at blogging, after all, this is as good of a journal as my family is getting, so I need to get on it!

SNOW!!!

2008-12-21T22:27:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness, I am not sure if I have ever seen so much snow! Well, I know I have never seen so much fall at one time, since we set an all time record!!! So, I love the snow, I just wish that we were a little more mobile. Yup, the snow started Wednesday, and we finally got plowed out Saturday night at 11 p.m. I stood in the driveway in anticipation of finally seeing a snow plow. Then it snowed again. Oh well, I know that we will have a beautiful white Christmas this year and I love having snow on Christmas. Ryan stayed home on Thursday and Friday due to us being snowed in and most of the people that he works with were in similar situations, so his store just stayed closed for those two days. It was fun to spend time together, and Ryan took Callie outside to play in the snow while I stayed inside, where it was warm, with Peyton.

Yes, her favorite thing to do was eat the snow. She also took her bucket and shovel and played like it was sand.

She wasn't a big fan of her hood, even though it was sooooo cold outside.

Yea, Ryan buried her in the snow and she thought that was so much fun. There is just so much!

We tried taking some pictures that showed just how much there was, however, it is unbelievable unless you actually see it in person! We love winter here in the Northwest!!

Christmas Preparation

2008-12-21T22:14:00.001-08:00

So, I wasn't great about taking very many pictures, but Callie had so much fun putting up the Christmas tree this year. We have a fake tree, so she was handing me each and every branch after Ryan gave it to her, so we put them in the right order. So, then I hung up the lights and then it was ornament time. So, she loved that and was helping me put some "high" and some "low." We have some stars and so we had to hang all of them and then she found these icicle type ornaments that I wasn't going to hang, but she thought they were flutes, so she would "play" the flute and then we had to hang each of those too. It was so cute, I loved it. That night she went to bed and we left the lights on the tree and the next morning when I got up she was standing in front of the tree and had taken down several of the ornaments so that she could hang them again! It was really sweet. She also loves our fisher price nativity. Mostly she likes to push the button on the top that sings the son, but sometimes she also plays with the people, I think next year she will like the nativity more to actually play with. Christmas has been a little more fun with her this year. She still doesn't understand everything, but she understands more and gets so excited about the different things that we do!

I am so excited to celebrate the holidays with our family and celebrate the birth of our Savior. We are so blessed this time of year and I hope that we can keep the spirit with us all through the year. I am grateful for the freedom I have to worship as I please, I am grateful for a Savior that came to this earth for me and each one of us. I am so grateful for an amazing family that supports and loves me. My husband is incredible and my girls help teach me every day. I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday and truly feel the spirit of Christmas!

TV Head

2008-12-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

So, Callie is a TV Head, truly, she loves it more than anything I think, particularly Little Einsteins. So yesterday I was working on the Christmas project that had quite a deadline, so I let her watch to her hearts content. She watched the same Little Einsteins episode over and over again, the monster one. She has the entire episode memorized, I kid you not! She sings the high and low notes, truly, one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed, and sings along with Annie. She loves Annie's song so much, that she sings it whenever and wherever, with a microphone, which can be anything, crayon, magnet, pen, etc. So, she is watching tv all morning and she decided to make herself a little more comfortable.

Yup, she pulled the middle cushion out and made herself a little bed, what a goof, but a cute one!

She is very intent, do not disturb!

Coming soon will be the world's newest smurf, just waiting on pics, boy, you will all be grateful that it wasn't your child!

Cute Girls!

2008-12-03T22:51:00.000-08:00

So I haven't posted any new pics of the girls and this post has no purpose but to post a new picture, cuz i think they are adorable! Except when Callie screams. Not so adorable. So indulge me, I have cute kids! She just took a bath and has her usual wild hair. If only she would keep it in a ponytail!!!
These sisters LOVE each other!!!! Callie loves Peyton and is so helpful!

She is the happiest, smiliest baby ever, I just want to gobble her up!

TAGGED!

2008-12-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks Ash, made me think a little!
4 Random Things About My Husband:
-He loves gadgets, any kind
-He is super laid back,
-He gave me the closet in our room and didn't complain when I put his clothes in the coat closet in the hall-what a sweetie!!!!
-He works so hard for our family and is a great dad!
4 Movies That I Could Watch More Than Once:
-Steel Magnolias
-Harry Potter (any of them)
-The Saint
-Sleeping Beauty
4 TV Shows That I Watch:
-Greys Anatomy
-Law and Order
-Bones
-Amazing Race
4 Places I Have Been:
-Hawaii
-Chicago
-Carribbean
-Utah
4 Favorite Foods:
-CANDY-any kind really!
-Chicken
-french fries (hence the pregnancy weight gain!)
-PB&J
4 Places I Would Like To Visit:
-Nauvoo
-Paris
-New York City
-Washington D.C.
4 Things I'm Looking Forward To This Year:
-CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! I love the season!!!!!!!Everyone is so happy and I LOVE TO SHOP!
-My sister coming tomorrow!
-My brothers coming home for the school break
-watching my cute girls grow to love each other more
I want to Tag:
Chari
Julene
Lisa Farman
Jena

TWILIGHT

2008-11-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I had a fabulous time at Twilight last night. The movie was cute, of course, not as good as the book, I am usually a little disappointed when I have absolutely loved the book and then I watch the movie, but I enjoyed it anyway! It was so fun to go to the midnight showing with my girlfriends, thanks ladies, I had a great time! I am a little tired this morning, but not as much as I thought I would be, especially since my lovely girls love me so much they wanted to spend quality time together as early as possible, so I am cruising on just a few hours of sleep, ya know, like 3 maybe. Oh yeah, and I had the opportunity to take Molly to school this morning. Yipee! Anyway, had so much fun, Liz threw a great party.

OH MAN!

2008-10-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

So, Callie has a catch phrase. Yup, "Oh, Man!" She says it all the time now! Her first time saying it was on Saturday. My mom was here and she was downstairs with both of the girls and Callie had a waterbottle and it fell, so she watched the water spill out of it and just said, "Oh, man!" Since that incident she says it all the time! It is so funny, I guess she picked it up from me, although I didn't realize I said it that much, but in her little voice with this real inflection at the end, the first time I heard her say it, I laughed my head off. I am sure as she continues talking more, there should be more exciting words to come!

2008-10-27T14:25:00.001-07:00

Ok, so thanks to my awesome friends, I am now the proud owner of a double stroller! Thanks to everyone, that was the sweetest gift, and I really appreciate it. I went and picked out the one that I want and Ryan being the awesome dad that he is, put it together for us on Saturday.

I love our stroller and so does Callie. After she got in, when it wasn't quite put together yet, she wouldn't get out! She loved it so much and then she made us hurry and put Peyton in the front. We were in the basement, so Ryan and I had to carry the stroller with the girls in it up the stairs and out because Callie was not getting out. So we decided to go for a walk and I thought we could go over to the church and watch Molly play volleyball. Well, by the time we actually made it there, she had finished and already left the church, but nonetheless we had a fabulous time and again, we love our stroller! Now, I just have to hope that Callie will continue to love the stroller and stay in it, instead of feeling the need to get down and run all around, like a crazy person!

30 pounds!

2008-10-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, if you had been spying through my basement window for the last 45 minutes you would have seen me throwing my body all around the room in an attempt to get excercise and lose some weight. You see, my beloved little Peyton was so sweet to give me the craving for Zip's fries on a regular basis as she was cooking in the oven, so 50 pounds later here I am paying for those fattening albeit delicious fries. So, I am down 20, thanks to actually giving birth, but I have a persistent 30 more pounds to go, so I am giving you all an idea of the great lengths I am going to return to my normal body. His name is Tony Horton. Yes, beach body workouts are my friend or foe. Tony forces me to kick, punch, do yoga, hop, lift my knees and other fairly entertaining moves. But, he promises a beach body in 90 days. Hmmm, I am just not sure it's going to work, so in addition I am running my little heart out. Yup, Chari and I are meeting in the morning to get a move on. So, my 30 pounds is not going to be staring me in the face forever, I am going to lose it and I want to run the SLC half marathon in April.

2008-10-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well, things are going well in the Christensen household, well, at this moment, Callie is in timeout for throwing the camera on the ground, so she isn't doing so well, but overall, we are loving our new baby. I will bore you all with a few of our family anectodes, because I want to remember them later, but lets face it, I think these things are so cute but the only reason I remember them now is because I wrote them on a post it on the fridge. Pathetic, I know. So, into cyberspace they go.

We absolutely love our new baby and her and Callie are so cute. If Peyton starts to fuss, Callie has to go find her and see what she can do, that usually involves taking her pacifier and looking at her or patting her. She loves to give her kisses, but she puckers her lips and hovers over head until you say its ok to kiss, I love it! It's really cute to see them, Callie wants to play with Peyton and I think they will be friends. Oh, and Callie loves to give her high fives, it's great, except when she does it when the baby is sleeping, not so great.

Ok, so Callie is not the best talker, she makes upwords for most things which only resemble the real word. So a couple of weeks ago the girls and I were sitting in the living room and Callie goes to the window and starts YELLING Apa, Apa, Apa. So, I have no idea what she is yelling about, so I look out the window and I see my parents, well, Apa is her word for Grandpa, it was so cute, IU think my dad really liked it! So now we are teaching her to call my mom GG, because she doen't say Grandma. Later that night, we were all in the living room, and Callie starts to sing her primary songs which she loves! Book of Mormon Stories and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes are her favorites. So, she sings Head and Shoulders, only she does it super fast and she pretty much just touches her face all over and then bursts out laughing, it was so funny! So, she does this quite a big now because she loves to perform for an audience and especially get a reaction!

Well, our little family is doing well, we are looking forward to Peyton's blessing on the 12th with a visit from Ryan's family and my brothers and sister coming home for the weekend! Here are some more pictures of the girls!

Look at that hair! Help me! My child looks like such a ragamuffin! Some of you do such cute hair, I need your secrets!

2008-09-12T11:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our new baby. Peyton is perfect, she is a very good baby and Callie is being a good big sister!

The miracle of life. Ryan and I are so blessed to have Peyton in our family now!

Ryan and my mom enjoying Peyton

Callie is helping Peyton with her binkie, unfortunately, I think it is backwards.

Abby and her girls!
Ryan and Peyton!

New Baby

2008-09-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have the pics yet, but I wanted to announce that we have a new member of the family! Peyton Jane Christensen was born September 8 at 11:03 p.m. She was 6lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and is such a good baby so far. She sleeps a lot and when she is awake, she mostly just looks at you and lays there. Callie didn't hate her, she just kept saying baby and tried to give Peyton her binkie, but was sticking it in backwards and then taking it away again real quick. But overall, the reaction was much better than I was expecting. We will see how it goes after day 1! I am feeling pretty good so far, very happy to be home! Pics will be up soon!

2008-08-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Ryan and I did a silly thing on Saturday. We went to Silverwood. Now, one might think, gee, that sounds like a lot of fun. I haven't been to Silverwood in years, so, we went with my family for one last outing before Ty left for school. Yeah, should have rethought that decision. We took Callie. For those of you who have ears probably know that I was a fool. Yes, I am sure most of the several thousand people at Silverwood heard us at some point during the day. It was an utter disaster. Nothing was what she wanted, and then when she was finally happy, something would go wrong, like her trying to steal someone else's ball. Yup, that really did happen. She wasn't a big fan of waiting in line, which I can understand, who is, but seriously, like three minutes isn't that big of a deal, however, my broken ear drums prove otherwise. So, what did most people see? A hugely pregnant chick carrying around a screaming child, I looked ridiculous.
Thankfully there were a few saving moments. She loved the log ride, until my dad sprayed us, ya know, when you plug in the quarter and you can spray whoever is in front of the water gun thing. Yeah, none of us liked that so much, but the rest of the ride was fabulous. And she LOVED the little kid ferris wheel. Oh man, she just laughed, absolutely loved it. Then she screamed when it stopped because she didn't want to get off. The first time, the girl unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door for her to get out and she just closed the door and sat back down. Hmmm, I think she might be a little independent. Anyway, I guess I am glad we went, I am not sure yet, however, we will not be returning with her for several years and next time I don't want to be pregnant. I like roller coasters and obviously, they discourage them when you are two weeks away from giving birth! I have now documented this expedition for all to read, and to serve as a forever reminder why we don't do certain activities, but rather, wait until the kids are just a little bigger!

2008-08-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to add some pictures here, so here is a smattering of what I have. We have had a fun summer and done a lot of great things!

We had a lot of fun picking strawberries at Greenbluff in June. Callie and I went with Grandma Hansen. It took Callie a few minutes to realize that she really liked the strawberries, so she would pick them out of the box and bring them to me to take the stem off and sit down and eat them. She loved it!

We really enjoy going to Millwood Park, it has tons of toys to play on, the most important is the swing followed closely by the merry go round. Plus, it has a little wading pool to cool off in. Callie will play in the pool for a few minutes then make the rounds at the toys. It's tiring for me, but she absolutely loves going to the park.

Callie also loves to play outside, climb on anything, ride her tricycle, which she doesn't really ride, but its funny to watch anyway! For her birthday, a few months early, she got a big swingset in the backyard from Ryan and I and her grandparents on both sides. She "helped" Ryan put it together and he got some more help from Beau and Ty, who were good sports about it. So, when it was done, Beau was nice enough to push her on the teeter totter thing. The higher, the better, she thinks it's great and she has no fear!

Hmm, I have no idea what they were doing, but I don't think Callie was having as much fun as Ryan!

This was Easter morning, Callie was just getting revved up on sugar.

Gardening Fun!!

2008-08-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

It is so rewarding to go out to our garden and be able to pick fresh fruits and vegetables for our family. As a kid, I never in a million years would have thought that I would enjoy that. I mean, I remember hating with every fiber of my being going out to the garden to weed. It was awful. But now, Ryan and I love to have our garden. This morning I picked a HUGE bowl of green beans that I need to freeze for later, and I didn't even get all of them. We are just so lucky to have the garden space. And I absolutely love my berry bushes. I didn't think we would have berries so soon, because we only planted the bushes last summer, but we have tons! The strawberries were incredible this year, our marionberry is already producing and they taste good, and our blackberries have so many berries just ripening up!
Anyway, you may all think that I am crazy to bring this up right now, I was just so grateful this morning as I was picking my green beans in the super hot weather. And Callie was so cute running to the berry bushes wanting me to pick some for her. I think it is a fabulous way for her to learn to eat different fruits and enjoy something that not all children get. My point. I am very grateful and blessed to have this in my life. I still don't really like weeding, but I don't mind it as much as I used to, and it is totally worth it to eat this homegrown fruits and veggies!!! Now, if we could just get our watermelon and cantaloupe to be a little more successful. I guess we will have to try something new next year. We'll see!!

Pregnant and Ready!

2008-07-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I wasn't very good about writing anything down when I was pregnant with Callie, you know, experiences I had or how I was feeling. So, I am trying to do better this time around. I have eight and a half more weeks to go, ok, so I am getting a little anxious. I guess I have different concerns this time. Of course when I was pregnant with Callie I was nervous because I was a first time mom, so I really had no idea what to expect, but this time around I am more nervous about something going wrong and the baby not being healthy, or a number of things. And now I feel like the pressure is really on to be a good mom. It is scary, I don't think I ever appreciated my parents as much as I do now, however, I think that is true of most people. I just want to do the right things, teach Callie about life and about church and help her to be the best person she can be. And now I have another little girl to watch out for and protect. Wow, pressure is really on. I love being a mom, I wouldn't trade it for anything, there are days when it is completely and utterly overwhelming and I want to cry, but then Callie runs to be and wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a big kiss and I can't imagine my life being anything else. It is worth all the costs to have this little person or people come and bless your life and teach you what this life is all about.

Alright, now that I have the feelings written down, because when you are pregnant, yikes they are strong!!!!! Update on our lives. Baby girl is due in eight and half weeks, on September 17. She still has no name, but she will be born at Deaconess and I have a fabulous doctor for which I am soooooooo grateful. I am a lot more tired than I was with Callie, but that could have something to do with my little girl that I am chasing around, hmmmm. She kicks a lot and she is just like her mom, LOVES SUGAR, I can guarantee a response from her if I eat something sweet. I have gained a ton of weight which makes me kind of mad, but I have set a goal to run in the Salt Lake Marathon next year, probably just the half, but I want to do that, for myself. So, hopefully the weight will come off relatively quickly and I can get back into my clothes and rejoin my morning running friends because I miss all of you!!!! Callie is amazing, I can't believe how much she learns and grows everyday. The negative first, she is a screamer. I mean it. The kid can scream/shriek like no one I have ever heard, so we are working on that. I am not sure that there is any improvement yet, but she is a very independent girl, so it will take her some time, but I have hope. Other than that, she is finally starting to talk a little more, and I love it. She is so cute, she just started saying thank you and it is so cute. She loves to sing, her favorite songs are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, Book of Mormon Stories, Twinkle Twinkle Little Start, Once There was a Snowman and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. She does the actions and she is so cute. She really likes nursery and is doing better than I thought she would without me. Thank you teachers!!!! She loves to play with my wallet, her daddy is very worried. I think she will be a shopper, but I just can't imagine who she gets that from. She loves to play outside, especially on her playset and to swing. She also loves to play in the car. She climbs all over and gets in and out, it is funny. She will go into the garage and I will start to follow and she pushes me back in the house. Her favorite foods are fruit snacks, pretzels, pasta, cheese and eggs.

Being the mother of Callie is amazing, and I am so excited to have another little one join our family. We are so excited for her to come and I surely hope that Callie will learn to love her as much as we already do.

My first post

2008-06-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

well, I have finally entered the blogging world. So, I guess I should start with a little about our family. Today was fairly uneventful. The baby moves a lot!!!!!! She is super active, but I love feeling her move around in my stomach, it is absolutely the most amazing thing ever. Callie is growing so much every day, I can't even believe it. She is fearless. She loves to play at the park and climb all over anything, no slide is too tall for her. She doesn't talk much, but when she does figure out a word, she says it over and over again. Our family is enjoying summer, now that it has finally arrived! Ryan is working hard at getting the swimming pool ready so we can have a fabulous summer splashing and playing in the pool! Our garden is going well, we really enjoy watching the plants grow and love to have home grown fruit and vegetables! Hopefully I can keep up with this and I will let everyone know how the baby is doing!