Adventures from A to Z

tooth fairy time

2012-01-20T21:38:00.005-08:00

Ayda lost her first tooth today. I had been begging her to let me pull it, she wanted Gaco to do it. I tried to convince her I always pulled out my wiggly teeth, she didn't believe me. I finally was told I could have one try, and it came right out. She didn't even realize it at first. The root on the tooth was disgustingly long (gross). We made a cute little pouch for her tooth and she will be putting it under her pillow in a few days. She needed the chance to show off her tooth before the tooth fairy takes it away.

What can I say, it is hard work being a cowboy!

2012-01-08T19:46:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T14:59:00.009-08:00

We survived Christmas. Like I mentioned in my last post, Ayda was asked to sing a solo in sacrament meeting and she did a really good job. I don't know how a five year old has so much confidence, but she marched (not literally) right up there and sang like an angel. I was very proud and a little jealous, why didn't I get her singing voice.

Christmas morning is still pretty mellow around here, no waking up at ridiculously early hours. With church not til one, is was a really nice morning. After church we went to my mom's for dinner. It is always so fun for the kids to have each other near by. They play and run and scream.

Ayda's been out of school for two weeks and she is really looking forward to getting back and I am looking forward to it too :). Here is to a new year, Ayda will start Ballet and continue doing music and swimming. Zander starts a little gymnastics class...watch out (and swimming with me). Hope everyone has a great New Year.

Here comes Christmas...

2011-12-23T14:05:00.003-08:00

Here are the kids in their Christmas outfits (now I don't have to take them before church, one less thing on Christmas morning is good for me) Ayda wanted to take pictures for hours, Zander was done before we started. This will be what Ayda is wearing when she sings her second solo in sacrament meeting. Aren't they cute!

Ayda loves yoga

2011-12-17T10:56:00.003-08:00

I love Ayda's school. She loves it too, she loves her teacher, the art teacher and her music teachers and she loves their yoga teacher. Once a week during gym time they have been learning yoga. Ayda really likes it and her "yoga breathing" can help her calm down and gain control when she is freaking out (ie. when I'm doing her hair). One day last week the kids did a presentation for us, showing off all their yoga moves. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and Ayda was about as far away as she could be from me. So I put the arrow to help identify her and the name of her pose they are demonstrating.

Gingerbread goodness

2011-12-12T05:48:00.002-08:00

Gingerbread time. It is a day that is looked forward to all year! The endless supply of candy, the sleepover with Gaco, time with cousins. All the kids enjoyed the building of their houses, as they get older they are much more independent and have all their own ideas. This year the younger boys (Zander and Harris) made "gingerbread trees" a lot more candy went in their mouths than on their trees.

Service and kids

2011-12-01T19:05:00.007-08:00

As I was planning Family Home Evening a few weeks ago I wanted to do a service centered lesson and activity. This was proving difficult, the kids are young and I couldn't come up with an idea they could help with.
I went on pinterest (love that site) and was looking at some other peoples FHE ideas and I came across this website. I fell in love with the idea of making "blessing bags" (a bag of hygiene and food items for those in need). I rarely have cash and often times see homeless people and would love to do something to help. Travis will give food if he has it but again in my car, the only food I have is a half baggie of goldfish or fruit snacks. When we told the kids what we were doing Ayda was so excited. We have had conversations about homeless people, she told me how sad it made her that they didn't have houses.

Travis and I went to the dollar store and bought the items we wanted to include (our list differed a little from the other families list). We included non-food items like a knit cap (it's getting cold) toothbrush and tooth paste, sanitizer, wet wipes, chapstick,band aids, Tylenol, cough drops and vitamin c drops, Kleenex and a comb. Some of the foot items we included were chicken salad kit, granola, gum, candy, pop tarts, cereal bars, apple sauce and cheese and crackers.

When we had FHE we put out all the items and the kids helped gather them together and stuff the gallon baggies full. When we were done Ayda talked about how good it made her feel to make these kits. We made 6 kits, 3 in my car and 3 in Travis' car. Everyday Ayda asks me if I gave any homeless people a kit, and finally I was able to say, "yes." The woman was very appreciative and it made me happy to know we were doing something to help, even if it was so little.

Here are some pictures of the kids getting things in order (sorry about the wet heads we just got done swimming).

Meow and Buzz to the rescue

2011-11-01T19:52:00.006-07:00

Ayda LOVES Halloween (despite being terrified of everything), she is already thinking up what to be next year. Her costume this year was so cute, who doesn't love some leopard leg and arm warmers to top off a costume? Zander was our little space ranger (Buzz), he loves Toy Story (see last post). In fact today, (the day after Halloween) he wore his costume most of the day. The kids had fun, we went over to my mom's and the kids got way too much candy.

Disney on Ice

2011-11-01T19:27:00.008-07:00

Before I get to a quick post on Halloween (my pictures weren't that great) we surprised the kids on Saturday night, with a trip to see Toy Story on ice. When I saw that Toy Story was coming to Portland I went back and forth on getting tickets. Then one day last week I saw Ayda's school got a group discount so I finally gave in. Ayda made the observation that everyone was dressed in Toy Story clothes. We told them what it was and they were anxious for the show to start. I thought Zander would be jumping up and down with excitement but he was just in awe of the whole show. He stood on his chair and just watched (that is the calmest I have ever seen him). Ayda loved it too, she really enjoyed the skating.

I pity the man....

2011-10-24T20:59:00.003-07:00

...who marries Ayda and has to share a bed with her...

swim class...check

2011-10-12T20:37:00.003-07:00

Ayda has always been a good swimmer (she has been swimming since she was 2) but she just did her first swim class. She passed with flying colors. Today was her last class and she jumped off the diving board and went down the giant slide alone. She was very proud of herself and was excited to tell me all about her accomplishment. She starts the next level of swim class on Monday and I know she will do well there too. She is swimming freestyle very well and even doing well at back stroke (something I never did). She told me as she swam today in the deep in it was a little scary but she just watched the lines in the bottom of the pool and kept on going. I love that she loves to swim. I love watching her swim and can't wait for her to keep developing her natural talent. As a side note, Zander is also a good little swimmer...well he doesn't swim but he can hold his breath very well. He jumps in and holds his breath like a champ. He is starting to learn to kick and has NO FEAR. Zander and I swim while Ayda takes her lessons, often people comment to me on how well he does in the water. I am the mother of two little fishies.

Field trip to the apple farm

2011-10-07T14:23:00.006-07:00

Ayda had a school trip to the apple farm, who doesn't love a field trip? It really started to feel like fall and it was chilly with a little rain. The kids were all bundled up and we enjoyed a tractor ride, played in a giant apple bouncy house, picked pumpkins and an apple to bring home. The kids were able to sample homemade apple cider and see some animals. Zander loved the horse, named him Bullseye and even fed him some hay. Ayda was perfectly content looking from a distance at the horses.

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa

2011-10-06T05:16:00.003-07:00

It was fun having Pam and Mike come to visit and spend a few days with the kids, they were eyewitnesses to the madness we call life. I think they asked the question more than once, "Does Zander ever walk...?" The answer is no. I am sure they wanted to ask the question, "Does Ayda ever stop talking...?" They didn't but for those of you taking notes, the answer is no.

It was funny because on this trip Grandpa Mike was dubbed "Stinky Pete." Poor Mike, he can't catch a break. Ayda has called him Uncle Mike (think about it the only men she is ever around are her uncles) she's called him Grandma Pam's boyfriend (not his favorite). Then on this trip we thought maybe everyone would get used to just calling him Grandpa...wrong. Zander (who has a serious Toy Story addiction) named him Stinky Pete. It stuck, because now that they are gone he asks, "Where did my Stinky Pete go?"

We were able to spend an afternoon at the Japanese Gardens, the weather was still nice (no rain!) and it was nice to play outside. Pam and Mike were also able to go to one of Ayda's swim lessons and watch both of our little fishes in action. We spent a fun filled afternoon chasing the kids through tunnels and up rope ladders and down too small of slides at Safari Sam's.

Both the kids were sad to see them go, but look forward to our next trip with Grandma and Stinky Pete.

The day my 1st born starts school

2011-09-07T11:55:00.004-07:00

I wanted to start my own tradition on what we would do the first day of school and I found this yummy coffee cake recipe and decided this would be a nice change from what Ayda normally eats for breakfast. She really liked the idea of eating "cake" for breakfast and also asked if she could have some cookies.
I spent the morning giving Ayda lots of little pep talks, she was cautiously optimistic about starting school. When we got there she was fine, she walked right in and of course, found the art table and went to work creating an art masterpiece. It makes me feel sad that my baby is getting so big but happy she loves school. When we left Zander kept asking, "where my Lala go?" sad right. Here are some pictures from this morning, I can't wait to hear all about her day!

I love to see the temple

2011-08-22T20:12:00.003-07:00

Today, the kids had a hair appointment (you know, to get their hair did) and we were running ahead of schedule. So we decided to drive by the temple (which is right by the hair place) and walk around for a bit. They had a good time and we didn't lose anyone to the fountains!

Bandon or bust

2011-08-14T18:34:00.013-07:00

We just got back from a fun filled week in Bandon, Oregon (on the southern Oregon coast). We stayed in a great house, it was right on the beach. It was all 14 kids (ages 11 to almost 1) and 8 adults. The kids were in cousin heaven. Like I said in my last post Awny and her kids were out and it is so much fun to watch the kids all play together. We made it through the week with very few injuries and unlike our last family vacation we didn't all share some horrible flu bug. With it being the Oregon coast, it is still a bit cooler but it wasn't too bad. The kids seemed to stay warm when it was overcast and we were on the beach everyday. The kids build forts with giant pieces of drift wood they found (Jack and Beck were dragging a giant piece of drift wood down the beach and my mom asked what they were doing and Jack said, "finding sticks"). They climbed on and jumped off huge rocks. Played in the water, catching and playing with whatever sea life they could find. Buried each other in sand and build sand castles. Played football and Frisbee. Ate lots of snacks (whatever the seagulls didn't find) and made great memories.When we weren't at the beach we went on several "outtings" to enjoy the sights around Bandon. One day we went to a wild life park; the kids were able to go into this caged area and feed the deer, llamas, goats, geese, and rams. Avery had a run in with a killer llama (really just a 90 year old arthritic llama) A goat tried to eat Arden's hair, Ayda was having a heart attack the entire time and Zander had a goat jump onto his lap while sitting in his stroller. A good time was had by all :). The kids then got to go in and pet a baby Bengal tiger, that was really cool for the kids (everyone but Naya enjoyed that experience). There were opossums to hold and a de-scented skunk. Then all the regular zoo animals, lions and tigers and a big chimpanzee who spit at the kids (we are lucky he didn't throw his poo...I guess that is what he is known for).
We went and walked along the boardwalk to see downtown Bandon, the kids smashed pennies and picked out souvenirs.

One day we went to a park down the street from our beach house. It was an old school park with complete with a merry-go-round, several teeter-totters, a huge slide. The kids (and adults) had a blast. With all of our kids we scared off half the kids at the park. Zander was on the teeter-totter with Grady and got so confident that he threw up his arms and went flying off, he has cat like reflexes and caught the handle of the teeter-totter, it was awesome (no pictures of that sorry).

We also took the kids crabbing (only a few strong ones remained the entire time). It was a very COLD morning on the day we went, but the kids liked to help pull up nets and see if the crabs were ones they could keep or if they needed to toss them back (males you could keep, females had to go back).

Travis and I agreed usually when you are on vacation it goes by so fast, well this trip didn't. But that wasn't a bad thing. It went by and we had fun and it was a nice break from our normal day to day. The saddest part of the trip was having to tell Awny and her kids goodbye, we wish they were closer so we could spend more time together. Thanks Mom/Gaco for the great time!!

summer fun preview

2011-08-05T05:25:00.003-07:00

We are having so much fun right now with Awny and her kids being out for a visit. This week all the kids have played so hard, my kids come home from playing at Keely's exhausted and covered in dirt. Ayda has slept better this week than she has her whole life (playing outside for eight hours a day will do that for a you). We have some fun adventures that are coming up (Zadey's baptism, a beach trip) and I will blog about those soon. But here are a couple pictures of the kids playing at Keely's. (Don't you judge me because my child is getting "back to nature", sometimes he wants to be free and at Keely's it is okay because there is no one around to see him...don't worry he didn't get any slivers while playing!

pretty pretty princess

2011-07-22T16:12:00.004-07:00

I never blogged about it (because I am lame) but Ayda got her ears pierced back at the end of May. She has been talking about it for over a year and Travis had the day off so we took her to get it done. She had little reservations about the whole process, despite the teenager getting her ears pierced who couldn't sit still and cried when it was done. We are lucky she didn't scare Ayda off. Ayda picked out a cute little pink pair of flower earrings and held the teddy bear tight. They pierced both at the same time, and when it was done she was shocked. She said they were hot and we asked if she wanted to see them, she said no at first then once she had a sucker safely in her mouth, she took a look.

She was so excited to show them off to everyone, I was instructed to do her hair in a way that would show off her new earrings. I was also in charge of answering the question, "when do we get to change my earrings?" I would tell her between 6 and 8 weeks, it is a long time, we will be well into summer when it is time. At about four weeks out, she and Zander were goofing around and one got pulled out, she was surprisingly calm about the whole incident (and if you know Ayda, that is saying a whole lot). The day finally came, it was a really hard choice to pick which would be her first earrings to change into. She went with the lady bug earrings Auntie Jessica sent her for her birthday and then into a pair of Hello Kitty earrings next. She would change them multiple times a day if I would let her. I remember how much fun it was when I got my ears pierced to get new earrings. I have been doing a little back to school shopping here and there and may have picked out a few new pairs for her.

Take TWO!

2011-07-21T20:33:00.003-07:00

Our first attempt at Zander sleeping in Ayda's room...epic fail. We did get him sleeping out of our bed but slowly but surely he made his way back into our bed...This week we decided we would give it another go. This time we put him in the guest bed (which is bigger than Ayda's bed) and we had Ayda go in and sleep with him. The first night he cried for a few minutes then he slept like a champ. More importantly, he slept through the night and has this whole week in the other room!! Go us. I took a picture the first morning after they slept in the bed, they wake up in crazy spots each morning.

4th of July (at the end of July)

2011-07-21T20:09:00.002-07:00

A little late but I loved these pictures so I couldn't help but share, even if it is the end of the month. We had a great time at Matt and Keely's place, the kids run free and Matt sets off the fireworks. The kids ate their weight in otter pops and went home filthy. It was a blast (no pun intended).

high flyin' fun!

2011-06-27T05:45:00.002-07:00

While Keely was taking our family pictures, Travis took a few minutes to toss our children around (no, not because they were misbehaving). Zander got some pretty good air time and LOVED every minute of it. Ayda only got tossed once (keeping in mind Ayda is 40 pounds and she is tall...I guess it makes it hard to throw her high) but she loved it too and I loved the way her hair looked as she came down.

Happy Papa's Day

2011-06-20T20:14:00.003-07:00

A day late but still the same message. Who doesn't love a good Papa in their life? I love mine and my kids love theirs. Happy Father's Day!
ps-Ayda made that tie for Travis last year and requested he sported it again this year.

School's out for the summer

2011-06-17T15:45:00.003-07:00

Another great thing about living near Gaco is getting spoiled with a "school's out for the summer party." This is our second year of doing this and it is FUN and something the kids all look forward too (school aged or not). We went to Safari Sam's (a padded climbing/ sliding/ swinging place) it ALSO has games (like put your token in spin the big wheel and see how many tickets you can win.) Then the kids get to "spend" their ticket winnings to buy junk...lots and lots of junk (Ayda won an impressive 522 tickets and picked a giant sucker, a slinky, and a bracelet. Here is a picture of all the kids after we were done with our fun afternoon...thanks GACO we LOVE you!!

Kindergarten here we come

2011-06-16T17:34:00.003-07:00

As I type that it makes me sad that my baby girl is going to real school next year. Ayda had a little program for her Pre-K graduation, they jumped through "one last hoop" before moving up to kindergarten. Ayda, loved her teachers and they really seemed to love her. Ayda will be going to Younger Learners again next year and she is happy that she will get to see teacher Gina and Michelle around the school. Also, some of the kids from her Pre-K class will be in her kindergarten class next year. We celebrated her graduation day with a trip to the pool and ice cream. Way to go Ayda!!

Helvetia Half Marathon

2011-06-12T18:22:00.003-07:00

I'm not addicted to running. But, I do like having a goal set and being able to reach that goal. This year Keely did the race too (last year she was preggers with Naya). Thanks ladies it was fun (and by fun I mean...not the most fun I've ever had but at least we were in good company). Travis and the kids were there to cheer me on at the end. Woot woot.

Zander's 2 year pictures

2011-06-08T17:01:00.003-07:00

One of the nice thing about having my sister, Keely take my kids pictures, is when we are done, she still loves my kids even if they are PUNKS! Zander was not in the mood to cooperate today. For weeks, I have been asking him to show me his smile that he will give to auntie and he would flash this cute little smile. Today, he mostly ran away, refused to look, and we got a lot of closed eyes smiles...Looking at all the shots she took we ended up with some keepers. So, thank you Keely for still loving Zander despite his uncooperative nature!!

How cute are they

2011-06-06T21:30:00.002-07:00

Nothing like playing in the sprinklers then needing to warm up on the warm concrete!!

Happy Birthday (again) Zander

2011-06-01T19:44:00.005-07:00

When my Mom got back from Ohio we had a little birthday party for Zander. We had planned on doing a truck cake for Zander (he has a weird thing for garbage trucks). But my sweet mom, wanted to make him a Buzz cake, he likes trucks but he LOVES Buzz. So she went out on Monday morning and found a Buzz cake pan and make a fantastic cake for out little Z man. The cousins came over for dinner at my Mom's. He got killer gifts from his cousins and my mom. Zander blew the candles out before we were ready so we had to relight them. Zander had a great day!! He has a lot of new toys, good thing Ayda is around to tell him what he can and can't do with them.

Look who's two?!?!

2011-05-26T18:15:00.003-07:00

Zander had a good birthday (as far as I can tell). We started with regular prophy, followed by opening some presents (thanks Grandma Pam and Grandpa Mike and Scott, Ashley and Paisley). Travis took the day off which was a surprise for us. When Ayda got home from school Zander opened gifts from us and then we had dinner, homemade mac-weeez (his request). Zander has been practicing blowing out candles (every time I light one to make my house smell nice along he comes and blows it out). He blew out his two candles on his cupcakes and proceeded to poke and eat the frosting but left the cupcake (a sad, crumbled mess.) Zander got lots of birthday calls and songs and he will have his birthday party at Gaco's on Monday (that is where he will get a "real cake" not just sad cupcakes). It was a great day. I can't believe he is two. He is growing up way too fast, I hope he still has a few more years of Zandeee-bears left in him. Love you little man!!

sleepy eats a corndog

2011-05-25T14:12:00.002-07:00

When Lindsey was out I took video (but double punched so I wasn't recording) of Zander eating MacWeeez (mac and cheese) while falling asleep. It happened again, this time with a corndog. Sorry about my goofy laughter in the background.

Thanks Lindsey

2011-05-16T08:23:00.008-07:00

Last week Lindsey and Finlee came to Oregon. Lindsey and I have been friends for what seems like forever. We served together on our missions, we were companions for 9 months!! We both have two kids and we both really hate not seeing each other that often. It was so fun having Finlee and Lindsey here for several days. Here are some pictures from our adventures.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T13:36:00.002-07:00

(to me) but mostly to my Mom. She is the best mom and best GACO around. Just ask Zander, he has a whole dance devoted to his Gaco (appropriately named...the Gaco dance.) I love you Mom and my kids love you more (than they love me....sad but true).

Birthday date

2011-04-30T20:45:00.003-07:00

Ayda and Gaco had there annual birthday date. This year Ayda was having a hard time coming up with an idea so my mom told her she would come up with something. Ayda had the traditional sleepover, you know the one where she sleeps a lot longer and a lot more sound that she ever does at home. Then they went to the CeramiCafe to paint. My mom is a genius, taking Ayda a place to paint is the perfect place for my little Picasso. She chose a mug with a butterfly half on the mug and the other half is the handle of the mug. When they finished painting they went and got a mani/pedi. It was a perfect date. She can't wait until they can go pick up their creations. And as tradition goes, she is talking about what they might do next year. Thanks Gaco for being so fantastic and making great memories with my kids.

Egg dying bonanza

2011-04-24T14:49:00.005-07:00

It was time for the annual Easter egg dying extravaganza with the cousins. This year we had 11 kids, ages 11 to 7 months...all but one dying eggs. This year with Zander and Harris participating we had a lot of spilling and breaking of eggs. I also think this year the kids came away with the darkest most stained hands ever. It took a lot of scrubbing so they didn't look like aliens to go to church today. Here are some pictures (sorry about the repeats, I make the collages for the kids scrapbooks)

Happy 5th Birthday Ayda!

2011-04-23T21:18:00.005-07:00

Ayda is now proudly, "one WHOLE hand old." There are a lot of exciting things that come with turning five, here are a few: Starting kindergarten in the fall, two of her cousins can no longer point out that she is still four (at least for a few more months), another birthday means another fabulous birthday date with Gaco and her favorite, continuing to know more than her parents! Ayda is fantastic (I wish you could hear Ayda say this...kind of a sing songy way), she never stops talking, she loves and watches out for Zander, she loves to cuddle, she loves loves loves to sing (she makes everything into a song and has a cute little singing voice). She also loves all things art, if it can be painted, taped, cut, crafted or have googley eyes glued to it...she is your girl. I love her. Happy birthday Ayda!!
I just added the actual birthday pictures. I did this post on Saturday night, her birthday was Sunday. Here are pictures of her opening gifts at home and at my mom's with her cousins. Her Gaco made her another fabulous cake can you say....hellllllo kitty! Thanks everyone for the gifts and phone calls, she was in heaven.

You know what time it is....CF time.

2011-04-15T14:27:00.006-07:00

Hi all, for those of you who read my blog you know that about this time a year we always do a post on my niece Arden who has CF. Since last year my sister had another baby and Naya (now 7 months) was diagnosed with CF shortly after birth. Both girls are amazing. My sister is amazing. We put this video together of the girls and how having CF affects them. If you are able to donate, thank you, thank you, thank you. If you aren't we totally understand. The link on my sidebar will take you directly to the girls CF donation page. Enjoy the video!

Also, if you give my oldest sister made these cute charms that can be used as a necklace or a key chain. Click here to go to her blog to check out the charms.

End of March

2011-03-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

spring break: Fort Stevens State Park

2011-03-23T20:54:00.003-07:00

The other "fun thing" we did on Ayda's spring break was go to "the beach." I do not consider it the beach when you have to wear multiple coats and winter hats. But Ayda was in heaven. We flew her kite, she played in the sand, chased and was chased by waves. It was perfect until a wave got Zander...he was NOT happy about that. It was a nice chilly day at the beach.

spring break: Astoria

2011-03-23T20:18:00.004-07:00

Travis took today off so we could do one "fun thing" during Ayda's spring break. We went to Astoria (and drove over the bridge to Washington....Travis' first time in that state and wouldn't you know it the welcome to Washington sign was down.) It was a little windy as we climbed the 164 stairs to the top of the Astoria Column but it was a beautiful view.
Here is a picture of Travis in Washington...the second one I thought I was pretty funny.

Snow Day!

2011-02-24T12:39:00.002-08:00

Ayda was sad school was canceled today but VERY excited to get all dressed up to go play in the snow. Zander was good for about 10 minutes and then he had enough.

We're just hanging around

2011-02-19T08:45:00.002-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:26:00.003-08:00

I wanted to get a cute picture of the kids in their valentine's day shirts...Zander spent most of the time throwing a fit. Ayda had a wonderful day (she tells me it was the best ever). We saw Gaco, we ate out for lunch, Ayda had a Valentine's Day party at school, we ran errands. It was a good day. I like Valentine's day (my husband doesn't) my kids do...we win! Happy day of love.

biker gang

2011-01-31T20:44:00.004-08:00

Hide your kids hide your wife....here comes the toughest gang in the Portland Metro Area.
And yes, Zander is on a pink bike (real men like pink) maybe if Santa brought him a bike that wasn't meant for a 40 year old he would be on that.

Lala's bed

2011-01-20T18:43:00.005-08:00

I will start by saying Zander's first word (at the age of 6 months) was Ayda, it was very clear. He said it perfectly. A few weeks ago, he stopped calling Ayda, Ayda and started calling her "Lala". It is very sweet, lots of, "oh Lala" "my Lala". Now onto the purpose of my post.

I have a confession to make...Zander is just shy of 20 months and up until this week he has only slept in our bed. In fact, I took down his crib because I knew he would never sleep in it. Furthermore, Zander has never slept through the night.

We decided it was time to move him into Ayda's room. We started earlier this week and it has been interesting. While Zander slept with us, he never used or liked blankets. With Ayda he insists on pulling the blanket up and over his head. I thought this was Ayda's doing but have learned it was all Zander. So far, there are lots of tears but also Zander slept until 2am one night. I know I know, that isn't great but for Zander it is really progress. Last night, he even went back into her bed after waking up. He loves his Lala, he calls out for her, he bosses her to "Move Lala, move."
I will keep you posted on this new sleeping arrangement. Hope to report soon that my almost 2 year old is sleeping through the night :)

notice how red his cheeks are...this was our first night. He cried for almost two hours before going to sleep.

what a way to end 2010

2011-01-02T18:23:00.003-08:00

Ayda LOVES a "pediture" and often tells Gaco that she is in need of one. I don't think I had a pedicure until I was in high school. Ayda is a regular at the age of four. I guess that is another perk of living by Gaco. I think this was the perfect way to end 2010.

sweet boy

2010-12-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-27T04:50:00.003-08:00

What a difference a year makes. It was so much fun to watch both the kids on Christmas morning. Last year Zander was so young but this year he caught on to the hang of things. Both the kids got spoiled and really enjoyed opening gifts. The kids woke up around 7:30...which is pretty late in our house.

Ayda got all things princess, and arts and crafts, a mini-trampoline and my mom got her a membership to Gymboree so she can take art classes. She always loves the small things (makes me wonder why we buy a "big gift" when she is so excited about a new lip gloss and a yo-yo). Zander got a bike and a barky little dog, he like to sit on (odd I know), he also got a vacuum (he is my child for sure!!) and he is going to take a gym class at Gymboree (a great place to climb and fall...it is all padded).

Travis got some much needed pj pants (you can see the GIANT hole in the knee of his old ones) and we got a Wii (fun for the whole family).

Through the month of December we read out of the Bible about the birth of Christ, Ayda really starting to remember the things we read. Each night she was so excited to read another scripture about our Savior.

All in all it was a great day. We had a Skype conversation with Travis' parents (and Jessica) in the morning. We had a WONDERFUL dinner at my mom's, the only person missing was Awny and her kids (but we did a Skype conversation with her...imagine all 11 kids and 7 adults crammed around my mom's computer).

We hope that you all had a good Christmas too and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-12-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

I bet you wish you had a Gaco

2010-12-13T20:32:00.003-08:00

I know I do. The "middles" (used to be the "littles" of our family) went to Gaco's for a gingerbread extravaganza. The kids always love using way too much frosting and in Ayda's case way too much candy to decorate their houses. Then as tradition has it, a sleepover with Gaco. Ayda is already talking about what she will do to her house next year. Thanks Mom for being the best (and that isn't because you are the only) Gaco around!!

sick days

2010-12-08T13:20:00.006-08:00

Ayda and I have had the flu (we really would love to get over this...) and Zander has hives (who knows why...) so since Sunday night we have been doing a lot of laying around and feeling blaa (I will spare you the details). Zander on the other hand is fine, hives and all. But I think he is bored out of his mind. Ayda and I were laying on her bed and I looked up and this is what I saw. My son is a monkey. He climbs everything, he climbed into Ayda's window using a toy mixer (no picture of that, I had to get him down). Poor Ayda hasn't been at school all week, she is so sad. Here are some pictures of what we have been doing to pass our sick time...

18 months

2010-11-29T20:50:00.004-08:00

Zander is a year and a half old. I can't believe it, he didn't stay little long enough. You know what it means to be 18 months old and Mormon...NURSERY!! Well, he wasn't that excited. He didn't want to play, he just wanted to sit on my lap and watch. It is so different than Ayda, who walked into nursery and never looked back. Also, he had his 18 month appointment today, he is growing up and hitting all of his milestones. Here are his stats and some pictures from Sunday.Height: 34 (and a little) inches tall (90th percentile)

weight: 23 pounds (25th percentile)

head: 90th percentile (shocker)

the snow the snow

2010-11-24T14:48:00.003-08:00

Ha ha. This was our big snow storm of 2010...It was more like two flakes of snow and then a lot of ice. It didn't stop the kids from "playing" in it.

I looked out the window and what did I see...

2010-11-23T04:40:00.002-08:00

snow. Not a ton, but the kids were thrilled to sit and watch it come down.

random

2010-11-11T06:40:00.004-08:00

My guess is he will be bigger than her one day, watch out Ayda. He already tackles her.

Travis rocking our "babies"

With his eyes glowing, he looks like the devil. He got into a HUGE bowl of candy at my mom's...maybe he is the devil.

Picc line

2010-11-02T10:55:00.003-07:00

I already posted this on the bloody good life blog but it was too good not to share. Zander had his picc line removed today. It has been in since July and we are happy that his port is in and working well. Good bye picc, arm socks, no baths....

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T09:27:00.003-07:00

From one pretty purple fairy and one fierce dragon!

the great pumpkin paint

2010-10-26T20:18:00.008-07:00

Ayda loves Halloween because she gets to paint pumpkins and this year we added cute vinyl faces to Ayda's masterpieces (thanks Gaco). Zander doesn't share his sister's love of paint, he painted his tray more than his pumpkin. When he painted his hand he became incredibly unhappy. I think he might like the candy more than the crafts.

Field Trip

2010-10-22T12:58:00.004-07:00

This was Ayda's first field trip, her school went to the pumpkin patch. She got to do the hay mazes, hay rides, ride giant slides, pet (okay didn't pet) farm animals and pick a pumpkin before we went home. Travis was able to take the morning off and so we were all able to go.

spooky kids

2010-10-11T20:17:00.004-07:00

The shirts glow in the dark and everything! Aren't my two spooks cute?!? Zander gets his port surgery tomorrow, look forward to an awesome scar...just in time for Halloween.

Where did September go?

2010-09-29T16:00:00.005-07:00

I can't believe how fast this month went by. Ayda is loving school, she wishes she could stay all day (not just three hours). She loves art time and the fact that she is allowed to use markers and scissors (I know I am a mean mom). She is doing really well in school and I am glad she is happy. I love having some one on one time with Zander. We spend our time running errands, doing yard and house work. He is quite the little helper! Zander is set to get his port surgery on October 12th, I am sure (knowing him) it wont slow him down at all. Ayda is looking forward to Halloween and she found out today she gets to wear her costume to school, exciting! The picture of Ayda with junk on her face is actually pudding and I wiped it on her face (funny right). Well, she had a strange reaction to my small food fight...she gagged and then barfed!

school bound

2010-09-08T14:14:00.004-07:00

Ayda started pre-school today. Ayda has been counting down the days for months and it finally happened. She did great, marched right in and sat right down, never looking back. I got a little teary as we walked her to her class. She will do great. The hardest part of today, for Ayda, was picking the perfect outfit...we went through many many outfits before she finally decided. She looked very cute. Enjoy the pictures.

funny attempt at pictures

2010-09-05T18:23:00.006-07:00

Before church I wanted to take a picture of the kids together, but whenever I try to get a picture of both kids together it never seems to come together. Today proved no different.
This is quickly becoming the norm in looks for Zander.

This is a little better, I see a smile starting to form.

He goes in for a closer look, to really make sure he knows what he is doing.

This is so frustrating!
Hey, that is a pretty good smile.
I got greedy, I wanted an individual shot...

Maybe he is going to eat me.

Ayda smiles on, unfazed by it all!

Ohio or bust

2010-09-04T09:57:00.003-07:00

After our week in Indiana we headed off to Ohio to spend a week with Awny and to celebrate Jack and Grady's baptism. Ayda was thrilled to be with Mia and it was a nice break for us. Those two played together all week, I joked Ayda needed to come with a sister, someone who can really keep her entertained (she gets bored spending her days with Zander and I). When it was time to go home it was nice to have my mom with us on the plane, why you ask, because both kids prefer her over us, sorry about your luck mom. Now we are home back into our daily routine, our next big adventure is next week....Ayda starts preschool!

Grandma and Grandpa's house

2010-09-04T09:40:00.004-07:00

We were able to spend a week in Indiana with Travis' parents and all of his siblings. This was Zander's first time to Indiana and his first time on a long flight. Ayda and Zander did great on the flight but were VERY glad when we got into Chicago. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

future doctor?

2010-08-07T16:59:00.003-07:00

Here is Ayda helping with Zander's morning infusion. Who knows, with as much as they both like to help with infusions, maybe they could start a medical practice. I like how that sounds!

a golfer she is not

2010-08-01T15:08:00.006-07:00

We went miniture golfing with my mom and ALL of the cousins. It was the fastest round of mini golf you have ever seen. Ayda watched Hurley and went for the curling method rather than putting. She told me later how much she liked playing "baseball"...

popeye's cousin

2010-07-23T22:21:00.005-07:00

Zander has been having a few issues regarding his hemophilia, nothing that can't and isn't being addressed but issues none the less. He had a picc line put in yesterday (you can read all about that excitement on our hemophilia blog). A picc line is a way to give medicine without having to find a vein to access every time, it can stay in for several months. Also, here is one picture of a really impressive bruise he has on his arm.

berries for sale

2010-07-15T16:34:00.004-07:00

This year, my nephew Harris takes the award for messiest kid.

Harris and Zander were content on our backs being handed berries, Zander would also eat the occasional leaf. Ayda would test berries and declare them good enough to take home and put the other half of her berry in the bucket. Good haul of berries for cheap!

(that is berry juice near his eye not blood)

what do you do in the summer time?

2010-07-10T19:03:00.002-07:00

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-07T12:16:00.003-07:00

Of course we got together for the 4th and we had a blast. Ayda was happy to be with her cousins and Zander was neither here nor there about the evenings events.

Look at my helpers!

2010-07-03T20:43:00.005-07:00

Zander is obsessed with pushing things; brooms, mops, the vacuum and now added to his list... the lawn mower. This might possibly be his favorite thing to push. He helped my mom mow the lawn, when it was Ayda's turn to help he cried. So, my mom mowed with both kids. I just stood there and took pictures. I can't wait for him get old enough to mow our lawn!

What a messy boy!

2010-06-22T07:59:00.002-07:00

This is Zander when he finished eating spaghetti and berries...I am still trying to get the stains out of his shirt.

Happy Papa's Day

2010-06-20T08:32:00.006-07:00

This year Ayda put here creativity to the test and made her Papa and ~~Uncle~~ Grandpa Mike very nice ties for church. That's right, homemade tie complete with feathers, googly eyes and gems. Oh, they are nice! After people see the tie at church Ayda may need to start her own business. Happy Papa's Day!

The best way to tell the two ties apart, Travis' has a "P" at the bottom for Papa, Mike's just has more and more eyes!

Zander's 1 year pictures

2010-06-16T07:02:00.003-07:00

I am so glad Keely is always willing to take my kids pictures. She did a great job with Zander, although he is very determined to do what he wants to do. It didn't matter where we put him he would try and eat whatever was around him, rocks, weeds, dirt, sticks...he is so gross! Here are my favorites.

I lost my mind

2010-06-12T15:36:00.007-07:00

Today I participated in, finished, and did not die during a half marathon. That is 13.1 miles by foot!! I have had a long standing hate relationship with running. But a few months ago, my mom and my oldest sister set out to accomplish this goal. Endre is a very good runner and she has done this before but this was a first for my mom and I.

I was amazed at all the different people participating, young, old, skinny, fat, pregnant, blind (really I saw a blind man running). Running is a very solitary sport, no one is watching you, no one cares how you do, you just do it for yourself.

As for me, I felt good until mile 11 then I felt like my feet might fall off but I finished (and not last, which was my goal.) The only casualty was I lost an under wire in my sports bra, it started to come out so I yanked it out all the way. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment as I crossed the finish line. It was fun to see my kids and Travis yelling for me. Good job Mom and Endre!!! Here are some cell phone pics from along the way.

The best thing ever

2010-06-09T15:39:00.002-07:00

For Zander the answer to that is..... balloons. Here is his GIANT 1 balloon from his birthday. It looks like new even after a couple of weeks. This one is for you Mom, Zander thanks you.

Zander's Birthday Party!

2010-05-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

All aboard the fun train. I had a hard time deciding on what kind of cake to make for Zander (oh wait, what kind of cake to have my mom make). We decided on a train cake. When Zander saw his cake he smiled and pointed and said, "dat!" (that), he wanted it right away. We had a BBQ and the rain finally stopped so we were able to enjoy the sun for an afternoon. Zander loved the balloons my mom gave him, the number 1 balloon is taller than he is, he will have it for months.
When it was time to sing happy birthday all the kids did a great job to sing softly so it didn't freak him out. He was excited to get ahold of his cake, he promptly took the plate and tossed it aside and then he dug in....but never put the cake in his mouth. I put a couple pieces in there but it wasn't his favorite. He would squish the cake between his fingers and rub it on his belly or throw it. It was so fun to spend time with everyone!!

Happy 1st Birthday Zander!!

2010-05-26T08:54:00.007-07:00

365 days ago I was SO happy to be giving birth (maybe because he was 10 days late), we got our sweet little Zander. What you may not have known, we planned to name him Kingsley, but when we saw him, the name didn't fit. Travis didn't like the name Zander but he agreed, it seemed to "fit" our tiny little man.

Many of you probably remember I wasn't that crazy about having a boy... but it hasn't been that bad, in fact it is pretty good. Zander is my boy, (just don't ask him because if you do he shakes his head no.) He rarely picks someone over me.

We have had some bumps and bruises along the way but for the most part, Zander is a happy kid. He tries to keep up with Ayda, he loves to "play" in her room (AKA pull out every toy, break her lego castles, and tear pages out of her books).

Here is to another great year, I love you, my not so baby boy!!

1 year stats:

32 inches tall (95th percentile)

22 pounds (50th percentile)

head- still big (95 percentile)

rock climbing

2010-05-22T13:16:00.002-07:00

We had a seminar on joints and joint health put on by the Hemophilia Foundation of Oregon(HFO). When that was done people who wanted to could gear up and climb the rock wall. Ayda did a really good job and Travis overcame his fear of heights. My niece Avery climbed really fast to the top and showed us all up. Zander did a little climbing too....It was fun and we learned something (pretty good).

random

2010-05-20T20:39:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago my computer died....sad. I have been using that computer (I called her grandma) since I got home from my mission. Well, after getting a new laptop I was going through pictures and found some good ones I needed to post. enjoy.

birthday photo shoot

2010-05-17T08:57:00.004-07:00

Keely is such a good Auntie to take our kids pictures. Here are just a few from Ayda's birthday shoot. I still can't believe she is four.

It's that time again

2010-05-12T14:43:00.004-07:00

Time for what you ask, time to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. As some of you know my beautiful niece, Arden was diagnosed with CF when she was four months old. She lives everyday with her disease, she never complains. Arden really is a happy, cheery girl.
My brother-in law owns a bakery and the features reporter for KGW was at the bakery this week to help raise awareness of CF and raise money to find a cure. Here is a clip (to the right) and a link to the CF page where you can donate! Become a part of team Arden!

That's going to leave a mark...

2010-05-03T18:56:00.004-07:00

This is what you look like when your four-year old sister closes her bedroom door in your face in an attempt to hold you hostage.

Happy Birthday Ayda

2010-04-27T15:03:00.003-07:00

It is a couple days late but Happy Birthday to Ayda, I can't believe she is four!!! Here is to another year of crazy adventures!

Look what I can do...

2010-04-23T19:17:00.003-07:00

Zander has mastered walking....over the last couple of months he has been walking short distances with a lot of crawling. But over the past couple of weeks he has been crawling less and less and walking more and more. One thing that is very common with his walking is he typically carries his little red bucket or anything with a handle.

Eggies!

2010-04-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

(a little late posting)

10 kids (ages 10 years to 6 months)
50 eggs
lots of paint/dye
16 dye stained hands
great memories

You know what Easter means...

2010-03-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, it means peeps (why did you have to bring that up?) but it also means matching Easter outfits. I am sure at some point my kids will refuse this tradition but for now I get to enjoy it. Keely took the kids pictures and it was not a great effort from my children. Ayda did okay but Zander was fighting a cold (which turned out to be an ear infection). Thanks to Keely for listening to the complaining and the crying! Happy Easter!

cheese

2010-03-19T18:55:00.004-07:00

It is rare that we get a "real" smile from Ayda. I thought this was a cute picture and she wasn't even forcing a smile.
ps. We are good. Life seems to have settled down a bit. Z did his first "prophy" treatment on Monday and we have had a bleed free week.

Here we go again...

2010-03-10T18:58:00.009-08:00

I promise not to write each time Zander goes in to get an infusion (if you didn't read two posts ago, do, then this will make sense) but this one came with a real pretty shiner. Zander was up and around and he was crawling into the bottom of one of our bar stools (which are normally up on the counter--kind of looks like a restaurant that is closed for the night) and he fell....hitting his left eye. The poor left side of his face can't catch a break.

It didn't look that bad (this happened Monday night) we iced it and on Tuesday it had a bruise and then this morning it was starting to swell shut. Up to the center we went to get his second infusion and his eye was so bad they decided to keep his IV in and we will give him his third dose of factor tomorrow.

You read that correctly, we will give him his factor (into the line in his hand) and then pull the IV out. I have already flushed the line once (to make sure it doesn't get clots) and will do that one more time tonight. Then in the morning I will mix his factor and give it to him. I feel like a real grown up!

I would be a liar if I said it didn't make me nervous...because it does. But, the nice thing is the line is already in his vein and as long as he doesn't pull it out tonight we will be set for tomorrow. Here are some pictures of his eye and one of his arm (all bandaged up to hopefully keep him from pulling it out.) Wish us luck!

(coming soon a fun filled hemophilia blog: thebloodygoodlife.blogspot.com)

Another First

2010-03-05T19:04:00.007-08:00

This has been a busy week of first times for Zander. I am happy to report that today's first was just a first haircut. Zander's hair has been getting so shaggy. I finally broke down and took him in to cut off the really long sideburns and the shag in back that would eventually become a mullet. Keely took a before picture for me yesterday and the first picture I have below Keely said, "Zander, are you ready to get a haircut?" This is the look he gave her (we laughed A LOT). So, the actual haircut was fine, he was a little wiggly and about half way through he started to cry. But now he looks like such a cute little man.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

It is done!

2010-03-02T19:46:00.009-08:00

This post is something I have thought about writing for the past nine months but it never seemed like the time but today we hit a milestone. When Zander was born he was diagnosed with hemophilia, (to put it simply: he is lacking a component (factor VIII) in his blood that allows his blood to clot). It did not come as a huge surprise, my Dad had hemophilia which means I am a carrier. The odds of my boys having this disease is 50 percent.

Part of the reason I always wanted girls was so I didn't have to worry about hemophilia. When I found out Z was a boy, I knew in my heart he had it so when we got the tests back I felt like I had known for months. Thankfully, Zander hasn't had any problems up to this point, I mean he is bruised, but bruises happen to other kids. He is so active that his bruising comes as little surprise to me.

But on Friday he hit his head at my sister's house, I called his hematologist and they said he would probably be okay. Then on Saturday he stopped using one of his knees to crawl, it was like it was hurting him (this lasted until today). Again, this isn't exclusive to hemophilia, knees can hurt when you spend the day crawling around. Then last night, after Z's bath I was drying him off and lotioning him up and I felt a lump on his butt cheek. I didn't see a bruise but I could tell he had something going on. This morning I called up to the HTC (hemophilia treatment center) and the hematologist agreed that because of the combination of issues it would be good to do an infusion (it is putting that clotting agent back into his blood).

So to make a long story short, today was his first infusion, it is a big milestone and I am glad it is over! I have worried about his "first bleed" since the day he was born and I now I guess I can start to worry about the next bleed. It really wasn't that bad. The nurses are fantastic and very understanding that this first time (and times to come) are stressful. Zander wasn't that excited about them poking and touching his butt or his knees, but really he isn't too keen on the idea of strangers. The actual infusion lasted only a couple minutes, the hardest part for me was having to hold my baby down so they could get his IV in, he cried, I cried, we made it through, he got a little teddy bear, I got a pat on the back.

I am very thankful for my family, they are a huge support to Travis and I (more than they know). Each member for a different reason, the Lord blessed me with a family unit that can really help me learn this pathway.

I don't write a lot about my dad but I thought a lot about him today. I thought about how many infusions he had in his life. I thought about how he paved the way to make Zander's hemophilia a lot easier to deal with. The medical advances since my dad was diagnosed are many. Zander has so many more opportunities to keep his body healthy and to live a very very normal life.

Those of you who don't know a lot about hemophilia feel free to ask your questions, no questions are off limits. I am glad today is over, I love my baby, who right now, in a rare moment, is sleeping next to me on my bed.

Here is a picture of Zander's butt bruise (the doctor's agree this was a bad one---we tried to take it in a way so it wasn't exposing all his business.) Also, one of his medical alert bracelet (many who don't know what it is comment on how it is cute I put an anklet on my baby....)

9 months and growing strong

2010-02-26T20:35:00.004-08:00

So today is Zander's nine month birthday. He had his doctor's appointment on Monday and he is still growing strong. He weighed 20 pounds 9 ounces (since his six month appointment he has gained just under one pound) that put him in the 50th percentile. He was just under 31 inches tall (He is tall....Ayda was a little more than 31 inches tall at 15 months) that put him in the 98th percentile for height and well his head is ... still hanging strong in the 95th percentile.

Zander is one active little man, he is really wanting to walk (today he took three steps without any help) but otherwise he uses anything that can move to assist his walking (he has even used his cousin Maisy, she is two and weighs just a couple pounds more than Z).

He does have a couple of words, he says Mama (I know all kids do it) but he also says, Ayda. We weren't sure if that is what he was saying but he started saying it more and more when she would come into a room. So, I count that as his first real word.

This picture of him sleeping is a rare thing, he sleeps maybe a couple hours at a time. He would rather nurse than sleep, which means I don't sleep (not complaining...my mom tells me I never slept so I only have me to blame).

We all love Z so much his laugh is the best. I will post a video of him soon, I just need to get it edited.

jump-a-rope anyone?

2010-02-20T19:45:00.002-08:00

Travis took this video one morning while I was gone (yes, she is in her pj's) she loves her "jump-a-rope"!

bath time is fun time

2010-02-19T20:53:00.004-08:00

tubby time is the best time of the day, fun in the water for the kids and for me it means it is almost bedtime!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-19T20:51:00.003-08:00

Zander is a typical male....very excited about this greeting card holiday :) and then there is Ayda she couldn't be happier about having a new shirt.

just because

2010-02-02T18:25:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of new pictures. Nothing really special going on with us.

What is new with us

2010-01-21T19:49:00.005-08:00

Ayda: Loves when we get a break from the rain so she can play outside. Loves riding her new scooter (and isn't falling off as much.) Loves making Z laugh, still drawing and coloring all the time.

Z: Standing all the time, walking along furniture and walls (and is getting very good at it.) Loves to try real food (refuses ALL baby food) his favorites are mango, avocado, and sweet potatoes. Loves to be entertained by Ayda.

when Z takes a bath...everyone takes a bath

2010-01-06T20:01:00.005-08:00

Giving Zander a bath has become quite the chore. He is out of control, rolling all over splashing like mad. We finally got some video...here is a quick look.

It snowed....again

2010-01-01T21:46:00.003-08:00

I don't know what it is with the snow in Oregon but it was at it again. Ayda was thrilled and begged and begged to play in it. Thankfully it was just a day of snow then it rained and it was all gone. Ayda had fun and Z loved to eat it (shocker).

Christmas fun

2009-12-29T20:22:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas! The Monday before Christmas we did a nativity FHE and Z was a sheep (Endre made his costume) Ayda was slated to be Mary but was grouchy so instead she just sat with Gaco. Christmas morning didn't start early (Ayda isn't there yet) and when she saw what Santa brought she was more interested in helping Zander with his new toys. The kids had fun opening presents and in Zander's case eating wrapping paper. We finished the day at Gaco's for a very nice dinner and presents from Gaco and cousins. We hope everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR!