Unexpected

Well, we got our first big snow on Monday. It snowed all day long into the night. It said on the news we got 26-28 inches. It has been fun to see that much snow, but hard to get around. I posted some pics below.
Ethan started to take his first steps this week! He has taken about seven steps in a row without falling, so it is exciting! I just thought I would post a couple pictures of them from Halloween and the last couple months.

Our First Snow!

It's a Beauty Mate!

Preston is watching "Finding Nemo" right now so that is where I got the title to my blog post. It is such a great movie for kids. I love it!
Well, Halloween came and went and so did Thanksgiving. I can't believe it.
Today I bought some Christmas gifts for the kids, the game Candyland, which was only $5, and the cutest little boots for Ethan. I was thrilled with my purchases. I get so giddy about this time of the year. I feel like a little kid trying to decide what to get Preston and then anticipating the day when he can open them and I can see his face light up with excitement.
This month of December is magical for me. I love the lights that are on houses that light up the night sky, and the memorable movies and carols that bring back joyful memories of childhood and past Christmas'. The most important focus for me is the feelings of love and service for my fellow man, and the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of his life for me. I look forward to all these things....
I

Love this time of Year!

I love the Fall, the crispness of the air, the turning of the leaves. I love the red trees here in Flagstaff, they are so cool! I love decorating for Halloween and getting costumes for the kids. Preston is going to be Superman, and Ethan, I am not sure yet. I bought him a pumpkin bunting costume but he is too long for it now! So... we will see! He is growing so fast! He can stand now and he can say, "dada." He loves to play with his brother and follow him around. He is so smiley and laughs a lot. Both my boys make me so happy! They are pretty good most of the time!

P.S. I wanted to upload some pictures but am having some trouble. Maybe next time!

Where does the time go?

It seems like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital and now Ethan is crawling! Lucky for me he has just started and is not too fast yet! I can manage him right now, but in a couple months he will be all over the place! Yikes! Time flies by too fast! I can't believe it!

Much Needed Vacation

Before school started, Joel and I decided we NEEDED to get away and take a family vacation. So we decided to go and spend some time at Joel's Grandma's Cabin in Williams. While we were there we saw some javelina and deer. We didn't see the mountain lion that some have seen. Thank goodness! It was a really nice and relaxing atmosphere, a bit windy, but really quiet and nice. It was just what we needed. We really enjoyed ourselves and hope to do it every summer.

Six Months Old Already!

I cannot believe that Ethan is six months old already! He is pure joy and smiles all of the time. He does the cutest thing now where he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. I love it! I can't believe it is the precursor to crawling because it happened too fast! He sits up too for about two minutes and then he topples over. He loves to be able to sit up and see everything. He loves to jump and bounce. He is starting to eat baby cereal and sweet potatoes. He loves them so far and he gets so excited to eat! He is a pretty easy going little guy for the most part and he is ticklish and loves to laugh with his brother. It is so fun to see them playing and laughing together!

A Movie Critique!

It has been a while since this movie came out, but Joel heard from a friend that it was good and so we rented it last night. It was the movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." I had heard reviews from people before seeing it, the reviews were " it was a strange movie, it was a long movie" so my opinion was tampered before seeing it. I must say though that I started the movie with an open heart and I was very surprised by the movie. A few things that surprised me were that it was really clean for an Oscar nominated movie. It had an interesting plot and I really enjoyed Benjamin's story. Although some parts of the movie were sad when he begins to turn young and his life changes, but overall I really liked the movie and it left me with feelings of wonder, of happiness, appreciation, and gratitude for my life, my home and my family.

Sidenote: Joel read this and said I was being too serious, so I just want to say that we had not rented a movie in a long time and we liked this one.

What to do with my hair?

Short or Long?
I'm at a crossroads whether to cut again or to grow it out. Here are some pics, help me decide. :)

New Family Pictures --June 2009

Three years old

Five months old

To Pee or not to Pee?...that is the question

Potty Training.....Arrrrgh!
So here is my story.
My little three year old starting to get interested in going potty in the toilet, as in number #1, not #2, number#1. So I was so excited and he did really well for the most part, except for going the bathroom in his underwear everytime I put them on. So we decided to try pull-ups and he did really well for awhile. We ran out of pull-ups and we started to put him in diapers again. We also went out of town and he went to the bathroom one time at Grandma's. Then we got back home and he has maybe gone twice since we got back. I am just struggling with this, because everytime I ask him if he wants to go, or I say, "let's go potty!" in my really excited voice, he says, "no" or "I don't want to." uuugh! I thought we were making progress, not the other way around. He knows how to go and he had a desire at one time. So what's the problem?? I don't get it, maybe I should wait until winter when he is trapped inside all day long and then we can focus on the potty? who knows?? If anybody has any potty training success stories PLEASE share! I need some help!

Cute pics!

Kickin' it gangsta style!

Hangin' out with dad! He Loves his dad! (all smiles)

I especially love this one of Preston. He looks sooo handsome! Sweet little faces.

Ethan rolls over!

I LOVE this picture of Ethan. I thought I captured his sweet face so well! For the past month or so he has rolled over onto his tummy, it is so fun to see! The only thing I don't like about this milestone is that he gets frustrated after awhile and starts to cry. He can't roll back. He is three months old here, but is now four months.

Welcome Home Mom and Dad!

My parents just returned from their mission! They were serving in the British Virgin Islands on the island of Tortola for 18 months! They loved their mission. This is the picture that was taken at the airport. All five of us kids were able to be there to meet them! It was such a neat experience to see them come off of the plane. I am so proud of them for serving a mission, and I am so happy to have them home again!

To Vent...about life

Does anyone ever feel like there list of things to do is a mile long and there is no way one will ever get it done? It is overwhelming and frustrating. Not to mention my two almost three year old is driving me crazy! He yells and screams and it wakes up my four month old, does anyone have any suggestions about yelling and screaming of toddlers or behavior isssues like hitting and how to discipline when NOTHING works!
Now I feel bad, but please help!

Our Growing Boy!

Three months old already! I was trying to catch a smile while holding the camera!

Two months old here

This was Easter Sunday, he wore the cutest little suit! He was a month old here.

What a gal!

Hey if you haven't heard yet, Oprah is giving away a free meal to KFC! So go to www.oprah.com/kfc and print out the coupon. It is a pretty great deal! I am excited to try the new "grilled" chicken! But you better hurry because you can only print out the coupon today until midnight!

Mother's Day Giveaway!

Go to http://www.themeanestmom.blogspot.com and enter to win! There are a lot of prizes so those that enter lets all cross our fingers to win somethin!

Oh and thank you to all of you who left your emails. I have had so many responses from so many friends all over and I really appreciate it! I guess there are people in Iowa that know me!

Contemplating...

Hey Blog Readers!
I have been contemplating for sometime whether I should make my blog private. I thought to myself, "oh that's no fun" because I love to blog hop(guilty:) I then added a live feedjet just to see who came on my blog and that was interesting. Who in Pennsylvania knows me? hmmm. So anyway, the needle that broke the hay stack was the Oprah I saw today about internet predators and it got me thinking. So it is just a thought right now, but I might do it. Leave your email if you want to continue to follow my blog. Thanks!

Win a Nursing Cover!

Go to SewMuchAdo .blogspot.com and sign up! I hope I win! It would be so nice to have one because it can be so uncomfortable to nurse out in public. All of the material on her blog is so cute too! So go and check it out!

My Boys!

Dad with his boys, Joel is so proud!

Preston wants to hold Ethan all the time now, but as soon as he cries he says, "all done mom, all done." I love this one of Preston's face.

Ethan is a few weeks old here. He is getting so big so fast! He is quite the little smiley baby. He started to smile when he was five weeks old! (not to brag, but it is sooo cute! and so fun!) I will have to catch one on camera for all to see!

American Idol

Hey! I noticed I haven't posted in a month and I couldn't believe it! Time has flown by so fast! I wanted to tell you all about my excitement for this season of American Idol. Even though I can't just sit down and watch it all the way through due to feeding Ethan or getting Preston ready for bed. I really enjoy all of the contestants and their differences this year. My favorite singers are are : Anoop, Danny, Allison, Chris, and Adam. I like Megan Joy's voice, the jazzy style, she is unique, but I did not like the song she sang last night, or the week before. I think she might have a chance to go home. I usually really like Matt Giraurd, but I didn't like his song choice last night. I think Scott from Scottsdale is so talented, but his song choices are kind of interesting, even though I did like that he chose a Billy Joel song last night. It will be interesting to see who goes home tonight!

Here he is!

Proud Mama

Proud daddy

Sweet big brother Preston

snug as a bug in a rug

Look at that big boy!

Our new bundle of Joy!

I am sorry it has taken me forever to post anything. It has started to settle down a bit here at the homestead so I felt like I could post something.
Ethan Elbert John was born on February 5th at 2:40 a.m. He weighed 8 lbs 9 oz. which was exactly what Preston weighed! I thought that was amazing since I had never heard of that before. My labor and delivery was like night and day compared to Preston's. He is my easy baby so far, which is just what I needed and prayed for. He sleeps really good and eats really good. I feel so blessed to have him here and healthy. All I need to do now is post pics of him.... so keep checking back!

Still here and no baby

Well, I have tried pretty much everything I can think of to start my labor, except for jumping on a trampoline and running up a flight of stairs. I did go on a 45 minute walk this morning and that included a big hill, and I did drink some castor oil mixed in with a strawberry frosty, I couldn't taste the oil thank goodness! I think this baby is just comfy and cozy and doesn't want to budge. Preston came on his due date and I think this baby has a great chance of doing the same. Oh well, the 4th is only 4 days away. I guess I can handle that, as long as it is only 4 more days.

Here are some random pics of our Christmas vacation I wanted to post

I am huge I know! I think I am 35 or 36 weeks here.

Preston and Joel riding the lawnmower in Buckeye.

We got a portable potty for Christmas from Joel's parents. Gross huh!?

Cutie patootie! This is probably one of the only times I have got him to smile at the camera!