Marostica

Our First Christmas...

2012-01-21T01:08:00.007-05:00

Our first Christmas with just the four of us rather. I have to admit I was a little worried that the excitement of Santa coming and the opening of presents would go by so quickly, and that we would end up looking at each other thinking is that it? I worried for nothing.

The Nativity story was reenacted. Santa worked overtime on Kate's kitchen that came with over 200 screws. Justin and I went to bed later than usual. The kids woke up earlier than usual. Zach finally got his DSi. Kate got her dog, that walks. Justin got a book about poop...long story. I got my boots. We went to church to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas, and I hosted my first Christmas dinner.

What was going to feel like a low key Christmas, ended up being just the Christmas we needed. It helped that my brother Jeff and his family came into town at the last minute. Zach and Kate love having them around. Lots of cousin time was consumed!

Santa brought a Kitchen for Kate and a Lego Table for Zach!

Kate with her dog Charlotte. At least that was her name today when I asked. It changes frequently!

Finally! His very own DSi..no more having to watch over some one's shoulder.

Justin's poop book. It is actually a pretty funny read.

And in case anyone wondered what I look like when I wake up...wonder no more.

Justin has been wanting a sweater vest. Don't ask. I don't have answers, but he loves it and wears it every Sunday.

A big shout out goes to Grandma Raelynn for my table make-over. The top used to be brown. She sanded it a million times and painted it a million times while she was out visiting in September. Let's just say it took a lot of patience that I clearly do not have. Her hard work made for a festive table setting though. I think I could get into the whole entertaining thing. I see why people collect dishes.

2011 Christmas Card...

2012-01-15T18:23:00.004-05:00

If you didn't get our Christmas Card this year, it wasn't because we don't love you, its because we don't have your address! A big thanks goes to my SIL at MST Photography, for cruising over to our place, to snap a picture with her nice camera of us in front of our first home. I realized I have not posted any pictures yet and we have been living here for over 6 months. We love our new neighborhood! There are tons of kids to play with, hardly any cars driving by, and we have a park right next door making up for our lack of backyard. We live in a double culdesac, weird right? It's a good thing though because culdesacs encourage all the kids to play with each other in the street in front of our houses, again making up for our lack of backyard. We love it here!

T'was the Season...

2012-01-09T18:33:00.006-05:00

Yep, pretty sure life just keeps happening and my journaling gets more and more sporadic. Good thing it's never too late to reflect. We had a lot of "firsts" this past season. In keeping with tradition, we set out the weekend after Thanksgiving to Lock Lollyland, the best tree farm around, and cut down our first "live" Christmas tree to put in our first home. Exciting right? It was, but not as exciting as it was to sit on Santa's lap as an adult. The things we do for our kids. Santa was more than willing bless him. Poor Kate is shy and Santa was a little bit too scary for her this year. Zach had to read her wish list for her. He is such a good brother.

We gingerbreaded too. Now I'm making up words! Picture me trying to frost and assemble the walls and roof together, trying to get the house to set with just my two hands, and you get a pretty good idea of how I feel about this tradition. But again, the things we do for our kids. They loved the candy part, both the decorating and the eating.

We watched some of our favorite Christmas movies too! The faves were How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Home Alone. They never do get old.

Zach's Birthday Week...

2011-12-13T03:39:00.002-05:00

I say a week, because every day this past week something was always about Zach! This year was a family birthday year, so the extra days of feeling a little birthday love were great! It started out with Grandma Laraine cooking up his favorite pasta dinner, and ending in cake and BEYBLADES on Sunday! Tuesday morning he opened gifts before school, and ate dinner at Red Robin that night, adding more beyblades to his collection. Over the weekend he lost his tooth(well Kate knocked it out with a pillow, but it was loose to begin with) and got a hair cut. Then yesterday he had birthday lunch with the principal(she has lunch with all the kids who have december birthdays and gave wach one of them a Krispy Kreme dounut) of his school and came home to a gift from Grandma Raelynn and Grandpa Marty. I have to say he had a pretty darn good week! Turning 7 isn't so bad.

Pinkalicious...

2011-11-16T11:37:00.002-05:00

My mom, my sister and I took the girls to see Pinkalicious. This was Kate's first musical and she loved it! It ran for a little over an hour which was perfect. She has asked to go see it again and every time we get on the freeway she states, "This is how you get to Pinkalicious!" Her favorite color is no longer purple...it's now Pink. Kate has not been into pictures lately and gets all embarrassed about it, but I managed to bribe her for a couple.

Fall 2011...

2011-11-12T19:25:00.002-05:00

Our entire fall consisted of soccer, soccer, did I mention soccer? 5 out of the 7 days in a week, over the past two and half months, Zach had practice or a game, and two games on Stuardays...just sayin'. Justin had Zach in two leagues this fall, which lets be honest, I was worried about. I was worried that he would have melt downs about having to go to practice because he was tired, get hurt for playing in a second grade league, etc. I could not have been more wrong. There is something about having a goalie and a larger playing field that motivated Zach to try his best! Kick and chase was fun too, just not as challenging. I played the role of the chauffeur, minus the SUV soccer mom thing, Kate played the cheerleader, a cute one I might add, and Justin was the co-coach for both teams. Zach had a great season, scoring a few goals here and there, survived without any injuries, and loved playing with all his buddies from school, especially Nate.

Halloween 2011...

2011-11-01T01:04:00.006-04:00

October was packed with Halloween Festivities. We hit up the Plumper Pumpkin Patch a couple of times, once to play with all the cousins, and another to pick out our pumpkins. This farm is awesome and every year they add something new. This year it was the hay bale slides. The pic below shows you how obedient Kate is these days, not to mention the little Diva attitude she has to boot! This pose is all her doing, there was no "coaching" involved on my part.

Justin and I were invited to an Adults only Halloween Party. The theme was MTV's VMA's, so we decided to appear as Snooki and Pauly D. Obviously Justin pulled this one off much better than I did. I am as white as they come. I think I need a little more junk in thrunk and some cushion, if you know what I mean. The party was so much fun, as you can see Fergie, Marie Osmond, Justin Beiber, Snoop, Cyndi Lauper, Usher, Bono, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, KISS, Britney Spears, and Elvis were also there, just to name a few.

Grandma and Grandpa threw a little Halloween party for the kids. The kids bobbed for apples, ate donuts off of a string, decorated cookies and had a fun time dressing up in all their costumes. It's always fun when Grandma and Grandpa do it up big.

And of course tonight was fun too! We live behind Ironwood, a neighborhood that gives out the "big" candy bars at Halloween, so Zach(a clone trooper) and Kate(Cinderella), were in heaven hitting up all those houses this year.

Old Videos...

2011-10-23T00:45:00.002-04:00

The kids and I were going back through our blog tonight and watching all of our old videos. So FUN! This one never actually made it on the blog for some reason. So here Zach is making his debut...as KISS!

It's Official...

2011-10-21T12:51:00.002-04:00

Justin bought my Dad's practice located in Tigard, a subarb of Portland. Never in a million years did Justin think he would own a practice this soon. It all seemed to just happen, and fast too! We ask ourselves if we are ready for this every day. My Dad and my brother Andy have been great "go to" people for all those burning questions you just seem to have when you are first starting out. I give Kuddos to all those dental students who graduate and jump right in with two feet, without a lot of help. It is a lot of work. We just hope that all this work pays off in the end. It definitely makes you wish sometimes that you worked for a corporation that came with a set salary and benefits. Being the boss has its perks, but so far it has just brought on a lot of people wanting to do this and that for set amounts of money, and thousands of questions about a lot of stuff, frankly we don't know. Is that bad? Hopefully we can get on top of this, and soon.

This is the building Justin signed the lease for, as the new location of the office, that he will move the practice into sometime next year. It is a block away from the location of where the practice is now. The new building is along a major hwy and has lots of visibility. It will pretty much be gutted and it has to be re-plumbed to accomidate a dental practice, but the exterior is great and will stay the same. Yay! for something we don't have to change! The new sign went up a couple of weeks ago and Justin is very pleased with how it turned out. Let the build out begin.

We will have to take a lot of before and after pictures. This is all we have so far...

What Happened to Barbies and My Little Pony...

2011-10-10T13:49:00.004-04:00

Kate is 4 today and what does she ask for?...A pink and purple ipod and Toms! The teenage years have arrived around here. I am scared to think of what she will want next year. Following family tradition, Grandma had a cake for her after dinner last night, and surprised her with a pair of pink sparkly Toms and the closest thing she'll ever get to an ipod at this point, an ipod charm neckless. She loves them both! We are having a little friend birthday this weekend and she can hardly wait.

These 4 years have gone by so fast. She has given us a couple good scares with RSV and Dehydration stays at the hospital back when we lived in PA, but has been healthy ever since. She is quite the tease and extremely expressive when she talks. Her angelina lips haven't gotten any smaller, and she thinks that she rules the roost around here, and who are we kidding, she pretty much does. She can be so brave and wonder the neighborhood helping herself into others' homes and then turn right around and put on this shy, "don't look at me" little girl act. She will always be our little "Oney". WE LOVE YOU MISS KATE!

Secretly Loving Attention...

2011-10-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows Kate, knows she runs very hot and cold when it comes to giving her attention. She will come downstairs in a cute headband or bow in her hair, and the minute you tell her how cute it looks, the next she is ripping it out of her hair, and telling us "Don't look at me!" Getting a picture from her can be so difficult and then at other times she loves it and poses willingly. I used to get frustrated but am proud to say that I have graduated to the whatever stage. They are who they are.

The day she received her new (hand-me-down) "lillytards" from her cousins Lauren and Maddi, in the mail, was a great day. She changed into this purple leotard and headed outside to show it off to all the neighborhood kids faster then I could blink. I had to capture her excitement...and she let me.

The Big 32...

2011-09-29T01:36:00.002-04:00

Another year and another birthday has come and gone. Between all the soccer practice, games, gymnastics, dance, school, and church, we managed to celebrate Justin's big day. According to Zach, we celebrated Dad's "Jimmer" birthday. 32 has become a very important number around these parts. For his big gift we finally purchased a Grill. Yep, you heard me right, our first BBQ in almost 10 years of marriage! We can hardly wait for it to be delivered. Happy Birthday Justin! We love you. And yes my kids' are sporting their blue Gatorade mustaches, which for the moment is their beverage of choice. Zach calls it "G serious." I am going to miss all of his pronunciation mistakes one day.

Zach and Kate's First Day...

2011-09-09T03:04:00.005-04:00

Zach started first grade at his new school, Bonny Slope Elementary, this week and has come home everyday just loving it! He has gotten himself ready every morning, dressed, lunch packed, even teeth brushed. Zach's teacher is Mrs. Weber. Her room is OCD organized so I love her already!

Kate has also been getting herself ready for school, especially with making sure her bed is made, boy I hope this routine lasts long. She finally started pre-school. This has been a long time coming. She has been more than ready, even though she won't let you know she loves it...she does! Her teachers are Miss Patty and Miss Valerie, aka "Miss Valerina". They are high energy. I guess you would have to be if you are going to be a teacher to pre-schoolers.

This week has been crazy busy with errands, soccer practice, etc. and it will only get worse as next week we add the second soccer team, gymnastics and dance to the already chaotic schedule. But I have loved watching these two take on some responsibility and can' believe how independent they are becoming.

PS - I think it's time for a new camera!

Beachy Beach...

2011-08-31T01:40:00.004-04:00

We headed down to Cannon Beach over the weekend for our last hoorah of the summer. My sister Heather had been down there all week, so we bombarded and came down to play for the day. Nothing like a little swimming, getting a little sand in every nook and cranny, a run to Bruce's Candy Shop, and roasting s'mores on the beach, to say farewell to free weekends and no schedule.

The kids start school on Tuesday and I can honestly say I am excited to get on a schedule again, but am dreading having to get up in the mornings and having to become the homework police again.

Zach's First Camp Out...

2011-08-16T04:08:00.003-04:00

What's a summer without a little camping right? Over the weekend, Grandpa took all the boy cousins and their dad's up to Mt. Hood. This was Zach's first time ever camping and he loved it! He raved about being able to sleep in a tent and talked long about the nature obstacle courses they imagined up in their heads and played on. The hike up to Ramona Falls was said to be about a 4 mile hike round trip, so when it actually turned out to be 7, I think they were all amazed the boys kept up and finished it out. I get a kick out of all their walking sticks. What's the point of those anyways? I have a feeling they were used as swords or ligthsavers of some type instead. They all had a great time and look forward to doing it all again. These are some of the pics the guys took with their phones of their weekend excursion. As always, Justin is representing in his gray BYU Soccer shirt. I swear he will be taking that shirt with him to his grave. Just for the record, I do buy him other shirts to wear...

Eagle Crest...

2011-07-29T21:39:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Justin attended a Dental Conference up in Central Oregon with my brother Andy, at a fun little resort called Eagle Crest. The kids and I were able to tag along on this trip, as well as Mari and the cousins.

The weather was perfect! I wish I could say we did a lot of things, considering how much Central Oregon has to offer, but really everything we did involved the pool. Zach and Kate could spend the entire day in the pool. Kate is a little fish and by the end of the weekend started swimming back and forth between me and Justin.

Brian and Marnae and their kids live up in Redmond so we got to meet our newest cousin, Jace, Marnae's latest addition. He is so cute and just a sweet little guy. I can't believe I did not take any pics of him, so you will have to click on her blog to see him.

Brian's parents live in a community that has their own private pool, so we spent an afternoon over at their place and had the entire pool to ourselves. The only thing missing was the boat to ski and tube behind.

What a great little getaway. One to be taken again hopefully.

Thank Goodness for Our Phones...

2011-07-18T13:39:00.009-04:00

As we drove off to the airport some couple of weeks ago to surprise Grandma and Grandpa with a little visit from us, I leaned over to Justin and asked, "You put the camera in my purse like you said you were going to do right?" Do I even need to explain the response I got? I hardly go anywhere without the camera, because if you know me, if it is worth taking a picture of, it is worth scrapbooking! His response?... "My phone is just as good!" Seriously? Needless to say this is our Droid documented summer vacay, and the uploads are tiny. I am thinking the phone is not the best for pictures. Until I get some pics sent from Gramdma(hint hint) these will have to do...

It was so fun to show Zach and Kate where we used to live. Ahh, good ol Colony! I don't miss it, but I do miss the memories and the friends we made, and the memories that were made in these apartments. I kept thinking about the races we used to make the kids do to the mailbox and back just to burn their energy. Ha! Going back to church in Valley Forge was like we were coming home, seriously, as if we never left. I loved seeing everyone there. We hit it right on testimony meeting, and I loved it because we got to hear from all our favorite people. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Everyone knows you gotta hit up Rita's when you go back east. It's that good!

The one summer we were in PA for the 4th it rained so hard that we didn't attempt to go see fireworks with Zach, who was only 2 at the time. But this year, we finally made it to the Lower Perkiomen Park Firewoks Display. We just happened upon some of our favorite friends, the Behunin's, Low's, Linn's, and Bro. Hope, and watched the fireworks with them and all their kids. So Fun!

These cupcakes were so YUMMY! What a great 4th of July.

We took Aunt Jayne down to Reading Terminal Market and walked to the Liberty Bell, even drove down Broad Street, past the dental school, pretty much gave her the grand tour of Philly. We just hope we didn't bore her to death. Justin got his cheese steak on!

We hit up Monkey Joe's, always a kid favorite and spent a day at "Pershey Hark", as Kate says. (Pics to come hopefully...Grandma hint hint)

We had a couple s'mores parties around the fire. Turns out ski poles are great roasting sticks!

You can't leave PA without stuffing your face at the best Breakfast Buffet, Shady Maple, plus it was grandma's birthday, so she got to eat for FREE. And you most definitely can't leave without passing through Intercourse. Amish people watching never gets old.

After Daddy left we hit up Rita's again! We also did a bunch of other fun things not pictured like shop the Pottery Barn Outlet, swim in the hot tub, go see Cars 2, etc.

We even hit up our old stomping grounds, Spring Valley Y, to get relief from all the humidity! I saw some old friends and it made my heart happy to hear that my classes are missed.

What a great trip! We were sad to say good-bye. We love Grandma and Grandpa and wish we could have the best of both worlds, with them and Justin's work in the same state at least. It is a nice to have someone who lives on the east coast though, not gonna lie, to enjoy the perks of being so close to NYC and being able to re-live old memories without breaking to bank on hotel stay...just sayin.

Oh and the good news? If you want to view these pics bigger, you can just go to my facebook! Phone Pics + blogger = Bad Phone pics + facebook = Good

Kate's On Two Wheels...

2011-06-30T03:05:00.003-04:00

It's true, Kate is riding a two wheeler! There are quite a few kids that live in our new neighborhood, and one of the favorite activities is to race on their bikes. They even have a "Finesh Line" chalked across the street. Yesterday, Kate had been riding our neigbor's balance bike all morning. When I came outside in the afternoon to check on them, she begged me to take off the training wheels on Zach's old bike. Honestly, I didn't want to, only because I was more afraid of her hitting the pavement. She is persistant though, and I obviously gave in, and now she's practically a pro! It literally took her one try with me holding on to the back and running along side of her. She kept pedalling faster and I was soon left in the dust.

This is footage I took of her right after she learned yesterday.

Oh Kate...

2011-06-08T13:05:00.003-04:00

There are really only two ways we find you these days. One,is in your swimsuit,which once again we caught you fast asleep on the couch, and Two, is in your "Lillytard" aka "The White Dress". You are obsessed with these items and your world would not be complete without them. Your latest favorite thing to do is dance around the house to your "Primpess" music. We have recently unpacked some old toys, and you re-discovered your Disney Princess Portable CD player. You have been in heaven ever since, dancing around on every surface of Grandma's house.

T-ball...

2011-05-15T18:57:00.006-04:00

Zach is playing T-ball for the first time. It's pretty cute watching a bunch of bobble heads running around bases. But let's just be honest, the game is played little too slow for Zach. In yesterday's game there was a little girl on the opposing team taking a few aims at the ball on the T before actually attempting to hit it off of the T, and Zach yelled, all the way from outfield, "Hurry Up!" Maybe not putting him in coach pitch was a mistake. I just wanted him to start easy, so he could learn the basics and wouldn't be afraid of a ball flying at his face.

Even though it is on the slow side, he does love being up to bat, and loves when the ball gets hit anywhere near his direction. I am impressed with him really. The first time he fielded a grounder, playing short stop, he immediately tagged the runner coming from first. It took everybody by surprise, including Justin and me. Way to go Zach!

Spring Soccer...

2011-05-06T03:57:00.000-04:00

Because Fall soccer was not enough, we are into the spring soccer season full swing. Zach's team is called the Beagles, and he has a brand new coach...Justin! For as long as I can remember, even before we had Zach, Justin has always said that he wanted to coach his kid's soccer team. Well, he's getting his chance, and Zach is loving it! Zach loves it so much that he has decided that he is the assistant coach. I had to run practice last week because Justin was stuck at work and Zach was telling me what to do. It was a good thing though, because I don't know the first thing about how to run a soccer practice.

The Hunt 2011...

2011-05-04T03:39:00.006-04:00

Easter was really fun this year. We were so glad the weather cooperated so we could have the Easter Egg Hunt outside. All the cousins were invited, the extended ones too! So naturally, when we all get together, it has to be documented with a picture. Here is the result. Don't they look excited? Well, Kate was, but not sure if it was more about the thrill of the hunt that was two minutes away, or her being able to dress up and "look pretty", as she told me, in her purple dress. She is developing quite the personality these days. Zach was a mad man gathering up everything in sight. Kate took her time and was so excited and had to show me every single egg she had found before plopping it into her basket. And so the sugar high came and has slowly been moving its way out.

Some Comings and Goings...

2011-04-24T00:19:00.005-04:00

Uncle Tyson and Aunt Jayne stopped here on their way to Philly for the summer. They weren't here very long. just enough to get some dental work done, celebrate Jayne's 20th birthday(man does that make me feel old), and to have the kids in tears as they disappeared into the airport. Zach and Kate absolutely loved having them here. They had them busy playing all sorts of things.

Kate was so tired after they left, this is the second time we caught her asleep in a random place. We thought she was watching ET, but with a closer look, she was sacked out, lip gloss and all!

Next up was Egg Dyeing with the cousins. Zach was so proud of his BYU egg. He is still talking about how great Jimmer is.

Zach ran in his school's fundraiser, Running for the Arts. He ran 11 laps around the school track in 30 minutes. 4 1/2 laps is a mile. I think we have a little runner on our hands.

And now Easter and a week away from May. Where does the time go?

A Chance to Look Back...

2011-04-03T18:33:00.004-04:00

I am horrible at erasing my emails. I read them and never delete them. I guess I never thought my email account would ever get full. But, recently I have been getting my old emails, I mean extremely old emails, like 8 years ago emails. It's like my email account is resending them to me to get me to make a decision about whether to keep them or to finally delete them.

I have to say this has been a blessing in disguise. Back then I am not sure blogging even existed really, so it's like life is giving me a second chance to capture Zach as an infant. Look at these pics of Zach that I emailed out 8 years ago. These were taken the summer we moved to Philly for dental school. We spent the summer with Justin's parents in Lewisburg, while trying to find a place to live. These pics bring back such fun memories. He loved Princess(the dog) and would crawl over to her and want to pet her. She is such a nice dog and loved all the attention. The other pics were taken at dinner time. He was the entertainment at every meal, holding his leg out in second, playing pat-a-cake, and his most unforgettable moment of all, the routine #2 in the diaper...which Justin referred to as making room for more food.

But even more memories were captured in these photos then I thought. Like Justin's parent's old house in Lewisburg, the house that marked Justin's "Glory Days". Yes, he had them...do I dare go into details? Two Words - Triple Threat! The cabinet behind Zach in his high chair is Grandpa Marty's old bottle collection. Zach bumped into this cabinet a few times that gave Grandpa a little scare. One of those bottles had an old dead mouse in it! If you ever wanted to tease Grandpa, all you had to do was get near this collection and threaten to shake it.

There are a ton of memories in this kitchen. Lots of late night runs to Rita's and The Freeze were eaten in this room. Endless hours of talking took place here. Sounds of Barry Manilow and Christmas Music were blasted in this room. Seriously the list could go on forever.

So yes, not deleting your emails has benefits...tons! Because of my old emails re-surfacing, I can re-save the pictures I have lost twice from old laptops that decided to break. I love that I am able to go back and blog about what happened in the past, and glad I am still young enough to remember it all. Second chances are good!

On to the Next...

2011-03-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

Basketball is officially over. Zach is already looking forward to playing again next year. Eight games just wasn't enough for him. He had so much fun playing and really improved each week. This is a little footage from his very last game... Look at that follow through. He is channeling his inner Jimmer!

And Then There Were 21...

2011-03-24T00:24:00.003-04:00

My sister Heather just had her fourth. His name is Christian Armstrong Lambert, and he came in weighing a whopping 9lbs. 4oz. He is the 21st grandchild on my side of the family. My sister and her husband are more private people so I won't be posting a pic of him on here, but this is the gift I made for her. It is a first for me. I am not really sure what to call it but I decided to go with the car seat tent! Nice! Anyways, for someone who has everything by the fourth child, she didn't have this and I have been wanting to sew something with pom pom trim for over a year now. Well, I finally got my chance and if you want to see the entire "How to" as in how to make one yourself, I posted all the pics and directions on my Stampin' Up! Blog. Congrats Heather and Steve!

Friends with Benefits...

2011-03-12T23:45:00.003-05:00

Zach and Kate went to their first Blazer game last week. And thanks to an invite from our neighbor, Margie, experienced their first NBA game in style, with a box suite. It's nice to be spoiled every once and awhile. This was no exception with the endless amounts of food and drinks, bathroom on site, and the ability to play musical chairs. I have to admit as much as it was nice for the kids, it felt even better for Justin and me. But, now how are we ever going to want to go to a game again unless it is in a box suite? As Grandma RaeLynn would say "Why take the covered wagon, when you can take the cadillac?" We had a great time. It was worth keeping the kids up past their bedtime, on a school night, to have such a fun night out.

Kate' First Talk...

2011-03-01T00:51:00.004-05:00

Or should I say Justin's? It is still hard to believe that Kate is a sunbeam now. But sure enough just shy of being two months out of the gate, she gets an assignment to talk in Primary. We practiced for a week, not lying! A week because if she is anything like her momma, she was sure to cry through the entire talk and have her dad end up giving the talk. We practiced and practiced and performed it for Grandma, Dad and Zach. She even got to the point where she had some of it memorized. But of course in the end, her name was called to give the talk, and just with the call of her name she broke down in tears. She wouldn't even hold up the props. Justin ended up giving the talk. Maybe next time, things will be different. But then again, if she is like me, she won't dare give a talk until she turns 16! Why is giving a talk so scary?

Here she is all gussied up, and ready to give her talk a go. I sent her off to church(I had to stay home with Zach, who had a case of the Stomach flu), with high hopes that all would go well. Well it didn't but get this...later that day, 2 hours after she had been home from church, Justin asked her that if mommy had been there to help her, would she have given her talk? She said yes. Great! But then again, she talks a big talk. Just like when I know she has been into something she shouldn't be and I ask her if she has done it?...She blames her baby.

It Finally Snowed...

2011-02-18T01:41:00.007-05:00

And more than 2 inches this past Tuesday! The snow didn't really start falling until Zach was off to school, and melted shortly after he came home, so he didn't really get to enjoy it. But Kate and I did! We had so a fun morning building a snowman and trying out the new sled Santa brought for Christmas.

Kate has been quite the little entertainer lately. She is especially into music and dancing.

My Funny Little Valentine...

2011-02-15T01:44:00.005-05:00

Well not really mine, as in my own child, but a funny little girl in Zach's class.

Here is the preface...
All the kids in Zach's class had just finished eating their treats from their little party, and his teacher, Mr. McBeth, had them all seated on the carpet to discuss what traditions their family had on Valentine's Day, or what was their family going to do special today, in honor of Valentine's Day.

Here's where it gets good...
The kids talked about going out to eat, or making sandwiches in the shape of a heart, etc. when suddenly one little girl, raised her hand, and said, "My mom and dad are going to have sex!"

We(all the adults in the room) were dying!!! Mr. McBeth chuckled, I busted up laughing, and her poor mom in the back of the room was in denial. Luckily, none of the kids caught on to what she had said, but I tell you, kids say the darnedest things!

Happy Valentine's Day!

On Two Wheels...

2011-02-13T00:50:00.005-05:00

The cold wintery month of January seems to be to most unlikely month to learn how to ride a bike, but not for Zach.

Fortunately, we have been having some unusually great weather for January here in Portland. So a couple of weeks ago the kids and I were outside shooting some hoops and Kate was riding Zach's old bike. I decided to grab his big boy bike that he refused to learn how to ride this past summer, and began riding circles around him as he was shooting hoops. I teased him a little about how I could ride his bike and he couldn't, in a nice mommy way of course. But then I thought about it and started to ask him if he wanted to try to ride it. I tried to make him feel confident that he wouldn't get hurt because he could touch the ground without falling over because he has grown a few inches. My teasing payed off because although very nervous, five minutes into his attempt to ride a two wheeler, he became a "pro", as he described his new found skill.

I am so proud of him. And more importantly he is so proud of himself. He has become more daring since he learned two weeks ago, and is now picking up more speed and attempting to stand up on the pedals.

On to Basketball...

2011-01-24T00:10:00.004-05:00

Zach is taking a little break from soccer and is now into basketball, and loving it! Saturday was his first game. He had Justin up at 8am for a little early morning practice just to make sure he was ready. But even at 7am he had gotten completely dressed, and had his basketball in his backpack and was pacing with excitement. The pacing reminds me so much of when Justin and I were first married. Before all of Justin's BYU soccer games, he was dressed and ready to go two hours before he had to be there and would be pacing our little 600 sq. ft. apartment. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Zach had a successful first game and even scored a basket, but of course I didn't get it on tape.

Here's a few highlights...

And a Month Later...

2011-01-18T00:57:00.003-05:00

I am finally getting around to Christmas! So I will keep this short and sweet. We had a great Christmas this year. And as every year goes, it came and went all too quickly! Zach was especially excited for the gifts portion of the festivities this year, no matter how many times we tried to remind him the real reason for the season. The big hits this year were the clone trooper costume, plasma cars and the homemade quilts from Grandma RaeLynn.

It is always fun to see who will be in town for Christmas every year, and this year Casey and his family decided to come into town. As much as it is crazy when all the cousins get together, it is also a fun time. Zach loves having so many cousins around and seems to disappear for hours playing when they are all around. We are hoping Kate learns to do the same but she is very much into her territorial stage of life, and likes to make what is hers known, in her ever so sweet and sassy ways to boot.

All in all it was a nice Christmas. My mom and siblings made some yummy food, and we had an over abundance of kids to role play in our annual nativity. Snow would have been nice, but then again we weren't freezing. Next year I am hoping to be more prepared so it won't go by so fast. SO much for short and sweet huh?

Let's Go Oregon...

2011-01-10T01:41:00.004-05:00

After Zach's basketball practice on Saturday, we stopped by Krispy Kreme for a little doughnut love and look what we found! Aren't these the cutest little snowmen, all decked out for the Oregon game?

University of Oregon has had an amazing season. I know this not because I have watched every game, but because of the loyal fans around these parts who wear their yellow and green like its going out of style. I have to say it is fun to be surrounded by all the hype and its hard not to want to jump on the bandwagon. Although we will always bleed white and blue, for today let's go Ducks!

Oh and Amy that maple bar is just for you! YUM

Our New Cousin Anderson...

2011-01-04T15:57:00.003-05:00

It has already been a month, and I finally got a few pics of this big guy with the kids. For some reason they won't hold him, but they love to look at at him and tell the grown-ups around what he is doing and thinking. He is a sweet baby and we are excited to have a new cousin to play with. Congrats Paige and Patrick!

Family Pictures 2010...

2010-12-26T19:26:00.009-05:00

My sister-in-law Mari took these photos of us this October. She did a great job on these and we couldn't thank her enough for sqeezing us in. To see more of her work check out her photography BLOG!

He Lost His Tooth...

2010-12-20T11:38:00.004-05:00

Zach has officially joined the missing teeth club, if there is such a thing of course. His permanant tooth had been growing behind his baby tooth, so I took him in to see Justin. Justin cleaned his teeth and then started numbing the front of his mouth. Without telling Zach what he was doing, he reached in with his pliers and yanked the tooth out! Zach cried for a moment and then settled still with no idea that his tooth had been pulled. As Justin sat him up we had him look on the tray and there was his tooth. Zach's response was "Cool!" and then moments later, "That didn't even hurt!", and a couple minutes later, "I was so brave!" I would have to agree, no shot, no indication of anyone pulling your tooth, you are brave Zach!

Now if he would just put his tooth under his pillow, maybe the tooth fairy would pay him a visit, but he is too proud of this tooth, that he is waiting until all his cousins have had a chance to look at it before rendering it to the tooth fairy.

Happy Birthday Zach-a-doo!

2010-12-12T02:00:00.005-05:00

Zach turned 6! Wow time flies. It seems like just the other day I was in the hopsital looking over at him sleeping in his new born plastic bed, thinking...I am this this little guy's mom, and feeling so inadequate. But look, we made it, 6 years, and many more to come.

This year was the STARS WARS all boy party, and it was wild, 3-D glasses, Darth Vador masks and all! I think the boys all had a good time. We ate pizza and had cupcakes, played games, opened some presents, and even took some swings at a pinata. Zach scored on his legos and star wars garb, and has been in birthday gift heaven ever since. He's just a little obsessed.

Here's the annual breakdown on Zach:
Loves anything and everything star wars
Loves him some legos
Thinks that now that he is 6 he is automatically a first grader
Loves his soccer and gymnastics classes
Loves the Upside Down Show
And is obsessed with the calendar and counting down the days to the main events in his life, such as holidays, birthdays, playdates, dinner with the cousins, full day Kindergarten, and such.

Zach we love you! We love your enthusiasm for life. You are incredibly sensitive and very thoughtful. You brighten our family and we could not imagine life without you.

O Christmas Tree...

2010-12-06T01:35:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we took off to Lock Lolly Land, the best Christmas Tree Farm around these parts, in search for the perfect tree to put up in grandma and grandpa's house. This was Zach and Kate's first experience with cutting down a real tree. Zach, of course loved the whole saw aspect of it, as did his cousin Kyle. But it was Justin's saw skills that were put to the test.

After we loaded the tree up, we saw Santa and his reindeer. Kate told Santa she wants a puppy and Zach wants anything and everything starwars and legos related. I love the fact that I didn't have to pay an ounce for this picture with Santa by the way. This was a perfect way to get into the festive mood. Definitely a family tradition for years to come.

GO Shutterfly...

2010-11-29T20:13:00.006-05:00

Okay, so here we go again...the choice between which holiday card to choose has arrived!!! Luckily shutterfly has made it easy for me this year. Not only are they offering this amazing deal for bloggers, but they have the best selection. Believe me, I have looked. Shutterfly gets a WIN this year in my book. So here are my choices...

Traditional

OR

Modern

And I think I am going to have to design my own calendar for Christmas. All you have to do is upload your photos and they'll do the rest! Great gift idea right? I am thinking the hub might like this in his office at work. My sister-in-law makes one for Grandma and Grandpa every year. We always look forward to what pictures she has used for the annual calendar.

If you are a blogger check Shutterfly out for your great deal! And for the rest of you non-bloggers check Shutterfly out for all your holiday needs. And if you don't get around to that holiday card this year make sure to check them out throughout the year. Who says you can't send out a Valentine's card. We had some friends do that in the past and I loved that idea.

For Our 8 Year Anniversary...

2010-11-25T13:24:00.019-05:00

In July, we celebrated by going downtown to Papa Haydn's for some dessert. It sounds pretty anti-climatic, but for us it wasn't, knowing that a few months later we were going to go to Kauai! Anyone who knows Justin is shocked and amazed that we even went. Some might call him cheap, others call him tight. I'll be nice and sum it up to one simple word..SAVER. So when the Broadbents had put the invite on the table, back in May, Austen, Val and I were shocked to hear the words "Yes", utter from his mouth.

We had been putting a few bucks away each month since he started his residency, so we were saving for a rainy day. We just didn't expect to ever treat ourselves to a trip to Kauai. But we are so glad we did. Kauai was honestly the best trip we have ever taken.

This was us the night of our anniversary...exciting I know. Everybody loves dessert.

And here we are, three months later, eating in Paradise. Actually the Kalypso, but you get the idea.

The second day we were there we took a short hike down to Queen's Bath up in Princeville.

Val and Austen are getting their snorkel on!

The third day we took a guided kayak tour up the Wailua River and hiked up to Secret Falls. Kauai was having unusually dry weather, so the falls weren't running at their fullest, but water was still trickling down. It was so pretty.

The Fourth day we drove down to the south side of the island to Poipu Beach. This beach was definitely your typical tropical beach. Lots of people were there for that reason. The snorkling was awesome.

After spending a few hours at Poipu, went went to play at Kipu Falls. This was the trail we walked to get there. Kauai is seriously a jungle! And out of no where appeared these Falls with a huge pool below. We had tons of fun jumping off the waterfall and Austen was the brave one who tried out the rope swing.

We all thought we had de-salted ourselves at Kipu Falls, but as you can see Justin was saving a few salt crystals in his stache...

Furthur down the south side of the island is Spouting Horn. The tide comes into the rockside and blows right through it making the sound of a horn, and when the tide is really high the water blasts through the spout, kind of like Old Faithful, but much more frequent.

At the end of the day we attempted to head to Barking Sands, but ended up at McArthur Beach for a gorgeous sunset. You can see the Islands off this coast where tourists aren't allowed to visit. That night we stopped by Mark's Place, for a little authentic Chicken Katsu and other Hawaiian goodies. A man who works there talked to us for awhile about those islands and about how the islanders that live on them basically live off the land...no electricity, hot water, etc. I of course pictured the girls in coconuts and the all of them, men and women, in grass skirts. I know...probably not, but don't ruin it for me.

The next morning Tyson and Jayne flew in from Honolulu to hang with us for the weekend. We went and hiked a little bit of the Napoli Coast on the northern part of the island. It was gorgeous!

A little body surfing...

The next day we took a boat tour up the West side of the island to see the rest of the Napoli coast that we didn't see from our hike. Part of the tour was stopping and letting us out to snorkel for a bit. The fish are all so different and even vary from the different parts of the island. They also slowed down to let us watch the patches of spinner dolphins that swam and performed by our boat. Amazing! The Naopli's are really majestic.

The fifth day we headed to Anini Beach on the north side of the island. A little rockier but crazy how far out you could go snorkling before the waves broke. The reef was huge.

We attempted to see the Lighthouse, but didn't make it before it closed. At least we got to see it from a distance while we were at Anini Beach. But, yet again, another great sunset, this time going down behind the Napoli coast line.

The last day we hung out at Hanalai Bay. Our favorite beach by far! Tons of surfers, tons of locals, and great waves for body surfing. A couple days prior, the beach was closed because of how big the waves were from the swells, but the day we went, it was perfect! The little town of Hanalai was also our favorite hangout. We ate there the most...Bubba's Burger, Tropical Taco, Kalypso, etc.

Before we dropped Val and Austen off at the airport we stopped by a local's house to get some flower leis. The lady's husband picked these flowers from his yard and gave them to us to put behind our ears.

This was a lookout not too far from our villa in Princeville. Usually you can see tons of waterfalls falling off the mountainside, but like I said, they had not had that much rain, so they weren't running. The amount of green was still so beautiful.

Kauai was amazing. I would go back in a heartbeat! We are so thankful Val and Austen thought to invite us. I bet they didn't think we would say yes when they asked, but hopefully they enjoyed having us there as much as we liked having the company of them. This goes down as the best vacation to date! I am so thankful my parents were willing to watch the kids for us. I think that allowed us to relax and enjoy ourselves that much more, just because we knew the kids were being taken care of. We brought home some gifts of course, one of which was a Hula Girl outfit and for Zach a Ukulele.

Uncle Brandon...

2010-11-15T17:55:00.002-05:00

Uncle Brandon came for a visit back in October over Halloween weekend. He came up to get some dental work done, so it wasn't exactly a vacation. But we did manage to take a little side trip to Cannon Beach. It was so windy, but still beautiful, even though there wasn't an ounce of blue sky. At least it wasn't raining. The kids had a great time wrestling with him, and I liked the free entertainment he brought...thanks uncle Brandon. Hopefully the next time he comes for a visit it won't be all dental related.

Kate wasn't really having it in the windy conditions.

Paige's Baby Shower...

2010-11-13T11:03:00.003-05:00

Last night was Paige's baby shower. So, it being her first baby, I thought it would be nice to make her a quilt. When my mom and I were up visiting Marnae this summer we ran over to the Stitching Post, our favorite frabic store in Sisters, OR. My mom and I spotted this line and I knew it would be perfect for Paige.

The last quilt I made came from a kit, all nicely pre-cut, so this was a bit harder trying to figure out just how much fabric I would need. The poor lady at the Stiiching Post probably thought, with all the questions about measuring I had for her, that I was in over my head. And I very well could have been, because If I needed more I would have to travel 3 hours to get more. Luckily after cutting it all out I had just enough. After sewing it all up I sent it off to have it quilted by my wonderful friend Cami. She lives in Utah and her mother-in-law has a long arm. She did an amazing job! I love the way it turned out...so much I wanted to keep it for myself. I think this is going to be an ongoing problem if I keep making these.

My mom and I also made our first Diaper Cake. These are so much fun! You definitely need two sets of hands. I made the little owl topper with my Stampin'Up stuff. Click HERE to look at all the other stuff I have been making.

A lot of good friends came in support for Paige, and I think she is ready to pop this little guy out. We are excited to meet him and maybe a little more excited just to see how Paige parents' this little guy. She has lots of ideals as most new moms do, so we all are wondering how long it will take before she throws them out the door and just does what works.

The Rugrats...

2010-11-03T13:12:00.004-04:00

That is the name of Zach's Soccer Team. Now that it is all over and done with, I am finally getting around to the pictures..which are sadly not many. Well, I guess I have more but they didn't make the cut for the ol' blog. Anyways, he loved soccer yet again, did you have any doubts? Instead of one game a week though he got to play two. At every single game with the exception of one, Zach scored a goal. Can I get a Whoot Whoot? Thank you 3 on 3 for giving my kid so many opportunities to score a goal, and feel such accomplishments on the field. I have to give a lot of credit to his coach. He was so patient and extremely positive with all the kids, seriously he was so great! Zach really improved a lot. He is way more aggressive than he ever was before and instead of running around the kids to get the ball, he runs staight through them. We can't forget the best part...the trophy! Zach received his first out of all his teammates, which he claims is because the coaches thought he was the most valuable player for scoring all the goals in their last game. SO humble right? I wasn't there to witness because we were in Kuaui, but I like to believe what I hear. He made some great friends, Noah and Adam. These three on the field together were quite the threesome. They are first graders, so the chance that Zach might play with these kids again won't be until high shool. Sad huh? That is unless we all sign up for the same club soccer...which could happen.

Halloween 2010 Presents...

2010-11-02T02:41:00.004-04:00

Mario and Princess Peach! Or should I say "Pimpess Peach", as Kate would say. Zach spotted this costume back in August while looking through the a Costume catalog. He just had to have it. It only made sense to make Kate be his Princess Peach. I don't think she minded it much. We had a great Halloween, filled with a trunk-or-treat, scavenger hunt and loads of candy and treats!

The Other Pumpkin Patch...

2010-10-30T12:44:00.004-04:00

Well I can officially say the rainy season has begun here in Oregon. Ugh... I don't remember growing up thinking that it rained a lot here, but this week I was reminded. My brother Andy was on the phone with me the other night and I was complaining to him, and all he could say was "Ashley, this is Oregon...from the middle of October to July 4th, this is Oregon, with a few days here and there of nice weather." One would think I could remember this...afterall it has only been 15 years since I last lived here. On the brighter side at least it is mostly a light rain and not a down pour, and the amount of green I get to see all year, instead of brown, makes it all worth it, next to the no sales tax.

So every day this week has been rainy except for Wednesday and yesterday. Not too bad right? To take advantage of the dryer day on Wednesday I took the kids out to Sauvie's Island to The Pumpkin Patch. I went with some friends from church earlier this month(when the weather was 80 degrees and bright blue skies), but Zach wasn't with me, so I wanted to give him the chance to go.

I love this patch. You can see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and all the colored leaves on the trees of Forest Park, even though you are so low in the valley. The kids love it for the cow train ride, the tractor ride out to the actual pumpkin patch, and the hay pyramids they can crawl through and climb on top of.

Last night I surprised them with their glow-in-the-dark Halloween jammies. They ran around the house "Glue-ing", as Kate called it. The skeleton snow angel was by far the favorite glow-in-the-dark action. Why is Halloween so fun? It is becoming one of my favorite holidays.

Plumper Pumpkin Patch...

2010-10-28T03:05:00.004-04:00

A couple miles down the road from my parent's house is the Plumper Pumpkin Patch. It doesn't get more festive than this place. My sisters and I took all our kids and stayed for 3 hours. From running through the corn fields to racing rubber ducks down PBC pipe, the kids love this place! I am hoping the weather clears up again so we can hit this Patch once more.

Multnomah Falls...

2010-10-26T02:40:00.003-04:00

Up until this week, the weather here in Portland has been amazing. While it has been mostly sunny and between 65 and 80 degrees, we have tried to make the most of it. The first weekend in October we took the kids and went up to Multnomah Falls, with Aunt Marnae, Uncle Brian and the cousins. This was Zach and Kate's first real hike. I assumed that when we got to the bridge we would stop and turn around. Instead we walked all the way up to the top. Zach made it all the way to the top and back down with no problem, Kate was in and out of her stroller, but didn't cry once. What troopers!

Kate Turns 3...

2010-10-12T23:36:00.004-04:00

Kate's birthday was quiet in the sense that we just celebrated with family, but was just right for her. She felt special and considered having all her cousins, that live in Portland, up for presents and cupcakes a party.

Here is my annual birthday list about Kate...
She loves the color purple.
Is never without a purse, or two or three.
Loves "Pimpesses" and her babies Abby and Suzie.
Sings all day long, and especially loves to have music(The Doodlepops) on to accompany her playtime, or can be caught singing Follow the Prophet, I am a Child of God, or Book of Mormon Stories.
Is obsessed with Lady Gaga, and has the Glee versions played over and over and over while in the car.
Loves shoes and clothes, and asks for new ones at least bi-weekly.
Loves getting into make-up and can make quite the mess, especially in Grandma's bathroom.
Is never without a band-aid somewhere on her body.
Has a preference about her hair, and tells me how she wants it styled every day...lately in pig tails like her cousin "Brookie".
Loves "Gynastics", especially the trampoline.
Loves watching Olivia, and can't wait to start pre-school.

Happy Birthday Kate! We love you!

Coming Up...

2010-10-04T16:06:00.003-04:00

This Sunday is Kate's 3rd birthday. I have sort of an idea of what I want to get her, but thought I would ask, just to see what she would say. She is a girl after my own heart I tell you...when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she answered right away "Shoes!" I love my little bug.

A Little Reunion...

2010-10-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last week I met up with some of my girlfriends from high school for dinner. Most of them I have not seen since we graduated. It was so fun to see them and to catch up. I loved seeing them as moms. It made my babies not so baby. Which then made me feel old, even though we are all the same age...sheesh! Anyway, they all looked beautiful and are all loving married life, babies, and everything that comes with it...so great to see.

From Left to Right: Zach, Me, Kate, Claire, Lyla, Nicole, Colton, Shelly(two weeks until due date, Charlie, and Morgan

The Mobile Uploads from the Trip...

2010-10-01T21:28:00.000-04:00

Our Very Own Deadliest Catch...

2010-09-28T02:47:00.003-04:00

Justin turned 31! He had quite the birthday weekend. Saturday, I took him out to my favorite restuarant, Hall Street Grill. Sunday, we sang Happy Birthday and had cake with the entire family. Monday, his actual birthday, I made him Stroganoff, and the yummiest peach pie ever, a Marostica favorite! This past Saturday he, and our brother-in-law Patrick chartered a boat out of Depot Bay, along the Oregon Coast, to catch some fish and crab. This is some of their loot! Needless to say, we had a yummy seafood dinner tonight. Happy Birthday Justin!

He's in Kindergarten...

2010-09-17T01:15:00.003-04:00

After two years of pre-school, Zach finally gets his shot at Kindergarten! He is going to Skyline, which is a K-8 school. His class is atually k and first grade combined. He is one of 4 kindergarten students in his class, the rest are first graders.

The first couple of days were a little uncertain of trying to get into the whole routine of catching the bus, getting to know new kids, and getting back into the reading and writing stuff. I am not so sure it has been as hard for Zach as it has been for me. I have worried that he won't find a friend on the bus to sit by, that he hasn't bonded with any of the kids in his class, and that he goes to sleep at night not looking forward to going to school the next day...is this normal?

I met his teacher tonight at back-to-school night and he is a great teacher. You can tell he loves to teach this age group. He was already complimenting Zach as a delight to have in class.

I haven't had the chance to volunteer in the class yet, so for now what I am loving the most, is seeing Zach's little face looking out the window of the bus when Kate and I are at the stop to pick him up. He is growing up!

Did I Mention...

2010-09-16T00:54:00.000-04:00

That all we did around the wedding festivities is swim, swim, catch a little Cafe Rio and swim some more?

They Tied the Knot...

2010-09-11T00:11:00.000-04:00

Tyson and Jayne's wedding was beautiful and needless to say HOT!!! Wow, is all I have to say to the many friends we have who live in Arizona. It is crazy hot! Anyways, Jayne is the newest addition to the Marostica family. She is wonderful for Tyson and we are excited to have her as our sis-in-law. The kids adore her and she just seems to fit right in. Here are some pictures of their special day. Justin's Uncle Tony took a lot of these...

This is Tyson's reaction to Zach's reaction that he had when Tyson and Jayne kissed coming out of the temple. Right as their lips met Zach let out a huge, and extremely audible, "EEWWWWW GROSSSSS AHHHH!" The timing could not have been better.

Lexi and Kate became great friends and were two peas in a pod twirling around in their "primpess" dresses.

This is pretty much what Kate did half of the night. Can we say Busy?

We saw some great friends from Dental School. It was fun to catch up.

This is Brandon's friend Jamie. He helped Brandon make the trip down to Arizona. He is pretty much family now...

Congrats Tyson and Jayne!

Cannon Beach...

2010-09-09T17:15:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago my mom and I took the kids to Cannon Beach for the day. I love that it is only an hour away. My sister Heather was already down there with her kids, so we met up with them to play. It was a perfect day. The kids had a great time swimming, building sand castles, flying the kite and jumping over the waves.

We always make a stop at the Bakery. Kate got her "pourple cupcake".

Heather's boys have been in swim team all summer and have showed Zach the ropes. He started out the summer scared as ever to enter water where he knew he couldn't touch. But now he is jumping into any and everything. Thanks Jacob and Thomas! And way to go Zach!

McCall 2010 Finally...

2010-09-08T13:54:00.013-04:00

Every summer my side fo the family gets together for a week up in McCall, Idaho for a little water fun on Payette Lake. The grandkids are outnumbering the adults!!! I have waited awhile to post these pictures because my sister Paige and sister-in-law Mari, also took pictures, but they have fancier cameras than I do so I wanted to be able to link up to their posts of McCall. SO you can check out their pictures HERE, HERE and HERE in addition to mine. Needless to say we had a great time!

Zach took part in his 1st Polar Plunge. He looks up to his older cousins and is always up for the challenge to do whatever they are doing.

Kate and Heath really took a liking to each other. Check out their Bubble Party they had HERE. Here is a sneak Peak...

Here are all the grandkids...19 and we knew one more was on the way with Paige. But Heather secretly knew she was pregnant with her fourth, so that will make 21!

This year Zach was always up for a run on the Aqua Glide. With Parker and Alec in tow Zach would do all his "cool tricks". Watch the video for more. We got Kate to ride it too. You wouldn't know it from the picture but once we got started she was all giggles.

And of course the annual family picture.

Zach had his fair share of water fights.

As for Kate she was either hanging out on the dock or in Uncle Jeff's boat for a ride to the gas station for ice cream.

The Garden Party...

2010-08-19T01:37:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Justin, me and the kids tagged along with my parents to the most amazing garden party. The party was at their friend's family farm. They had a huge bottomless Texas BBQ, and all the entertainment one could ever ask for. Zach was in heaven. Endless cotton candy and snow cones was just the bonus.

This was Zach's first ever mechanical bull-ride. Needless to say he enjoyed it very much! "Hee-haw" He was one of the youngest to test this bull out. I think we have a future cowboy on our hands.

When we couldn't find Zach he could be found standing in line for the Bungee. By the end of the night he was doing three flips in a row. He is certainly getting independent. Justin offered to stand by him, and Zach told him to stand to the side. I guess he is feeling a little grown-up these days. Afterall he can make his own breakfast now. Eggo Waffles that is.

Potty Trained in 3 Days...

2010-08-15T18:02:00.003-04:00

When I first heard that out loud by a couple in our new ward, who was trying this 3 day method of potty training their daughter who is Kate's age, I thought NO WAY!!! But I can honestly say it can be done.

I was wanting to get Kate potty trained by the end of the summer so that I could put her into a tumbling class or dance class this fall. Most classes require that your child be potty trained, and frankly I have taught kids who have diapers hanging out of their leotard and just think the two don't mix. I had completely forgotten how I potty trained Zach and was open to anything that would work. So, two Sundays ago, I asked the mom, of the little girl in Kate's nursey class, how she was doing this 3-day method, and by Monday she had emailed me the electronic book. On Tuesday I read over the jist of it all, but was still hesitant to give it a try on Kate.

Well, one week later, this past Monday, Zach, Kate and I set out to Babies R Us to get "Big Girl" underwear. Kate's only request was that they were to be purple. We picked up 12 pairs of Disney Princess and Dora underwear, and Kate cuddled with them the entire ride home.

So Tuesday started the process. Kate woke up, I put the "Big Girl" underwear on her and followed her around all day helping her recognize the signs and teaching her to tell me when she needed to go to the bathroom. Accident after accident I was more frustrated with myself for wanting to even try. She did have two successes, one #1 and one #2, so there was a glimmer of hope. Plus she woke up dry from her nap!

The book I read said to never put them in diapers again. Well I broke that rule and put her in a pull-up for the night. I was plesantly surprised when she woke up dry the next morning. Then we started it all over again. Same thing though, accident after accident and I was getting more frustrated. By the end of the day though she was starting to recognize the feeling of needing to go and was at least heading to the toilet before she had her accidents. I was pretty much ready to give up at this point, thinking she was just never going to catch on. She did however make it to the toilet earlier that day to go #2, but the rest were all accidents.

I would ask her where she should go potty and she would say, "In my underwear!" I was ready to give up, but thought the book did say to give it 3 days and to be consistant. Again, I put her in a pull-up for the night and was happy day 2 was finally over. I went to bed thinking just get me through day 3 so I could at least say I tried it and then I could finally get her back to diapers. But seeing that I was to do this for another day I decided to add my own twist to the whole potty training thing...CANDY! Kate loves candy and so I thought if a little treat couldn't help her to use the toilet, then she just wasn't ready.

Well, the next morning she woke up completely dry again. So again I put her in "Big Girl" underwear and she surprised me. She had NO accidents ALL DAY! I could not believe it. The darn 3 day method worked. Started Tuesday, potty trained by Thursday.

I am happy to report that we have not had one accident since and we even got through church. I am definitely hoping that this is the end to diapers for Kate. I will still put her in a pull-up at night, at least until she wakes up dry for several days. I am still in awe that she did it! Way to go Kate!

And thanks to Grandma for your sweet package. It came at a perfect time to reward Kate for this great accomplishment. She loves Purple! And loves her bandaids.

You Know She has an Older Brother...

2010-08-09T00:40:00.004-04:00

When you are driving home in the car tonight and you hear your little 2 year old girl sing a new version of K-I-S-S-I-N-G...it went a little something like this.

"Daddy and Poop sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first come carriage, then comes love, then comes poopy in the baby carriage, sucking his thumb, pee-ing his pants, trying to do the hula dance."

In my head I giggle, but on the outside I am just praying this "potty" talk phase leaves faster than it came. That bar of soap might be getting some more love afterall.

The Pool...

2010-07-17T10:54:00.004-04:00

If you know my sister-in-law Mari, then you know she is never without her camera. And for that I am grateful! Hopefully she won't mind that I am sharing these pictures on my blog, but I just have to brag about how telented she is...check out these pictures she captured of my kiddos in Grandpa's pool! I am loving Zach's canon ball...Here is a link to her photography BLOG.

And now we are headed out this weekend to see all the cousins again up in McCall, ID for a little water-skiing and tubing action. Zach has been counting down since Monday. Needless to say he is excited!

All in One Week...

2010-07-09T00:23:00.011-04:00

Wow! I think I finally have to time to actually breath. From the moment we left Utah until tonight we have been going going going.

Before we moved we said several good-bye's to friends. I made some great friends, the kind that even though time goes by will still be there for you and feel like nothing has changed the next time you see them again. I miss them already and of course our friends the Broadbents. The entire ride to Portland Kate kept saying, "I go to Gracee's house?"

We also got a special visit from Aunt Debbie and Uncle Gary and Annie just before we left. We haven't seen them in a few years so it was fun to catch up with them. It made Justin and I miss the days we would go to their house in Alpine for the holidays when we were both going to BYU, dating and then even after we were married, before we had kids, when Emma was eight! Time goes so fast!

After packing, taping, and cleaning it was onto the big move. And for the record still no wedding ring. Seriously sick to my stomach!!! Come to find out the girl we rented from had also lost her wedding ring in the same town home. Talk about bad luck!

Not really moving on but for the sake of this post we just barely fit everything into our moving truck. I swear we didn't buy much while we lived in Utah, but it was a miracle we fit everything in. On top of that our nephew, Parker and nieces, Maddi and Lauren, came along with us to Portland so they could spend a week at Grandma's house...which ended up being a bonus for us because our kids were entertained the entire 12 hour drive. It was a bonus for my brother Jeff and his wife too knowing they would pretty much be kid less...until we got the news that our Grandma Thompson had passed away and they would be flying to Portland the very next day that we had left. We were packed to the brim. Zach and Parker rode in the truck with Justin, and the girls and Kate and my Mom were in our little Honda with me. The girls described it perfectly..."squishy." We stopped halfway in Boise to see my brother, Casey and his family and got to meet our newest cousin Joshua. He is a great baby! What a fun addition to the crew. We stayed overnight in a hotel there. I don't know what it is about hotels but the kids love them! Both my nieces and nephews wanted to stay for the entire week. I guess who wouldn't when you've got a pool, 24 access to Otis Spunk Cookies, hot breakfast, flat screen TV's to yourself. They were all in heaven! Needless to say our little road trip was a success, and we made it into Portland safe and sound.

Next up was the Fourth of July festivities. We went to my sister, Heather's house for a BBQ and watched the Oak Hills firework show with the family that night. This is a tradition for whoever is in town. As always I attempt the family photo and come up with Justin and I looking at the camera and the kids off in their own little world. I have high hopes that someday we will all look at the camera smiling at the same time. Oh well.

Next was my Grandma Thompson's funeral. The last few years she has been battling Alzheimer's, and actually a month ago we were told she was going to pass, but she held on for another month. It actually turned out quite convenient that she held on so long because we were coming to town and bringing some of the great grand kids along. My cousins Gina and Janet also had planned a trip to be in town. Funny how things like this seem to fall into place. There really wasn't a cause of death, but she just kept sleeping and so naturally starved. She is in a much better place now. Thank goodness we have the knowledge of the plan of salvation. I think what makes me sad the most is seeing my grandpa alone now. To watch him close the casket was really hard, and then to hear my dad and his brother's talk about their fondest memories of her and to see them and grandpa tear up was even harder. One of the benefits of a funeral is seeing all of our extended family and that was fun to catch up with everyone.

Justin started work yesterday. I know I wrote Tuesday in an earlier post, but that was before any funeral was planned, so he ended up starting yesterday. So far so good. With everything that is new it all takes a little getting used to and finding ways to make it work for him. The kids and I went swimming of course to soak up this 95 degree weather before it starts to cloud up and rain again.

At the end of the list of to do's was seeing the Broadway show, The Lion King, today downtown in the Civic Theater. It was fun and the costume design and function was really amazing. Most of us loved it and some(Kyle)were not too sure, or maybe just so hungry he couldn't make up his mind. Pictures tell it all.

The End of the Residency...

2010-07-05T23:45:00.001-04:00

Last Tuesday Justin and I went to his end of the year residency dinner thingy...where they say good-bye and good luck to the old residents and welcome the new residents. Now tell me that year didn't go by in a flash. As part of the program the assistants give each of the residents a parting bag of goodies(or bag of inside jokes) to show the residents they were appreciated, and to wish them well in the future. Mallory presented Justin with his and as part of the gift they had created this picture in a frame photo-shopped with all of the assistants and office staff laying a hand on some part of Justin's body from the picture they had found on our blog months ago. Remember that soccer picture of his that he conveniently forgot his uniform, but posed in front of the year 98? If you can't remember check it out below. Now picture that pose with his assistants and office staff standing behind and around him leaning towards him with their hands out-stretched for him. On the frame they had Team Marostica. It was the perfect gift! He will never live this one down. He had such a great experience with this residency and misses it and the people he interacted with on a daily basis. We made some lasting friends that's for sure.

Happy 4th of July...

2010-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

We got up-rooted again. Moving is always so bitter sweet. We left some great family and friends back in Utah and now are in Portland for what will most likely be the rest of our lives. I hope I find the same happiness here as I did in Pennsylvannia and Utah. I get so nervous having to make new friends. Justin starts work on Tuesday. I am hoping everything goes well for him. For now, we are just living in my parent's house until we can find a place to fit in and belong. Happy hunting right? You gotta start somewhere...

Anyways, Happy 4th of July! I made these blocks while I was in Utah. I guess I was feeling a little festive, or just had to check out Wood Connection before I left. Anyways, this is what the end result became.

Toy Story 3...

2010-06-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

Throughout the year I have been telling Zach that I would let him have a play date with his friends, Ian and Grant. Every week I tried to pick a good day, but it just never seemed to work out, especially because of the one car that we have and the limited amount of seats in our said one car. And you can't just invite one, leaving the other out! I was feeling like the slacker mom. So when Justin had that afternoon off last Wednesday, I had him stay home with Kate while I took Zach and his buddies to see Toy Story 3. All three of them were dying to see it the day it came out and loved it! I am so sad that Zach has to leave these two boys. They are so fun and all get a long so well. He hasn't quite realized that he will be leaving friends behind, because he is looking forward to playing with his Portland cousins. I am afraid that when school starts he will be asking where Grant and Ian are.

My Second Quilt...This Time Minky!

2010-06-27T11:11:00.003-04:00

Back in March Justin's mom was out for a visit. Since making my first quilt with her help one of our favorite things to do when we are together is to go to quilt and fabric shops to scope out what's new. One of our stops was at Elaine's Quilt Shop in Sandy. We both spotted this Minky Kit and had to have it! So here it is all finished! The squares came with the kit all pre-cut(love that), but I went back a month or so ago to pick up some different binding material(the original was white flannel...that would have gotten so dirty), and picked out the backing material. Thanks to my friend Melody, who let me use her sewing machine, and my other friend Cammie, for quilting it for me, I am the proud owner of this cuddly blanket.

So I learned a lot making this quilt.
1. When you sew minky you have to use a walking foot. I have never heard of that before nor have one, hence the reason why I used Melody's machine.
2. You can use minky on both sides of the quilt. I must have stood in Elaine's for a half an hour debating between minky and flannel...so glad the nice lady that works there talked me into the minky. I figured that the stretchy-ness of minky would be hard to quilt. Obviously not for Cammie. She did an amazing job.
3. I think I finally learned how to bind the corners. My first quilt was a some what of a disaster around the corners, but this time I think I got it!

The Best Dad...

2010-06-20T02:14:00.007-04:00

A couple weekends ago Justin took me and the kids to a Bees game. We went with the other resident's and assistant's families, that he works with. Great weather, great friends, hot dogs and drinks in hand, the 7th inning stretch and a post game fireworks show made for a great night. Zach even got to run the bases after the game was over.

Justin is really going to miss this residency. He has made some great friends, and is going to miss shooting the breeze with them on a daily basis. His days of eating lunch with friends is numbered, seven to be exact.

This is the scrapbook layout I made for my scrapclub this month. I thought these pictures from the game were perfect! Happy Father's Day to a wonderful father and husband! We love you so much and are so grateful for all your hard work and dedication to us. We are definitely spoiled and loved...

Serious Trouble...

2010-06-15T00:13:00.002-04:00

Is what miss Kate is. She apparently did this all in a matter of 5 minutes. Justin was watching her at the time. The World Cup has been on at our house so who really knows right? No, in all seriousness I really do believe him. Our Kate is Crazy! She is a sneaky little thing. But, you know what they say when a child is quiet, they are most definitely up to something. And something she was. Luckily none of my make-up was destroyed by her primping. Doesn't she look pretty?

BYU Soccer Camp...

2010-06-13T00:30:00.005-04:00

Justin signed Zach up for BYU's soccer camp last week. I find it so hard to believe that I have a child who is old enough to be going to a soccer camp. He had such a great time. I have never seen him so warn out and sweaty. It is amazing how much four days of playing soccer improved his aggressiveness and attention to the game. His coaches, the girls and boys, from BYU's Men's and Women's teams, did such a great job with the kids. Before, Zach was always cheering on the Utes, thanks to his pre-school teacher, Mrs. Lori, who indoctrinated him this year when making them say "Go Utes" when they were taking roll. I am happy to report he is now cheering on the Cougs. We couldn't be more proud!

Pre-school's Over, Hello Kindergarten...

2010-06-05T00:16:00.000-04:00

Zach had his end of the year pre-school program. As always Zach was quite the performer. His teacher Mrs. Lori is a great piano player and loves to make the kids sing and perform. Zach and his buddies Ian and Jack did not dissappoint! He is going to miss these guys. Lets face it, I am going to miss them too! I sure hope he finds two kids like these two in Portland. I welcome change but hope to find the same as we have found here in Utah.

Now it's on to Kindergarten. We finally got Zach his 5 year old shots last Thursday...so it's finally official. We just cant wait to say hello to the big yellow bus.

This is the class sing "Oh I wanna be a dog"

The Trophy...

2010-05-31T03:22:00.004-04:00

Zach got his first TROPHY! He loved playing soccer, and we loved watching him. We signed him up for BYU's Kids' Soccer Camp to keep him playing just a little while longer. His first day is tomorrow. He is very excited, but I think Justin is even more excited! Now if only Justin could sneak away from work for a few hours to re-live the "glory days" one of the afternoons. It is looking like I might have to re-live them for him. I hope Zach is ready for this. Is it wierd that I am nervouse for him? It will be interesting to see if anyone recognizes him as Justin's son. Marostica is not the most common of names.

Sledding, Sledding, Sledding...

2010-05-19T00:19:00.003-04:00

Back in March, my sister Heather and her family came to utah for a visit. We tagged a long with them for a little sledding up the canyon, just below Solitude Ski Resort. Zach and Kate had so much fun sledding with the cousins. Zach even hit a few jumps. What a fun day! What is even crazier is that we went up in the morning and were home in time to get Zach back to school by 12:30pm. Just one of the many things about Utah that I love.

My Special Zach...

2010-05-10T00:00:00.002-04:00

Zach was born with a beat. I took the first picture back in March of 2008. He is still making drum sets, which seem to get bigger with time, and continues to come up with all sorts of band ideas. But there was something different this time. Last Thursday I went downstairs to pick up the playroom and found this sheet of music Zach had written out. His first composition! Hilarious. Then this same day he brought home my Mother's Day gift. I could not help but let my mind wonder as to what his drawing was of...well he said it was a space ship, but I will leave it up for interpretation. I texted it to my brother Jeff, and I am sure you can imagine what he interpreted it as. Let's just say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My immediate family should catch on at this point...don't miss Zach's interpretation of Immabe, by the Black Eyed Peas.

Zach's First Field Trip...

2010-05-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

Zach's pre-school took a field trip to Wheeler Farm. We fed the ducks, walked around the farm to look at all the other farm animals, and rode on the Hay Ride. It was fun for Zach to interact with his friends outside of the structured school environment. He loves his friends. His friend Ian(4th pic) told his mom that he is so sad Zach is moving. We are too. I can totally picture these boys being friends all the way up through high school. His other good buddies at school are Grant and Jack. He is going to miss these guys. I quess that is what being a pen pal is all about.

I Admit It...

2010-05-07T01:09:00.003-04:00

I am a total GLEEK...but apparently I am not the only one. Next to So You Think You Can Dance is Glee. This makes me smile...

Let's Hear it for NEW YORK...

2010-05-06T18:16:00.006-04:00

Last weekend I went to New York with some of my best girlfriends from my Dental School days, as if it was a long time ago right? We had such a great time. The weather was perfect. We went shopping on Canal Street, ate at some great restaurants, saw West Side Story, experienced a bomb threat in Times Square, biked through Central Park, just to highlight a few. It seems like us getting together is becoming a tradition. Can't wait to see where we go next year. Here are some pictures, in no particular order, and all borrowed from everyone Else's cameras. I did not have to take one!

A Short Visit...

2010-04-22T16:09:00.002-04:00

On Monday, Uncle Tyson had a layover in SLC, on his way to go home for the summer, from being in Hawaii. He hasn't seen the kids since we moved to Utah and had never even met Porter, who just recently turned one. That is how fast time flies I guess. We picked him up from the airport to go out to lunch and catch up. It was so fun to see him. Zach of course was having a hard time trying to understand why he wasn't coming to stay at our house, and why he had to get right back on the plane. Kate had fallen asleep before we got to the airport to drop him back off, and when she finally woke up the first question she asked was, "Where's Tyson?" We miss him already.

Look Who Started Soccer...

2010-04-17T18:19:00.005-04:00

We are so excited for Zach to be playing soccer this spring. It could not come fast enough. To play for the Parks and Rec teams here in Utah, you have to be in Kindergarten. Well Zach isn't quite there yet because of his late birthday, but he is now old enough, so he is now the proud member of the Cobras!

His first game was today vs. the Cheetas. Get this! Zach scored the FIRST GOAL!!! He was so excited, and of course it happened when I wasn't filming it. Ahhhh, such is life. But he did have some close calls that I got on tape. Check out the footage below. The rest of the game he continued to look over at us and give us the thumbs up. He was half aggressive and half just excited to be with a bunch of boys his same age, all trying to win a game, so much that him and a couple of his teammates did a cheer right smack dab in the middle of the game. Hello! Keep your eye on the ball, take it away and score. It didn't matter, they won 5 to 2. And he had a great time. Way to go Zach!

The game at this level is pretty much kick and chase, but every once in awhile he got a break away.

He is quite the defender. He's got this bouncing thing down pretty good. And he was so close to scoring his second goal.

This is how much he enjoyed it.

Aprons, Aprons, Aprons...

2010-04-16T16:25:00.004-04:00

This last month or so I have been slaving away making these aprons for Justin's assistants at work. I made 5 all together. 1 of the first design, and 2 of the second and third designs. I think I am ready for Project Runway...hahaha not really. Who can top Christian Siriano's personality? Definitely not me. Anyways, I had a lot of fun making these and hope they love them.

Our Little Easter...

2010-04-12T23:51:00.005-04:00

This year's Easter was quiet, but fun. We attempted to go to a public Easter Egg hunt the day before Easter at Wheeler Farm, only to find out that the eggs were all gone by the time we got there. Luckily Zach and Kate didn't really catch on so they weren't sad about it. We decided to hit up the new In and Out Burger, and after went home to do the usual egg dying.

The Easter Bunny came and hid eggs all over the house while we were asleep. Fortunately for Zach, he is always the first one up. So you can imagine the excitement Zach had when he woke us up, with his easter basket filled to the brim with all the Easter eggs he had found. Poor Kate was still asleep. It was fun to see his reaction, but we told him to go back and hide a few of them for Kate so that she could have a chance to do an Easter egg hunt. The video below is the second half of our little Easter egg hunt, after Kate had woken up. Zach didn't think to go downstairs to the basement...smart Easter Bunny!

The Easter Bunny brought the kids new Easter outfits this year. I sure wish this Utah weather would clear up and stay warm. I was really hoping for a sunny warm Easter. Indoor Easter Egg Hunt, Indoor Easter pictures...Such is life. I can't really complain though. What gets better then spending Easter with my little family, being uplifted through conference, all while being able to stay in my jammies all day.

A Little Work and a Lot of Play...

2010-04-06T23:50:00.007-04:00

The last two weeks in March Justin worked in Blanding, UT (Montezuma Creek), on an Indian Reservation, doing some dental work for the people in that area. In between the two weeks that he worked, he spent 4 days with a High School friend, Adam Provance, hiking all over southeastern Utah. They hiked Hoveenweep Indian Ruins, Sand Canyon, Coal Mine Canyon, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, Arches, Dead Horse Point, Goosenecks, and The Mexican Hat. They hiked over 20 miles, saw some of the world's most beautiful scenery, and had a great time.

The kids and I could have gone down with him, but from the looks of these pictures it is probably a good thing we didn't try these hikes with the kids in tow...

Dead Horse Point

Dead Horse Point
Dead Horse Point
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Arches

Hovenweep

Coal Mine Canyon

Delicate Arch

Grandma Came to Visit...

2010-04-02T12:18:00.002-04:00

Justin's mom came into town and stayed with us the first couple of weeks in March. Justin did some dental work on her, and the kids and I got to play with her in between the numbing.

It is always a treat when she comes, escpecially for Zach, for these reasons:
She sleeps in his room, which means he stays up late talking about whatever is on his mind, and up early to get a head start on playing. Even if it is at 5:30am. (This is why my kids don't share rooms...)
She lets him beat her in endless rounds of checkers, and plays along in his make believe world of army guy. (One morning she woke up to him standing over her all dressed up in his army hat, gas mask, and gun(police club) pointing at her.) He was so excited to show her his get-up. Hopefully it didn't scare her away from staying wih us. hahaha!
And last but not least she spoils him rotten with hugs, kisses, gifts, you name it! The word "NO" does not really exist when it comes to him. Kate too actually.

This visit was extra special because Grandma went to school with him. He loved it! He was so proud to take her and show her off to all his friends.

We love having Grandma around and miss not being able to hop in the car to go spend time with her and Grandpa. But hopefully this was the first of many visits to come. We love you!

Letter for Kate...

2010-03-18T15:02:00.005-04:00

Dear Kate,
Today as we were driving home from the gym you made my heart melt. You sat in the back seat, buckled up in your car seat, singing your little heart out. You went through every single nursery song you knew, word for word, note by note, hand motions and all. You sang every song you knew from Book of Mormon Stories to Itsy Bitsy Spider. You even added your favorite rendition of Wish You a Merry Christmas. You were so animated and your eyes and face were lit up with pure joy. Grandma Laraine said to me, the last time she was in town, "Kids sing when they are happy." If this is the case, then you are one of the happiest little girls I know...As we were getting off the freeway you were just finishing up with the song I am a Child of God. I thought you were done until you proceeded to fold your arms, pinched your eyes shut and said a little prayer to yourself. It was the sweetest, most earnest prayer I have ever witnessed from someone your age. As I watched you in the rear view mirror, I realized again just how special you are and how lucky I am to be your mom. Can I freeze you? Oh please say that you will stay this way forever. I love you little one-ie!
Love,
Mom

Things about you...
You love these leggings. You ask to wear them every day. You love the colors pink and purple, and even on St. Patrick's Day, was not going to leave the house without wearing your pink socks. Today you put your shoes on all by yourself. I love it... wrong feet and all! You love the Doodlebops and ask to watch them every day, all day. You love to ride your bike and pedal like a mad furry around our complex. We are always on our toes and you continue to surprise us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!...

2010-03-17T16:18:00.000-04:00

Keeping with tradition, a picture medley of Zach's facial expressions and poses. This time Kung Fu style...Unfortunately, I wasn't blogging when Zach was younger(2 1/2 yrs.), but I did in fact take pictures. It is amazing how fast kids grow. But the personality just seems to enhance! I can't wait to get them printed and onto this layout that I made for my scrapclub this month!

This year we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with our first ever corned beef and cabbage meal with our friends, the Broadbents, and their family. It is going to be a sad day when we have to move in just 3 short months. We are really going to miss them.

Today was also special because Justin was able to go to Zach's pre-school class today to help out. Zach loved it!

I took these when he was 2 and half. Funny how we seem to keep dressing him in these green soccer shirts. We really aren't trying to force him into this sport or anything. HA!

More From the Mouth of Zach...

2010-02-28T18:29:00.002-05:00

"Mom, I love you!" (While he is standing behind me, with his arms wrapped around my legs)..."I love you more than my army guys!" ( Walking away into the other room) Will he stay this way forever?...I hope! I guess I am just happy to beat out those Toy Story Army guys these days.

Nine Years Ago...

2010-02-20T23:38:00.001-05:00

Justin had been off his mission for about a month and a half when he asked me out on our second date to Tucanos for Valentine's day. At that time I was just happy I had been asked out on a date for Valentine's day. I had no idea that we would get married two years later, but I can say, that on that date, I realized he was definitely someone special. We were pretty much attached at the hip from that day forward.

For Valentine's day this year, I thought it would be fun to go again. This time we invited our friends, the Hoelzers, to come with us. Tyler is also in the residency at the U with Justin, and Ali and I have become great friends. Her last two kids are the same ages as Zach and Kate.

For the kids we made them pancakes, with a few of them heart-shaped, and gave them a few treats. Later that night, we went over the uncle Jeff's and aunt Britt's house for dinner, and afterward the kids got to decorate sugar cookies and dip strawberries into chocolate. Needless to say they had a very sweet Valentine's Day. In Zach's words, "This is the bestest day ever!"

Check Out...

2010-02-15T23:18:00.004-05:00

Justin's new Pearly Whites! He got his braces off, and could not be happier about the outcome. What a boost of confidence this brings. And what a handsome daddy and hubby the kids and I are spoiled with.

I Should Be Worried...

2010-02-08T21:07:00.004-05:00

Tonight after FHE, we were eating our treat and Justin says, "Guess what is this week?" Zach says, "What?" Justin answered, "Valentine's Day!...(and goes on to say)guess who I get to go out on a date with?" Zach replied, "Oh, are you going on a date with Kate?" Justin answered, "No." Zach replied again, "Austen?" I busted out laughing. I can only think Zach's response is due to two things. 1. That we obviously don't go out on dates enough, or 2. I need to seriously be worried...
Did I mention I love this kid?

This picture was taken over Christmas break. We went to the Children's Museum in Portland, and they had an area where the kids could do their own face painting. This is what Zach created for himself.

The Things They Say...

2010-01-30T22:47:00.003-05:00

Zach said this to Justin tonight...

"Dad to be a dentist you first have to go to college, and then be resurrected."

We love this boy! I am pretty sure he means residency but resurrected is just as good. He has also been into making what he calls commercials. Enjoy!

Even Kate is Addicted...

2010-01-26T16:39:00.003-05:00

Every day Kate gets her clothes on and loops her purse over her shoulder and asks to go to...

We're Talkin' Bowel Movements...

2010-01-15T23:45:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday I was cooking dinner and Zach calls to me, after coming out of the bathroom, "Mom! My poop was so big, it was just like popcorn balls, and they liked just popped out of my bum...I even left them in the toliet so you can see (as he is covering his mouth making hee hee sounds). So come take a look!"

Are you kidding me? I don't think I am ready for this stage. I know every boy goes through this and some never seem to grow out of it, or at least never hesitate to laugh at this sort of topic of conversation. Hopefully this will pass quickly. From the texts Justin and his good buddy Austen share during work, I am not holding out much hope. We won't even go there, all I can say is Life Father, Like Son.

Grandma suggested taking a picture of it for memory sake. She was joking, but sadly enough, I did, but spared the blog...you can thank me later.

On a happier note though, that very same day Kate was browsing through the Friend, probably more like looking through the Friend, trying to decide which page to rip out, but when she flipped to the full page picture of Jesus, she pointed to it and said, "Mommy! Jesus!" She melts my heart with those pouty lips and squishy cheeks.

My sis-in-law, Mari, took this picture of Kate over the Holiday Break. She is so talented!