The Growin' Hairs

2012-02-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago and I was surprised at how well Blake stayed on the bike with no help! What a big boy! He is just short of 19 lbs and 27 inches long. Just 2 days ago he started saying "bah bah bah". The best part is he'll say it and then start laughing and giggling about it! He recognizes when I do it back and will copy me as well. He has also started saying "ma ma". But has not made the connection that he's actually saying my name. Definitely a mama's boy!

See yah later mom! I'm going out for a ride!

Also, about 2 weeks ago, Austin was throwing the frisbee in the house and hit Blake in the face. I thought it had hit directly on his eye, but later the red mark formed right below. Thank goodness!

I told Austin to smile for the camera and he started yawning and he was smiling and this is how it turned out. Funny boy! I like the face Blake is giving him.

The first thing Tyler said when he saw this picture was: "He looks like ALF!" Do you guys remember the 1990's show ALF?! He was an alien who's a cross between Steve Urkel and a grizzly bear and lives with a family of humans. Good times... :)

Party in the Hair House!

2012-02-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

I had a little birthday party on Tuesday with Austin's buddies. I made mini football cupcakes for the 2 year olds! They loved them!

I also put up an obstacle course with yarn that I saw on pinterest. It was a HIT! They loved it.

Singing Happy Birthday!

Makayla helping Austin blow out his candles

Everyone enjoying their cupcakes

It took them a while but they finally figured out how to make the blowers fully inflate.

Here's a shot of everyone doing the course. What a blast! Happy 2 years Austin!

Austin's Birthday

2012-02-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Austin's birthday on Tuesday. His birthday is today 2/2/2012. Happy Groundhog's day as well! Here's some pictures from his birthday party. I made him a football cake(above)

So proud of himself for blowing out the candles

You touch my cake...

We were going to give him this shopping cart for Christmas and actually bought it a couple months before Christmas....but when Christmas rolled around we didn't end up giving it to him...so happy birthday! He actually REALLY likes it! He wouldn't stop pushing it to go to bed. Now he does my grocery shopping for me. Such a helpful little guy!

Photo Shoot!

2012-01-25T19:16:00.000-08:00

I decided to copy an idea off one of my friend's blog and do a photo shoot of myself. and I actually just SEWED THIS SKIRT today!...With TONS of help from my sewing mentor, Nancy. I added on to my mini jean skirt I've had forever and have never worn in public!

Here's the close up!

Couldn't resist...actually it was Tyler's idea

Perfect getup to show off my awesome boots!

and yes....I am sucking in my belly! a lot...need to work on that

Country dancing here I come!

2012-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Heisman Stance! Already dreaming...more like Tyler is already dreaming...

Reading bedtime stories...(Sara Castor, that is the awesome lamp you gave me!)

I can hardly resist kissing this cute face all the time. Isn't his crocheted hat awesome?

I survived week 1 of pushups and graduated to week 2! Tyler is redoing his last week...He has to do a lot more than me.

6 months old right here!!! First taste of squash and he says, "Bring it on!"

Ok, that was worse than I thought...

Do you think this is my color? Maybe I should have gone a shade darker...?

Dying of Thirst and 100 pushups!

2012-01-16T13:26:00.001-08:00

Since I just did a post about the boys I thought I'd do a post about the girls...which is ME. I set the goal back in October to run a half marathon at the end of February. It's the Cowtown Half Marathon right here in downtown Fort Worth. After battling a month and a half long sore throat and doubting myself that I couldn't get enough training in before the big day, after this last Saturday I felt a renewed hope!

The Saturday before I ran 8 miles and felt pretty good. I don't get a lot of training in during the week since I can only run with the stroller and my 2 kids...so rain, wind, and cold weather keeps me from going. I usually get in at least 2 and sometimes 3 runs in during the week. This last Saturday I went with one of my friends who is also running the Half Marathon. We started off on the Trinity Bike Trail and were both not prepared for how hot it was! 70 + degrees! We got soooooooooo thirsty. We got a drink at the first drinking fountain on the trail but the next one was turned off! We decided to keep going until we found the next one. We kept going and going and going! Finally we made it to the next fountain and found it was turned off as well. ugh! So we turned around and headed back, and not really sure how far we'd gone. We made a pit stop at this weird looking Marriott on the way back and Thankfully got some water from the receptionist! Heaven Sent!!!!!! We survived the rest of our run back.

The first thing we did when we got back was mapped our run and found that we'd gone approximately 11 miles maybe slightly more!!! Holy smokes! Although it was slower than my goal per mile at least it was a start...and at least now I know that I will be able to survive 13.1 miles. Bring it on baby!

Also, Tyler and I will be starting a program TODAY that will help us reach 100 pushups...that is 100 MAN pushups in a row. Wish us luck!

BOYS BOYS BOYS

2012-01-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

Do you think they look alike?

I could NOT stop laughing at this! Blake was sitting next to Tyler and every couple minutes he would turn his head like this and look up at Tyler for an entire minute or more! It was almost a blank stare with mouth open, like he was studying Tyler or something. It was hilarious.

Blake LOVES bathtime! and I love a nice clean lotiony smellin' baby!

Sweet hairdo! You can see Austin's bottom molars in this picture! They came in about 2 months ago and he has been eating SOOOO much more food. as in, so much more variety

Austin getting acquainted with his shadow

Brothers for sure!

2012-01-12T11:51:00.000-08:00

Right after I changed both diapers

Both hands in mouth

Both chewing on cars

Austin in size 4 diapers and Blake in size 3! Not too much of a size difference by the looks of it

Butterfly House

2012-01-10T10:41:00.001-08:00

While in Illinois over Christmas we also went to the Butterfly House. Austin and Amanda are surrounded by beetles and cockroaches. YUCK! Please spare me...I see enough in my house.

After we watched a movie about the life of a butterfly(caterpillar) we went to a greenhouse that was filled with greenery and butterflies! Here is Austin checking out a pretty flower

We decided to get a family photo...Check out Austin's happy face!

Jane got a new butterfly clip just for the occasion...

If you look closely there are butterflies all over this bush.

And of course Blake was a happy camper the whole time. Here he is with Uncle Chan man

Look! I'm a Beautiful Butterfly!

Austin trying to smell the butterfly

Tyler surprised me by making dinner reservations at Paulo's Mansion House(Best Steak Ever!) We went on December 28th 2011 which was the DAY we got engaged 4 years ago at this exact place. We sat at the same table and took a picture in front of the same fireplace. Pretty awesome! We had a good time reminiscing and enjoying some time to ourselves

Christmas!!!

2012-01-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Christmas! Austin loved playing with this toy from Grandma and Grandpa Hair.

New PJ's!!!!!!!!!!

His wooden train set from Santa. It was all set up in the morning when he came down and after he saw it he wouldn't open any other presents! oh well. More for me to open. :)

Blake loved his presents too from Grandma and Grandpa Goodwin.

Tyler's parents sent us on a scavenger hunt around the house for our gifts. They were all Emergency Preparedness items that we could fit into a rolling duffel bag. We got a ton of GREAT stuff. It has definitely motivated me to work on getting my 3-month supply of food storage and then work up to 1 year! My goal is to have my 3-month supply worked up by the end of the year. We'll see how I do.

2012-01-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

The weather was really really nice the entire time we were in Illinois. It did sneak in one day of snow though. Austin had fun shoveling and just being outside.

We borrowed this AWESOME swing from a family there. Blake loved it!

Another favorite spot of Blake's was right here. This is Devrey, Chandler's wife. Every time I needed him to fall asleep I just gave him to her and he was out in 5 minutes or less!

One night we made pretzels! YUM. Amanda is a pro at making them.

Happy shoveling! Too bad we don't get snow in Texas, otherwise I would have a great little helper.

Laughter

2012-01-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

This video is a little old but I thought it was cute.

The Magic House

2012-01-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

The day after we got to Tyler's parent's house, where we would be spending Christmas, we drove to St. Louis to the Magic House. It was awesome. There were soooo many things for little kids to do. You walk from room to room going from one activity to the next. Some were educational, some were simple science experiments, and some just plain fun. The picture above is of Austin catching a fake fish. Then you take the fish across the room and put it in a little river of moving water. The river is under the floor but covered by clear glass which leads back to the pond. You get to watch your fish you caught make it back to the pond.

Blake eating his fake fruit

Austin changing a tire

Playing in the sandbox

Making a bubble around themselves

Amanda and Blake playing music on the wheel

Crawling up the leaf maze

Blake started sticking his tongue out a lot on this trip

We spent a good amount of time here. Austin would stick this ball in the tube that was a vacuum and watch it ZOOM around and pop out at the end into the air

There was a really cool construction site that taught about building and had some pretty cool machines

Blake was a good sport for being drug around for 3-4 hours. He loved getting attention from Amanda and Grandma

Pure Joy on his face! He loves trains. Such a fun place!!! I have a zillion other pictures, and the ones I posted only represent maybe a 1/4 of what is in the entire house.

Christmas Photo Shoot!

2012-01-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

We tried MULTIPLE times to take a picture with our camera timer and as you can see that did NOT work...Austin can't hold still for more than 3 seconds. These top two were my two favorite out of about 20. I can't believe Tyler and I lasted through that many pictures.

Tyler thought holding his head still might work. He thought it was pretty funny.

By 9 o'clock at night we were fading fast and called our neighbor for backup! Thankfully they were happy to come over and take a couple of pictures for us. These were the best 2. One with Clifford...

and one without...Sometimes I wish I had Photoshop.

2012-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Blake has been sitting up since 5 months old! Such a stud!

2011-12-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

I just love Blake's smile!

I hardly take pictures with my kids so here I am with Blake!

Bowling!

2011-12-19T06:15:00.000-08:00

We went bowling last week for the first time since we've had kids. It was really fun! Austin even got a couple strikes! Before we even threw our first ball Austin high-tailed it down one of the bowling lanes. As we yelled at him to stop he slowed, slipped, and banged the back of his head on the lane. ouch! He had sooooooo much energy that day that this little hang up didn't slow him down a bit.

We went with out neighbors who have a little boy Austin's age. They had fun rolling around on the ground with their "pets".

Z O O #2

2011-12-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

We went to the Zoo again! Sorry if pictures of animals bore you, but we had a couple cool experiences this time I thought I would share. First one was with this pair of Gorillas. The male is farther back and the female is up here at the window. At one point she was pacing around the cage and ran right up to the window and smashed her body against it.

This big cat was pacing right up at the window. Austin was right up next to the glass watching it go back and forth. The tiger even went up on its hind legs and clawed the glass!

We spent a half hour or so by the bear eating lunch. We let Austin run back and forth for a bit. The bear paced back and forth on a rock ridge the entire time.

We even let Blake out of the stroller to get some closer looks.

The male Gorilla is huge! He even got up and walked around for a bit and Austin got a bit scared since he was right up at the glass. I would say we got our fill of the zoo that day.

We went in to feed the birds and Austin had a good time.

Big Boy Bed

2011-12-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

We moved Austin to a big boy bed just over a month ago...He still falls asleep crying by the door. We usually here him yelling, "Help Me!" Which sadly, is hilarious to me. Poor guy. After he moved into his big boy bed he started waking up once a night, so we got smart and put him in his bed before we go to bed at night. We usually have to push him out of the way with the door first so we can get into his room.

Since most of the doors in our apartment don't shut we rigged up this lanyard system...It's hooked to another lanyard that's wrapped around the bathroom door that is right next to his door. Go Namifiers! (Take a good look at the lanyard...high quality right there)

He was soooooooo excited for his big boy bed. Hopefully someday he will sleep in it! I am soooooooooooooo happy Blake is in the crib now and out of our room. He now wakes up only once a night usually to eat and that has done wonders on my sleeping schedule!

Z O O

2011-12-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo the day before Thanksgiving and we couldn't have asked for better weather! Or happier kids.

Austin's hair is getting long! I already cut it last week though. I'll post a picture soon.

While I was feeding Blake, Austin got a special treat of riding in the horse carriage. We even put in a couple quarters so it moved!

The motion only lasted so long so he decided to ride the horse for real!

Austin has been obsessed with the Lion King lately. I think he actually recognized this animal as Timon once we told him because he did get really excited.

Sick Week

2011-12-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

I love their faces! Tyler got me flowers after I finished my 5K(Beginning of November) which I found out really was 3.4 miles long, so my time wasn't as bad as I thought it was! wahoo!

First off, Isn't that an adorable face??? He got wrapped up in his Teddy

Two weeks ago, Tyler was sick with a sore throat/cough for an entire week. The day he got better(just a cough), I got sick, and the next day, Austin got sick. 4 days after that Blake finally got sick. ugh! It's been a miserable week. I've had a sore throat now for 7 days and still counting. Maybe we should have gone to the doctor? ? ? We're all on the mend now. Not 100%, and Blake is still going up and down, but we're making it.

On another note...Our oven/stove has not been working since Tuesday. Which actually gives me an excuse for not making yummy dinners! We've had mostly pancakes...french toast...tuna fish...Thank heavens for my awesome electric skillet and george foreman!

Austin, I don't think that goes there...He loves putting on my chapstick. Probably another reason why we're all sick.

Blake had his first taste of baby food! and a 4 tries later I still don't think he's really swallowed any.

This post was really random but I kept accidentally deleting a picture and didn't want to reorder the entire thing. Enjoy!

4 months

2011-11-28T13:24:00.001-08:00

Blake's 4 month stats are in!

16 lbs 5 oz

26 inches

and growing too fast! Look at that weird shaped forehead!? Not sure where he got that from. :)

Happy Faces!

2011-11-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

I got this cute bee outfit from a friend of mine at Blake's baby shower. It's a 9 month size but fits him already. I just love seeing Blake in hats!

Austin LOVES his cowboy hat. He puts it on and wears it multiple times during the day.

I think Blake looks more like Tyler than he does me.

so happy! Austin can make Blake laugh really well! I got a video of it and I'll post it soon.

More Happy Faces!

2011-11-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

My friend crocheted this hat for Blake and it is ADORABLE!

Mr. Walrus

Last week we met Tyler at the Botanical Gardens for lunch. It was a beautiful day! Slighty chilly but really sunny. TCU is just down the street (about 5 min). It was a fun outing with daddy.

Sugar Cookies!

2011-11-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

We invited a couple friends over to make sugar cookies and boy did they have fun! Look closely...Austin has flour all over his face.

For some reason I always put off making sugar cookies because I always think it's going to be a ton of work making the dough...rolling it out...cutting out the pieces...but it's really so easy!

and soooo delicious! This is the Big Twist Sugar Cookie Dough recipe! I know you're jealous.

Rolling Over

2011-11-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

Previously I did a post of Blake rolling from front to back. Well, he is now rolling from back to front! Already? I'm nervous he's going to start rolling around all over the floor already.

Almost there!!! Cutting off circulation to arm.

Love the tongue sticking out...you can tell he's concentrating and working hard.

SAFE!

B.U.G.S.

2011-11-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

We took this video in Idaho Falls after church on the weekend we were up there for Tyler's brother's wedding. It was hilarious. We walked out to the car and Austin had to stop and say "Hi" to all the bugs on the front! In Texas we really don't get that many bugs on the front of our car no matter what time of year it is...so maybe he wasn't used to it...Oh! and he also likes to smash bugs as you can see.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:20:00.001-07:00

This year for Halloween we pretty much wore our own clothing to make our costumes. Nothing high maintenance and it turned out pretty good I thought. Blake wore his cow outfit and the cow he's holding is a "Chick Fil A" cow that has the "Eat More Chikin" sign

We went to a Trunk or Treat at the church. Here is Cowboy Austin all ready to go! The bag he's holding he got from Tyler's Aunt Joann. It's really cute! We should have had him holding it the other way. It has a happy skeleton on it with his name embroidered at the top.

After a while of Trunk or Treating he got bored and wanted to play in the grass with Tyler's softball that went with Tyler's costume. Unfortunately, for the split second I was talking to my friend and not watching him, he wandered too closely to the mud hole at the end of the parking lot and took a dive! I guess it just added to his costume though. He even kept his hat on the whole time!

Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games. If you haven't read the book, read it, and you'll understand my costume. I really wanted to be her because she has a bow and arrow...that's all. My future dream right here.

Future archer...Oh! and notice the Mockingjay pin I made.

Tyler was Smalls from Sandlot. Perfect costume for him right? We even put a fish on his hat.

Classic shot right here! We had a great time celebrating Halloween early and are enjoying Austin's candy now! hahaha

Oct. 22

2011-10-29T10:06:00.001-07:00

Tyler's birthday was last Saturday, Oct. 22. We invited some friends to eat cake at a park near our house. Austin got to practice for when he turns 2 in February.

I didn't put all the candles on because after cake we played "2 truths and a lie" about Tyler and one of the lies was how old he is...He turned 27 this year! Wow...that's sounding so old...

We went to the BYU vs TCU game yesterday in the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. Yah, BYU lost in a sad game but it was still fun being there!

We had AWESOME seats...well actually we had a suite! Some people from Tyler's work asked if they could use their company's suite and since none of the bigwigs had reserved it, we got to mooch!!!

It had a tv screen on the mirror in the bathroom of the suite! That's just how cool it was. And we got free food and drinks!

and the stadium was SO HUGE!!! But we were down close so it didn't seem as big as if we would have been in the nose bleeds. But as you can see the fans filled the stadium pretty good considering how many people it holds. What a fun night!

2011-10-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

On our drive back to Utah from the Tetons we were going through Wyoming and this was driving in front of us! Only in Wyoming right?

THE TETONS!

2011-10-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Sadly I didn't take a lot of pictures while we were there, but the scenery was A Mazing! You can't help but stare in awe at these magnificent mountains.

Austin loved finding rocks and throwing them into the water

We went on a couple short hikes, and the only way we could get Austin back into the car in his carseat was to tell him we were going on a "different hike". So every time we got in the car regardless of where we were going he'd always say, Different Hike!

It was a lot of driving from Idaho Falls to the Tetons and to Orem, Utah all in the same day, but overall the boys did great!

2011-10-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

The day after Chandler and Devrey got married we drove to Idaho Falls for a second reception, which is where Devrey is from. My parents drove up to meet us there since my mom had a three day weekend and it gave them an excuse to hang out with Kara too, in Rexburg.

On Sunday we went to a random ward for church and then hung out at the park in the afternoon. The weather was great! Austin wanted to play with the ducks rather than take a picture

Here he is screaming again

He ran around nonstop chasing the ducks

Chandler's Married!

2011-10-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

Tyler's brother Chandler got married last weekend so we flew out to Utah for the occasion. Here are the two lovely newlyweds with nieces and nephews. It was a beautiful wedding and everything turned out perfect! Even the weather!

Mr. Blake and his awesome "borrowed" outfit! He looked great

Family picture!

Uncle Chris and Blake

Austin found a piano and we couldn't pry him away. At least he was happy!

Teaching his lil' bro how to play. I'm hoping this interest keeps up for when he can actually learn how to play.

My Boys!

During both receptions Austin found the nursery and stayed there practically the entire time. Here he is chasing a balloon with a frying pan.

Left to Right:

Jane's parents (Grandpa Dan and Grandma C), Jane and Richard, Richard's parents(Grandma June and Grandpa Al) and then us. It was so fun to see Tyler's family. They are pretty hilarious when they all get together. Especially with Grandpa Dan and Grandma C there. They are pretty spunky!

Rolling over!

2011-10-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ready...Set....Go!

This is pretty fun!

Let's try again

Okay I think I'm getting the hang of it.

I think I can!

I did it!!!

He not only rolled over once...He did it twice! So it wasn't just a fluke. He was so determined to roll over he started fussing when he got stuck, but I kept smiling and encouraging him and he finally made it all the way over. Blake will be 3 months in a week!

Grandpa Al

2011-10-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tyler's Grandpa Allen has a talent with woodworking. Actually he has an AMAZING talent with woodworking. He built this machine before we came and it is quite the masterpiece. It has two handles. One to raise it up and one to dig with the shovel piece. It also rotates 360 degrees when you sit on it so you can move one pile of dirt to another. I want one Adult size please! :)

Austin loves big trucks and machines. He was a bit too small to work this one by himself but in a couple years he'll be able to dig all the dirt and sand he wishes when he goes to Great Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Austin didn't like me taking over.

2011-10-03T12:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks Jana for the Awesome keds!

He's really doing a heel kick...mid air...

2011-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

I bought Austin a pair of wranglers!!! I went to a consignment sale in Fort Worth and got them for $4.00. And they look brand spankin' new! I felt pretty good about that. Who can resist wranglers on a 20 month old? Isn't that the cutest butt you've ever seen? So, there are a lot of pictures to follow....but I really couldn't help myself. I love seeing him in his wranglers!

Sportin' the look!

Work it

I also got the shirt as well. Now all he needs are boots and a hat!

His "Horse" for now...$12 at the sale!

It was worth every penny

Pure joy!

2011-09-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Blake turned 2 months a week ago! Where has the time gone...He is a very easygoing baby, and smiles and talks A LOT. I thought Austin talked and smiled a lot but I think Blake does even more. He's very predictable and will sit and entertain himself most of the time. He's wearing 3-6 month clothes and growing fast! Too fast!

Stats: 13 lbs. 2 oz (90%)

24 inches (90%)

Austin is also growing and has been eating a TON lately. He likes to stuff his entire package of fruit snacks in his mouth and when he does, he looks like this. His newest trick is throwing a frisbee with dad! He's pretty good at it too.

Recent Happenings

2011-09-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Austin loves having friends come over to play. Even if it means he must be a gentlemen and succumb to her every whim!

"OK mom! We're ready!" That's right, we've hit the roads again. It was an AWESOME last week since the high was only about 85-90 degrees all week. Now it's back to the 100's but we sure took advantage of the cooler weather by going to the park everyday.

Lately I've been ablet o get Austin to eat new foods if he eats them with a toothpick! Brilliant! I've started to smash a piece of bread, spread PB and Jelly on it, roll it up like a cinnamon roll, and cut it into little circular pieces like a cinnamon roll would look. And he NOW eats PB and Jelly again.! It's all about presentation I guess.

Our neighbors gave him this really cool ball but it was a bit dirty, so Austin helped daddy wash it in the sink. He loved the bubbles! I think we're gonna have to start taking bubble baths.

Best buds!

Blake smiles very easily! His best moments are right after he eats. He will just smile and smile and has also started talking. "goo goo" and "gaa gaa". He really gets into it.

Happiness

2011-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

He is smiling A TON now! Notice the outfit - "No Hair? No Problem!" Thanks Aunt LuAnn for the awesome purchase when we had Austin. Works perfect in our family. Also, Blake looks exactly like Austin in this picture..the eyes, the mouth, the nose...

However, in this picture he doesn't look a thing like Austin did. Weird.

So happy! He is such an easy going baby. And 6 weeks old TOMORROW! Wow, time flies.

Our awesome neighbors let us "borrow" their son's shoes since he grew out of them. So we get to use them until Austin grows out of them. His first pair of Nike shoes! He prefers to wear them over every other pair of shoe.

We went to a splash park today with some friends. Blake enjoyed the shade in the carseat for half the time and the other half on my lap while I poured cold water on him every few minutes to keep him cooled off. The temperature outside was probably 105 or so. Yikes!

It was worth it though! Austin had a blast. He got a bucket of water poured on his head which is why all his hair is plastered to his head. I can't wait until his hair grows out again. This is his friend Makayla.

And this is my awesome neighbor who is helping Austin get wet since he didn't like to get wet by himself!

Only one more month of HIGH HEAT TEMP! wahoo! Then we can start to enjoy 80 degree weather again.

Blake's Stats

2011-08-28T16:49:00.001-07:00

At one month old Blake was 22.5 inches (80%) and 10 lbs 14 oz (80%). His head was 50%. And he does smile a good amount and cooing. He's already a little talker when he feels like it. Mostly he sleeps in his swing throughout the day, which is AWESOME! If I could keep him from waking up every 2 hours at night my life would be a breeze with 2 kids. I feel pretty darn lucky.

UTAH

2011-08-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

We spent a week in Utah to spend time with family. My entire family, 4 sisters, husbands, kids, and parents were all there! It was a blast. Here are some highlights.

I met up with Alainna, a really good friend from home. We had our first sons a month and a half apart, and our second sons a week and a half apart. She ran her ENTIRE pregnancy! She was my inspiration for running until 32 weeks.

We also met up with some of our college friends. It was great to catch up with everyone and share "mommy stories" while the guys watched the older kids. :) It was so fun to see everyone with babies!

We also spent an evening with Tyler's grandparents. I love Grandma June's face in this picture! They both look so happy.

My family spent 3 days up at a cabin near Mt. Pleasant. The CEO of the company my brother in law works for, Namifiers, built this cabin last year and let us stay for free. It was my mom's birthday while we were there so we threw her a short, surprise, party with party hats and blowers for the kids. Then we pampered her feet.

I stayed up WAY too late every night and Blake didn't let me get much sleep the rest of the night. We took a few naps here and there throughout the day.

This is one view of the cabin from inside. It was HUGE. Everything in the cabin was so nice! Soft carpet, leather couches, BEAUTIFUL kitchen, pool table, ping pong, theatre room with ROCK BAND (Which was so much fun), a sauna, a hot tub, a piano, a wrap around porch on the main level. The list goes on! All the bedrooms had huge beds with down comforters.

One morning all of us went on a nature walk (I stayed behind). They found a spiky lizard and everyone got to touch it!

Tyler with half the grandkids. There were 9 total. It got pretty crazy sometimes.

The room we stayed in was cowboy themed and Austin LOVED this bucking Bronco.

After the cabin we came back to Salem and stayed at my sister's house. We blessed Blake on Sunday in their home. Here I am with all my sisters and mom. Blake snuck in the picture too! My parents will be empty nesters for the first time this school year. I think they are looking forward to it...

Here is the entire crew we spent the week with. We had so much fun! I was pretty tired after the trip, and finally feel like I am back to my normal sleep deprived self rather than an OVER sleep deprived self. Oh joy!

2011-08-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we said goodbye to Bamba(Grandma) and Mana(Amanda) who stayed with us a just over a week. We LOVED having them here. Austin followed Amanda's every move and Jane helped out so much with meals and letting me take naps whenever I wanted to. They were a big help!

Here is Jane and Austin playing with the farm set she got him for Christmas

Jane and Blake

Amanda and Blake

They are best buds and Austin is still asking about Mana. Thank goodness we will see Tyler's family again in 2 months!

Blake has already been smiling since about Day 1. He even smiled at the Pediatrician when we went in for a checkup when he was 12 days old. I haven't caught his smile on camera yet, but this wide mouthed happy face kinda counts!

Grandpa Hair(who wasn't able to make the trip) got Austin this awesome basketball hoop! We skyped with him when Austin opened it.

He's a natural!

OH YAH!

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy!

2011-08-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Oh Yah! Sportin' the tractor! A lady in my ward handmade this outfit for him! If you look closely it is a smocked outfit with a bubble. He wore this to church on Sunday and couldn't have looked cuter.

We had his 2 week appointment today even though he's only 12 days old. He's 9 lbs 8 oz!!! He's surpassed his birth weight by 5 oz. This baby is WAY different than Austin. Austin was such a skinny kid I always worried if he was eating enough. I don't have to worry about this guy. :)

2011-07-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

Blake loves grandma's kisses, can't you tell? Well, I drove my mom to the airport this past Tuesday...I was nervous, but everything is working out just fine! The hardest part is early in the morning when it seems like Blake wakes up every hour and wants to eat...probably due to the fact that when he eats during those feedings, between 4-6am, I usually fall asleep as he's eating and so does he, so then he wakes up still hungry. Maybe I need to start reading a book or something.

Blake is gaining weight like a champ! He was 9 lbs. 3 oz. at birth and 8 lbs. 10 oz. when we left the hospital. I took him to an appt on Wednesday and he's gained back 4 oz. Won't be long til he's back at his birth weight...which is how much Austin weighed at 2 MONTHS!

Austin and Blake taking turns on the swing. Austin isn't too happy about waiting his turn. :)

He does really well in the swing and it's a great break for me to put him somewhere!

Now he gets his turn!

Austin loves being a big brother. He asks to hold him randomly throughout the day...along with stealing his binky and smothering him with his stuffed animals.

He loves giving him kisses

Yay! We love it when daddy gets home and he can hold him.

So far so good!

Birth Story

2011-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

It seems to be the thing to do lately...write your birth story. So here it goes...

I went to the hospital 11 days past my due date for an induction at 6 AM in the morning, and positive I was going to have the baby the same day. I was planning a natural birth so I didn't want to start out on pitocin so we had planned on doing a balloon inducement(Not sure what it's even called). Basically they stick a tube up you and fill it with water to put pressure on the cervix and induce you mechanically rather than with medicine. This was in for the first 9 hours and basically felt like one continual cramp. Nothing real painful and I did have a few contractions here and there. The balloon comes out on its own at 4 cm dilation typically. Thankfully when mine came out I was at a 6!!! I felt awesome! We walked the halls for a few hours to try and get things going and I had a few contractions but nothing big. So my doctor came in and broke my water at 8:30 pm. At this point my doula (Estee) showed up and I labored in the bathtub for 4 hours! Having contractions about every 2-3 minutes. I felt like things were progressing great. However, after checking me I had only dilated to a 7 and I was only 70% effaced! What a LET DOWN. My contractions had been strong and I felt like I was relaxing through them.

At that point I was trying to decide what to do. It was about 1 in the morning. I contemplated for a long time it felt like...while everyone was dozing and waiting on me to decide. I sent my doula home at 3 o'clock, Tyler was asleep, and my mom was waiting on me. My doctor came back in at 4 and checked me again and I had not progressed. I could tell my energy was low and I was worried if I got pitocin I would give in to an epidural and not be able to push him out. My mom finally talked me into getting pitocin and they started that at 5 am. My contractions really started to pick up and I had a hard time relaxing. At 6:15 am I was fading fast and took some medication to take the edge off the pain...which ended up helping me snooze between contractions or at least be a bit out of it. I would wake up for the contraction and breathe through it and then I was out for the minute or two in between. just after 8 am I was feeling the INTENSE urge to push! My doula had showed up a few minutes before and my doctor came in to check me and I was FINALLY ready! Oh what joy! I pushed for a half hour and out he came. The doctor says, "Wow, I bet this is a 9 lbs baby!" I'm thinking...you've got to be joking, so we all guessed how much he would be and sure enough he was 9 lbs. 3 oz. What a surprise!!! I'm so glad I was able to push him out as quickly as I did. We're so happy to have Blake finally here with us and I am SOOO grateful for my mom, Tyler, and Estee who helped me stay strong.

More pics to come!

2011-07-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

2011-07-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still here with no baby. This is me a week and 2 days past my due date. I was really hoping that doing pressure points, taking castor oil, playing Just Dance Wii, and running would help me along, but apparently he is still pretty comfy in there. Well, at least grandma is getting a little vacation in before he comes.

He was so excited to eat corn on the cob for the first time

He got the hang of it real quick

Yay! Grandma is finally here! Austin has enjoyed all the extra attention he's been getting. Especially when grandma goes shopping with us and can't help but buy him a new stuffed animal

So now he has a hard time carrying around all of his favorite stuffed animals around at the same time.

July 8

2011-07-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Tyler and I went to Chick Fil A last night to get a free meal with some friends. If you dress up head to hoof you got a free meal! I will do anything for FREE Chick Fil A! LOVE IT

Happy 4th!

2011-07-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Granbury (30 min. drive) to see their amazing fireworks with another family. The fireworks were awesome and we had a lot of fun. Austin loved hanging out with his pal Hugo. Look at those cheeks!!

Aleni and I waiting for the fireworks to start. She goes walking with me every morning which has been so good for me these last few weeks. However, I am no closer to having this baby than I was 4 weeks ago. The lil' stinker! We eventually had to move off the blanket because we got attacked by ants. That is one thing I dislike about Texas. There are ant hills EVERYWHERE!

And here are the papas!

Fireworks started at 9:40 pm. Austin stayed up and watched the entire show! What a trooper. He sure was zonked the next day!

I love watching fireworks! They had some really awesome ones that I have never witnessed before. Just all these crazy designs coming out. It was pretty awesome.

Another happy 4th of July! I was for sure I would have the baby by now, but I guess he didn't want to be a 4th of July baby. I don't blame him. He wants his own party I guess.

Knitted Blanket!

2011-06-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finally finished my very first knitted baby blanket. So now the baby can come. Anytime...I'm ready!

Not super fancy but I really like this border and it wasn't hard at all. Now on to my next project!

Maternity Pictures!

2011-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

My Awesome friend Kim took these pictures for me. Sadly she moved away TODAY! I'm so happy she took the time to take these last week even though she was crazy busy packing. I never took maternity pictures with Austin, but honestly...I was about 20 pounds heavier with him so I am okay with that. So here they are with me at 38 weeks!

Sharing the Gospel

2011-06-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Over the past month I've created a personal profile at mormon.org. It's been a great experience in a number of ways:

- I get to share what I believe and how those teachings have helped me and my family

- I've reflected on things that are most important in life

- I'm recommitted to learning more and being better

There is a new link attached to our blog (look under our wedding picture on the right side, near the top of the blog) that will take you to my profile page at mormon.org, and once you are there you can view thousands of other people's profiles from all around the world. I know that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. He has a plan for us called the Plan of Salvation, which provides a way for us to have joy in this life and to return to live with Him after we die. I am so grateful for the scriptures and for modern-day prophets that teach us the Gospel.

Recipe

2011-06-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Pictures for this recipe are just below this post!!!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese

1/4 c green salsa

1 T fresh lime juice

1/2 t cumin

1 t chili powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t granulated garlic

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T chopped green onion

2 c cooked, shredded chicken

1 c shredded pepper jack cheese

6-inch corn or flour tortillas

2 T vegetable oil (optional)

nonstick cooking spray

kosher salt

1. Mix softened cream cheese with green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro, green onions, chicken, and pepper jack cheese. (When I make these again I will go a tad bit lighter on the cilantro, so make sure you don't overdo it)

2. Wrap 3-4 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds. This will make them soft and pliable so they don't crack when you roll them up.

3. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on lower third of each tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch away from the edges, and then roll them up.

4. Place seam side on baking sheet that is lined with aluminum foil that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Brush tops of tortillas with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes on 425 degrees, or until ends become golden brown. Serve with sour cream, guacamole or Creamy Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing.

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing

1 c mayonnaise

1/2 c milk or buttermilk

1 lime, juiced (about 2 T lime juice)

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (Ignore

the directions on the packet)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 c roughly chopped cilantro

1/4 c green salsa

Hot sauce to taste

-Combine mayo, milk, lime juice, and contents of the ranch packet in a blender. Add garlic, cilantro, and green salsa and blend ingredients thoroughly together. Season with hot sauce if desired. Refrigerate for several hours to allow dressing to thicken and flavors to meld.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-06-10T12:32:00.001-07:00

Tyler and I tried another new meal out of the new cookbook he got me for my birthday called, "Our Best Bites". They turned out really good!

It has cilantro and lime juice in it and Tyler said it tasted just like a lot of stuff he ate in Mexico. I guess they put cilantro in everything. I hardly cook with it, but I really do like it.

The best part are that taquitos are so easy to freeze so you can double the batch and freeze half for later. This amount lasted us 2 meals.

We also made Creamy Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing to go along with it...Also found in the cookbook

This meal looks so healthy with the salad and grapes!

Tyler was going coo-koo over it.

Of course I have to post a picture of Austin. He is a Grape-a-holic! We couldn't resist taking a picture with the grape in the perfect spot on his bib!

Canoeing on Trinity River

2011-06-04T15:51:00.001-07:00

Austin getting prepped for our canoe trip!

We borrowed the same canoe and tried it out on the Trinity River this time. It was a very slow moving river and there was no wind today. You can tell by the color of the water that it is a slow moving river. But the trees were pretty!

It was a HOT HOT day, but we survived.

Thank goodness I brought grapes for Austin to munch on and keep him cool.

This picture above I was trying to turn around in my seat and snap it...I couldn't turn around very well obviously and cut off Tyler's head and got part of my finger in the picture. Oh well!

We went over this rapid! Our first RAPID! haha. It wasn't scary at all and probably isn't even technically a rapid since it wasn't fast at all. But the anticipation was fun!

Here we are at the end. There was a steep hill the go down to get to the water, so Austin and I chilled while Tyler did all the hard work. The guy in the background was nice enough to help Tyler carry the canoe up the hill to the car.

The guy that helped Tyler carry the canoe also told us someone had seen a bobcat across the river, and apparently this bobcat is not dangerous. As they were carrying the canoe I saw the bobcat walking across the bridge that was about 30 feet in front of us. And it was true, he just walked right past all the bikers and dog walkers and no one made a fuss.

All tuckered out!

CANOE TRIP!

2011-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

We had an AWESOME day on Memorial Day! We drove up to North Richland Hills to borrow a really nice canoe from a lady Tyler works with. We then drove over to Lake Arlington and enjoyed the morning on the water. The wind was against us as we first started out, but after we got our muscles going it was great. We are definitely doing this again.

This is the new car we bought earlier this month. Just in time since it has roof racks. Looks pretty good with a canoe on top don't you think?

Getting everything loaded in. We hooked up Austin's chair so we could buckle him in. Not the safest thing if we capsized but it sure worked great.

Austin is trying to look back at Tyler for the picture. haha.

Such great smiles!

Don't mind the large belly. I am 34 weeks now! wahoo!

We stopped on a little island spot and ate our lunch. Again, the chair was great so we weren't having to worry about Austin running around the water while we ate.

Just give him a stick and he's good!

He was so tuckered out on the way home since he missed his morning nap! We ended the day with swimming at a neighbor's house and having a BBQ at a another friend's house. We were exhausted by the end of the day! All 3 of us.

New Recipe!

2011-05-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

For my birthday Tyler got me a new Recipe book called "Our Best Bites". It's got a lot of delicious, more basic recipes with basic ingredients, that are right up my alley of cooking. AND they have a beautiful picture with every recipe which I love! We were ambitious on Saturday and made this awesome meal.

~ SPINACH-CHICKEN STROMBOLI ~

You just make a basic Pizza or Breadstick recipe (called for 3.5 to 4 cups of flour) and roll it out into a 12" x 15" rectangle. Then brush with Olive Oil and sprinkle Italian Seasoning on the dough. Add fresh spinach, diced tomatoes, chicken and mozzarella cheese. Then roll it up like a cinnamon roll, brush top with olive oil and sprinkle Parmesan on the top. Bake 425 for 15-20 minutes. After it bakes you cut and serve. It goes best with a dipping sauce of your choice. We made Alfredo sauce from scratch(also a recipe from the book) or it would be good with marina sauce or something similar. It was enough for us for 2 meals. I LOVE LEFTOVERS!

Texas Rangers and Tornadoes

2011-05-25T07:35:00.001-07:00

Before I get into our crazy night last night I wanted to post this picture. Austin in my lap with his sweet headrest(My belly). He better enjoy it while he can because it won't be there much longer :)

Tyler got some cheap tickets($5/person) for the Rangers game last night. In case you aren't familiar with this baseball team they WENT THE WORLD SERIES last year! This picture was taken after they kicked us out of the upper deck due to severe winds...awesome! We all got to go down to the lower seats. The sky doesn't look too bad yet! but 15 minutes later...

This was the start of the cool clouds moving above us. And they were MOVING!

It was pretty cool because when you looked straight up there were clouds going in 3 different directions at different levels in the sky.

You can see the upper deck is cleared, and still a ton of people at the game. The clouds were dark only on half the stadium for a while, but soon(10 minutes time) the entire sky was black and rain started pouring out of the sky

Here were some pretty cool clouds just on the edge of the dark ones. Reminds me of Mario Brothers clouds. Once it started raining we didn't get anymore pictures sadly...You'll just have to watch the news to see better footage.

Hopefully you can see, but the clouds were really moving fast in this video. It was so amazing we had a hard time focusing on the game and started cloud watching. A lot of people around us were too. After this video was taken it was probably 10-15 minutes before the sky was black and rain was pouring.

To finish off the story...Tyler brought some ponchos(Thankfully) so we put those on when it started lightly raining. In about 5 minutes the sky turned black and it POURED. We jumped out of our seats and called one of our friends to make sure the storm was here to stay. They confirmed tornadoes already touching down about 20 minutes from where we lived so we high-tailed it out of there! Thank goodness our baby sitter is has a nick-name of Meteorologist Lindsey and has about 5 or 6 weather apps on her phone so she knew everything going on and was doing great. She said Austin was still sound asleep.

As we headed home we had to stop under an overpass because the hail got so bad! I seriously thought our windshield was going to break. After about 10 minutes the hail cleared and we continued on. The tornado sirens had been going off in Fort Worth, but by the time we were about 15 minutes from home the rain stopped and the storm had already passed over us.

Thank goodness for friends and family who were keeping us updated the entire way home! It turned out that just after we left they evacuated everyone in the stadium to underground tunnels and when those got full, they piled people into the dugouts...and when those got full (not sure what they did with the rest of the people). I'm glad we got out of there and got home safely.

2011-05-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures we've taken recently...

Chillin' on the lov sac withe his sippy...and yes, he loves to cross his legs

At the park, I was distracted momentarily while chatting with a friend and at that moment Austin fell down the stairs and landed right at my feet. He had an INSTANT goose egg that looked horrible. I felt so bad! But of course he wouldn't let me put anything cold on it and was fine in about 5 minutes and ran off to play again. This picture was taken maybe an hour and a half after the fall, so the swelling had already gone down.

He wouldn't hold still so this is the best shot I could get of how swollen it still was after an hour and a half or so.

Austin is finally understanding how to play with the cars on the racetrack quilt I made for him! So fun! And these are the wooden cars that Tyler's grandpa Al made for him.

I think he will be doing somersaults soon...

Look closely at his lips...he making car noises. cute!

Austin loves to play with wheels of any kind. He especially loves our double stroller wheels. He will sit here for a half hour or more just turning the wheels. I love the fact that he's sitting in a flattened soccerball too!

CAMPING

2011-05-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we drove an hour away to go camping at Mineral Wells State Park. We went with 3 other families in our ward and it turned out to be a BLAST! Each family had a child that was 18 months or younger so it was interesting during bedtime, but all turned out great. One of my friends brought her fly fishing gear so I got to witness my first UP CLOSE person fly fishing. I can now understand why people LOVE fly fishing. It was awesome to watch.

Another friend made some Australian bread that you cook on the end of a stick. It felt like playdough, and I can't remember the exact name of it, but that was fun to do along with the s'mores. We fell into bed around midnight and Austin woke up at 4AM and insisted on getting out of the tent. I coaxed him back in bed with me and only woke up one other baby(oops) but finally got him calmed down and back to sleep until 6:30. Not bad! I brought an egg carton foam pad and a thin mat to sleep on and it worked GREAT. I'm excited to go again in the next month - hopefully!

In the morning we went on a hike(walk) around the lake and then packed up to go home. Austin fell asleep instantly in the car which was around 2 PM and stayed asleep until 5 PM that evening. I think we tuckered him out. Sadly, I forgot my camera so I have nothing to show! Next time!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to be the mother to this lil' guy. At 15 months, he is such a goof and is learning very rapidly at the moment! He just caught a ball that Tyler bounced to him off the bounce! And has continued to do this multiple times. I could not believe it. He loves throwing balls with both hands and then chasing after them. He does this ALL day. No wonder I never buy him toys!

He loves his books and makes animal noises for Bear, Dog, Cow, Horse, Duck, and Lion. He also makes noises for cars, trucks and jets (same noise)

He's still got Crazy Eyes! He loves to perform for people, although if he gets distracted he won't. Which doesn't take much :) He signs: more, all done, grapes, eat, drink, banana, orange, milk, please, thank you. He also knows where his nose, eyes, ears, hair, mouth, fingers, and toes are. I'm sure he would know a lot more if I taught him better. His two new words he loves to say are fan and jet and has started to say shoes.

And now to Mother's Day! Tyler actually brought me home flowers on Thursday and had me open my Mother's Day present on Saturday...He gets too anxious, and I knew my present had come in the mail a couple weeks ago so he was READY for me to open it. and you'll see why...

Yes! I was surprised! And so was Austin (make sure you take a good look at that face-I laugh every time I look at this picture). KILLER BUNNIES. We played it last night and it was really fun. It took a while to read through all the instructions and get the gist of the game, but once we got started we had a lot of fun. I HIGHLY recommend the game!

Tyler gave a great talk in church this Sunday on Mother's Day. And Austin did SO WELL sitting with me so thankfully I could listen to the entire talk. Aren't they both precious? :)

What the Cake?

2011-05-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago we were down to the last two pieces of cake. I was all cozy on the couch getting ready to watch a movie and so glad Tyler offered to go get the last of the cake for us. That way I didn't have to get my lazy bum off the couch. Isn't that so sweet of him? THEN, he came back with this!

My piece was twice as small as his and I was not happy. Especially since I seem to be ready for a second dinner every night at 8:00!

My Week

2011-04-25T13:21:00.001-07:00

I feel like telling y'all about my week. So feel free to read. I think it mostly felt busy because I usually don't bake this much. For some of you, you will laugh and think this looks like your normal week or I hardly even did anything...but for me, a stay at home mom, with only one kid...it sure felt busy.

Monday - Went on a really good run! Babysat for one of my friend's. Practiced a song for Easter Sunday that afternoon, "This is the Christ" that I sang with 3 other girls. Had our neighbors over for Family Night and made chocolate chip cookies for refreshments.

Tuesday - I also got a good run in that morning. Got a lot of shopping-groceries done, and that's about it that I can remember about Tuesday...not too bad. Oh! we had a really crazy hail storm that night with hail the size of dimes!

Wednesday - Also went running! 3 days in a row! I felt awesome. Had an easter egg hunt with the playgroup I go to, so I made cookies for that too.

Thursday - I had one of my friend's over and her two little girls and made sugar cookies with them during the day. Practiced the song for Sunday again. That night I was in charge of an activity for the women in our ward learning basic sewing skills(I did not teach a thing! - only learned a lot) but I helped with getting it all set up and making sure everything was going smoothly. I did have a lot of great help from other people as well. I made banana chocolate chip muffins for part of the refreshments.

Friday - Tyler, Austin and I went on a 10 mile bike ride! wahoo! (With my extra 17 lbs and Austin's 22 pounds). Drove 45 minutes to look at a couple cars since we're on the lookout for a car purchase...and stood in the heat for WAY too long looking them over. Came home in time to make dinner for 6 missionaries!!!!!!! They ate at our house and it turned out really good. Tyler didn't have school that day so he was able to help me with dinner, which was great since we didn't have a whole lot of time since we were out and about all day. That night Tyler also drove to pick up his brother, Chris, from the airport who was staying with us for a couple days and driving back one of the cars we'd been using that belonged to Tyler's family.

Saturday - Went to the Water Gardens with Chris in the morning. Went to another easter egg hunt that afternoon at a friend's house and also made cookies for that(Used the sugar cookies I made earlier in the week), and then went to the Beauty and the Beast Broadway Muscial that night, which was AMAZING.

Sunday - Went to church. Sang the song I had practiced earlier that week. Went to dinner at an older couple's house in our ward who have babysat Austin for us before. SOO nice of them. I made a salad and Key Lime Pie to contribute to the Steak, Potatoes and grilled corn on the cob. We stayed til about 10:15 pm sitting out on the lawn(til the storm hit) and playing Farkle.

Monday - You only thought it stopped with Sunday! haha. We are now down to one car since Tyler's brother drove their family car back to Utah, so I drove Tyler to school, picked up Tyler from school and took him to work, dropped Austin off at a friend's house, went to my doctor's appointment, picked Austin up, then picked up Tyler from work.

Tuesday - Hasn't happened yet but I'm making dinner for the two missionaries serving in our ward. Then this Thursday-Saturday Tyler and I are babysitting 4 kids while their parents are out of town.

Austin and Mackayla shaking their instruments together! It was hilarious

I love Austin's face in this one!

Hailstorm!!!!!

Austin trying to figure out what these darn eggs are for...

Picking up the two eggs he found that have dropped on the ground about 10 times now from his basket!

Tyler, Chris, and Austin at the other easter egg hunt

Austin - "OK, mom, I found 3 eggs. Can I go play now..." Me - "No, Austin you need to find some more so I can get more candy!"

Giddy-Up!

2011-04-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Trip Home!

2011-04-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tons and tons of pictures to post. Hope you don't get bored! Tyler was nice enough to let Austin and I fly home this past week to visit my family in Walla Walla, WA. It was spring break for my mom and Kara and time was running out for flying home with just one kid. We had tons of fun and was even able to enjoy some sunshine...since I heard it pretty much rained or snowed every day in March and was carrying over into April.

Here is Benson and Austin. Benson is 3 months younger than Austin. He also has another cousin that is Benson's age. Hopefully they will be best buds as they grow up

Playing in the back of the truck. Lily is in the background

Austin and Lily got along great! They had fun playing in the tub. Austin would sit and laugh at her while she sprayed him with water

Austin and Kayla playing with bubbles. Lily, Kayla, and Benson are my oldest sister's kids. She left her oldest son Nathan at home with dad since he had school

My mom, Kara, and Jamie. My mom sewed us all skirts while we were there. 3 for me, 2 for Jamie, and tons for the little girls. I think the total was up to about 10 by the time we left.

Austin playing in the toy corner.

This was my dad's rocking chair when he was little. Austin would sneak off and sit in it every now and then. When I didn't hear him babbling I would set off to find him and a few times he was just sitting in the chair

He got pretty good tootin' this horn. I'm sure it had 4 other little kids slobber on it by the end...but oh well!

Here I am at 27 weeks, standing in front of my house

Austin loved riding the lawn mower! Don't we have a great view? and beautiful grass!

Benson and Austin. Austin LOVED being pulled around in the wagon. I would love to get one

This is my beloved car I used to drive. 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. My dad bought it brand new before he married my mom. It has lasted through all 5 of his daughters!

"Wow mom! You used to drive this?"

Of course, if you go home to the Goodwin House you better believe there will be car washing, lawn mowing, and spraying weeds that will get done. So here I am washing the car my dad drives. 1978 Bonneville.

Here is my treasured rocking horse I played on till probably middle school. haha. I always dreamed of having my own horse so this was the closest I got. Austin loved it and rocked pretty good on it. You can see he is standing up here trying to make it go faster.

Austin reading a book to grandpa

I met up with one of my elementary school buddies while I was home. We used to ride the school bus together and just recently reconnected, and now she's my email buddy! It's been so fun to catch up with her and meet her cute little family.

We had an inside easter egg hunt since it was cold that day. Austin is actually dumping the eggs out of the basket that we put in

Me, Jamie, and Lily in our new skirts. My mom had some material she got from her older sister that screamed 80's all over! You can tell by the skirt I'm wearing that this is no longer found in stores.

Grandma ended up pulling out her scissors and cutting everyone's hair. Now Austin, hopefully, won't get comments from strangers asking if he's a boy or a girl! We skyped with Tyler that night so he could witness the first haircut as well.

It was such a fun trip home! I stayed up too late, woke up too early, and played a lot! It was definitely well worth it.

A Special Visit

2011-04-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Lyette has been my REALLY REALLY good friend since elementary school. She is now teaching 5th grade in Denver. This past week was her spring break, so I convinced her to come visit me! :) She flew in Tuesday afternoon and flew out Saturday afternoon. Lyette and Austin really hit it off and it was great to have someone helping me with him and keeping him entertained all day. He loved it when she read books to him.

A random picture one morning. He LOVES this Teddy Bear that his Aunt Amanda gave him. He will hold it and hug it all morning long!

Yes, we know how much you love your bear Austin. He will just babble and babble the whole time too, telling us all sorts of stories.

Until he sets his eyes on a ball. Then the bear is forgotten and he runs around the house throwing the ball and chasing it. This was the best $0.99 I ever spent!

On Wednesday, Lyette, Austin, and I hung out and did some random shopping, involving Diaper deals for me, Tangled for Lyette and ingredients for her DELICIOUS key lime pie(That I will be making every week from now on), and using my $10 free coupon to a new Kohl's that just opened up here. Lyette and I ended up buying the same shirt! Funny how that always seems to happen when you go shopping with your girlfriend!

On Thursday we ventured out early and went to the Water Gardens in downtown Fort Worth

Lyette and I standing awkwardly for the picture! haha

It was hard to get Austin to smile since he just wanted to run off on his own all the time. Lyette is a natural! I think she should have one of these soon

He decided he had enough of the stroller and wanted to push it himself

Here we are trying to make sure we fit in the picture that was timed, and getting Austin to hold still

I got lucky and snapped this shot! Love his expression!

Lyette and I on top of "The Mountain". It is sooo nice and green in Texas right now! Gotta love Springtime in March!

Tyler jumping off the ledge with Austin. He loved it!

After the Water Gardens we went to the Stockyards to experience more of the Texas Cowboy feel. Here we are going crazy on the spur...well, I am. It's harder than you think holding your legs up like that with a pregnant belly.

In front of the statue of the guy(forgot his name) who started the sport of steer wrestling

Watching the Longhorns being herded down the street at the Stockyards

Here they come! They do this twice a day, EVERYDAY, at the stockyards

That same day I taught Lyette how to make flower clips, which we are wearing, and made Calzones(Fancy style) for dinner. It really looks like we're wrapping a mummy or a cacoon don't you think?

On Friday we drove to Sam Moon and shopped around for a bit. Then hit up the stand alone JC Penney's store right by Sam Moon that was awesome! Lyette got a really cute summer shirt. So jealous! :) Then we tried to find a new way back to avoid traffic that didn't work, so we followed a long stream of cars slowly home. Then we took a stroll through the Botanical Gardens in 85 degree weather at 3:00 that afternoon. Not the smartest thing, but we had fun! We summed up the day making whole wheat bagels....however, I did not add enough flour to the dough so they ended up being too sticky and did not form right! AGH! But they still tasted good! :)

Saturday morning we went on a nice, relaxing walk through our neighborhood and watched the first session of General Conference. Then we drove Lyette to the airport and said goodbye. The week really went by WAY too fast. We really loved having her here. It was a FANTASTIC week and I am going to need a few days to recoop! I leave for Washington on TUESDAY though, so I better recoop fast. I'll be going home with Austin for a full week! I can't wait! April is going to fly by fast

AND! Forgot to mention we played Ticket to Ride twice, Burn, 13, The Farming Game, and Quiddler late into the night every night. Not every single one every night, but I don't think I will be staying up past 11 again anytime soon. Oh the joys of married life with children!

Tumble

2011-03-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today, Austin took his first tumble down the stairs at church. He was at the very top of about about 12 or 15 stairs and just stepped right off without holding onto anything. Up to this point he had been holding on to the railing as he went down and up, so it was unexpected and did a full out flip. Thankfully, I was able to get my big belly up and moving and caught him before he went head over heels again in the same fall. He screamed of course but calmed down and went away with a face that looked sunburned and a small rug burn on his nostril. We'll see if he learned his lesson...

Mealtime...to crazy Hairdo

2011-03-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Oh Yes, just look how good he is about eating his food and staying clean!

Look at those teeth! Yay!

And by the end of the meal...after he's rubbed his nasty banana hands ALL over his head...

He ends up looking like this the rest of the day. And he thinks it's hilarious!

Play Play Play

2011-03-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

All we've been doing lately is playin' round here. We've gone to the park a lot with friends lately because of the nice weather.

Here is Austin minding his own business. I just thought this shot was adorable.

There are a lot of Air Force Jets that fly over our apartment every day and this park we are at is about a 3 minute walk from our apt(PERFECT) and whenever Austin hears a jet he stops whatever he is doing and listens. Here he is pointing up at the sky as he's listening to one fly by.

Looks like a disaster waiting to happen right? All these little kids standing as the merry-go-round spins. But we did not have a single one!

Here is Austin learning how to color. He gets really into it!

Look at that concentration. He really hardly makes a mark on the paper, but he feels like a big boy when he does it. I can tell.

Along with walking comes bruises. Particularly on the head. He's been trying to run lately and walk faster than his little legs can hold him and he's been falling a lot. There are two big red welts on his head. One from a mix of hitting his head on the tile floor, bark, gravel road, and kitchen floor(This mark is off to the left...and the one in the center is a smack on the leg of our kitchen table!

YOUCH!

My 2nd sewing lesson

2011-03-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to take a picture of these place mats since Christmas and now I finally did. Tyler's mom made me some table runners for our small little table and she had some extra fabric left over of this particular one(Which is great because it is my favorite!) so she taught me how to make the place mats to match! They were super easy, even for me. It was a fun project. The table runner she made is at the very bottom. Our table is VERY short so that is why the runner is so short, in case you were wondering. :)

The picture would only post sideways or upside down, so I chose the upside down one. Sorry it's at a weird angle.

The weather has been soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice lately! In the 70's and today I'm sure it reached the 80's. We've been having fun going on runs, the park, the zoo, and hanging out with friends. I love winters in Texas! I need to enjoy this weather as long as I can before it turns really hot and humid. Then I'll be complaining about it I'm sure!

I've been running 3-4 times a week while pushing Austin in the stroller in the neighborhood where we live. There are a couple ginormous hills that get me a great leg and calf workout, and plenty of small hills that are more enjoyable. So I run on the flats, downhills, and some of the smaller uphills, and walk up the big uphills. I'm so happy I've been able to make it this far into the pregnancy and still be running. I feel like I could still run for a long time. AND I've only gained 8-10 pounds so far, which I think is good for me comparing to last time.

Tricky Austin

2011-02-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Austin would like to show you his new trick...he does this with everything from balls, movies, any toy he can get his hands on...you name it

He'll start out by holding the object in front of him so it is flat in his hand

Then he lifts it above his head...check out this face! He's really concentrating hard here..."It's harder than it looks," he says.

TA DA! He is all balanced now. The best part is he's kept his legs crossed the entire time!

2011-02-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

Usually after Austin's bath we like to mess with his hair. If only it would stay like this! I don't think he recognized himself in the mirror

We have had sooo many people tell us that Austin looks like the eTrade baby. What do you think? "Hey baby, can I hit you back?"

It's an Austin Sandwich! He's actually sitting in a round 8" cake pan. He sat in it all on his own and started trying to put this one on his head so we helped him out a little bit for the picture.

Austin is starting to get better and better at walking. He's finally letting go of things and walking on his own. Before we always had to force him to try walking. I just love this outfit he's wearing. $1 shirt from Goodwill.

Here I am HALFWAY THROUGH! Wow, it really has gone so fast. We found out we're having another boy! Austin is going to have so much fun with his little brother. I can't wait til they start wrestling with each other!

RODEO MADNESS!

2011-02-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

We went to the rodeo a couple weeks ago when TCU was closed and Tyler's classes were cancelled due to snow, ice, and freezing weather. How ironic. I must say this rodeo had the best entertainment I have ever seen at a rodeo. I am posting some videos at the end so you know what I am talking about.

This guy made his horse do the Hula (sorry no pictures) and jumped through his lasso super fast like a jumprope. Awesome!

Crazy Bronc riding

This was also amazing. While standing on the back of two horses he drove all of them around and made them do all sorts of commands. His quads had to have been killing him.

Loved the Bull Riding!

This is the lasso guy who was awesome!

Please watch this video!!! It is sooo intense! Chuck Wagon racing is the best!

Pretzels!

2011-02-20T18:11:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we invited this couple over to make and eat pretzels. Taylor, the husband, is an amazing cook so I felt honored to teach him some of my skills :)

Here's the before picture (Before eating the pretzels we made)

Here's after we all had about 3 each. They really do fill you up! Especially as an after dinner treat! Oh I never get tired of making pretzels...now that I'm not working at The Big Twist

Austin's CakeSmash

2011-02-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

My friend who took our family pictures last summer took these pictures of Austin for his first birthday cake. These were taken a week after his real birthday and he didn't seem to like the cake as much as he did when we gave him his small piece on his actual birthday. Oh well! They still turned out adorable. There are a lot. I had a hard time cutting any out!

Love his eyelashes

He liked getting messy better than eating it!

Doesn't our fake wood floor look awesome in black and white?

He got tired of cake pictures after a while and needed something new, so we let him play with his other toy. Which he LOVED

I wish every Saturday was like this!

2011-02-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago (Right before all this FREEZING weather) there was a Saturday that was 78 degrees. AMAZING. We went running in the morning and played tennis in the afternoon. So here are some tennis pictures and I couldn't resist putting in some cute ones of Austin

Austin loves to read his books. And by read, I mean, he speaks chinese as he reads them. It sounds hilarious! He will sit and do this for about 10-15 minutes at a time.

He loves clearing out his toy cupboard and climbing inside. Although he hasn't figured out how to get out without banging his head, so after a while he starts fussing and I come to the rescue. Then the process happens all over again.

Reading in the cupboard. That does not look very comfy. As you can see, his pants are very short on him. They are 6-9 month pants ( and he is almost a year old in this picture) but I am still squishing him into them because I only have a few that are bigger in the 12 month size. Since spring and summer will be next month I've decided to hold off on buying any new winter clothes. So for now, he gets high-waters.

Here I am taking a swing. Tyler loves tennis and I have never played. Well, I've swung the racket and tried to hit the ball on occasion in college at different times, but I've never been taught any techniques, so Tyler has taken it upon himself to teach me. I hope it warms up quick before my belly starts getting in the way.

Tyler is so nice and tries to hit them TO me so I don't have to run too much. Although when I hit them back I have no clue where they are going so he ends up with a pretty good workout by the end, while I hardly break a sweat :)

Practicing his power serves

Look at that technique! Actually I have not a clue if it's good technique but we'll say it is.

Here is Austin jammin' off to the side with some Baby Einstein tunes and eating cheerios

After a while he wanted to get in on some action too.

A glimpse into the future

2011-02-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

We had another SNOW day in Texas today so Tyler didn't have school. This morning Tyler had his computer up working on our taxes while Austin was playing. Austin would come over and try to grab the screen or hit the keys while the laptop was sitting on Tyler's legs. Tyler would tell him no and talk to him about not touching the computer because it's not meant for little kids. He would go into this long shpeal and Austin would get bored and go back to his toys. This happened 3 times and it surprised me that he would give up so easily when, if it was me, Austin would keep grabbing at it until I would finally get tired and turn the computer off and pay attention to him. Tyler made the comment that this is foreshadowing of Austin's teenage years, when we can expect much of the same response when dad starts giving him "the lecture" that no kid wants to listen to. haha!

Partying with the 1 year old

2011-02-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

We just partied by ourselves since I'm sure no one would have wanted to venture out on icy streets in the evening. We had fun just us though!

The first thing Austin opened was a costco size Huggies Diapers box full of these balloons. He was in HEAVEN! I'm pretty sure that was his favorite

Grandma and Grandpa Hair got him this tractor that goes along with his farm set. He loves the pig that pops up and down in the haystack in the back.

Yet he keeps going back to the balloon. The jacket he is wearing is from Lyette. It has sweat pants to match. Go Denver Broncos!!!

We made sure he read all his cards. Gotta teach them young

Me and Austin and his birthday cake! Austin loves Teddy Bears (He smothers his to death) so I decided to make the cake. My friend emailed me a picture with cupcakes as the ears and nose! Brilliant! I was just going to cut out construction paper. Lame, I know. But that was the extent of my creativity. But I was happy with how it turned out.

Austin attacking the cake after it all fell out of his mouth

He sure cleaned it up good.

Overall it was a great birthday and he was a very happy boy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!

2011-02-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

Today is Austin's birthday! I can't believe this.....

Has grown into this....

He really is SUCH a good baby so no wonder I'm having another one so soon right?

For all those who have not seen me in a while...I've got the baby bump going. Right now I will be 18 weeks on Saturday so this was taken a couple weeks ago when I was at 16 weeks. I have grown since then. ALOT it seems! So I will need to take a new picture soon.

Texas is FREEZING cold right now believe it or not. We have an inch of snow and 13 degree weather. With the wind it feels like -2. So yes, when I say freezing I really do mean it. It's not supposed to last long(Thanks Heavens) but since it's been here for 2 days already, I'm ready for warm weather again. Just last Saturday it was 78 degrees! I went running with Tyler in shorts and a t-shirt and also played tennis. It felt sooo good!

I was also supposed to find out what I was having today but I drove to my appointment to find out the office was closed!!! agh! For reals?? Guess I'll have to wait.

Fort Worth Happenings...

2011-01-31T13:51:00.000-08:00

We went to the Fort Worth Stock Show with a bunch of friends this past week and it was the PERFECT day to go. The weather was beautiful. Austin experienced his first "Petting Zoo". Although the only thing he would touch were the goats.

A few weeks back we went to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo parade. Apparently, it is the longest non-motorized parade in the U.S. and I fully believe it! TONS and TONS of horses. I wonder where they put all the trailors. It was cold but at least there was no rain.

Pretty awesome! Think of doing this for an entire parade!

This guy is in our ward. He dresses up as a confederate soldier and does reenactments. Reminds me of Sweet Home Alabama. We are in the South you know!

So many cute miniatures as well! Wouldn't it be so fun to have one pull you in a carriage?

Home-made Chicken Pot Pie!

2011-01-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

One day Tyler was changing Austin's diaper and accidentally ripped the part that attaches the back of the diaper to the front. We were too ghetto to get a new diaper since there was no way to attach it now. Instead we used our handy dandy duct tape! And it lasted all through the night. THANK YOU DUCT TAPE!

I love looking at the recipes on one of my old co-workers blog called One Lovely Life. (You can look at it on my blog list). However, only every once in a while do I get the motivation to actually try a new one. I was really really really wanting some chicken pot pie so I used her recipe and it's all from scratch! I was very proud of my crust. This is coming from someone who's never even made a pie crust! It took longer to make than I thought it would and we almost ended up being late to church. But it was worth it!

Right before putting it in the oven

Just coming out! It was delicious!

We had leftover filling and made these two small cute ones!

More Christmas Pics!

2011-01-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

We played the Wii, Just Dance, game the night that Jane's sister Beth and her family came and had a GREAT time. It's pretty much the funniest thing you'll ever see.

Amanda was pretty rockin'!

Tyler concentrating real hard

Story time with Uncle Chris!

Austin loved helping in the kitchen

Austin started giving hugs during Christmas and it was the cutest thing! He even did them at random. For example, in this picture we had just finished eating dinner and Austin tugs on Grandpa's shirt and pulls him back towards him. Random hug!

Amanda got these glasses from one of her friends to bring in the New Year!

More time with Chris. He officially started drinking ONLY bottles on this trip.

A DELICIOUS MEAL! Jane did a great job cooking for us and this is one of her specialties. A spanish dish called Paella (pie-ee-yuh)

Giving Amanda hugs. And his stuffed animals at the same time.

Here's some pictures of Austin playing "Pat-a-Cake" and "This little Piggy" with Grandma Jane. He looks so little in these pictures! I love'em. He will play pat a cake with his feet by himself now. It's so cute!

Baskets of Joy!

2011-01-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

Austin had an obession of baskets while we were at Tyler's parent's house. He'd push that laundry basket all over the kitchen.

Going on a basket ride with dad.

This one was awesome since it had a handle he could hold on to while he was riding around. Good thing dad didn't mind pushing him!

After a while he was getting braver so he tried standing up. What a daredevil!

Then all of a sudden my back was turned and I look back to find this! JK. I stuffed him in there cuz I thought it would make a cute picture!

Christmas!

2011-01-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

Austin's first and only picture with Santa Clause!

Here's some pictures from Christmas. Tyler's parent's got him the Fisher Price Farm set and it was a HIT!

Although he was more excited about the box at first so we stuffed him inside. One of my friend's pointed out the "Bonus-Extra Accessories" sign was meant for Austin.

Here he is loving the boxes!

and FINALLY he decides to try it out.

It was an awesome Christmas.

NAUVOO

2011-01-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to take a trip out to Nauvoo with Tyler's family right after Christmas. It was so beautiful there with the snow, and we learned a lot about the early Saints of our church and what they sacrificed. They built this beautiful city and then were forced to leave, in the middle of WINTER! It was freezing there! And this was not the first time they had to leave their homes. Many people up and left more than one home from persecution. Nauvoo is very well organized with tour guides at every site to tell you cool stories about the people who lived there and what their life was like. The best thing was knowing you were standing where some of our early church leaders stood.

The temple was gorgeous! I'm so glad it has been rebuilt so we can see its beauty today.

This is the cabin we stayed in.

Yup! All 9 of us. Chris is taking the picture.

We learned how to make rope! Here is Amanda hard at work. Other activities were bread making and learning how they used their woodstoves inside Brick Walls, and also weaving rugs.

Austin up in the loft. He thought it was pretty cool to be up so high

Up high again!

The night we were there we went to a performance put on by the senior missionary couples who serve at Nauvoo. It was awesome!! It was great to see all these people act and sing, even though I'm sure most have not had any training, which you could tell. But it was great to see some of the old men get into it! Austin was plum tuckered out.

Testing out the rope we made. Austin with Uncle Chandler.

We went on a "massive carriage" ride around the outskirts of Nauvoo and learned lots of fun history stories about the people who used to own land out there. There were a couple steep spots where the horses had to go through ice water and we thought we were going to crash! But all went well!

It was a great 2 days! We didn't get to see everything, so I'd be more than happy to go back again someday. Here is Austin driving us back home, one-handed! He's a natural.

The Beauty of the Mississippi River!

2011-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

As we were driving through Nauvoo we came to this beautiful spot where we got the perfect view of the frozen Mississippi River. So of course Tyler's brother stops the car and jumps out with his camera and makes the trek out a good ways on to the river to take some pictures.

Then another brother followed

We didn't want to be left out

And yes that crack that was near the edge was the water flowing underneath. Now looking back maybe it wasn't the smartest thing we've ever done taking our only child out onto the ice.

But we had fun! If you bounced up and down the ice underneath would bob up and down. But it felt pretty thick and sturdy. Maybe when I'm older I'll think it was crazy.

Carthage Jail

2011-01-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas and New Years in Illinois at Tyler's parents House and one thing we did was take a trip to Nauvoo and Carthage Jail. This is the cell where Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, and Willard Richards were held. It was in the very upstairs of the jail.

The day of the martyrdom the four men had been moved into a room just down the hall that was more comfortable. After the mob shot and killed Joseph and Hyrum, Willard found John Taylor(who was also shot, but only wounded) under the bed and dragged him back to this cell and put him under that straw bed to hide him. He wanted him to live to retell the story someday.

Something else I learned about the jail was it was run by a family that actually lived on the main level of the jail(which was a normal house). I can't remember how many kids they had, maybe 3 or 4 small ones, but they actually invited the prisoners to eat dinner with them down in their living quarters while they had them there. They knew they were not guilty. The day the mob came, the owner of the jail had been called out on an assignment and when the mob entered the jail through a door that should have been locked, they actually fired some shots at the mother and children in the room before going upstairs to kill the prisoners. They were not harmed thank goodness. It just goes to show that this was something that was planned out and did not just happen on a spur of the moment.

This is the window Joseph made a jump for but was shot in the process, crashing through and landing on the ground beneath. A neat tidbit that was brought up by the person giving us the tour said, some believe the reason Joseph went to jump out the window was to save the other men in the room. He knew the mob was after him, so he made the jump to get the mob out of the room and focused on him and leave the other men be. It did indeed work because the mob immediately ran back down the stairs to see Joseph's body outside, and Willard Richard's and John Taylor's lives were spared.

The window was also not as high as I thought it was. I always thought, why would Joseph jump out knowing he wouldn't make it, since I thought the impact of the ground would have killed him. But looking out the window it seems as though I could jump out and be fine. Maybe a sprained ankle or a broken bone would be the worst of my injuries, but I certainly would not die from it.

It was a great experience to be there and it actually felt so peaceful just being in this room. It was a great time for reflection and appreciating all that Joseph Smith has sacrificed in his lifetime. The tour guide did not focus on the horrible things of this day but focused on the great men that were in that very room many years before. Of course they did tell the entire story which can be gruesome, but there were many small miracles that happened in getting this room restored so that we can visit it today. If you ever get the chance to go...You should GO!

I've got an "Ingrown Hair"

2011-01-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

So I wrote my text before I added the pictures and I can't copy/paste on this thing...so make sure you read the text at the end and the heading will make sense.

We let Austin open this present before we left for Illinois and he LOVES it. It also turns into a walker
A close up of the back side.
This is the back

My first Quilt! It was great that each panel was so big...Made for minimal sewing, which was perfect for me to start out on.

What does that mean? (Referring to the header) We spent Christmas in Illinois at Tyler's parents house and after we opened all the presents we told everyone we had one more surprise and opened up Austin's sleeper to reveal a homemade onesie that said, "I'm the Big Brother". After a few moment's of silence and a few weird glances they finally started to figure out what this meant. We have another baby on the way!

I then sent a text message to everyone in my family since they were all at Jamie and Bryson's house that said something about having an ingrown hair and to call me once they figured it out. Jamie was the first to call and everyone was very surprised to hear our news. My mom has always guessed or just knew when we've all been pregnant up to this point, but I COMPLETELY FOOLED HER! hahaha. She even spent a week before Thanksgiving at my house and I then flew home for a couple days. I felt victorious. The only people who knew was Jana and Brad because after spending a few days with them after flying home to Washington I just couldn't hold it in any longer. They promised not to tell and I'm so glad they kept that promise.

We're really excited even with them only being 17 months apart. But some people are even crazier than us, (Alainna) so I'm sure we'll manage. I've felt great so far and hope to continue running/jogging once this weather warms up even a little bit. Yes, Texas is actually cold right now.! Well, I've got tons of picture to sort through from my 2 1/2 week trip to Illinois over Christmas and New Year's so I will be updating soon... However, I made my first QUILT at Tyler's paren'ts house. (Tyler's mom, Jane, had cut all the panels ut for me so I just had to sew them together). But that was a HUGE step for me being someone who never sews. The quilt is a racetrack so Austin can drive his cars on it when he gets a little older.

2010-12-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

BOYS WILL BE BOYS!

Austin tooted right before I took the video. I had him laughing for a bit before I thought to turn the video camera on, so his laughs are already winding down, but it's still funny.

REGULAR COW TO MAD COW!

This is during Thanksgiving when my family was here. If you look closely Austin's face gets red every time he makes his noises, but it doesn't show as well on video as well as it was in real life.

DANCING BABY!

Austin LOVES to dance

Oops!

2010-12-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

As I finished blogging my ginormous posts to catch up on what I did during Thanksgiving I forgot to post the BEST picture of all of when my family was here. Here's grandpa and Austin enjoying their fries at Whataburger.