The Carlsen Family

Allee

2012-02-15T16:53:00.000-06:00

She did it . . .

Allee made the move to the basement. It is very bittersweet for me. I have been wanting her to move down just so I could move Layla out of our bedroom. But now that she LOVES it down there it makes me realize just how grown-up she is! To be honest it makes me a little nervous to have her so far away, but she is showing us just how mature she is. On Friday night she got the stomach flu AGAIN (that's 3 times in 3 months people!!) She came upstairs, woke me up, told me she wasn't feeling good, and went straight to the restroom. I was impressed with her to say the least (plus it is a bonus not to have to clean anything except the toilet)!

Allee is loving her new bedroom and we are excited for her because she is just so HAPPY there.

On Monday February 6th Allee was able to do the Clinton High School cheerleading clinic with a wonderful girl in our ward Hannah. Allee loved it, and she is still stomping/clapping around our house doing cheers.

Last week on the ride home from school Allee told me a boy asked her to be his girlfriend. I cautiously asked her what she had said, and she looked at me all serious and said, "I told him no MOM!" I am enjoying that answer, because I am afraid in a few short years that answer will change!!

Pierce

2012-01-25T14:46:00.000-06:00

The best way I can describe Pierce is RANDOM. You never know what you are going to walk into with that kid. In December he was obsessed with taping random papers together and then I would find them all over the house, like this. . . .

He is obsessed with playing Where's My Water on the iPAD . . .

He has an obsession with sacks. Everything from papers he has torn out of coloring books, to balls, to cars, to stuffed animals, to a shoe box is placed in a sack. This is what his closet currently looks like . . .

He LOVES to draw and color. At times it is frustrating the amount of computer paper he goes through. I am seriously considering buying him a ream of paper for his birthday, NO KIDDING! I am glad he has an imagination though, and he tells me he wants to be an artist when he grows up.

He is a loving big brother. He loves to snuggle Layla and is always willing to get me her paci, or grab a diaper and wipes (granted he always needs an extra wipe for a car wash).
He will play school for hours with Allee, and is her little shadow.

Pierce is one random kid, but I wouldn't have him any other way!

Christmas . . .

2012-01-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting about our Christmas. It is always so hard to go through the pictures and sort out the ones to use!

This was our first year staying in Missouri and having our own little Christmas. On Christmas Eve we were able to go to a Kansas City Chiefs game. It was surprisingly warm once we got inside the stadium and it was the kids first professional football game. Up until half time things were going great. Layla was sleeping, Allee and Pierce were paying pretty good attention, and we were having a grand old time. Then when the third quarter started a Raiders fan who had been using awful language the entire game was confronted by a Chiefs fan. Needless to say there was pushing in the row right behind us. I quickly ushered the kids over away from all the craziness and we changed seats. A few minutes later Pierce had fallen asleep and Layla had had enough. We decided it was a good time to head out!

Later that night we did our traditional pajamas and as hard as I tried I couldn't find my girls matching PJ's. They did look pretty cute though! As the evening wore on, I started feeling pretty icky. The stomach flu has NOT been our friend this year. We went to bed early and by morning I was feeling much better. We opened presents from Santa and then headed off to church. Once we got home and started opening the rest of our presents Derek started with that icky feeling. . . have I mentioned how much I LOVE the stomach flu?! Derek fought it the rest of the night.

Allee got an iPOD touch from Santa and an American Girl Doll carrier. She also got some cute boots, a Missouri shirt from Mom & Dad and a cute puffy vest from Pierce and Layla. My favorite quote from her this year was, "Mom I thought Santa was going to fail on the iPOD touch, but he didn't. . . He failed on the Justin Beiber Christmas CD."

I explained that Santa also gave her an iTUNES gift card that would allow her to get the CD, but it didn't hit home. According to her Santa failed at the CD.

Pierce got a new bike, a Comet, and a bouncy ball from Santa. He also got a Missouri shirt and a marble run from Mom & Dad. The girls gave him a cool tire that opens up and holds some of his cars. This gift sparked my favorite quote from Pierce this year, "A tire. . . Seriously?!" Once he figured out what it did, then he thought it was a pretty cool gift.

Layla was just easygoing about the whole ordeal. Santa brought her a Comet as well and a Bumbo. She got an outfit and toy from Mom & Dad, and Allee and Pierce got her some cute boots. About half way through the presents after church she just gave up and slept as Allee and Pierce finished unwrapping her gifts!

Even though Derek and I were sick this year, it was a great experience to have Christmas just the five of us. Luckily Christmas day our kids were happy to watch Cars 2 and have Spaghettio's for dinner!

4 Months

2012-01-11T13:44:00.000-06:00

How is it Layla is four months already?! She loves to smile and giggle, especially at Allee and Pierce. She loves to be looking out. She is starting to babble and loves to chew on her left hand. She is so happy and easy going as long as you don't leave her alone in a room. Her cheeks are unbelievably kissable and she loves it when you kiss her neck, it makes her giggle. What a blessing this little girl is!

Basketball

2012-01-11T13:16:00.000-06:00

This winter Allee played basketball. It was by far the funnest thing to watch EVER! All these girls learning how to dribble, how to shoot, and how to shuffle their feet across the court. Allee wasn't so sure if she liked playing but by the final two games, she decided it wasn't to bad and wants to play again next year. Some of my fevorite memories of her season were the first time she got the ball, she just took off running. No dribbling, just running. The last game she was so excited when she got the ball right before half time that she dribbled up the court the wrong way. Derek and I were yelling for her to turn around. Her team went undefeated with the exception of a tie. That game was quite the experience. The stands were packed fans were cheering so loud, the coach was jumping up and down every time one of our girls took a shot. Derek and the other dads were pacing the sidelines. It was absolutely hillarious! With only about 10 seconds left and the game tied up, Allee's coach called all the girls in and even drew up a play for them. He was an awesome coach and we were constantly impressed with how he worked with all these 7 & 8 year old girls.
We are so proud of Allee for trying something new and working hard to get better at it!

Grandpa Nelson

2011-12-13T14:31:00.000-06:00

On November 28th my Grandpa Nelson passed away. It was a blessing, the last few months he really hadn't been doing very well. I am currently collecting pictures and memories from my family for a book I am making my Grandma for Christmas. It is a great way to remember what a great man he was. He would do anything for you, and although he was stern and gruff at times, he had such a special place in his heart for his great-grand kids. When Allee was 2 I worked one day a week, and Great and Grandpa would babysit her. Every morning my grandpa would bring her hot cocoa from the coffee shop where he would be having hot chocolate with his friends. It never failed just as I was saying goodbye in he would come with a mug for her. Pierce loved Grandpa and was never afraid of his gruff voice and was ever curious about his oxygen hose. The first thing he would do when we walked in was go over to Grandpa's chair and give him a hug.
Grandpa was able to meet Layla about two weeks before he passed away. What a blessing. He commented on how beautiful she was and was able to hold her for a few moments. I could tell at that time that he wasn't doing very well because he let her keep her pacifier in her mouth (Grandpa despised pacifiers!) It was always a joke that you had better take the paci out before you handed the baby to Grandpa or he would pull it out himself.
I will miss my Grandpa so very much. Hopefully I can share all my memories with my kids, and keep theirs alive so they will always remember what a great man he was.

Family Pics

2011-12-10T15:34:00.000-06:00

Our good friend Cindy took these for us (that way I have something to put on our Christmas cards!) These are the ones I didn't use, but they were too cute not to share.

Visitors

2011-12-10T15:26:00.000-06:00

Papa

Uncle Dave

Aunt Christy

Great

Gra
We were so lucky to have so many people in our family come to visit us when Layla was born. My sister Christy came out when Layla was one week old. A week later my Mom and Grandma came out and then in November Dave, Steph, Livie, and Emmett along with my Mom and Dad came. We are so lucky that our family sacrificed so they could come and see our new little girl. What a blessing to be surrounded by family!

A Name and A Blessing

2011-12-10T15:08:00.000-06:00

On November 6th we blessed our sweet Layla. We were so excited that both of my parents and my sister Stephanie's family came for the occasion. My mom helped me make Layla's dress and she looked absolutely beautiful. Derek gave her a wonderful blessing that included the blessing that she would be a good example and a light to all those around her.

We had a luncheon afterward with our family and those from Missouri who have become our family.

What a wonderful day to celebrate the gift of Layla Claire in our lives.

Halloween

2011-11-28T21:51:00.000-06:00

I have always wanted to dress the kids up in coordinating outfits, and this year was the perfect opportunity. Derek and I even got in on the action at the ward trunk or treat.

The kids were so proud of their pumpkins this year. Allee gave hers missing teeth because she has lost so many teeth this year. Pierce was just excited that we actually let him draw on the pumpkin with a Sharpie!

Our tough little football player. Derek has already taught him that we LOVE the Bears and we NEVER cheer for the Packers. Aahhh. . . Nothing like teaching them while they are young!

This is the first picture ever of little Layla smiling. She was so cute all dressed up and it was warm enough we were able to take her to a few of our close friends homes.

And then there is Allee. Poor girl was sent home from school around 1 o'clock because she was throwing up. She came home, slept, threw up once more around three, slept some more, and finally about 5 o'clock perked up. She was heartbroken that she might have to miss trick or treating and I told her if she honestly felt better and could keep some Sprite down we would let her go around the block. We waited until the last minute, and let her throw on her costume. How can you keep a kid from trick or treating, isn't Halloween a kid holiday anyway?! She was all better and come to find out it was just a 24 hour stomach bug (which I managed to get the next day).

Our little Bears Fans. What a crazy Halloween!

Soccer Champ

2011-11-28T14:49:00.000-06:00

This was Allee's third season of soccer, and her first year out of pee-wee. Her team was amazing and they were undefeated, they even got their picture in the newspaper! Allee improved every game, and loves playing defender and taking on all the boys. We are so proud of her and how hard she works at running fast, beating the boys, and putting her all into whatever she does.

1 Month

2011-10-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

How is my baby 1 month already? Layla is growing so fast! She is a great baby and I can't seem to give her enough kisses. Allee and Pierce love her so much and have been so helpful. Not a day passes when they don't ask to hold her even if she is crying, it doesn't bother either of them. It is awesome when I just want to change the laundry or do the dishes quickly.

Happy 7th Allee

2011-10-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

The night before Allee's party Aunt Christy headed back home so she gave Allee her present early. Yes, we have a little "Beiber Fever" in this house. I think I heard Baby Baby about a million times that night!

Allee's friend party. We had a PJ party. They decorated cupcakes, made sleep masks, and watched Tangled. Having a two week old, I thought we would keep it pretty low key, but the girls had a blast.

Allee's dinner of choice this year: Dinner in a pumpkin. Everyone loved it!
We also had Great and Gra visiting for her big day which was so fun. It was exciting to spend a birthday with family again.

From Steph and Dave. One of the few things Allee really wanted. She was thrilled and sported it to school the next day!

The best part of Allee's birthday was a scavenger hunt around the house (thanks Derek for the idea). Allee LOVED it, in fact she still talks about how awesome it was and it has been a few weeks!

It all ended with a new bike. Allee had worn through the tire on her old bike, and I am not kidding, the tube popped because the tire was gone! At least it was well used! Perfect timing for a new bike.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLEE!

We love you so much! You are a fantastic big sister and such a sweet girl. You are thoughtful, fun to be around, and sweet. You make us proud every day. You are into everything that sparkles, you love pink, Justin Beiber, Selina Gomez, and accessories. You are a joy to be around and we are so lucky to have you in our family!

Miss Layla

2011-10-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

Layla is such a wonderful baby. She is easy going and loves to be snuggled. The best part is she only wakes up once or twice a night to eat and then goes right back to bed! She gets the hiccups ALL THE TIME. Poor little thing, I am constantly giving her a pacifier just to make them go away.

At her 1 week check she weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and by 2 weeks she was back up to 7 lbs 11 oz exactly.

Layla never spits up, which has been really odd for us because our other two did all the time. In fact the other day I asked Derek to get me a burp cloth because she had a mouth full of milk and he hollered from her bedroom, "Where ARE the burp cloths?"

Layla Claire

2011-10-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

I went to my doctors appointment on September 8 which was one day before my due date, with the intention of insisting my doctor start me the next day. After my exam she said she would call the hospital to schedule my induction, but that it probably wouldn't happen until Monday. I was so disappointed, in fact I was down right pouting after she left the room. When the nurse came back she asked if I could be at the hospital at 3:00 that afternoon, my jaw literally dropped and my mind went blank. That was not the answer I was expecting! We hurried home with only four short hours until we needed to be back at the hospital. Derek wrapped everything up at work, I arranged a babysitter for the kids for the night, vacuumed, and started the dishwasher. We hurried off to Allee's school to tell her the good news, and let her know that our great friend Sonya would be picking her up and she and Pierce would be spending the night there. I gave her and Pierce big hugs and kisses, realizing this was the last time I was going to have two kids, and we were off to meet our little girl.

By the time we checked in it was 4:00. The doctor broke my water at 5:15, and around 6:30 I was asked if I wanted my epidural now because the anesthesiologist was going in to do an appendectomy. I had only felt a few contractions, but there is no way I was going to miss getting my epidural! It was THE BEST epidural EVER! Around 8:00 I was started on a pitocin drip, and went from 5 cm to 10 cm by 9:00. The doctor came in and our sweet baby girl was born at 9:24 pm.

I had told Derek right before she was born that if she had blond hair then she would be Emme, but if she had dark hair then she was definitely Layla. I had dreams of holding a little brunette baby girl we called Layla last November. They were so vivid, so real, I knew that baby girl was coming to our family.

Sure enough, she has LOTS (by our standards!) of dark hair. Welcome to the world

Layla Claire

7 lbs. 11 oz. 19 1/2 inches

Meeting Pierce, who couldn't get enough of her. He says her name, "Aya"

The proud big sister. Allee couldn't be more proud.

Getting ready to come home. Aahh. . . . the adventures that await us!

For now I am just enjoying every second of this little peanut. I can't put her down, and I feel so blessed to have this sweet spirit in our family.

Kiddos

2011-09-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

Since Derek gave me an awesome new camera for my birthday, I figured it was time to test it out. A few days before Allee began 1st grade, we got her all dressed up in her first day outfit and went out and about Clinton. I really miss having professional pics of my kids, and since there isn't anyone really here, I figured I would give it my best shot.
I think they turned out pretty good for a first timer, and they can't be any worse then school pictures right?!
These two are my world. I love them so much and feel so blessed to have these little personalities that some days make me want to pull my hair out and others keep me laughing all day long.

Impatient

2011-08-30T13:29:00.000-05:00

I am officially 38 1/2 weeks and more impatient about this little girls arrival than I ever thought I would be. I don't know if it is just the logistics of pawning off our other two or what, but I am on pins and needles wondering when things are going to start happening. Perhaps it is the fact that I have been induced with my other two. Maybe it is the worry that I won't know labor when it hits. I really can't put my finger on it, but none the less I am IMPATIENT.
The thing I keep reminding myself is
1. Newborns don't sleep, and I REALLY like sleep.
2. She doesn't make any noise in my tummy.
3. I love to feel those kicks and squirms, it is the best part of being pregnant
4. I have two amazing kids, and what is my life going to be like throwing another into the mix. I only have 2 hands!
And yet, here I am thinking about labor, wondering if my doc will induce me next week just so I can stop driving myself crazy, and most of all getting excited to see, smell, hold, and snuggle this new little girl.

One Last Getaway

2011-08-22T13:01:00.001-05:00

Our plan for a weekend away was to go to a Cardinal's game in St. Louis on Saturday, spend the night, and visit a few sites on Sunday. Unfortunately our plans came to a hault when Derek realized that the tickets were for the following Saturday. We had already booked our hotel and it was non-refundable, so we decided to make the best of it and have one last getaway anyway! Allee starts school on the 24th and I am due in 2 weeks, so this was the perfect opportunity for some quality family time just the 4 of us.
Our first stop was the Old Spaghetti Factory. It is one of Derek's favorite places to eat, and we hadn't been there in years. It didn't disapoint. After a bumpy ride on an old cobblestone road, we enjoyed slurping pasta across the street from the arch.
St. Louis Science Center:
Our next stop was to the science center. The coolest part here was the overpass. You can look out at the city, use radar guns to see how fast cars are going, and they have holes in the floor so you can see the passing traffic.
Pierce loved the dinosaures. The T-rex would move and sort of growl as it stood over it's prey, a triceratops. But not to worry, Pierce informed us that he saw the triceratops move, so therefore it is only sleeping.

The Fudgery:

Where we literally sang for our fudge! They have awesome demonstrations, and it's fun how you get to sing and get harrassed just for some free fudge. Of course one bite wasn't going to satisfy anyone in our family, we ended up spending $27 in fudge, but oh . . . . it was totally worth it!

Later that night Derek took the kids swimming and we just enjoyed hanging out in our hotel room.

Grant's Farm

This was the perfect attraction for our little family. Not truly a "farm" in the sense I know farms, but a great place to see some deer, elk, birds, kangaroos, and everyone's favorite feeding the goats.
You can buy a bottle of milk and take it into the goat pen and feed the little goats. There are about 50 goats, and we got there first thing in the morning. The goats were all over us trying to get some milk. The kids loved it! Derek and I couldn't stop laughing. Goats were climbing up him, up Allee, and trying to eat our shorts. Eventually we got a few singled out and were able to feed them. Pierce LOVED the goats and kept giving them hugs. It was definately the highlight of the day.

The famous Anheiser-Bush Clydesdales. They have about 6 adults at the farm and 4 or 5 little ones. They are amazing to see up close and so huge!

Fits's:

Our last stop was Fitz's. We were able to watch them bottle grape soda, and then we enjoyed delicious food! Burgers, fries, and homemade rootbeer and cream soda. It was such a fun place to experience!

Worlds of Fun

2011-08-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

For Schreiber Food's summer party we went to Worlds of Fun, and amusement park in Kansas City. We were so lucky that morning we had a great rainstorm which helped cool the day off considerably. Which means the high was only 98 + humidity instead of the scorching 115 degree temps we had the week before. Unfortunately for me being 34 weeks pregnant, I wasn't able to ride anything, I just got to walk around, sweat, and watch my family enjoy themselves!

Jadyn, Pierce, and Allee. Pierce loved Planet Snoopy and would give each character a big hug. He is exactly 36 inches which is how tall you have to be to ride all the kids rides. He was in heaven. He would go on ride after ride and want to do it again and again.

Allee's big moment. This year she was tall enough to ride all but 2 of the adult rides. I convinced her to try this ride with Derek and our friend Beth, she got to almost the front of the line and came back down, but after some prodding and assuring her that she would love it, she finally got back in line. You can see the trepidation in her face!

Off they went, and she loved every minute! As soon as she got off the ride I was waiting by the gate and she was begging to do it again. That's my girl! Derek and I were very proud of her courage and so happy that she was willing to try new things.

33 Weeks

2011-07-25T14:26:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a while since I posted anything about Baby Girl, and now that I am 33 weeks, I am starting to realize just how soon she will be here.
The past two Saturdays have been busy with organizing baby clothes, cleaning out Allee's room to make room for the changing table and crib, and just figuring out exactly what we need for this baby.
I am very blessed to have easy pregnancies. The only kink this time is that I have to watch my sugars. On my glucose test at 28 weeks my glucose was 126, and apparently once you hit 130 you have to do the in depth glucose test. I was told to just watch my sugar intake and watch the processed carbs I eat. It made me laugh because we were getting ready for Utah, and let's face it there is so much delicious food, I wasn't a very good girl.
At my 31 week appointment the urine test was positive for glucose and now about every other day I get to prick my finger and just see what my levels are. It really isn't a big deal, just kind of annoying. So far so good, nothing to report which makes me VERY happy. 6 more weeks to go and we will have a beautiful new daughter and hopefully she won't have the same glucose issue Pierce had.
The only perk of all of this is we were able to have another ultrasound to see her growth. She measures perfect at 4 lb 7 oz (which is the measurement for 32 weeks) and the coolest part was we could even see her hair. I know there won't be much, but it was pretty fun to see.

Life

2011-07-19T12:37:00.000-05:00

One aspect of our trip I was not ready for was a phone call from Derek on June 22. He called to tell me one of our friends from Providence had passed away. I was in shock and denial to say the least. Linda and Brad have been good friends of ours for years. She and I have been pregnant at the same time with both my Allee and her daughter Ryen, my Pierce and her Jack, and now we are both having girls.
You go through life knowing there is death and heartache, and knowing that the Lord has a plan, but I have never been this close to a situation where I have been left baffled as to why things had to happen this way.
We were able to attend the funeral on July 1st, and it was the most beautiful, emotional, and heart wrenching thing ever. The stories of Linda made Derek and I laugh and cry.
As time has passed, I have been reminding myself just how precious life is.
Is it really necessary to get after the kids for that?
The housework can always wait.
Do I tell my family I love them enough?
What will my kids remember me by when they look back on their childhood?
During the funeral some of Linda's blog posts were read about her children and it really made me realize just how important this "journaling" is. If nothing else this is always here. My kids will be able to look back and read stories about their life, things we did together, and just how wonderful I think they are.
So I will do better, and try to be better, and the next time I feel like yelling, just take a moment and remember that life passes us by quickly. And most of all make sure Derek and my kids know just how much I love them.

More Utah Fun

2011-07-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

July 1st:
Derek came in the evening of June 30th, he worked in Nebraska and Southwest Missouri for two weeks which is why the kids and I were able to spend some extra time in Utah. We figured if he wasn't home we didn't need to be!
The Logan fireworks. This year we tried out a new spot. It was nice because it was flat, but Shanelle and I both agreed that we missed the hustle and bustle of being right up against the stadium.
Derek, Ryan, and the kids (Olivia, Porter, Allee, Ava, and Pierce) all played a rousing game of tackle football. The kids had a great time and it kept them very occupied! Shanelle, Christy, and I played with baby Owen and visited. We really miss the Frandsen's and are so glad they will drop everything to spend time with us whenever we come to town.

These two can't get enough of each other.

Pierce enjoying a little glow stick action! The kids were absolutely neon from head to foot, but it sure makes keeping track of them easy.

July 3rd:

We had Emmett's blessing that morning and he looked so handsome, I wish I had a picture! Dave gave a great blessing and we were so excited that they waited to bless him until we were there. Family is so important, and it is the little things like blessings and Emmett's birth that make us miss living in Utah. Spending time with our good friends and old neighbors the Howells. It is crazy how big their girls have gotten in 2 years, but so fun to catch up!
Jumping on the new tramp. This is how it started, the dads and kiddos with the sprinkler underneath, but all to soon Derek and Dave decided it was time for the adults to have a little fun.
And this is what happened: 6 adults on a trampoline meant to only hold 250 lbs. Sprinkler underneath. Massive bum war in which my super competitive Derek was champion! Needless to say, the trampoline never recovered. The mat and springs were completely stretched out and we had to replace them. But they did provide 2 hours of unbelievable adult entertainment for those on the trampoline and those of us (including the kids) watching!
Afterwards we did a few fireworks, and Allee, Pierce, and Olivia loved catching the parachutes. This year Utah legalized the fireworks that go up in the air, each family put in $60 and we had an amazing show. It was much more fun than those puny little ones! The boys did buy some flowers and had a great time lighting them and throwing them all over the place. They also got into a fantastic snaps fight. They were throwing them at each other, luckily I was with the kids doing sparklers so they wouldn't pick up on any bad habits!
July 4th:
The Hyrum Parade. This year we were a little disappointed because the band wasn't there. It is always so fun to watch them! The kids loved catching candy though, and like a good mom, I only took half of their neapolitan taffy.

What is the 4th of July without some patriotic outfits?! Afterwards we had a BBQ at my parents with lots of family. I think that is the best part of the 4th, it is pretty low key, but you get to spend time with family and friends and remember just how blessed we are.

Later that night we went to the Hyrum fireworks. Derek got the kids these awesome light up swords, and they even had light up masks from Gra and Papa.

July 6th:

The splash pad in Providence. The kids loved it, and it was a perfect day for a little cold water fun.

In true Derek fashion, no date is complete without going "looking" at some car lots. This time he was pretty sure he didn't want to drive our good old Sequoia home and we ended up buying a new 2011 Honda Pilot. We really love the new car, it's just a little weird to get used to driving something smaller. So farewell Sequoia, you treated us well.

July 8th:

We had a gigantic sleepover the night before the wedding. Dave, Stephanie, Christy, Katie, Derek, and I all slept downstairs and we left all the kiddos upstairs with Gra and Papa.
That night my family gave me my birthday presents. Steph and Dave gave me a belly band which will come in handy in another 2 months, and I am so excited to use it! Christy and Katie gave me super cute shirts and a new makeup bag (which was desperately needed, I am still using the same one from college, that makes it approximately 12 years old).

The best gift of all was from Derek though. He gave me a brand new camera. Not a little point and shoot, and real camera. I am so excited! Now I just have to learn how to take good pictures! It was fun to play with all of the cool features and just in time to use for the wedding.
This was our delicious breakfast. Cinnamon rolls from Great Harvest. Life can't get much better than these!
Little Emmett! Such a cute little guy, we all enjoyed getting to know our new nephew and cousin. July 9th:
Hanging out before we needed to get ready for the wedding.

Allee was absolutely stunning. She is such a wonderful girl, was was a spectacular flower girl.
This is one of my favorite pictures! It is so typical Pierce. He looked so dashing he made my heart melt.
All the cousins: Pierce, Allee, Emmett, and Olivia

My little ring bearer.
This is how the kids stood the whole ceremony. Right in front of everything, hopefully everyone didn't want to see the bride or groom! But with a 6 year old and two 3 year olds, we were just happy they were quiet.

Living it up at the reception. There is one thing about us Bolduc girls, we love our dancing. We had a great time line dancing (yes even preggo I was out there shaking it, I feel a little bad for those that had to watch!)

Dancing is a little easier if there isn't a belly in the way, but we made it work.
Derek is so proud of this picture, how many kids do you know that are this good at the sprinkler?

The slow dancing was definitely one of my favorite parts. I was able to dance with my Pierce, Derek and Allee cut a rug, and at my sisters weddings is really the only time I have the opportunity to really dance with my amazing husband. I am blessed to have such a fantastic family, and a husband that makes me feel so loved.

We had a wonderful time with our family and friends. I was able to do a little sewing with my mom and sisters to prepare for baby girl, and the kids loved getting to play with Livie. We have the best friends who will come to lunch or dinner with us and take time out of their busy lives, we are so lucky to have them.

Utah

2011-07-15T13:36:00.000-05:00

Just a few of the fun things we did while on vacation . . . .

Allee, Pierce, and Mom flying on our own since Derek had work to do in Nebraska and Southwest Missouri. He drove out and met us June 30th.
June 24th
Allee and Aunt Christy going to the Rodeo. Allee loved the bulls, eating nachos, and spending special time with Christy.
Willow Park with Dave, Steph, Livie, Emmett, and Gra
We had a delicious sack lunch from Old Grist Mill and then the kidds enjoyed the animals, supprisingly the kids are never bored there.
One of Allee's favorite past times while we are there is spending time with Gra and Papa's dog Chance. She has taken on the responsibility that once we are in Utah the dog is all hers to bath, feed, walk, and take out.

Pierce loved going to the Hill Air Force Aerospace Museum. He loved looking at all the planes, and was so excited when he could match up planes he saw with the ones in his favorite book.

Bunny

2011-06-15T20:54:00.000-05:00

Last night while we were hanging out in the yard with our neighbors, Allee caught this baby bunny. There are rabbits all over the place out here, in fact they can be quite a pain if you have a garden planted! We have never seen babies though and Allee and our neighbor Lynn found a nest with two babies right up against the side of our house. Allee was so proud that she actually caught it herself and it really was a cute little thing. All the kids took turns passing this poor bunny around and then we put it back. On inspection today the bunnies are both still doing fine and the kids are excited to be able to watch them grow.

While Dad's Away

2011-06-14T13:31:00.000-05:00

The first week of June was crazy here. Derek went on High Adventure Scout Camp where three leaders and 13 boys ages 14-17 biked the Katy Trail. This is a trail which stretches across the entire state of Missouri. They decided to bike about 160 miles of the trail. They started off about an hour and a half from where we live and biked all the way to St. Charles which is a suburb of St. Louis. Four days later they returned victorious, stinky, and completely exhausted. I am so proud of Derek! As you can tell from the pictures, the Young Men's program is the perfect calling for Derek, he fits in perfectly! It is awesome to see the bonds he has made with these young men.

And this is what we did. . . .

While Derek was off being the adventurer, I decided it was time to finish some projects. First on the agenda was a denim blanket. We have been collecting jeans for quite a while now and I was sick of having them in a box in the basement. The kids helped me pick some fun 4th of July fabric to put on the back and some sparkly yarn to tie it with. It will be the perfect addition for this years Logan fireworks!

Next on my list was a sun dress for Allee. I found this cute fabric at Wal-Mart for $2 a yard. I couldn't pass it up, I just wish I would have bought more! I saw the pattern for this dress on Make It and Love It and just had to try it. It was super simple and turned out so cute that I surprised Allee and stayed up that night making her American Girl Doll a matching dress.

I love the relief and sense of accomplishment that come when you finally get some projects done!

The End of Kindergarten

2011-05-31T15:02:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe Allee is old enough to be done with kindergarten! She has grown and learned so much this year.
Her teacher: Mrs. Johnson
Her favorite food at lunch: Chicken Patty
Her favorite books: Junie B. Jones
Her favorite friend: Olivia Goth
Her favorite subject: Art
Allee is such a little smartie and we have loved watching her learn and grow this past school year. Bring on 1st Grade!

A Little Rain?!

2011-05-31T14:36:00.000-05:00

On May 12th we went to a Springfield Cardinal's game with Derek's leadership team at Schreiber. All you can eat hot dogs, nachos, cookies, soda, and chips. We all love it!
We made it to the bottom of the 3rd inning when a huge storm hit. Lightening was flashing right above us, and the thunder literally shook us. That's the thing with thunderstorms here, they are loud, and super powerful!! The rain was falling in sheets. Luckily we were on the very top of the ball park and covered. We all huddled together for over an hour hoping the rain would at least slow enough to walk the 1 block to the car, but no luck. Finally Derek braved the storm with his boss Jeff and came and picked the kids and I up.

A shorter than expected game, but still pretty cool!

5K with my Allee

2011-05-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

After doing the temple run, Allee and I decided we could totally do a 5K together.
On May 7th we donned our matching t-shirts, put our hair up in twiner ponytails, and set out.
We rode the bus to the Katy Trail where the Girls on the Run race was to be held, and Allee was pretty nervous as I was pinning her number on.
We met up with other mom/daughter teams in our neighborhood. Tara and Mikiah and Beth and Jadyn. The girls jumped around and talked about how fast they were going to run.
Once the race started she shot off like a bullet, I couldn't keep up with her! Luckily that lasted about 2 minutes and then our pace evened out. After some much needed water at the half way point (the morning started off cool and then it turned humid), we developed a system to our running/walking. We would run for two telephone poles and then walk for two. We did this up until the 1/4 mile mark and then we jogged the rest of the way. Allee would say, "I don't think I can do it." I kept encouraging her and once she heard and saw the crowd of people cheering her on she no longer had any doubts. Allee and I completed our 5K in 44 minutes.
It was so fun to have Derek and Pierce at the finish line cheering for us and taking our picture. I was SO proud of Allee, words can't express. She accomplished something amazing, something many people never do, and it touched my heart that we could share this experience.Afterwards when we were talking about the race she would just talk about how "awesome" it was at the end, and how fun it was to cross the finish line with all those people cheering for her.

Allee you are AWESOME and I am so proud of you!

Temple Run

2011-05-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

Now that the Kansas City temple is nearly completed on the outside they held a 5K walk/run on Saturday the 23. We thought it would be a great way to get active with the kids and go see the new temple.

Derek and Allee ran together about half way when Allee found her friend MaKenna. Derek ended up running the second half by himself with a time of 36 minutes, not too shabby considering he was running with Allee.

Pierce and I were the walkers. I pushed him in the stroller most of it, but made him get out and walk the last 1/8 mile and cross the finish line himself. He loved it. Missionaries were on either side of the finish line telling him he was the winner, and he completely believed them. I kept saying just a little further and he would reply, "No Mom, I already winned." Pierce and I clocked in at 58 minutes.

It was so awesome to do this together as a family. It was completely inspiring to see the temple and watch the workers. We are so excited to have a temple only a 1 1/2 hours away. Here's to many more temple runs!

Derek's Birthday

2011-05-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

The day after Easter my sweet husband turned a big 33! We had our friends over for Derek's dinner of choice, sweet pork burritos, at some BTS cake, and enjoyed visiting. A pretty low key day, but this man of mine is loved so much.

Just of a few of the things that I love about him:
1. His fervor for his teams. That would be Celtics, Bears, and Braves. He gets all nervous with sweaty palms when they are in the playoffs. He never misses a game, and there isn't a stat he doesn't know!
2. The way he loves his kids. He will wrestle around on the floor with them for hours and they are completely enamored with him. NOBODY is better than Dad, just ask.
3. The wonderful husband he is. He always puts his family #1.
4. The 14 year old trapped in a 33 year old body. I love his goofy grin, zest for life, and overall silliness.

Happy Birthday Derek!!

Easter

2011-05-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

Getting all dressed up in our Easter best!

I am so proud of these two. They can be such stinkers at times and at others the best of friends. But it is impossible to resist them when they are all dressed up and for a few moments on their best behavior! They make my world go round.

The Easter Bunny treated us well this year!

Allee got chocolate milk, M&M's, flip flops, and an easy bake brownie mix.
Pierce got Pixo's, flip flops, sixlets, and a chocolate milk.

Coloring eggs. I think the kids could do this for hours! I just don't know what to do with all the eggs they want to color. Our limit this year was 18 eggs.

How can you not love those faces?

Springfield Zoo

2011-04-26T14:10:00.000-05:00

The day before Easter, April 23, we headed down to Springfield and since our friends the Pankow's were headed that way as well we decided to meet up at the zoo. It was a wonderfully humid day, but the kids had a fantastic time seeing the elephants, hippo, feeding the goats at the petting zoo, petting a baby camel, and admiring the monkeys.

Allee, Jadyn, Pierce, and Brendan

Feeding the giraffes. I have NEVER had the opportunity to feed a giraffe and the entire family loved every minute of it! Their tongues are unbelievably long and as Pierce says, slobbery! The kids couldn't get enough of them. By the time we left I think the giraffes were sufficiently full, because Pierce found one more little piece of cracker and he couldn't get even one to come over and eat it. It was amazing and such a fun memory!

Beth and Brendan feeding the giraffe who loved to snort and blow air at everyone. The first time it happened to Allee I think she jumped four feet of the ground!
We found every character from the movie Madagascar, which was apparently very important (who knew?!). We had a great time and it doesn't matter how many times you go to the zoo, it is always so cool to see which animals spark your kiddos interest and watch their faces light up when they finally find the one animal they have been searching for! For Pierce this time it was the monkeys, and for Allee it was the giraffes.
We love this zoo and how amazingly close you get to the animals!

Father Daughter Dance

2011-04-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

Allee was so excited for the father daughter dance this year. I almost blew it by waiting too long to get tickets, and I got the second to last pair ANYWHERE in town! Whew, major disaster avoided!

Allee got a beautiful corsage and was so excited to spend the evening with her dad. And once again, they wouldn't be a proper couple if Derek didn't have a matching tie! Allee helped him pick this one out.

The condensed version I got was as follows:

The lines were so long! We got cotton candy, candy, got Allee's face painted, and danced on the slow songs. The fast songs Allee and her friends Parker and Olivia were cutting a rug, and Derek said they were pretty cute!

I LOVE that there were able to spend this special time together!

Allee getting her face painted by her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Johnson.

Soccer Girl

2011-04-17T21:19:00.000-05:00

Derek's love of soccer has definitely passed onto our Allee. Spring soccer started a few weeks ago, and Allee is having a blast. She has improved so much since the Fall, and we are so proud of her. On her first game she scored two goals and this past Saturday she scored another goal.

A big difference for her this year is she has taken on the role of defender all on her own. She is very passionate about her defender job and gets upset if the other team scores on her.

We are so proud of her determination and her hard work. It is so fun watching Derek "coach" her from the sidelines and give her pointers at half time. He can't sit down on the bleachers with the other parents, he is constantly walking the line shouting encouraging words.

We are so glad she is having such a great time!

It's A Girl!

2011-04-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

There is absolutely NOTHING like getting an ultrasound! I am always completely nervous the night before. Are they healthy? Any problems? I haven't felt the baby move yet, is it ok? And then add the suspense of finding out if a little boy or girl is in our future! I was up tossing and turning most of the night, plus as an added bonus, my sister Stephanie called about 1:30 am to tell me she was in labor! So add nervous excitement onto nervous excitement. Derek and I drove the 45 minutes to the hospital and by baby #3 I think my nervousness is an annoying joke to him! I would ask him for the millionth time if he thought everything was going to be ok, and he would look over at me and say, "It's fine, stop worrying." The inevitable next question was, "Do you think it will be a boy or girl?" His response was always, "It's a girl." At my ultrasound at 12 weeks, the sonographer was having a hard time getting the right pictures so she asked me to drink some more water. This time I didn't want to have any problems, so a chocolate milk and two water bottles later we waltzed into the office. I thought I was going to burst! Luckily after a few quick measurements the sonographer took pity on me and let me use the restroom. The rest of the ultrasound was much more relaxing!!

The first shot the sonographer got was this one below. It was amazing. I knew she was a girl. She has been in my dreams so many times! I kept my composure for a while, but once her initial measurements were taken and I was in the restroom, I couldn't help but sob. I know she is meant to come to our family.

I got a huge box of Golden Grahams and wrote the letters GIRL and BO on some of the cereal. That evening the kids got to dump out a whole box of cereal and search through it to find out if they were having a brother or sister.

Pierce's response was, "Wahoo!" and Allee said, "I knew it would be a girl!"

They were both very excited. We all sat on the couch and Derek explained our ultrasound pictures to them. It was an awesome moment for our family, and we are so excited for our new daughter!

Our 3 Year Old

2011-04-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Happy Birthday Pierce!

We had a great time celebrating Pierce's 3rd Birthday. He got to go to Wendy's for lunch his absolute favorite place to eat and he invited his buddy Jackson to come along. After that we had a day filled with playing whatever Pierce wanted, which was Lego's and monster fighting.

He picked spaghetti for dinner and then he was able to open all his presents from our families. I love his new smile. He looks like such a little cheese.

Allee gave him Scooby-Doo and a hippity-hop. He got walkie-talkies and a new Curious George movie from Derek and I.

Pierce is so fun to have around. His favorite saying right now is, "Boys rule and girls pee." He loves to fight monsters. He is constantly wrestling with his dad. He always wakes up and says, "Is it wake up time?" every morning without fail. He will always give hugs and kisses. He brings such a happiness into our family and we love him so much!

Little One

2011-03-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

The time has come to introduce Carlsen baby #3 to the world. We are beyond thrilled to be welcoming another little one into our home.

Currently I am 15 weeks along, and we will be finding out if a little brother or sister is in our future in 2 1/2 weeks. The due date is September 9, 2011.

Ultrasound pictures at 12 weeks. Early ultrasounds aren't common here, but because of Pierce's history our doctor ordered one just to see how this little one is growing, and we were thrilled to have the chance to see this baby.

From about weeks 6-10 I was pretty nauseous in the evenings, in fact after dinner the couch was my best friend until bed time. I never get very sick though and I feel very blessed for that!

We told Allee and Pierce on Valentines day, and Allee was excited, but Pierce really didn't understand. As we have talked about it more and more, and finally told everyone I think he is catching on. Today he was climbing over my legs and leaned into my belly and said, "Hi baby, I am your brother."

We asked both kids if they wanted a brother or a sister, and they both replied brother. Allee's reasoning cracked me up though. She said if it was a brother then the girls would always win when we race to buckle into the car! Love how that little mind works!

Welcome new little Carlsen! We are so excited to meet you!

Another One Gone

2011-03-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

Allee had a loose tooth for months. It was really driving her (and me) crazy, but every time I would try to wiggle it, she would complain it hurt and that was then end of our wiggling fun. On March 4th I picked her up from school and she was proudly holding a Ziploc baggie with her tooth inside. She told me how she had complained to her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Johnson about it hurting and so Mrs. Johnson sent her to the teacher affectionately known as, "The Tooth Fairy". One twist and pull later Allee had that pesky tooth out. She was completely excited.
The next week we bought the book Silverlicious, and she was thrilled to find out that the tooth she lost was the same one Pinkalicious lost. It was a very exciting moment for Allee.
Unfortunately the tooth fairy was busy that Friday night, you know she really has a lot to do! Allee woke up crying because the tooth fairy hadn't taken the tooth out of her special tooth pillow. After some explaining of just how busy the tooth fairy is, and using examples from Silverlicious (if you haven't read it, do! It is so cute) we calmed her down. Sure enough Saturday night the tooth fairy made her appearance and left Allee two whole dollars!

Poor Derek

2011-03-03T13:37:00.000-06:00

Today I was lucky enough to get some clothes I had ordered from Old Navy. I love it when I get things in the mail. It doesn't really make any sense because I knew it would be coming, and yet it still puts a smile on my face.

As I was going through the contents with Pierce he was more than happy to model the new summer clothes he had gotten. I also bought Allee a new shirt and one for myself as well. When the bag was empty, Pierce looked at me and asked, "Dad?"

I had to admit that I hadn't even looked for anything for Derek, and that Dad didn't get anything.

Pierce gave me a sad little hug and said, "Poor Derek."

Yes, Poor Derek!

Valentines

2011-02-19T14:04:00.000-06:00

Our traditional Valentines dinner had it's up's and down's this year. Poor Pierce was sick all day with a fever and just didn't really feel like doing anything. He laid around and watched Mickey and Curious George, sleeping on and off. His fever reached 105 at a point, and he had me really nervous, but thank heaven for ibuprofen, and hour later his temp was around 100.

Allee had a fantastic day at school and I was able to go and help out with her class Valentine party. We played games with balloons, stacked conversation hearts, made a flower craft, and decorated cupcakes. I love going into her classroom and seeing how she acts and interacts with others. She is such a sweet girl.

My adventure this year was trying to make the kids Valentine shirts. Allee's said LOVE with sequins around the heart shaped O, and Pierce's had a big heart and then said BREAKER. They looked adorable and it was SO easy. Now they may need shirts for St. Patrick's Day.

That evening we had a candle light dinner of spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and sparkling cider. I thought it was too easy of a dinner, and not nearly fancy enough, but spaghetti is one of those go to meals that I know the kids will always eat, and that makes dinner much more enjoyable for everyone if I am not bugging them to eat!

Every year I love to see their faces light up when we light the candles and turn off the lights, it never gets old. Derek and I gave the kids each some new Valentine books, Pierce got a new Curious George DVD, and Allee got a Mulan barbie.

I love my family so much, and I love having this time of year to not only celebrate the love Derek and I have for each other, but the love we have as a family.

The Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-19T13:54:00.000-06:00

Just as I posted about our lack of snow, we really got some!

February 1st it was a true blizzard. It reminded me so much of a nice big snowfall in Cache Valley, and made me REALLY miss having a fireplace!

The wind and snow was crazy, and kept us inside for a good two days. Schreiber canceled work for two days, people couldn't get out of their driveways and the snow plow (aka John Deer tractor) didn't even make it to our subdivision until the day after the storm. Derek always the trooper made it into work both days, he goes stir crazy sitting at home!

When Derek shoveled our walk that night, the snow was well past his knees and the drifts went up to his waist in some places. He worked pretty hard though, he did manage to break our shovel, and there isn't another one to be found anywhere, so the rest of the snow will have to just melt. All in all we guessed we got over 18 inches.

On Feb. 12th as things were starting to warm up, the snow was finally wet enough to make a snowman. The four of us made this towering monster and the kids were so proud.

Unfortunately all this last week the temps have been from the 50's up to 74 degrees, and alas our snowman only lasted about 4 days. Now we just have a pile of rocks on the lawn. The snow was fun while it lasted.

1st Snow

2011-01-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

January 10th marked the first snow in Clinton. Crazy? Yes. Two winters into it and I am still not use to not having snow!

School was canceled for two days, and the kids had a blast sledding all over the yard and down the street.

Notice the amount of snow we received. Four inches and school was canceled. It blows my mind. I only ever remember one or two snow days my ENTIRE time in school. But you have to remember the snow plow around here is a John Deer tractor with a blade rigged to it. Not very effective! Kiah, Allee, and Pierce
Our sweet neighbor, Miss. Lynn. She took on our kids as her own grandkids. They absolutely love her because she will do anything with them.
Like pushing their sled down the road, just to see if it would work.

Yes, this is our monster storm! I don't know how we survived!

2011-01-21T13:05:00.000-06:00

I know this is a late post, but when we got back to Missouri from Utah, we opened the presents Santa had left for us here. The kids LOVED having Christmas again. The kids got a new tent. Pierce got a new Curious George movie and a scooter. Allee got the Pixo's maker she had been wanting. Santa also brought our family Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. Derek got a bobble head and Santa brought me some perfume and new clothes. Our second Christmas was very fun, and it was fun to see the kids faces light up when they opened presents they thought Santa had forgotten.

Resolutions

2011-01-13T13:40:00.000-06:00

I will admit that I am not the best when it comes to resolutions, nor am I the worst. Usually my wonderful goal oriented husband will sit down with me and we will go over our goals from the previous year, take inventory on ourselves and set new goals were needed. I have definitely made strides in many categories including family prayer, going out to eat less, and adding to our savings account. Completing a goal or two, or just improving on the past year makes you feel such a sense of accomplishment.
In 2010 our family made a very substantial goal. Reading The Book Of Mormon TOGETHER. That means that Derek, myself, Allee (5 at the time), and Pierce (2) all had to sit together at night and read.

I am ecstatic to say WE DID IT!!!

It was amazing for our family! It opened dialogue about who the prophets were, what they taught and all the amazing stories inside from Nephi to Captain Moroni. We pulled out our gospel art pictures and were able to retell the stories for some family home evenings.

Our family could tell such a difference the nights we read. Allee and even Pierce reminded us that we needed to read. Bedtime went smoother most nights (lets be real, they are still kids), there was a closeness between us, and most importantly the Spirit was brought into our home (some nights more than others!). Allee learned to read by taking her turn reading.

Taking this challenge has been one of the most amazing experiences for our family. We were all so proud when we read the final chapter.

So, now what? 2011 has brought our family a new goal: Reading the Doctrine and Covenants. We are ready!

This Is The Season

2011-01-07T14:02:00.000-06:00

Allee, Pierce, and I decided to fly out to Utah a little earlier than Derek could get off, so on Dec 17th at 3:00 in the morning we left our cozy beds to catch a VERY early flight. I was nervous about traveling with these two by myself, but there were spectacular. Allee is at a great age where she can mostly take responsibility for herself, and Pierce was happier than I could have hoped for being woken up so early. Pierce slept the entire flight to Utah, almost 3 hours. Allee watched movies on the iPOD and colored. She even had to sit by a stranger and did fantastic. I was so proud of them!

The kids were excited to get to go see Santa, so Stephanie and I took a trip to the mall. (I can't tell you how much I loved being able to just run to a store and it only took 10 minutes to get there!) Pierce was very excited to see Santa, even though in this picture he looks completely bored out of his mind. He asked for a firetruck, a ball, and 3 Mickey's (whatever that is). Allee asked for an American Girl doll, Pixo's, and pink shoes. Afterwards they went and played on the softplay with Livie and had a blast.

EVERYONE needs a picture taking a bath with cousins. They played so well together and Allee and Pierce loved spending time with Olivia.

Derek and I got the kids these fun glasses. When you look at lights you can see the shape of snowmen or snowflakes on the lights. They were a huge hit with kids and adults alike.

Christmas Eve: Derek had come the day before and it was fun to have the family all together again. Dave especially loved having a brother around the place. We made gingerbread cookies and the kids loved squeezing amazing amounts of frosting on them and covering them in M&M's. I am sure Santa was on a sugar rush all night.

Opening Christmas pajamas from Gra and Papa. The kids always look forward to this part of the evening. I love the look on Pierce's face. He won't smile for the camera EVER! It drives me a little crazy, but I am sure this stage will pass (right?!)

After putting on PJ's, the kiddos watched Polar Express, for the fifteenth time. That was their favorite movie the whole trip. I think it may have been because Aunt Christy loves the hot chocolate part, and everyone wants to be like Aunt Christy!

After the kids went to bed the adults played games, visited, and laughed. It was a wonderful evening.

These are the pictures Allee drew for Santa. She left these and a whole heap more right near the fireplace so Santa could see them when he came down the chimney. She is so thoughtful and a wonderful little artist. She always makes us smile and feel the joy and excitement Christmas brings.
Christmas Morning

In Allee's stocking Santa brought ear rings, some chapstick, new gloves, chocolate milk, and Reese's peanut butter cups.

This was Allee's favorite present. Santa brought her an American Girl doll. She was so excited and loved that it looked exactly like her. Her exact words,

" I LOVE IT!"

She also got some new clothes, a scarf hat and shirt from Dave and Steph, Junie B. Jones books from Gra and Papa, shoes from Mom and Dad, and a fancy sequin scarf from Pierce.

Santa brought me a gift card from Victoria's Secret, a Diet Coke, and mint Millano's.

Derek got cuff links, an iTUNES gift card, and a Coke.

He also got some new shirts, pants, shoes, and ties.

I got this fabulous scarf.

Santa brought Pierce a ball, firetruck, and this really cool tool set.

This is the look of someone who is annoyed he has to wait for batteries.

Pierce also got some new clothes, a fire station from Gra and Papa, and a quiet book from Dave and Steph.

Derek got Pierce his very own Book of Mormon with his name on it. Pierce loved that it had, "THE LETTER P"!

New shoes for Pierce as well. Notice the goggles from his tool set. He loves to wear them!

After opening presents we went to Great and Grandpa's and had omelets and opened some presents there. Great and Grandpa gave Pierce pj's and a car, Allee got a game and some lotion and perfume.

Christmas Afternoon with the Carlsen's

Allee got some nail polish and lip gloss, Pierce got a transformer, and Derek and I got a new calendar. We ate a delicious ham lunch and then Derek got his sisters and mom to play a game from Minute to Win It. It was hilarious to watch them put Vaseline on their noses and use it to carry cotton balls down the hallway!

We had a wonderful Christmas and we were all exhausted by 4:00. We felt very blessed to be able to spend time with our families.

New Years

I really did takes pictures of New Years Eve, I promise. I have no idea what happened to them!!

We spend the evening with the Frandsen's and their new (1 week old) bundle of joy Owen. We played Rummycube had yummy food, and enjoyed spending time together. The kids played the Wii, built tents, and watched Despicable Me.

Thanks Frandsen's for spending New Years with us even though you had a new baby! We look forward to it every year.

Sledding

We went sledding New Years Day with the Carlsen clan. Our kids LOVED it. We went down the hill over and over again. Every time the sled stopped Pierce said, "Do it again?" We were there for two hours and probably could have spent another two there. It was so fun to see Derek take Allee down and Pierce on my lap.

A sleep over with the cousins is a must. Dave and Steph gave into Derek and decided to have one giant sleepover. The kids slept upstairs and the "adults" slept on blow up mattresses in the family room.

All was going well and Allee and Livie were sharing a room, they were very quiet and Steph decided to check on them. They had gotten into my makeup and it was EVERYWHERE! I had to leave the room and laugh before I could go in there and yell! Eyeliner was all over their foreheads and in Livie's ears. Foundation was an inch thick on Allee's chin, and lipstick was rampant! It was one of those moments that you were mad, but you knew the next day you would be laughing about it!

Matt and Corinne came up to visit with us and after a long evening we went to bed.

Dave and Derek however were up half the night wrestling and trying to master the art of "blue dart".
FIRETRUCKS!

Katie's boyfriend Cody knew Pierce loved firetrucks so he arranged for Pierce to climb inside them and check them out at his dad's station. The kids loved seeing the trucks up close.

Then Cody took Katie up in the ladder truck and proposed. We are so happy for them!

Our traditional dinner at P.F. Chang's!

Afterwards we always go to Temple Square.

The lights are breathtaking every year.

It is a great reminder of why we celebrate Christmas and all the beauty and magic that surround us.

We are so blessed to be an eternal family! I love these three so much and count my blessings that they are mine.

Great and Grandpa

Pierce and Grandpa

Pierce and Great

Allee and Great

Allee and Grandpa

Before we left we spent a little more time with Great and Grandpa. Great always forms a special bond with each of the great-grandchildren and Pierce loves Grandpa. We miss them very much and are so glad we could spend Christmas time with them.

GOING HOME

On the ride to the Salt Lake airport. These two are such goof balls. Gra and Steph took us back and we are so thankful for all they did for us while we were in Utah. We had a wonderful time full of family and friends. It was just what we needed.

Christmas Time

2010-12-13T11:45:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year again when I insist on getting pictures with out tree, and my family happily goes along with my persuading! I loved the kids outfits this year, and Pierce fell in love with his little tie. They are getting so big, I can hardly believe it!
It is so awesome to see what little friends Allee and Pierce are becoming, and it puts a smile on my face to know that they have each other. Allee is very patient with Pierce and loves to read book after book to him. Pierce is happy to let Allee dress him up in Princess clothes and their new game is to play house.

We are so blessed to be a family.

Here are just some quick pics of this week when Santa mailed Allee and Pierce letters. They were so excited that Santa remembered to send them back a little letter and they were happy to know that once again, Santa will visit our Missouri house as well as Gra and Papa's in Utah.

Cookies

2010-12-05T16:02:00.000-06:00

Last year we made Gingerbread cookies and it was such a suprising hit that it is one of our new traditions.

I have some ever so eager helpers who most of the time just played with a hunk of cookie dough that I gave each of them. Allee insisted that the majority of our cookies needed to be in the shape of gingerbread men, "because they are called gingerbread cookies, Mom!"

We wrote our letters to Santa, and it's interesting to see what everyone asks for, and there are usually a few suprises. Derek and I also write letters to Santa which helps us remember the magic of believeing. We decided that we were only allowed to ask for three things this year, to help us remember the three gifts Jesus was given by the Wise Men.

Allee's list included: Pink Shoes (that was a suprise), an American Girl Doll, and Lipstick. I love seeing how her handwriting is progressing every year, and this year she sounded out the words herself, too cute!

Pierce's list: Firetruck, balls, and three Mickey's. I have no idea what he expects when he says three Mickey's, but he has been saying the same think for a month now.

After writing our letters, we decorated cookies. I give each of the kids a baggie filled with frosting and they think they are so big. Secretely it is far less messy than just giving them a knife with some frosting!

Pierce insisted that I take his picture today at lunch as well and this one turned out so cute, I had to post it instead of his from last night!
They are so proud of their creations!

Pics

2010-11-21T21:47:00.000-06:00

I was trying to get some pictures for our Christmas card this year, and was that an adventure. The first two places I had picked out had terrible lighting and the kids were looking into the sun. I was irritated that they just couldn't keep their eyes open, and they were probably wondering why their mom turned into such a grouch. We drove around town looking for somewhere else to try and after a half an hour in the car we found this wall on one of the outer edge of the square. After promises of going to Sonic for drinks, we really got some amazing pictures. They were smiling and their eyes were open, and in my opinion that is all that matters!

Thanks to Sonic for making blue coconut slushies and apple juice (as well as a strawberry limeaid for myself and vanilla coke for Derek my assistant).

Thanks to Allee and Pierce for putting up with their crazy mom and her ideas of perfection. Sometimes I really don't deserve such wonderful kiddos.

One Fish, Two Fish

2010-11-17T12:12:00.000-06:00

The kids were so excited to start swimming lessons this month. We were in Utah for the summer session, and quite honestly it worked perfectly in November. Summertime is so busy and once fall hits and daylight savings kicks in, there isn't much to do.

Allee and Pierce both LOVE the water and it was fun to see how much they progressed in only two weeks.

Allee learned how to swim with her face in the water. She is now an "expert" at the primary stroke, back stroke, and diving for rings underwater. Just ask, she will tell you how easy it is and how much she loves it.

Pierce and I took a Mommy and Me class. It was at the same time as Allee's and I figured it would be easier than trying to keep him out of the water. By the end of his lessons he was great at jumping in (his personal favorite), putting his mouth and nose under water, and he would even bob completely underneath.

We are so proud of our little fish!

Halloween

2010-11-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

Halloween was definitely different this year. It was our second one away from Utah, and this year Halloween was on Sunday. Normally on Saturday we would be getting the kids all dressed up, but not here in Missouri. Derek and I had a couple of conversations about whether or not to take the kids out on Sunday, but we decided that none of our Halloween traditions broke the sabbath, and how could we not let them go.

We went to a trunk or treat at First Baptist Church which the kids thought was pretty fun, but honestly I am not a huge fan of trunk or treats. I think Halloween should be spent walking around the neighborhood, bumping into friends and neighbors and walking door to door (but that's my opinion!) Allee especially loved seeing her kindergarten teacher Mrs. Johnson who handed her hand fulls (not kidding!) of candy. She felt pretty special.

Afterwards we walked around our neighborhood, not because we needed more candy, but because everyone was out and that is the fun of the holiday!

Allee was Gabriella from High School Musical. This is the first year I haven't made the kids costumes and I was a little sad. I found this on such an awesome deal, that I couldn't pass it up! She looked beautiful and was covered in sparkles.

Pierce was VERY insistent that he would be a fireman this year. I tried to talk him out of it and I almost made him the costume I wanted, but after some coaching from Derek (like why am I fighting with a 2 year old over a Halloween costume!) I gave in.

This is the costume I made him last year. It was gigantic then and it fit perfectly this year. He was so happy with it and he was so excited to put it on.

The kids had a blast and ate way too much candy, but that's what Halloween is all about!

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-28T21:06:00.000-05:00

It's that sticky, messy, gooey time of year again and we love it!

This year Pierce was more than eager to help pull all the seeds out of his pumpkins. There was no trepidation, no pulling faces, this guy was on a mission. He didn't rest until every last seed was pulled from his pumpkin.

Allee was able to design and carve her own pumpkin this year. Derek helped with the mouth but that was only because I broke the good carving knife. She spent most of her time drawing faces, there is one on the back side of her pumpkin as well, she is always drawing, our little artist.

Derek made his traditional "throwing-up" pumpkin which was made even more spectacular by the bumpy knotty pumpkin he had this year.

We are ready, we are set,

Halloween Here We Come!

Success!!!!!!!!

2010-10-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

It has taken me a little while to post this because I wanted to be really sure we were done. I didn't want to have to look back at this post and say, "remember when he did this?" It has been 6 weeks and I can confidently say with all the enthusiasm I can muster

PIERCE IS POTTY TRAINED!!!
He loves his big boy underwear, especially the ones with the balls around the waistband!
He was so easy to potty train. The first day I put a pull up on him at nap time and he was dry. The second day he refused to wear one for naps and has never had an accident. By day three he wouldn't wear a pull up at bedtime, and has never had an accident at night. Of course there are the occasional accidents during the day, but all in all it has been a wonderful experience (whew!) I was so nervous, everyone told me boys were so much harder, but this little angel proved them wrong.
Way to go Pierce!

10 Years

2010-10-21T13:08:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago yesterday I was privileged enough to be marrying my best friend. I remember seeing him for the first time that cold morning and thinking,

"I really get to marry him?!"

That day went by so quickly. I barely remember what was said. I had to think really hard about whether or not our cake had raspberry filling.

But, I can remember perfectly clear, looking into his eyes as we were being sealed and feeling safe, warm, and loved. I always knew that I was going to love him forever, I just didn't realize at that time how MUCH I would love him forever.

10 years later I still get that warm feeling when he walks in the door from work. I still get excited when we go on dates. And I am so excited that I am the person who gets to love him forever.

Now, onto the fun part of our anniversary!

This is the package my present came in!

I never thought I would be the type of girl who wanted a present that came in one of those famous blue boxes, but guess what?? Now that I have received one, I totally am!

It was so beautiful, I didn't even want to open it.
I love, love, love my present. It is beautiful. In the light it sparkles like it is filled with hundreds of little diamonds. In practicality it is flexible sterling silver and the coolest ring I have ever seen.

Thanks for 10 amazing years my love.

Aunt Christy

2010-10-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

We were so lucky to have my sister Christy come for a visit. She called me about a week and a half before her visit and said her dentist had the week off and she was coming out to stay for a week. We were all so ecstatic! The kiddos couldn't get enough of her (poor girl). She had to do all the bedtime baths, and put both kids in their pajamas. As soon as Allee came home from school, she wanted to read with Aunt Christy.

We were able to go check out the Amish Market, make candy apples, and eat at our favorite restaurant in Springfield, Nakato's.

We are so glad she took time to come and see us.

Da Bears

2010-10-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

Just a little glimpse of what our family looks like come Fall. We are training the kids up young, they have no choice but to cheer for "Da Bears".

We are hoping for a fantastic season.

Go Bears!!

Allee's 6th Birthday

2010-09-28T13:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 6th Birthday Allee!

This year I decided to make her birthday outfit, and these leggings and tights completely fit her fun personality.

We love our little girl so much and we are so proud of what a spectacular daughter she is. She is loving, giving, spunky, and always full of personality! She has been such a blessing in our lives and she challenges us and teaches us more than we thought possible.

We LOVE you Allee!

Allee wanted a High School Musical party this year, so some High School Musical gear was a must!

I thought these sunglasses turned out pretty cute and they are just what a girly girl needs! For her birthday dinner this year she picked spaghetti and garlic bread, her current favorite.

A few more of Allee's favorites right now:

Favorite Books: Junie B. Jones and Fancy Nancy
Favorite thing to do at home: Play with Pierce
Favorite color: Orange
Favorite thing to do at recess: Play on the spider web with Oliva and Parker

On Saturday, September 25th Allee had a party with all her girlfriends at the indoor pool.

Allee and Mikiah

I think Pierce went up and down this slide for a solid 45 minutes.

Allee's party was wonderful. All the girls had a blast swimming and then we had some High School Musical cupcakes.

Allee's First Soccer Game

2010-09-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

Allee's first game was on September 11th. We were so proud of our little girl. Allee loved getting all geared up in her soccer stuff, she was so excited to wear her pink shin guards and pink cleats. As she was getting ready, I told Derek she reminded me of Fancy Nancy when she says, "Lace trimmed socks really do help me play soccer better." That is Allee for you!Allee and Mikiah
She loves her PINK socks!
Allee has an amazing coach, Derek. He wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but it has been a wonderful thing for the two of them to do together. Allee started as goalie, but it didn't last long. After a few minutes Derek soon realized it didn't matter and she just ran around with the rest of the pee-wee soccer cluster. Allee is a great runner. She loves to run fast and she could easily run down the ball (getting into the mix and kicking it was another story, but she and coach are working on that).

Unfortunately they lost the game, but Allee said she had fun and that is all that matters.

We are so proud of our Fancy Allee.

"Camping"

2010-09-10T13:44:00.001-05:00

With Derek having a calling in the Young Men's, he is quickly becoming quite the camper. Every time he goes on a campout, which is at least once a month, the kids always want to go with him. We have been saying all summer that we would take them camping, but it has been so unbelievably hot, that we never went.

We figured that over Labor Day would be the perfect time to go "camping". I use that term pretty loosely because "camping" consisted of setting up the tent in our backyard, cooking hot dogs and smores over the fire, and sleeping 40 feet from our nice comfortable beds.

The fire pit is always a family favorite, lets face it, I love it as much as the kids! There is nothing better than a perfectly cooked hot dog over an open flame, ok, I take that back the ONLY thing better is a perfectly ooey gooey smore.

Allee and Pierce got new sleeping bags and they thought it was pretty cool that we were all sleeping right next to each other.
It was a very windy night. The kids slept great, Derek and I on the other hand, not so much. The bugs are so much louder out here in Missouri than Utah, it isn't the gentile chirp of crickets but the irritating buzz of cicadas. Then there are the animals. We live right up against the woods, and there are plenty of possums, raccoons, and armadillos which I believe were the cause of the shrieking screaming noise that scared me half to death. There was scratching on our tent at least twice in the night and sometime around the crack of dawn Derek and I fell asleep.
Pierce woke up bright and early as always and this is how I found Derek and Allee, she is the lump of red sleeping bag.
I took Pierce inside for breakfast which he insisted on eating outside, so he and I ate cereal outside the tent while Derek and Allee slept a bit longer.

Will I do this again, probably.

Was it worth the sleepless night, absolutely.

The kids were so excited and ate up every minute of "camping".

One of my favorite parts of the evening was staying up and talking to Derek around the fire. We were able to just talk for hours and enjoy the warmth of the fire.

Sweet Pierce

2010-08-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Pierce and I were reading books before nap time, and I pulled out the new Friend magazine (a publication put out by our church for kids). We were reading the story of Daniel in the lions den. After reading it I explained to Pierce that because Daniel was good and Jesus loved Daniel, the lions didn't bite him.

Pierce pointed to the picture of Christ on the page and said, "Jesus love me. Lions no bite me. Jesus love me."

All I could say was, "Yes Pierce, Jesus loves you".

St. Louis

2010-08-24T16:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the 20th and 21st we took another fun trip to St. Louis. We left Friday right after Allee got out of school (it is weird to say that!) and headed out.

It was hot and humid, but what else is new? Pierce was so excited to meed Fred Redbird. He loves meeting characters and they don't scare him at all. Pierce gave him a five and thought it was funny when Fred kissed the top of Allee's head.

There is nothing better than hot dogs at a baseball game! Derek gets these amazing garlic parmesan cheese fries and Allee and I gobble them right up. Pierce loves hot dogs without the bun, so he just carries around his hot dog eating it throughout the game.

Unfortunately the Cardinals lost to the Giants.

The next morning we woke up early and went to Gateway Arch.
This time I bought our tickets to go up into the arch in advance and it didn't disappoint!
This is the little egg shaped elevator you ride to the top. It seats five and is quite small, Derek couldn't even sit up straight. It is a quick ride though, only a couple minutes and you have made your way to the top.
I thought the kiddo's would get bored pretty quickly but we were surprised at how much they actually loved it. They would crawl along the little shelf by the windows and point out boats, cars, the stadium, the mighty Mississippi and as you can see, there was plenty to look at.

It was absolutely beautiful and a MUST SEE if you go to St. Louis. I am so glad we were able to experience this together.

Allee's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-19T08:41:00.000-05:00

The anticipation to start school was too much, Allee was up at 6:20 and came in all ready to get dressed. I had her lay in our bed, and luckily she crashed again.

Allee was so excited to start school. She had been counting down for weeks, and finally the day arrived! She loved her outfit and was so excited to wear it. She looked adorable.

Derek was able to leave work for a little while and came to take her to school. It was so bitter-sweet walking her down the hall to her classroom. When did she get so big?

When we arrived at her room, she didn't look back, she didn't say goodbye, she was taking off her backpack and sitting down before I even blinked. We are so excited for her to begin this adventure, and are so proud of what a wonderful daughter she is.

Shanelle sent me this great idea. Allee wrote Kindergarten and that way I can remember her handwriting as well as when this picture was taken. I thought it was adorable.

We had to make sure Allee was ready down to the last detail, she is such a girly girl.

Allee was pretty cute when she got in the car after school. Some of the highlights of her day were:

Her favorite part of the day was recess, she played with her friends from dance Parker and Olivia.

Allee loved P.E.

Mrs. Johnson has a schedule posted (apparently that is pretty cool)

Lunch was good, she ate chicken fries.

"Mom, there are TWO recesses!"

My blanket was soft for rest time

and last but not least,

"Mom, can you believe there are two recesses?!"

Allee's artwork from the first day.

Worlds of Fun

2010-07-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

Sharing a delicious funnel cake
Derek won this basketball for Pierce and it was his prize possession. He carried it everywhere and to this day insists that he has it to sleep with.

Allee and Pierce on the kids ferris wheel

Allee and Mikiah went on every single ride they were tall enough for

Our friends the Carter's invited us to go to Worlds of Fun on the 19th. It is a fun park sort of like Lagoon but with quite a bit more walking. We did the amusement park and the water park. It was SO hot. Just standing in line we were dripping with sweat. The kids were amazing. They loved it and it was fun to spend some time with the Carter's. They had three different kiddie pools and slides and Pierce was so fun to watch go on the slides over and over again.

Allee and Kiah were inseparable and it was fun that they had a buddie to ride with. Her favorite ride was a log ride, she went on it twice but if we would have let her she would have been in line half the evening. Pierce's favorite ride was the kiddie roller coaster, I think he and I went on it four times in a row. He would laugh and laugh. Derek and I were able to go on a few rides and I had forgotten how much I love roller coasters. Even though it was a thousand degrees it was a great day and we had a wonderful time watching our kids laugh and giggle.

Pierce

2010-07-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

While we were in Utah I decided we needed to get Pierce's pictures taken. I called up my friend Natalie Taylor and she was so nice to work us in on short notice. She did a phenomenal job and is always so wonderful with my kids. Pierce thought it was hilarious to throw tiny rocks at Natalie, and her reaction made him laugh. Here is just a sampling of my silly little boy.

Our Walnut Tree

2010-07-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon we found this in our back yard. There was a crazy storm around 1 and it blew trees down all over town. Roads were closed, the rain was coming down in sheets, the power was out, and the tornado siren was going off.

We were lucky though, the tree landed about 10 feet from our house and only hit another tree in its path. We had neighbors who lost more trees and shingles off their roofs.
We wanted to keep the wood for our fire pit so we hired some people to cut the trees down. They informed us that it was a walnut tree, and that now makes sense since the storm knocked these odd green round things all over my yard (it was one of those duh moments). Now I just need to find someone that wants to make me something cool out of the wood.
This is what we were left with. Derek and I stacked this wood Monday night and it was SOO humid. We were sweating before we even started, and to add more joy to the situation, there were ticks everywhere. Derek and I both found one on our legs. Now every time the kids go outside they will be thoroughly examined.

One perk was we were able to find these wonderfully flat pieces for seats around the firepit. At least there is a bright side to the story.

Utah

2010-07-12T14:16:00.000-05:00

Just a little synopsis of our two weeks in beautiful Cache Valley.
The Fireworks in Logan.

One of my favorite parts of the fireworks is watching the kids faces light up as they are going off. You can always see the wonder in their eyes.

Every year we go with Ryan and Shanelle Frandsen to the fireworks. It is another one of our wonderful fourth traditions. The kids loved their Little Cesar's and the parents enjoyed a little Fredrico's and Jamba Juice, very yummy!

Lovin' the sparklers.

Our 4th of July best. I found these cute matching outfits at Children's Place and fell in love with them.

The oh so loved Hyrum Parade.

Pierce was so excited when the flags were handed out.

Swimming at Gra and Papa's with Livie. Pierce was freezing but that didn't stop him from going down the slide teeth chattering and chin quivering.

Swimming at the Logan Aquatic Center. The kids both loved the twisty slide. Pierce called it, "little big splash".

Feeding the ducks by Steph and Dave's house. Allee and Pierce had so much fun spending time with Christy, Gra, Papa, and of course Aaavvvvaa (somehow translated that is Livie).

You can't go anywhere without playing a little ball.

ECLIPSE!!!!

My Mom found my sisters and I matching shirts for the movie. We loved it and wore them proudly all night. We did get a few odd looks when we went to Juniper Take Out to eat, but those people had no idea how cool we are. Becky had her traditional preview party and even though she had to move it indoors at the last minute it was a hit. Everyone loved the trivia and raffle and the highlight of the evening was when Becky and her brothers played the theme song to Eclipse. They were AWESOME! One word, the movie was SPECTACULAR. Everything I hoped it would be and it was really fun to have a girls night!

Allee's Review

2010-06-10T13:43:00.000-05:00

When we moved here I wanted to keep dancing in Allee's life. It is something she enjoys and I figured it would be a good constant in her life. I signed her up at the local dance studio called By Grace. She did tumbling and dance although tumbling was her favorite.

June 5th was her review and she was adorable. She loves being on stage and all of the

glitz and glam that goes along with it. We are so proud of her and all of her improvement this year.

She is our little STAR and we sure love her.

Tooth Fairy

2010-06-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

Allee was so excited to finally loose her first tooth. It has been wiggly for months and the last week of May I knew it was going to fall out at any minute. On Friday the 28th she and I wiggled that thing like crazy and we could even turn it completely around, but it wasn't coming out. We finally gave up and sent Allee to bed.

Saturday morning she came in our room WAY too early to tell us she, "just wiggled it with her tongue and it came right out!" She was so excited.

Her Gra had made her a special pillow to hang on her bedpost to put her tooth in, and the next morning the tooth fairy had left her, "A PAPER MONEY!!!" What a funny girl.

Fireflies

2010-06-07T21:27:00.000-05:00

Now that we live in Missouri we are so excited to see fireflies. They are the most interesting and beautiful little bugs. One night when we were out on a walk they started coming out so Derek and the kids ran around the neighbors yard and caught a couple. We were all fascinated. I had no idea what they looked like and they really are ugly bugs in the light, but THIS is what they look like in the woods behind our house . . .

MAGICAL.

St. Louis

2010-05-24T14:20:00.000-05:00

This weekend we were fortunate enough to get some great Cardinals vs. Angles tickets from Schreiber, so we decided to make a weekend out of it. On Friday we loaded up the kids and drove 3 1/2 hours east.

When we got there our hotel was only about 5 minutes from the temple so we decided to go check it out. It was absolutely beautiful. The grounds were gorgeous, and they had these amazing little flowers that were orange, yellow, and pink all on one little stem. They are my new favorites and I have to figure out what they are!

It is amazing the spirit you can feel just by being there. It has been a while since we have been able to go to the temple, this is the nearest one and we don't quite know anyone well enough to leave them with our kids all day.

After we checked into our hotel we headed to the game. All Pierce has been talking about for the past week was, "baseball". He was so excited to get there. He is such a BOY! Derek took Allee to try to get a ball from batting practice and she was so close! The kids to her left and right got balls, so when they came back to our seats she was not happy. After the promise of some cotton candy she perked right up. We had some tasty hot dogs and some amazing garlic Parmesan fries and settled in for the game. The Cardinals won, which is always fun when the home team wins. Allee got her promised cotton candy and Pierce picked out a blue hat. It was a great evening.

The next morning we woke up and took a trip to the St. Louis Zoo. It is an amazing zoo and the best part is admission is free! There is so much to do and see. Allee's favorite animals were the elephants, and they were so close! Pierce loved the monkeys. You can see how they settled in next to the glass and he kept telling them about his blue hat. He LOVED them. It was such a hot day, around 91 degrees with 90% humidity so we all enjoyed the train ride. The only down side to the zoo is that in order to park for free you have to walk a bit. We didn't mind since we had brought two strollers and both kids fell asleep on the walk back to the car. I love seeing the kids light up at the animals and something about the zoo makes me feel like a kid too.

The last thing we did before heading home was we stopped at Gateway Arch. I was so excited to go up in the arch, but by the time we made it there the tickets had sold out for the day. Note to self and anyone going there, book online! We did enjoy seeing the mighty Mississippi and the arch is absolutely beautiful. It is SO tall. Next time we are definitely going inside.

Before heading home we stopped and ate at The Cheesecake Factory, the best dessert I have had in ages! When we were leaving we passed Tori Hunter, a player for the Angels. Derek was so excited.

The kids were exhausted and we were as well, so we headed home. The kids watching Curious George and Derek listening to his Celtics on the radio. I took them all in and enjoyed the wonderful family I have.
It was a wonderful trip and just the getaway we needed. It is so fun to take the kids new places and we feel very blessed to be able to do all these fun things.

5K

2010-05-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

I never thought it was possible. In fact if you would have told me a few months ago that I would even want to run a 5K I would have told you that you were crazy. But that is exactly what I did.
Some girls in my ward were talking about running it, and I thought it sounded pretty easy and they convinced me to run it. I came home and told Derek my plan and he thought I was crazy. The 5K was in two weeks, and I absolutely HATE to run. I didn't train except for running a couple of miles a few days before the race. I didn't want to be fast by any means, I just thought it would be a huge accomplishment for me to do it. A few prominent men in my life, (Derek and my Uncle Matt) doubted my mad running skills, and that fueled me even more.
It was SO much fun. It was a freezing cold morning, but the miles went by quickly, in fact I was surprised when I hit the one mile mark. I will definitely do it again. The feeling of me actually accomplishing it was exhilarating. I was not fast, in fact it took me 35 minutes, but that wasn't the point. I did it, and it has been a long time since I have been able to accomplish something myself that didn't have anything to do with Derek or the kids.
So the moral of the story, this girl that HATES to run did a 5K, and loved every minute.

Look Mom, 2 Wheels

2010-05-12T12:47:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday Allee and her best friend Mikiah decided they wanted to learn how to ride their bikes without training wheels. The girls were outside playing while I was cleaning up dinner and when I took Pierce outside Allee had convinced Mikiah's dad to take off her training wheels. Derek was on his way to Young Men's and I figured she would attempt to ride up and down the street once or twice and then we could wait for when Derek could help her. I was wrong!

I held onto her seat for a few minutes and after going up the street twice, she was a pro! Mikiah's family went in for dinner, and since she ate with us that night (I think these two eat dinner together four of five nights during the week!) she asked if I would help her. It took her a couple more times up and down the road, and then they were off!

These two may as well be twins. They love to dress the same, and after Kiah gets done with school she will come over and ask me to do her hair to match Allee's. The other night we went to ice cream and we were asked if they were twins. They are so silly, and the perfect match for each other.

Now these two little blondies are all over the neighborhood. They have no fear! They ride all over lawns, up and down driveways and hills, and it has only been a week!

I guess Allee was ready for 2 wheels.

Derek's 32nd

2010-05-12T12:41:00.000-05:00

For Derek's birthday his Mom and sister Maleese came out to spend the day with him. The kids had a great time seeing family.

This year his birthday landed on a Sunday, so instead of having his FAVORITE meal (Pizza Hut) he had to settle for something I make. He chose Costa Vida Pork which is still quite yummy. The kids gave Derek a new skin for his IPOD and some new headphones. He got some shorts and USU shorts from his mom, and I gave him some docking speakers.

To top it all off he had his favorite cake.

We are blessed to have this wonderful man in our lives and love him more than he will ever know.

Easter Best

2010-05-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

I have been so behind this year with taking the kids pictures in their Easter clothes. It really messed me up with conference that same weekend.

Miss. Allee

Piercer

Derek insisted that they didn't match this year, and I gave in, but I make no such promises for the future!

Since moving to Missouri it is amazing what little friends they have become. I never thought that with such an age difference that they would play together so well. I am still telling Allee to put Pierce down quite a bit, but he would do anything to play with her.

Yesterday I went into Pierce's room and found that they were both in his crib and had made a tent over the top. As I walked in they were both stifling giggles. It is one of those moments where I just took a step back and smiled, no words can describe the happy warm heart I felt in that moment. THIS is what my life is about and THIS is what I treasure.

Daddy Daughter Dance

2010-04-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

In Clinton every year there is a daddy daughter dance and all the proceeds go to benefit the children's hospital in Kansas City. The girls in my ward told me about it and I thought it would be a great way for Derek and Allee to get some alone time.

Allee loved getting all dressed up and she even picked Derek out a purple tie to match her dress.

This may be one of the sweetest moments ever.

What a great night, from face painting, to cotton candy, to picture taking, to writing a poem but out of this the greatest time was dancing with my little princess. Allee might never remember this night but dad sure will. Allee had new shoes for this dance so her feet were hurting, I had two options, quit dancing and go home or pick her up in my arms and dance with her. Well I picked her up and danced the night away. Thank you Allee for being Dad's little girl and for a memorable night.

Easter

2010-04-16T13:57:00.000-05:00

Dying eggs is just one of those things that the kids love. It is messy, takes more time to set up and clean up than it takes to actually dye the eggs, and every one's fingers are different shades of pink and blue by the time we are done. But the cheesy smiles are worth every moment.

Pierce's basket. The Easter Bunny brought him a golf set, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, a Velcro ball game, and his absolute favorite treats, Reese's peanut butter cup eggs and chocolate milk.

Of course he loved playing with the bubbles in the living room (not my personal favorite!). The golf set was a big hit, he would push the balls all around the house with the clubs although now he can actually hit the ball. As soon as he saw his candy he kept saying, "purple treat" until we gave in and opened the bag. That boy sure loves his chocolate.

This princess is too cute to express. Allee got flip flops, chocolate milk, jelly belly jellybeans, chapstick (which she applies at least twenty times a day), Pixo's, and a new bunny Webkinz which she named Hoppily

Showing off her new chapstick. Allee kept telling me all day that this was the best Easter ever. It just made my day.

Derek got a new tie and Mini eggs and a Coke. The Easter Bunny brought me New Moon and some Diet Coke.

Later that afternoon we went over to the Heck's and had "Linner" as Allee and I call it. The food was wonderful and it was fun to spend time with friends since we couldn't see our family. The kids had a great time playing basketball, playing in the sandbox, and having an Easter egg hunt. We can't thank the Heck's enough.

The Saturday before we went over to the Woodland's home (a family in our ward) for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. Allee had a blast running around finding eggs and after she had found her allotment she would find all the purple ones for Pierce.

Pierce is 2

2010-04-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

When did he go from this . . .

to THIS?!

Pierce is such an amazing little guy. He loves to tackle, run, and climb all over everything. His favorite toy is a ball, any ball. He loves Mickey Mouse and Curious George. Whenever you ask him to do something he will hold up his hands and say, "minute more". He loves to copy whatever Allee is doing or saying. He will tell you he is two, and hold up his fingers crossing the middle two. He is the most cuddly kid ever. He will come up to me and give me a hug just because, and whenever I hold him he will give me his tight squeeze and a kiss.

He has brought so much love, laughter, and craziness to our home. We love him more than words can express.

Pierce loves basketball. Every time he sees a hoop he yells out, "basketball Baba". As well as he talks, he still calls Derek Baba. This makes it interesting when we are a little late for church and have to sit below the hoop. All of sacrament meeting he will shout out basketball. We decided he needed a hoop of his own.

He was so excited. Granted he has to stand on the couch to make a basket (we underestimated his height!) Oh well, he will grow into it.

Did I mention he loves Mickey Mouse? That was the theme for his cake this year. Derek came up with the great idea to use Oreo's which was perfect. I think Pierce could eat a bag by himself if we let him.

He was great at blowing out the candles. It only took him a few tries and he was so proud of himself.

Pierce we LOVE you so much and are so happy that you chose to come to our family, we can't imagine our world without you. Happy Birthday!

Beautiful Boston

2010-03-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

This week Derek and I were able to go to Boston for three wonderful days. This was our first vacation without the kids and we were lucky to have Katie fly to Missouri to watch them. Our first day there we walked the Freedom Trail. It is a 2.5 mile walking tour throughout Boston which takes you to many of the historical sites from Revolutionary times. It was a lot of walking but completely worth it. We were able to see the state house, one of the first cemeteries where people such as Sam Adams and Ben Franklin's family are buried, and the church where the lanterns were hung for Paul Revere's famous ride. It is amazing how old that church is and yet even with all the skyscrapers you can see the steeple from far away.

We crossed an amazing bridge and walked into Charlestown. This is a picturesque New England town. Absolutely beautiful old streets with homes I wished I could have peeked into. Overlooking all of it is the Bunker Hill Monument. From the top of the hill you can see the entire city skyline. It's breathtaking.

After all that walking we needed a delicious dinner and Derek took me to one of my all time favorite restaurants. We discovered Legal Seafood on our last trip to Boston and I HAD to eat there again. The lobster was delicious. I enjoyed every minute of breaking into the shell to devour the tender meat. There is nothing better than fresh lobster. Poor Derek is such a good sport. He can't stand seafood and that is the only thing on their menu, so he settled for some popcorn shrimp.

St. Patrick's Day

We took a tour of Fenway in the morning. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We went to a Red Sox game in 2007 when we took Allee but you can only tour when there isn't a game. It was completely worth it. I think Derek has turned me into a sports fanatic because I really do get excited to go to places like this. Our tour guide was awesome. We learned all sorts of interesting facts such as why there is a single red seat in the outfield. It marks the longest home run ever hit in the park. The best part of the tour was when we were able to go sit in some of the original seats from 1912. They have been refurbished but they are still 80% original. To our amazement we sat in the exact same seats we were in in 2007. The same section, same row, SAME seats. It was really unbelievable. We even took a picture of the hot dog stand we had gone to. I guess we were meant to be Red Sox fans.

Boston Celtics

The real reason we were in Boston. Derek is a huge Celtic's fan and his life long dream has been to watch them play in The Garden. We figured what better day than St. Patty's to cheer on the Celtics. It really was amazing. We got amazing seats on row 2 and we were right by the tunnel and diagonal from the bench. The game was wonderful with a 97-109 victory for our beloved men in green. The best part of the game by far was the end. Derek was able to walk over to the rail by the tunnel and give the players high fives. Among the notables were: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Doc Rivers (coach), Nate Robinson, Rasheed Wallace, and Marquis Daniells. He was like a kid in a candy store. I have never seen him with such a huge smile on his face. It was wonderful to experience his dream with him.

All in all it was a wonderful trip and it gave us some much needed time together. Boston is definitely one of our favorite towns.

Welcome Spring

2010-03-11T14:09:00.000-06:00

Things are finally starting to warm up and we are so excited. It has definitely been a long winter with nothing to do. I have to admit that the kids have watched way more Disney Channel than I ever thought I would let them, and even I have High School Musical memorized thanks to Allee. The beginning of the month began the warm up here. It is really odd that it is Spring here, we are used to still having to shovel snow in March.

The first day that it even showed signs of warmth the kids and I ventured into the backyard to look for treasures. Notice that it is not THAT warm, I still made the kids wear gloves and hats, but 50 degrees is nothing to stay inside for. There are squirrels EVERYWHERE out here and we have enjoyed watching them begin to dig up their nuts. We found hand fulls of eaten nuts and a few that we were able to break open ourselves and find out why the squirrels hadn't eaten them, the nuts had rotted. Allee even managed to find one lone dandelion poking out of the "grass".

Welcome Spring. We are ready.

Valentines Day

2010-02-18T14:56:00.000-06:00

Valentines day was interesting this year. I had to take Christy back to the airport early in the morning, so we got up at about 4:30. We absolutely loved having her and hated to see her go. Due to my poor planning she was not at the airport 30 minutes prior to her flight leaving and even though it wasn't even boarding yet, they wouldn't let her on the plane. We drove the hour and a half back to Clinton and I rushed to get ready for church. I had to teach Primary and Relief Society which was stressful to say the least! After church we worked on the phone and got Christy a flight back to Salt Lake at 6:15. This time we were plenty early and I finally got back home around 6. Two three hour round trip airport runs and church had taken it all out of me. When Allee and I got back Derek and Pierce had the table set with candles and they were dressed up. Each of the kids had a wrapped gift and Derek got me a card. It was a wonderful surprise! I am so lucky to have him and I love him so much.

Allee got High School Musical. She is really into it all of the sudden, and it is fun to hear her sing the songs and quote the movie while she is in the shower.

Pierce got apple juice, the Crayola twist up crayons (so he can't break them), and Mickey Mouse and Handy Manny coloring books.

We had leftovers, because lets face it, I wasn't going to cook, and we were able to actually enjoy the rest of our evening.

Independence and Liberty

2010-02-18T14:24:00.000-06:00

Christy came for a visit for a week and it was so fun to have her. The kids really missed her and it gave us the perfect opportunity to show her some church history sites. This is such a cool building. The church has made a replica of Liberty Jail inside this building. there is the visitor center on top where you learn about what happened to Joseph and others inside the jail and you are able to see the original key. After you are lead downstairs to the jail. It is really amazing.
Here we listened to accounts from Joseph and learn about how he received revelation which became some of the Doctrine and Covenants. In the basement the ceiling was only six feet high and at least three of the men were taller than that, which means that for four months they weren't able to stand up straight. I loved the story of how Joseph F. Smith came and visited his father Hyrum in the jail and spent the night. At the time he was about six. Later he was the prophet that dedicated the visitors center.

INDEPENDENCE

This is the visitors center in Independence. We were able to watch a really cool video about how families can be eternal. Next they take you into a replica log cabin. Inside you listen to journal accounts about life in Independence and the conditions the pioneers experienced. The kids loved sitting on the little stools and as the stories changed graphics on the windows changed from season to season. The last stop on the tour was a play cabin. This was definitely the kids favorite. They were able to go inside and play with the furniture. There was a miniature well to show the kids how the pioneers got their water and there was even a small wagon replica. It was hard to get them to leave and quite honestly we were having a great time playing with the pioneer toys and helping Allee and Pierce climb in and out of the wagon.

This was our last stop in Independence. This is the Community of Christ temple, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is located directly across the street from the LDS visitors center. We were able to take a tour and learn about what they believe. It was very interesting and I was quite impressed how reverent the kids were. The spire on top is amazing. From the inside it looks like a big seashell, which is exactly what it is supposed to represent and it goes up for something like 150 feet. Across the street from here is the visitors center for the Church of Christ. Unfortunately it was closed already by the time we went which was too bad because inside their building are the original cornerstones for the Independence temple. We will definitely have to go back and see those, it gives us an excuse for another trip.

Pierce

2010-01-28T14:29:00.000-06:00

Pierce never ceases to amaze me. He LOVES oatmeal, as in he has eaten it every morning for breakfast for the past two months. It has to be the instant maple brown sugar flavor. This little boy can eat an entire package for breakfast. He isn't much of an eater, but every morning he will eat all of his oatmeal. I keep asking him what he wants for breakfast and every morning he says, "oatmeal". We can't even sway him with monkey cereal (This is what we affectionately call Life cereal because when Allee was little Curious George was on the box). He won't hear of it. Perhaps this should be the new face of Quaker Instant Oatmeal.

When Pierce decides to do something he is in it whole heartily. Lately he has been my little helper when it comes to unloading the dishwasher. Every time I start unloading he will come running. He hands me all the silverware, puts the Tupperware away, and to my dismay will hand me every glass to put in the cupboard. I just enjoy the moment because all too soon he won't want to have anything to do with chores! I sure love this little guy and all his cute quirks.

2010-01-08T15:13:00.000-06:00

Something that definitely took on a lot more meaning this year was going to Temple Square. It had been a couple of years since we had gone, and it really was breathtaking. I think one of the things I miss the most about living in Cache Valley is looking at the temple every day. It is amazing how much I miss it. Pierce was able to eat snow for the first time there, and loved it. Every time we put him down he was eating yet another glove full of snow. I hope at least most of it was clean, but if not, at least he enjoyed himself!

Family Time
It was a blast to spend time with our families. We were able to go to Cold Stone, MMM how I miss GOOD ice cream! We ate at P.F. Chang's, MMM how I miss GOOD food. Are you sensing a theme? Yes we ate out A LOT while there, lets face it, there is a wealth of great food out there, and we have been deprived for two whole months!

We also went to Hardware Ranch and went bowling with Derek's family (I would have pics except I didn't bring the battery charger, and well, you know the rest of the story).

A BIG thank you to everyone who made our stay so memorable. Thanks to Mom and Dad for putting up with us and our circus for two weeks, thanks to Dave and Steph for letting us interrupt their lives at our whim, thanks to Judy for planning a family activity, and thanks to all our friends who made time during the busy holidays to hang out with us. We were rejuvenated with each experience.

Christmas Morning

2010-01-08T15:08:00.000-06:00

Allee was so excited for Christmas this year and Pierce picked up on it. He could tell you that HoHo was coming and that he was bringing everyone a ball. It was a wonderful morning and even though Santa had to bring all of the big presents to Missouri, he did a pretty awesome job getting fun stuff to Utah as well.

2010-01-08T15:04:00.000-06:00

Christmas

2010-01-08T14:54:00.000-06:00

This Christmas we were very blessed to go back home for the Holidays. We were able to spend two full weeks enjoying all our family and friends. Before we left I had to take the traditional family pic in front of our tree, Derek and Allee humor me with this and I know they think it is silly, but otherwise I don't get pictures in their Christmas outfits!

I thought this was an excellent picture with Santa, Pierce wasn't even screaming. He was only willing to sit on Santa's lap because he was giving out suckers, his favorite right now.

Christmas Eve and Gra and Papa's. It was so nice to spend the whole evening with our family. The kids were able to play with Livie and we were able to play cards and enjoy adult conversation.

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-09T14:32:00.000-06:00

I love decorating the tree. It is one of the most exciting parts of the day after Thanksgiving, especially here since I wasn't able to go to the Black Friday madness. The only sad part was we had to use our artificial tree. There aren't many evergreens here and usually we go up to Idaho and cut one down ourselves. It is a good stand by though and I am grateful that we have it. I had bought a bunch of new decorations last year at the after Christmas sale at Tai Pan so I was thrilled to pull them out and see how they looked.

Derek ALWAYS puts the angel on top.

This year Allee was very helpful and very meticulous. She rearranged the ornaments for a week making sure they were just right.

Pierce was just excited that we let him help (thank heaven for shatterproof ornaments!) The bottom branches were beautiful thanks to him, and very heavy.

Today was a big day, Santa sent Allee and Pierce letters in the mail.

Allee was all smiles especially when Santa told her that he might be leaving gifts for her in Utah and Missouri, because he knew she was flying on an airplane and couldn't take big things back with her. Who wouldn't be excited it's like two Christmas'!

Pierce just kept pointing to the picture of Santa on the top and saying, "HoHo".

On Saturday we took a trip to Springfield to walk around the mall and eat some good food, we ate at Olive Garden and afterwards I was taking Allee to the restroom. We came back and Pierce was squirmy and talking all excitedly about something. I turned around to see a man across the restaurant wearing red with a white beard and hair. Pierce kept saying, "HoHo" over and over again and then waved at the man. "Santa" was a good sport and waved back. I am guessing this isn't the first time it has happened to him, and certainly not the last, I mean he really looked like Santa. This was not a quiet exchange, it had grabbed the attention of at least three tables around us and our waitress who thought it was the cutest thing ever, I agree with her. We didn't point the man out, Pierce just found him. I love the sweet innocence of children and the excitement and magic of this season!

NEW MOON

2009-11-21T21:00:00.001-06:00

AAAAHHHHHH! (It really is unfortunate that you can't really appreciate my excited scream!)

I can't say enough about how wonderful New Moon is. I was fortunate enough to fly home to see the movie (thanks again Becky!!). It was a whirlwind trip, but I loved every moment.

Thursday Becky picked me up from the airport VERY early and we spent the whole day preparing for her New Moon premier party. It was so fun to be all giddy about the movie and all the events leading up to it all day.

I think that by far the biggest hit of the party were these:

Really, who doesn't want to have their picture taken with these two hotties?
Our little TWILIGHT group was super excited to pose with them. Shanelle, Katie, Christy, Myself, Hailey, Stephanie, and Mom. (Notice the Twilight shirt? I picked it up just for the occasion, and I LOVE it). After eating, chatting, and playing an amazing trivia game (yes everyone in our party won prizes, we are that good!) we were off to the movie.

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!! By the way did I mention that I loved the movie? It was so much better than the first, and I really can't begin to explain all the awesomness. I know I sound like a giddy high school girl, but isn't that the point? To have something that you can just be crazy silly about. I won't go into details, but I will be seeing it multiple times and definitely pre-ordering the DVD.

It was a wonderful trip and I feel so blessed to have been able to come home and join the excitement with all of my family and friends. Words cannot express how much I needed this and how it really rejuvenated my spirit. Thanks again to everyone who made it possible. And a big thanks to Derek for taking the time off work so I could go be crazy. I know he thinks I am a little obsessed, but it is all in good fun and even though he mocks me I know he secretly supports my addiction!

Shanelle also gave me this, and it is so beyond words that even though I know it is delicious chocolate, I can't bring myself to open it. OOO, I just had a thought maybe I will save it for when I get my DVD, then I will be blissfully enjoying two things that make me very happy.

I know it is blurry, but I couldn't figure out the camera. It says I crev edward cold mint. Too cute right?!

Springfield Zoo

2009-11-17T14:36:00.000-06:00

This weekend we ventured down to the Springfield Zoo. It really isn't that long of a drive, about an hour and twenty minutes and WOW was it worth it.

First of all, there is a little place where you can feed some goats and a donkey. Allee absolutely loved it. She was so excited and kept asking for more money to get food for them. Pierce on the other hand was entirely the opposite. This boy usually has no fear, but as soon as the goats walked up to him he was literally climbing over my shoulder to get away from them. Anytime I would walk close to the fence he would freak out and start squirming and whining. It was so odd, I thought he would love them. And as you can see by our pictures, he is so stubborn right now, I never get a good picture of him, that little turkey.

The other great thing about this zoo is how close the animals are. We took this picture without even zooming. The elephants were right there, it was so interesting. Allee was able to see up close their skin texture and we were all watching in amazement as they fed themselves, it really is odd how they can move their trunks like that! The giraffes were the same, and Allee really loved being that close to all the animals, she was interested in ALL of them and we were not able to pass anything by without a closer examination.

After the zoo we explored the town, and let me say I found my refuge from the small town life here in Clinton. The mall was huge and even had a Yankee Candle store. I think it is the biggest mall I have ever been in. We spent three hours walking around and never even saw the whole thing. There are a bizillion restaurants (YAY), we decided to eat at Red Robin because we knew the kids would eat well there. I realize that it is little far away, but when we really want a good dinner or want to do some Christmas or birthday shopping, viola, we now have stores!

The Princess and the Fire Man

2009-11-01T15:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

This year trick or treating was quite an experience. We have never been away from home and we didn't know quite what we would do. Thankfully the Heck's invited us to go trick or treating with them. ( Thanks Angie for being proactive).

We met together after dinner and went around their neighborhood. We had a great time talking and Allee was glad to have someone to go knock on doors with, she was much less timid than she would have been with just Derek and I. We went around for about an hour and by then the kids were getting tired and cold. It was so great to have someone to go with, the kids had friends and Derek and I had friends to visit with as well.

Allee the ever beautiful Aurora. I think this is my favorite costume EVER. Allee looked so beautiful in all the pink and she was really fun this year, she even said trick or treat AND thank you at most of the houses, and if you know Allee when she gets in a new situation, that is a major milestone.
Pierce was really funny this year. He would walk up to the doors, and if you tried to carry him he would just squirm and say, "walk". He would march right up to the door and say "treat-me", quickly grab as many treats as allowed, and most times a few extras before I could grab his hand, turn and look for the next house. I couldn't help but laugh a little at each house at his reaction. When we got home he went through his pumpkin and as he picked up each piece he would say either, "candy, or M&M". I can't believe how much he has changed since we moved.

We really missed going around to our family and friends and seeing everyone we loved, but all in all it was a good Halloween and we really appreciate the Heck's for taking us in.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

This is one of our favorite traditions, our annual pumpkin carving. I love the looks on the kids' faces when they dig their hands into the gooey mess, it is priceless.

This was Pierce's first year that he willingly participated. At first he just pulled faces and enjoyed putting the lid on and off, but after a few minutes he really got into it.
For Pierce's pumpkin we did a Mickey Mouse. He is SO into Mickey. He really loves it and every time he sees it he yells Mi Mo.

Allee, our sweet princess chose Princess Aurora. She is going to be Aurora for Halloween and thought her pumpkin should match what she was going to be.

Isn't it amazing what templates on the computer can to? I love it because neither Derek or I are artistic, but every year we seem to get a little better at taping the paper on the pumpkin and slowly tracing the lines with a nail. I think these are our best work yet, and the kids get excited to see their own pumpkin.

Moving

2009-10-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, here I go with my first post since the big move. It has been a crazy week full of up's and down's. I thought I'd just share a few.

Up: I finished the Halloween costumes in time. Aurora and a fireman, what could be cuter?

Down: Saying goodbye to our kids rooms. There are so many wonderful memories that were made in these rooms, and it was really difficult for me to leave them, OK let's be honest, I had a couple of major breakdowns during the packing and moving process.

Down: Obviously saying goodbye to our family. Just before we left we had a great time playing in the leaves at my parents house. We have been very blessed to have them around so much, and I don't quite know how we are going to adjust without them.

Trees. When our kids were born we planted trees for them, Allee has an Autumn Blaze Maple which turns this vibrant color in the fall, when she was born.

Pierce's tree is a Deborah Maple and gets yellow flowers in the Spring, the season he was born in. The leaves become a deep green in the summertime and in the fall they turn this beautiful golden yellow. I just hope the new homeowners love these trees as much as I have. I told Derek we will definately be planting these same trees in every home we live in.

Up: The kids are adjusting better than I thought they would. This morning Allee and Pierce played this game for 20 minutes while Derek and I were downstairs unpacking a few more boxes. I never noticed how well they play together. Pierce is copying everything Allee does and The way he has changed in a week is remarkable to me (or maybe I was just too busy with my own things to notice it).

The fun of an unfurnished house. The first morning we woke up here was quite an adventure. The kids slept on the floor and Derek and I on a blow up mattress. Breakfast was on the dining room floor with plastic bowls and spoons. The kids had fun just running all over and being crazy, I could let them and not worry because there was absolutely nothing they could hurt!

The biggest up, is that we are all together. I am very blessed to have these three and I know that through this move we will be stronger. I trust Heavenly Father that we will have all we need and there is something He wants us to learn here in Missouri, I am just not sure what it is yet.

Family Ties

2009-10-04T23:23:00.000-05:00

Now that we are on the countdown to our move to Missouri we took some time to create memories with those we love the most, our FAMILIES.

Just the Bolduc girls.

It really has been amazing how close I have grown to my sisters. We would fight like cats and dogs growing up, and now I see them or talk to them at least a couple times a week. We do a lot together and I never thought that would happen. I am really going to miss them. We probably still drive my Mom crazy, but looking at this picture you can sure tell there is a lot of love in their home.

Well what can I say about the boys, up until I got married it would have been just Dad in the picture. Their numbers are slowly increasing and it is amazing how great brothers are.
The Carlsen girls.
It is amazing how much the family has changed since I joined it, those girls keep growing up! I remember when they were just tiny. Derek's mom is great about getting everyone together for birthdays and keeping the family connected with what everyone is doing.

The Boys. The picture describes them perfectly. They are WAAAY to good, and they know it.

Allee's 5th Birthday

2009-10-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe this little one is 5. In my mind there is no way five years have passed. Allee is a gift to our family. How did this 8 lb 9 oz chubby cutie turn into this . .
As you can see she is definitely her dad's girl. She wanted a Bears jersey so she could cheer with her dad when they watch football.

It is amazing to watch Allee grow. She is all about Princesses, dancing, and sports!

We are so blessed to have her.

Allee's party with all of her friends. We have such great friends here and we Allee is really going to miss them. The kids had a great time popping balloons, hitting the pinata, and racing around the yard at the party. Although the hit was after the presents were opened all the kids got cups and plates and caught grasshoppers and a preying mantis. Why did I go to all the trouble to plan party games?! There was plenty of entertainment in the backyard!