Families are

Going, going, going

2011-09-25T21:47:00.012-07:00

This month has gone by so fast! It started with a 10 day vacation to Idaho (Emmett) and Las Vegas. Dallin had a medical conference in Vegas so when he was just about done we met him there and then continued all the way to Idaho. It was a loooong drive and the kids were totally stir crazy by the time we got there but it was worth it.

We got to see one of Dallin's brothers and fam that we hadn't seen in years! The kids clicked immediately and had a great time playing. Kaia and Whitney (their only girl out of six kids) spent two whole days playing barbies and we pretty much only saw them when it was time to eat. Talmage loved having a boy his age that he could wrestle with and Andan had so much to see and do that he never had to bug Talmage.

We then went the extra 40 minutes to Dallin's grandparents' farm to spend some time with them. Again, the kids had a blast. What's not to love about playing on swings, slides, merry-go-rounds, trampolines, dirt and 4-wheelers all day? Andan especially loved the dogs. That boy loves the outdoors and animals. We adults had a great time playing games almost all day. I have to say that, for once, I won almost every game I played. Now I know how Dallin always feels- it was great! We also enjoyed some fabulous home cooked meals which included pancakes and eggs cooked outside on a giant brick oven griddle, fresh grown corn and tomatos, real whole milk, and self churned butter! Talmage is always asking for milk at home, but he must have had a hole in one toe because he could not get enough of Grandpa's fresh milk. Although I don't really consider myself a country girl (I need my Target, craft stores, and just general civilization) but I could definitely enjoy a life of relative self sufficiency with a couple of cows, pigs, chickens, and a large garden.

When we finally had to leave we broke up the trip by again stopping in Vegas where we were able to stay at my brother's house. Vegas really does nothing for me and I don't even really like to visit the Strip anymore so I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out at my brother's place and enjoying his pool and having nothing to do. I may have even convinced Dallin that a pool may be more of a necessity than a luxury (or at least it's a luxury that is worth indulging in!) Unfortunately though, that too had to end and we had to return home exhausted but grateful for the great time that we had!

Time has just kept ticking with my mom and sister coming three days after we got back home (I barely had time to do the laundry). We celebrated my mom's birthday then she was off to her trip in Europe.
Then we have spent much of this week celebrating Dallin's birthday.It has been a great month, but I think I need another vacation!

Triple Cuteness!!!

2011-08-21T22:05:00.006-07:00

It is so hard to get back into blogging because so much has happened that I hardly even know where to start- so I'll start where my camera ends: with the three cutest (albeit crazy, hyper, dramatic, funny, into everything, can't leave their siblings alone, happiest, helpiest-that's a word right?-, smartest, most adorable...) kiddos ever!And isn't my little gir... I mean... boy so adorable!?! (Hair styling compliments of his sister. Don't worry, he has gotten a haircut since then.)

For the longest time Andan just had two teeth on top and two teeth on the bottom in the front. Then he got four molars. He is finally (at nearly 16 months) getting the other four of his front teeth. Oh well, it hasn't stopped him from chowing down on all kinds of "real"food. This boy is a social eater. Even if he just ate, he insists on having whatever you are having. He insisted early on to feed himself (which I know many moms love but it makes me cringe- really, a nine-month old in full control of a spoon and soupy whatever-it-is?) but he is actually very careful with his spoon (he just loves to practice his pitching arm or the see-how-long-it-takes-mom-to-notice-my-stealthy-drop-it-over-the-edge-method with whatever food might be left when he is done). It is cute to watch him eat his cereal like a big boy (in a bowl with milk) including drinking the milk from the bowl!

Hopefully soon I will fill you in on the last couple of months.

Too Much Sugar

2011-02-14T21:28:00.003-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
Between Christmas, my birthday, and Kaia's birthday I was ready to be (mostly) done with sweets but this day of love has just started the next round. Despite my best efforts, the kids of course had plenty of sweets today, but at least at the end of the day it afforded this cute conversation.

Talmage: Mom, can I have another cookie?
Me: No.
T: Why?
Me: 'Cause you don't want your tummy or your head to get sick.
T: (two minutes later after I had already walked away) Or your arms to get sick.

I love the way kids think. I need to be like them more often.

Update

2010-11-14T22:00:00.008-07:00

I'm not sure why I haven't posted in forever- I guess I have just gotten out of the habit. I'll try to do better, but for now I just wanted to give you a brief update of how we have been doing.

Dallin is enjoying his job as a PA. He finally has a set schedule working Sunday through Wednesday nights. He comes home and sleeps in the mornings. It can be a little difficult to try to keep the kids quiet while he is sleeping but he is a very good sport (probably because he's so tired that not much will wake him up) and a huge help if ever I need him. It makes it so much easier to be able to leave baby asleep in his crib when I go to pick up Kaia from school. There are a million other little benefits of having Dallin home during the day and we are so grateful to be able to spend time with him. Up until now he hasn't really known exactly what to do with his "off" time (other than all of my honey-do's) so when Kaia's school had a sign up saying they needed volunteers to coach the sixth grade football team, I encouraged him to get involved. His first practice starts tomorrow so it should be fun.

I am busy with my children of course, but I am finally settling in and able to do many things on my want to do list. This is new territory for me because I usually have so many house projects, crafts, and other things that I want to do but I rarely had the "me" time to actually do them. With Dallin working nights I have four nights a week (after the kids go to bed) that I can craft, read, plan, or just plain veg without feeling like I am taking time away from my family! I actually purchased fabric for a project and COMPLETED it not only in the same year, but in time for its intended use! (I made trick-or-treat bags for the kids and OK so I didn't actually do Andan's yet, but he really didn't count this year, right and besides 2 out of 3 is way better than none- Hey, I'm proud of myself :)) I have also been able to ride my horse at least a couple of times each week. For a little while I wasn't able to ride (first having a baby and then the horse unable to be ridden) so I was getting a little discouraged and thinking I was crazy for spending our money just having the horses. However, all it took was one time back in the saddle and, for me, every penny is worth it. I know most people don't quite get the investment (of money and time) involved with horses, but I get soooo much joy, satisfaction and sanity from riding that there is truly something missing from me when I am not able to have it. So right now I am so grateful for my husband and all of his hard work in supporting us, for my absolutely wonderful and beautiful children, for a fabulous home to live in, for the uplifting sunshine daily, and for so many extended family and friends that have made me so happy and content to live here in Yuma.

Kaia started Kindergarten this year and is absolutely loving it. She just eats up everything she is learning and is constantly figuring out how those things apply all around her. She is already doing very well with reading (sight words and sounding out short words) and she loves working with numbers and even amazes me with her ability to add and figure out patterns. She is a huge helper and is growing up so fast. Now if I can just figure out how to get her to quit reacting to her brother......

Talmage is still my sweet little boy, but he is a typical three year old boy and I haven't quite figured out how or where to channel his, ...um..., enthusiasm. He is not in as big of a hurry to grow up as Kaia is and for the most part just enjoys the moment whether it be playing in the sand, carrying on great conversations/ scenarios with his toys, getting under his sister's skin (not hard to do), acting innocent, or loving Andan (often a little too much). We love him.

Andan is growing quickly. He is nearly 7 months old and is now crawling and sitting up. He is no longer happy with his usual toys- he wants to explore and see what the world has to offer. (I won't mention that he "explored" my plant in the ceramic pot onto my tile floor since my husband was so kindly watching him while I got some rest.) Andan is always happy and he has the cutest screeching laugh. He loves to eat and gobbles up any baby food I will give him. He loves his mommy (as well as grabbing my hair) and, of course, I am quite smitten with him.

So you see we are doing very well and have so much to be grateful for.

(The pictures were taken by my SIL when we were on a trip to my mom's house this summer)

Andan James Farar

2010-05-20T01:16:00.006-07:00

Andan James Farar arrived to our family on April 18th around 4:20 am. He was 9 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long. We all love him to pieces! He is already growing like a weed and at 1 month has nearly outgrown his 0-3 month clothes. Kaia and Talmage Love to hold him, stroke his head, sing and talk to him and help me take care of him. He is a great third baby and takes all the commotion in stride as well as sleeps like a champ. We are so happy to have him in our family! (For all the details of how he came, see the next post.)

A Story to Tell

2010-05-19T22:03:00.003-07:00

For the rest of his life, Andan (and I) will have a story to tell about how he arrived in this world. However, this story is not for the faint of heart, so be forewarned before you read on. Andan's due date was April 23 and I had never delivered early with the other two kids so I fully expected to hang on 'til the bitter end. Life had been pretty hectic but I joked that as long as I could teach my Relief Society lesson on the 11th and finish doing my taxes by the 15th, then I would be good to have a baby. The 17th is one of my nephew's birthdays but when I didn't have any contractions by 10:30 in the morning I commented to Dallin, "Well, I guess I won't be having a baby today." His response was, "There's over 12 hours left in the day, that's plenty of time." We both ended up being right- I didn't have a baby on the 17th (barely), but 12 hours was way more than enough for me to still have a baby!

Dallin had to work the night shift (7pm-7am) that night, so I spent the evening relaxing- taking a bubble bath, painting my toenails (yeah, that was a feat-no pun intended), and preparing for church the next day. I went to bed sometime around midnight but woke up at 2:55 needing to use the bathroom. Nothing different that any other night, including the contraction (which up until now had just been Braxton-Hicks) that went with it. So I lay back down and had just fallen back asleep when I felt another contraction. OK. Maybe I should just check the time in case another one comes. Sure enough 11 minutes later came another one. Alright, that was just one interval. I'll have to see if it's consistent. Yup, another 11 minutes later. Let's just check one more. Yeah, about another 10 minutes. By now I can't really sleep any more even though I am wishing I could. I guess I'd better give Dallin the heads up. So, at 3:54 I texted him to call me (I didn't want to disturb him if he was with a patient). Dallin calls me back and I ask him if he has any back up plans for leaving work. He says he'll get the ball rolling. At this point I HAVE to use the bathroom again, but I took my phone with me so I could keep timing the contractions. The next one is down to 7 minutes and the very next one is only 3 minutes later! Meanwhile, Dallin has called back to let me know someone would be coming in to cover him and I let him know that things were progressing quickly. The next few minutes were a little fuzzy because now the contractions were right on top of each other and I was thinking to myself (while clutching the door frame), "Holy cow, give me just a second!" For some reason Dallin called back (yes I answered) and said that his replacement wasn't there yet. At which point I shakily responded that then maybe we ought to call the ambulance. Well, we never had time to because that's when I realized and informed Dallin that I could feel the head! Yeah, I was shocked and a little scared and had no idea what I should do next. Dallin realized the urgency so he let me know he wouldn't wait for his replacement and that he would be on his way. That eased my fears knowing that he would literally be home in 5 minutes. It also allowed me 1 second to think since I wasn't trying to talk on the phone anymore! Obviously at this point there was no turning back. All I could think was, "I certainly don't want to have a baby in the toilet" so I hurried and jumped in our huge bathtub just in time for 1 big contraction that delivered the head. Short breather, one more push and I delivered myself a baby!

What a relief, but now what? This is the point where all the nurses are supposed to take over and I can kick back and relax, right? Well no, I'm all alone with this baby that I have no idea what to do with. As long as he is still attached he should be fine right? (I found out later that a minute or two is OK, but too long isn't the greatest). So I guess we'll just start cleaning up. I turned on the water and luckily there was still a towel nearby from the bath I had taken earlier. Now don't fault me for not immediately scooping up my baby, holding him to my chest, and staring lovinly into his eyes. I was in a bit of a daze- I had just given birth- at home- in my bathtub- all by myself!

Andan was born sometime between 4:17 and 4:22am (I know because of my phone log). Yes, that is less than an hour and a half from first contraction to delivered and less than 30 minutes from when I first notified my poor husband! Thankfully, it was only about two minutes before Dallin (and his mom who had been called to come watch the other kiddos) came walking in. I can't even imagine what went through their heads when they walked in on me and our baby!

Dallin immediately went into Doctor Dallin mode and began quizzing me about how long the baby had been delivered. "Rude," I thought, "where's my welcome home kiss? Where's my smile and loving look at our newest addition?" Again, I was in a daze- I had just given birth- at home- in my bathtub- all by myself! He ran out of the room looking for things and came back to take care of business. He tied off and cut the cord and started working on baby and I was left for a minute to my own, nonexistant, thoughts. Poor guy. We obviously weren't prepared for the events of the evening so he had a hard time finding anything to use to tie off and cut the cord. A shoestring, right? Oooh, gross all of ours are used and therefore dirty. So when he saw the strings on a freshly washed and folded apron he took advantage and cut one off. Brings a whole new meaning to "cutting the apron strings" huh? Also, no suitable scissors could be found, so the kitchen boning knife just had to do. Is anyone still reading this, or have you all already run for cover?

After baby had been attended to and handed over to Grandma (who thus far had NEVER been so closely involved with the birth of one of her grandchildren) Dallin took care of delivering the placenta for me. He then called up the hospital to inform them that I had just given birth at home and that we were coming in. When I was still sitting there, he was a little confused why I wasn't getting dressed to go. "Oh, you mean I need to get up, and put something on, and we need to go, and I can't just sit here and rest?" I thought. Again, I was in a daze- I had just given birth- at home- in my bathtub- all by myself! Well, we made it to the hospital (just a little late) and of course we were the big, famous story. Funny thing, before baby was born I thought how nice it would be since we live less than two miles from the hospital. Little did I know that our shortest baby commute ever still wouldn't be short enough! Baby and I were both fine and I could finally lay back and let the nurses and Dallin take over. I guess my body knew what it was doing by the third time and the doctor who checked on me commented, "Gee, you do a good job delivering, so if you need a job you can come on down to our office."

Everyone keeps asking me if it was aweful, and how did I do it, and so on, but honestly, it wasn't bad. It was so fast and I didn't have time to think about anything other than doing what needed to be done. I could do it again, but mind you, next time around, we will PLAN on either doing it at home or inducing early.

Quite a story, huh? It's one of those things that you hear about somebody, somewhere who delivered unexpectedly at home or in a car, but never to someone you know and I never dreamed it could happen to me. I already know my story has spread far and wide so now I have become one of those somebodies, somewhere who delivered at home- in a bathtub- all by herself!

The Name Game

2010-02-07T23:17:00.002-07:00

Well, my belly is getting bigger, I'm getting more uncomfortable, and I am getting close to the 30 week mark, but I am still fretting over a name for our little one. Dallin has kind of settled on the name Andan (or Andon) but I'm still not sure. It's actually a name that I had proposed to him, but when his (as well as another brother's) initial (and continual) reaction was to sing some song that goes "and den, and den, along came John, big bad John..." I kind of got sick of it. Also, Dallin will try to call the baby by name but forget what it is and call him Aiden instead (which I like, but won't use because I think it is too overused now). Additionally, I don't like giving kids a nice name only to have them go by a nickname for the rest of their lives and I know some people will want to call him Andy. Anyway, I still like the name, but those are my concerns with it and I just wanted to get your opinions on it so please let me know what you think! Of course, I'm always open for additional suggestions!

Settle Down

2010-02-07T22:52:00.002-07:00

We made it! Barely, but hopefully I'll be able to share that long story in another post. We are settling into our new home and lives here in Yuma and, honestly, I am loving it! The weather is fabulous (perfect, in my opinion) right now and the daily sunshine really does wonders on my mental outlook on life. (For those of you in Scranton, don't worry, you'll be able to brag about the weather in a few more months.) The steady job (with income), a beautiful home, an abundance of family and friends, a sense of stability, and hope for future goals don't hurt either! Even though I still have a lot to unpack, go through, decorate and fix around the house as well as all the new projects I keep dreaming up (like working on a garden, building Talmage a train bed, Kaia a playhouse, and me a filing cabinet) I have been losing energy and ambition quickly. I haven't taken a nice bath in my huge tub yet, but I am of the mindset right now to just let my body and my mind recover from the craziness of the last couple of months. Somehow life, activities, and obligations are already quickly filling up my calendar here. I'd better take advantage of the relative ease and quiet now before we are soon outnumbered by another little one! Unfortunately I haven't taken many pictures or loaded them on my computer, but hopefully I will be able to post some soon. For now I just wanted to let everyone know were are still alive.

It's A....

2009-12-06T15:43:00.002-07:00

Any guesses? I had my ultrasound on Friday and was able to find out whether we are having a girl or a boy. I have been thinking of the baby as a girl and we have several girl's names that we like. We can't agree on ANY boy's names. So, of course, in true Farar fashion we are having a boy! Everyone says, "Oh don't worry about it, you will come up with a name", but seriously I am always perusing baby names and after several years we haven't been able to come up with a name so now I really feel pressured to do so in just a couple of months! (Great, one more thing to worry about right now :)) I absolutely love the name Teegan (sp. optional) but Dallin says it is too girly. I also kind of like names like Blake, Camden, and Davin (the only one of which Dallin doesn't totally reject is Blake but he already has a cousin named that). Dallin likes names like Clyde, Jackson and Parker. I object. Soooo, PLEASE send us any and all of your great ideas for boys names! I tend to like variations of traditional names (ie made up names), names from last names/ church names (but not Kimball, Brigham, Tanner, etc.), or names from places (like Boston). Dallin likes plane, old, regular boy's names but seems to be open to the types of names I like as long as they are not too girly, don't make him think of any bad nicknames, or aren't already taken by one of his 500 cousins or friends (like that leaves me a lot of options!) I really don't know how we are going to be able to agree on TWO boy's names (first and middle) so Heeeellllllllp!

3:10 to Yuma

2009-11-07T14:00:00.002-07:00

Dallin has accepted a job to work in an urgent care facility (PrimeCare) in Yuma, Az. Yeahhhhh! So we will be skipping the looooong winters in PA and heading out to sunny AZ. Although I personally would have preferred the Phoenix area, there are plenty of plusses to living in Yuma- Grandma and Grandpa, lots of other relatives, close to San Diego, etc. Dallin really enjoyed his interview with PrimeCare and is really excited to be working in urgent care. Although he will generally be working four 12-hour shifts (including some nights and weekends) that means he will have three days off every week.

We will drive out to Phoenix for Thanksgiving and to look around for housing. I will fly back to PA with the kids to finish packing up the house and drive once again to AZ sometime before Christmas. It might sound a little crazy, but I think it will be the least stressfull method.

I'm excited for all of the new possibilities. I'm very grateful that Dallin found a job and now we can stop begging and borrowing for money and start paying everything back. On to the new adventure!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-07T13:30:00.004-07:00

The kids had a fun time for Halloween. Although Halloween isn't really one of my favorite holidays and despite spending two full days doing nothing but work on their costumes, I think in the end these two adorable little faces made it all worth it. They both did a great job playing their parts and Talmage wasn't shy with his ggrrrrr-aarrrghs.

Of course we carved pumpkins. The kids helped pull out the innards and Kaia drew the pattern for the Jack-O-Lantern.

(These were the best shots I could get since I don't have a tripod.)

Since it rained here on Halloween, we didn't take the kids out trick-or-treating. They didn't mind though because they have just as much fun waiting for the kids to come to our door and then handing out the candy. Besides, they had already gotten plenty of loot and had lots of fun the night before at the trunk-or-treat at the church.

Waiting

2009-10-20T18:04:00.002-07:00

Have you all been wondering what has been going on at the Farar household these last few months? Well, we have been ..... waiting. I'm not one who likes not knowing what's happening in the next five years let alone in the next five weeks, but that is exactly what I have had to do. I seriously had my life planned up until the end of September and then after that was a deep dark abyss of the unknown. So here we are in the abyss still .... waiting. Waiting for Dallin to find a job, waiting to know where we will end up, waiting to know how everything is going to work out (living arrangements, financial situation, the next five years after that- I won't bore you with the entire list), and waiting for our new little one to arrive (just checking to see if anyone still checks on my blog).

Okay, okay. So things aren't all as bad as I may worry that they are, but I seriously really, really, really, really dislike (I'm trying to not use the word "hate") not knowing where to put my feet next. Thankfully, there is quite a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Dallin is currently interviewing for jobs out in Arizona (hence I am able to take the time to blog). He has already been offered a position at each of his first two interviews (both in Yuma) and he still has two more to go (Casa Grande and Avondale)! Way to go Dear! The offers far exceed anything I was expecting, so it looks VERY likely we will end up somewhere in AZ very soon. My cogs are already turning with "what if's" and "maybe we could's", but we'll wait 'til Dallin gets back before we make a final decision.

And, yes, I was teasing you to pique your interest, so, if you have read this far you now know that we are expecting. I am due April 23 and of course we are very excited. Kaia says I am having two babies because she wants a girl and Talmage wants a boy. One of them is going to have to wait a while longer than the other to get what they want!

I'll try to keep you a little more up to date because obviously there will be a lot going on in the next little while.

Dallin's Done!

2009-07-26T19:32:00.002-07:00

...well, almost. Dallin has finished all of his classes and tests for school and will officially graduate on Saturday (the 1st). He still has some review lectures this week and then will study on his own to take his national board certification exam (probably at the beginning of Sept.). Then he will be loosed on the world! Unfortunately we still don't know exactly where in the world that will be. We are very excited, but are also nervous about all of the unknowns. Hopefully we can find a great job in a place we love and live happily ever after. Either way, I am proud of Dallin and all that he has accomplished. Waaaahoooooo!

Doing the Wave

2009-06-05T10:19:00.003-07:00

Dallin started a game with the kids where they sit on the front steps and wave to all the cars that pass and see how many will wave back. Believe it or not, not too many people wave back. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since our steps are about 5 feet above street level and there is a good hill in the road just past our house. However, the kids get very excited when someone does wave or honk. Especially Talmage. I have to constantly keep checking for him when I send them out in the backyard to play. He'll run down the side of the house and usually gets in one wave and a "Hiii" before I can catch him. The thought of him being out there by himself sets off all of my motherly insticts and makes my hair stand on end, muscles tighten up, and a few other feelings that only come to a mother when her child's life is in any way threatened. Yeah, I'm not so thrilled that they have been taught to play on top of a big stone wall next to a busy street but as long as they are supervised I guess I will survive.

Lets Go Fly A Kite

2009-06-04T19:25:00.003-07:00

Dallin got these kites a while back, so for one FHE we attempted to go fly them at the park. Although we didn't really get them up too well (the wind kept dying just as we would get it going), the kids still enjoyed it. Kaia ran her little heart out several times (my camera wasn't fast enough to catch her), would get tuckered out and catch her breath for 30 seconds, then be ready to try it again. Talmage wouldn't let go of his kite's tail so Dallin had to just hold up the kite and let Talmage trot along behind him. After a few minutes of that, the kids were both ready to go play on the jungle gym. Simple pleasures.

Sunday Walk

2009-06-04T19:12:00.003-07:00

Although the weather can't seem to make up its mind (it's constantly changing), we were able to take advantage of a wonderful spring Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago to take a walk. Beautiful! If I didn't have to live through such a long winter to get to this fleeting beauty I wouldn't mind living in PA longer.

(The dress Kaia is wearing is a dress that I got in Germany from my Oma (grandma). I have a few more of my dresses that Kaia is now big enough to wear, so I'll keep pointing them out.)

Spring Has Sprung

2009-05-05T18:37:00.004-07:00

Spring has finally sprung here in Scranton, PA. Well, actually, it snowed at the beginning of April, then the next week was as hot as it ever gets in the summer (high 80's) and now it seems to have stabilized to the cool (50's), cloudy, sprinkly spring. It really threw my bulbs and the blossoms for a loop so my favorite part didn't last for very long, but I am truly grateful to see green aplenty. I planted a lot of bulbs (daffodils and tulips) in the fall hoping for a blast of color when they bloomed, but because of the weather and different areas of shade in my yard they are just blooming one at a time. Bummer! Although Mr. Groundhog had to wait a lot longer than 6 weeks, I think he is happy to be out of his den (however, even though he is cute, I wish he would go back in because he keeps eating my lettuce!) (This picture had to be taken from in the house because he is very skittish.)The kid's have loved being able to play outside.

Talmage Turns Two

2009-05-05T17:32:00.004-07:00

I can't believe I'm actually posting about something the same week it happened (Dallin is studying for his test so I get a little time to myself). Talmage turned two on Friday (the 1st). Even though he is almost as old as Kaia was when we moved to PA, Talmage is still my baby boy. I still love to cuddle him to sleep at nap time (and catch 5 minutes myself) and I find myself carrying him way more than I should. Not that I care when my kids hit certain milestones, but it is interesting to note the differences between Kaia and Talmage at the same ages. Kaia is my quick-learning, independent, leader. Talmage is happy to follow and is quickly showing me what a boy he is (today was the first time I had to scrub "artwork" off the walls). We have had more than one person tell us that Talmage always seems to have a little mischievious sparkle in his eye and grin on his face. This ought to be an interesting year.

Since our Stake Conference was scheduled on Friday night, we prolonged Talmage's B-day and celebrated by going to Chuck E. Cheese's on Saturday and having cake and presents on Sunday. While we were out on Saturday I got some helium balloons and hid them in the trunk. Talmage was very excited to see them on Sunday morning. Finally, we were able to enjoy some truck cake despite the gravitational challenges (the bumpers and lights didn't want to stay put). Also note the "flat" right rear tire- Talmage had already found and helped himself to his unassembled cake. Silly boy. (Kaia took the picture above- not bad!)

We love our happy, sweet Talmage!

Easter

2009-05-04T19:40:00.003-07:00

Easter is absolutely my favorite holiday- the colors, fresh flowers, bunnies, pretty dresses, chocolate, new life, hope, breath of fresh air, warmth, ......... and Peeps- what's not to like? We didn't do a lot for Easter, but after church we did have an egg hunt and the kids had a good time. Growing up, my mom would always hide our baskets at the same time as the eggs and we had to find our own basket before we were able to pick up ANY eggs. I think it was her way of leveling the playing field for the big kids vs. the little kids, but I like the tradition and have stuck with it.

This year I also included a large, empty plastic egg in the baskets to help us remember the empty tomb. Since it was the first egg they were able to get their hands on (and it was the biggest) Kaia immediately opened it up, but was a little disappointed to find it empty. This was exactly what I wanted and I took the opportunity to ask her, "Why do you think the egg is empty?" Since I hadn't talked to her about it I didn't expect her to know, but she answered something like, "It's empty like the tomb." Wow. It's nice to know that she has such a great sunbeam teacher (thanks Christina!) AND that she is starting to listen. (Kaia is wearing a dress that my mom made for me.)

After that, the eggs were a free for all and they have been enjoying one a day since then.

Kaia's B-day!

2009-04-11T20:43:00.003-07:00

Although it was forever ago, Kaia had a great time on her birthday (Jan 25th). She is a very grown up 4 year old and I am so proud of her. Now that she is four, Kaia has taken on more responsibility for herself, but she still can't wait until she is big and can do this or that when she gets all the way down to 14 (as she tells everyone). Apparantly that is the magical age when she will be able to do everything and be like Mom and Dad. If only she knew....

Kaia had a huge friend birthday party, but since it was the dead of winter we had to pack everyone into our house. It was a madhouse, but I think Kaia enjoyed finally having her day after Christmas and all the other January birthdays of friends and family. The only real request Kaia had was a pink flower cake which she had talked about for weeks before her birthday. I was happy to oblige and she even helped me make it.

We love you Kaia!

Own Little World

2009-04-11T20:08:00.005-07:00

What is it with kids and having to squeeze into the smallest place they can find? Whether it be in a fort, a playhouse, a cabinet, under bedcovers, in a box, behind the couch or any other nook or cranny they can find, my kids manage to play in the smallest spaces possible. Here's proof.

And my personal favorite:

Christmas Day

2009-02-22T20:24:00.005-07:00

Christmas Day was wonderful. I'm not sure what time everyone else's kids wake up and/or what time families start opening presents, but since I have always slept in on Christmas morning I'm not too keen on changing that now that I have kids of my own. Lest you think we are terrible, mean parents, the kids are free to get up at any time they want and can get into their stockings. However, presents have to wait until Mom wakes up and then makes breakfast (a fancy one of course), because we all know that "if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" and Mama's not happy without a good night sleep and a full belly. Well, at least I'll just have to see how long I can slide this idea past my children. I'm guessing my days are numbered. Oh well, I thoroughly enjoyed it this year. Obviously, the kids had a great time too.

Christmas Eve

2009-02-22T18:57:00.004-07:00

Dallin and I are still evolving our family Christmas traditions, but here's what we did this year and we had a great time. Growing up, my family always did most of the celebrating on Christmas Eve including the fancy Christmas feast, reading the Christmas story, opening presents, and eating See's Candies, english toffee, peanut brittle, and whatever else my mom had baked up. On Christmas day we had a fancy breakfast and saw what we got from Santa in our stockings then just spent the rest of the day playing, eating and sleeping. Dallin, of course, grew up with the traditional Christmas morning hoopla which always included a box of .22 shells, biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and an orange in the stocking. We wanted to combine traditions as well as keep Christmas Eve more on the spiritual side, so we decided to have the fancy Christmas dinner (I insisted), tried to read the Christmas story, and opened a few special presents.

As for the dinner, even though I had tried to keep it down to the essentials (ham, creamed potatos, jell-o salad, and orange rolls) it still took me all day to prepare. However, it was delicious as ever. When Talmage got done eating, he wandered around as usual playing here and there- until I realized that he was under the table and was being very quiet. He was fine, but my last batch of rolls that were still sitting on the heater to rise on the other hand, well let's just say that the one year old thought his finger made a very interesting indentation in each of the little dough balls! Fortunately, when I put them in the oven they filled right back out. After dinner, we had some time so we cut out and decorated the cookie dough I had previously made. The kids both loved this. (Notice the flour on Talmage's forehead).

Then we attempted to read the Christmas story (from the scriptures), but that didn't go over too well, so next year we will have to try a kid friendly way of conveying the story. We'll probably try to act it out or read one of the kids' stories.

Then it was time for a couple of presents. We tried to help Kaia understand what Christmas was all about so we explained that we had the presents because we were celebrating Jesus' birthday. Instead of understanding, she was really quiet, got a really sad look on her face, her bottom lip began to pout and she nearly cried when she responded, "But if Jesus opens all of the presents, then Kaia won't get any." Of course it was funny, but it was also heartbreaking to see how upset she was. (Knowing her birthday was "soon", she also had a hard time swallowing the fact that first it was Jesus' birthday, then it was mama's birthday, and THEN it would be her birthday.) Anyway, she perked up after she got to open some presents. For Christmas Eve we decided to let them open the presents that I plan on giving them each year- a Christmas book, an ornament, and jammies. (Thanks for the inspiration Amy.)

It was a wonderful, peaceful time just being with our little family.

Update

2009-02-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

OK, so I know it IS past the next holiday this time, but for my own memories I needed to post about Christmas. We were so busy working on our house over Christmas, then Dallin started a new rotation (which always means a different routine), then I was busy planning Kaia's birthday party and making invitations, then my mom and sister came to visit us for three weeks (and helped us do more work on the house), meanwhile Dallin's brother Dennis also visited for a day, and now I took advantage of the last week to do pretty much nothing, so here it is the end of February and I'm just now getting to blogging about Christmas. By the way, I took so long that Dallin just started his second rotation since Christmas. The first one was in Cardiology, which he enjoyed, and now he is in the first of his last two rotations which are three months each- one in internal medicine and the last in family practice. Can I just say "woohoooo" because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel?! Even though I have no idea where we will end up or what we will be doing, I'm still very excited to move on to the next step. Dallin on the other hand, is a little bit more nervous about the prospect because of what he will be required to know and do, and then have to prove it on his certifying exam and at his new work place. We're rootin' for ya, dear!
I know it may sound silly that we are doing all this work on our house when we will most likely be moving soon, but we are basically going for the "Designed to Sell" theory. Trust me, the improvements we have made will certainly help our house stand out from this crowd. Besides, it just makes me happy every time I look at something we have improved and I will still be able to enjoy it for a little while. Hopefully I will be able to complete some of the finishing touches so that I can show you the "before" and "after" pictures soon.

Snow Days

2009-01-15T08:50:00.003-07:00

Even though we haven't gotten as much as some places (Bountiful for example), snow is still a given part of our everyday lives now. Somehow I have not only handled, but actually enjoyed the snow storms we have gotten (however, I realize it is only January and I may not feel the same when it is still snowing in April). The kids love to help shovel the driveway and clean off the cars. They haven't quite caught on to how fun sledding is, but Kaia is ready to go some more now that she has some goggles to keep the snow out of her eyes and Talmage now has waterproof snow pants and gloves. Lately, Kaia just stays out long enough to get "cold" so that she can come back in and have some hot chocolate! I can't say I'm not on her side if it weren't for all of the bundling and unbundling. Hmmm... where did I put that industrial size can of cocoa mix?!

Silly Dad

2009-01-15T08:43:00.003-07:00

We're so glad when Daddy comes home... We have enjoyed having Dallin at home for over three weeks! As you can see, he keeps us entertained and having fun. We love Dad!

Big Boy's Toy

2009-01-15T08:35:00.002-07:00

Talmage thinks he is a big boy now and loves to do big boy things- like drive Mom's truck!

Somersaults

2008-11-23T21:07:00.002-07:00

Talmage has learned how to do somersaults (by watching his big sister of course) and he LOVES it! He just strikes this pose and waits for me to roll him over! So cute!

Santa Parade

2008-11-23T20:26:00.003-07:00

Yes, from Halloween to Christmas. Don't ask me why Scranton has a Santa Claus parade before Thanksgiving; just add it to the list of all the things that make Scranton "unique". (You may laugh at "The Office" because you think the characters are nuts and "out there", but Dallin and I laugh at "The Office" because we know it's what people are really like back here!) I've always disliked how the stores jump from Halloween straight to Christmas and Thanksgiving gets the shaft. Should it really be that hard to find socks with turkeys on them this time of year? I mean, come on. Anyway, we thought it would be fun to take the kids yesterday to see the parade and Santa Claus. However, whose idea was it to hold this parade on THE coldest day of the year. It was honestly only 15 degrees out AND it was windy! (Have I mentioned I hate being cold?) We attempted to survive for quite a little while by hiding in a building alcove but the parade kept stopping for five minutes at a time and the kids couldn't last any longer. So we headed back to the truck but then Kaia started crying because she didn't get to see Santa Claus. Never fear, SuperDad figured out we could drive down an alley that led straight to the parade and we could watch it from the comfort of our heat-blasted truck! (Talmage had even more fun playing with the steering wheel and blinkers.) Sorry about the bad picture but Kaia was so excited that she stuck her hand out the window to wave to Santa just as I pushed the button. Then we came home and had hot chocolate and whipped cream. (I think I'm going to need to stock up. Anyone know where they sell 25# bags of the stuff?) Everyone was happy.

Halloween

2008-11-23T19:32:00.006-07:00

I know I'm way behind, but I have some cute pictures from Halloween that I still wanted to post (Hey, at least its not past the next holiday, yet.) The kids had a great time at the ward trunk-or-treat. Talmage was a lion and although he can do a great lion roar, whenenver we asked him to roar it was always a whisper so he was more of a timid lion.
Kaia was very focused on everything she did and wanted to do it all by herself.
Half the time I didn't even know where she was because she has made friends with all of the young women so they took her around to each of the booths. She loved these vampire teeth from the fishing booth.
Kaia is certainly NOT a timid ballerina. At the end of the games they had everyone in a costume parade across the stage. Kaia gleefully pranced her solo across the stage. I hope she is just as bold when she has her part as a snowflake in the ward christmas party's Nutcracker in a couple of weeks.

Kaia was also invited to a friend's birthday party before Halloween. Although she didn't know anyone besides the birthday girl she soon joined in what everyone else was doing and had a fun time. (By the way, Riley is older than Kaia. Kaia is in the 99th % for height!)
They even had pony rides. Kaia always asks to ride my horse but then she wants back off soon after. She only made it halfway down the route when she decided she wanted off, but then she did make a full loop a little bit later. Crazy girl. I would have loved to ride the pony considering I haven't ridden a horse since I was pregnant with her. She doesn't know how good she has it!

Where's the SUN?!

2008-11-19T21:20:00.002-07:00

This picture was taken a week or two before Halloween and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen the sun since. Although it hasn't "really" snowed here at our house it will flurry off and on. I don't think it got over 35 degrees today. Can I just tell you how much I hate to be cold? And I'm always cold even when everyone else is not. I keep tucking my hands in my legs as I'm writing this. Maybe I should just go make some hot chocolate.... with marshmallows.... and a candy cane.... OK, maybe winter's not so bad after all :)

Rambo

2008-11-19T21:10:00.003-07:00

Kaia is obsessed with wrapping things (jumpropes, ribbons, rubberbands, anything) around herself (fingers, arms, waist, etc.) so when this ripped off piece of Dallin's collar was floating around the house she thought she would wrap it around Talmage's head. Dad helped tie it and Talmage thought he looked pretty good (even though he was afraid to move his head). Mom just thought he looked cute but hopes he doesn't make a habit out of it (and don't ask me why I am referring to myself in the third person).

Rocky

2008-11-19T21:04:00.003-07:00

Apparantly I failed to post the most important picture of Philadelphia- that of the beloved Rocky. So here it is for all of you adoring fans. Kaia is doing her best punching impression. (Dallin's friend Abe is with her. The picture of Dallin is on his friend's camera.)

Turkey Anyone?

2008-11-11T20:58:00.004-07:00

I spotted these wild turkeys on my way home from my horses. Now that's something you don't see in Phoenix.

It's a lot of fun to have so much wildlife surrounding us. We have squirrels, chipmunks, and skunks in our backyard as well as a groundhog that lives under our shed.

We had several families of birds in our bushes and birdbox over the summer. Our neighbor has birdbaths and birdfeeders in his yard so I often see finches, chickadees, bluejays, and sometimes cardinals from out of my kitchen window. I have also seen deer and heard about bears out by my horses.

I need to enjoy them all while I still can- and remember to take more pictures!

And, oh yeah, the occasional monkey.

Philadelphia

2008-11-11T19:43:00.006-07:00

I was able to spend a day with my kids, mom, and sister in Philadelphia back in August. Dallin was able to take the kids for a day in October when he met up with his friends Matt and Abe (while I was at a "retreat" near Lake Seneca, NY with some other ladies from church). I hadn't ever really liked Philadelphia before, probably mostly because I didn't like their hockey team, but we all really enjoyed visiting. For a "big" city it still seems pretty small to me since I am used to LA and Phoenix where the suburbs just keep going and going. However, the downtown area is very packed. This is just a teaser for those of you who are still trying to make up your minds if you want to come visit us. There is so much to see!

Independence Hall was our first stop. Although it was huge for its time, its hard to imagine that the entire foundation for our government was created in one small room in this building. As much as I love other countries and their cultures, and as many troubles as we are having in this country, there is still nothing like the great United States of America and the freedoms, opportunities, and love of family and country that we enjoy.

Apparantly George Washington actually sat in this chair.

The Liberty Bell (with Independence Hall in the background).

The very first post office that is even older than our country! The arch is the passageway that Benjamin Franklin would drive his carriage through to get to his house.

Betsy Ross enjoying some sewing on a warm sunny day. Her house was sooooo small.

Somehow Kaia heard that there was a carousel in town so we had to go find it. Talmage thought the animals were great- until they started moving! I had to pick him up and hold him the rest of the ride.

This was a sand sculpture made of imported New Jersey beach. I guess they make one every year.

Dallin was able to get some great pictures around town (trust me, there were lots more).

Garden Goodness

2008-10-20T20:51:00.002-07:00

I love to garden. I can't say that I know very much about it, but being able to see the fruits of ones labors is very rewarding. This is the first year we have actually planted an edible garden, but I am hooked. Our garden got started very late because we remodeled our yard, but we were still able to have a pretty good harvest. We just experimented and planted tomatoes, green bell peppers, yellow squash, basil, chive, and we even planted the bulb ends of our grocery store green onions and leeks. The squash and bell peppers were fantastic. I only discovered in the last couple of years that I absolutely love squash and since growing my own garden my vegetable horizon is steadily increasing (for those of you who might be astonished by the fact that I actually admit to liking something that isn't made purely out of sugar). We were afraid we might not be able to get any red tomatoes but we managed to get a couple dozen before it got too cold. Dallin just picked the remainder of what was in our garden two days ago and it's a good thing because today it is completely done for. Anybody have a good recipe for fried green tomatoes? I'm already excited about filling up our entire planter for next year's garden (now that I am a pro of course). Maybe we'll add some berries, zuchhini, lettuce, mushrooms......

Fall Fun

2008-10-20T20:05:00.004-07:00

Although I am sad for summer to be over, I am enjoying the spectacular fall that Pennsylvania has to offer. Normally I dread fall because it just means that cold winter is right around the corner. I'm more of a spring person. However, given the opportunity to take it all in, I see why everyone around here absolutely loves the fall. There are trees everywhere you look and now each one is a different color. Animals are out and about preparing for winter, the air is crisp but sunny, and it is just a joy to be outside drinking in the last few beautiful days. Caramel apples, pumpkin bread and waffles, warm homemade soups, and hot chocolate are enough to get anyone settled down for the winter. Kaia is very optomistic about the weather ahead. This afternoon we were playing outside and we went over to look at our garden. Kaia looked at the plants and said, "Mama, they're sad." I explained that our garden was all done for this year because it was too cold (it was 20 degrees at 7:30 this morning!). To which she responded with an excited grin and both fists pumping, "Does that mean snow is coming soon to Kaia's house?!" Ah, to be as carefree as a child!

Two weeks ago we went to a local family farm that has animals to pet, corn and hay mazes, pig races, pick your own pumpkins, a kid's playground, and a giant jumping pillow. We spent several hours there and had a fun time.

Summer Smiles

2008-10-20T19:50:00.004-07:00

We had so much fun this summer that I didn't even have time to post all of the things that we did. Here are some pictoral memories of the joys of summer. We only wish it didn't have to end.

My kids absolutely love the water and would stay out in it all day long if they could.

Talmage loves this firetruck that Dallin found on the side of the road.Kaia had a great time playing baseball with her dad at the church activity. (Yes, that is the ball that she is supposed to be hitting).After a few more great swings, Kaia was proud to be on first base.

Beautiful Ballerina

2008-10-09T17:24:00.003-07:00

Kaia loves to dance. I don't think we ever really taught her how to dance except when she asks us to dance with her I end up doing something balletish and Dallin does some form of endzone dance. Thankfully she has picked up more from me and her Barbie movies than she has from Dallin. However, she did inherit her father's lack of inhibition so I have a feeling I'm going to be in trouble when she becomes a teenager. For now Kaia is be-you-te-ful as a ballerina. I'm not big on Halloween costumes, especially when it means spending money on them, so I decided to keep it simple. Kaia already had a bunch of leotards and ballet slippers that had been handed down to her so I figured I could just sew up a quick tu-tu and call it good. How hard could it be to sew a little tulle together and wrap it around a little girl? Well, nothing that seems so easy ever really is. I learned a few things from sewing this "simple" project: 1) never underestimate tulle (now I know why noone likes to use it) 2) I am never going to be a professional ballet or theater costume designer or sewer 3) ballerina's really are beautiful and 4) it's OK to live out your own dreams through your child, right? In the end I think it turned out pretty cute and Kaia can dance all she wants for years ahead.

Little Musicians

2008-10-09T12:07:00.006-07:00

Both Kaia and Talmage love music. The only way we could get Kaia to sleep when she was a baby was for Dallin to take her outside on our bench swing and sing to her. Singing is still a part of her bedtime routine. Talmage does the cutest little up down dance anytime he hears music and sometimes will even put his arms up and dance on his toes like a ballerina (that's what happens when you have an older sister). Although I'd be hard pressed to play even Happy Birthday fast enough for anyone to sing to, I still wanted to have a keyboard for me and the kids to practice on. They love it.
We also happen to have a ukulele (or as Kaia calls it- a cuntar) that was given to Dallin as a souvenir from one of his bosses. Needless to say the kids also love to pluck on the strings. Kaia is so cute when she plays because she actually holds it the right way.

Uncle Shane's Buddy

2008-10-01T12:43:00.004-07:00

Kaia loves her Uncle Shane. She kept wanting to do things with him and when we were together she would follow him around like a puppy dog. I don't blame her, Shane is a fun and loving guy. We all had a good time being together.

She had a great time running around Shane's truck yard as well as helping him check what was wrong with one of his trailers.

Shane even let her climb up in his personal rig. He had her honk the horn, but she didn't realize that's what would happen when she pulled the string and since it was inside the workshop it was extra loud so she wasn't as excited about that part. She did like laying in the sleeper though. (Talmage wanted to push all the buttons and play with the gears.)

Oma's House

2008-10-01T11:51:00.006-07:00

Everything is more fun at Oma's House. Although we didn't do anything particularly special in Bishop it's still always fun because there are so many new things to discover for the kids. Like ponds, grass, kitty cats and duckies that come around, the old toys that I played with when I was a kid, watching a leaf float down the creek, room to run, and all the other fun discoveries that Grandmas' Houses have.

We took the kids to the city park a couple of times where they enjoyed swimming in the pool and feeding the ducks.

There's nothing better than some good clean dirt.

These T-shirts are from Uncle Shane and they make great jammies.

Kaia discovered computer games and had a lot of fun being allowed to play with the computer.

Kaia loved running around Oma's big yard.

I loved having a babysitter (even though I was put to work tiling my mom's kitchen countertops- I felt it was a fair trade). Bishop is so beautiful that it is always relaxing to be there. No matter how much she changes it, or how old I get, my mom's house will always be home.

Las Vegas

2008-10-01T10:55:00.005-07:00

Since we flew into Las Vegas we decided we would stay and play for a little while. We stayed at Circus Circus for two nights and had a great time watching the acts and playing a couple of the midway games. I wanted to play the racehorse game where you make your horse move by rolling a ball into the holes. I liked the prize that you got when there were only 2-4 players (a stuffed green starfish) so I made sure that we were there right when they opened and just Kaia and I played. I was happy with our little prize, but Kaia wanted to play again. So we went ahead for the fun of it, but by that time there were a bunch more people. Well, I managed to get my ball in the move-three-spaces hole a couple of times and just barely held on for the win! I was really excited and we got the coveted big white tiger. Do you think I'm competitive at all? :) So much for Circus Circus just being for kids!

Well, that was fun, but we had a real blast when we met my brother Shane and his family out at Lake Mead. We got to stay in his motor home, ride his boat, and hang out on the lake for four days straight! I'll tell you what, that is the life for me. I absolutely loved having a boat while growing up and I LOVE swimming. It was even more fun for me to see how much my kids enjoyed it. We were literally in the water for hours on end. I really needed that. Kaia also liked feeding bread to the fish. One morning we couldn't go out on the water because there was thunder, lightening, and rain, but we had a great view and just sat and watched the weather. Kaia still talks about it. Those are the kinds of memories I want to continue to provide for my kids- I just hope that in all the craziness I'm not missing all the opportunities around me.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-10-01T10:32:00.002-07:00

I'm sure you are all wondering what happened to me. We left for California back in July and it has been nonstop since then. Traveling, someone being sick, new fall routines- nothing has been normal, so I am hoping that with the cool down in weather (not that I'm really looking forward to that) my crazy life will cool down a little too. I'll try my best to update you on what we've been doing. We had a great time going to California, but wouldn't you know it, the batteries for BOTH the camera and the video recorder died on me! I just got some pictures from my Mom so here goes.

Happy B-day Dallin!

2008-09-21T15:28:00.009-07:00

Yesterday was Dallin's Birthday and we were very happy to actually be able to spend it with him (since it was a Saturday). We just wanted to let him know how much we love him and are grateful for all of the things that he does for us.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALLIN !

We love Dallin because he is:

*Fun, happy, and always ready to have a good time
*Not afraid to work and get the job done
*Willing to help anyone in need
*A loving father whom the kids adore
*Quick to forgive
*Good at fixing things around the house
*Our spiritual leader and has a strong testimony

and so many more reasons!
(Sorry I don't have better pictures)

Little Baker

2008-07-16T13:06:00.003-07:00

Kaia is my little baker. Practically ever since she could walk, she has insisted on being in the kitchen with me when I am baking or cooking. I'm not talking about her just wanting to be with me, I mean she has to be doing what I'm doing. Even when I try to start baking without her, as soon as that mixer turns on, she comes running. Of course, she learned early that the beaters are the best part of baking- even if I just make bread dough she has to have the beaters (that's OK 'cause I still get the bowl). If she could read I'm sure I could just send her in the kitchen and tell her to make some cookies and she'd do it. When we were making cut out cookies for Valentine's Day, I had to leave the room for some reason. When I got back, she had finished glazing the previous batch with milk and then rolled and cut out the next batch and was pulling away the excess and putting the cookies on the sheet! The most amazing part was she did a great job rolling it out even- I think only one or two of the cookies were slightly thin on the edge! I was quite humbled and significantly impressed by my three year old. Kaia loves every part of baking: the apron, standing on her stool, the measuring and pouring, the mixing, the licking, watching it cook in the oven, the beeper, the hot pads, and of course, the eating. Mmmmmm, sweet dessert! It looks like our family baking tradition is in good hands.

Washington D.C.

2008-07-16T11:46:00.005-07:00

One of the great things about living in Pennsylvania is being so close to so many great places to go see- Philadelphia, NY, DC, Niagara, Hill Cumorah, Boston, etc. are all within 4 1/2 hours of our place. There is still so much I want to see that I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to fit it all in (so if anyone wants to come out and go check these places out with me you'd better hurry). Back in April I was able to take a trip with my Mom, sister and kids (again, sorry Dallin) to DC right when the cherry blossoms were out. We loved it! We were impressed with how clean the main part of the city was and for a major metro area it really wasn't that bad to get around in. There was a lot to see and do and the weather was gorgeous. I personally would have loved to have spent more time in the art museums, but with a three year old and a baby that just wasn't going to happen.

I made sure we made it there for the cherry blossoms because that was one of the things that I absolutely loved about Japan and I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to enjoy them again. We were lucky, the timing was perfect and the blossoms were beautiful. I definitely was reminiscing about Japan.

Of course we tried to get to as many monuments as possible and they were all wonderful. The Jefferson was beautiful for me architecturally, but the Lincoln and the new WWII monument were very special and particularly sacred.

We also took in some of the Smithsonian which, little did I know, is actually a whole bunch of different museums. There was some cool stuff, but again, not quite as interesting to the kids. Kaia much preferred to ride the Merry-Go-Round as many times as I could afford.

We did a lot of walking and all got our souvenir T-shirts. A bunch of kids were playing with the branches of a weeping willow tree, so of course Kaia had to do the same.

The DC temple is actually the temple we are assigned to (even though Manhattan and Palmyra are both closer). I had already been a few times before, but we ended up there "accidentally" because I was following those directions just to get to DC and then forgot I needed to switch to the directions for the hotel. Oh well, it's never a loss when you find yourself at the temple.

Well, it was a great time, and if you don't believe me you can come on out and I will gladly go back and show you around!

4th of July

2008-07-14T15:06:00.005-07:00

OK, so I'm a little behind, but we had a great time on the 4th of July. We didn't have any other plans and I have really been missing the Farar Family get-togethers, so I decided to have a bunch of our friends over from our ward. Dallin made fish tacos and I made frog-eye salad (Thanks Cody!) and a red, white, and blue cake that I've always wanted to try. One of our guests brought some adorable cupcakes decorated with Teddy Grahams laying on the beach with a fruit roll up towel and an umbrella with fish crackers jumping in the blue frosting water! The kids had a fun time swinging, playing ball, and eating popsicles while the adults played Spoons. Although I've played many times, I hadn't played with Dallin's rule that those who are "out" can get the other players "out" by getting those players to respond to them. There were several "out"ages and even more laughs because of the sly deception of several of our guests! As it turned out, the battle for winner came down to Dallin and I (our company was suspicious of illegal play, but we kept it honest- Honest!). Of course, I won without a single letter against me (you get a letter each time you fail to get a spoon)! Not that I'm bragging or anything. Then we lit a few sparklers for the kids to twirl around. After that everyone left to put kids in jammies before we headed out to watch the fireworks at the ballpark. We managed to light a few of our own in our driveway and Kaia loved setting them up for Dad to light. She also loved all of the "cracker booms" at the ballpark and around our house for the last month. Her favorites were the "sprinkles" ones and the "rain" ones. Kids come up with the best names for things. Needless to say, the day was filled with plenty of food, friends, and fun!

What we're up to

2008-07-14T13:56:00.004-07:00

Since we don't get to talk to everyone much, and since I can already tell I'm letting this blogging thing slip a little bit, I thought I would update everyone on what we're doing.

Dallin finished all his classwork back in May. Now he is working on rotations at Dr's offices. He starts with 6 six-week long rotations with each one in a different field. Then he'll have a chance to decide what he wants to specialize in (he currently has no clue) and do 2 or 3 three-month rotations. That should get us to August '09 when Dallin will graduate and be able to take his certifying exam. Is it too early to start counting the days? His first rotation was in orthopedics, which he seemed to like pretty well. This week he is finishing up 3 weeks of pshych and next week he will head to Norwich, NY to do 3 weeks of OB/GYN (for some reason, the doctors around here won't let male students follow them).

Soooo, while the cat's away, the mice will play. I'll be taking the kids to my Mom's place in California, but since the closest and cheapest airport was Las Vegas, we thought we would stay and play there for a little while. We will see some of The Strip stuff (mostly Circus Circus) for a couple of days and then we get to hang out on the lake with my brother and his boat! Poor Dallin, wish he could come with. I wasn't really excited about taking two kids cross country on an airplane all by myself, but something tells me it's going to be worth it. Anyway, I haven't been up to much else except for the usual hold the fort down stuff: laundry, paying bills, singing to, reading to, hollering at, playing with, and loving two cute little kiddos, reading magazines, reading books, cooking, taking kids to play dates, trying to plan the rest of my life, trying to excercise, trying to make kids take naps and eat more than plain bread, string cheese, and juice, gardening, watching Oprah, and eating bon-bons. (Just kidding on the Oprah and bon-bons things- it's my joke with Dallin- it's usually more like watching four Disney's and eating brownies- hehe). Can I just say that as crazy as it is, I'm really glad I get to stay home with my kids? Thank you Dallin for letting me!

I have several random posts planned, so sorry if they are just totally out of order, but at least they will be done (I hope).

Also, sorry I don't have any pictures of me and only a few with Dallin, but this is what happens when you put the three-year-old behind the camera instead of in front of it:

Talmage's B-day

2008-06-30T08:29:00.006-07:00

Talmage turned a year old on May 1st. It's funny how with the first kid you're all excited and have everything all planned out- cake, presents, etc. and with the second kid it's more like, "Oh yeah. I guess tomorrow is his birthday. Maybe I should make him a cake or something." For Kaia's B-day it was a no-brainer: the same pink strawberry cake I had when I turned one. I had lots of strawberries, but I didn't think Talmage would appreciate looking at pictures of his first birthday with a pink cake, so I opted for a chocolate cake with strawberries inside. We did the whole light the candle and sing "Happy Birthday" while the kid has no idea what is going on thing. Then we stripped him and let him have at his cake. Mind you, I wasn't expecting much because we did the same thing with Kaia and she just daintily nibbled at her cake. Well, leave it to my boy to not disappoint in the "let's make a really big mess" department. I think he actually ATE his whole slice (which might explain the grumpy face). Then we took him upstairs for probably his favorite part of the party- a bath! (Really, he LOVES them.) After he was all clean it was time for presents. He really didn't need any presents because of all the hand-me-downs we have acquired but we figured he needed to open SOMETHING, so we just wrapped up a lion (piggy) bank and a couple of jungle animals that we had recently gotten. They were really more to decorate his room than anything else, but now they are on the shelf above his changing table and he reaches for them and makes lion rraaaaghrrrs and elephant phhuzzzes (yes, that's what an elephant says). Its really cute. Anyway, Kaia decided that Talmage needed "help" opening up his presents, but at least she let Talmage have a little fun ripping the paper.

Sorry, we went a little camera happy, or maybe I just can't edit very well (which is more like it- I have the hardest time not picking ALL of the poses when my kids go to get their pictures taken).

Hangin' in the yard

2008-06-30T06:41:00.004-07:00

My kids absolutely love to play outside in the yard (what kid doesn't?). We have been totally redoing our yard (I'll make a different post on that) so they have had a lot of fun hanging out with and helping us.

Kaia is cool.

Talmage is cute.

And they're both goofy.

Although Kaia is a good little baker inside, Talmage prefers the outdoor kitchen and makes a mean mud pie. Of course, he had to sample his goods before they were worthy to share with others.

Yummmmm!

2008-06-29T11:31:00.005-07:00

I don't know if my kids eat more than usual or if they are just so cute when they eat, but we have a bunch of pictures of mouths and food. Actually, it's usually more like food that was supposed to go in mouths but it ended up everywhere else. Even with a dining room that is carpeted (whose brilliant idea was that?) I still find myself caring less and less where the food ends up. I've learned that clothes are outgrown before they are outworn. Clothes can be washed and carpets can be cleaned, but these adorable little faces will change before I realize it.

My Kiddos

2008-06-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

I adore my two kids and give them as many kisses a day as they will let me. Talmage is no longer "a baby", is walking, and is learning new things daily. Kaia is my sweet helper and always has a great big smile on her face (well at least almost always). I'm finally getting used to having two kids and am able to enjoy them more now that life isn't quite as crazy.

Give it a try

2008-06-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'm just trying out this whole blog thing. I think it will be fun. Just one more thing for me to "waste" my time on the computer, but at least this will be worthwhile, creative, fun, etc. I hope. Here goes.