Ogao Family

Jakers

2012-02-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I put on some socks before going to get Jake dressed. When I kneeled down next to him, he looked at my socks and then got really close and touched them. "I want to wear those socks", he said. I had another paid just like the ones I was wearing, so I got them out for him. He wore them all day.

Marley has several Little Mermaid dolls. We have hidden all of them in her closest because Jake is scared of them. I opened Marley's closet the other day to get some clothes out for her. Jake saw the dolls and point at the said, "I don't like those, mommy! They make me sick."

Show Me Night

2012-02-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

We were the only ones that showed up during our assigned time slot, so we got an hour with the teacher explaining what Marley's learning right now.

She's been focusing on math lately. I seriously love how they teach math at her school and she loves to practice.

happy.

2012-02-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to plant a garden for such a long time. The cool thing about living in the desert is that you can grow stuff year round.

A few months ago, Jared surprised me with a little garden box. I was super excited.

Right now it's producing some yummy stuff.

Birthday Celebration

2012-02-07T15:04:00.001-07:00

I joined Marley's class for her birthday celebration. Her teacher showed the class a picture of Marley for every year and they sang happy birthday to her. Marley was so happy to have me in class and anxious to show me around and teach me how the class works.

2012-01-28T21:03:00.003-07:00

Last night I was bone tired.

We saw Jared for about 20 minutes before we sent him off to work. He's doing nights right now (5pm-9am and then a 24+ hr shift 1x a week) He sleeps from about 9:30 - 4:00 and then leaves about 4:45 to do it all again.

I was already tired from a full day when we saw him off and then ran a "quick" errand. It ended up taking much longer than I had planned. I was trying on running shoes (did you know you're supposed to wear about a size bigger in running shoes than regular shoes?) and my kids were running around the store like crazy and no matter how much I coaxed them to come sit by me, they would not. In fact, they kept egging each other on. I don't think I can expect much more from a 2 and a 5 year old.

We got home and I started making dinner while they had a dance party. I figured grilled cheese would be something they would eat along with some fruit. Jake took one bite. That's it. I had just taken my first bite, when Marley needed me to make her another...

Next was bath time. I put them in, brushed their teeth, washed their hair and then let them stay in for a minute longer to play (I don't always do that but they love to play in the bath). I left briefly to lay out their jammies. When I came back in (literally 2 minutes later) much of the water that was in the bath tub was now all over the floor. They were giggling and kicking. I lost it. I was so tired. I didn't have it in me to clean up another mess. I told them to get out and to clean it up. Caught off guard by how upset I was, they both started crying. When we had finally all calmed down, we snuggled together in bed and I apologized. I told them how tired I was and that since daddy was always gone lately, I had to do everything by myself. We talked about ways to help each other. Marley announced that tomorrow she would decorate my room.

Then, Jake told me he was hungry.

Marley Turned 5

2012-01-23T16:11:00.001-07:00

Marley had vision for her birthday party. It involved building a castle, dressing as royalty, and eating cake.

I started planning. I called a couple of princesses that would make a surprise appearance and started trying to figure out how to incorporate all of her ideas.

Next, I asked her for a guest list. There were 2 names: our next door neighbor and her friend from school.

Not gonna happen. I wasn't going to spend weeks planning a big party for 2 girls. So, I went to plan b and planned the party for 2 days later on her actual birthday.

2 girls turned out to be 10 kids.

Castle. This provided hours of entertainment in the weeks following the party, but was eventually ruined in a rain storm.

pizza

Friends (mostly neighbor girls)

presents

(barbies, jewels, & make-up) Her friends know her well.

Happy Birthday Marley-girl.

You are compassionate. Each night as I'm closing the door to your room, I hear you lean over to Jake and ask if he's ok and then you sing him songs until he falls asleep.

You are fun. Most evenings after dinner, you ask me to turn on music and you and Jake dance around the room until I convince you it's time for bed.

You are independent. This one is tough for me, but I know it will be to your advantage someday. You like to pick our your own outfits. You recently started wanting to do your own hair (smile). You walk yourself into school.

You are a sweetheart, we love you.

Friends

2012-01-19T23:58:00.002-07:00

I sorta don't like the term best friends. I think it implies that you only have one friend you like more than any of the others. Maybe you do have someone you click with more than others and I think that's probably normal. I guess I just don't like when people talk about who their best friend is - it just kinda makes the other friends feel less loved. Am I alone in thinking this way?

Remember those friendship necklaces that you would give to your best friend? It was a heart broken in two, so when you were together, the heart was complete?

Since I don't like using the term best friend (I don't think Marley has just 1 best friend), I will use close friend. This is one of her closest friends from school. They met at the beginning of preschool when she was 3 and have been close ever since. I was relieved when she made a good friend at school. It made it easier on both of us for her to have someone to look forward to seeing everyday.

These 2 have a special bond. They have other friends as well, but they love being together. They watch out for each other and get super excited to do things together.

They sometimes fight since they are both pretty head-strong. As 3 year olds, they were separated a lot at school.

But they always make-up.

Christmas Trains

2012-01-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

My little guy loves, loves trains right now. He reads the Polar Express every night before bed and sometimes throughout the day. And he constantly talks about going to "Willem's/Neil's/Maka's house to play trains".

For several months before Christmas I had been doing my research on trains. Ha. Sometimes I admittedly get a little obsessive about things. I had looked on craigslist and online and kept my eye out for the right thing for him. I had talked to my "expert" friends about different types of train sets. I finally found the "perfect" thing -- I found a set at a children's resale store. About a week before Christmas, Jared and I got the set out and decided what exactly we would give him for Christmas, changed the batteries on the parts that needed them and then packed it up to take to Utah.

The next week I was frantically packing clothes and Christmas gifts and, without communicating with Jared, figured that he was going to put the trains he had packed into the car.

About 5 hours in to our 7+ hour trip, Jared started asking what we had done for everyone for Christmas and what we had brought for the kids (we had left a few things under the tree for when we returned). Side note: Someday I hope that the Christmas planning and buying will be a little more of a shared thing, but really we usually set a budget and I do the rest. "You packed the trains, right?" I asked. Silence. "Me? Was I supposed to?"

As silly as it sounds, I started to cry.

It was the only thing we had for him for Christmas morning and I was so excited about him getting it. I was probably a bit stressed as well, but I cried and cried. Even while I was crying I knew it was silly.

Eventually we got to my parent's house and I stopped crying.

Christmas morning came and both Jake & I survived without the wooden train set. Luckily, my mom had a few things up her sleeve to make him feel special.

He got the set as soon as we returned and has played with it every day since.

Cousins

2012-01-17T23:16:00.001-07:00

There's nothing better than cousins and unfortunately for us, we don't live close enough to any of ours.

We got to have a short visit from these cuties right before Christmas.

It made me want to figure out how see them more often.

Christmas Wish List

2012-01-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Marley's Wish list this year:

Earrings

Barbie Bike

She told Santa about the earrings and then had to write a letter to tell him about the bike.

Disneyland

2011-12-31T00:19:00.000-07:00

My parents have been dying to take the grandkids to Disneyland for a while now, so for Christmas they took us. I love Disneyland and I loved watching my kids, especially Marley, experience it for the first time.

Waiting in line to enter. The first day we went without the rest of my fam. I'm glad we did. It wasn't crowded that day and it was nice to see and ride things without the crazy lines.

Everything was decorated for Christmas, which made it even more magical.

First stop: to see the princesses. She slipped on a dress over her clothes so she could be fancy when she met them. She made sure to bring along her own high heels and wore them the rest of the day. I could not get her to change. I do not know how she did it!

Can you tell she's in heaven? Wow, she loved seeing them. They were so cute with her.

2nd stop: Train Ride. All Jake wanted to do was ride a train.

We picked up the tiny tiara in the bibbity-bobbity boutique our first day and she wore it every day. I'm actually surprised she stood in line to meet Cinderella. The 2nd day we saw Sleeping Beauty, but Marley refused to meet her because she wasn't wearing a princess dress.

The rest of the fam joined us the next 3 days.

My grandma came as well. She braved the Tower of Terror with us even though my mom told her how scary it was. It ended up being her favorite ride!

Jaxon & Aunt Tara.

California Screamin'. We did get in a few roller coasters. Neither of my parents like the fast rides, so they took the grandkids while we did a few of them. Marley actually joined us for Space Mountain. I was afraid she was going to be freaked out, but she did great.

Such a fun trip!

Night Of Excellence

2011-12-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

We had our Young Women in Excellence Night a couple of weeks ago.

My mom had served in young women's in her ward a few years ago and they had done a "Wizard of Oz" themed Night of Excellence. When we decided on that theme, I was excited to get ideas from my mom. She ended up sending me the entire script (which had taken them hours to write).

It turned out to be so fun.

Our Young Women's president was Dorothy and another leader was Glenda, the good witch.

Notice Dorothy's apron. One of my assignments was to help make these aprons for each of the girls to wear that night. I do not sew and thought it would be a simple project for me to learn on. ha! I hope nobody looked too closely at the ones that I did.

We also had some men playing the parts of the Scarecrow, the Tin man,

and the Cowardly Lion. These men totally played up their parts. They each had a little singing part - the tune was from the movie but we (or I should say my mom - thanks mom!) changed the lyrics. They also gave a little talks to the girls that were short and inspirational. The rooms only had enough room for the girls to fit, but the leaders and parents eaves dropped outside the door.

The lollipop kids made an appearance.

As did the flying monkeys. :)

The Wicked Witch started out the journey down the yellow brick road.

I think the girls were amused.

Of course there were refreshments for afterwards. Over the rainbow jello dessert. Ding Dong the Witch is dead ding dongs along with a few other things.

The girls displayed the projects they have been working on this year.

Preschool Thanksgiving Celebration

2011-12-08T05:00:00.003-07:00

Parents were invited to Marley's school for a Thanksgiving lunch. It's pretty fun to watch her interact with her classmates and teacher. She still adores her teacher.

This year we've had to have a few discussion about being kind to everyone. I think with both kids and adults we tend to click with certain people and become exclusive both intentionally and unintentionally. I think it's fine to be closer to some than others but it's so important to include all that want to be included.

Marley's school is diverse. I love that. I think it's great for her at a young age to get to know people from different races and backgrounds. When I joined her for lunch this day, she was standing next to another little girl whom I hadn't met yet. I asked Marley who her friend was. Marley replied, "This is ____. She's black!"

It was innocent. It was neither a positive nor a negative comment. Rather, a statement. However, growing up with 3 siblings that were adopted I am a bit sensitive to this.

One of my three adopted siblings was very sensitive about being different. We grew up in a very small, white community. My brothers and sister are brown (a mixture of things and gorgeous I might add). When kids would point out my brother's curly hair or brown skin he would cry and ask why he was different.

I'm hoping that Marley's exposure will help her see her classmates as individuals rather than black, brown, white, red-headed, etc.

As a side note, many of her classmates speak Spanish. She is very intrigued by this and often at home will speak her made-up Spanish.

Pre-Thanksgiving lunch story.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-07T05:00:00.001-07:00

My family had planned on coming to our place for Thanksgiving this year. A couple of weeks before, they called and said they weren't coming. We would be going together to Disneyland the very next week - just days later and it would be a LOT of driving. I won't lie, I was pretty sad about it mostly because I was so excited and had planned on them being with us. My parents are the kind of people that if I told them that I really wanted them to come anyway, they would have. But it just didn't make sense so after a few tears, I was fine and started making new plans.

We joined forces with these guys,

the Harrisons, along with their 4 kids.

Kaelene's brother, his wife and new baby joined us.

My sis-in-law, Miki, joined us. She wouldn't let me get a decent picure of her.

Our friend, Vicki, joined us.

As I was getting things ready, Marley announced she wanted to do a project. I had her make place cards for everyone. She did about 3 and then lost interest so I finished them for her.

We had lots of yummy food that everyone contributed.

I love that guy. He has such a good heart. He knows how to raise the spirits of everyone around him. He is so good to me and is an awesome dad. He works so hard for our family. This Thanksgiving I was most thankful for him.

After our bellies were really extra full, we went outside to let the kids get their energy out and visit with our neighbors.

Then we came back inside for lots of pie.

Veteran's Day

2011-12-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

It seems like I have a lot to catch up on. I haven't been in the mood to blog lately. I also haven't been taking many pictures lately.

The last few years, Jared has been working at the VA Hospital on Veteran's Day. This means he usually only works for a few hours in the morning and then spends the rest of the day with us. This year, that was not the case but Jake and I enjoyed having Marley home from school with us anyway.

We walked a few blocks over to the parade with our friends the Weiss's and the Nugents.

Sarah, Julie, and Ellie

Marley's hair is usually styled after one of the princesses. This week she was on a Jasmine kick.

Jax and his buddies waving flags.

Jake, Marley, & Willem

Halloween

2011-11-07T10:20:00.001-07:00

Halloween festivities began early with cupcake making. (Jakes favorite activity). My floors always end up messy from the extra help.

Next was pumpkin carving. This looks like a pretty ordinary pumpkin, but we scanned many jack-o-lantern pictures online to figure out how Marley wanted her pumpkin to look. She was pleased. It only lasted a couple of days in the heat until is was completely rotten. I need to remember to encourage her to paint her pumpkin next year.

Next was Marley's preschool class lunch pot-luck at the park. These are two of her closest friends, Sienna and Domenica. However, I did notice that she chased the boys around the park more than she hung out with the girls. hmmmm.

The classmates that dressed-up paraded around the park. Jake joined in as well.

Miss Robin leading the way. I cannot sing her praises enough. Luckily Marley gets her for 3 years and Jake will join her class next year.

The church trunk-or-treat/neighborhood safety festival. Marley changed into a barbie princess for this party, but I couldn't quite get the make-up off from earlier that day. I knew Jake wouldn't wear anything other than ball shorts since he freaks out if he's forced to wear anything else. So, I have to admit that I put more thought and planning into my own costume than my kids'. lol. Jared consented to green hair on our way out the door, but promised to figure out a "cool" costume for next year.

I think Marley could have spent the entire evening next to the dj dancing the night away.

This is actually Halloween. I didn't get many pictures since I was flying solo.

Somehow Marley ended up with about 3x the amount of candy that Jake did on our little trick-or-treat loop around the neighborhood. I need to remember to talk to her about trick-or-treating manners next year.

The beginnings of our neighborhood festivities. We all gathered on the lawn, ordered pizza, and let the kids run around while we visited and handed out candy.

Haircut

2011-10-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

I Heart Cedar City

2011-10-20T06:27:00.001-07:00

I just got back from spending a week in Cedar City. I love that place - full of my friends and family. Not to mention, it was gorgeous.

One of the highlights was watching my sister play goalie at a playoff game. I don't get to see my siblings do "their thing" as often as I wish I could, so it was fun.

I always leave wishing we lived closer. Jake asked to go back to "Brock's house" the entire way home.

With residency winding down, my mom is getting hopeful we'll come closer. Just for the record, we have NO IDEA where we are going or where we want to go yet. However, my mom drove me around several neighborhoods that she thought would be perfect for us in Cedar City. haha.

There she is kicking the ball. She puts some power into those kicks. :)

Jake, Tan, and Jax.

I'm thinking that Jake needs Jaxon's haircut to help hide the haircut he gave himself a couple of weeks ago.

After the win. Score: 4-1

No Excuses

2011-10-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

No excuses, I decided, is a good focus/goal for me right now.

Twice a year our church has General Conference where church leaders speak to the church as a whole. It's broadcast in lots of different languages to all the members in the world. I love it. It's incredibly inspiring and always helps me redefine goals for myself.

I usually sit in my living room and watch it online in my p.j.s with a paper and pencil close by. As I was skimming over the notes I had made a couple of weeks ago, I decided I need to stop making excuses for myself. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good and definitely okay to cut ourselves some slack. We are our own worst critic and we need to not always be so hard on ourselves. However, I do think we need to be true to the priorities we do have.

There are a few things that our church leaders are constantly encouraging us to do in our families. 1. Have family prayer morning and night. 2. Read the scriptures as a family. 3. Have Family Home Evening.

Oh, the excuses I have!! :) It's not realistic to wake up my 2 year old at 4:30 am to have scripture study so Jared can join us, but I can read scripture stories with them over breakfast without him. We always pray before bed as a family (often without Jared) but mornings seem to get away from me. Family Home Evening has been a hard one for me. It's usually just me and the kids anyway, so what's the difference between "having" FHE and just hanging out together?

Tonight was FHE - (FHE is held on Monday nights and is a time for families to be together. Often there is a spiritual thought or lesson shared. Sometimes families play games, work, give service, or anything else they decide to do together. It's meant to build family relationships.)

Anyway, after dinner I told the kids we were going to have FHE. We gathered in the living room, had a prayer and sang a song, and then Marley and I read a little story and discussed it as Jake ran around the room playing.

Simple.

But, the discussion Mar and I had was enlightening and priceless and one I wouldn't have had if we didn't have FHE. As I was laying next to Marley tonight before saying goodnight to her, I kept thinking how grateful I was that I took the time to do that tonight. It was the perfect reminder for me as to why I need to the simple things I know I should be doing.

Art Board

2011-10-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

I've seen images floating around the internet of some dang cute bulletin boards (is that what they're called?).

Here are a couple:

via 6th Street Design School

Isn't that cute?! I love that it's cute and functional.

via Ohdeedoh

See the one on the bottom left corner? I like the idea of using cute clips to clip the art on instead of pinning it.

The other day I went looking for some cute fabric. I found way too many cute things and came home with a half dozen samples. I had the frame and the samples sitting out in my bedroom when Jared walks in and asks what I was planning. I tried to explain how I was planning on making it and that I wanted to hang it in Marley's room for her to create a revolving collage of her artwork.

His response, "can't you by cork boards at Target?". haha

Mine is still in the works, but I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished project.

Cruisin' the Neighborhood

2011-10-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

These 2 chase each other up and down the street. They both need helmets. It's at the top of my shopping list.

He is way too fast on that thing. It freaks me out.

Jake, you are a serious dare-devil - constantly testing your limits. I love to watch you ride your scooter. You take time in the beginning to make sure your feet and hands are placed and balanced. Once you're confidant, you take off as fast as you can. At times you are bit too cocky and let go with one hand to wave at me.

You like to swing in Neil's tree swing. After I strap you in, you tell me "up high mommy" and then giggle as you go higher and higher.

Inside the house, you climb on counters and couches and other furniture to retrieve what you want or just to see if you can. You climb up small tables, the couch, and your crib and then jump off - sometimes ending in a forward roll.

Yesterday I watched you do a back bend off the couch and then flip your legs over. I think you're trying to teach yourself how to do a back flip and that really scares me.

You love to dance and like to incorporate your rolls and jumps into your dance parties with Marley.

Pa´tience Pronunciation: pā´shens

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

Pa´tience Pronunciation: pā´shens: The act or power of calmly or contentedly waiting for something due or hoped for; forbearance.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll look back on this residency thing and only remember the good things; the good friends we made, Marley & Jake's baby, toddler & preschool years, the things we loved about living in Phoenix, and the crazy adventures (like going to Alaska!).

OR if I'll look back and remember the lonely days and nights, going to church alone, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays spent alone, sleepless nights and not having anyone to relieve me when I most needed it - wow that sounds depressing.

I kinda hope I remember a little bit of both.

I hope that I remember that even though my husband is the one with the title for going through this, that I sacrificed a lot as well - making me more proud of him than anyone else.

I hope that my experience can give someone else hope or strength or whatever they need to get through what I went through.

Mostly I hope I remember to be grateful for time - the time that I hope we'll have more of when he's finished.

Right now I pray to be content with the time we do have and to be patient (persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way) when homemade meals remain untouched (because my kids would rather eat pb&j), dates & plans made are cancelled, when I end up being the 3rd wheel because he got stuck in surgery, when the kids don't see him at all for days at time, and when the "headed home" text comes hours after it was anticipated.

Here's to renewing my resolve to be patient! :)

2011-10-06T14:28:00.001-07:00

We're not potty training in our house right now, but Marley got so excited after Jake went potty for the first time in the toilet that she made this chart for him. I'm guessing I did the same for her when she was potty training? I don't remember, but she seemed to think this is exactly what Jake needed.

She had a few rough drafts as she was figuring out how to make straight lines and fit the words in the small squares.

I love that she taped it to the fridge. It makes me smile every time I walk past.

2011-10-02T22:53:00.001-07:00

So, Marley's learning to read. She wants to sound out everything all. day. long. The other night she was reading Jared some books before bed. He grabbed one of Jake's books - you know the ones with one word per page. There is a picture of a green ring and the words on the page are....green ring. Anyway, she takes a long time sounding out each letter individually. "Rrrrr.....iiiiii....nnnn...ggg." Then, glancing over at the picture shouts, "circle!". I think we've got a bit of work to do still. :)

Marley-isms

2011-09-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Scene: I'm in the bathroom with the door locked.

Marley: (knocking on the door) "Mom, are you going potty or are you putting on make-up?"

Marley: Looking at my hand. (Gasp.) "Did you go to the Children's Museum today?"

Me: "Yes. We can take you sometime soon."

Marley: "Mom, next time don't get a stamp on your hand so that I won't know that you went without me."

Marley: Watching a football game on t.v. - specifically the cheerleaders.

"OOOh, Mom look at those pretty girls. I want you to be pretty like them."

8:29 AM

2011-09-27T06:51:00.002-07:00

Jake must haves: Ball shorts, either blue or black and gloves.

2011-09-26T10:50:00.001-07:00

kale

collard greens

spinach

carrots

banana

strawberries

orange juice

ice

blended into a green smoothie

yummy (and Jake's favorite)

Adding all of those things to the rice cooker

not yummy

Haircut = Jake's own masterpiece.

Note to self: hide all scissors.

Playdate

2011-09-15T11:29:00.003-07:00

Somehow we lucked out to get some awesome neighbors when we moved into this neighborhood.

Since it's been so hot outside, we had an indoor play date. Marley's the oldest and likes to orchestrate everything.

So sweet. Doesn't his mom have gorgeous lips? Seriously.

I made Marley some bracelets - not really meant to be worn together. But, she thinks she should wear all her favorites all together. :)

Sharing a bed

2011-09-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

Gifts

2011-09-11T06:21:00.002-07:00

I definitely think one of Marley's love languages is giving and receiving gifts. Remember last year when she started saving me items from her school lunch? She still does that. It makes me smile.

I was thinking about how she is always trying to give us gifts and decided I needed to be better at giving her gifts and "speaking her love language". Jared does it. He often brings home items from work - Gatorade or granola bars. She loves it.

The other day while she was at school I ran some errands and purchased her some new underwear. No big deal. I tucked them inside her closet, package unopened. When she got home I told her I had a surprise for her. She started giggling and hopping up and down. I told her to go into her closet and see if she could find it. She took off running and I could hear her closet door fling open. I then heard a squeal. She ran back to me and began opening the package. There were probably 10-12 pairs in the package. She took them each out individually. Soon she was stripping down and trying on each pair. After each pair had been modeled and checked out, she dropped down to hug me multiple times and thank me for the new underwear.

What a funny girl. I think I need to figure out how to do little things like that more often.

Labor Day

2011-09-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Rhett & Kory

It's funny how we all live apart, but most everyone was on a health kick. Most conversations revolved around healthy eating and exercise. These 2 especially. The great thing is that I learned about a couple of things that I'm going to start incorporating into my diet.

Cynthia and Mom.

Awwww...I love my family. The trip was short and sweet and so. much. fun.

We ate yummy food
Swam
Played darts
Played games (one of my favorite things to do with my family).
This trip we played dippity dippity dip in the dark with glow sticks (don't ask) & Argue.
Talked and laughed until way too late every night.

Tanner & Dad.

Brock.

Making Granola

2011-09-09T06:33:00.005-07:00

Jake is my little worker. When we're swimming in the pool, he prefers to brush the sides. When Marley's at school he likes to vacuum, cook, and wash windows.

Today we made granola.

I ended up with messy floors and counters but I love that he likes to work with me. He follows me around much of the day saying, "Help, me help".

First day of 2nd year Pre-K

2011-09-08T09:30:00.003-07:00

Ms. Robin's class again.

Before school started an email went out to all 4 year old parents asking if their child would be doing full or half days.

I thought a full day would be too long.

A couple of weeks in, Ms. Robin asked why I wasn't having her stay all day so I decided to let Marley decide.

Without hesitation she said she wanted to stay. She was ecstatic.

Ms. Robin said that she had a smile ear-to-ear the first day.

So far it's only been a few days, so we'll see if she changes her mind.

2011-09-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

This summer feels so much warmer than summers previous. I'm not sure what the difference is. I have to force myself outside to the pool. Once we're in, I'm always happy we did and it makes Marley especially happy. Currently she's practicing diving down to retrieve items we throw to the bottom.

We played with Marley's first friend in Phoenix today. When we arrived they ran off to play and we didn't hardly hear from them for hours. I'll be sad when we move apart.

Finally feeling like there's a light at the end of the tunnel for residency.

2011-09-06T06:35:00.003-07:00

I've been in an organizing mode since I returned from Alaska. I love a clean house, but organizing is not my strong point.

The mess it creates in the process drives me crazy.

As I was pulling everything off shelves, the kids were putting stickers all over each others bodies and giggling.

Little Buddies

I turned on some Broadway music from Les Miserables and Miss Saigon today pretty loud as I was working in the kitchen. The kids both loved it and danced around while it played. For some reason it made me a bit nostalgic. I saw Miss Saigon for the first time while we lived in Milwaukee and loved the music.

boy that has a sister

2011-09-03T07:14:00.001-07:00

Bye-Bye Alaska

2011-09-01T10:54:00.001-07:00

"Home is where the heart is." I feel like the saying should be "home is where we're together."

For some reason this time coming home alone has been a bit harder than times before. Not so much because of the traveling (although an extra set of hands is always helpful), but more just not having us all together.

Flying home.

Early Flights. This was taken about 5:30 am.

Ready to fly. These 2 are both too old to be lap children.

On our 2nd flight be both (Sarah & I) ended up sitting behind impatient people. Oh boy. Really there's only so much you can do to keep toddlers quiet and we had 4 between the 2 of us. I'm sure those people didn't realize that we had already been traveling for probably 6 hours prior to boarding our last flight. The funny thing is that a "voice" periodically would say, "you're doing good mom." I call it a voice because we weren't quite sure where it was coming from. I appreciated the encouragement especially while trying to deal with unkind people.

Not pictured was our welcoming crew. Sarah's mom, sister, and brother-in-law all met us at the airport and were kind enough to help me with bags and car seats and even take me home. They even picked up some milk and cereal to help us get started again. It was such a help after such a long day and coming home to a hot, empty house.

Finding Space

2011-08-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up smack dab in between two cuties. It's becoming such a regular thing that I no longer remember them coming into bed with me. They quietly climb up and I quickly make room and instinctively make a pillow barricade for Jake's side -- he's fallen off way too many times and my bed is high. I've always been the "no kids in our bed" type, but Alaska changed that for all of us I think. Jake was trying to figure out not sleeping in a crib and Marley didn't want to be left out. Since returning, the bed has been big and empty so I haven't protested too much. We need a king sized bed. Add Jared to the mix tomorrow night and I'm probably going to be pushed off to the floor. That, or curl up at the foot of the bed like the family cat!

Home Again

2011-08-19T22:19:00.003-07:00

I have pictures on my camera that I can't seem to download onto our old pc. Jared has the mac.

This week has been a blur of mixed emotions:

Miss the simpleness of the Alaska summer
Glad to be in my own home
Fun to see Phoenix friends
Miss my husband more than I expected
Overwhelmed - came home to a broken pool pump, my house won't cool below 80, my backyard is dead & brown, but the kicker was this afternoon my car wouldn't start. Silly that it sent me into tears.
Love that Jake and Marley have decided to share a room but sad to not have someone in a crib
Excited to see so many fresh fruits and veggies in the store
Forgot my blow dryer in Alaska - my hair looks awful when it air dries. Not sure if I can go 2 weeks without.
Loved ending the week with our traditional movie night with cookies and popcorn

Bird to Gird

2011-08-17T05:00:00.001-07:00

An activity that was suggested by several people was to bike along the coast from Bird Creek or Bird Point to Girdwood (about 15 miles round trip depending on how far into Girdwood you go). Since the kids have been asking to do another bike ride since the Coastal Trail, we decided to try it out.

Beginning on the trail. Actually Jared pulled them (thank goodness!).

Discovery Park in Girdwood.

Jake was fascinated by the skateboarders.

Picking berries on our way home. Not sure if they were loganberries or raspberries.

Biking It

2011-08-16T05:00:00.001-07:00

One thing that I love about it here are all of the bike trails. We have gone several times for date night and were able to take the kids on 2 occasions.

They love going fast.

This is the coastal trail.

Loaded up with snacks and flowers.

Date night riding along the Ship Creek trail.

Biking Bird Creek to Girdwood.

S'mores

2011-08-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

We started the day at a story time in a greenhouse.

We ended the day making s'mores with some friends we have made up here, the Mccorisons.

They live on an awesome property near a creek and lush mountains. It is breathtaking up there.

Marley has been making camp fires ever since. She gathers sticks and piles them together and pretends that it's her fire. :) This girls was meant to live some place like this.

There were, however, some meltdowns when I asked her to wear pants and boots to come here. She "hates pants" and only likes "pretty shoes".

She's 4.

Why is she so obsessed with what she wears? Needless to say, Jared and I had a talk and have decided to implement a few things that will hopefully tame her obsession a little bit. :)

Sea Life Center in Seward

2011-08-12T05:00:00.014-07:00

While Jared and Jason were on their chartered fishing trip, Sarah and I took the kids to the Sea Life Center.

I was pretty tired. Jake ended up sleeping with us that night and was rolling on me and kicking me most of the night. I look forward to him having his own bed when we return. :)

There is a station where the kids can touch the sea stars, urchins, and other sea life. Jake and I watched while Marley checked it out. :)

The outdoor observatory. Downstairs were some fish tanks where we saw an octopus, HUGE sea lion, seal, puffins, and other colorful fish. I ran out of memory and wasn't able to take many pics.

I think the puffins were my favorite. They are fascinating.

Exit Glacier

2011-08-11T05:13:00.001-07:00

Starting the hike to the glacier. Luckily Marley loves to explore and doesn't mind walking (usually running) whatever hike we decide to do. I say "luckily" because the stroller wouldn't have made it on this hike.

Marley loves snow and raining and cool weather. On our way back she told me, "I love Alaska because it rains all the time."

The glacier. I love the blue color of the ice. Even in the liquid form, it is so beautiful.

Searching for "beautiful rocks". Our apartment and car is full of rocks that Marley has collected.

Jake finishing off his treat reward for finishing the hike :)

Exit Glacier: Then and Now

2011-08-10T05:03:00.009-07:00

October 2008

August 2011

Road Trip to Seward

2011-08-09T05:05:00.002-07:00

Last weekend we went on a road trip. My kids only do well with very short road trips. Don't let those smiles fool you.

I love when they are nice to each other. Seriously, isn't that the best thing as a mom - to see your kids be kind to each other?!

Marley was asking if we could move their car seats next to each other so they could hold hands and play.

This crazy guy drove. :)

If I've learned anything about Alaska these past couple of months it's that no matter where you go, bring clothes for all seasons (summer, raining, winter, and in between). We hadn't driven very far and decided to stop in Portage to check out the glaciers from the road. We jumped out to snap a pic and literally jumped back in because it was so COLD!

The other half.

Jake loves those socks. He calls them his "purple socks".

That white snow stuff in the center is a glacier.

Seward.

Isn't it gorgeous!?

Cheney Lake Park

2011-08-08T05:00:00.010-07:00

Gorgeous Park/Lake.

Our little picnic site eating our daily pbj.

One of us is better at posing than the other. ;)

Checkin' out the ducks.

Can you believe how gorgeous this is?! I love walking around this place. It is breathtaking.

Pump It Up

2011-08-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Prior to our big trip to Alaska, Sarah suggested we sign up for Groupon Anchorage. Great idea. We anticipated a fair share of rainy days since that is a typical Alaska summer. We did get lucky and have had, for the most part, gorgeous days. This was one of the groupons we purchased. Willem and Marley especially had so much fun. It was a great energy outlet.

Aww. These two are either hot or cold. Even when they've a had a rough patch, Marley will wake up the next day and beg to play with Willem. I feel lucky that we're going to leave here having made such great friends.

Fun day.

Grillin' the Good Stuff

2011-08-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Fishing was a miss last weekend, but some friends gave us some salmon! It wasn't a complete loss. We still ended up eating the good stuff that night.

Our little helpers. These two love it when we're both home. Jake usually runs around the house saying "mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy."

Jared means business when he's on the grill. It was delicious.

Hatcher Pass

2011-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Friday evening we spent getting ready for our big fishing trip down to the Kenai. I had all sorts of things up my sleeve to keep the kids entertained, Jared's fishing license was purchased, we had borrowed a pole and gear, and Jared was really excited. We've been here 6 weeks and haven't eaten salmon.

Jake had a been a bit sick. Saturday he woke up with a fever of 104. 2 hrs later it was 103. So I stayed home and Jared met some friends down there without me.

He didn't catch any fish. :(

Sunday we checked out Hatcher Pass after church. It was raining and the clouds were so low you could hardly see the mountains.

Gorgeous views. It reminded me of hawaii - only a LOT colder. :)

Mosquitos

2011-08-01T05:05:00.001-07:00

Yes, there are lots of mosquitos here. Yes, one bit her near her eye.

Crazy Alaskans

2011-07-30T05:39:00.001-07:00

I think my body is slowly adjusting to the cool weather up here. It's obvious I'm a tourist. The locals wear full fledged summer attire.

Last week it was warm (low 70's maybe high 60's).

We headed to the park to find car load after car load of people in swim suits, tubes, flip-flops, beach towels - totally equipped to play in the creek.

The creek was ICY. Seriously, if Jared wouldn't even get in you know it was pretty cold.

Apartment Life

2011-07-28T21:25:00.001-07:00

Marley making our daily pb & j lunch. I can only count a handful of days I have not eaten this.

Baby bear.

These two have been very creative with very few toys up here. Marley has a big enough imagination for us all to be entertained. Recently she has been on a worm-finding kick. I think it's disgusting, but she's obsessed.

Nightly routine. Jake thinks we have to vacuum every night whether we have dinner here or not.

I finally figured out that the coffee table is what smells like fish. This entire time we've been living in a stinky apartment. yuck. I'm so glad to have that thing out of our apartment. :)

Dinner time.

Have I mentioned that I love our set-up here for dinner? Sarah and I switch off cooking dinner, so I only plan for and cook meals for half the week. I wish I could keep this one going even when we get back to Phoenix.

Jared took me out to lunch the day after my birthday and Sarah watched all the kids.

They had a movie party and painted nails and had

so. much. fun.

Exceeding My Expectations

2011-07-22T06:18:00.005-07:00

Teaching my kids to work is towards the top of my list of important things to teach my kids.

I sometimes read this blog. The author's posts are often about raising kids. She's also big on teaching kids a work ethic. That post in particular talks about work and includes this quote by President David O. McKay that I had heard before and really like:

"The home is the first and most effective place for children to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self-control; the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home."

One of the things I learned from Marley's preschool last year was that she could do a lot more than I thought she was capable of as a 3 year old. They allow them to use scissors, sharp knives, and expect them to do a lot of things on their own.

That gave me some food for thought and I made a couple of changes at home.

One of those changes was that Marley made her own bed every morning before leaving for school. I have to admit that at times it was super hard for me to resist straightening the bed spread and fluffing the pillows after she was finished.

A couple of mornings ago I asked Marley to put the clean utensils away while I was in the shower.

I came into the kitchen and found this:

She had put away the utensils along with everything else. She stacked the dishes that she could not put away. Hmmm...again I think I didn't have high enough expectations for her. So, I quickly made some changes and put our dishes down low so that she could put them away.

Here she is putting away the dishes this morning. Last night we taught her to wash the dishes. She let me know before going to sleep that she wanted to unload the dishwasher in the morning "all by herself".

I am fully aware that the novelty of this new chore will wear off rather quickly and that the real test will be if I continue to require her to do this even when she complains and throws fits. I know it will probably be faster and easier to just do it myself. But, I am determined. I want her to realize that work is a part of life and the sooner she learns to stop and complaining and to just do it the better, right?

What are other appropriate chores for a 4 year old?

Eklutna Lake

2011-07-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

Rent a canoe from my husband's favorite store, REI.

Go to Eklutna Lake and stand in awe of the color and beauty of the glacial water and the surrounding green beaches, tree line, and mountains. (This is a major water source for Anchorage and Eagle River.)

Ride out on the water.

Hang-out with the kids on shore.

When the cloud settles on top of you and it downpours, pack up the canoe and head home.

Fun day in Alaska.

Alaska Zoo

2011-07-19T05:32:00.001-07:00

Marley, Jake, and Willem ran around the zoo, climbing fences and throwing rocks. I think looking at the animals was more interesting for Sarah and I than for them.

Fox.

Yak

Monkeys, I mean our kids.

Jake, the bear.

We also saw a polar bear - so cool!

Marley and Willem ended the trip with green stamps all over their arms, torso, and face. They thought they were hilarious. Wish I would have snapped a picture of them.

Happy Birthday in Alaska

2011-07-17T09:02:00.003-07:00

Happy 31st to me. Jared got home in time to whip up the box cake I had purchased earlier that day. (He was on call and went back in soon after this picture was taken.) My kids will not let a birthday go by without eating cake. :) Thanks guys!

Yummm. Sarah made a yummy dinner and Willem (her son) made me a cute birthday card.

The following day turned out to be a much better birthday celebration with my little fam than the first.

Jared took me to lunch and then we headed to Goose Lake.

Jake was throwing a bit of a tantrum.

Slide!

Getting braver on things like this.

Skipping rocks and getting wet.

That night Jared took me out for dessert at The Sugar Spoon. yummy. I'm thinking we need to go back at least once before we leave.

Typical in Alaska

2011-07-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

We typically take lots of pictures.

We typically go to a park when it's nice out.

We typically play with Willem, Ellie, and Sarah.

Jake typically catches a nap either in the stroller or in the car.

Marley and Willem typically gather flowers while pretending they are princesses or getting married.

Bear Paws Festival in Eagle River

2011-07-15T09:28:00.029-07:00

Just outside Anchorage, is Eagle River - a small town. I love parades and festivals in small towns.

Marley wouldn't wash her face for 2 days after getting this princess painted on her cheek.

Hula. I wish I had a video of her learning to do this. :)

I met a group of ladies that live here while the kids were playing with play dough. They were all from Utah, which was kind of funny, but they love living here and were telling me all the great things about it. I think the gorgeous summer and the awesome schedule Jared has had up here has made me think of this being a possibility post residency. Am I crazy?

Small town parades have lots of candy! Isn't that what makes parades exciting? I kept trying to get the kids to run and gather it up, but they weren't really into it.

My Friends' Kids

2011-07-14T09:28:00.002-07:00

Isn't it a double score when your kids are friends with your friends' kids?

I think so. I hadn't seen Allison (one of my closest friends from High School) in a LOT of years - so many years we couldn't remember the last time we saw each other.

She lives in Fairbanks, so I got to see her a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes I wish I could create a city with all of the great friends I've made through the years and put them all in one place.

I think we spent about 5 hours at Kincaid park just talking and watching the kids play. It was perfect. ;)

Marley (4), Amaya (4) - Allison's daughter, Willem (3)

Willem's mom is Sarah, whom I knew a little before I came and feel like I've known her for much longer. We literally spend like 8 hours a day together - it's been so much fun. I'm going to miss not having her right next door when we return.

The only picture I got of Allison. Why didn't we get a picture together??

Normally I would never let Jake just run around shirtless. However, it was actually such a warm day (70's is warm for Anchorage) and I had dressed all of us in long sleeves. Jake was so miserable and finally took off his shirt.

Thunderbird Falls

2011-07-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Willem has been taking Marley's lead on posing for pictures. I think this picture sums it up. ha.

The trek to the falls.

The kids have been wanting to pet every dog they encounter. I, on the other hand, am a little leery of having them touch strangers' dogs no matter how friendly.

The view from the top. Marley refused to join us in a picture.

She preferred to pose with Sarah.

We made it down to the bottom. Sarah's stroller did hit a bump along the way and totally flipped over. With 2 kids inside, it took us a minute to turn it right side up. It totally freaked US out. The kids didn't make a peep. Let's just say that the bob is one well designed stroller.

Throwin' stuff in the creek. Creek or crick? It was always crick (pronounced not spelled) where I came from, but I have since adopted the creek pronunciation. :)

Dinner

2011-07-06T22:55:00.002-07:00

The gang minus Traci. One cool thing about living in a tiny apartment next to cool neighbors is that I only cook dinner every other night. Sarah cooks the other nights.

This night we were invited to dinner at Dr. Stang's house.

Have I ever mentioned that I really want chickens that roam around my yard and give me fresh eggs? ha.

Alyeska

2011-07-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at Snow City Cafe.

Winner Creek Trail

Has this cool hand tram to go across the river.

My view most of the time. Marley ran the entire mile there and then complained half the way back. She did ok if she thought that she was the leader. She made us hike single file. :)

Snow! We rode the tram at Alyeska to the top of the ski slope.

Salmon Watching

2011-07-02T22:06:00.001-07:00

Marley and Willem were actually the first to spot these red salmon. They were huge! We were all fascinated watching them. After work, we took Jared back over to check them out.

The water is icy, but the kids really couldn't resist. Jake would be in until he was crying but as soon as his feet warmed up, he was back in.

A fishing license here is $25/day for non-resident. So, we're going to have to find the right day and see what we can come up with.

Reindeer Farm in Palmer

2011-06-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

My camera's battery died after just a few pictures of this trip.

We visited a reindeer farm just an hour from Anchorage. Here are the kids checking out some moose antlers.

The coolest thing was that they let you actually feed the animals. Well, it was cool until this reindeer put its antlers down and knocked Jake down because he wasn't being fed fast enough. Poor Jake cried for a long time.

Marley thought feeding was pretty fun until she realized that it was actually pretty gross. Afterwards, they have an outdoor sink to use. The water is super icy. My kids were yelling"hot" the entire time. Coming from Phoenix, I don't think Jake's learned the word cold yet. ha.

Next Stop: Alaska Museum of Transportation. Jake was asleep by this point, so Marley went in with our friends while Jake and I stayed in the car to nap.

2011-06-24T23:04:00.002-07:00

Willem (left) is obsessed with trains and Jake is just entering the train phase, so today we went looking for trains. I know that I have a tendency to get caught up in conversation and not pay too much attention to my surroundings and today was no different. We were walking along some tracks near some trains, chatting when a police/security officer drives up and tells us we are trespassing and must get out immediately.

So, we left our train search and decided to head to a park.

Ever since we visited Kincaid Park that first night, Marley has been begging to go back, so today we did.

What at stinkin' cutie.

Marley and Jake are having lots of practice taking care of a baby (which they are loving). :)

We started down a path and almost got hit many times by bikers. I think it is easily apparent who the tourists are in places like this. At one point some bikers rode past and told us to check out the moose around the bend.

This is what we saw. For some reason, all judgement flew out the window and I started snapping pictures. Another pair of bikers stopped and did the same thing.

Look how close I put my children to that thing. What the heck was I thinking??

Way too close.

Looking at this picture actually makes me feel like a neglectful parent. Seriously, those brown fuzzy moose aren't friendly and often charge when they are close to people.

For some reason I totally forgotten about that when I saw it and started taking pictures.

Luckily, no harm was done and I have learned my lesson for another time. Stay clear of the wild animals! :) Later, our fellow picture-taking bikers caught up to us on the trail and said that some Alaskan's saw them taking pictures and told them that they were way too close and that moose can be dangerous. Next time we will keep that in mind.

I don't know if our kids are desensitized from going to the zoo or what, but they were quite unimpressed by the moose. They wanted to pet it and immediately wondered what the next large animal would be along our trail. ha.

Our Apartment & Campbell Park

2011-06-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

These 2 couldn't be more different. She's all about princesses and Jake is all about balls and trucks.

Hanging out on the stairs with Willem. It's a blessing that it's such nice weather. The kids love to run on the grass, play ball and gather "flowers" when we're home. :)

Campbell Park. This was another one of our favorite parks from the last time.

It is very slow walking with this crew that likes to inspect everything. :)

Struttin' his stuff

Jake climbed up and jumped off this rock for a good chunk of time. What a boy.

Cheney Lake Park

2011-06-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

I am starting to remember a lot of things since we were here last 2 years ago. However, I have never been good at directions. I told Sarah about this great park with a lake and a playground. After making a lot of U-turns and winding through a small neighborhood we ended up here.

At one point Marley even said, "I think we are very lost."

When I ran up the little hill, this is what I found. So gorgeous!

I asked a few kids that were running around the neighborhood where a playground was. They told me to follow the trail. Sure enough, this was the park I was trying to get to. For some reason my GPS took me to the trailhead in the neighborhood instead of the parking lot near the playground.

I have to say that it's so much more fun going on adventures with friends. I am loving having Sarah and her kids here to hang-out with.

Happy Solstice

2011-06-22T17:21:00.001-07:00

sum·mer sol·sticeNoun

1. The solstice that marks the onset of summer, at the time of the longest day, about June 21 in the northern hemisphere and December 22 in the southern hemisphere.

The first 2 things we did the first time we came to Alaska were:

#1 Eat at Moose's Tooth

#2 Go to Kincaid Park.

Guess what the first 2 things we did this time around? :)

Oh and clean the car!!

This park is absolutely stunning. It's on the water (I believe the Turnagain arm is to the South) and has a huge paved walk way that runners and bikers use. Last time we ran into a moose on this trail.

We went to the park after these guys got off work, so this was taken around 7pm.

Marley has made a half dozen dandelion bouquets so far. She sings as she gathers them and then tells me I can have them to get married.

When I went to bed at midnight last night, the sun was still up. It's crazy! We had dinner with our friends after we got back from the park and they were here until 10:30 before we realized we should probably get our kids to bed.

Bring on the sunshine!

Lawn Mower

2011-06-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

He survived a week long Utah trip without it, but he did get to watch my brother mow the lawn and I think it might have been one of the highlights of his trip.

1:31 PM

2011-06-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sad to Leave Utah

2011-06-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Favorite dress

Entertainers. Brendan and Brock kept the activities going for the kids. Water balloons, trampoline, different ball games, etc.

mama's boy

notice the hand holding. These two had so much fun together. I'm so sad they don't see each other more often.

Marley wants to stay with grandma forever at her house. She was spoiled rotten for sure.

Chad Bones and Jax

Jax and Jake's favorite thing to do was to find any ledge to throw the ball off. It started out through the slats on the deck and then moved to the upper deck then to the kid's picnic table.

Utah

2011-06-07T22:44:00.002-07:00

We had to take a quick trip to Utah after school got out. It feels like it's been a long time. My mom (the saint) flew out to drive back with me -- Not fun with 2 small kids. We bribed them with candy for the last leg and made it without going too crazy.

It's constant excitement at my parent's house.

Chasing each other. It could have been either really good or really bad between these two. Luckily it was the former. Makes me sad we can't see Jax more often.

Brock has been the head of the entertainment committee. He has seriously kept everyone entertained. The nephews and Marley are lucky to have such fun uncles and aunt.

water balloons

Jake and Tara bonding.

Tara drives a jeep. Jake loves her jeep. He asks to ride in it every time we go outside.

Funny story: We went to lunch with some friends today. Marley asked Tara if she had brown skin. Tara said that she did. Marley then said, "You and my dad both have brown skin but white skin is more beautiful." WHAT?!

Science Museum

2011-06-03T15:28:00.001-07:00

Jared's on a really busy rotation -- isn't he always? But really, we don't really see him lately which is a bit sad to me since Marley is on Summer break. In many ways it's good that he doesn't realize what he's missing out on. I'm glad that the kids are tired enough for early bedtimes, because I'm beat by the end of the day.

We've been busy so far this summer. I'm already feeling like it's going to be over before I know it.

Hanging out in Heritage Park waiting for our friends to arrive.

Typical Marley face.

Typical Jake.

Progress

2011-05-30T18:23:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks before Marley started preschool, I went to campus to fill-out some paper work. She drew this picture while we were there.

and from there came these

Her first drawing of a person and some M's.

First metal inset. They do these to develop their fine motor skills. They are supposed to color within the lines and fill in all of the white parts.

end of year metal insets. She signed the bottom of the last one.

another metal inset

I started seeing papers come home from school with her signature on them.

more signatures

signature and people. These people are greatly improved from the beginning of the year! :)

I think this one is from just last week.

What a difference one year makes.

Last Day of School and Water Day

2011-05-26T14:53:00.002-07:00

Marley's last day of school was a water day. Cool slides, right?

Standing in line behind her teacher, Ms. Robin, to get a shaved ice.

Lunch on the play set.

Best Friends. Both are head strong so I'm not sure how it works, but they've been attached at the hip since the first day of school. Recently I learned that they aren't allowed to sit together during class. They chat and argue too much. :)

Good-bye Ms. Robin. See you next year!

When I told Marley that today was her last day and that we weren't coming back for a really long time, she said, "NO MOM! I really like school!" I'm so glad.

I had so much anxiety sending my little 3 year old into the arms of someone I did not know with other kids that I did not know. I am so grateful for amazing teachers, especially Ms. Robin. I cannot say enough good about her and how she handles her classes and teaches her students. Preschool has been such a good experience for us.

Swimming Season is Here!

2011-05-25T14:07:00.001-07:00

A lot of people feel sorry for me during the summer because of the heat. But really, we love the summer here. We turn into pool bums and rarely change out of our swimming suits.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-15T00:12:00.001-07:00

I need to learn the art of self portraits. I can't seem to get the lighting and focus down. But, I really wanted a picture of me with my precious kiddos on Mother's Day and these are the best I could get.

Lucky me.

Sunday morning Jared left me a card from him and one from Marley on the table before he left for work. Marley found it first thing and brought it in for me to open. It totally made my day.

She also brought a few things home from school:

The recipes inside the cookbook were by the kids. Marley gave the recipe for pancakes.

"You just put the white stuff and put it in a pan. The pancakes cook and then when it burns you turn it the other way."

Little Buddies

2011-05-04T14:31:00.002-07:00

Riding home from school in the car:

Me: "When we get home, you are going to have a short nap."
Marley: "AHHH. I don't want to!"
Marley: (whispering in the back seat to Jake) "Jake, do you want to have a nap?"
Marley: "Jake and I both don't want to take naps!"

Riding to school

Marley: "Mom, Jake likes me best"
Me: Quickly glance back and see Jake & Marley holding hands

Arriving at School

Me: "Marley, you can either go in to school by yourself or we can all go in and let Jake see the rabbits.
Marley: "I will take Jake in to see the rabbits without you."
Me: "No, I need to go with Jake so I can bring him back to the car."
Marley: "Ok, I will take Jake in myself and then bring him back to you in the car."

(By the way, this didn't happen. We all ended up going in to see the rabbits.)

Happy 2nd Birthday Jake

2011-04-29T15:05:00.003-07:00

Jake is my calm boy.

He loves to snuggle and give loves and be held.

He also loves to climb and jump off everything.

He adores his sister and wants to draw and read and do anything she is doing. They like to be mischievous together and giggle when they get in trouble.

When Marley goes to time-out, Jake goes and sits with her until her time is up even if she's in there for being unkind to him.

He's obsessed with the vacuum and lawn mower. He actually asks me to mow the lawn everyday and throws tantrums when I refuse.

I can't imagine life with out my little Jakers.

Licking the beaters.

He got a basketball set and cars from Grandma & Grandpa.

Jake LOVES chocolate cake.

Marley and I woke Jake up that morning singing, "Happy Birthday". Then, Marley grabbed his presents, jumped in his crib and helped him open them. She was so funny...inviting everyone to his birthday party (we didn't have one this year for him). She thought he needed to have lots of friends over to help celebrate.

I don't think kids really get the whole birthday concept until at least age 3. I knew he would have just as much fun with us and his cake and gifts as he would with a crazy house full of toddlers. :)

Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T15:52:00.002-07:00

I headed over to Palm Springs on Wednesday to meet my family. Jared joined us Friday after work.

It was ultimate relaxation. The parents filled the cupboard and fridge, so there was never a reason to even leave the resort.

Marley spent a good portion of the time with these two. They are friends of the family and totally doted over her.

She is constantly fighting for her independence and loved being able to go watch movies or in the lazy river without a parent by her side. I am tempted to invite them on our next vacation. :)

Poor Jake got sick on Saturday.

The parents. My dad usually finds a nice shade spot with his current read. My mom is usually flitting from place to place.

Jake isn't a fan of the water yet, but was in climbing heaven.

I guess I need to hand over the camera next time. :) I don't really enjoy having my picture taken, but always regret not having any pictures.

Easter

2011-04-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

I love when we get to celebrate holidays with my family. It seems like it is a rare treat. The Easter bunny even visited Jared & I. :)

The Easter Bunny didn't have to be very sneaky this year in hiding Marley & Jake's baskets.

He even left a trail of easter eggs.

I love you.

2011-04-25T21:35:00.001-07:00

Jake doesn't talk.

I believe it's more so because he doesn't have to rather than he doesn't know how. For example, it is much easier for me to feed him (because he doesn't like getting his hands dirty) and exhale loudly when he's ready for another bite rather than to ask for more. He seriously does that. My son pants like a dog. He also uses his index finger a lot.

Tonight I was composing an email. Jared and Marley had run an errand. Jake comes over to me, pats my leg and says, "mommy". I look over at him as he says, "I yove you" and then smiles.

What a sweetheart.

Easter Week Activities

2011-04-19T10:32:00.001-07:00

Jake and Marley really enjoy creating and drawing lately. It seems that's all they both want to do.

Last weekend, when I thought they were both quietly drawing at their table, Jake tested the black sharpie on my couch.

He's entered this phase of....craziness. Jumping off furniture, climbing everything.

Yesterday, after I put Jake and Marley down for a nap I heard a noise. I walked into Jake's room just as he was walking out. I'm not sure whether to convert his crib into a toddler bed or purchase one of those netting tents to lock him in.

Coloring Easter eggs for the first time.

Jake picked every ball off the sticker page to put on his Easter egg.

Marley added additional paint.

For Family Home Evening that night we talked about Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. We kept it super simple. I don't know how good of job we did explaining those big topics to a 4 year old.

My electric piano has a feature with programmed songs. You play any key and it will play the song.

Marley has been quite impressed with her own piano skills after only 1 lessons from me.

So, when we started Family Home Evening and suggested we sing a song together, she jumped up to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". We sang along. She was so proud. :)

2011-04-17T15:54:00.001-07:00

"we women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. we have

to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is

comfortable for us. we have to develop the maturity to stop trying

to prove something. we have to learn to be content with what we

are."

- marjorie pay hinckley

I feel like I am constantly evaluating and re-evaluating how we spend our time. Those weeks when I do everything that is placed before us, I get so exhausted and feel like there aren't enough hours in the day.

Scene: Marley, Jake, and I shopping at Trader Joe's.

Marley: (Eyeing the bananas) "Mom, will you buy lots of extra bananas and let them get kind of brown and then make banana bread?

Me: (laughing) "Yes Marley, we can get extra bananas."

She seriously loves banana bread. Sunday, after naps, we all made banana bread.

Good Saturday

2011-04-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

Random Conversations with M

2011-04-03T20:20:00.002-07:00

M: "Mom, I want to go to Grandpa's birthday."

Me: "Okay, what are you going to get for him?"

M: "mmmm... I don't know. Maybe we can just get something for Wally."

Me:. "Wally? Okay, like what?"

M: "Like maybe a bone or something."

I hope my dad is excited about the bone he is going to get for his birthday. he he.

Stay-Cation

2011-04-01T16:29:00.002-07:00

I have been getting a lot of these faces lately from Marley. She doesn't like to give me a normal smile for the camera.

She is my spunky girl. During the morning, while Marley is at school, Jake and I clean together and hang-out - it's actually usually quite calming. Then Marley comes home. She is the life of the party - loud, fast, laughing and crying and being dramatic all in the same sentence. I love that girl. I just wish I had her energy. :)

Jake, my mama's boy, started to favor Jared a little more this week after spending time with him on his week off. I'm glad. I want that little guy to be as close to his daddy as he is to me. He is such a great snuggler and has the most tender little heart. This is his happy, but trying not to smile face. :)

We have decided that we love stay-cations, especially since we live in a big city and there is plenty to do. We did a bit of yard work, took naps when the kids napped, and spent some quality time with each other and the kiddos. We went to a spring training game and only lasted about 4 innings, but it was still fun. We went to breakfast one morning, went on a couple of dates, grilled out most evenings, and watched a few movies. It was a good week.

Sunday

2011-03-28T11:43:00.001-07:00

One of my friends does a little family picture before church almost every Sunday. I think it's such a good idea especially since I feel like I don't have many pictures of us all together. This was way last minute timer shot :). We didn't have time for a retake.

Speaking of Sunday, I came home from church feeling very refreshed and committed to being a better person. I'm pretty grateful for that part of my life.

Obsession

2011-03-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last Week

2011-03-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

Last week I watched three little girls while their regular sitter was on vacation. It was a totally girly week. We painted nails, did hair, played barbies, played dress-up like everyday and danced around. The girls had a lot of fun. Poor Jake. He joined in and even got one nail painted, but I think he needs to be around a few more boys this week. He started doing things like jump off anything he could find and climb anything that could be climbed. He does that, just not as frequently as he did this past week.

I was actually a bit nervous about how I would hold up watching all of these kids, but it turned out to be pretty fun with only a few bumps along the way with fighting over toys, etc.

Saturday I took the kids to the Children's Museum. ;)

Jake slept through a lot of it.

Marley and I had a lot of fun. We usually stop in the art room. I used to just manage Jake while she did a project, but now that Jake (when he's not sleeping) wants to join in with the art stuff, I usually make whatever the project is as well. I figure I should practice up on my art skills ;)

Oh, and I went dark with my hair again. This picture makes it look a bit green. I hope it isn't that color in real life. The girls I watched last week were pretty open about their opinions. One little girl loved it and one really didn't like it. ha.

Mom was in Town

2011-03-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Mom was in Town

2011-03-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

These pictures are totally out of order, but I don't feel like tweaking them.

My mom purchased a plane ticket like last Fall to come visit. I think I had started crying to her on the phone one day about how I don't see them enough. ha ha. Sometimes I'm pretty emotional and dramatic especially when I feel lonely. So, she purchased a plane ticket. Anyway, for one reason or another she couldn't come until February. We were so excited. I didn't tell Marley. We went to the airport to pick her up and Marley thought we were going to Hawaii (that's the last time she was on an airplane). When she saw my mom she was ecstatic. She LOVES my mom. In fact, the day that my mom left, Marley packed up her little princess suitcase with all of her clothes and shoes and put it by the door and said she was ready to go to grandma's house.

Children's Museum is the only place where we took pictures of her entire trip and it was with a phone. Darn.

That place is really fun. Jake is fearless on the climber. I have a bigger shot of it later on. It really is massive and scary. Marley is still a bit intimidated by it.

Jared even came with us. Earlier that day he had a softball game. We all went and watched him get his booty kicked, ate lunch at the ballpark, and then headed to the Children's Museum.

I love that boy and girl. Grandma took us shopping and Marley got the sunglasses case that she is acting very excited about. It didn't leave her side for about a week and is still very important to her. We were very spoiled by grandma. My dad told me that next time I need to control her :)

Out of order picture. Marley decided she needed to upgrade to a bigger bike so she could go faster. She was SO excited when Jared put the training wheels on this bike.

Jake was sick for a few days last week and it was exhausting for both of us.

Other things we did in the couple of days my mom was in town include:

Walking. My mom and I love to do this together. She has a walking partner back in Utah, but I have yet to find a consistent one here. It's so fun to have someone to chat with on a nice long walk.
Body Worlds. We did a little night out without the kids to this. It was so cool. I highly recommend it. If you go, invite Jared. It will give you a huge appreciation for surgeons and what they can do. We spent about 3 hours there.
Scottsdale Fashion Square
Sprinkles cupcakes (YUM!)
America's Taco Shop

4:00 PM

2011-03-17T10:49:00.001-07:00

Text Convo on Monday. 4:00 PM.

Jared: "Pizza tonight, right?"
Me: "Following up to be sure I'm making dinner tonight?"
Jared: "Darn straight!"

When we were first married we had a few bumps when it came to meals. It was an unspoken expectation that I would do the grocery shopping and make dinner. Jared was in medical school. I was working my first full-time job and doing online and night classes. Food is more important to Jared and will always probably be more important to him. It was important to him that he had a good meal in the evening. I was fine with a bowl of cereal. :) Needless to say I changed, mostly for him, and for the last 7 years have been pretty good at meal planning and grocery shopping.

Last week was different. I was just burned out. I didn't grocery shop and I didn't cook. We had pancakes, ordered pizza, had sandwiches, etc. I find myself often spending time planning, shopping, and cooking and then Jared doesn't come home from work and the kids won't eat what I fixed and I could have easily eaten something simple myself. Frustrating. It was a nice break :) but Jared was wondering what happened to his wife. I told him it was good for him to realize what he appreciates about me. lol

Puppet Theater

2011-03-12T09:42:00.001-07:00

One of the things that I enjoy about living in a big city is that there are so many things to do with kids. Marley was on Spring Break this week. We did a lot of fun things. One of which was going to "Rumplestiltskin" at the Puppet Theater. The building was beautiful and the play was the right length for kids - not too long. :) Jake even sat through most of it.

Afterwards, they set up a craft table for the kids to make their own paper bag puppet. Have I mentioned how much Jake loves glue?