amy.mike.aidan.jack

jack sprat turns 3

2010-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

this is our jack... also known as: jackers, jackie, jack-jack, and sprat

this new 3 yr. old is full of energy, has the greatest smile and laugh, is silly, will say the craziest things in order to be funny, loves to jump and do tricks while making "blast off" sounds, he is sweet and "snuggly" (especially after naps), loves snacks and having his back tickled

at age 3 he likes: dinos, volcanoes, space and aliens (so for his birthday, we went to Hill Aerospace Museum)

jack is good at riding a tricycle and attempting independence. he's most independent in picking out what to wear and dressing himself. So, sometimes he's inside out, backwards, mismatching, or wrong footed.

in vocabulary: D's are replaced with G's. Delicious is... go-licious (said with emphasis) Banana.... gonana

Wants to be: like his brother, an astronaut, Wyatt from "Super Why"

HAPPY #3, BABY

Aidan's #6th

2010-07-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have decided it is SO much fun watching your kids grow.

@ 6, A. is funny, silly, witty, bright, spirited, zippy,

sprouting, skillful, savvy, and good-looking

This year in order to accommodate all, there were 3 Parties... ridiculous birthday fun.

The hot birthday gifts this year? LEGOS and GOLF CLUBS.

1, the birthday friends. Emma and Aidan (a seriously agreeable boy and girl, more or less :) share a birthday within the same week. Thanks to a summer birthday, it's easy and fun to combine lots of friends into one party. The INDIAN theme made for great DecOrATioNs (note the teepee)...

CaKE, beaded JeWElrY making,

and, an interactive bear TaLE given by THe ChiEF... who also assigned Native American names to the guests.

The hot weather provided lots of WatER fun in the sun!

The bigger the crowd, the greater the fun!

2, A Family Party

Grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunts, and cousins

cake.icecream.candles.hugs

3, Golf with DAD (who was sad to be away on his birthday)

A. has put his golf clubs to good use too. He loves golfing with Mike. AND... look at that form. He's not bad.

Happy #6th!

Bear Lake Reunion

2010-07-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

while at bear lake, make sure to...

take advantage of the water.boat.tubes

enjoy lots of sun.sand.beach

cheer on highly competitive games of tennis.football

eat good food... and never leave without la beau's rasperry shake.burger.fries

The Sampson Reunion was full of family.fun.smiles! Can't ask for anything better than that. Grandchildren: 10 boys + 1 on the way and 1 girl.

Camping Out

2010-07-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Camping out can have its perks, like our most recent one...a trailer and electricity. Don't get me wrong, I can be a "roughing" it type of girl. I grew up camping with my family all the time, but I do prefer certain amenities.

We roughed it hiking, fishing, roasting hot dogs, and sitting around the camp fire. However, it was also nice to have hot running water, a shower, movies for the kiddos, oh - and sleeping in a trailer.

We all hiked to Willow Flat Springs. It was amazingly green.

A. learned to bait, cast, wait (patiently), and reel in a fish, TWICE! He caught 2 fish breaking in his new pole. Grandpa, who also taught me to fish, was a great teacher!

Our 2 day camping trip was short and sweet. Perfect!

GooDByE!

take me out to the ball game

2010-06-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Mike redeemed his Father's Day Gift this weekend and we enjoyed the SLC Bees game. Great seats down the third baseline... we dawned our mits, but with no luck in catching a foul ball. However, there were cinnamon sugar roasted almonds and lemonade, our favorite baseball snacks. And the kiddie train rides helped give the kids the occasional break from sitting down.

Aidan's Tee Ball season has come to an end... and A. loves everything about the sport.

Earlier that afternoon we enjoyed splashing in the pool with friends. It was refreshing. Shaun and Mike played water P.I.G., I think Mike lost. (In his defense... he was sporting Shaun's younger cousin on his back part time.) Beth and I soaked up the sun. The boys ditched out of the pool a little early to eat snacks. Aidan and Em showed off cannon balls.

We love everything about summer because of days like these. So, so much family fun!

Tee Ball Team Cardinal's #1 SuPPoRteR...

2010-06-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

completely priceless... cheering A. on from the sidelines, "Aidan, you a good hitter!"

Refreshing 1st Day of Summer

2010-06-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome... finally

DOTS

2010-06-07T18:31:00.001-07:00

"grandpa's fruit snacks"

Team Cardinals

2010-06-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Meet Team Cardinals: 11 boys/1 girl... age 5

What do the kids love?...Rushing for the ball, regardless of their position on field

Parents love the team play... Everyone bats, Everyone runs... Everyone builds self confidence

And Aidan loves sliding, which I found out is apparently just for the grass stains (which are cool)... sliding to any base, on field, off field, anywhere with grass

We love BaSEbaLl SeaSoN!!

A tribute...

2010-01-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Last week in preschool Aidan celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Some historical facts he learned...

- "He was a man who dreamed about peace."

- "He was nice to everyone on the whole earth."

- "Martin Luther King was our friend."

- "He died when a grown up dad shot him, and now the kids share his dream."

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream of peace, love, friendship.

The Red Fox... read by Aidan Sampson

2009-11-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

HArVesT HouSe

2009-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

We love Green Bluff Farms... summer with rolling hills and U-Pick fruits of every kind (yummy for home made jams)... fall harvest with pumpkins, fresh apple cider, hay mazes, apple orchards, and who can forget hot pumpkin doughnuts... YUM!

We're so glad to have shared this years Harvest with Athena and Dax.

How do you know it's time for a haircut?...

2009-10-08T19:55:00.001-07:00

When tOweL-DrIEd hair looks like this :)

Daddy's Shoes

2009-10-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

Mike's in Seattle...

This is what we do when we miss Daddy.

Why I loved Hope, ID...

2009-09-17T14:35:00.001-07:00

...because this was the view of Lake Pend Orielle from out deck

...because Liz made us laugh

...because Gary took us on a Sunday drive and we saw this

... because we got to appreciate nature

...because I loved being with my kids

...because we got time away with Mike

and the kids had fun with DAD!

Thank you Liz and Gary. We had a great vacation!

TuRniNg TwO

2009-09-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

So, what did we do on this special day?

- We picked up Mike from the airport (yeah!)... after a long working weekend in UT.

It's crazy how much we miss him when when he's gone.

- Jack and I enjoyed a little 1-on-1 time at the library

- Jump and Bounce and Krispy Kreme

- Presents and Cookies

Little known facts:

LOVES: anything sweet. anything resembling something sweet. honking "semi". his Babas (grandmas). curious george and the firefighters. animals. following aidan. breakfast cereal. "wipeout".

STILL HAS: big blue eyes. "little feets". his "ribbits". sleeping in a crib. toehead. sweetness.

A few unknown facts:

NEW THINGS: VoCAb! new words.words.words. leaving the ground entirely while jumping. drinking from open cups. uses the potty... but has yet to actually "produce" anything into the potty.

THINGS LOST: the binks... due to an accident... but, not too difficult to over come

Pre K

2009-09-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

There he goes... One more year of preschool. Very politely he told me... "Mom, I can go in by myself. " Good luck, Kiddo, you're ready AND... have fun!

First hint of Fall

2009-09-13T18:21:00.001-07:00

...here in Liberty Lake

The DesTrOYerS...

2009-09-12T16:27:00.001-07:00

Meet the Purple Destroyers, a group of 8 fearless soccer boys...

Today they suffered in 90 degree heat to play their first game of soccer. Countless goals were scored, mostly by Isaiah (the boy in the yellow t-shirt who is seriously better than me), but a couple by the other boys, including 1 by Aidan. In most cases it's hard to tell who actually scored the goal, seeing how the boys become a huge moving blob after the ball is put into play. However, we'll count one for Aidan.

Included in the game, along with the goals...

- a single looking mother (since Mike's out of town), attempting to carry a lawn chair, diaper bag, snacks, gatorade... all while pushing a toddler in a jogging stroller through an old field towards the soccer grass. I hope I looked like a trooper "soccer mom" rather than a frazzled, struggling young mother.

- 1 bee sting, taken by Aidan, unfortunately. Getting A. back in the game took about 20 minutes of coaching and ended with me finally threatening him we'd go home if he didn't. To which Aidan replied while crying, "I want to go home." I'm glad I could make a good first impression with the other soccer families.

- 1 train with multiple freights (which I was praying he wouldn't see) but for which after he did, A. put the soccer game on hold for about 30 seconds as he attempted to run to each player and coach informing them of how cool it was...

- and an appearance on the field by Jack, whom I swear I only took my eyes off for one minute to get a drink. It was 90 degrees after all!

All in all... a great victory for the Purple Destroyers!

Luckily, Mike will be back next game!

Yet another reason we love Manito Park...

2009-08-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

English Garden in August

Some of our favorite UT things

2009-08-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

What do you do with 25 days in UT?...

*Eating:

Our favorite pizzeria

JaCK's oREos

AiDAn's SMorEs

CoUSins CHeeTos

* Fishing Our Favorite Spot

* Picking Sunflowers

* Willow Park-ing with Cousins

* Roller Coaster-ing

* Corn Dog, Cowboy Hats, and Parades (Preston Night Rodeo Style)

AidAN MiCHaeL

2009-07-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today is A.'s 5th birthday. I feel like he's reaching a milestone... but all I want to do is freeze time. I want to appreciate his developments and relish that I get to watch him grow and learn... but I don't want him to age AT ALL! Is that possible? So today all I want to do is walk down memory lane...

Fun FAcTs:

- A. was born in UT on July 24th, Pioneer Day. In Logan, it's celebrated with fireworks. And, appropriately so, at 10:22pm Aidan was born into the world with fireworks.

- A. always smiled as a baby, was always content. He skipped the terrible two's all together. And today when I see his funny, energetic personality... he still reminds me of the baby and toddler he used to be. Aidan is seriously funny and enjoys anything that makes him and others smile. He is a very active, all around energetic kid. I love and appreciate the boy in him :)

- A. was a toe-head until he turned 2. He was so, so blonde.

- A. was a terribly picky eater that luckily has gotten better with age

A.'s "FaVOriTeS" StaGEs: (In chronological order)

- dogs

- buses

- fire hydrants - In fact, he almost had my dad talked into buying one... seriously, what won't grandparents do?

- sprinklers

- trains, trains, trains - From "Thomas and Trains", to Train Tables, to Geo Trax, to the History Channel's "Extreme Trains." He can tell you a fact for any train.

FavE FOoDs:

pancakes, PBJ, choco milk, bananas, cheese, and yogurt until he was seriously 3...

NOW he loves corndogs, corn on the cob, fruits, and anything sweet.

Some foods to AvOId? Meatballs, potato chips, and soda ("Too spicy" he says)

MEmOraBlE WorDs:

- vroo vroo (early stage for a car)

- eye-da-bah (fire hydrant)

- sislas (sprinklers)

- duses (bus)

- Nama and Gampa

- wurget (yogurt)

AND... I'm glad I can still claim: "basghetti" and "Hevenwy Da Fader"

So... I'm pretty crazy about this kid. I love his big blue eyes, his ability to make new friends, his smile, his snuggles every morning, the sweet unsuspected kisses on my cheek. I love that he tells me I'm pretty and Mike is cool. I love that he's smart and that he's always trying new things.

AiDAn, we love you! Happy Birthday kidd-o.

Thena, Thena, Aunt Bena

2009-07-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, our summer is full... and we wouldn't want it any other way! My younger sister (by only 15 months) flew in from ID with her son Dax to spend the week with us in Spokane. Because we had to share our time with her (thanks to a work related conference :) we took advantage of every hot, sunny minute.

Of course Green Bluff, Spokane's beautiful agricultural tourism location, had all the U-Pick berries you could imagine. The kids all agreed the raspberries were warm and yummy...

and we stocked up on freezer jam :)

Athena and I were thankful to soak up some sun after discovering a new public swimming pool (I don't know how I never knew it existed after the 3 years I've lived here)... and at $1 admission you can't beat it. However, the kids kept us too busy for sun bathing. Jack was a little too fearless for my taste. He loved, loved, loved walking off the waters edge to dunk his face in the water. And because he thought going under water was hysterical, he required every second of my attention. Aidan was a fish, of course, practicing his swimming abilities. Dax was content walking around where he could touch, lucky Athena!

We also enjoyed dinner out at Hu Hot (Spokane's local Mongolian Grill), BBQ-ing in the backyard, talking, relaxing, staying up way too late... and watching the kids play hard.

Thanks for visiting... see you again soon Aunt Bena!

Swimming with Minnows

2009-07-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grandma Sal and the Jackson family... Aidan is becoming a great swimmer.

He is familiar and comfortable with the water.

He can tread water on his back and stomach by kicking his "paddles"

He can blow bubbles... and put his eyes in the water

He knows water safety such as: "If you fall in the pool you kick to the LADDER!" and "You never swim ALONE!"

He can jump in without a tube and can swim the width of the pool, alone... seriously amazing with only two weeks of lessons.

AND... he feels confident to jump off the diving board without a tube

I love the confidence Aidan gained in his abilities through swim lessons. Most importantly, I love that through a little encouragement and praise he wanted to try something new every day at swim... and he wasn't afraid to do it! Way to go, Buddy!

So... thank you Grandma Sal for teaching Aidan to love to swim!

Pool Moves

2009-07-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

A. and his really great moves...

It's INDEPENDENCE Week...

2009-06-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

How did we spend the 4th? A week in UT. Our drive... 10 hours. We didn't pull in until 3am. Crazy, I know. But, Mike was insistent on Aidan's attendance to his first friend birthday party.

July in UT... usually HOT! But like Spokane this year, UT weather was slightly cooler. We averaged 88 degrees... it couldn't have been more perfect. We had great weather that allowed us to enjoy time with family in all our festivities.

My Grandma Hyer was lucky enough to have all her children in town. So we started off our vacay with a family picture at the park. Unfortunately we did miss a couple of cousins, but otherwise it was an impressive group. My grandma, of course, had us all dressed festive for the 4th in red, white, and blue. I did snap a quick picture of Jack teaching my grandpa "rocks".

We spent the evening with Chris and Katy (Mike's brother)... without kids OR paid babysitting. (Truly a treat for us.) Not to take advantage but grandparents, besides all the other wonderful things they are, make great free entertainment for the kids. Luckily, grandparents enjoy that sort of "charity". So... many thanks.

We went to the opening weekend of Transformers, mostly because Mike and Chris had been completely anticipating the movie. This anticipation included daily phone calls to each other regarding said movie for the past several weeks. Although completely entertaining, the movie did have some unnecessary adult content, which I think it would have been better without. And thanks to the Autobot vs. Decepticon action, the brothers agreed the action in the sequel was better than the first.

So concludes our first day in UT. One thing I have to say is, I love staying up just talking with Liz and Gary. This usually follows with a late night movie that only Gary and Mike can make it through... but Liz and I always put forth a good effort. I think it just goes to show who chases the kids around more... :)

Live long and prosper...

2009-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

What a crazy and fun weekend. Crazy... well yeah, I ran my first half marathon in Spokane.

It was fun even if the run was tough. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to do it. Spokane has a fabulous Centennial Trail that runs along the Spokane River. It's spring and so everything is green and blooming. It really was gorgeous... when I chose to be optimistic about it all.

Thank you Jessica (my training and running partner) for keeping me going! You're the best!

It felt great to accomplish something I had set my mind too. I was surprised at how difficult running 13 miles is physically and mentally. I'm a short distance runner, and I love to run... but this was mentally very, very challenging. However, even though I vowed to never run a half marathon again, only hours later I was planning my next one. Unfortunately I injured my knee while training, which is probably why I'm wanting to run again... but I definitely have some new goals in mind. But, I'll need a running partner...

AND thank you, Baby, for supporting me every step of they way.

PS We were fortunate enough to have Bethany and Shaun staying with us for the weekend. I think it's okay to admit that Mike and I are HUGE "Trekkies". We secretly wanted to see the new Star Trek movie, but ashamed to admit it to friends. So, when we casually talked about which movie to see, we strategically threw out Star Trek as an option. Mike and I were ecstatic when we all agreed on Star Trek. Luckily, Shaun has seen his fair share of Star Trek, and Bethany was introduced to one of the best movie anthologies of all time. Good thing they liked it :)

Spokane Spring Continued...

2009-04-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Luckily, snow quickly melts in spring too (refer to previous post)

Welcome Spring

2009-04-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

How does Spokane welcome in the 2nd week of spring?

The iPod

2009-03-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Age appropriate: at least 18 months +

Jack appreciates music in many different ways. The latest is by using the iPod. The headband is purely to keep the earphones in place, leaving him free to walk about the house.

leprechauns, clovers, and gold

2009-03-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

This St. Patrick's Day we celebrated in green: 4-leaf clover pancakes, sporting green t-shirts, dinner of green rice and meatballs, key lime fruit dip, Sonic limeades, and green frosted sugar cookies.

In preschool Aidan and his classmates have been trying to catch a leprechaun... especially because he made a mess of their classroom. Unfortunately they barely keep missing him... he left them a note saying he was going away for the season because the Easter Bunny would soon be on his way.

Their preschool celebration: pin the ears on the leprechaun, a potato toss, green painting, and lots of fun.

The prize: chocolate gold coins from the end of the rainbow.

Jack at 18 months...

2009-03-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

nicknames: Jack Attack, Cracker Jack, Jackers, JJ, LJ, Little Feets

At 18 months Jack...

- let's start with the chicklets for front teeth. I love them... and the spaces are good for future teeth :)

- feeds himself with a spoon, even if most of the food ends up in his lap.

- loves to dance and so Aidan has given him the nickname, "Little Feets." No matter whether he's in the car, downstairs playing, or in the kitchen, he knows how to tell me he wants music on. His favorite song... "Move Along."

- enjoys being read to. The first book I ever bought Aidan was "Winken, Blinken, and Nod." This has become Jack's favorite, too. Unfortunately, it's not a board book... nor does Jack prefer board books over hardback. And so finally, I gave in and let Jack enjoy the book without me hovering over him. Now the book may be held together with tape... but if it's in sight, Jack refuses to be read any other book.

- gets ready in the morning with me. Jack loves anything with a lid that he can take on and off. So, every morning while I'm doing my hair or putting on makeup Jack sits right next to me on the counter and plays with everything. Because of this he knows what to do with a brush, toothbrush, eye shadow, eyelash curler, hair dryer, berrets, and fingernail clippers.

- has quite the vocabulary. Okay... so most is just cute gibberish, but I feel one day he'll spout out full sentences. A few words you can understand: uh-oh, up, hot, done, hello, versions of "Who is it" and "There you go", all gone, can say Mama but refuses to call me that (stinker), please, and thank you.

- blows kisses, waves bye-bye, loves high-fives, gives kisses (open mouthed style - so the cheek is the preferred place, and likes attention and hugs.

- has a great appetite and climbs into his high chair when he needs something to eat. His favorites: loves fruits, nutrigrain bars, chocolate (or anything sweet), Quaker oatmeal, and LOTS of milk (hence the Buddha Belly).

- loves to explore and climb. Because of this the dining chairs are turned backwards from the table, Jack only wants to play with toys AFTER I've put them away, pulls out toys and then leaves them unplayed with, the tupperware drawer is always a mess, and the pots and pans drawer had to be child proofed.

- has learned to smile for the camera... sort of. He more flutters his eyes and half smiles.

- dislikes Nursery to the point that even holding him makes him cry.

- requires a pacie for bedtime and naps... oh, AND Sacrament Meeting.

- attempts to take clothes off at the words - bath time.

- loves to sleep and always wakes up happy.

I feel like he's growing so fast... I don't want to miss a thing.

weekly S.U.M.M.A.R.Y.

2009-03-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

So many things going on... but our happenings can't stand alone... so, a weekly summary.

Aidan -

Staying craZZZZy at preschool, finishing pet week and learning all about the letter "Z" with craZy week. From his field trip to Petco his favorites: "the birds with the hair sticking up on their heads" (cockatoos?), watching the black and white dogs get combed and shaved, and NOT petting the turtle because "I didn't want him to bite me."

He mismatched his entire wardrobe (solo) and spiked his hair, which looked impressive thanks to Dad. For Aidan, this was a pretty incredible week completely full of crazy fun. What more could a naturally crazy kid ask for than to express his inward self?

Jack-

It amazes me how fast toddlers learn. Jack has moved on from climbing and inch by inch rearranging my house to... exploring books and puzzles. He's learning all about the body and can locate toes, tongue, ears, head, belly, eyes, and nose.

Jack has also learned to "smile" for the camera. If I'm looking for that "in the moment smile"... now, the above picture is what I get... every time :)

And last for my toddler.... soaking in the sun on a jog with Mom. Our long winter seemed to come to an end, at least for a moment, as we enjoyed sunny 50 degree weather. The Trooper even stayed awake through nap time to enjoy it... and through iPod earphones would hear the occasional laugh of enjoyment.

Mike-

Although we barely got the chance to enjoy his company (the boss was in from Seattle to chauffeur) Mike was still able to play "Daddy" on his time off, allow Mom an evening out with girls, and give quite an amazing talk (if you ask me) on missionary work. He has definitely earned the honor of "Super Dad."

Updates on the impaired... 3 more weeks of crutches, and then... WALKING! It will mean in a boot, but it will be walking. We are all counting down the days. Yeahhhh!

As for me-

I have to admit I have thoroughly enjoyed taking advantage of Mike's situation. It has given me time to enjoy my very part-time job of working in Outpatient Surgery. Although I would never give up spending full time with my kids, Mike working from home right now has given me reason to splurge.

The coming weeks will keep me busy training for a half marathon in May. Luckily, #1 I had such a great experience at Hood To Coast, and more importantly, #2 I have friends who are training right along with me.

For date night... we enjoyed a new dining experience from "The White House." It was very greek, very garlic, and very fun to enjoy with friends.

Last... a moment on Spokane spring. The first of the week - gorgeous and sunny, teasingly in the 50's.

That said, springs here are completely unpredictable, so later... we had sunshine, then rain, and then a hailstorm, all in one day.

Now... 3 inches of snow that seems to want to stick around. But... spring is on the way :)

Mommy Kim

2009-02-23T15:17:00.000-08:00

(It is Pet Week at preschool and Aidan is taking care of Mommy Kim (the class stuffed turtle ) at home. This is our weekend... with Aidan as author.)

I had a little Turtle

Her name was Mommy Kim

I put her in the bathtub

To see if she could swim.

She drank up all the water,

She ate up all the soap,

Now she blows bubbles,

She blows bubbles with her throat.

Because she was feeling hungry we looked on the computer. I fed her eggs and lettuce. I took her to the slide and down... weeeee! I wanted to bring her with me so she could have some fun. We are friends.

I love reading books with her,

"Froggy Rides His Bike."

I love snuggling with her. I loved to keep her by me.

St. Valentine

2009-02-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Why do we love St. Valentine's Day?...

- It started February 1st with 14 days of anticipation and excitement. Mike and I would leave small gifts on Aidan's bedside table each night after he was asleep. It was fun to see his reaction every morning... and excitement for bedtime, too! :) Some of HIS favorites this year: "Love" red shirts, Batman markers for art time, Matchbox race cars, fun socks, Tarzan DVD, Bakugan Battle Brawlers (great if you have kids who like to carry around anything small), and lunch with my favorite date at HIS favorite restaurant (this year... mini corn dogs at Wingers).

- Valentine Cards

Aidan learned all about the mail system this week at preschool complete with a field trip to the post office. Miss Teri made a cardboard blue mail box to sit outside the classroom. After their mailboxes were made, Aidan loved getting mail from family and friends each day. Aidan's valentine card (which was mailed) to me and Mike... priceless. On the back he had traced... "I love you Mom and Dad."

-Mail gifts from Grandmas and Grandpas

We are always spoiled with care packages and cards. Candy and toys for the kids... sports magazines and sour skittles for Mike, and Alvey's (only in UT) Cherry Cordials for me.

-Heart shaped pancakes for Valentine brunch to which Aidan had to say, "Oh my goodness, yummy hearts! I love them."

-"Rock Star" party Friday night... and an EARLY dinner with my husband Saturday (Only in Spokane would you have to wait 45 minutes for the Olive Garden at 3 pm... seriously.)

(Mike and I as - 80's Madonna and Barry Gibb from the Bee Gee's)

-Preschool Party of musical chairs, dancing, and the making and delivering of Valentine Cards... this year: Spiderman cards, great practice in name writing, and heart shaped York patties (Aidan's favorite candy shared with friends.)

My favorite part... celebrating St. Valentine's with the men of my life. Thank you Mike, Aidan, and Jack... I love you!

Optimism in trial

2009-02-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

Life for the past month has been overwhelming for our family. But the feelings of uncertainty and the stress that came along with waiting has only strenthened our relationships. Here's how it happened.

Mike had complained of aching to the top of his foot for the past 6 months. He quickly disregarded the pain, blaming it on increased activity from tennis and jogging. So, with what seemed as a harmless visit to a friend and neighbor, who also happened to be a podiatrist, Mike was diagnosed with a bone tumor about the size of a quarter to the top of his right foot. To our doctor, and another second opinion, it was characterized as rare and strange. Little did we understand how complicated this situation was to become.

We discussed options: MRI, biopsy, possibility of cancer, and what would inevitably become surgery. For Mike the news was especially difficult. Later he confessed anxiety towards work, driving, family, and physical activity. In addition were emotions that came with the possibility of cancer. We prayed continually on how to proceed, we prayed for our doctor, and for optimism. Through it all, I found myself at peace knowing Mike would be okay.

For a definitive diagnosis, we decided to biopsy before surgery. After the biopsy we planned on less than a week for results, which would then allow us to proceed with surgery. When we heard news the pathologist needed to send the sample to the Cleveland Clinic for further testing, we were frustrated. Mike was dependent on crutches, unable to drive, and I was overwhelmed with being solely responsible for our kids and everything that goes along with the cares of the home. We were blessed to be thought of by so many family and friends. It seems when we needed it most they were there to offer a place for the kids to play, for meals, and phone calls. And through all the waiting, and despite frustration, I found myslef with a calm feeling that it wasn't cancer as we waited for a diagnosis.

Two weeks later we received a diagnosis of tenosynovitis giant celled tumor, benign. We made phone calls immediately to family and friends who were anxiously waiting for news. We prepared for surgery. The surgery needed now was to remove the tumor and strengthen the foot. Because the tumor was so large, and had destroyed three bones and one joint, the surgeon would have to fill the hole with cadaver bone. Our bodies replace bone material constantly... but until the "new" bone could fuse with Mike's bones, he would be non weight bearing for at least 8 weeks. I was worried recovery would be Mike's most challenging moment.

Before surgery we were comforted by our surgeon. Being a member of our faith, he told us that he prayed before surgery and during surgery. We knew he had been guided to this moment. Feelings of emotion overwhelmed me as Mike was in surgery. I felt like we had waited so long to get to this point... everything had come to this final moment when recovery could begin. I was anxious for him and how hard this recovery would be. Being required to wear a boot and use crutches for 8 weeks, not being able to drive, pain, and I know he was worried about my stress of taking care of the kids... alone. Once again I found myself comforted by prayer. I reflected on family and friends who had fasted and prayed for us, knowing our surgeon was also praying for us, being thankful Mike's tumor was benign, and that I loved him... and would stay optimistic for him.

Surgery was one week ago and he is recovering well. His foot may be swollen, and his toes might not look like toes.... but he stays productive working from home. Through this experience my testimony has been strengthened in the power of prayer. I know the Savior is aware of our needs and that He answered our prayers, and the prayers of others.

Boyish Ways

2009-02-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

So our little Jack has become a climber. A new experience for me since Aidan was content to play safely on the ground. His skills are improving, too. He may at one time have only mastered this:

... but soon figured that if he threw his whole body on top of something, he could wiggle onto this: (At least he's ON it and not IN it... right?)

AND THIS: (That is the face of satisfaction)

Soon chairs became easy:

... but quickly realized they were only step stools to something better, leaving us with no other option than to turn the chairs backwards:

His boyish ways are all about independency, testing the limits, and exploring. This fun stage is BUSY and energetic :)

My Wife

2009-01-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

I would like to dedicate a post to my wife on her birthday. Anyone who knows me well knows my feelings about blogging, so it takes a big occasion to get me to write in this thing. My wife is one of the most humble people that I know and there is no way she would dedicate a blog to herself. So, I had to take the controls of this ridiculous blog machine and tell you a little more about her on the the day after her birthday.

This birthday for Amy was probably a little disappointing. Being confined to the house, there was only so much I could do for her. She had to get up early with the kids, get them to pre-school, and pick up take out from Ding How on her own B-day. I did however manage to get her some flowers delivered, so it wasn't a completely terrible day.

Some things you may not know about Amy.

-She was born in Preston, ID

-Has naturally curly hair

-Blessed with OCD (anyone who sees the inside of our house knows)

-Amy is an exercise fanatic.

Here are some pictures of a relay race she ran this past summer

She comes across as aloof, but Amy is deceptively bright

-She graduated with her degree in Nursing at the age of 20 and also received her RN license at the age of 20.

Most of all, Amy is the driving force for all that is good with our family. We love her so much, and couldn't imagine life without her.

Cancun

2009-01-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you a little bit about the my Christmas present from Mike this year. In my previous post, I hinted that Mike had ulterior motives for spending Christmas with our families in Utah. Mike and Shaun had been planning a secret vacation for Bethany and I since October. We met up with the Sorensen's for dinner at Tucanos in SLC a couple days before Christmas and they had it arranged for the waitress to bring us presents with details about a much needed vacation to Mexico. They had even secretly packed tennis rackets, and summer/beachwear for us... But I still did a LITTLE shopping due to Mike's lack of selection.

Our five days spent in Cancun were full of mostly relaxing at the beach and pool and dining out at night.

Here are some of our other highlights.

-Sleeping in/Staying up late - The late nights were mostly caused by movies and crazy games of Farkel.

-Doubles Tennis - Since Shaun was all state in High-School, you can imagine how he dominated (we wanted to thank him for playing down to our level)

-Pool time - Thanks to the girls modeling swim wear poolside, Bethany and I came home with matching swimsuits... so did Mike and Shaun (that's a different story.)

-Beach time - It was nice for me to have Bethany there who was content to read and lay out in the sun for hours while Mike had Shaun to go body surfing and boogie boarding with.

-Manzanitas/Limonadas - We were both introduced to these wonderful drinks that seemed to get better and better as the vacation progressed. Mike especially loved the Manzanitas which resembles carbonated apple juice.

-Dining - We tried every type of restaurant we could. Our first night, we ate at a Japanese Restaurant at our hotel. I was introduced to shrimp tempura... which I loved. Second night, we went to an Argentenian Steak house which was also fabulous. For our third night, we took a taxi to downtown Cancun for some authentic Mexican food and Mariachi bands.

-My favorite dinner was a memorable night of fine dining and dancing at the Ritz-Carlton. Yes! Mike actually danced with me. It was probably more because he felt like he needed to since the pianist overheard him request "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra.

Our five days spent there were perfectly spent relaxing with each other and good friends in warm weather... a nice break away from the snow and cold. We are now energized for the rest of this long winter.

I'm so thankful for my husband's insightfulness to surprise me at my most needed moments.

16 Days of Christmas

2008-12-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

Living away from family during the Holidays is hard for us... way more for me than for Mike. Last Christmas seemed stressful and somewhat chaotic. We ended up coming home with a car load of gifts that forced me to fly home with two kids, just from the lack of room, while Mike drove the 600 miles to Spokane alone. So we decided that the next year would be spent in our own home with visits to family for the New Year. Then... I'm not sure what happened. Mike mentioned at the beginning of December of returning to UT for Christmas. (I found out he had alterior motives... which I'll explain in a later post.) But, those few words were all it took for me to refuse any other option.

We started our drive to UT... and it was a miracle we made it out of Spokane. We were hit with a 30 hour snow storm which covered everything in 28 inches of new snowy powder. So we stayed halfway in Dillon for the night. Oh, and why is it that hotels are always more exciting for kids...

When we first arrived, Grandpa Hyer had reconstructed his old electric train set... just for Aidan. Later we came to find out how much work had actually taken place in order to have this ready by the time we arrived. I think my dad may have even lost sleep over this... but only due to pure excitement.

We also spent time before Christmas... fourwheeling, sledding, building snow forts, and snowmobiling. However, all our snow wear was borrowed, EXCEPT for Mike's beanie.

We had a great Christmas. There was lots of family, food, music, and gifts. Some fun memories: Aidan loves, loves, loves "Imagination Movers." His favorite Mover, Scott, wears red Woggle Goggles. They let him see all sorts of neat things, and even light up. We found some online... but of course, no lights. Aidan put them on Christmas morning AND, was he excited? Well, he just took them off and said, "These are just fake ones, Mom." And seriously, it was probably the gift I was most excited to give him. But he was grateful and excited about everything. Jack... ate dry fruit loops all morning.

The New Year was spent with the Sampson family. His brother and sisters came with their families for good food and lots of games. Mike's Mom, despite her recent surgery, ventured out with me and kids for a visit to the Book Table. For any of you not familiar with this store in Logan, it is the absolutely best place to buy any Melissa & Doug toys.

We had such a wonderful Christmas. We always feel so welcome at home... we hope to see you soon.

This is how you put on your coat

2008-12-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is the easiest way Aidan could figure to put on his coat. We've worked on in - but it always seems like we're in a hurry to leave and I end up putting it on for him. So after preschool, he showed me how he taught himself.

Smart kid, huh?

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Once again we were blessed to have family visit for Thanksgiving weekend. My parents came with my youngest sister, Stacy for shopping, good food, and good company. I truly do get homesick during the Holidays... so they were muchley needed and appreciated.

We had non-stop fun, which made our time together pass much too fast. I'm lucky to have a mom who loves being a grandma. She's always willing to play with my kids while the rest of us enjoy more time out of the house. So with that, we went to see "James Bond" their first night, while grandma enjoyed watching "Frosty The Snowman" at home. (It's another good thing my mom L.O.V.E.S. Christmas - some people might find Christmas movies before Thanksgiving a little annoying... Mike.)

Thanksgiving was perfect. Spending the Holidays with family is the greatest. It was sweet and homey.

And of course there was "Black Friday" shopping. However, we did try to wait out the crowds until 9AM. Stores and traffic were still crazy. I love shopping when it's girls ONLY. Thanks Mike and Dad for giving us our time without kids. I was very pleased to get a lot of Christmas shopping done, whew! We were even treated to Red Lobster that night. For all of those who don't know, I'm definitely NOT a seafood fan, but it's not for lack of trying. Believe me, I wish it tasted as delicious as it looks. But... Mike told me if I learned to like seafood we could move back to UT - which was said purely for the benefit of my mom who's been asking that question for three years now. So... I tried it... LOVED the coconut shrimp, does that count?

Our last day came too soon. We finished it off with a trip to the downtown mall to visit Santa. They have the largest, most amazing Christmas Tree on display. As we waited in line I noticed all the boys dressed nicely in slacks and sweaters while the girls looked pretty in their dresses... and as I looked at my own kids in sweat outfits, I was thankful they could be comfy.

And before we knew it my family was on their way back to UT. We had so much fun. Thanks mom for giving Mike and I a night out, Dad for taking Aidan to Cabelas... even though we had a minor accident :), and Stacy for entertaining the kids whenever they had had enough. We miss you all... see you for Christmas.

THANKSGIVINGS

2008-11-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

What are we thankful for this year...

FAmiLY

We were so grateful to have my parents and sister

with us this year. Thanks for making the trip from UT.

FrIEndS

We are continually blessed with the company

of great friends here in Liberty Lake

OppORtuNitIEs

We are thankful to raise our children in the gospel...

a temple marriage... happiness

HeaLTh

SnoW

My mom was especially excited... she's our Christmas fanatic

FOoD

Aidan and Stacy made our yummy Turkey Party Favors. The

Sorensens provided, along with their company for Thanksgiving,

a moist turkey and the ever flavorful Honey Baked Ham.

Our Thanksgiving Feast tasted excellent.

CHRISTmas TrEE

Aidan decorated our perfect Christmas Tree. The

ornaments are expertly placed in the middle... not too

high out of Aidan's reach... but not too low so Jack could

reach. He even fell asleep underneath it.

DaLLas CowBOYs

Thanksgiving apparel IS Cowboys

apparel. Good win Cowboys.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Weekly Summary

2008-11-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

This week, as it seems every week since fall, has been another busy one. Here's a look at some of our highlights.

Jack is now a toddler. It's so strange to call him that. It's amazing how in only a couple of months they grow from a baby to a fully active walking toddler. For some reason toddler toys are not appealing... but thank goodness for kitchen drawers. Jack is drawn to them. Our fun cycle consists of Jack taking everything out (and by everything I mean mixing bowls, tupperwear, placemats, everything), then me put everything away after he seems to have lost interest, and of course Jack rediscovering how fun it is to pull it all out again.

Aidan has learned to manipulate the computer mouse and can entertain himself with games forever. It's super convenient to have a computer upstairs in the main living area. Aidan's favorite sites are: peepandthebigwideworld.com and disney.com I love Peep because it's great at teaching kids patterns, mixing colors, memory, and much more. The sites are so kid friendly too, so Aidan can switch up games by himself.

Mike unfortunately has been home sick part of the week. Mike gets bored taking it easy so I know he struggled. Thanks to ESPN though he did get the rest he definitely needed (I know because I even saw him get a nap in... which rarely happens).

As for me, I've stressed over family pictures long enough. I don't like the hassle of getting kids dressed, keeping Mike happy (I've never met someone who dislikes his picture taken more), and struggling to get the kids to cooperate. Yes, Jack wanted to walk around and play in the sand rather than sit still, and Aidan may have given the biggest "cheesiest" smiles (but a good sport all the same), and Mike, well, he was fabulous at entertaining the kids and not uttering a word of complaint. So, thank goodness they are now done. And all in time for the Holidays. Our photographer seemed great and I'm excited to get pictures back next week.

And we are all definitely looking forward to this weekend - Thanks Mike for treating us to a night at Silver Mountain Lodge... stay tuned.

Lost & Found

2008-11-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

It's unexplainable. We have always been prepared for any imaginable series of events... with what you could call an-over-the top, cushy amount of pacifiers. 8 to be exact, I know how embarrassing that is. But, Jack has always taken to them. And life for him seems, well, more "relaxed". But, for the past couple of weeks I have found myself SEARCHING for those little things before leaving house, before naps, and at bedtime. I had H.A.D. enough of it. So... I went on a paci search. I checked under couches, beds, cribs, furniture, and cars. I checked old diaper bags and any jacket with pockets. What did I come up with? 2! (Technically 3, counting the one left with friends) I couldn't understand how this was possible. Yes, I know my toddler is walking now, exploring, and taking things apart to find new places to hide them. But honestly... 2? Maybe it's to hint to me as a parent that I should limit paci(s) to sleeping time... BUT I just don't think Jack's ready... I know I'm certainly not. So for now, the paci search will just have to continue.

Walking and Waving

2008-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Here's what Jack's been up to for the past 2 weeks!

Best Day/Worst Day

2008-11-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

It takes a historic event to get me to come anywhere near a blog let alone write one, so all of you reading this are in for a real treat. I've had reason this week to reflect back on the past 12 months of my life and do a lot of analyzing. I looked back through the past year and tried to figure out my best and worst days. Amazingly enough, they turned out to be the same day (Thursday, November 29th) Let me explain the good first.

I came home from work one day in October of last year and Aidan handed me a football that had a picture of a Dallas Cowboys helmet and a Green Bay Packers helmet on it. I had no idea what this meant until he said "Daddy, would you like to go to see the Cowboys play"? Amy had arranged for me to go see the Cowboys and Packers play on a Thursday night game in Dallas along with my brother, two sisters, and my parents. We are all huge Dallas Cowboy fans, some more than others (myself and Kelli). It was a whole package deal that had us flying in on Tuesday and attending pregame interviews with the players, a tour of Texas Stadium, and of course the game itself. I still tell Amy that it was the greatest thing she has ever given me aside from my two boys. We had a fantastic time and it was good to be back together with my family once again. The Cowboys won the game and I got to go down on the field and catch a TD pass from my brother and pull a T.O. on the star in the middle of the field.

Now the BAD.... As soon as the game was over, I turned on my Blackberry and saw dozens of messages and e-mails regarding my company's logistics center in Seattle. Now I need to give you a little bit of background about what I do so this makes sense. I work for Cardinal Health which is a medical supply and pharmaceutical distribution company. My company supplies everything you would see inside pharmacies from brand and generic drugs to gauze and OTC products. I provide a consulting service to the pharmacies that buy from my company on how to run their business a little more smoothly. My customers count on daily deliveries for all of their patient's needs, especially critical care meds like narcotics. Anyway, the messages I received were that the DEA had come into our facility and locked up our narcotics vaults and suspended our license to distribute all controlled substances. This completely turned my world upside down for the next 11 months. Instead of getting these critical meds next day from Seattle, the had to have them come from Sacramento and the lag time was 2-3 days. Needless to say, all of my customers were upset and looking to take their business to my competitors. The reason for the suspension was that we didn't have enough safeguards in place in our center in Seattle to stop pharmacies from selling controlled substances illegally on the internet.

After implementing many new programs, safeguards, and paying a fine of 35 million dollars, the DEA has now reinstated our license to ship controlled substances. Friday will be the first day that we resume shipping from Seattle. This has been the most difficult 11 months of my professional life and I know it's had a very taxing effect on my family. I give all the credit in the world to my wonderful wife for putting up with me working crazy hours and not being there as much as I should have to help with the kids. I don't do a very good job at externalizing my problems and tend to try and deal with them all myself. Amy has helped me immensely through this and I couldn't be more appreciative of her. She is definitely the glue that holds our family together and I am so blessed to have her as my wife and the mother of my children. I don't write this to get sympathy, because I know everyone goes through trials and problems, but I write this in appreciation for Amy and all that she does for me.

HaPPy HalLoWEen

2008-10-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year! Aidan made a great Cowboy and Jack stayed warm in his fleece turtle costume.

Aidan's preschool party was filled with bean bag tosses, Go Fish, and pin the nose on the pumpkin. After making bags, they filled them full with lots of prizes. I was able to enjoy lunch with friends. Thank you Meghann and Happy Birthday!!

After dinner we made our way out Trick-or-Treating. The trunk or treat was perfect for our little ones who were getting tired out with all our door-to-door walking. We kept ourselves warm with yummy apple cider.

After all the candy gathering fun, we put the kids to bed at Jess and Aric's and enjoyed scary Halloween movies.

Some of my favorite things about this year:

- helping with Aidan's preschool party

- pumpkin scones from Starbucks

- Aidan refusing to wear anything else except the 2 sizes-too-big cowboy boots for his costume borrowed to him by his preschool teacher. But, thank you Miss Teri.

- celebrating a friend's birthday

- Jack's sticky hands and face after taking taking his sucker all the way down past the tootsie

- Aidan calling a compliment to a skeleton costumed boy walking by, "I like your bones."

- our trick-or-treaters/"CUSTOMERS" as Aidan calls them

- crazy fire Jack-O-Lanterns provided by our neighbors, the Hunters

HaPPy HalLoWEen

finishing out family vacays

2008-10-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

We tried FOREVER to take a good picture of all three kids. This is all we got, but I love it because it shows how hard Aidan was trying to smile at the camera and keep the kids next to him at the same time.

My younger sister, Athena, came to visit this week with her 11 month old son, Dax. She and I are only 15 months apart, so although we may have fought a lot in high school, we love each other to pieces now. We had a great week and spent time together shopping, talking, and entertaining kids.

Here we are at Harvest House. Mike was great to take Aidan swimming while Athena and I took the youngest kids to the fall festival. Really, I can't complain about going there twice because the pumpkin doughnuts were seriously initiative enough.

Mike also bought tickets to Phantom of the Opera before Athena booked plane tickets, so now Mike and I are totally indebted to her after babysitting for us while we went.

I'm so thankful to have a wonderful sister and we are all grateful she could visit. She is such an example of kindness and patience. Living away from family is challenging, so any time with them is priceless. Aidan loves all his cousins, and loved being a big brother to Dax too!

PS We missed Scott, Athena's husband, but we'll see you soon!

family filled 2 weeks

2008-10-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

We love when family visits. Mike's parents started it all off by visiting last weekend. Aidan absolutely adores his grandparents. I was excited they could see beautiful Spokane during fall.

It was a very suspenseful wait with a 2 hour delayed

flight... but they arrived at last! We started

the weekend off with shopping... for G.A.R.Y. You see, my

mother-in-law, Liz (how we love the fun she brings to our family) is determined to trend-up her husband. So, we went jean and shoe shopping. Next, comes the "Matt Lauer" haircut. That would have to wait for another day, we didn't want to over stimulate the soon to be retiree. We decided to treat Gary, for all his shopping patience, to a steakhouse dinner (his favorite)... but he actually ended up treating us. Did I mention he was a great guy?

Saturday was celebrated at Harvest House (see post below). Wow! Can I say the fresh, warm pumpkin doughnuts were unbelievable? We also enjoyed hay mazes, clydesdale pulled wagon rides, and apple cider. After Harvest House... a much needed nap for everyone... except the guys. Our late night was filled with Game Show Network and The Cosby Show (which I forgot is pretty funny).

Sadly, their vacation came to a too quick end. But, thanks for all the fun - We Miss You!

PS Thanks grandma for the Halloween Paper Chain!!

Stay tuned for more from Athena and Dax...

I Am A Child Of God

2008-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

The theme this year in primary is, "I Am A Child Of God." Our primary introduced this theme to us through their primary program on Sunday. As first time parents with a child in primary, we were so excited and proud to watch Aidan perform. He sang great and memorized his speaking part, "I can obey my parents and teachers." We love to see how Aidan has grown this year, and we're thankful for his teachers and leaders.

What's great about HarVesT HOusE?

2008-10-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Green Bluff Farms is great year round. During fall, Harvest House hosts a pumpkin festival. We were lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa Sampson join us for the festivities. AND, I'm glad we celebrated in the AM because by 1:00 cars had a VeRy, VeRy long wait before gaining entrance.

We made it... and had a great time. Here are a few of our highlights...

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Hay Rides

2 Trips to the Honey Buckets :(

The Live Christian Rock Band

Pumpkins...

... and more Pumpkins

Corn Maze

Fresh Apple Cider

And, Of Course, My Child Who Eats Anything, Enjoyed EatInG Hay

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for having fun with us! We're so glad you were here!

...hold your fire

2008-09-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Looking for fall table decor? Good Housekeeping magazine has a great idea. Just snap the stems off munchkin pumpkins and position a votive candle in its depression. Cover with a clear glass hurricane shade and insert floral U pins to hold the shade in place. Voila!

Happy 1st Birthday!!

2008-09-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Jack, he's our...

- good sleeper, blue eyed, sweet talker, peekaboo, burrito baby, full of smiles, "paci"loving, easy going, snuggler, spoiled rotten, tantrum thrower, toilet paper unroller, willing to eat anything, almost walking, big front toothed, sweet gerber baby!!

1 mo 2mo

3 mo 4 mo

5 mo 6 mo

7 mo 8 mo

9 mo 10 mo

11 mo 12 mo

HaPPy BirThDAy!!

Jack we love you. Thank you for making life sweet and fun.

Round Up - Pendleton, OR

2008-09-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post I mentioned I loved small town rodeos. I grew up in Preston, ID (until age 7) and my mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins have grown up there. We enjoyed Preston Night Rodeo Weekend every year in august. There were parades with lots of candy, good food which, for me, always consisted of a corn dog and onion rings at the Polar Bear, sidewalk sales, carnivals, and rodeos. Such good memories. Since we moved to WA however, I've only been back once. So this year, we were lucky to Pendleton, OR and enjoy Round Up Weekend.

The kids enjoyed parades with lots of real life Cowboys and Indians, good food (my first ever "elephant ear" - it's just a hick way of saying fried bread with cinnamon sugar) and hotdog mummies, unlimited carnival rides, tennis (thanks Elena for watching the kids), music, bands, sidewalk sales, and great company.

We owe a big thanks to the Albrechts and Jess's parents for the great weekend. Thank you for giving us all a place to crash.

Preschool

2008-09-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today was Aidan's first day of preschool at the Liberty Lake Children's Academy. I, of course, had mixed emotions about this experience. First, it wasn't that I was excited about not having him with me while I ran errands or cleaned the house, (I'm not saying it doesn't make things easier) but to be honest it was sad to see his empty carseat today. Most importantly, I was excited for him to meet new friends, learn new things... just grow. So, of course, Mike and I talked to Aidan about those new friends, new environment, new teachers; and stressed the importance of sharing, kindness, listening, and being a good example. So this is about the point where, to my surprise, Mike started struggling. I mean... tears.

So Aidan went to school with bravery, we said goodbye, he learned new things, met new friends, and listened to his teachers. I was too excited to pick him up from school and thankful to hear his over-excited tone, as Aidan does for almost every experience, as he described his preschool day.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated this weekend with Mike's brother, Chris, and his family. They recently moved to Vancouver, WA about 5 hours away, so the drive isn't too bad. It was great to spend the weekend with them. Bryan is 20 mo old and was a great playmate for Aidan. The weather was fall-like and sunny.

Mike and Chris spent Saturday morning fly fishing, Mike's favorite hobby. It was the first time he'd been out all year, so if any of you enjoy fly fishing or know someone who does in this area have them call Mike. Apparently it's most enjoyable with company. We also did a little shopping, enjoyed good food, walked around Manito Park, watched movies, discovered tennis on Wii, and enjoyed each others company.

Thanks for the relaxing weekend, Chris and Katy. We hope you can visit again soon. Brian, Aidan misses you so much!

Remember Nelson?

2008-09-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

We happened to stumble across this music video on YouTube... you have to check it out! Nelson was a one hit wonder band of the 80's. The video is hillarious. You've got to love the blonde hair. Thanks Katy for remembering this love ballad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHaI4uZ4oeg

HOOD TO COAST

2008-08-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

197 miles... from Mt Hood to Seaside, OR

28 hours start to finish

36 individual LEGS

144,000 people in...

12,000 teams of...

12 people with...

50 states and...

41 countries represented.

9 hotels

3 hours sleep

2 vans

THE largest relay in the world!

It was absolutely a fantastic experience. Look for pictures and more details coming soon!

UT aug 10-18

2008-08-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Why do we love UT?

Playing with grandma

Grandpa S. chickens

Hogle Zoo

Fishing with Grandpa H.

Brigham City Community Pool

Cousins

Family

Thank you all so much for making our time there so wonderful. Thank you Liz for the pies, Gary for corn on the cob, Stacy for lunch, Athena for taking time off work, Kelli for Hogle Zoo, Dad for fishing, Mom for all the times you put my kids to bed. Thank you, we love you!

PS How could I forget... thank you Dad for all your patience with the electric trains and the ohhhh so many questions from a 4 yr old who became obsessed with them.

HAPPY 4TH, AIDAN!

2008-07-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Aidan's 4th birthday today, sadly though, without our Mike. Mike's annual sales conference happens to be in July so we missed him away in Florida. However, this did not deter us from any fun activities.

Opening presents, sugar cereals, birthday party, presents (Can I say legos?:) I can tell it's going to be the next obsession), and a late night movie.

With recent Father's Day and Mother's Day, Aidan's been asking, "When is it Kid's Day?" So... I spoiled the kid, what mother can resist on such a day. It was great to see the excitement and energy. I just love that Aidan.

Aidan celebrated a birthday party with 4 of his cute friends (from left to right): Emma, Nathan, Aidan, Jason, and Brayden (who is just barely out of the picture, but you can see him in the swimming pool below).

There was lots of swimming, laughing, running, splashing, swinging, soccer, and cupcakes. Of course, we kept it simple with that many 4 year olds, and we all had a great time!

We ended the night, after putting Jack to sleep, with any movie of Aidan's choosing. Any guesses, grandmas? Yes, it was "The Polar Express". But, I have to say, it was nice thinking of Santa while it's still warm outside.

Aidan's favorite part of the day: cupcakes and a late movie :)

Thank you all for recognizing Aidan with your gifts and phone calls. We appreciate them all.

And... Happy Birthday, Aidan! We love you!

Independence Day

2008-07-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July this year. Just a recap - enjoy! I couldn't help myself with all the pictures.

We started off with biking to the local parade. Mike pulled the boys in the bike trailer as we made our way down to the Liberty Lake. The parade is cute and short, full of kids and their families who choose to decorate bikes, strollers, golf carts, and floats and make the 1 mile walk. And... they even throw candy and bandanas (check out Jack) to make it all worth it.

We enjoyed the afternoon with our friends the Albrechts. The kids were so excited to camp out in a tent (backyard style). We BBQ'd, had fireworks (the only way you can in WA, with "pops"), plus we "grilled" s'mores... oh! and check out Aidan's new bike :)

Last of all, we enjoyed fireworks over the lake... even though we were 5 minutes late and they only lasted 11. It was great.

FAMILY VISITS

2008-06-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

We love when family comes to visit. We spent this weekend with my parents. I'm so lucky to have been blessed with great parents, I feel unfortunately I didn't truly comprehend this until I had children of my own. I LOVE them both so very much.

Well, our weekend was action packed. Four days makes time a little full, but my parents just loved spending time with the boys. I have to admit that Aidan has to make a full recovery whenever they leave, he gets TOTALLY spoiled.

Friday was spent shopping. I think my mom might actually love to shop more than me. We always have a great time when we go out.

My dad and Mike took Aidan to Cabelas. My dad is an avid outdoors man. You name it he took his daughters to do it: camping, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, really everything except hunting - he left that for his only son. Well, he got Mike started in hunting and it looks as though he's recruiting Aidan. Yes, they went bear hunting at Cabelas. Aidan apparently thought it was the greatest. You put in some tokens, some bears growl at you, and you aim a fake gun at a stuffed bear.

Saturday was so great. We spent the morning at Coeur D'Alene beach. We spent time in the lake, building sand castles, and feeding sea gulls. Jack unfortunately wasn't a fan of the water, but enjoyed the sand just the same. My parents took us to see "Kung Fu Panda" - which was great. You see, Mike and I are Jack Black fans, and we also heard lots of laughs from Aidan.

Thank you so much for visiting! We love you and miss you already. Aidan knows we are going home to visit in February and he asks every day when that month is coming. Thanks for spoiling us this weekend. Love you.

Seinfeld

2008-06-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight Mike and I went to see Jerry Seinfeld with our good friends the Albrechts. You could even say that Mike and Aric are enough like brothers that they share the same interests. Tonight, it happened to be with fashion, although they say their dressing like twins was an "accident":) So I had to take a pic. And can anyone tell me why two men can't pose "normally" for a picture?

So Mike and I are BIG "Seinfeld" fans, of the TV show that is. This is our second time seeing Jerry Seinfeld in stand up comedy. Each time has been great, maybe it's because we relate to him through his TV show, maybe not. He's a completely funny comedian and we laughed so hard we cried. It's was nice to enjoy the evening with friends, who also get the inside jokes of "Seinfeld."

Vancouver, WA

2008-06-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

June 19-22th we spent in Vancouver with the kids. Mike's brother and their family moved out there a couple of months ago. Mike's parents flew in from Utah so we took the road trip there for the weekend. It was good to spend time with everyone. Vancouver was beautiful, and we had great weather (no rain). I was pleasantly surprised at how well Aidan and Jack slept in the hotel room and the continental breakfast was great... way to go Gary (Mike's Dad) with doing your homework on that one.

We hiked to the falls (can you tell Aidan had to go to the bathroom in the first pic?)...

spent time on the beach at Vancouver Lake (Jack wasn't a fan of the cold water)...

walked around the Portland Temple (breathtaking)...

swam in the hotel pool...

and saw the greatest 450lb 10ft fish at the Fish Hatchery. I'm not sure who was more excited to visit the Hatchery, Mike who loves to fish or Aidan. Either way we had a great time.

The whole weekend was nice. Thank you Chris and Katy.

Oh, my favorite pic was taken on the ride home (which also was pleasantly smooth)...

Hayden Lake

2008-06-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

For FHE Mike and I took the boys to Hayden Lake to go boating with our friends Bethany and Shaun, and their kids. Hayden Lake is completely surrounded by green pine trees, it's really beautiful.

Mike has always loved to water ski, but Shaun taught Mike how to surf behind the wake. It looks pretty amazing, and I have to admit, Mike did really well. The lake temperature was 65 degrees, so of course Bethany and I passed on getting in the water, even with a dry suit. Aidan and Emma were having a great time wading in the water from the back of the boat. I warned Aidan the water was cold, but both he and Emma jumped in with their life jackets. Jack really had a great time too... until you put the life jacket on him. He never did get used to wearing it. The evening was nice and relaxing though. We all had a great time.

Preschool Graduation

2008-06-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Preschool Graduation finally comes. We've been waiting for good weather for nearly 2 weeks now, because of course we wanted it outside where the kids could play. So four women, from my ward, and I taught each others children in preschool this year. We had three boys and two girls: Aidan, Nathan, Jackson (who moved to Boise earlier this year so we missed him at graduation), Aubree, and Kennedy.

This year we focused on a different letter of the alphabet as our theme each week. Since this was their first year in preschool they learned to sit quietly during story time, sing songs, have craft time, snack time (of course), and field trips. In fact, our preschool picked up the name "Caring Mothers" from one field trip and we've kept it ever since. The kids really enjoyed playing and growing with each other and I enjoyed watching Aidan grow this year. I know Aidan will look forward to preschool again next year.

these moments

2008-06-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

After Aidan put Jack's hat on backwards: "Look, Mom. Now he's a dude!" :) Don't you wonder where kids learn stuff?

Yes, Jack has learned to crawl, which is great because he plays with Aidan. In fact he follows him about everywhere, wanting everything he has.

A: "Mom, he's (Jack) following my directions again!"

TEETH!

2008-06-02T20:48:00.001-07:00

So it's been happening for a week now, but I've finally been able to get a picture (I know it's hard to see them)... Jack's getting his first teeth. Yep, two bottom ones. Luckily it's been nothing a little ibuprofen and orajel couldn't fix. And... today he crawled for the first time (on hands and knees that is) at home with Mike! I got to see it up close when I got home from work. I'm so proud. love this kid.

Stacy

2008-05-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our family received a much anticpated visit from my youngest sister, Stacy. We loved having her to play. She's always so great with her nephews and lots of fun to hang out with. She's very easy going and loves doing everything with our family.

Out of all my siblings, Stacy and I look the most alike. This is what we have in common: in real life she has blond hair but she has chosen to color it brown; hopefully inspired by me. We both have freckles, blue eyes, and vertically challenging issues. We love shopping, mine for clothes her for shoes but... we both like to wear shoes with added heel height of any form.

She was only here for a couple of days, but we managed to: take the kids for walks (thanks to the VERY cooperative weather), enjoy lunch with Mike, we had a birthday party and went birthday shopping (Happy Birthday June 1st Stacy, and since Mike says I think every day is my birthday I treated myself as well :), she sent Mike and I on a date, and we enjoyed our wards Memorial Day Picnic.

I love my sister so very much. I'm proud of what you've accomplished, Stace. Thanks for visiting our family.

PS Stacy likes french toast with powdered sugar. Aidan is totally a maple syrup fan and doesn't even know what powdered sugar is, so Stacy, Aidan wanted me to thank you for introducing him to the "Pepper Sauce". He never could remember the name of it :)

sweet dreams, baby

2008-05-25T21:04:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while, in the middle of the night, Aidan ends up snuggling in bed with me and Mike after having some bad dreams. Saturday night was one of those nights after Aidan told me he was having bad dreams about ghosts. Sunday morning as he came in to our bedroom, because it's usually his job to wake me up, our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Did you have good dreams last night?"

Aidan: "I had good dreams, not bad dreams.

M: "What did you dream about?"

A: "Not ghosts, mommy. I just dreamed about you."

The funny part is, as Mike was leaving for meetings Sunday morning he asked Aidan the same question, and... his answer was the same. I love good dreams about Mommy.

guys night out

2008-05-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

One of the many BLESSINGS I have from being married to my wife is doing pretty much whatever she asks of me. I know I'm more than a little goofy looking, so I have to make up for my lack of good looks with things like blogging. As much as I object to obsessive blogging, I do enjoy the opportunity, once in a while, to tell of our experiences from my point of view.

Friday night, Aidan and I, had the opportunity to go to our first Father-Son outing at Farragut State Park in Northern Idaho. Aidan really had no idea what camping was but we tried to educate him prior to the campout as best we could. We rolled in together at about 6pm Friday night and I began to set up our tent as Aidan played with sticks and dirt with Nathan Rowell.

About an hour later, Aidan's friend, Emma showed up and he could barely hold back his excitement. No, Emma is not the name of some poor little boy, she is Shaun and Bethany Sorenson's little girl and Aidan loves to play with her. Those two even talked us in to putting them both down to sleep in our tent but after an hour of playing, jumping, and escaping the tent several times, we had to separate them so Shaun and I could get some shuteye.

We had a great devotional put on by the Young Men's Presidency and turned out the lights and put out the fires. The morning started at about 5am with the Hunter's camp waking up pretty much everyone. Breakfast was surprisingly edible prepared by Kevin Wright and David Crump. All in all, it was a great experience and an incredible bonding experience with my son that I will never forget.

Jack Edward

2008-05-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here are six things to know about our Jack Jack:

1. Jack has big blue eyes. I know all our children are destined for blue eyes, but Jack's eyes always look so big and bright.

2. He will smile at anything and anyone, whether you're simply smiling at him or playing a game with him. He's always been this way. You don't have to work hard to do it, most times it just takes a look.

3. His new favorite game is peekaboo. If you hide around a corner it's the cutest thing to see him leaning to the side trying to find you. If you hide behind your hands, he'll grab your hands to try and move them.

4. Jack has always been a great eater. At 4 months he started cereal and quickly advanced to baby food after that. Now he'll eat anything you give him, well almost if you skip the green beans. He likes fish, chicken, fruits, rice, tortillas, cheese. Really, he's eaten everything I've given him.

5. Jack is ticklish all over, but he has an especially vulnerable spot underneath his chin. (Just like his dad)

6. This boy loves his paci. In fact he has to sleep with 8 of them in his crib. It's funny to wake him up and see one paci in his mouth, and two in his hands. We never leave home without at least 2.

Meet Rocky and Billy

2008-05-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great preschool field trip to the pet store today. They had huge turtles walking around the store, probably a million birds, dogs, reptiles, fish, you name it. Aidan went home with two new pet water frogs. They live in his fish bowl and eat frog food. Aidan named them Rocky and Billy. They're lots of fun.

Mothers

2008-05-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Being a mother is the total inspirational experience. Not only do they greatly influence their children's lives through love, but now through experience, I can say that being a mother has gives spiritual inspiration. I have been greatly blessed to have known many great mothers.

My mother has always been there for me. She has created so many wonderful memories and traditions: her great singing voice, working hard every day but always finding time to be with her children, camping at Willow Flats, shopping for prom dresses, helping with wedding plans, comforting my fears of motherhood, and so much more. And although my teenage years may have been filled with a little rebellion towards parental advice, I never questioned the love she had for me. I am so thankful for the relationship we now share, most importantly for her friendship. Although we live far apart, I always go to her for comfort and guidance. I cherish the time she spends with me and my children. I love her for her thoughtfulness and sensitivity, although we give her a hard time about it sometimes. It defines the reason I loved her through those teenage years, even if I was too proud to say so, and the reason I love her now. Thank you for always being a wonderful example of motherly love.

Growing up, I never knew how great of a mother I had. I thought it was normal to have a hot breakfast everyday and a home-cooked dinner every night. My mother's day would start at 5am and she would always prepare breakfast for us kids. Then, should would start piano lessons at 5:30 and teach well after we had left for school. My mom put up with a lot of the troubles I caused and handled them with relative calm. I say relatively, because there were times when closet doors were pulled off their hinges and thrown about the room I shared with my brother Chris. However, considering where I am in my life now, my mother accomplished the nearly impossible. She was the only person who wrote me every single week while I was on my mission in Brazil. My boys love spending time with her because of her wackiness and excitement. I'm so blessed to have been raised in a loving family with and incredible mother. The only regret that I think my mother has is that her sons didn't take to music like she would have liked them to. I love you mom.

I now have been blessed with the opportunity of being a mother to two wonderful boys. I pray to become the mother they inspire me to be. I hope to teach them about love, sensitivity, and kindness as my mother taught me. I hope to welcome my son's wives as my own daughters, and to be an example to them as Liz is to me. I have wonderful grandmothers, whom I love so very much, and one day I hope to be a grandmother like them. I am so thankful to be a woman, wife, aunt, sister, and MOTHER.

Happy Mother's Day to all the important women in my life.

dirt is definitely for boys

2008-05-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend a huge pile of top soil was delivered for the boxed garden we built this year. I have never seen Aidan more dirty. Last year he was sort of afraid of getting dirty, this year, he's asking to be buried in it. I was a little afraid however when he face planted into the dirt, but once he got the mud out of his teeth he still thought it was the greatest thing ever. What a resilient kid. He kept asking me to play in the dirt with him, so I kindly reminded him dirt was for boys. He did settle for me throwing him on top of the dirt pile, luckily.

Well, 60 wheelbarrow loads later we had it transplanted to the backyard, so I don't think Mike enjoyed it AS much as Aidan. But... thanks to Aidan's jumping and diving skills he was a huge help packing the dirt into the garden.

It was good to be outside working, even if Mike said I was complaining half the time. I'm just thankful for sunshine and spring time. It was crazy to see everyone out doing yard work. Yeah, summer is almost here!

Visit from Athena

2008-05-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

$29 flights? Unbelievable I know, but luckily we had family who could take advantage of it. My younger sister, Athena, and her baby, Dax came to visit us this week. It was nice to have the weather mostly cooperative. We got to take the boys out for a few walks, she learned how to knit, and it wouldn't be a visit without shopping, of course. But mostly, we enjoyed each other's company, getting/giving advice, and enjoying adult conversation during the day.

Fun memories growing up -

- Cabbage Patch dolls and Pound Puppies

- Playing fastpitch softball on the same team

- In high school we had to drive our parents van... truly embarrassing at the time. In fact, so embarrassing that we refused to use the student parking lot. Instead, we parked at the curb on the side of school, under a tree. We figured it was the best way to escape after school and remain undetected. The best part is, if there was a lot of student traffic after school I would slip in through the passenger side door (remember we're hidden under a tree) into the driver's seat, so as to disguise myself, and Athena would slip in after. I'm sure we looked ridiculous.

- Being each others Maids of Honor

- Being pregnant together AND having kids 2 months apart

- Truly confiding in each other

Thank you for coming to visit! We love you and your family, and we missed you Scott. We can't wait to see you all again.

Love you, sis.

RecEnTly REdIscOvEreD SprInKlerS

2008-05-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Aidan's sprinkler phase looks like it

will last another season :)