Ever So Blessed

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this Hallowee. It started off on the 22nd with our wards Trunk-or-Treat. Joss's favorite part was the cake walk, not because she got a cupcake, but because she could jump from spot to spot. She loves to jump.

Next up was the Wilkins' family Halloween party. We all came over to my parents' house for pizza. Then we played games like finding the eyeballs in the spaghetti noodles. (I'm still picking out pieces of noodle from Joss's costume.)We also went trick-or-treating from room to room. The kids LOVED it. They do every year. Its a fun family tradition.

Then we had Halloween itself. This year we went to my sister's neighborhood and went trick-or-treating with them. We had a lot of fun. Joss finally figured it out at the last house and was running down the street for the next house.

Here are our costumes.
I was Cleopatra, Joss was a flapper from the 1920's and Seth was Peter Pan. This was the only picture that I could get of him with his hat on.

Bowl Hats

2011-11-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Seth loves to pull out all of my plastic bowls and tupperware. Its pretty much the only cabinet that he can get into in the kitchen. Its that or the phone books. He much prefers the bowls though.

How cute and innocent he looks in this picture?

Tool Belt

2011-11-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason Joss decided that the box for her crayons just wasn't cutting it anymore. She told me that they were her tools. She is too funny sometimes.

Shoe Fetish

2011-11-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Seth is really into shoes lately. Maybe because he has to wear them now since he is walking. Maybe because we have a huge pile to climb on. Not sure which, but he loves them. He is often found walking around with one or two in his hands.

Faces

2011-11-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Joss was drawing one day. She told me she was drawing faces. I went over to see them and this is what I found. She was trying to draw smiley faces like her daddy. Hers are a little sad though.

Phoenix Children's Museum Field Trip #2

2011-11-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

We had another opportunity to take the kids to the Children's Museum at a discount. We love going there and getting to play.
This was Seth's first time being old enough to play and have fun with all the toys and centers. He thought it was pretty awesome!
And now to the pictures!

Here is Joss and Seth riding in the pencil car.

Seth loved this marble run that used golf balls. He sat and played there for about 15 minutes straight.

This marble run went all around the room and the kids loved watching the balls roll all over the place.

I'm pretty sure this was Joss's favorite this time. She spent a lot of her time scooping up the peas and weighing them. It was very therapeutic.

Here is Seth standing on the grate where the air comes up and blows his hair all over. It took him a while to get on it but he loved it when he finally got on it.

What kid doesn't love legos!?!

Seth pushing the car.

Climbing on the climbing structure. I was so glad that I never had to climb in there are get her.

Stuffing the handkerchiefs in the pipes.

Playing the chimes.

This place is awesome! My kids love going there.

Sleeping

2011-11-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Seth usually only sleeps in his crib but sometimes he just can't stay awake.

Hiding

2011-11-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

Joss is really into hiding all of a sudden. She likes to hide in her closet, beside the couch, behind the pillows, and even in the tv stand.

New Glasses

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

I recently got new glasses. My plan was to get contacts and then a new phttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifair of glasses to wear depending on my mood. That didn't work out so well. :(

My eyes were fine with the contacts until one ripped and I went to get a replacement one. Now if they are in for even 30 minutes my eyes turn red for about three days. It is so sad.

On the plus side though, I did get new glasses that I LOVE!!! I got them from a site that my sister-in-law told me about. Its called zennioptical.com They have tons of frames at really good prices! I got my prescription glass for $15.00 including shipping! And I LOVE them! The only thing to worry about it making sure your script has all the information that they need to make them. Mine did so it was great!

Here is a close up of my glasses. They remind me of butterfly wings/stained glass. I love all the colors and that they are fun, but not totally crazy.

Wilkins' Family Reunion/ Labor Day Weekend

2011-10-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Every year for Labor Day weekend we have the Wilkins' Family Reunion up in Pinedale, AZ. We spend the weekend camping out on my Aunt Nadine's lawn. We always have such a great time there. It's great to get out of the heat for a while and there is always great food and great people to be with.
This was Seth's first long car trip, as well as his first time in his new carseat. We were really nervous about it, but he did great. On the way up he started crying about 15 minutes away from our destination. Not too bad. He and Joss actually ended up sleeping most of the way. The way home wasn't as great, but it wasn't too bad either.
It was also their first time sleeping in a tent. We borrowed a big tent and a pack 'n' play from my parents and the kids did great. Seth had a hard time the first night because he wouldn't stay bundled up and he would get cold. He did much better the following night and Joss did great both nights.

Here is Joss hanging out by the tent.

We had so much fun. There was a swing that was tied to a tree and you could run and swing around. All the kids loved it! Joss needed some help and her daddy loved swinging her high and all around. She would giggle and laugh the whole time.

Here is Raef "hiding" in the grass. He was so sure that no one could see him.

My Aunt and Uncle have chickens that they are raising. Joss loved getting to feed them the left over pancakes.

Sunday afternoon Ben, Danielle, Caleb and Raef took Joss for a ride on the golf cart.

It was during naptime and Patrick and Seth were both asleep on the lawn, so I had no responsibilities for a bit. It was so nice to just relax and read.

Ben brought up his corn hole game. You knew it had to be Ben's because of the gators logo on every piece. Joss and Seth loved putting the bean bags into the holes. Seth loved sitting on the end of it, which increased the difficulty level for Ben. :)

We also had a little family picnic. Seth really enjoyed smearing the strawberries all over his face.

Lastly, Danielle taught Joslyn the joys of blowing dandelions. Joss loved it and I think she found every single one on the property.

We had so much fun on this trip! The kids loved getting to be outdoors and the weather was perfect. We are definitely looking forward to next year!

Oreo mustache

2011-10-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

I gave Joss an Oreo one afternoon and when I looked at her again she had a chocolate mustache.

Happy Birthday Seth!

2011-10-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I have decided that we don't want to have big birthday parties for our kids. At least not until they are older. We just like having it a small family day and with our kids so young they don't care about having parties anyway.

Seth was not too excited about opening his presents. In fact, he kept pushing them off his lap.

So we let Joss open them for him.

We got him a cool little car.

And some new outfits.

Seth shares his birthday with his older cousin Hailey. So I made a cake for both of them to share. The cake really didn't turn out how I wanted it to, but it still tasted good.

One Year Old

2011-10-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Seth was not wanting to get his picture taken so this was the best one that we got of him.

Seth is all boy! He loves to climb and stomp on things. He loves making messes and rough housing. He is all boy, but he is the sweetest little boy. He always comes up and gives me hugs and loves to be snuggled.

At his one year check up the doctor said that he is doing great. He has only gained 2 ounces since his 9 month check up but since that is when he started walking and running they weren't too worried about it. If he still hasn't gained much at fifteen months they will start looking at it more carefully.

I'm not sure how he hasn't gained weight, the kid eats like a horse. He can eat more than Patrick and I at times. He loves pretty much all food except for juicy fruits. In fact, he will throw any melon across the room.

We loves our little Bubba-Seth and are so glad that he has come into our home.

Playing in the Mall

2011-10-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

One day I had an eye doctor's appointment to check how my new contacts are doing. We decided to take the kids down to the mall and let them play while I had my eyes checked. The kids loved the little playground. Seth's favorite part was trying to escape. Joss loved the fire engine and the slides.

Puzzles

2011-10-07T16:49:00.001-07:00

Joss is really good at puzzles. In fact, one of the girls that we have babysit for us told me that Joss is better at the puzzles than she is. She can even put the pieces in when there isn't a piece next to it when there is a grid. She is so smart.

Stickers

2011-10-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

One day I was shopping in the dollar spot at Target and they had a set of stickers. I thought that Joslyn would enjoy them so I got them for her. She loves them! Of course, when I purchased them I thought she would enjoy putting them on paper, but no she likes to stick them to her arm instead.

Exercising

2011-09-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

For a few months now I have been going to our stake's women's fitness class. I'm really enjoying it. It's been really helpful for me because I'm not great at working out on my own. It's also nice to have somewhere to see other adults.
Joss and Seth love to go too. Seth really likes the CD player that we use. I'm always having to run over and pull him away from it. One of Joss's favorite things to do it to grab an extra yoga mat and curl up in it and pretend she is sleeping. She'll even fake snore on occasion. Most of the time they just have fun running around and playing with some of the nursery toys that we bring in for them.
Here is a picture of Joss with the yoga mats.
We've all been enjoying going and its good to know that I am doing something good for myself and the kids like to play and get out of the house every day.

New Glasses

2011-08-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Check out Joslyn's new fashion statement. She loves these glasses that she found in her daddy's car one night.

Two Little Monkeys...

2011-07-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our first little monkey is of course Joslyn. She can hang from pretty much anything. Her upper arm strength amazes me sometimes. I swear she could be the best rock climber out there, if we would let her. She also loves to jump on everything or off of things. She especially loves taking all the cushions off the sofa and bouncing on the springs.
Our Second little monkey is Seth. He has recently learned that he can climb into/onto/ behind/up things. His favorite is the cabinet that we keep all those old phone books in. (Not sure why we don't just throw them out, we never use them.) He loves to climb in there and play, at least until the door gets closed on him and it gets all dark and scary in there. He also loves to climb in our computer desk, of course he can't get himself down though so he just whines until someone comes and rescues him. Here is Seth playing in the cabinet.

I think I need to sing my little monkeys the song about "no more monkeys jumping on the bed!" I would hate to have to call the doctor.

Painted Pretty

2011-07-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Joss had really gotten into having her nails painted. She loves it. She shows everyone her pretty nails. It's pretty funny because after a few days her finger nail polish is all but gone so people get kinds confused since they can't see the color on her nails.
Yes, he finger nails are blue! They are so cute on her. It's so much fun having a girly girl. Maybe someday soon she will let me do something cute with her hair. :)

11 Months!

2011-07-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Wow! This little guy is already 11 months old.

He is into EVERYTHING now. He can even climb onto our couch.
He loves to play with our cabinet doors. He used to climb into them, but one day the door closed on him and he got scared because it was dark and he didn't know how to get out.
He has started walking. He isn't great at it, but he is getting better everyday. Patrick and I think he is just to impatient to try and catch his balance. He just wants to GO!
He also loves the buttons on the tv, his dad's alarm clock and whatever he can reach of the computer.

He loves to eat. Except melon. It is pretty much the only thing that he will not eat. Whenever I give it to him he leaves it on his plate. If I put it in his mouth for him, he gives me a look like "this is the worst thing ever" and pulls it out and throws in on the floor. I am thinking its a texture thing because how can you not like watermelon?
He also has his first tooth. He was such a crabby boy for it too. My happy boy was gone and this monster came to live with us for a few days. I sure hope that he isn't like that for every tooth.
He also loves to sit like this. He will sit and play like that for a really long time. That is just how he is comfortable I guess.

I can't believe that it is already time to start thinking about what to do for his birthday! What happened to my little baby?

Our Little Helper

2011-07-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

The other day Patrick and I took the kids to buy some replacement blinds for the ones that they have torn down. As soon as we put them in the cart, Seth reached up and would not let go of them. We figured that he just wanted to make sure they were safe. :)

Scrunchy Smile

2011-07-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

For some reason both of my kids develop a scrunchy smile. The wrinkle there noses up and smile really big. I think that its adorable. Here is Seth with his scrunchy smile.

Addict

2011-07-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Joss is a total technology addict. She always begging us to let her use them. She loves to use the coloring pages especially. She pretty much just colors everything on the page the same color and even though there are a ton of colors to choose from she always picks the same light aqua color. She also really loves to read books on the ipad with her daddy. Pretty soon we are gonna set up a time to Skype with Aunt Kristi. Joss loves to Skype her daddy at work. She giggles the whole time and waves and blows kisses.
This picture makes me laugh because her crazy nap hair makes it look like she has been up all night trying to beat the last level on some game. :)

McNinja Cake

2011-07-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily and I threw a baby shower for my sister Kristi. The theme for her nursery is ninjas because they have nicknamed their baby "McNinja">
Here is the cake I made for the shower. Really easy to make but dyeing the fondant about killed my arms. :)

Fourth of July

2011-07-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Since Joss wasn't too fond of the fireworks and since the weather here was WAY TOO HOT for us, we decided to forgo going out in the crowds to see the fireworks for the Fourth of July. Instead we stayed home and watched them via youtube. :)
We tried to watch "A Capital Fourth" but it wouldn't come in for us until the second we put Joss in her crib. Oh well.

We had fun together and I made some delicious chocolate covered frozen bananas. They even had Heath crumbles on them. Joss loved them, but wouldn't eat the banana part. So much for a not so bad for you treat.

So it was a pretty mellow laid back holiday for us, but we enjoyed it together as a family. :)

July Fourth Outfits

2011-07-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do something fun with Joss for the Fourth of July, so I bought us some cheap white fabric and some red and blue fabric paint. Well the label said it was red, it ended up more pink than red. Anyway I watered down the paint a little and let Joss paint the fabric. I helped a little and she had so much fun doing it. She loved showing her dad the pretty fabric we made.
After the fabric dried I cut it out and sewed Joss a cute little skirt and designed some overalls for Seth. I think they turned out pretty cute, if I were to make them again I would do a lot of things differently, but without instructions or pattern and for a one day outfit it will work.

Deer Valley Pre-4th Firework Show

2011-06-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the park near my parent's house did a firework show to celebrate the 4th of July. We decided to go as a family. Joss had a lot of fun until the set off the first firework. We were REALLY close, like having the casings fall on you close and she was scared because it was loud. She ran over to me and told me she wanted to go home. I tried to get her to look at them but she wouldn't. She whined on my shoulder for a few minutes and then fell asleep. The rest of us enjoyed them.
Rachel playing around before the show

Josh playing in the grass

Joslyn keeping hydrated

Hailey, Adam, Coleton and Kade playing on the fitness equipment

Seth and his new toy. He loves water bottles.

Joss

Laying around waiting for the show to start.

The fireworks

Siblings

2011-06-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

Whenever I try to get a picture of Seth, Joss runs over and tries to get in the picture too. Here is a cute picture I got of them when I was trying to take Seth's 10 month photo.

Joslyn

2011-06-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

Joslyn is growing up so fast. She has become very bossy. She is always telling other kids what not to do. She is also quite the bully at times. If someone isn't doing what she wants them to do she will push them. She is always pushing poor Seth over. Luckily, most of the time he doesn't care and goes on playing with his toys.
Joslyn has started talking up a storm. Everyday she is using new words. I just wish she would use "please" a little more. She is really good about saying "thank you" though.
Joss loves to climb/hang from things. We call her our little monkey. She is always hanging from one thing or another. She is really strong. I am actually really surprised, but happy that she hasn't tried to climb out of her crib yet. She knows how to climb into it, just not out of it.
Joss also loves to color. She especially loves when her daddy lets her color pictures on his phone.
She has also started wanting me to put bows in her hair and she will usually keep them in for a while too. They usually just fall out on their own from all her climbing and jumping around. I do wish her hair was longer and fuller so I could do some fun stuff with it. but that will come.
I can't believe my little baby has become a little girl. She will be three before I know it.

Ten Months

2011-06-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Seth is ten months old now! He is such a sweetheart. He has developed a scrunchy-faced smile that just melts my heart. He has also learned how to stand without holding on to anything for support and it won't be long before he is walking and running around. He still has no teeth but they will be coming soon. He loves balls and books. He will play with them all day. He is such a great eater. We have only come across one thing that he doesn't like and that is melon. He has gotten better about eating it lately, but its still not his favorite and will often be left sitting on his tray. We love this little guy!

Colonel Mustard

2011-06-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

My dad loves dutch oven cooking. He has a group of friends that get together regularly and cook together. He also competes in dutch oven cooking competitions.
In this circle of dutch oven friends he is known as Colonel Mustard. He got this nickname when he accidentally added 2 CUPS of mustard to a recipe that only called for 2 Tablespoons. Big difference there.
For Father's Day I decided to make him this apron to wear at his dutch oven gatherings.

Sweaty Boy

2011-06-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is how Seth woke up one afternoon from his nap.

Flutter-Joss

2011-06-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Joslyn's favorite after-bath activity is being "Flutter-Joss". She puts her towel on her head grabs the corners and runs around flapping her "wings". She especially loves it when he join her. She runs around giggling and Seth usually chases her trying to grab onto her towel.

Flapping her wings.

Scooter Girl

2011-06-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Joss loves to ride scooters. She is not very good at it. She can't seem to get it. She just keeps her weight in the foot that is on the ground and rolls away leaving that leg behind. She has a ton of fun on them though. Here she is riding at my parent's house.

Also that night she decided to sit in the dirt and pour it all over her head. I was trying to get a picture of just how dirty she was. She has a nice little dirt mustache.

Pool Time

2011-06-27T16:24:00.001-07:00

I decided to get the kids a little pool this summer to help keep us cool in the heat and to entertain us a little this summer. We have had a lot of fun with it. One morning we were watching my niece Rachel and we had her bring her suit so we could have fun in the pool.

Dominoes

2011-06-27T11:15:00.001-07:00

The other night we were hanging out at my parent's house after dinner and Joss got out the dominoes. Pretty soon Patrick came over to show her how fun it is to line them up and knock them done. Joslyn was pretty good at setting them up she just needs to work on getting them closer together. She was even really good at waiting patiently for daddy to finish setting them up before she would knock them down.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

2011-06-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend my sister invited us over to her house for swimming and playing on a big inflatable waterslide. It was lots of fun Joss loved the water slide even if she was nervous about going down the first time.
Here is Joss in her new swimsuit all ready to leave to go swimming. Isn't her hair cute. She actually let me do it that day and then took it out in the car. :( At least I have a picture.

Here is Joss going down the water slide.
Kade and Coleton

Even Seth went down the slide. He wasn't so sure about it though.

Hair Donating

2011-06-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been growing my hair out since right before I had Seth. At first I just wanted to see if I liked my hair long, which I don't, and then it was trying to decide how to cut it and by that time it had almost been a year and I pretty much had enough to donate my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths Program. This is a program that creates wigs using donated hair for women who have lost their hair while fighting cancer. I thought as long as I was going to cut off my hair I might as well do some good with it. So Saturday May 28th, I went and cut off 8 inches of http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhair and it felt great!
Here is my before picture. Lots of hair.

Here is my after picture. A cute little bob.

Here is my ponytail ready for donating.

I am so glad that I was able to help someone that is going through a very hard time in their lives. I hope that my hair will be able to help them to cope with their trials.

A Trip to the Park

2011-06-26T20:04:00.001-07:00

On the 9th of June, Patrick was home from work that afternoon so we decided to head to the park and enjoy the nice weather. It was a little warm, but not the 115 degrees it would be soon. We just went up to the city park near our house and played on the playground and then the splash pad. The kids had a blast!
Here is Joss on the slide. She LOVES slides. She will play on them all day long.

Seth on the swing. He loved the swings. He giggled the whole time.

Seth and Joslyn riding the zebra and the sea horse. Joss loved it, Seth wasn't a huge fan.

Seth going down the slide with an assist from daddy.

Joss on this twirly seat, which she loved and got super dizzy riding.

Joss trying to climb up to the slide. She got too scared and climbed back down, went around to the other side and used the stairs.

After playing on the playground for a while, we were pretty warm. Poor Joss is just like me and turns bright red when we get hot. Since we were all a little warm we took the kids to the splash pad and let them play in the water to cool down. Joss hadn't been to one since last year so she was pretty excited. Seth was very interested but very cautious.

The kids were soaked by the end of it, but they were very happy. We all had lots of fun playing together at the park.

Grapes

2011-06-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Joss loves grapes so we get them at our house pretty regularly. She does however get bored with having them and then will refuse to eat them. So then I wait a few weeks and then we get them again. One day I got her a bowl of grapes and when I went to put her bowl in the sink this is what I found.

A bowl full of grapes, each with one bite out of them.

Hanging Around

2011-06-26T19:43:00.001-07:00

Seth loves to arch his back and look behind him. I'm pretty sure that if he tried he could touch his head to his bum. He has always done this. Its really scary/annoying when you are holding him and he dives his head back. We always had to warn people that wanted to hold him because if you weren't prepared for it you could easily drop him.
He has learned that he can hang from things now. He loves to hold on to the bar under his high chair and hang out there. This is the only picture I have of him doing it and it isn't good, but you can see him hanging out.

9 months old

2011-06-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Seth turned 9 months old back in May. I'm really behind in my blogging. I have just been lacking the motivation. Sorry. I am going to try and get caught up in the next little while, so prepare for lots of posts about my cute little kids.
Anyway, Seth also had a doctor's visit. He weighed 18 lbs (19th percentile) and was 28 1/4 inches long (38th percentile). The doctor says he looks great and is developing right on schedule. Always a relief to hear.
Seth loves to play/annoy Joss. He wants to do everything that she is doing which bothers her to no end. One of their favorite games involves Joss running away dragging a blanket behind her and Seth crawls and tries to catch her. They love this game and giggle the whole time they play.
He also loves to play in Joss's room. Mainly, he likes to knock over her fan, but he also loves her toys. He whines whenever the door is closed and he can't get in to her room.
He is a sweet little boy and I love cuddling with him. He has finally started sleeping through the night. It just took a few nights of letting him cry it out. Which was hard but worth it in the end.
We love having Seth in our home he is such a wonderful baby.

Watching TV

2011-06-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Lately, whenever Joss watches TV she likes to get into funny positions. Sometimes its just taking all the cushions off the couch and sitting/jumping on the couch. Sometimes its climbing up on top of them all. Sometimes its hanging her head off the front of the couch and other times she sits on the arm instead. Its always fun to see how she will end up each time.

April FHE

2011-04-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

This month for the family FHE we went to the Clark's house and had breakfast burritos, an Easter egg hunt, and a lesson on the Savior's sacrifice and resurrection.
Here are some pictures from the hunt and playing on the playground afterward. I think the kids had a lot of fun.

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year. Here are the kids new Easter outfits.
I made Joss's dress using this tutorial. And Seth's using this tutorial.

Hope you had a great Easter and that you remembered the true reason we celebrate that our Savior lives!

Anniversary/Honeymoon Trip

2011-04-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I had planned on taking a honeymoon trip a few months after we got married. It would be summer and we wouldn't have school to worry about. I ruined that plan though. I get morning sickness and didn't much feel like going on a trip and we just never did go away.
So for our third anniversary we decided to go away, just the two of us. Thanks to my mom who watched the kids for us we finally got to go on our honeymoon.
We went up to Greer, AZ. It was so pretty and the weather was gorgeous. We stayed at the Greer Lodge. They have free mountain bikes, telescopes, flying fishing poles, board games, hiking trails, lawn games, DVD rentals and later in the season they rent kayaks. They even give free fly fishing and kayaking lessons.
We had a great time up there and hope to be able to get away just the two of us each year.
Here is the lake near were we stayed. They have fishing ponds by every cabin but there are lakes just a few minutes up the road.

Outside the main lodge and restaurant they have a few really big ponds and the ducks love to hang out there. Probably because people feed them. They were fun to watch while we were eating breakfast.

This is a picture of us waiting for our delicious breakfast to come. I ordered the Greer Lodge French Toast and it was really yummy. It was crusted in almonds and frosted flakes and served with strawberries.

And Patrick was so sweet that he got me these flowers when we got home for our actual anniversary. They are so pretty.

Crown?

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

The other day Joss found my cake decorating tips. She would put them on her head and say crown. It was pretty cute, even if I'm biased.

Every Once In a While...

2011-04-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Joss actually shows that she loves her little brother.

Aren't they cute together?

Eight Months Old

2011-04-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Seth is eight months old now. He has been pretty crabby the last few days and is really only happy when he is being held or when he can sneak away and get into Joss's room to play with her toys. I think he is teething pretty hard.
He also LOVES the bath. If he is anywhere near the bathroom he gets really excited and he will try to climb in the tub if he is standing by it.
He is a lot more adventurous these days. He is into everything and crawls everywhere. He was Joss have been playing together at times, which really consists of Joss running past him in the hallway or tunnel as Joss calls it. They giggle had have a great time with that game.
He is such a happy little boy and we are so happy that he is here in our home. What would we do without him?

Sunday Best

2011-04-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a cold spell. This meant that Seth could wear some of the outfits that he wasn't big enough for during the winter. Yay! He looked really cute in his sweater vest for church this week.

Joss also had a new dress to wear to church this week. I saw this idea on Ucreate. Its called the "Business in the Front, Party in the Back" dress.
Here is the front of the dress, or the business side. :)Very sweet and simple.

And here is the party! I just love the ruffles!

Here is the tutorial if you want to make one for your cutie. It was actually really easy because you don't really have to finish any of the edges. And since you use old T-shirts its really inexpensive too!

Warp Speed

2011-04-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Seth decided that last weekend was the perfect time to mark off some pretty big milestones. Three to be exact.
First up. He finally learned to sit up on his own. He has been working on this one for a while now and just couldn't get it. I think his bottom was a little too round to sit on, but he finally did it! Way to go Seth!

Next up, crawling! He is pretty slow but he is pretty fast when he wants to be. Sometimes I look away and when next thing I know he is down the hall. He is definitely into everything now.

And lastly, he learned to pull himself to a standing position. He is still pretty wobbly with this one, but his favorite thing to do is climb up on everything. It won't be long before he is cruising around all the furniture. Also ignore the fact that his blanket is pink. He had to borrow one from his sister because he had an accident during naptime.

I still can't believe that he did all this in just one weekend, but he did. He is just growing up too dang fast!

7months old

2011-04-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

It really doesn't seem like my little guy is 7 months old already, but he is. And since I'm writing this late he's almost 8 months old now.
He is such a happy little guy. I love his little giggles. He is my little Pillsbury Dough boy. Not in the sense that he is fat, because he is still as skinny as ever. But if I poke him in the tummy he will usually give me a little giggle.
He is learning so much. One of his favorite things to do is find cups that Joss has left down where he can get them. He thinks they are the coolest things in the world.
He also loves his big sister, but you would think that he had it out for her if you were to talk to her. He is just so interested in everything that she is doing. She of course yells if he even looks in her direction. I really miss the days when she just wanted to hold him and give him hugs. Hopefully as they get older they will be able to play together more.
With that said, here are some pictures of my little cutie.

Wildlife World Zoo Field Trip

2011-04-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

A friend from church teaches preschool and always invites us to go with them on the field trips. They are such a great price that you can't so no to them! So we decided to head to the zoo with them. Unfortunately, Seth woke up sick the day before and Patrick had to stay home with him, but Joss and I had lots of fun.
The whole time Joss was in her stroller she would play hide and seek with the sun shade. She would laugh so hard.

Here she is with her bottle of water. She loves water bottles and when this one rolled under the SUV next to us, I got to climb under it and get it. The things we do to not have to listen to our children scream from the back seat of the car. Also, she was really lucky it wasn't hotter because if it had been summer it would not have done that.

Joss did pretty well with being in the stroller, but toward the end she wanted to get out and walk on her own. It happened to work out really well since at about the same time my neice Rachel gave up on walking altogether and decided to just sit in the dirt and cry. Joss was really nice and let her ride in the stroller while she pushed her around.

Of course, we had to go and see the giraffes! They are my favorite animal. Joss wanted nothing to do with them. I mean nothing. She clunge to me for dear life and refused to even look at them let alone touch them.

Here are the girls looking at some of the snakes.

These monkeys were insanely loud and active. They were swinging all around their cage screaching. The kids LOVED it!

I didn't get a picture of this but while we were wandering around we heard a familiar voice say, "Hey Joss. Hey Rachel." It was my nephew Caleb who also happened to be at the zoo on a field trip. Such a small world. :)

Grandma Hansom

2011-04-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

My grandmother passed away on March 14th. She was 98 years old and had lived a good long life. She was surrounded by family that loved her very much the night before she passed and I hope that it was a comfort to her.
She had 6 children, 31 grandchildren; 95 great-grandchildren and 24 great-great-grandchildren. She loved her family and they were so important to her. She always wanted to hold her new babies. Even though her arm strength wasn't enough for her to craddle them in her arms she would have you lay them in her lap so she could be near them and see their faces.
As I think back on your relationship, I realize how very lucky I was to be able to spend time with her. I always enjoyed our little chats. Most of the time you could just get her started on a subject and she would tell you story after story. It was great! I loved hearing about her life and what it was like to live through so many historic times. I will miss being able to talk with her.
My junior year in high school we had to do an interview with someone that had experienced an important event in American history. I immediately thought of my grandmother and how she lived through so much. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to sit down with her and ask her questions about WWII and how she and grandpa were able to make ends meet for their family.
She was such a great woman and I am grateful to know that she is able to be with the other members of her family right now.
The whole week leading up to her funeral I kept thinking that it was going to be so hard, and that I would just be crying the whole time, and while there were a few times that I got a little teary-eyed, for the most part, I was happy. I was happy that she was back with grandpa. I was happy that she wasn't in pain anymore. I was happy to have had the time that I did have with her. I was happy to know that I will see her again.

Here is the picture that they used in her obituary. She looks so happy to me and that is how I will remember her.

This is the picture we took with my grandma after I was sealed to Patrick. I was so happy to see her sitting in our sealing room that day. I always hoped that she would live long enough to be able to be there. I knew it was a sacrifice for her to make it there and that she was probably uncomfortable but it meant so much knowing that she was there.

I love her and I hope that I can be like her. Maybe I'll have to start putting orange peels or a slice of bread in with my cookies to keep them soft like she would. :)

Washing Cars With Uncle Ben

2011-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

One day while we where visiting with my sister who was visiting from Hawaii, my brother came over and decided to wash his car. He was nice enough to invite Joss to come and help him. So she was stripped down to her diaper and they went to work.

It didn't take long for her to get bored though. She decided to fill her time by lining up all the stones from grandma's garden.

Once she had done that she found a bucket and decided to fill it with dirt. Luckily, grandma's garden was in between planting and Joss didn't ruin any of grandma's pretty flowers.

My Little Helper

2011-04-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Joss loves to play with playdoh. What kid doesn't? Well, when I am rolling out fondant to decorate cakes, she thinks that its playdoh and wants to play too. I usually give her some scraps and a cookie cutter and she is happy as a clam. Well, here is a picture of what she looks like afterward. That is cornstarch all over her face and the look, well that is just classic Joss.

Coleton's Birthday Cake

2011-03-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

My brother asked me to make his son a special cake for his birthday. He told me that he wanted it to have a car theme. When I saw this idea on www.cakejournal.com, I decided that I was going to try to make a similar one. And lucky for me, the site has a tutorial on how to make the cars!
Here is how it turned out.

I thought it was really cute. Coleton loved it and that is what counts, a happy birthday boy!

Repetition

2011-03-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

I love how when kids learn a new skill they do it over and over and over again until they perfect it.
I'm guessing that is what Joss is doing here.

That or she is working on a new Pointillism art piece. Maybe I'll have to hold it really far away...

Double Stroller

2011-03-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

The other day I got the stroller out to go for a walk. I put Seth in and he enjoyed it.

Well, Joss apparently wanted to come too, because when I turned around this is where I found her.

Who needs a double stroller? :)

Mardi Gras

2011-03-12T14:34:00.001-08:00

Seth is all ready for New Orleans.

Seth loves these beads. Whenever he sees them he is there in a blink of an eye. And of course Joss hates it.

Seth Gets a Haircut

2011-03-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you have noticed in his recent pictures, Seth's hair was in serious need of some help. The hair on top was crazy long and everywhere, while the hair on the sides and back are starting to grow back in. So, I decided that something needed to be done. So last night, Patrick and I gave our little guy a little trim.
Here he is before, completely unaware of how silly his hair looks and totally happy. By the way, this was a good hair day for him.

And here he is after. Much better. Though the picture isn't great, he wouldn't stop moving and this one was our best one.

His hair has turned blonde, though not quite as light as his sisters. All that dark hair he was born with is gone now and he looks so different to me with his short hair.

Seth's New High Chair

2011-03-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

We never got Joss a high chair. She was always small enough to sit in the bumbo that we were borrowing. It had a little snack tray, so we just used that. It even later became a little booster seat for her.
When we were done using it we gave it back and didn't have one with Seth. So, we went and bought him a high chair.
Here he is sitting in it for the first time. He thought he was hot stuff getting to sit at the table.

Our doctor encouraged us to hold off on solid foods until he was six months old and then to just skip baby foods completely and start giving him soft solid foods. So instead of his first food being messy rice cereal. He had some banana pieces and some cereal puffs. Which is still pretty messy. :)He is getting pretty good at eating now. He isn't gagging as much and he seems to be getting more foods into his mouth.
Here he is eating some applesauce. He loved the applesauce.

He also loves pizza crust and frosting. It is so much fun to see his reactions to different foods. He is also a LOT messier than Joss. Which I was expecting. Joss was a very clean eater for the most part. Seth is just so cute sitting up in his high chair. I love it!

Our Curly-Haired Cutie

2011-03-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

My hair is stick straight and I have always wanted to have some curl or wave to it. So I was so happy when Joss's hair came in with some curls! I love them so much. I swoon when I see them. I'm sure that when she grows up she will hate them like almost every girl with curly hair that I know, but I will always love them.

Seth is Mobile

2011-03-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

For the past two weeks Seth has been moving all over the place. He is getting pretty good about getting to what he wants. His favorite things are fruit snack wrappers, Joss's necklaces, any sort of paper, and towers that I build. He also pretty much just wants to play with whatever Joss is playing with. He is often grabbing at her toys and she has to fight him for them. I keep telling her that she has to keep them off the ground if she doesn't want him to get to them. He is now a lot better at it than this video shows. It won't be long before he is crawling around.

Joss and Her Letters

2011-02-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

For Joss's first birthday she got a package of foam letters and numbers for the bath. She loves them. She plays with them all day now. One of her favorite things to do is quiz me on them. She holds them up and asks me what letter it is. Consequently, she is getting pretty good at naming them herself. She already know R, Q, S, P, O, Z, Y and B. She is able to identify a few others on occasion, but not every time.

Six Months

2011-02-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

Seth is six months as of yesterday. That boy is growing up so fast! He is the best little baby. He is always smiley and happy. He is so adorable and has brought our family such joy.
He is getting into everything these days. He is creeping now and he just creeps around the room playing with whatever Joss has left behind. You also can't hold him and something else at the same time without him trying to rip it out of your hands. I can't tell you how many times I've almost had a glass of water dumped all over because of him.
He absolutely adores his big sister. He will watch her play for hours. He also loves to try and take her toys, which upsets her to no end. Luckily, she is still nice about it. She even gives him a different toy to play with when she takes one away from him.
He is also getting up on all fours and rocking front to back. I don't think it will be too long before he starts crawling. But a mommy can hope.
Here are some pictures I took of him this morning. He is such a good model. Always happy. :)

Happy Birthday Patrick!

2011-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Patrick's birthday. We had a last minute change to or plans because our babysitter, my mom, needed to be with my grandmother while she had surgery on her hip. She fell and broke it Wednesday morning. The surgery went well and she is recovering now.
Anyway, Patrick spent his morning working on his lab report for school. He was going to stay up the night before to get it all done, but since our plans changed he decided to go to sleep instead.
Once he finished his report it was time for him to head to school. While he was gone Joss and I made him a birthday card.

I'm thinking Joss may have some pent up anger or something toward Patrick since she crossed out the words "happy" and both of the "loves". Not sure though. ;)
Luckily, Patrick's lab was really short today so he got home an hour earlier than usual! When he got home he got to open his present. Joss got him a bottle of his favorite soda, Manzanita Sol. It's an apple flavored soda that Patrick loves! Seth got him a package of Mars bars. Another of Patrick's favorites. I got him an IOU for an FM transmitter for his phone. I tried to find it and everywhere I went didn't have then but I found a place that did so that night after dinner we were going to go get it.
After opening presents we went to dinner at Red Robin. It was very delicous. We even got an extra big birthday sundae because they ran out of sundae cups. There were several other birthdays that night too.
Before dinner, I told Patrick that if he wanted the PS3 move instead of the fm transmitter, we could get that instead. So he decided that that was what he wanted to do. So after dinner, we headed to the store to buy him one.
For Patrick's birthday cake I made cake balls decorated like his favorite video game on his phone, Angry Birds. They didn't come out as well as I had hoped, but I'm still happy with them and they taste delicious!

I like how the red bird looks like its eye is bulging out. Makes me laugh.
Here he is with the "bomb bird" getting ready to blow out his candle.

After cake, we hooked up his present and played some games. It was a lot of fun.

Patrick really enjoyed getting to play his video games. He spends a lot of his time at home sleeping or doing homework so it was nice to play.
All in all he said he had a great birthday. I'm glad that he was happy with everything.

Valentine's Outfits

2011-02-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

For the kids Valentine's outfits I took an old shirt of mine and re-purposed it in a dress for Joss and a tie for Seth. I think they turned out really cute.

Joss was not a very good model today. She just wanted to jump around and play with her new princess pencil.

Seth on the other hand was perfect, if not a little too sleepy. We had to wake him up from his nap to go to church and we tried to snap these pictures before we left.

You remember how Joss used to love holding her little brother and always wanted to help me with him. Yeah, not so much anymore. Now, she wants nothing to do with him. She wouldn't even sit next to him for a few seconds to take these pictures. This was the best one I could get. All the others she is sliding off the chair to get away from Seth.

Valentine's Breakfast

2011-02-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Since Patrick leaves for work early, I decided to make our Valentine's breakfast on Sunday. I made heart shaped pancakes.

Joss loved them. Heart and star are the two shapes that she knows and anytime she sees one she points it out and gets excited. She even ate all of her breakfast and some of Patrick's she really liked them I guess.

Up in the Air

2011-02-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

Seth always seems to be sitting with one leg up in the air and it just stays there for a long while. We aren't sure why, but it is almost always up like that. Its almost like he is looking for a high-five with his foot. :)

Romantic Dinner For Two

2011-02-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

Since Patrick has school tonight, we celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday. We celebrated by having a fancy dinner at home. I made a four course dinner and set the table up all romantic. So after the kids went to bed we had a nice dinner just the two of us. It was really nice. Here is the table all dressed up.

Dinner was very yummy too. Our menu included an appetizer of Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip. Which was SUPER delicious! We then had a Caesar salad, and our main dish was Lemon-Herb Zucchini Fettuccine, which was also delicious. For dessert, we had store bought molten lava cakes, which were the perfect ending. Mmmm... I love special dates with my main man.

Crazy Hair

2011-02-14T09:31:00.001-08:00

Babies with hair are fun! The wake up from their naps with all sorts of crazy hairstyles. Here is Seth's latest.

His hair is definitely lightening up. He is going to be a blond like Joss. Its also starting to come back in in the back.

Joss's hair is also starting to thicken up and come in! Yippee! The other day I put it in cute little pigtails, but by the time we got to the party we were going to she had pulled one out and I couldn't find the hairtie.
So her hair was all crazy the rest of the day. I guess she just wanted to show off how long its getting.
Maybe someday soon, he and Joss can have their first haircuts!

Exersaucer

2011-02-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Since Seth loves to stand now, we got out the exersaucer for him to play on. Joss also loves for sit in it. She can often be found squeezing in and out of it. She sit in it to watch her shows or to play with her cards. She just loves it. Of course she is a little big for it so it's a little short.

But she doesn't mind. She still loves it.

The Plague

2011-02-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Here in Arizona there is some sort of plague going around. Pretty much everyone I know has been affected by it and it is miserable. We were not spared at our house. Last week Joss, Seth and I all were sick. Joss was lucky and she seemed to get a mild case of it and was all better in just a few days. I think its because of the flu shot we got her. Seth and I were not as lucky. We were both miserable for several days. All Seth did was sleep. He would wake up, eat about an ounce of formula maybe two for a good feeding and ten minutes later he would be falling asleep again. It was so sad.
Here is a picture of the sad little guy.

Makes your heart ache doesn't it. :( Trust me it was much sadder in person, especially when you could hear his horrible cough. Patrick called it his "angry birds" cough. Luckily, a few days later, he was back to smiling and laughing.

He still has his cough, but he is definitely feeling and eating better. He is still having a hard time sleeping though. I think its because of his congestion making it hard to breathe, but he is getting better slowly, but surely.

Want

2011-01-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

Joss has learned a new word. That word is "want". She now no longer tells us what it is that she wants, she just says, "want" and we have to figure out what it is that she is talking about. It's not so fun when I have absolutely no clue what she is asking for and she is just getting more and more frustrated, but still only saying "want".

But on a more positive note, Joss now takes all her dirty dished (and mine) and takes them and puts them on the counter by the sink. She is so helpful sometimes.

5 Months

2011-01-24T16:32:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it?!?! Seth is 5 months already! Time sure has passed quickly. Seth is the happiest little boy. As long as he isn't tired or hungry he will give you the biggest smiles in the world. Such a cutie! He loves to play and grab at anything and everything. He especially loves hair and he doesn't let go! You literally have to pry his little fists open to get your hair back from him. But he is still the sweetest little guy. I love him so much!!!
Seth still isn't sleeping through the night. He wakes up often just wanting his pacifier. It makes me very frustrated some nights, but then he will give me huge grin and I can't stay mad.
His hair is also getting lighter and lighter and thinner around the back and sides. He pretty much just has what is on top. It looks like a hair piece most of the time.

Well Checks

2011-01-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last week both Seth and Joslyn went in for their well checks. Joss for her 2 year and Seth for his 4 months a little late (he will be 5 months tomorrow).

Both kids are doing great and developing well. Here are their stats.

Joslyn:
Height-34 inches- 56%
Weight- 23.8 lbs- 11%

Seth:
Height- 25 3/4 inches- 60%
Weight- 12.13 lbs- 4%

Seth has dropped in his weight curve, but they aren't too concerned about that since Joss was/is so small. If he drops again, then they will be concerned but I don't think that will happen. They also recommended that we hold off on solid foods until he is 6 months and then bypass baby food entirely and start him right on table food.

Both kids got shots that day too. Joss was such a trooper. She didn't even cry. Seth on the other hand started to scream while the nurse was prepping his legs with rubbing alcohol, but quickly stopped when I picked him up off the table. I actually think he was more upset that I put him down than from the shots.

I am so thankful to have kids that are healthy and happy. It really is such a blessing.

Playing Together

2011-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Joss loves watching videos on Patrick's phone. Here she and Seth were watching it together.

Daddy's Girl

2011-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Joss is a total daddy's girl! She loves to play with him and just snuggle up with him on the couch. Whenever Joss hears the garage door open she runs to see him. And in case you couldn't tell, Patrick loves her just as much. I love watching and listening to these two play. It is so sweet.

Quick Tip

2011-01-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

So, this isn't the normal thing that I put on my blog, but when I read this I was so excited about it and I knew that others of you would be excited about it as well. I got this tip from one of my favorite food blogs, www.ourbestbites.com. I seriously have loved every recipe that I have made from their website and I really, REALLY want their recipe book that is coming out soon. That is mainly a hint for Patrick since my birthday is coming up soon. :)So here is the tip!

"Halving an Egg

This is a great little tip to know. If you've ever cut down a recipe to re-size it, you're often limited by the egg factor because you can't very easily use 1/2 and egg, right? Wrong! If you need half and egg, just crack your egg and whisk it well with a fork. The standard measurement for the average large egg is 2 Tbs so just measure out 1 Tablespoon of the whisked egg and you've got yourself half an egg."

Joslyn Turns Two!

2011-01-10T14:47:00.003-08:00

I still can't believe my girl girl is 2 years old already. Time sure flies fast! She is a very healthy and happy little girl. Each day I am amazed at how much she is learning and all the new words she is using. Its wonderful!

To celebrate Joslyn's birthday I made her a special cake on Sunday to celebrate at my parents' house. It was topped with Tausha from Backyardigan's. That is Joss's favorite character. She loved her cake and I was very happy that she did.

For her actual birthday I made strawberries and cream cupcakes. They were so yummy! Joss did get one candle blown out, but couldn't quite get the second one out. As you can see she loved her cupcake. Even if she only ate a little bit of the frosting.

Here she is opening presents. We got her a Dora the Explorer Van and a shape sorter. She loves both.

And here is the best picture I could get of her wearing her new birthday outfit.

New Year's

2011-01-10T14:47:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to just stay home for New Year's Eve. We put both kids to bed and played board games and watched some TV. It was really nice to have it just be the two of us this year.
To celebrate, I made cowboy caviar to get our lucky black eyed peas into our celebration.
I also bought sparkling apple cider and made a special cake. I decided that I wanted to make a special cake for Joslyn's birthday so I thought New Year's would be good practice. It was just white, but I was okay with that. :) Luckily, I set my alarm to go off at 11:55pm so we didn't miss midnight. We both fell asleep. We did make it to 11:30 though. :)

Time Off

2011-01-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

We were so happy to be able to have Patrick home from the 24th of December to the 3rd of January. It was so great. We went to the park, played at home, got some projects finished around the house, went to the Children's Museum, to see the temple lights, and basically just had a ton of fun having him around.

We had originally planned on going to the zoo this week but the weather didn't cooperate with us. That week it rained/snowed
Here are some pictures from our trip to the Children's Museum.

Laundry

2011-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

One of Joslyn's new favorite things to do is to unfold and refold Seth's burp cloths. She is getting pretty good at it and she folds them just like I do. Folding them in thirds long ways then in half. Hopefully she keeps this up, because I hate to fold laundry and would love a helper. :)

Wilkins' Family Christmas Party

2010-12-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

This year we all went over to Scott and Katie's house. We had a short lesson and lots of yummy treats to eat. The kids got to open their gifts from their cousins. Thanks to Amanda for taking these pictures, and posting them on her blog so I could steal them. :)
Seth got a Bathket ball set from Coleton

Joss got a crown and some hot wheels from Rachel.

My parents also brought their gifts for the grandkids. They gave Joss a Dora doll and Seth got a stacking cups set. Joss has loved playing with all of these toys.

Temple Lights

2010-12-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

Joss loves seeing all the Christmas lights. Its one of her favorite things to do right now. She is going to be pretty sad when there aren't anymore lights on the houses.
Well, each year the Mesa Temple puts up thousands of lights in the gardens. It is really pretty. We wanted to take Joss this year, but as it got closer to Christmas we wanted to avoid the crowds so we waited until after Christmas. It was still busy but nothing like it would have been the week before Christmas!
Unfortunately, my camera was acting up and all my pictures were coming up blurry. Messing with it as best as I could holding a baby in my arms, I still couldn't figure it out. So, with that said here are the best or the worst pictures from last night.

Christmas Clothes

2010-12-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Every year for Christmas, Santa brings a new pair of pajamas for each of us and a new outfit for each of the kids. Here are the kids sporting their new outfits. And yes, that is the best picture I got of Joss. :(

Seth Rolling Over

2010-12-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

Seth has been rolling over for a while now. In fact, we can't seem to keep him on his back, or in one spot. He rolls all over the place now. Here is a video of him rolling over. He takes a while to get started in this one so if you want to fast forward to the end that is where the action happens.

Two Cute Girls

2010-12-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

My sister's family got a trampoline for Christmas this year. Yesterday we went over and jumped around on it. Here is a short video of Joss and her cousin Rachel jumping/ playing ring around the rosy.

Christmas Morning

2010-12-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. It was so much fun spending time with our little family. Joss was so cute and I can't wait until next year when we have two little ones running around getting all excited!
We must have been really good because Santa brought us a lot of really good stuff.
Here is the tree before we opened all our presents. Hopefully, next year we will have a big tree to put up. When Joss woke up she came running out, she looked at all the presents and then ran to go get her new broom that grandma and grandpa had brought her the night before. We got her to come over and it wasn't until she saw her new giraffe tricycle that she put down that broom. If you don't believe me, I have it on video. :)

Here is Joss with her new magna-doodle.

Her new guitar from Mamu and Papu Edwards

This is what Seth did while we opened presents.

Patrick with his new electric razor

Me with my new Silhouette cutting machine! I am super happy about this!!!

Patrick with the picture frame that the kids got him for his desk at work.

Seth with his new Gloworm from Mamu and Papu.

Seth enjoying his new balls! He loves these because he can actually hold onto them.

Joss with her Dora book from Mamu and Papu.

Here is the treats and thank-you note that Santa left for us too.

Joss digging in to her cinnamon roll for breakfast. Can you tell that her daddy gave her a blue M&M right before breakfast?

The aftermath

Seth enjoying his new toy. The monkey always stays on top but it makes sounds like it is going to fall.

We had a great Christmas. Thank you to everyone that had a part in it!

High School Friends Christmas Party

2010-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday before Christmas we got together with some of my friends from high school and their families. We had so much fun catching up and meeting their little ones. We were so glad to have some out of town friends their too. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to get my camera out and this was the best picture that we got with Patrick's phone. Also, it was taken after my friend Stephanie left with her boys. :( Boo! Hopefully, I can get a picture that was taken with someone else's camera. :)

Princess Seth

2010-12-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

Joslyn was invited to a princess themed birthday party. When we got there all the little girls were given pretty crowns to decorate with stickers and gems, princess wands and a pretty bracelet. Now normally, Joss would be all over those things, but since people were wanting her to wear them, it was a no-go. So, in true hand-me-down tradition they were given to Seth. He had no problems wearing them. :)

Fashionista

2010-12-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

Joslyn is in LOVE with accessories. This is a typical outfit these days. She even put the leg warmers on all by herself. I think it makes her feel like a big girl.

Christmas Outfits

2010-12-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Each year for church the Sunday before Christmas, we dress our kids up in special Christmas outfits. These are their outfits this year.

Joss loved her new dress. She thought she was hot stuff and would show it off to everyone. She also loves her new sequined red shoes. Also notice that she has a cute little clippie in the little bit of hair that she does have. :)

Here is Seth in his reindeer sweater outfit. He was so cute in it, but he was soon changed out of it because he was sweating so much. The 70's just aren't sweater weather.

You can also see Patrick's Christmas tie.

Our Pretty Pretty Princess

2010-12-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

Joslyn loves accessories. Her cousin got her a pretty crown and some matching earrings for Christmas. Joss loves them. Lately, though she has been wearing the crown as a belt. :) Thanks Rachel/Amanda!

Red Letter Day!

2010-12-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

This semester has been really hard and really long for our family, and we could not be happier that it is over. Patrick had classes Monday through Thursday nights. Most days Patrick would never even get to see Joss because he would leave before she woke up, go straight from work to school and get home after she went to bed by a few hours.
To celebrate our joy in having Patrick home for the next few weeks we threw him a little red letter day party.
He was greeted at the door with an invitation instructing him to change into the red shirt that we provided for him and then to come joy us for a special dinner.
We had lasagna roll ups, with cranberry jello and apple slices. All red foods. Eaten on our red plates, with red cups filled with Cranberry Sierra Mist. For dessert we had chocolate covered pretzels with peppermint candies.

Here are some pictures of us in our red shirts.
Doesn't Joss just look so excited! :)

Here's Seth hanging out in his chair

Patrick and me

Ponytail

2010-12-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Joslyn's hair is slow growing. Really slow growing, but the other day I tried to pull it back in a pony tail. Here is the result.

Not too bad, some little clippies definitely help. The main problem is that the hair along the hairline just doesn't seem to grow. It is all still very short, all the way around. Someday, it will grow in and I will be able to do all sorts of cute stuff with it.

Sugar Baby

2010-12-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

Joslyn has recently developed a deep love for all things sugar. She has always liked sugar, but now she climbs, begs and pleads to get to it. She also will not share. At her cousins birthday party she ran away with a whole tray of cupcakes while I was feeding Seth. Luckily, she was caught before she could start eating any of them. She also now throws full blown tantrums when I tell she can't have soda or any other sweet for that matter. The terrible twos are starting to really settle in over at our house. :(
Here is a picture of Joss after she stole Patrick's cupcake from his plate. She also attempted to steal two cookies and I kept having to move the candy bowls around because she would change chairs just to get to them. She also threw a tantrum when I told her she couldn't have any sparkling grape juice until after she ate her chicken.

Hanging Out at Home

2010-12-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

I love getting to stay home with my kids. It is the best getting to read books and play with blocks, going to the park or walks around the neighborhood. Here are some pictures of us hanging out at home one day.