Dress Up Stuff

For work today, Ben went around with one of his sales guys to visit with customers. One customer he visited hosts dress up parties, where you can purchase the outfits as the party favors. I thought that was great, I think we know what Isabelle will be doing for her thrid birthday. While he was there, he picked up a couple of outfits for Isabelle, a cowgirl and a princess outfit. She looks too cute and really enjoys them. She even shared her hat with Bear, he's still a little small for the outfits there, but I bet in December we'll be able to find him something cute.

Eleven Months

Barrett is now eleven months old and let me tell you everything goes in this kids mouth. I attempted to take some pictures of him without stuff in his mouth today and pretty much just gave up. I truly think he really uses taste as another sense all the time or we just aren’t feeding that kid enough. Who knows but he is still the cutest thing. Very close to walking, I think he could do it if he really wanted to. You can get him started and he will go until he reaches his target or realizes that he is walking. Isabelle helps him out by holding his hands and walking with him, which in it self is great to watch. Bear just loves it!

Disclaimer: I had a hard time getting everything to work right but finally have it made, so please enjoy the pictures of Bear. I still think he is too cute!

Tim & Faith

Let me start off by saying that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill can put on a great show. For Mother’s Day and my birthday, Ben got me tickets to see them in concert. I really wanted to go last year but we had just moved and things were still crazy. So this year I hinted around at it a lot and he bought me two tickets. The best part was that he said I could take whomever I wanted. I took Missy with me and we had a great time. The concert was amazing. Our seats were not great, but it was still incredible to be there. Their show has just gotten better over time. If you ever get a chance to see them I would definitely do it. Even if you don’t like country music they have a little bit for everyone. It was so much fun, plus he is so hot. As Ben said “. . . he would be the only person Allison would leave me for.” No chance of that I think, but hey a girl can dream. Plus I’m not so sure I would want to leave Ben; I think he has a pretty good hold on me.

Camping Fun!

We went on our first real camping trip this past weekend. We only stayed over one night but it was a lot of fun. Both of the kids did great. But let me tell you, it’s hard to get them to go to sleep when it stays light out side until almost 10pm. They were both so active and having too much fun to want to sleep. I think we need to have an after dinner activity next time to help wear them out. Even still it was a great time.

All across the nation you could fish with out a fishing license on Saturday, and so we took a little advantage of that while we were out. Isabelle and Dad went fishing for a little while on Friday, because Isabelle does not need a license, and plus that’s just what Dad wanted to do. And then of course we went on Saturday as well. It was just a little bit hard, because we did not have a boat and could only fish along the shore. Not many fish were caught by the shore line.

It was a good thing we were not relying on the fish for our food. We would have been in deep trouble. Isabelle liked the fact that she had a rod that was just her size. Even Bear thought it was pretty cool. I personal don’t like to fish I just can’t wait around, it takes too long. Oh well!

Overall we had a great time and we hope to go again soon. In July we are for sure going up to Flaming Gorge to go camping, right on the beach, it should be great. I can hardly wait! And then in August we will be going do to Moab to take advantage of the white water and the camping.

This girl can sleep anywhere. Just like her Dad, Isabelle has the ability to sleep right where she is sitting, standing or eating. I was cleaning up around the house getting ready for playgroup today and Isabelle was at the table having a little snack. I noticed that she was pretty quite so I came up to see what she was up to. I came to find out that she had fallen fast asleep all curled up in her chair. It was too cute!!

Our weekend

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we went to Omaha to visit with Adam and Oma and Poppa. It was a great time, the kids really enjoyed spending time with their grandparents and I think the grandparents had tons of fun too. We played in the back yard, at the park and helped Adam do a little bit of landscaping. It was pretty relaxed, but a great time for all. I’m glad that the kids were able to see their grandparents and uncle.

Both Isabelle and Barrett did really well with the drive. Thirteen hours in the car is a long time for little ones to hang out. But they did great. Isabelle did a wonderful job going to the potty and telling up when she needed to go. I was so proud of her. I was not quite sure what to expect. Bear just went along for the ride. He did get a little cranky towards the end but over all he was awesome.

The Swing

Ok so I go to down load the pictures off the camera and there were some on there that I had not taken; which is fine, because Ben loves to take pictures of the kids playing together outside. Isabelle is pushing Bear in the swing and this is what I end up with. It is a good thing that kid was strapped in, otherwise I don’t know what kind of picture that would have made. You would think that Ben would have thought to maybe erase the evidence but I guess not. Ben swears that Bear thought it was funny, ". . . he was laughing his ass off."

Finally a Ren Faire

Today we went to the Utah Renaissance Festival, we were hard up for our Ren Faire fix. We must have been in order to attend this one. It is a small fledgling ren faire, just starting out, so it has a long way to go. But Isabelle really enjoyed it and was almost picked by “our” knight to be the maiden who he was jousting for. The joust was by far the best part of the faire, although they did have good food.

Missy and Jory joined us at the faire, which was really nice. We had a great time and hopefully we’ll be able to come back next year to help support the growing faire, because it can only get better. I think they might need to hook up with some of the national faire groups that travel around to help make it larger. Plus they need to work on their acting a little bit better. The “Queen” did not even talk with an accent. So we definitely had to bless the Pope.

Oh yea, as a side note, I have finally scored my first goal of our indoor soccer season. It was a cheap shot over the goalies head and right into the net but hey I will take what I can get. Plus when a female player scores, we get two points. What a great deal, so I was pretty excited and the ref thought it was pretty funny.

Back to the faire, there were singers, comics, and a magic show. Bear really liked the bottle of water and the turkey leg. The bottle of water he mostly spilled on himself, which was probably nice, because I’m sure he was a little warm, and the turkey leg just because that kid can eat.

I even tried to see if I was any good still at shooting and arrow. Out of four shots I had one hit the target. I’m a little rusty. I’m sure if I could have had more shots, I would have been able to hit the target many more times. It was pretty fun though!

Happy Mother's Day

Our Mother’s Day weekend has been full of fun, sadness and cute kids. I guess you can say that it started out with my MOM’s club finishing up their service project. We helped to redecorate and stock a playroom at the local domestic violence shelter. It was such a wonderful experience and the women and children at the shelter really seemed to appreciate everything that we did. We completely painted and put in new carpet into the playroom that is located off of the kitchen. We had a women come in and paint an under the sea mural on the walls that brightens up the entire place. So on Thursday night we “unveiled” the playroom and had dinner with the residence. Overall it was a great success. There was a little bit of drama but we seemed to make it through just fine.

On to the weekend, our Saturday started out well with the entire family walking in the Race for a Cure, located downtown. I read in the paper today that they estimated that over 16,000 people walked/ran/pushed/strolled along the 5K route. Once again it was an amazing experience for both Ben and I, we really enjoyed seeing all of the people out supporting those they know and love. Even a few pets got in on the action! The kids on the other hand just went along for the ride, not much to do on a 3.1 mile walk, but sit and watch the people go by. A long standing tradition that is some what lost on a two-year old and a ten month old. But they made it in the end.

After the walk though we went to a funeral for one of Ben’s dock workers son, it was very sad, since it was just a baby, only a few weeks old. I would have to say that the good thing about it was that mass was in Spanish and so we could not understand all that was said. Then we went to the viewing which was a little harder since some stories were told in English and Spanish. Over all it was just sad because so young a life should not have to be lost. The families outlook was one of, they were lucky of had the time that they did with the baby and know now that he is in a better place.

Sunday has been a little sporadic, Ben did not have any really activity planned so we just kind of winged it. We went to church in the morning and after wards came home so that Bear could take a nap and then we were off to lunch and the park. At the park we fed the Canadian Geese and then I took some pictures of Bear for his ten month mark. I think that kid gets cuter everyday. All in all the weekend was pretty good, we all had fun and our moments of sadness, but in the end our time together is just ours. I hope that everyone else enjoyed their weekend as well. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there who will read this, we all deserve a job well done!

And never to be out done, but Isabelle is getting to be quite the little batter. Ben set up a "tee" for her in the yard that she plays with and is getting pretty good. She can for sure hit the ball off the tee in a whirlwind of motion. Once she hits the ball she even replaces the ball onto the tee to go at it again. Which is rather nice because then she can play by herself instead of having Mom or Dad out there to replace the ball.

Program and Tea

Since it is one week before Mother’s Day Isabelle’s little class had a special program and tea for the Mom’s today. It was so cute! The kids sang two songs by themselves and then had us join them for one song and grace. Isabelle was too funny, she would do all of the motions to the songs but I’m not sure any words actually came out of her mouth. I wish I had remembered the video camera, but at least I was able to take pictures. The best part was that she had a lot of fun doing the program and learning something new. They even had the kids give us a little gift, of a note pad with a little picture of our kids on all the pages. Overall I really enjoyed Isabelle and her program, and so did she.

Funny stuff???

We took a tour of the local municipal airport yesterday, in the rain, hail and wind. It was great! Isabelle still really enjoyed getting to see the plane and sitting inside the cockpit. The airport is right by our house so they fly over all the time. We can even hear the bigger jets on their way to SLC airport, so she just loves to check out the airplanes. Bear did pretty much ok considering he was in the stroller and he went straight into the wind. But he was mostly happy because he had a snack, man that kid can eat!

On a lighter note, I was feeding the kids dinner last night and after I had fed Barrett on jar of food I thought I would let him have his first attempt at feeding himself. He loves to hold the spoon after I feed him so I thought why not, lets give it a try. Well the first thing he did was drop the spoon and lift the bowl to his mouth to “drink” out the applesauce. It was so cute, he even made little slurping sounds. He made just a little bit of a mess. Good thing I had his tray on, other wise applesauce would have been all over the place. Bear was so happy with himself he was just grinning from ear to ear. He is a pretty clever kid. He even ate the applesauce that fell on the tray, sort of.

Thesing Family Visit

We just had a wonderful visit from most of Ben’s family this past weekend. We traveled all over the valley and beyond, checking out the sites and seeing a new part of the country for some. Isabelle and Barrett really enjoyed having their cousins around to play with, and keep them company. Ben and I enjoyed seeing everyone, even just for a long weekend.

Everyone enjoyed the different activities we did and sites that we were able to check out. I think that Isabelle really liked the Children’s Museum and the miniature golf. Bear enjoyed pretty much everything, I still think he liked going up the stairs the most.

Overall we had a great time and hope to do it again soon. So if you are ever up this way please feel free to stop by and say hi.

Nine Months

I just got around taking Barrett’s nine month pictures. Wow, I can hardly believe that nine months have gone by. Time just really flies; in just a couple of months he is going to be a year old. Where has the time gone? I still feel a little like I do not get a chance to spend quality time with him, because Isabelle wants to be with Mom as well. But we still manage to find a balance and time for each of the kids.

Well while I was attempting to take Barrett’s picture, he was all over the place. He decided that the best option was to try to eat the flowers. I hope that tulips are not poisonous in any form. So far so good, he seems to be doing fine. Here are a few pictures of Bear at nine months.

Days gone by

Things have been crazy busy around here, but are slowing down just a little bit. So I now have time to somewhat update the blog. I have tons of cute pictures of the kids, and can only put on so many. But here is the quick up date.

Easter was tons of fun, Isabelle really has the picking up eggs thing down, and I think she might be ready to “hunt” for eggs next year. She did have a tendency to leave her basket though and try to carry all of her eggs, very cute. It is a good thing she really does not know yet, because I just reused eggs from previous hunts, that way we don’t have a candy over load. I do think the gold fish were a big hit. But she has not opened all the eggs that Mom did, I always fill some with money. It was something I remember from when we were kids.

Bear did not quite grasp the concept to crawl after the eggs, he just though that sitting on the ground was good. So Isabelle would bring him an “egg” which turned out to be a golf ball. She really did not want to let go of the eggs. Either way it was sweet. Bear even had a chance to die Easter eggs. He really would not let go of the egg but I managed to help him “drop” the egg into the dye that was pretty fun.

I thought that Isabelle would have her hands covered in dye but she did pretty good, all her eggs ended up being blue, but that color was closest to her so naturally. All the other colors were due to Mom saying, hey what about this color? She had lots of fun, coloring eggs with her little friends, the day was prefect.

We hope that you all had a good Easter as well. I know the weather was not great for some of you. We lucked out and had a slight breeze but the temp stayed in the mid sixties. We are very excited about Springs arrival and hope that this will be the last week of cool temps.

Down???

Bear is slowly learning how to go down the stairs. Why go down Mom when if I cry long enough you will just come and pick me up. Plus going up is so much more fun than going down. He looked so cute trying to figure out how to get off the last step I just could not pass it up.

Upside down

Isabelle was up to her usual antics again yesterday. She some how figured out how to go head first into the exasaucer and believe it or not she could even get herself out again. I just thought that I was pretty funny. She was down in there yelling for Daddy to come get her out. Which of course did not happen as Daddy was at work. Oh well she figured it and managed to escape just to do it all over again.

The Lotion

Here is another good reason not to let your potty-trained two year old go to the bathroom alone, no matter how much she protests. Isabelle went up stairs to use the potty and I was waiting for her to come back down, when I noticed that it was rather quite. So I decided I better go check to see if she was filling up the toilet with paper, unloading the towels from the cabinet or who knows what else. Upon enter the bathroom I find sitting on the counter covered in lotion. The new lotion I am using has pump tops that she can easily use. And since she wants to do everything like Mommy she was busy putting on the lotion. Only she was not using just enough to cover her little body, but as much as she could possibly pump out before she managed to pop the top off. Here she is in all her lotion glory, needless to say she had a quick bath all before dinner. The orange bottle is the culprit, or maybe that should be Isabelle, who knows?

Gym Kid

Isabelle loves gymnastics, and she did great. If you came into the room you would have thought she was in the class the entire time. She took to all the applications very well and had so much fun. The kids practiced on the balance beam, hanging from a bar, rolling over, and much, much more. We were there just to see if she would like it and she did. So we’ll be going back again for classes starting at the end of the month. I just hope that she won’t get bored with the class, since it is just once per week I don’t think that will happen.

Spring clean up??

Spring leave “clean up,” or maybe pile up is a better term. Needless to say they are all still sitting on the ground in a great big pile, instead of being placed in the green waste basket. Oh well, that is sometimes what happens when men are in charge of cleaning. At least he thought to rake them up.

Just a quick note

I know it has been a long time since I last updated my blog but well we have all been sick in one way or another. Bear seemed to get better first, I personally thank mommy milk for that one. So here it is. But we are all better now, almost our usual selves.

Bear is already eight (8) months old, I can hardly believe it. He was so busy learning new skills during his seventh month I think he really only has a few more “baby” milestones to cross. Such as walking, talking and signing. I hope that we are getting closer on the signs, he is starting to wave which is a good sign, that he is learning to control his hands a little bit more. Any day now I am ready for him to start singing. I think he will be just like Isabelle, and ask to eat all the time. Oh well!

Isabelle is doing great. She has so many words and is really starting to string them together in sentences very well. I can hardly believe it. She is amazing. We are going today to try out a gymnastics class to see what she thinks. If she likes it we will sign her up, which will be a nice way for her to exert some extra energy on someone else other than mom. Ben is going to go with us, since it is a parent participation class as well. That way I can sit with Bear. So it should be lots of fun. I’ll try to take some pictures since she is sure to have a great time.

Standing Man

This month is a busy one for Barrett, not only has he learned to climb up the stairs he has also started to crawl, and pull up. He still does his army crawl, but I’m sure that once he figures out that he can go faster by using his knees and hands, he will be off. On his pulling up, I went to get him after he woke up from his nap, he had stood up in his crib and was looking out, over the edge and was so proud of himself. He had the biggest smile on his face, just looked so happy.

I can hardly believe how fast he is growing up. Before we know it he will be walking. He already tries, when you hold on to his hands, he just needs to work on his balance and he will have it down. I’m sure I’ll be back in a few months talking about how he is walking all over the place. That way he can keep up with his big sister even better.

Stairs Oh My . . .

This just in, Barrett is a stair climbing boy! That’s right folks Bear has made his way up the first step. He really wants to be able to move all over the house and into the next room. The kitchen, included! I caught him in the act as he was starting to come back down. Wow he is growing up so fast.

The Snowman

It has once again snowed in the Salt Lake Valley, but this time the snow was wet instead of dry, so it becomes the perfect consistency to make snowballs or even snowmen. Ben came home early from work and took the kids outside, while I cleaned the house, and made a snowman. First off of course they had to sled down out little hill in the back yard, which Isabelle just loves. I even saw Bear go down by himself. He tried to roll out of the tube on his own. I do not think he made it.

Anyway, after all their sledding fun, they made a wonderful snowman. Isabelle’s first! She had so much fun outside playing in the snow and making her snowman that I think she really did not want to come inside. Our snowman even had a belly button, compliments of Isabelle.

Ben said that Bear enjoyed the snow as well so long as Isabelle was not pushing him face down into it, which of course she did at least three times. She thought that it was fun being face down so, wouldn’t Bear think it was fun too. I just don’t think so. She also made snow angels, and tried to sweep up the snow while she played outside. At least it kept her busy while I was trying to clean the house.

Hopefully before it turns warm again and we make our slow decent into spring, we will get some more snow for her to play in. I think the prospect of more snow looks good!