The Zvirzdin Environment

27 on the 27th

2012-01-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

This past Friday was Daniel's golden birthday! So I had to do something that would make it a little more memorable. The best thing I thought of was balloons...I know, not very inventive :) But the amount of fun the kids had with them made it seem like an ingenious plan!

I told Dan we could do whatever he wanted that night and I even gave him some ideas - like going out to a movie or out to dinner. Our neighbors had volunteered to babysit, too. And what did he decide to do......? Fix his skis. I wasn't surprised :)

This one's for you, mom

2012-01-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

My mom has been asking to see my new coats, so I figured I would just post them on the blog :) Daniel got me the blue coat for Christmas on a really good deal, and with a gift certificate on top of that! We love deals!And I found this one at Plato's Closet for $25! Bright yellow makes me very happy :)

And this is to have on record how bad Joey looked before he got on the right medicine! Isn't this awful!? It actually looked worse in real life, too. His whole face was swollen and his skin was bumpy with red dots all over it.
But after the right medications, this is what he looks like! SO much better! And my stress level is much improved, as well!
In other news - there is something about little hand prints that makes my heart happy...even if it is permanently imprinted on our couch in oil! Good thing the couch was free :)This cracks me up! This is how Daniel keeps Sammy entertained!

This is a cool picture Daniel's friend took of him with his iPhone while they were out on a ride. That's Springville below. This was Daniel's maiden voyage on a new bike that he just built.

Christmas in Provo

2012-01-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

This year was unique...and Awesome! Daniel's whole family gathered in Utah this year for Christmas! It worked out really well because instead of having to get a hotel, Dan's family rented our neighbors apartment while our neighbors were out of town (we have really awesome neighbors!)
These stockings are made from this awesome robe that my grandma made a long time ago...which gives them sentimental value for me.

I decorated our tree with yarn...Sammy really appreciated that :)

This picture cracks me up....such a perfect holiday scene ;)More holiday cheer!

The holiday wouldn't be complete without toothpaste being spread all over the house, right?
Joey fell asleep in the stroller with his cheek plastered up against the plastic :)

Sad Day

2012-01-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a sad day for us. Our long time friends and neighbors moved to Missouri for Medical School. Lucy and Joey have been friends from the time they were born and Shauna and I were pregnant with our second babies together...they were born only a month and a half apart. There's just something special about going through the same life experiences with another person.
It's crazy how unprepared I feel to have people move out of my life, even when I know it's coming! We are sure going to miss them!
These are some of my favorite pictures of Joey and Lucy...these are mostly in chronological order.
This picture is of when Joey stole Lucy's hat and sparkly shoes....he loved those shoes ;)
And this is Sammy and their baby Todd hangin' out together...literally hangin' out ;)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

12 things we are grateful for in 2011

* Sammy joined our family on June 23rd

* Daniel only got hypothermia twice while riding his bike this past winter

* Elise ran her first 10K

* Joey is perfecting his sweet dance moves

* Daniel bought skis and no longer cries every time it snows

* Elise gets to stay home and take care of our two cute boys every day!

* Joey is such a caring big brother

* Daniel has only one more semester until he completes his Master’s degree

* Elise continues to find fun projects to work on

* We live in a country we love

* Jesus Christ was born, died for us, and is our Savior

* Our family is eternal

I made it

2011-11-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

#1. I made: (all from one pumpkin)

*Two pumpkin pies (plus crusts...my arch nemeses/nemesisses/nemesi?)
*A pumpkin layer dessert
*A pumpkin trifle and
*A batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
(all whole wheat and sugar free...and they even tasted good!)
I've never been prouder than when these two crusts turned out well! Crusts have been a fear of mine for a long time and two days ago, I conquered that fear! BOO-ya! They got NOTHIN on me!

#2: Then I made it to the finish line of my first 10K! Oh man, I am sore :)
Here are the boys and the supportive daddy at my registration :) We brought Joey's bike so he wouldn't be bored, that's why he's wearing a helmet in this picture.
Sammy's telling me to "go get 'em tiger" in this picture :) See his fingers?
You can't really see me in this video...there were a ton of people at this race!

Next stop: Provo Half Marathon in May 2012.

Then the Thanksgiving festivities began! We went to the home of some good family friends, the Clarks. Daniel's brother Ben and sister Leah drove in from Idaho, too!

#3: I made it to see the Y....finally.
I figured after 6 years of living in Provo, I might as well hike to the Y at least once. But for some reason we decided that it would be a good idea to do this the DAY after I ran my 10k. I'm not really sure what I was thinking. That might explain my look of complete exhaustion in the picture.

Daniel and I took turns carrying Sammy because Daniel needed to carry Joey for part of the time... until we figured out that Daniel could carry BOTH boys! Ha ha!

Cute Pictures

2011-11-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Life has just been going as usual...Sammy looking adorable, Joey doing funny things, and Daniel almost killing the children on our family outings ;)

Sammy looks like a little homie in this picture!

These are from a bike ride Daniel went on the other day. It's so pretty here!

Here are some pictures my friend took of us at the Halloween party. I love the Friar Tuck in a basket! Oh, and we won the costume contest at that party - pretty prestigious :) I'm Maid Merrian, Daniel is Little John, Dad is Prince John, Joey is Robin Hood, and Sammy is Friar Tuck.

We put Sammy in the swing the other day and came back to find him like this! He is such a squirmer!

My first 10K ever is this Thursday on Thanksgiving morning! Wish me luck!

Trick or Treating

2011-11-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Daniel was gone on a work trip on Halloween, but my dad was here visiting, so we took the boys trick-or-treating :) It was so fun watching Joey learning about the Joy of door-to-door candy! He eventually started running from door to door! And he would get to the door and knock and say "COME IN!!", it was so funny!

This picture was taken earlier before our Halloween Party last Saturday of Prince John and Friar Tuck...I especially like the blur of Daniel in the background :)

These have nothing to do with Halloween, but they are so dang cute! Sammy is such a FATTY!

I Won!

2011-11-02T09:34:00.001-07:00

Yeah, seriously! I won the 29 year old, female, pushing double stroller, wearing pink dress division at my 5K! I was amazing! ;)
It was such a fun race with everyone dressed up in costumes!

I about died on a hill that was about half way, but I made it somehow! Note to self: Pushing strollers up hills is REALLY hard!

It's fun for me to do things that I never thought I could do...which is why I signed up for a 10K in one month! Yeah, I'm gonna' die, but it's fun to have a challenge. It's on Thanksgiving Day.

Holiday Fun

2011-10-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year we are doing a Robin Hood theme. Joey is Robin Hood, Daniel is Little John, Sammy is Friar Tuck, and I'm Maid Merrian.
We've had many opportunities to wear our costumes, too! We went to a pumpkin patch with our friends where Joey got to see an actual train go by...the highlight of his life!

Then we went to Cornbelly's with more friends and it was a FREEZING night! But still worth it :)
Daniel and Joey had the most fun careening around on the go-carts!

These are just some random, funny videos :)

This is so pretty!

2011-10-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

This is Southwestern Landscapes Time Lapse by Dustin Ferrell

Zoo and other stuff

2011-10-19T12:36:00.001-07:00

A group of friends and I went to the Zoo with our kids the other day. It was SO fun...I think I enjoy it as much as Joey does! The tigers were my favorite part, even though I didn't get any photos of them. There were about 4 of them and one of them was HUGE! I liked watching them play wrestle, it made me wish I could go in there with them.
My friend Shauna got some great pictures with her cool camera...my favorite of which are these two of Sammy sleeping in his front-pack. He looks like such an angel! And I love his chubby little legs dangling out :)

Yes...Joey would rather watch tractors than look at exotic animals. I mean, it's not as if he get to see tractors every day by our house.... The kid is obsessed.

The carousel was a lot of fun! We also got to go on a train ride, but I forgot my camera on it, so it's not documented.

Four toddlers, two babies, and two on the way :)
I don't think I will ever get tired of watching babies sleep. Nothing compares.

And Joey is so cute with his books. He will just go into his room and read to himself for long periods of time. I love it!

Family Photos!

2011-10-16T19:54:00.001-07:00

Our friend Shauna is a photographer and she offered to take family pictures for us for free! She's pretty great that way :) We love how they turned out!

Annual Alpine Loop Pictures

2011-10-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Every year since Daniel and I started dating, we have taken a picture somewhere along the Alpine Loop for the October General Conference. We were a week late this year, but we got it :) It's fun to see the progression of our family!
We lost last year's picture when our computer crashed! It makes me so sad :(

But here is 2009.
And 2008-I was pregnant with Joey in this picture.
And 2007...our engagement photo :) Funny thing is, we weren't engaged when we took this, we just decided later to use it for our engagement photo. This was actually taken on the day we officially became 'boyfriend-girlfriend'. Good times :)

I'm going to run a marathon!

2011-10-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ha ha! Just kidding. But I did sign up for a 5K... and in 'Elise world' that's basically a marathon! It will be the furthest I've ever run before - don't mock. It's a dress-up race for Halloween and I thought it looked like fun.
It's exciting to have something to work toward! And after months of inactivity, due to being pregnant, it sure feels good to be able to move and exercise again!

In other news... tell me this isn't the cutest thing ever! (Don't really.)Let me take a moment to say that this is the best stroller ever! The more I use it the more I love it! It is so light weight and easy to maneuver and getting the kids in and out is so easy! It's great to jog with and it's also a bike trailer. We can take the kids out in any weather because it has a complete rain cover, a bug screen, and a sun shade. It can be pouring rain and the kids stay completely dry and warm!
And the boys love going out in it - it's great motivation for me to go jogging. It remind me of when I had a dog and I would say the word 'outside' and she would run to the door jumping up and down. All I have to say to Joey is 'Jog' and he runs to his room, grabs his shoes, gets in the stroller and waits (not so patiently)!
So, I think you get the picture...we all like the stroller :)

Harvest Festival and other activities

2011-09-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

We went to Thanksgiving Point with our friend Shauna and her cute kids. Joey and Lucy have way too much fun together :)

There was live music, .50 cent ice cream cones for the tots (...or maybe they were free, I don't remember), train rides, and lots of fun booths to look at.

Then we had a coupon for the Blue Iguana in SLC, so we went there for dinner and it was SO good! There was live music and the lady singer LOVED Sammy and came up and adored him :) I don't blame her!

Daniel's new favorite thing to do it to take Joey with him out to the fire sites for his work. Joey LOVES going and always comes back bright eyed and bushy tailed...and FILTHY! He couldn't be happier :)
The rest are just fun pictures and a video of the boys. Love these boys!

Just the Usual

2011-09-23T13:25:00.001-07:00

This is what we teach our children...they are going to be so confused when they get into normal society. Joey now thinks ice cream is called 'raw meat'.

I've been waiting for the weather to get cold enough to put Sammy in this outfit...sadly it's too late...he's too big for it! I crammed his pudgy little body in it for a photoshoot - the first and last time he will wear it. So sad.

We needed to wake the little guy up the other night and this was Daniel's method.

Joey loves anything unusual in our living room. He took full advantage of the two days that this thing was sitting in the middle of our floor :)

Joey was counting on his fingers the other night and was completely mixing up all the numbers and I thought it was so funny! But by the time I got the camera, he started actually counting in the right order...cute, but not quite as funny :)

Tea Party and other fun

2011-09-12T16:45:00.001-07:00

We got the kids all dressed up dapper for their own little tea party the other day :) They were all s'darned CUTE! They even held hands and played ring-around-the-rosie...of course I didn't have my camera out for that!

We finally got Sammy laughing on video. He is so kissable!

These videos are some daddy-son bonding time :)

Another Long Post!

2011-09-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Park City Point to Point bike race that we look forward to every year. We love it because it's so pretty up there and the race ends at The Canyons Resort and it's way fun. My dad came out for the weekend, which made everything just that much more fun!

A professional photographer got this shot of Dan during the race.

Here's a picture of Sammy in the teddy bear hat I made him :)
My favorite part about The Canyons Resort is the people mover...it's like a chair lift except you stand instead of sit. It's so fun.

They also have fun displays that kids can play on. Joey liked this one a lot.

Here's Sam in his biking outfit...just trying to support his daddy :)

Joey likes his grandpa! They have a lot of fun together.

Then on Sunday we blessed Sammy, which was the main reason my dad came to visit us. We borrowed this outfit from our neighbors and it was a bit snug on the little chunker! The pants were more like shorts ;)

That evening we went on a walk along one of the paths at BYU. Joey enjoyed the water :)

Then on Monday we had a relaxing day hanging out with our neighbors and watching the kids play. My friend Shauna took the picture of all three kids with her new camera and it turned out great!
Then we rode our bikes to a park for a picnic dinner.
Dad managed to make Sammy smile and then to get it on camera...a feat I had previously thought impossible :)

And, lastly, here are some pictures of a bike ride Daniel went on this past week. It's so pretty here in Utah!

More Adventures!

2011-08-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

We went to the Spanish Fork Fair last Saturday and decided to take the bus there and back because Joey loves the bus! It was a lot of fun! This video is of Joey's amazement of actually being ON the bus :)

Daniel's last bike race in the weekly race series was last Wednesday and it was a dress-up race! It was hilarious to see what people dressed up as!
Daniel's costume consisted of the few costume items we own...ok, just a cape. The rest was his silky pjs and a mustache that I drew on :)

Daniel and I celebrate our half anniversary because our real anniversary is the day after Valentine's Day and everything is more expensive then. So for our half anniversary this year we got take-out from our favorite restaurant, India Palace, and went up into the mountains for a picnic. It was a beautiful evening!

Our friend Jen came and visited us the other day and she cracks us up! This is a song she learned off of Sesame Street and always sings with babies. She did it with Joey, too. We think it's so funny :)

This is an outfit my friend Judy sent Sammy. He looks so cute in it. We think he looks like a cop in it :)
Joey has just started wanting to hold Sammy. These videos are pretty cute!

Nothing Really

2011-08-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

So, I don't have anything to post other than some random pictures I've been taking of the boys.

We got these suspenders for Joey and they are so awesome!
And this picture is Joey's own creation of an outfit.
Another good picture of Joey and Lucy.

Sammy is getting big so fast! He's already been in 3 month onesies for a couple weeks (he's only 1.5 months old). I thought this first picture of his face was funny :)

Rain Storm

2011-07-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

These videos are from the huge rain storm we had yesterday (Wednesday). It was a lot of fun! Joey and I sat at the window while it was raining and watched the lightning and listened to the huge thunder cracks! It was quite a show!
Then after the rain stopped, we all had some fun in the leftover water. Provo isn't really equipped for rain since it rarely happens on a large scale here. So there was a lot of flooding around town.

Cookout

2011-07-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the boys up the canyon for a cookout this past Wednesday. It was perfect weather and I only saw one mosquito :)

Joey promptly smeared ashes all over his face...it made for some great pictures :)
On a less pleasant note, I found out last night that I have mastitis. delightful. more antibiotics. delightful.

This was too funny!

2011-07-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've seen a lot of funny animal videos, but this one takes the cake in my book!

Another Bike Ride

2011-07-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

This ride Dan went on with his friend was so pretty! I love the light shining through the trees!

Squaw Peak/Timp Foothills Double Loop from South County Ciclista on Vimeo.

More Sammy, Of Course!

2011-07-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

Just some more pictures of the little guy! These were during my mom's visit here. She left last Wednesday and I've been learning how to manage two little ones on my own now :) Oh the dishes....and the laundry...and the toys everywhere....(*sigh*).
This is Dan after a day working out in the field :)

Oh, and at Sammy's 2 week check-up he measured in the 90th percentile for weight and the 40th percentile for height...the little guy likes to eat :)

Catching Up (Disclaimer: This is a long post!)

2011-07-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Before Sammy was born we took Joey to Thanksgiving Point for their Dairy Days and I never posted it. So here are some fun videos from that.

Then this video is Daniel teaching Joey how to stretch :) Joey just likes to do whatever Dan does!

Joey is showing off his dancing skillz...to the music from the "Rio" soundtrack :)

Here are some pictures of Sammy :)

This picture cracks me up! But Daniel redeems himself in the next picture :)

Then these are some pictures from when my dad stayed with us. He was here before, during, and a little after Sammy was born. This was when we went to watch Daniel's bike race at Sundance.

Then Daniel's mom came for a week and this is some of the fun that she had with Joey and Sammy :)

Joey's been having fun with the neigbor girls, too :)

This was at the 4th of July Parade. Joey has an obsession with firetrucks right now...you can kind of see the manic gleam in his eyes in this video :)

Sammy's Arrival

2011-06-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Sammy on his birthday

After holding out a week and 6 days past his due date, Samuel James Zvirzdin arrived at 7:47 Thursday morning. Elise and I had hopes that she would go into labor naturally (hence the waiting), but it was not to be. As Joey arrived by cesarean section, induction via Pitocin was not an option for this pregnancy, and Elise endured another c-section. This birth was different in that Elise was conscious and I was allowed to stay in the room. Making it much more enjoyable for both of us. Sammy weighs 8 lbs 15 oz, and is 20 inches in length. He had a little trouble breathing initially because of residual fluid in his lungs, and spent his first hour on CPAP. Apparently, the high compression of normal delivery forces fluid from the lungs, and as c-sections lack this compression, some respiratory therapy is often necessary. Once his lungs were clear Sammy and I headed back to check on Elise. She was all stitched up, smiling, and having a allergic reaction to morphine. Since that time not much else notable has happened. Sammy and Elise are both doing great. Joey misses his mom quite at bit, but is enjoying the attention from all our wonderful friends who watch him so that I can spend time with Elise and Sammy at the hospital. We've really been supported throughout the past few days and are grateful to our friends and Elise's dad, Jim, who've made this such an enjoyable experience. Elise will be coming home Sunday night and we look forward to resuming life.

Elise and Sammy, the day they were delivered.

I've read a lot the last few days, it's been really enjoyable.
Note: The Last Gate by Orson Scott Card is garbage.

It might be a while before we let Joey hold Sammy...

Jim and Sammy

Tomorrow is the Day!

2011-06-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't gotten my email, tomorrow is the day that I will be having Sammy via C-section. We have waited as long as is safe for the baby (12 days overdue...13 tomorrow) and it's time for the little guy to come! We are so excited to meet him and I am so excited to not be pregnant any more ;)
We will post pictures and stats as they come :)

Another Sunday Picture....

2011-06-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Never thought I would end up being over 41 weeks pregnant! We went to the OBGYN today and they say if I don't go into labor by Thursday that they will probably have to do the C-section. The deal is...I'm just not dialating, even with all the contractions I've been having!

I know that whatever is supposed to happen will happen. The doctors say that it will basically take a miracle for me to go into labor and dialate at this point. I believe in miracles, but I also know that a C-section might be what's supposed to happen. That would mean that all my future children would have to be C-sections, too, because it's much more dangerous to try to have a normal delivery after two C-sections.

So that is the situation. I'm trying not to be discouraged at the prospect of only C-sections. But the important thing is that the babies are healthy and I am, too. It's another reminder that I'm not in control of my life anyway, so I will just trust.

On another note, I've been having fun making door wreaths lately. I kind of get on 'kicks' and do a whole bunch of one kind of thing for a while. I'm already making a Halloween and a Summer wreath, too :) I will put those pictures on when they are done.

Dan's Bike Rides

2011-06-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure only Dan's family and his friend Josh will appreciate these videos, but I think they are neat, too!
Dan goes riding with his friend, Brandon, about every week. Brandon has a helmet camera and got these two rides of theirs on video. Since the camera is on Brandon's helmet, these videos are basically starring Dan :) I think it's really cool to see the places they get to go!

Payson Canyon Spring Road Ride from South County Ciclista on Vimeo.

Hobble Creek to Diamond Fork from South County Ciclista on Vimeo.

Dr Update

2011-06-16T15:06:00.001-07:00

We went to the OBGYN today to see what our options were. They did a bunch of tests on me and the baby and both of us are healthy and happy. So they said I don't have to have a C-section tomorrow! I have another appointment set for Monday if I don't go into labor before then. They will do all the same tests and if we are both still healthy then they will let me go a few days longer.
So that is the status for all those who are wondering :)

Alas...

2011-06-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

One more picture...and this one really will be the last Sunday pregnancy picture I take of this pregnancy. That's because the doctors don't want me to go more than a week past my due date-which will be this Friday. That's when my scheduled C-section is (because I can't be induced). I'm hoping to go into labor before that, but we will see.In other news, Joey has been learning new skills in cool-ness. It's easy to see that he's a natural-just like his parents!

The following videos show Daniel's calming routine for getting Joey ready for bed ;)

Not yet...

2011-06-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

So the pregnancy count-down made me laugh today...it says "It's go time!" I couldn't agree more, however Sammy has other ideas! He still hasn't dropped at all! But the doctor said that's not too unusual and that often everything happens all at once instead of over weeks. So that gave me hope :) She said she thinks I will probably go into labor in the next few days...and I sure hope she's right!

In the mean time, here are some funny pictures of Joey. This is my version of daycare ;)

Hopefully the Last one!

2011-06-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

I hope this is the last Sunday pregnancy picture I will take with Sammy :) My due date is this Friday.

This is Joey with his helmet hair after he got home from his bike ride yesterday :) It was so funny!

Bike Race

2011-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Joey and I went to one of Dan's weekly races yesterday. It was at Soldier Hollow and it was so pretty there! It was a fun race to go to because the laps were short and we got to see him go by about 10 times! It was a biathalon, which is where they have to get off their bikes and shoot pellet guns every lap, it was very entertaining :)

I only got videos, I wish I had gotten some pictures, too! Oh well :)

Joey in the Rain

2011-05-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Joey insited on going out in the rain on his bike and it was so funny! These videos show it.

Yes, I really am that big...

2011-05-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

And I still have a week and a half until my due date! Next Sunday's picture will be fun :)

And I debated a long time about weather or not to put this picture on out blog...

I decided that it was too funny not to show our families that live in different states! I know they will think this is hilarious!

Joey ran out of the bathtub and immediately grabbed his bike - he's so much like his daddy that way ;)

Lamb and Wool Festival and other stuff

2011-05-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

We went to the Lamb and Wool Festival at Thanksgiving Point last Satuday and it was a lot of fun! Joey LOVES running around like a crazy child from one animal to the next! Daniel followed Joey around and I got to sit in the shade and watch the border collies herd the sheep. It was so fun for all of us!

On a different note, the new loveseat has been a point of interest to the kids lately. Joey has realized that the cushions have many uses...and the video shows him and his partner in crime, Lucy, discovering one of their favorite activities ;)

He is also picking up some nice habits from Lucy...like wearing her pink, sparkley shoes and her hat. For the record - he screamed when he had to take them off :)
And this is my 37 1/2 week photo.

Videos

2011-05-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Joey's getting good on his bike!

Joey was scared of this stick-horse when he first saw it! It's really loud and moves. Our friend brought it over one night for him and I showed it to him first thing the next morning, He had just woken up and was groggy and it took him a while to get used to this new toy.

This was at the park with Lucy. They were so funny!

Last Week

2011-05-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

I will start with Mother's Day. Daniel let me sleep in until 9:30, which was heaven! Then when I got up he had made me an artistic pancake breakfast, as portrayed below. I LOVE pancakes! Joey does too :)

This is the little man all dressed up for church...He's just s'DARNED CUTE!

And this was my 35 1/2 week picture. I like to take them on Sundays because I'm dressed up. Joey would have already been born by now in my last pregnancy! Crazy!

I had to take this picture - my belly actually touches the steering wheel in our Saturn, and the steering wheel is at it's highest setting! It's not very comfortable.

Then this past weekend we took Joey and his friend Lucy to the park. They (and we) had a lot of fun!

This is my 36 1/2 week picture. I'm documenting it closely because you never know when the baby is going to come!

(none of the videos would upload for some reason, so I will try posting them tomorrow)

Just a few things

2011-05-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

We got a loveseat for free on KSL the other day! It was pretty dirty when we picked it up, but with some scrubbing, it turned out great! Now we have a comfy place to sit when we watch movies and we don't have to sit in separate chairs :)And I thought this video of Joey was funny :) He loves stacking things!

Easter and Baby Animals!

2011-05-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

So I think our pictures are gone for good...and I'm trying really hard not to cry about that! Now our blog is the only source of so many memories since we got married. We even lost our wedding pictures!

So the only pictures that I have from our Easter egg hunt were two that my neighbors took...it's better than nothing. He had his cute Easter suit on and looked so dapper! I'm sad we don't have the videos and pictures we took! Then for Mother's Day, Dan got me an early present of a Thanksgiving Point year membership, which means that Joey and I can go as many times as we want for a full year without paying any more. So we went to the Baby Animal Birthday Party as a family to see all the baby animals! And it was SO fun and they were SO cute...but I forgot our camera!! I wanted to kick myself! And I would have gotten a video and Dan and Joey riding in the 'cow train', which was a row of water buckets on wheels that were painted like cows and it was pulled by a tractor. Joey loved it so much that we eventually let him sit in his own bucket by himself (buckled in) and he had a blast! I think he was the youngest kid to ride by himself. He rode it until it closed and cried when we took him out! He is such a funny kid!

So I don't have pictures from when we went as a family, but I do have pictures from wednesday when I went again and took my friend Shauna and her daughter Lucy.

Sunday Walk

2011-05-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we drove up Provo Canyon a bit to this campground area and let Joey run around. It was nice to get out, even though it was still a bit chilly!

Joey loves blowing raspberries on the exercise ball and it's so funny! But it's hard to catch him doing it on camera, so this video is the closest we could get. Once he sees the camera, it's all over.

Tulip Festival!

2011-04-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

I had never been to the Tulip Festival before and had always wanted to go. So I decided to change that this year! Amy and I carpooled down and had a lot of fun watching the tots run around and play.
Joey loved all the open space and freedom! He also loved smelling the flowers and would put his whole face in them and smell them, then he would say "mmm! yummy!" It was so funny! He also loved it when I would bend down and smell them as he held the flower stalks for me :)
And you can't enjoy flowers fully without enjoying the soil they grow in ;)
Joey loves giving Anne hugs...and usually knocked her over accidentally in the process. Then he would go back and try to help her up and knock her down again! Oh well, at least he had good intentions!
Then this morning he got stuck between these two chairs and thought it was funny...until he started screaming :)

Pictures Lost!

2011-04-28T02:58:00.000-07:00

So our external hard drive just broke and it has ALL our pictures on if from our whole married life together! I had JUST finished putting all our most recent pictures on it and deleting them off our camera when it broke! I'm really hoping we can get it fixed...or else I will cry! That is why I haven't posted our Easter pictures yet or any pictures from our trip to Moab.
So for now, I will post what is still left on our camera.

We got a bike trailer/double stroller the other day and the minute we put it together, Joey crawled right in it as if it were a secret hide-out and dragged his cronies in with him (aka stuffed dog and goat) :) He thinks it's the coolest thing! We took him out for a test ride in it and he had so much fun! The next day he saw it first thing and got in it and looked at me expectantly and said "bike? bike?" :)

This is how I found him when he got up the other day...he was very proud of himself :)

And last but not least...my birthday was on the 23rd, and I just got this in the mail from my parents! They know me so well ;) (It's an ice cream maker in case you can't tell from the picture). I'm just imagining strawberry cheesecake ice cream...vanilla bean...lemon sorbet...fresh mango....
and the list goes on!And...in case you were wondering why I am writing this at 4am...all I have to say is heartburn. I basically become a nocturnal creature the last few weeks of pregnancy.

32 1/2 weeks

2011-04-19T14:48:00.002-07:00

I'm trying to remember to get pictures of the different stages in my pregnancy, even if it is in the middle of a gestational week ;)

And I couldn't help taking a few pictures of Joey because he gets so excited when I get the camera out. And his face is s'darned CUTE!

Latest Activities

2011-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our computer is in the shop right now, so that's my excuse why I haven't posted in a while :)

These are some pictures and videos of what we've been up to lately. Today I threw a baby shower for my friend Claudia, who is having a baby girl next month. It was a lot of fun and the weather was beautiful! I actually got to open all the windows! I didn't make any of the food...I just hosted the party.

Lucy and Joey are just too darn cute together!

And lastly...I had to take a picture for posterity of Joey's taped pants and sock-arm! We have to do this every night because he attacks his eczema if we don't and makes himself bleed! Poor little guy! But he doesn't mind at all having his clothes duct-taped on :)

Mom's Visit

2011-03-22T13:41:00.001-07:00

My mom came out for a week to visit for Joey's birthday and it was SO fun! Joey LOVES having all that attention and I LOVE having a personal maid who wakes up with Joey so I can sleep in, feeds Joey, changes his diapers, cleans the house, makes dinner, takes Joey to the park, etc.

Needless to say, I think I'm going through withdrawls now that she's gone!

As a tradition, mom and I always go to IKEA when she comes to visit. There aren't many places I like more than IKEA! But it's a bit dangerous for mom and I to go together because then this happens! :)

She got Joey this cute green rug and as soon as we put it on the floor he ran and sat right in the middle of it :)

I also got Joey some kid's utensils and he broke into the bag and shoved all the forks into the carpet at angles! That kid! I don't know where he even thinks of these things :) It was pretty funny :)

Joey Turns 2!

2011-03-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

March 15th - Joey has been in the world now for 2 years! And what a fun party it was! We had lots of friends and lots of food :)

All of Joey's dreams came true....he was the center of attention,

He got to drink Root Beer for the first time ever :)

He had a gaggle or girls to flirt with,

And best of all...MARSHMALLOWS!!!

And we can't leave out the bike :)

Or the toy truck!

Overall it was a great day!

Joey's adventures

2011-03-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

This post is mostly videos, so sorry to people who don't like videos! The first video is an extension from the last post showing Joey's dressing abilities. He's been refining his skills.

We went to the park the other day with a few of our friends because we finally had a warm day! Joey loves slides and swings...basically just being outside.

Baby Rooms and other happenings

2011-02-22T15:06:00.001-08:00

We just got a new desk for free on KSL to use as a changing table for Joey so I don't have to get up and down off the ground so much! It also adds a lot more drawer space for his clothes. We decided to rearrange Joey's room when we got the desk. We made Daniel's bike space bigger and Joey's room cozier. We like how it turned out.

I also have been working on the new baby room for a while now. We found this cute little mini-crib on KSL also, and it is perfect for the small space! Sammy's room is just an extension of our bedroom that we have made fabric 'walls' for. I have had fun making the crib bumpers and diaper holder and curtains and blankets, etc. I still need to get a changing pad for Sammy's room, but other than that I think it's done.

The blue blanket is for Joey and the black and polka-dot one is for Sammy.

I also just finished this carseat cover! I love the fabric and buttons! It will be a lot easier than draping a blanket over the carseat like we used to do with Joey. I love having a sewing machine!

For Valentine's Day and our 3 year Anniversary, we made heart-shaped pizzas and heart-shaped ice cream sandwiches. They were really good! We decided to celibrate our anniversary on our half-anniversary so that it's not so close to another holiday. So we will celibrate our anniversary on August 15th instead :) The more holidays, the better!

Joey came out of my room the other day wearing this. He likes to get into my exercise drawer and pull all the contents out onto the floor. This day he decided that this was a nice item to put on! He's quite talented, you know!

Random Videos

2011-02-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

More videos of Joey...for those who like videos :)
He's learning how to kiss, it's quite cute.

And he wants to be just like his daddy :)

It's a Boy!

2011-01-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

Joey's going to have a little brother, and we are SO excited! Now we don't have to buy new clothes or anything, so it will be much cheaper for us...and easier to fit into our apartment. We found out on Daniel's birthday, it was a fun birthday present for him :)

It was so cool to see the ultrasound and see his little body moving around in there! What an amazing thing it is to be able to see babies before they are born! They measured him and said he is the right size and all his organs look good. They gave us these little chocolate coins that said "It's a Boy!" on them...they are the shiny things we are holding up in the picture.

We are going to name him Samuel James and he is due June 10th.

This is a picture of me at 21 weeks. That's little Sammy in there! We are so excited to meet him and welcome him into our family!

Joey's skills and my new projects

2011-01-19T12:30:00.001-08:00

Here are some funny videos of Joey and other random photos.

I've been having fun making things, too :)

New Sewing Machine :)

2011-01-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Daniel got me a sewing machine for Christmas and boy am I excited! I have had a million projects I've wanted to make, but I didn't have a sewing machine. But gone are those days!
It's a beast of a machine, too, with all metal parts and wieghs about 20 lbs! I love it!

This was my first project on it, a crib bumper for Joey :) It makes me JUST s'happy!

Holiday Fun!

2011-01-04T10:54:00.001-08:00

We got to go to Richfield Springs, New York for Christmas this year and it was so fun! Daniel's parents live in an idyllic country home with a pond in their back yard. We passed miles and miles of beautiful farms and fields and an occasional horse and buggy. It was like living in a postcard for 2 weeks :) I wish I had gotten more pictures of it!

The pond was very popular with everyone and everyone (except me and Joey) spent almost all day ice skating. Daniel took Joey out on a little sled, it was cute :)

Joey LOVED their dog Bonnie! Bonnie is the nicest, most gentle dog in the world! Joey would go and sit on her whenever she layed down :) Joey also got to experience what it would be like to have a 12 year old brother :) He got fully equipped in a SWAT Team outfit and was ready for the marshmallow-gun wars! The marshmallow-gun wars were Joey's favorite activity because he got to go eat all the marshmallows off the floor! He was like a little addict! He and Bonnie would fight over them :) Here's some family pictures and fun videos.

Toward the end of our stay we had a big birthday party for Daniel and his siblings...as you can see it got pretty wild! Complete with fires going out of control and babies getting drunk! Luckily the police never showed up, or Joey would have been arrested!

When we got back to Utah, we decided to go out on one more excursion before the semester started. Daniel always complains that he has to carry all the backpacks....I have no idea what he's talking about!

(He actually likes carrying all the weight, it gives him a better work-out. And he was still faster than I was :)

Thanksgiving and Washington DC

2010-12-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

* (Disclaimer: I tried for about half an hour to get the text and the pictures to line up right and it didn't work...so good luck reading this! It gets worse as you go down!) *

I'm going to cram all that we've done in one post because lately I haven't been in the mood to blog.
We went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving in Colorado where Joey had great fun with all the animals! He loves it there, there is so much for him to explore! Thanksgiving dinner was really fun too! Joey was the entertainment :)

Then my parent's watched him for 5 days while Daniel and I went to DC on our first trip alone since Joey was born! It was a Blast! We stayed in a 4 and 1/2 star hotel, ate at fancy restaurants and saw the sights. I was in heaven.

My favorite thing to see was going to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History! It was so neat! The gem and mineral display was beyond amazing! We also saw the Hope Diamond, which we found out gets as many views per year as the Mona Lisa.

We had some crazy experiences at the nice restaurants...it just shows how 'uncultured' Daniel and I really are :) We went to a French restaurant called 'Adoir' and got a harmless looking appetizer of fish...which we found out was RAW fish! I am NOT a seafood person! But somehow both Daniel and I made it past the first bite, which was the hardest part. After that we realized that it actually tasted pretty good. It was kind of like cliff diving, I think I had the same adreniline rush taking the first bite!

Then this other Tuscan restaurant served stuffed BABY QUAIL!!! Who does that!? I mean, it's a baby quail, they are the size of a match box! I almost cried. And to top it off, that same dish came with baby cow (veal) and BUNNY sausage! It was like someone tried to plan a meal just to horrify the animal lovers. I'm not a vegetarian, but I draw the line at baby animals!

We rented these bikes that are a part of the bikeshare, which is where you pay $5 for a bike for 24 hours. They have the bike racks all over DC where you check in and out. It was really handy because the monuments are so far apart and it's a lot more fun to ride a bike than walk. It was also FREEZING out, so I had to buy this pretty scarf and we both bought gloves from a street vendor. I look like a grandma in most of the pictures, but at least I was warmer :)

We went to the Botanical Garden with Daniel's brother Andrew and his wife Jaime and their son Max. It was a lot of fun!

By the end of 5 days of luxury and indulgence, I was ready to resume our normal life and take care of our little munchkin again. Daniel and I were both missing Joey :) Sometimes it's nice to have a break...It helped me appreciate the normal routines of my life again.

Artwork

2010-11-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Danelle Grahm is an Illustration major and she did her final project on Women and Children. She asked Joey and I to pose for her and we were very willing! At the end of her show, she gave us the painting as a gift! We were so excited! We feel like rich people now having a hand painted portrait of me and Joey in our house :)

Haircut

2010-11-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

Joey has been scared of the clippers lately, but his hair was getting so long that we couldn't ignore it any longer! So we did the deed, and everyone survived :) I only have a video of him so far with his new haircut. Our neighbors gave us this rocking horse today and Joey loves it! He keeps calling it a 'Doggie' and he climbs on it all by himself :)

Cornbelly's Cornmaze!

2010-10-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

We went to Cornbelly's last Saturday with a group of friends and it was so fun! We got there after dark, but the pictures still turned out pretty well. Joey caught his second wind and got really hyper, it was so funny!

Cutest Ever

2010-10-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just realized I hadn't posted this video yet!

Bald Mountain and Sunday Activities

2010-10-12T13:13:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we got up "early" (for me anyway) and went on a hike up Bald Mountain. It was a nice autumn morning in Provo and as we progressed up into the mountains the autumn weather turned rapidly into winter! It was all snowy up there and toward the top of the mountain it was a full-out wind storm that drove the snow into our ears and eyes! Poor Joey's ears started hurting from his recovering ear infection (don't judge us, we aren't bad parents!) so we headed back down.

We stopped at Provo Falls on the way back home and it was so cool! Joey was much happier there!

Then Sunday morning Daniel had some spare time....and this was the result! Space ship/ Race car for Joey out of a diaper box, duct tape, and some spare cardboard. Notice the back support Daniel made for joey with a pillow and duct tape. And the side stabilizers to prevent tipping...at least that was the goal! I will let you witness some of the chaos :)

Just the Usual

2010-09-25T09:26:00.001-07:00

A few snippets from our week :)