Superman!!!

Grandpa Harvey got Christian some Superman pajamas for his birthday, and guess what he wanted to do? Have me fly him around of course. Remind you of anything, Dad? -- Cubby

Something AMAZING!

Okay, well more like someWHERE amazing...for the kids, at least. This past Memorial Day, while we were dreaming of pools, lakes, and barbequeing, we were (sadly) at the Amazing Pizza Machine. We blamed it on the weatherman who had forcasted rain. And, having made the mistake of mentioning the APM to Emily, we were stuck. I must say, though, it wasn't crowded and so that did make it a bit more bearable! Well, that and the kids had SUCH a good time. Just look at their faces! (It was worth it to see how much they enjoyed themselves.) Thanks, Mom, for the AMAZING evening :-)!

Harvey and Emily on the "Ride 'Till You Puke" machine

But having soooo much fun!

"We're winning!!"

Choo-Choo!

Today was the day for a train ride...at least, it was since Christian decided that it was. He's been saying "choo-choo" for weeks since the last time we went to the zoo the train was closed. And, since his birthday is Friday, we wanted to make the trip all together and before t-ball starts up. The rest of Omaha also decided that it was a good day to visit our zoo (and the sun decided to make up for the rain earlier today with a real scorcher!)

Here is Christian getting all excited for the big arrival!

And, here it comes!

We also had fun visiting the petting zoo and the budgie exibit. Emily enjoyed climbing on the spider's web that they have set up.

We topped off the morning with a visit to the aquarium (of course) and just as we were leaving, I saw a familiar face...my best friend, Michelle! She and her husband were in town just for the day and we knew we'd both be at the zoo today, but didn't plan any special meet-up times. (It must've been fated to have found each other in a crowd like today's!) Her little boy, Rian, was totally passed out in his stroller, but it was fun to catch up with her briefly before heading home. Hopefully, we'll get to hang out for real over the holidays!

Utah or Bust

Okay, here goes w/our trip! It was a very busy 4 days, but it was a lot of fun! I'll try and spare everyone a ridiculously long post and try and hit the highlights with pictures to capture the weekend for posterity.Friday's highlights included morning manicures and pedicures for all of us girlie-girls! Check out Amy's claws--Bridezilla, anyone?? Ha!

In the evening we had a family photo session (the first in 5 years!) and a picnic in the park. The weather was fantastic and, despite Cubby having to make a Taco Bell run since our picky children won't eat Subway (they're crazy!), we had a great night!

Saturday, of course, was the wedding. It was another beautiful day and, from what I hear, with close to 100 weddings at the temple that day, it was the day to get married! The sealing was so sweet and it brought back such wonderful memories of our own wedding 7 years ago.

The reception that evening was fun. Amy had live butterflies shipped in and during the reception, released them for all of the kids to "try" and catch with nets. Such a cute touch! Amy was such a sweet bride and paid special attention to her nieces and nephews. Emily loved the extra one-on-one attention and all of the blue decorations that Amy bestowed upon her before we left.

In between all of the chaos, the kids really spent a good portion of time coloring! It was crazy how involved they got with their pictures. Especially Emily. In fact, throughout the entire trip, Emily really impressed us with how well-behaved and "big girl" she was. She travelled really well and, since Christian had a little tougher time adjusting and all (due to new teeth and a cold), we were thankful that she was so good!

Sunday was much more low-key and after sacrament meeting, we brought the kids home for much-needed naps. (Christian then proceded to sleep for 4 hours!!) The afternoon was then spent playing with the cousins and having a blast with chalk, bubbles, and all of Aunt Whitney's play-doh!

Sunday night was also cute as Aunt Whitney (who is expecting their first little guy in October!) read the kids her favorite childhood book, "The Monster at the End of this Book." She was such a good reader--Emily was all giggles! (Maybe she'll come do storytime at the library sometime??)

So, as you can see, we had a fun-filled whirl-wind of a trip and were so grateful to have been able to make it out there. Thank you to all of our wondeful family members who helped to make the trip possible and a success!

Congratulations, Amy and Luke!

We just got back from our trip to Utah where my sister-in-law, Amy, was married to Luke on Saturday, May 16. It was a fantastic trip and there is a lot that I want to post about. (However, I'm exhausted and so I just wanted to post my congrats' to the newlyweds before I crash for the night!)

We're so happy for Amy and Luke and were so grateul to have been a part of your big day!

Answer: 2 and Counting!

Yup, you all were correct! A+! We are, indeed, pregnant! I'm due in January, so, it's still pretty early on. But, it was a wonderful Mother's Day gift! (I took the test this past Sunday.) When we told Emily and Christian, Emily said, "Yeah! I want it to be a brother and a sister, at the same time!!" Uhhh, not happening there sweetie. Christian, however, said "Noooo," and, pointing to himself, he said, "Baby!" Hm. Well, at least there's time.

Anyhow, needless to say, it was a great Mother's Day! Emily came in around 6:30 and she wanted to snuggle for about 15 min--a very rare treat! (And, since I now wake up all on my own at 5:45, I didn't mind! I don't get sick while pregnant, I just get insomnia.) Christian then woke up and we pulled him in bed with us. Bed party!

I then got all teary-eyed listening to Emily sing her sweet Mother's Day songs at church and after church I even got a nap! It was fantastic. That evening, we headed over to my mom's where Kyle and Erin had made us all dinner and we gave our big news to the family. Oh, and the day before, Cubby had dug up a place in our backyard for our vegetable garden. Both Saturday and Sunday, my family made me feel very loved and appreciated. It was really sweet.

Despite the challenging days, I just love being a mother and am so grateful that we get to welcome someone new into our family in just 8 more months!

Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz:

Can anyone (who doesn't already know the answer to this) guess why we're going to have to change the name of our blog???

Stay tuned for the answer tomorrow....

Water Fun

Here are just a couple of pictures from last week. The kids are convinced that if it's sunny and over 75 that it is a requirement to put on a swimsuit and head out to the back to play in the water. Christian is getting very brave with the sprinkler and both enjoyed sliding into our little kiddie pool filled w/various "creatures" (toys).

The Seven Year Itch

This past Monday (the 4th), Cubby and I celebrated our seven year anniversary! It sure doesn't seem like it's been seven years (well, most days it doesn't feel that way)!

We had gone out Saturday night for some strolling and some ice cream while Mom and Harvey watched the kiddos (and put them to bed--a first for Christian! He did great though! Hurray!).

Monday night Cubby brought home some flowers for me (pretty, and plantable mums!) and a blue, chocolate cake. Emily, of course, was thrilled with the color. We really didn't expect her to eat it though, as she typically doesn't like frosting (or even cake), but, much to our surprise, she loved it and had two pieces! It goes w/out saying that Christian loved it too. We also discovered that not only was it tasty, but it also stained your face, teeth and fingers blue too! After cake we watched our wedding video and it was fun to see everyone and everything again. The kids got a big kick out of seeing Mommy and Daddy so dressed up.


It was by far one of our more "low key" anniversaries (in the past we've hiked Arches Nat'l Park and also gone to the opera!) However, celebrating with the kids was actually a lot of fun as they enjoyed sharing in our love for one another and for them.



After the children were in bed, I also learned what true love is as I watched (and then fell asleep) while Cubby tried for over an hour to get our scanner to work so that I could scan in a picture of us from our wedding day. Despite his valient efforts, it still isn't working--ugh! I guess you'll all have to make due with our blue-cake faces pictures.






So, Happy Anniversary to the one who can always "scratch that itch!"

We'll Miss You, Ms. Sandy!

This past week was Ms. Sandy's, our favorite storytime reader, last week. She has been doing storytime for the past 12 years and will now return to teaching preschool. Needless to say, we are devestated and will miss her dearly. She has done so much for the library and its programs. Seriously, people pay big bucks for the type of activities and enthusiasm that she brings to "Toddler Time", "Time for Two," and "Lapsit" (for the babies).

Ms. Sandy, in her "element"

The children have "grown up" with library time as a part of their weekly routine and we (well, myself especially!) are hoping that whomever they get to take over will be able to do even 1/2 as good of a job as Ms. Sandy did. She knows all of the children by name...even the ones she read to 12 yrs ago! We wish her the best of luck with her new job, but hope she'll consider coming into the library once-and-a-while as a "special guest!"