Badu Badank and Sam V

Another week with Milo

2012-01-29T21:19:00.000-08:00

Hank took Sam to a BBQ at a friend's house where there were lots of kids and karaoke. Sam fit right in. Here he is karaoking to "Twinkle Little Star" and yes he sang with perfect pitch right along with the song. We have an American Idol in the making :) He's so gosh darn good looking too!

Our bundle of joy

I love that he takes a bottle (so convenient). Hank loves it too because he gets to stare at that adorable face the whole time.

Looking through the world with the security of the sleepy wrap.

He's great at tummy time...

studying his pictures..

and just being the happiest baby and cutest baby ever!

Milo Came Home!

2012-01-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

As soon as Milo came home Hank hogged him and they took a 2 hour nap together. So sweet.

The Sleepy Wrap is my friend. Milo stays in there all day long and never makes a peep. He's making up for lost womb time :)

Milo gets wide awake in the evenings, which is perfect because after Sam goes down Hank and I just gaze at him with awe and wonder.

He makes that face a lot, isn't it funny and ADORABLE!

Sam is completely obsessed with his little brother. He always wants to hold him and kiss him. The only problem is he has a little bit of trouble controlling his emotions. Sometimes he gets so overwhelmed with joy you can see him shaking and clenching his teeth as he tries his hardest not to squeeze the life out of Milo. We are working on having him squeeze a pillow instead or do a somersault.

He's pretty happy to take a bath...no problem here, Mom, just go for it.

He's just little even though he's "big".

"Tat's Milo, tat's Milo's nose, tat's Milo eye, I wanna touch it, I wanna kiss it...hehehehe, I love Milo! hehehe I wanna hold it....tat's Milo"

I did not need to worry about Sam being jealous, my goodness he is in love with him.


Hanging out with Mom. We do exercises with him to help his muscles grow properly. I love having that time with my baby.

Tummy time with Dad. He could stay on his tummy all day, he so mellow about it

Basically Milo is a sweet tempered little guy. If he's fussy then all it take is food or being held and he's a happy camper. When he's awake he's alert and wide eyed. He sleeps really well, nurses really well and is exceptional good at being cute and melting all of our hearts.

5 Weeks in the NICU

2012-01-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

Milo's Birth Story

2011-12-27T07:40:00.001-08:00

Milo Harvey Florence’s Birth Story

Milo came into the world completely unexpectedly. In fact I had had a mid-wife appointment on Monday and she told me I “was perfect!”. I was 32 weeks along and doing well. Tuesday morning however I woke up from having sharp pain in my tummy. These contractions continued on throughout the morning. I told Hank about them casually, but thought there was nothing to be alarmed about. Around 8ish hank convinced me to call my mid-wife. I texted her instead and she ordered me to get into an Epson Salt bath and to drink magnesium. She told me to do nothing at all because the contractions have to stop. They didn’t. A half hour later I texted her again informing of my consistent stomach pain she replied “you have to get to the hospital sweetheart”. I started crying quite a bit. Hank called Renae and after talking for a while he came back to sooth me. My mid-wife had explained that I was going to be given a shot which would mostly likely stop the contractions. Hank decided not to go into work and stayed with me all day. We dropped Sam off at a friend’s and headed over. They put an external monitor on me and I was definitely having contractions. They also checked me and I wasn’t dilated. After monitoring me for a while I was given a shot of Terbutaline which stopped the contractions. I went home and took a nap. When I woke up and started do a little activity I started feeling the contractions again. They continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening. At the hospital they told me if I had more than 6 in a hour that I was to come back. Finally Hank and I decided to count them and from 8pm to 9pm I had 6 contractions. I called my mid-wife and she told me to go back. She said I probably have an infection of some kind and they will treat me for that. I also could get another shot of Terbutaline. I arrived and was put back on an external monitor. The strange part about this visit was that the monitor wasn’t really picking up very much activity. I felt pain but the monitor recorded it only as cramping. I felt really confused and quite honestly completely embarrassed. After laying there for an hour the monitor had picked up only 3 contractions. The doctor who had been on call earlier that day was there still. When she came by to see me she launched into a big lecture on why I should change my care from a Mid-wife to a Physician. She told me that if I am going to keep coming into the hospital I’ll just keep having to have on call doctors and that if my mid-wife can’t give me the care I need then I should switch. I understood her concern but I think she spent way too much time talking about it. She also didn’t know anything about mid-wives and keep making points that made her sound stupid. I also found it interesting that she was so concerned about me changing my care when she essentially didn’t give me any and didn’t believe me when I said I was having frequent contractions. She also acted as if I was over-reacting. She couldn’t do a vaginal swap test to see if I had an infection because I had an intercourse within the last 24 hours, she didn’t want to check my cervix because she didn’t want to stimulate it anymore and from what the monitor was reading she had no reason to be alarmed. The only problem was what I was feeling and what the monitor was reading were off, but I was so trusting at this point I just assumed I didn’t know my body’s signals. In fact while she was lecturing to me I had a contraction so painful I couldn’t talk to her and had to close my eyes. After the contraction was over she looked at the monitor and said “oh, that wasn’t bad”. I felt so stupid, embarrassed and just plain wimpy. I ask why was I was having so many contractions before I came and then when I got here they were gone. The doctor said it might be because I was laying down. She also told me “its in the air” meaning the hospital has magical air that stops people from contracting. That explanation did little to explain what was happening to my body. She told me to take some Benadryl. When I got home I just broke down and cried. The whole night was ruined and an embarrassment.

I had contractions all night long and they continued into the morning. At this point my confidence to know my body was almost diminished. I called Renee the next morning to report the horrible hospital visit. She was surprised they provided no treatment and didn’t check me. As we spoke she became a wealth of information. She was extremely helpful in explaining what all the different possibilities could be for my contractions. I asked her if I am at high risk right now and need to change my care so I can be bound to the hospital. She said more treatment would have to be done to see what was happening. She completed validated me by acknowledging that something WAS happening to my body and I wasn’t crazy. Hank and I went over to her house shortly after our conversation and she did all sorts of checks and treatments. My cervix was irritated, my mucus plug was coming out and I had some yeast. She put tea tree oil and garlic on my cervix to heal it and set a bunch of samples off to a lap to check for infection. That’s when she told me I was to be put on bed rest until the contractions stopped. I was also to do Monistat treatments, take magnesium and use cramp bark to help stop the contractions. We went home and I did it all. Even with just laying there my contractions were not stopping and they were getting more painful. Renee called to check up on me and she told me to get to the hospital. NO!!! I really didn’t want to go back there. She said they needed to give me a magnesium sulfate shot which is extremely powerful and would be the best hope of stopping the contractions. Hank stayed with me that day as well. We dropped Sam off with another friend and went over. On the way I kept saying “lets just get the shot and go home, get the shot and go home”. I was too embarrassed to show my face again. I was just hoping the physician lecturing doctor wouldn’t be there. I got gowned up and hooked up once again to the external monitor. By this time the contractions I were having were pretty dang hard. I expressed my want for the magnesium sulfate shot. The nurse said they needed to monitor me for a while. Here was the big problem at this visit; the contractions were not being accurately monitored. I was very emotionally distraught by it. I would feel a strong tightening of my uterus sometimes to the point where I couldn’t speak and when I looked at the monitor I would see a straight line. Often times the contractions I had would come up only as cramps. For this reason I wasn’t visited very often by anyone. After about a half hour of this I told the nurse I had of my concern that the monitor wasn’t picking anything up. She looked at what the monitor had recorded and basically repeated back to me what it read and then left. Hank didn’t know what to think either. He said “I guess if those aren’t contractions then that’s good right?”. I was so confused. I have had stomach pain my whole life and none of it felt this intense. Was I crazy? Was this just the worse gas of my life? Hank texted Renee who was planning on meeting at the hospital. He told her that the monitor wasn’t picking up very many of the contractions, maybe a third of them. She again validated me and said it was the monitor’s fault and that I WAS having contractions. After another half hour or so no one came in. The monitor was still barely picking anything up so Hank got a nurse and I told her I think something was wrong with the monitor. She moved it and left. My contractions at this point were getting so strong and intense that I had to start moaning to get through them. The pain was radiating to my legs. I told Hank that I didn’t care anymore what these garbage monitors said, I was in labor and I knew it! After another hour of no one the doctor finally arrived. I had been there for at least 2 1/2 hours. The time was around 5pm.When the doctor came he explained to me that it’s normal to have contractions but unless your cervix is dilated then he doesn’t care. He said my uterus was soft and that I was most likely fine. Since I wasn’t dilated the day before he didn’t think it was necessary to check me. By the way while he was saying all this as I was moaning in pain. I told him I was in a lot of pain and I am really confused. He hesitated and said “I could check you..” “yes!” I replied. When he checked me I was dilated to a four and fully effaced. He looked so surprised, but I didn’t. I looked at both the nurse and doctor and said “I am not surprised”. That’s when the magnesium sulfate was finally ordered as well as steroids (those help the baby). He told the nurses to admit me and then said to me “we’re gonna have a baby” and he gave me a high five. I started crying a lot.

When I got to the delivery room my contractions were only a few minutes apart and very painful. Renee and Rebecca (her assistant) arrived. Renee kept me informed. She told me she ran into my doctor in the hall and he said he thinks it was a placenta abruption. She said that was “bull****” and she didn’t want to hear that they were going to cut me open because of that. She was right of course, later on when my placenta came out it was very healthy and whole. It’s so ironic how no one listened to me for so long and then when my condition came to light the worse possible scenario was drawn. I asked Renee what I was suppose to do at this point. She said my goal was to keep the baby inside me as long as I could, ideally 24 hours. That seems ridiculous to me but I wanted to do what was best for the baby. It was so strange trying to do the opposite of everything I had learned and experienced with labor. Instead of relaxing and letting my uterus do it’s job I had to somehow try to fight against it. A nurse came in to give me an IV but was having trouble with my vein. She was touching me trying to find somewhere and I asked her to stop because I was having a contraction. She replied in an extremely irritated voice “I am not going to stick you yet, I’m just trying to find a spot!”. She left and after a while another nurse came in and tried to find a vein. This whole vein process took so long Renee finally said “can I just do it!” (Renee’s an expert sticker). The labor and delivery nurse started laughing and said “you have no privileges here! That would be against the law!”. It was so so so awkward. They finally had to get a specialist to come in and stick me. At this point I was barely having any breaks between my contractions. Hank was so strong. He stood by my side and just keep telling me how I could do this and how amazing I was. He would pray in my ear as I felt one coming. Everything was so intense at this point, the pain, the shock of being in labor etc. Every time I got done with a contraction I would look at Hank and it was if he had wings and a halo. He kept me steady. I was so grateful he was there. Renee was also so supportive. The only interaction I had with the nurses was they had me sign all this crap as I was deliriously moaning. Oh and the labor and deliver nurse asked if I wanted an epidural, “are you still planning on doing this the natural way? Or do you want something?“. I told I didn’t want any more complications. It had been at least a half hour maybe longer before the magnesium sulfate came. Renee explained everything to me; what the shot would feel like, what would happen afterwards etc. At this point though I had no break between contractions. As soon as one came down I felt another one come on. Renee could see what was happening and told me that if the baby is coming and I can’t stop it then the magnesium sulfate should not be administered. It would drug the baby and cause problems for him. Since they were ready to administer it I told a nurse to check me first. Thank goodness Renee had been there. I was at a 9! Shortly after the doctor rushed in and said “no mag! No mag!”. I looked at Renee and I asked what the goal was now. She said let us know if you feel pressure because the baby is coming. Then I felt like I was going to have a gigantic bowel movement. I said “I am think I am going to have bowel movement, I know it’s gross but I can’t help it” Renee’s assistant said “you do what you need to do”. By this time the pain was peaking without much fall or rise. My legs were radiating with so much pain I couldn’t hard move them. All I could do was moan. Renee and Hank were so encouraging. She just kept saying “think of Milo, think of your baby, be strong for him, you can do this, tell yourself this”. I remember at one point I screamed “I can do this, I am a good mom!”. I never felt an urge to push, just an urge poop. I felt a little pressure and I wanted this to be over so badly I yelled out “I want him out!” and I pushed with all my might. The doctor told me to hold my legs but the radiating pain in my legs was too much, so Renee and Hank helped hold them. As I was pushing I clenched to the side of the bed. This was probably the most painful part because all I felt was a peaked contraction that didn’t go down as well as the “ring of fire’ and radiating pain throughout my body. Renee could tell I was losing it so she kept telling to think of Milo and to relax my legs. I did the best I could but I was not very graceful. She also reminded me to breathe. After about 1 or 2 minutes of pushing Milo came out and I was in complete shock. They set him on my belly and Renee took my hand and laid it on him. She said “it’s over now, look at your baby, touch your baby”. I did and then looked at her and said “thanks so much for being here”, she kissed my head “of course sweetheart”. The pain wasn’t really gone until I pushed the placenta out and then I was so glad it was over. They let me see Milo once more while he was in the isolette and then whisked him away. Hank was beside me the whole time and I loved him for it. Milo was born at 6:01pm an hour after the doctor checked my cervix. He weighed 4lbs 3oz and was 17 ¼ inches long. He cried at birth and looked more beautiful then I could have imagined. He took us all by storm and has already been described by the NICU nurses as “feisty and a fighter”. We love him and even though the whole experience at the hospital was an emotional rollercoaster I am so grateful to have my little man, Mighty Milo.

Believe it or not...Milo Harvey Florence.

2011-12-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Milo Harvey Florence came into the world on December 14th which was a big surprise for us all. He weighed 4 lbs 7oz and was 17 1/4 inches long. He is 8 weeks early but is being taken care by a wonderful staff at the NICU. One of our nurses told us "he is a fighter" and is doing so well. We appreciate your prayers as the next month or so will be a trying time for our family. We feel peace that all will be well.

I will try to keep things updated as best I can and I am sure a birth story will be coming soon.

Caryl's Baptism

2011-12-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

This baptism has been a long time coming and it was a big event for our family. My sweet friend Caryl and I met a little over a year ago. Our friendship sparked unexpectedly because of a not so pleasant incident. I backed into her car and left a gigantic dent. That's how we met and in just a years time we are like family. The Lord works in mysterious ways. It was year ago when I first invited her to the Ward Christmas party. Since then she's had several sets of missionaries come teach her weekly. I have gotten so attached to so many of those Elders and now I have a whole line of suitors I am waiting to introduce to my little sister. The baptism was so neat. Her whole family came and were so supportive. Hank sang O Holy Night with one of our current missionaries and it was so inspiring. I nervously muddled my way through a talk on the Holy Ghost and managed not to cry too much. I got to see an old Elder who came back to baptism Caryl, her request. It was a really neat atmosphere and I just marveled at the love and support from missionaries and from the Ward. This journey with Caryl has really enriched my life and I always be grateful the Lord gave me this opportunity to be a part of it, even if it meant I had to bang up a friend's car.

Here we are with our missionary who left our area in June. I am currently trying to bend the rules so I can have him and his companion over for dinner once a month even though he's not in our area. I just missed him too much. Caryl would be thrilled! They have such a fun dynamic.

Our current missionaries are on either side and are just incredible, they work so hard. I have to keep these boys in my mind so I have a goal on what I want for Sam. Caryl was all smiles all night which meant everything. There are few times you get to have experiences such as these so it's important to treasure them.

Fun Potty Training Days

2011-12-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

We are attempting to potty train but don't hold your breathe, I don't think we're getting very far. We've stayed home the past few days so I don't have to worry about accidents when we're out and about. It's been quite pleasant actually. Here is Sam getting really to build a worm farm. He was so excited!

Our worm farm was a learning process. I wanted to put the dirt in clear containers so we could see the worms dig but I had only small sizes. After making four farms I realized Sam really just likes playing with the words so we dumped everything into a big bin. We've been digging for worms everyday since and loving it.

Worms!

The tree in our front lawn just felt like shedding all its leaves in like a day. I never experienced fall leaves growing up so its just as exciting for me.

Oh my gosh my son is so cute, I think I might have to kiss the computer screen. He loved having all the leaves covering him, he told me "its kinda like a blanket".

November Adventures

2011-12-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Hank and I spent Thanksgiving away from each other this year so we needed a family day before I left town. What could be better than the Sacramento Children's Museum! I would say it was fun for the whole family but Sam was hard at work the whole time.

They had a cool glass window you could paint on. This is such a Hank thing to do.

We spent hours at the Museum and probably half of that time watching this ball blowing contraption. I swear Hank was more into all the activities than Sam was.


7 months along. Well I am more like 71/2 now. Things are well actually. My only complaint is I think my baby is resting on my sciatic nerve and it gets really painful. I have hard time walking and pretty much everyone makes fun of me. I don't mind, I look really funny. Honestly after 6 months of being sick to my stomach I don't mind much anymore.

Sam and I spent Thanksgiving with my family and Hank stayed home. He actually got to see a bunch of family that came into town. We both had fun but it was just sad we couldn't be together. When Sam and I arrived in SoCal we found this awesome indoor play gymnasium. Sam was thrilled because Aunt Beff came. He way preferred her to me, probably because I limping around like a 90 year old woman and Beff is a lot more fun.

Have I mentioned Sam's obsession with concrete mixer trucks? During a visit to the mall I saw this truck and Sam was beside himself. My Son is sorta a nerd. He loves concrete mixer trucks, mail boxes and smoke detectors. I have no answers.

I love visiting my family more for Sam than myself now a days. He absolutely adores his Aunts,Uncles and Grandparents. These two laid on the couch for probably a half hour and the whole time Sam kept saying "cuddling on the couch with Beff!". He was so proud. Gosh she is pretty even when she first wakes up.

He loves Anna just as much. Notice he's trying to pinch her face...that's a sign of true love he only reserves for a few. I am proud to say I have many little nicks and scratches on my face...... Yeah, we're working on that.


Is there anything more fun than this? My primary reason for coming down was to be with my sister for the birth of her baby. Georgianna Costa came four days after this picture was taken. Anna was incredible and I feel so indebted to her for allowing me to be there. She did it all on her own, no intervention and I just marveled. What an amazing woman my sister is. She also made an incredibly beautiful baby (with a bit of Mike's help of course :)) My camera died a day before the birth so unfortunately I don't have any baby pictures to post, but just trust me her baby is gorgeous...just like her.

We had a family day in Ventura and this was what the museum had on exhibit. I just like this picture. My brother has this weird side of him where he's intrigued with anything Gothic so he was thrilled. Sam just wants to be cool like Uncle Dan. We had such a fun time with the family and I wish I had more pictures of Sam with his Grandparents but I know we'll get lots of those for Christmas.

Washington, Boutique and Wedding!!

2011-11-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Sam and I came back about a week ago from a truly fantastic weekend in Washington where we got to visit a Bug, a Bean and a Boo ( my nieces). Our first adventure was at a Children's Museum. I was totally blown away. It was so interactive! I tried to get a picture of all the cousins together but they were all wandering in different directions. Sam of course stayed close to the train section for the majority of the time.

My little niece Norah, is the happiest, most joyful baby I have ever met. She turns over with joy at every smile she gets. She absolutely melted my heart. Sam was also entranced by her charisma but showed it in less than appropriate ways...like throwing a tub of blocks on her head. He wasn't malicious, he just couldn't control the cuteness! Life will be interesting when Milo enters the picture.

Sam " Tats Av'ary, Tats Av'ary, tats Av'ary",

Avery "Why does he keep saying that?"

Me "because he likes you"

Sam "Tats Avery"

Avery "Why does he say that again?"

Me "because he likes you a lot Avery"

Avery "oh I see....tell me why he says that again?".

Sam loved following Avery around and doing whatever she was doing and Avery

Liked "being the oldest cousin here" and of course being liked.

The real adventure was on Saturday when we hiked throughout this nature park in Seattle. We started out expecting a nice nature trail to a lighthouse but it ended up being fairly long with lots of muddy climbs and slides. I loved it! and Sam was dancing in mud so he was thrilled. I was impressed with Sarah and Mike and their ability to guide their three girls on the up and down journey. Sometime I hope to be a super parent like that!

We reached a beach probably halfway through. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Sam ran straight into the water and would have kept going if Mike didn't pull him out. That's when I realized that boys and girls really are different.

After the beach incident, Sam had an appetite for water. The only way we could keep him going was to announce the next puddle that was coming. He would splash and splash until he saw another one. Avery was just beside herself with laughter since in her mind this was probably the most ridiculous thing you could possibly do, especially since it was freezing out.

My sister makes really gorgeous children, do you think? My niece Elliott who is on top just captured me on this trip. She is three and is just a girl of sophistication. She asks so many thought provoking questions and you can tell she is always trying to find a really clever way to get what she wants or at least the best end of the deal. It's actually pretty amazing to watch her at work.

After quite a trek we made it to the lighthouse. My goodness, isn't that pretty? I don't know why I didn't take more pictures of the weekend. I wish I had more of the cousins interacting. The whole experience was just delightful and now I wish I could just visit more often.

The Holiday Boutique! About six months ago I because the VP of Charity for my MOMS Club. As a board we have spent the last four months planning a fundraising boutique to raise money for families in the community who have really desperate needs. The event finally came and we raised twice as much money as we did last year so in a lot of ways it was a huge success! It was also so fun to be a part of. This is a picture of a few members of the club helping out at the boutique.

I was in charge of the vendors which was a bit overwhelming because we had over 40 participate. Fortunately the board has been very collaborative so I had a lot of help. I have learned a lot from this experience and have made a lot of close friends. It's been really rewarding.

Busy week! Saturday my two dear friends Brandy and Anthony got married. I thought the groom was in this picture when it was taken so I am sorta sad he's not.They have been investigating the church for two years and finally decided to get baptized. They needed to get married first so the ward threw together a gorgeous wedding in a months time! I was in charge of coordinating it the day of and was really nervous about it. There were only a few stressful moments like I having to DJ last minute (it ended up being easy) and calling animal control to get a rattle snake out of the building, other than that it went well. The baptize was where the really special moments were at.

I think the wedding atmosphere got to him!

Trick or Treating Marathon and our New House

2011-11-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

We bought a house! This is a long time overdue since we moved at the beginning of September. I've had a few requests from family members to post pics and I thought this would be a fun thing to document so here we are. I didn't take a picture of the front for some reason so here is a picture I found online. It looks the same.

Living Room right when you walk in.

Living Room

We have a dining/living area where we house Sam's toys.

The rest of the dining area.

Kitchen. I will admit that I am proud of my kitchen. It was so horribly ugly when we moved in and with a little bit of paint, a stencil and some knobs it really transformed. It's not perfect but I am still proud!

The Man Cave! The downstairs bedroom is devoted to Hank's nerdy movie obsession. We have big plans for this room. I was allowed my stationary bicycle until then which I am very grateful for.

Our cozy bedroom

Sam and soon to be Milo's room.

I love this room. Sam spends so much time in here reading, sometimes with me and often times by himself. I really want my children to enjoy their rooms and I feel like we are off to a great start.

On to Halloween!! We had a serious marathon with Trick or Treating. Our first stop was at a retirement community where my MOMS Club goes every year. Yes, everyone was enchanted by Sam's charm...especially when he wore his Elmo hood and smiled.

It's so weird how times flies by.I remember going to this last year. We had just moved to the area and I didn't know very many people from the club. Now I feel like Sam and I really belong there. We have made so many friends and feel such a sense of community.This club has been a blessing in our lives.

After our first Trick or Treating excursion we had a little picnic at the park and colored pumpkins. I wanted something fast, clean and not dangerous. Sam really likes telling us whose pumpkin is who "Mommy's pumpkin, Daddy's pumpkin, Sammy's pumpkin and Milo's Pumpkin!"

Our next stop was Sam's favorite outdoor mall. They have fountains, train rides and tricking or treating! Sam has been very interested in finding scarecrows recently. I had to get a picture of one of his findings.

Cookie Monster and Elmo...perfect picture opportunity! ummm...."opportunity" being the operative word here. Sam has managed to muster enough awkwardness in that facial expression that I will be forced to show this photo to future girlfriends.

And finally the good old fashion door to door candy collecting. I love our community. People really go all out for holidays as you can tell.

Did I mention Hank was around for all of this?! With him working so much it's such a treasure to have him for a few hours here and there, so having him around for a holiday was an absolute delight...mainly because he's a delight to have around.

Sam isn't a big talker when it comes to Trick or Treating. He is mostly interested in ringing the door bell and trying to push his way into people's houses so he can go upstairs. What he hopes to find that is better than a bowl full of candy I just don't know.

Sam is investigating a mailbox. Currently he is on a quest to find every mailbox in the Rocklin area and is very disturbed if I don't acknowledge him when he has found one. He's tried to escape from stores filled with toys just so he can show me another mailbox he has found. When we get to the mailbox he usually just stares at it and tells me its a mailbox over and over. Then he'll investigate the outgoing box. Even the enticement of free all you can eat candy did not detour him from his mailbox mission. He has the same obsession with smoke detectors, or as he says "'nother fire smoke ma'dector". By the way isn't my husband dashing?

Halloween Festivites

2011-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a LOOONNNGG time sing my last blog so I hope I am not forgotten about in the blogger world amongst my friends and family. Between pregnancy, moving into a new house (I'll blog about that later), planning a boutique with my MOMS Club, church, friends and trying to keep up with my two year old....I've been a headless chicken. It is nice to find some time to recap a little and hopefully I can keep it up!

Hank has also been busy but as a family we managed to find some time at the start of the Halloween season to visit a giant pumpkin patch. We had a really magical day. Looking at that picture makes me realize how attractive the boys in my life are! No wonder I want to be around them all the time!

This was Sam's reaction as we wondered through the preliminary pumpkin patch: "tats a pumkan (points) ....tats a pumkan (points)...tats a pumkan (points)...tats a big pomkan...tats a yucky pumpkin...tats a pumkan (points)etc, etc, ect" we did this for a while. He talked about going to the pumpkin patch for days before we went, so I think he needed to soak up the reality of actually being there.

I tried feeding the goats after this picture was taken and I had the same expression on my face.

Oh its so nice to have Daddy time. One time I made Sam laugh and after we giggled for a while he stopped and said "no Mommy, Daddy's funny", I guess I overstepped my boundaries.


This is prime Mommy time; snuggling on the tractor ride. It is awesome but a little scary and its nice to have a mommy nearby. He still managed to point out to us that there were pumpkins "tats a pumpkin...tats a pumkan!"

So the tractor ride took us out to the real pumpkin patch where we got to search for our own. Strangely enough most of the pumpkins were nasty or rotting so it really was a search, Sam described most of the pumpkins as "yucky'. It made the hunt that much more fun and in the end we found a family of pumpkins.

This pumpkin is "Sammy's Pumkan"

It was such a fun experience for all of us. We have our three pumpkins outside our front door and every day when we go outside Sam goes through his pumpkin routine; "Mommy's pumkan, Daddy's pumkan, Sammy's Pumkan!(pause) take Sammy's pumkan" then he picks up Sammy's pumpkin and begins carrying it out to the car before realizing he doesn't want to carry it anymore and sets it down in some random location. We have to be careful not to mention pumpkins in our house otherwise he'll want to "go to pumkan patch and pick a pumkan!"

I am somewhere around 6 months now. I'll get a more accurate day at my next ultra-sound. I went from measuring at 19 weeks to 26 weeks in a 3 week period. Milo had a bit of a growth spurt and now I have no idea what my due date it. I do have to say I enjoy looking pregnant. It gives meaning to the misery, though I am do so much better..so no complaints here!

Well I had to quail his love for pumpkins! We went to a smaller less eventful pumpkin patch with my MOMS Club.

"tunnnal!!"

I love find little surprises, like how entertaining a wheelbarrow can be. I need to store that little nugget away.

That cheesy smile never gets old to a mother.

Getting ready for our ward Halloween party. Looks like Elmo is a little sedated from "op-e-na" or oatmeal, but I think a little sugar fix will pep him right up.


I love that Sam is getting older and can start participating during events like this one. He got his face painted, played games, marched in the parade and went trick or treating. It also makes me miss my little baby Sam. They grow so fast!!

These are two of Sam's best friends. He has a crush on the smaller one and often talks about her and then giggles to himself afterwards. His social nature is already showing itself in spades especially with the ladies. He also has such a tender heart for his friends and for babies. Today he was singing to himself in the car, something made-up and I overheard him say to himself "I 'uv babies...(sign)". I hope that love keeps up when Milo comes and he has to share his Mommy!

Ultra-sound (s)

2011-08-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

I am usually such a consistent blogger but this pregnancy has really taken it's toll. The big news is that we went in for the 20 week ultra-sound. Here is what happened: the ultra-sound technician was really dim. I could barely understand anything he said. He seemed nice enough but should probably not have a job where he is interacting with pregnant women. He was so focused on getting measurements and the right picture he barely explained what was going on. I felt like I was getting my leg x-rayed, not having the ultra-sound to see my growing baby! Then I felt like my world came to a crashing halt. I am measuring at 16 weeks not 19 weeks. The technician told us it was too early to tell the sex. I felt pretty disappointed after that. It is difficult for me to feel sick constantly and to know that I have to go through it a month longer than I thought is a bit discouraging. I have to admit I am feeling much better now but at the time I was doubled over with sickness probably from the disappointment. Here are some pictures...it is an absolute miracle that my body is creating this.

I told a friend about my experience and she said if I am really anxious to know the sex of the baby I should go to another ultra-sound technician who will tell you the sex as early as 16 weeks. So that is exactly what I did. Hank and I were just thrilled about the whole experience. Her office was comfortable with a big screen TV displaying the imaging. She was kind, friendly and could tell the sex right away (it was a bit obvious). We smiled, laughed and got teary eyed. I told Hank from now on we are having our own 16 week ultra-sound before we do any other ultra-sounds. Maybe I am picky but that experience really helps me get excited about my pregnancy and so it better be a good one! So now are you ready to know?

Those are cars PJ's. We bought them right after we found out, a little tradition. I am beside myself with joy. I am going to have two little boys! This is one of those times where I love modern day technology. Happy day!

Pregnancy Update

2011-08-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

I am 17ish weeks along now and even though people say I am not showing that much I feel like I obviously am! I have already gained the same amount of weight that I gained my entire pregnancy with Sam (I was so sick :( ) I must have had a really good day the last time I posted because the morning sickness definitely didn't leave me. I have been constantly nauseous throwing up nearly everyday sometimes several times a day. Fortunately I feel like the last few days something has been lifted and I am starting to feel a bit better. I really don't want to jinx it though because last time I thought I felt better everything got almost worse! Lets just hope if I am sick the entire time like I was with Sam I will a good attitude about it and keep my head above water. My husband and my son have been my anchors during these last few months of sickness. Seeing Sam grow and talk really puts things in perspective. For example the other night I was putting him down for bed and told him I was going to go. He requested another kiss and I told him I would give him three "one, two, three..goodnight" his response "four?", oh alright and I gave him another, his next response "ten?". In those moments I just realize it's all worth it. Hank and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary a week ago and I just feel so grateful to be creating a life with him. He is my hero and my angel.

I have felt the baby a bit but it's slight and sometimes I have a hard time knowing if it's the baby or the war that is constantly happening in my stomach. I know I felt a definite "pow" a few days ago. I am so anxious for all the movement soon to be felt. It makes it so real and exciting at that point.

Other than that no major changes (at least none I want to publish on the web). The next time I do a pregnancy update I will probably know the sex of the baby. I am hoping to find out in a least three weeks. So go ahead and guess, it's fun! Hank and I are prepared for names either way and I honestly have no inclination if it's a boy or a girl so give us your ideas!

I have a lot more updating to do that isn't pregnancy related so we'll see if I can get enough energy to get to that!

Big News!!!

2011-07-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have begun the journey! and in my opinion the worst part is almost over...the dreaded morning sickness. I can't believe how mild it has been compared to Sam. Yes I threw up 1-3 times a day and constantly felt nauseous, but believe or not it can be so much worse than that. Basically I am so grateful to have that phase almost be over. Even with the sickness, my heart has been in a constant state of gratitude for this pregnancy. Knowing what comes at the end of this journey makes everything I go through so enriching and spiritual. My current high does have it's own consequences, in that I cry all time. I have what I like to call a mother mind at the moment. To me there really isn't anything more important or more worthy than raising children. I am in absolute awe of my body and it's abilities and in even more awe of the process of caring for children. I used to envy people who had creative abilities oozing out of them. I graduated in art and the whole time I was at school I was in constant awe of other people and wished I could create something worth while. I have still felt that since of awe when I see artwork, movies, posters, crafts, statues, scrapbooks etc etc where there is a statement of creativity that just engulfs the viewer. This pregnancy has reset my ambitions and I realize more than ever that there is nothing more creative than creating a family. I feel a power within me that promotes my position as a mother to the top rank of importance in society. Recently I find myself sort of unamused by the once unreachable status of those who have found success in their creativity. We were watching the spectacular blue ray extended editions of Lord of the Rings and Hank commented on how spectacular the movie was as far as creativity goes. I just thought, "ummm...my son just learned to sing his ABC's...this is ranks as "quaint" in comparison" Obviously Lord of the Rings is a spectacular movie, it's just my mother mind that puts everything in perspective.

It's weird how I am starting to show already. So I am 13 1/2 weeks along. I had my first appointment on Monday and got to hear the heartbeat (remarkable). Hank and I have decided to go with a mid-wife and have a home birth this time around. I am absolutely blown away by the kind of care I am getting with my mid-wife. I have a birth team consisting of my mid-wife, her birth assistant and a mid-wife in training. Our first appointment lasted over TWO hours. The team was extremely thorough on knowing everything about me from my mental to my physical health. They said they want me to be in optimal health when I deliver this baby and so I can be a healthy happy mother of two. I am to keep a food diary and then in a month I am meeting with a nutritionist. They let me listen to the heartbeat for so long, so long. It was such a neat moment for Hank and I. They care about my concerns, my past experiences and are preparing me to have the birth experience that I want. It was such a great experience, I wish I could have an appointment every week! When we left it was hugs all around. So neat!

Anyway, we are very excited around here. Sam likes to tickle and kiss my tummy while saying "baby, baby" and then he shows me his baby in his tummy. I hope he doesn't get too disappointed later on. Hank tells everyone he meets the news. In fact he bore his testimony at church on Sunday and announced it. I didn't even attempt to ask him to keep it secret, he can't help himself. We feel blessed.

Hank's Birthday!

2011-06-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day we roasted marshmallows with Hank's 2nd cousin Chris and his family. They were so sweet and bought Hank a birthday cake!

...all the cake info was just a prelude for this picture.

I'd say Sam is getting pretty good at puzzles.

Hank had his birthday on Friday but we celebrated it the day before. At first we got a babysitter but then after some thought Hank decided he wanted Sam to be there. I am so glad we brought him along, he was so fun. Lets just say after this restaurant outing Sam goes around the house saying "suuuushe, suuushe" with a big smile on his face.

After "suuuushe" we headed to a family fun fair where we enjoyed checking out all the vendors, pony rides, bounce houses and especially the live band.


Sam captivated everyone with his dance moves. He went at it for maybe 20 minutes. By the end he was getting pretty tired but couldn't stop the beat, so he would lay around on the ground twisting and turning until he got enough energy to get back up again. It was so cute. Everyone commented.

That evening after getting Sam down we watched a movie and enjoyed pumpkin pie (Hank's favorite). Hank's birthday was probably more enjoyable for me because it was a time for me to reflect on the life I have with this wonderful man. He is such a tender, loving husband and father. The quality and richness of our life (Sam and I) is greatly attributed to Hank's constant care and devotion to us. I really feel blessed everyday to have him.

He is also really funny.Our home is always filled with laughter. I am so blessed. Happy Birthday Hank!

Puzzles, motorcycles, paint and fairs

2011-05-29T21:13:00.000-07:00


So I needed to get something done and so I threw a few three part people puzzles on the coffee table to get Sam occupied. I literally come back 20 seconds later and all fours puzzles are complete and he is placing them size by size. You draw your own conclusions... yes I know, he's amazing.

What could be better than a safety fair?!! Police cars, motorcycles, fire trucks, ambulances and any other vehicle you can think of come together to show case and show off. I don't think Sam could have expressed himself any better than what this picture captured.

Bliss, pure bliss. The only sad part was we made late in the day and a lot of the venders and vehicles were packing up. Next year no other plans will be made on this day.

This is one of our favorite activities. I really suggest it to anyone who has a toddler. It's so easy and despite how it looks, it's not that hard to clean up. Spill water on the floor and add food coloring or water colors. Keep a wet cloth nearby so when it splashes everywhere you can easily wipe it off. Sam loves swirling all the colors around. It's a great way to learn how colors mix. We took his cars and drove them in the water to make cool designs, we uses brushes and painted ourselves, and it was fun having a "big helper" wipe it up when we were done. Oh gosh, I love it so much I'll have to do it again tomorrow!

I live in the best community. Every month the mall puts on a family event where the kids get a free craft and snack. There is always a theme as well. This week was music and movement.After spending quite a while lifting and lowering the parachute on the kids, they rounded them up and trying bouncing a ball on top. Sam would not get out form under the parachute despite my various tactics. Fortunately the lady in charge sympathized with my dilemma and we all went back to lowering and lifting. I think all the kids had more fun with that activity anyway.

This is always his expression after one of theses events.

Sacramento County Fair. Here is the rundown: more life stock than your nose can handle and barely any community displays or commercial venders. I think it gets the shaft because the State Fair is in the same place. I was unaware how much people like their farm animals around here.

This is a great picture because Sam isn't troubled by the crocodile but instead wants the ice cream the unseen girl in front of him is enjoying.

Thank goodness for pink tractors.I think that made up for the lack of blue ribbon cookies and hand sewn quilts.

Yosemite. So magical.

2011-05-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

The day after I arrived home from Southern California Hank, Sam and I headed to Yosemite! It was amazing!!! That place inspired me and now I feel re-energized because of our visit. It was incredible. Here we are in front of half-dome.

I leave it up to you to decide what Sam is doing here.

There was so much love being passed around our family while we were there.

This was at Mirror Lake. We tried hiking a bit but Sam just wanted to stop and throw rocks so we eventually gave up and just let him. That was more fun anyway.

Biking in Yosemite is just magical. Most of the trails have sequoias and pines towering over head and then every once in a while a majestic view opens up and you can't help but take a picture.

This was our first day there. We biked a lot and our last destination was at the Ahwahnee Hotel where we allowed Sam to roam free in the back gardens. He got very silly and passed this stick around to each of our mouths. His silliness was infectious and before we knew it we were running around singing loudly and tackling each other. There is something about Yosemite that just sparks happiness in you.

This is the hotel. It was built in the 1920's to house patrons of the park. Isn't it neat architecture?

On our way out we saw and deer and it wasn't afraid of us, we got really close. I guess it's used to people being around. I was so excited and yelled at Hank to get a picture. A lady who was an employee of the hotel was walking by and saw my excitement. She casually said "there's another one over there too" like it was no big deal. I guess I am not accustomed to mountain life.

Are you ready for the most incredible experience? Here we go; Hank and I did a tiny hike to the lower Yosemite Falls and after seeing how beautiful and powerful it was, there was no way we were going to stop. We headed for the top. Little did we both know how intense the hike was going to be.

Sam feel asleep at the beginning of the hike and took a short nap and then fell asleep at the end of the hike, that just shows how long this monster hike was. We started at 9ish and got back around 4ish. If I knew we were going to be crazy and spontaneous I would have packed more food. I guess that's the drawback of spontaneity.

The first view point on the hike, pale in comparison to the top. By the way Hank did the whole hike up 4 miles of steep switchback with Sam on his back and then basically 4 miles back because I am a wimp and didn't last very long with Sam on back. By the end his shirt was dripping with sweat.

The views of the falls kept us going and Sam's cute personality.

After hours and hours we made it!!! Sam was by far the youngest one at the top. Hank is amazing and so is that view!! Being in a place like that makes you realize how insignificant you are. I felt grateful and humble at the same time.

The view of Yosemite Falls. I feel tired just thinking about that hike but at the same time I want to go back. So often I find that some of the most difficult experiences are the most rewarding ones, they are always worth it.

Since Sam was a champion and allowed us to trek to the falls and back without too much complaining we bought him some dibs. I love that boy.

We also took him back to mirror lake where he could go swimming. Well that water is melted glacier water so he lasted about five minutes before he realized he couldn't feel his body. We spend the rest of the time throwing rocks in the lake.

This was one of my favorite moments (one of many) because Sam was so happy to be alive. He was being silly and we were laughing at him as well as helping find rocks to throw. We had had an exhausting day but oh so rewarding and now we were able to just enjoy each other. I love my family and man! I cannot wait to go back to Yosemite!

Trip to So Cal

2011-05-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hank, Sam and I took a little vacation to Southern California. Here we are celebrating my brother Daniel's birthday. As you can tell we had a really fun time.

My brother looks really cool in this picture. Here he is with his pretty girlfriend who is an absolute delight!

Hank went back home only after a day so Sam and I had a mid-week adventure. We went to the Underwood family Farms and picked strawberries among other things. I had fun but from this picture I am thinking Sam questioned the validity of the outing.

Another birthday dinner for Dan! Sam was acting so crazy. He watches a lot of home videos and sees his extended family in them a lot. I think seeing everyone in person made him feel like he was spending time with celebrities. He kept laughing to the no breathing point for no reason. Oh boy.

We had to spend a day in Santa Barbara with Anna. Bethany came along as well which makes everything more fun. Sam has taken a liking to Anna and her name was the first he pronounced "unt nana"

So Anna had these vanilla wafers and Sam kept going back for more so I told him he could only have one if he gave Anna kisses. He picked up on it immediately. He does what it takes to get food, plus he really likes seeing Anna laugh. Now he kisses on demand.

We walked to various places in Santa Barbara, one of which was this carousal. Pure joy, pure joy.

When we lived at home Bethany and I would have a cooking club and in that tradition we spent the day making food for our family. I was proud because we made everything up and it all turned out so yummy.

The main event arrived on Saturday. Norah Ilene, my sister Sarah's newest addition to the family. I describe this precious little baby as delicate, sweet and little. I hogged her quite a bit but I couldn't help it, she was so cute!!!

We did a lot of celebrating on Sunday Mother's day, Sarah's baby shower and Daniel birthday again. It is so nice to be with family.

Sam had to practice a lot of self-restraint with Norah. You could tell he just wanted to squeeze her cute little face. Well we all felt that way, so precious.

Grandma Marty and Grandpa Sam were out of town for most of the time we were down but fortunately they came home just in time for us to see them! We had a really nice visit. They know the way to Sam's heart...ice cream!

One of main reasons for our visit was my Grandpa's 90th birthday, which I don't have pictures of yet. My grandpa was wearing this Laker's hat and Sam stole it and for some reason really enjoyed it. I guess he's a Laker fan. My grandpa ended up giving it to him and even now that we are home he still likes his hat. Don't be fool by his expression in this picture I think he's disgusted at the state of that oven mitt.

1/2 mile marathon!

2011-04-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hank and I ran our first race! It was called The American River Parkway Half Marathon. I was so nervous to run because we haven't been able to train for it as much as we had hoped for. My goal was to run the whole thing. I knew Hank could do it but I was worried I might pass out or something (I am a bit delicate). It went so well! I totally ran it! Of course by the end I was so slow that walkers were passing me, even though I was running (so embarrassing!) Hank stayed with me until mile ten and then he was basically skipping to stay near me, so we decided he should go on ahead and actually run. I have to say I am so inspired now because all along the way there were these inspirational signs helping the runners stay motivated. They said things like "you never know your limits until you exceed them" and "Those who say it can't be done shouldn't interrupt those who are doing it". I was feeling great until mile ten and then I got pretty tired. Those inspirational signs were probably the thing that kept me going. I started relying on them fro support. I thought about how important it is to live everyday focused on your priorities, your values, your principles and goals. Those messages reminded me why I was paying to put my body through pain and exhaustion. I wanted to push my body and my mind so I could feel healthier and happier. I don't believe our purpose on this earth is to experience pleasure and satisfaction, but instead to progress and grow. We often find ourselves in uncomfortable or upsetting moments but we endure because of the greater goal. I know this is something I want to teach my children and I really want to have a home full of "inspirational signs" that remind us why we must go through the suffering of life, because in the end the reward is so worth it.

Easter and a bit more

2011-04-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sam's first Easter egg hunt. The Relief Society put together a little Easter egg hunt. Like everything Sam wasn't as much excited as he was curious about why we were doing it.

My really good friend Traecy got me this co-pilot for Sam's birthday and we are having an absolute blast. On those few nights a week when Hank is off work we go on family bike rides and just explore. Sam usually sits back there humming to himself or singing his new favorite song "Sun, Sun Mr. Golden Sun please come shine on me", though his version is more like "Sun, Sun, ma me ma nane nana ME!"

I don't know why I don't have any pictures of Trevor and Lindsay, but they came down last weekend and visited us. We had a lot of fun just chatting and relaxing with them. We hung around the Florence's house for most of the visit and took advantage of the family go-cart!

Lucy (Hank's cousins' dog) had puppies and Sam is so giddy over them.

We spent Easter with the Florences. I think Sam got a little more into the hunt this time around.

A very dedicated egg finder.

Sam turned Two

2011-04-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

I might have gone a little overboard for Sam's birthday, but I can't help it, I really love celebrating. His Birthday fell on Conference weekend. Here he is enjoying some waffles and strawberries.

We had the missionaries and my friend Caryl over for breakfast before conference. Hank's uncle and his family came over a bit later. I love enjoying Conference with friends and family.

In between sessions we had a little family party outside on the benches in our apartment complex. Those are Hank's cousins and his aunt. Such an attractive family!

We came back inside for presents, cookies and ice cream. Sometimes I need to just stop buying him presents! The attractive Florence family gave him a fire engine. He wanted nothing else after that. He got a little loony during this period of time. I think he had a bit too much of a good thing.

Here I am with my dear friend Traecy. We are building Sam's birthday cake for his party. She has an amazing talent for cake decorating. I have never made such a cool cake and it was an absolute blast.

I can't believe I actually had a part in this amazing creation. After it was done Sam wanted to do nothing else but stare at it.

Party! I was going to have Sam's party at a park but the weather didn't cooperate so I changed locations last minute to our apartment. I think I liked it better because we could dance and there is nothing cuter to me then a bunch of little shaking bums.

We played the freeze dance game where if they froze they got a sticker on their face. I saw one of the little girls later on in the day and she still had four stickers scattered on her face! The best was that Sam had the most fun of anyone. He dancing,jiving, just giggling and laughing throughout the whole game. I think he was just tickled to have all his friends playing along with him all at the same time!

This picture is so hilarious. Look how desperate Sam looks for cake. He is trying so hard to restrain himself but won't last much longer.

Later that day we went to the grand opening for the new play place at the mall. Oh my goodness! isn't that a spectacle! Sam was in such a good mood the whole time. He would play, run around and then spot us on the other end of the play place, drop everything run towards us, giggling joyfully the whole way. He would then collapse in our arms and tickle our faces while saying 'mama, dada, mama, dada". There really isn't a better feeling then seeing your child so purely happy.

The next day was Rocklin Library's celebration kick-off for national library week. There was face painting, balloon animals, theatrical skits, and magic shows. We spent an hour and half there and an hour and 15 minutes of that were spent watching these two trains. He's obsessed.

I did manage to grab a balloon flower. Some mocked saying he should have a sword or something more "boy like", no I insisted, my boy likes to smell the flowers. Was I right or was I right?

Oh just some fun stuff

2011-03-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sam has discovered that the glass over the fireplace shows his reflection. He loves being a fireman and whenever he wears his hat he has to see how cool he looks. Sometimes he even giggles.

My birthday was this week. We celebrated by rock climbing at a rocking climbing gym. We did the free form rock climbing because it was cheaper and we didn't need to learn any special skills. It was so hard! Both of our muscles were burning and I was sore all day the next day. Here is the problem with doing something new on a whim; you want to adopt it as a new hobby. I don't have time or money to invest into a rock climbing hobby but never the less I am excited to find new venues for this activity. It was really fun and challenging and I hope I can find a cheap way to do it more regularly.

Indian food, my absolute favorite. We found this small place a few months ago and have been dying to go back. It was so delicious except the food came out way too spicy. Normally I would be so so disappointed but when we told the manger, he was so concerned for my well being that he gave me a free mango drink and lots of yogurt to tame the food down. Despite the spiciness we left with smiles on our faces. Doesn't that just go to show what good service can for a business?

Sam has now started noticing his friends. It is really cute because when he is with someone he likes he gets this overwhelming surge of happiness and bursts out with laughter and glee and then attempts to gently hug his friend. It always ends up with both parties on the floor, sometimes tears are involved. The girl in this picture was a prime candidate for snuggling because not only was she a friend, she was a "baby". Fortunately Hank served as a protective barrier between the girl and the floor.

One of Sam's favorite pass times: smelling candles. We have spent over an hour in Bath and Body Works before smelling candles. I can say the same for Pier 1 imports, Target and Hallmark. We have a shared passion. If I am at the mall and I need to get somewhere, I have to take alternate routes so he won't recognize the prime candle smelling stores. Once he has spotted a candle to smell, it's all over, I have to stop everything and... well, have him smell the candles.

Crazy week in SoCal

2011-03-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Sam and I enjoyed a beautiful and very crazy week in Southern California. A family I used to nanny on occasion flew me down so I could take care of their 5 kids while they went on a little vacation. Needless to say, it was quite the adventure.


I arrived a few days before I was needed so I was able to spend some time with my family. I had an entire day with my brother. Sam and I spent part of the day roamed around UCLA watching all the smart people hussle and bussle while we waited for my brother to be done with his classes. We then had lunch with him and his girlfriend which I am so angry I forgot to take a picture. I really liked her so hopefully that won't be my last meeting with her. The only annoying part was I had the flu and felt horrible. I was lucky I got better before the nannying began.

Later we got to spend some time with my parents. I came just in time. My oldest sister just had a baby and my mom left the next day to be with her. It was perfect I got to have one night with my mom. Now I am looking forward to seeing my new beautiful niece!

Sam has really been taking an interest in musical instruments recently. I think he thought my Dad was just beyond cool to be able to play.


Traveling with out-of-ordinary naps never go well with my baby. He slept for over 3 hours after this picture was taken. He needed it!

We also got to spend a day with Hank's parents. He loves to cuddle with his Grandma Marty.


I have more pictures then I know what to do with from the eventful week so I will include just a few highlights. Here we are making designs on paper with colored bubbles. The oldest kid was gone all day being busy so he missed out on the fun most days.


Our walk to the park with their new dog. These kids are so fun because any activity we did was exciting and fun for them.

We attempted to make a home-made pinata. It went really well except for the part when we filled it with candy. It just collapsed. It was a worthy attempt and the kids had fun so I say it was still a success.

The week went really well and I thought it would end that way, but no. I was a minute late for check-in and they closed it, so I had to buy a stand-by ticket which I didn't get on. Basically I was at terminal 8 for United Airlines from 7am to 7pm. It was exhausting but I was grateful for the time I got to spend with Sam, especially since it was difficult to have one on one with him last week. The cute thing is now he loves his airplane toys.

This is basically the result of last week.

Valentine's Day fun and some Daddy time too

2011-02-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

Sam and I attended a Valentine's Day extravaganza at our local mall. It was loony. The line to sign in was probably an hour long. Good thing we got there early! Sam decorated this box for Daddy and we gave it to him on Valentine's Day. It was pretty sweet.

Amongst the face painting and dancing Sam's reoccurring attraction was this balloon decoration. For some reason he thought it was really cute and kept making baby faces at it.

Nothing held a note to this dog. Sam followed this character around and around. In fact the worker who was helping out kept laughing every time she saw Sam come back. I think the person in the suit was losing ideas for funny antics.

Sky Zone! The Trampoline place. Imagine a gigantic trampolined room where even the walls are jumpable. It was awesome! Yet, Sam found the trash can outside the room to be more interesting... I tried, I tried.

My mom's group had a Valentine's Day party. I was really proud of Sam for coloring this hat. He's recently taken a interest in coloring. He actually makes a few marks on the paper before popping the coloring utensil in his mouth. We are making progress.

All the kids in the group are fairly young. We tried to have a game where the kids would hop on numbered hearts until the music stopped, then they got a prize. Sam did NOT like being told where to go and eventually found his way to some nearby puzzles. I felt okay because most of the kids were running around screaming, eating the paper hearts or trying to get their prizes early. I love this age.

So for those of you who know Sam, you know he has been a momma's boy through and through. So this little experience made Dad a happy man. We were walking around a nature preserve and Sam found this rock. Dad joined him and they were have a nice time enjoying the rock together. When I tried to get in on the fun, Sam would not have it and kept pushing me away. We tried to take a family picture but Sam was determined to have the rock reserved for only him and dad!

My sister in law tried a well with no avail. This rock is only for the men in the family!

Hank's time has finally come.

Colored spaghetti part 2

2011-02-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with colored spaghetti I just thought Sam looked really cool.

So I brought the spaghetti out again. Sam and I made a discovery. Spaghetti is really sticky and kind of yucky. Sam would reach hesitantly into the bowl while making various "ick, yuck, bleack" sounds with his tongue. We decided to use spaghetti's yuckieness to our advantage and found it sticks quite well to the dishwasher. I think I have found Sam's artistic side. Together we created a little picture. Sam is much more thoughtful than I am. He took the effort to pick out individual strands and place them by hand to specific points on the dishwasher wall. I enjoyed the wind up and throw approach more. I think together with both our techniques we make a great artistic pair.

The creation enlarged after this picture was taken but I think you get the idea. I call it "Bleack!", Sam came up with the name. I think it fits. You'll have to watch out for more Sam and mom originals.

What! Another post about Sam!

2011-01-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

There is no reason in Sam's mind why he could not ride his Dad's bike.

Sam has a new best friend. Sam chooses his friend's well. A sandbox in the backyard and a train table in the front room. I think Sam is getting a handle on this "playdate" thing.


What sound does a duck make? "Back, back!"

I could be wrong but I think I found a new favorite snack.

This was taken after half the bag was consumed. I don't know where all that food goes! Maybe he burns it off while he's tackling me to ground and throwing balls in my face.

New find! Bounce Palace. A first Sam was apprehensive until I got into the bounce house with him. He loved having me hold him while I jumped and jumped. Basically I considered our visit my work-out for the day.

If Sam ever happens upon a bar you will be sure to find him doing this.

Choas!! After playing in the younger kid area for a while we ventured to the big kid arena. Legs kicking, children flaying about, sinking bodies and lots of laughing, crying and panting. I think I needed to get out of there more then Sam did.


Sam is learning his alphabet.

Sam's newest talent: clicking his tongue. His favorite time to exercise this talent is when I am singing to him. He'll click when I pause or to a beat, for example: The ants go marching one by one, hurrah "click!" hurrah "click!", The ants go marching two by two, hurrah "click!" hurrah "click!" etc. My favorite is when he is almost asleep and I am singing him a good night song and he still can't fight the urge to click: baby beluga in the deep blue sea "click!" you swim so wild and you swim so free "click!". I think his clicks before bed are a close 2nd to his random giggles and chuckles he lets out right before he falls asleep. At least I know he is falling asleep happy.

A week of hiking, family and throwing

2011-01-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

Last Monday Hank took the morning off and we found a great hike along the American River.

We were trying to teach Sam all about moss, fungus and dead plants. Maybe that's why he has that expression on his face. I still thought it was pretty, but you can't please everyone.

Then we had a gigantic treat this weekend. My sister and brother-in-law came to visit! Sam absolutely LOVES my sister. I can tell she has an earned a special place with him because he head butt her to the point of tears. That he reserves for only a privileged few.

If one visit wasn't exciting enough my sister's best friend (who I am going on play dates with now a days) came over as well with her family. We had a party at the park. We needed to get out of the house because Sam kept chucking things at the other baby. We had a family night about being soft but I am not sure it's sticking yet.

So as previously mention Sam's new thing is throwing everything he can get his hands on. I have tried to be creative in attempting to lessen his aggression, but mostly in vain. I've decided to accept the fact that he is a boy and needs to throw...desperately! So I made colored spaghetti!

And throw he did. Not as much as I thought he would. Maybe we'll try again soon. If I can gear myself up for the clean-up that is!

Paper

2011-01-21T12:25:00.000-08:00


I really enjoy making paper and fiddling with paper crafts. Paper has actually brought me a lot of joy and at times has been my therapy.These are my most recent paper creations

Making paper can be very spontaneous and often exciting. I like incorporating new colors and torn scraps in hopes of a happy accident.

I just love texture.

I really enjoy decorating paper as well and I try to incorporate my papers into my family journal. I know that scrap booking is changing a lot now a days. With blogs and digital photo books it doesn't seem worth it to spend so much time and money making a scrap book anymore. I don't think I will ever give up my family journal. There is something so intriguing about hand made crafts. I really enjoy the quirts and mistakes that occur when something is homemade. My journal is chalk full of accidents, mistakes and messy handwriting. For me it works and is very satisfying.

I really enjoy the designs of scrap booking paper. Here are some panels I made for Sam's room. Excuse the little man below.

Ahh paper. The world of paper is a never ending flow of creativity and energy. I really love paper.

Yum! a little adventure in cooking

2011-01-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that the past couple months I have gotten really lazy with cooking. Hank is hardly ever home so I am really unmotivated to make a fancy for meal just for Sam and me. I think I realized one day after Sam had had his 3rd peanut butter and honey sandwich that I needed to get out of my food runt. Hank got me America's Healthy Test Kitchen Cookbook for Christmas and I have made a goal to develop some skills in preparing nutritious food for my family. It has been a really fun couple weeks. Hopefully by blogging about my kitchen creations it will keep me motivated to continue cooking/baking and poor Sam can experience some variety in his diet.

Ingredients
1 TB olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 cup bulgar
1/2 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 cup spinach
1 can drained chickpeas
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper

I sauteed the onion in the olive oil until it became tender. Add the quinoa and 1 cup of broth. When quinoa is halfway done add the bulgar and the rest of the broth and water. When both the quinoa and bulgar are done, add the Parmesan cheese, garlic, broccoli, spinach, chickpeas, salt and pepper. Stir all together. Put the mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake on broil until cheese melts. Enjoy!

Tidbits from the week

2011-01-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

Sam started a tumbling class this week. Oh is he is a big fan. Since it is for little guys it's pretty flexible which is good for Sam because he just runs around the gym like an excited bunny. He'll stop at a station for maybe a minute and then see something else that excites him and scamper off. We've gone 3 times this week and every time we have to leave Sam yells for more. He is learning though. His teacher is so nice. In this picture his teacher is helping Sam jump with two feet. I am going to blatantly brag here; Sam is a natural. His teacher has already commented on his ability to climb and hold onto bars. He's also the cutest kid in the class and I know everyone is thinking it!

Here is Sam with his bud Ty.

It was a challenge to get him to come out of that swing, even when he started to look like he was going to throw up.

My newest addition to Sam's doll collection. A rhino.

Saturday was cold so Hank got the night off from Cheesecake since he was scheduled on the patio. As soon as we heard the news we bundled up and drove up to Auburn. Such a nice town. They have a cute downtown and so we spend several hours exploring the shops. Here we are at an old fashion soda bar drinking an Irish Soda. I think Sam got the biggest share.

We had dinner in Old Town Auburn and when we were finished the night time fog against the lights felt so mystical. It was pretty romantic. Hank said it was the perfect thing to do on his day off. I had to agree.

I have found a new favorite activity. Take a glass of water and color it with food coloring. Then give your kid a brush and let him paint the floor. When he gets bored with that dump the water out and let him splash in it (be careful of slipping). Lets just say by the end of our event his hair was a red orange color. It was really fun.

Holidays!

2011-01-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

So the fun all began a couple weeks before Christmas. Hank took time some time off work and so we took advantage of that. Here we are at Folsom Lake. We hiked around a portion of the lake caking our boots with mud as we went. Sam is sleeping on my back believe or not.

Our lunch time break. Right before we settled ourselves we saw a flock of geese take off and fly to the other side of the lake. It was the only noise we had heard for several minutes. It was beautiful. Sam's awe stayed with him even during lunch.

So much excitement! Sam needed a second piggyback nap.

This is at the Discovery Museum in Sacramento. The museum is tiny but still has some interesting exhibits. It was cold and rainy outside where a portion of the grounds were. We ventured out anyway and Sam enjoyed getting muddy in all the puddles. He was yelling really loud when this pictures was being taken.

I found another great place to exhaust Sam out. It's called Bounce-U. Basically it a big building full of inflatable gym equipment. It was bit old for Sam, don't ask him to admit it though.

Here we are on the grounds of the Maidu Indian Museum. Sam just loves those puddles. Our tour guide was a Native American man who kept telling us how we don't appreciate the land or it's animals. No one can say that about Sam! Look at that expression. He's one with nature!

Finally it was time to travel to southern California to be with family for the Holidays. Here we are at the Cusowrth's famous annual Christmas eve party. We have relatives who travel two hours to be there every year, it's that fun!

The Christmas Eve PJs tradition carries on.

Christmas morning at my parents' house. The big hit of the morning was this wooden train my parents gave him. We had a great morning with my family. My sister's kids are at a great age for Christmas. That made the experience that much more magical. The only sad part was my sister Anna and her husband Mike were in Paris for Christmas and couldn't be a part of the festivities. Fun for them and sad for us. Good thing we do this Christmas thing every year I guess.

After my family's Christmas we headed over to Hank's Parents' house. Where Sam got this awesome tunnel play set. The whole time he was trying it out he kept saying "oooohhh".

The following week included a variety of fun activities. Here we are on a family hike. Our boots got that old mud cake thing again. Whenever I hike with my mom I learn all about the Chumash Indians and how they used the native plants. Someday I want to grind acorns and make mush bread from a fire.

Sam's cousin Elliott is only 6 months older than Sam and the age gap is getting closer and closer. Apparently they are partners in crime. My mom told me she heard them in the bathroom flushing the toilet and laughing together. I think Sam might be the follower in this relationship. As you can tell from this picture he trying to follow orders but is obviously doing something wrong.

Avery is 5 and is a perfect older cousin to Sam. She lets him pick her nose and everything.

We had a lot of fun at Ventura Harbor. Maybe it's cheesy but I seriously can't get enough of this picture. Their little sweet faces in pirate gear, it's just too funny!

Daniel, my brother, took a few quick family pictures with my camera. I think he did a great job considering our limitations.

Sam is so expressive now a days.

Over at the Florence household there wasn't the usual crowds of family members bustling around the house. For a variety of reasons the only people who were there for Christmas besides my little family was Mandy and her boyfriend or I should say finance!!! It was such a joy to get to know Richard and have him all to ourselves while we were down. He is a fun, delightful, sweet man and I couldn't be happier for Mandy.

After our SoCal trip we did our own little Christmas. Pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and then...

Presents! Sam at first would open a gift and play with it for a while before we could coax him into opening a another. By the end he got the idea and would grab presents out of my hand knowing there was something inside for him. The big present he got was a little tikes basketball hoop. Now a days you'll find Sam dunking a basketball in his hoop over and over and over and over. The present was a hit! Yeah!

One last hooray! the Sacramento Zoo. Apparently, I am finding these picture spots really funny. It's sad to say goodbye to all the fun, family and friends. We spend New Years with Hank's Uncle's family and I surprisingly don't have any pictures. We played games and then had a dance party at midnight. I guess life needs to move on and we can't party all the time. To be honest I feel like I DO party all the time because I am with Sam all the time. So really I have a lot to look forward to for the new year!

My Sock Doll Project

2010-12-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

I've been slowly but surely trying to make our apartment a nice place to live. I love Sam's room the most. Hank's cousins lent me a book on how to make sock dolls and I really had fun with it. I got some shelves on sale and decoupaged them to match. I made the "I am a Child of God" panel a while ago and was starting to dislike it, so I put it away. It seemed to fit in with the ragginess of the dolls so I think it has found a place again. I am not a perfectionist and so everything I do has a million mistakes, but these dolls look really interesting and fun to me that way.

What matters most is that Sam likes it. This is the expression he gets when he spots a stuffed animal. He's in a stage right now where little, soft things are really cute. My favorite is when he sees a toddler his age and starts cooing at them. He definitely coos at his new sock dolls and that makes me feel good.

Christmas tree farm and a lot of Santa pictures

2010-12-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hank, Sam and I played hide and seek at a Christmas tree farm on the most beautiful day.

Doesn't seem like a December day does it? Hank said it's good he doesn't own a Christmas tree farm because he would just wander around all day, getting nothing done.

Sam is fully engaged in finding his parents...


Oh the joy when they are found!

Sam and I went to a fundraiser event for my mom's group. As part of the event these Santa pictures were free! Can you believe it? Sam felt safe as long as I was close by and he had his candy cane. In fact he was courageous enough to make eye contact with the creepy old man I was making him sit on.

"You don't say my good man"

"Mom you got to try this!"

No offense to that Santa but he looks especially ratty next to my son's precious little face.

Now the fun has begun.

...again let me mention these were free!

I am so grateful for that candy cane.

More and more Sam

2010-12-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Rocklin City had a Christmas Tree lighting Festival which we had to attend. They had Santa visits, horse drawn carriage rides, carolers, holiday treats, crafts and more. Sam's favorite activities were as follows:

Picking up rocks and throwing them into a bush.

and having me names all the colors of the lights on this bush.

Now for some fun Sam Moments:

Balloons are one of his favorite activities. Doesn't his face just get you excited about balloons?

Napping is not his strong point.

Here we are at the library playing with scarfs during story time.

He hasn't had enough of putting things on his head apparently.


This is where Sam is 90% of the time when we are at home. My little book worm.

The best week!

2010-11-28T22:08:00.000-08:00

SO I feel pretty lucky. I got my little sister all to myself for an entire week! She was coming from BYU Idaho and could only find a ride to Sacramento. It was meant to be because we had the most amazing week!

We took advantage of the rain and went for a hike along the Roseville bike trail where Sam could splash in the puddles with his new rain boots. I discovered this new trail with Bethany. I love living in a beautiful place.

He's showing off, you can tell.

Sunday night we went to the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Roseville and the hour long ceremony turned in 10 minutes because of the pouring rain. It was pretty memorable.

We headed to Sacramento on Monday and had to see the Capital. Notice that the Governer's office still says Schwarzenegger.

Sam was telling me all about the building's construction and design.

In order to keep Sam sane we headed to the Train Museum where he had much to inform us about.

Naturally a walk through Old Town Sacramento followed. Of course, I was with Bethany so a sweet shop stop was a must!

Recently Sam is getting even more cuddly with stuffed animals. We found this dog made from real Albaca fur. It was so soft and Sam was just tickled by it's cuteness. He kept mimicking how he thought it would sound, then held it and kissed it over and over. Of course the first thought that came to my head was "maybe he would sleep with this thing...I should buy it!" I held back knowing from experience that most implosive buys to get Sam to sleep more usually don't work.

Here comes the highlight of the week! San Francisco. Hank took the entire day off so we had to take a trip. It was amazing! Here we are in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. I loved the design, the history and view. Really spectacular.

Another fun event was the Golden State Park where we observed a staggering amount of homeless people wandering around. The walks were gorgeous and the company even better.

I actually took an insane amount of pictures but I feel like this post is getting long already. Another highlight of the day was China Town. I was pretty amazed how close to China those San Francsico streets were. We happened upon this Chinese Restaurant. The feel, the smells, the chill of the place just brought us back. The food was so delicious and Bethany humored Hank and I as we reminiscent.

Thanksgiving was just delightful. We spend the day at McKay and Laree's place. Trevor and Lindsay joined us as well a s the Busby family. We cooked, chatted, swung on swings, climbed trees, played games and just had a great time.

After an insane morning of black Friday shopping we headed back to Sacramento for Christmas Festivities. We went to an holiday arts and crafts fair and just ate everything up from the hand woven hats to the homemade pepper jelly. If I ever become rich I am going to buy everything from fairs.

Old Town put on a holiday show

with staged lights, music and storytelling. Sam was impressive and it really made me feel the spirit of Christmas. Kids really have a way of making you getting excited about holidays.

Bethany got to stick around for another day because of a snow storm and got to experience our second Thanks giving. My friend Tracy's husband is a pilot so his work schedule always conflicts with holidays so they just move everything around. Isn't that the coolest table with the coolest centerpiece! Tracy designed the centerpiece and I am basically in awe of everything she does.

Her son is a little older than Sam and I like to pretend they are best friends but in reality I think they might notice each others existence once in a while. Anyway, it's fun to see them interact.

Look how pretty Bethany is! Oh I miss her already!

A Wonderful Visit

2010-11-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

I felt very blessed this weekend because my parents came to visit. It was short visit but very satisfying. Here are the highlights.

We spent the morning at a bird sanctuary and nature preserve. My mom has recently discovered her true passion in life which is identifying plants in the Santa Monica Mountains. I think she was having a blast comparing north to south at the perserve. I know my dad enjoyed himself because he said it would be a perfect place to paint and that next time they come up we should just drop him off there for a couple hours. Sam also enjoyed himself as there were a few bridges, lots of rocks and puddles. All in all it was a big hit.

Here we are looking at an Madiu Indian grinding spot. It was pretty cool. The whole time my parents were here Sam keep pointing at them and yelling. He obviously knows who they are and probably is wondering why they aren't around as much as they used to be.

Our next venture was to Auburn where we had lunch downtown and enjoyed the scenery of this little historic town. We found a museum that talked all about the gold rush and how Auburn came about. I love that I live in such a historic area. My mom's other passion is history so needless to say this was also a big hit.

Sam amazes me everyday. He sees no reason why he can't play on the playground equipment like every other big kid. He is now climbing ladders, swinging on bars, balancing on balance beams and basically climbing up and down on everything no matter the height. He is really quite talented and I often find myself in awe of his playground abilities.

In case you were wondering his hair still disappears when it gets wet.

Old West Park

2010-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

One of Sam's joys.

There are several old west themed parks around here. I think they are so cute and fun so I took some pics. Sam's trying to figure out how to get the free loaders off his train.

I can tell when Sam is happy with an activity because he gets very busy and intense with his playing and then all of a sudden he'll smile with an "EEEEEE" sound. Recently he's added a few dance moves to his happy expressions. I think having Dad with us made the experience that much more exciting and "EEEEEE" worthy.

I seriously get such a kick out of these themed parks. I would have loved to play here when I was little. I really feel like I vicariously live through Sam sometimes, especially when he discovers things for the first time. For instance on this day he discovered the joy of stomping in dried leaves. I have been trying to show him how fun that is for weeks and he finally realized it. Hank and I just watched him played as he ran up and down the sidewalk kicking and stomping on the leaves. I told Hank I couldn't imagine doing anything more entertaining than that. He agreed.

Autumn in all it's glory

2010-10-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

We have certainly been enjoying the Autumn around here. Here we are at very spectacular Pumpkin Patch waiting for the train ride to begin. Sam was so excited to see the train and then when we rode it he pretty much had that same expression on his face. Who knows what he is thinking half the time.

These are the pre-picked Pumpkins. We also took a tractor ride out to the real Pumpkin Patch. Sam loved both the ride and wandering aimlessly talking and pointing while we were at the patch. We brought Hank's cousin Addy along and she was the master perfect Pumpkin finder. It was so fun.

Here we are at our Halloween party. We went as characters from the movie UP, can you guess who each of us are? We won third place! I was pleased since I came up with the idea that day. Sam just seemed especially old man like so I worked around that.

Last weekend was my Grandpa's funeral so Hank, Sam and I traveled back to Southern California to be there for it. My mom's birthday was coincidentally that same weekend so we had a party. My sister Anna is now a gourmet chef and prepared the meal. It was so delicious, the kind of meal you dream about! It was really nice to see my family.

Fuzzy picture but all I had of Sam's outfit. After the sweet funeral services the whole big family visited and ate at my Grandpa's. Even though it's not the happiest reason to get together it was still really fun to see all my cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Sam was so exhausted from playing with all his extended family he passed out as soon as he hit his car seat. Through it all he kept his good looks and charm.

For my mom's group we went to a nursing home and trick or treated. Sam hated his costume, probably because there is no such thing as a black ace of hearts (that's what being in a rush does). He was of course running around frantically while all the other kids nicely accepted candy from the adults. He is so intense! It's amazing I even got this picture!

Another pumpkin patch. This one a lot smaller but quite cute. Sam got attacked by one of their chickens. I respectfully expressed by concern to the workers there and so they gave us free feed for the goats. If you think that is what Sam is feeding them with, your wrong. He rejected my attempts to feed the goats with goat food and instead decided what these animals needed was rocks off the ground. In fact every time Sam picked a rock off the ground he would gabber to me as if to explain that that is what the goat wants. I didn't argue...or did I point out that the goats ate my food and not his. Moments like this make me so proud to be his mom.

Sam pretty much looks mad, tired or bored in every picture. I swear he is the happiest child I know. He is just so intense when he plays that it's hard for me to get a picture of his face let alone a picture of him smiling. He loved this tractor, you're just going to have to trust me.

We probably spent a half an hour just in the patch and that entire time Sam wandered around pointing and picking up the pumpkins while gabbering to himself. He is such a talker!!

Carving Pumpkins with the other Florences. Addy made a Pumpkin that had one side with a girl face and one side with a boy face (very cute and clever), Truman carved a TNT logo (Take Note Troupe, the theater troupe Hank has been working with) and Corbin's pumpkin went from a jack-o-lantern, to a face throwing up to a face with it's brains blown out. It was fun to watch the transformations. Hank couldn't finish his and so a half faced jack-O-lantern is lighting our doorway.I gave up on my pumpkin half way through and instead we have been enjoying the remains in our bread. Sam wandered around gabbering while getting soaked in their fountain. It was a neat night.

He's a daredevil. Now we just have to see if he can ride like this on the freeway

A week of Trains

2010-10-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sam got his fill of trains this week. There is an outdoor shopping mall near us that gives free train rides every Tuesday and so we rode a few times. Sam doesn't look very pleased in this picture but I think it's because he was too exhausted from the excitement to show any emotion.

The big event of the week was our visit to the California Railroad Museum. It was really nice to be with Hank on this outing. I think my favorite part of having my husband with me when we are out and about is being able to share the pure pleasure of parenthood with someone. We both chuckled together as Sam wondered around frantically trying to get as close to the trains as possible. I like having someone with me who is just as amazed as I am at my little guy.

This is probably the biggest hit we have had so far. Sam loved being so close to these huge machines with wheel. He couldn't stop himself from gibbering away. He talked and talked the entire time as he ran from one exhibit to the next. He was pretty overwhelmed with excitement.

Sam had trouble taking pictures. I think his little brain was on overload and he had to expend as much energy as possible...no time for pictures. He slept well that night and we are definitely getting a year membership.

I am so bummed I didn't bring my camera on this outing. A friend of mine along with her son who is Sam's age took Sam and I hiking up in Auburn. Absolutely gorgeous! I am so glad I found a hiking buddy. Anyway we went hiking to a swimming hole and had a blast! We didn't come prepared with swim trucks and extra clothes, that would have been too boring. Instead we all played and splashed and then watched as our boys rolled around in the dirt and mud. We also had the company of several dogs who joined the fun from some nearby hikers. Sam was a disgusting mess, but fortunately he wasn't alone. We stripped them down and took a long time getting back since both boys were to excited to be carried. Oh how I wish I had my camera!We all had an amazing time.

My Grandpa

2010-10-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

My grandpa died last night at the age of 94 and I have to post a little tribute to his life. He lived a good life and was a very good man, someone I admired. He worked hard his whole life to provide for his family and encouraged family values, hard work and education in his home. All his kids and grand kids obtained college degrees (Bethany will be there soon!) and many of them got higher degrees. I think his push towards education inspired that success.

He implemented so many heartwarming traditions, like family bowling trips, dinner at Marie Calendars, Sunday night visits, stories about his days at the telephone company and of course the all too famous chocolate milk shakes.

He lived a healthy life by exercising regularly and eating well (strangely, but well). Because of health he was able to serve and work up until the last few months. That is such an example to me. He cared so deeply for his family and did all he could do to serve them. I would often see him cry when we all got together. He was tender and kind.

One of my favorite things about my grandpa was his "one-liners". The ones that were said to me throughout my life were as follows:

"Hey, you sure are pretty"
"So do you like this guy?" (speaking about my husband)
"You seem to like that kid" (speaking about Sam)
"I wasn't expecting an argument" (he would say that when I would agree with him about Sam)

I will miss him, his stories, his one liners, his milk-shakes and all the rest but I know he is happier now that he has moved on. He is with his wife and so many members of his family. He was a good man and will be rewarded for that. I think his memory will be preserved by the example and traditions he set for his family. I look forward to the day when I will hug him again and he will tell me I am pretty.
Love you Grandpa Kerr!

Automobile Musuem

2010-10-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

We had a really special week this last week because had THREE nights off! one of which we actually had time to do something (life is busy around here), so we made the best of it and went down to Sacramento as a family for a couple hours. We thought the Automobile Museum was the best idea because of Sam's obsession with anything that has wheels. He did not disappoint us!

This is an RV from the 70's. Sam was gabbering the whole time which meant he was thoroughly excited by our visit. I wasn't expecting to be so interested myself. It ended up being a very educational and fascinating experience.

Sam skipped his nap earlier that day and was so super hyper emotional. That complimentary lollipop saved us! He also had many distractions like playing in pretend cars, he's a natural.

I hang around some really good looking guys. Behind Hank and Sam is an original model T before they were mass produced. Really quite cool.

We had a Picnic at the capital afterward. I think we live in a cool place. All of this neat stuff only a half hour away! The grounds are nice and spacious which meant Sam was in prime roaming mode. Hank and I would take a bite run after him and bring him back to safety, take a bite and bring him back. I guess that's toddler living for ya.

My fearless little guy

2010-10-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

One of the libraries near me does this cool thing every Thursday where they bring out all sorts of toys and activities and lets anyone who wants to participate go at it. Sam was very intense as he played and genuinely didn't realize when he was knocking kids over and taking their toys. It's hard to keep up with him! I wish I got a dollar for every time I hear "is this your son?"

Here is another example of Sam's confident and rambunctious personality. A few girls from the ward meet at this park every week where there is a little water play area. Well, recently the water hasn't been on so on this particular day I didn't being any water gear with me. It happened to be a hot day and so the water was going. Sam was so determined to get in the water. I threw off his clothes and let him roam with his diaper (which got so full of water it split open spilling those jelly crystal things everywhere). There were plenty of kids his age there that day, but no one dared play in the water. So Sam played along side two ten year old boys. Everyone was laughing at how fearless he was being, especially since he kept falling, getting hurt, crying to me and then marching right back in. Nothing stops this boy!

Sam and I went to the Loomis eggplant festival this weekend and had a really good time. I swear there is a festival or carnival going on every weekend! I love where I live! He is enjoying a lollipop he won from a spinning wheel raffle. He's too cool to show how excited he is.

He did not want to leave the coach. Anything with wheels is just magical to him.

We went through a kid's corn maze. It was quite pretty and a great contained area for him to roam and roam. He kept falling and finally just decided to eat his cushions.

I blew up a bunch of balloons the other night and made a little barricade and set Sam in it. I then would hit all the balloons frantically so they swarmed around him. Sam got so overwhelmed with joy and excitement he started convulsing and then face planted on the tile floor resulting in a bloody nose. It took a little consoling and he was back. I admire his determination to get the most out of everything!

Having fun!

2010-09-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sam loves to crawl into his highchair, even if he isn't hungry and he always gets stuck. It doesn't seem to bother him. I think it's cute. In fact he'll play with play dough or eat a meal with his leg sticking out like that, totally content.

Sam and I went to this awesome kid's play gym place called Wacky Tacky with a friend and had so much fun! I know the balls are for throwing but Sam found a more creative way to play with them.

I hope you can see Sam's huge smile through the netting. He was just in complete rapturous joy when we got there. He would just smile as big as he could and yell "Nanna!" every once in a while.

One of Sam's best friends is Addy and boy do we love going over to her house. When we drive up Sam points and yells "dogga, dogga". He knows there are animals everywhere. He loves the chicken coupe. He can't quite get his mind around them

I like this picture...caught off guard as he investigates.

We went to this amazing park in Sacramento called Fairytale Town. It is perfect for toddlers who just want to roam. Everything is themed like a fairytale. It's a cute idea.

Sam roamed a lot. In fact he roamed right into the moat that surrounded the park. It was the most disgusting part of the moat as well. He was so unbelievably drenched. I asked up front if they had any towels and they suggested using napkins from the bathroom..Well that really wasn't going to cut it, so we just stayed for a another hour until he was more on the damp side. He wasn't bothered by it and continued having fun, which is all that matters.

I love this area. There is so much scenery. They have a lot of bike paths as well. They are great places for exploring and to do more of that toddler roaming which Sam is so good at. I am trying to get to know every inch of this area so I can be a pro explorer with all my other kids. Sam is a great adventure buddy.

A another great week!

2010-09-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sam and I have had a great week. Is it just my imagination or is he getting really big a little too fast? He likes to walk up and down the stairs by himself. He has to use the railing, of course. I think it's pretty impressive.

Don't ask me how this happened. I didn't put his diaper on this way, I only noticed later that it got completely contorted. I think this is evidence of Sam's intense play times. He has such a cute bum.

Hank, Sam and I managed to find a little time to be together as a family this weekend. Rocklin city was holding a Car and Chili cook-off fair, so we checked it out. Sam was ga-ga over the cars. He is really into cars (he's such a boy!). He always laughs when I say "vroom!" for some reason. I think might be making fun of my interpretation.

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We didn't participate in the Chili portion of the fair but still got a kick out of the judging table. Firemen, policemen, and the mayor...true Chili experts.

That evening was our Ward's party. Hank couldn't be there so I went to represent the family. They had a lot of fun stuff to do. Sam was in serious play mode the whole time. Every time I turned he was gone and I would find him cascading among rocks, eating sand, getting into people's faces or sobbing because he got hurt or fell. He is hard to keep up with!

My little social butterfly. He particularly liked the taste of this sand.

After the third and most dramatic fall, Sam was pretty upset. These guys calmed him down. It was pretty cute.

On to another fun and exciting week with my little Sam who as you could probably tell is my life right now. He brings me so much joy and satisfaction.

Labor day and an amazing boy

2010-09-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hank, Sam and I had a very fun Labor day. We spent the morning meandering along a bike trial near our apartment. I love living somewhere new, there are so many new things to discover. We really wanted to visit Folsom Lake but we were warned about the crowds so we found a back trail that came off of a residential area and fortunately it was perfect. Enough boats to keep Sam excited but still lots of space to explore. Sam loved the boats and now when he sees a picture of a boat he goes off in gibberish.

Here we are off the beaten path, trying to find a way to the lake. A fun little adventure.

We are so blessed to live near McKay and LaRee (Hank's uncle and Aunt) and their kids. They invited us over to another family's house for Labor day festivities. We swam, we played ping-pong, we chatted, we laughed, we ate BBQ and home-made ice cream...really what more could you ask for?

I know everyone thinks their kid is the most amazing, but really, my kid is :) Here we are at a storytime geared towards babies and toddlers. So we arrive and Sam jumps out of arms and starts exploring everything. He reads books that have been put out, he is climbing on chairs, crawling under tables, touching kids faces and testing to see how close he can get to the story tellers. I think nothing of it since that is usual behavior for my little one, until I notice that every other kid is sitting with their moms'. It took a while for the rest of the toddlers to start exploring. I was pretty proud to see him acting so confident in an unfamiliar environment.Well, there you go...Sam is so amazing.

I know this is silly but lets just add it in for fun okay!

Sorry about the belly shot, but really I couldn't resist. Sam is pals with his Dad, it's just so sweet.

A quick update

2010-09-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Sam is continuing to establish a relationship with the neighbors' cats. This one particular cat will come up to Sam and sprawl out waiting for a scratch. Sam usually just pulls his ears or hits him quickly. I wonder how long it will take before the cat realizes Sam's not quite getting it.

It is almost laughable how family-oriented the Roseville/Rocklin area is. There are like 6 libraries (of which I know of) in a 20 minute radius of where I live. Every library has a play area with toys, easels and other sorts of things. I feel like every store has a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' table set up. There is also a story-time going on somewhere, sometime everyday...even if that place is Pottery Barn (no joke). Sam and I have been having a blast discovering this community together.

Here we are at a shopping center where a festival (of course) was going on. Sam loved the water show.

I wish I would have gotten more pictures of the festival. They had a big kids area with rock climbing and face painting etc. Sam just walked around in awe. He was pretty darn excited about the car show. As you can tell he is dying to take this one out on the road.

He is growing up so fast!

Our Move!

2010-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

The week before we left was bitter-sweet as you can imagine. Hank, Sam and I have been living near so much family and now was the time for departure. I think we made the best of the week though.

One of my favorite activities was going to this exclusive beach in Malibu. My mom and brother found this cool cave so Hank, Bethany, Daniel and I had to go exploring. It was beautiful...I really am going to miss the beach.

Over at the Grandma and Grandpa Florence household we had some visitors that same week. Hank's sister Heather along with her hubby Ceasar, his mom and sister and of course their two girls Alicey and Olivia came around. We had a really nice time with them as always. Kids grow so fast!

Light isn't so good here...sorry. My amazing family took their entire Saturday to drive 2 vans up to where we are living which is about 6 hours away and then drove home in the same day. I can't thank them enough, I really felt so loved.

Right after they left Hank and I made a mad dash to costco. We had no food, cleaning supplies, nothing...we are basically starting from scratch. When got there we discovered the store was closing in twenty minutes. I felt like I was on the Toy R Us toy run. We filled up two carts in less then twenty minutes and when Hank ran back to grab some bananas he got yelled at. It was probably one of the most fun costco trips I have been on. When we got back to the car we realized how small it was. Sam had to share the back seat.

Little did we know the entire week would be like that costco trip. We had to buy all new furniture, linens, cleaning supplies, kitchenware etc. Between craig's list, garage sales and goodwill I have to say we did pretty well. Some of our more complete rooms are below.

Dining room.

Living room

Probably my favorite room, Sam's room. The other half is cute too.

Our neighbors have cats who frequently come up to our kitchen window to say hi. Sam gets so excited and bangs on the glass while yelling out gibberish..."ahh-kit-ka-kay-kit", he is getting close. He is actually becoming more coherent everyday. He is constantly asking "who dat?" or "wha dat?". He also says other words like doggie, Daddy and of course Nana (but I don't know if that counts as a word, even though it is his favorite).

Hank's Aunt and Uncle live near us and they have been so good to us this week. Their youngest, Addy adores Sam and Sam I think is a little perplexed on why she pays so much attention to him. I can tell he likes her company because he actually will reach out for her. She convinced her parents to buy Sam that outfit on a recent trip and I have to say she has good taste.

Sam loves going over to their house. They have cats, puppies, chicken, tons of space to explore and of course Addy. He is starting to recognize the house. Last time we went over he pointed to the house as we were walking up and started speaking rapidly. I am so looking forward to getting close to this family.

After an exhausting week we decided we needed some family time, so we went to Old Town Sacramento. I am so excited to get more familiar with this area and it's history, because there is so much! We found this awesome toy store which filled up probably half of our trip. Oh Sam now makes certain sounds like "Choo Choo" for a train and "ooh-ahh" for a monkey. He is certainly growing.

This is the land of trains. Someday when we go to the train museum I'll tell you all about it, but for now, all I know is that there are trains everywhere. We hear little a "Choo Choo" voice a lot.

So we are excited about our future up here and feel very good about the community and environment. I hope to keep in touch more often since we are further away now. Love you all!

A nice big catch-up

2010-07-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July weekend was really fun. Hank's brother Trevor and his wife Lindsay and their two sons came to visit as well as Hank's sister Mandy and her friend. We had a full house on the 4th. Sam was very much occupied. With all the visitors around he seemed very busy to do many things. Playing in that pool was serious business.

We celebrated with the whole family on the 5th. On the 4th we had a BBQ at my sister's with my family. It was in Santa Barabara so when Sam started showing signs of weekend exhaustion I tried to rush him home to bed but mid- drive he woke up and there was no going back. So I strapped him on my back and climbed on the roof where Sam and I enjoyed the fireworks alone together (Hank was working). It was pretty special. Sam was in amazement and after several minutes of awe he started yelling "DA! BOOM!" over and over. When the finale came on he just yelled "AAAHHHHH!" until the show finished. He's quite the mimicker.

The other big event around here is my sister-in-law Summer left for her mission just a few days ago. She is going to New Jersey, so we had a weekend of good byes. I am sad to see her go but I know the Lord needs her and there are so many who will be blessed to have her.

When we are not running around doing family stuff, Sam and I quite enjoy our time together. His personality is just shooting out of him. He helps me with everything from flipping pancakes to feeding me food. He talks and talks and talks (that reminds me of someone...someone I married). I really can't understand much of what he says, but every so often I'll realize and think "oh that's what you were saying all this time!". He also takes his playtime very seriously. My mom jokes that he has a lot he needs to do around the house like dump out all the recycling, pull out all the magazines and a very important job is bang the watering cans on the patio floor. He just goes to his stations, does his work and then moves on. I am so glad I have a hardworking boy.

My mom gave me this Teddy bear when I was a baby and I have kept it on my bed ever since, even before Sam was born it's place was on our bed. Now every morning Sam wakes up and gives Teddy a hug and kiss. He has become so affectionate recently. In the middle of playing a game he will randomly wrap his arms around me and lay his head on my shoulder. I have to admit it's pretty much the most amazing feeling.

After 15 months Sam decided he might want to try walking. Now don't get too excited because he prefers crawling if he wants to get somewhere fast but now he can take a few steps before falling down. I just love that he goes at his own pace. He can climb up and down stairs, slide down slides, climb back up slides etc. At a park once a women commented on Sam's mobility and said " he probably started walking at 8 months" She was shocked when I told her he wasn't walking yet. I love that he does things at his own terms. He is my special little guy.

Forts, graduation and haircut

2010-06-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Sam loves being on shoulders. It is really funny because when he gets lazy his bum slides half-way down

Hank's back. I finally got a picture of it.

I was gone this morning and when I returned Hank turned the living room in a fort. I have tried this in the past but I have to say I have a lot to learn from Hank's building skills. I hope forts become a constant activity for our kids. They are just too fun.

Sam is checking out his new place...not bad, not bad at all.

My little sister graduated High School last week. She is heading up to BYU idaho in the Fall. This year I have gotten so close to her and have loved having her join me on all of my various outings with Sam. She is such a sweet, kind and fun person to be around. I just don't know what I am going to do when we part ways. Love you Beff.

I love my family, they are so silly. By the way I cut my hair short again...or I should say Hank cut my hair. I decided I wanted to keep my hair real short but was sick of paying for haircuts. I told Hank he had to learn how to cut my hair. He protested but relented eventually. He watched some instructional videos on youtube and went for it. Best haircut I have ever had! What a man!

Glasses, strawberries and smiles.

2010-05-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sam loves pulling glasses off Grandma Marty's face. Well one day Marty put her glasses on Sam and he was as happy as all can be.Of course when the picture was taken he seemed otherwise. I thought it was post-worthy.

We tried again the next day with much more success.

Hehehe...what a nerd. He looks like a rabbit with those teeth.

Moving on to the actual substance of this post; Hank's sister was down for a couple weeks with her two girls and we did all sorts of fun stuff including a visit to the Underwood Family Farms. Sam is feeling pretty cool being in the wagon with his cousins.

Hay is fun to stand on. We also saw many animals and played in a play pit and did all sorts of cool things, but I don't have many pictures of those things...just the hay. Oh well.

The main event was wandering aimlessly for strawberries the pick. We finally discovered them after some direction was given. It was a trek out to the patch but oh was it worth it. Sam is concentrating very hard on enjoying the strawberry's delectable flavor.

It took some convincing to get the girls to wait until we bought the strawberries before eating them. Here we are enjoying our spoils. Sam and I were covered in red for the rest of the day.

Sam's new thing is this smile. I have decided to encourage this behaviour by giving him whatever he wants when he does it. I feel good about my decision.

I love you too, bud.

Random Happenings

2010-05-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago Hank and I went to an Earth Day fair. They had all sorts of booths and crafts. I was very excited about making paper. We went right before Sam's nap time and that was basically his expression the whole time. Even though he was tired I could tell he supported the event.

My mom is now a certified Yoga Instructor. She has been certifying all year and she finally graduated! We are all so proud of her!

Here she is waiting to get her graduation beads. Yeah Mom! you are an inspiration to us all!

My little sister went to Mormon Prom last Friday and oh my gosh did she have fun! the prom was at the Long Beach aquarium and I guess they really went all out. She is the youngest of the family and so there are no more proms for my parents. I asked my dad how he felt about that and he said "I guess it's sad but you really get worn out!".

My sister had to be the most beautiful girl at the prom! look at her. I think any guy would have just died to take such a pretty girl.

The weather has been magnificent and Sam and I have been taking advantage. I got him some sand toys I am not lying... hours of fun.

We also got him a little floaty thing. Look, he's a race car driver! Sam you are so silly!

More water fun. He spent a long time investigating the sprinkler and I think he finally decided it was too complicated for him and decided to stick to the little pool behind him. He is getting so big. He just turned 13 months. He's not walking yet but crawls exceptional well and pulls himself up on everything. He is also a huge talker. All day long he babbles to himself and I can tell he is mimicking what I say. He also loves to investigate how things work and notices the smallest details. Seriously I could sit and watch him all day. What a kid!

First hair cut

2010-05-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

I know many of you didn't know Sam even had hair and wonder if a haircut was really necessary.I mean when his hair gets wet it's completely invisible But to his adoring parents the rat tail that was forming in the back needed to go, even if it is only visual upon close inspection. That's the way it goes when you have a toe head baby. Anyway, Sam did very well...the smock didn't last long.

Here is Papa Harv distracting him while Dad does the dirty work.

He doesn't know what he does to me...just look at that face...oh my gosh I love him.

We start long and then worked our way in, Hank did a very nice job.

Sam was giving us a hard time so we don't have the best back shot but if you squint I think you'll notice a difference. Man! he is one good- looking kid!

Fingerpainting and Farm

2010-04-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sam and I did a little experiment and I must say it was an all afternoon success! I made finger paints out of flour, water and food coloring, put plastic on the ground and let Sam go for it. We started out with just a little, but that soon changed.

He took matters into his own hands as soon as I gave him free reign over the Tupperware that was housing the paints.

I added more "tools" as time went on so he could move the paints around in interesting ways.

He is thanking the heavens for finger paint!

This morning we went to the Underwood Family Farms with some friends. It was really neat. They had a big animal farm section. They also have fields where you can pick your fruit and veggies. I need to go back to do that. Today was just an animal day, which was packed with fun.

Emus...Sam is ecstatic.

Sam's favorite part was the big wooden train. There was lots to climb, which is what he is into right now. What a cute kid.

Easter and more England stuff...

2010-04-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had an English Easter. On Saturday we went to this cute outdoor museum called the Black Country Museum. It was all about the black country area and what life has been like for people in that area. For the Easter holiday they had some traditional English activities; included was egg rolling which Oliver, Katya and even baby Sam participated in. Easter here is a little different. They don't have Easter baskets, instead everyone gets a huge chocolate egg and eats lots and lots of chocolate. It's right up my alley!

Leah made a pork roast and we ate English roast potatoes, brussel sprouts and green beans for our Easter dinner. It was so yummy! Leah inspires me with her cooking. We celebrated Katya's birthday that evening by decorating cupcakes and opening presents. During dinner Katya turned to me and said "Leah, this is all for me".

Curries are a really big deal here. Leah and Martin along with Martin's brother and girlfirend, Matt and Trudy took us to a Bangladeshi resturant. Hank and I ordered a "banquet" dinner for two thinking it was an easy way to order and get a little of everything. Little did we know the insane amount of food that would be brought out. So after stuffing ourselves with declious curry we took the rest home and enjoyed the magic the next night. I am now so imspired to learn how to make curries.

Here we are in Stratford-upon-Avon at Shakespeare's birth place. That was a fun and interesting day. I am suddenly in mood to watch Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet.

This was fun and exhausting day...Warwick castle. It's like a theme park as well as a historic sight, so there was alot to do for the adults and the kids. Look how cute Sam's smile is.

Sam basically worships Oliver. He gets so excited when Oliver is playing with him and wants to follow him around everywhere. I know someday they are going to be troublemakers together.

Just yesterday we went to the Preston Temple. Hank and I switched off watching Sam so we could both do a session. It was really nice. We are having a lot of fun and are going to be sad to leave. We have just a few more days left and it has been such a neat experience.

London!

2010-04-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week was our London trip. We did so much in a small amount of time and felt exhausted by the end. Sam did so well considering we walked everywhere and he couldn't get out of the carrier to crawl around and it was basicly pouring rain the whole time. It was an adventure to say the least! Here we are at Westminster Cathedral.

The first day we wondered around aimlessly trying to find bathrooms and a map. We ran into Buckingham Palace along the way. There was no changing of the guards that day...oh well. It's a pretty impressive building all on it's own.

We eventually got a map and did a LOT of walking. We went through Hyde park which was pretty beautiful and then found ourselves at Portbello road. The rest of the day was filled with walking, talking and looking. It was quite magical and wet.

The next day we took it slightly easier. We saw Parliament and Big Ben first and then,

Westminster Abbey (I am in that picture, see if you can spot me!) and then...

...the National Gallery! Poor Sam had to endure four hours of gallery looking because I wanted to see everything. Hank is really nice and took him out for the last leg of it. That took up the majority of the day and it was well worth it. I don't know why I wanted to see so much artwork, I am not even a art historian or anything; I just liked it.

The last day was jammed packed! We started early and went to the Tower of London and London Bridge. Fascinating history lesson here. Notice how I am in every picture...that's Hank's doing. Also Sam is starting to smile when the camera comes out. It's so cute.

St. Paul's Cathedral. That was pretty impressive and mind boggling. I don't know what else to say about that.

After the cathdral we went to Shakespeare's new globe and took a tour. This is our tour guide, Tony. Have you ever seen anyone more English? We had such a fun time on that tour, it was really interesting and right up our alley.

Fortunately we had time after the Globe and popped into the Tate Modern and saw even more artwork. It was awesome and very different from the National Gallery. In the Tate we actucally had to be carefully not to see every exhibit in case there was something unbelievebale offensive. We also spotted Willem Dafoe in a taxi on our way out.

The last event of London was going to a pub called The Albert. I guess people from Parliament go there and whenever Parliament is in session they ring a bell. They are famous for their carvery which is very English. We had Roast Beef, Turkey and Pork...so yummy in our tummies. Look at how cute Sam is! He's in his own seat.We have done a lot since then but my own my I don't have the energy to blog about it all. Anyway, we are having fun!

This is what we have been up to

2010-03-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

I really want to document all the English food we are eating because I always hear jokes about how mediocre English food is and so I want to get a taste of it for myself so I can make my own opinion and so far...SO GOOD! Of course I am not that harsh of a critic and I haven't had much yet. Here we are eating cornish pasties.

Sausage and Mash

That's right we went to Cadbury World, where we learned about Cadbury Chocolate and saw parts of the factory where it's made, we also of course ate lots of chocolate!!! so good!!

This is the "seaside" in ChristChurch, a little village near on the coast.

Here is the church. Cool uh?

Here we are at Stonehenge. It was freezing because of the wind. Hank and I wanted to enjoy the audio guide they gave us but gave up half-way through because Sam was screaming and we both were freezing. I don't feel like I missed much because the guide would repeat over and over how mysterious the whole structure is and how no one really knows anything about it. The thing I find interesting is that this was an ancient site even before the Romans invaded. No wonder nobody knows anything.

Salisbury Cathedral. It's a bit mind boggling.

This is the first ancient Cathdral I have ever been in, it sorta took my breath away.

Anyway, more updates to come!

Sam's Birthday and other fun stuff

2010-03-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Sam's birthday isn't until April 6th but since we left for England on Tuesday I wanted to have it early so my whole family could be there.Here is Bethany, Kelsy and Summer preparing for the party. It was a dinosaur party and so we had all kinds of treats.

This is a dinosaur landscape made with all sorts of fun stuff.

Dinosaur deviled eggs

Dinosaur cake! So fun to make.

After a game of "animal" but dinosaur style and a show put on by Avery (my niece) we opened presents. Sam took this very seriously as you can tell.

He made out!

We then watched a video/slideshow I made about his first year of life. Thinking about this past year with him made me really emotional. I can't believe how fast it all goes by. Makes you just want to apreciate what time you do have. After the video the famous cake eating!

Not much survived. Sam is showing off with his signature heads tilt move.

In other news my sister and her family came down to visit and be with my brother who just got back from his mission. We had so much fun this last weekend making Brazilian food, watching movies, going for walks, parks and just being together. Sam's expressions tells all.

Such a nice family, do you think?

We left for England the next day. It felt pretty long but Sam did so well. The only problem was the long flight from Chicago to Copenhagen. Sam had a few meltdowns and would only sleep in my arms. I was so uncomfortable and well as you can tell I didn't sleep at all. He was amazing though. He slept on all our other flights just fine. What a boy! I am just glad we are finally here.

Here we are in Birminghim where Leah (Hank's sister) and her family lives. We traveled around the city today and really had a nice time. So all is well and we are loving our vacation and are happy to see Leah, Martin, Oliver and Katya!