Fun to Love

Family Pictures

2009-12-04T12:12:00.001-08:00

My whole family was here for Thanksgiving! Since Jack went on a mission we haven't all been together for over 2 years. It was soooo much fun to have everyone here! Very loud and crazy but FUN! Anyway....I will post more about that a little later but I just wanted to have you all check out my sister in law, Kelli's, blog. She took some fun family photos of all of us. She is so talented and we are so lucky to have her.

Check it out at www.francephotography.com/blog We are the second most recent post!

Leaving Boston

2009-11-16T12:40:00.001-08:00

(Mt. Auburn Cemetery- down the street from our home in Boston. I would take walks here as much as I could. It might sound kind of morbid but it was simply beautiful in every way and it is so big I could take a different path every time I went. So peaceful and lovely I couldn't help but feel de-stressed after visiting here)

Well Lanny graduated and after looking for a couple months for a good job with no success we decided to leave Boston. The cost of living is insane and Lanny was offered a couple jobs but none of them paid enough for me to stay home with the boys, so we decided it just wasn't worth it. I will miss so many things about Boston...the breathtaking fall, spring, and summer....the history....and most of all our friends! I will not miss the winters, driving, cost of living, and the winters....ok I said winters twice but hey they are miserable!

So were did we move....Heaven! Ok....so not literally Heaven but I think Colorado is close to it. I love everything about Colorado! I love the mountains and have missed them so much. Yes, Colorado does have snow but it is nothing like Boston. It snows here and then melts and the sun comes out. The sun comes out all the time....in fact we have more full days of sunshine than San Diego! So if I love the sun so much why don't I move to a warmer climate....well I love the 4 seasons and the green scenery!

Well since we weren't exactly sure what we would be doing my parents were kind enough to let us move into their basement until we get things all figured out. I love spending time with my family and Ethan and Asher are loving all the attention from Grandma and Grandpa! I do miss having my own place and get embarrassed when I get overly grumpy with my kids or my honey in front of my parents...but I feel blessed to be taken in by family and for now it feels heavenly to be home!

Summer Fun

2009-11-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

I know summer is long gone but it seems like yesterday for me. Time flys so fast for the sleep deprived. Lanny worked on his writings and I tried to get out with the boys...but it rained more than the sun shined in Boston this summer! Actually it was the rainiest June since 1901! Oh well we still had fun! My parents came to visit so we had an excuse to get out and explore.

Ethan, Asher and I by the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Bus

Lanny and I - don't we look lovely! Ethan really enjoyed the factory tour of Ben and Jerry's in Vermont....but with free ice cream who wouldn't!

We also went to Joseph Smith's birthplace...also in Vermont. It is one of the prettiest places I have ever been and it is even more beautiful in the fall. (This was our second trip there)

My awesome parents

We went to Cape Cod and it poured rain everyday that we were there....we stayed 3 days and were hoping for one good day. One afternoon the rain let up so we went miniature golfing at a very fun pirate golf course. There were a ton of mini golf courses in Hyannis and this one looked the best to my little boys.

Family pic at the mini golf course.

We also went to Plymouth Rock. This is Asher, my Dad, and I (Ethan in the background) we were standing by the remake of the Mayflower.

Ethan and Grandma posing by "the" Plymouth Rock. But it has a little disclaimer saying this may or may not be the actual rock...but this is the one they built the monument around....funny hu!

Lanny standing by one of his relatives...I know I am lame but I can't read the writing...when we came here with his parents his mother said he was related to this man who came over on the Mayflower...pretty cool!

We also went to Storyland this summer and were lucky enough to get some close family friends to go with us. I can't find my camera cord to download my pics...but it also poured rain the whole day at the theme park. So my pics aren't that great anyway. But on the bright side there were no lines and we got to ride the log ride a million times with out even having to get off!

Lanny's Graduation

2009-06-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Lanny graduated this May with his Master's degree in Near Eastern and Judaic studies with an emphasis in Islamic studies and Arabic from Brandeis University! Whoa what a mouth full. I am seriously proud of him! He worked so hard and got all A's. He even finished his thesis right after he underwent reconstructive knee surgery. This stud is dedicated! He loved school so much he is considering a PHD. I am all for that! I think a professor is one of the sexiest occupations....big brains =good looks....right? Well Lanny definitely has both! Way to go honey, I couldn't be any more proud of you!

Our little family

I feel like this degree is a 10th mine...I had to do all the background work you know!

His pleased parents! We are sooooo blessed to have their love and support. I loved that they got to come out and celebrate this occasion with us! The boys love spending time with Grandma and Grandpa!

Feel the love

Ugh....this is the only shot I got of Lanny receiving his diploma. You try and take a three second shot and chase a 1 year old!

This is one of the buildings at Brandeis. Ethan loves it because it was a castle.

Grandpa Lee asked to go and see Walden pond again. This is one of my favorite places around Boston. I feel instant peace when I walk around this beautiful pond. Ethan ran full speed into the water without asking if he could go swimming. Good thing I know Ethan's tendencies and had an extra set of clothes in the car. Now that I think about it I should have put him in his swimsuit and brought a towel!

Ethan enjoying the pond!

Lanny and his Mommy! We love you Grandma!

Grandpa and Grandma Las Vegas with Asher enjoying the nice spring weather at Walden!

Ethan's graduation

2009-06-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

I did Joy school with Ethan this year. I really wanted to send him to preschool but since we

live in Boston the tuition was more than I paid a semester for my undergrad degree....crazy hu!

Thankfully some of the other Mom's in our ward decided they wanted to do a joy school.

For those of you who don't know what Joy school is...it is a preschool that you do in your home.

You buy the curriculum online and then each of the mom's take turns teaching a week at a time. The curriculum is value based rather than academic based. I had fun doing it with Ethan most of the time. Sometimes he thought he had to be a clown and spent most of the morning in his room in time out. Oh well! These pics are from his graduation. We had a picnic with the families to celebrate this fun day!

The cute kids: Benjamin, Aliya, Julia, and Ethan

Stacy made these cute cupcakes ...it was a little warm and the cute hats started to melt.

Yes! I got my diploma :)

Kids and Mommies

I like this picture because you can totally see their personalities. Benjamin and Ethan do not like performing in front of a group and Aliya and Julia love it!

Go Ethan! I love my little stud!

2009-05-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Before Lanny's knee surgery, he received his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with his good friend Eric Bischoff. He really worked hard to advance to this level, so I thought I would give him some recognition.

Hanging out with my boys

2009-05-04T13:24:00.001-07:00

Asher is awesome at building with big Lego's but I didn't know my food storage would keep him entertained. While I was doing dishes he got in the cupboard and pulled these cans out and stacked them all by himself. I was pretty impressed.

Asher is pretty good about smiling for the camera. This was taken on Easter Sunday. I really wish I would have gotten the boys hair cut. Oh well!

Me and my sweet little boys. I love their matching Easter outfits (thank you Grandma Laurie)!!!

Ethan and Asher found Lanny's Jiu Jitsu belts and wanted me to wrap them around them so they could be warriors.

I love this "look" Ethan thinks he is soooo tough.

Just a fun picture of my sweet Asher.

Asher takes only one nap now and it is around lunch time. I try to get him to eat lunch before he goes down but lately he has been falling asleep in his high chair.

We have been trying to get Asher to sleep through the night since he was 8 months old. He is now 21 months and he is finally pretty good at it but every time he gets sick we have to re-sleep train him. He recently got a runny nose and so we had to start again....I decided to let him cry it out and it took over an hour...he would cry and whine then run around his crib and yell at us. When he was finally quiet I went in to check on him and I found this. He fell asleep sitting up in the corner of his crib. Man he is so stubborn.

Ethan's 5th Birthday

2009-04-21T10:07:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Ethan is already 5! Time flies when you are sleep deprived...I mean having fun! :) He is such an awesome little boy and I am oh so lucky to be his mom! He told me I am his best friend and I honestly can't think of anything better than that! He is still obsessed with Superheroes. He has branched out a little lately and has gotten into Lego's and video games. I asked him if he wanted a friend birthday party and he said no, just family. I was excited I didn't have to put anything on but then the day of his birthday he asked when his friends were coming over to have cake. AHHHH! We were already having Joy School at our house the next day so we had Birthday cake with his Joy School class mates and he was happy.

Ethan loved blowing out his candles so we did it a couple times. Don't you just love a little spit with your birthday cake? :)

Ethan was thrilled with the Yoda cake but was disappointed that Yoda's light saber was red. I know red light sabers are only used by the sith...but the gel colors were limited at the grocery store and they didn't have another shade of green. Oh well!

I asked Ethan what kind of cake he wanted. He said he wanted a Yoda Cake. I was actually asking about the flavor but I guess I should have been more specific. I looked on-line to try and think of how to do a Yoda cake and they had really cool molds and stuff but it was the day before so I had to come up with my own idea. This is what I ended up doing....I took a coloring page of Yoda and placed a piece of wax paper over it. I then traced it with frosting gel and then flipped it over onto the frosted cake. I gently rubbed the wax paper and pulled it off slowly. It worked perfectly.

Pirate Legos- I actually ended up building the set the first time for him because he was so impatient, but he has since taken it apart and built lots of cool lego pirate things. He has a great imagination.

It is our tradition to open presents right after we wake up, this is why he is in his pj's and sporting the cute bed head hair. He is really into Batman the Brave and the Bold series...this is Aquaman.

New York with Family

2009-03-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Lanny's parents were coming to New York City with his father's job so they wanted to know if we could meet them there. We said yes of course!!! Getting to see family and see New York City...perfect combo!

Sorry I got my pics a little out of order.....but anyway. I have a cousin that lives in New Jersey so I asked if we could see her over the weekend and she came with her cute family and meet us in the city. She was a lovely tour guide and showed us the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, and took us to the Brooklyn Diner. (Very Yummy) [Picture- Laura with her cute kids Kate and Ben (her husband, Brian was taking the pic)...then of course Lanny, Ethan, Asher and I)]

Ethan and I in the Ellis Island Museum. This is actually the room where the immigrants would come to register. Very cool but Ethan and Asher basically were into running around the museum and trying to play hide and seek. Oh well.

Ethan and Daddy in front of the Ellis Island monument/museum.

Asher running around the Statue of Liberty. I love him in this puffy coat (thank you Amber) It is kind of funny, he can't put his arms all the way down...reminds me of that movie...I think it is called A Christmas Story?

Daddy chasing Asher by the Statue of Liberty....I love the picture of New York City behind them. It was a very cold Spring Day...it was just lightly snowing a few hours before.

Lanny, Asher,Grandpa Lee,Grandma Laurie, and Ethan in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Grandpa and Ethan in front of the Dinosaur at the Toys R Us in New York City. It was very life like (Roar and all) and the boys loved it!

The Toys R Us also had a ferris wheel inside the store...how cool is that! Grandma treated us to a ride and we lucked out and got the megablocks car to ride in. (We were crossing our fingers hoping we didn't get the Barbie or Cabbage Patch car) Ethan also got to pick out toys for his birthday from his grandparents since it was only a few days away. He was so thrilled with this, he kept saying I am soooooo happy!

We got to take the subway around New York and Ethan thought is was the coolest. Most of the time it was very crowded but this just happened to be a time when we got the car all to ourselves.

Ethan playing on the subway!

I have to say we had a blast with our family and thought New York was very exciting. But I would just like to warn those of you with small children...not the most children friendly city. Public bathrooms are very hard to find and the monuments were not so exciting for the kids...but it was a great adventure. So if you can come with out your kids it would be a blast...but if you take your small children it will be a wild adventure! (I wish I could have taken more pictures but I found myself chasing my little monkeys more than usual)

My Second Honeymoon!

2009-03-24T12:55:00.001-07:00

So Lanny got tired of waiting for me to post our Hawaii pictures. I kept telling him I had to blog about Christmas first...but life just kept happening and I never found the time so Lanny got on and blogged about Hawaii but I feel like I want to blog about it too...so here it goes.

Last Spring Lanny told me about a conference being held in Hawaii and wanted to know if he should submit a paper for publication so we could go to Hawaii and present it. I said that would be the coolest so to go for it. Well we heard back in the summer that the paper was accepted and that he was invited to present it at the conference in January. I kept trying to think of ways to justify the expense and decided that since we only got a three day honeymoon in Utah...that we should take a second honeymoon in Hawaii. My parents took the kids and we got to spend 5 days alone! Well it ended up 2 days of travel so only three real days in Hawaii but hey I will take anything I can get. I must warn all of you though....if you go to Hawaii don't just spend three days there...there is too much to see and do...let alone you need time to relax and sit on the beach. We were so busy with the conference that we only got to sight see one full day and only got some walks on the beach at sunset...no tan :( I missed my boys like crazy and cried a couple times but overall I loved just staring at the love of my life and enjoying an uninterupted conversation. It was fun to see Lanny present his paper and learn more about his area of study. Returning home was sweet too, Ethan gave the best hugs and kisses and Asher gave me the sweetest smile and just stroked my face (I wonder if he was making sure it wasn't a dream). Oh I love my boys...all three of them!

Hawaii Vacation Videos Part 2

2009-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hawaii Vacation Videos

2009-03-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hawaii

2009-03-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky this year to be able to spend part of our winter break in Hawaii. Fortunately, Lanny was able to publish and present an article in the Hawaii International Conference of Arts and Humanities located at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on the island of Oahu. Here are some of the photos:

This is a view of the sunset from our hotel in Waikiki.

Our hotel had many animal habitats, including these flamingos.

This is Laie point. Lanny lived just down the street when he was a little boy.

This is a view of Sunset Beach on the North Shore.

There was such a special reverence here at the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

Diamond Head Crater

'Ali'i Tower-where we stayed.

This was the view from our hotel room balcony.

Hanauma Bay-we had a blast snorkeling here!

This is the beach from the movie, "From Here to Eternity."

Lanny called this beach "Temple Beach," because of its proximity to the LDS Temple.

The next two pictures are from a serene lookout spot.

Laie Point

Lanny had to try the pineapple ice cream at the Dole Plantation.

Laie

Sunset Beach

Dole Plantation

Pearl Harbor

This anchor weighed over 16,000 lbs.

We were hoping this was Jack Johnson.

Hanauma Bay

This was our hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

More Pictures of our Boys in Action

2009-03-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Asher are growing up so fast!

2009-03-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally had some time to update our blog. It is amazing how clever and funny our boys are becoming, but sometimes I feel like they're growing up way too fast.

Here is Ethan's candy-house creation. He is such an artist.

Asher truly believes he is Spiderman; watch out for his sticky webs!

Asher loves to hide in our cupboard.

Ethan and Asher love to play outside.

Here is another artistic food creation.

Sick little boy

2009-01-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! So I am a little frustrated! Asher got sick coming home from Colorado and I went in to the doctor because his cold wasn't improving and I wanted to see what I could do. The doctor gave me a breathing treatment to open up his airways and help his cold clear sooner. Well he hated the treatment and it made him really anxious which made it hard for him to sleep. Then he got croup...well the medicine they gave me is really bad for croup and actually made it hard for him to breath....so bad that we ended up in the ER because he was on the verge of not breathing at all! They then gave me a steroid that allowed him to breath but made it very hard to sleep...so again...I am getting no sleep and I caught his cold. Oh and since you can't give a child under two cold medicine.....life stinks! I called three different times begging for something to help him sleep or at least help his coughing...they just said try a humidifier and he will get better. Oh I would like to hurt the person that took all the cold medicine off the market for children under 2....they are just cruel and I really don't believe there is NOTHING out there to help these sweet suffering children!

OK....so that is my frustration and my excuse for not blogging about my fun trip yet...I am too busy holding my sad little angel baby!

I hope this illness does not come to your home! Take care and hope to blog something fun and exciting soon!

Good Things to come!

2009-01-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a three week vacation and wow...I took a million pictures...so as soon as I have a minute I will be posting like crazy! Take care!

Kidney stones

2008-12-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

I know this isn't a fun post...but hey I need advice! I just got my CT scan results back and found out I have 3 kidney stones....oh joy hu! I was just wondering if any of you knew someone that did an herbal treatment for kidney stones that worked. I really want to avoid surgery if I can!

Take care and I hope you all are doing well and enjoying this Holiday Season!!!

Halloween 2

2008-11-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

The boys love Halloween. The candy and superhero costumes, what more could little boys want. Ethan was excited to be the X-Man, Wolverine!
This year, Asher was a Giraffe. Perhaps next year he will follow his brother's example and be a superhero.

Of course, we had a Halloween party in joy school.

We loved Benjamin, Julia, Aliya, and Ethan's costumes.

Halloween 1

2008-11-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

This year's ward Trunk-or-Treat party was a blast. The boys had a great time. Ethan loved getting candy and playing with all of the costumed kids. Asher enjoyed sitting in the trunk and eating candy.

Asher wanted to hide from all of the scary Halloween monsters

Ethan loves Halloween and especially the monsters. At the grocery store, he had to have the Frankenstein cake.

Ethan getting ready to trick-or-treat by making Play-Doh monsters.

Sharon Vermont 2

2008-11-03T19:25:00.001-08:00

Sharon Vermont 1

2008-11-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

We decided to visit Sharon Vermont with our great friends Hannah and Tyler. It was so neat to see the serene views in Vermont as we traveled to the birth place of Joseph Smith. The memorial is set within the most beautiful grove of trees. It's no wonder Joseph was so filled with the spirit after living in such a breathtaking place.

Maine Lobster Dinner-Yummy!

Walden Pond 2

2008-11-03T18:58:00.001-08:00

Walden Pond 1

2008-11-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

We love to visit Walden Pond to get a transcendental view of God's aesthetic world and the serenity gained in nature. Walden is especially beautiful in the fall.

Okay, my husband has no fashion sense, but you know what, I don't think he even cares. What can I say, he's a goof!

Salem in the Fall

2008-11-03T18:25:00.001-08:00

Most people believe Salem is spooky in the fall, however we love it! It is one of our new Boston traditions.

They obviously thought Ethan was a witch.

I think Asher is a little cold.

Ethan doing his favorite past time-digging in dirt.

Denver

2008-11-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

It was great to be able to visit Denver after Mark's wedding. Even though Lanny was unable to be with us, we still had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa France. Also, I finally saved enough money to buy a new camera, so experimenting is awfully fun.

Ethan versus Captain H2O

Asher is just like his big brother, he loves water!

Mark's Wedding

2008-11-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here is my attempt to catch-up with our family blog. We had the opportunity to go to Utah as a family to attend Mark's wedding to the beautiful Camille in the Bountiful Temple. It's funny, they are the epitome of Barbie and Ken. Anyway, it was very fun to see all of my family, good ole' Utah, and have the time for the boys to play with their cousins.

Storyland Adventure

2008-10-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

The last week of summer vacation we decided we needed one last hooray before Lanny went back to school. Our friends told us about a children's amusement park in the White Mountains of New Hampshire called Storyland so we decided to look into it. There are tons of little inexpensive places to stay with storyland packages so we got a great deal and had soooooo much fun!!!! Storyland had tons of rides for children 12 and under and the theme of the park is just children's stories and fairytales. This one was a panda ride (basically a log ride) Ethan loved it and went on it over and over with Lanny! The rule was if you can walk you can go on the ride so we actually took Asher on it once and he loved it.

This is just a picture of some of the park but I took it because it showed some of the white mountains in the background...covered with trees! I love all the trees back east.

This was Ethan's very favorite ride. He loves to get wet and this one soaks you. This was one of the last rides we went on and I am oh so glad because after he went on it he only wanted to do it over and over. We actually took turns riding it with him until the park closed.

Poor Asher had to talk a really long stroller ride while Ethan was riding the water ride. I love this picture because it shows off his big blue eyes!

This was taken in a crazy ball room. They had a huge two story room with all sorts of guns that shot foam balls. So it was basically a huge ball fight. It was so fun...we probably stayed an hour just playing and shooting adults and kids.

This was Cinderella's castle. They take you up to it in a pumpkin carriage.

This was inside Cinderella's castle. Lanny and Ethan decided they both wanted to be king for the day.

They had a ball pit for little kids and for big kids. I am not sure if Asher really liked this because he just kept trying to get out.

The park was so clean and beautiful. They had wild flowers all over and they were all so bright and colorful!

Lanny and Ethan driving a swan boat. Lanny let Ethan drive the first little while, but they got dizzy because he just kept driving in circles, so Lanny had to take over.

Little Ash!

They had a submarine that had all sorts of water features. Ethan had to wait in line forever for this because the big kids kept butting in front of him. I finally got mad and went over and told the big kids what was up...they quickly let him have a turn.

This was the underwater splash and play area with the submarine. I was trying to take pictures and I kept getting sprayed.

Storyland was so fun and clean! We would highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. It is located in Glen, New Hampshire. We spent all day here and still didn't get to do everything in the park.

Sorry I am so slow at posting...I will try and catch up!

Family Vacation part 3

2008-07-31T08:23:00.001-07:00

Ethan's favorite part of the Vacation!

We were looking for things to do in Niagara Falls and Lanny found a Marvel Comic land....we immediately looked into it since Ethan's favorite thing in the world is superheros! We walked in and it was just a bunch of video games...but we decided to check it out anyway. Well ....good thing because it had the coolest little boy activity ever...a superhero play land...just Ethan's size! Has anyone seen the new American gladiators...or watched it in the 80's? Well it was just like that but Superhero themed and for little kids. We spent forever here and I am sure Ethan could have spent all day if we would have let him. He asks about it ever day...."Can we go back to Canada and play at the superhero land?" Oh I wish they had one here....or better yet in my basement!

Shooting at the supervillans!

Getting through the rope maze.

Asher just chilled in the ball pit....he wasn't old enough to go in but since Ethan was the only one there we figured he would be ok.

This was my favorite part...they had two mini obstacle courses set up and Ethan could push a button...do the course and then push the button on the way out and his time would appear on a big screen. If there was another little kid there they could have raced...crumb....where were all the other superhero loving little boys that day. (maybe Oregon :)
Ethan got to beat me up...well he does that at home too!

We finished the day with a ride on the Maid of the Mist.....very cool. I can't believe how close they get up to the waterfalls.....very beautiful, it took my breath away! Even with the rain coats we were soaked!

So much for happy kids! The American Falls are in the background.

Asher hated the maid of the mist...I guess he is like me and hates being wet unless he is swimming or bathing. He was screaming the whole time and kept trying to grab on to me...his little hands would just slip on my wet rain coat and this would just make him more mad! Poor kid.

Family Vacation part 2

2008-07-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

View from our Suite!I am oh so sorry I haven't updated my blog lately! We took our family vacation the end of June and it is already the middle of July...ahhh time flies! Oh well...better late than never! So here is part 2...part 3 is still to come...keep you hanging hu! Well we earned a lot of credit card points but still not enough to fly our little family out west so we decided to use them for hotel rooms on a trip to Niagara Falls! We found a great deal on a room overlooking the falls! This was so fun! When we got there they even upgraded our room for free to the 41st floor...so we had an amazing view. Asher and Ethan loved our two room suite and we all got good sleep (due to Asher having his own room)! Niagara Falls - the Canadian side- reminded me a lot of Las Vegas. There was so much to do...we could have stayed a week easily.

Asher enjoying our hotel room...I watched him pull out the drawer and crawl right in...I thought it was clever and cute!

I love sweet smelling babies right out of the tub! Lanny and Ethan went to the pool but Asher was exhausted so I just let him swim in our hotel tub.

Another view from our suite. It is so green and beautiful! It rained every day we were there...but we loved it. The rain kept us cool and was mostly just light sprinkling so it didn't interfere with any of our plans.

Sorry...same picture...couldn't figure out how to get it off.

We went to Marineland ...like a mini Sea World with Knotts Berry farm like rides. Ethan loved it! It was so large we spent the whole day there! He is very adventurous...he rode all the rides he was tall enough for and still wanted more.

Mom, Ethan and Asher enjoying a pirate ride at Marineland.

Ethan got to feed a whale named Isis! Lanny got to pet her too...I was very jealous but someone had to take the pictures.

They had a killer whale show and they told you were to stand if you wanted to get wet...well Ethan wanted to get wet and wow....this whale really gave him a shower!

Ethan after his whale shower!

Family Vacation (part one)

2008-07-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

UPSTATE NEW YORK

This year neither Lanny or I had a family reunion to go to and since we really couldn't afford to fly out west we decided to have a little adventure of our own. We decided to go to Palmyra, NY and Niagara Falls (the Canadian side). I will only blog about Palmyra tonight...but hopefully the rest of the vacation pics will come soon. The drive to Palmyra was amazing. It was a 6 hour drive but it went by so fast due to the amazingly beautiful scenery! (I have never seen so many trees) It was cloudy and rained everyday of our vacation but I didn't mind. We got to enjoy the sites in the cool weather and missed the hot, humid weather that is so common this time of year. The boys were so good the whole time and Asher slept really well in the pack and play (yeah!). Ethan still wakes up each morning asking if we are going on a Vacation today....I wish we could always be on vacation too!

The Sacred Grove! Or as Ethan calls it "The Joseph Smith Forest". It was so beautiful! The spirit there was amazing as you might have guessed! We enjoyed saying a family prayer in the calm quiet of the grove and enjoyed the wind rustling through the leaves! We had to stay on the path due to all the poison ivy. We told Ethan there were snakes and spiders, hoping this would help him stay on the path...no...he just said "Cool, I will get them for you!"

The Palmyra temple!

The Hill Cumorah! Ethan ran all the way down....I should have taken a picture...it is very steep!

The building where the Book of Mormon was published! The sister missionaries were sooooo cool! They totally catered to Ethan and gave our little family a private tour...Ethan loved it and listened to every word. Asher fell asleep. So, Lanny and I got to enjoy it too!

So there is a corner that has four churches on it...one on each corner. I really tried to get a picture of all of them and well...I got all of the steeples. Also...on Main St. there was a little candy shop that sold homemade fudge. Oh my goodness...it was the best fudge I have ever had...and Lanny liked it (he doesn't really like sweets). Well now I will forever crave it! Hey is anyone going to Palmyra soon?

The Joseph Smith home and farm. The house was so small. It is amazing his whole family lived here! I was very humbled and felt very thankful for my small apartment.

Asher and mommy in the Sacred Grove.

A cute couple told us to get a picture of Ethan praying in the grove...well here it is! I love it! I hope it will help him remember this special place!

I love IKEA

2008-06-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

We have an Ikea 19 miles away so we spent the day as a family at Ikea...well the afternoon and I have to say...wow I love IKEA!

TOP five reasons
5- The displays make my apartment look huge!
4-The floor is super slippery so pushing two boys in a shopping cart is more of a game and not a chore
3-99 cent kids meal and microwave for baby food
2- Playland for Ethan- (free hour and half babysitting)
1-Lanny said this place makes me want to clean and organize our house !!!! (priceless!!!- I didn't think I would ever hear these words come from my husbands mouth!) YAHOOOOO!

Brothers

2008-05-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

Ethan has been a little punk about holding Asher. When Ethan came to see me in the hospital after I had Asher he seemed really excited to see his little bro. He handed him a little action figure and said "You can play with this one." Well since Asher didn't jump out of my arms, grab the action figure and start playing Ethan decided he was boring. After that he really just ignored him and didn't want to hold him, kiss him, nothing. It broke my heart but I figured Ethan is all about non stop playing so when Asher got old enough to play they would be buds. Well I am happy to say after 9 months of waiting Ethan finally likes to hold Asher. Ok...so he mostly holds him to pick him up and take him away from grabing his toys...but both Ethan and Asher get a kick out of it and giggle a lot so I am happy!

Finishing out the week

2008-05-24T19:58:00.001-07:00

AHHH I did it again! I loaded the pictures and they are out of order...oh well. I will tell you about each one so it shouldn't matter too much. These are some more pictures of the week my Mom came. We did so much! It is always so much more fun to go and do things when you have family in town. This was taken in Concord, MA. It is the Old North Bridge where the famous "shot heard round the world" was fired on April 19Th 1775. There are a couple monuments here to honor the fallen Minute men and British soldiers.

I had to take a picture of this tree...near the visitor center at the Old North Bridge. The blossoms here are just amazing to me! Whenever I see them I get so giddy! Oh I love the smell and beauty of Spring!

We went to Walden Pond (where Henry David Thoreau wrote his famous Walden) I had no idea it would be so big! It looks more like a large lake. The water was freezing but our friends tell us it gets warm in the summer and is a great swimming spot. Ethan had so much fun playing in the sand and water. There were some people swimming in full body wetsuits...it must have inspired Ethan because he jumped in after that despite our warnings....good thing we keep an extra set of clothes in our trunk ...just for "special Ethan adventures"!!!

We went to the pond around 5:00pm so it was starting to get dark and it was hard to get pictures that were not really dark. I will have to go back and take lots of pictures to post for all of you! Walden Pond is truly my favorite place we have visited so far. The beauty was amazing to me. It isn't very far from my house...I think I will go by myself so I can just sit in silence and take in all the beauty. You all have to see it for yourselves...so please feel free to visit soon...I can't wait to see it in the fall...it already takes my breathe away!

Oh I want a canoe. How peaceful would it be to go canoeing on this great beauty!

Ralph Waldo Emerson's home.

Ethan was trying to hide so he wouldn't have to be in the picture...ha ha...we got him!

Our little family outside of the Concord Museum.....very cool museum! It had the famous Paul Revere Lantern and some personal items of Thoreau and Emerson...along with early American antiques. I would love to go back without Ethan. He just wanted to touch everything and you weren't allowed to touch anything. So we played I spy...while holding him (so he couldn't run away and get into trouble)...and ahh he is getting a little too heavy for that!

My Mom in front of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House....House of Little Women

Ethan waving hello while playing in the stream that ran under the Old North Bridge. My Mom got this picture while playing with her zoom on her camera (She was standing on the bridge). I love it...it totally capture his cute little personality!

Grandma and Asher on the Old North Bridge.

My mom picked the perfect week to come...it was the first week that we had nice weather..and it didn't rain. Since then we have had a ton of rain and random sunny days.....but hey it is now gorgeous green with blossoms and flowers everywhere! I can't wait to get my new camera and get out there and capture a New England Spring! You will all be jealous and then come and visit...right?

More of my week with my Mom

2008-05-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to finish my fun week with my Mom...man it has been a month since she was here! Ok...so better late than never right? One day we went to the Boston LDS temple. Wow...oh so beautiful. I of course got lost trying to find the temple (driving in Boston is the worst!!!) so we were 10 mins late for the session and they only have them every hour so we had plenty of time to take pictures and relax before the next session.

Just a fun picture of Asher. He just started crawling when my Mom came and he thought it was funny to try and crawl and get the camera from me. Ethan hates that he can fit into his old Batman pj's. When he wears them he says "Take them off Mom...he is not Batman...he is just Baby Asher!"

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is in Concord, MA. It is so beautiful and has some very famous authors buried here. They are all buried on a hill ...it is called Author's corner. (Thoreau, Hawthorne, Alcott, Emerson, and Whitman) ahh I hope I didn't forget anyone.

I tried to get a picture of the cemetery from the top of Author's corner....it was such a pretty day. The cemetery is huge. I think one of the things I love about New England is all the old cemeteries. I hope that doesn't sound morbid but oh well. The large variety of head stones just appeals to the eye and gives a pleasant melancholy feeling. It reminds me of my British Literature tour in college. We would often visit the graves of the British Authors.

I took pictures of all the author's graves...but this one came out the best...the other ones were hard to read with all the shadows. This one is Nathaniel Hawthorne's. Another cool thing is they were all in their family lots so we were able to see their parents, wife, and children's graves also.

Great date movie

2008-05-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

I still need to blog the rest of my week with my Mom....but I just quickly wanted to tell you all about a fun date movie Lanny and I watched last night! The movie was Dan in Real Life. Oh my goodness we laughed so hard!!! It also gave me some great ideas about fun things to do at my family reunion this summer. Anywho check it out!

My birthday at the beach!

2008-05-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

MY BIRTHDAY!

My birthday just happened to be the warmest day of the year (so far)...oh it was beautiful!!! (It was mid 80's I kid you not) So I thought...lets go to the beach! We went to Wingaersheek beach in Gloucester. The sand was soft and white and the water was such a pretty blue! I liked the light house in the distance...you can kind of see it in this picture.

I loaded the pictures a little out of order...sorry. I didn't really want to cook on my b-day so my Mom took us to dinner! THANK YOU MOM! We had Italian...my favorite. We took a family picture outside of the restaurant because I wanted to get the trees in the background....I love the white blossoms! Oh I love spring!

I hardly have any pictures of my hunk a hunk of burning love and myself! Since Ethan and Asher can't quite get the hang of taking our picture yet...I had my Mom take one for us! I love my Man!

Our little Asher loved the beach! He would laugh and giggle when the waves hit him! Oh I love chubby little babies! His swim trunks are covering his chubbs...sorry!

He must be related to Ethan! He aparently also loves eating sand! AHHHH!

So Ethan wants nothing to do with the camera these days! I try to bribe him to smile but he mostly just says "Cheese...am I done yet?" Oh well! He had no desire to leave the beach...he also loved the water, despite its frigid temperature!
I loved this beach! All the large boulders made it really fun to play on!
My favorite beach babe! My mommy! Thank you so much for coming! We miss you so much!

I had the perfect 28Th birthday!!!!!

Boston Marathon and Lexington

2008-05-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Boston Marathon!

My mom came for a visit for Lanny's spring break and we tried to do as many fun things in and around Boston as possible. Someone suggested watching the Boston Marathon and we thought ...ahh I guess we will go just to say we saw it. Oh my goodness! I am oh so thankful we did. Lanny had perfect timing on finding a parking spot and we got there just in time to see the lead men runners. Wow, what amazing athletes! Then slowly we saw women and men and then slowly but surly the masses of runners. Have you ever had that feeling where you are filled with so much amazement you don't know if you want to laugh or cry? That is how I felt! It is hard to describe but I got so caught up in supporting these runners. Some of them had their names on their shirts or written on their arm so you could personally cheer them on. There were even people pushing wheel chairs (extremely touching). They were all trying to reach a personal best and I took it to heart as we should all do the same...push yourself to your ultimate limit and then keep on going. As a young mother I kind of feel that way most days! I loved the fact that there were so many people cheering them on. Ethan was way too restless so we only stayed a little over an hour. (I think he saw the runners and got inspired too...he wouldn't stop running around) Next year maybe I will leave Ethan with a friend and I can watch the whole thing! If you ever need inspiration to endure...watch a marathon!

Lexington

We went to Lexington on Patriots day. We got to see a parade (sorry no pics). I saw a tank actually driven for the first time. Ethan actually sat and watched the whole thing! Tanks and guns...what could be more exciting!

This sign is on the yellow house below
We toured this home. It was used as a meeting place for the minute men. The field below is where the first skermish took place. It is now a lovely little park.

Heather, Asher, and Ethan :)

The Lexington belfry. My Mom and I hiked up a little hill to see this belfry. It was rung to tell/warn the town of certain events. The little sign said it was destroyed by a gail and had to be rebuilt. I had to laugh...the wind in New England is stronger than I have ever experienced ...so the fact that a gust of wind destroyed the first belfry and they had to rebuild it didn't surprise me in the least!

(No...I am not trying to do a model pose...just feeling goofy!)

Enjoying Ethan!

2008-04-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

One of Ethan's passions in life is playing play dough. Lately he has been making superhero's. He came and got me and said Mom guess who....well since he added the cape I didn't have a hard time guessing....Superman!

I am loving Ethan at 4 years old...don't get me wrong...I have and will always love him...I guess what I should say is I am really enjoying this stage. Ethan and I made up a game that involved throwing a soccer ball off our deck and pretend bombs...it was really simple but we played it for two days in a row and it was a blast. (p.s. my complaining worked...spring came!) Anyway...I was so used to taking Ethan to the park or back yard and just chasing him forever or trying to keep him from eating dirt. Now he actually plays with me! I am loving this! He also decided he likes to swing. Now when we go to the park I can put both Asher and Ethan in a swing and just stand in one place....a very new experience for me!

I love some of the conversations I have with Ethan too...he totally cracks me up. For example:

Ethan: Mom, Aliya and Melissa are pretty. (These are his little friends from
sunbeams)

Me: Yes, they are.

Ethan: They are "My" girls.

Me: Your girls?

Ethan: Yes and I will be so sad if I lose them. I want to keep them forever.

Me: They are fun girls, why do you like them?

Ethan: They are pretty and they wrestle me.

Me: Do you like when they wrestle you?

Ethan: Yes (with a lot of enthusiasm) it is really fun!

Hey what more could you want in a girl....pretty and likes to wrestle...his UFC loving Dad would be proud! Well I don't think polygamy is going to be reinstated any time soon so he will eventually have to pick just one.....just kidding. I think he is so sweet that he likes these cute little girls. (And yes! ...they are both really good at wrestling Ethan down!)

They say enjoy your child at every stage and I am definitely going to try!

Waiting for Spring!

2008-04-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

This winter has dragged on for so long I feel like spring is never coming! Even when the sun comes out I can't feel its warmth! I grew up with cold weather but in Colorado the sun always comes out ever couple of days and you can feel its warmth!

Does this look like spring attire for the park? Well it is in Boston! I am so sick of the cold, windy weather here! Ethan asks everyday if we can go to the park so we tried the other day when the sun was out. We bundled up in coats and hats and ventured out. Ethan loved it but he could join the polar bear club...Asher and I had a hard time. Our noses wouldn't stop running and the wind chill...awww....I had Asher bundled up in blankets but we didn't stay long. I can't wait for spring! I hope it comes to Boston and just doesn't skip from winter to summer.
As part of Asher's bedtime routine I started giving him a bath right before bedtime....oh my goodness...he loves it! When Lanny or I undress him he starts shaking with joy and laughing. It is the cutest thing ever. He loves to splash and I get just as wet as he does!
So since we are inside most of the time Ethan gets pretty creative! He insisted that he looked the strongest with only his underwear on so I went with it. He then said he was building a mountain (couch cushions and blankets). Then he would jump off the couch and yell high-ya and wave his sword around. Hey it kept him happy for over an hour!

Lanny hates carrying change so I just started putting it in a plastic cup. Well Ethan found it and woo-hoo hours of fun. He sorts it...makes letters with it...and then of course pretends they are guys and they have a battle. The pennies=bad guys and the silver money=good guys...oh he is such a boy!

So....I need some help with dinner recipes! I am in a slump...I need something quick, easy, and yummy for kids and adults. How about I share one with you and then you can share one with me! (As always...only if you want)

So Lanny and I's new favorite is a grilled sandwich (served with a green salad and fresh fruit) or strawberry soup (strawberries were on sale...I love April for that ...strawberry season)....so here is what you put on it....

1) American cheese

2) turkey (any turkey lunch meat will do)

3) sliced tomato

4) carmelized onions (to do this you just chop onions and let them cook in a little olive oil until they turn a carmel color...almost burnt)

5) Grey Poupon mustard (the savory honey grey poupon is killer)!

Lightly butter the outside sides of the bread- then assemble sandwich and grill like a grilled cheese sandwich (or you can use pam if you don't want the butter calories). If you are not a mustard fan...I also tried using all the same ingredients (except mustard) and put them in a tortilla and grilled it. Then for Ethan's I just did a grilled cheese. Oh we loved this dinner so much that we have had it every week for three weeks and even twice last week (once as sandwiches and one with tortillas)!

My big brown eyed boy!

2008-04-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

A month or so before Ethan's birthday he would ask us everyday...Am I four yet? So on his birthday we woke him up and told him today was the day! Our family tradition is to open presents as soon as you wake up...so this is why Ethan is sporting his footie pj's.

Just a few of his many presents!
All of you who know Ethan know that action figures are his true love in life (well that or mud...too close to call) He got mini ninja turtles...oh joy!
Oreo cookie cake....blue frosting and blue candles of course!

Two of Ethan's buddies at his first friend birthday party!
I tried to do some games but they just wanted to throw the balloons around the room and play with balls! Hey whatever makes them happy right!
So when I asked Ethan what kind of a party he wanted he said a blue one. This kid is obsessed with the color blue. He even told us our car was ugly because it was white and that we needed to buy a blue one. Ahhh! Anyway...the theme of his party was BLUE. We had blue party decorations, blue cup cakes, ice cream with blue swirls, blue juice, we had the kids wear something blue, and we made a blue craft.
For our blue craft we had the kids paint blue t-shirts. They were a little big so I bet they will be great night shirts....as Ethan is modeling his for you!

Since my little bug turned 4 I thought I would list my four favorite things about Ethan.
1- His big heart...he is the sweetest boy! He gives the best hugs and kisses and always tells me I am his best friend...oh melt my heart!
2- His cute little face....he is always giving huge smiles...mostly mischevious....and those big brown eyes...it is so hard to tell him no!
3- His adventerous spirit- he is such a boy...loves dirt, water, bubbles, building towers and getting into mischief!
4- His imagination- He is always pretending to be a superhero...and he has made up some pretty cool words...haybesaybe

Oh I love my little boy!

Missing Grandpa Jay

2008-04-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

We received very sad news yesterday morning. Lanny's Grandpa Jay passed away. He had been sick for a couple weeks now but still the shock really hit me hard. I cried most of the morning and Ethan kept asking why I was so sad. I tried and tried to explain it to him and he of course couldn't quite get it. He had great insight though...he told me I should be happy that he gets to be with Heavenly Father and yes I am thankful he is now with Heavenly Father. He lived a good life and I feel I am better for knowing him.
When I was first dating Lanny he told me all about his family of course but what I thought to be fun was his amazing relationship he had with both sets of grandparents. He was blessed to live by both grandparents and I feel like they were so close to him that they acted like two sets of additional parents. Lanny was also the first grandson so as you can guess he has a great relationship with them. When we were married I was warmly welcomed in! I honestly feel like I was blessed with another set of Grandparents.
The night before we were married I picked Lanny and his Grandpa Jay up from the airport. It was such a rainy night and I was very nervous but Grandpa Jay's warm hug and warm calm voice quickly settled me down. This was one of the first and many warm memories I have of Grandpa Jay. He lead such an amazing life. Just a few things for example, he saw the flag raised on Iwo Jima during WWII, raised a beautiful family, and served as a patriarch. We even named Ethan after him...Ethan Jay.
We spent this last Christmas with Lanny's family and Christmas eve night he read the nativity story out of the Bible. I will forever be thankful for this beautiful memory. His warm, rich voice telling of our Saviors humble birth. He was so tender that he got emotional while reading the beloved account. He often got emotional while speaking about things dear to his heart (I loved this about him). Grandpa Jay was such a loving, humble man and I will truly miss him. I do find comfort in the gospel plan and as Ethan has said we should be happy that he is now with Heavenly Father and we will see him again.

Please forgive me!

2008-03-27T13:08:00.001-07:00

All you bloggers....I am sorry my posts are kind of crazy...I am not smart when it comes to computers and I am still trying to figure out how to do this blog thing!

My blue eyed Boy

2008-03-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Asher is growing so fast I thought I would share some more photo's with you!!!

Asher's name means happy and blessed (Hebrew)

He is truly a happy baby! This picture was taken in October when he was 3 months.

The first photo was taken at 7 months...he was loves sweet potatoes! He has 4 teeth now...the front two on top and bottom. The middle pictures where taken by my sweet friend who knows I am dreaming of a SLR camera and since she has one she took some pictures for me. Asher just turned 8 months on Ethan's birthday. He turned 4 on Monday! I will post birthday pictures on Saturday after his big party with his friends. Well ....I will probably continue to post random pictures of Ethan and Asher since I am so behind!

Oops

2008-03-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I am still trying to figure out how to do this....

Catching up

2008-03-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

So this might seem a little silly but I wanted to start a blog around Halloween so I thought I would post some pictures from Halloween and Christmas.

OK ALREADY!!!!!

2008-03-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family.....I finally did it! Now you can all stop harassing me! Just kidding....I have been wanting to start a blog for a very long time and today I decided enough is enough and I sat down (ignored the dishes and laundry...sorry Lanny) and did it!