I's Being-Have

My little girls

2012-01-14T16:01:00.000-06:00

I have never been very good at documenting the funny things my kids say and do. So in order to try and preserve some of the memories of their youth, here are some recent highlights.

--Anna suddenly began to talk constantly about 2 months ago. Before that she had a very limited vocabulary. Hence she delights us every day with new favorites. With more talking, she has begun to offer the prayer at night. She usually starts, jabbering something we can't comprehend (there is usually a "bless Daddy" in there somewhere). Eventually I prompt her.

Mom - "In the name..."
Anna - "Name"
Mom - "of Jesus Christ"
Anna - "Jesus Christ"
Mom - "Amen"
Anna - (pause)"......bless the food!"

--Hattie knows that we kill bugs/spiders that are found in the house. She'll often ask me, "Mom, did you dead that spider?"

--Recently I've had the song "Video Killed the Radio Star" stuck in my head. Hattie keeps saying, "Mom, that wasn't very nice of Video to kill the Radio Star...we shouldn't sing songs about killing." She then changes it to "Video tickled the Radio Star" or "Video smashed the Radio Star."

--Paul has been gone a lot lately. When he isn't interviewing somewhere, he's working at the hospital. Anna's most common phrase is "Daddy come to our house" or "I miss you Daddy."

--The other day I attempted to potty train Anna, which meant that a wonderful friend of mine watched Hattie all day. When Hattie left, Anna was distraught. She ran around the house, screaming, crying, tantruming, for about 10 minutes, about how Hattie had gone. When we went to pick her up, Anna said, "I want Hattie, my best friends." Nothing makes me happier than to see my girls playing and loving each other.

Christmas time

2012-01-09T14:11:00.002-06:00

This year we made a lot of gingerbread houses, but the first one was the best! Our friends the Mayer's invited us over and had homemade gingerbread and awesome royal icing...and tons of candy. Hattie totally got into it, but Anna was more interested in Lilly's Minnie Mouse toys. Sadly Paul was off interviewing somewhere so he missed the fun.

One of my favorite Christmas treats to make are Paintbrush cookies. The girls loved painting (and often smashing) their cookies with egg yolks mixed with food coloring.

And we were lucky enough to have Paul's parents, sister Christina, and brother Daniel out for Christmas. If you can't tell, the girls are sitting on Christina.

An Iverson family tradition is to play a present exchange game on Christmas Eve. Everyone is given a word on a piece of paper...this word comes from whatever Christmas book we chose to read that night. And it's usually a pretty common word, like 'and' or 'he.' Every time your word is said you get to either take a present from the middle or steal one from someone else. The fun part is that even though you don't know what's inside, you fight and battle for what you suppose is the best present. This was the first year Hattie really understood how it worked and she loved switching presents. Anna, on the other hand, became possessive of one of the presents and refused to trade with anyone.

The girls got Lion King toys while the rest of us got a movie or an iTunes card.

My sister Lisa made these awesome costumes for us! Can't wait to use them every year! (nice pregnant wise man!)

Paul, of course, loves to buy gifts and got the girls each a Nerf sword...and he got himself a mace and battleaxe! I was sure that the girls wouldn't really be into it, but I have been proven wrong. Whenever Dad walks in the room, Hattie runs to find her sword to do battle with Dad.

Modeling her new Christmas attire...

And Anna just walked around smiling all morning.

And we had a yummy Christmas feast...on the 26th. Christmas was just too busy to cram in making a ton of food too, so we enjoyed it more the next day. Hope you all had a great Christmas too!

Baby Reed

2011-12-16T18:52:00.000-06:00

No, I didn't have my baby early again. We drove to Arizona with Paul (he had 3 interviews in Phoenix right after Thanksgiving) and were able to visit my sister Sharee. She just adopted the most beautiful baby boy! I am so glad that our son will have a cousin his age. Hattie was very excited to hold him and is even more excited for our baby now. She keeps telling me she is going to help me out a lot - getting diapers, singing to him, etc. She loved holding little baby Reed.

And Claire couldn't get enough holding her new baby brother. We are so happy for them!

Of course the weather was awesome and the girls loved the park in 60 degree weather...it wouldn't be so bad to match in Arizona!

Visit from a Starr!

2011-12-13T08:51:00.000-06:00

When I was a Freshman at BYU 11 years ago, I made some amazing friends. Karly, Eden, and Melissa were the greatest roommates I could have imagined. Gratefully we have remained quite close through the years, and even had a roommate reunion in Virginia 3 years ago (which I somehow never blogged about). This year Melissa came to visit me in Lubbock! She is now a physical therapist in Lincoln, Nebraska. We don't get a lot of visitors here, since there's not too much to do, so I felt pretty special that she came all the way here for me. Paul was out of town the week she was here, so I made breakfast for dinner as often as possible (since Paul, for some strange reason, doesn't like breakfast for dinner). Hattie loves to help me in the kitchen whenever she can...and she as also started to dress herself, as you can see.

The girls were thrilled to put on their Halloween costumes for Melissa to see.

We went to the park and were surrounded by very friendly, over-fed ducks and geese.

Check out Hattie's left hand...almost got eaten along with the bread!

Hattie was a little traumatized after that...Anna just didn't like the noise.

Anna could have stayed at the park all day.

She was initially afraid to conqueror the rolly slide...

but she eventually got over it.

Hattie wanted to play beauty salon.

And Melissa fixed Hattie's hair too

The whole purpose of the hair salon was to cut Anna's mullet off (finally!). She did really well, thanks to the television, chocolate chips, and Melissa's helping hands.

We went to our favorite frozen custard shop...

where we tried to take a picture of their messy mouths...

but Anna didn't like the bright sun too much.

It was so wonderful to have Melissa with me for 5 days. Hattie keeps talking of when Melissa was here and when she is coming back. The best part was talking with her all day and in the evening about old times, lessons learned, and current happenings. I remembered how much fun it was to live together and have constant friends around. I am truly grateful for friends who are so reliable, loving, constant, and true. We have been through a lot together and I am glad to have friends who have helped me through hard times and are still there to listen and help out. Thanks again Melissa!

Turkey time

2011-12-10T07:31:00.000-06:00

We had a nice calm Thanksgiving by ourselves this year. Of course the fried turkey was the yummiest. The girls just wanted to have friends come over all day, to which we had to explain that all their friends had family in town. So baked pumpkin cookies and let Hattie run around in dress up clothes all day.

I am thankful for baby brother, pillow pet, daddy, mommy, Anna, flowers, friends, Callie, and care bears.

Hot Air Balloon Festival

2011-12-08T13:29:00.001-06:00

Ever since my first October in Lubbock, four years ago, I have wanted to go to the Hot Air Balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Each year something came up that we never went. Since we'll be leaving Lubbock in May I knew this was my last chance to go. Paul was in Dallas, so my buddy Kristina and her two kids joined us.

When we arrived, it was raining and super cold, so the balloon events were cancelled. So we went to the mall to hang out. At the Disney Store, Anna found her niche...this girl loves Minnie Mouse.

The next morning we woke up around 5:00, drove to a park and ride location and took a bus to the balloon launch site. This is when the trip took a bad turn. It was ridiculously cold outside...about 37 degrees. And I, when packing in Lubbock, didn't think about how we would be outside in the morning BEFORE the sun came up. I only looked at the high for the day and didn't plan for the low. So my girls had on two long sleeve shirts and an Old Navy sweatshirt...no hats, no gloves, no coat. They were freezing. To add to that, the balloons were supposed to launch at 7:00...then we would have only had to endure the cold for an hour or so before they were done. But, due to some wind at higher altitudes, the launch was postponed til 9:00. By that point my kids were done. We sat snuggling around a gas heater while they just cried and whimpered about being so cold. I felt like a horrible mother.

Can you tell that Anna is freezing?

Eventually 9:00 rolled around. We were still cold but at least there was something to look at. In the distance you can see the first balloon launching.

This cow was an obvious favorite.

Hattie eventually started to enjoy herself.

Anna started having fun when we passed out suckers.

Despite the cold, we had a good time.

And the kids favorite part was riding the bus...notice Anna is still working on her sucker.

We went back to our hotel, exhausted, ate lunch and forced our kids to take a nap. Then they lounged in front of the TV for a while.

There was also an evening event, where they blow up all the balloons and they glow in the dark, followed by a fireworks show. Considering our morning experience, we weren't too keen on dragging our kids all the way back to the launch site in the cold weather. So, we parked close by, got a pizza, and had a picnic. That way we could see the balloons and watch the fireworks from the comfort (and warmth) of the van.

All in all, a good trip, but next time I promise to be more prepared!

Latest quilting project

2011-12-06T07:06:00.000-06:00

So it's December again...5 years ago I decided to make a quilt for whichever sibling I had for Christmas (Mark, Val, Laura, and Lisa so far). This year I have my little brother Spencer for Christmas. He is currently serving a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tallahassee, Florida. And being that he's 24, single, and will be going to college when he returns home in a month, I didn't think my usual patchwork quilt would be his style. So I bought a cotton Florida flag and added a border...the easiest quilt I ever made, and hopefully it'll be a good reminder of his mission. I did hand-quilt the middle where the woman and the boat are, something I've never done before. And since he's still in Florida and won't be reading this blog, I can post it before Christmas!

First snowfall

2011-12-05T09:33:00.001-06:00

I still have a few more catch-up posts to do, but I wanted to post this while it was fresh. Since snow is rare in West Texas (usually we have about 3 snowfalls a year) it's a big deal. The girls couldn't wait to go outside this morning. Anna was wandering around the house with her Santa hat and scarf on, as well as her pajamas and a princess dress, while she waited for me to get ready. Hattie said that it must be Christmastime if snow is falling and made me turn on "Let it Snow."

Halloween 2011

2011-11-23T15:04:00.000-06:00

Halloween always seeks up on us. We always have big plans for our costumes throughout the year, but suddenly October is half over and we haven't done anything. But at least we went to pick out a pumpkin this year instead of picking one up at Wal-Mart.

Anna wanted the big one, but there was no way we were carving that!

Our ward did a trunk or treat. A friend of mine had a maternity pumpkin shirt that actually fit over my huge belly.

Minnie Mouse and Princess Belle

Anna just wanted to get started and had no interest in pictures.

Her best buddy Lilly was Minnie Mouse too!

2 trips to Dallas

2011-11-20T09:23:00.001-06:00

Since Paul spent the month of October in Dallas doing a rotation at Baylor Hospital, we went out to see him a few times. We would have stayed the whole time, but after being in the West for 10 weeks, we were ready to be home.

This is how the girls spent General Conference...watching Netflix with headphones.

Grandpa Iverson makes the best root beer...Anna drank nothing else.

Hattie zonked out on the carpet, a rare occasion for my high-energy 4 year old.

The girls loved "playing" with Uncle Daniel. He didn't seem to mind having pillows and blankets piled up on him. I am glad that they love him and play with him.

Anna, my girl who loves to line up her toys in perfect rows, made sure that she and all her toys were cozy on the chair.

Sadly, this peace and quiet only lasted about 40 minutes of the drive :(

On the second trip I took the girls to the Dallas World Aquarium...a totally awesome place if you are ever in the DFW area.

Hattie with the flamingos

Watching the penguins being fed

Hattie was so happy to be so close to a bird

Hattie was terrified to go into the shark tank when I told her that we could watch them feed the sharks. She kept saying she wouldn't go in, and I wasn't going to force her. But once she got down there, she walked right on in to the tunnel...I don't think she realized they were sharks at first - just though they were big fish. Eventually I told her they were sharks and she just wanted to watch them swim and eat.

It was a fun outing with just me and the kids...makes me anxious for when we live somewhere with lots of stuff like this to do!

September birthdays

2011-11-16T16:48:00.001-06:00

We missed Paul a lot in September. He would go to El Paso during the week and drive home for the weekends. Anna, being a total Daddy's girl, missed him plenty.

We celebrated Paul's 31st birthday when he was home one weekend. Of course the girls were more excited than anyone.

Hattie gave him a new cycling jersey, which she picked out all by herself. Paul was shocked at the color...not his typical style. But Hattie loves it and at least the cars will see him.

Books and games always make my husband happy.

And just 6 days later is Hattie's birthday. I can't believe she's four.

These little animals from Grandma were an instant favorite.

And, oddly enough, Hattie had been asking for a magnifying glass for months.

And what 4 year old girl will complain about a Strawberry Shortcake remote controlled car?

We had a party with friends to celebrate...Her buddy Juliet has a birthday just a few days later so the party was for both of them.

It was a rainbow/unicorn party.

Giving each kid their own helium balloon was the best idea ever...they loved them.

We made unicorn bags to take their treats home in.

Anna needed a little extra help pinning the horn on the unicorn.

And the pinata was certainly a highlight. Not surprisingly, the only 5 year old invited was the one to bust it open.

Anna could only lift the bat by holding it backwards.

And what party is complete without cake!

I love my little Hattie who is growing up so fast. She loves to play with friends. Every day she asks who is coming over to play. And she could spend hours every day at her desk coloring, coloring, gluing, and taping. She is always making books for family and friends. She has also decided that she will be doing her hair from now on, much to my dismay, especially since she does nothing to it and refuses to let me touch it. She is a very good sister to Anna, and is always telling me how she is going to help me with baby brother...changing diapers, giving bottles, and playing with him. She always is singing and making up songs. I think she will have a very beautiful voice as she grows up. She really is growing into a wonderful little girl. Love you Hattie!

3 weeks in Utah

2011-11-13T23:02:00.000-06:00

Paul was signed up to do a radiology rotation at the University of Utah in August. I planned on sticking around Ontario with my mom while he was there, but once he got there he discovered how laid back the schedule was...8-5 Monday through Friday, no nights, no weekends. I figured we might as well join him. My mom drove us down to meet him. While he worked, we stayed busy trying to see and do as many fun things as we could. No trip to Utah is complete without visiting Temple Square.

We loved living in Utah before, and one of our favorite things to do was going up American Fork Canyon for a picnic. We are trying to keep that tradition alive.

We invited our friends the Peterson's along for one such picnic. They used to live in Lubbock...Callie was one of Hattie's best friends. Of course, I didn't take any pictures of adults. We miss the Petersons! It was great to have some game nights with them again.
Another highlight was the Gateway Discovery Museum...and they could have stayed all day.

Anna didn't quite get how the construction center worked, hence the tears.
We visited our favorite game store, where Anna lined up all the babies. She is obsessed I tell you!
We also went to Heritage Park at the "This is the place" monument. I had never been there before. I only intended to go for a couple of hours, but we spent almost the whole day there. The girls loved it and we could have stayed longer. They loved the pony rides, petting zoo, miniature village, Brooklyn replica, panning for gold, eating ice cream, making arrowhead necklaces, and riding the train.

While in Utah, we stayed at my uncle Len's house. He is always so wonderful and generous for letting us stay there. He doesn't have any toys, so on the days we stayed home, the girls tried to stay busy doing other things...like unpacking all our clothes and making a bed of them, for example.
We also went to the Hogle Zoo with Jenni Pratt, another Lubbock friend who has moved to Utah. Somehow we didn't take many pictures there...

And we also went to Thanksgiving Point with the Petersons. The girls were anxious for their pony ride...

And it was worth it!

This is my favorite picture...Anna's complete tantrum when her pony ride was over :)

We treated the girls to ice cream after a long, hot day in the sun.

And Callie has lots of fun dress up clothes

I was also able to see a lot of old friends from my BYU days, but somehow forgot to take pictures. Why do I only think to take pictures of my kids and not my friends? Anyway, we were sad to leave the west and head back to Texas...but it was so nice to be back in my own house with my own things and to not live out of a suitcase.

Trying to blog better

2011-11-11T20:59:00.005-06:00

Blogging obviously hasn't been my thing lately. I always mean to update my blog, then I realize how far behind I am on downloaded pictures, not to mention laundry and grocery shopping. So it has been sadly neglected. But I'm determined to do better, at least until I get caught up. Here's a preview of what's to come in future posts:

Utah! The conclusion of our 10 week trip in the west

Paul's 31st birthday

Hattie's 4th birthday

Multiple trips to Dallas

(no, that's not my son on the right...a friend caught a ride with us)

Trip to Albuquerque for the Hot Air Balloon Festival

And of course Halloween!

Besides these more exciting highlights, we have just been busy around here. Paul spent the month of September in El Paso, and the month of October in Dallas, both times doing a radiology rotation at the hospital there. So I had plenty of alone time. Gratefully we were able to see him a lot on the weekends. Now he is traveling all over the country doing residency interviews. I feel like a travel agent/secretary. My spare time is spent buying plane tickets, reserving hotel rooms, coordinating interview details, and preparing a travel itinerary for him. For example, he is currently driving to Temple, Texas for an interview tomorrow. He'll drive home tomorrow (Saturday) night, catch a flight Sunday morning for Richmond, VA, and interview in Richmond on Monday. Immediately after the interview, he has to go to the airport to catch a flight to Fargo, ND, where he'll interview on Tuesday. Again, as soon as that interview is over, he flies to Wichita, KS for an interview on Wednesday. That evening he'll fly home to Lubbock. But Thursday morning he has to put in a 1/2 day shift in the ER, before leaving that afternoon to drive to El Paso for an interview on Friday. And that concludes the madness for the week. I think we have about 3 or 4 weeks like that scheduled, with a different town every day, usually a different state. Although all the planning is stressful, it's exciting that we are getting closer to finding out where we'll be living once he graduates. Hurrah!

And we're having a...

2011-09-17T17:04:00.003-05:00

BOY! Now the hard part...picking a name...

7 weeks of family reunion

2011-09-11T22:15:00.011-05:00

The last two weeks of June were Paul's vacation...we loved our time in McCall...and I had to add this video that I forgot...

At the end you can hear Hattie say, "Ah, she has chemicals!" Here's the back story: About 8 months ago we were swimming at our local pool. Hattie, joyously floating in her tube, kept drinking a ton of pool water. I warned her over and over, but being three, she didn't listen. Later that evening around bedtime, she puked. I explained to her that the water had chemicals in it that made her tummy sick. Now she thinks all bodies of water (even the bathtub) have chemicals and doesn't dare drink anything that doesn't come from a cup.

Once July started, Paul hit the books, studying in my parents basement for step 2 of his boards. That's why he is pretty much absent from the rest of the pictures posted from the summer...he was in the basement while we were playing.

We spent a few days with most of my family and some of my cousins in Donnelly, Idaho, and Hattie actually got the nerve to go tubing. From my scaredy-cat little girl, I was shocked. This the girl who only recently learned how to get in and out of a crib. But with Uncle Jonny beside her and her parents cheering her on (we didn't have swimming suits).Anna loved the boat ride...she also loves jet skis, even though you get no reaction from her while riding. I ask her if she's having fun and she barely shakes her head...but when you take her off, she immediately begs for more.
Back at my mom's house, some baby kittens were discovered in a nest in a tree (to keep them safe from the hawk). They became a favorite and Hattie was constantly asking if she could play with the kitties.
And Anna turned 2! Hard to believe that it was two years ago that I was casually hanging out at my parents house when she decided to come 6 weeks early. Now she's a happy, healthy toddler who never stops running around, loves playing with her big sister, and wants to be a part of everything. She is finally getting more verbal and has mastered the word "please." I think she knows already that it'll get her anything. Anyways, we had a great party, especially since Uncle Jonny, Uncle Mark, and cousin James all celebrated their birthdays the same week, so it was a big party.Of course she didn't really know what to do with the candles, and didn't appreciate the smoke.
And she finally understands what it means to open presents.
Here she is cuddling her new gifts: a pig pillow pet from Hattie, a baby doll from Grandma, and Minnie Mouse from Mom and Dad.
As you can see she loves them. And never lets them out of her sight. Even now that we are back in Lubbock and she has reunited with her old toys, Minnie and Baby are always with her.Together with cousins Sophie and Jonas, they made play-doh birthday cakes.
I think the knife is a candle...?
One of the highlights of Grandma's house is the pool of course. Cousin Claire was Anna's best friend...seriously, Claire has a natural gift with children...all of the toddler's love her and Anna would ask for her by name...we miss you Claire!

Hattie waiting her turn for the slip and slide...
...on the run......and she jumps into the pool. I could quite get her to figure out the whole sliding thing.

And Rachel was just too cute.We also made it out to the Malheur County Fair. After overcoming her fear of the huge cows, Hattie loved it...but not as much as Anna enjoyed her sucker.

I just love this picture of Anna. One morning after cleaning up breakfast I found her on the patio just enjoying the sunrise.
During my last week there, Lisa, Val, and I took the kiddos to Lake Lowell.

And we decorated yummy cookies at Aunt Lisa's house.
At the beginning of August, Paul left Oregon and head for Salt Lake City, where he spent the entire month of August doing a radiology rotation at the University Hospital. I originally planned to stay with my mom during August, having assumed that his rotation would have the usual ridiculous hours in medical school...but instead of working 14 hour days, his schedule ended up being a normal 8 to 5 job with no weekend call! So rather than staying in Ontario another 3 weeks without a husband, the girls and I decided to join Paul in Utah. This meant that I suddenly had no time to visit the friends that I had been planning on seeing during those three weeks. So if you are reading this from Ontario and are bummed that I didn't see you, please know that I am too! I really was planning on it, but we decided it would be better to stay together as a family.

We even had one day where everyone was there...except Spencer on his mission of course. The greatest part of the weeks spent in Ontario was being able to be with the sisters and brothers I love, spending time with my wonderful parents, and that those of us who live far away are able to come at the same time and all be together, helping our kids become friends and creating memories for them.
Still not done covering our trip...next time: 2 weeks in Utah!

Absent

2011-09-09T07:01:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't completely fallen off the edge of the world (although my Lubbock friends might have thought so). We were just traveling. A lot. Too much. But of course it has been wonderful.

We left Lubbock June 18th, the day after Paul finished his last exam of 3rd year medical school (yes, he's officially in his last year now). We had a long, 15 hour drive to Orem, Utah. Proof:We took a drive up to Squaw Peak so the girls could see the view. Hattie: "I can see the whole world!"
We stayed 1 night and head 6 more hours north to Ontario, Oregon, where we would stay for 7 1/2 weeks. It didn't take long for the girls to quickly fall in love with Grandma's house all over again. Who wouldn't? 24 hour pool, huge yard, fresh strawberries, tree house, newborn kittens, fresh raspberries, chickens, swing set, trampoline, tons of toys, loads of cousins, 90 degree weather, and much more.

Thanks to our Science Spectrum pass, we got into the Boise Discovery Center free :) This was the Veterinarian hospital.
We went up to our family cabin in McCall, Idaho for a few days. Heaven. Absolutely one of my favorite places in the world. The girls loved the beach more than anything.See what I mean? Beautiful. See what you missed out on, Iverson family!?!And we hiked up to this little waterfall with Val and her kids.
Here's proof of our 4th of July celebration. Hattie LOVED the fireworks. I've always made her go to bed before they started in years past, especially since it doesn't get dark in Ontario until 10:30. So she was thrilled to stay up late and see them for the first time.More to come...just needed to post this to get started! And to provide proof that we are still alive.

Races and zoos

2011-05-09T12:57:00.005-05:00

After 2 months of training, my triathlon was last Saturday. The girls and I left on Thursday morning (picking up Paul's sister Christina at the airport on our way out of town so that I would have someone to drive with) and made the 5-hour trek to Dallas. Since we had a day to relax before the race, we headed to the zoo. About 2 months ago Hattie started asking if we could go to the zoo, her interest in animals suddenly increasing. Sadly, Lubbock has no zoo, so I told her that there was a zoo at Grandma's house. So as soon as I told her that we were going to Grandma's, she immediately asked if we were going to the zoo too.
She was certainly a funny zoo-goer. We would stop in front of an animal, look for about 3 seconds, and she was ready to move on. She had no interest in watching and observing the animals. It was a rather small zoo, so, combined with her short attention span, it took about an hour to see everything.
I think Anna enjoyed watching the animals more than Hattie.

We did enjoy watching the kangaroos, although Hattie was ready to move along the entire time.

And there was a little train outside, which was another highlight. Amazing how much a very slow moving train can entertain a kid!
And then the race! Sadly, my camera battery died, so this is my only picture :( We started with a 500 meter swim in the lake...glad I had a wetsuit. It wasn't horribly cold, but the water was rather turbulent, causing me to panic a little more, so I was grateful for the extra warmth and buoyancy. Because of the turbulence, my time was much worse than expected...but oh well.

Then the bike portion was 16.5 miles around the lake. That was certainly my favorite part. I am used to biking in Lubbock. Flat. Dry. Windy. Dusty. Lubbock. So riding through the rolling, lush, green hills south of Dallas was beautiful...I had to remind myself I was in a race! Then to the 3.1 mile run. Which was surprisingly hard! And here's why: while training over the last two months, I usually ran 3 miles first, then would bike for an hour, because the spinning class ended at 10:00, and I had to be somewhere at 10:30. Because of that, during the race my legs felt like jell-o when I started to run...I wasn't used to running after biking. Even though I wasn't necessarily out of breath or exhausted, I couldn't make my legs move any faster! It was a weird feeling...which gratefully only lasted about a half mile, so I was able to kick it in gear toward the end.

All in all, I had fun...I wish I would have had a friend along to share it with. But I am already checking out what triathlons are available in Utah this summer when we'll be there...and trying to convince Paul to train with me!

Hattie loves her pillow pet

2011-04-20T20:25:00.003-05:00

It's her only stuffed animal that has a consistent name...Fluffy.

Road trip: Arizona

2011-03-25T08:39:00.001-05:00

This post is very belated...in February (while Paul was doing his surgery rotation, waking up at 3:30 am and getting home at 8:30 pm) I drove 12 hours to Mesa, AZ to visit my oldest sister Sharee. Gratefully, my friend Whitney was willing to make the drive with me, otherwise it would have never happened. Her family is in Mesa, so we loaded her son and my two girls up in the van and left Lubbock during the coldest week in years. I drove the entire time...which is amazing considering that I usually make it about 3 hours before needing a break. Whitney sat in the back and took care of the kiddos, making it a rather stress-free drive for me. By the time we reached Mesa, the girls were certainly glad to be out of the car.

We were there about a week. I stopped to see a couple of old friends:The Nelson Family...I befriended Nicole during our first year in Lubbock, which was their last year in law school. She was an instant friend...one who I could share anything with. She would come over for a play date and stay for hours without us even noticing the passing of time. They now live in Tucson, so we met up at the Mesa Temple while they were in town.
Hattie and Danielle used to play together almost 2 years ago! I don't think they remembered each other, but they sure had fun running around and playing!
My mission president and his wife live in the Mesa area. It was so good to see them...I think I had only seen them once since I had been home, so it was nice to reminisce and catch up.
The Moulton Family...remember back 3 years ago when we lived at/managed storage units? Well, the Moultons lived upstairs and Robyn was my constant buddy for a year. Her daughter Rebekah is just 5 weeks younger than Hattie, so we went through that first year of parenthood together. Her husband is now in med school too :)
Sharee took us to the Children's Museum in downtown Phoenix. It was amazing. Everything is designed for creative play...and my girls were in heaven.
This is a magnetic wall where you can attach different tubes and such to roll balls down. It was fun to watch Hattie figure out how it worked and create something that actually worked.
They also had a play kitchen where she made her own pizza.
And Anna enjoyed playing house.
She could have stayed there forever looking at Sharee, figuring out how it worked.
The girls also put on smocks and painted a castle...apparently they pick a different color every day. Hattie was thrilled it was pink. You can see how the paint is thicker in some places than others.They also had an amazing indoor 3-story climber, which Hattie and Sophie loved. I tried to take a picture of the whole thing, but it doesn't do it justice. The girls could have played in there for hours.
And they loved the scarf vacuum. Hattie still talks about going to the children's museum.

Then of course there was just the time spent around Sharee's home with her family.
Travel and time zone changes apparently made her a little too tired!
These three girls became partners in crime. Hattie still talks about Sophie all the time. While they played, Sharee taught me to make hair bows :)

I love Sharee's kids, Paul, Sophie, Claire (the photographer), and Holly (not in photo). They are so well behaved and such good friends to my girls. Anna created a special attachment to Claire, who was like a big sister to her.
And the weather was SO nice, we played outside a lot. My mom even came to visit for a few days, but somehow I got no pictures with her!
Finally we had to make the grueling trip home. We stopped in Las Cruces, New Mexico for about 30 minutes to stretch our legs and let the kids run around.

All told, a marvelous vacation. I loved watching Sharee parent her children. I learned so much from her and have tried to implement some of what she does in my home, so far with good success.

No, still not Irish

2011-03-18T19:15:00.007-05:00

You knew it couldn't be too long before I posted about our St. Patrick's Day this year. We decided to throw another trap building party, I suppose in an attempt to pass our strange love of this random holiday on to others. I spent the day cleaning the house and rearranging furniture so there would be room for 14 adults and 15 kids! The girls got into our bin of green decor and loved smiling for the camera. (And Anna likes to copy her big sister...notice the crossed ankles)Eventually they got tired of waiting for everyone to show up and needed a snack break under the chair-less table. I love that they are finally starting to play together well and really became friends and playmates...probably partners in crime one of these days.
Hattie apparently got really tired of waiting and fell asleep 30 minutes before party time. This from a girl who rarely naps.
Anna was so sweet to Hattie as she slept. Anna, our constant hair-puller, was full of love pats, snuggles, and kisses for her big sister.

We had everyone bring an Irish dish to eat...or simply something green. We had a great dinner of Irish beef stew, colcannon, champ, corned beef brisket, Irish soda bread, rainbow fruit tray, guacamole, and homemade green Oreo cookies. Sadly, I always remember to take the food picture after we've eaten it all.
We had a nice picnic on the floor (with Darby O'Gill and the Little People playing the in background).

And then the trap building began. It was fun that Hattie was actually into it this year, constantly asking what our trap would be and how we were going to catch the leprechauns.
And here are the traps from this year:
The Cox Family trap, luring the leprechauns with a pot of gold
The Gerwigs, with a disguised rock that is a hidden trap
Our rather lame trap...there is bear claw in there to catch them. We spent so much time getting ready for the party that we kind of forgot to plan anything fancy for our trap. Oh well.
The Lindsay Family trap...cuz everyone likes a disco party!
And my favorite trap, the Glazier Family trap. It was certainly the coolest...check out the video.

All in all, a fantastic St. Patrick's Day party. But the best part is St. Patrick's day morning, when the kids discover what the leprechauns did.

Training again

2011-03-11T14:22:00.003-06:00

Flashback to June 2008...remember how I did that triathlon that was actually a biathlon? Well, the race bug has hit me again. I'm getting ready for a triathlon in Hillsboro, Texas on May 7th. Most people around here think I'm crazy for driving all the way to the Dallas area for a race, when Lubbock is hosting a tri about 2 weeks later. But of course, like most races in Texas, the one in Lubbock is on a Sunday. It makes me miss living in Utah where all events are on Saturdays. I'm just glad I found one (that isn't just for kids) on a Saturday. Gratefully I am starting off in better shape that I did last time, so I don't think training will be quite as hard this time. Yesterday I ran and swam and it felt pretty good. I love having something like this to get ready for...it helps me work harder, eat better, and be more consistent since the last thing I want is to not be able to finish. It's pretty doable... 500 meter swim, 16.2 mile bike, and 3.2 mile run. Wish me luck!

I just hope they don't cancel the bike again...lame.

Proof that Paul is learning something in med school

2011-03-06T04:01:00.003-06:00

Paul and his school buddies enjoyed giving each other a cast. It's Paul's first cast given or received...let's hope it's the last too!

Christmas 2010

2011-02-02T20:30:00.005-06:00

After a marvelous week in Mazatlan, Paul and I were anxious to get back to the girls. We arrived in Dallas on December 23rd, so we were able to enjoy Christmas Eve with the girls. They appeared to have survived their week with Christina quite well.
This Christmas we pulled off the greatest Christmas surprise ever. All of Paul's siblings, from Virginia to Minnesota to Utah, came to Dallas without my in-laws knowing. Christmas Eve the doorbell rang and Christina received the surprise of her life. She was planning on spending Christmas with just my little family for company and instead ended up with a houseful of 7 grandkids, 12 adults, and a dog. I think she was in shock for a while, as was my father in law who would randomly say, even the next day, that he couldn't believe that we were all there.
We achieved our goal...We made Christina and my father-in-law cry!
No trip to Dallas is complete without Grandpa's root beerWay too many stockingsWhile opening presents, Anna was always found sitting on top of another present...funny girlHattie eating Christmas dinner with cousins Nora, Keira, and Max
This is one of the coolest things to drive by every winter in Dallas...there must be thousands of lights on that tree!
We even got a family picture in!
And here's a few of my girls just being silly...

Viva Mexico!

2011-01-28T19:06:00.007-06:00

Yup, finally getting around to posting about the holidays. Paul had two solid weeks of vacation, so we took advantage. The minute he was done with his final we drove 5 hours to Dallas. The following morning he and I took off for Mazatlan, Mexico. We had planned to go to Mexico back in June, but school got too crazy and we had to postpone it...and since Christmas is the only other time of year that he has a break, we squeezed it in before the Christmas craziness. Gratefully his sister Christina and his mom were willing to watch the girls, so we had 6 whole days to ourselves.

It was really a relaxing vacation. We honestly didn't do much...eat breakfast, hang out at the beach, eat lunch, walk along the beach, eat dinner...but that's what we wanted.Our first day there we walked a long way on the beach...we ended up doing that a lot.
We hiked up to the top of the faro, or lighthouse. It is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world, even though the actual building is only 2 stories. It's built on top of a hill that's on a peninsula. It was a nice hike and provided a great view of the city.
(The hill you can see to the right of me in the distance is the lighthouse.)
We did do one organized activity...we went to Salsa and Salsa, where we learned how to make a bunch of salsas and even do a little salsa dancing. Paul and I were even crowned the salsa King and Queen for our dancing skills!
We happened to be there during our anniversary...not too much to complain about a sunset like that! Happy 5 years Paul!
We LOVED the food there. We went to Pancho's twice...it was divine. Check out my steaming bowl of chicken, tomatoes, queso fresco, cactus...amazing. The bowl was still super hot to the touch when I was done eating.
We walked along the beach every morning after breakfast during high tide...we often got our pants quite soaked.
The last 2 days we spent entirely on the beach, besides mealtimes. It was funny watching the Mexicans pose for pictures...one knee is always bent.
Of course, more food...one of the best parts of the vacation!
This is called the cliff jumper tower. At high tide, jumpers dive into the water, of course when they are paid. We didn't ever come out to watch...it was cool to watch on youtube. But walking to the top and seeing how far down it was was quite intimidating.
We got a good laugh out of this building...a fine example of the South American building quality.

Of course it was wonderful to have some time to ourselves...our first vacation alone since we had kids. It went so fast, but we were ready to get back to our girls. Part two of Christmas vacation to come...

Random Lubbock Weather

2011-01-25T13:57:00.004-06:00

Lubbock's weather is remarkably sporadic. Last Monday we went to the park...in shorts.
Then this morning, we woke up to the first snow. Hardly anything, I know, but the girls were anxious to go play.

Of course we have no real snow clothes, so they are bundled up in multiple layers of pants, socks, and shirts. Poor little Anna struggled to walk with so much on! And of course the snow is gone now. Maybe we'll hit the park again tomorrow - you never know!

Quilts of 2010

2011-01-19T09:06:00.006-06:00

Remember how I've told you about my quilting hobby before? Well here is the quilt I made for Lisa's family for Christmas (the pictures uploaded sideways...why I don't know, but you get the idea).

Again this one was lots of fun, and thanks to my marvelous mother-in-law who lets me "shop" at her supply of fabric, I hardly paid anything for the fabric.

I just realized that I never posted pictures of a quilt I made for Anna. It was pretty simple, with large blocks. I made it a texture quilt, so there is corduroy, chenille, minky, and silk along with the cotton fabrics. I'm proud of this one because I did it without a pattern...I designed it myself! Granted, it's super basic, but it was new for me to figure out all the little details on my own.

Walking around

2011-01-13T10:28:00.001-06:00

She's done it! At 17 months, she's finally walking everywhere. She had taken a few steps before Christmas, and would walk between furniture during the Christmas break, but the first week home, she just took off everywhere. I'm so glad not to have to carry her everywhere, even if she does go slowly.

Lesson in humility

2011-01-11T08:49:00.004-06:00

Yesterday morning, despite having bad head cold, I ventured out with the girls to sign Hattie up for a soccer class. Being low on gas, I stopped at our corner gas station to fill up. I left the radio on for the girls while it filled up. When I got back in the car, it wouldn't start. Nor was I able to get my key out. I had power, for the heater, radio, etc, but the engine wouldn't turn over. I vaguely remembered having something like this happen before, but I couldn't remember what I had done to fix it. I called my neighbor Cassie to see if she had suggestions. After looking through the owners manual, I called the Toyota dealer. They gave me some suggestions, none of which worked. By now the girls were freezing in the backseat. The dealer suggested I get a jump, then come into the service department. I saw a policeman and asked for a jump, but apparently they can't because of all the electronics in their car. Whatever. So I called Cassie again and waited for her to rescue us. Now Anna was whining and Hattie wouldn't stop talking about getting signed up for soccer. Cassie arrived, we set the van up for a jump, but it didn't work. I was annoyed, flabbergasted, and freezing. I'm not super car savvy but I know how to jump start a car. Just as Cassie and I were getting out of the car to check the cables for a third time, a man walked up and asked if we needed help. I quickly explained how the car wouldn't start and that I couldn't even take the key out. He quickly took a look and in seconds fixed the problem. He put the van into park.

I couldn't have felt more stupid! I sheepishly thanked him, not believing I had overlooked something so simple. He walked away, silently laughing at me I think. So now I have been humbled a bit...just because I know how to jump a car doesn't necessarily mean I know how to operate one :)

Family Pictures 2010

2010-12-01T05:51:00.004-06:00

Gratefully one of my best friends in Lubbock recently started a photography business. Thanks again Kristina!

Which one is your favorite?

November

2010-11-29T19:30:00.005-06:00

Right before Halloween I took on a task of motherhood that I had been dreading: potty training. I had put it off as long as possible. Most of her friends were potty trained and I still didn't feel like my little girl was ready. Then one day, she suddenly hated having a wet diaper on. She would lay down on the ground holding a clean diaper while yelling, "PEED!!!" at the top of her lungs. I guess I could finally take the hint that she was ready.

Gratefully, I have 5 older siblings, all with a lot more parenting experience than I. Sharee introduced us all to a method called "Potty Training in Less Than a Day," which Laura used last year to potty-trained her twins. Like her, I am a total believer. I love how Hattie instigates going to the bathroom...I don't have to ask her every 10 minutes if she has to use the potty, nor did I waste hours with her sitting on the toilet trying to force her to go when she didn't need to. It really only took a day for it to click. It was such a breeze (at least in comparison to what I expected - months of dealing with accidents). On the contrary, she had accidents randomly for about two weeks, and has now gone about two weeks accident free. Well, I guess she did have an accident the other day, but it was our fault - she was in time-out and we told her she couldn't leave her room...at least she was obedient!

The girls have been fun this month, besides battling a little sickness. At least they are snuggly when sick.
(For some reason this picture rotated and i can't get it to turn back, so just angle your head a bit) Anna only gets chubbier...around the belly. I pulled out the 18-24 month clothes (she's 16 months) and put this shirt on. See that I can't button the buttons by about 3 inches? And I thought Hattie had a belly...this shirt was loose on her!
They love the box that our turkey fryer came in (never baking a turkey again!)
And they love it when I grind wheat...I think they think it's a mini sand box.

We also got family pictures taken, but I'll post those tomorrow...

A mouse and a pumpkin

2010-11-04T14:48:00.005-05:00

Halloween has come and gone. Last year, Paul and I started making plans of what our family could be for Halloween. We talked about it randomly throughout the year. And of course we never came to a decision, so I ended up calling my wonderful sister who has lots of wonderful costumes for kids. Voila!
Doesn't Anna looked so much chubbier with the mouse hat on? She was definitely a big hit. And do you notice her crooked jaw smile? Weird.
Hattie wore the pumpkin costume randomly throughout October. Whenever she remembered what she was going to be for Halloween, she asked to put it on for a few hours. Thanks Sophie for letting us borrow it!
We went to our Children's Science Museum for a little carnival. Hattie loved her tattoo and playing all the games.
And Anna was a trooper, sucking on her long mouse tail most of the night while at the Trunk or Treat. Hattie is already starting to dream about next years costume...that and constantly asking if Santa is coming tonight. It'll be a long two months for this three-year old!

Night call

2010-10-12T15:13:00.004-05:00

Last week Paul was assigned to night call. This meant that during the day he was home, and any time after 4:30 pm until 7:30 am they could call him if there were any new admits into the psychiatry department (Psych is his current rotation). Most nights were okay...he was typically called around 5:00 pm and was home by 8:00. So it was a great schedule for a few days, working about 3 hours a day (there was one night he was gone til 3:00 am...lame). Having him home all day was like Saturday everyday. We tried to keep busy. Sadly, Lubbock is not the most exciting place on the planet, so we struggled to find fun stuff to do, but we did visit Apple Country in Idalou, Texas. I was excited because Fuji apples were ripe that week. I am somewhat of an apple snob...I don't really like anything but Fujis. So we went picking.

Gratefully they were dwarf trees, so Hattie could enjoy it too. They let you eat as many apples as you wanted while you picked...yummy.

We picked about 12 pounds total. I eat about 3 of them a day. We need to go back!
Here we were trying to find an Arkansas Black, which we were told were also ready for picking, but it turned out to be a Red Delicious...not so delicious in my book.

Now night call is over, Paul is finishing up his last 2 weeks in psychiatry, I'm getting used to having the girls alone all day again, and gratefully he is done by 2:00 a few times a week. I'm not really looking forward to the end of psych...the schedule has been pretty nice!

Random happenings

2010-10-06T10:38:00.000-05:00

Here's just some random things we've been doing/capturing on camera lately:
Hattie LOVES it when people come over. Every morning she asks if Brooklyn, Juliet, Grandma, Jonas and Anson, Callie, etc are coming over. So when the answer is actually "Yes" she gets overly excited and positions herself in front of the door to wait. She is a little socialite.
We went to the mall, and Paul actually put quarters in the machine. I was hoping Hattie would live in ignorance about what those toys were really for. The girls loved it, but now Hattie always asks if I have a quarter when we pass.

Boxes, a child's favorite toy

18 de septiembre! Chile's independence day, so my buddy Kristina came over to make yummy empanadas.

And this is my personal favorite. We have had a few awesome thunderstorms recently, turning our back porch into a mini swimming pool. Anna toyed with the idea of going into the water with Hattie for about 20 minutes, then finally fell in. She was not happy.

Another birthday

2010-10-04T20:21:00.007-05:00

Amazing to think that Hattie is already three! She is growing up quickly - vocabulary increasing daily, fewer tantrums, okay missing naps, and saying the funniest things. She had a marvelous birthday. We celebrated a day early, on Saturday the 25th, since that was when we scheduled the birthday party. Yeah, sometimes I still can't believe I threw a birthday party for a 3 year old. But when you are far from family, and your friends become your family, it seemed the perfect thing to do. Plus, her friend Juliet's birthday was just a few days later, so we combined parties to make things easier.
We opened family present first thing in the morning...it's becoming a family tradition.
We are getting ready to potty train so she was trilled with princess underwear.
Yup this girl is spoiled. She did need the shoes and Paul has insisted that our girls will play soccer as well as a boy, so he is starting his indoctrination. Hattie loves it cuz it's pink.

Later that day came the party:
The kids decorated cupcakes, played musical chairs, and unwrapped a box inside a box inside a box inside a box inside a...but of course I didn't remember to take pictures...too many kiddos running around.
And I got this awesome cake mold that makes a giant cupcake. It was lots of fun to make...kind of make me want to get into cake decorating...but not enough.
Juliet and Hattie were actually excited to blow out the candle. The picture is deceiving. Now Hattie proudly tells everyone that she is three...She's still working on holding up three fingers, but we'll get there.

They say it's your birthday...

2010-09-21T22:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Paul's birthday...the big 30! Somehow, this is the only picture we remembered to take...taken by Hattie. Love you and Happy Birthday yet again!

Por fin!

2010-08-30T10:59:00.002-05:00

Remember back in March 2009 when I posted about Paul getting a saw so that he could build us a dinner table? Well, after three attempts and 18 months, it's finally done (he actually started this model in May 2010 while I was in Iowa...being in med school doesn't spare too much time for hobbies). Looks pretty good, eh? We made it nice and wide so that we can actually serve our food on the table instead of in the kitchen, and so that we can play board games comfortably...such a step up from two card tables smashed together. Now we just need some chairs that aren't folding chairs. That'll take another 18 months :)

Look who is crawling!

2010-08-19T09:40:00.002-05:00

Finally! At 12 1/2 months, she is crawling!

White sock chick

2010-08-16T20:27:00.003-05:00

When I was about 14, I got eczema. Mostly just on my hands but occasionally it flares up in other places. I've seen a number of doctors, researched different treatments, and tried almost everything to help keep it under control. And in general, I do. I wear gloves whenever I do the dishes or disinfect something. I rarely wash my hands (sorry if that's gross) and never use hand sanitizer. The only thing I could do to improve it would be to shower with gloves on (which I used to do regularly) and change diapers with gloves. Summary: I've learned to live with it and it's not too horrible.

But try to teach that to a three year old. Yup, poor little Hattie has eczema on her finger tips. Gratefully it doesn't itch too badly, but it'll crack and bleed. I put Aquaphor and Bag Balm on, but of course it gets wiped off almost immediately. So finally today we went to the doctor. He recommended this treatment:

Two of Paul's sock taped to her arms, with her hands lathered in Aquaphor and medication. We got her really excited about it, so she thinks it's fun instead of torture. When I was a kid, I tried sleeping with gloves on (and was nicknamed the White Glove Chick) and it was horrible. It actually made my hands worse because of the tightness of the gloves. So hopefully the socks are an improvement.

While there we did Anna's 12 month appointment: 75th percentile for weight, 25th percentile for height (I think her shortness makes her appear chubbier), and off the charts for head circumference. Awesome. Hattie is in the 87th for weight and 7th for height...another shorty. Looks like they'll take after me.

Help!

2010-08-13T07:41:00.003-05:00

For the last 3 weeks, Hattie has woken in the middle of the night with nightmares. Not every night, but probably half. It's starting to get old. At first, we brought her to bed with us, but of course, we didn't get any sleep after that, even though she usually when right back to sleep. Our queen-size just isn't big enough for three people. Lately, I've been going in to calm her down, and then end up laying next to her crib (yup, she still LOVES her crib and refuses to sleep in the toddler bed). I eventually sneak out and go back to bed. Does anyone have tips or advice about getting over nightmares? I'm even starting to think that now it's not always a nightmare...her screaming has become less frantic and more whiny. So perhaps now she knows that we'll come if she simply wakes up in the night and cries loud enough. Please HELP!

Surprise!

2010-08-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

About four months ago, I had a dream about my friend Tina and her husband Ben. Tina had been a roommate at BYU. We met in Spanish 101, took Spanish 102 together, and then decided to be roommates. We only lived together for the first semester of my junior year (I left for my mission after that), but she was one of my greatest friends at BYU. She was engaged during the semester we lived together, but she and Ben were more than willing to let me hang out with them. I was a constant 3rd wheel :) They really helped me out when I was going through a tough time and deciding whether or not to serve a mission. We kept in touch until I was pregnant with Hattie. I knew she had moved to Minneapolis, but I had lost touch with her. So after my dream, I tried to find her again...with no luck. BYU Alumni directory only had their physical address, not a phone number or email. And she wasn't on facebook. So she has been on the back of mind for the last few months.

Then on Monday I got a phone call from a number in Lubbock and it was Tina! Apparently Ben's parents live in Lubbock (I even know her MIL a little) and they remembered from our Christmas card 2 years ago that we were living in Lubbock. It made my week! We went out to dinner Tuesday, then the kids and I went to swim on Wednesday. It was great to catch up and remember all the good times we had together. I hope they come back to Lubbock again before we move!

Color!

2010-08-05T09:47:00.005-05:00

I recently painted our master bathroom, family room, and kitchen. The only unpainted rooms are now the bedrooms...who knows if I'll get to those or not. It's been fun having more color in the house; all gray was getting dull. And I find I really like painting. It's addicting. I just don't like picking the color.

Bathroom before

Bathroom after - color Grassland from Sherwin Williams (hard to see...no natural light in the bathroom)

Kitchen before

Kitchen after - color Chocolate Cherry from Lowes

Family room before

Family room after - color Row House Tan from Sherwin Williams

Thanks to Kristen for watching my kids, Jessie for picking the color, and Kristina for helping me paint!

Where did June and July go?

2010-08-02T08:45:00.003-05:00

Alas, August started yesterday, and I have nothing to show for the first half of the summer. I just sorted through the pictures I have and I hardly took any. You would think they were uneventful months, but they were quite busy.

June: Paul studied. All the time. He studied in our bedroom closet, surfacing for food every few hours. I tried to stay busy, painting the family room and kitchen and having play dates with two great friends who recently moved. At the end of the month he took Step 1, the exam that directly affects what residency he will get in a few years. We're glad it's over.

Can you tell I am indecisive? It took 15 paint samples to pick the color of my family room. After that fiasco, I had my mother-in-law come help me pick the color of the kitchen. With her help, I think I only bought 4 samples...thanks Jessie! Pictures soon to come...

Hattie still asks to play with Callie on a regular basis...she thinks Idaho is close by I guess!

We spent a week in Dallas, and didn't do much since it RAINED the entire time, canceling trips to Six Flags and waterparks. No pictures. Relaxing, quiet week. On the 4th of July I flew to Boise with the girls. It was a long travel day...don't want to travel again soon. I spent two weeks at my parents. Paul stayed behind to start his 3rd year rotations. I think I only took 15 picture on the whole trip. Sad. That's what happens when you travel alone...I was too busy to think about pictures.

Gratefully we did have a family picture with everyone in the family, minus Spencer on his mission, Paul at school, and uncle Aaron at work.

Watching the fireworks with the kids

Hattie and Jonas though the water jugs were fun to play with

One day at the Eastons, Myra and Natali decided to have a cookie/Kool-aid stand. It was hilarious watching them try to stop all the 3 year olds from snitching too many cookies and drinks. And a few neighbor kids joined in the fun...and of course demanded their share of the money when it was over :)

And my mom pulled out this music that I grew up dancing to...good memories and the kids loved it!

Hattie was glad to get back home. The first thing she did was grab all of her stuffed animals and line them up on the couch. They are probably her favorite toy to play with. She is constantly carting ALL of them from her bed, to the couch, to Anna's room, to our bathroom.

Paul and Hattie in their scrubs

Anna turned one! Crazy to think that it was only a year ago that I was hospitalized for a week, worrying about a premmie baby. She's definitely not tiny anymore! She still isn't crawling, but has finally started bearing weight on her legs. We were so excited when she started standing that now Hattie squeals with delight every time she sees Anna standing. I think she weighs about 23 lbs. She is definitely more snuggly than Hattie, more content to watch and observe, loves to eat fruit, cheese, and ice cream, is happy whenever outside, and is sporting 6 little teeth. Happy Birthday Anna!

I owe Iowa

2010-05-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

My trip to Iowa was perfect. My sister Laura lives in Iowa Falls, a small town an hour or so north of Des Moines. She has a wonderful piece of property that kept us very entertained and relaxed for more than a week. I timed my visit so that I would be there for Myra's baptism, which my parents would be attending as well. So we were able to see cousins as well as Grandma and Grandpa.

The baptism was wonderful. Anna was perfectly adorable, and Hattie was extremely exhausted. Laura lives 40 minutes from their branch, and little miss Hattie isn't used to driving in a car for that long to go to Church. And since we had been traveling the days before the baptism, Hattie hadn't taken a nap in days. She finally zonked the last 15 minutes of the drive home.

And here is the whole Bernard bunch: Grace (6), Jonas (3), James (9), Anson (3), Owen (1), and Myra (8). Hattie absolutely loved them.

We decided to take a quick trip over to Nauvoo, Illinois, about 4 hours away. Considering that both Hattie and Anna hadn't been the greatest travelers at that point, I was a little leery. But they did great. And the trip was well worth it.

The kids were excited to get out of the car and check out the new temple - well, new to me since last time I was in Nauvoo there were only the cornerstones.

Of course traveling with 8 kids under the age of 9 can be a little crazy, so we didn't see a ton as far as sights go, but it was wonderful to be there and feel the Spirit of the early saints.

We were able to find a babysitter so that my parents, sister, and I could all go to the temple together.

And for the kids, the highlight was of course the wagon ride.

On the way home we stopped in Pella, Iowa for the Tulip Time Festival. It was a quaint little town, with lots of little Dutch shops. We just had yummy pastries for dinner :)

Besides Nauvoo we did a lot of random things around the house:

Play with dry beans. This is Hattie's favorite thing to do now...thanks for the idea Laura!

Dress up and sidewalk chalk

Snuggle Uncle Aaron...by the end of the trip, Hattie was really missing Paul and started to attach herself to Aaron. That's when I knew it was time to go home.

Playing with Kirby the snake

Hugs from Jonas. This little guy became Hattie and my buddy. Every time Hattie sees something that she did at Jonas' house (like play with beans, watch Cars, etc) she gets a big grin and squeals "Like Jonas??"

Tubtime!

Walks down to the Iowa River...Laura's house is just a short walk through the woods to the river. It was such a nice Sunday walk down there.

And Hattie spent a good portion of the trip at the coloring table. She could color for hours! Thanks for the wonderful week Laura...we miss you and your kids!

Recent fun times

2010-05-23T21:16:00.008-05:00

I am still working on a post about my visit to Iowa, but in the meantime, here's what we've been up to:

Visits to the Science Spectrum with Callie and Reese (we'll sure miss you when you are gone!). Hattie loves this place, especially when there are not a lot of kids there. She loves being with friends but when too many people are around she kind of panics. Hum...she sounds like her dad.

Crafts. I went to Hobby Lobby the other day and kind of went crazy. I came home with this flower mirror, 3 picture frames, and 3 flower pegs, all of unfinished wood. I have big plans to paint/stain them all and add them to the girls room. Why the sudden urge to decorate the girls' room and get crafty? Well we recently bought a toddler bed for Hattie from Julie when she moved, so we put it in the same room as the crib (where Hattie had been sleeping...Anna is in the Pack and Play). Now that the beds are in the same room, we have moved all the toys to the spare room and have dubbed it the playroom (which has actually helped Hattie play there more, I think because it has a better name:). With all the rearranging the walls looked really bare, so my trip to Hobby Lobby inspired me...it's been a lot of fun. Hopefully I can get it put together soon.

Side story: The first night in her new bed I was terrified that Hattie would be in our room by midnight and wouldn't go back. But she was perfect. She never even made a peep. But the next day I asked her if she wanted to sleep in her big bed, and she refused. Every day I ask her if she wants to sleep in her bed and she always picks the crib...weird girl! You would think she would jump at the chance to be able to get out of bed by herself. I never would have guessed she liked her crib so much.

Baking...well, this is pretty normal for me, but I really do love making my own bread. My recipe is great, thank you Laura. And thanks Erika for the fun loaf pans.

Trips to Sheridans. I must admit that we have been addicted lately. Their frozen custard is delicious and it's close to home, so it makes a great study break for Paul (besides Church, Paul didn't leave the house all week except to go to Sheridans). Hattie likes to dance on the cow and relishes in the attention she gets from other customers.

Eating bananas. Anna has finally mastered self-feeding. She loves mealtime now, especially when bananas are on the menu.

Photo shoot! Thanks Kristina! More to come...

Paul is studying for Step 1, possibly the most important test of his life. We have moved a table into our closet and he spends about 12 hours a day in there. It's nice having him home, so that I can run errands during nap times, or chat with him during lunch and dinner breaks. But we are anxious for when the stress is over and we get past this milestone.

Changes

2010-05-18T10:19:00.005-05:00

I feel so many mixed emotions recently. I love living here in Lubbock, mostly because of the amazing friends I have made. They have made Lubbock a wonderful place to live. But the nature of living in a college town means that every year some friends move away. Last year I lost Nicole; on Sunday Julie moved to Idaho. On top of that, Chelsea and Debbie have also announced that they are moving away. And even added to that, our ward was recently divided, scattering my friends and me among 3 different wards. Of course I can still be friends with them, but it certainly will take a little more work. And my new calling will keep me more busy than my old one of Sunday School teacher. I feel so many things. I am so grateful that the Church is growing so quickly here that our stake needed two new wards. I'm glad that my friends' husbands have graduated and are getting an income :) But I am a little fearful of the changes that will inevitably happen. I have always valued friendships. Paul can't believe that I still talk to friends from high school and have roommate reunions. No matter how happy I am for the progress and changes happening in the lives of my friends, I am still sad to see them go, and consequently have our friendship change. I know change is good, but when you are standing on the threshold, it can be a little scary.

A little of this and a little of that

2010-04-28T07:30:00.011-05:00

Last night we decided that I will be leaving this afternoon to go visit my sister Laura in Iowa for a while (originally I was going to leave this coming Monday, but gratefully flying standby lets you be flexible). So now I'm trying to get clothes washed, packed, and organized before our flight today. But of course I feel the need to blog about the last few weeks, especially since I won't be home for a while. So here's a few random things we've been doing:

Paul got scuba certified...this required him to dive at the Balmorhea State Park, about 4 hours away. The girls and I came along, thinking we would enjoy the day swimming in the natural spring while he dove. It turned out to be ridiculously windy, and the girls lasted all of 10 seconds in the water before wanting out. So I was stuck with two cold, wet, crabby kids with nothing to do in the middle of nowhere. Gratefully our friends Cassie and Jacob came along and we decided to visit the McDonald Observatory, about an hour away in the Davis mountains. The girls napped while we drove :). It was only sad that Paul couldn't come along since he is the astronomer in the family.

Hattie enjoying the giant sundial

This is the gigantic 433 inch mirror, made up of 91 hexagonal mirrors (it's lying flat looking toward the dome). It's the 5th largest telescope in the world.

Hattie liked Anna's carseat

Hattie has also taken an interest in photography. She borrowed the camera during the drive home from Balmorhea and actually had a couple of decent shots.

Proof that we really were in the middle of nowhere

Then yesterday she documented Paul mowing the lawn:

You can see from these two pictures, taken in succession, that she learned out to take pictures vertically

The girls have been a lot of fun lately. Yesterday Hattie was making Anna laugh like crazy...and it lasted for about 20 minutes! I love my crazy girls.

And some random pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Once upon a dream

2010-04-15T16:39:00.004-05:00

Hattie has really started singing a lot lately. Whenever I get her out of bed in the morning or after nap she is usually singing the ABCs. And her she actually sang her favorite song on camera. I had to help her along a few times when she got distracted by the coloring.

She also LOVES to color, but only recently. Before, I had to sit at her side while she told me what to draw, but now she is independent. She probably colors for about an hour a day, usually something for Uncle Spencer, Baby Owen, or Cousin Keira. Those three seem to be the recipients of about 75% of her artwork, with Mom, Grandma, Dad, and various friends and family getting the other masterpieces.

And of course, a two-year olds prayers are always fun. Here is a common one:

"Heavenly Father, Thankful for my friends come over. Please bless. Amen."

We are working on lengthening them a bit.

Day trip: Carlsbad Caverns

2010-04-10T13:42:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, Paul didn't have school on Friday for Spring Break (it was just one day, not the entire week). So we loaded up the kiddos and caravaned with a few of our friends to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, about 3 1/2 hours away.

Hattie and her buddy Juliet were so good...they are great little friends

We geared up for the 1 1/2 hike down into the caves. They said we hiked down 800 ft - equal to 4 Statue of Libertys.

The downhill hike started with some with some serious switchbacks. It was cool to look down and not see the bottom.

This picture shows the last bit of light that we had for a few hours.

A cave formation called the whale's mouth.

Hattie did pretty well walking down. Every so often she realized how dark it was and got scared, but on the whole, she was an angel.

And of course she loved holding hands with friends.

Paul still took his turn with both girls. By the end of the walk Anna was exhausted. Once we got to the bottom of the cave we entered "The Big Room" which add another 1 1/2 mile walk around inside...at least it was all flat and there was no more downhill walking. At that point, our camera died, and Anna was finished, so Hattie and I did a quick walk through the cave. It was so beautiful and amazing. I'm always curious to know how such places were discovered, buried so deep in the earth. Gratefully, there is an elevator that took us back to the surface so that we didn't have to hike up 800 ft!

We loved spending the day with the Babcocks, Lindsays, and Foutzes!

Sicker still

2010-04-01T14:47:00.002-05:00

Well, tomorrow didn't bring what we hoped. It's Thursday...Hattie is STILL sick and I am too! I've almost completely lost my voice, so don't bother calling me...just text! I feel alright - just a little chest congestion, sore throat, and a cough. But Hattie - UGH - has been horrible. She always wants snuggles which was sweet the first two days but now is too much. Gratefully her fever is gone and she just has a cough and a runny nose, which she refuses to wipe herself. Every time she feels it starting to run she hands me the wet wipe (she won't let me use Kleenex) and says, "Just be soft okay?" Any advice on how to teach kids to blow out through their nose? Hattie can't seem to figure it out. But I think we are on the mend. Today has been the best day yet. Cross your fingers for tomorrow.

Snuggles

2010-03-28T19:54:00.003-05:00

Here's what I did today:

Snuggled my girls. Hattie had a fever all day and was ridiculously snuggly. I think she snuggled me more today than in the entire last year. She has a lot of cold symptoms as well, and asks me to wipe her nose about every 2 minutes. She fell asleep in my arms 3 or 4 times, and even at dinner time when she wanted a hug.

Yup, she is out cold in that picture. Gratefully she slept quite a bit today, and with a good nights' rest tonight, we are crossing our fingers we'll be back to normal by morning. So far Anna is fine, but we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Laughing Banana

2010-03-25T14:24:00.001-05:00

I noticed that I rarely take videos of Anna. She is such a calm and observant baby - not a busy body like Hattie was. So I was glad to finally catch her giggling on camera. Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Party 2010

2010-03-17T13:48:00.007-05:00

Those of you who have followed our blog for the last few years (2008, 2009) know that we love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It's a random holiday, I know, but I suppose that makes it all the more fun to get excited about. This year we hosted a little party, trying to spread the St. Patrick's Day cheer that we love.

We had a nice array of Irish food, along with some green and silly food. Paul and I made Irish soda bread (yum!) and Irish chicken and dumplings. Our friends brought Irish coddle, which I loved and goes marvelously with soda bread, rainbow fruit salad, leprechaun hat treats, and green sherbet pie.

After dinner we started the trap building contest. Gratefully, the kids mostly ran off to Hattie's room so that us grown ups could get serious about catching the leprechauns. Here are the finished products:

The Lindsays

The Petersons

The Babcocks

The Foutz (How do you make Foutz plural??)

And the Iverson trap

I must say that the Foutz's and the Babcock's took trap building to a new level for us! Check them out:

Paul is determined to have a better trap next year...I think he's already working on the plans.

Of course, the best part of the holiday is watching Hattie in the morning as she sees the mess the leprechauns made.

Serenades from Hattie

2010-03-15T09:38:00.005-05:00

Hattie loves to sing to Anna. She doesn't always do it on demand, so we got lucky yesterday.

If you can't tell, she starts off singing "Once upon a dream" from Sleeping Beauty, then moves to the "baby song" (?), then "Rockabye Baby," with a sweet transition into "Patty cake." I think it's clear that she rarely finishes an entire song - too easily distracted. Anna LOVES to watch everything that Hattie does. These are some of the most rewarding moments as a mother - watching my girls play together and be friends.

Snow

2010-03-04T09:53:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday we got snow! This is probably the 4th or 5th time we've had snow this year. Of course it was gone by the end of the day - typical for Lubbock. So we knew we had to take advantage of it while it was there. Hattie's friend Juliet came over and they had a party out there. Sadly, neither of them have very good snow clothes since snow isn't super common here, but they certainly didn't care about their freezing feet and bums.

Hattie would have stayed out there all day if I would have let her. For the rest of the day, whenever she saw the snow she would shout, "It's snowing!"

Hattie growing up

2010-02-20T09:59:00.004-06:00

Hattie has been a lot of fun lately. Fewer tantrums. More obedient. More talkative. More patient. More creative. She has become obsessed with her baby doll, constantly changing her diaper, wrapping her in blankets, nursing her, and putting her to sleep. It's fun to see her grow up. Last night we got a babysitter. All day long I told her that she would have a babysitter who would put her to sleep. So as she and Rebecca sat on the couch, I went to hug Hattie goodbye. She quickly pushed me away and said, "Just go Mom." Well! I'm glad she doesn't have any problems with babysitters!

Hattie also loves to take pictures with the camera, and this one didn't turn out half bad (in comparison).

She also loves to go see Dad at school. We go up there every so often for lunch. Hattie usually spreads her lunch out all across his study room. We all enjoy the break.

Yesterday we checked out the local cupcake shop, Peace o' Cake. Hattie was in heaven picking out her cupcakes, and could barely handle the drive home before she could eat them.

And here is our chubby Anna. It's hard to get a good picture of her...as soon as she sees the camera she stops smiling. How I got a blue-eyed baby I sure don't know, but I hope her eyes stay this color!

Photo Shoot

2010-02-15T12:30:00.001-06:00

A few days after Anna was released from the hospital, my cousin-in-law Cristi took baby pictures for me while we were still in Boise/Ontario. They came in the mail Saturday and I was thrilled to get them...we had been cooped up all day with two sick and very crabby kids, so it was a nice little surprise. I hope you enjoy!

She weighed about 5 lbs when we took these pictures. Now, 6 months later, she's 16+ lbs! Which one is your favorite?

PS. I uploaded the video from the previous post to YouTube so it should work better for you now.

Story time

2010-02-05T17:03:00.007-06:00

Paul recorded this video the other day. Hattie has watched it a billion times already and laughs every time that she sees Dad in the video and exclaims, "THAT'S FUNNY!" And I love her "reading" to Anna, describing the "little fingers." What a doll!

Magic words

2010-01-31T17:45:00.003-06:00

We have been trying to help Hattie understand the difference between need and want. She says, "I need to watch a show," or "I need ice cream." No Hattie; ice cream, however wonderful, is not a need.

Just a moment ago she kept saying, "I need a cookie." I patiently tried to coax her through the proper wording.

"Mom..." I said
"Mom, " repeated Hattie.
"I want..."
"I would like...a cookie."

I just kept staring at her, waiting for her to say the magic word. I could see the gears turning in her head, thinking, "What do I have to say to get a cookie?" And then it clicked..."AMEN!"

She got the cookie.

A moment to vent

2010-01-29T09:45:00.004-06:00

Here in Lubbock we get an occasional snowstorm. Typically, it snows an inch or two and by the end of the day it has melted away. Apparently during Christmas while we were in Oregon, they got about 7 inches, the most they had received in about 12 years. Because Lubbockites aren't used to snow, when it does snow, even just a few inches, it's like the world stops. Schools close, kids are sent home, worship services are canceled. For one thing, they don't have much snow removal equipment, so if the snow happens to stay overnight, the next day the roads are horrible. But since it is so ridiculously flat here, it's not like you are driving up and down any dangerous hills. It's just a little icy.

Today I am particularly frustrated because Paul was supposed to have a test this morning. But because of the snow, the Health Sciences Center is closed. There's maybe an inch and a half of snow out there! Now the test will be Monday, so instead of having a nice, relaxing, stress-free weekend, Paul will still be studying all day today and tomorrow. Lame. Paul was already at school this morning when they decided to cancel it, so it's not like the roads are so horrible that our little Mazda couldn't make it (especially considering the number of trucks and SUVs in Texas).

Now I know that icy roads are plenty dangerous, but it's just so extreme! I think I remember having 2 snow days in my entire lifetime, and that was when we had 2+ feet outside, not 2 inches. Grrr...I'm just sad that my weekend is ruined!

Anna Banana

2010-01-27T20:45:00.000-06:00

Today little Anna is 6 months old. It's incredible to me that our babe has been here so long. It seems like only yesterday I was holding a little 5 pound girl at the NICU in Boise. Anyone who has seen her recently knows that there is nothing premature about her now. I'm guessing she weighs around 16 lbs.

Anna continues to be such a wonderful baby. She so snuggly, especially compared to Hattie who was always too busy to enjoy hugs. She is very sweet tempered and observant. She loves it when Hattie gives her snuggles, and doesn't cry too much when Hattie squishes her. She isn't very adventuresome...she doesn't reach for toys yet or sit up, but she loves to watch everything around her, especially Hattie.

After a strike on sleep while we were in Ontario, we were fed up (and exhausted). So about three week ago we sleep trained her. The first night we let her cry, it took about 50 minutes, but since then, she's been marvelous. Tonight she didn't make a peep. It's to the point now where when I put her to sleep, her eyes almost seem to thank me for putting her in bed. She's a marvelous sleeper again, and without a pacifier :)

But she is hard to get a good picture of...so here are some of the best ones...happy half birthday Anna Banana!

Highlights from Hattie

2010-01-26T11:14:00.000-06:00

Hattie is at a remarkably fun...and stubborn...age. She has discovered makeup.

She sits on the counter to watch me make dinner, and sneaks bites at the cheese behind my back.

She hops in the tub with her diaper and shirt still on.

She just likes the tub so much.

She loves to play dress up...whenever she sees her boa she exclaims, "Oh, my favorite!" She can generally be seen with a tutu on over her pants

She is currently obsessed with blankets. She had me lay all her blankets on her (probably about 20) and yet she kept insisting on "'Nother one please."

She is a great big sister. She gets ridiculously excited whenever Anna wakes up from a nap, running into her room to shout, "HELLO ANNA. Wake up" whenever she hears Anna make a peep. She gets right close to Anna's face to say that she loves her and that she's "so cute." Anna endures it pretty well. I'm grateful for such a fun and crazy daughter!

(As I reviewed this post for publishing, Hattie walked in and saw all the pictures of herself. She said, "Oh! Hattie's eating cheese. Crazy Hattie. So funny." At least she amuses herself.)

Snow fun in Ontario

2010-01-25T20:14:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures missing from our trip to Ontario. I misplaced my camera for a few days, so these were taken on my mom's camera.

It snowed about 7 inches on New Years Eve. Hattie absolutely LOVED the snow. She was out there for a few hours, I'd guess. We first went outside to collect the chicken eggs, hence the ice cream bucket for carrying them back. My uncle Len and I spent at least an hour shoveling the driveway before Paul ever started building his masterpiece snowman.

Hattie kept calling him Frosty

And she loved getting buried. It was a lot of fun and we were glad to have a good amount of snow, since in Lubbock we usually only get an inch or two. And of course, here's our little Anna Banana. She's such a good babe.

Hattie speaks

2010-01-18T18:06:00.005-06:00

Hattie has really begun to talk a lot lately, and with that, she has of course said some pretty funny things.

Last week for Family Home Evening, we talked about Joseph Smith. Today I asked Hattie, "Do you remember who Joseph Smith was?" Her eyes widened and she spoke in a whisper, "A baby!"

While we were in McCall over Christmas, Hattie was exploring the condo. When she ventured upstairs, she quickly came back down and said that it was scary. So she grabbed Paul's hand to guide her. We wondered what she found so terrifying. When they got upstairs, she pointed to a rather creepy life-size Indian carving (that I was afraid of as a kid) and said, "Scary Jesus!" I think we need to clarify that not all art of someone she doesn't know is the Savior!

Recently she showed how aware she is, even at age two. She and I went to pick up Paul's parents and brother Daniel from the airport yesterday. Daniel is autistic and has severe retardation. He is 18 years old and requires a lot of work. But Hattie loves to have him around and give him hugs. While driving, she suddenly said, "Daniel is sad. He has an ouwie." She quickly gave her remedy. "He needs a hug. He needs a nap. He needs ice cream."

I sure love my little girl, who has mastered the cheesy grin, head tilt and all.

Highlighting my hobby

2010-01-16T09:35:00.001-06:00

I've mentioned before that after marrying Paul, I started quilting. Paul's mom is a great quilter and got me interested. For the last three years I have given my siblings quilts for Christmas.

For Mark and Kerri, 2007

For Val and Jonny, 2008

This one has a great story. I mailed the quilt to my mother in the box our DVD player came in. She wrapped it for me and handed it over to Val and Jonny. On Christmas morning they opened it, wondering why in the world we gave them a DVD player. They were totally perplexed, since we knew that they had a DVD player. As they were cleaning up the wrapping paper and presents, they were talking about returning it to Wal-Mart when they realized that it probably didn't have a DVD player in it. Can you imagine if they had returned it to Wal-Mart? I would have died.

For Laura and Aaron, 2009

My new favorite! This one was made mostly from leftover scraps from Mark and Val's quilts, so I didn't have to buy very much fabric at all. That's one of my favorite things about quilting...you can make something beautiful out of your leftover pieces that would almost seem worthless.

It's always so satisfying to complete a big project like this. Each one is more fun than the last, and each one is harder to give away! I'm working on a blanket for Anna right now that I'm really excited about...hopefully I finish it sooner than later.

And to Lisa, Spencer, and Sharee...I hope this doesn't ruin the surprise of what you'll be getting from us!

Christmas Recap

2010-01-13T20:15:00.000-06:00

We are finally home in Lubbock, so I guess it's time I post more about Christmas in Ontario. We were there for 3 1/2 weeks, which was absolutely wonderful. We got a little bit of snow when we first got there, so Hattie had fun walking around in it and making footprints.

And of course no trip to Grandpa's is complete without visits to the chickens. Hattie loved going out to see them, feed them, and collect their eggs.

Our little angel Anna finally showed her rotten side. She vetoed sleep on this trip, rarely sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time. Considering that she was sleeping 13 hours/night before this trip, it was a rude awakening for us. Hattie was a great sleeper, so for the first time in my life I could empathize with new moms whose babies were awake all night. It was just frustrating that she digressed so much. Hence the novelty of this picture.

Hattie LOVED spending time with her cousins. Every morning she would wake up and ask where her cousins were. She still asks for Abby, Kate, Charlie, Lukey, and the rest of the gang on a regular basis.

We got together to make graham cracker houses. Hattie kind of missed the point but the rest of the cousins loved it.

We went up to McCall for a few days in the snow. Sadly, I forgot to take our camera along. Lisa and Val watched our girls for us so Paul and I could ski. It sure made me miss being close to the mountains. Hattie really loved going sledding and would have stayed outside all day if we had let her.

Christmas Eve rolled around. Mark, Kerri, and Co. came over Christmas Eve. We didn't go caroling, which is a family tradition, but it was a bit unrealistic with 5 little ones. But we enjoyed singing Christmas carols together. Please ignore my voice in this video...not too pretty. We were enjoying watching Charlie and Hattie impromptu dance and hugs. Also, notice how Hattie always stares off into the distance...she's checking herself out in the front window.

When opening her stocking, Hattie went right for the good stuff. She opened all her Reese's and lined them up in a row.

Anna got the only thing she needed....socks.

And Grandma got Hattie some Ruby Red Slippers, which she wears all the time.

After Christmas we had another week to relax. Hattie got into all of my mom's cupboards and found these little bowls from Skippers. She had a great time equally distributing her milk amongst them. She also painted for the first time. (She really is mastering the cheesy grin)

My sister-in-law had her baby while we were in town, so we got to meet little David Dame! That also meant that my mom took care of Kerri's three older boys for a few days. Hattie LOVED having Isaac, Sam, and Charlie around all day...especially Charlie. The two of them would disappear to the basement together for hours. Once I came across this scene:

Of course, I didn't get too many pictures of Anna. She is growing so quickly. It's hard to believe that she was premature.

I was also able to spend a little time with my brother Spencer. He'll be leaving on his mission to Tallahassee, Florida in less than a month, so it was wonderful to see him one last time. I can't believe that Anna will be older than Hattie is right now when we see him again. Good luck Spence!

Flying home alone with the girls was once again stressful...not quite so bad as the first time around, but one of our flights was delayed 2 hours, which made us miss our connecting flight to Amarillo. Gratefully, both girls slept on the long flight from Portland to Dallas, so I had a few hours to relax...as much as one can relax with a baby sleeping in their arms and a toddler using your knee as a pillow. When we finally pulled into Lubbock at 10:00, I was exhausted, having been awake since 4:00 that morning. Paul had prepared a nice dinner for us and we had a mini-Christmas where we opened gift from Paul's mom and sister. Hattie was in heaven again.

All told, a wonderful vacation. I loved being with my sisters, watching Hattie play with her cousins, playing Pinochle until 2 am, cooking with my mom, and visiting with my dad. I've been blessed with such a wonderful and caring family. But we are glad to be home, getting back to normal and back on schedule. Gratefully, Anna has remembered how to sleep, so we are enjoying 13 hour nights again!

Christmas Break - Week 1

2009-12-19T15:07:00.004-06:00

I've been home in Ontario, Oregon now for a week. It has been so nice to get away, even though it is far colder here than it is in Lubbock. We had a few days of snow which Hattie loved. Every time she looked outside she would shout "SNOWMAN!" But the really cold front has passed, so most of the snow is gone, but it looks we'll have more before Christmas.

Getting here was quite the battle. I was able to get a free ticket for Hattie, but in order to take advantage of the deal, we had to fly out of Amarillo, TX. So last Thursday, we drove 2 hours north to Amarillo, dropped our van off at a friend's house, and headed to the airport. Our first flight to Dallas was delayed, so of course we missed our connecting flight to LA. I was quite literally running through the airport, with Anna strapped to me in a wrap, Hattie in the stroller, lugging a diaper bag, backpack, and a car seat. I'm sure I was quite the sight, and I felt like everyone was thinking I was crazy for traveling with two small children. By the end of the day, I agreed with them.

Luckily there was another flight to LA that I hopped on right before it left. Poor Hattie was probably wondering what happened to her crazy mom, since I kept saying, "We've gotta hurry...run fast." The kids did okay on the flight, thanks to a handy DVD player. Once in LA, I thought I had plenty of time to catch my flight to Boise...an hour and ten minutes. I deplaned, only to discover that my connecting flight was going to take off from an entirely different terminal. And in LA there is no handy train or moving sidewalk to take you from terminal to terminal. Nothing that logical. I actually had to leave the airport, walk outside for a bit, and go through security again! It was ridiculous. Especially with 2 kids. As I approached the terminal, I saw that the security line was a mile long. I knew there was no way to possibly get through security in 40 minutes. Then I finally got lucky. The line went upstairs before going to the security check point, and, since there was no elevator going up, I got to go downstairs with my stroller to another checkpoint, which happened to have a line that only took 15 minutes to go through! Thank heavens for strollers. If it weren't for that, I would have certainly missed my flight and ended up staying the night in LA. I boarded the plane for Boise, relieved to have actually made it on my correct flight, considering all the bad luck I had. Again, I boarded just as they called for the final boarding call. I finally called Paul and Mom to let them know I was okay...it was the first second all day that i had a minute to talk since I had been running every second that I was on the ground. Hattie was ridiculously tired by then, since it was about 10 in Lubbock and she missed her nap. Of course she finally fell asleep when we landed...perfect timing.

Lessons learned: 1) Never fly to LAX. It's a nightmare. 2) Flying with 2 kids is harder than I imagined. 3) Even if a free ticket is involved, it might be worth my sanity to pay for the ticket and fly more direct.

This week has been great...spending time with sisters/sister-in-law, celebrating Kerri's birthday, watching Hattie rememeber and love her cousins again, sleeping in, having Mom's wonderful help, watching movies with Spencer, putting up the Christmas tree, and finishing up last minute shopping. But the girls and I are anxious for Paul to finally get into town tonight...he finished up his final yesterday and is on his way now. I don't have a way to upload any pictures until he gets here, so sorry for the pictureless post.

A nice birthday present

2009-12-09T11:22:00.001-06:00

Since we celebrated my birthday while we were in Dallas for Thanksgiving, my actual birthday was rather low key. But Anna rolled over for the first time! Enjoy!

Our little girls

2009-12-04T23:14:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning at six and though I should get out of bed and be productive before the girls wake up and Laila gets here (I have two more days of watching her). So I'm posting some pictures of the girls fromthe last few months, random ones not necessarily worthy of an entire post, but cute nonetheless.

Hattie has recently developed a new love affair with books. She has always liked them, but now she'll actually sit and listen to an entire story and demands to be read "bookies" numerous times a day.

We had a pizza picnic one night. Hattie loved eating on the floor. Notice our little copy cat leaning in for the picture like Dad.

I walked into the room one day to discover this...sweet moments of being a mother.

There is an excellent frozen custard place here in town, which of course Hattie loves. Here she sports messy hair and a messy face...this picture also provides proof that I am part of my child's life, since I am never in any pictures with them!

A new favorite! Hattie actually smiled when I prompted, "Show me your teeth." She likes to pretend that the toy she is holding is a birthday cake. She'll put all the pieces in, walk up to you and say "Happy Day Mommy!" She then proceeds to take a piece out and pretend to eat it, but not after blowing out the candles first.

Kisses...and Anna doesn't even care.

Both Hattie and Anna love bath time.

Hattie decided to join Paul and Anna's session of tummy time.

Here is our little friend Laila. She loves to play with Anna, but I can't trust her the way I do Hattie. She's only 11 months old.

She also likes giving Anna kisses. She has been such a good playmate for Hattie. She has helped Hattie be better at sharing...whenever she does share, she says "Ook Mommy, I sharing." Although I won't miss being so homebound, I will miss having a constant friend for Hattie once she is gone!

Thanksgiving in Dallas and an early party

2009-12-04T06:37:00.005-06:00

We left on the Monday before Thanksgiving to drive 5 hours to Paul's parents in Dallas. The girls did okay on the drive...Hattie complained only of an "ouwie bum" and was otherwise entertained by her little DVD player. Anna cried a bit, but slept a good portion of the drive. As always the week at Paul's parents was great...we just stayed home and spent time with family instead of rushing out and trying to get a million things done. Sadly with 2 kids there is never any sleeping in on vacation, so by the end of the week we were both exhausted from too many nights of late night board games.

The Thanksgiving meal was a huge success. Christina had a great time prepping the turkey.

And of course, per Iverson family tradition, we fried the turkey. Yum...it still makes my mouth water. Fried is definitely the best way to eat a turkey.

I didn't take very many pictures while we were there. Paul's brother Michael who was married in August had his wedding reception in Texas over the break, so we were able to see some old friends as well. But no pictures of the party, sorry! Paul and I did go out on a date, the first time since Anna was born, enjoying some free babysitting.

Hattie enjoyed being the only grandchild there (besides Anna) and was spoiled by aunts, uncle, and grandparents. She loves Grandma's house with its easy access toy closet and constant entertainment from Tang the Cat.

We also decided to celebrate my birthday early...we had a 1/2 eaten cake from the reception, and parties are always more fun with more people. As I have said before, Hattie LOVES birthdays. She wishes everyone in the family a happy birthday on a daily basis, so she was thrilled to have a real cake with real candles and real presents to open. Like on her birthday, Hattie opened all my presents and passed them over to me without looking at them. This girl is going to love Christmas.

When Grandma comes

2009-11-28T14:01:00.000-06:00

My mom came into town on the Wednesday before Anna's blessing. It's always so wonderful when she visits. We went to the Science Spectrum, a cool little museum here that is great for kids...it was so nice to have another adult along so I could care for Anna while Hattie had someone to interact with her.

My mom is so great at playing with kids. She would color with Hattie or play with Play-doh all morning and afternoon. Hattie never once asked to watch TV or a movie. And even now that Grandma is gone, she hasn't asked for TV much. On Saturday my dad and in-laws arrived for the blessing so it was a bit crazy for a while. But Hattie loved all the attention.

Sunday night I got a horrible headache. I never get headaches, and this one was so bad that I could barely turn my head or move my eyes without pain surging. After a long, sleepless night, we discovered I had a fever and limited ability to move my neck. Paul, having just studied neuro at school, was worried I might have spinal meningitis, so we went to the ER for the first time in my memory (technically I went when I was about a year old, but I don't remember). Four hours later after a CT scan, a few pokes, and some pain killers, they sent me home. It wasn't anything serious, just a bad headache. I feel a bit silly that we went to the ER for a headache, but since I never get them, it really did have me worried. Better safe than sorry.

So Monday was shot...I slept most of the day after coming home from the hospital. It was such a blessing that my parents were there to take care of Anna and Hattie...it would have been a lot more stressful. That's the second time in the last few months that my parents have saved us during a hospital stay...gratefully this one was just a few hours instead of 2 weeks!

Tuesday morning I drove my parents around Lubbock...not much to see! But Dad got a Texas Tech shirt and we went to a museum. Hattie was terrified of the dinosaur skeletons. She was either burying her face in Anna's car seat or saying "Close eyes!" the whole time we were in there!

We grabbed a quick bite to eat then took Grandma and Grandpa to the airport. Hattie cried half the way home.

It was so wonderful to be with my parents again. I'm excited to head up to Ontario for 3 weeks in December. I love being in Lubbock and having my own family, but I also love being close to my parents and siblings.

Anna's blessing day

2009-11-18T11:12:00.001-06:00

We were finally able to bless Anna in church last Sunday. Being nearly 4 months old, she was quite a big baby on her blessing day, despite the fact that she was 6 weeks premature. There's nothing preemie about this girl now! My mom and Dad were amazed at how big she was. We were lucky enough to have both my parents in town from Oregon, as well as Paul's dad, sister Christina, and brother Daniel.

It was nice to have both my side and Paul's side of the family together. Hattie certainly got spoiled by grandparent attention!

Anna was blessed in the same dress as Hattie...I still think they look so much alike!

We regularly call our babe "Anna Banana" so we joked on the way to Church that Paul would mess up and name her Anna Banana instead of Anna Isabelle. Or we feared that when Hattie heard Paul say "Anna Isabelle" she would shout out "No! Anna Banana!" Gratefully, all went smoothly.

I love her sideways grin!

I love how Paul and I are also puckering up! Hattie is a great big sister.

Cooped up

2009-11-10T19:53:00.000-06:00

Last week both Hattie and Anna were sick...actually, we are still fighting the last bits of a bad cold. Runny noses and coughs never seem to go away. Anna is still running a fever and has goopy eyes, but Hattie is her usual self. Because they were sick, we didn't leave the house much...and once they felt better I was babysitting Laila, so with three kids under the age of 2, leaving the house is a little more complicated. By Saturday, both Hattie and I were stir crazy. We ran a few errands and every time she saw a park she would shout, "KIDS!!" hoping we would stop to play. Gratefully, we had her little friend Callie over to play. It was an hour of heaven. Usually these two buddies have their moments of fighting and trauma, but Saturday they were angels. I think it was because Hattie hadn't seen her in so long. They just ran around chasing each other and being two-year olds. But I loved this video:

(If you notice, Hattie says that her sister's name is Callie, and Callie says her sister is Anna...Hattie usually doesn't miss that question so she was obviously having a great time)

I guess even little kids need friends.

Extra babes

2009-11-08T20:08:00.004-06:00

For the last two weeks I have had my hands extra full. I have been babysitting Laila, a sweet 10-month old whose parents are finishing up their clinical rotations for occupational therapy. Although it is certainly more work, it hasn't been too crazy either. Hattie loves to have someone to play with all the time, and she is learning to share more than she ever did before. It does get crazy when all three girls are hungry at the same time or need to nap at the same time. Hattie and Laila often keep each other awake as they cry falling asleep. Or I have to nurse Anna while Laila and Hattie sit on my lap. But on an average day, there is usually only about 30 minutes of pure chaos. Besides that, it's been wonderful. I love having a little friend for Hattie.

But with this Hattie is becoming more bossy. The other day, Hattie spilled her Teddy Grahms all over the kitchen floor. I asked her to pick them up quickly before Laila got to them, since Laila is still quite toothless. Hattie said, "Mama try." So I got down to help her clean up. As Hattie reached down to pick up her first Teddy Grahm, she said, "Ugh. It's a big one! Laila, help me!" Already she's trying to pass the buck to others to do her work!

Candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy!

2009-11-02T12:47:00.005-06:00

This was the first Halloween that I ever dressed Hattie up. And honestly, she probably would have been fine without dressing up. She was certainly more into the candy than her costume. But I made her a tutu for her birthday, so it was a pretty simple costume. Thanks to Payless having a 50% off coupon, I even found her some little ballet shoes. And since there was extra tulle, I made a matching one for Anna.

Here we are at the ward Halloween party. Hattie was distraught that we stopped her from running around the cultural hall to take a picture. Anna slept most of the evening. But she made a sweet ballerina.

I took Hattie trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. We went pretty early so she could get to bed...she was coming down with a cold. But very few people were home, so we didn't get much. I won't complain, and neither will Hattie. She's just glad that she has some candy. When I would ring the doorbell, she would say "Tookie Treat" before anyone came to the door. And once she had one piece of candy in her jack-o-lantern, all she wanted to do was eat it and didn't really care much about getting more.

We only got about 7 trick-or-treating groups at our house. Every year I tell Paul to buy just one bag of candy, but of course he buys 4, so we've got all sorts of candy at our house, despite the fact that Hattie got so little while we were out. Paul is determined to get more into Halloween, and he's already planning our costumes for next year. It'll be our new tradition I guess!

Strolling through the mall

2009-10-28T22:06:00.003-05:00

Here's a random video of Hattie and some friends at the mall the other day. They were having such a ball together. I love how Hattie is getting to where she has friends and plays with them better.

Stina come!!!

2009-10-20T11:05:00.005-05:00

Last Friday my in-laws told us that Aunt Christina would be able to come out for a visit. She had fall break at her high school, and since she flies for free, it was just a quick 40 minute flight for her to come see us. When I told Hattie that Aunt Christina was coming, she wouldn't stop talking about it. She constantly said, "Stina come!" Finally Saturday came and I told Hattie that when she woke up from her nap, we would go get Christina from the airport. The minute I opened her door after nap she said, "Stina come? Stina come!!" Much to her horror, Christina's flight was delayed 2 hours, so poor Hattie had to wait, and all afternoon I had to keep consoling her, promising her that eventually Christina would come. Once Christina finally arrived, Hattie ran to give her a big hug, then quickly remembered her toys and forgot her aunt. Silly kid.

We had a great time with Christina, playing late night board games and watching movies. On Monday we went to a cool park here in Lubbock, which Christina deemed was the coolest park she had ever been to. One point for Lubbock!

She refused to slide...just wanted to crawl around!

When Christina got out of the van at the airport, Hattie started bawling...and didn't stop for about 10 minutes. And she's been asking for her ever since. She's even asked to go to Grandma's house!

Our blog neglected daughter

2009-10-14T13:23:00.006-05:00

I'm sure many of you fellow bloggers feel like you blogged a ton about baby #1, whereas baby #2 gets neglected. Looking back to when Hattie was a baby, I always posted about her...random pictures and long, boring videos. Poor Anna...I hardly even remember to get the camera out for her! So this morning I got a few pictures, sporting her cute shoes and bow...thanks Chelsea! She is definitely a Hattie look-alike.

Oh, and this little angel went 10 hours between feedings last night. She smiles for us occasionally, but mostly just lounges around being happy. She loves to sleep on Paul's stomach and is never sad for very long. We love our girls!

Temples to dot the earth

2009-10-06T10:27:00.005-05:00

Another weekend of General Conference has passed. My in-laws flew in from Dallas to spend the weekend lounging in pajamas with us. It's always wonderful to have them around. Hattie has been asking for "Stina" ever since.

I simply want to express how excited I am for another temple to be built in Chile. WhileI was there as a missionary, all of the members dreamed of when Chile would be ready for a second temple. It was one of their goals, and the dream seemed to unite all of the members from Arica in the north to Punta Arenas in the south. When President Monson stood up on Saturday morning, I said aloud to Paul, "I wonder what he's going to announce today...maybe some new temples?" As soon as he said he would announce 5 new temples, I knew that Chile would finally have its dream. Even though Concepcion wasn't in my mission, I know how much this temple will bless the people that I served in Vina. So much of what I, other missionaries, and the members worked toward is represented in this new temple. Hearing of this temple has reminded me of how much I love Chile and its people. I hope to be able to visit there again with my family someday.

Santiago Chile Temple

My growing girls

2009-10-05T19:56:00.003-05:00

Today I was brave. I took both girls in to the doctor for a check up and shots. Here's the results:

Anna
Weight: 11 lbs 8 oz - 50%...amazing considering that at 4 weeks she was in the 5%
Height: 21 inches - 5%
Head circumference: 15.5 inches - 50%...again, also amazing considering she was preemie

Hattie
Weight: 31 lbs - 90%
Height: 33 inches - 25%
Head circumference - 20 inches - 95% +

So what do we learn from this? My children have huge heads, they are good eaters, and they will be short like me.

And the shots went reasonably well, although that was certainly the loudest either of them had cried in recent memory. I dread going back in another two months for Anna's next round of immunizations. And I'm sure that as soon as we walk in the door, Hattie will try to run for her life. The doctor's office is starting to equal pain!

But here is a sweet moment from last night...I love having a snuggly baby!