So, so behind.

I am so behind in my blogging and it makes me sad.

Today, however I have vowed to write a few words...

Today is a special day.

On this day 4 months ago we brought home our little Ellie Bell and our lives changed instantly.

We became a family of four.

Our home became full of pink.

Our home is filled with even more smiles and love.

My heart is very full.

She is growing up so fast. She has always been incredibly alert, but now she stares at Cal all day and smiles at everything he does.
Cal and Ellie are so cute together.

I love this picture. She looks likes she ready to say "What chu talkin' about Willis?"

But this picture has to be one of my favorites. This is the look she gives her brother throughout the day. She simply adores Cal. Even when he is stealing her binki.

We love you so much Sweet little Ellie. You bring so much joy into our lives.

So much joy.

Precious Moments...

Often during the day I wish I had my camera in hand ready to capture a precious moment. Lots of pictures are taken, but most often my hands are full and running to grab a camera would be too late... the sweet candid moment would be over.

But today I was lucky enough to capture one of those tender moments.

I just finished downloading some pictures to my computer, turned on my camera to re-format the SD card and looked up just in time to catch this...

Sweet little Ellie was sleeping soundly in daddy's arms when Calan came up to give his sister a kiss.

We have pictures of Cal kissing his sister, but knowing this was totally impromptu makes it so sweet. I love it!

Labor Day Hike

Every year, since we've been married we've found a fun hike for Labor Day. It's the perfect way to celebrate the last few days of summer.

This year we decided to stay close to home. The perfect choice was Battle Creek. It is only a few minutes from our house and the trail follows the creek that provides multiple water falls and beautiful rushing water. It is my favorite hike.

Cal has only been walking for a few months, so this was his first time to actually walk a hike on his own. This was Ellie's first hike ever. They both loved it. :)

Cal wanted to pick up all the cool rocks he could find. He was so cute about it and examined each rock with great interest. We didn't make any record speeds and that was just fine.We made it to the waterfall and enjoyed the cool mist that it offered. It was so beautiful we decided to lay down our blanket and have some lunch.Everything tastes better when you're having a picnic. Yum!

Sweet little Ellie slept the entire time. She loves to be in her Bjorn carrier and she loves to be outside. What a fun family outing!

Calan did a great job walking, but towards the end was just to tuckered to keep going. We were so proud of him for walking so far.

What a great day. We went home and had a great BBQ dinner outside on our deck. A perfect ending to a perfect day!

One Month Old

Our little Sis is one month old today... She is so precious, so alert, so perfect!

She has had a very busy first month:

About 250 diaper changes
About 250 bottles
Over 600 ounces of milk
5 baths
5 nail clippings
4 times out to eat
3 diaper blow outs
3 doctor visits
3 times to Sacrament meeting
2 pounds gained, up to 7.7 at 3 1/2 weeks

(Getting so sleepy)

Fun facts:
Still wearing newborn size clothing
Still wearing Huggies newborn diapers
Drinking 3 ounces every 3 hours.
Can stay awake for up to an hour after each feeding during the day, yahoo!
Generally up 2 times at night
Loves to be cuddled
Loves when we sing songs

(There's that cute smile)

Ellie smiles often and melts out hearts every time! She has a wide variety of fun facial expressions that always lets us know what's on her mind. She is very patient with her brother, who loves to give her kisses but is not always as soft as he should be.

We simply adore her and feel so blessed that she is ours!

We love you so much Sis... it has been an amazing first month!

God be with you till we meet again...

When my sister's second child was born I claimed him as my own. Justin was my little love and everyone knew that I was his favorite (smile). He was my best buddy.

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I can honestly say I don't know how time has gone so quickly. It was just yesterday he would run up to me and I would scoop him up and hold him tight.

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On Sunday Justin had his mission farewell at church. He has been called to serve in Guatemala, the exact location as my dad so many years ago. How very cool!

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I sat at church surrounded by family, listening to this young man in awe. Such a strong spirit. Such powerful testimony. Such a good boy about to embark in the full time service of his Heavenly Father. He is prepared and he will be an amazing missionary.

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Tears flowed but they are selfish tears. We will miss him very much. Two years is a very long time especially to my young children. We will have to send lots of pictures and tell lots of stories of their missionary cousin serving the Lord. Calan will be 3 years old and Miss Ellie will be 2 when he returns. I can't even imagine it.

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I sat looking at my own children. I thought about how quickly Justin had grown up and for a moment had a glimpse of how one day I will wonder how my little ones had grown up so quickly.

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There are many long nights and crazy days, but I can honestly say I love every experience with my small children. I cannot wait for Cal to start talking, or for Cal and Ellie to be able to play together- but I do not want to speed up time in the slightest. I need to cherish each moment.

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God be with you, Justin. I know He will be! We are so very proud of you!

Big Brother

I have heard many mothers tell me that when a second child comes into their home, their first born instantly grows up. I have now learned for myself just how true this is.

Calan went from our baby boy to our big boy in the blink of an eye.

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Cal has been an amazing big brother, especially considering he is only 16 months old. He loves to give sissy kisses. He asks to hold her all the time by putting his little hands out and then signing 'please'. He brings her his toys and has even brings her his beloved blankie, his most prized possession. Sweet boy.

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Cal is very concerned when Ellie cries. When I'm making her a bottle and she starts to cry, Cal comes to me and starts tugging on me to let me know that I need to take care of sissy. What a good big brother!



Patrick is so helpful with Cal, taking him to the park or running errands with him to give me some alone time with my girl. But I feel like it's equally important for me and Cal to have special one on one time as well. I am so thankful for Patrick- he is so cute with Ellie and dotes on her while Cal and I make cookies, water the flowers or go grocery shopping... some of our favorite activities together.

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Our little boy has had to grow up quite a bit. He is learning to be patient with mommy. He is learning to be soft with his sister. He is learning how to share. I know there are some moments of frustration for our little guy, but we are amazed with him and the big brother he has become.

We love you big brother!

Simply Amazing...

It is amazing....

There are a lot of amazing things in our life, but right now here are my top 3...

1. It is amazing that this sweet little spirit has been in our home less than 24 hours and yet it's as though we have known her forever.

2. It is amazing how much love we feel for our sweet Ellie. I have sat with her, looking at her beautiful face all day and am in awe of her calm and tender disposition. 3. It is amazing how much Cal grew up over night. He looks bigger and acts older. I think he's showing off for his little sis. Here he's helping me feed her.

For the first time today I've put down our little girl to type up this post, so I'm going to make this a quick one. :)

Looking into the face of a newborn is to feel the love of God. So pure, so precious.

Simply Amazing.

Our Tiny Miracle...

Elizabeth Mae

Born August 6 at 12:43 pm

5 pounds 13 ounces

18.5 inches long

Sweet Ellie came home with us today, August 8. We have sat and stared at her all evening. She is so peaceful and content, so tiny and beautiful. In every way she is absolutely perfect.

I can't seem to find the words to match the feelings in my heart. I feel love, I feel grateful, I feel humbled that we were chosen to raise this amazing baby girl. Her spirit is so strong.

We love you Brooke... you have blessed our lives forever.

Like Father, Like Son...

The first time I saw Patrick with my nieces and nephews I knew he would be an amazing father. I loved the way he talked to them... he would ask them question that would get them thinking, and talking. I loved to listen to their little conversations. I just knew he would be a hands on dad that would be involved in our children's everyday life with plenty of piggy back rides and trips to the park. And I loved that.

When I first met Patrick's father, Sam, I instantly knew where Patrick developed this precious skill. Sam is such a sweet and patient man.


For 35 years Patrick's dad worked the grave yard shift to support his family. Patrick learned the role of a father and a provider from his dad. Patrick has often told me that his dad would sacrifice much needed sleep during the day to support his kids in the things they were doing. What a great man!

When Patrick was born his dad bought him his very first airplane... and from that moment he was hooked. Patrick has many memories of going to the park with his dad to fly his remote control airplane. This is a love that Patrick has already passed on to Cal.

Sam is always tinkering with this or that on something for the grandkids to play with. I love this picture because it is so typical... grandpa with all of his grandkids gathered around him working on something fun.

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On our trip to Indiana there happen to be a remote control show with people coming from all over to show off their killer airplane skills. I just have to giggle at this picture... 3 generations of RC enthusiasts enjoying the show. All 3 of them sat there "ohh-ing" and "awe-ing" the cool planes that dance in front of them. Even at 15 months little Cal could not get enough!

I am so thankful to Patrick's dad for being such a great example to my husband his entire life...

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My husband who is not afraid to get his hands dirty changing a gross diaper, will crawl all over the house playing hide and go seek with our boy, will give frequent rides on his shoulders even though it means pokes in the ears and eyes, works so hard to provide for our family and is so patient and loving with his wife.

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Thank you Sam for teaching my husband how to be such a great man... my man.

Indiana Family

We had the opportunity to go to Indiana for Patrick's 20 year high school reunion.  Twenty years??  Holy cow... where does time go? 

Many of our family members live in Indiana and we were so, so excited to head out there for a visit.  Only a few of them have had a chance to meet Calan, but he just seemed to know that they were family.  We sure wish we live closer!  I loved seeing our little guy in the middle of all the fun, being one of the kids.  He loves his cousins so much!

Our days and nights were filled with family.  We had BBQ's and ice cream, baseball games and lots of laughter.   

I especially loved seeing Cal with his grandma and grandpa. 

I love when Patrick's mom sings to Cal (she has an amazing voice)

and I love watching his dad play with him. 

They are amazing grandparents! 

  

Our trip was so relaxing and we made so many great memories! 

We feel so blessed to have such loving family members!

We can't wait to go back!

Our Cookie Monster

Cal is 14 months old, but for some reason in my mind he is still my baby boy.  I bought him an apron months ago thinking it would be forever before he would actually get to use it. (Isn't it adorable?)  Tonight we were all craving some cookies.  I decided to pull up a chair, get out his apron and let Cal help.  I thought he would quickly lose interest, but boy was I wrong!  He was curious about everything I did and helped to add most of the ingredients.

Cal LOVES peanut butter and could not get enough! 

 He was fascinated with the mixer, but more fascinated with licking the spatula clean.

He watched them bake and was ready to test out the fruits of his labor, so was daddy! 

What a yummy treat! 

Everyday is so fun as we watch our little guy explore the world around him. 

Everything is new and full of adventure. 

Two Peas in a Pod

Anybody that knows Patrick at all knows that he is a HUGE WWII Aviation freak enthusiast. He knows the name of every US plane flown during WWII and what it did.  He is a walking Google, seriously.

But when it comes to these historic birds, not all are created equal.  Patrick will argue that hands down, the B-17 is the most amazing machine ever made.  Ever.

In fact, I have heard him describe it with these adjectives- elegant, majestic, beautiful.

At a very young age, Cal is following in his daddy's footsteps and has taken a love to airplanes.  He will pick up one of his toy airplanes, wave it around and make a "Rrrrrr" sound.  Yeah, he's hooked!

Last weekend the B-17, Aluminum Overcast made a visit to Ogden (an hour north of our house).  There was no way we could miss this amazing opportunity.  We took Cal last year, but he slept the entire time. :)  This year was a completely different experience.  He is only 14 months old, but this boy could not get enough.  When we first walked up to the plane he started waving his arms and giggling. 

We had a great time watching it take off and land over and over again!  By the end of the day we all had sun-kissed cheeks and were ready for a nap. :) 

Cal slept all the way home, but held on tight to his new B-17. 



You and dad really are two peas in a pod! 

A Precious Mess

I love children's books.  I love the fun creative pictures.  I love the stories that teach a great lesson.  I love the stories that are just plain silly.  I love everything about them. 

For years I have been collecting children's books. 

I anticipated the day when I would sit and enjoy them with my children. 

Cal has several books in his room, but he loves to go into the office and pull these books off the shelf.  He is a quick worker, and before I know it he is knee deep in a pile of books.  We often read together, but sometimes I peek around the corner and watch him explore on his own.  He'll turn the pages, study certain pictures and even get a taste of things I suppose look delicious to him.  :)

Yesterday I saw him head into the office and knew he would be busy for a while.  I was next door in the bathroom getting ready for the day when I suddenly heard the very distinct sound of ripping paper.   Cal is not always gentle with the books, but he has never ripped pages before. 

I headed into the office to check out the damage.  He pulled off the jackets of several books and tore them in half.  Did I mention he is a quick worker? 

I held up the pieces and he looked at me with a very proud look on his face.  In a serious voice I said to him, "Calan, honey that's a no-no."  He began to shake his head, no-no as he picked up another piece to rip.  We gathered up the pieces and put them into the garbage. 

My  heart sank for just a moment seeing the pieces in the trash, but then I remembered buying these books and dreaming about this very day. 

Dreams do come true... and it's better than I could have ever imagined!

And besides, why does a book need a jacket anyway??

Just put one foot in front of the other...

Our little man is almost 14 months old. In so many ways he is growin up so fast... but when it comes to walking he has taken his time. :) Cal could walk he just chooses not to walk. I will often catch him standing up without holding on to anything while playing, but when he realizes what he's doing he will quickly grab on again. Silly boy!

He has taken a few little steps here and there and today we caught some on video...

Dad is the one that encourages Cal to walk... as for me... I know he'll walk soon enough.

I'm in no hurry.

We're Back!!

As you know we went private with our blog.  I didn't want to go private and I didn't like being private... but for a while we felt like it was necessary.  We received a weird comment from a stranger that made us feel uncomfortable- blah!  So without notice I shut it down.

About 8 months has passed and both Patrick and I feel like it's ok to open up our blog again. (yippee) 

The only difference is that now I will moderate comments that are made (to aviod comments from weird-o people:).  So, if you leave a comment and don't see it show up right away, just know it will be there soon!

It feels good to be back...

Facing Forward

Cal's 1st birthday is right around the corner which means an exciting change... his carseat will now face forward! We put it in the car and I think Cal's face says it all...

We drove around the block and watching his face was priceless.

He was discovering a whole new world!

His Latest Report Card

Calan had his 12 month check up recently. It's always exciting to see how much he's grown. He also had to get a couple shots- which is never fun- but this time I was more nervous since he is older and more aware of what's going on around him.

We LOVE our pediatrician! He is the nicest man and his office is adorable! While we waited Daddy and Cal checked out the "Nemo" fish tank.

They had us strip him down for his check up. He has changed so much in just a couple months. He's not walking yet, but he sure had fun exploring while we were waiting. His stats were very impressive...

Length- 31 inches, which put him in the 95%

Weight- 23 pounds 13 ounces, which was in the 75%

Our little man is slimming down, last time he was 95% in both categories.

The doctor said Cal was healthy and developing perfectly! Good job little buddy!

It was time for shots and it made me sad. Cal looked at us with the look of "why are you letting this happen to me?" Because we love you so much and want you to stay healthy, that's why sweet boy.

On the way out Patrick grabbed Cal a sucker. He'd never had a sucker before and was pretty excited about it. It helped all of the pain go away!

Calan is growing up so fast! What a great report card! We are so proud of you, buddy!