Rachel and Travis

Audrey

2011-11-30T12:06:00.001-08:00

Audrey is liking school more and more. Her favorite classes are science and PE, but she also loves art, music, dance and drama (all of the cool classes). She has a few good friends in her class, and a boy that wants to be her boyfriend (she does not return the affection). She has learned how to snap her fingers, and to jumprope. She still cannot tie her shoes (I think I keep hoping she will magically learn how to). She knows how to write a few words, including: and, is, and the. She has been taking swim lessons since September, and she recently started to LOVE it, and she is also getting comfortable with going under the water (which is the hardest thing). I am so proud of my little girl! She has been such a great helper lately, and she is so fun to have around. She has a great sense of humor. I love this little lady!

Phoenix

2011-11-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

Phoenix is loving school, since he has started he sits in one place better, he will eat goldfish (Hallelujah!!!), and he is constantly improving his speech. He still is not saying a lot, but his vocabulary includes:

Mamma (usually said in a frustrated grunting voice...)

Dadda

Sissy

Thomas

Choo-choo

Doggy

Car

HELP (he likes to use this word in public and he likes to yell it, like for example today in Target... when I was trying to keep him in the cart...and attempting to keep my cool...)

Bath

Fishy

NO! (also likes to use this word as loud as he can, in the most embarressing situations)

Night night

Here you go mamma

Wanna go side? (want to go outside?)

All done!

Baby

He has decided to more or less eliminate his naps, he will take about 1 per week, maybe 2. In some ways it is nice, like how I put him to bed earlier, but in other ways (like how he is way more grumpy) it is not so great. He loves to ride Audrey's jeep around (he sits in the passenger seat and pushes the pedal from there...meaning he does not steer), he still loves trains and cars, he loves to read Clifford stories, he has added Oatmeal to the foods he will eat. He is the funnest little guy, but he still has some whiny periods (when he is sick usually). He is definately loved!

Phoenix and Audrey

2011-11-30T11:53:00.001-08:00

Almost a month ago is the first time Phoenix had willingly given Audrey a hug. Ever since Phoenix was born he had a (healthy) fear of Audrey, but I thought he would grow out of it sooner. I think he has...started to at least. They have been playing more together, Phoenix will let Audrey put his shoes on once in a while, and he loves interacting with "sissy" (still can't say Audrey). It makes things so much easier, and it warms my heart (cheesy alert), I am so glad to have these two adorable kiddos in my life!

Halloween Happenings

2011-11-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

I had an advent countdown for Halloween, and before Halloween day we had only gotten through about half of them (out of 13), so we somehow managed to fit everything else into Halloween and it turned out great. The kids had a lot of fun, and I was really glad that we got everything done!

Carving Pumpkins, roasted the seeds (did not turn out great)

Delish Pumpkin Sugar cookies!

Posing with a witch (we hung her on our fan so that she was actually flying around the room, the kids loved it!!).

Halloween feast (mummy head pizza's did not look so mummyrific, but the toes wrapped in bandages and dipped in blood (aka ketchup) were a hit).

Halloween Party

2011-11-30T11:31:00.001-08:00

Every year our church has a Halloween party. Our ward really goes all out, tons of the adults dress up so it is a lot of fun. Travis went as a silver street performer (a lot of people did not get it...I guess the street performers are a bigger city thing), I went as an experimental insane asylum escape (a lot of people did not get that either, but I knew they wouldn't), Audrey went as Eloise as a Police Office (costume within a costume, her idea), and Phoenix went as Justin Beiber. We had a lot of fun, and Phoenix's costume was perfect for him because he really does not like wearing costumes. Travis won an award. Yeah Baby!

I should mention that Travis went as a Stomp Pest Control Tech Silver street performer. Perfect, dontcha think? Someone asked how he got his hair to stay like this...lol...it's a wig.

Audrey's Field Trip

2011-11-30T11:27:00.001-08:00

I got to go with Audrey on her first field trip (for Kindergarten at least)! It was back in October (and I am posting about it now because I still have not caught up). It was a frigid day. Luckily I thought to bring ALL of Audrey's coats, fleeces and sweatshirts because there were a bunch of kids in her class that needed to borrow them. We went to a corn maze, both mine and Audrey's first time. I was hoping it would be great, but after getting lost in the maze with 10 rowdy Kindergarteners for over 20 minutes I decided that corn mazes really are not that great. Audrey was so glad that I was there, and so was I. It was fun to get to meet some of her friends.

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

2011-11-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

We of course went to our favorite pumpkin farm this year. Phoenix is getting to the stage that he does not need a stroller or a leash, it is soo nice!! Every year this farm adds something substantial and new, so it is always a different experience. The weather was perfect and so were the kids. We all had a wonderful time. Audrey's favorite part was the corn house, Phoenix loved the train ride, I liked the hayride, and Travis liked...probably the corn house the best.

Minnie!!

2011-11-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

Our friends went to Idaho for a week, and we had the privelage of watching their adorable dog for them. Audrey is kinda obsessed with Minnie, Phoenix liked Minnie, but he left her alone for the most part. It was really nice having a dog around. She slept in our bed every night, and she followed me around (melted my heart). We are definately planning on getting a few dogs in the future (probably when we buy a house). When Jaxon came to pick Minnie up I looked at our kitchen floor and realized I hadn't swept it for a week (anyone with kids knows you have to sweep a kitchen floor about 2 times a day), but that sweet dog had kept my floor clean for me!!

"Thomas World"

2011-11-07T12:28:00.003-08:00

I met a few friends last year through Audrey's preschool. I keep in touch with two of the Moms and we get together about once a month (sans kids). One of them has a son who LOVES Thomas, and as many of you know Phoenix loves Thomas as well. My friend gave me the heads up that Thomas was coming to town (meaning to a town 2 hours away). We surprised the kids (and as always Travis let it slip out before we got there). Audrey has been resistant to Thomas, I think she looks at it as Phoenix's thing, and I also think she is a little jealous of all of the trains that Phoenix has (even though he shares very well with her). Well, Audrey was jumping up and down with excitement when we told her that we were going to see the real Thomas.

We got to ride on a train "pulled" by Thomas. He is really more of a prop. We kept waiting for the train to pick up speed, but it never did. Lame!!

Sir Topham Hat was much shorter in real life than he looks on TV. Phoenix was a little freaked out by him (to be honest so was I).

At the end of the day Travis said that it was boring and he would not go back next year. Audrey said it was the best day ever, and she wants to go back to "Thomas world" again next year. I explained to Trav that it was geared towards kids 3-5 years old, and after looking back at all the fun the kids had, Trav agreed that he would go again next year (for the kids sake).

blog bulemia

2011-11-07T12:28:00.001-08:00

I had a case of blog bulemia...now I am ready to purge. Brace yourself for the last two months of our goings ons....

Truth be told

2011-11-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

So...it has been a while to say the least. It has been a big adjustment with Audrey starting school, most days I am still sad about it...which is why I haven't been in a "bloggy" mood for a while. She is getting more friends, and she is really enjoying her mandatory electives (dance, drama, art, science, PE, and music). She still does not like her teacher (still not a huge fan myself...but I remain positive about him for Audrey's sake). It just breaks my heart in so many different ways. Like, knowing that I am dropping her off at a school where she doesn't feel any love from her teacher, and she is constantly talking about how much she hates school. Her growing up, this is the first major step of her inevitable independence from me. If only this was half day kindergarten, if only I had just ONE more year to have Audrey in the house. If only she had a different teacher (not that her teacher is awful, she is learning things, but he is definitely not the nurturing type)...

I feel a lot of guilt and confusion. I can't help but think of how the situation could be different. I am constantly arguing with myself. Should I try to get her switched to a different teacher? Should we move to a better area to get her into a better school, or would pulling her out of her school half way through the year be more damaging? I know that she would miss all of the extra classes that her school offers if she switched schools, and I know that it is difficult to get students switched to a different teacher with out a good reason (and I know that we do not have a strong case).

There are some good things, like Audrey has gotten praise from a few different teachers about her artwork (which is REALLY good!), her science teacher is wonderful and Audrey loves her, Audrey is always showing me new dances that she learns in school (which is soo cute!). Things are definitely getting better as time passes.

My relationship with Audrey was really strained for the last few months as well. During the summer she started to be more insistent on wearing clothes that she picked out. I love Audrey, but we really do not agree on fashion. She loves to wear the UGLIEST things in her dresser. I like her to wear cute clothes (gasp!). Once school started things got a little out of control. I do not understand where she comes from because I ALWAYS wanted to dress in style, I knew what hair styles looked good, I knew what accessories were popular, and I have always wanted to look my best. Audrey's idea of what she'd like to wear to school is: high water, tapered, faux corduroy, elastic waist, saggy butt, navy blue pants pulled up no less than 6 inches above her belly button (which usually...always...results in a wedgie), paired with her bright pink crocs, and a hanes T-shirt that she painted last year, and she would be totally happy if I let her walk around with her bed hair (rat's nest). Needless to say there were many mornings before school that both me and her would literally be screaming at each other. Things have calmed down significantly, I have started the process of learning to accept the fact that my daughter has...ahem...very different taste than I do (even if I do not understand it) When I was younger I would have loved it if my Mom had made me flower headbands, and hair bows, and earrings, and necklaces, bought me knee high brown boots that make a clicking sound, and of course stylish clothes. I never considered that I would have a daughter that did not appreciate those things.

So in a nutshell, the above is my explanation for my long absence from blogging. My relationship with Audrey is on the mend, and I am feeling much better about that. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.

My Baby!

2011-09-29T12:53:00.001-07:00

It is no secret that Phoenix is my baby, I totally coddle this lil guy (I think it is because the rough patch...which lasted for a year...teething...is over and I am so grateful to have this happy lil guy in my life). Well, Phoenix has another Mommy it turns out. Who, you ask? A little girl in his preschool class. When Phoenix walks into class she runs over and says "My Baby!!!", and when I pick Phoenix up from school she is so sad that "her baby" has to go home. His teachers said that they are always buddies in the line (so they hold hands). I told this to Audrey and she said "Phoenix! You should be ashamed of yourself! We don't hold hands until we are married!" I am not sure he got the memo...and also not sure where Audrey got that from. I do remember telling her to save the passionate kissing for marriage, but I did not put restrictions on hand holding...yet. I met Phoenix's lil Mommy's Mom and she told me that her daughter talks about "her baby" ALL the time. It is so cute!

One last LOST post

2011-09-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

LOST is over. TV basically is back to normal, new medical dramas every season, and of course the new crime solving dramas. Totally overdone in my opinion. LOST was truly a one-of-a-kind show, and I am still amazed at the originality of it. The final episode left many people unhappy. I was totally satisfied (pretty much). I already knew there was no time for ALL of the questions to be answered, and I knew that the end would be somewhat unpredictable. I have come to find out that a lot of the people that were dissatisfied with the finale did not interpret it the same way I did. I never thought the people were dead the whole time, it was very clear (to me) in the finale that the people (who survived the 6 seasons) went on with their lives, and the alternate reality was a pre-heaven state..."purgatory" as it was referred to in an online breakdown that I read (and highly recommend).

http://screenrant.com/lost-finale-explanation-kofi-61464/all/1/

I think if more people had understood this there wouldn't have been so many negative reactions to the finale. I just wanted to do the show justice and clear up some misconceptions.

Also, there is an epilogue which ties up a few loose ends. It has been removed from pretty much every site that had it posted, but this one still had it up (you are gonna have to suffer with subtitles en francais).

http://videosift.com/video/LOST-Epilogue-The-New-Man-in-Charge

So, after all of this, I don't think people can bash on the finale. It was an appropriate ending to an amazing show. Namaste!

Phoenix's First Day of School

2011-09-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Phoenix is going to preschool this year on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I thought it would be good for him, and I had such a good experience with Audrey last year that I was excited for him to start. When we went to meet his teacher he was very timid and clingy. At one point he thought that I had left him there and he bolted out of the door, luckily I saw him and I caught him. Then he saw the bucket-o-cars and all of his worries left him. I was a little aprehensive on his first day because he was so scared when I brought him before. His first day of school he had to use Audrey's old princess backpack (he did not seem to mind). He was too excited to pose for a picture (shocker!), and he went right into the classroom and started playing with the cars. When we (Trav came to) went to pick him up he yelled "Da-da!" and ran into Trav's arms. It was soo cute! Now that he has been going to school for a few weeks he usually fake cries when I bring him in (because there are a few other kids crying) and then when I leave he stops crying immediately. When I pick him up he is so excited and I can tell that he had a great time. He has made a few pictures, and he is actually eating his lunch! He tries to bring his backpack in the car even on days that he doesn't have school. He is such a little cutie, and I am really happy that he has something that he enjoys so much.

Audrey's Worst err I mean First Day of School

2011-09-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

I got to spend a wonderful day with Audrey yesterday, we went shopping for a few new clothes, ate lunch at Olive Garden (she asked for a 2nd bowl of soup!!), and we had a lot of time for girl talk. She picked out the skirt she wore today (her first day of school) yesterday.

You may or may not have noticed, but she is not a traditional poser...

Audrey had her assessment day for Kindergarten last week, and she had fun that day. She bought her lunch (chicken nuggets, broccoli, apple, and chocolate milk), and she made two friends. She had a great time and she was excited to go back to school. Last night was meet the teacher and unfortunately it was NOT the teacher I had hoped for. Audrey was disappointed because she only likes girl teachers and she got the boy teacher (I was disappointed to, but I pretended not to be for her sake...I know, how noble of me!). Anyhoo, when I picked her up (after waiting in the carpool line for 25 minutes) she said that she had the worst day ever. At first she didn't want to talk about it, and then she said that she didn't have any friends and that everyone else was friends with each other, she didn't like her teacher, no one played with her on the playground, and there was "one super girl who was super stylish" (I asked Audrey what the girl wore and it was a Hello Kitty shirt with a vest and a sparkly skirt). I took her to Marbles and made sure that she felt extra special and loved tonight. Phoenix even licked her (which is something I have only seen him to do to me...and every other object he fancies), so that made Audrey feel better.

So...am I freaking out? No, not at all. I have just considered taking out a loan for $6500 to get her into a Christian school for ONE year (um yeah, that is like 4 semesters @ BYU-Idaho), considered moving across the city to the "right" side of town, considered pulling her out of Kindergarten and have her take one more year of blessed preschool and then moving out of state before she starts Kinder, and last but not least, considered bumping up our tentative move to Arizona to...tomorrow. OK, so maybe I am freaking out just a little (you think?!?!?)! Yes, I am worried. What if she doesn't make any friends? What if her teacher really is not that great? What if something happens to make her change who she is, my darling, spunky, sweet little girl with a wonderful (if not crude) sense of humor, a girl who knows who she is, what she likes, and has confidence? Hopefully she will make a few friends tomorrow, start to like her teacher, and get more comfortable. And hopefully I can get a grip!

Awwwdrey

2011-08-18T18:53:00.001-07:00

Do you remember Audrey's boyfriend (the first one, not the second one)? Well, a few weeks back we were invited to Andrew's B-day party. Audrey made him a very special card. Seriously...

Andrew has green eyes (only Audrey would know)...oh and he is also missing a tooth (which Audrey was kind enough to black out), and his hair really is that length.
I love this little girl! She is such an artist, and me and Trav are definately encouraging.

(she asked me to take this picture and she held this pose until the camera flashed. Silly girl!)

Ballerina

2011-08-16T18:11:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago a good friend emailed me with an alert of a killer deal for a week dance camp this summer for little girls. I jumped on it (thanks for the heads up April!). At first I was going to sign Audrey up for the Princess week, but she did NOT like the sound of that (she said she wanted it to be Prince week...not sure where she gets this occasional tomboy streak from). So we both agreed on Disney week (which turned out to be very princessy, but Audrey was OK with that). She was a little nervous for her first day, but when I picked her up she said that she wanted to go to dance class every day (that is MY kind of girl!). The dance class was for 2 hours every day for one week. The girls learned ballet and tap. I was so impressed with the demonstration at the end of the week. Audrey had learned so much, and she made a beautiful ballerina.

I am so glad that she loved dance. I still dream about taking dance classes myself (emphasis in ballroom). I am definitely looking forward to watching my little princess take some more dance classes in the future!

Girls Night Out!!

2011-08-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Myself and 3 of my lucky friends were treated to a GNO compliments of our husbands (they surprised us!). Where did we go, you ask? Umm...none other than a Rascal Flatts concert!! Hello!

For a few pictures click here (I look totally hid. so...yeah...blame it on the blasted weather)

We got all of the typical Raleigh weather wrapped into one nice little bundle. When I say "typical Raleigh weather" I mean: rain, extreme heat, even more extreme humidity, intense sun beating down, hot breeze when you want it to be cool, cold breeze when you wish it was warm, and oh yeah...thunder and lightening. Like seriously, it was a blue sky with sun shining down on us and yet we were still getting rained on. Luckily the torrential rain waited until the last 5 minutes of the concert.

Enough about the weather, let's talk about the concert! It was awesome!!! We got there about 3 hours early. We got killer parking, killer lawn seats, and when we wanted to leave the concert we were out in about 5 minutes. We also had some time for much needed girl talk. Sara Evans opened for them and she is totally beautiful, amazing voice...etc. Then...Rascal Flatts totally killed it! The show was exciting, the music was even better than expected, the girls I went with were totally awesome. We decided we would definitely have to do this again (wink wink to all the hubs).

Thanks guys for treating us to such an awesome Girls Night Out!!!

Sister Andrew

2011-08-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Audrey got an especially excellent lesson from her primary teachers, Heather and Ben. It was about missionaries (to learn more about Mormon missionaries click here). They made all of the students little Missionary tags and Audrey was excited about hers...

After we had dinner we decided to go feed some ducks. Audrey dressed up like a sister missionary, name tag and all!

It was really cute, and even now she keeps her missionary tag in a special place. Thanks Heather and Ben for getting her so excited about missionary work!

Phoenix's B-day part 2

2011-07-26T11:33:00.001-07:00

I can't resist having a party...and Phoenix turning 2 was no exception. I threw it together in about a week but it turned out pretty well. I used the Thomas colors as inspiration and I put up some of the decorations in Phoenix's room after the party to help make the blank white walls a little less blank. While Phoenix was taking a nap before the party Audrey did some decorating of her own. She set up his train sets, cars, and other toys that he likes and put them on display. It was so cute that of course I left them up for the party!

Oreo truffles

So far I have taken 2 courses from the Wilton Cake decorating classes at Michaels. I am far from being good, but I will say that the classes have helped me to be able to make an adequate cake.

I cheated on this one, I just opened two bags of white chocolate pretzel flips and then drizzled the party colors on top. They were delish and I would totally do it again.

caramel corn

There was only one other boy at the party besides Phoenix (we had 9 girls I think)...but he didn't seem to mind. I found the two boys chillin outside by themselves, it was so cute!

Thanks to my friends Emily and Megan who helped me put together a bunch of last minute details, Emily took a bunch of pictures with my camera and Meg stayed late to help me clean up! I have awesome friends!

Phoenix's Bday part 1

2011-07-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Our little man turned 2 at the beginning of the month! We started off the day with pancakes (one of the very few things that Phoenix will eat), then we had to run over to the office for a quick trip...and 3 hours later we got some Chick-fil-a for lunch (Phoenix LOVES the fries there). Then we hit up Marbles so that our lil fella could play with the trains....for 2 straight hours. He is basically in heaven there.

(some chocolate chips spilled on the ground while I was making the pancakes and Phoenix was eating as much as he could, as fast as he could. Audrey was a willing follower.

Instead of making him a cake we got some Krispy Kreme donut holes, which he loved. Phoenix is really into Thomas the train these days, and he got a ton of Thomas presents for his big day. He kepts saying "Choo-Choo!" when he was opening up his gifts. It was really cute.

July 4th

2011-07-26T11:00:00.001-07:00

Yeah...a little late for a July 4th post right? Better late than never!

We received a last minute invite from Janae + Jared to go up to their beautiful home for the weekend. Ever since they moved away we have missed them, but especially on holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, July 4th...), so we jumped at the chance to get to spend the 4th with them and their two little kiddos, Jared's sister Julie was there also (Audrey has adopted Julie as another aunt).

We went to a local parade/celebration and we had a lot of fun (and consumed a lot of grease...err..I mean food).

So they had face painting there, I had never gotten my face painted as a kid (but some how I still turned out semi-normal) so I encouraged Audrey and Brighton to get a painting themselves. Audrey did not go for the idea, but Brighton was very excited about it. At first he wanted a flower and a heart, then he saw a girl with butterfly wings and he wanted that (Jared suggested a skull with crossbones), and he finally settled on a rainbow. Have I ever mentioned how much I love this not-so-little boy?

Janae's house is basically at the perfect location to see a bunch of awesome fireworks, we had our own of course (thanks Jared!). Addison was litrally bouncing up and down with excitement she kept saying "Guys! Guys! Guys! Fireworks!!!" she was the highlight of the night. Here is Audrey sitting with her honorary auntie (for protection...Audrey still doesn't really care for fireworks).

We had amazingly delish food (props to the hostess), great company, and good times. The perfect way to spend a holiday weekend.

Sisters Trip: Durham Science Museum

2011-07-07T16:48:00.001-07:00

We have never been to the famous (round these parts) Durham Science Museum and I thought that it would be a fun activity while my sisters were here. We had to rush through a lot of things because we only had 2 hours there, but my sisters got to see the wolves and Audrey got to dig for fossils (which were the most important things).

We did a TON of shopping when my sisters were here (nothing like shopping with your favorite girls!). It had been maybe 3 years since we have all been together at the same time, waay too long if you ask me. We will once again be reunited for my sister Jess's (pictured above) wedding in August.

Sisters Trip: Beach

2011-07-07T16:37:00.001-07:00

We had to hit up the beach when all my sistas were here, we LOVE the beach, and with so many extra helpers I actually get some time to play around in the water (sans Phoenix-Willy).

One of the very few benefits of having a tiny grill is that you can bring it places...like the beach. There is nothing like a grilled hot dog on the beach, I guarantee it!

It was windy, the umbrella did not make it through the day (it ended up in the trash).

We didn't get to spend nearly enough time there, but the weather and a certain little fella were not really being cooperative.

Sisters visit: Park

2011-07-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Umm...hello? I was shocked when I looked at the date of my last post...a month ago!! I do have an excuse, my sisters (all 4 of them) came in visit at the end of June and I basically spent a month getting ready for their visit (TONS of projects). Maybe I will post some pictures eventually. Our house still doesn't look amazing, but it looks better than it ever has (I know...not hard to do).

We were busy when my sisters came, we did at least one activity every day, usually more. There are a lot of awesome playgrounds now, like the kind where adults have at least as much as kids (probably more).

Camping!

2011-06-03T17:43:00.001-07:00

Phoenix and Rylee were holding hands for a little bit and it was, ahem, very cute.

So...yes....we did try camping for the first time in 3 years! The weather had been hot as hades all week, but we got lucky because it was actually kinda pleasant over the weekend. We went with our good friends. They have a girl Audrey's age, and a girl Phoenix Willy's age, the hubsy surfs like Travis and both me and the wifey are super cool ;-). I finally got to use those monstrous marshmallows that you can now buy. It took me a good 5 minutes to work up the courage to bit into my ginormous smore. The middle didn't get melty (so THAT's why you don't stick the huge mallows in the fire right away!). Next time I will try some more (or should I say s'more?) patience. Phoenix was kinda (majorly) freaked out by the idea of sleeping in a tent (or was it sleeping next to Audrey?). I decided to take him home, but the gates were already locked. So Trav and Audrey spent the night in the tent (I wanted to make sure that she got a good camping experience) and me and Phoenix stayed in the car. We both slept for about 3 hours (he kept waking up, so I would drive him around, then eventually he'd fall asleep for like an hour then wake up again). I am really glad that we went because it brought back so many memories that I had with my family when my Dad would take us camping. Those are some of the best memories from my childhood. We decided Phoenix probably needs at least another year for us to try camping as a family again, but I am really looking forward to when we can.

Beach Trip!

2011-06-03T17:37:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we hit the beach with our good friend, the Willifords. The weather was perfect, the water wasn't frigid, Phoenix was EVERYWHERE, and we ALL got burned. Like ALL of us. I would go into how much flaked off skin was all over our couches, beds, carpet, and clothes but I don't want to gross you out.

Phoenix ate a ton of sand. If only we could get him to eat food!!

Graduation

2011-06-03T17:28:00.001-07:00

Audrey graduated preschool last week. I really wish she had one more year there, it was such a great experience for her and me. Her teachers were awesome, I loved making new friends with the other Mothers, and I am just not ready to release her into grade school.

Here are a few pictures from that day...

Oh, and Audrey's main squeeze, Andrew, broke up with her for another girl. Luckily Audrey still had the other boy involved in the love triangle waiting for her...Benjamin. Here is a picture of them together. They are planning to get married when they grow up.

Mothers Lunch

2011-06-03T17:20:00.001-07:00

Audrey's preschool is awesome about doing fun activities that the parents can be involved in. In April they hosted a lunch with the Fathers, and in May it was the Mothers turn. I had a lot of fun, and of course Audrey had a blast. On a more embarrassing note, the kids all drew pictures of them doing their favorite things to do with their Mom's and they were hung up on a wall. Audrey's caption was "Me and my Mom are taking a bath", don't worry, she made sure the water in the pictured covered all of the unmentionables. My friend (one of the other Mom's) got a good laugh, and I must say I chuckled myself. I would have loved to have seen the reaction on her teachers faces when she told them what she drew. For the record, we haven't bathed together in YEARS, but as most of you know, KIDS NEVER FORGET!

A bad week...

2011-05-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last week had all of the ingredients of a perfect storm: 1) Moody Mommy 2) Moody Mommy who was trying to work on some projects 3) super tired Phoenix who refused to take naps and cried for about 2 hours every night before he fell asleep (the whole so tired you can't sleep thing that babies get) 4) Ultra Moody Audrey, who was also tired, whiny, would-have-a-breakdown-at-the-drop-of-a-hat, insistent on wearing the UGLIEST clothes possible 5) Handsome hubs working 15 hours a day. Basically it was like a week from last summer (still don't know how I survived). By Friday morning I was basically a wreck (to be honest it was probably more like Tuesday morning...), luckily Trav sensed my distress and came to the rescue. He came home, took care of both kids, I slept for like 3 hours and I woke up so refreshed and happy to have a partner by my side. Trav really helped me out so much, Phoenix is sleeping again, I am happy and normal, and Audrey is still moody and grumpy, but I can deal with that. I am so lucky to have such a helpful, studly man by my side. I definitely would be lost (and crazy) without him.

Audrey's Birthday (part 2)

2011-05-17T13:06:00.001-07:00

I am a planner. I love making lists, making menus, searching the web for ideas...and parties are a perfect outlet for that. Audrey likes to plan to (I think I got it from my Dad, and Audrey got it from me). So together me and Audrey have been planning her party for a long time. You would think that with all the prep time I put in I wouldn't have been rushing so much on her party day...but I was recently diagnosed with ithinkicandowaymorethanihavetimefor-itis, so hopefully I will get control over things in the future. My awesome, beautiful, amazing, super-talented, I-would-hate-her-if-I-didn't-love-her-so-much friend came over and brought her favorite accessory (camera). Lucky for you because for you can look at the beautiful pictures below. The theme was A Little Ladies Tea Party.

I kept the party small this year because last year was a little crazy for me (I like to keep things controlled and semi-predictable). Travis entertained the girls in the backyard while I made some hats for them out of ribbon and flowers of their choosing. I love being married to a big kid.

I probably made 300% too many treats, but I honestly couldn't help it.

Easiest "fancy" cake ever!

These girls had so much fun! Aren't they all beautiful?!?

I must say, the hats turned out way better than I had originally thought and they really did bring "tea time" to the next level.

Audrey wanted Phoenix to be the server and to wear his Sunday suit. I told her he was too young. I have NO idea why he is crying here, as if wearing a girly hat every killed anyone!

We served cheese balls, sandwiches, and Mac n cheese (Audrey's request). Amaryllis (cutie in blue) had never had cheese balls before, and she could NOT get enough of them. :-)

A huge thanks to my friend, Emily (aka super photog) who helped out so much and somehow still managed to take these enchanting pictures. I am so happy to have these pictures! Audrey had a great time at the party, and I have learned a few things in my quest to become a party planner (for family occasions). Now on to Phoenix's Birthday (which will be much more low-key)...

Audrey's 5th Birthday (part 1)

2011-05-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

So...you may or may not have noticed the total lack of postings for the last umm...hmm... like 2 months (my bad!). I have been tres busy (Trav's bday, Easter, Audrey's bday, life...) but hopefully I will get back to a semi normal routine soon.

Audrey turned 5! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Ever since Phoenix was born I have considered Audrey to be my big kid, but I would remind myself that she was still young and little. But now she is 5, and she really is beginning the next stage of her life, full-day Kindergarten, most of her days spent without her Mommy, having a life outside us...OK I better stop before the tears start flowing...(more).

On Audrey's birthday she had a field day at school. I was the first one to sign up as a parent volunteer (who wouldn't want their Mom hanging out at school with them on their Birthday?). I was really glad that I could see Audrey have so much fun. Audrey requested that we go to the Raleigh Science Museum. Marbles is the kids museum here and I love it, Phoenix loves it, but Audrey still prefers the science museum (only interesting about once a year). We had dinner at Olive Garden (she loves to get a plate full of grated parm. cheese), and we came home to celebrate.

at school...
being "eaten" by the shark

bread stick smile

Victorious after successfully blowing out the candles (don't worry, she did get an actual cake).

She had a great day from start to finish, it made me think I should let her have a few more days like this in the year.

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 years we have celebrated Easter with family, Janae + Jared to be specific (they have the only other kids on either side of our families) and we have an annual Easter Egg hunt for the kids. It started when Audrey and Brighton were still 1 (they were almost 2)! This was not going to be the year that we broke a tradition like that, especially with Addie and Phoenix in the mix. I told Audrey at the beginning of the week that on Friday she was going to get a surprise and that we were going somewhere. We had Audrey cover her eyes and I carried her to the door and when Brighton answered the door she was totally surprised. It was so cute to see them together again. As you may have guessed, we had an great time...

Phoenix helped himself to Addie's candy (he forgot to take the wrapper off though).

Janae had the kids help make these adorable nests (pretzels + melted white chocolate for the nest). The kids loved making them...and eating them (so did the big kids ;-) )

We finally got to try out Monkey Joes (Audrey has been wanting to for about a year now), the kids were in heaven...

Here is a flashback starting with 2008...

2009

2010

I know the pictures aren't the best (dang camera takes about 1 in 10 semi clear pictures) but you get the idea...

We had a weekend filled with delish food, great company, seafarers of Catan (like Settlers...on acid), a little bit of Modern Family and a whole lot of fun. Thanks Janae!

Trav's 30th Birthday!!

2011-04-15T17:47:00.001-07:00

I have been really busy lately... you may have noticed the serious lack in postings (part of that is that I was without the internet for an entire week. I told Trav, cable is optional, the internet it NOT!). This week Trav turned 30!!! That is a pretty big deal as far as I am concerned, so I started planning his surprise party about a year ago. I almost spilled the beans about 10 times per day, that right, I said DAY. It was hard. Trav had no idea, and thanks to his good friends Allen and Jake, he was occupied all day Saturday so that I could get things ready. By some miracle (aka friends helping me finish the last minute details) everything came together. It was LOST themed because that is our favorite show (a moment of silence to honor it please............thank you), and Trav LOVES Hawaii.

It was a costume party and these two definately brought it. I present to you Claire and Hurley! (I dressed up as Rousseau, no pictures to document it, Trav said I didn't look like her and I think he meant that in a nice way).

In case you are wondering how to recreate Hurley's sweat spots, the secret is PAM (or so I hear).

It took Travis about 10 minutes into the party to realize what is was. Yeah, pretty sure he had NO idea what I had planned for him. We had a great time with close friends. Special shout out to the Willifords for helping me out so much! Happy 30th babe!!

Clifford

2011-03-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Clifford is that name that I gave our big red van that my Mom drove around when I was in my youth (get it? Clifford the big red dog...?). I could not think of a more embarrassing vehicle to be dropped off in than a huge van. A woody rusty minivan would have been a welcome change. My Mom was (and still is) an aggressive driver, and she would always pull the van up to the very front, most obvious spot for the maximum amount of people to see me exiting the dreaded van. (In my parents defence there are 8 kids in my family so the van really is the only option for that many people). So to wrap it up, a good portion of my childhood was spent in total and utter embarrassment due to Clifford.

Fast forward 8 years.

The last time we visited NY Audrey got to ride in Clifford, and she thought it was the coolest thing that ever happened to her (like cooler than Chuck E Cheese).

Earlier this week me and Trav were talking about how he needs to get another truck for the business. Audrey got very upset and she said "NO Trav! You already have enough trucks!" So I asked her what kind of car she would want and she said "A van". I asked her if she'd want a big van or a small van. "A big van, that is red, with grey seats. That would be AWESOME!!" was her reply. It cracks me up just to type it. Who would have thought that my own daughter would think that the most embarrassing thing from my youth would be "awesome"?

just to keep it messy

2011-03-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

I am a TV show kinda girl, I have a daily schedule of "relaxation" (umm....whose excited for the new DWTS?). Wednesday nights is The Middle, and Modern Family. Modern Family is funny, but I can relate to The Middle on so many levels. Last week the husby from The Middle was complaining about how between him and his wife they work 4 jobs, all just to stay poor. I don't work (in the world's sense) but I feel like I am constantly cleaning my house, and it is NEVER clean, it just basically stays the same (except for if I don't clean it gets bad....very bad). All this cleaning just to keep my house at its current level of messiness. Gahhh! I try not to get too frustrated though because I know there will be a time when I miss all of the pee spots on the carpet from Phoenix running around in the nude, and all of Audrey's animals scattered on the ground, and all of the smushed food spots on our kitchen floor. I just have to remind myself of that...a lot.

embarrassing

2011-03-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

One of Audrey's new favorite (and usually misused) words is embarrassing. I usually don't correct her when she uses it incorrectly because I think it is cute.

Audrey and Phoenix LOVE baths (it might run in the family). Phoenix does the sign for bath about 5 times a day (very hard to resist!). Once in a while Phoenix will need to um...err....uhh...relieve himself when he is in the bath. He will stand up and let the pee flow. Audrey thinks it is hilarious. A few nights ago Phoenix did just this and between laughs Audrey said "Phoenix, that is embarrassing!" Phoenix laughed, and so did I. 2 kids keeps things interesting!

an update on Phoenix

2011-03-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

(oreo-stash)

I am not going to lie. this lil fella was a lot of work between the ages of 6-14 months. There was a 6 month period when he would basically whine the entire day unless I held him, and he wouldn't be satisfied with me just holding him. He liked it when I would try to do things while holding him (cleaning, cooking...). It was a really difficult time, but my hard work has paid off! Phoenix is the happiest little guy now, he still gets into EVERYTHING, but he brings so much joy into our home. He gives me lots of wet and slobbery kisses, he is ultra cuddly, he is actually eating now, he loves playing ring-around-the-rosie, he loves nursery, he loves getting picked up from nursery (me and Trav always fight over who gets to pick him up because he gets a huge smile on his face and runs over to us), he is obsessed with candy, and he is starting to try to talk. He can say "uh-oh" (sounds like eh-ah), sometimes he says "all gone" (sounds like ah-gah), when I say "Trav" he tries to say it...oh my goodness, we LOVE this little guy. Whenever he sees his binky and blanky he will go grab them and then come and cuddle in mine or Trav's arms (I will sometimes bring him into his room to get his blanky just for the cuddles). Oh, and the other day he played for almost 2 hours by himself, in his room, with his cars. I am starting to think I might be able to pick up crafting/reading again! I usually bring Phoenix and Audrey to the local kids museum about once a week and he is obsessed with the trains there. His newest obsession is peanut butter, one morning this week he just wanted spoonfuls of peanut butter (I gave him like 10!). Life is good here at the Andrew house!

Audrey"s First Kiss (and love triangle)

2011-03-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

So...there is this boy named Andrew in Audrey's preschool class. He is totally adorable, has long hair (surfer like), and he is in love with Audrey. A few months ago when I picked Audrey up from school she told me that Andrew said that he wanted to marry her. So naturally I asked her every day after that if he told her he was going to marry her. For a while her answer was in a very high pitched and annoyed (at me) "No! Just forget about it!". Then one day he told her he wanted to marry her again. And the next day, and the next day, and so on. So pretty much her and Andrew have been unofficially engaged for about 2 months. I always ask Audrey for updates (do you blame me?) and one day she told me that on the playground she was playing with a boy named Benjamin and Andrew came up and started pulling Audrey away and saying "I am going to marry her!" and Benjamin started pulling her other arm and saying "But she is my friend!" Audrey went to play with Andrew. Every few weeks Audrey will get a yellow ticket in class (bad) because her and Andrew were talking too much. Audrey used to say that she was going to marry Phoenix, but apparently Andrew asked his Mom about that and he informed Audrey that she could not marry her baby brother. Last week when I picked Audrey up she said "Mom! Andrew kissed me today!" Travis heard it to, and he said "Audrey, you shouldn't be kissing him." She said (in a very defensive tone) "Andrew is in love with me!" Travis said "It is just puppy love", Audrey responded in the same defensive tone "No, it's not!" Then Travis asked her how long the kiss was and she said "two minutes" (I am pretty sure it was not that long). When we got home I asked her to show me what her kiss was like because I was curious. Let's just say that was waay too much passion in it (I'm talking moving her head back and forth and it was at least 10 seconds long!!). I told her that she shouldn't kiss like that until she is married. And the last few days on the playground Benjamin and Andrew have been fighting over Audrey a lot, and now Benjamin is saying he wants to marry Audrey too. She told me she usually pretends to be a kitty cat when the boys are fighting.

I am friends with Andrew's Mom and she told me that Andrew talks about buying a house with Audrey after they get married. I actually think the whole thing is wicked cute (except for the passionate kiss...but even that makes me laugh a little). But Travis is VERY concerned about Audrey's teenage years.

MY Valentines Day

2011-02-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

When I married Travis I knew that he was not the romantic type. I was OK with that. I did not expect that he would get more and more thoughtful/romantic every year, but he does. He decorated our kitchen with the best cut out hearts, he had Audrey and Phoenix (and himself) make me valentines, and of course he got me loads of candy, plus the Taylor Swift CD that I had hinted at (5 years ago he wouldn't have taken the hint if I had straight out told him). He made sure that I knew I am loved (hopefully I did the same for him). At the end of the night he was checking his facebook and there were of course the guys complaining about V-day and Travis said "some guys just don't get what Valentine's Day is all about." My guy just keeps getting better!

Audrey's Valentine's Day

2011-02-24T17:57:00.001-08:00

This was Audrey's first year of celebrating V-day at school. I told her that we could either make cookies to give to her friends or buy valentines from the store for her friends. She chose the more delicious option, of course! One of our favorite things to do is to make frosted sugar cookies for holidays. One night when it was close to the Christmas season Audrey woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me that she had a dream that we made Christmas cookies with frosting on them. It was so cute. So basically, she is a pro at helping me make cookies.

When I was rolling out the dough Phoenix went and got the toy rolling pin. Awwww!! Audrey proceeded to use the toy one and cut out tiny little hearts for Phoenix.

He also found some powdered sugar I dropped on the floor...

Audrey signed her name on all of the hearts. She is getting really good!

Coming Home

2011-02-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

Whoa! Have I checked out this month or what? I had no idea it had been so long since my last post. I will fill in the blanks between then and now soon. Promise.

Over the weekend I met two of my sisters in Chicago for another girls weekend. The nice thing about flying to Chicago from Raleigh is that it is a straight flight, less than 2 hours away (basically take-off, take off the seat belt sign, drinks, and then the landing) couldn't be easier. We had a delish dinner that night in Chicago (me, Leah, Jess, and Leah's beau, Paul), the next day we hit up an outlet mall (shopping opportunities with girls are few and far between for me so of course we all took advantage of our being together), and we got some pizza, and a milkshake (the sign said it was small but it was seriously like 4 regular small shakes). I was stuffed (like roll me through the door kind of stuffed). The next day was spent with me in bed feeling like...umm...I better not say here, let's just say pretty bad (or should I say ugly bad? just sayin....). Could it have been worse timing? I think not. My being sick definitely limited some activities (I thought about trying to rent one of those scooter wheelchairs, but those babies don't rent out as easily as a car, so I had to scratch that idea). I felt a lot better the next day and even better the day after that. All in all, we had a great time (food, shopping, family, movies...), aside from my sick day. No pictures this time though (I thought about taking one of my ugly sicko mug during my sick day, but lucky for you I refrained).

I was anxious to get home though. I had never been away from my little mama's boy, so I was excited to see his reaction, and of course I missed my cuddle buddy, and my little girlie. I got to my gate to wait to board my returning flight and I immediately felt comfortable with the people who were around me. A lot of them were returning home to Raleigh, like me. The south (at least this part of the south) is full of extremely friendly and loving people that will talk to you like they've known you their whole life. Who wouldn't want to be in a room full of instant friends? I know I like it. My flight went perfect (the ONLY empty seat on the flight was next to ....ME!!!), when I got back into RDU I was able to help a lady with a baby (I kinda make it my personal mission to help anyone with kids in airports) and that made my day. Walking through the airport everyone was so friendly and smiley, I would have felt like a movie star, but that is how people here are to everyone. Ahh, it was good to be back to the place I now call home!

I walked out to the 65 degree night air to look for my lova boy, and I saw him standing by our car (he always gets out of the car when he is waiting to pick someone up at the airport and fidgets around doing stuff like opening the trunk and pretending to fix something so that the airport peeps won't make him move). I always miss Trav when we are apart, and I love it when he wraps his arms around me tight to welcome me back. The kids were sooo excited (I was at least as exited as they were). Little Phoenix started to cry when I moved away from him so I sat next to him for the first few minutes back to our house. When we got inside Travis, Audrey, and Phoenix took turns hugging and kissing me, over and over again. Its good to be loved. It was the perfect home coming.

Phoenix Willy's Haircut

2011-02-01T08:31:00.001-08:00

Some of you may have noticed that our lil fella's hair has been getting rather long. Last week TWO people thought he was a girl (I didn't bother to correct them)!! We debated cutting it into a full blown mullet and keeping it for a week, but I didn't want to get rid of his long hair on top. So, Phoenix got his way (not that he is talking yet, but if he could talk I am 93% positive that he would be against sporting a mullet). I gave the kiddos a bath while I cut Trav's hair (I wanted Phoenix to see that the clippers were not scary). Then it was Phoenix's turn. We let him go commando (a decision I would very soon regret), I gave him a sucker, Trav held him and I cut fast. After about 10 seconds Phoenix started squirming so me and Trav got creative about holding him down long enough for me to cut a chunk. At one point I felt something warm and tickly on my foot...I screamed...my sweet little fella was peeing on me!! I grabbed his towel, soaked up the excess, and continued with the haircut. The whole things lasted about 5 minutes start to finish. I thought Phoenix was cute before, but now he is a whole new level of adorableness. See for yourself...

The before pictures:

The after pictures:

Andrew/Weekes Family visit...

2011-01-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

Trav's parents came for a visit last week. We had TONS of fun! Janae (Trav's sister) and her adorable family came down for the weekend. It was awesome having so much family around (since there is NO family on either side in Raleigh we really appreciate it when we have visitors). I didn't take a ton of pictures but this is my favorite one from the week. Jeff kept saying that they are going to start making more trips out east (they live in AZ....soooo jealous!!) and hopefully that is true. Audrey was so sad after everyone left (I am pretty sure we all were).

Wacky Wednesday

2011-01-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

Last week was wacky Wednesday for Audrey. We had a lot of fun dressing her up. I told her that every else in her class would be wacky. I was wrong (either the other moms didnt get the memo or we took it a little too seriously). But Audrey didn't mind.

Mind Reader

2011-01-03T21:02:00.001-08:00

I know that you have been wondering the same thing that I have for last 18 months. Don't even try to deny it. You can't hide it from me. The question on all of our minds is: What would Phoenix look like as a girl? Here is a little taste...

He totally loved it. Since he was just a wee little fella if he could get his hands on a brush or comb he would immediately start combing his hair. I thought about putting a dress on, but Travis told me that was too much. I guess he was right...

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet and fun filled Christmas this year. I asked Audrey what her favorite part of Christmas day was and she said it was that Santa ate the treats all gone (a cookie and a cinnamon roll). Phoenix wasn't aware so much of Santa, but he did enjoy having free access to the tree (we had a cage around it up until Christmas morning). Kids make Christmas so fun.

Kids in their Christmas outfits for Church...umm, and yeah...that little stud muffin is mine!!

Audrey's ornaments that she made in school. So cute!

My Mom gave Audrey a snuggie...and she totally loves it. I put mine on to show Audrey and her face was totally disgusted. Apparently snuggies aren't a good look for me (but that doesn't stop me from wearing one!!).

Christmas List

2010-12-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Audrey has a looong Christmas list this year (I may be to blame...every time she asked for something in the store I would say, why don't you put that on your Christmas list? not expecting she would remember everything...I was wrong). We went to see the mall Santa last Monday. We never actually get the pictures taken, but he is the only Santa available for Audrey to visit. Phoenix started to cry after a minute in Santa's lap. After the kids were done, we went shopping for a few gifts for other people. I have been eyeing these charm bracelets at Gap Kids for a while (like a year) and I asked Audrey what she thought about them. She immediately fell in love with the bracelets and one charm in particular (a globe). She of course asked if she could have it and I said "Why don't you ask Santa for it?" She was a little distraught because she had already spoken with Santa, so I told her that she could write him a letter. Pretty much the cutest thing ever!

"Dear Santa, I want a bracelet and a charm please. Heart Audrey."

We sent it to Santa.

Quotes from Audrey

2010-12-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Audrey said a few funny things I thought were worth documenting...

We were watching Polar Express...

Audrey: I don't want to be a policeman doctor when I grow up, I want to be an elf.

Me: Well, you can't be elf because you are a human.

Audrey: Oh MAN!! I wish I wasn't a human so that I can be an elf!

Later on that day....

Audrey: I wish you would put on makeup so that you could be pretty.

Me: Do you think I am ugly without makeup on?

Audrey: Well...just a little bit ugly.

Me: Well, I guess I will go put my makeup on then.

That night as she was getting ready for bed...

Audrey: I am going to live with you when I grow up?

Me: If you want to, I would love it.

Audrey: Well, maybe I won't when I have babies. But I will visit you.

Lately (as in the past two weeks) Audrey has not been getting the sleep that she needs to maintain her usually pleasant personality, so whenever she says something that is not whiny I really appreciate it, especially when it is cute.

Hate Letter

2010-12-15T08:50:00.001-08:00

Dear Winter,

I really, really do not like you. Can you please leave and go back where you belong (up north)? I just don't think its fair that you are hanging around like this in the south. People move here to avoid you. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy snow (when I am skiing that is), but I just don't feel that your presence down here is welcome, or acceptable.

To wrap it up, I hate you (once again, except when skiing), and please leave asap...like yesterday.

Lots of...loathing, and definately NOT your friend,

Rachel

P.S. tell Spring that we are ready and waiting

Leah's Visit

2010-12-12T12:02:00.001-08:00

My sister, Leah, came to visit for Thanksgiving Holiday. We had a great time with her here, as always. It was the first time that Audrey had been very noticeable jealous of little Phoenix. Leah couldn't give him a hug without Audrey getting upset. Phoenix is at a really fun stage right now so Audrey is starting to look at him as competition.

I thought Leah would enjoy a cookout cheeseburger (which she did) and we took advantage of the nice weather and ate at a park (it was actually kinda cold and very windy but we all pretended it was nice).

coolest thing ever!!!! You can spin so fast!

When we were little me, Leah, and our sister Michelle used to love to make frosted sugar cookies. The kitchen would be a total disaster by the time we finished. By now I have gotten better about cleaning as I go, and we have gotten better at decorating as well.

The visit was over too quickly (as visits always are) and it left me wishing that we lived closer to family (as visits always do).

Spoiled

2010-12-10T08:30:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am spoiled! Blame Travis. He went above and beyond to make my birthday special this year. The day started off with me sleeping in (hello?!? there is no better way to start off the day!). When I finally dragged my lazy butt out of the bed there was a candy trail (Trav's signature play) leading downstairs to a spectacular sight. He brought Audrey to preschool and he returned with Dunkin Donuts in hand.

I have been wanting to take the kids to Marbles (kids museum) for a while but I have been too scared to do it by myself because both Audrey and Phoenix are prone to run off...in opposite directions. So I took advantage of the fact that it was my birthday and Travis agreed to come. We had a lot of fun, Phoenix and Audrey could have easily spent all day there.

They had this hockey rink and you put socks on and it was about as close to skating as you could get without the skates. Audrey even fell as if she was on real ice (she didn't get hurt).

We even had enough time for Travis to give Audrey a few surf lessons. She was getting pretty good by the end of it.

The day before my birthday I asked Audrey what she was going to get me for my birthday. She told me "I can't tell you, its a secret! But I will need some macaroni and some string." Because I have amazing detective skills I had a hunch that she would make me a macaroni necklace. I was wrong. She made me a macaroni necklace AND a macaroni bracelet. So sweet!!

Travis isn't a big cake eater and I have attempted to eat an entire cake by myself a few too many times to want to try it again. So we got cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe. My favorite is Strawberry. Travis got a red velvet and Audrey got a lemon. When we got home they traded

Travis got me a bunch of thoughtful gifts, but my favorite by far was his coupon book "7 Days of Bliss". Basically for the next seven days he volunteered to put both kids down to bed, wake up with them in the morning and during the night if they wake up, clean the house daily, do all of the dishes, and give me a daily backrub (I have a baad back so this is very useful). For all of you parents, you know how good this is. I am definately going to enjoy my week off!! I had a WONDERFUL day, thanks to my awesome hubs. Love you Trav!!

Phoenix - Willy

2010-12-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Phoenix has developed so much in the last few months. He has 7.1 teeth, and he's not afraid to use them. He can say "hi", and sometimes when he is crying for a really long time in his crib or his cage (don't ask) he will say "mama", but he doesn't say it regularly yet. He can wave, clap, do the signs for "all done", "more", "bath", "bed", and "milk". He is picking up on the signs really well so I am going to have to read up on some more signs to teach him. After he was Chucky for Halloween Trav gave him a bath and made him lay down to get the red hair spray out (it was kinda necessary). It traumatized Phoenix and he was terrified of taking baths for at least a week, but I started working with him right away and I am happy to report that the little man enjoys his bath time again. His favorite foods are the Gerber yogurt puffs, the Gerber fruit snacks, and pretzels. He also loves little spoonfuls of frosting that I give him when I am baking. He is fairly cuddly, when he isn't feeling good he just wants to be held (which is OK with me), and when is plays he likes to come up to me and give me a hug and sit with me for a little bit, then go back to playing. It is so cute. He is climbing up on EVERYTHING. He learned how to slide down the stairs backwards and it is really funny to see how fast he goes. He loves to throw toys in the toilet at any opportunity. He is 1000% busier than Audrey was, but he is tons of fun. On Sunday Travis gave me a kiss and Phoenix leaned in to give me a huge, slobbering kiss of his own. He also gave Travis a kiss, but he wouldn't give Audrey a kiss yet. I am totally loving the stage he is in right now. His favorite show is probably Yo Gabba Gabba. He currently has a mullet, but I am not sure if we are ready to give him a trim quite yet. I am considering making it a little more rock and roll.

p.s. We got a DVD player for our car (2 monitors) and it was the best investment we have ever made, Phoenix loves watching the movies!

The Dentist

2010-11-23T18:24:00.001-08:00

Audrey has been scared of the dentist ever since Travis got his root canal. I told her that she had nothing to be worried about, but she was still nervous. I made an appointment for her on Monday. Thankfully Travis was able to watch Phoenix while I took Audrey (it would have been a nightmare with the little guy). While we were in the waiting room Audrey insisted on sitting on my lap, which I let her of course. I read her a book about reptiles (her choice). Then she farted. Really loud. She was so embarrassed. I kept my cool and told her it was OK. She buried her head in my shoulder. Then after 10 seconds she got over it and we went back to the book. Finally the hygienist took us back and she wanted to take some x-rays of Audrey's teeth. I had to step out but I stayed close. After a few pictures, Audrey started crying softly because that thing they put in your mouth for x-rays was falling out. The hygienist was very nice and calming (she put the Disney channel on for Audrey). I could tell that Audrey was very uncomfortable while her teeth were getting cleaned, but she was brave. Then the hygienist went to get the Dentist and Audrey asked me if she could swallow, the poor girl must have been so uncomfortable. As soon as she saw the Dentist she started to cry. He calmed her down, looked at her teeth for about 2 seconds and told her she was doing a great job brushing her teeth. Then it was over (she got a lame prize). She looked so small and cute in the big chair, and when she was crying quietly it broke my heart. It is sad to think how fast she is growing up.

Our Halloween

2010-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

We got into Halloween this year, even I dressed up. Travis had some rule that he must always wear a wig on Halloween. We have this great/nasty mullet wig that he has been sporting for the last few years, this year we switched it up and put the hair into a ponytail. It was pretty much awesome. Audrey had been planning to be a scary kitty cat for a few months (her idea), I had played around with the idea of having Phoenix be a pirate, but I knew the eye patch and the hat would never stay on, I saw a garden gnome costume at Target, and it would have been perfect...except for the beard and the hat. Then inspiration hit. I always thought that Phoenix looked a little like Chucky...and the costume would be easy (another concern was that Phoenix would be too hot in a costume because the boy does NOT like to be hot). I think it worked out rather well if I do say so myself. Travis was a redneck murderer, and I was a dead cheerleader (aka his victim). We kept to gore minimal for our ward's trunk or treat, but on Halloween we got a little crazy.

Nobody at our church even recognized Travis. His scruff totally looked real. It was a combo of real scruff (which thankfully he does not grow much of), brown eyeliner, and brown eyeshadow. I thought the results were realistic.

We used both red and orange hair spray paint for Phoenix. We worked fast...

You can't see them but I also had bruises on my neck from being strangled.

We had so much fun dressing up. I have decided that I LOVE doing costume make up. I can't wait for next year!! Me and Trav are going to try to do better costumes every year.

Dreamer

2010-11-10T19:04:00.001-08:00

I pretty much dream every night, and I have ever since I can remember. It is not uncommon for my dreams to be related to the events of the week (friends, TV, movies...). Last night I went to bed early because I have been extremely tired the last few weeks (two weeks of being sick and now I am on the recovery week). I thought that by going to bed early that I would wake up feeling refreshed and energized. But last night I had a dream that was a mix of Glee, High School Musical, Camp Rock, and 24. I was Rachel (from Glee) and Travis was Finn. We were at a summer camp for talented kids that could sing and dance and boy did we sing and dance. Sharpay from HSM was there as well as her brother, I was looking for the Jo Bro's but they never showed up, and after all of the singing and dancing was done we ended up in some warehouse shooting guns like it was our job and being chased. Luckily, because this was the 24 segment of my dream I knew that we would get out of it OK because Jack Bauer always makes it. I woke up more tired than I was when I went to bed.

Family Pictures

2010-11-04T08:53:00.001-07:00

Do you have a friend who is both beautiful and super talented? I have a lot of friends like that, but I am going to highlight my amazing friend Emily today. For the last couple of years I admired her pictures on her blog, this girl is seriously talented. She recently started up her own photography business, so of course I jumped at the opportunity for her to take our family pictures this year.

I told her that there isn't enough wall space in my house to display all of the pictures that I want to (seriously like 100). If you are lucky enough to live in the Raleigh area, her business is named funfetti photography.

New Glasses!!!!

2010-10-27T12:15:00.001-07:00

I have had the same pair of glasses since high school (aka over 7 years)...they were not in good shape. The prescription was 1 point to weak (kinda a lot in glasses terms), the were literally hanging on by a screw the size of a thread. Can you guess which is the before and which is the after picture?

I am still getting used to the glasses not falling off every time I look down.

Primary Program

2010-10-25T13:20:00.001-07:00

Once a year, our church has a primary program. Our primary consists of children ages 3-11. This was Audrey's first year in it. Each child gets a part (smaller ones for the little kids, bigger ones for the older ones). Audrey practiced her part a lot over the last month and she was totally prepared for Sunday. Her line was "I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me cuz they blessed me with my baby brother, Phoenix Willy." I was so proud of her.

Twins!

2010-10-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends gave us her daughter's old clothes for Audrey. One of the treasures within was a khaki (or as Audrey calls it "cashew") skirt. As soon as Audrey saw it she got so excited and she wanted us to be twins for church. Luckily I had just gotten a new jean jacket, so we could complete the look.

Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister, Jess, came to visit at the beginning of October (I have been a major slacker blogger lately, but in my defense I have been B-U-S-Y). While she was here we had our annual trip to the pumpkin farm. The day we went was hot, and extremely crowded, but we had a fun time. Audrey had her outfit planned out for over a week...at least her accessories. Pumpkin earrings made by yours truly, and a pumpkin hat that goes with an infant pumpkin costume. I didn't have the heart to tell her no, so the hat stayed on. I love this pictures because everyone is so happy in it!

The pumpkin farm that we go to offers pony rides on the weekends, this was the first year that we went on a Saturday so Audrey got to go on her first pony. Travis was kind enough to wait 20-30 minutes in line for her (we were waiting in line to get him a funnel cake and the pony line went faster so we had to get out of line right before we were about to order!!)

Blue sky, green trees and grass, bright orange pumpkins...love the colors!!

Me and Jessie joked all day about how nice it was that Audrey was wearing her pumpkin hat because she was very easy to pick out in crowds. Then we got to the pumpkin part and the hat acted as camouflage here.

Our loot. I already used one of the pumpkins to make this amazing dish that my beautiful and talented sister-in-law Janae made for us last year. I should have taken a picture of it but we ate it too fast! We will carve the rest this week (but I might make the pumpkin dish again with one of them...).

Vocabulary Words

2010-10-18T14:18:00.001-07:00

Last week I learned two new words to add into my every day vocabulary. Since I am in the know, I will share my findings with you...

"Monkids"- Pet monkeys that people treat like their own children

"Polig-kids"- Kids that are born into a polygamous family (I learned this one from the reality TLC show Sister-wives...interesting but strange)

Class is dismissed.

Halloween

2010-10-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

We love Halloween here in the Andrew home (who doesn't love it?), and October 1st marked the official Halloween season, the temperature has been consistently under 90 degrees, so even Mother Nature has been agreeable.

Last year I got really excited about setting up the Halloween decorations, I talked it up to Audrey to get her all excited and when October 1st rolled around I opened the box marked "Halloween Decorations" and...there were 5 foam orange pumpkins (flat and for crafty projects) and one plastic pumpkin for Audrey's trick-or-treating. Talk about a let down! I try to collect a bunch of decorations at the end of each holiday on 75% + clearance in preparation for the next year (because I am cool like that), but apparently I missed the Halloween clearance the previous year. So I made up my mind to not let that happen again.

1 year later, and October 1st came. Once again, I got Audrey all excited about setting the decorations up (I was at least as excited as her). I was so anxious that I got the box down from our attic all by myself and some how managed to get it down with both me and the box in one piece. I brought the box downstairs and set in on the kitchen table and I called Audrey over so that she could see me open the box. Well, I opened the box and talk about lame dash O! I had like 5 more decorations than I did last year(unfortunately tacky ones I must admit) and of those 5, 2 of them can not be set up this year because we have a certain little guy running around the house that would love to destroy them. How did I let this happen again? Luckily Audrey was still excited. That night in her prayer before she went to bed she thanked Heavenly Father for blessing us with the Halloween decorations ( I would not have thought of that) and right before she said "amen" she said "Happy Halloween!" I am sure that Heavenly Father appreciated that.

So my goal for next week: BUY SOME HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS!!!!

too old?

2010-09-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school I was a cheerleader. Me and two of my sisters took a tumbling class so that we could...tumble (go figure). I have a mean roundoff (ask Travis), but I could never mentally get over my fear of doing a back-hand spring without a spotter. Both of my sisters were able to do multiple back-hand springs. I think I was always scared that my tooth pick arms would give out on me and I would land on my head. Instead of getting over my fear I just started doing roundoffs with a high rebound to make it look like I could do a back hand spring if I wanted...but last minute I decided not to (both Travis and Leah basically told me I looked like a fool when I did that, because I would do it at games and performances), I would also try doing a series of roundoffs (I am sure it looked cooler than it sounds...NOT!!!).

Fast forward a few years (more than I would like to think), and I still regret not being able to get over my fear. I brought Audrey and Phoenix to a gymnastics gym last Friday to play around and basically the whole time I was THIS close to asking one of the girl employees if I was too old to learn how to do a successful back-hand spring. But I didn't because I was too embarressed. I don't think I am too old, especially since I have slight experience. I am thinking I might have Travis spot me until I can do it on my own. If/when I can do a legit roundoff back-hand spring I will let you know.

waiting...

2010-09-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am waiting for Travis to get home from work....counting down each excruciating minute. Do you ever have days where you cannot wait for them to be over? Today has been one of those days (well, not the whole day...usually the countdown begins when Phoenix wakes up grumpy from his afternoon nap), in fact I have been having a string of those days (kind of the whole summer). It is still too hot to play for any length of time outside (umm...hello mother nature! it is almost the end of September!!!), we are more or less confined to the house because Trav takes our beloved Camry most days, and after a few too many creepy encounters in our neighborhood I have decided to eliminate walks (as if it is cool enough to walk outside anyway). Sometimes I hide from Phoenix because for some reason if he is grumpy he will just follow me around and whine and cry...but if I leave the room he is totally cool playing with his kitchen. He is on to a lot of my hiding places.

Needless to say, me and the kids jump up with excitement when Travis comes through the door. Relief for all of us. For me the relief comes in the form of another adult to help with the kids many (MANY) needs...whether it be fixing Audrey her 7th meal of the day, or changing Phoenix's 12th poopy diaper. For the kids, they get relief from their boring (worn out) Mom.

Yay! He just came home!! Excuse me while I pretend that our outing to the mall and to get pizza with the kids is a romantic date with my hunny!

Premier Week!!

2010-09-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

Finally the fall premiers are upon us. Here is my schedule for the week...

Monday - DWTS (Dancing With the Stars)

Tuesday - Glee, then DWTS results

Wednesday - The Middle, and Modern Family

Thursday - The Office, and 30 Rock

Friday - Nothing (no good shows are ever on Friday because I think the TV networks assume that most people do things on Friday nights...I am thinking about starting a petition to bring back TGIF)

What shows are you watching this week?

Lake Benson

2010-09-15T12:59:00.001-07:00

We discovered an awesome lake a few weeks ago when our ward was having a Pig Pickin in this location. There is a pretty cool playground, a huge field where you can literally let your kids run wild, and then of course a beautiful lake. The bathrooms smell like the latrines from Girls Camp, but that is pretty much my only complaint.

With cooler weather on the horizon, I am thinking it is the perfect time to start weekly outings here.

new shoes = big boy

2010-09-09T13:23:00.001-07:00

Phoenix has been walking for a few weeks now. I was just thinking the other day how even though he is walking like a big boy, he still looks like a little baby to me. We went shoe shopping for the little man today, and suddenly he seems so much older with his new shoes on.

(sorry about the mess behind him, I am currently reorganizing his closet..a little bit at a time)

Potty Mouth

2010-09-07T12:56:00.001-07:00

I am talking about Phoenix. No, he is not saying bad words, he is quite literally a potty mouth.
He loves playing in the toilet water, and he LOVES unrolling the toilet paper. I have caught him with the toilet brush in his mouth (GAG!) and on another occasion the toilet bowl cleaner bottle was in his mouth. Now, my main concern about this was the germs, but luckily he also likes taking a healthy bite out of soap (Irish Springs is his favorite) to sanitize his mouth, stomach...etc.

The first time that he bit off a chunk of soap (of course he swallowed it one second later) I rushed to the computer to see if I should be concerned. I found this site where people would post a question and other people would respond. A concerned mother (much like myself) expressed concern about her baby eating soap (just a bite). Most of the answers assured her that everything would be OK, but to expect some diarrhea. Then I saw this comment from a lady who said that when she was pregnant she ate Irish Springs soap all the time because she craved it . I am still having difficulty processing that.

JoNaS bRoThErS Concert

2010-09-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

Yes, you read that correctly. Jonas Brothers Concert. I love them! Now, I am not about to start wearing a T-shirt with their faces on it, and I do not have any posters decorating my bedroom, but I do consider myself a fan. My sister, Joanna is also a fan, more hardcore than myself. Michelle was in town and she obviously likes the Jo Bro's enough to go see them in concert. I totally thought I would be the oldest one there, but I wasn't (I might have been the oldest one there with out a little girl at my side though). It was at Hershey Park, PA so we had a few hours before the concert to catch...3 rides. Lines are so annoying!

I had this plan of looking amazing for the concert (I do not get many legit occasions to actually dress up anymore), but I looked totally horrid for the concert. That may or may not be related to the whole showering the night before, waking up at 5 am, driving 6+ hours in the car....with kids, waiting in long lines at Hershey Park, riding the rides, sweating...for some reason I was planning to take a shower before the concert started, but since 3 extra hours in the day did NOT magically appear I had to go to the concert in the state I was.

(sorry Jo, I couldn't resist)

The concert was so fun!

There are a few cool things about the Jonas Brothers...

1) They are brothers

2) They write pretty much all of their own stuff

3) Most of their songs are catchy (imho) and fun to sing along to (most of the video I got of the concert has me and Jo singing in it...it ain't pretty)

4) They wear purity rings (except for Kevin who is married, but he wears his wedding ring so...)

Anyway, I will definitely plan on going to a concert next year, or next time they go on tour. Maybe Travis will come with me (and maybe even Audrey), and we can pay the extra $ for the closer seats.

Audrey's First Day of School (and the yellow ticket)

2010-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Audrey's first day of preschool. She isn't really a skirt wearing type of girl, but she really wanted to wear a skirt to school for her first day. She picked out a black Tinkerbell lunch box at Target, and we had a whole bunch of snacks for her to take (I wanted to make sure that she was happy with the contents). I also included a jelly sandwich (she doesn't like peanut butter, crazy right?). She told me she didn't need the jelly sandwich, but after school I found out that the sandwich was pretty much the only thing she did eat. She said that all of the kids had sandwiches.

Before I took her to school I read through the information packet for the parents. She goes to preschool 3 days a week, and at the beginning of the week the kids all start off with 3 green tickets. If they are naughty then the green ticket for that day will be exchanged for a yellow ticket. And if they are really naughty then the yellow ticket will be exchanged for a red ticket (this is my wording, it is nicer in the packet). If the kids survive the week with 3 green tickets they get a reward. One of the first things Audrey said to me when I picked her up was "I got a yellow ticket today". Luckily I had read the packet so I actually knew what that meant. I asked her why she got it and she said it was because she was tickling someone. That is so like Audrey! She also told me that she likes the boys better than the girls.

The car ride after I dropped her off was very quiet with just me and Phoenix. That girl is usually talking non stop. It was also much quieter at home for the 4 hours she was gone. I can't say that I missed her just because I knew that she was having so much fun at school, but both me and Phoenix were very excited to pick her up.

I am looking forward to the many stories that Audrey will come home with.

Recovering

2010-09-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it has been a little while since I last posted anything on the blog. My excuse? Recovering. From vacation. I did not have enough time to fully recover after my SLC trip (pretty sure that might take a few years) before I left to NY. Phoenix was pretty good there, he didn't sleep totally great during the night, but no major complaints. The ride home...I cannot imagine how such a generally sweet little fella could cry for hours at a time, but he did. And it was torture. If they could have a minivan with a sound proof window separating the parents from the kids I would buy one tomorrow. As a result of the ride home, me and Trav have promised each other that we will definitely not travel any great distance for a long time.

Park City/Salt Lake City

2010-08-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Linford family reunion was that weekend in Park City. We had missed out on the last 2 years and Travis really wanted to make it to this one. I sadly did not get many pictures to document our time there, but here are the few that I do have...

We all went on the Alpine slide. You can control your speed. I went slow. Really slow. I heard the person behind me come up. I was embarrassed of how slow I was going. I bowed my head in shame and sped up a little. At the end I avoided eye contact with the person. Then I realized that it was a lady in her 60's. Then I was really, really embarrassed.

We had a great time. It was fun to see most of Trav's extended family. On the last night there myself, Janae, Heather, and Ryan were playing Settlers. Trav, Jared, and Jason set up their laptops in the same room and played Starcraft. It was fun. But Travis ate too much candy and he drank too much soda. He had the worst toothache of his life that night. I felt so bad. I kept my hand on his arm all night so that he would know I was there. He said a prayer, I said a prayer, and the pain went away (he said that he heard of that happening, excruciating pain, then the tooth stops hurting because it died...let's hope that is not what happened). The next day we said our goodbyes. Travis and Phoenix flew out on Sunday afternoon. I tried to get me and Audrey on the flight, but the man at the desk rudely told me it was full. And so was the one at 4:55. So I asked if he could give me a pass to help Travis with Phoenix to the gate. He asked me if Travis could manage the "infant son" on his own. I said probably. Then he nodded his head like he was talking to the dumbest idiot on the planet (aka me). I turned and walked away and blinked back tears till me and Audrey got to our car. Why are some people so nice, and other people not? So then I took Audrey to a restaurant with a good chicken wrap. When I walked outside I saw that the car lights were turned on. Dang it! Of course the battery was dead. So me and Audrey waited, like it was our job, for the owners one of the cars parked next to us to come out. A nice family came out and the guy helped us (and he did not have to tell me where to stick the charger cord things thank you very much). Then me and Audrey went to the Salt Lake. And we went swimming. I think we were the only people there that spoke English. There are millions and billions of brine shrimp in the water. But the water is so warm and it is so awesome to float in it. After that I called Delta to see if there were any seats open for the midnight flight (I was kinda ready for the trip to be over by that time), and of course it was full. So we went to John's apartment and spent the night with them. It was fun. The next morning we flew out and after a long trip we were home. You know the Ikea commercials where the people come back from vacation and they lay on their bed with their faces in their bed and say "I missed you so much!" to their mattress? Well, that is exactly how I felt about our bed, our camry, the kid's beds, etc. It is so nice to be home. And might I add that Phoenix has been the perfect angel since we have come home. Like, no whining! Trust me, I am enjoying it.

Fishing

2010-08-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Jason is the man to thank for all of the fish caught..

Can you believe how big this fish is that Audrey caught? Jason caught an even bigger one later on!

This is my catch (keeping my distance from the fish)

So there is an unfortunate, but laughable (because Diane wasn't hurt too badly) story. Me, Trav, Heather and Ryan were playing Settlers and Jason came up and told Heather he had a bite on a line. She hadn't reeled in a fish yet, so she jumped at the opportunity, but she wanted a photographer and Diane, being the nice Mother that she is, volunteered. Earlier that day the guy in charge of deciding how much to adjust the dock pushed it out far enough so that you had to leap from the stairs to the dock. It was tricky because wet wood is slippery. Especially when you are wearing crocs. Diane found out the hard way.

Nothing like a moonlight dip in the lake!

I have a hilarious sequence of pictures with Heather, I will post them on facebook. Her, me, and Audrey all reacted the same way to the wriggling fish. Heather's face says it all.

Floating at Mack's Inn

2010-08-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Most everyone else did other things (go to Yellowstone, look out points, etc) but I stayed around the cabin for the most part (Phoenix was taking 3-4 hour naps during the day and if he wasn't napping he was crying so there was no way I was going to push him). It was so nice and pleasant at the cabin that I really did not mind just taking it easy. I could seriously just stare out at the lake all day (there were boats, jet skis etc, not to mention to beautiful scenery). Every night I would rock Phoenix to sleep and try to put him in his little bed, and he would wake up. It was an exhausting cycle that lasted way too long. During the day Phoenix was pretty much attached to me (if I hid from him he would stop whining though...so I did sometimes hide from him). Travis flew out on Wednesday night and got into the SLC airport at 11:30pm, he rented a car and started the drive up to Idaho. The plan was for him to stop and sleep in the car, and then continue driving so that he could get to Island Park Thursday morning. At 5:15 am (with a fussy baby in arm) I texted Travis to see where he was (hoping the answer was "pulling up right now"). He was in Blackfoot...aka 2 plus hours away. By this point I was pretty much emotionally and mentally spent (all thanks to the lil fella). I was literally counting down each minute till Travis got to the cabin. At around 8:30 I figured that Trav should be almost to the cabin so I walked out to meet him (Phoenix had been up since 5 and there was literally NOTHING I could do with him except walk). After a 15 minute walk I called Travis. He was stuck in Traffic. Road construction. He said that there was a guy holding a stop sign. I asked him to explain the situation to the stop sign holding guy...that I was going to die if he didn't get there soon. He (Travis) didn't...OK, so maybe I wasn't on my death bed...but I was at least well on my way to the crazy house. So I walked back to the cabin, and somehow managed to survive the next 30 minutes (by this point I was counting down each second!). Travis finally arrived. Relief!!! Travis gallantly offered to stay with the little guy while the rest of us floated the river. It really was nice of him because this was his vacation to, but who was I to say no to an offer like that? Anyway, that is the long, unabridged version of how I came to float the river.

We got to ride up in a van...for some reason Audrey loves vans. I can assure you that I get no thrill from riding in a van.

Janae and Jared (or Janared as I sometimes refer to them), Diane, and Addie were in one canoe. Jason, Jeff, and Audrey and Brighton were in another. And Janae suggested that I join Heather and Ryan in their canoe (no kids). At the beginning everyone was decently nice. I once had the opportunity to get Jared really wet, and I didn't take it. It haunts me now. Jeff and Jason pretty much soaked out entire canoe (I'm talking an inch of water at the bottom!). Then Jared threw a water bottle across the river and it landed right in front of us, splashing us. Then either him or Janae said "pick it up" and being the nice people that we are, all three of us reached for the bottle...in the water...at the same time...yeah, we came about 2 inches to tipping the canoe over before we realized it was a trick. I must admit, I was impressed. Me, Heather, and Ryan made it our mission to get revenge, on both canoes. Let's just say we failed miserably. But we had fun.

Addie just wanted to play in the water. The water was maybe 60 degrees. I do not know how she could stand the cool temperature, but she loved it!

There were TONS of fish in the river. It was a very fun excursion. Many thanks to my wonderful hubby for making this very enjoyable experience possible!

Island Park

2010-08-06T19:06:00.001-07:00

Grandpa Linford was kind enough to let us stay in his cabin in Island Park for a few days. It is breathtakingly beautiful there. On the first day there we saw not 1, not 2, but 3 Mooses (just kidding, I know it's Moose). One mother with her two babies. Moose are so tall! We had a canoe to play around with, Jason, or should I call him Dr. Fisherman? had 4 fishing poles set up at all times during the day. He shared the excitement of catching a fish with all of us by generously letting us take turns of who reeled the fish in. More pictures to come of that. By the time we got to the cabin Phoenix had been getting about 8 hours of sleep per day...compared to his usual 16. It was not pretty. And by "not pretty" I mean...let's just say whenever Addie saw Phoenix she said "baby crying" and 90%...maybe 95% of the time she was right. And why is it that the more tired the baby the harder it is to get them to sleep? WHY?!?!? Everyone helped out, so that made everything much easier.

Trav's Dad picked out a pink life jacket especially for Audrey. She loved it, I mean LOVED. Her and Brighton both wore their life jackets as much as possible, and we did not discourage it.

On one of the first night there Audrey and Grandpa were sitting out on the deck and talking. It was so cute I had to get a picture. After they had posed Audrey said "Mommy, can you leave?" I asked her if she wanted to have Grandpa all to herself and she said "Yes". I thought it was so sweet that she valued the one-on-one time with her Grandpa.

Another thing about kids...why is it impossible to keep dirt/sand/rocks out of their mouth, but if you try to feed them certain kinds of food they spit it out immediately?

These two missed each other soo much! They were so excited to be together and surprisingly they didn't fight that much.

Here is Jason's set up I was telling you about...

Flexburg

2010-08-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I call Rexburg Flexburg. When me and Travis were dating he once referred to Rexburg as Flexburg, while flexing his rippling bicep (he is a genius at finding opportunities to flex). After two days in SLC we drove to Rexburg for two days. I was really glad that we were going to be there because I have a special place in my heart for Rexburg, ID. We stayed with Trav's Grandpa. I walked around barefoot for the whole time. The soft green grass is not something I take for granted. I have tried to go commando (without shoes that is) in Raleigh, but it was very painful. I had Sunday morning in Rexburg all to myself. Everyone went to church except for me and the little man (if I have learned one thing it is "never wake a sleeping baby"). I ate a banana outside, and walked around the beautiful apples trees (I think Travis helped plant them). It was so relaxing and peaceful. I also talked to my hunny for a while on the phone.

Sunday afternoon we got together on a blanket behind Aunt Jan's house. Once again, so peaceful and enjoyable.

Grandpa Linford has this toy room in his basement and the kids LOVED it. There is something so enticing about old (in a good way) toys.

I think Addie and Phoenix are going to be buddies in a few months.

So I hadn't seen Janae for a few months, she must have gotten extensions because nobody's hair grows this fast! No offence, but it totally felt like horse hair.

In reality she took a horse tail hair thingy (not sure of the technical term) and we carefully incorporated it into her hair. It kinda looks legit, right? Jared thought it was crazy.

SLC

2010-08-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

When we finally got to SLC it took at least another hour to get everything from baggage claim into our TINY rental car. (note to all parents...or people that pack more than a mid size suitcase, pay the extra $5 per day and get a mid size car). We got to our hotel room and the wonderful people at the Best Western had already set up the porta crib in our room, a small thing on their part, but it was a huge relief to not have to worry about it. We met my brother, John, and his beautiful wife Brooke for dinner at Wingers. It had been 3 years since my last sticky finger experience. Unfortunately, the chicken had been sitting around (I hate that you can tell/taste the difference!) and it was less than fulfilling. But the company was good at least. The next day I saw Heather (Trav's sister), Ryan (her beau), and my younger sister Michelle. It was good to see everyone.

This picture is at John's apartment, they have a dog named Oliver and Audrey was obsessed with the dog, and Phoenix was obsessed with Ollie's cage (hmm...this gives me and idea...)
On Saturday my wonderful Aunt Nancy organized a get together with my cousins Kristen and Jenny and my Aunt Donna and Uncle Dennis. I so grateful that Aunt Nancy did this, it was so much fun. When we were there my Aunt Donna introduced Audrey to me as Lydia (one of Kristen's girls). I found it funny because look at all of the blondes! All of the kids look alike!

Kristen, Michelle, yours truly, and Jenny

It was fun to have a day to spend with Michelle, me and her haven't had a lot of one on one time for way too long.

When we were in Utah I wore pants almost all the time. The reason? Because I could. It is so sticky hot here in Raleigh that some days it is too hot for shorts...let alone pants.

The Plane Ride

2010-08-03T07:57:00.001-07:00

I'm back! We (me and the kids) went to Utah on Thursday (July 22nd) and we are back in NC. I decided to bring the kids out to Utah/Idaho...a decision that was hard to make for the sole reason that I would have to fly with both kids by myself. I was not worried about Audrey at all, but Phoenix...I was terrified. We had to legs to the trip, Raleigh to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Salt Lake City. The first plane ride was perfect, for the first time in like 4 years there were a few extra seats on the plane, so a flight attendant gave us our own row (Awesome!!). Then the flight from Atlanta...it started off badly with an announcement that the flight was full (I HATE HATE HATE 100% full flights...especially when you add children into the mix). Me and the kids got situated in our seats and there were only a few minutes left till departure. The seat next to me was empty (I always hope that whoever is supposed to be sitting next to me will miss their flight) and just as I started getting really hopeful that it would remain that way a mother and her teenage son walked onto the plane. When they realized that one of them would have to sit next to me the mother said "Oh my gosh!" in a way that said "kill me now". They proceeded to argue over who would have to sit next to me (I heard everything because they were right next to me) and apparently the teenage son lost, because he sat down. He warned his mother that if she got up to go to the bathroom that he was going to take her seat (they were both in the aisle seats next to each other). The plane took off and Phoenix started crying....and didn't stop. I tried everything, formula, gerber puffs, fruit snacks, wrapping him up in a blanket and rocking him, singing softly to him...nothing was working. A nice flight attendant walked by and the mother of the teenage son asked him (the flight attendant) if there was anything he could do to shut the baby up. The flight attendant got really mad at the lady and told her not to tell him how to do his job, and he informed her that she was riding on public transportation. He also told her in a condescending way that we were all babies once. Then he asked me if he could get me anything. I asked for some juice to put in Phoenix's bottle. That actually worked...for about 2 minutes. Then the crying started again. By this point I was totally turned away from the mother and her teenage son, and I was wiping back tears and trying to think of happy things...such as the plane ride being over. Audrey was trying to be so helpful and if she hadn't been with me I think I would have lost it. Seriously...who is that rude? The flight attendant came back and offered to hold Phoenix. It didn't go over very well with Phoenix. Then the flight attendant told me I could go in the back and hang out there for a while. Once we got to the back the flight attendant (sorry, I never found out his name) said that he couldn't believe that lady. Then I started to cry. He gave me a hug and told me that he couldn't have two crying people to worry about (Phoenix was still screaming). Then he left us alone and Phoenix fell asleep in about 5 minutes. Audrey had a blast playing around. I stayed in the back (where the flight attendants sit for take off and landing) until they had to bring the carts back. Of course as soon as I went back to my seat Phoenix woke up, but at least he had a little nap so he was ok. Although he did touch the teenage boys hair and the teenager acted as if Phoenix had burned a hole through his head. Then Phoenix pooped. And I didn't change his diaper...intentionally. (I know, I am so bad). The flight ended and as I was walking out another flight attendant came up to me and said "we're cool". Lol.

When I got to baggage claim I saw that lady and her son. I walked up behind her and gave her a little shove with the stroller. She fell onto the baggage belt and her long hair got stuck. It was awesome. The airport people had to come and cut her hair off. Sweet, sweet revenge.

Ok, the baggage claim part didn't really happen, but I wished it had. I am too nice to do something like that though.

More to come on my trip later, but here is a little teaser. One of Phoenix's nicknames is "lil fella". On this trip a fussy was inserted to make it "Lil fussy fella".

Rejection...

2010-07-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

...is never fun, but it is heart breaking when it happens to your child.

Audrey is usually outgoing, especially in public places like stores and restuarants. Today me and the kids were in Target and Audrey asked if we could get some popcorn, and me, being the ultra cool Mom that I am, immediately gave in (I am a sucker for the cherry Icees at Target). So we were in line and Audrey saw two little boys sitting at a table. She told me that she was going to go play with her friends and she went over and sat down next to them. The boys immediately started yelling "Go away!". It took her a few moments to process it, but she did. She came walking back to me with the saddest face and I picked her up and she burst into tears. It was so sad. So I got her the popcorn and the Icee (well, that was mainly for me) and then we went home and I have been spoiling her all day. I didn't even try to make her go down for a nap.

I have always thought about how I cannot control what my kids will have to deal with outside of our home, but I want to make sure that they always feel loved, accepted, and valued in our home.

Not Poop!

2010-07-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

You know where this is going with a title like that....

This morning Audrey came out of the bathroom asking me to help her out. I assigned Trav to the task because I was getting Phoenix some food. I overheard this conversation...

Trav: Audrey! There is poop everywhere!

Audrey: (in a very offended tone) It's not poop! It's diarrhea!

....a few minutes later....

Trav: I am going to start calling you Poop girl!

Audrey: (again in an offended tone) Not poop girl! Diarrhea girl!

I am just glad I didn't have to clean the mess up this time around!

Phoenix at One

2010-07-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

(This is his really really happy smile...I think he is loving showing off his 4 teeth!)

At 1 year old Phoenix is crawling on his hands and knees (he was army crawling for a while) and he stands up to everything (even if that means digging his paper thin nails into my calves), and he recognizes his name and "no" (but he thinks "no" means "hurry! stuff it in your mouth as fast as you can!"). He lets Audrey carry him and he really enjoys playing with her. His favorite toy is probably the play kitchen I made for Audrey (pictures to come, but it needs a few finishing touches first). He still sleeps with his binky (still the green kind from the hospital) but as soon as I pick him up in the morning he takes it out of his mouth and throws it back into his crib. He gets very aggressive when he wants something (especially if I am eating the thing that he wants). He cannot wait to be able to eat everything that we can. He loves green beans from the baby food jars, I do not understand who would like those things all mushed up and in a near liquid form but our little guy does. He still wakes up once per night (sometimes more if he is teething) but he goes back down in about 5 minutes...and he usually sleeps in late (9-10) so I can't complain too much. Whenever I try to carry him up the stairs he always wiggles until I put him down so that he can crawl up himself. He loves to chase me and Travis around our couch, it is surprising how fast he can move when he crawls.

I took him to the Doctor yesterday and he is 30 inches tall and almost 19 lbs (the last few weeks he has been teething and sick so he probably lost a little weight during that time). I am on a regime to help the little guy beef up. I told Audrey we needed to get some fat on him and she had a really hard time understanding that. Even from 2 days ago his appetite has improved so we are off to a good start.

The Doctor acted shocked that Phoenix hasn't said any words yet. I was almost worried but then I thought about it and Audrey definitely was not saying any words by the time she was 1 (at least words that had meaning). So, I am patiently waiting for him to say "Mama" (assuming that will be his first word ). I already have a 4 year old that pretty much talks non stop, so I am not necessarily in a rush for him to start.

Phoenix's Party

2010-07-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Phoenix's party...

Audrey is blowing a whistle directly into his ear in the picture above.

He kept this hat on almost the whole night!

The remnants of the chocolate cupcake (Audrey's request) that he threw off the tray after about 15 seconds.

I think that even though babies might not know exactly what is going on, they can always tell when all of the attention is on them, and they love it!

Routine

2010-07-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

The hardest part of the day is mid-afternoon to evening. I dread it. Up until a few weeks ago I felt like I had a great routine. I would put BOTH Audrey and Phoenix down for a nap around 3:00ish and during that time I was able to get a lot of stuff done. Every day I looked forward to watching Gilmore Girls at 5:00 on ABC Family, and I would usually do work while I was watching it (paper work organization, fold laundry, clean the kitchen, prepare dinner...you get the picture). I would also usually relax for a few minutes and eat a candy bar, or make myself a smore...something to help make the moment of peace even better. Well that wonderful time during my day has come to a screeching halt.

Audrey figured out how to open her "child-proof" door knob to her room, so now she is waking up about an hour earlier in the morning and she takes a nap during the day probably every 3 days or so (so that means I have a cranky girl on my hands). Phoenix has been having a hard time with his nap schedule. He still goes down, but the times are all wacky. And when he is awake he is about 100x crankier than Audrey...and for those of you that need reminding, a cranky 1 year old makes it really hard to do anything. And to top it off, Gilmore Girls hasn't even been on the last few days.

I am really hoping this is just a phase (me and Trav will have to figure out a new way to keep Audrey in her room) and that the old schedule will resume soon. Tomorrow would be great.

4th of July

2010-07-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

We had a low key 4th Celebration (we decided it would be better to take it easy than push the kids...aka Phoenix, to do more than what he would want to do). Travis bought some fireworks (nothing big) and we lit them in our drive way. All three of the kids (Travis included) loved it.

O.C.D.

2010-07-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how many people know that I suffer from O.C.D. Obsessive Cullen Disorder that is... (so lame, I know, but I absolutely could not resist!)

I felt the deep need to release the twi-hard in me for when I went to see Eclipse, I almost wore my goth cape and fangs but I thought it might make the girls I went with uncomfortable. I just about couldn't sit through Twilight, New Moon was better, and Eclipse was finally how the first one should have been done (aside from a few casting changes that I still wish they would make...don't get me started). I am going to start planning a Breaking Dawn party because I saw way too many cool ideas to not use.

One year ago today...

2010-07-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

...we welcomed this little handsome fella into our family. The year has flown by! I remember when Audrey turned one I thought that she was such a big girl, but with Phoenix he is still my baby (he loves it when I rock him in my arms). Audrey thought that Phoenix was going to start walking today because I told her that he would start walking when he was one (it will probably be at least another month, but one of the joys of the second child is that we are in no rush for him to start walking).

Phoenix loves to eat "big people food", he has basically weened himself (off of formula that is). His favorite snacks as of today are baby goldfish (the crackers of course) and pieces of chocolate cupcakes (he had a lot of those today). He loves playing with Audrey, and he has lets her carry him around (considering the fact that she weighs only 10 pounds more than him...he is putting a lot of trust in her!). Phoenix loves dancing and wrestling with Trav. And he loves me to hold him...all day...every day. Despite the fact that my right arm is constantly sore and my back...let's not even go there...I cannot say no to his adorable little face. We all love Phoenix so much.

Happy Birthday little fella!

My 1st Cake

2010-07-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

No, not literally, but this was my first "fancy" cake attempt, it was our final project for my cake decorating class that I took from the University of Michaels...ok, Michaels is not a real University. I know that because the tuition was $17. Anyway, I have always wanted to do the basket weave with frosting and I learned how to do it! I am looking forward to improving my cake decorating skills.

Lessons

2010-06-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Every day Audrey "teaches" Phoenix how to climb up the stairs. I of course monitor their every move (much to Audrey's annoyance) and I get to witness the progress. It first started out with Phoenix only being able to make it up the first few stairs. Now he can go up both flights without breaking a sweat. He always turns around with a very satisfied look on his face when he reaches the top.

Big Boy Jammies

2010-06-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Audrey picked out some Thomas jammies for this little handsome fella. I think they make him look like a big boy (that and him standing up to EVERYTHING!).

Date Night

2010-06-29T15:17:00.001-07:00

No, not for me...it was a Daddy/Daughter date night. Travis got the idea to take Audrey to see Toy Story 3. Of course Audrey was super excited. She even let me change her earrings! She picked her outfit out herself. Her go-to special outfit is her jeans, with her polka-dot cowgirl shirt (it has ruffles down the front) with her flower sweater. Yes, it was a wee hot for her outfit, but she didn't car.

She picked Trav's outfit out to. They had a great time, and they both keep imitating the doll on it that said "Mama....Mama" in a creepy voice.

Flashback

2010-06-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

I noticed that all of my pictures from when Audrey was a baby that were taken in our apartment are dark....like really dark. That place was ... G to the H to the E T T O. Anyways, it is cute to see both Audrey and Phoenix playing with the same toys around the same age.

Father's Day

2010-06-22T19:39:00.001-07:00

As you all know, Sunday was Father's Day. I am pretty sure Travis had a good day. Audrey got him some Lindor Truffles...which are his favorite in case you didn't know. She picked them out herself and it was really cute that she knew exactly what to get him.

Travis is a great Pappa. He always has energy to play with the kids, and when I am totally drained he can step in and pick up the slack. He works so hard to support our family, and he is totally dedicated to making the business a success. I admire that he has the ambition and motivation to make his dreams come true.

Both me and Travis were lucky enough to be raised by great Dad's (and of course Mom's). So, Happy Father's Day to our Dad's as well!

the kids...

2010-06-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

Audrey and Phoenix have so much fun together. Audrey is pretty much the best big sister (or should I say "stister"?), Phoenix gets so excited when he sees her. Now that he is standing up to things it is easier for him to be at the same level as Audrey. Just wait until he starts walking!

p.s. doesn't Phoenix look huge (or Audrey look small) in the picture that she is holding him?

You say tomato!

2010-06-15T13:40:00.001-07:00

I have an anti-talent. I can kill plants like nobody else, and probably faster than anyone else. That is why I purchased an already mature tomato plant from Home Depot about a month ago. There was no way a tomato plant could survive from a young age with me. If there is one thing I love about the summer, it has got to be garden fresh tomatoes. I decided buying a lone tomato plant would make more sense than attempting a box garden this year (I am planning on one for next year...once we buy a house). I have been very good about watering the plant, the sun ripened tomatoes are apparently incentive enough to keep me interested. Anyway, after a month or so of hard labor (OK, so pouring some water into the soil isn't exactly hard) I enjoyed my first tomato today. It makes me wish I would have had a Roma tomato plant and a cherry tomato plant. But I will enjoy this variety for now.

You know you are shopping in the ghetto when...

2010-06-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

you go to the grocery and have a discussion with your husband as to what would be less dangerous, you going into the grocery store while he waits in the car or him going into the grocery store while you wait in the parking lot in the car.
when you are in line in the grocery store the lady behind you is talking about how she isn't sure if she should get really mad at her main squeeze because if she did then she isn't sure that they would ever get back together. After all, him cheating on her was purely for pleasure and nothing emotional (her words, not mine).
when you are in line you see a cop at the front of the store
when you are walking into and out of the grocery store you imagine bullets being shot in your back
when you are in the grocery store you are just waiting for someone to pull out a gun

Um...I don't think I will be returning to that place.

Phoenix Update

2010-06-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Besides being cuter than ever, this little guy has had a busy month and a half. He went from rolling over to army crawling (quite fast I might add), sitting up (he was too stiff for the first 9 months of his life to sit), to crawling up the first few stairs...

to standing up to everything he can!

When Audrey was this age I thought that she was such a big girl, but when I look at Phoenix he seems too small to be doing all of these things. I am so proud of this little guy!

Do you remember what the Doctor said?

2010-06-07T10:10:00.001-07:00

Since last year I have been saying that to Audrey..

The Dr. said you should drink more water

The Dr. said you should stop using your binky

The Dr. said you should brush your teeth

stuff like that. Sometimes I was actually saying what he said (lose the binky) and other times I said it for things I know he would agree with (aka I made up that he said some of the things).

Audrey caught on.

Now she is always saying stuff like

Do you remember what the doctor said? Don't put me in time out

Do you remember what the doctor said? Give me candy

Do you remember what the doctor said? Ice cream gives me strong bones.

Either she has been having a lot of private conversations with the Dr. and he was giving her very poor advice, or she made everything up (my money is on the second option).

What a funny girl...

slacker

2010-06-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

Yup, that's me. Ever since I got back from NY I have been slacking in many of my duties (don't worry, I still fed and bathed my kids). If you think I have been neglecting my blog, you should see (or should I say smell) my house. Yeah...its bad. But I woke up this morning determined to use my time more wisely this week and to be more efficient. I started off with deep conditioning my hair and putting a mask on my face (even my normal beauty routine was somewhat affected last week). Now I am off to disposing of the mountain of diapers that have been stinking up our house.

Treman

2010-06-02T14:04:00.001-07:00

Our day at Treman deserved a post of its own...
Pretty much every year my family would go to Treman (state park in Ithaca) for Memorial and/or Labor Day. It was a fun tradition. We would hike along the waterfalls, and end the day with grilled burgers and dogs, and usually smores.

starting off the hike at the Old Mill

on the hike...

At one point in the hike my Mom slipped on some mud (luckily she wasn't hurt). Audrey said "Mom, what's wrong with your Mom?" and then a few minutes later she said "everyone has excellents".

Travis and Phoenix caught a fish together! (Phoenix was holding the pole...I am just so impressed that Trav caught the fish with Phoenix attached to him!)

eatin some delish food

me and my hunny

We had a great time, Travis keeps talking about how much he loved it.
p.s. congrats to my sister Leah who got engaged last week! Her and Paul are planning an October wedding. I am so excited!