Naylor Notes

Haircut

2012-02-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

So, I forgot to take a good before picture of my hair before I cut it. This is one of the best pictures I have showing the length of my hair, and it was taken in October, almost 4 months ago, so it was even longer just before I cut it.

BEFORE

AFTER

Up close

I got it cut for free. A hair school needed models, so I decided to go for it. They didn't take the time to dry and style it, and when I left the salon I was actually kind of upset. Thankfully, after drying and styling it at home, I found I do like it. I am glad I didn't have to pay to get it fixed or go shorter than I want right now. I cut off a good 5 inches or so probably, it was getting really long. It feels much healthier and lighter and doesn't take nearly as long to dry. A much needed change.

And just for my own sake to see my weight loss progress, I decided to compare a picture of myself back in October when I was finally fitting into my size 6 jeans with a picture of myself today. I am now wearing a size 2. I have dropped 2 jean sizes and have gone from a large top to fitting small & medium. Now that I've lost all of this weight, 35+ lbs. in the past 7 months since Thomas was born, I am wishing that I took more pictures of myself so I could see the transition. Oh, well.

Homemade Bread & Scones

2012-02-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to learn how to bake bread from my mother-in-law for a while now. She is known for her delicious bread. I finally got bread pans for Christmas this year, so I am officially out of excuses! Today was the day. My mother-in-law came over and gave me a tutorial. I made 3 loaves of bread and a batch of scones for lunch. I was so pleased with how they turned out. And Brian was so excited! Now the true test will be whether I can have the same success all by myself!

Scones

Bread

Yummy yummy in my tummy!

Kicking off the month of LOVE

2012-02-03T09:19:00.001-08:00

I have always loved Valentine's, especially the decorations. I just love the red and pink and hearts... it just makes me happy! I know some people who hate the holiday and are bitter because they don't have a Valentine, and honestly this could have easily been me too since I never had a Valentine on Valentine's day until I was married! But, this was never the case. I was always content with a bag of cinnamon lips or cherry hearts shared with my family! I decided to ignore some of the dreary weather outside and brighten up my place with a simple and free craft. I made a heart wreath. All it took was a heart cut out of cardboard, red and pink tissue paper cut into 1" squares, a pencil, Elmer's glue, and a little time... though it went by really fast. This is totally a kid's craft, but I think it turned out pretty cute and from a distance it almost looks like I bought it! :)

Tissue paper squares

Gluing them on

The finished product on my wall

This week my mom came from Utah to Pasco to watch my sister's three kids while they went to Mexico. I don't get to see my mom nearly enough, and since Brian would be busy with end-of-the-month inventory at work, I decided to head to Pasco for a few days. I didn't realize how much I miss talking with my mom until I got several days full of great conversation with her. Whenever we go visit Utah now there is always so much family to talk to that I never get all of the visiting in that I would like. It was nice to have one-on-one time with my mom. Plus, yesterday was her birthday so it was fun to be with her on her special day to celebrate. We went to lunch, and it still cracks me up that she chose Burger King. I would have taken her somewhere nicer but she just wanted a burger. She said it has been a long time since my dad is so serious about his weight watchers goals! ha ha!

My mom with Thomas and Ren

Maybrie and Naomi (when they were playing well together! :))

My mom and the kids eating birthday cake. As always I forgot to get a picture of me with my mom. I am always taking the pictures or too busy with the kids to get around to it! Oh, well. At least I caught a couple shots!

Kicking off this month of love I just want to leave a special love note to my sweet mom! I love you mom and had a great time visiting with you this week. Thanks for your constant love and support and the amazing example you are to me. I love you so much!

First Snow

2012-01-21T15:31:00.001-08:00

After a very warm winter so far, we totally got dumped on this week. I don't know who was more excited... Brian or Maybrie! I had good intentions to take Maybrie out to play in it, but it didn't really let up for the first two days, and then when it did stop, it was dark. That didn't stop us however. After putting Thomas to bed I bundled up Maybrie and myself and we headed out front to play while Brian shoveled. She definitely likes snow a lot more this year than last year... since last year she wouldn't even stand in it! :) Here she is getting decked out in snow gear, anxiously waiting for me to get ready so we could go out!

The first thing she wanted to do was build a snowman, but it was way too powdery. Maybrie didn't care, she enjoyed picking it up and dumping it in piles.

This is how we ended up making a snowman... me drawing it with my boot on the sidewalk!

Maybrie also enjoyed just tromping around in the deep snow!

Afterward we headed inside and enjoyed hot cocoa, with lots of whipped cream and marshmallows, together. Maybrie loved it!

The next day Maybrie couldn't wait for Thomas to take a nap so we could head back outside to play in the snow. This time she decided she wanted to make snow angels herself rather than watch mom and dad do it. She was hilarious!

Here is a little video to see Maybrie's snow angel skills in action! Enjoy!

Beating the January Blues

2012-01-16T15:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have a tendency to get a little depressed during January. The holidays are over, it is cold/gray outside, Brian goes back to work and I try to get back into a routine. This year, I am proud to say that I have been trying really hard to "beat the January blues" and that so far I have been very successful. Here are a few of the ways I have been making this month a happy one:

1. Thomas. Kissing on his chubby cheeks. He just turned 7 months old and is getting so much more personality. He is sitting up on his own and playing with toys. He reaches and grabs and puts everything in his mouth. He has the sweetest smile which always brings one to my face.

2. Potty trained Maybrie. FINALLY! Wahoo! She is often found in her Belle dress, which she earned by going on the potty and staying accident free. Maybrie loves anything princess, dancing, and coloring. She has quite the imagination and I get a kick out of listening to her make-believe play.

3. Craft projects. I like to do things that help make my home cute, clean, and functional. I made a simple Valentine garland by cutting out red and pink hearts with my Cricut machine and stitching them together on my sewing machine. I also made a bow/clip holder for Maybrie’s room by attaching ribbon to a painted wooden bird. The bows were getting lost and smashed in the hair drawer… now, problem solved! The best part about projects like these is that they are free (using items I already have) and fast.

4. Goal setting. I found that most of my goals for the New Year fell into daily/weekly/monthly categories. I wanted to post them in a place that I could check back on my progress often. So I found a chart online, printed it off, filled it out, put it on scrapbook paper, and laminated it. Now I can write on it, adding specifics for each week, check off the things I get done, and do it over and over again throughout the year. It helps me feel organized and productive.

5. Recycling. I decided to recycle this year to save money on a smaller garbage can and help the environment too. I found a great drop off place at a local church and have started sorting recycled items into boxes by category. I just cleared out a place in the storage room to keep them, which should work well since it is right off the kitchen and laundry room. I am amazed by how much of our garbage can be recycled! It is awesome.

6. Laughter. There is nothing I love more than hearing my children laugh. Thomas has the cutest laugh right now, and I finally got a decent clip on camera. Brian and Maybrie are especially good and getting Thomas going. I love it when I catch Maybrie playing with Thomas and making him laugh. It reminds me why I wanted more than one child… so they could be playmates. I love that they love each other.

Confession

2012-01-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

I just received a lovely compliment from a dear friend about how good/thin I am looking. It was especially well-received because she is one of those women who is blessed with long and lean features and always looks gorgeous! In case anyone else sees me or recent pictures of me and thinks a kind thought about my current size... I think I need to be totally honest on how I got here.

You can refer back to a post I did back in Sept/Oct about my weight loss to catch part of the story. Here is my complete summary to answer her and anyone else's questions.

I had Thomas in June and then started exercising and trying to eat healthier when he was 6 weeks old, roughly the beginning of August. I really focused on it because, having never really exercised before having kids, it took me a long time to lose weight after Maybrie and I never really reached a size I was happy with. I gave myself points for the good exercise and eating habits going on, and some weeks managed to exercise almost everyday and abstain from sweets all together. I really got the habit to stick. It was great! But, one must also realize that aside from taking care of my kids, keeping my house in order, and exercising... I didn't do a whole lot.

Sometime near the end of September as we were packing and moving things began to take a turn for the worse. Postpartum depression was setting in, and within a few weeks I was really sick. I was feeling major anxiety and waking each morning with (to sum up grotesque symptoms) stomach flu. I still exercised a little until I reached the point of feeling too sick and week that I simply did not have the energy, nor did I think it healthy. I began dropping weight like crazy. The few nutrients I was able to force into my body seemed to go directly to Thomas through breastfeeding.

Thankfully I found some great doctors here and was able, through some rough trial and error, find medication that helped even me out, so to speak. I have been feeling MUCH better and like myself again since probably Thanksgiving. Brian kept telling me that my weight loss would be the silver lining when I came out of my hard fall into depression. He was right. I managed to fit into my box of "skinny" clothes that I wore when we first met and got married. Something I honestly wasn't sure would be possible again after having kids.

While I have lost a lot of weight and inches overall, the biggest area is in my legs. I am actually now shrinking out of my size 6 "skinny" jeans. On our anniversary just before Christmas we went to the Gap outlet and I was absolutely stunned to find the pants that now fit correctly are size 4! Brian kindly bought me my first pair of skinny jeans, in size 4, for Christmas. I am getting back into exercising and have managed to workout a few times a week for several weeks now. It feels good. I also find that my body likes me a lot more when I stay away from the sweets. I try to keep them out of the house, or at least in a cupboard out of sight. This has been harder with the holidays and birthdays, in which cases I can usually get by limiting myself to one serving a day, usually dessert after dinner.

So you ask how I lost all the weight? The truth is part of the credit goes to me and dedication to diet and exercise, and the other part goes to my undesirable depression. I would recommend the first method over the latter. And even though I am pleased with the way I look right now, I have mixed feelings when I get a compliment and am sometimes unsure how to respond. I think I will just graciously say thank you. I think that making it through my postpartum depression was as much work as exercise and eating healthier. So, I suppose I will accept any pats on the back I receive! And THANKS to those who have shared kind comments on the way I look outwardly right now, and does a lot to improve the way I look at myself inwardly too!

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

I figure if I post my goals for the year, maybe I will be more likely to achieve them. I am constantly making lists and goals on a daily/ weekly basis, so I am going to try and be realistic and set just a few that I may actually be able to accomplish this year.

Exercise 3 times a week
Read the entire Book of Mormon from start to finish
Try one new recipe a month
Have date night each week
Attend the temple once a month
100% on visiting teaching each month

Happy New Year!

2012-01-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Brian and I rang in the new year of 2012 by enjoying some quiet time alone together, listening to music and putting together a puzzle. It was a busy day with Elizabeth's wedding, and it was the perfect way to unwind and finish off a great day and year. A new year means time to start fresh on some goals. Now that the holidays are over and things have slowed down a bit at home, I am trying to busy myself with new projects and activities to break up the sometimes mundane routine of taking care of our house and two little ones. Basically, I have been making lots of lists... I'll let you know when I actually follow through and accomplish something! Wish you all the best in the new year and am looking forward to making it a great one for me and my family!

Maybrie's 3rd Brithday

2012-01-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

I have a 3 year old! I can't believe it! Maybrie Rae turned 3 on Friday, January 6th. All week we have been all things princess as I went full force with what feels like the trillionth attempt at potty training Maybrie and in preparation for her Princess birthday party at the end of the week. Maybrie has had three accident-free days this week and as a reward for all of her hard work she got this Belle princess dress on her birthday. She was thrilled about the dress and is quite satisfied with her potty training progress (as am I)! Here she is on her special day, thoroughly enjoying dressing up as a princess. She spent most of the day twirling/dancing around the house!Maybrie also enjoyed helping me make sugar cookies for her "Crown" birthday cake. She spent most of her time pretending to make "pie" with the flour and little ball of dough I gave her to play with.

On Saturday we had some of her aunts, uncles, and cousins over for a Princess party! We ate yummy sub sandwiches for lunch. The girl cousins showed up in princess dresses and Maybrie helped me make wands and crowns to hand out to her cousins for the party as well. It was so fun to see the girls play, even Aidan and Tyler enjoyed the wands! Thanks to all who came and made Maybrie's birthday so fun and special!

All things princess- wands and tiaras

Here is my best attempt at a creative birthday cake. I found this crown cookie cake on Disney's family fun website. Maybrie loved it!

Birthday time!

(Tyler, Daphne, Lindsey, Lori, Thomas, Olivia, Maybrie, Naomi)

Excited birthday girl!

Maybrie got a Tangled Scrapbook Set from the Morales family. She LOVES to color, and has already had a ball with it!

We gave Maybrie the Little People castle (thanks to Emily who hand it down to us now that Emma has outgrown it). All of the kids were pretty excited to play with it!

Pretty princesses

(Naomi not pictured, and Lindsey's Cinderella dress already put away. I got busy playing hostess and didn't snag a picture till they were heading out the door!)

Happy birthday baby girl! We sure love you!

Elizabeth and Jon's Wedding

2012-01-07T21:05:00.001-08:00

On New Year's Eve Brian's sister Elizabeth married Jonathan Robbins in the Columbia River temple. It was a beautiful sealing and we were grateful that my sister Jessica was able to watch the kids so that Brian and I could attend. It is always nice to attend weddings and remember the covenants we made ourselves. I wish I had a nice picture of Jon and Elizabeth at the temple or reception, but I forgot my camera at the first place and was too busy chasing kids at the second. They are a very happy couple and we wish them all the best!

Cutting the cake

The cousins' table- Maybrie, Emma, Lindsey, and Olivia had the cutest matching dresses (again, I wish I had a picture of them together)

Thomas was a happy boy and loved the attention from out-of-town relatives

Our family all dressed up

Me, Lisa, Lori, and Maybrie

Maybrie loved my bridesmaid bouquet and her pretty blue dress!

So cute!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

This year I enjoyed baking some Christmas goodies. I made some of the traditional ones like Lemon Bars and then added something new that was easy and sounded good like brownies with peppermint frosting and candy cane bits on top.

On Friday, Dec. 23rd we headed down to my sister Jessica's house to celebrate Christmas "Adam" for the third year in a row. Basically we have our traditional Reynolds' family Christmas Eve dinner of clam chowder/ vegetable chowder, bread bowls, salmon log, etc. It is our way of carrying on the Reynolds traditions that we don't get to carry on with our in-laws. We spent the night there too so that we could have more time to visit. We had a lot of yummy food and visiting.

Ren and Thomas holding hands

Daphne and Thomas

Thomas and Ren playing together in Bumbos

We headed back home on Christmas Eve to celebrate with our little family on our own for the first time.

We made sugar cookies to leave out for Santa.

After baths and decorating the cookies we read the Christmas story from the bible. Maybrie got really into it and loved moving the nativity pieces as we re-told the story.

Maybrie loved it so much we actually had to re-tell it 3 times.

Maybrie gathered all of the characters around in a circle to make sure they could see baby Jesus. I was amazed that with all of the Santa stuff on Christmas Eve, Maybrie's favorite part was the nativity story. Leave it to a child to help us remember the true reason for celebrating Christmas. What a sweetheart!

We opened one present each... pajamas, read The Night Before Christmas, and tucked the kids into bed.

Here is a little glimpse of our Christmas decorations. We didn't have much, but it was enough and brought the Christmas spirit into our home.

Stockings hung

Cookies set out for Santa

Brian and I had so much fun playing Santa this year. We watched Sound of Music on TV while we got everything set up. We had so much fun. I was so excited I couldn't fall asleep until 1am!

Stockings filled

Presents set out... Santa brought Maybrie a shopping cart that she has been filling and pushing all over the house, and Thomas got a Little People Christmas train and Elmo.

Brian set up his train he had as a kid and Maybrie has gotten a kick out of it all week.

Thomas was the first one up at 7am. He really enjoyed his first stocking stuffer- keys. It was a long hour for me waiting for Maybrie and Brian to wake!

Maybrie opening her stocking

I made Maybrie some play makeup by filling old compacts with nail polish. It was sitting out with her stocking. She was so funny and had to open them all up, line them up, and put each one on before she would open anything else! Best free gift EVER!

After breakfast and getting ready we headed down to Grandview for church and Christmas dinner.

The cutest Santa EVER!

Festive Turkey dinner

We had a lovely Christmas and especially enjoyed starting some of our own traditions with our little family. We hope all of you had a Christmas as merry as ours!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2011

Quick recap of the year:

Brian got a job as the assistant plant manager/account manager at RE Powell, a fuel/ lubricant distributor
We moved from Brian's parents house in Grandview to a duplex in Yakima in May to be close to Brian's work
We welcomed Thomas to our family on June 16th
Brian, unfortunately, did not get accepted to dental school this year. However, we are very grateful he has a good job that offers a stable alternative career path
We moved into a house in September, which we are renting while the owner's try to sell it
I am serving as the youth Sunday school teacher and Brian is the executive secretary in our ward
Brian and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary

It has been another eventful year for our family with many changes. We feel very blessed to have the gospel and so many wonderful friends and family in our lives. We hope that this holiday season is full of peace and joy for you and your families.

Our scanner isn't working so I had to take pictures of the pictures of the kids. Not very clear, but you can still see how cute they are!

Maybrie 2, Thomas 6 months

This holiday season Maybrie is really excited and totally catching onto the idea of Santa Clause and the Nativity story. October and November were hard months for me as I dealt with severe postpartum depression. I simply wasn't myself and was basically in survival mode, only accomplishing the bare minimum. As a result, Maybrie didn't get the attention I would typically like to give her. She spent a lot of time at different friend's houses because I was so sick. The week of Thanksgiving I finally came out of my depression and have been taking advantage of the fact that I feel like myself again. I think I went a little overboard trying to make up for lost time with my kids and tried to make lots of special holiday memories with Maybrie. I took her to lots of free events and tried to do fun, inexpensive projects with her at home. As I look at all we have done, I realize how much fun we have had and am truly grateful for this holiday season and the joy it has brought to me and my little family. Here are a couple of the things we did this past week:

We had a couple friends over to make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. Maybrie was more interested in eating the candy than decorating, so I did a lot of it. :)

Avery, Maybrie, and Sadie

Within a half hour of our friends leaving I found Maybrie already attacking the house and eating the candy off of it. So I snapped a picture real quick before it was gone!

On Saturday, Dec. 17th we went to the Bavarian village of Leavenworth with Jessica and Justin and their kids. In hindsight, it probably wasn't worth the drive and the lighting ceremony wasn't really worth facing the crowd to see. It is probably better to visit without kids. They simply don't understand window shopping, and we spent a lot of our time making sure they didn't touch everything in the shops! We made the best of it though and still had fun being together.

Naomi, Daphne and Maybrie with the Nutcracker outside the clock shop

Brian with Thomas in the pack

Maybrie all bundled up enjoying a sample of fudge

We saw a pretty well done 20 minute live nativity presentation

Maybrie and Ren being cute at dinner

Ho HO Ho!

Merry Christmas from our jolly little Santa Thomas!

6 Months Old

2011-12-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

Our little man is already half a year old... 6 months! I can't believe it. He is such a kissable chub and has the sweetest smile that shoots straight to the heart. He is cooing, laughing, grabbing, and is just showing his personality more and more all the time. He even shocked us two weeks ago with his first tooth- bottom L front (Maybrie didn't get one till she was 11 months). He is close to sitting up on his own, but doesn't seem too interested in rolling much yet... maybe it is just too much work with all those cute rolls he packs around! :) He currently weighs 20 lbs 12 oz. I get my daily strength training by packing him around!

Our little Tommy Lee

He LOVES his exersaucer, as do I because it keeps him entertained and allows me to get things done!

CUTEST picture EVER! Cracks me up!

Thomas tried rice cereal and so far he seems to like it. He really wants to grab the spoon and shove his hands in with each bite too... so we'll see how messy a eater he is!

Here is a little video I caught of Maybrie making him laugh. He can really get going sometimes, and this doesn't catch his awesome belly laugh very well... but he is still pretty darn cute in this! Enjoy!

Happy 6 months Thomas! We love you!

Christmastime is here!

2011-12-10T08:03:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday we had a chance to hit two fun free holiday events in Sunnyside on our way to and from stopping in at Brian's parents house in Grandview. The first was decorating Christmas cookies with Mrs. Claus and Santa at the Darigold Factory. It was packed and we forgot to bring in our camera, so here is Maybrie enjoying her cookies and milk when we reached grandma's house!

She liked her gummy bears... she actually dumped a few extra into her box! But the gumdrops got chewed and spit out... too spicy!

I, of course, got to decorate and enjoy Thomas's cookies for him!

That night we headed to the Lighted Farmers Implement Parade.

We missed it last year, my first year living in the Yakima Valley, because of our ward Christmas party, and I have been anxious to see what all the fuss is about! Now I know what everyone is oohing and aahing over! Great Grandma and Grandpa Noble, Marcia, Elizabeth, and Thomas stayed in the warm car while Brian and I braved the freezing cold with Maybrie. It was well-worth it!

Mommy & Maybrie

I love seeing this huge farming equipment plastered in lights! I would say it is a small town's version of Disney's Electrical Parade!

Maybrie & Daddy

We saw MANY Santa's, which Maybrie was thrilled to point out each one!

Peanuts

Once Maybrie saw another kids on up on their dad's shoulders... it was all over for Brian! Though she did help keep his ears warm for him!

This Coca-Cola truck was our favorite! Lots of the trucks had music playing too, and it is just hard to capture the moving lights and everything with still pictures, but you can get the idea!

Sheer joy! Maybrie was in heaven. The first 15 minutes or so it was hilarious to watch her bob in and out of the legs of adults to get a better look at what was coming next. She talked about the lights all week! It was a great weekend for piling on the cheer!

Though we have put up our Christmas decorations at home, they are a little sparse. I was frustrated that our pathetic front door won't close with a wreath door hanger on it, so I decided I could come up with something lightweight to hold up with a small nail. This is what I came up with... It took entirely too long, pulling me away from household duties and other projects that really do need doing... but I had fun- something I like to call personal craft creative therapy! (Funny thing is after all that work it is TOO flimsy to stay on the front door. The cold will curl it right up! But I did get a dollar store find for the door, so my annoying itch of the week has been scratched! :) Happy Holidays everyone!

Thanksgiving Utah Trip

2011-12-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

This year we were able to go down to Utah and spend Thanksgiving with my family. Everyone but my brother Chris, in California, and my brother Spencer, who is on his mission in Mexico, were there. Several of my siblings hadn't had a chance to meet Thomas yet either, so it was fun to see everyone. My parents house was FULL for Thanksgiving dinner... 42 people!

Daddy and a tired Maybrie... she didn't nap much during the trip!

Jessica and Grandpa Jack

Tim and Jalene

My mom and Aunt Cami

Helen and Grace

Dad

Eliza and Rachel

Jane, Tim, Penelope

Chad

Saturday, the 26th was Brian's 26th birthday! While attending BYU he worked on a major landscaping project, which was completed after he left. It made his day to go down and see the finished project... a 1/2 mile pathway along a waterway with several water features. The water was off for the winter, but it was still amazing to see. And of course no trip down to our Alma Mater would be complete without a stop at the BYU Bookstore and lunch at our favorite Burgers Supreme! We have so many fond memories of our time at BYU.

Me and Maybrie

Me and Brian

That night we had pizza and birthday cake over at my sister Hillary's house.

Jalene, Justin, Jessica, Jane

Penelope, Tim, Brian, Garrek, Helen, Eliza

Happy Birthday Brian and Helen (her birthday was on Thanksgiving day)!

Garrek and Thomas

Ashley and Afton

Can you stand this face?! Oh, I love you Thomas!

Heather and Grace

Anna, Tim, Jane

Mom and Dad

After the party we went down to the Shops at the Riverwoods to ride the carousel at Provo Beach Resort, visit Santa, and see the Gingerbread house display and lights. We even packed Hot Chocolate to enjoy! It was a great way to welcome the Christmas season!

Justin, Ren, Naomi

Maybrie was so excited to ride a "horsey" until we got on and she freaked out and chose to sit on the bench with mommy. I couldn't believe it! Oh, well. She still had fun.

Thomas was so smiley all bundled up in his stroller. I think he loved all of the attention he got from the family!

Santa's house

Everyone waiting in line to meet Santa

Maybrie and daddy

Ashley and Eliza

Cesar, Noelle, Howiw

Anna and Tim

The twins

Maybrie was excited about Santa the whole time, but of course, like a typical two-year-old, chickened out when she got right up to him! So no picture of Maybrie sitting on Santa's lap this year!

Thomas

Garrek

Howie

Me and Brian

We had a lovely holiday! I was especially grateful this year because the last couple months I have struggled through post-partum depression, and finally started feeling like myself again just before the trip. My appetite returned just in time for the Thanksgiving feast, which I enjoyed thoroughly! This Thanksgiving I really had a chance to reflect on my many blessings, which seem abundant to me right now after feeling like I was living under a cloud for a little while. I am so grateful for modern medicine and a good doctor. I am grateful for kind ward members who helped me when I needed it most, and for the good friends that have been made as a result. I am truly grateful for a loving and supportive family and the chance to be around those who understand me best. Mostly I am grateful for my Savior and the comforter, without which I could not endure any trial, no matter the size. I love the holidays and the opportunity they bring to reflect on what truly matters most.

October Days

2011-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

I have been a little busy and have decided to just do one big post for the month of October to wrap up all the highlights. This will basically be our month in photos, with a few captions! Enjoy!

Fall means pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to me! Maybrie quite enjoyed making and eating them too.

Brian and I were lucky enough to go to the BYU football game in Corvallis, Oregon against the Oregon State Beavers. It was Thomas' first trip, and he did quite well. Thank you to Tony and Amy Christensen for inviting us and to mom and dad Naylor for watching Maybrie while we were gone and to Emily(Brian's sister) for putting us up for the night. We drove down to Portland Friday afternoon and enjoyed yummy Thai food with Tony and Amy and then stayed the night with Emily and Jeremiah and their kids in Vancouver. We had fun visiting with family briefly. We drove down to the game the next morning and headed back home (well, to Brian's parents' house in Grandview) right after the game. It was a quick trip, but a fun getaway for us.

Headed to the game... we wished we had warm clothes for Thomas in Cougar colors!

Brian, Thomas under the blanket, Tony and Amy

Me, Brian, and sleeping Thomas :)

Our cute cuddly teddy bear all bundled up!

We won the game! Go Cougars!

(Thomas doesn't seem as excited about the win as we were!)

Our happy traveler

Just playing with daddy

Full grin... this little cutie is now 4 months old and weighs a whopping 18 lbs! Wow!

Halloween preview... Thomas as a monkey

We had the pleasure of having my sisters Ashley and Noelle and their kids come visit from Utah. They stayed with my sister Jessica and her family in Pasco, but they all came up to Yakima on Saturday the 22nd. We had a picnic in the park and then went to a free harvest festival at Barrett Orchards. I didn't do a very good job of documenting the visit between chasing kids and enjoying conversation, but here is a little snapshot.

Pumpkins picked in the pumpkin patch

Maybrie, Afton, Maeryn and Howie in the toddler hay maze

Maybrie and Howie

The twins

Maybrie and Howie on the tractor

Daddy and Maybrie

(in case you can see a cotton swab in Brian's ear, he burst his ear drum in a work accident the day before. He was such a trooper to join us despite the pain.)

The fam minus Thomas asleep in the stroller

Kids playing school outside the gift shop

Maybrie loved it!

Howie on his mommy's shoulders

Noelle and Howie

The following Monday I headed down to Pasco and spent a couple of days visiting.

All tuckered out

Maybrie's favorite, swinging, at Columbia River Park

Ren

Eliza

Daphne and Thomas

Mean while, back at home...

Thomas fell asleep at the dinner table

One night we wanted pizza...so we added up all of our change we could find and had enough for one hot and ready pizza! It was an awesome frugal Friday!

Family time!

Thomas happy in his swing.

Maybrie thought cleaning out the pumpkins was yucky, but thought it was hilarious on mommy's hand!

Halloween memories

All lit up! They turned out great!

Elizabeth and Jon joined us for the pumpkin carving

Can you guess what we were?!

Smores!

(Thanks to Scott and Brittany Olsen!)

Tired from all the monkeying around

Go Huskies...I know it's not BYU, but the outfit was free. Brian's second favorite University.

Check out the loot!

Maybrie loved lining up all her candy and putting it back into her bucket

Such a cutie!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Progress

2011-10-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

#1: Healthy Lifestyle/ Weight loss

After I had Maybrie I discovered that I did not know how to exercise and really lose weight. Up until that point in my life, maintaining weight was all I really knew how to or needed to do. It took me a long time to figure out how to exercise and watch my eating habits. I was looking forward to doing a better job losing the baby weight after having Thomas, now that I have developed some good fitness habits. Here is the plan that I came up with back in July when Thomas was 6 weeks old:

I made a daily point system: 1 point for exercise, 1 point for eating my fruit/vegetable servings, and -1 point for extra treats (I was allowed one small sweet a day... cutting it completely never works for me)

I set the goal to earn 50 points, hoping that achieving that would have set the habits and shown some results as well.

I measured my waist and butt. I don't have a scale and I am more concerned with losing inches to fit into my old clothes than I am about the exact weight.

I am pleased to announce that I reached my goal and that the results have been very exciting!

I reached the 50 points before the move, but the weight and measurements are current, and show the change that occurred since July 18th, over a 2 1/2 month period.

I lost 2 1/2 inches from my waist

I lost 3 1/2 inches from my butt

I lost 16 pounds!

I am currently the weight I was when Maybrie was 15 months old, and Thomas will be only 4 months old this week! I am amazed what some self control, dedication, exercise, and healthy eating choices can do. I have moved down a size in clothes and am just thrilled that all of my hard work is paying off! I am only 5 lbs. away from my goal weight and now actually feel that maybe someday I will reach my dream weight! Below is a picture of me right now. I didn't take many pictures of myself after Thomas was born, so you may not be able to tell without a comparison picture next to it.

#2: Sleep

Thomas has been sleeping in his car seat since he was a few weeks old because of his colic and reflux. We would cushion it with several blankets, but I still felt kind of bad about it. The incline helped him sleep. This past week we transitioned him to his crib, laying him on his stomach, and I am thrilled to say it was a smooth transition. Thomas now sleeps in his crib! Yay!

With so much going on since the move, and having a never ending to do list, I find it important to celebrate the progress we're making, no matter how small.

Our New Home

2011-10-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

We found someone living within our ward boundaries who wants renters while they try to sell their house. For the same rent amount we get a house that is twice the size of our old duplex. It may cost a little more because we are now paying all utilities, but not much. We moved in two weeks ago at the end of September, and though everything is not completely unpacked and set up the way I want it, I figure if I don't post it now, it will never happen! While this place is old and could use a lot of updating in the kitchen, new paint, and flooring... there are still plenty of reasons we are happier here. Some of the positive upgrades from our old duplex include: carport, better neighborhood (we didn't like living right next to the high school and backed up to a busy street), no neighbors to hear through the walls, a garbage disposal, an extra bedroom, an extra half bathroom, a storage room, central air/heat (rather than base board heat- would have made me nervous with the kids), more light, more space, and more storage!

While we've taken the risk that the house could sell before we are ready to move, we are feeling good about the decision. The owner's are asking a lot for the place and we figure that with all the updating the house needs, it won't sell soon at all. When we find a problem with the place we can turn it into a positive by saying it will keep buyers away!

Here is a little picture tour of our new home:

View of living room from front door

View of living room from opposite side

Dining (you can kind of see the backyard through the blinds)

View of kitchen from dining

Laundry room off kitchen

Half bath off laundry room

Small bedroom/den we are using as a storage room

Huge multi-purpose room: our playroom/ office

Office area

Down the hall from the living/ dining you find:

The bathroom (you can kind of see the tub/shower in the mirror)

Maybrie's room

Thomas' room

Master bedroom

We are still working on it, finding places for everything and making it look and feel like home. But we are pretty well settled. Maybrie loves all of the colors and is constantly pointing out the yellow or blue walls, pink carpet, etc. in our "Geen" (she doesn't say the r sound) house! She loves all of the space to run around and play in too. Hopefully we will be here until we know where we're going for dental school.

3 months old

2011-09-14T13:13:00.001-07:00

Thomas is 3 months old today! It seems like it has flown by faster than it did with Maybrie, probably because I am keeping with two little kiddies instead of one now! Thomas has been growing out of his fussiness for the most part. He sleeps pretty good stretches at night, often 6+ hours, but he is still sleeping in his car seat. I can't get him to stay asleep laying flat in the bassinet or crib for more than 15 minutes. It's frustrating, but hopefully he will grow out of it and move to the crib soon. He is getting stronger all the time and holds his head up pretty well. He like to sit in the bumbo, in the bouncer, in the corner of the couch, or just lay out on a blanket. It has been nice to sit him down and have him actually be content for short stretches of time while I get other stuff done. The best new thing he finally started doing over a week ago is smiling! He has such a cute smile. Brian, Maybrie and I have been loving his sweet smiles, coos, and occasional laughs. He is starting to show his little personality. Here are some pictures of our 3 month old:

Watching his first BYU football game with daddy.

We're training him young! Go cougars! :)

Getting stronger

And now for his sweet smile... the angle of this picture REALLY enhances his chub!

Happy boy

So loved by his big sister Maybrie

He likes bath time now too.

We love you Thomas!

Thomas' Birth Story

2011-09-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to complete Thomas' birth story. The last three months have been a little crazy and finally I got it done! You don't have to read it all but if anyone is interested here it is. Happy 3 months Thomas!

On Tuesday, June 14th I went to my scheduled doctor appointment. I would be 37 weeks the next day. My Dr. told me that if I was dilated to a 5 I could go to the hospital and have the baby. They could help me with some petocin since I would be full term. The doctor checked me and I was indeed dilated to a 5. He decided to hook me up to a monitor to watch the contractions for an hour and then check again. If I changed we would go to the hospital. I got all hooked up and no contractions were showing up. At this point I had had so many contractions and been in so much pain that it was hard to tell what pain was what anymore. I was so upset by the idea of again going home to wait for who knows how much longer that I completely lost it and bawled my eyes out. They went ahead and unhooked me since there was nothing to see. The doctor said to "give him a chance" and let him check me again before I left. The second check was about 40 minutes after the first, and lo and behold I was dilated to a 6! I was shocked and didn't understand. The doctor said that the monitor probably wasn't picking up the contractions simply because my cervix was way back behind the baby's head. He told me to go to the hospital and he'd meet me there! I can't even begin to explain the sense of relief that came over me.

Since Brian met me at my appointment straight from work, we drove home to drop off the work truck and then drove to the hospital in our car together. During the car ride my contractions really started to pick up and I was ready to get to the hospital and get some drugs. I checked in at about 5 pm. It took a little while to get all checked in and get the IV going. The nurse burst a vein twice trying to get it in… ugh! I was really impatient waiting for all of the IV fluid to enter my system so that I could get an epidural. There was a shift change an hour or two after I got there and when my nurse walked in I looked up and said, “Oh, I know you. I like you. Good.” She smiled and said thanks. Her name was Dani and I had spoken to her on the phone for about twenty minutes and had her as a nurse a week or so prior on one of the nights I went in to try to stop contractions. She felt like a sister and was very laid back. I was so relieved to have a good nurse for the actual delivery.

By the time the anesthesiologist came up and gave me the epidural, I was really hurting. It wasn’t as smooth and painless going in as it was when I had Maybrie, but it wasn’t bad either. During the first half hour after receiving the epidural, I thought I could feel it starting to kick in. But I soon realized that it was only in my mind. I was having extremely intense concentrated pain on my left side with each contraction. I found myself singing “I Need Thee Every Hour” in my head each time a contraction came, focusing on the words to push through. I was actually quite amazed with myself and the fact that those were the words running through my head instead of profanity (which entered my mind during a few of the other painful moments of the previous weeks). The nurse kept giving me more medicine through the epidural until I was maxed out and it was pretty clear it wasn’t working. We tried laying me on my left side to see if the medicine would drop over onto that side. It didn’t work. The anesthesiologist came back up and said he was sorry it didn’t work on the left side, but that there wasn’t anything he could do. I was livid!

Around 10 pm or so, the doctor checked me and I was still just staying dilated at an 8. By the way, can I just say how much I loved Dr. Maganito and the fact that he was there at the hospital checking in throughout the whole process. He was so awesome! So, he said that the position of the baby’s head was preventing my cervix from dilating completely and that we had to get the cervix moved up to the front. I was feeling so much pain and pressure to push already at this point. The doctor talked me through some pushes while he actually reached in and moved the cervix himself. It was crazy and painful. Once it was in position he said that he would come back and check on me in an hour and see if I was ready to push.

About ten minutes later I had the craziest feeling ever and told Brian that I thought I was going to poo or something and that I couldn’t stop my body from pushing. He tried to calm me and then stepped out to get the doctor. Dr. Maganito walked in pretty calmly with the nurse trailing behind, saying he would take a look and see if I had changed. When he moved around to the bottom of the bed everything turned into a humorous scene from a movie. He said, “Whoa! We’re having a baby!” Gloves and papers started flying as he started re-positioning the bed and foot rests to deliver. All kinds of order were being shouted out, and he even managed to poke his head out the door to Marcia (my mother-in-law) and say “The baby’s coming!” The doctor kept telling me not to push yet and I was thinking, “Are you nuts!?” He said don’t push or you will tear, and believe me I was doing the best I could! With Brian and Dani at my sides and the doctor at the end of the bed, he talked me through two really good pushes. It was the most horrible pain I’ve ever felt in my life. It was all totally foreign to me because I didn’t feel any of it with Maybrie. The next thing I knew there was crying and Thomas was lying on my chest. It was 10:45pm. I was in shock and disbelief. I was so exhausted I could barely even process the whole event. I remember he looked so big to me and I couldn’t believe that I had just pushed him out of me! A few minutes later, while the nurse was cleaning up Thomas, I told the doctor I was sorry but I was going to poo. He laughed and said, “Oh no. That’s the placenta!” Another shock… I didn’t know how any of this felt because I didn’t feel it when I delivered Maybrie.

Thomas weighed 6 lbs. 12.9 oz. and was 19 inches long. He was born at 36 weeks and 6 days, a day before full term, so he is technically considered pre-term. Thomas was kind of making a purring sound. The doctor and nurses were concerned that he was working too hard to breathe. They kept checking and re-checking him all through the night, but everything was normal. I was floored when I found out that there is no nursery at Yakima Memorial Hospital. I was so looking forward to the nurses taking Thomas and getting a good night sleep. However, without the nursery Thomas stayed in my room and his soft purring kept me up all night, not to mention I had the most uncomfortable bed ever. Due to the fact the nurse was concerned about his breathing the first night she did come in and check on us a lot. I had some help changing diapers and getting the things that I needed. However, the next night was a completely different story. I had to change Thomas’ diapers and didn’t get any sleep. The nurses actually seemed annoyed when I asked for help. I was so exhausted and upset. I couldn’t wait to get home and be with Brian so he could help. The hospital food wasn’t the greatest either. Brian enjoyed it but it just didn’t hit the spot for me. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with the Hospital and service. On the other hand, I LOVED my doctor and both Thomas and I were all right.

I couldn’t have been more thrilled to have him out of me. He couldn’t be more beautiful. I feel truly blessed to have delivered a healthy baby. The wait was worth it.

Overdue update on Maybrie

2011-09-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

So I have been meaning to write an update on Maybrie for months now, but have been a little preoccupied since Thomas' arrival. She is learning and growing so much, and I really need to jot down some of the fun things she is doing right now before I forget.

At 2 1/2 years old, Maybrie definitely has a lot of personality. She is a little smarty pants. When first meeting someone Maybrie may seem a little shy, but don't be deceived, she will soon talk your ear off! Maybrie loves to talk and has a pretty large vocabulary. She can be found with a phone in her hand often, and whenever Brian or I are on the phone she almost always says she wants to talk, no matter who it is! After she has spent time with someone, they are usually the favorite person to pretend call over and over for the rest of the week. She is getting good at saying prayers now, which is really cute. She loves to sing. She can sing all or most of the nursery songs (I am a Child of God, Popcorn Popping, Once there was a snowman, etc.). I also find her trying really hard to sing her ABC's and sing along with Disney movies. Lately she has even been making up her own songs about whatever we are doing... it's pretty funny!

Maybrie is all girl. Here is a list of many of the things she loves right now: purses, bracelets and necklaces, phones, make up (though I don't let her play with it), having her nails painted, baby dolls (especially "Baby Belle"), her mini trampoline, coloring and drawing (especially color wonder markers), stickers, dancing (she can really shake her hips), magnetic letters, puzzles, books, shapes, colors (she is obsessed with pointing out colors and matching!), playing at the playground, going on walks (we got a double stroller off of Craig's list so she can have her own seat), going places (she's always saying she wants to go somewhere... usually to the store or the Dr.- can you tell the few places I take them to?), watching movies (she now knows how to handle DVD's and put them in the Blu-ray player... crazy!), taking pictures with the camera (I gave her our old one that is basically dead to keep her from trying to play with our digital camera), riding her plasma car in the backyard, etc. etc. I'm sure I could come up with more, but that is a good summary for now!

Maybrie can be quite feisty and even bossy. She is very particular in what she wants. She has started picking out her own clothes, which can be interesting. Her hair is totally covering her eyes, but putting clips or pony tails in to keep her hair back is like pulling teeth! Sometimes her particulars carry over to what we do too, like which seat we sit in at meal times and which blanket Thomas uses. She can throw quite a temper tantrum when things don't go her way. She is a total Momma's girl and wants me all the time. This probably has a lot to do with Thomas taking so much of my attention away from her.

Maybrie is a very funny, bright little girl. She can push my buttons sometimes, but most of the time I just can't believe how cute she is. Her little voice is so adorable right now and she just brings a smile to my face. I love you Maybrie baby!

Chubba Bubba

2011-08-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Thomas is a whopping 13 + lbs. now, and boy are we enjoying his chub! He is just too kissable right now. I find myself coming up with all kinds of nicknames like sumo baby, chubbubins, porkins, etc. He is our little rollie pollie and we can't get enough of him!

Big blue eyes

This really doesn't look comfortable to me... but when he's asleep, we don't move him!

Chillin' with daddy after bath time

Seriously, check out those back rolls!

Little Buddha

Maybrie can't get enough of him either! Check out this sibling love!

I don't know if you can see it here or not, but you can get lost in that roll on his thigh!

Just being cute!

Oh, I could just kiss on them all day (and I do)!

Playtime with Thomas

2011-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

So, today when I got out of the shower I found Maybrie busy entertaining Thomas. She got him Barbies to play with! :) I overheard her saying, "These are your friends. Be nice to your friends!" She repeated it with force. Can you tell we've had that conversation with her lately?!

Then when Thomas got a little restless and upset with the dolls stuffed in around him, Maybrie ran to get him a "baby" toy! She insisted I help him hold it. He seemed a little more content with that toy suggestion.

As I got dressed I watched Maybrie run back and forth between her bedroom and the bathroom with more toys. When I went back into the bathroom to check on Thomas I found him like this! Maybrie is already playing dress up with him! I totally cracked up with the whole play session. Now that Thomas is more alert, Maybrie is ready to play!

Poor Thomas doesn't stand a chance! :)

Thomas' Trick

2011-08-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

The other night Brian was playing with Thomas and made a funny discovery. Whenever you blow in Thomas' face he sticks out his tongue. It is a pretty cute little game we like to play with him. Check it out!

2 Months Old

2011-08-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Thomas is now 2 months old. I can't believe it! It has been a real whirlwind since he was born. Yesterday I attempted to create this post and I only got the pictures up. I was tempted to simply say, "Thomas is 2 months old and still crying!" It was one of those days where I couldn't put him down for more than 5 minutes before he started screaming. So, he spent the vast majority of the day in my arms, which means I didn't get a single thing done all day. While there are still days like that on occasion, Thomas' colic is getting a lot better. He takes a pretty good morning nap and only wakes once or twice in the night. Of course he is still sleeping in his car seat... the incline helps him a lot. Whenever we lay him flat in the bassinet or crib, he wakes crying within 5 or 10 minutes. Also, I had a friend make a sling for me which allows me to use both hands while holding him. He gets really fussy at the end of the day right when I am supposed to be making dinner, so it is typical that the only way to get dinner on the table by the time Brian comes home from work is to hold Thomas in the sling while I scurry around the kitchen! I often am very relieved when Brian walks through the door at the end of the day!

Thomas is much more alert now and we get to see his big dark blue(?) eyes often. He eats like a champ and is really porking up! He is much chubbier than Maybrie was at this age. He has a total double chin, chubby cheeks, and rolls on his thighs and even back! He is adorable. Though he has been a much more difficult baby than Maybrie (most would be, she was a total angel!) we are so grateful to have him in our family. I appreciate the sweet moments at the end of the day when I cuddle him before bedtime. (P.S. He is a HUGE cuddle bug!) It reminds me how much I love him and gives me strength to push through another day. Here are some recent pictures of him. I really need to take more, but I guess when Thomas asks why he has no pictures of this age I will just tell him that I chose to hold him to calm the crying instead of take pictures of him!

Look at how big I'm getting!

I love my pacifier!

I am getting a total out-y(sp?) belly button because my tummy is so chubby!

Double Chin

He has such a pig nose when I take pictures of him laying down- sorry little man!

Thomas just tried the Bumbo out, he likes looking around.

26

2011-08-08T23:46:00.001-07:00

I turned 26 last week and I just need to say a quick thanks to my husband for making it such a great birthday. He outdid himself this year and truly made me feel special. He got me some new Reebok Runtone shoes to help me on my quest to get in shape... something I didn't ask for and was really surprised by. And in case anyone is wondering, they really seem to work. I wore them for about an hour and a half running errands and grocery shopping and my legs were totally burning by the time I got home!

He pulled out more surprises by coming home a little early from work. He called me and told me to open the front door... behind which he was standing with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Then he took us out to dinner, fulfilling my one birthday request to not cook! We went to Denny's because I wasn't really craving anything in particular and I thought we might as well take advantage of the free build-your-own-grand-slam on your birthday. Maybrie ended up eating free too because kids eat free on Tuesday... so we fed the whole family for the price of one! After exchanging my new shoes for the right size we stopped at our friends the Van DeVenter's house where he had arranged to have a Dairy Queen ice cream cake for me. It was a good day. Of course, birthdays with kids are full of other fun surprises like your baby crying during dinner in a public place, having to feed your baby in the car in the parking lot outside the shoe store, having food spilled on you by your child, and enjoying a birthday song sung by your 2 year old (Happy birthday "to to").

Classic

2011-08-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

So, this is a little late, but I think it is so cute that it doesn't matter. This is the Father's Day card Maybrie made in nursery. I hope you get a good laugh! :)

This is definitely a keeper!

Air Show

2011-07-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went down to Tri-cities to see the air show at the hydroplane races at the river. Our favorite part was seeing the very LOUD F-15 fly around overhead. It was so loud that we had to cover the kid's ears. Maybrie was a little scared at first, but pretty soon she thought it was really cool. However, we couldn't get her to take her hands off her ears. It was really cute!

The F15 flying over the river

Maybrie plugging her ears

I love that face!

This is what Thomas did during the very loud air show! What a cutie!

Simple Joys

2011-07-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Painting Toe nails- Maybrie & Mommy

Maybrie being silly before bed and looking cute in her nightgown

Thomas opening his eyes more

Tender Mercies

2011-07-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

So, last week I felt like a chicken with its head cut off... I was truly in survival mode with a colicky Thomas and a demanding Maybrie. I was barely sane and truly running on empty. At the last minute we managed to find a babysitter and go on a date on Friday night. I couldn't even remember the last date we went on. Brian and I really needed it. We went to Applebee's and on a scenic drive. It was the first time we have ever paid a babysitter! It was well worth it though. And on Saturday I got to go see Harry Potter in 3D with my sisters-in-law. I thoroughly enjoyed it! What a satisfying ending to a brilliant series. Brian and I had to speak in our ward on Sunday and neither of us really had had a minute to sit down and prepare. On Saturday night when the kids were finally both asleep and we were were studying for our talks, Brian got a call from a member of the stake presidency. He came over and extended the call of Ward Executive Secretary to Brian. It was a bit of a humbling experience for both of us.

Sunday was a busy, but very spiritual day. Taking the time out of our crazy lives to study and ponder on the things that truly matter and what I am grateful for was much needed. The Lord's timing, as always, was perfect and exactly what I needed. I felt revived and grateful to be a mother of two beautiful children with a worthy husband who supports me. I felt the Lord's love for me and found new strength and comfort to keep going. I managed to get an afternoon nap after church... both of the kids slept at the same time- a small miracle! I felt a little more rested and capable of taking on another week.

Yesterday was a day that was truly a tender mercy from the Lord. Thomas actually slept in the swing between feedings allowing me to give Maybrie, myself, and our home some much-needed attention. With all of the time and energy I have been giving to Thomas, Maybrie has been acting up big time in an effort to regain my attention. It has been driving me crazy and my lack of sleep has been making me very impatient with her. I love Maybrie and was able to really enjoy her yesterday. We were able to spend a whole hour together in the morning where my attention was completely hers. We played outside and enjoyed the nice weather. I even managed to get my toe nails done... something I have been wanting to do for months! And Maybrie of course wanted hers painted too. It was a nice day that I really enjoyed. I feel truly happy and grateful for my life. It is amazing how much sleep and crying babies can affect someone. I am grateful that the trials do pass... or that we are allowed sweet moments and tender mercies in between the trials. I think this is going to be a much better week... it definitely had a much better start!

Photo Shoot

2011-07-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, brace yourself for an explosion of cuteness!!! Seriously, I can't get over how beautiful my children are in these pictures. My friend Ashleigh Thornock took them for us, and she did an amazing job! I simply can't thank her enough. There were too many cute ones to choose what to post and what to leave out, so there are a lot to look at. I have them all in color and black & white, but I just picked one of each so that it doesn't look like I am bragging TOO much! Enjoy!

Maybrie: Age 2 1/2

Thomas: Age 1 week 4 days

Sprinklers + Trampoline = FUN

2011-07-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Maybrie is obsessed with the trampoline! She definitely can out jump any of her cousins... when we go to my sister Jessica's house she is often found jumping by herself for hours!

Popping Snaps

2011-07-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty cute video of Maybrie stomping on snaps on the 4th of July.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 3rd we blessed Thomas. My parents came up from Utah, and it was wonderful to have them visit and share the special day with us. My mother-in-law Marcia made the beautiful blessing outfit (I don't have a close-up of Thomas in it... I wasn't on picture duty, ely but holding Thomas duty, and with so many cameras I didn't realize we didn't get one on ours.) We also had Brian's parents, his uncle Curtis, three of Brian's sisters, my sister Jessica, and their families. It was a lovely day.

Our patriotic family

My parents

Brian's parents

Jessica, Justin, Naomi, Ren, us, Lisa, Jaime, Tyler, Aidan, Olivia, Lindsey, Daphne, and Maybrie

Brian, Elizabeth, Lori, Thomas

Curtis, Brian, Thomas

On Monday we went down to Grandview to celebrate the 4th of July at Brian's parent's house. We had a BBQ, went swimming, and did fireworks. I didn't have a chance to take pictures until that night during fireworks.

Maybrie excitedly watching flowers.

Brian, Maybrie, Elizabeth

Maybrie got to hold the firework for daddy

Our little firecracker Maybrie sporting red, white, and blue. Her favorite part was stomping on snaps.

Thomas spent most of his first 4th doing this... well, actually, more eating, burping, and pooping, which means that is what I spent most of the holiday taking care of.

Sweet baby Thomas

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Visit with the Lott's

2011-07-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last week my oldest sister Jalene and her 6 kids came up to WA for a visit. She stayed with my sister Jessica in Pasco. We met up halfway at my in-law's house in Grandview on Tuesday and went swimming. I made homemade pizza for dinner... yummy! My nieces were excited to help me in the kitchen...

Penelope, Naomi, Anna

I also got to spend all day Wednesday with them in Pasco too. Everyone was so excited to meet little Thomas! I felt like he was playing musical chairs being passed between the cousins! Here are a few cute shots we got of him...

Content after eating

The camera kept startling him so we got several funny ones of him stretching like this.

Don't you just want to kiss on him?!

The highlight of the visit for Maybrie was probably Jessica's trampoline... she could jump forever! She especially enjoyed it when they put the sprinkler underneath it, she is a total water baby!

Maybrie and Anna

Anna, Maybrie, and Garrek

(Maybrie is in love with my 14 year old nephew Garrek, whose name she pronounces "Jarrek." She has been asking for him everyday since they left, so sweet!)

Daphne and Thomas

It was so much fun visiting and it was neat to have them meet Thomas too.

We love you Lott Family!

P.S. You will notice there aren't very many pictures... I was a little pre-occupied with Thomas. This was more of a "sit and enjoy" rather than "run around and take pictures" visit for me!

Love from Big Sister Maybrie

2011-06-17T13:25:00.001-07:00

Maybrie had to wait until 4pm, for the children's visiting hours at the hospital, the day after Thomas was born to meet him. And boy was she excited! Maybrie and Brian stayed with me and Thomas at the hospital until 8pm that night. Maybrie did not really want to go home without me and Thomas! She had so much fun holding him, snuggling in bed with me (and taking me for a ride with the many buttons to push!), eating dinner with mommy and stealing all of my crackers and apple juice, and checking out her new toy... Baby Thomas! :)

My two little angels meet- Maybrie and Thomas

Maybrie holding Thomas for the first time

Grandma Marcia, Maybrie, Thomas, and daddy

Thinking him over

When I asked Maybrie to look up and smile she said, "No! I looking at Thomas!" :)

First photo of our family of FOUR

Thomas at home in his bassinet

Maybrie reacting to Thomas coming home

Kisses from big sister Maybrie... I didn't even tell her to do this! Are they sweet or what?!

Thomas Lee Naylor

2011-06-15T14:18:00.001-07:00

Baby Thomas arrived yesterday, June 14, 2011 at 10:45 pm. He weighs 6 pounds 12.9 ounces and is 19 inches long. He was born three weeks early at 36 weeks and 6 days. I was dilated to 6 centimeters when I went into the hospital at 5pm, the doctor broke my water and gave me potocin, I got an epidural about two hours later... it only worked on one side of my body, which basically means I felt EVERYTHING and went all natural by default, gave two big pushes when I was dilated to a 10, and voila!... he was here almost 6 hours later (or two and a half weeks later if you count from the actual beginning of labor!). He is prefect and we are so grateful he is here. Maybrie gets to come meet him in a couple of hours and I will post more pictures of their first encounter soon! Enjoy the first few pictures of Thomas...

Minutes after birth

First photo with mommy and daddy

Today... about 12 hours old

Daddy's little boy!

Welcome to the world Baby Thomas! We love you!

New shoes

2011-06-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Maybrie has been extremely active so far this summer, and her tennis shoes we bought her months ago are already wearing out. She is really into playing football and soccer in the backyard with daddy... and Brian has been wanting to splurge on some athletic shoes for his little athlete! So today we went shoe shopping. We found the cutest little pair of Pumas at famous footwear... but neither one of us could quite swallow $35 for kids' shoes. So we headed to Target which usually has cute knock-offs. They were pretty picked over, but I did manage to spot a pair on clearance in her size. Typically I don't like character shoes, but these "Fancy Nancy" shoes are actually quite cute and we couldn't beat the price- $7.50. Maybrie was excited to put them on as soon as we got home and I can't get over how cute she looks in her new shoes! Check her out...

P.S. Recognize this outfit Hill? I remember Ruby looking so cute in it, now we get to enjoy it again on Maybrie. She has a bit of a farmer's tan we need to work on still! :)

I cracked up when she moved into this pose for me to capture... where does she learn these things?!

Maybrie's new "Fancy Nancy" shoes

Rite Aid Couponing Deals

2011-06-08T09:22:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I have become addicted to couponing. Though I am definitely no extreme couponer, I am really proud of my savings and free stuff. Since baby Thomas has decided to hangout and cook a little longer, I decided to busy myself with my weekly Rite Aid deal matchups. Here is what I got:

I spent $66
I saved $95
That is 58% savings
Plus I still have an $8 single check rebate, $8 +up rewards (good on next purchase), and three $3 off $15 purchase. That's another $25 off that I can use on future purchases!

This bottom row of stuff was all completely FREE... seriously! Not to mention that some of the other items I purchased were half price or MUCH less. Like paying $2 for a $12 Venus razor or $2.50 for $6 deodorant! Needless to say, we are VERY well stocked on toiletry items. :)

Baby update

2011-06-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, I just got back from the doctor, and it appears not all of my contractions over the weekend have been in vain. I have dilated another cm, I am now at a 4. While my Dr. is surprised I didn't deliver over the weekend, he did give me the comforting words that if I am dilated to a 5 next week at my appointment, he will send me to the hospital and get things going. I will be 37 weeks- full term, so he can give me patocin(sp?) and relieve me of my two week long labor! At this point I am willing to do everything in my power to induce labor and contractions... I am sure I will be walking and cleaning a lot this week! Thomas is healthy and I am miserable, so it is time to get him out! :) Wish me luck! I hope to post his birth next time I sign in.

35 weeks

2011-06-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

Let's compare...

Here I am right now at 35 weeks pregnant with Thomas

and here I am 39 weeks pregnant with Maybrie

What do you think? I think I basically look the same size, but since there is a three week difference, maybe I am a tiny bit bigger with Thomas. He is definitely a lot lower than she was.

Am I done yet?

2011-06-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

Well, since I can't sleep right now, I will go ahead and vent about my week! I am so exhausted at this point that I will try to make my thoughts coherent, no promises though.

So, Baby Thomas decided to throw a curve ball at us this week. Sunday night (almost 35 weeks) I went to the hospital after several hours of hard, close contractions that woke me up. After checking on the baby and monitoring my contractions they decided to give me a shot of turbutalin(sp?) to relax the uterus and stop the contractions. It stopped the contractions, but Thomas decided to go to sleep or something, so we had to stay 4 more hours until there was enough variability and peaks in his heart rate. It was fun, let me tell you. Since we didn't get to bed till after 5 am on memorial day, the planned BBQ was moved to Brian's sister's house, and I spent most of the day in bed, trying to ignore the contractions that didn't let up all day, except for maybe an hour at some point.

Tuesday morning I call my doctor to follow up on my hospital visit, now that she is back in the office, and am surprised to hear that I have to go back to the hospital right away to try and stop the contractions since I am pre-term still. I was a little annoyed because the contractions had slowed a lot, but the doctor insisted my cervix get checked. So, an hour later, as I suspected, I head back home without contractions (they finally stopped on their own when we got to the hospital).

Tuesday night, after showering at 8pm, the contractions pick up again and continue to increase. Brian is so tired I make him go to bed and tell him I will wake him if they don't stop by 10 pm. Of course they don't stop and nothing seems to help. I keep waiting and waiting, not wanting to wake Brian and go to the hospital again. Finally after calling the hospital a couple hours later, I give in to their advice, wake Brian and my mother-in-law, and head back to the hospital after midnight. I am now dilated to a 1 and the contractions don't stop. I am now 35 weeks, so the nurse doesn't think they will stop the contractions with a shot again. Two hours later the Dr. says to give me another shot because it would still be best to keep the baby in another week or two. They give the shot and within an hour the contractions are back again... it didn't work. But, I am still only dilated to a 1, so I get to go home and follow up with the Dr. five hours later at my regular appointment.

Wednesday morning I manage to get one hour of sleep despite the contractions. Then Brian and I head to my appointment to meet my new Dr. (Oh yeah, I now have to switch doctors because I can't deliver in Sunnyside anymore and have to deliver in Yakima... bigger hospital and NICU for pre-term babies.) I have a jam packed 3-in-1 visit... consultation, transfer of records, heart rate and contraction monitoring, ultrasound, and cervix check. Baby looks good, he is measuring 5 lbs. 15 oz., so he should be fine delivering early. Also, the hours of contractions since my cervix check at the hospital have done something. I am now dilated to a 3 and am 80% effaced. There is no stopping this baby from coming now. The doctor schedules an appointment for me for next week, but thinks he will see me at the hospital before then. He also tells me that the baby is resting his head on my sacrum which is why I am experiencing excruciating pain in my pelvis... something I just have to endure till he comes out. I am quite relieved and actually excited after my appointment. I eat and distract myself by cleaning the apartment and getting every last thing set up and ready for baby Thomas to come home. Contractions continue, but don't get bad enough, and I am exhausted.

Wednesday night, after 5 hours of steady contractions, my pain level gets high enough that I finally think it is time to go in. At 10 pm Brian takes me to the hospital. When we arrive I am sure I made the right choice because I am panting, unable to stand or stop shaking, and my pain is peaking at a 9 or 10. From the minute I was wheeled into Labor/Delivery I wanted to turn around and go home. I got the worst nurse in the history of nurses. From her initial greeting of "can't you wait in the waiting room?!" she continued to be so rude and unprofessional that I ended up spending half the visit crying and a portion of it screaming in pain (when she continually hurt me while checking my cervix and ignored my requests to wait until I could relax... Brian said he wanted to slap her and I couldn't stop bawling for about 20 minutes afterward.) I refused to let her touch me again, so Brian spoke to another nurse and got her to take over. The contractions subsided (or were traumatized out of me), my cervix was re-checked (no change). I got to end the nightmare visit and go home.

Unfortunately, I was only able to sleep for an hour. Contractions returned and I spent three hours trying to relax and fall asleep. Finally after eating, a bath, several shows on Netflix, extensive reading of "What to Expect," internet browsing, and a conversation with a hospital nurse... I fell asleep. I managed the longest stretch of sleep all week... 4 hours, except for a potty break and saying good bye to Brian as he left to work. However, when I woke up at 10:30 am I had heartburn and the most excruciating head ache imaginable (I had had a slight one for about a day). I ate breakfast and took a pain pill (acetaminophen + codine) that the doctor gave me, hoping it would wipe out my head ache and I could get back to sleep. Two hours later, I am beside myself with exhaustion and pain, so I call my doctor. The nurse tells me to go back to the hospital, get my blood pressure checked to make sure there isn't something else wrong causing the persistent head ache, and hopefully get some drugs to help me sleep.

At 1 pm today (Thursday) we head back to the hospital, hoping this will be our quickest trip and I can find relief from sleep soon. Almost four hours later we finally leave the hospital. Everything was fine, except that baby Thomas did not want to have a variable enough heart rate or peaks. So, we had to monitor him until that happened... they couldn't give me anything to sleep unless he was showing enough activity. In order to rule out placenta previa (which they really doubt, but want to be positive) they drew blood to run some tests and sent me home with a jug to collect my urine in for 24 hours for testing. Oh, and I am so hungry at this point since I didn't get to eat lunch that I throw up/ dry heave the water and Popsicle they gave me... fun! But, they do give me a shot of morphine. I get home at 5 pm and manage to fall asleep for two hours... again I am wakened by contractions. My headache has subsided almost completely though. I am able to eat a little and rehydrate my body. I watched some TV with Brian and then headed back to bed with him at 9 pm. I managed to rest (not sleep) for about an hour until my stomach was growling too bad I had to get up and eat something. Brian is, of course, sound asleep (I know he needs it badly too, but man am I jealous!) Have the contractions subsided?... no. Have the contractions intensified enough?... no. Am I able to sleep?... no.

So, here I am at midnight. It is now Friday, June 3rd. I am wondering if my head ache will ever really go away? Will my contractions go away or intensify? Will I be able to get anymore sleep? When will baby Thomas come? Is my water going to break tonight? Will the next trip to the hospital be for the delivery of our baby boy? Who knows? Are you as wiped out as I am after reading this?! :)

Summer is here!

2011-05-23T16:15:00.001-07:00

The weather has been so nice lately (well, except for a few days of rain here and there... but that's fine because we need it). Maybrie is loving her new backyard and we have been to the park several times where she loves to feed the ducks, slide, and swing. Over the last month or so she has become obsessed with bubbles. I think it started in nursery. Anyway, she has been begging me to play with bubbles since we've moved, and I keep forgetting to buy them. FINALLY, thanks to a sale at Rite Aid on summer toys, and Maybrie's early morning reminder, we bought some today! I decided to buy all of the summer toys I wanted at once to make the deal sweeter. We bought bubbles, a mini bubble machine, a little blow up pool, and floaties ( to use in grandma's big pool). Maybrie was SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! She wanted to play the second we walked in the door. We headed straight for the backyard and had a lot of fun!

Maybrie figuring out how to use the mini bubble blower. It is awesome, best 5 bucks I ever spent! It is so easy to use and blows a TON of bubbles! She will be entertained for hours and hours this summer. Yay!

Loving the bubbles!

Maybrie insisted on swimming too. Here she is for the first "swim" of the summer... more like the first feet splashing, really! I don't blame her, it isn't that hot yet.

I took so many pictures, but I couldn't really get her to hold still, she was too busy playing.

Bubbles+Pool= FUN!

She enjoyed making her ducks and whales swim.

Yay for warm weather!

Our New Home

2011-05-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we moved into our new place in Yakima, WA. It is a house that has been converted into a Duplex. We live in the back side, which is great because we get the fenced yard in the back. Maybrie was thrilled from the minute we walked in.

Here she is helping me clean the cupboards:

Taking a ride on the plasma car with daddy out back. She tried to get me to ride it with her a few times and has been quite upset that I can't because there is no room for her with my big belly!

I found a little table and chairs super cheap on Craig's list, and Maybrie was SO excited! She has eaten lunch outside everyday this week!

We have found many toys and books that Maybrie hasn't seen in a year... it has been funny to see her discover them, it's like Christmas all over again! She cracked us up when she emerged from her room like this!

While I was unpacking the other day I thought I heard snoring. I looked around and found Maybrie like this in the entry way!

This is the lovely Mother's Day surprise Brian left in our apartment for me to find on move-in day! It is so nice, exactly my style, and it has an extra leaf, so it will last us a long time! I thought the flowers were a cute touch! :)

And now for the grand tour...

Our kitchen/dining area (you can see the sliding door to the backyard as well)

Another view of the kitchen

Our big backyard (Maybrie was playing and wanted to pose, of course!)

Our living room (view from the right of our entry)

Our bathroom (the only downside is that you have to go through our room to get there, but there is a lot of storage space that I have been loving!)

Master bedroom

View of living room from master bedroom hallway

Living/ Kitchen

Living (that is the door to the Master bedroom/ bathroom)

Our fireplace (Brian and I found this awesome mirror at TJ Maxx that works perfectly. I think it is our new favorite thing!)

Laundry room (I love that it is separate and has storage space!)

Laundry room (Yay for storage!)

Maybrie's room (view from entry)

It is big and long, which will give her a great space to play!

We are so grateful for all of the help we had moving. Brian's work provided a truck/ trailer, our new ward showed up with five men to help move in, and Brian's parents and sisters helped a TON! Also, our new neighbors on the front side of the duplex are LDS and have two kids ages 4 & 2. They had us over for dinner the first night. They are super cool and we have instant friends. The only downside is that they are moving in 6 weeks. Hopefully we'll get cool neighbors again. Anyway, we are very pleased with our new place. I have done more this week than I have in the last month! It is a good distraction from the pains of pregnancy for me. Only 8 weeks to go! I am excited to get everything set up for our new baby Thomas!

Easter Festivities

2011-04-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Look what the Easter Bunny brought me!

Happy Easter!

Easter Egg hunt in Pasco

On the hunt

Daddy and Maybrie

Aidan and Maybrie show off the eggs they found.

Checking out their candy after the hunt. (Maybrie, Olivia, Naomi, Lindsey)

Triplets... Naomi, Maybrie, and Lindsey

Matching cousins

Daphne, Olivia, Maybrie, Lindsey, Naomi, Aidan

Funny Maybrie

2011-04-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last night we were watching American Idol, and this is the new seat Maybrie discovered. She thought it was pretty cool!

Pretty soon Maybrie was putting on her own show, so we turned off the TV to let her entertain us. We caught a few funny clips. Enjoy!

Easter Egg Decorating

2011-04-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

We decided Maybrie is old enough to start the egg decorating tradition this year. Last night we decorated a dozen eggs together, and boy did Maybrie love it!

Mommy and Maybrie watching the dye dissolve.

Maybrie has her apron on and is ready to go!

Helping daddy pull out the first colored egg!

Our finished masterpieces!

Here is an adorable video of Maybrie helping Brian with the eggs. She loved it!

Baby Update

2011-04-16T20:54:00.001-07:00

So, I am now 28 weeks pregnant and in the third and final trimester of my pregnancy with baby Thomas... and I realized that I haven't taken a single picture to document my protruding belly! For those that want to see my growth and for posterity's sake... here is what I look like at 28 weeks/ 7 months pregnant! The second picture is of me at 32 weeks pregnant with Maybrie. That's a 4 week difference, and I already look bigger than I did with her. I'll have to take another picture in 4 weeks and see how much bigger I really am this time around! Yikes!

I am thrilled to have only 2 1/2 months left and we are so excited to welcome our little boy. Maybrie seems to understand, and though she may have to adjust to being de-throned, I think she will love him to pieces. She loves babies right now... to prove it, here is an adorable picture of her with her newest cousin Reynolds, who is 5 months old. I can't wait to see how she reacts to Thomas, and hopefully it will be mostly positive! :) P.S. We just signed the contract for our new apartment in Yakima and will be moving in May. I will post pictures when we get settled.

Holiday Blocks

2011-03-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to do this project for about a year now... and I FINALLY did it! My mother-in-law has a big box of wooden blocks that she shared with me, and since I already had mod podge, paper, and my handy dandy Cricut cutting machine I got for Christmas... it was the perfect time to get it done! Here is the finished product:

St. Patrick's Day

Valentine's Day

Thanksgiving

Halloween

4th of July

Easter

P.S. Since there are only 6 sides, I didn't do Christmas. I think I will do a smaller separate set with a few different sayings for Christmas. Also, a few of the holidays didn't use all 11 blocks, so I plan on putting some kind of picture on the extras like a turkey for Thanksgiving and a shamrock for ST. Patrick's day.

Tribute to Grandma Ruby

2011-03-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

My dear Grandma Ruby passed away yesterday at 90 years old. I would like to take a minute and reflect on some of my favorite memories of her.

No one loved babies more than Grandma
She loved to read and was passionate about learning/education
She loved her family more than anything in the world
She sewed me many outfits for birthdays
She loved the outdoors and going camping
She always made me feel special and loved
She was a great cook
She was a romantic
She had a great sense of humor
She even slipped a swear word here and there!

At my wedding reception

Trying to keep warm outside the temple on my wedding day

Grandma holding Maybrie for the first time

I love you Grandma Ruby!

Maybrie's 1st Haircut!

2011-03-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, Maybrie is 2 years old... but it has taken her this long to grow enough hair to cut any. And actually, it was more like a trim. I tried to get her excited by saying we were playing beauty parlor, and she liked that idea. She was very cooperative. Here are her before and after shots:

BEFORE

You can't tell because her hair is wet, but it has been getting in her eyes.

Goodbye "mullet" or "rat tail"

AFTER

No more hair in her eyes!

An evened out bob. I think it kind of looks like a little dutch boy haircut. She is too cute!

New Job

2011-03-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Brian started a new job yesterday. He is working for RE Powell in Yakima. It is his first office job and will help him develop business skills as he pursues a Master's in Business Administration. Since we will not be headed to dental school this fall, unless Western University in CA accepts him (he is currently on the alternate list), we are moving forward with an alternative plan of gaining a degree in business. We are grateful Brian has this job opportunity. He is a little overwhelmed right now, but he will soon get the hang of things... there is always a transition period with each new job.

Now that Brian is working every weekday instead of the weekend shift at Walmart, I am no longer substitute teaching, but am staying home full time with Maybrie. I am hoping I can make some real progress potty training Maybrie this month. She continues to keep us on our toes and is learning a mile a minute right now! She is such a little girl now and is very imaginative in her play. This is a picture of her playing in a big empty box after we set up our new couch last week. She had a ball playing in her new doll house!

BEST deal EVER!

2011-03-09T18:49:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I know I already posted about my new couponing craze... but this deal I got today is SO awesome, I just had to share! I mentioned in my past couponing post that I tried to get these J & J baby lotion/ washes for free with coupons two weeks ago, but they were wiped out. I was bummed about yet another failed attempt at couponing for free items and decided to ask if they did rain checks for the sale price. And boy was it worth the 5-10 minutes I waited for the manager to come and fill out two rain check slips for me! I just purchased these 6 lotions/washes for...

wait for it....

$1. 16 !!!!

That is a value of almost $30 that I just got for a buck! I am stoked! I got them for $.99 each, plus I had a dollar off coupon for 4, and $.75 off 2... thus costing me $.50 + tax! AWESOME!!!! :)

P.S. Before everyone thinks I am too great, I must confess that this was all possible thanks to the awesome couponing site happymoneysaver.com which did most of the investigating for me! Check it out.

Thomas

2011-03-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

I am now 22 weeks pregnant. This week I had another ultrasound. Our baby boy is growing well, and now weighs 1 lb. 1 oz. Brian and I having pretty much settled on the name Thomas, and today I decided to look up it's meaning and popularity. The name means twin. I was very disappointed. He is definitely NOT a twin... so can I still use it? We chose the name because of our prophet Thomas S. Monson. I think I will just tell him he is named after a prophet and call it good! What do you think?

I LOVE my husband!

2011-03-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

I know it is common for women to say how wonderful their husbands are after they are whisked away on a romantic getaway or given a nice gift. While I appreciate moments like that, I think the times I realize how much I love my husband are the weeks like this one... the bad ones!

Wednesday started off with me having a weird dizzy spell, having to call in sick to work, and getting carried back to bed by Brian. Then Brian got the devastating news from University of Washington that he was denied admission to the dental school this fall. By the evening both Maybrie and I were coughing and feeling sick.

Thursday morning both Maybrie and I woke up miserable. I went to the doctor and found out I caught yet another, even worse, strain of a cold/cough/ sinus infection. He sent me home with two antibiotics. That night Brian woke almost every hour with Maybrie and even helped me to a steam bath/shower when my sinuses became unbearable.

The next morning Brian woke to me throwing up in our bed. He heroically ran and got towels to catch it in and clean up and sent me to the bathroom to change my soiled clothes and get it cleaned out of my hair. Brian cleaned up my mess and changed the sheets while I showered. Then he came and blow-dried my hair for me and tucked me back into bed! He spent the day caring for me and Maybrie. All I have to say is that I LOVE my husband! He may be too frugal to buy me flowers on Valentine's and treat me to fancy restaurants, but he is the kindest, most loving man I know. He is there for me when it truly matters. He pushes through the tough times and truly treats me like a princess. He is also an incredible father to Maybrie and I know he will be just as great with our little boy. Brian may not be a millionaire, but he is worth a million to me! I love you Brian and am so grateful for the decision I made to marry you over three years ago.

Couponing

2011-03-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

So, this year I have tried to get into couponing to save some money. I started following some cool blogs that list great deals, and have been clipping lots of coupons. Since there are not very many stores close in this small town I decided to just try for the deals at two stores: Rite Aid and Safeway. The last couple weeks I have entered the "nesting" phase of pregnancy and have been on the hunt for good deals on baby supplies. Last week I scored three jumbo packs of Huggies diapers for $4 each (regularly $12). That's three packs for the price of one! Pretty sweet! Also, I have a rain check for 4 free Johnson & Johnson baby wash/ lotion to redeem. They were cleared out when I went to score the deal with the diapers, so I decided to ask if I could get a rain check for the sale price. I'm glad I asked because I was able to, and since I have a coupon for each one too... they will be free! Tonight Maybrie and I went while Brian was at mutual, and I am stoked about how well I did. Check it out!What I got:

2 Aveeno lotions
2 Aveeno moisturizers
2 Aveeno Baby products (wash & lotion)
6 toothbrushes
2 Nivea chapsticks (1 not pictured because Maybrie would not give it up... it's her new "make-up" :))
1 Softsoap hand soap

Cost before Wellness + savings and coupons:

$85.42

What I paid:

$33.21

Total Savings:

$52.21 !!!!!!

Pretty Cool huh?! :)

Maybrie singing

2011-02-26T17:28:00.000-08:00

Maybrie is a huge talker right now. She talks a mile-a-minute! Most of the time you can only understand one word here and there, especially when she is singing or talking really fast on a play cell phone. But, she is learning new words every day, and she continues to crack us up with the funny things she says and imitates! I have been meaning to post videos of her cuteness for a while now. I don't want to forget this adorable stage. So, here is the first of many videos I hope to post shortly. Enjoy!

Sometimes I just have to laugh!

2011-02-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those days where all I can do is laugh in spite of myself! A couple hours ago I would have titled this post something like "nightmare" or "I want to cry," but now that I have had a little time to reflect on the events of the day thus far, all I can do is laugh!

This morning I had to get up at 6:15 in order to be out the door at 6:45am. This alone is a huge feet for me right now since I am 21 weeks pregnant and have been sick with a terrible cold and allergies for the past two weeks. I managed to get out the door on time and reach my destination ten minutes early. I arrived at West Valley High School in Yakima to spend 5 hours taking the WEST (Washington Educator Skills Test) B to get a current Teaching license in the state of Washington. It consisted of three subtests- reading, mathematics, and writing. When I read last night that I couldn't bring any food, I panicked! Sometimes I can't make it 2 hours without eating, so 5 would be bad news! Gratefully, they took pity on me and allowed me to keep snacks at the front of the room and go eat them in the hall with a bathroom pass.

About an hour into the test, near the end of my first subtest, I feel a massive headache setting in and start getting shaky. Great! So, I take my second bathroom break and eat some wheat thins out in the hall. With my head pounding I finish the first test and contemplate how I can survive the next two parts. I raise my hand for the bathroom pass and shakily down a cookie in the hall. Not feeling good. Can't stop shaking and feeling nauseous. Ask if you can take a test at a later date if unable to finish... yes, but no refund, and since each test cost me $85... I will finish them no matter what! I start the math section and quickly decide to skip to the final hand written portion since I am so shaky and don't know how much worse it will get. Surprisingly this goes alright and I feel a little more steady now that some food has worked it's way through my system. Nose starts running and I am told that I cannot get out of my seat to get a tissue, but must raise my hand and then blow my nose out in the hallway! Seriously... how old am I? I go back out for another bathroom break!

Back in the room I try to control my coughing and runny nose and dive into the math section. It actually goes pretty quickly and I am proud of how fast I am moving. After yet ANOTHER trip to the bathroom, I dive into the final writing multiple choice section. About 10 minutes into it, I leap up in a panic, shove my test into the administrator's hands and run down the hall with the bathroom pass and make it to the toilet just in time to throw up everything in my system! I comment to another lady as I walk out that this is the best test of my life and find two worried test administrators in the hallway... they obviously heard me puking! At this point I have about 70 questions to go, and I reluctantly sit back down, hoping the next time I get up it will be to hand in my completed test. 30 minutes later I fill in the last bubble and can't get rid of my test fast enough! Hallelujah! I'm alive!

Oh, wait! It isn't over yet. I make it to my car and think I am finally going to be saved if I can make it to a drive-thru and a store for headache medicine, when the yucky taste returns to my mouth! I turn out of the parking lot, pull over and barely make it around my car and puke on the grass in front of the school. Lovely. Just when I think it can't possibly get ANY worse (and yes, this is one of the most humiliating things I have ever admitted to in my life!) I look down and realize that I have also just wet my pants! I want to die! ... Instead, I get in the car, drive to Miner's where I pick up a delicious burger, fries, and Mountain Dew. Feeling slightly restored with the food and caffeine entering my system I head home. Yep, I get to drive another hour sitting in my own waste! (Horrible, I know, but it is the only way to fully understand what I went through!)

Home. Finally. I walk through the door, anxious to get upstairs to the bathroom and a clean change of clothes, and get mauled by my loving two year old who is thrilled to see her mommy! Maybrie follows me upstairs and into the bathroom while I think, "The last thing I want to do right now is happily and casually conduct a potty training scenario!" But, lo and behold, Maybrie decides it is the "ah-ha" breakthrough potty training moment. She excitedly points to her potty and asks for help pulling down her pants. She WILLINGLY sits on her potty, washes her hands, and wants to sit and try again! I watch in amazement. She does not actually have any success... but let me tell you, this is BIG first step! AND she doesn't want to put her diaper back on so we get to put on a new princess pull-up for her nap. She lets me rock her for a few minutes and then falls asleep in my arms and lays right down for a two-hour nap! HA ha! Wow!

And now I am sitting here, writing the longest blog post ever, with more details than necessary, laughing at myself! I hope little Thomas recognizes the sacrifices I made while carrying him... and boy do I have respect for my mother who has done the pregnancy thing 10 times! :) And since I hate to post without pictures, here is Maybrie's new pink potty and the sticker chart I made for her. Happy potty training!

Changes

2011-02-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

One of the things I have been so excited about lately is Maybrie's finally growing hair. She actually has enough for me to do more than one style. Plus, she is super girly and actually WANTS me to do her hair now. She brings me her hair stuff and asks for me to do it. And she likes to do my hair and her dolls hair now too... it's pretty funny! Here is the most intricate "do" I have done so far. She actually sits still if she has a movie or book in front of her.

The big change around here is that Lisa and Jaime and their 4 kids moved into their new home in Pasco this past weekend. Brian's sister Emily came to visit for President's day weekend as well, and this is the last lunch Maybrie spent with her cousins before they moved. We have a lot more space and it is quite a bit quieter with only Maybrie running around now. She is missing her playmates though, she asks for them and calls them on the phone now when she wants to talk to them. It is pretty cute how much she loves them. We love and miss you Lisa, Jaime, Lindsey, Olivia, Aidan, and Tyler!

Maybrie, Emma, Olivia, William, Aidan, Jacob, and Lindsey

It's a...

2011-02-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

BOY!

He was not shy at all... he made it pretty clear! We are thrilled to be expecting a little boy. I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea and picture it, but I am really excited to start preparing all of the boy stuff. And Brian, of course, is ready to go get a football and raise a little athlete! He is great with Barbies and tea parties, but I think he will enjoy some male bonding this time around. The baby looks great. He is very active and is already kicking his legs. He even managed to wave at us during the ultrasound, it was really cute.

Still Waiting

2011-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

This seems to be the game we play most often these days. This refers to awaiting news from dental schools for acceptance this fall. To say that Brian and I are anxious and tired of waiting for days on end would be an understatement. I am beginning to think that if news, and hopefully good, does not come by the end of the month we are both going to crack! Brian is currently on the alternate list at Western University in Pomona, CA and we still haven't heard anything from University of Washington. We haven't had anymore rejections either. I guess since we were denied admission to almost every school we applied to at this point last year, we should be positive. But, the waiting and uncertainty is getting old. Please keep us in your prayers and pray that something good comes of all this soon.

We are looking forward to one wait that is almost half over and will have a revealed gender soon. I am having my ultrasound this Thursday at 19 weeks, which means we can finally refer to the baby as him or her! I can't wait! :)

Utah Trip

2011-02-06T13:23:00.001-08:00

Brian, Maybrie and I took a road trip to Utah at the end of January to visit my family in Orem and some friends in Provo. Brian managed to take two days of work off, giving us 4 whole days to enjoy in Utah. Being pregnant, I was not looking forward to the driving part of the trip, though I could not wait to see my family. Thankfully, Maybrie got excited about the new adventure and was shockingly wonderful on the way down. She played happily with her baby doll, colored, and the greatest new traveling trick was our portable DVD player... who knew Princess movies could be such a pleasant sound?! We had a great week jam-packed with visiting family and friends. Brian managed to squeeze in a much anticipated ski trip with my older sister Jalene (it's his new favorite hobby he discovered last year) while I took Maybrie and a few of her cousins to see Tangled at the movie theater. The best part was hanging out with my family, though our visit to Burgers Supreme takes a close second! J/K :)

Brian skiing at Alta. They had a professional photographer take action shots and post them on the internet... he was pretty excited about it.

My adorable nephew Howard... can you even stand it?!

Little peanut rolls Eliza... I could kiss her chubba all day!

Maybrie and Howie are just 6 months apart.

The bubs, Afton and Maeryn, my sister Ashley, Anna, and Maybrie waiting to watch Tangled.

Anna and Maybrie were two peas in a pod at the theater sharing their fruit punch and dancing and laughing at the music and previews... too cute!

Maybrie warmed right up to grandma and grandpa and the family while we were there, which was much better than her shy phase during our last visit over the summer. Thanks for a great week! We love and miss all of you living in Utah!

P.S. Sorry there are only a few pictures. Even though I had a great time, I was really lazy and took the "enjoy" rather than "capture" the moment attitude while we were there!

Happy 2nd Birthday Maybrie!

2011-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

January 6, 2009- Maybrie was born two years ago in Orem, UT.

8 months old

1 year old

21 months old

I used my new Cricut personal cutting machine to make a birthday banner (one I plan on re-using on every future birthday!)

We celebrated with a yummy dinner of homemade pizza and invited my sister Jessica & her husband & kids over to share in the festivities.

Again, I used my Cricut for the cute letters of her name.

Ready for cake!

Happy Birthday!

She liked licking the frosting off the candy.

Presents... she got gifts from her grandparents and aunts & uncles... which meant it was like another Christmas, and now she is officially spoiled!

I don't think she could have been more thrilled with the gifts she got! She shouted with joy over everything, and wanted to play with each toy immediately rather than discover what the other presents were. It was very entertaining!

Already had to open the baby doll and play with her even though the entire pile of gifts still sat unopened. She loved her baby, stroller, "la la's"- Princesses (all Disney princesses sing, of course!), Barbie & coloring stuff. She is a very enthusiastic and talkative two year old! We are sure to have a busy and fun year with her! Happy Birthday baby girl!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:39:00.001-08:00

We rang in the New Year with just the three of us this year. We went to dinner at El Valle, a yummy Mexican restaurant... I was in heaven and enjoyed every bite! Then we came home and played with streamers, played Memory, danced, ate ice cream, and blew horns and popped poppers at 8pm! It was fun!

Maybrie running around with the streamers

Blowing horns with daddy

Check out how excited Maybrie is about these poppers that shoot out streamers!

Maybrie had a ball!

Happy New Year!!!

Baby # 2!

2010-12-26T21:16:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that I am 12 weeks pregnant, expecting a new addition to our family around July 6th! We are very grateful that the baby and I are both healthy and are hopeful that we will get to keep this little one.

P.S. Sorry the picture is so blurry, I had to take a picture of a picture!:)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T20:27:00.002-08:00

This is the adorable kitchen my sister Jessica gave to us a few months ago when her daughter inherited a cooler kitchen that their cousins outgrew. We were thrilled to give Maybrie a kitchen this year... especially since it was free! We can't thank you enough Jess! I wanted to add a personal touch to it, so we decided to paint it pink and purple to match Maybrie's room.

Brian unscrewed it and sanded down some spots, and we began painting.

Here is the finished product... so cute! I love it! It of course, was finished on Christmas eve eve... we are horrible procrastinators!

CHRISTMAS EVE...

We ate tamales for dinner and then Brian's oldest sister Emily and her family came from Vancouver in time for family home evening. Grandpa read the nativity story from the bible, pausing at points for us to sing a Christmas song, and the kids put the pieces of the nativity on as they were mentioned in the story. Then the kids got to open one gift... pajamas.

Maybrie opening her first gift, pajamas from grandma.

She loves the hearts and rainbows.

Maybrie in her Christmas pajamas Grandma Marcia made.

All of the grandkids in their new pajamas.

Brian and I made cinnamon roll Christmas trees to carry on one of my family traditions.

Decorating the tree! You should be proud of me mom... they were almost as good as yours! :)

CHRISTMAS MORNING...

Look what Santa brought us!

Maybrie looking at the couch, wondering what she is supposed to do first!

Playing with Maybrie's "Happy Sounds Little People Dollhouse" Santa brought.

Next we opened the stocking... Can you see what she pulled out first? Chocolate! In fact, when I tried to pull out a wand and coloring book, she started shoving them back in and asked me to open a candy first! :)

It took a while to get to the toys in her stocking because Maybrie was too busy stacking her chocolates!

She got a Disney Princess water bottle in her stocking and wanted to use it immediately. She was also pretty excited about mom & dad's portable DVD player and wanted to watch a movie right away.

Opening a book from my parents.

Checking out her new kitchen.

Can you even stand how funny her "cheese" is right now?! What a ham!:)

Sporting her new BYU Cougars sweatsuit... so cute!

Finally by the end of the day she was ready to put on the adorable hat Aunt Elizabeth made her. We had a lovely Christmas and I felt spoiled as always. Brian surprised me with a beautiful new pea coat and Cricut cutting machine... way too much, but luckily he got good deals, so I don't have to get after him too much for going over budget (like he always does for me on Christmas!) Though Brian and I both got lovely gifts, our favorite part by far was watching Maybrie's excitement. There is nothing better than watching your daughter twirl around the room with her ($5) Barbie mermaid or whip up soup in her new (hand-me-down) kitchen!

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! We hope yours was a nice as ours!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-12-22T18:50:00.001-08:00

This year for our 3 year anniversary Brian surprised with an overnight Bavarian getaway to Leavenworth, WA. It is a couple hours north of where we live and I have always wanted to visit. We checked in at Cottonwood Shores Bed & Breakfast where they had hot cider and cookies waiting for us. Then we drove a few miles into Leavenworth and walked the shops on Front street. All of the stores were lit and decorated... it was a perfect little German Christmas village.

A little glimpse of the shops from the top of the street.

Me & Brian... 3 years and counting!

In the center of the town they have this adorable gazebo with Christmas music playing.

We felt like we have stepped into a Christmas card or one of those little villages under a tree. There were even people sledding on a little hill to the right of the gazebo, right in the middle of everything!

We ate dinner at a yummy restaurant called South, and then headed back to the B & B to relax. We enjoyed a jacuzzi tub, a fireplace, and the most comfortable memory foam bed... AND a night without worrying whether Maybrie would wake us! In the morning we woke to steady falling snow. Check out the view from our room!

We were right next to the Wenatchee river... it was gorgeous!

Almost snowed in!

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast and took our time getting ready. Then we went on a lovely drive home through this snow-covered Winter Wonderland! It was a much needed break and a great way to celebrate our marriage and get in the mood for Christmas!

Christmas Cookie Decorating

2010-12-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

This year I decided to carry one of the Christmas traditions from my childhood over to Maybrie. On Monday Lisa and I helped the kids cut out sugar cookies. They loved it, in case you can't tell from the pictures. A few times Maybrie and Aidan got too excited and stamped the dough so vigorously that no distinct shapes could be cut out! But, they are great little bakers and had a ball cutting out cookies!

Aidan and Maybrie... don't they look cute with aprons on?!

Lindsey, Lisa, and Olivia

Maybrie and Aidan

Then for family home evening that night we decorated the cookies. Aidan was done decorating and moved on to eating after the first one. Maybrie did a little better, but just kept wanting to add sprinkles and then lick them off! Lindsey and Olivia were much more patient and creative.

Cookies, frosting, and sprinkles

Maybrie looks pretty funny sometimes when she says "cheese!"

Check out that green tongue!

Some of our creations! Yummy!

An Eventful Weekend

2010-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

This year Brian and I were asked to help plan and carry out the Ward Christmas party. Things came together nicely and I think everyone had a really good time. The theme was "The Polar Express" and everyone came in their pajamas.

I found some fun tickets online that I tweaked a little bit to use as invitations and then we handed them out upon arrival as well so that the kids could get them punched by the conductor (Bishop). Maybrie thought it was great and had no problem butting in to get hers punched!

We thought it would be fun to set up some trains with a Polar Express theme, so Brian dug out his childhood set. He had so much fun getting it running this week... and so did Maybrie and her cousins. Maybrie keeps asking to play with the "choo choo!"

Carina Anderson made this cute gingerbread train to display.

We served breakfast (pancakes & sausage) for dinner. I was in charge of making some signs to decorate with (above is one of them). It was fun and kind of took me back to my high school student council days of poster making!

Maybrie was so funny the whole night... she is definitely a fan of parties!

I don't think Maybrie could have enjoyed the pancakes any more... she ate three, even with all the commotion!

The kids listening to Sister Potter read The Polar Express.

We didn't know how Maybrie would react to Santa. She was so excited and cheered with all of the kids when he arrived! She was a little hesitant when we walked right up to him, but really had no problem sitting on his lap. We have been trying to explain Santa to her, and I think the party helped. She has been saying "Santa!" a lot since!

Receiving a goodie bag from Santa. She loves her Bell necklace!

The first thing Maybrie pulled out of her bag to eat was a peppermint candy cane. I really didn't think she'd like it, but it turns out I was wrong. She almost ate the entire thing!

On Sunday, we went to Pasco for the blessing of my new nephew Reynolds. My brother-in-law Justin gave a beautiful blessing and we enjoyed a nice ham dinner, speed scrabble, and visiting after church. My mom, dad, and brother Spencer came up from Utah, and it was great to visit with them, even if it was only for a day. Spencer is leaving on his mission to Mexico in a couple weeks, so it was nice to see him one last time before he goes.

My handsome brother Spencer playing with Maybrie. She can sometimes act shy and take a minute to warm up to people she doesn't know very well. This was not the case last night... she was a little ham- singing, dancing, tickling, hugging, kissing, and talking! I hope my parents and Spence got a kick out of her... she can be pretty cute and funny when she wants to be!

Here is little baby Reynolds in his adorable blessing outfit.

November Highlights

2010-11-30T21:47:00.000-08:00

This is a "just because she looks so cute in brown" picture!

My sister Jessica had a baby boy named Reynolds Lorenzo Christensen. Isn't he precious?! I'm glad I live close enough that I was able to stay with her girls when she went to the hospital, and get to be one of the first to hold him. Another bonus, as if having a baby isn't exciting enough, is that my mom came to help her for a week, which means we got to visit with her too! I love and miss my mom so much... it was great to see her!

Maybrie being cute

Maybrie has discovered a love of cooking and always wants to help. Can you tell she's proud of her stirring skills?!

Helping daddy make dinner.

THANKSGIVING: So, we did our own Thanksgiving dinner this year, but I forgot to take pictures. I thought about it as we sat down to eat, but I was so tired from getting it ready that the last thing I wanted to do was get up and find the camera! Brian did the turkey (thankfully... I did not want to deal with it) and I baked the cherry pie, and between the two of us and Brian's sisters we managed to make a delicious dinner. Since there are so many people living in the house right now, it was kind of weird to have an even smaller group for Thanksgiving than we have on a regular weeknight for dinner! But we had a good time! I told Brian that making our own Thanksgiving dinner must make us real adults now!:)

Brian turned 25 and I made him an ice cream cake. It was yummy!

We caught Maybrie giving Aidan a hug yesterday and when we went to catch it on camera they did this adorable pose... looks like a prom picture!

We have been getting quite a bit of snow here this past week, and today we finally bundled Maybrie up and took her out to play in it. She did NOT react the way we thought she would! She hated it! She didn't want to walk in it, insisted on being held, and only wanted to go on the swing. So, this picture and a lot of kicking and screaming basically sum up Maybrie's first snow experience of the season!

Dental School Interviews

2010-11-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Brian had two dental school interviews. The first was at Western University in Pamona, CA on Saturday. We luckily have a friend who is in his first year of dental school there and he kindly provided transportation and lodging for Brian, which was a huge blessing and cost cutter. His interview went very well and he even lucked out with one LDS interviewer. The dental school is only two years old and has a beautiful brand-new facility. The weather was beautiful, Brian even complained that he was too hot and should have brought shorts! And who wouldn't want to live 30 minutes from Disneyland! Here are some pictures of the Western University campus:

Apparently there are statues all over campus of people doing ordinary things... here is one he snapped a picture of.

Late Saturday night Brian flew into Seattle where I picked him up. We were able to stay the night with Brian's uncle Dick and his wife Corrine and attend church with them the next morning. Then we went and checked into our hotel, which was within walking distance of the school. We went on a lovely walk of campus, which has the most beautiful old buildings. It made me feel like I was in a movie or should put on a sweater and glasses and grab a good book and some hot chocolate! That night we had dinner with a second year dental student, who gave us a lot of good information. Brian had his interview at the University of Washington on Monday. It went very well, much better than last year. It would be wonderful to have in-state tuition and live close to family. We feel very hopeful about getting in this year after both interviews. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope that we get acceptance phone calls in December! Below are pictures of the UW campus: (the two schools look like polar opposites, so different, but both have great programs)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night we carved pumpkins with the kids in preparation for Halloween.

Our little family

This picture cracks me up! I love the contrast between Maybrie's perfectly posed smile and Brian's expression while cleaning out the pumpkin.

Our niece Olivia... the "pro pumpkin cleaner outer"

Aidan

Lindsay

Maybrie discovering how to clean out the slimy insides of pumpkins for the first time.

My two favorite people!

Our Jack-o-Lanterns all lit up!

We celebrated Halloween Saturday night by first trick-or-treating to a few ward members houses. This is Maybrie, the witch, and Aidan, the cowboy, leaving our first stop. After trick-or-treating we headed home for a little old-fashioned family Halloween party.

The Naylor's all dressed up (from L to R): Elizabeth, Marcia, Brian and I (high school sweethearts), Lisa, Tyler, Jaime, Olivia, Aidan, Lindsey, Maybrie.

Maybrie got to use Tyler's blue pumpkin for her candy since he is a baby and can't eat candy yet. She LOVED it! She was very good at filling it up!

Our Jack-o-lantern bean bag toss... Lindsey and Olivia did a fabulous job painting it with me!

Checking out her loot!

Classic Maybrie saying "more." We gave her a few bites of chocolate when we got in the car to head home from trick-or-treating, and the rest of the way home she said "more, more, more" over and over again! Brian and I couldn't help laughing!

After we finished the bean bag toss, the kids (& Grandpa) enjoyed poking their faces through the holes!

Maybrie and Aidan playing the "balance candy corn on the spoon and fill up the bowl" game. They loved it!

After the kids finished, the adults competed. We made it a little more interesting by holding the spoon in our mouths.

Brian and I went up against each other.

Brian beat me bad... as you can see in this picture, I couldn't balance the candy corn on the spoon because I kept laughing! We had fun!

Donuts on a string

Maybrie's was the first gone, but she cheated and used her hands!

The kids posing with their white powdered faces... they were so adorable!

Maybrie and Aidan playing peek-a-boo

HaPpY HaLloWeEn! Hope you has as fun a holiday as we did!