The Conns

Avery Turns 4 (last July! )

2012-01-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am really far behind in my posts. I am attempting to catch up now. My little Avery turned 4 back in July! I can't believe it! At her 4 year well check she weighed 28 lbs, and in the 4th %-tile. She's a petite little girl, but makes up for her size in her personality. Avery loves dressing up, and often layers multiple dresses because she can't decide which one to wear. She loves having her hair done and is very patient with me when I do it. She loves Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Care Bears, and ALL the Disney Princesses. Her favorite food is chocolate :) She requested a Rapunzel birthday party. Here are some pictures from the exciting event!!! She was also lucky enough to have her great-grandfather visiting from Brazil. She instantly fell in love with him and 6 months later is still talking about how much she misses him and great-grandma (who came a week after her birthday).

My attempt at some paper lanterns :)

More Fort Morgan and The Coast

2011-11-26T05:45:00.000-08:00

Exploring the Fort!

On the run!

More beach fun!

Gulf Coast Alabama

2011-07-23T18:40:00.001-07:00

This summer we took a trip down to the gulf coast. We spent a week in Fort Morgan Alabama.

The men and Jessica took a day and went deep sea fishing. They had so much fun and caught a ton of fish. There was a restaurant right there at the docks that cooked the fish 2 ways for us. It was delicious and we took the rest home and enjoyed it for months! The big catches were red snapper and king mackeral.

The water was warm, the beaches were clean, and it was just a short walk from our condo. The kids had a blast going to the beach and pool everyday. They loved being able to spend all that time with their cousins from Colorado and Arizona.

Dinner and a Show

2011-05-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, Jesse and I were treated to a puppet show by Ethan and Avery. I have to say it made absolutely NO sense, but we were cracking up the entire time! These guys are the cutest kids ever! They had so much fun, I am looking forward to many more of these!

Jesse's Latest Invention

2011-05-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

For a while now Jesse has been dreaming of this creation. He wanted to make it easier to wakeboard with Ethan. And make it so that Ethan won't slip around and off the board. So he took his old wakeboard and and old pair of bindings and attached them on the inside of his bindings. He is so excited, now only if it will get warm enough to go!!!!

Ethan's Kindergarten Graduation and Ty Ty update!

2011-05-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun watching our "little" Ethan graduate from Kindergarten. He was so dang cute...I can't believe he is already heading for 1st grade! The above picture shows pretty much how Ethan was the entire program. He said " It's the only way I could see you!" Despite my multiple warnings that he had better behave up on stage. I couldn't help but laugh though.

Walking up to the stage.

Receiving his award for reading. He was awarded as the 2nd highest reader in the class. Not bad considering he's the youngest in his grade. He only made the deadline by 3 days, and turned 5 after school had started. I was actually pretty worried that he would suffer because of it both academically and socially, but he had absolutely no problems. He is such a good boy. We are so lucky to have him!

His whole class, along with his teacher Mrs. Wise.

Posing with some of his friends.

Love the look that the girl walking behind him is giving. Just before they went on stage I told her to remind Ethan to be good if she saw him being silly, because they would be right next to each other. Here, to me she is saying..."Oh no, he is hopeless, we're not even on stage yet and he's already being crazy"

Update on Ty Ty

We call him our little goat! He used to eat EVERYTHING, he has since stopped eating paper, books and other non-food things, and now only eats ANYTHING food-wise that we give him. He can tell if it's "food" and he will at least try it and most of the time consume it. Here he is trying california rolls (sushi), minus the soy sauce and wasabi of course, and nothing "raw" in it. He did eat the whole thing though!

The face of a satisfied boy!

He loves to be outside. We can't open a door without him trying to make a run for it. We have to keep all doors locked, and for now that's enough...I know I will soon have to invest in the childproof locks for the lever door handles. He loves to swing and doesn't even mind being strapped into his baby swing, but he has discovered a "new" way of swinging. His cute little diaper butt brings a huge smile to my face!

Avery's Preschool Easter Pictures

2011-04-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am proud to say I took these myself! I had a little fun with photoshop and colorsplashing! With a beautiful girl like Avery though, there's not much I could do wrong! She's so fun to photograph! I may make a hobby out of it!

This one is a cartoon sketch! I thought it was cute...Jesse doesn't really like it though!

Disneyland!!!!

2011-03-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

There were soooooooo many pictures! I had to make 4 slideshows to give it some sort of organization! I am relieved it's done though, I have been wanting to document our trip for some time! We had a blast, we can't wait to go back. See below for pictures of...Ethan's Jedi training, Avery meeting her favorite characters, Tyler loving every minute of it, and LOTS of fun with cousins, Nana, and Aunt Cristina and Uncle Brad!

2011-03-10T17:53:00.001-08:00

2011-03-10T17:47:00.001-08:00

2011-03-10T17:31:00.001-08:00

2011-03-10T16:52:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2010

2011-02-04T11:35:00.001-08:00

This year for Christmas we traveled to California to visit all our family out on the west coast. We were able to take the kids to Disneyland for their first time. They had so much fun, and are still talking about it weeks/months later.

Avery loved riding all the rides she could, but particularly remembers meeting all her favorite princesses, and Tinkerbell and friends. She says her favorite ride at Disneyland is the roller coaster in Toon Town. It's really the only one that she could ride besides all the "little" rides. She even put her hands way up in the air like all the "big kids" do.

Ethan loved riding all the BIG rides. He even rode the Tower of Terror, which is by far the scariest ride. He said that he liked the Tower of Terror except for when his "stomach sucked itself". He has the best way of describing things because, that's exactly what it feels like when your stomach "drops". He LOVES roller coasters! Another one of his favorite things was when he was chosen to participate in Jedi Training, he even got to fight Darth Vader.

Tyler, being 11 months old was pretty overwhelmed by everything. He was a perfect little baby though, and so easy going. He learned a new phrase "What's dat?" (while pointing the cutest little chubby finger at everything). That's all he would say. He LOVED meeting Mickey Mouse, and giggled with delight when Mickey bumped him with his nose. I thought he'd be scared, but he just thought Mickey was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

I can't wait to take them back, we plan on going again the next time we are in Cali (probably the year after next).

Christmas 2010

2011-02-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

This year was our year to go to California for Christmas. This year we were able to go to Disneyland for the first time with the kids! It was a big hit, they haven't stopped talking about it and can't wait to go back. Tyler even said his first words (besides Momma, and Dadda) at Disney...his favorite phrase? "What's DAT?!" (while pointing the cutest chubby little finger). I may have to add pictures of our adventures over the course of a few posts because there are well over 1000.

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

This year we celebrated Thanskgiving with my mom and dad up in Bella Vista. The kids each wanted their own turkey drumstick. The food was delicious, the company was even better. We have so much to be thankful for. We love to celebrate this time of year so that we can reflect on our many blessings.

Really Catching Up This Time!

2011-02-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

In the effort to try to catch up on posts these next few posts will be mostly pictures. Since we are snowed in I might as well take advantage of the extra time on my hands.

Halloween 2010

Tyler was a little "Fez" monkey, Ethan was a dragon from "How to train your dragon", and Avery was a Bedtime Bear Care Bear. They loved their costumes and even 3 months later are still begging to wear them.

Tyler 8,9,10 Months

2010-10-31T18:37:00.001-07:00

Ooops! Can't believe how time flies! My little baby is growing so fast. He is so precious and fills my heart with joy! Here's a quick recap of the last 3 months. He's still crawling, but his crawling evolves each month. He went from a wierd "frog hop" type of crawl where he would crawl forward with his arms and his legs would hop forward to meet. Now he does a "bear" crawl or if you have girls, also known as a "sunday dress" crawl. We don't know what he has against having his knees against the ground, I'm convinved he just thinks he's faster that way. This little guy has a huge personality! He says mamma, and dadda, gives THE BEST open mouth slobbery kisses, blows kisses, and waves hello and goodbye. He likes to "dance", and his favorite thing to do is "roll" in big snuggly blankets, any blanket will suffice, but when he sees Ethan's nice down comforter he hauls buns! Avery's halloween costume happened to be a fuzzy CareBear costume and we couldn't even put her and Ty side by side because he would attack her! It was hilarious!

Trip to the Park

2010-10-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first time Tyler has been to the park and actually been able to enjoy it. He loved the swing, and trying to eat the leaves that had fallen. It was also "First Friday", so we walked over to the square and enjoyed some nice polka music and rootbeer. The kids were a big hit dancing to the polka music in the square.

Ethan's Kindergarten Field Trip

2010-10-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Ethan's Kindergarten class went on their first field trip. They were able to go to the McGarrah Farms pumpkin patch. They played games, enjoyed jumping in a big pile of hay, going through a hay bale tunnel, taking a "haunted" hay ride, and going through a corn maze. I was able to go along with Avery and Tyler, it was so fun to see Ethan interact with his classmates, and for Avery to see Ethan "at school". To end the trip they each got to pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

Playing Catch Up

2010-10-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad about keeping up on the blog. There's just not enough time during the day. I don't know how anyone manages to keep life going with 3 kids. Anyway, enough with excuses, I am going to try to catch up in the next few posts. The following are pictures of our last trip to Silver Dollar City. They had just decorated for fall. I LOVE fall in Branson. I am also trying to get used to our new camera, and have only learned how to manipulate one function (besides auto), so some of these turned out good, while others are kind of blurry.

Summer is Almost over!

2010-09-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

So, this summer was pretty low key. I thought I should at least do one post on a summer activity before it's gone. We had season passes to the amusement parks this year, so we've been to Branson quite a few times. The kids LOVE White Water. Tyler especially liked it the 2nd time. He still has remnants of his "amoxicillan rash", and we got some looks from people who thought we were sun burning him. But he was so happy in the water, he's a little fish!

2010-09-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

Tyler 7 months old (sort of)

2010-08-18T10:44:00.001-07:00

Alright, I guess it's better late than never! Tyler will actually be 8 months old next week! I can't believe it. He started crawling just after he turned 7 months old, and he's gone from being a sitter to a full-blown mischief maker in just 4 short weeks. I came home the other night from teaching and walked into the kids bathroom and wondered why it smelled so strongly of baby soap. Apparently Tyler had gone in there and dumped his ENTIRE bottle of baby wash. He smelled really good, the bathroom smelled really good, but the floor was sticky with soap for a few days, and it wasn't too easy to get all that concentration of soap out of the rug, and towels that were used to clean it up. He LOVES his new mobility! He is everywhere, and I have learned that it is much more difficult to baby-proof with 2 older siblings in the house. Ethan has "eagle eyes" and is a big helper with spotting potential trouble for "the little goat" (that's what we call him because he tries to eat everything) He is also already pulling himself to standing on ANYTHING he can, that includes Avery, my pants, the vacuum, the curtain etc. He is such a joy, and can entertain himself for long periods of time. This month in his health history, we have discovered a potential hernia, and his allergy to Penicillin. The hernia is intermittent, so we just have to keep an eye on it and hopefully it won't become strangulated and require surgery, the penicillin made him break out into hives which he is still recovering from, and I can't wait for him to be clear so that I can take him to get "real" pics taken!

If you know Tyler you know he LOVES to "jump". I purchased this jumparoo, and he is in love with it. Even when he is tired he will jump until he falls asleep. When he wakes up he is ecstatic to find that he can resume bouncing immediately. He always squeals and has a smile on his face when he's in this thing.

This NEVER happens! The other day he was tired enough that he fell asleep while crawling!

This picture is not exactly in order. This is how he began crawling. He started out doing this Yoga pose for a few days, and then just took off! We have a picture of Ethan doing the same pose before he actually started crawling too. I need to find it so I can post them side by side!

My joy!

In this picture I think he looks like his cousin Chase, only with dark hair instead of red!

So proud of himself!

He won't stop even to eat! J/K Here he has a rice biscuit in his mouth!

Love this smile! This boy melts my heart! I DO NOT want him to grow up. I got emotional the other day thinking that in 10 months he would be in nursery! I KNOW! He may be my last, and he's just growing by the second, and it's just flying by!

I tried to capture his crazy hair! It just curls up right on top of his head. It's never flat! I don't have the heart to cut it yet, even though he's almost bald along the sides and back of his head. So, basically it's like a curly mohawk!

Here he is trying to "hang" with his 2 favorite people! Ethan and Tyler are best buds, and Ethan gets such joy out of watching him do new things. Avery takes good care of Tyler, although she sometimes gets a little possesive when she thinks he's trying to get something of hers. She is so patient with him, especially when he is constantly pulling her hair. He follows them everywhere, and his favorite place to play is in their room!

Ethan's First Day of Kindergarten!!!!!!

2010-08-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

August 2nd was Ethan's first day of Kindergarten. No tears were shed! He was more nervous than I thought he would be and that made it harder to leave him. He seemed excited though, and was mostly worried that he wouldn't get a nap ;) When I picked him up that afternoon he told me that it wasn't even a long day at all! Of course now that we are 2 weeks in he fusses a little each morning asking in an exasperated tone, "Why, do I have to go EVERY DAY!" But each day he comes home happy, and that's what matters! It's so fun to see how much he has learned already, and how his personality and maturity have changed. He is pretty near uncontrollably grouchy because he's so tired at the end of the day, but I can hardly blame him! He's doing great! He turned 5 the week after school started. He had a great birthday party, pictures are coming soon!

Goodbye hug!

A bit of a forced smile!

Ethan and his teacher Mrs. Wise

He found his chair!

He found his cubby, and Avery watching him was a bit nervous to be leaving big brother at the BIG school!

2010-07-26T18:25:00.001-07:00

Ethan-isms

2010-07-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is Ethan pretending to be a prairie dog. He saw some prairie dogs at a rest stop on his cross country trip and immediately became one for the rest of the trip.

I had to write this down before I forget it.

Lately Ethan has been obsessed with which animals are still "on the earth". He'll ask me, "mommy are bears on the earth?" etc. Today he informed me "Mommy, Uncle Brendan told me 'dinosaur fish' are on the earth, they are NOT "stinked"! I couldn't stop laughing, I thought it was so funny the way he said extinct. He even told me, stop laughing at me mommy!

Ethan just got back from a 10 day vacation with Nana, Papa, and Brendan. They drove to Utah for my cousin Dustin's mission farewell. They also went to Idaho to visit the family and then up to Yellowstone Park. He had a blast and can't stop talking about all he saw and did. Nana and Papa got lots of laughs out of the things Ethan comes up with on the trip.

Someone from church told Ethan that teenagers are "bad". They will kidnap you and they do bad things. Ethan thought he would tell Nana all about how teenagers are bad. Nana said, "Well, Brendan is a teenager, is he bad?" Ethan said, "Only when he's mad!" One time during the trip when Ethan was throwing a fit Nana said, "Ethan are you acting like a teenager?" Ethan stopped and thought for a minute and then shouted at her "YES, I AM ACTING A LITTLE BIT LIKE A TEENAGER!"

One evening when Nana was trying to get Ethan to bed he was really grouchy (because he didn't take a nap). Nana was telling him "Ethan, you need to go to sleep, you are so grouchy!" To which Ethan replied (or rather scolded) "I wouldn't be grouchy if YOU had given me a NAP!" (Yes he's RUDE, but it was funny)

Ethan also gets carsick occasionally, and Nana gave him some dramamine during the first leg of the trip. It was bitter tasting and he really gagged taking it, so the next day when she tried to give him some he refused it saying "I WILL NOT GET SICK!" Well, he did, and ended up throwing up in the car. Afterwhich he said "Nana, I am so sorry that I didn't take the medicine. I will take it next time."

I sure do love this boy! He has such a HUGE personality, and he's getting more opinionated each day! I can't believe he will be 5 in less than a month! We are so lucky to have him in our lives!

And a sprinkle of pixie dust....

2010-07-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

Today we had Avery's 3rd birthday party! She of course, had to have a Tinkerbell themed party! I tried to convince her to have a tea party, but she would not be swayed. We went all out with Tink cupcakes, tablecloth, plates, and cups! We played pin the wings on Tink, colored Tinkerbell coloring pages, and popped fairy bubbles! She had a blast, and was so glad that some of her nursery friends made it! I can't believe my baby girl is going to be 3 tomorrow! She is such a joy, and I couldn't be more grateful to have her in my life. She has the perfect "princess" attitude, but is so loving! She can usually manage to get whatever she wants, especially from her daddy :) She loves Tinkerbell, of course, Dora, Diego, and EVERYTHING her brother loves! I am so happy that she is content to let me dress her up, put curlers in her hair, and make her "pretty" and she never complains. What a perfect girl, although I may be a little biased, she is the most beautiful and get compliment wherever we go. Happy Birthday Princess!

2010-07-10T15:15:00.001-07:00

Tyler 6 months and more!

2010-07-03T07:06:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my baby is already 6 months old! It's not fair how time flies :( He is such a joy! He just melts my heart, everytime he smiles at me with his tongue hanging out. He has such a HUGE personality! I am excited (but can wait) to see how he will be as a toddler! At 6 months Ty is getting around pretty well, by rolling, and scooting on his tummy. He has started to say Ma-Ma, although I don't think he knows it refers to me. I have just been working on it with him :) He is also sitting up by himself, and loves this new outlook on the life around him. Here are some recent pics of his new favorite activities!

Avery is always doing something to make us smile! Here she found my shower cap and at first thought she had scored BIG with a "Butterfly Catcher". Then I told her that it goes on your head to keep your hair dry when you take a shower, she left for a bit and came back like this to eat her yogurt!

Projects and Pictures!

2010-06-15T07:43:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to post pictures of some recent craftiness. I made the kids some decorative names. Jesse cut the letters out of wood and I decorated them. It was fun. Their names coordinate with their duvet covers that I am still working on.

I decided to try curlers in Avery's hair. It takes so long using a curling iron, and then it won't hold a curl for very long. She slept in them, I thought she might complain but she didn't even notice they were there. I remember when my mom used to put curlers in my hair and I hated it.

I think it worked! She looked so cute! And was laughing at her self in the mirror.

It's hard to get Ethan to just give me a normal smile! This is one that turned out cute!

This little princess fights so badly against going to bed. Here she was jumping on her bed just moments before. I love how she fell asleep with the plastic utensil in her hand. If her blanket wasn't positioned on her I would have thought she just fell asleep standing up and fallen where she stood. But I think she knew that her batteries were dying, so she got herself ready!

All about Ty

2010-06-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't post about Ty-Ty's 5 month, and he's almost 6 months old! Here are some fun pictures of my baby love and what he's been up to.

Avery got this doll for Christmas, and I noticed the other day they Tyler is about the same size as the doll, only I think the doll is heavier. Avery can't even carry it around.

My sweet boy!

His "dirty" look!

Enjoying the quilt mommy made for him.

Happy after a nap!

He loves the bears that hang in his bassinet. I have to rehang them every time I lay him down because...

He always pulls them off either after he wakes up or before he falls asleep.

Happy Graduation cont...

2010-05-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

My amazing little boy graduated from preschool today :( I can't believe he's officially going to be a Kindergartener! I am so proud of him and the progress he's made this year. He's grown so much! He is such a joy to me, and makes me laugh everyday. He's my biggest helper, and the best big brother any sister or baby brother could want. Congratulations my Ethan!

Happy Graduation

2010-05-28T17:32:00.001-07:00

It's been the month of graduations here! Congratulations to my wonderful, beautiful, smart, dedicated...(could go on) Mother! She just graduated from nursing school and is a "real live" nurse (after she passes the NClax) with flying colors of course! She was lucky enough to have all of her children and almost all of her grandchildren there to witness the event! We are so proud of you. You are a great example to all of us! Here are some wonderful pictures of the events from the past weekends. Besides the graduation ceremonies we were able to enjoy a beautiful rainy day in Branson at SDC. Thanks to Ethan's prayers during the 1 1/2 hour drive to Branson, the rain stopped shortly after we arrived and we were able to enjoy short lines and cool weather.

tYLeR 4 MoNthS oLd

2010-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

At 4 months old, Ty is...

Rolling over both ways (when he feels like it)

Babbling, especially at 6:00 am EVERY morning

Becoming more of a mama's boy every day

Loves playing with toys

Getting very close to controlling what he grabs. He almost grabbed a cup out of my hand as I was putting it to my mouth.

I can't believe he is 4 months old already (actually 4 1/2 mo, because I am a procrastinator). He is such a sweet baby, although the most complicated one by far! I can't get enough of him, and I think if he DID happen to sleep through the night (I would be grateful, but I think I would miss him by morning)

Here is a video of him "talking" to his toys! Can't get enough of it!

Ty 4 months old and more!

2010-05-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

I took Tyler in to the doctor a week and a half ago because I noticed some white patches on the insides of his cheeks and underneath his upper lip, and he had been refusing to eat off and on for about a week. He ended up having thrush (so glad I wasn't still nursing or I would have had it too), and the "cold" he had had for like 2 months was partly due to wheezing/asthma. So we had to start breathing treatments every 4 hours. He has dramatically improved, but we have realized that if he is outside for a long time he gets a lot worse. Allergy season is really bad right now, and I think that makes his asthma act worse. Poor guy! We are so glad that we have figured things out (for now!)

Ty with his mask on, I don't strap it to his face anymore because he goes berserk!

Ethan loves his favorite brother Ty!

The day Avery didn't get a nap, she never falls asleep easily. Here she is sleeping sitting up.

I walked into the room and these two were watching TV together and sweet Avery had her arm around her big brother!

Ethan getting his metal at the "circus" gymnastics program at his preschool.

Just some Pictures

2010-04-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures I have been meaning to download. There's no rhyme or reason to most of them.

I love how Tyler can go from steaming mad to...

Surprised by the flash! Love his crazy hair after a bath!

This is how you can find him most of the time. Loves to stick those 3 fingers in his mouth. He doesn't have a hand preference. He's ambidextrous :)

Love it when he leans his face against mine!

We put him in the highchair when we are eating dinner. He likes it for a few minutes. He looks so tiny in that big chair.

The "Princess"...need I say more!?

She loves her Uncle Brendan. He was spending the day with us and was sleeping on the couch when Avery got up there and curled up next to him.

You would never know that she loves chocolate. There's a commercial for Lyndt chocolate that says "Do you dream in chocolate?", and one day after seeing that commercial I asked Avery if she dreams in chocolate, she said...NO I EAT IT!

My "little" BIG boy! We thought he would really LOVE soccer. He told us he doesn't want to go because it just makes him tired! OH BROTHER! He has fun once he gets there.

I am so proud of my "little" BIG boy! He is such a good big brother. He loves his baby brother, and sister!

Easter Dinner and Egg Hunt

2010-04-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

We of course had Easter dinner up in Bella Vista with my mom and dad. We also had our good friends The Messicks and Sherry join us. We have been able to spend many Sunday dinners with Sherry and we are going to miss her very much since she is moving away.

Easter Family picture.

Ruby, Shirley, Sam, Ethan, and Avery getting ready to go hunt eggs.

Avery showing me her egg.

Ethan getting down to business.

Avery trying to be quick.

Sherry and Ty.

This Is What Happens....

2010-04-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

When Nana comes to play.

He doesn't look too thrilled!

I'm not so sure Avery liked having Ty in "her" baby stroller either!

Ethan and Avery's Antics

2010-04-05T14:13:00.001-07:00

So I haven't been very good at recording the funny things the kiddos say lately. So I have a few of my favorites that have stuck in my head.

Ethan loves to "teach" Tyler new things. The other day I overheard a conversation Ethan was having with Tyler.

Ethan: Ty I am going to teach you how to play with toys and jump. First you go get a toy and then you play with it, and then when you want another toy you put it away and you can get another toy and play with it. And if you want to jump...you just jump!

Ty's Response: (Staring) See picture below!

I thought Ethan was very informative :)

The other day Avery wanted me to get a toy down from a high shelf (where I keep all the toys with lots of parts) for her. She was begging "Mommy, pllleeeaaase can you get it, pllleeeaasse!" I said yes, just a minute. Of course I got busy with something else and forgot. A few minutes later she came back asking, and informed me "I can't get it all myself because I don't have my jumping shoes"

Getting Avery dressed today she informed me "Mommy, I'm Avery!", Me: "Yes, you are", "Yeah mommy, and I am a girl, I just turned into one!" "Oh, you just turned into one huh?!" "Yeah, see look at me!"

Easter Pictures and Tyler 3 months old!

2010-04-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Avery in their Easter "duds" after church last Sunday!
My attempt at getting all 3 together. Tyler wouldn't have it, and Avery was just being silly!

This is Tyler 3 months old! He is getting chubbier everyday. I am proud to say he is my chubbiest baby! He has such a sweet little personality, and yes he has a personality already (it's a little volatile) ;) He is happiest first thing in the morning, and right after naps. He loves to be talked to, and really tries to hold his end of the conversation. I love shopping with him, he faces me in his carseat in the shopping cart and smiles the entire time because he thinks that I am there just to pay attention to him, however if I happen to walk away to get something off a shelf he immediately starts screaming. As soon as I come back into view he stops crying and starts smiling again. I think it's hilarious, he's a stinker! Other accomplishments, he has rolled over a few times from his tummy to his back, and is really close to rolling from back to front. He has discovered his cute little hands and I love it when he clasps them together and tries to fit them both into his adorable mouth. If you can't tell by my detailed description I am absolutely in love with this little baby! I am so grateful for him and his big brother and sister, I couldn't be more blessed!

Random Updates

2010-04-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

I made a cake a few weeks ago, I left it unprotected on the counter for a few minutes and came to find a perfect little finger hole in it! The culprit in case you are wondering was Avery!

I was changing Ty's diaper, and I left him to go wash my hands and in that 1 min I was gone he fell fast asleep.

Look at this adorable face. Don't you just want to squeeze him?

Avery loves sitting in Ty's boppy and bouncy chair. She looks so funny in them. I've given up in trying to keep her out of the bouncer.

2010-03-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

Tyler's 2 month old photoshoot! He's 11 lbs 4 oz, and getting chubbier everyday! He is starting to smile at us more regularly, and likes to make noises (aka:talk to us) Ethan swears everyday that he says "I love you Ethan", in a baby voice of course. He is such a joy, even though he is a little needier that most babies!

In this picture he looks like a future boxer!

Ethan and Avery thought it was so funny that he was sitting up between them!

Funny story:
The other night while eating a chicken leg for dinner, Ethan discovered the bone. He very seriously was surprised and asked "Mom did they take this bone fron a dinosaur and put chicken on it?" (because only dinosaurs had bones). Of course I didn't want to disappoint him so I told him yes!

Snow days!

2010-02-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Fun in the Snow!

Making snow angels
This was the sandbox, now covered in like 5 inches of snow.

Attempted snowman!

OompaLoompa in a blizzard!

OompaLoompa wanting to come back in!

Snowball fight!

All three dressed for snow! Tyler did NOT want to join them! I don't blame him as I watched from inside too!

Ok, so I am still playing catch up, I just don't have a solid block of time to get all the posts done in one sitting! So, we have had a ton of snow this year. Luckily Rene (Nana Conn) was here to witness the beauty! Ethan and Avery beg to go outside everyday to play, especially when it snows. Jesse suits up in his snowboarding gear and they're off! Here are some cute pics!

Tyler's Blessing

2010-02-11T14:22:00.001-08:00

So, you can really tell how far behind I am on my posts. Tyler was blessed 3 weeks ago. We were lucky enough to have Rene (nana conn) here with us, but we really missed Steve (especially Jesse). Jesse gave Ty a beautiful blessing and Ty was very well behaved. His full head of hair was the big hit on his debut Sunday!

Tyler 1 Month Old! (Like 2 weeks ago :)

2010-02-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

So Tyler is actually 6 weeks old (almost 7 weeks), but I have his 1 month post to update!

At 1 month old Tyler is finally nursing well. He LOVES to be held, and "they" say you can't spoil a newborn, but I would invite "them" to come and visit, and witness! I think he was just born spoiled, probably fitting, as he is the caboose of the Conn train. He "likes" his bouncy seat, and "likes" even more his swing, those two things give me small breaks throughout the day, as he does not sleep much. He is beginning to really "look" at us and seems as though he is watching us, and will occasionally smile. He already looks so different from 6 weeks ago, here are some pictures from the last 6 weeks.

I had to include this picture of my first time meeting Ty, because I have no memory of it. That is the nurse showing him to me right after I woke up from the surgery.

Avery loves to help feed him.

So peaceful, I love it when he looks this happy when he is sleeping, because he usually sleeps so fitfully.

Enjoying some time in the swing.

Just cute!

Ethan can't get enough of him. He absolutely loves his little brother, and is already so protective!

This shows how explosive Ty is. We call him a hand granade (is that how you spell that?) in diapers.

And happy again, sort of!

This is right after a bath. I am trying to show how unruly his hair is! The surprised eyes add a nice touch to the crazy hair!

This is his first "real" bath. It took his umbilical cord 4 weeks to fall off, so we were very excited about his first bath. Nana Conn and I could hardly reach him because Ethan and Avery wanted to be a part of it so badly.

And these last 3 are my attempt at 1 month pics! Unfortunately he had just developed this flaming rash all over his face and neck. Poor guy!

Quick Updates

2010-02-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

I just have a quick diary type entry to post before I forget. I am very forgetful these days!

Avery loves anything with polka dots, she has a few pairs of socks, and a pair of pajamas with them. The funny part is if you ask her what she's wearing, she says she's wearing her coco-not (coconut) pajamas.

Conversation between Ethan and Avery as they are hovering over baby Tyler in his bouncy seat. Tyler really only likes to be held, but he tolerates the bouncy seat for a few minutes at a time and he was reaching his limit and beginning to cry.
Avery: Brother (that's what she calls Ethan), YOU HIT HIM!
Ethan: I DID NOT! I don't hit!
Avery: (Insisting) YOU HIT HIM!
Ethan: I DID NOT...your lyin'
Avery: You're a tiger!

More Pics of Tyler

2009-12-26T18:07:00.000-08:00

More pics just taken of Tyler. He is more alert every hour. I just talked to him for about ten minutes and he just stared at me the whole time. I'm getting used to this blogging thing!

Jesse

Welcome Tyler Steven Conn - Our Christmas Present

2009-12-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

Tyler Steven Conn (No Arrowsmith jokes!)

I awoke at 2:00 or so to Cassandra telling me that we needed to go, I couldn't believe it, of all the days it is Christmas. To top it off, I couldn't drive 90 miles an hour and get away with it. We got several inches of snow last night that made me drive 35 miles an hour all the way to the hospital. Luckily most of the stop lights were green so I could just keep going, and even if they were red, they were green yesterday morning.

Due to the birth of Avery, Cassandra needed to have a 'C-section'. The doctor luckily made it just in time to allow that to happen. They did however have to put her to sleep, because the baby was already crowning, and the spinal wasn't working fast enough. Cassandra did lose a lot of blood during the birth because of a blood clot (hematoma), that caused her blood pressure to drop dramatically (50 over 30) post delivery. She had great nurses that acted rapidly that got some fluids going in her with some medicine and she did have a blood transfusion as well. She received two blood transfusions and some medicine in her I.V. that allowed her blood pressure to come back up. It is not where they want it, but she is out of the danger zone. She is feeling better, although sleep is a commodity right now as neither of us have had much sleep the last day and a half.

After I walked Cassandra into the ER yesterday morning, I went to park the car and I got Ethan and Avery out and took them inside with me. Ethan asked, "Did Christmas come?" He obviously didn't see his presents by the Christmas tree when we were leaving. He also was playing great with Avery on Christmas Eve, and Cassandra mentioned to him how great he was playing with his sister. He replied, "Is that the best gift I can give Jesus?" It is great how hard Cassandra has tried to instill in the kids that this time of the year is about the birth of Jesus, and not just Santa bringing them presents.

Now we get to celebrate two births on this very joyous occasion.

Jesse

The Not So Blog Giveaway!

2009-12-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

I haven't entered any of these giveaways before. This one sounded worth it though. You get a $100 AMEX giftcard if you win! Go to www.thenotsoblog.com to enter.

Good Luck!

Happy Thanksgiving!! A little late!

2009-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post my pie success the day after Thanksgiving, but I got sick and am just now getting to it! I have never before made a single pie, and I was commissioned to make 3 for our turkey day dinner. I must say it was fun, and they turned out great. I made a chocolate pie, a lemon meringue, and a pecan cheesecake pie (my mother-in-law's recipe). Our favorite is the pecan cheesecake, we were very happy that the recipe make 2.

Chocolate pie!

Pecan Cheesecake

Lemon Meringue

Hopefully we will be healthy again soon!!!

The day after Thanksgiving I had the stomache flu, and Avery had a random fever that ran all day. Saturday we were both fine, but Ethan was running a fever and had these strange sores/rash around his nose and mouth. We kept him home on Sunday and I took him in Monday. He has a sinus infection, and the sores are Impetigo. Since I got him in right away it hadn't gotten too bad, and is nearly all cleared up today, enough to go back to preschool. Tuesday I woke with a sore throat and fever. I am not feeling too much better (or worse) today. Jesse is the only one to have escaped getting sick over the weekend, and is now out of town so hopefully will stay well!

Pajama Party!

2009-11-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

Last week at preschool while studying the letter P! They had a pajama party, popcorn, pillow fights and pit games. Ethan's favorite part was the pillow fight in th foam pit! Looks like they had fun!

That's the whole class around the Big Bear that Avery is afraid of.
Everyone in the foam pit

Ready for a pillow fight!

Ethan with two of his friends Ben and Kami

Snack time!

Just Catching Up!

2009-11-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

The other day when I downloaded pics from my camera I realized that I had forgotten about a bunch of pics that I meant to post about. So here's a little brief rundown.

Friday night, pizza night. Sometimes we go the Papa Murphys route, and sometimes we do homemade. The kids loved making their own personal pizzas. Ethan wanted his to look like Wall-E. Can you see the resemblence?

This is what Avery's chocolate chip cookie looks like when she's "done" with it. She only digs the chocolate chips out leaving big craters while the rest of the cookie is intact.

Jesse and I went out to dinner a few weeks ago. We always get calamri if they have it. I personally don't like it when I find the ones that are whole, and they look like a baby octopus. Ethan, however LOVED it. And yes, he actually did eat it. I gave it to him as a joke at first, thinking he would be grossed out. I'm constantly surpirsed at his sophisticated palate!

Ethan and Avery holding hands while watching TV :)
This is the day Avery got into my mascara. I am just glad that she thinks everything is lip gloss. I would hate to see her poke her eyes out!

I just loved this picture of Ethan. When he's not having one of his 4 year old melt-downs (which has been often lately). This is a perfect picture of my sweet little boy!

This is the day Ethan decided to "fix" Avery's hair! She sat really still for him to do it too.

A Fireman and a Fairy Princess!

2009-11-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Ethan- Not being very cooperative about taking pictures. It's been a long 2 days of candy gathering!
Avery loved telling everyone "I'm a fairy princess!" Her hair was the big hit (as usual). I made tight little ringlets. Everyone is always so surprised that she will sit still for me to do these kinds of things to her. All it took was a box of nerds :)

A family in our ward has a cute little place with a full on pumpkin patch, they offered hay rides, and they had plenty of "farm" animals to view and pet! The kids each picked out their own pumpkin! We had a blast!

Ethan insisted on taking this picture! As you can see Avery is not quite ready, she's in mid-cheese!

I took this one! Gotta love the "camera" smile

A little distracted on this one! But still smiling!

Preschool Fire Safety Week!

2009-10-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Ethan wants to be a fireman when he grows up because he "wants to spray the fires". He told me this a few months ago. So when they had fire safety week at preschool he was ecstatic. He managed to get into most of the pictures, which has less to do with being a camera hog, and more to do with extreme excitement about the firemen! The preschool emailed me the pics, they turned out really cute!

Goofy

Spraying the hose! This was the highlight!

Who knows why he's in this one! Poor kid didn't get his own spotlight! :)

The whole class in front of the truck!

The sirens going off.

I LOVE this picture. Ethan looks like he's never seen anything so spectacular as a fireman with a gas mask on! Some of the other kids look scared!

Now it's his turn to wear the hat!

When we came to pick up Ethan, they were playing on the playground so I let Avery out and Ethan loved showing her his favorite thing...the lawnmower! Weird kid!

I don't know what was happening in this picture, but mouths open wide says it all!

"I'm a snake!"

2009-10-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

This was a conversation that took place between Papa Fife and Ethan as they were playing trains.

Ethan: "I am a snake Papa, I am a snake who eats trains!"

Papa: "Well, then I'm not a train, I'm a dog"

Ethan: "I am a snake who eats dogs too"

Papa: "Well then, I am a cow, not a dog."

Ethan: "And, I eat cows!"

Papa: "Well, then I am not a cow, I am a duck!"

Ethan: " I am a snake who eats ducks too!"

This continues with a few more animals, until Papa finally says. "Well I am a chocolate chip cookie!"

Ethan thinks about THIS scenario for a minute then says, "Well, I'm a kid!"

I Want That!

2009-10-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ethan is in that "I want that" stage! This phrase drives me nuts. Any toy he sees in a commercial he says "I want that!" To this I started explaining that he's not going to get everything he sees. He just had a birthday and Christmas will be the next holiday in which he will recieve gifts. So whenever he says "I want that!", I tell him, "Maybe for Christmas". Avery has caught on and now does the job for me. Whenever she hears Ethan say "I want that!" she says "Maybe for Christmas, maybe for Christmas Bud!" It makes Ethan mad, but I think it's hilarious.

Picture Day

2009-10-03T12:49:00.001-07:00

Today was picture day! You can tell that both kids really like to be in the spotlight! They did a great job, I just wish when they were told to smile that it looked more natural and not forced and creepy :) Of course I still think they are gorgeous! Avery watched Ethan during his session and saw the photographer telling him to sit certain ways and how to do his poses, and when it came her turn, she was moving all around doing all the same poses without even being told, it was hilarious!

2009-10-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

2009-10-03T12:08:00.001-07:00

2009-10-03T12:03:00.001-07:00

Kansas City, KS

2009-10-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend Brooke from AZ was up in Kansas City. It's only a 3 hour drive from where we are and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see her and her beautiful Hailey. The kids did really great on the drive up and back. We met Brooke at the hotel, and then went to this farmstead place where the kids went down a huge barn slide, fed some huge Koi (they could have done this the whole time). We walked through the gardens, and saw a bald eagle, and some other animals besides farm animals. The kids had a blast, and it was so cute to see how good of friends Hailey, Ethan and Avery would be if we still lived nearby. Then we went and had lunch, and came back home. It was a short visit, I wish we had had more time. We miss you guys in AZ (that's everyone!)

Ringing the cow bells.

They were all a little worried about the huge bald eagle statue in the gardens.

Pumping water from the water pump. He likes manual labor.

Avery, Hailey, and Ethan on the bench swing.

Physical Therapy

2009-10-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

Jesse has to do physical therapy on his shoulder 4x's a day. The kids are totally into helping him.

FHE

2009-10-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

For family home evening we decided to paint the little pumpkins that Nana gave the kids on Sunday at dinner. They were so excited and they turned out really cute. They didn't want me to draw faces on them for them to color in they just wanted to do it freestyle. I also made cookies for a treat and Avery thought they needed a little more salt (see pics).

Benton County Fair (Wahoo)

2009-10-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Benton County Fair was in town a few weeks ago, and we decided it would be fun to take the kids (plus I needed a funnel cake)! It was free admission for the kids and Jesse and I were only $5 to get it, but they sure made up for it in rides, games and food. Everything was so overpriced. The kids loved the livestock, and watching the cows hooked up to the milkers. Their favorite part was holding the baby chicks, Avery is no longer afraid, which makes it so much more fun. We promised Ethan we could ride one fair ride and he chose the ferris wheel (who knew it would be $3 per person to ride). I am officially terrified of ferris wheels now, it was so rickety and rusty. Then we let him play one fair game where he threw a dart at a balloon. The game guy told us he could play until he won which was nice, but Ethan surprised us all when he did it on the first throw. Luckily it started to rain, so we had a good reason to tell the kids it was time to go :)

Before I forget... Updates!

2009-09-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

Avery loves to talk, most of the time we can't get her to be quiet. She loves to hold me by the face and just talk. It's the cutest thing. I love that aside from myself, and sometimes Jesse, Ethan can understand her perfectly.

Some of my favorite words she uses...

Hairpins = barretts ( I don't know why she calls them hairpins because I don't, but it's cute)

Pizza Pocket = Anyone's pants pocket, or shirt pocket. She loves to put things in her own "pizza pocket" when she's got one. "Daddy do you have keys in your pizza pockets?"

Fu-cod-a-fum-e = (sound it out), this one took me a while to figure out. She used to ask for this everytime I laid her down to sleep. One day she switched it up a bit, and I figured it out. She was asking for me to cuddle with her. I felt bad for all the times that I said "Avery I don't know what you mean, just go to sleep" :(

D-D-D-Dora = because that's how they sing it on tv.

Ethan's update (see preschool post)

We had our ultrasound a few weeks ago. Jesse and I decided NOT to find out the sex of the baby. I felt like we had some unfinished business when we left but, we are really excited about waiting.

I love the picture of the tiny foot! This is Ethan's favorite too. So far the pregnancy has been great (compared to the first two). Morning sickness was at a minimum (I did drug myself better this time around though). Right now at 22 weeks, I am just dealing with aches and pains (I know I'm only half-way there). I have another ultrasound scheduled for next week to measure the length of my cervix, because at my appointment yesterday I mentioned some symptoms I have been having that turned out to be some early labor symptoms. She did an exam and said that my inner cervix was closed and thick, but my outer cervix was open. WHAT?! I didn't even know there was an inner and outer? I should have asked more questions. I am not worried though.

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Ethan's first day of preschool. He was so excited, as you can see from the huge smile of his face. I help out on Tuesday's so I got to witness the entire first day. There are some things we can work on (listening and following directions), but overall I was very impressed with how things ran, and he had a fun day! Avery, liked being with brother, although she only wanted to participate with playing with the toys, and when they sang songs.

Driving to school

In front of the school. I guess this is Avery's new smile :)

Went straigt for the toys that were set out.

Avery on the drive to preschool.

2009-08-14T07:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Ethan! 4 Years Old!!!

2009-08-14T07:02:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is 4! He was so excited for this birthday to come and has waited so patiently through almost everyone's birthday before him! He made his birthday wish list months ago, and he got everything he wanted. Hopefully he will actually play with them for more than a week. (He tends to get disinterested quickly).

Better Batter Baseball

Miniature golf course

Fish tank and fish

An alarm clock ( he now has to wait for a 7 am before he can get out of bed) p.s. I set the clock ahead :) I know I'm sneaky but that means I get to sleep in a little more, now to train Avery!

A little lava lamp

Miniature skateboards (the last two were thrown in, Jesse got them from work)

Still awaiting- Nana Conn's package

That's quite the haul for a 4 year old! Here are some pics. Happy Birthday Ethan, we love you. You are an amazing little boy, and so loving. And the best big brother any little sister could want!

New Hairdo and "Mommy I Stuck!"

2009-08-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

I love it when I try a new hairdo on Avery and it turns out alright. I saw this hairdo on one of my friends girls and it was so cute, I had to try it on Avery as I am not very creative. Of course, I had to take pictures :)

Somehow Avery managed to get her foot stuck in this toy. Luckily not to much damage was done! With a little slippery help it slid right out.

Playing in the Rain

2009-08-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

On the way home from work the other day Jesse got the itch to play in the rain. When he got home, he took the kids outside to play in the rain. It was so cute watching them having so much fun, while getting soaked. The kids can't wait for daddy to get home each day, and now that Jesse is done with his Masters, he doesn't have to end the fun early. As soon as he walks through the door, they run, and Ethan asks "Daddy can you play with me?" I am so glad he is such a good dad!

Avery does have a diaper on this time. Just no pants!

Mommy, I poopy again!

2009-08-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

**Warning-naked bum pics***

This is a sentence I hear from Avery multiple times a day. Each time this is accompanied by handing me her diaper that she removed her self. Luckily only one out of ten actually has poop in it, and she is really good about not letting the poop fall out. It still drives me nuts. I am not ready to potty train her quite yet. So, I have resorted to putting onsies on her, that way she can't get her diaper off. The other day I turned on the hose and let them run wild, and jump on the tramp. I didn't put bathing suits of swim diapers on though. When they were finised I told them they needed to go jump on the tramp to dry off. The pics show what I found.

Ethan noticed me taking pics of Avery, and thought he had to drop his pants to get me to take pics of him too. A 4 yr old bum is just not as cute :)

Road Trip

2009-08-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

My best friend Christine got married a few weeks ago. At first I had planned to just fly out to Utah by myself and attend, but Jesse didn't want to miss it, and thought we should make a family vacation out of it. We drove from AR to Colorado ( and rested for a day), then on to Utah. After the wedding weekend, we drove up to Idaho to spend 4 days with good friends from college. It was a long trip, but so great to see friends we hadn't seen in 6 years. Thanks Hartners for letting us stay with you, and thanks to you and the Ruppels for planning fun times!!! Here are some pics.

He was complaining about the sun being in his eyes!

She had to have her picture taken because brother did.

We went to the Oquirrah Mountain Temple open house. It was amazing and beautiful, and the kids were so well behaved inside. Ethan kept asking when we would get to see Jesus, because this is where He lives.

There were cookies in the reception hall after the open house. THIS was the best part for the kids! In this picture Ethan said, "Mommy, Avery's face is too messy, she needs a wipe". He's a little OCD, he can't stand to be dirty, or to see anyone else dirty.

A Day At the Lake Palisades

Avery, Ethan, Xander, Hailey

Everytime the boat stopped the kids wanted to jump in and swim. The water was FREEZING, I don't know how they liked it so much. I think this was Ethan's favorite part.

Avery didn't like having to sit down so much she wanted to be climbing and wandering around the boat. My sunglasses kept her happy for a while.

Jesse and Ethan on the tube (before I figured out how to zoom all the way)

Jesse and Avery tubing (after the zooming lesson). Avery was laughing the whole time.

Ethan and Xander tubing together.

Thanks to our friends who put up with us, and for showing us a good time!

Avery Turns 2!!!!!

2009-08-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Avery turned 2 on July 11. We had a small party with just family here, and family on the web cam. She was totally into it. It was Tinkerbell themed, and very cute. Unfortunately I didn't think to take pics of the "obviously" homemade cake :) At her 2 year well check we learned that she is a whopping 21 lbs, I think that's 1 whole LB of weight gain in the past year. At least I hope she was 20 lbs when I moved her to a toddler car seat :) Anyway here are some pics.

Cozumel, Mexico

2009-07-31T09:59:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of this month Jesse and I took our first vacation as a couple since the kids were born. Jesse surprised me with the trip in February. We had beautiful weather, Jesse got to go scuba diving, and loved it. We did a lot of snorkling, drank all the pina coladas, and strawberry daqaris we could, and enjoyed 7 days without the kiddos. Thanks Mom for taking care of my wild things. Here are some pics (snorkling and scuba pics to come)

The view from the lobby of the resort.

The resort from the beach.

The view from our room.

Just one of the many iguanas we found everywhere on and around the resort.

Pics from our snorkel tour

Nothing beats a beach sunset

In the city.

One of the shows they put on each night at the resort

Seven-11 HA HA

More Iguanas

Our New Backyard Buddy!

2009-06-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

I've seen this little guy in our backyard a few times. Of course as soon as we go out he jets, but I did manage to get some cute pics. He likes to park it under the trampoline in the shade.

Playing Catch-Up!

2009-06-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, where has the time gone. I don't think i've ever gone this long between posts. So, this one will contain a lot of info! In the past few months we've...

Had a wonderful visit from Christy, Benjamin, and Brinley! Christy drove down from CO, to surprise mom for mothers day! I of course got to enjoy her as well. Ethan and Avery had so much fun with their cousins, Benjamin and Brinley. She was only supposed to stay for the weekend, but mom and I are bad influences and she ended up staying a week! :) We went to the park, went hiking and to the lake, made smores, went shopping, and played, played, played. It was so fun to see them!

Beautiful Brinley, on Nana's shoulders.

It had just rained, and Benjamin found lots of mud, I turned around for 1 minute and this is how we found him!

Getting a shower with the hose, the other kids were quite jealous of this part, but it was a little chilly. Benjamin didn't care!

Ethan still talks about all the funny things that Benjamin did, and how much fun they had together!

We found out that another one of these will be joining our family in January! Ethan wants the baby to be a boy. We will not be finding out the sex this time around so, I have been trying to explain to him that we have to be happy either way!

So far, so good though! This has been the best pregnancy by far. Nausea has been under control for the most part, and I find myself thinking "Wow, I actually feel good right now", way too often. Definitely different food aversions and cravings than before, status...pizza, green olives, eggs, steak, hamburgers OUT! filet-o-fish, black olives, pickles, ANY fruit, salad, I could go on...IN! We are very excited!

Jesse's MBA graduation last weekend! I am so proud of all his hard work, and a solid 3.8 GPA! The ceremony was held in Little Rock, AR. I didn't capture too many pics that I could make out. But, here are some of us waiting for the ceremony to begin, just before it began Ethan fell asleep, making it a little easier on me. It was so fun to see Jesse get his diploma, and we are so proud of him!

The kids, not too happy about having to sit and wait for the ceremony! They had nothin to do, I didn't plan too well.Jesse getting his diploma, sorry it's too dark to see anything. You can kind of make him out on the big screen.

Jesse and Avery, after the ceremony. Ethan was still asleep, sprawled across 3 chairs.

What's New?

2009-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Apparantly Avery has "Body Dismorphic Disorder". Don't worry though, I think it's a made up disorder that means that she doesn't realize how big/small her body is. She REALLY wants to be small enough to fit inside her "little people" school bus, no pun intended. It was extremely cute watching her try.

Ethan has been learning to write his name. He pretty much picked it up on his own. I didn't really work with him that much. Whenever he would finish an "art project", I would write his name on it, and occasionally I would ask him if he could copy the letters of his name underneath my example. Pretty soon he would be asking me what letters come in his name, he can't always remember then all, but he knows how to write each letter. Sometimes they are not in order, but he's only 3 1/2! I am pretty proud of him. He will start preschool in September. The other day he got in trouble, and so he asked me for some paper so that he could make me a card to cheer me up. On the paper he traced his hand, and wrote OSO MOM, he told me that OSO was for "Oh SO Special" (he's been watching the new Disney channel show Special Agent Oso), and then he signed his name. It just melted me heart, the boy is so sweet! I told him I was definitely cheered up, and that he was definitely off the hook!

He did this completely on his own, I just helped him make the lines a little darker so that the picture would turn out.

These are the joys of motherhood!

As I am writing this post, Avery came to show me her "new outfit". She found a pair of swim shorts and decided to wear them. She put the waist over her head and her body is in one of the legs. Isn't she beautiful!? She's so proud of herself.

Easter Pictures

2009-04-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

A photographer friend set up shop at a local mall and was taking Easter pics with live bunnies and chicks as props. Ethan was extremely excited and wanted to take them home as pets. Avery liked them only when they were in cages. Ruth did a great job of getting cute pictures despite Avery's freaking out. If you look closely at Avery's face, you can tell she's not saying "AWWWW!", but "AHHHHHH!". And for those of you concerned that we may like Ethan more due to the fact that we have more pictures of him solo, no worries. They are loved equally, Avery just wouldn't sit there ALONE with the killer bunny and chick! The one picture of her was actually taken quickly as she was making a run for it, the grimace just happens to look like a smile, or maybe that's photoshop! Great job Ruth! Thank You!

2009-04-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

The Easter Bunny

2009-04-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a few easter egg hunts to choose from, and unfortunately we chose badly! We got to see the easter bunny but when it came to the egg hunt, we ended up with ZERO eggs. Apparently they were expecting about 5x's less people than came. I don't think the kids were too dissappointed, and we ended up doing a small egg hunt at home, they really liked that one. Here are pics of the kids with Easter Bunny. Of course, at first Ethan was trying to "figure him out", and Avery was hysterical. What is it with kids and huge stuffed characters. They LOVE them on TV, you'd think they would love to meet one. We tried to prep Avery, but that girl is just a BIG CHICKEN (bock, bock).

"Tinkle Tinkle Star"- Avery's Antics

2009-04-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Avery loves singing, and is quite good (I may be biased). She can pick up on any song after hearing it just a few times. Here is a clip of her singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (Drum Roll Please)...

Avery is talking so much, and surprises us most of the time with what she understands, and the full sentences she uses. She loves to be held, and has started asking us to pick her up by saying "I hold that mommy?" (or I hold that daddy, or nanna, or papa, or BeBen/Brendan). Who can say no to that!? Nontheless she is spoiled.

She loves to see pictures of herself, and I have a few framed around the house, and she likes to carry them around the house saying "I hold that Avery".

She has also recently learned to count to 10. She likes to try to put Ethan in time out, by calling "Ethan" followed by gibberish, and "time out"...more gibberish "1-2-3-so on".

She loves to wear daddys shoes, and does quite well walking in them.

She recently started taking my broom and riding it like a horse naying and all, I have no idea where she got that from??

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!!

2009-03-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Of course these pictures were taken yesterday, when we actually celebrated St. Patty's day. We didn't do much, just made some fun green shamrock pancakes, and went to the Library! As you can see Ethan and Avery love helping me in the kitchen. I love Avery's "just woke up" face. And if you watch the sequence of pictures you can see the result "in action" of having my little leprechauns "too" helpful hands.

New "Bigger Boy Bed"

2009-03-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to move Ethan from a toddler bed to a twin. We did this in preparation for the surgery he's having at the end of the month. We wanted there to be enough room for either Jesse or I to lay with him after he's home from the hospital. So far, the new bed has been a big hit! Avery wakes up each morning and goes straight to "brubers" bed and lays in it. Ethan still fights naps, and bedtime, but will lay in it randomly throughout the day just to play around.

Ethan transferring his "stuff" to his new drawers just after Jesse set it up. Jesse could barely keep Avery off of it long enough to put it together.

Aspire to be Great!

2009-03-12T13:24:00.001-07:00

Ethan started gymnastics last month. He loves it, and looks forward to it all week long. Here are some shots of out little future olympian in action. (Just kidding about the future olympian part ;0)

Pride and Prejudice

2009-03-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

I saw this quiz on my friend Lara's blog, since I literally finished watching Sense and Sensibility, I thought this would be fun. It was kind of a surprise to me, I guess, but maybe I should watch this movie again because I don't remember it. I think I would probably get a kick out of it.

Take the Quiz here!

Random Snow Day

2009-03-01T08:03:00.001-08:00

Why God Made Moms!

2009-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

I saw this on my friend Melody's blog and thought it was hilarious!
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2 She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

It's Getting Warmer...

2009-02-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

I just hope it stays that way. I have heard rumors about another "cool" front coming through, but it's almost March it HAS to be getting warmer. The other day seemed like a warm day, so I thought it was time to break out the double jogger, it has been neglected for 4 LONG months. However, once I got the kids in it and ready to go I realized the warmth was deceiving, their was quite a wind chill. Undeterred I grabbed Ethan's "cold blanket" (ie his down comforter), and tucked it around them and we went about 1 1/2 miles! Oh, it felt so good. I don't know if I can be patient much longer! I love jogging outdoors, I LOVE my double jogger, I LOVE warm weather! I LOVE that the kids are "trapped", they only complain when the sun is in their eyes, time to invest in sunglasses!

FHE

2009-02-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Monday for FHE I decided to make a dessert that the kids have never seen before. It was a big hit. We don't have dessert all the time, and usually it's just chocolate chip cookies ( I always have dough in the freezer). The kids had so much fun! Cupcakes baked in ice cream cone cups!

The Joys!

2009-02-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

These are the joys of having a BIG BRUBBER! She watches everything he does and tries to do exactly the same. Here I caught her trying to use the "poppy" just like her "brubber"!

In NO particular order!

2009-02-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

My kids are so weird sometimes. The other day I couldn't get them to eat spaghetti. What kid doesn't like spaghetti? So, I thought it was about time we had a spaghetti slurping lesson. They both ate a whole bowl full. Avery definitely needed a bath afterwards, Ethan spotless, no surpise there, he has a "thing" about being clean. He eats with a napkin on his lap most of the time!

Ethan built a tower with Mega sized legos. He was so proud of it!

Avery's new nickname is "the pricess and the poop". The other day she was having a complete meltdown because she had a "poopy butt". Jesse being the great dad and husband that he is got straight to changing her only to discover the reason for the meltdown was because of a "pea-sized" poop.

After being cooped up in the house for like a week straight during the Ice Storm (for emphasis). They were finally let loose when the sun came back out. They had a blast stomping on the crunchy snow. (notice Avery's giraffe rain boots, she will seldom be seen without them. They are actually Ethan's).

The whole ensemble!

Lots of time indoors meant lots of time watching movies. I am so glad that Ethan has become such a great big brother. (Don't worry Jessica, Chase will love his baby sibling. Maybe not right away, but eventually. It took Ethan about a year!!!) This is Ethan holding "sister" on his lap to watch a movie. He did initiate it, and she is surprisingly not fighting it.

We also played dress up a lot. On this particular day, Avery didn't want to be a "princess". She chose to be a giraffe-rainboot wearing police girl! She is sooooooooo adorable!

And here we are making valentine cards for our friends! We had a lot of fun, and I am still finding glitter!

Ethan Says!

2009-02-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Ethan started to go to Sunbeams this year!!! Yeah!!! I was very excited for this new change for him...he was not! When I took him aside the Saturday before his first Sunday as a Sunbeam and told him about primary and what to expect, and that he would no longer go to nursery and play with toys, he looked at me and said "Mom, I am NOT a big boy, I am little still. I will go to nursery OK?"

After 3 weeks of Sunbeams I think he is adjusting nicely. This week after I dropped him off, I remembered that I needed to take him to the bathroom. When I went back in to get him, he was turned around to the older kids behind him, making faces, and making them laugh. I said "Ethan, we need to go potty, then we will come back". Ethan says (to the kids behind him) "Don't worry guys, I will be right back!" He's a little "class clown" in the making! (That's NOT something I like!)

Still Iced In!!!

2009-01-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

We're still iced in! Mom and Dad lost their power sometime last night, and the power co said they could be out for 3-4 days! So, this is new, they've moved in with us! It's nice to have the company. Hopefully it will warm up enough to start melting the "ice world" we are currently living in! The kids and I are definitely starting to feel what it's like to have cabin fever. I guess Obama has declared Arkansas in a state of Federal Emergency! (how noble of him). I will keep up the updates (as long as I still have power). Hope you are all warmer than we are!

What we DO on an ICE cold day!!!

2009-01-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

OK, so we didn't actually have to spend the WHOLE day trapped in our own house. We woke up at Nana and Papa's, who put up with us because our power was out, and we stayed until lunch. Then we made the SLOW drive home (because Jesse had to get to work to leave for KC), and then we took naps AND then we....

Thanks to Nana Conn Ethan has a policeman costume. Jesse will be happy that Ethan is no longer "borrowing" Avery's wings to be "The King of the World"! I found nothing wrong with it, however Jesse, was a bit disconcerted! I do have to say that he does make a much cuter police guy, than a "fairy guy".

For those of you NOT in Arkansas!

2009-01-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the recent weather we have been having. Those of you who have never experienced an ICE STORM (like me), this is what happens. Of course the pictures DO NOT capture what it really looks like. We were only out of electricity for a few hours, but we didn't wait around that long. Not 30 minutes after the power went out, we packed our bags and headed up to my mom and dads in Bella Vista. The roads were awful but worth it for heat and warm food. We have almost a years supply but we hadn't purchased a propane tank for our grill yet so we had no way of heating our food. I am not sure of the final count for people out of power in our area and surrounding areas, but it was somewhere in the 100,000's. We came home this morning and still have power, but Jesse left for KansasC, MO for a week and a half and so I am trapped inside because I am not about to drive on these roads. Anyway, here are some pics, they are pretty amazing, even beautiful.

Ice crystals on the grass.

Icicles on the kids picnic table and trampoline.

Sheet of ice on the net of the trampoline. The cracks in the sheet of ice are after Jesse went out there with a broom and tried to knock the ice off the net so it wouldn't be weighed down and break the net.... it didn't work!

Icicles on the tricycle

The unexplainable way the ice forms on the branches, twigs and leaves!

More pics from our trip to Cali

2009-01-21T13:19:00.001-08:00

First Week of Christmas Vaca!!! (delayed)

2008-12-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

We flew into Oakland Thursday (December 18th). It was a LONG day! First we drove 3 hours to Kansas City, and then our flight was delayed 2 hours. Luckily we had signed up for text alerts and we just found a McDonalds with a playplace and hung out. Then we had a 4 hour flight to endure! The kids were pretty good! The plane was completely full, and it was a turbulent flight, which meant a lot of seat belt time. But we finally got here and we are having a blast hanging out with cousins, and Nana and Papa Conn. Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to.

The first time I curled Avery's hair!!

Avery with my cousin Christopher at the fish hatchery in Sacramento

Avery with my Aunt Reinalda

Ethan checking out a display with daddy at the fish hatchery.

More pics to come of the fish hatchery! And everything else we did in Cali for Christmas!

New Tag

2008-12-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

If you want to play along just bold what you have done!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a school band/orchestra
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis, eww NO, those things are creepy
10. Sang a solo, nope
11. Bungee jumped, no
12. Visited Paris, no
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea, no
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch, piano
15. Adopted a child, no
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty, no
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France, no
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked , no.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill Mental health is just as important!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke As long as video game Karaoke counts!
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling snorkeling in hawaii.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud all the time as a child.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business I owned my own daycare!
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone-
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

It's been a while!!!

2008-12-07T20:04:00.001-08:00

Things have gotten so busy, but are now starting to calm down (a little). We just had our final Enrichment of the year, and now that that's over with, a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders :) I think it went well, and we had a great turn out. Friday was our ward Christmas party, and that was great too. The kids got to see Santa, and Ethan was very excited to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas, luckily it's actually what he's going to get, and not something he decided last minute. Avery was NOT so excited to see Santa. I thought she was going to pass out, but I made her stay on his lap long enough to get a picture. Here are some pics from the past month.

Our first snow! The day after Thanksgiving!

Picture with Santa!

Enjoying a little Andy's Frozen Custard, after the ward party.

Another attack of the crazy hair. Some days it just has a mind of it's own!

Rainy Day Schedule

2008-11-13T09:26:00.001-08:00

Wasn't it supposed to rain? Usually our weather guy is pretty accurate! But one Tuesday he disappointed us! I had a fun rainy day schedule planned for Tuesday, since we had to pass on a play day with friends due to runny noses and sore throats. BUT GUESS WHAT?! NO RAIN!! Well, I stuck to my rainy day schedule anyway, since it did look formidable outside. We pulled out the bounce house and bounced away! I have a feeling we will put it to a lot of use this winter. Avery is finally not afraid of it anymore, and that gives Ethan someone (the right size) to jump with. Here are some fun pics. I LOVE the scary faces. (If I do the scary faces back, Avery freaks out) HA HA!