THANKFUL FOR THESE MOMENTS

PORTRAITS

2011-11-27T15:01:00.001-05:00

I don’t think I’d be very good at taking portraits of the kids if they weren’t a Simpson Family requirement. Christian’s mother likes to have an updated picture of each of her grandchildren on a huge wall in their house. Here are the pictures I just took of the kids that will be making the wall. Sidenote: There are 30 grandchildren in the family. That makes for one HUGE wall.

ALANA THE ANGEL

2011-11-23T12:59:00.001-05:00

Alana has changed SO much. She have always been beautiful, but also a challenge in the very beginning. She got really sick when we first brought her home because we were all getting over a REALLY BAD stomach bug. Sadly, she got it too and that kind of set the tone for the first 3 months of her life. Super fussiness. However, she has done a total 180 and is the sweetest easiest baby now. She really only fusses when she’s sleepy now. THAT I can handle.

*Alana smiles at everything. All of the time.

* She no longer screams the minute we put her in the car seat. She may not like it, but she’ll fall asleep in the car, which is a HUGE success

*Alana has learned to scoot when on her tummy around the bed. She is strictly a crib napper now.

*She has learned to LOVE her daddy. He’s learned to love her right back.

*She only wakes up once a night for a feeding. Now we’re just working on her sleeping straight through the night.

*She follows her brother and sisters with her eyes all of the time taking in all of what they do.

*She’s a bit of a night-owl… which is nice since we can spend time with her one on one.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

2011-11-23T12:47:00.001-05:00

We’ve had other play dates too. One rainy day I decided to brave 2 young children, terrible weather and trek it out to Wake Forest to visit my good friend Lisa and her little ones. On a side note, Lisa had a baby 5 weeks after me. Both of our babies have not been angels. Both love to fuss and be held. Alana’s calmed down a lot since, but this particular trip was a rough one on her. She screamed the whole 45 minutes there. It was a JOY! But once we got there it was just like being back at home. It felt weird to drive into Raleigh. It’s like I expected it to stand still while we’ve been gone. But, alas, it’s still trucking along like always. It’s kind of weird though because now I feel like a visitor when I go back. I got some good pictures of Landen and Katy together. They just LOVE each other and ask to play together all the time. It’s sad that they live so far apart now. Alana and Ally got to meet outside of the womb too! I mean, it was more of a reunion though… you know… since the knew each other in Heaven.

{It was meant-to-be. Look as these two cheesin’}

{My Personal Favorite - down below}

{These two don’t know it yet… but they’re BEST FRIENDS}

ASIANS

2011-11-23T12:34:00.001-05:00

Christian likes to laugh that I haven’t made any friends except for the 85% of the Asians that live in Baity Hill. It’s true… they’re everywhere. The 1/8 of my genes feels right at home.

Mia’s made a friend named “Vanessa” (this is her name, but her American name). She is cute as can be and has a grandma who is just as cute. She laughs a lot, nervously. She flips her hair like a teenager (The Grandma, not Vanessa). She is all around sweet. When Mia goes over to play she has a great time. The other day Vanessa’s Grandma was walking Mia back from their apartment and brought food with her. Let me back up, so apparently after the first play date it is tradition to give a gift to the child. This is just a guess, but it has happened twice now with the kids when they have a play date at an Asian home. Anyways, I felt kind of bad so I sent cookies with Mia one day. I think this confused the grandma because the next week she brought over chive pancakes and “mystery meat”. We have NO idea what kind of meat it was. It LOOKED like sausage but for all we knew it could have been a domestic animal… you know where I’m going with this. (I can be stereotypical because of that 1/8th in me). Anyways, Christian and I were feeling daring one day so we fried it all up. It was actually pretty good… I’m not going to lie… I was surprised. And because of the weirdness of this event I snapped pictures for documentation purposes.

Ok, Now since the packaging was in Chinese I had to wing it.

Here is the finished pancake and the mystery meat.

AAAANNNNDD HERE WE GO!

ME LIKEY!

21 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR KIDS

2011-10-24T16:11:00.001-04:00

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?

Kalea – to say “Yes Ma’am and Yes Sir.”

Mia – to be good.

Landen- noooo

2. What makes Mommy happy?

Kalea – being great

Mia – when I’m a good listener

Landen – happy face

3. What makes Mommy sad?

Kalea – when Daddy loses that thing that you like (love)

Mia – when I’m a bad listener

Landen – landen cries in the tar (car)

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?

Kalea – when you say “get off my patooties” to daddy

Mia –by tickling us

Landen – (chomps at me)

5. What was Mommy like as a child?

Kalea – she was a child of God

Mia –you was like your mom

Landen – Mia!!

6. How old is Mommy?

Kalea - 28

Mia - 28

Landen – 1, 2, 3-eeee

7. How tall is Mommy?

Kalea (long pause) – taller than Alana

Mia – taller than a toy

Landen -heavy

8. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?

Kalea – um, nap.

Mia – to spend time with your friends (giggles)

Landen -guuummm

9. What does Mommy do when you’re not around?

Kalea – you crochet a lot

Mia – make dinner… sometimes?

Landen- you get tandy with grandma

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

Kalea – at making the most, um, delicious dinners in the whole wide world

Mia –crocheting hats, you are famous AT THAT!

Landen – Buzz Lightyear and fly up,,, you don’t fly up… no have any wings.

11. What is Mommy really good at?

Kalea – crocheting, and making dinners… the best dinners

Mia – feeding the baby.

Landen – happy

12. What is Mommy NOT very good at?

Kalea – you’re not good, um, aaaat (long pause)…making daddy upset.

Mia – not making wooden toys

Landen – (jumping and growls at me)

13. What does Mommy do for her job?

Kalea – you don’t have a job. second answer – feed the baby.

Mia (quietly) – you had a job for making food

Landen –get presents at your birthday time

14. What is Mommy’s favorite food?

Kalea – tacos

Mia – chicken pot pie.. I mean burritos!!

Landen – chicken tenders!!

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?

Kalea (raises hand) – everything!!

Mia – your food… it’s so delicious.

Landen – boots

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Kalea – you’d be a cowgirl, yeeee hawwww!!

Mia (squeeks out answers) – a sheep!! a sheep!!

Landen – MARIO

17. What do Mommy and you do together?

Kalea – we fold laundry together

Mia- help me crochet!

Landen –8, 7, 9 AND 10

18. How are you and Mommy the same?

Kalea (raises hand jumping up and down) – we both have boney heinies

Mia – we both have brown eyes

Landen – Mario Tark (Kart)

19. How are you and Mommy different?

Kalea – you like to paint your toes and I like to pain my finger nails

Mia – our hair is different

Landen – we play games

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?

Kalea – you give me a hug and kiss every night

Mia – because you got us markers

Landen – love you too

21. Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go?

Kalea – Michael’s… It has yarn, you go there a lot. Well, not a lot but sometimes.

Mia –the donut store… probably not.

Landen –the park place

“TRUST ME, I’M A DOCTOR.”

2011-09-25T22:07:00.001-04:00

Well, not quite. But it is our favorite quote from the Dr Pepper commercials.

Funny story… Christian apparently had a “White Coat Ceremony” which I knew NOTHING about (not so funny). I had to basically puuuulll the information out of him to attend. If you know my husband, he’s not big into fru-fru events. He even thought the event was optional. So basically the week of the ceremony we got the “invite” (we, being the kids and I) and so Saturday we celebrated a special occasion. The donning of the white coat. We got all spiffied up and along with Christian’s parents attended the event in the Memorial building. We were one of the few people who had small children. It was quite a task at keeping them all quiet and well behaved, but they did great and even exceeded my expectations. We heard a few speakers and then the medical students went up in groups and each had their coat placed upon them by a doctor/mentor from UNC. Interesting fact… This year UNC had 4,000 applicants. They interviewed a little over 500 of them. There are currently 170 medical students attending their first year including my husband. Pretty awesome.

Waiting for it to begin. We arrived about 10 min early and got really good seats about 4 rows from the front and to the right.

And here HE comes!!

Afterwards we went outside and took a few pictures. The kids were happy to finally get out and run around. Christian is known for being the guy with 4 kids in med school. They all think we’re nuts… and they got to see it first hand.

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

2011-09-25T21:46:00.001-04:00

Here are a few updates:

THIS is where we live:

THIS is what we do most of the day (it’s Toy Story, if you can’t tell. Landen is OBSESSED):

THIS is where she wants to be all day:

ANY QUESTIONS?

OUR ATTEMPT AT A FAMILY PICTURE

2011-09-25T21:39:00.001-04:00

We have NEVER been good at capturing that “perfect” family picture. My dear friend Christy was kind enough to capture one for us while taking pictures at my brother’s wedding reception. It’s always fun to see the ones that didn’t quite make the cut. Our blog picture up top is the one that turned out the best and I’m totally happy to have it… especially since we may not get another chance while Christian is in Medical School. Thank you Christy!!

Without further ado…

This picture is ALMOST perfect if Kalea had kept her head raised a bit higher.

Everyone was super cooperative again in the picture. But we definitely have a DIVA on our hands. Landen is also bear hugging himself.

My personal favorite. And would also be kind of hilarious to put up on a large canvas on our wall. This kid is an ANIMAL!!

THE EVOLUTION OF CHUB

2011-09-25T21:28:00.001-04:00

AND TODAY…

BACK TO SCHOOL

2011-08-26T18:28:00.001-04:00

It’s that time again. SCHOOL TIME!! I can honestly say I have been looking to this because it has a meaning. This time means stability, consistency, and regularity. All of which is something we haven’t had in months. I need this… we ALL need this. A little stability is a good thing. So back to school is a 3 part series. Thursday was Kalea’s first day but because Kindergarten has “staggered entry” Mia was not able to ride the bus with her big sister. She was a little bummed by this but she was okay the rest of the day.

Elementary School around here starts E.A.R.L.Y. We had to be out at the bus stop at 6:55am. Not an easy task when you’re up all night nursing a baby. However, it is nice that Landen is still asleep because I can take the girls to the bus stop and Landen and the baby can sleep (while Christian studies and gets ready for class at 8am). It’ll be a little bit of a challenge until the baby starts to sleep better, but I’m not holding my breath on that. And on the plus side, they get out of school at 2:30 which I love. Kalea has a good friend, Paulina, who lives 3 doors down and is also in her class this year. I have a feeling they are going to be GREAT friends.

Mia had her first day of school on Friday. It was a short day (mostly an orientation) and Mia was excited, then nervous, then excited again when I picked her up. She even showed me a cute little banana dance that the class learned. It was adorable and relieving to see her be such a big girl. She’s come a long way from that little girl who grabs my leg and screams anytime anyone came near her. She still can be a bit weary until she’s comfortable… baby steps.

Mia will go the full day on Monday with Kalea on the bus. She’s really excited about that part. I told Kalea she needed to sit with her sister (I think it kind of bummed her out, but that’s what siblings are for). Anyways, thus the 3 part series.

Can you tell Landen was rearin to go (he’s the one with the red hat)? He really wants to be big like his sisters and go to school. He REALLY wants to ride the bus. I have a feeling it’s going to be a challenge keeping him entertained while they’re gone. They are SO good with him and help me a ton. It’ll be lonely without them but I’m excited to hear about their day when they come home. And while they’re gone I have a feeling we’ll be HERE a lot. It’s the playground in our apartment complex. It’s geared more towards littler kids so it’s perfect for him.

WHERE WE ARE…

2011-08-26T18:08:00.001-04:00

THIS is Baity Hill, our new home. I haven’t taken pictures of the inside yet. Mostly because I either have A) a baby in my arms or B) it isn’t ever tidy enough for me to take a picture yet. It will come, be patient with me.

Most of life has slowed down significantly which I am VERY VERY grateful for. June-August has been such a tornado of chaos that I’m ready for boring nothingness to take over. We’ve been enjoying the last few days of summer and spending some time with my grandparents who were in town for Uncle Lane’s wedding reception. We weren’t able to visit quite as much as I would have liked because of the move and having a newborn, but I think they understood. I was able to take a few pictures while they were over. They really do enjoy the time with the kids and you can tell they cherish every second.

My mom took this picture of me and the kids while they were over. I didn’t realize how exhausted I look.

We’ve had some good friends come and visit us since the move. They are so awesome to think of me all the way out here. it’s not a short drive, that’s for sure. Suzanne came with her girls and I was in awe of her sweet little Abby who was content just laying in the Boppy or swinging in the swing. I can’t wait for that time when I have a few minutes to accomplish something… anything. Lisa came by with Katy and hung out with me on my birthday. I have to mention that these girls know me SO well because they both brought me fast food for lunch. Yes, I know I’m disgusting but I LOVE IT. I miss my friends so much, it’s been hard not having some of my best friends a quick drive away. *sigh*. But it’s still been a good adjustment and am really happy where we are.

ADJUSTING

2011-08-24T09:58:00.001-04:00

We’ve now been living in Chapel Hill for a little over a week. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but not really as much as I originally thought. The day we moved in the girls found little friends to play with in the hall way. All I have to do is prop the door open and peak out to keep an eye on them. It started off as 2-3 friends. Now when I peak out there can be up to 8-10 kids all running and playing. They take their scooters and ride their bikes. It’s pretty funny. Kalea has actually learned to ride a two-wheeler (without training wheels) in the hall. There are certain rules they have to obey and if they break those rules then they aren’t allowed out the next day. It’s been pretty awesome for them.

Christian has started Medical School and has dived in face first. I think it’s a bit overwhelming at times. He has class from 8am until 3pm or 5pm, depending on the day. It’s a lot like having a full time job except when he’s home he locks himself away to read, study, and watch lectures. At least he’s home. I ask for help when I absolutely need it, but for the most part we try and leave him alone. He seems a tad bit stressed but he likes to be challenged. Ask… and ye shall receive.

I’ve just been trying to balance 4 kids, keeping a tidy home (much easier with such little space), keeping up with laundry (not as easy with 6 people in the family). It hasn’t been too bad. Baby Alana LOVES to be held. The minute I put her down she’s wide awake and not happy. She is such a little snuggler. Her nights have gotten much better where she doesn’t have long stretches of fussiness. I’m, of course, not getting much sleep but certainly happy to have a happier baby. However, dinner time is he her new fussy time. This basically forces Christian to take a break while I make dinner. It’s just one big balancing act.

The girls start school this week! Mia got to meet her new teacher and see her school as a big Kindergartener. She’s excited but was a bit shy when she met her teacher. I’m sure she’ll come out of her shell in a week or so. Kalea met her teacher too (both teachers are SUPER young and new). Kalea looked like an old pro and felt totally in her element. Kalea goes for the first day on Thursday. Mia follows on Friday with a half day and then a full schedule on Monday. The only rough part is that their school starts SO EARLY. Oh well, I’m up anyways.

Landen is doing well. He loves to run the halls with his sisters. He’s become a little more impatient with everyone, which probably just comes with the territory of being 3. He’s a handful at times, but is still my sweet little man. He got all 3 Toy Story movies and guess what we’ve been watching non-stop since. It’ll be interesting to see how he does when his sisters are gone all day. He may really love having the one on one time with me. I know I’m looking forward to it (minus the help. the girls are a HUGE help).

Well, that pretty much sums it up. Nothing earth shattering but exciting and new.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LANDEN!!

2011-08-20T21:56:00.001-04:00

I didn’t get a chance to blog about Landen’s 3rd Birthday yesterday. Life has been a bit crazy trying to balance everything. We of course did not neglect our little man and his special day. He had such a fun time on Thursday. It started with him picking out a special cereal for breakfast (we have no time for fancy breakfasts’ nowadays). Then for lunch his Aunt Celeste picked the kids up and took them all to the park (along with her 7 kids… what a brave woman!) They had a picnic and played all afternoon and came home with Frosties and bubbles in tow. The kids had a blast. That afternoon, we took a walk, blew some bubbles, and spent time together until Daddy came home. When Christian got home we celebrated with cake (chocolate of course) and sang Happy Birthday to our special guy. Christian was a bit nervous about the candles (we’ve heard horror stories about the fire alarms in this place). That didn’t deter us because if you know Landen you KNOW he loves to blow out some candles! We opened up presents and it was all about Lightning McQueen this year! He got 8 new cars and a little car port with a slide attached. He was in HEAVEN! We didn’t take pictures but Christian got it all on video. We have been a little slack in the photo area, I’ll have to get better at that.

Happy Birthday Landen!! We love you so much… You bring so much laughter and fun into our lives. You are our little prince and are so happy you are in our family.

SAY CHEESE BABY!

2011-08-01T12:41:00.001-04:00

So after day 2 of Baby Alana being home Christian asked me if I was going to take any pictures of her. It had kind of slipped my mind. Here is my attempt at baby pictures of little Alana. She looks like a perfect little angel to me.

SHE’S HERE!

2011-08-01T12:33:00.001-04:00

I figure I should blog about Alana’s birth story before I forget all of the details. Our newest little princess was born on Tuesday, July 26th at 1:41pm. She was 7lbs 2 oz. My biggest baby by one ounce! I was only in labor for 5 1/2 hours and delivery took 7 minutes! And here’s how it went…

I had informed my OB practice that Christian would be starting Medical School on August 8th. We wanted to make sure this little girl was born before school started and insurance ran out. So we scheduled my induction for Tuesday. I was REALLY hoping to go into labor before then but it didn’t happen. Which turned out to be kind of a blessing because everyone ended up getting a stomach bug and we didn’t want a new baby around all that. Feeling weak from the stomach bug, I ended up getting a really good night’s sleep Monday night for my induction early Tuesday. Christian and I showed up at the hospital around 7:30. I filled out paperwork and headed up stairs after 8am sometime. I don’t think my labor actually started until after 9am sometime. And I don’t really count it because they hooked me up to Pitocin and my contractions were every 10 min or so. Obviously nothing exciting. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me my epidural and then Dr. Bernstein broke my water. That’s when the REALLY FUN stuff starting happening. Apparently my epidural only worked on my left side because I could feel EVERYTHING on my right side. I’m a liar, not fun at all. They called the anesthesiologist back in and he upped my dosage a bunch of times and they rolled me to my right side which worked… and just in time. Within minutes I knew it was time and boy was I ready. The doctor barely had time to get his gloves on before she came. What’s even better is that Christian was REALLY involved this time. He saw EVERYTHING. Everything that he’s hidden from behind my bed during the other 3 previous deliveries with the kids. He even cut the umbilical cord. Dr. Bernstein is a “teaching doctor” and did his residency at UNC so he and Christian had lots to chat about. I can safely say this is one of the easiest deliveries I’ve had and to see our little angel was amazing.

She’s a squirmy little thing. When people would ask me if she kicked a lot… it’s was more like full on gymnastics. She’s definitely a Simpson/Alo mix. I can tell with her little personality that she wants what she wants… and she wants it NOW. A few people have said she favors Mia the most. It should be interesting to see how much she changes and really get to know her. The kids adore her already… as do her parents.

Some of the highlights:

I was asked on 3 different occasions if I was Hispanic or Cuban.
Christian talked with my OB for an hour or so about medical school and gave him different tips or advice. As did my Anesthesiologist. Through Christian’s perspective I’m pretty sure this labor was much more “productive” than just waiting around for me to pop the bay out.
Our nurse thought we were the funniest and cutest couple. She was right.
Everyone thought this was our first baby. When we said it was our 4th jaws dropped. I think it really confuses people.
Favorite phrase: “Most moms want the slime.” (In reference to when the baby comes out. I like them to be wrapped up first before I hold them.)

The kids came to visit me at the hospital. They absolutely adored their sister at first sight. They also like the free graham crackers and apple juice they got from the nurse. They played and hung out with me for a little while and then headed back home with daddy. Being at the hospital was like a vacation to me, because I knew as soon as I got home the real work would begin.

We’ll have to do a family picture soon when we get a chance. Our little family isn’t so little anymore. We’re a big family of SIX! What a great number.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

2011-07-24T15:41:00.001-04:00

I can definitely say that this pregnancy has gone pretty smooth. Morning sickness in the first trimester – done. Headaches 2nd trimester – done. Third Trimester has been fairly uneventful until the past week. Wouldn’t ya know know it… All the kids get the barfs… and then so graciously pass it to me. So I’m currently almost 39 weeks (tomorrow) and I haven’t gotten sick or had any kind of flu virus, until now. I’m going in on Monday (tomorrow) to the doctor’s office to see if they can put me in labor (I’ll spare you the details) and if it doesn’t work then I’m going in to Wake Med Hospital early Tuesday morning to for sure get this little girl OUT. However, barfing and staying up all night with aches and pains wasn’t on the schedule. I called one of my doctor’s if I should still go through with it or if I should wait it out and then reschedule. She assured me to go through with it. I guess the extra IV fluids could be more helpful then anything. My biggest concern now is DISINFECTING before we get this wee little one home. Last thing we need is left over germs to spread to little Alana. Not exactly how I expected to spend my last few days of being pregnant but I’ll survive and I guess it’ll make for a good story later on in life. Wish me luck!!

WHAT DOES IT REMIND YOU OF…

2011-07-15T22:10:00.001-04:00

… THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP HOW I’M FEELING RIGHT ABOUT NOW.

Update: I went in for my 37 week check up. No progress. She may be the only baby I go full term or over with. There’s optimism for you.

DINNER… THAT SOMEHOW TURNED INTO A BABY SHOWER

2011-07-15T21:39:00.001-04:00

I felt it was direly necessary to have dinner with all my girls from the Knightdale Ward before we moved alllll the way out to Chapel Hill. So I put together a place and time and if there is food… they will come. I’d been looking forward to this night for awhile. I even wore my water-proof mascara because I just know I’m going to miss these girls so much! I held it together pretty well though. I kept waiting for the dialogue to fade out and sad music to fade in while everything goes slow motion. Everyone gets stuck in slow motion laughter and then I’d inevitably cry. It didn’t happen.

We all met up at Mimi’s Café and when I walked in there was a table in the corner with a diaper cake, cupcakes, and gifts. Not quite what I was expecting. I guess I didn’t get the memo.

I have such a great time whenever I get together with everyone. It’s always non-stop laughter and good times which is evident by these pictures:

**Lisa and I – I like to call us ebony and ivory. She is one of my absolute best friends. The moment we became friends I remember thinking in my head “It feels like we’ve been friends forever”. Who knows… maybe we were bff before this life. **

**This handsome fella is Darius, our waiter. He was really patient while we all trickled in and ordered at different times and refilled our water a thousand times. He probably thought we were some CRAZY white girls.**

**And there’s Erin eating my diaper cake… crazy white girl.**

**The whole group – Erin, Lindsay, April, Leah, Meg, Suzanne, Lana, Angie, Bekah, Melanie, Lisa, yours truly, and Erin.**

**Erin and Lindsay (my Utah girls) – funny story. Leah was trying to take a picture of the table and these 2 posed for a picture on queue. It was hilarious.**

**Apparently something was hilarious… l’m creepy.**

**Lisa and Meg threw me my baby shower when I was pregnant with Landen. We have a bunch of pictures of the three of us from back then too. Awww… memories.**

I have some seriously talented friends. They made a lot of their own gifts and this little girl has some cute new outfits. She should be happy that she has something to call her own since she’s going to have A TON of hand-me-downs.

They were all so funny with their “disclaimers” during the opening process. I wasn’t expecting anything but dinner with friends so these amazing gifts were certainly from the heart… I could tell.

**Melanie made these adorable burp cloths, blanket, and a diaper/wipes holder. She is AMAZINGLY talented… this is her giving me the “disclaimer.” **

**This is from Erin Marriott. Every baby shower I’ve been to she gifts with these AWESOME carseat covers. And in my head I’m always wondering how I can steal it without anyone noticing. I absolutely LOVE THEM…. and I GOT ONE!!!! Thanks Erin… I’m so excited to use it.**

**Lindsay made me these cute burp cloths and a cute onsie she dolled up. She’s so awesome because she’s gotten over her “fear” of the sewing machine. Something I can’t claim yet. I won’t touch them yet.**

Just a couple of the cute outfits. They know me so well and got a cute brown dress, some leopard print shoes… and we joked around about the little skirt I’m holding up being a “booty skirt”. It definitely would be on Mia… I guess not on a newborn though.

THANK YOU LADIES FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE FOR ME. NOT ONLY FOR THIS LITTLE ONE, BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. I CHERISH EVERY ONE OF YOU AND AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOU IN MY LIFE!

HOLY UTAH PEOPLE!!

2011-07-10T23:40:00.001-04:00

This past week we went out to Utah for my baby brother’s wedding. It was fun, exhausting, stressful… but mostly fun. Apparently I arrived with a spark in my eye and a little pep in my step. But by the end I was worn out to the max! Christian and I make fun of Utah…. A LOT. Why, you ask?

A million Mormons – and counting.
We always say we see like 3 black people when we go out there, and usually we’ve seen one of them twice. – What’s funny is that the first black person we saw actually spoke SPANISH and not English. It was kind of hilarious.
They are the CRAZIEST drivers.
We HATE that there are no road names, just a bunch of numbers. Ex: take 1251 East and 9865 West, take your 3rd right on 654231 South. SERIOUSLY?
It’s SO dry – which I grew to appreciate AFTER I bought Carmex and fixed my hair for the first time and it actually STAYED the way I wanted it.
It stays light until 10:30pm
Mountains, Mountains, everywhere.
My Allergies went NUTS!! Apparently that’s what happens when Spring/Summer doesn’t start up until mid-July.
It rained the first day. Christian: “What is that white stuff in the water?” Me: “Salt” Christian: “gross”.

By the end of the trip Kalea had decided that she like Utah better than North Carolina. I think it had more to do with her being spoiled and being on vacation. She didn’t quite realize that she’d still have to go to SCHOOL if she lived in Utah. We stayed with Christian’s sister, Cerah in Salt Lake City. She is THE MOST AMAZING host. When we arrived she had bought bags of stuff for the kids. The kids loved playing with all of the toys and spreading them along all three levels of their house. It took Landen a few days to get used to their house. He would just scream “MOMMY!!!” over and over. It was quite irritating. He eventually loved Cerah’s house so much by the end that when he’d get tired he’d say, “Night Night Aunt Cerah’s house.” It was really cute. The girls would disappear for hours in the house just having the time of their life with their cousins.

The 2nd day (Thursday) we had Lane and Stephanie’s rehearsal dinner. I had my camera in tow but I made a decision that I’d rather enjoy myself and spend time with family then worry about taking mountains of pictures (they had a photographer for that, and an Uncle that seemed to take on that roll also). So I put my camera away and just enjoyed myself. During the dinner we got to tell stories of the bride and groom from when they were younger. I decided to keep it clean…. which was a very hard choice. I really wanted to stand up and tell the following stories:

When Kahea (my cousin – not to be confused with Kalea, my daughter.) lived with us in Cary we used to have many many “girl talks” with the door closed. One day, we looked over at the door and Lane had a little mirror under the door trying to eavesdrop. Apparently he was jealous of our little chats and felt left out.
When Lane was Landen’s age he got a Gonzo Tricycle toy stuck on his junk and mom had to try and get it off. I think she was successful.
I told Lane his was adopted – he’d cry. I told Lane he was an alien – he’d cry. I used to make him cry a lot.
Once I showed Lane how to climb a tree up onto a roof in our house in Florida. I never showed him how to climb down (he was probably 6 or so).

I’m sure there’s more… I just can’t think of them at the time.

{Here’s the one picture I took that evening}

Friday was the wedding. We arrived at the Draper temple and the Sealing was really awesome. I held it together until I got up and hugged my brother. I cried like a big fat baby. Lane and I have grown really close over the years. I still like to irritate him any chance I get, or shock him with vulgarity, but he has become not only my brother, but one of my best friends. Afterwards, Christian told me I was “a really loud crier”. I told him to bite me.

We went over to my cousin Kahea’s house in Lehi and the kids played a ton. It was really fun for them. Christian and I had to run an errand to Target and I was stopped twice by random people telling me I was “the cutest pregnant person” they’d ever seen. That almost never happens in NC. (It happened 3-4 more time before we left Utah… another reason Utah has grown on me.)

Lane and Stephanie’s wedding reception was that evening and it turned out so cute! They had vintage everything. They even took pictures of other family members and framed them for center pieces on their tables. It was beautiful. The reception was at 6:00pm. By 6:10pm Lane walked by our table (there were just a few people trickling in) and I told Lane, “Nice turnout.” He told me to shut up. awwww…. brotherly/sisterly love. It was a really good turn out. I’m pretty sure I knew about 10 people that showed up (including myself – since this isn’t our “neck of the woods”). At one point me and my sis-in-law, Brit, pointed out that we looked like the boring/rude in-laws just sitting there not mingling. At our defense, we were all REALLY tired. They had a fun photo booth set up too where you could dress up and take some crazy pictures…. and that we did. I’ll have to scan them and add them in a little bit.

Since I took NO PICTURES I stole some from my Brit’s Facebook page…

{Here’s a nice shot of my monster stomach while Brit and Noa dance the night away}

{Here’s one where Noa is coppin a feel on his mom}

{And this one is my personal fave – Where it looks like I’m giving Noa the evil eye and he looks terrified}

Christian and some of the guys decided to help decorate the inside of Lane’s car. If you don’t know… Lane drives an Infiniti. He’s very humble. They went nuts decorating it… silly string, balloons, and "popped balloons” on every bit of the car (I’ll let you figure out what the “popped balloons” were.) The girls put post it notes all over the outside with a big A on the front. Oh, and full cans of Sprite tied to the bumper… they exploded as they drove away. Lane was more worried about his car, naturally. After saying their LOOONG goodbyes, they drove away and headed off to marital bliss.

Phew, glad that’s over.

The rest of the trip we found different ways to entertain ourselves and our kids. We spent Saturday at Temple Square (it was WICKED HOT and my feel and hands swelled to the size of cantaloupes). We walked around for a little while and then headed over to Gateway where the kids played in the water and I did a little shopping. Just before I left to shop, Landen was so excited he ran and slipped. He ended up hitting his head on the concrete which SCARED ME TO DEATH. He was fine though, no concussion. No bleeding… just a bit shaken. It took him a little while longer, but he went back out and played on the splash pad some more just before we had to leave.

Sunday was church. I ended up stuck in Nursery with Landen, of course. Kalea went with Hannah to her class and Mia was Cerah’s little shadow, refusing to go to her own class. Landen ended up screaming MOMMY as loud a he could during sacrament causing as much attention as possible while Christian dragged him out of there. After church Kalea had a $10 gift card to Five Guys burgers. We asked Cerah about it, apparently her teacher is the CEO of Zion’s Bank and does that sort of thing for the kids. Lucky Girl! That evening we headed over to Kahea’s and had dinner and rested. I was so exhausted I sat and barely budged the rest of the evening.

Monday was 4th of July. It started with a neighborhood breakfast at 7:30am. It was PAINFUL for me because I’m huge and fat but wanted to do as much as possible while we were out there. The food was really good. They even had a magician doing a show for the kids. I’ve never seen Landen sit that still… ever. That evening we went to Luke and Brit’s for a cook out. We brought our own fireworks (just the little stuff) and headed over to the park after we ate. The kids had so much fun running and playing with their cousins. Then when it started to get dark it sprinkled a little but that didn’t stop anyone. The big time fireworks came out from every direction. Apparently our location was perfect because we were able to watch everyone else’s fireworks in the sky.

Tuesday we went to Park City and the kids had a fun time riding some rides while Christian and William rode the Alpine Slide and a Rollercoaster. Landen didn’t quite understand the concept of buying tickets, taking turns, and then being done. He threw the master of all tantrums. Cerah and Christian took on the role of comforting. But Landen is RESILIANT to say the least and wanted mommy. He went psycho and showed his true colors during the episode. Poor Cerah. She really is so patient and wanted to give me a little break. He eventually calmed down. It’s funny how Landen becomes so silent afterwards. Like he’s contemplating his actions and replaying it in his head. He probably realized how NUTS he looked. The rest is kind of a blur until we headed over to Gary’s (Christian's brother-in-law) parents house and had a cook out with them. His family IS HILARIOUS and we had a good time. The kids jumped on the trampoline. At one time Landen saw a Woody (from Toy Story) in the back of Gary’s parents car and Landen climbed up onto the car to get a better look. Handprints on the roof of the car and everything. After he climbed down, he checked every one else’s car for Buzz and Jessie. That kid is nuts.

Wednesday we were supposed to fly out that evening at 11:35PM. We did last minute shopping and went to a movie with the kids. The girls loved it. Landen conked out, thank goodness. We headed back to Cerah’s and had a last minute dinner date with Luke and his family. It felt rushed because we still had so much to do, but I was glad to see them one more time before we left. Or so we thought…

We tried to fly standby on JetBlue at night. Not a good idea. The kids were EXHAUSTED. The flight was full. As was the next flight on Thursday. It looked like we weren’t going to make it home until maybe Saturday and we needed to get home. We ended up buying tickets through Southwest Airlines and leaving Thursday afternoon at 2pm. It worked out just fine and were relieved to be home, with a baby still in my womb. Now she can come out whenever she’s ready.

It was such a fun trip. It felt kind of long mostly because my body didn’t want to keep up, but I made it anyways. It’s good to be back in NC… a little bittersweet since we’re closing on our house this Tuesday. But we’re excited for each new step. The next being… GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!

LAST DAY…

2011-06-25T08:43:00.001-04:00

So today is the last day in our home.
Our perfect little home that has been so good to us. It may have felt small at times, but it was ours.
We moved in when Mia was 8 months old. We brought Landen home from the hospital to our little home.
The girls have shared a bedroom for 4 years.
Landen and Mia both learned to walk here.
Kalea attended started elementary school here.
Christian worked at GSK, I worked 2 different jobs at 2 different times, and then finally became a stay at home mom.
Christian taught the girls how to play kickball in our back yard.
The kids have played countless hours in our backyard.
Every Friday was Pizza and Movie night.
Christian laid our hardwoods, painted every room, laid tile, and worked countless hours in the yard.
I cooked hundreds (if not thousands) of meals in the kitchen, woke up with sleepless babies, wiped away tears, and gave as many hugs and kisses I could fit in a day… all in this home.
We’ve celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, 5 Christmas’, and many get-togethers here.

If you can’t tell, we will sorely miss this house. It wasn’t just a house, it was our home. The memories are never lost and a new adventure is about to begin. I have mixed emotions. I am mourning the foundation of stability we have built upon this place for our children. I am mourning the fact that I am moving so far from such dear friends that I cherish and will miss. I am mourning so many things right now. But I am also celebrating. I am celebrating new beginnings and dreams coming true. I am celebrating my amazing husband who has worked so hard for us and now I feel like I can give back to him in a way that is uniquely ours. I am celebrating that we are about to bring a new child in our home, sent directly from heaven. I know she will bring us all a sense of calm and a sense of “family” during this trying time of adjustments. I am celebrating that even though I am leaving my home, that my home is where my children are. Where they bring me the most joy and happiness a person could ever ask for. So even though I am in mourning for this place, I am also celebrating. And I recognize where each and every one of my blessings comes from. And I am thankful.

THE OBVIOUS

2011-06-14T08:48:00.001-04:00

My good friend Leah asked me the other day, “So what else is going on besides the obvious.” I had to laugh and realize how obvious our topsy turvy lives have become. We have become so consumed with it that it must just look like a whirlwind to everyone else. I figure that I can finally take the time, sit down, and let everyone else partake of this chaos and what’s been going on.

So we put our house on the market back in March. We listed it sort of high,but still lower than the rest of the neighborhood. We got one or two listings. So we lowered it. When we lowered it, a miraculous thing happened, we’d get more showings! Just last weekend we got our first offer. It took some negotiating, but we were both able to be happy with the asking price. Now the real work begins though. We close on July 13th which means we’ll probably have a little “fix it” projects that they’ll want and then of course the moving part. Did I mention that I will be ZERO help lifting couches, tables, chairs, etc because I’m 33 weeks pregnant? My Hercules type strength will be have to be reserved for another time.

We will also be flying out for my brother Lane’s wedding in Utah in the next 2 weeks. I have very adventurous doctors who are ok with me flying out at 35 weeks and flying back at 36 weeks especially since I tend to have my babies early (38-39 weeks). So we will see…. I’m just hoping not to have a Utah baby. OH, and before all this we will be moved out of our house and moved in with my parents new house (yes, they just bought a new house too). When we get back from the Utah festivities we will hopefully be settled (until mid August) and be ready for the new baby…. who, by-the-way, will be named Alana Hazel Simpson. I’m really excited that the kids will have (hopefully) a month to get to know their new little sister before school starts.

I have already enrolled Kalea and Mia into their new school in Chapel Hill. We’re really excited for them to be attending this particular school because it has very high EOG scores and we have heard nothing but good things about Chapel Hill schools. The only downside (for me) is that it starts at 7:40 am. Yes… STARTS at 7:40 am. This is going to KILL ME (especially with a newborn and since I am NOT a morning person). So now the debate… bus or carpool, bus or carpool? We’ll see.

We move into our apartment in mid August…. the exact same day that Lane and Steph are having their wedding reception in NC. I think they hate me. Moving, plus newborn, plus wedding reception may end up in craziness, but we’re used that by now… right? The kids will have to adjust to a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. 1100 square feet. It’ll be tight but I know we can do it. It’ll only be for 4 years. I’m actually excited about it. It’s a small sacrifice to make for Christian to be able to achieve a dream he’s wanted for years. It’s like a new adventure for us. And lately, everyday has become an adventure with us.

WEDDING TIME!

2011-06-14T08:16:00.001-04:00

So as if we weren’t busy enough Lane decides to go and ruin everything with his happiness! Just kidding!! But in case you didn’t know, Lane and his soon to be wife, Steph, will be getting married July 1st and we couldn’t be more excited and happy for them! The kids are especially excited to go out to Utah. They have NO IDEA how long it’s going to take. Kalea even asked if “when we move to Chapel Hill, will be be closer to Utah?” Ummm… technically yes, but not really. Steph and Lane are doing vintage style wedding reception which I know will be absolutely GORGEOUS. We really are so excited to have Steph in our family and are even happier that Lane has found someone who can put up with him. She may not know what she’s getting herself into with this family though. Christian was cracking me up saying he was going to put on his best “redneck” voice and even paint his front tooth black. I think he should wear a pair of overalls without a t-shirt underneath to complete it. And then to really scare them, let them all know he’s going to be a doctor at Doctor School. Be afraid… This should be fun.

~*CONGRATULATIONS LANE AND STEPHANIE*~

MIA’S PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

2011-06-14T07:59:00.001-04:00

Mia has been going to Jones Dairy Elementary and taking their Ready To Learn class. This class has been a HEAVEN SENT for her. She has become more confident and less clingy with me. She REALLY loves Ms. Jennifer who takes all of the children under her wing and makes them feel so special. She was able to attend her Kindergarten Readiness class to which showed them the types of things they will be doing in Kindergarten. She loved it and was ready to keep on going. Mia has really grown up before my eyes in so many ways. She is still my “mama’s girl”, but is ready to start school in August and take on a new chapter in her life. We love you Mia!!

{In line with the rest of the Graduates}

{Performing a “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” song they had been practicing}

{Receiving her Certificate and a bag of goodies for graduating!}

{So PROUD of our sweet girl! – Landen was at a friends (he can be a bit of a terror in open spaces and too much freedom)}

MOTHER’S DAY

2011-05-08T19:00:00.001-04:00

YAY FOR MOTHER’S DAY!! I can remember back when Kalea was a newborn baby and Christian said to me “I didn’t know I had to do anything for you because you’re not MY mother.” So I was in tears, naturally, being a new mother. We created “Wife’s Week” for whenever he forgot Mother’s day. The following year he realized last minute that Mother’s Day was that Sunday and he made cookies… uh… they weren’t cookies. We had no sugar and no vanilla, but I do remember that he put a Hershey Kiss in the middle of it to try and make up for the lack of sugar. They were DISGUSTING. And once again, Wife’s Week commenced. Well each year after has been a little bit better and a little bit better. Some years you could see it pain him. It’s been a 7 year process.

I do have to say that Mother’s Day is more of the father’s job until the kids are old enough to do something on their own. it’s a lot of pressure to do something for you wife to show that you appreciate her on this special day. I know some say that Mother’s Day shouldn’t be the only day that appreciation is shown. It isn’t… not if you look really hard at the little things your family does to show they love you each and every day. Some days you have to look a little harder, and some days you can be overwhelmed by the blessings your family brings into your life.

This year Christian went all out. It started with a date on Saturday night and going to out to eat. Just the two of us. We don’t do it very often. The last time may have been September actually. But we like to be home as a family especially since it seems like such a rarity as our schedules get busier. Anyways, afterwards we went and got our chocolate covered strawberry order from the Young Women.

The following morning Christian made breakfast for all of us (pancakes, bacon, etc.), gave me more chocolate, and presented me with my Mother’s Day gift. I feel absolutely spoiled by how sweet and special he made me feel this day. The girl’s also sang to me at church with the rest of the Primary (which of course brought tears to my eyes – good thing I was prepared with waterproof mascara), gave me cards and paper flowers that they made. The day couldn’t have been better. I really do cherish my family. They are my absolute world. My solid in this world of chaos and confusion. They have been the biggest blessing in my life along with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Being able to hold these two things dear to me has given me meaning and purpose.

STRAWBERRY PICKIN’

2011-05-03T16:04:00.001-04:00

We took the kids strawberry picking this Monday night for Family Home Evening. It was so fun because we met up with a bunch of other families from church. It was such a great idea! I’m really going to miss things like this when we have to move to a new ward. This ward has really turned into our family and they all mean so much to us. Anyways… enough of the sob story. There were a few things that were absolutely hilarious that happened. Mostly watching Landen for the first time. He kept calling them “cupcakes”… I have no idea why. And then he’d his scratchy monster voice and yell “A Big One Cupcake!!” He’d take one bite and then throw it back. We kept telling him to stop, but he didn’t listen. I think he may have taken a single bite out of 15 or more strawberries and then thrown them. On top of that, he didn’t understand that he had to walk OVER the strawberry plants to get into the next row and stomped right on everything. Ohhhh, that kid. We’ll never be invited back. The girls were right at home picking the berries. They liked to look for the “perfect strawberry”. No green or white tips, and they thought the doubled ones were ugly. Such girly girls. I brought my camera along because I couldn’t resist…

And They’re Off!

EASTER

2011-05-03T14:33:00.003-04:00

Sorry it’s taken me so long to post my Easter post. We had a great day at church and at home on such a special day. It was one of the first holiday’s we’ve spent at home and were able to make our own Easter dinner. We are always sure to explain the importance of Easter to our children each year. We understand the excitement of the Easter Bunny, Baskets, Egg Hunts and so forth. But each year we always talk and stress the importance of the gift of The Resurrection and The Atonement that our Savior has given us. The girls remember each year and are beginning to understand. Which makes us feel like we’re doing something right. Here are a few pictures of the activities we participated in for Easter.
Landen and Mia have been participating in the Ready To Learn program. The kids just LOVE Ms. Jennifer and all of the hard works he puts into it. She put together a big Easter Egg Hunt for the kids at Blue Jay Park. The kids played for hours on the playground and then hunted the eggs. Each kid was only supposed to get 12-13 eggs. But of course my kids were “those kids” who had close to 20 each. We were sure to try and the spread the wealth with the other kids as soon as I realized how many they had. Some were worried about the younger kids getting any. Landen, of course, took off like a bullet and figured it out quickly. I never have to worry about that kid being shy.

Easter Morning – Of Course the Easter Bunny came with candy galore. The kids chowed all morning long and then had a sugar crash later in the day.

*Mouth full of candy already*
By the end of church I wanted to get some pictures of the kids in their Easter dresses/outfits. Landen was a disaster by the end so I didn’t get a good picture of him. But here are my beautiful girls!

LOVE (AND NEW CLOTHES) IS IN THE AIR

2011-04-07T17:53:00.001-04:00

My Grandparents have been in town for the past week. We have had a ton of fun (and spoiling) since they’ve been here. They took the girls birthday shopping and each girl got an entire new outfit… from head to toe. The girls were IN LOVE! Usually when I take them shopping they are limited to things on sale. But not with Great Grandma!! The girls got new dresses, shirts, accessories, shoes… the whole 9 yards. We HAD to take some pictures to make sure Great Grandma and Grandpa had some to take back to Arizona with them.

{{Disclaimer: There aren’t as many of Kalea because we had to take her pictures before school. It’s not because I love her any less.}}

FIRST WEEKEND OF APRIL

2011-04-04T18:26:00.001-04:00

This weekend we celebrated (a little early) Kalea’s 7th birthday. She chose to have a sleepover with her cousins, Mackenzie and Caroline. The girls had a really fun time with a few activities planned but mostly just girls being girls. Playing dress up, Barbie's, and tons and tons of giggles. We started off the evening with the girls just playing and dressing up in whatever they found. Afterwards, Christian had brought home pizza and the girls had a “picnic” on the floor while watching a Barbie movie.

After pizza, the girls were ready to open presents! Kalea got a lot of really fun presents. None better than the movie Tangled though. The girls watched it 2-3 times – at least!

Later on the girls got their PJ’s on and we made bracelets and rings and decorated each one. Landen of course wanted to be part of the fun, but he was only interested in sticking the stickers on himself.

I told the girl’s to pose…. and I wanted SASSY poses! They were hilarious with their little poses.

And one “normal” pose.

The girls finally “crashed” around 10:30pm and woke up bright and early at 7:30am. A short night for these girls! They played a bunch until they had to head on home. They had such a great time together and it was such a great time for them to spend time together with family.

This weekend was also Conference weekend. Christian and I were able to watch and listen at home. The girls even sat and listened with us on Sunday. It is such a blessing to us, as a people, to have such great men in our midst. That we are able to hear their words and guidance. The testimonies of President Monson and his Councilors, not to mention the 12 Apostles are extraordinary. They know how to uplift and inspire you in the ways you need most.. They also know how to discuss things that may be hard to hear, but the Lord wants you to hear it, and that makes it that much more important. It is truly a time for self reflection. I love Conference weekend. I remember being a kid and having to go to the church to listen. It seemed SOOOOO long. My girls seem to have a much sweeter spirit then I did and would stop to listen and even ask questions. I was able to capture this sweet moment of them listening to the Prophet.

and this…

PERFECT

2011-03-31T16:12:00.001-04:00

Call me crazy, but whenever I hear this song I am on the verge of tears. It’s called “Perfect” by Pink. There’s a clean version (and a not so clean version which I’ve never heard. I’ll stick with the clean one.) I think it hits me close to home being a woman and remembering my teenage years being so difficult. Remembering what it was like to be so self conscious about my body, or how I dressed, making sure my hair was perfect. The pressure is suffocating. Then I look at my 2 little girls and feel for them… because I know they will feel those same pressures one day. It gets me so choked up just thinking about it. I want their preteen and teenage years to go so much more smoothly then mine did. I want them to know how BEAUTIFUL they are to me and their Heavenly Father. I want to take away all of the pain that they will one day feel because of the pressures of this world and society on them. But mostly I just want them to know that they are absolutely PERFECT in my eyes.

Made a wrong turn
Once or twice
Dug my way out
Blood and fire
Bad decisions
That’s alright
Welcome to my silly life
Mistreated, misplaced, missunderstood
Miss, no way it’s all good
It didn’t slow me down
Mistaken
Always second guessing
Underestimated
Look, I’m still around…

Pretty, pretty please
Don’t you ever, ever feel
Like you’re less than
less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you’re nothing
You are perfect to me

You’re so mean
When you talk
About yourself
You are wrong
Change the voices
In your head
Make them like you
Instead
So complicated
Look how big you’ll make it
Filled with so much hatred
Such a tired game
It’s enough
I’ve done all i can think of
Chased down all my demons
see you do the same

Pretty, pretty please
Don’t you ever, ever feel
Like you’re less than
less than perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you’re nothing
You are perfect to me

~Pink

Love Mom

ODE TO CHRISTIAN

2011-03-23T14:11:00.001-04:00

This is my husband…

THE END.

MAKOA “fearless”… WHO KNEW WE COULD PREDICT THE FUTURE.

2011-03-23T13:50:00.001-04:00

Things are going as according to plan. Which is a HUGE accomplishment in itself. My mom is currently listing our house as we speak. It’ll be interesting to see if we have any takers. I know lots of people are listing right now, but I haven’t quite heard if there have been people out there BUYING which is kind of the most important part.

Christian received an email that we got into Student Housing at Chapel Hill. We were going to be living a little farther from the playground then I preferred. I had talked to a friend of mine (Matt Gertsch) about living arrangements there since he and his wife (and 3 boys) currently live there also. He suggested I call and see if I could get the same size apartment but closer to the “circle” which is basically a cul-de-sac. So I called on Saturday and the manager wasn’t there. Then I called again on Monday. At first Christian thought I was “messing with our blessings”. But it wasn’t that I was feeling ungrateful, I just thought it was worth a shot. And if you know Landen… it is definitely worth it to be closer to a playground. Anyways, I called back on Monday and I spoke to Mike. He was SUPER nice and accommodating and he had one more apartment that was closer and it was still the same size as the first. I was EXTATIC and so thankful to him. So the move-in date has changed a little but it works out perfectly because now I don’t have to try another OB/GYN in Chapel Hill. We can still deliver in Raleigh but then it’s bam bam bam. Baby, move in, class. It’ll be a hectic month but I’m sure we’ll be fine.

As if life isn’t crazy enough, Landen has been giving me a “run for my money” so to speak. This kid has more energy than I’ve ever seen. Even people who have boys tell me Landen has a lot of energy. He hasn’t been sleeping well at night so I’ve decided to cut down his nap schedule. He naps only once or twice a week, and they are short. Which doesn’t help my exhaustion, but I’d rather him sleep through the night… in his own bed… than keep his naps.

Don’t get me wrong. I love this kid. Like… love with all my heart and adore him. But he is A LOT. A lot of what you may ask? A lot of EVERYTHING. This kid is like a bullet and just takes of from morning to night. This picture describes him to a T. He is ALL boy. Can be aggressive and rough. But is really sweet natured at heart. When we found out we were pregnant with another girl I really thought I’d want a boy. But now… I think I’m A OK with having a girl. One boy is enough for now.

We went to Collin’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor last Saturday. Landen started off looking cute. Button up plaid shirt, khaki shorts, and his blue sandals. Well, by the end of the evening he had dumped juice all down his shirt so off it came. Thus the wife beater. Then he decided to drink until he exploded and peed out of his shorts. Off the shorts came.

By the end of the evening this is what he was wearing… He looked like a homeless child.

Last night we were feeding the missionaries. Christian had the idea to make Tilapia. It’s a great recipe and super easy for the 2 of us (the kids won’t eat it) but when you’re making enough for 2 adults, one pregnant, and two 19 year old missionaries, it doesn’t help that you have to make four sides with the dish. So I searched high and low for my potato peeler. Nowhere to be found. I dumped drawers, dishwasher, everywhere. GONE. So I had to boil the potatoes and then peel them after they were cooked which burned my fingers. Then I hear a CRASH… Landen decided to pull and knock down a vase my parents were letting us borrow for showing the house and such. Great! I was so upset with him. Not to mention, Kalea decided to skimp on her homework and get away with it. Ugh! I was about to lose it. Seriously lose it. Apparently Christian had warned the missionaries I was going to be a grump when they got there. So Christian picks a fight just to prove his point. I was very impressed with myself for holding it in. Next time I’m making spaghetti. period.

Christian swears that I’m a push-over with this kid. But by the end of the day I am so exhausted by him, and tired of the chaos that I cave in. I know I should stand my ground a little bit more, but he is just so… so… Landen. I am just hoping 3 year old Landen isn’t as exhausting, or so full of tantrums, as 2 year old Landen.

KNIGHTDALE WARD PARTY

2011-03-17T10:37:00.001-04:00

Amongst the craziness at home… we always have other things to plan. Christian is currently the 2nd Councilor in the Elders Quorum and it was his responsibility to put together a gathering. Well, you know Christian and his BBQ. He grilled up 5 pork shoulders, I made 3 different sauces, and we were in business. It took the bulk of a day to get it all ready but it turned out great! He brought Corn Hole, Croquet, Bubbles (for the kids), side walk chalk, etc. The kids all had a blast! And it was nice to sit around outside with good friends and enjoy the weather. It was perfect and he did such a GREAT job!

MIA’S 5TH BIRTHDAY

2011-03-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

Mia turned 5 today!! Holy Cow where did the time go? I remember bringing that sweet little baby home just yesterday. She really is such a fun little girl… full of spunk and personality… I’m not quite sure where she gets it from. She brings such a funny sense of humor to our family, she remembers EVERYTHING you tell her… good or bad. There are SO many things about Mia that I just adore. She’s stubborn like her Mommy, athletic like her Daddy, and can give us a run for our money. MIA – We love you so much! Each day you grow more and more beautiful. You’ve becoming more independent and self confident each day. We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family and are glad that our Heavenly Father gave you to us as our daughter.

This year, since it was a BIG birthday (5 yrs old, 8 yrs. old, 12… etc those are considered BIG years in our house) I felt like I should do something out of the norm for her. We’re really not big party throwers. birthday’s are usually quietly spent at home with the family and usually Grandma and Grandpa Alo come over. Cake, ice cream, the usual… but this year was special. And we wanted to show Mia how much she is loved not only by us, but by her friends. And since we are currently trying to get our house ready to sell, a party at the house didn’t seem practical. So we took our party elsewhere and had it at the Rolesville Park. I have to admit… I was SOOO stressed about this party. The week I planned it the weather was supposed to beautiful. High 60’s without a cloud in the sky. Of course, as nature would have it, the forecast changed and it rained all night long and was cloudy all morning. So I STALKED the weather and it kept saying that the clouds would break around 1pm. Well, her party was from 1-3pm and all morning long I waited for those clouds to break. And in the meantime I decided to make a Giant Cookie for her party. A few of the reviews said their cookie spilled over the sides of the pizza pan. Well, as luck would have it, so did mine. Not only did it spill over, but it caught my oven on fire. SERIOUSLY?! It was crazy. I called my mom ASAP (who needs a fire department) and freaked. I already had the oven closed (I had taken the cookie out) and was just sitting there watching the flames dance around my oven. Not cool. Finally they went out. My house was filled with smoke, so we opened up the windows and kept them open for the rest of the day. This cookie turned out to be more dreadful then I anticipated. When we finally were ready to go, I put the cookie on the front passenger seat next to me. Um…. it slid all over the place and almost bit the dust during a turn. I may never make one of these things again. It was, however, delicious and turned out cute.

We headed over to pick Kalea up at school and then made our way to the park. We got there barely in time to set up before people arrived. Once that was finished I whipped out some towels and pretty much dried the ENTIRE park. I didn’t want all these little behinds getting wet. The party was a lot of fun for the kids. They played and ran like crazy people and the clouds did break at 1pm AND it warmed up quite a bit. SUCCESS!!

**I went around and took a few pictures of the kids playing. They had no plan on standing still for me or saying “cheese” for that matter.**

**I think I’m taking too long…**

**Presents Time!! One thing you will learn about Mia is that she is THE BEST present opener. She makes you feel like she has waited her whole life just for this one gift. She was so excited about each and everyone that she received from her friends. It was cracking me up. “THIS IS MY FAVORITE PRESENT EVER!!!”**

**Landen swiped this out of Mia’s bag and kept screaming for “ice cream”! He wanted it so bad. I was able to hold him off and hide it from him after a little while.**

BIG NEWS!!!

2011-03-13T23:11:00.001-04:00

We have 2 fun things to share… most of you already know the news but I’ll put it into my own words anyways…

With BIG NEWS comes a BIG story… So, last Sunday I was at my whit's end. Let me back up, a few weeks before that I was talking with my good friend Erin about how “unstressed” I was about all of the changes going on. We were in the middle of finding out if Christian was getting into Med-School, having our 4th child, getting out house ready to sell, all of this on top of our usual routines plus callings, homework, you name it. So I was really holding it all together well. Until last Sunday, I thought I was going to cry at the drop of the hat. Every time those feelings would surface I’d push them back because I KNEW that if I shed one tear, the dam would burst! Sunday came and went. Monday was a little better. Busy… but I was able to spend some time with 2 really good friends and vent which always makes me feel better. The day starts to come to an end, we’re just finishing up dinner when the phone rings. Well, the kids are loud and noisy so Christian takes his call outside. I figure it’s for church. However, when he comes back inside he has the most elated look on his face. Like someone had just told him the FUNNIEST joke he’d ever heard. And then I hear the words, “I just got into Medical School.” I was a little baffled and said, “Really???”. And then…. THAT DAM BURST. I cried and boy, I needed to cry. It was a combination of the random thought of “I’m never going to see my husband again”, hormones (we’ll blame it on that), and all of the reality of the changes and sacrifices that are ready to be made. At the same time I felt what a huge blessing this was from our Heavenly Father. As soon as I got a good cry out I felt such a calm peaceful feeling come over me. A year ago, when Christian first applied to Medical School he got on the waiting list. And it was a waiting game, let me tell you, but we weren’t ready. We made some serious changes over the past year and it was like I was being comforted to know that those changes were not in vain. That my Heavenly Father listened and knew US and where we should be. It’s super exciting, and super exhausting, and super over-whelming all at the same time. We have been busting our butts getting this house in good shape to sell, I’m full on pregnant now days where my stamina isn’t where it used to be. And I pushed it a little too hard this week and felt some strain from that. It’s a reminder that I really do need to try and take it easy. The kids know that Christian is going to “Dr. School” and have been very positive and supportive. I think they were hoping to move into a larger house, but they know that a smaller one will probably be more likely. Landen, of course, has no clue what’s going on.

On to the next BIG NEWS… and equally exciting. And actually, we found this our first so I’m just going a little backwards. We had been talking over whether or not to find out if this baby is going to be a boy or a girl. Well Christian thought it’d be fun to make it a surprise. Not so much fun for me. I needed a solid. Something I could grasp onto with all the craziness going on. So, I won. As tradition would have it we all went to my Ultrasound appointment. We kept Kalea out of school and headed on over. On a side note, we had all guessed we were having another boy. It felt right and we all agreed Landen needed a little brother to play with. When we arrived the kids played for a few minutes while we waited. Once we made our way back Landen was a tad bit confused. And then as soon as I hopped onto the table Landen was ticked. He kept yelling “NO MOMMY! NO!” He didn’t like me being up there one bit. He calmed after a few minutes and we began exploring with our technician. Everything was PERFECT and couldn’t have asked for a better looking baby. Another side note, I felt the baby kicking and moving ALL MORNING LONG so I just KNEW that the baby would be sound asleep when we went to find out the gender, which is never good. So we poked and prodded my belly until we got our sleeping giant to awaken. Finally those little legs moved and what did we find? ANOTHER GIRL!! Can you believe it? We were all DEAD WRONG! In shock, each and every one of us, Christian says “Well buddy, It’s just me and you.” I wasn’t prepared to hear that it was a girl. I was SO SURE!! Once the initial shock went away, i found myself calling her “she”. And I’m lucky that I have saved ALL of the girl’s clothes. The season’s will be a little bit off, but It’s nice to know that we will have what we need. Wow, 3 girls… 1 boy. Christian’s next comment? “Now we HAVE to have more kids. Landen can’t be the only boy.” Oh boy…. I mean girl. (too cheesy?)

HI, MY NAME’S KRISTY… AND I’M A TERRIBLE BLOGGER

2011-02-02T17:25:00.001-05:00

So… apparently January was not my month to blog. A few things happened here and there, but it basically it just flew on by and I don’t know where I was during most of it. We do have quite a fun announcement, which most of the world already knows. We are expecting our 4TH child. Yes… 4 kids. Woooooo Weeeeee! 4 kids is a lot…. I know. But we couldn’t be more excited (especially the kids) and it’s really just one more thing we have to plan in the mix of everything else. Also, I think we’re all betting on a boy. It’ll be fun to find out in March what we’re having. Only a month away!

Life continues to be busy…

Christian is currently, as we speak, at his Med School interview in Chapel Hill for UNC. He was a tad bit nervous this morning but with tons of prayer and faith, I know that he will do GREAT. He is so amazing and smart, that I’m just so proud of all that he does for us. He has prayed, and studied, fasted and been faithful throughout this whole year. He has made strives to improve his application. We’ll know by April 1st whether he is in, or out, or on the waiting list again. We’re REALLY hope NO waiting list this year… not fun.

Kalea and Landen got one NASTY flu this past month. Apparently, Kalea got both strains of the flu at the same time. It lasted for over a week… with a nagging cough that just won’t quit. Her temperature even got up to 104.8 which was REALLY scary (I’ve never had any of my kids have temp’s that high). She was such a trooper though. She just bore it quietly, with occasional tears over the dizziness. But she has such a calm, sweet personality that I think she was just grateful when it was all over. Landen on the other hand…. that kid. He was HATING life. Tantrums, hitting people… he just didn’t understand why he felt so terrible. Let’s just say we’re ALL glad it’s over.

We are also currently getting our house ready to SELL. We have not real idea where we’re going to live. Whether it be Chapel Hill of the outskirts of it, or if Christian doesn’t get into UNC we would like to stay in the area and maybe even further into Wake Forest or Rolesville. It really all just depends on what happens by April. So we’re putting the house up at the end of March and will be holding our breath until them.

It’s that time of year again. Actually, it’s only been “that time” once before. It’s time to register Mia for Kindergarten. I’m just as unenthusiastic about this as I was for Kalea. It breaks my heart to know that one more of my children is school aged. It just seems so fast and they still seem so little. I guess I could always home school, but then my children would turn out to be idiots… because, let’s be honest… I’m not scholar. So off to school she goes in August. However, we have NO IDEA where the girls’ will be attending since Wake County is stupid and changes their boundaries 15 times during a school year…. and then if we move…. once again, it’s all up in the air.

OH!… And I just remembered what’s been keeping me SO busy this month. CROCHETING! I have started selling my hats/flowers/head wraps/scarves. It has been fun and really nice to make some money from home. I have a link to my Facebook page where some of the things that I sell are pictured if you are interested, or if you know of anyone who is. Winter is winding down and coming to an end… but I’m sure I’ll pick up right where I left off for next year. Especially if we’re poor college students (again). The money will help!

I’ll try and be a little more attentive to my blog. But I’m not making any promises.

OUR WHITE CHRISTMAS

2011-01-04T09:44:00.001-05:00

Well… technically it started snowing LATE Christmas night so we didn’t get to enjoy it until the next day. The kids absolutely LOVED it. But that’s getting ahead of myself. I think I took over 200 pictures between Christmas and Christmas Eve, and that doesn’t include the snow fun we had.

Christmas Eve was so much fun for the kids. We were able to make our own big meal at home which consisted of a HUGE ham, green bean casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes, baked beans and of course TONS of Christmas goodies for dessert. We pigged out and then afterwards our tradition includes the kids getting to pick one present to open. The kids all picked out really big presents which all happened to be from my parents. Landen was about the same size as him and he insisted on carrying it around until it was time to open it.

The kids went to bed at their normal time in preparation for Santa to come. They haven’t gotten to the ages where they sneak out of their beds yet to see what Santa has brought. They slept like logs. Christian and I were able to exchange gifts and sip some Sparkling grape juice in peace. I wasn’t aware of this but Christian went all out on my gift this year… which is really rare. I couldn’t believe his story when he told me that he went to the Jewelry counter, saw what he wanted to buy and told the clerk he’d “take it” before he even knew the price. Once the clerk told him how much it would cost he didn’t change his mind and went ahead and bought it. He told me that it was only the second thing he’s ever seen for me and KNEW he had to get it. The first were my wedding rings. Even writing this makes me get a little choked up as to how much this man loves me. He is SUCH a blessing to me. Here’s the necklace! When I opened it, I asked him “where on earth will I ever wear this?” Just because it’s so fancy and I’m not used to such nice things. However, I love putting it on and just going out with him (even if we’re just running errands) because of the thought and love he put into it.

Ok… so that brings us to my gift which isn’t nearly as spectacular. I bought him a hat. I KNOW, I KNOW! If I had known he was going all out I would have done a little better. But Christian complains each winter how his ears get cold so I bought a hat the was lined with Sherpa and he loved it. It’s a good thing his birthday is only 10 days later where I can redeem myself a little bit.

While we all slept SANTA CAME!!! And the kids were not disappointed! I won’t post every picture I took because that would just be obscene, but here are a few of the kids faces that I absolutely adore.

Later on that day we headed over to Grandmother and Grandpa Simpson’s house where we spent the rest of the day. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins. One of their favorite presents that they got was a HUGE box of Flavor Blasted Goldfish. It’s all Landen would eat for 3 days (except candy of course). I think he ate most of the box all on his own. I was able to give out my presents that I had worked so hard on… the HATS. I was even able to coral the kids together so that I could take a picture of them in their hats. Not all of the cousins could be there, but over all it was 27 hats (not including flowers) that I made in a little over a month’s time. I’m a little burned out, to say the least. And I’m so happy to announce that all of their hats FIT!! That’s really all I wanted for Christmas.

Even though I was burned out on making the hats, I found a really cute scarf pattern so I HAD to make it. I wanted to make it so I could wear it on Christmas day. It only took me a day or 2 to finish. It was really easy… except… the type of yarn it called for was a little difficult to work with because it was so loopy, but once I got used to it, it was a snap! Here’s how it turned out.

This post has gotten a little long so I’ll put up our snowy pictures later… Also, I’ll be announcing some news later… news that pretty much everybody already knows if you’re related to us or have Facebook…. but I’ll announce it anyways.

VISIT WITH SANTA

2010-12-22T14:14:00.001-05:00

So this year we opted out of sending our Christmas cards. I know, I know… bah humbug. No, actually it had nothing to do with being a Scrooge, but there were a few reasons I didn’t do it this year. I guess laziness can be a factor, along with the fact that I didn’t have a good family picture that’s recent to add into it. I didn’t feel like paying for stamps. Or repeating myself in a newsletter that I’ve already written out on the blog. I could come up with a hundred other excuses, but I think these are good enough for now. If you complain to me, you might get a slew of other excuses. I have tons up my sleeve.

On to happier thoughts… Christian is off of work for 2 weeks. Which is a GREAT thing and a NOT SO GREAT thing at times. We tend to be at each other’s throats at times. And if you couldn’t guess, I’m not exactly a timid wife, and he’s not the most soft spoken of husbands. So sometimes it’s all out war, and other times we’re cracking up laughing. Today we decided to venture out with the kids to the land of chaos and craziness…. THE MALL!!! (Hide your wife! Hide your children! Hide your husbands! (That’s a hilarious news reference, incase you’re not sure where that came from)). So off to the mall we went to see Santa. Background… Christian does NOT like the mall. He’s not a huge fan of people to begin with, so a mall is like a root canal for him. He did brave it and let the kids even play at the Play Area afterwards for a few minutes before his sensitive personality couldn’t take it anymore. Oh, and did I mention that I didn’t feel like paying $20 for a 5x7 of a picture that my camera can take just as well. It was actually Santa’s idea to pass it off to another mom to take the picture for us. I don’t think his “elves” were very thrilled. I’m sure they’ll survive.

*The kids waiting patiently to tell Santa what they want for Christmas*
*Kalea thinks it’s funny to ruin my pictures when I tell her to smile. There will be CONSEQUENCES!*
He L*O*V*E*D it… can you tell?

*Santa’s idea for the whole family to take a picture. Mia was really shy and we had to drag her sit down and Landen wasn’t very thrilled with being up close and personal with Santa… even with Mommy right there with him. Eventually it’ll get better… right?*
P*L*A*Y*T*I*M*E!!!

*The train that went around the mall. Landen loved watching it and kept saying “woo woo”*

PLAYING CATCH UP

2010-12-17T13:22:00.001-05:00

I’ve neglected my blog… once again. Things are busy as usual so here’s a brief catch up…

1. Kalea participated in her 1st grade spelling bee. She had already won her Class spelling be (which we were SO proud of.) So it was on to compete against 5 other 1st graders. Christian and I were both able to attend while my mom watched the 2 little ones. Kalea did great! She finished fourth. The spelling bee lasted FOREVER. The kids got through all of the 1st grade spelling words and made their way into the 2nd grade words. Then into 3rd grade spelling words. Kalea’s final word was “firm”. She sat there for awhile and kind of glared at the coordinator. You could almost read her mind… “This wasn’t on my spelling list I studied.” She spelled it MOSTLY right. F-E-R-M. Makes sense, really. She got out and you could tell she was very disappointed. When it was all said and done, Christian and I made it very apparent how PROUD we were of her. She looked us and said, “They tricked me.” So hard for a 6 year old to grasp when things get a little hard or “tricky”. But once she learned that the winner of the 1st graders had to compete in a School wide spelling bee… she was happy she didn’t win.

2. Christian’s classes are O-V-E-R!!! I’m so excited for this. Well.. just in time, I guess. Christian was just called into the Elders Quorum Presidency as 2nd Counselor. He was a little surprised by this calling. He is gone a little and is serving more. But it’s such a great opportunity for him too. My only questions have been “What time are you going to be home” and “What time should I have dinner ready.”

3. Mia got an opportunity to bring in snack for her class which also means she got to bring home “Brownie”. He’s a cute little stuffed bear where the parents get to photo and document what their adventures were that week. Mia loved having him at home and slept with him every night. Here are a few pictures of their week together.

4. My biggest accomplishment has been finishing all 27 hats (3 weren’t for nieces & nephews) within a months time. It was a little exhausting but well worth the effort. The hats all turned out just like I wanted and I even have them tagged and named for each niece and nephew. Now I’m on to making myself a hat and scarf to match. Hopefully I will still be blessed enough to have mine turn out as well as the others.

5.Christian has been SHOP HAPPY. I’m talking CRAZY amounts… but of course NOTHING full price and everything on sale. He has done almost 100% of the shopping this year. Many wives would be grateful for this, which I am, don’t get me wrong. But I know it’s partly because he knows he can find better deals then me. I feel a little out of the loop, but the things he’s picked the kids are going to LOVE. So I’m excited for them. I just hope we didn’t break the bank.

6. I got all the Christmas presents wrapped.

7. Lastly, we still haven’t heard from UNC Medical school yet about an interview. Last year it was after the new year also. So that is all still up in the air. The main thing right now for us is deciding whether or not we’re going to sell our house in the spring. We have QUICKLY outgrown the house we have. When we first moved in, it was perfect for our small family, now we seem a little squished. So it all depends if we’re going to Chapel Hill or staying in this area. Lots to think and pray about.

Life has been busy, but such a huge blessing. Our lives would be so lonely and empty without our children. They really bring a lot of laughter, smiles, fights, and sometimes craziness… but we count each one of these things as a blessing.

THANKSGIVING AND BLACK FRIDAY… be afraid.

2010-11-28T23:36:00.002-05:00

Oh Boy… so much to tell.

Thanksgiving:

We do a switch off every year of who we’re doing Thanksgiving with. Christian SWEARS that one year we did our own. I don’t remember. Either it was so painful that I blocked it out… or it never happened. Either way, this year was the Alo’s turn. Lucky Ducks. So we headed out early to the Simpson’s first so the girls could play with their cousins before it was time to leave. I got us all dressed super cute, thinking naively that we would get a family picture in. Well, apparently mist and rain were in the forecast (a little foreshadowing for later on) and it didn’t happen. The girls played for a little while and then 10 minutes before we have to head over to my parents house Mackenzie showed up. Mackenzie is the Mia’s FAVORITE… which quite honestly might be an understatement. I’m talking borderline obsession she loves her cousin so much. So, they play for 15 minutes and we have to GO. Mia is devastated and hysterical. Poor girl. So we head over to my Mom’s and the house smells so yummy. She brined the Turkey this year and was sooo moist. The sides were all excellent and we ate until we were stuffed. I’m talking mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls, sweet potato casserole that was KILLER… you get the point. I’m a weirdo during Thanksgiving and don’t like my food to touch. So I had like 2 separate plates and was a happy girl. (The highlight of dinner is when Mia wanted another roll. She asked for half of a roll, to be exact. Grandma answer, “Which half do you want?”. “Both”.) Earlier last week our TV went caput. I like to call it the BEAST. So the BEAST decided to end it’s life and we’re TV-less. The only rational thing to do? Yes, Shop on BLACK FRIDAY. (You just shivered a little didn’t you. Scary… I know.) My mom was kind enough to let the kids have a sleep over which they were excited about. We leave their house and head on home….

Black Friday:

We got home around 7:30pm. I thought, “Hey, let’s take a little nap, wake up at 11pm.” No such luck. Christian was so antsy and crazy that we ended up watching TV on our busted TV. I could only keep him at bay til around 10:30pm. Then we headed out to the Target in Knightdale thinking it would be the most abandoned. The doors didn’t open until 4am. So leaving at 10:30pm sounds crazy right? WRONG!! There are crazier people then us. There were at least 30 people already lined up in their lazy chairs. Rednecks… I swear...grumble, grumble. So we’re a little surprised and are thinking to ourselves that we’re probably not going to get a TV if we’re #31 in line. I tell Christian I’m going to head over to the Target by Triangle Towne Center. It only takes about 10 minutes, and I’d come back for him. So I get there and there are less then 10 people in line! I call Christian and he tells me to STAY PUT!! I’m a little worried because he’s stranded in Knightdale and then to top it off tells me he’s going to get a ride to me. Uh… I just told him not to pick anyone crazy. He arrives safely. PHEW! So it’s about 11pm by now. 11pm – 3:59am… not much to tell. Except that it’s rainy, misty, and only about 56 degrees so not too cold. But BOOOORRRRIIINNNNGGGG!! We stood between a techy geek and his wife/girlfriend and 2 fancy teenagers who brought their fancy table and chair set with their North Face jackets on. Behind us were about 5 black guys… which is important to remember later on.

3:30 AM:

The manager and a few staff members plus the security guard (if you can even call him that) come out, lay down a few rules, pass out a few maps, and make a count. There were close to 400 people in line by now and you know that last person in line is thinking they’re there earlier enough to get a TV. WRONG! We’ve been here since 11pm, sucker. During this next 30 minutes Christian is pep talking me like crazy. Practically threatening me by saying I won’t have a TV at all if I don’t run for it. Then we start sizing people up. An old Asian Couple, 3 extremely over weight girls, and a few scattered middle aged people are in front of us. Sounds rude, right? WRONG!! We’re sizing up the competition, People!! This is LIVE OR DIE HERE! At one point I turn to Christian and say, “This may be the only time that you will look at our bank account and thank me for going to Target so much. Because I know this store in my SLEEP!”

4:00AM:

The doors open, we’re packed like sardines, and… we’re…. OFF! The 10 or more people in front of us go straight ahead and then turn left after the carts. I, on the other hand, took geometry and know that the shortest distance between point A and point B is a straight line. So instead of running the rat race with these fools I take a quick left and cut through the cash registers where the employees are looking at me like I’m CRAZY (which I am because I haven’t slept in FOREVER). We’re all bookin it by now and I’m not even sure where my husband went… all I know is I’m gettin a TV! So I cut through the registers, and almost get sideswiped by one of the 5 black guys which were behind me at one point. I run past girls clothes, past jewelry, past women's and take a sharp right before the cosmetics and see the TV’s!!! There are only 2 guys in front of me, the one who almost sideswiped me and his friend. We finally get to the TV’s and I’m the 3rd person there!! Ok.. ok… I know what you’re thinking. Congrats, you’re the 2nd loser. Um… HELLO?? Do you not know me at all? I am the slowest, most un-athletic person you will EVER meet in your short existence. I just beat out 10 people who were more out of shape then me. So being 3rd is a huge achievement. Christian shows up a few seconds later and grabs a 2nd TV. Yes, we’re hoarders like that. No, not really but we got 2 just in case one of his brothers wanted one. We’re so pumped full of adrenaline after that we can’t even remember what else we came for. All we know is some lady is screaming at people to quit running and we’re getting the stink eye from everyone else who see’s a sweet, in love, married couple with 2 TV’s. SUCKERS!! When we finally check out we get in the car and we’re not even tired anymore… which only lasts about an hour for me. By 5:30am I’m out cold and for some strange reason Christian goes back out shopping. So in short he gets about 2 hours of sleep and I got about 5. All for a 40” LCD TV that cost about $300. Mission accomplished.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN? WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?

2010-11-28T22:57:00.001-05:00

OHHH… you know… a little of this, a little of that. Mostly running around like crazy trying to keep up with my little (and not so little) ones. Here’s a few events to help catch you up.

Event 1:

Mia and Landen had a Joy School activity a little while back. We went to Shelley Lake and fed the ducks. It was a little chilly and breezy but still fun for the kids. Landen screamed and cried when it was time to go. I had to drag him to the car. But would you really expect anything less?

Just a few of the kids who showed up. (I had to take pictures of the group in shifts and apparently forgot to download the rest to my computer…. and now I’m just being lazy.)

Funny Story… So we’re walking up from the Lake to the park and we see a Police Officer riding a horse. Well you don’t see that everyday. So the kids are in awe and I take a picture with my sunglasses on. Then when I hear him talk it throws me off. Uh… turns out this particular officer is someone I went to High School with. Awkward?… yea, a little. We said hi and went on our separate ways.

EVENT 2:

We went Owl-a-Watchin. Mia had a little 3 day camp about Nocturnal Animals at the Blue Jay County Park this November. Along with it they were doing a little evening event with owl crafts, facts, a little walk on the trail in the dark lit by lanterns, and hot chocolate. Sounds fun, right? WRONG! Landen chooses this night to be AWFUL. I’m talking screams that filled the woods, trying to run away, tantrums out the wazoo. It was embarrassing and terrible. Too bad, the girls enjoyed it… i think. They made a craft. Drank Hot Chocolate that looked like poop water. And we did about 1/2 of the trail. They weren’t too upset when it was time to go… all things considered.

*drinking the poop water*

*Landen chose Apple Juice… the only time he wasn’t screaming.*
*Can you see the crazy in his eyes?*

~It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year~

2010-11-28T22:31:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don’t follow I’m No Martha… here’s a little snippet of our Christmas Decor.

We started (and mostly finished) our Christmas decorating yesterday. It was so much fun, the kids had a blast, and it puts me in the best mood. It’s funny how a little thing like decorations can change a person’s mood about their house. And just in time… I was feeling a little bored with how it looked. Here’s how it turned out…

My mom hand made all of our stockings. She is mucho talented.

*The Santa was made by my Grandma… the kids love to come downstairs and see this big jolly guy.*

My DEAR SWEET Grandma sent me 4 houses this year for Christmas. Not only are they gorgeous, but their Thomas Kinkade… who I LOVE. These houses are so intricate and detailed. The kids love them, now if I could get a certain 2 year old to keep his hands off.

*They even have little tiny people.*

Can you tell we have little girls in our home that rule our house… and not to mention our tree?!

I made this… Do you love it? The website is HERE.

A HUGE THANK YOU to my parents for giving me this mirror. They were going to Craigslist it… but I begged and they caved. Christian hung it up… along with the wreath and our plaque. He had his work cut out for him today. He’s the best!

I LOVE the gold frame for Christmas cause it matches the other gold accents around the house right now. After Christmas?… We’ll see.
I finally found a place for this bad boy. I feel like LOTS of people have similar things, but I love it and treasure it. I don’t think you can read it in this picture but it says “Families are Forever” under the Simpson name. If you’ve never made one, I highly recommend it. I made mine HERE.

HALLOWEEN

2010-11-09T12:57:00.002-05:00

I don’t know about you, but October has FLOWN by. I blinked and it was gone. We have a bit of a dilemma this year with the kids. We have realized that they are old enough to understand the principle of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. And as we all know… Halloween is on SUNDAY! Kalea came up to us one day and said, “I really want to go trick or treating, but I really want to keep the Sabbath Day holy." Ahhhh!! What to do? Lucky the decision was somewhat easy. ( This is important since we believe that Sunday is a day of rest from our daily activities. That includes shopping, playing at friends houses, etc. Halloween falls into that category at our house.) This year we are able to participate in “Trunk or Treat” at our church AND have a Halloween party on the same evening. So the kids still get to dress up, play games, and get candy. They ended up having a great time and really enjoyed handing out candy to the other kids. That counts as service, right?

First off we went over to Kelly’s house. She’s one of my good friends that I used to work with and, sadly enough, NEVER get to see any more. Her and Alana (equally as fun and hilarious) put together a great Halloween party for the kids. One thing about these girls, the food they prepared was sooooo good. I guess when you’ve worked around food as long as we have (had) you learn to serve food for the grown ups, not just the kids.

*This is Hazel with Mia. She is such a cutie and she was drawn to Mia (naturally, I mean they’re both in frilly pink Tutu’s). Then Hazel eyed Mia’s little pumpkin and obviously wanted it. Mia was so funny. She was feeling particularly shy this night and wouldn’t even look Hazel in the eye like she was a vicious pit-bull or something. Hazel finally got her own pumpkin and I think Mia was relieved. But I’m pretty sure she was still plotting how to get her wand out of Hazel’s little grasp.*

(Kate, Kristy, Lauren, Kelly, Kelli, Alana. I used to work with these amazing women. I miss them but SO glad they still keep in touch)

The kids and I… Landen with a mouth full of somethin, Mia won’t even look at the camera b/c Hazel is ATTACKING… ahhhhh!!!.. and Kalea being her superstar self.

We could only stay for an hour and then we had to book it from Raleigh to Knightdale for Trunk-or-Treat. Our ward had just split and we wanted to go and say “see ya later” (never goodbye) to those who would be in different wards. It was such a BIG turn out. Christian sadly was battling a gross sickness and so he couldn’t go. Somehow I was able to pawn off our candy to another car and still take the kids trick or treating. Afterwards we all went inside and had a dinner of Chili and a potluck with an array of goodies. It was fun to hang out and get warm. Landen decided he would take off and run out of my sight every 8.5 seconds. Luckily the Allens and the Salgado’s really helped me out with that little Monkey (yea, i said it.)

*I love this picture of the girls. They look so OLD and like such DIVA’s!! I love it.*

*Lillie, Mia, and Kaitlyn. – Her little buddies* *My 3 Angels*

Once we got home it was time to unload and see what kind of treats I got… uh… I mean, the kids got.

PROJECTS

2010-10-27T19:29:00.001-04:00

The past weeks have been as busy as ever. I think we’re pushing ourselves too hard. Christian has been fighting a cold for 2 weeks but there’s been little rest to help him. I’ve been burning both ends with 3 kids, a husband in night classes and who works full time, and then sleeping children who like to cry in the middle of the night.

Let me tell you about Kalea last night. She woke up crying. So the first thing that entered my mind was a. a nightmare or b. she wet the bed. So I went in there and she is FREAKING out. Not just crying, but seriously upset. She keeps repeating “Peach, I got a 2.” and then she says, “I got a 1”. Makes no sense, right? Well before you think she’s crazy… we play a lot of Mario Party. I mean A LOT of Mario Party and Peach is the Princess. And you roll dice and thus the 1 and 2. So she’s inconsolable. It takes me a few minutes to realize she’s not really awake. She’s still in a dead sleep. Like sleep walking minus the walking. So what do I do like any good mother? I put her in a cold shower. Don’t judge me. She was acting CRAZY. And they say never to wake a sleep walker, but she’s screaming and crying so much that she woke up the whole house and I couldn’t calm her down. After she’d been in the shower for a few minutes she finally comes to. And then she asks me what happened. I tell her and she finds it hilarious. I’m glad someone does… because Mia’s freaked, Landen is crying, and Christian is exhausted. I get Kalea back to bed, but then Landen is up with me for another hour before he’s calm enough to go back to sleep. There’s no rest for the weary.

In the free time that I have… which isn’t much. I’ve taken crocheting back up. About 2 years ago I tried and failed miserably. I was pregnant with Landen and tried to make a baby blanket. I had this vision of him cuddling up to it as a newborn and feeling so fulfilled by my project and my new son. Didn’t happen. The thing looked like garbage and I threw it away because I was so mad at it. Christian found the whole ordeal hilarious of course. He thinks I don’t have a “homemaking” stitch in my body. Well, let me tell you something…. I proved him WRONG!! I made HATS!! Cute yarn filled, flower doting, winter beanies for the girls and they are sooo cute! Observe.

So I’m feeling crafty and confident in my abilities! Granted the project is a pretty easy one. I’ve moved on to trying to crochet a scarf/cowl. It has buttons to make it have a more wrapped around look. My sis-in-law found the pattern and we’re both making one. She’s in Utah, so it doesn’t matter if we wear it at the same time (lame joke, i know). Here’s where you can find the pattern Cowl Pattern.

I’m going to do a dark heather grey (the same from Kalea’s hat) but the buttons are going to be a shimmery metallic grey also instead of the red ones. Wish me luck!! Hopefully it works out. Oh, and I’m not going to wear it over my mouth like a bank robber.

I’m feeling super crafty right now. I’m not sure why because I’ve never felt like making this kind of stuff in my LIFE. Maybe my little bit of success is pushing me forward. Either way, it’s really fun and I’m enjoying it. Here are a few other things I have on my TO-DO LIST.

1. Slouchy Hat

This hat is so cute to me! I love the olive green color too. You can find it here.

2. Phannie Hat

I really like this hat too! It’s not so much that my head get’s cold in the winter. But I love hats because you can just throw them on and go. Their both pretty similar. But if I can’t do one pattern, it’s always good to have a back up. I’m also looking for a newsboy style beanie with a brim to work on. Their super cute to me, but I haven’t found a pattern I like yet. Here’s the pattern for this one.

3. Scrunchy Scarf

This is Brittney. She is wicked talented. WICKED TALENTED, PEOPLE. She made the scarf which I COVET… which is not good. She was so sweet to post how to make it and it looks so pretty (not to mention how gorgeous she looks already). Perfect for everyday, or to spice up a dress for church. You can check out her other crafts here. ( Don’t worry Brit, my blog is private so you won’t get any creepy weirdo’s stalking you… except for me of course.)

AUTUMN IS ANOTHER WORD FOR FALL

2010-10-21T17:35:00.001-04:00

Yea, I’m smart like that. Basically the weather has been so up and down I don’t know if it’s fall or summer still. Some day’s it’s over 80 degrees and some days are in the low 60’s. We’ve enjoyed it either way… I beats 90-100 degree weather any day. We’ve had some exciting things happen around here lately.

Kalea and Mia both got bikes. Not new ones ( we weren’t trying to break the bank) but Craigslist is a great place to get used bikes for them to learn on. Mia’s has training wheels and Kalea’s does not. We are looking for training wheels that will fit. ( We found some at Wal-Mart that didn’t work). They’re pretty exciting and enjoy practicing on Mia’s for now.

Kalea has become quite the artist in the family. She was recently selected to have her art work displayed at our State Fair this year. 6 kids total were chosen and Kalea was one of those talented children. We were so excited for her! So, we attended the Fair as we do every year and made a bee line straight for the Kerr Scott building where her picture was on display. She even received a gold sticker as an honorable mention. They were the ones who showed the most promise artistically.

After basking in Kalea’s glory we headed out to do some rides and eat some food. Kalea was a champ as always. She’s a real dare devil at heart. She likes to try new things and feels excited when she gets on the rides. Mia on the other hand… she is scared of EVERYTHING. I’m serious. She went on the easiest slowest rides possible. Then after she’s say, “That was boring.” We kept trying to get her to try the other more exciting rides, but it didn’t work. Maybe next year. Landen was super excited about the rides also. He’d want to race right onto the ride and then would look a bit worried sitting next to me. By the end, he realized how fun the fair is. We only ate 2 fried foods this year (we’re on a budget, ya know.) So we had a funnel cake to share and a fried Snickers. Two was more then enough. This year they had a fried Krispy Kreme Burger. Sounds gross, if you as me. Some have said it was delicious though.

*LANDEN CHECKING EVERYTHING OUT. OVER STIMULATED. *
*ON THE HELICOPTER RIDE WITH THE KIDS. WE GOT STUCK. CHRISTIAN WAS ON THE GROUND LAUGHING. THEY SAID A HYDROLIC PUMP QUIT WORKING. EXTREMELY COMFORTING.*

*CHRISTIAN’S TURN TO HAVE HIS PRIDE STRIPPED FROM HIM. ON THE KIDDY RIDES.*

*AWAITING THE PIRATE PLAYGROUND. IT WAS REALLY HIGH UP. LOOK HOW NERVOUS MIA LOOKS. SHE NEEDED A LITTLE COAXING FROM KALEA, BUT CAME OUT OF IT ALIVE. (note the sarcasm) *

*LOVING EVERY BITE OF THE FUNNEL CAKE. HE EVEN FIGURED OUT DIPPING IT IN THE POWDERED SUGAR MADE IT EVEN MORE HEAVENLY.*

KALEA WENT ON A ROLLERCOASTER AND SHE LOVED IT!! NOTICE HOW HER FACE CHANGES EACH TIME. WHEN SHE GOT OFF THE RIDE SHE THE FIRST THING SHE SAID WAS, “I MADE A NEW FRIEND!”

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO…

2010-10-01T13:39:00.001-04:00

The past couple of weeks we’ve been gearing up for our Anniversary trip to Charleston, SC. I’ve wanted to go for awhile now and Christian planned a surprise trip.Well, sort of a surprise. I found out because he had tickets to museum’s mailed to our house, which I intercepted, thus the surprise was ruined. However, I was still equally excited. Christian and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary on September 20th. Which is beyond crazy to think of how much we’ve accomplished, been through, and done in those 7 years. Ups and Downs, Twists and Turns. I’m just glad that he’s my husband and is able to help and love me and be there for me in the most amazing ways. He is truly my best friend and has been such a huge support and a great father to our 3 beautiful children. Here’s a blast from our past…

{ Our Engagement picture from 2003 }

{ Our Wedding Day – September 20, 2003 }
{ The Day we were Sealed as a Family-March 2005 }

{ When Mia joined our Family }

{ When Landen joined our Family }

{ Our Family Today }

I am unbelievably blessed and grateful to have such a wonderful family. That I could be a wife and a mother. I’m thankful that Heavenly Father has created such a blessing for us to share and to be sealed as a family forever.

Ok… onto our trip.

We stayed in North Charleston at the Radisson where it was a bit more affordable and were able to come and go but still be nearby. Next time we might stay in the thick of things in Charleston, but it fit our budget and were still able to stay at a nice hotel. So we arrived on Friday after dropping off the kids at Aunt Cherre’s house. Mia saw me that morning packing my flat iron. She knew that Mommy and Daddy were going on a date. But when she asked me why I was packing my straightener, i told her “Just incase I need it.” Then she stopped and I could see her little wheels turning and she said, “Are you going on a SLEEP OVER date??” Which made me crack up and I told her yes. She looked a little weary but soon brushed it off and off we went.

We actually were performing an act of service before heading out the state and from 9-1pm we volunteered at the “me fine” foundation where GSK was raising money by having a yard sale and sold lunch also. The “me fine” foundation helps families who are undergoing trials such as having a child in the hospital undergoing cancer treatments. The founders themselves had a child who had cancer and whenever they asked this precious 2-yr-old how they felt. He responded by saying, “me fine.” Thus the foundation’s name was created. To learn more go here Me Fine Foundation.

So after spending time out in the sweltering hear (95 degrees) we headed south and started our weekend away. We arrived and immediately unloaded and rested, showered and got ready for dinner. We ate at the Harborview above the Holiday Inn. The cool thing about this restaurant was that they had an amazing view of Charleston and the Harbor. Boats, Water, Food… it was relaxing. Christian had a shrimp and pasta dish and I had shrimp, mashed potatoes and veggies. It was good, not the best, but good. We went home watched a little TV and crashed. We were so exhausted from being outside in the heat that we were useless.

Saturday morning: Christian wakes up at 7:30 am. Seriously? Am I on vacation or what? So I wake up at 7:30 am. We get ready and head out. We started our tour of Charleston and had come on the weekend called Museum Mile weekend. We were able to get into all of the old historic houses, museums and walk all over to check each one out. I have to say that my favorite was probably the Old Slave Mart Museum. It was really interesting to learn about that dark part of history in our country. The way the bought and sold slaves like property. It was sad to see the pictures of these old men and women and to just see the sadness in their eyes. I have to admit I got a little teary eyed during it. The thought of being ripped away from your family and friends and having to work such hard laborious work your whole life. I couldn’t imagine the hardships they went through. It was amazing to see that they had such great faith in God though… I guess it was one of the few things that kept them going.

The old houses were absolutely amazing. To walk up and down the streets of Charleston. To roam around their old houses from the 1800’s and see how they lived. I can’t say that I envy them though. As fabulous as their houses are… no AC, outhouses, and that southern humidity. Here are a few pictures we snapped.

{ The entry way to the Joseph Manigault House – snazzy, huh. }
{ The Joseph Manigault House }
{ One of the many amazing churches }
{ I loved their street lamps. A few were lit with a little flame. Even the houses gas lamps instead of bulbs next to their doorways. classy. }
Let me tell you about this guy…
I don’t know his real name, but for all Office relating purposes, we’ll call him Dwight. He was AMAZING in every sense of the word. Loud talker, superior exterior, unintentionally hilarious. The first words he said to the group were “EXCUSE ME! I am going to have to delay our tour for a few more minutes. I have caught something and NEED TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF FIRST PEOPLE! I have boot camp next week and need to be ready.” 10 minutes later, comes back with a mug of water. Sips loudly. And tells us our group is way too big. Continues on with lame jokes. He pretty much tells us he is going to bust any myths that you have about history. To which I respond “So he’s a Historian and a Navy Seal.” Christian’s response, “No, no he’s not.” More lame jokes and facts. At one point he got on his soap box and started talking and the lady in the back tried to escape. Didn’t work, we were in a dungeon after all. Needless to say, after this guy, Christian and I were all historied out. But we did take a minute before leaving to take some sweet pictures with a dummy dressed as a Red Coat.

Part of all the fun is the jokes Christian and I make along the way. If you know us well, you know we don’t take much of anything seriously. Unless of course it’s sports for Christian. And well… pretty much nothing for me. It’s a weakness and a strength, if you ask me. We make fun of everything in passing. Not to be mean or rude, but merely for self entertainment. It works for us, and honestly, it brings us close together. I’ll let you in on a few of our inside jokes…

This well was covered by a gate but Christian made a point in telling me “Try not to fall in the well, baby Jessica.” I’m not sure if he was calling me baby Jessica or if he was just making the terrible yet hilarious reference in general. The things that come out of his mouth amaze me.

This is me pretty much being a supermodel cause we were bored waiting to go into another museum house. Yes, there were other people around, but we decided to have our own little personal photo shoot in the back garden.

Baby’s butt… is that ever necessary?

By the end of the day we were exhausted. We went back to the hotel, showered again and got ready for dinner. This was our night to be ~*FANCY*~. So we got all dressed up and headed to a restaurant called Circa. It was located in Downtown Charleston amongst the million dollar houses and was tucked away. Upon arrival I noticed how old the people who were eating here. Which means one of 2 things. It’s wicked expensive, or the food is really intricate. Both of which were true. We had tried to look the food up online but they didn’t have a menu available. And let me tell you why, because everything was made with foi gras (duck liver), antelope, veal, and crazy sauces with ingredients we couldn’t even imagine what the food would taste like. So we were intimidated. We sipped our water, and ordered some fancy cheeses with baguette crackers and a truffle pot… somethin somethin somethin or other and duck. The cheeses were no cheeseball rolled in nuts folks. Nor were the crackers Ritz. The cheeses were super strong and super French and the pot of stuff was good. They also gave us a tiny espresso cup of carrot soup which was really good. Ok… for our main dish we were way over our heads. I wanted steak but alas, there was only a beef tenderloin which was (according to our waiter) very plain. So he recommended the Antelope. Seriously? Uhhhh… So I ordered it and ate it like a Lioness would eat her kill. Christian had Carolina Sea Bass which he really liked. The Antelope, just FYI, tasted just like Filet Mignon. It was AWESOME. No wonder Lions eat them. Ok ok, so dessert was my FAVORITE. I had a Sweet Potato Crème Brulee with toasted marshmallows on top. It was amazing and tasted just like fall. How does fall taste you ask? Like Sweet Potato Crème Brulee. Christian had a key lime pie which he also loved. We also got a chocolate flourless torte to go. We were stuffed by the end.

That was pretty much the end of our trip. We woke up on Sunday and headed to a nearby church for Sacrament meeting which turned out to be their Primary Program. We enjoyed that and headed on our way. I tried to sleep on the way home and Christian wasn’t having it. He won’t admit it but he was really homesick and ready to see the kids. I on the other hand enjoyed every last moment til the very end. He doesn’t see the kids as often as I do (which is every minute of my day) b/c he has classes and work. But it was good to be home. I’m going to end with some of my favorite pictures I took of Charleston. They may end up framed in our house someday… we’ll see.

NUTSHELL

2010-09-15T19:57:00.001-04:00

I’m not even sure what that means.

So Mia started a one day a week program called Ready To Learn. She had her first day on Monday and she really loved it. She was a little shy at the beginning but once I left she did great. Her teacher said so. So she also had a monster packet of homework. Which is fun and cute and all… but that means I needed to help Kalea and Mia do homework at the same time. With both of them asking questions and wanting my attention the entire time. I’m pretty sure Mia likes the fact that she can do something “big” like her sister. Landen sometimes comes and sits at the table and colors a picture like it’s his homework. What’s funny is he likes to constantly chatter in his baby talk. So if the girls are talking, he talks louder but incoherently. He’s THE man. The other day he crawled around on the floor and barked like a dog. This particular day I hadn't swept so there were pieces of pretzel laying around and this little doggy got a treat. It was pretty funny yet disgusting at the same time. He also likes to call his car’s his “bye-bye’s”. Makes sense, really.

Incase you didn’t know, I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl. If I’m into something, nothing can pry me away. If I don’t care… well, then I really don’t care. So I started reading leisurely again. But I’m I like to read things that can keep my attention… like I said, all-or-nothing. So I started reading Hunger Games. These books are soooo good. If you’ve never read them, you need to. Don’t let the fact that their in the “Young Adult” section deter you. These books are super awesome and once I dove in I didn’t come back up for a week and a half. I heard they are thinking of making the trilogy into a movie. Which irritates me since most of Hollywood screws up anything it touches, so I’m sure they’ll be terrible. We’ll see.

We found a mouse in our house. And I’m not talking a Cinderella, Jack Jack and Gus Gus- help me clean the house and sing about it- kind of mouse. I’m talking squeaked ( yes I said –ed… cause the sucker is gonzo), left pellets in it’s tracks, and found crackers that were in our 72 hour kit and gnawed the heck out of them. It wasn’t the first time that these little “helpers” have made their way into our house. But I SWEAR… AS YOU ALL AS MY WITNESS… It will be the last. I consider us pretty clean people. Sure my kids drop Cheerios on the floor, that I don’t sweep and vacuum everyday, and I don’t have cleaning ladies coming in to do the dirty work. But this ENDS NOW!! On the plus side… We cleaned out behind our refrigerator, behind and under and beside the oven, and our downstairs coat closet (which tends to become the black abyss for 1/2 of the things we own). I feel somewhat accomplished in those areas. Not to mention the kids toy room has become less of a cluster because today we (Mia and I) went and made 3 boxes. Stuff we’re keeping, stuff we’re boxing and putting in the attic, and stuff we’re giving away. We were very accomplished in this area. My cousin, Kahea, gave me the idea a few years ago to box 1/2 the toys and then when they got bored with the ones they had, to switch them out and then it’d feel like they were getting new toys all over again. It’s a good idea.

I got my hair cut today which is an accomplishment in itself since I usually wait every 4 months or so to do it. And by the time I get around to it… it feels like straw on the ends. The funny thing is I have a really good friend I used to work with who does it for free. We usually make an afternoon of it. She cuts my hair and then we chow down at lunch. So I don’t really have an excuse except I have kids which tends to take up my whole life. Anyways, I am proud to say that my hair no longer has an ounce of dye in it. It’s been 11 years. Seriously people, I dyed my hair for 11 years and this is the first time my hair has been it’s natural color. I’m kind of excited and Christian likes it which is even better. I think it might make me look more foreign but hey… that’s not a bad thing.

Please don’t take note at how much older I look. Which brings me to my next point. I just turned 27. My mom asked me if I felt 27 and the answer is YES. I chase kids around all day, I clean my mouse invested house all day, and I sleep like a rock at night. So yes, I feel old. I mean, all of my insides are still working the way they’re supposed to, but I’m not as spunky feeling as I used to be. I asked Christian one day if he thought I was still as pretty as I was when we met. He said yes, I’m just not as “fresh faced”. I tend to focus on the first part. On the YES part.

My mom sent me these pictures that she scanned on the computer. The first is me around Landen’s age. I look so much like my kids, it’s scary. The second are my mom and dad back in the day. They’re gorgeous. How could you go wrong with a gene pool like that…

More Throwbacks…

*The day Lane was born*
*The day we were sealed as a family.
(Kalea wore the same dress when we were sealed to her.)*

Well I better go and pay attention to my kids now. Landen just brought me the movie UP and wants to watch “a dogs”.

BACK ON TRACK

2010-09-07T19:48:00.001-04:00

I’m baaaaack… I’ve been a little unmotivated to blog. And then as I add up more and more that I HAVEN’T blogged about it gets even more overwhelming to even think about blogging. Thus my absence. We’ll start with the simplest of things and then if more hits my brain, I’ll add it… So this may be just a big blog of stuff that has nothing to do with anything. You’ve missed me, I know.

We officially have a 1st GRADER on our hands! She’s back in action with a new teacher, new classmates and a new lunch box. Kalea’s enjoying her new class… I think. Actually, it’s kind of like pulling teeth for her to tell us anything about her day. I thought that started in middle school where they had nothing to tell you. But she’s advanced, what can I say. I forgot to snap pictures when she left on her first day back. But I got some of when she got off the bus. Things have fell right back into step with her. The homework is a little harder (it’s no longer “color inside the lines” or “write 1-20 on a sheet of paper.”) She’s a little more challenged, which is good.

Mia will start up pre-school one day a week on Mondays. Then she does a fun reading times on Tuesdays at Barnes and Nobles. And lastly, on Wednesdays they have “More than a Story” at the library for ages 3-5. So, 3 days a week we are slammed with stuff getting Mia ready for Kindergarten next year. She is much more social then she used to be. Landen on the other hand. He’s Mr. Aggressive. Today he pretty much beat a kid with a Thomas the Train engine at B&N’s reading time. Some days he’s super sweet and then other days he’s crazy. Welcome to Terrible Two’s. Everyday is a new day with those two. We went out and took a little walk before we picked up Kalea. The weather is cooling down and the humidity is bearable. So we went out and since I haven’t taken pictures in what feels like forever… I snapped a few.

After picking Kalea up…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OH FEARLESS ONE

2010-08-19T19:02:00.001-04:00

I wanted to give a special shout out to our little man who turns 2 years old today!! Landen Makoa (“fearless”) Simpson was born on August 18, 2008. He graced our presence and we all fell in love instantly. He has made our home super exciting with all of his exclamations. He has had an excitement for life as soon as he could start moving about. He has added some much needed testosterone to our family and we absolutely love every minute with him. Thanks Landen for choosing us as your family! We are all so blessed have you and so thankful for eternal families. We love you, oh fearless one.

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

2010-07-30T08:32:00.003-04:00

What an amazing story of faith. This is so powerful and amazing. To see the work of our Savior through someone who's gone through such tragedy... what a great example to all of us. (Don't forget to pause the music on the side.)

PURE BLISS

2010-07-20T13:38:00.001-04:00

I took a few pictures while at the beach that I love. So I wanted to do a separate post of just those.

*THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THE THE LOOK OF PURE JOY ON YOUR CHILDREN’S FACES*

SALT LIFE

2010-07-20T13:13:00.001-04:00

Well hello there! It’s been awhile. I have an excuse… life. That’s a pretty lame excuse, but we have been so ridiculously busy around here. I’ll start with 4th of July Weekend. Since it was on a Sunday this year we were on the fence about going to see fireworks this year.Plus they don’t get started until around 9pm which is way past bedtime around here. However, it was a great family activity to just sit and enjoy each other’s company. Landen decided to steal anybody’s ball who came remotely close to us. It was all fun and games until he realized he couldn’t keep them. Then the tantrums and devastation set in. Finally the fireworks began and they kept Landen’s attention for a little while. But he was so tired that he wanted nothing to do with them.

I was able to take some cool pictures of the fireworks this year. My awesome teacher, Steve, taught us how to set up a tripod and what camera settings to use. The pictures turned out pretty cool, if i do say so myself.

So that Monday morning we were planning on leaving for the beach for the week. We only had one obstacle in the way. Mia needed some dental work done and the only day available for it was Monday. So bright and early Mia and I woke up and went to to get some fillings at 8am. Kalea and Mia have soft teeth, like their Mom. Which sucks for them, and for us financially. Mia did great and was ready to leave the dentists by 10am. We made a side trip to get a chocolate milkshake (since she couldn’t eat anything before or after her appointment) and headed home. Christian had everything ready, so we loaded up the car and off we went. The trip to the beach was relatively easy. Landen passed out for the first hour and woke up super happy. The girls wore headsets for their “in-flight movie” and Christian and I enjoyed a little peace and quiet. We showed up a little early before check in and ended up shopping and swimming before we got in our room.

The girls are champs with their water wings and are pretty fearless with them on. A few things we learned while swimming:
Landen- is also FEARLESS with water wings on. Which is terrifying to me and I had to keep chasing him around the pool.
Kalea- is super skinny and so if Christian throws her up in the air. The wing comes flying off her skinny arm when she lands in the water.
Mia- does not trust her dad nearly enough to jump too or from him in the water. Smart Girl.

The girls found a tree frog in the pool and we got him out. They enjoyed carrying him around and petting him. The tree frog died of shock or chlorine. One of the two. The girls were wondering why he wasn’t moving anymore. I told them the tree frog was sleeping and needed a rest from them. Sorry Tree Frog.

Obviously we didn’t spend all our time at the pool. The beach is our families haven. We all love it. Christian and I have always loved the beach, so we’ve always taken our kids when they are rather small. Kalea and Mia both went at 4 months old. Landen’s first trip was at a year old. They love the sand, the water, and this year the minnows. The kids LOVED trying to catch little minnows that would come up with the waves to the shore. We were able to catch a few in buckets, but those little suckers are fast. Christian was the first to catch one. I caught 3. Cause I’m awesome. However, at one point Christian caught another one, and of course I berated him and he said, “I actually just caught 13 but I let 12 of them go.” Dork. It must be hard when your wife shows you up.

Landen loved the water. He went out with Christian once or twice in the waves. He quickly realized he likes the water when his feet are firmly planted in the sand. But nevertheless, this kid was made for the beach. Mia is a little more like me. Kind of a worrier with the waves. I’ve never been super comfortable out in the waves. I don’t like that I can’t see what’s under the surface, and the waves are so powerful that I have a terrifying respect for them. Mia would get pretty worried at Kalea or Landen. At one point she picked up Landen and went running with him because a big wave was coming up onto the sore. She of course tripped and fell and smacked his head and her onto the sand.
Christian and Kalea found their true calling together. They ride waves. Christian did mention that “She makes me sink.” So until she can do it solo, daddy will have to be her surf board. She did LOVE it though. She has always surprised Christian and I how adventurous she can be. She loves to do things that most girls her age wouldn’t dare try. I’m pretty sure she has Salt Water in her veins.

On one of the last nights I wanted to get a family picture. Of course it would be the evening the clouds would roll in, the humidity would go up 310% and I think you can tell by the pictures how ENTHUSIASTIC everyone was. (Especially Christian.)

WE DID FINALLY GET A COUPLE OF GOOD ONES. BUT I’M PRETTY SURE I THREATENED THE LIFE OF EACH AND OVERY ONE OF THEM.

By Friday I told Christian that I could have stayed longer. Usually I’m ready to head home and start my routines again, but this trip was so relaxing and care free that I could have stayed forever. I’m pretty sure I know where we will be retiring one day… with NO forwarding address. :)

WILLIAM BUNN

2010-07-02T13:18:00.001-04:00

Back in March right before Easter we had an Easter Egg hunt. A HUGE amount of stay-at-home moms came with all their young ones and brought 10 eggs for each child they brought. We all met at Shelley Lake and played, ate lunch, and hunted for eggs. I met a few mom’s that I hadn’t met before. One of those mom’s was Sara Rodriguez who I’d never met before, but our humor was similar and laughed and joke a bunch. I know her sister but had never met Sara before. She brought 2 of her own children and another little boy named William. William was her son’s best friend and he came along for the Easter egg hunt. Sweet boys. They played and ran around without a care in the world. You could tell these boys had a very special friendship and a special bond. Sara asked me if I wouldn’t mind taking pictures of William for her because she had forgotten her camera. I told her I would be glad to. Then she informed me that William had terminal cancer. He had been diagnosed at the age of 5 years old. He battled it once, and was in remission. But he and his family had just found out the cancer was back and the news was bleak for Williams future. He had less then a year. So I was able to follow this amazing child, full of life and having so much fun with his best friend, around with my camera. I’m sure the boys thought I was getting in their way of playing making them stop and smile for the camera. I only met William that one day. We chatted a bit, he walked with Sara and I and our children and talked with us. He also decided it’d be fun to walk backwards in front of my stroller as we walked up and down hill. We went down to the Lake to feed the ducks where the boys went under the bridge to get closer to the ducks. They tossed cereal, chips, bread, whatever was on hand and played without a care in the world.

I was only able to meet William once. I didn’t know what an impact he would have on my life. Later on, a few months had passed and Christian and I were watching the news where William was being honored by the Raleigh Police Department being made an honorary officer. His dream was to be a Police Officer as he got older and the Police Department was able to make that dream come true for him. He looked thinner but it was still the same William I had seen. More time passed and Christian emailed me an article to that was published in the News and Observer saying an honorary police officer had passed away. I didn’t know immediately who it would be until I read. My heart stopped for a moment and I thought of that sweet boy who’s path crossed with mine. While only briefly, it’s something I’ll hold close to me. William taught me how short this life can be. How precious our children are to us. Not only my own, but the children of others. These perfect, innocent children who come here to learn and grow. Who we are here to watch over and take care of until a time when they are to return to their Father in Heaven. Whether that be in their youth or as they age, it is our job to teach them. To be an example to them. To serve them in whatever way we can. To be their keeper. William is now with his Father in Heaven. My heart goes out to his parents who I know love their little boy dearly. Who cherish every minute they had with William. And I’m thankful I was able to snap a few pictures for them. But mostly I’m thankful that William and I met and for what he has taught me.

WE HAVE DANCE PARTIES…

2010-06-30T15:19:00.001-04:00

… Mostly when Daddy is at work because he thinks we’re all crazy. But we jam to a little Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Black Eyed Peas, just to name a few. The girls love to sing along to the chorus loudly and out of tune. And Landen loves to dance like a crazy man. They have so much fun with it. Nothing better then hearing your 6-yr-old singing, “if you like it then you better put a ring on it.”

Landen doing the HAKA (or so it seems.)

Afterwards Landen took a break and looked at some Library books that we picked up. He noticed some balloons in one of the books (balloons + Landen = OBSESSED). He made it seem like he wanted me to somehow get the balloons out of the book so he could hold them. I’m pretty awesome, but not that awesome.

Mia’s turn…

Mia and Landen have become quite the pair. They love to play and aggravate each other. It’s definitely a love hate relationship. Mia likes to bug him, and he hates it. She is quite a sweet big sister though. It doesn’t help that Landen has seriously SERIOUSLY entered the “terrible 2’s”. Terrible 2’s + NOT TALKING = one crazy mom. I just wish he would at least try. He just likes to point and grunt or say “isss” which means “this”. But he does have such a cute little personality. He gets WAY excited over everything. During nursery he says hi and bye to EVERYONE who enters and leaves. His favorite phrase is “whooooaaaaaa” even if it’s just a cracker he’s eating. He just gets super happy and enthusiastic. It’s very contagious to be around. He definitely knows how to brighten a room. Here’s a little bit of the kids outside playing.

Lastly, here’s what happens when you have 2 sisters. A little of your manhood is taken from you. Good thing this kid’s no sissy… so I guess he has a little bit of manhood to spare. (Sidenote: This was all Kalea’s doing. Yes, sweet, innocent, creative Kalea.)

HOT AS THE DICKENS

2010-06-26T11:53:00.001-04:00

The heat has been pretty unbearable this week unless you’re around water. The high has been in the mid-90’s and just disgusting when you mix in the humidity. Luckily we have are wicked awesomely sweet baby pool to make it a little easier on everyone. Landen love the pool and tries to dive in all the time with his clothes on. He’s really enjoying splashing everyone in the face too. Especially to Mia who screams about water in her eyes. So now whenever Landen gets water in his eyes, he screams “Eyes!”. Here are a few pictures that I was just playing around with. Hope everyone else is staying out of this heat!

Landen loves his hat. I bought it for him last year but his head was a little small. (The kids have peanut heads, they get that from me.) He just looks so stinkin cute with it on. He makes me smile.

I’M DONE!!

2010-06-26T11:20:00.002-04:00

By done I mean exhausted. Last week was our last week of day camps for Kalea and Mia. I’m talking up and moving and out of the house by 8:30 every morning. Talk about exhausting. We did those for 2 weeks straight after Kalea’s last day of school. I’m worn out. Luckily we don’t have any more until late July, and then again in August. Cause Mama needs a BREAK!! Hopefully for the next couple of weeks will be nothing but reading times at B&N, pools, and much more relaxing times then before. I do have to say I’m pretty excited that we are leaving for the beach in 2 weeks. We’ll be there for 5 days. BLISS. The kids are all super excited too. As soon as we get back, my sis-in-law and her kids will be in NC for almost ALL of July. They’re going to be so sick of us by the end of the trip. Well, that’s the goal at least. My brother Luke shows up the last week, so I have less time for him to get tired of me, but I know I can do it.

My photography classes are going well. I’m definitely the “dumb one” in the class who asks all the stupid questions. But I know I’m not the only one thinking them I’m just the only who has the cojones to ask them. I don’t mind being the dumb one. I’m used to it by now. I say a lot of dumb stuff. I usually like to do it to Christian just see if he thinks I’m REALLY that dumb of if he can tell when I’m faking it. Sometimes I’m faking it… but not all the time. Probably the funniest thing I’ve ever thought (not once, but twice) was when we were driving by a gas station. The price of the gas was at $2.56. So I freaked for a second and said, “Babe! Gas is almost at $3!!” He looked at me a little confused and said we still had .50 cents to go. And I started laughing hysterically and said, “I got time and money confused.” Seriously. Not kidding you. I know, I know. Dumb. However, I did it a second time a few weeks later. Same scenario, except I stopped myself half way through saying “ Gas is almost….” Christian just looked at me baffled. And I sat there dying laughing. Oh well, if you can’t laugh at yourself, then well, my self-esteem would be really low. He thought I was joking, I wasn’t.
Christian however, has a way of making the slightly dumb things I say sound extremely dumb. We were driving to the beach and we were talking about making a side trip to the aquarium. Well, Christian wasn’t even sure where it was and I said, “It’s like the National Aquarium or something.” (Yes, I thought the Wilmington Aquarium was a NATIONAL aquarium.) All Christian did was look at me and say “INTERNATIONAL”. More laughing. Really? just because I said national you decided to trump me by saying International?!
The other day Mia came out of the downstairs bathroom and her face looked a little discolored.
Mia- Mommy, I have to tell you the truth. I put on your lipstick in the bathroom.
Me- Mia, that wasn’t lipstick, it was concealer. It’s for when Mommy has pimples.
Mia- I had pickles today too so I needed to use it.
Me- Oh, ok. That makes perfect sense.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

2010-06-20T20:03:00.001-04:00

Happy Father’s Day to 4 of my favorite dad’s. Thank you for leading, guiding and directing our families. Thank you for being worthy priesthood holders. Thank you for being a great example to not only myself and my children, but also those you come in contact with. We love you! *Our Daddy Simpson*

*Grandpa Alo*

*Grandpa Simpson*

*Grandpa Allen*