Merry Christmas 2011

Christmas seems like it came really quick this year!  We had a lot of fun seeing what Santa brought us, and opening gifts.

Griffin woke up around 7:30 and came into get us.  He told me Santa brought him everything he wanted!  Santa brought Griffin an art easel, with supplies, hex bugs and hex bug tracks, a bat mobile, and some candy in his sock!

Griffin thought it was so funny Santa left Joe peanuts and trail mix in his sock. He is still talking about it.

We were able to go to church in the afternoon, and it was cut down to just over an hour.  It was nice to go and feel the spirit and then come home and enjoy the day with our family!

I think Joe was most excited about his rolling massage thing.  I had Heather wrap it up and she wrote it was for Griffin from them on it, so Joe had no idea it was his.  Although he won't admit this to anyone, he is still a kid at heart, and I know he peeks under the tree to see which presents are his, and I've even caught him shaking them.  So I fooled him this year!

We are now going to start gearing up for 2012-  It is going to be a big year for us and we all are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our twins.  Course we don't want them to make their debut too soon, I hoping for mid February!

Happy Birthday Ella

Ella  turned 3 and we had a wonderful princess party to celebrate the occasion!  Ella invited all her family and friends over for appetizers, princess cake, and ice cream.

Pockie, Ella, and Heather all wanted a quick photo.  Ella wasn't being very cooperative and didn't want to smile, so this is the best we did!

We had a really fun time celebrating Ella's birthday and are so grateful we all live so close together and can celebrate all the wonderful occasions in our lives!

30 weeks

Thought I would start sharing pictures of my tummy as I slowly get bigger and bigger!  We've officially made it to 30 weeks!

My doctor says I'm doing amazingly well.  I'm not supposed to take on any extra activities, and if I have to go out Christmas shopping she told me to ride in a cart and have my husband pick me up and drop me off at the entrance.  I've ridden around in the cart one time, and I must say it wasn't pleasant because no one would get out of my way, and I got stuck in the aisles a lot!  But the good thing is I didn't come out of the store feeling like I was about to fall over!

At the check up this week Baby A, which is usually the boy, had a heart beat of 138.  Baby B, which is usually the girl, had a heart beat of 140.

This week I've been busy working.  Been trying to get a lot of stuff reconciled and sorted out before the start of 2012.  Also been working on last minute Christmas preparations, think I've got everything except stocking stuffers, and a few little gifts!

Griffin is very excited for the arrival of Marki and Turkey!  Every day he wants to know when they are coming out.  I think we will schedule a walk through of the birthing center and take Griffin along, just so he knows a little of what to expect.  He is also really missing his Grammy and can't wait for her to come up.

Every time they talk on the phone he will always tell her the babies have not come out yet they are still in my mommies tummy.  Except one time he played a joke on her and told her they came out and were in the crib.  Grammy said she was getting in her car right away to come and help!  Griffin was just laughing away, and then had to tell her he was just joking

Happy Birthday Griffin!

Can't believe my little Griffin is now 5 years old!  I will always remember the day I brought this little guy home from the hospital, sometimes when I look at him I can hardly remember him being so tiny and fragile!

Five fun facts about Griffin!

1-He loves going to preschool.  He is learning all his letters and can write his own name!

2-He is a wizard at putting together puzzles! He loves them.  He has been putting together 100 piece puzzles all by himself for quite awhile.  Joe and him have ventured onto the 500 piece puzzles, but I think Joe is having more fun with that one!

3-Griffin loves to tell us that he loves us.  Sometimes he will pop his head into the office, or our room, or snuggle up on our laps and just say, I love you!  You can tell he really means it.  He's always learned to say, "but I love you" after he gets in trouble.  Melts my heart!

4-Griffin knows how to get around town.  He will often tell me where we are going before I can even tell him what we are doing.

5-Griffin has an exceptional memory.  He must have picked this trait up from me.  I am always amazed at the things he remembers, and he remembers them with such detail!  We've had to learn to be careful what we promise him because this kid does not forget!!!

For his birthday this year he decided he wanted a soldier party!

For his cake this year I made soldier cupcakes.  The up close photo was taken with my phone and somehow got pushed to an off site storage place so I got to figure out how to get it!

Griffin wore his soldier outfit and was very excited for everyone to come to his party.  He did get his party taken away because he was being really naughty but he worked really hard and earned it back just in the nick of time.

Easton came and was wearing his soldier outfit, and Ella just showed up as her cute self.

Griffin had lots of fun and enjoyed all his presents!  Just for the sake of remembering this is what he got:

Julane & Dan- Spiderman cars
Heather & Nate- Angry Bird Hat and Joker action figure
LJ- Hot wheels launcher
Mom & Dad- Camera
Julie & Dad- a gun that shoots out discs

I think his most favorite gift was his angry bird hat! When he first felt the package he was a little disappointed because he thought it was underwear.  But once he opened it he said, "Oh my gosh an Angry Bird hat, I didn't know you got this for me. I saw it at the store!" It immediately went on his head!

Pretty much sums up the night! He was one happy kid and thanks everyone for his gifts and for coming to his soldier party!

Christmas helpers

These two can be the best of friends and also the worst of friends all at the same time.  Heather has been coming over every Tuesday to spend time with us, and help me get prepared for the twins arrival.  She has even dared to watch Griffin and Ella while I head off to work for a few hours.

This day was a particularly hard day because Griffin was being such a little pill about everything.  Anyways, Heather got the tree out and assembled it and Griffin, Ella and I worked on getting all the ornaments on.  They both seemed to really enjoy themselves, and they didn't fight too much over who got to do what!

I always feel like Christmas is getting closer once we get our tree up. Still lots to do to get ready!

Hope everyone enjoys their 25 days of the 2011 Christmas Season!

Thanksgiving 2011

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the afternoon/evening with family and friends.

This year during our "what are you grateful for tradition" we each said the following:

Joe - The Grace of God
Tabby- Grateful we made the decision to move to Billings
Griffin- Grateful for all his family, his Uncle, and his babies

Halloween 2011

We had a lot of fun on Halloween. We had a little family dinner consisting of homemade chili, salad, halloween jello, and freshly brewed wassail.  Then it was off to trick-er-treat.  Griffin and Ella were really having a fun time running through the neighborhood.  Heather kept up with them pretty good, I just kind of waddled behind everyone.

This year Ella was a fairy, she let me do her makeup!  Griffin was a swat team member, Easton wore his monster jammies, and according to Griffin I was the "fat doctor". LOL-

The drama for the night happened when Griffin and Ella somehow managed to crash into each other, and Griffin fell and scuffed up his knee. We took them home and Griffin went into his room and screamed, "This is the worst Halloween ever"-  It was quite funny and we all laughed.

Griffin really enjoyed passing out candy to all the trick-er-treaters that came by.  I did find it kind of funny how many mommies were collecting candy for their babies?  Maybe I should have gone to the door requesting double the candy for the twins???  Seriously...made me wonder.

All in all we had a very memorable  night.  I'm so grateful Nate & Heather decided to move here, I love being able to share our life moments together!  Looking forward to many more fun Halloween's!

Just for the sake of remembering I was preggie with twins this year, I'm including a full body photo- and I'm grateful to be able to do so.

s{ick}

Haven't been blogging for a few weeks because our family has been s{ick}.

Griffin was the first to get the {ick}. He had a fever, a bad cough, and severe case of the lazies!  Had to stay home a few days to take care of him, and I also learned the benefits of a humidifier!  The humidifier helped is cough clear up and also helped him to sleep through the night!

Joe was next to get the {ick}.  He had a fever, chills, body aches, lazies, congestion, and towards the end of his NINE day {ick} he got an all over body rash, which itched and caused him not to be able to sleep!

I think it was about the middle of Joe's {ick} that I got the {ick}.  I had a fever, lazies, really bad congestion, body aches, sore throat, and towards the end of my {ick} I got an ear infection and totally blocked sinuses. My sinuses are still not cleared up.  I had the {ick} on my birthday and also had to teach my Relief Society lesson while I had the {ick}.  Thank goodness for sudafed, ibprofin, antibiotics, and nasal spray!

Not sure what kind of {ick} we got, but we did decide next year we are getting the flu shot.  We did talk about it this year, but we didn't make it a priority so we had to deal with the {ick} for about three weeks!

While we were s{ick} we enjoyed watching The Deadliest Catch -

Joe and I stayed up way too late watching episodes.  We started on Season 6 and then went to Season 1.  We also had many late night conversations about crabs, crabbing, crab boats, the business of crabs, just everything crabs!  It was very interesting.  Although we aren't as dedicated to the show now that we are done with the {ick} we are looking forward to watching Season 7, and we are slowly making our way through all the seasons.  I might have to buy myself a crab shirt from one of my favorite boats, just so I can prove to everyone I am a fan!

Will do an update on P 52:365:11, I did miss a few weeks but I've got to get back into it!  I didn't really do too well with my no Coke Zero drinking .  Since my throat hurt so bad I did quite enjoy the cold carbonation of my Coke Zero!  Just have to be honest with that!  Will work on it.

Felt I needed a bit more color on this post, so I am sharing with you a springy card I made.  I am so looking forward to some sunshine, and thunder storms!  Ready for the snow to melt and the flowers to bloom!

Project 52.365.11

Week 5 P52.365.11 summary

My goal for last week was a simple one, to make sure my counter top and sink were cleaned before I went to bed each night. I am proud to report I was able to do this, every night except one and that was because I was sick.

It is strange because this really wasn't as hard to do as I thought it would be.  Before my experiment I would just leave dishes in the sink and clean dishes in the dishwasher and tell myself I would take care of things tomorrow, but things would just keep stacking up; and eventually it would just become this huge mess that had to be dealt with before you could cook or even get a glass of water!

Waking up to a clean kitchen was nice, and I didn't have to think about all the dirty dishes that were awaiting me the next morning.  I will be continuing on with this goal, because I know if I did it for one whole week I can do it again, and I really like the results! Even Joe noticed and helped out!


Week 6 P52.365.11

I've got a list of goals I would like to work on but I am keeping to my schedule and working on only one each week.  This week I am going to go with a tougher one, well it will be tough for me.  I've really got to rid myself of my addiction to Coke Zero.  I think every year for the past two years one of my goals was to stop drinking carbonated beverages.  I managed to rid myself of this habit for a while but always fell back into it.

So, my plan is to ween myself off slowly.  I can usually go one day without caffeine before I get a wretched headache and my body starts going into convulsions...okay maybe not convulsions I just really have a strong craving for it.

This week I am going to limit myself to one Coke Zero every other day!  Figure if I can get used to drinking less of it I will eventually be able to ween myself off completely!

Baking

Tonight Griffin and I made cookies. Actually, I started and then Griffin volunteered to help.  His job was to add all the flour, salt, and baking soda to the bowl and then mix it.

Griffin takes his stirring job very seriously.  

You might also notice he is sporting a new hair cut.  Joe was able to cut his hair this weekend!  He looks so much older with short hair.

And finally, all scooped up and ready to bake!

Project 52.365.11

I've been mulling over my New Years Resolutions.  Trying to decide what I really want to work on, who I really want to become, what I want out of life....these are all pretty overwhelming questions.  I love setting goals and making a plan to achieve, but lately I've just been confounded with deciding what goals I would like to make for myself.

Lots of people make New Year's Resolutions, it makes sense it's a new year, a time to start fresh.  After all, your W2 gets wiped clean as of Jan 1, so why not start the year with a fresh slate?  The thing about Resolutions is...people work on them for the first two or three months, and then they become a thing of the past. We just get busy with other things, or realize the goals we have set are a bit unattainable, or maybe we just get plain ole' tired and slip into the comfort of our old selves.

How does one overcome the three month dull drums of your New Year's resolve?  Well I can't answer this question for you, just myself.

This year I've decided every week I am going to make one goal and work on it for the whole week.  My goals can be big or small, and I am not allowing myself to move onto another goal until I have completed what I have set for myself for any given week.  Every Sunday I will write my goal for the week on the ole' bloggaroo and also do a little write up of how my goal for the previous week went.

My goal for 2011 has been named Project 52.365.11, or P52.365.11, 52 weeks, 365 days, the year 2011. Pretty simple.  I  am hoping this will keep my mind focused on the things I need to do better in my life.

It is already week 5 of the New Year so I am starting a little late.

WEEK 5 P 52.365.11:


This week's goal is a simple one.  Every night I am going to make sure my kitchen island is cleaned and disinfected, and that my kitchen sink is also in the same state.

Time

When your hair starts to grow out side ways, it is time for a hair cut.

When your hair starts to have more volume and bounce than your mom, it is time for a hair cut.

Griffin has funny hair, as it grows out it just sort of grows out side ways into a big bushy ball.  LJ  has this  same issue, so I guess he got it from me.

Wish we lived closer to Heather because she gives the best hair cuts!  I will just have to settle for one of Joe's.

Diaper

This past Sunday during sacrament Griffin was busy pulling things out of my church bag.  He came across a feminine napkin and pulled it out.  He held it up high and said in his not so reverent voice, "Look  mommy I found your diaper."

Joe and I just started laughing, as quietly as we could, and I quickly grabbed my "emergency diaper" and stuffed it to the very bottom of the bag.  

Is this what I get for trying to be prepared? I mean you just never know when you will need one, or who might be asking you for a spare, KWIM?  Although I have yet to meet someone who would refer to it as a mommy diaper.  The things kids come up with.  

Think we will be chuckling about this one for awhile.

Happy Birthday Griffin

My baby is growing up, he is now 4!

He wanted a spiderman cake for his birthday and he invited Pockie and Julie over for dinner.  We had spaghetti, with garlic bread, and my super yummy buttermilk fruit salad.

Of course before the party began Griffin fell asleep.  He just has a knack for falling asleep at the strangest times.  I was really worried he was going to wake up super grumpy, and he did, but he perked up right up once we brought out the cake and lit it up!

We sang Happy Birthday to him twice and let him blow out the candles each time.  He loved it.  The only thing he ate all night was a piece of his cake, but it was his birthday so I didn't worry too much about it.

I wanted to start a new tradition of getting a family picture on his birthday but I didn't so will try and do that soon, you know before he turns five!!

Shopping with Griffin

I don't really have any ideas about what to type, the pictures seem self explanatory!