The Boshards

Busy Busy

2011-06-30T11:22:00.019-06:00

As you might imagine, we've been pretty busy the last few months. Having three kids three and under is not for the faint of heart. It definitely keeps us going a mile a minute, but we're having the time of our lives. So, in the last few months . . .

We blessed Anna.

I went with my family to St. George and Anna took her first swim.

We took a trip to California and soaked up the sun.

James graduated from preschool.

This girl has grown up. Sleeping through the night (mostly) and rolling over. She's not my tiny newborn anymore.

We hit up Summerfest. Seriously one of the highlights of the summer. The helicopter taking off was way too cool for Noah to look at the camera. Actually, most of the time, Noah is just too cool to look at the camera.

Hans ran his first half marathon. He did great, but I completely flopped and was about ten minutes too late to see him cross the finish line.

More summer fun to come.

Introducing . . .

2011-02-10T11:13:00.010-07:00

Anna Camille Boshard

2/5/11 5:11 AM

6 lbs 13 oz 19 1/2 in

I have a new love. So does Hans. In fact, I feel like I've been replaced, he's so smitten with her. She completely surprised us by coming 6 days early and we couldn't be happier. The delivery went smoothly and she's perfectly healthy. We're slowly adjusting to a life where the children outnumber the parents and so far, so good. The boys love her. James is quick to try to tend to all her needs, always making sure she has a blanket and that her pacifier is close by. Noah just likes to kiss her head over and over. She is absolutely perfect in every way. We are truly blessed.

Did I forget to mention . . .

2010-11-30T09:22:00.003-07:00

It's a girl!

Fall

2010-11-30T08:20:00.008-07:00

This year I felt like Fall flew by. We did manage to enjoy the beautiful weather just a bit before winter started settling in. We went on a little hike at Cascade Springs.

My two little boys. Noah is missing a shoe because he walked right into a swamp a few minutes earlier.

Pumpkin carving with the cousins.

Halloween, before the weather turned terrible.

Lake Powell

2010-11-30T07:50:00.008-07:00

We went to Lake Powell in September and had such a blast. The boys made an extreme slip and slide and it was a huge hit.

Both the boys loved playing in the sand. Noah especially loved being almost naked the whole time.

James was ok with the water as long as he was not actually in it.

James with a few cousins, Hudson and Cooper.

We discovered a new passion of James'. Fishing. Who knew? I'm not sure he would actually like catching real fish, but he sure loved casting and reeling it in.

Yellowstone

2010-11-30T07:23:00.006-07:00

A few months ago, we went to Idaho and spent some time in Yellowstone. It was a nice to get away for a few days and the boys loved it as you can tell in the following picture.

James and his cousin Lydia checking out the hot pots.

Belated!

2010-07-23T18:28:00.009-06:00

OK! So here's a quick update on our lives. . . finally! Hans had knee surgery awhile ago. What you can see in this picture does not even begin to do justice to how bad it looked. All is well now.

We went to Summerfest awhile ago. It was way too cold for June, but the boys loved it.

Hans passed his Journeyman test with a little study help from James. He helped him prepare for the practical test and it all paid off.

James turned three last week! His cake was decorated with his favorite things on the planet. Tractors! We can thank Hans for the design of the construction scene.

He is never happier than when he has a sucker in his mouth. Thanks Haley and Zach.

He was even kind enough to share one with his brother. How mature of him.

We bought a van. Sorry, no picture, but it's sweet. All you SUV lovers out there can mock all you want, but I bet you can't open your doors with the touch of a button. Ok, so I might be a little bit of a minivan snob. I'm sure it'll wear off after the first road trip with two screaming kids, but right now, I'm in love!

One last minor update on our lives. We are expecting a third BABY!!! Are we crazy or what? Don't answer that, I already know what you're thinking. I'm trying to be positive. But seriously, we're really excited. Honestly, I'm starting to feel like having three kids might be easier than being pregnant. This time around, it's really taking a toll on me. This baby is due February 11th, the day after Noah's 2nd birthday. James thinks it's a baby sister. I have no clue. I've stopped guessing because I'm always wrong. Time will tell.

Spring!

2010-04-21T08:01:00.010-06:00

It's been a busy few weeks ago. We celebrated Easter and then left a few days later for a much-needed getaway in St. George. As soon as James realized there was candy in the eggs, he did just fine in the Easter egg hunt. Noah required some help, but he made out alright.

While in St. George, we took a little trip out to Zion's and did a few short hikes. The kids loved it. James loves his little cousin, Lydia and his aunt, Marissa.

A short hike up the base of the Narrows.

James is wary of the water falling from Weeping Rock above his head.

Yesterday . . .

2010-04-14T09:59:00.002-06:00

While stopped at a stop light, I noticed the license plate frame on the minivan in front of me. It read, "Caution: Under the influence of children." I laughed out loud. Isn't that the truth?

It's Been Awhile . . .

2010-03-18T11:03:00.002-06:00

Well, we haven't been up to much lately. Noah is up to his same crazy eating habits, as you can see. James has been up to his same mess-making habits. We went to Ikea and got a great storage system for the toys. As you can see, it's really doing a lot of good.

Appreciation

2010-02-20T08:08:00.002-07:00

Last night, I was cleaning the kitchen and James said, "Good boy, Mommy."

It's nice to be appreciated!

Oh Boy!

2010-01-28T14:06:00.002-07:00

Remember how Noah is a crazy eater? Well, he has taken it to a whole new level.

Homemade

2010-01-28T09:57:00.001-07:00

So awhile ago, I was looking through a Pottery Barn catalog and saw some throw pillows that I just had to have, but I couldn't bring myself to spend $25 for just the pillow cover. So I looked closely at the picture and made my own. It's the first time in my life that I have ever sewn anything without a pattern. I'm feeling pretty good today.

Cookie Monster

2010-01-19T08:42:00.001-07:00

The pantry is one of Noah's favorite hangouts. A few weeks ago, he found a grasshopper cookie in there and this is how I found him. At least he's happy, right?

Four years!

2010-01-13T14:11:00.002-07:00

Today is our 4 year anniversary and since I don't have any pictures of our wedding on my computer, you get this one taken when we were newlyweds. Wow, we looked good back then.

Sorry, but there will be no long narrative about how I'm so blessed and how I have the most incredible husband in the world (even though I do). I just wanted to acknowledge our special day and say that life is good.

Holidays!

2010-01-04T14:39:00.003-07:00

The holidays have come and gone and they were wonderful. About a week before Christmas, we took the boys to see the lights and reindeer at Thanksgiving Point. The lights were a huge hit, the reindeer, not so much.

Christmas morning! Can you tell that Noah just woke up. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera for the rest of the day. No big deal though because the kids got sick and most of the day consisted of vomiting. No fun!

On New Years Day, we were all well enough that we could go sledding. It was a blast. James warmed up to it over time and Noah just hung on for the ride.

Hans and James

Noah and Papa

James wasn't so sure about the saucer.

Time for a haircut?

2009-12-18T08:46:00.001-07:00

Don't worry. Hans came home for work this same day and took the clippers to him. It's much better now.

Just for Fun!

2009-12-17T06:51:00.003-07:00

Well, I have returned to the blogging world with nothing profound to say. I just thought I would post a few pictures from around the house from the last few weeks.

Crazy Days

2009-11-24T06:40:00.002-07:00

It has been a crazy couple of days and several things have fallen by the wayside, blogging included (let's not even mention the house and the laundry). So here is my attempt to catch up and also to express some of my thoughts from this last weekend.

#1 - I'm grateful for circumstances that allow us to reflect on the most important things in life. As difficult as these circumstances may be, there is always a silver lining.

#2 - I'm grateful for our prophets and apostles. Elder Hales was at the funeral we attended yesterday and had some beautiful things to say about my uncle, the Lord, and our lives. He had such a presence about him and I have never seen someone who seemed more caring and genuine. He gave up his entire day to be with my uncle's family during this time.

#3 - I'm grateful for the musical number yesterday, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It's one of my favorite songs and it was absolutely beautiful. It has been some time since I have felt the spirit to that degree. There is truly a power in music.

#4 - I'm am grateful for the ladies who ran the nursery yesterday. It allowed me to pay attention and be uplifted during the services.

#5 - I'm grateful for the knowledge we have of life after this. Everything would feel so empty if it weren't for a knowledge of something greater for us when we leave this life.

#6 - I'm grateful that we made the drive to and from Price safely. That drive is always a little treacherous and yesterday, conditions were less than ideal. The roads were snowy and slick, our windshield wiper fluid froze up, the sun was right in our eyes, and neither of us had sunglasses. Thankfully, Hans is a very careful driver (when he wants to be). Not only did we get there safely, but we got there on time.

#7 - I'm grateful that my kids survived a really hard day that involved a lot of missed hours of sleep. I've realized that I often underestimate my boys. It was certainly hard, but they did much better than I expected given the circumstances.

#8 - I'm grateful for babies. We had the opportunity to attend a baby blessing on Sunday and we'll attend another next week. I just love them. They grow up so fast so I forget so easily what that newborn stage is like. It's nice to be reminded every once in awhile. It almost makes me want another . . . almost, but not quite.

#9 - I'm grateful for my family. My husband and my kids mean everything to me, my parents are amazing people who have shaped the person I am, and my siblings are among my best friends. The Lord sure knew what he was doing when I put us all together.

Warmth

2009-11-21T08:20:00.002-07:00

Yesterday:

#1 - I'm grateful for a girls' night. It made for a late night, but was so much fun. Thanks, Summer, for making that happen.

#2 - I'm grateful that Hans let me sleep in. Our kids are early risers so Hans got up with them at 5:45 and let me sleep until almost 8. It was heaven.

#3 - I'm grateful for warm slippers. The cold is settling in and if there is one thing I hate, it's cold feet. I absolutely adore my slippers. This would be a hard time of year for me without them.

Deep Thoughts

2009-11-19T18:19:00.003-07:00

Events of the the day have had me thinking deep thoughts and reminded me just how grateful I am for the important things in my life.

#1 - I am so grateful for every moment I spend with my family. Yes, I have times when I want to pull my hair out, but at the end of the day, I know it is truly a blessing to have this time on Earth with the people who are most important to me.

#2 - I am grateful for the beautifully perfect plan the Lord has laid out for us. I can't imagine an existence without a plan that allows us to be eternally happy with those we love. This Earth life is wonderful, but where I can truly see our Heavenly Father's love for us is in His plans for our lives after this Earthly existence. What an incredible promise He has made us.

#3 - I am grateful for the Lord's hand in my life and that can often recognize it. His gospel has made me capable of realizing that there is a reason for everything and the Lord has ultimate control. He is the one who holds every aspect of my life in His hands and I couldn't be more grateful for that.

Food!

2009-11-18T18:56:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful for my dad for doing my dental work. I would probably be in a lot of pain if it weren't for him. Thanks Dad!

#2 - I'm grateful that Hans made dinner tonight. It really just entailed microwaving leftovers, but that was a big deal to me. I seriously have the best hubby ever.

#3 - I'm grateful that Noah is getting a tooth. I knew that something was up when he wasn't his usual cheery self. I took a look in his mouth and sure enough, one tiny tooth is just starting to poke through. He absolutely loves chunks of food (even green veggies), but is hardly interested in baby food anymore. Having a few teeth will make it a little easier for him to chomp on those chunks.

Sweet Release

2009-11-17T21:33:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful for a garbage disposal. No more fishing out nasty things from the sink. Yay!

#2 - I'm grateful that I'm learning to be frugal. I'm getting better and better as the weeks go by. I'm learning new skills and I think the lessons learned from going without are invaluable. Someday I hope that being this frugal won't be necessary, but I'm grateful that I have this time in my life to learn and grow from this experience.

#3 - I'm grateful that Hans took the kids for 2 hours today while I went out and ran my errands. It was a rough day and I really needed to unwind. I got a lot of grocery shopping done and reacquainted myself with an old Kenny Chesney CD. It was a pleasant afternoon. The best part was, I didn't come home to Hans ripping his hair out. He had everything nicely under control.

James' new trick!

2009-11-17T14:45:00.001-07:00

He pees his pants on purpose while he's sitting in time out. Every time! Isn't that nice?

Back on track

2009-11-16T20:07:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful for a garage. For the first time in my life, I am able to park in a garage and it is absolutely incredible. I appreciate it more and more as the weather gets colder.

#2 - I'm grateful for my new Pleasant Grove City library card. It has been a VERY long time since I have stepped foot in a public library, but today I made the leap. James was very well-behaved. Noah was quiet as a mouse and we picked up a few good reads. James got a few Curious George books (his favorite) and I picked up some light reading for myself. My tax dollars are paying for it, so I might as well take advantage.

#3 - I'm grateful for the Daily Herald. We have had our spats in the past, but yesterday when I had a problem, I got on the phone with them and they more than made up for it. And they were very friendly in the process. We can be friends again.

Mwah!

2009-11-16T06:29:00.003-07:00

Yesterday -

#1 - I'm grateful for Relief Society. What an incredible program. It's nice to have some time to learn and grow in the gospel in a setting with just women who share the same values and beliefs.

#2 - I'm grateful for hugs and kisses. After a rough day, nothing makes me feel better than hugs and kisses from my little boys. James can be a wild man one minute and melt my heart the next with just a hug.

#3 - I'm grateful that my days of buying diapers for James may be over. I'm not saying anything for sure, but I think we're awfully close to undies full time. I'm crossing my fingers.

Yesterday

2009-11-15T07:18:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful for naps. James went without one yesterday and we sure paid the price. I don't just need the break in the middle of the day, but my kids need it to be happy and (somewhat) well-behaved.

#2 - I'm grateful for solo shopping trips. Sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than perusing the aisles of Smith's all by myself. I love my kids to pieces, but they make a simple trip to the grocery store about 12 times harder than it would be without them. I pack up the kids and we go shopping together more often than not, but once in a while, I get to go all by myself and boy, it is so nice.

#3 - I'm grateful that the Cougars pulled out that games yesterday. It was not graceful by any stretch of the imagination, but they were able to pull it out and avoid an embarrassing loss. Maybe next year will be our year.

Animals

2009-11-14T06:49:00.003-07:00

Yesterday (one of these days, I'll get back on track):

#1 - I am grateful that Hans is not an animal person. No offense to all you animal lovers out there, but I could never own a pet. I am so grateful that Hans and I are on the same page when it comes to this so we'll be in agreement when our kids come begging. However, for some reason, I am not opposed to keeping chickens in a coop someday in our backyard.

#2 - I am grateful that we have a big enough backyard that makes keeping chickens back there an option. The best part is that it's big enough that I wouldn't smell them right outside my back door. I'm excited that we have the space to plant a garden in the spring and keep several fruit trees. Someday, my yard will be fruitful.

#3 - I am grateful that James wore undies almost all day yesterday with only one accident. We did put on a diaper for our outing to the grocery store because I knew we weren't ready for that yet. I didn't think he was ready for potty training quite yet, but a few months ago, we bought him a potty and some undies just to get him used to the idea. Yesterday, I let him choose whether he wanted to wear a diaper or undies. He chose undies. Maybe he's really ready for this. We'll see if it sticks.

Doctor's Office

2009-11-13T06:40:00.002-07:00

Yesterday:

#1 - Once again, I'm grateful for Rite Aid. I had the shopping trip that I have only heard about and wondered, "How does that work?" Once again, the girl that helped was so patient and friendly.

#2 - Noah went to the doctor for his 9 month check and I'm grateful that he is perfect. He's healthy and growing. He's actually in the 65th percentile for his weight and, for my kids, that's pretty chunky. More than anything though, I'm grateful that he is completely healthy.

#3 - I'm grateful that my kids got the H1N1 vaccine. I wasn't sure they'd be able to get it since it's so hard to find, but I was lucky that my pediatrician had just a few in stock. I feel like I can breathe just a bit easier now.

Meow!

2009-11-11T20:13:00.003-07:00

#1 - Today I'm grateful for the kitty that wandered around our yard for awhile today. James thought it was just about the greatest thing that ever happened to it. He calls it a meow. He chased it around forever and loved every minute of it.

#2 - Visiting teachers. Mine are wonderful. They really make me feel like they want to visit me and not just that they need to get it done. I also love the adult conversation. Sometimes it's nice to have a conversation that involves something deeper than undies and "meows."

#3 - I'm grateful that James ate his dinner tonight. True, he spit out most of the chicken, but he ate a lot of rice and I even got him to eat cauliflower. We're making progress, people!

11/10

2009-11-11T06:43:00.003-07:00

#1 - I am grateful for Lissie who works at the Rite Aid in Orem. I have never been helped by someone more patient and friendly. She happily broke up my purchase into 2 different transactions and entered each one of my coupons manually when they wouldn't scan. And she did it all with a smile. I have never come across a cashier who has not acted bugged when the coupons don't scan. In fact, I think I'll make a call to her manager to tell them how great she was.

#2 - I'm grateful that my husband is not a deadbeat. There was a man on Dr. Phil yesterday who hadn't had a job in 3 years. His wife worked as a waitress and they lived in a hotel room. Her husband spent every day of those three years hanging around the hotel room "looking for a job."

#3 - I'm grateful that I didn't hit the neighbor's dog on my way home last night. It was a really close one, but everyone came out ok. That would not have been a good way to kick off a neighborly relationship.

Sweet lies

2009-11-09T20:06:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful that I was able to get a lot done today. I've had tons of stuff piling up and today, I feel like I finally made a pretty good dent in it. There's still a lot to do, but now I don't feel so overwhelmed.

#2 - I'm grateful that Hans acted like he liked my dinner. I had high hopes for the new recipe tonight, but to be completely honest, it was gross. Hans would never admit to it; he insisted that it was good. What a liar. Just another thing I love about him.

#3 - James' and Noah's matching pajamas. They are so stinking cute together.

11/8 Blessings

2009-11-09T06:43:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful that my kids went back to bed after both waking up at 5:30. That extra hour and a half made all the difference.

#2 - I'm grateful for tithing. It's definitely a hard thing to do, especially at a time in our lives when we have plans for every extra penny for about the next ten years, but it is one principle that I have never doubted. We've been behind this year, with all of the moving and switching wards, but at church yesterday, we almost got caught up. It's a good feeling.

#3 - I'm grateful for nursery. What an inspired program. Yesterday, when I walked into nursery to pick James up, all the nursery leaders said, "Look James, it's your mom." He took one look at me, said, "No!" and ran to the other side of the room. At least he loves it.

2009-11-07T19:27:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful for the coupon booklet I found at WalMart today. It saved me $15. Sweet!

#2 - Saturdays. It's so wonderful to have an entire day with my family all together. We didn't exactly get much done as we had 2 kids tag-teaming their naps all day long, but it's just nice to be together.

#3 - My pantry. When I come home from the grocery store with 10 boxes of crackers, 48 cans of spaghettios, and 8 containers of apple juice it sure is nice to have a place to put it all.

Today

2009-11-06T17:59:00.004-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful for the park. What a nice release for James. I'm so glad the weather was perfect for our outing.

#2 - I'm grateful for boys. Let's face it, without my boys, I'd be pretty much alone in this world. I hope to have a little girl someday, but right now I'm glad I have these little crazy guys and that they can be such great friends.

#3 - I'm grateful for my venus fly trap. Yes, I own a venus fly trip. When we saw Little Shop of Horrors last week at the Hale, Hans had to buy the movie. Lucky for us, a venus fly trap came with it. Now it sits in my kitchen window sill and makes me chuckle every time I see it.

More blessings . . . belated

2009-11-06T07:07:00.003-07:00

These will be yesterday's blessings. I planned on posting in the evening, but I (not surprisingly) conked out much earlier than I intended.

So for yesterday:

#1 - I'm grateful for nice weather. Yesterday, we opened the garage door while I cleaned the car and James roamed free. He loves having outdoor time and it makes the days fly by. Today, we'll try to venture out to the park if we can squeeze it in between naps.

#2 - I'm grateful for green bell peppers. They added that little extra kick to our omelets last night. Yum!

#3 - I'm grateful that my husband pretends to think that my couponing is cool. He always listens and acts excited when tell him about my great deals, but I know him well enough to know that he is just trying to make me feel good. It's the thought that counts, right.

Blessings

2009-11-04T20:09:00.002-07:00

#1 - I'm grateful that my kids go to bed well. Heaven knows I have crazy kids, but when it hits 7:00 pm, all is right in the world. No screaming and no tantrums. James tries to help say the prayer, Noah gives us one last big smile, we give lots of kisses and we're (usually) done for the night. I love them!

#2 - I'm grateful for Butterfingers. Yum! Especially the fun size because they don't make me feel as guilty.

#3 - I'm grateful for my $19 Walmart jeans. I seem to have had bad luck lately with jeans (probably because I just about have a stroke when I look at the price tag of any decent pair, and I apparently don't have enough of a butt to keep them up), so I decided to give the old Wally World a try. I'm in love! Finally, jeans that don't fall off my butt all day long. They may not be the cutest things on earth, but what can I say, I'm on a budget.

Day 2

2009-11-03T19:13:00.002-07:00

#1 - Today I am grateful for my washing machine. If there were no such thing, my entire life would consist of doing laundry. Even though I already feel that way.

#2 - I am grateful for long hot baths during naptime. If I am lucky enough to have both boys asleep at the same time for any length of time, I take the opportunity. It makes me feel renewed.

#3 - I am grateful for the long hours my hubby puts in at work. As much as miss him when he's gone, I am grateful that I have a husband who cares enough about his family to completely wear himself out during the day, come home to these crazy kids, and then get up and do it all over again. He does it without a word of complaint and it's all because he loves us so much!

Fall Fun!

2009-11-02T14:22:00.003-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, we ventured out to the corn maze. It was a bit chilly, but the kids held up well. James wasn't a big fan of the maze, but he did love the animals.

We made it all the way through. I pushed the stroller and had to check on Noah every two minutes to make sure he didn't suffer from shaken baby syndrome (the path was extremely bumpy). Hans carried James the whole way through, but we made it out alive. No cheating, promise!

James wouldn't pose for a picture with our carved pumpkin, but Noah would and boy, isn't he cute!

Halloween night. Tons of fun!

November!

2009-11-02T09:45:00.002-07:00

I got this great idea from a friend's blog and decided it would be a fun thing to participate in. So, here goes:

It's that time of year again (can you believe that it is November already?). Time for pumpkins and gloves and long-sleeves and the November Attitude of Gratitude Challenge. For those of you who have not played before, the challenge is outlined below.

Here's how it works:
Each day during the month of November I will post three things I am grateful for. You should, too.
Definition of "things"- the term "things" is used here to encompass a myriad of stuff including, but not limited to:

a certain set of circumstances
an event
an inanimate object distinguished from a living being
possessions or effects
a deed or act
a product of work or activity
an idea or notion
a piece of news or information
a personal memory
anything that makes you smile

* The challenge is to come up with three ORIGINAL "things" each day. Try not to repeat entries.

WARNING OF POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS!!
Please note that challenge participation may result in any or all of the following:
- you will be surprised at all the Lord has done for you
- angels will attend
- you will feel help and comfort
- you will find yourself "singing as the days go by"
- your doubts will fly
(see LDS Hymn #241 for the above references)

Ok, so I already missed a day, but why not start today?

1 - I'm grateful that I finished making the boys' Halloween costumes in time. I have to admit they looked so cute, but then again, my kids would look cute in pretty much anything.

2 - I'm grateful that we made it through Sacrament meeting yesterday without having to take either of the kids out. An incredible accomplishment if you know my kids. I was actually able to pay attention to a few of the testimonies. When you have little ones, spiritual edification can be hard to come by in Sacrament Meeting.

3 - Noah's smile. He is the one person who looks absolutely elated to see me every time I see him. He is my angel baby.

Ha!

2009-10-27T14:11:00.001-06:00

You might think this is dumb, but I can't get enough of this kind of stuff. Yes, Hans is playing two roles. Our family isn't quite big enough yet. Marissa, I thought of including you, but I didn't think you would appreciate being the wolfman.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Around the house

2009-10-19T11:23:00.004-06:00

There's nothing special to report, just some good times around the house. While trying to get some stuff done around the house the other day, I happened to look out my front window in the morning and noticed this beautiful view. I wish I could capture the colors better because it was absolutely beautiful. This picture was taken right outside my front door.

Then the very next evening, I glanced out my back window and saw this. Noah, James and I all huddled under the umbrella while we captured a few pictures from the backyard.

James disappeared down the hall the other day and came back a few minutes later looking like this. Yes, that's my makeup. Whatever wasn't on his face turned out to be on my bathroom floor.

James wouldn't pose for a picture so this is the best I got in his Home Depot apron. Apparently, on the first Saturday of every month, The Home Depot has a Kids Club. This month, it happened to be about fire safety. They had a fireman there to talk to the kids and then they got to build these cool banks that looked like fire stations. It was totally free and you don't have to register or sign up for anything. James absolutely loved it, so for everyone out there with little ones, definitely check it out.

Just one of the many we've been finding around the house these days. Yuck!

I often walk into this in the mornings or after naptime.

Hans calls Noah an aggressive eater. Here's proof!

I hope I win!!

2009-10-12T11:32:00.004-06:00

Free groceries for a year? That would be the life! Go here to enter.

http://www.itpaystoeatpasta.com/ip.cfm?u=204FB816-7256-4A91-98A1-5A81D5CED781

Panties!

2009-10-02T16:28:00.002-06:00

James has been wearing panties for about an hour and a half. Excuse me. Apparently with boys, you're supposed to call them underwear. Anyway, the Lightning McQueen on his bum better get ready for a good soaking! I know it's coming . . . any moment now.

Love it!

2009-09-29T13:24:00.001-06:00

My computer cycles through my photos and posts them as the wallpaper on my desktop. Today, this one popped up. I don't know why, but it completely cracked me up so I felt the need to share. I think Hans is looking pretty good and James looks like he is posing for a mug shot with sunglasses and a life jacket. LOVE IT!

Settled

2009-09-19T08:16:00.003-06:00

We are finally settled in our new house and couldn't be happier. Here are just a few pictures of the house. We are loving our new ward and James LOVES nursery. The house is exactly what we need. It fits us perfectly. Give us a few years and we'll have it looking great.

This is our backyard with some new fruit trees we planted last week. They're so tiny. And yes, the lawn needs help. We're working on it.

Just a little side note. Noah is 7 months old and not only is he crawling all over the place, he is pulling himself up on everything. I guess I have 2 busybodies on my hands.

Arachnophobia!

2009-09-15T12:11:00.006-06:00

I will be the first to admit, that in the last few years, I have developed a not so mild case of arachnophobia. I'm not psycho about it, but when I see a spider in my house, I tend to have a hard time. I can handle spiders outside where they belong, but they DO NOT belong in my house. Apparently several of them disagree as I have found many who seem to prefer the inside to the outside. I have a problem with that.

I have found several in the past few days, but just today I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life (apart from zoos and museums). Noah woke up from his nap so I started to walk down the hall to go get him. I was suddenly stopped in my tracks when I saw a giant spider hanging out in the middle of the hallway. What nerve! I immediately knew what I had to do, but didn't want to face the truth. I called Hans for some moral support, but, of course, all he could do was laugh and make fun of me. I'm sure all the guys at work are having a good laugh about it as I type this. After getting off the phone, I grabbed a nearby Anatomy book and inched as close as I dared. By this point, I'm practically shaking and my heart is going a mile a minute. Noah is in the his room screaming his head off, wondering why I'm not there yet. So, I drop the book and, just my luck, the spider, giant as he is, happens to be fast. I have a hard enough time when it stays in one place, but when it moves, I kind of freak out. I don't really remember, but I think I might have screamed and I know I jumped.

Now the spider is up against a wall so I know I can't try the book trick again. I had an idea. I found some old glue traps that we had used for mice in our old house. I put it up against the wall about a foot away from the spider (that's as close I dared get my hand to it) and then I threw things at it until it went right into my trap. I watched it for a moment to be sure it was stuck. Feeling pretty good about myself, I went and got Noah up from his nap and when I came out, it was still there. I walked away for about a minute and came to back to find the spider gone!!! I kind of freaked and called Hans again. I should have known better. He sure got a kick out of that. I put on shoes and went on a hunt with a long stick. No luck!

So here I am, wearing thick-soled shoes and blogging on a computer far away from the original sighting. I spotted a fly a minute ago and jumped about 3 feet in the air. Noah is bugged with me because I won't put him down on the floor. James is still sleeping and you better believe that when he wakes up, we're going out for the rest of the day.

Quick Post

2009-08-29T12:38:00.002-06:00

We currently don't have the internet at our house, so I'm putting up a quick post while at at my parents'. We are officially in our new house and loving it. It's so much work, but totally worth it. Thanks for all those who gave us a hand the other day. We're anxious to get our house in order so we can have you all over for some food and fun.

I must be an idiot!

2009-08-24T09:45:00.002-06:00

I don't know what my problem is, but I'm having serious issues getting pictures uploaded onto my blog post. I've been trying to post for weeks, but since I'm apparently an idiot, I'll just post without pictures.

The last few weeks has been exciting. Events of the last little while have included a high seas rescue, an MIA home seller, a giant tonsil, and a 104 degree swimming pool. Don't worry, I won't elaborate on all the craziness.

We took a short weekend trip to Bear Lake with my family. It was tons of fun, we spent a windy day on the beach soaking up the sun. Hans thought he was pretty cool because when the boat broke down he got to go rescue them on the ranger boat. When the weather was bad the next day, we took the kids on a cave tour up in Idaho. It was very cool, but there were so many more stairs than I remember from when I was younger. Not an easy thing while carrying a whining 2-year-old.

This last week, we were expecting to move into our house, but come closing time, the seller was MIA. It's a long story, but apparently the seller was out of town and couldn't close. So here we are, still in my parent's basement.If everything goes according to plan, we should close no later than Tuesday. Hopefully!

House!! For real this time!

2009-07-30T06:56:00.002-06:00

Remember how I posted forever ago about how we were buying a house. Well, now it's for real. But, here's the kicker. It's not even the same house. We waited and waited on that short sale and Hans decided that we needed to look around. I felt no need to look at any other houses because as far as I was concerned, I had found my house. I finally gave in just to make Hans happy. Our realtor sent us a bunch of listings and Hans picked out a few he wanted to see. On Tuesday night, we looked at one in Pleasant Grove and fell in love right away. It's on nearly half an acre and the house is huge with a partially unfinished basement. Perfect for us.

While we were looking around we found out that there were already three other offers and the owner would be signing one in half an hour. Our realtor is amazing! She immediately drove us to her house in Cedar Hills, we wrote up an offer and delivered it to the realtor back at the house. We actually waited out in front of the house while the realtor met with the owner inside. He came out about 15 minutes later and said Congratulations! It was absolutely crazy! It wasn't until the next morning that I actually felt like we made a good decision. It just happened so fast.

We are so excited to finally move on with our lives and get out of this strange limbo we've been in. We're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.

Montana Pictures

2009-07-28T09:51:00.013-06:00

I wanted to post a few pictures from our Montana vacation. We spent a rainy day driving through Glacier National Park and into Canada and a few days playing on the lake in the boat and we even celebrated James' 2nd birthday. What a blast! I had high hopes for that last picture, but James clearly was not in the mood for pictures.

Lessons Learned!

2009-07-28T09:30:00.003-06:00

A few things I learned on our Montana vacation.

1 - Never give Augmentin to a child on a nearly empty stomach (especially if you're going to be in the car for a long time).

2 - If you don't follow the previous tip, never come between your husband and a package of wipes he's trying to open. It could be fatal.

3 - When it rains is Cardston, Alberta, it REALLY pours!

4 - If I ever strike it really rich, I'm going to buy my own island on Flathead Lake.

5 - Phil Jackson lives in the teeny tiny town of Lakeside, MT. Who knew?

6 - Flathead Lake is FREEZING!!

7 - Glacier National Park is still gorgeous even on a gloomy day!

8 - The border patrol people have absolutely no sense of humor. Seriously, don't even think about cracking any jokes.

9 - Much thanks to Colin for this lesson. Never approach the US-Canadian border on foot, especially with your hands in your pockets. And no, it does not matter how bad you have to use the restroom.

10 - My kids are amazing! We can survive over 12 hours in the car in one day. Whoa!

4th of July Weekend!

2009-07-08T10:10:00.006-06:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend. That started with a family bbq. Everyone was in town so we were able to get a picture with all the boy cousins. As you can imagine, it's absolutely impossible to get a great picture with all these boys, so this is the best we've got. After dinner, we all had ice cream cones and the boys just loved it.

On Saturday, we decided against spending money to get into an overcrowded pool and had on own little pool party. For those of you who know James, you're probably pretty impressed with the fact that he's in the pool at all. Yep, we're making progress!

Pictures. . . YAY!!

2009-06-16T08:27:00.010-06:00

I finally got the pictures from my camera onto the computer. It was a long process, but I can finally show you four months' worth of pictures. This post is kind of a jumble of some of my favorite pictures of the past little while. So you get to see Noah grow up to 4 months old (and James' crazy antics) in just one post. Lucky you!

The day we got home from the hospital. Try not to pay attention to me. I just had a baby two days before.

I love this picture! James gets a kick out of posing with Noah.

Just another one of the two brothers.

Apparently, James aspires to be a plumber. Hans can't leave tools around if he ever wants to see them again because James picks them up and puts them to work. If you look close you can see a wrench in his right hand.

Noah's blessing day. We never did get a great picture of him that day. So sad!

My three boys!

Easter egg hunt. James got into it a lot more than I thought he would. He picked up on the concept pretty quick and went crazy.

Showing off the spoils!

Just a great picture of Noah. In this picture, I think he really looks like Hans.

James apparently cannot be left alone with milk and Cheerios for any amount of time. Look close and you can see a drop of milk running down his forehead.

Just another cute one of my boys. Noah is about three months old in this picture. I can't believe how the time flies.

My little thumb sucker. I know it's not a great habit, but I think it's so darn cute!

This is one of the last pictures we took in our house. So sad! It's a rare moment to see James actually eating something, so enjoy it while you can.

This last weekend, we went to the Orem Summerfest. It's one of my favorite times of year and now that James is old enough to enjoy it, it's even better. He rode on this little roller coaster with his cousin, Brooklyn. This was at the start of the ride.

As the ride went on, he started acting funny. Each time he went around, he slumped down a little more and zoned out a little more. I couldn't decide if he was sick or falling asleep. Either way, he was just fine when he got off and eager to go on more rides.

The car ride was a huge hit. The carnival was a blast and we'll definitely have to make it a tradition.

Our House!

2009-06-04T13:05:00.002-06:00

So sad! We're leaving it for good this weekend. I never anticipated forming such an emotional attachment to our house, but it almost makes me cry thinking about leaving it in the hands of someone else. As much as I complained about how it was so small, I'm going to miss it like crazy. We've lived here for over three years, almost as long as we've been married. We brought both our boys home to this house and we put a ton of work into to make it how we like it.

Someday we'll drive by and show our kids the first house we lived in. They'll wonder how we lived with two kids in something so small, Hans will complain about how the owners have the the lawn go and I might shed a few tears. We will miss this house, but it's time to move on.

Spillproof?

2009-05-29T08:04:00.001-06:00

Whoever invented the "spillproof" sippy cup never met James.

Harness Giveaway

2009-05-15T07:05:00.004-06:00

I was reading a friend's blog and she had posted a link to this blog. I was so excited, I just had to share. Ok, really I just get an extra entry if I post about it on my blog and I REALLY want it! They call it a 2-in-1 harness, but it's pretty much a leash. But hey, if it keeps James close and away from kidnappers and cars, then I consider it totally humane. Love it. Go here for the giveaway.

House Update!

2009-05-06T15:51:00.003-06:00

I've had so many people ask me about what happened with this house, so I thought I should post a quick update. Well, here is a picture of the house. So cute, huh? I love it.

So, on Monday, we got word from the seller that they would be sending us a counter offer. I was so nervous because I knew we couldn't go any higher than our original offer. About an hour later, our realtor received the offer and gave us a call. All they wanted was to be able to take the fridge with them. I was so relieved! We ran right over to the office and signed the counter offer right away. But all is not well quite yet. This is a short sale, so the bank still has to approve everything and that could take months, if they even approve it at all. We're preparing ourselves for a long wait, but hopefully it won't take too long.

Up to this point, we feel so lucky. I feel like everything has gone so much smoother than I could have ever hoped. When we looked at the house on Saturday, we knew that there were three other offers already going in, so I felt like it was such a long shot. I just knew I was setting myself up for a huge letdown, but I loved the house so much, I felt like we at least needed to try. It turns out that there ended up being a total of six offers and ours is the only one the seller is even presenting to the bank. I couldn't be happier with the way things are going and we're just praying that this isn't too good to be true. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Crazy Monday!

2009-05-04T07:10:00.002-06:00

It is 7:15 am and the craziness is about to begin. I've already been up for and hour feeding and changing two boys and, judging by the noise Noah just made in his pants, I'm going to have to change him again as soon as I'm done here.

First of all, our house is under contract (WOOHOO). After a few arguments, quite a few tears, and several counter offers, we finally have a signed contract. The inspector came through on Friday and the appraiser came through on Saturday. We have yet to hear about either. We were quite nervous about both of those going smoothly and the house appraising for the purchase price, so we are anxious to hear.

On Saturday, we went hunting for our new house. Well, we found it! The problem is there are three other people who also believe that it is their new house. So, we wrote up an offer and it will be going in this morning along with at least three other offers. Before we can put it in we have to get pre-qualification letters from two lenders.

So, to sum it up. Today we will talk to two lenders, go pick up pre-qualification letters from both, deliver them to our realtor, get the offer into the bank, find out about the inspection and appraisal on our house and hopefully hear something back from the bank late this evening. Oh yeah, and I have to go to the grocery store today (free mission tortillas from Albertson's). Wish us luck!

Oh James!

2009-05-01T11:11:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we discovered that Noah has an ear infection. So sad! It kills me to hear my babies screaming in pain. So, once again, we have a bottle of pink amoxicillin in the fridge. James has only had to have it once and it was awhile ago, but he still remembers how much he loves it. Every time I give Noah a dose, James freaks out.

Last night, James was in the kitchen by himself for a few minutes while I was feeding Noah. When I walked in I discovered that James is a little too smart for me to handle. He had opened the fridge and had taken out the amoxicillin. Then he reached up on the counter and grabbed the syringe I had just used to give Noah the medicine. Then he opened the silverware drawer, found a sharp knife and was using it to try to open the bottle of medicine. What am I going to do with him?

Outing

2009-04-23T11:28:00.003-06:00

I've always heard crazy stories from mothers, mostly my own, about how hard normal everyday things are with kids. I always got a pretty good kick out of them until yesterday. I realized that those stories are not just stories anymore. They are my life.

Of course the grocery store is always difficult. At Macey's, they have these huge carts with a car on the front and those are wonderful. James sits in there the whole time, pretends like he's driving, and doesn't make a peep. Sometimes, I forget I have two kids. However, Albertson's is not so wonderful. I usually go to Albertson's a few times a week to take advantage of great deals, but boy, is it rough. Noah sits in his seat quiet as can be, but James is a different story. If he's walking around he is either begging to be held or ripping things off the shelves. If I put him in the cart, he tries to rip open all the packages of the things I'm buying. It's a lose-lose.

Yesterday, I thought I would be brave and go to the mall on my own to try to find something for us to wear to Marissa's wedding this weekend. I love my double stroller, but it sure can be difficult in the mall, especially when none of the handicap buttons by the doors work. I was feeling pretty accomplished after finding some new khaki pants for 5 bucks at Children's Place for James. Then I moved on to find something for myself. I walked into a store, found what I was looking for and made my way back to the dressing rooms (so difficult with a double wide stroller). I had to stop a few times on the way to pick up the clothes that James had ripped off the racks. While in the dressing room, James opens the door over and over and over again (he has a strange obsession with doors). I finally got him to quit that and he started crawling underneath the door. So here I am, half naked, dragging James back into the dressing room by his foot. Needless to say, the shopping trip wasn't near as productive as I had hoped it would be.

I got home and crashed on the couch, completely exhausted. Then I got to thinking. What on earth am I going to do when Noah can walk? That's a scary thought!

Bragging Rights!

2009-04-21T11:49:00.002-06:00

You'll have to excuse me, but I feel the need to brag for just a minute. I get a little excited about grocery shopping these days and I want the whole world to know what kind of deals I'm getting.

#1 - Yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart and came out with 7 bags of groceries and only paid $17 (down from $49 before coupons). That included Kraft salad dressing for $.08, Duncan Hines cake mix for $.61 and McCormick seasoning packets for FREE!

#2 - I also hit up Albertson's in the afternoon. After buying six boxes of Raisin Bran, the store actually owed me $0.57. That's right! They paid me to take home a bunch of Raisin Bran.

#3 - Today, I went to another Albertson's and spent a total of $6.78. I walked away with 6 3-packs of Treetop juice boxes, 6 boxes of Ronzoni SmartTaste pasta (the good stuff), and 3 boxes of Red Baron French Bread Pizza. Can you believe it? I actually had to do that in few different transactions, but for one of my transactions, I only paid 9 cents!

I'm still in awe at how incredible this is and I still feel like I'm doing something illegal. It kind of does feel like a full time job, but hey, it's worth it.

Technical Difficulties!

2009-04-15T14:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I'm a bad blogger, but I have a good excuse. Our computer was in the shop once again (fyi, if you ever buy a mac, be sure to buy the protection plan). Also, our camera is still having issues. It still takes great pictures, but I can't load our pictures onto the computer for some reason. I've been putting off posting because who wants a post with no pictures? Well, it's been long enough and it's time for an update with or without pictures.

My boys are both getting big and gearing up for the summer. James has an obsession with the great outdoors and throws a major tantrum every time he is forced to come inside. He just figured out the childproof door handle in nursery and spends most of the time letting the other kids out. Can you tell that he is Hans' kid? He also loves his little brother to pieces, sometimes a little too much.

According to the pediatrician, Noah is tall and skinny. He just started smiling about a week ago and can't get enough of it. We're counting our blessings that we've made it into the spring without him getting sick. We were quite paranoid. We blessed him on March 29 and it was an incredible day. We were surrounded by lots of friends and family and the experience was just amazing.

Hans is as busy as ever. He's doing a lot of little projects on the house because it is officially on the market. We're hopeful that we'll be able to sell in the next month or two so we can move into a house that fits us a little better.

I spend my days chasing James around, cleaning up his messes and feeding Noah. I recently picked up couponing (I don't think that's really a word). You can make fun of me if you want, but it's actually kind of a rush to spend 50 cents on 6 boxes of cereal or getting free cough drops. Not to mention all the money we're saving. It actually keeps me pretty darn busy.

So there you have it, a complete update on our lives. Boring, I know. But we're loving it and we couldn't be happier. Oh yeah, and it's snowing outside. A lot! Bummer!

For Real?

2009-03-20T09:40:00.004-06:00

Normally, I pretty much agree with the American Idol judges, but I'm pretty sure we aren't watching the same performance when this guy steps on stage. I feel for Randy Travis and of course, the great Johnny Cash. At least this week, Simon got it right as opposed to singing his praises like the week before. Sick! If you don't watch American Idol, check this out. You'll understand what I mean.

Family of Four

2009-03-12T14:48:00.002-06:00

I meant to update this a lot sooner, but we've had computer problems and we had to take it in to get fixed. Also, I have tons of cute pictures of the boys at home, but my camera seems to be having problems and I can't upload the pictures to my computer. Lucky for all of you, we took the boys to get their pictures taken on Saturday, so I can at least post those. James was great for about ten minutes and then it was all downhill from there. We didn't really get any great ones of the two of them together, but we got a few great individual pictures. Too bad Noah looks dead in this picture and you can see the hand of the lady trying to keep James in the picture.

This first month has been great. James is slowly adjusting to being a big brother. We're dealing with a lot more tantrums and he is spending a lot more time in time out than he used to, but he keeps getting better every day. He loves his brother, but doesn't love the lack of attention.

Noah is growing super fast. He's gained about 2 lbs since he was born and has more gas than any kid I've ever known (I guess he inherited more from his dad than just the dimple in his chin). He is such a good baby and I'm trying to enjoy every second because this time around, I know just how fast it goes by. It's so fun, but not without it's challenges.

Question!

2009-02-18T12:25:00.001-07:00

How is it that baby boys can manage to pee through a onesie, an outfit, and a crib sheet while still keeping their diaper dry? One of the great mysteries of life!

Baby. . . Finally!!!

2009-02-12T15:56:00.005-07:00

Ok! He's finally here! On Tuesday, February 10th at 3:17 pm, little Noah was born. It was so wonderful! My labor was only about 2 1/2 hours and it took 3 pushes to get him out. I feel great and he's doing wonderfully. We're so excited to have him home.

This is just before we went into the hospital. James has no idea what is about to hit him.

Just a few minutes old!

Proud Daddy!

Is he a Boshard, or what?

This is the first picture we got of both of them together where James actually acted somewhat interested in his brother. He still doesn't really know what to think about all this, but at least he's being nice so far. We'll follow up in the next few days with more pictures and hopefully good news about a brotherly bond.

Getting ready for baby!

2009-01-26T14:32:00.004-07:00

Well, it's just about baby time. My due date is 2 weeks away and this baby's about ready to come. The most important thing we had to do to get ready for baby was to get James sleeping in a toddler bed and I'm happy to say that it was a success. He's been sleeping great in his new bed for about a month now. It took a few nights of transitioning and eventually a lock on the door, but everything worked out and now he's sleeping as great as ever.

He is also trying to get as much daddy time as possible. I think he's definitely going to miss the attention from Hans more than he'll miss it from me. We're trying to let him get his fill before the baby comes and hopefully we'll be able to still give him the attention he needs after.

Other than that, the crib is ready to go, baby clothes are washed and we have a plan in place for babysitters for the big day. The only thing we don't have is a name. Kind of important, I know. We've narrowed it down to Hiram, Thomas, and Noah, but we can't quite pin one of them down. We're both giving this a lot of thought and hopefully we'll have made a decision in the next two weeks. Other than that, it's just a waiting game. I can't believe how this time has just flown past and that James is about to be a big brother. We are so excited and can't wait to watch our family grow.

Explosion!

2008-12-17T10:38:00.003-07:00

Ok, so this is a little morbid, I know, but it is one of the strangest things I've ever seen, so I felt the need to share. This morning, James and I went outside to get in the car. As we were walking to the car, I noticed a few fuzzy things on the ground. I thought that was strange because there are no trees near our house that produce fuzzy things. I was about to forget about it, but then I noticed feathers. I looked around and there were fuzzies and feathers covering the driveway, part of the lawn, and my car. I concluded that it was a bird, but how on earth could something like that happen? I looked around and then glanced up and noticed the power lines. I called Hans, being my electrical expert, to see if it is even possible for a bird to be electrocuted by power lines. Apparently, it is. Rare, but possible. My next question was, "What would happen if a bird was electrocuted?" The answer: It would explode. So there you have it. This morning a bird exploded in my driveway. Strange!

St. George and Halloween

2008-11-12T09:48:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile, but I thought I should post a few pictures from our most recent adventures. About a month ago we went down to St. George to do some swimming, hiking, and relaxing.

Hans towed down his land cruiser for some off-roading. This is the first time he was really able to take it out and he loved it. Here is James sitting in the back of the land cruiser. He loved it. He bounced around all over the place and got a big kick out of it.

We went on a short little hike up to Weeping Rock in Zion's National Park. James did not love this adventure, but he sure loved being on Daddy's shoulders.

James found this stick when we took a bread for lunch. He hardly ate anything because he was so preoccupied with it. Amazingly, he pretty much only hit the ground and not other people. That is until Marissa taught him how to sword fight. Thanks, Riss.

We had a really hard time getting a good picture for Halloween. Ironically, both James and Hudson were dragons. It was so difficult to get both of them to look at the camera at the same time, so this is the best we could get.

It's a. . .

2008-10-08T10:08:00.003-06:00

Ok! I realize it's taken me forever to get around to posting this, so for those of you who haven't heard the news yet. IT'S A BOY!!! We are very excited and I'm sure if James understood what was going on he would be excited too. It will be so fun (and exhausting) to have two little boys running around. They'll only be about 19 months apart, so hopefully they'll be great friends.

The ultrasound was a few weeks ago and we found out that everything looks great. So far, we seem to heave a healthy boy! If you can decipher this picture, it's a little creepy. Good luck trying to figure it out.

Beware! Political Meanderings!

2008-09-16T10:41:00.003-06:00

My personal notes to liberal celebrities currently in the news. (You may want to stop reading now if you're a democrat or otherwise offended by conservative ramblings. Also stop if you are a Matt Damon lover.)

Dear Charles Gibson,

You are a biased idiot. I find your patronizing facial expressions offensive and your manner demeaning. You may think you're just being a good journalist, but you don't have to be a condescending jerk.

Sincerely,

A disappointed viewer

Dear Matt Damon,

I liked you, but your entitled attitude upsets me. I wasn't aware that when dinosaurs lived was such an important political issue. I will not be basing my vote on a candidate's beliefs regarding dinosaurs. I believe there are much more pressing issues to follow in this campaign, ones that are actually relevant. Oh yeah, and I think your comments are "absurd."

Sincerely,

An ex-fan

Dear Lindsey Lohan,

Are you serious? Since when did you believe that anyone took you seriously? I don't even know what to say to you. I think you're crazy.

Sincerely,

At a loss for words

Lake Powell!

2008-09-16T10:09:00.004-06:00

Well, we got back from our only vacation this summer. It was tons of fun and so relaxing. We went with Hans' family for a whole week. Tons of thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for making it all happen. James did so well the entire trip. We had a blast.

Hans, James, Emily, and Cooper going for a swim.

James hates the water, but he sure loved his ride on the molecule.

James got a diaper rash toward the end of the week, so he spent quite a bit of time in the nude.

Suckers were our saving grace and James favorite treat. It just made everything a sticky mess.

Random!

2008-08-28T11:19:00.005-06:00

I thought I would post a few random pictures from the last few weeks. James just figured out that he likes to ham it up for the camera, so it's getting easier to get fun pictures. He also decided that he's a daddy's boy. He definitely prefers spending time with Hans than with me.

Just a day at the pool. Believe it or not, we're making progress. He doesn't hate it as much as he used to.

He was munching on some cheerios and when I saw one stuck to his chin, I had to get a picture. I don't know where he got this face from.

Do you think it's time for a haircut?

A rare happy moment on the boat. Sometimes I don't even know why we do it.

Yes, he got in all by himself. He can entertain himself like this for at least a half hour. He just climbs right in on top of all the toys and then proceeds to empty the entire thing. Sometimes he'll open a book in there and quietly look at it for awhile. A precious few quiet moments for me. And it's cute. I love it!

I'm still alive!

2008-08-19T20:12:00.002-06:00

Don't worry! I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. We've had a busy couple of weeks, but I thought I'd give a quick little update. James is finally walking. I can't decide how happy I am about that. I love watching him grow up and learn new things, but it sure makes my life harder. We're working on getting rid of the bottle and making it through church without any major meltdowns.

I think I'm finally past the morning sickness, so hopefully I'll be feeling good for at least a few months. I feel like I'm already showing. I guess the second pregnancy can be pretty different than the first. In other good news, I have my ultrasound scheduled so it will only be about 4 more weeks until we find out if James will have a brother or sister.

Hans is in seventh heaven because he finally got his Land Cruiser registered. It was quite the ordeal. Much thanks to Linsi for her help. Other than that, he is busy as can be with work and with our little house projects to get it ready to sell.

Well, that's pretty much our lives. A little boring, I know. One of these days I'll be back with some fun pictures and maybe even an exciting story.

SWIMMING!

2008-07-24T08:22:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry, I don't have any pictures, but I felt this was worth mentioning. Yesterday, James went swimming in his little pool that Grandma and Grandpa gave him for his birthday. Believe it or not, it was a major success. He walked all around the edge, threw toys around in the water, and even crawled around quite a bit. Some of you may think this is totally dumb, but if you knew the extent of his fear of the water, you would be amazed. So there is hope for him after all. Hans is overjoyed and I'm starting to feel like he might actually be my son. Lake Powell, here we come!

Crazy Weekend!

2008-07-17T11:16:00.006-06:00

We had a very eventful weekend. It was tons of fun and James enjoyed every second of it. Ok, maybe not every second. Just the parts that didn't involve water. On Saturday, we went up to Deer Creek to spend a little time out on the boat. James pouted and whined almost the whole time except when he got to sit on Grandpa's lap and feel like he was driving the boat. If he has a steering wheel and buttons to push, he's feeling great.

Hans got to do a little wakeboarding. Check out that sweet tan! I even got up for a bit. It was far from graceful, but I haven't been wakeboarding since before I got pregnant with James. Looks like I'll be taking another break for awhile.

On Sunday, we had a combined birthday party for James and Kaden with my family. Kaden is six years old! So for the festivities, I was in charge of the cake. I wanted to do something a little different. This is what I came up with. It took me all day and I had to have Hans help me a little bit with the head after I kind of had a breakdown. Anyway, I'm glad it turned out.

James is trying to figure out what he's supposed to make of that candle. Good thing Marissa was there to blow it out for him.

On Monday, we had another party with Hans' family. This time, we went with a store-bought ice cream cake. I couldn't handle another marathon baking day like the one before.

Happy Birthday James!!

2008-07-14T09:55:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's been one full year. A year ago on this date at 2:40 pm we finally welcomed our little James. We could never have anticipated how much our lives would actually change, but we're so glad they did. James is everything to us. We love watching him grow up and joking about how much he is already like his dad. He has been such a joy to us in this past year. We're so excited to watch him continue to grow. We are especially excited to see how he will grow and change with a little brother or sister.

It's sometimes hard to imagine he was ever this small. He was just a few minutes old in this picture. This is my very favorite picture of him when he was brand new.

And here he is one year later. This is him eating birthday cake. He didn't really feel like smiling while he was busy with the cake, so this is the best we got.

Summer Fun!

2008-07-08T10:17:00.005-06:00

Happy 4th of July! We had such a great holiday this year. We went to a few family bbqs and it was James' first experience with fireworks. He actually liked them. He didn't even freak out when my dad pulled out the really loud illegals. It was really fun to be able to spend the day with family and enjoy a little time off.

Here are a few older pictures. This is from a few weeks ago when we went to the Orem Summerfest parade. This is my favorite parade and I'm glad we went because we didn't dare brave the Provo 4th of July parade. Katie caught a UVU sucker and James couldn't get enough of it. He had a green mouth for the rest of the night.

We decided it was time to get James in the water. We were both pretty sad to find out that he hates it. Who would have thought that a kid of ours would be so afraid of the water. He's pretty much fearless when it comes to everything. We bought a punch pass to Veteran's Pool with the hope that by the end of the summer he won't be such a scaredy cat. Hans is determined to make his kid a swimmer. So if any of you want to go for a swim, we're always up for it.

This was James' favorite part of the day. As soon as he was out of the water and wrapped up in a towel, he was happy as a clam.

On Saturday, we went down to the courthouse where they have all the booths set up for the Freedomfest. We just strolled and grabbed some lunch. James loved it too. As long as he has something sweet, he's in good shape.

The Word is Out!

2008-06-30T07:35:00.004-06:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted. I kind of felt like there was nothing interesting in my life worth posting about in the last week or two. . . until now. We've just started to spread the word. Are you ready for this? I'm pregnant with number two. Can you all believe it? Well, I'm having a hard time. We waited a few weeks to tell everyone and I think it's mostly because it took a while for me to really digest it. It wasn't exactly planned, but we're really excited. The baby's not due until February. Thank goodness! For once, I'm glad that pregnancy lasts as long as it does because we definitely need some time to prepare and James still needs to do some growing up before I'll feel like I can handle him and a new baby. My favorite was when I went to a shower the other day with my mom and the word got around that I was expecting. One girl there said, "Wait a minute, don't you already have a baby?" It made me feel like I was crazy. Maybe we are a little crazy, but I'm sure it'll work out great.

Boating!

2008-06-14T16:06:00.002-06:00

The weather was finally warm enough for us to go out on the boat for the first time this season. We just went to Utah Lake and it was cold! That's ok. James and I pretty much stayed out of the water. All we did was dangle our feet in, and James didn't think that was too cool. Surprisingly, he did pretty well in the life jacket. As long as he didn't have the sun in his eyes, he was a happy camper.

I love this picture. He was having a hard time sitting still on the way back to the marina. So, we just let him kind of do what he wanted to, and he thought this was pretty fun, but only for a minute.

A Few of My Favorite Things!

2008-06-10T09:03:00.002-06:00

We are absolutely loving this nice weather. It's about time we got to enjoy a little sunshine. James has discovered that he loves being outside. This last week we've discovered a few of James' new favorite things. We live really close to the Provo River Trail which runs right along a park at the end of our street. The other day, we went on a walk to 7-Eleven on stopped at the park afterward. On this outing we discovered that James loves swings. He was laughing so hard the entire time. We kept having to give him breaks because we thought he was going to hyperventilate.

He also loves slurpees. You'd think he would have gotten a brain freeze, but no matter how much or how fast he drank it, he only wanted more.

What's better than combining two of your favorite things?

He has also figured out in the past week how to throw a ball and he's pretty good at it. He picks it up, throws it, watches it bounce, and laughs. He gets such a kick out of it.

Camera Woes!

2008-06-01T11:40:00.002-06:00

Ok! So if you're wondering why I haven't posted in a while, it's because of the camera. I'll give you one guess as to who broke it. Hint: He's about 2 1/2 feet tall. I was totally bummed. We didn't get any pictures of our Memorial Day Weekend, which was great. My old roommate, Joylyn, came to visit us with her little boy Landon. He's only about a week older than James. It was really fun to see them playing together.

On Friday, we went to Katie's High School Graduation. I always think it's fun to go to Orem High events. I saw a lot of people I knew from my high school days and several of my old teachers. And thanks to Katie, I got a great workout. About ten minutes before everything was supposed to start, Katie called me from way down in the tunnel of the Marriott Center and told me that she forgot her tassel in her car. After running up and down the steps in the Marriott Center about ten times and getting seriously lost in the parking lot, everything turned out ok! So Katie had a tassel to move from one side of her hat to the other and I have some incredibly sore calves, but I'm glad everything worked out ok. Congratulations, Katie!

Unfortunately, the camera was still broken, so I didn't get a picture of the graduate in her cap and gown. We went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel afterward. Reed was playing with James and sat him down in this little rocking chair while we were waiting for our table. It was so darn cute, I thought I'd pull out the camera and try it. Miraculously, it worked. I was so excited. So here's James in the rocking chair. This was about the only thing that would make him happy after having to sit still in the Marriott Center for two hours! He even figured out how to make it rock.

Even baby Bryton came to the festivities. Pay no attention to his onesie. It's such a shame, it would have been a much cuter picture without the Laker logos.

A New Car!

2008-05-20T16:57:00.002-06:00

I don't know what got into me, but one day I decided to allow Hans to buy a Land Cruiser. I know, it's crazy. I must really love him. So, he drove up to Evanston last night and came back with this. I have to admit that I do like it. It definitely needs a new paint job and a better smell, but it is pretty sweet. It's a 1977 and it's really in pretty good shape. There are just a few problems. I'm no good with a stick and there's no back seats. So, I won't be driving it until I get some serious lessons and James won't be able to come along for a while.

James already acts like he knows just what to do. Doesn't Hans look so proud that his little boy already shares one of his great loves?

Hans wasted no time. As soon as he got home from work today he went to work on the car. This is something he really loves and he hasn't had a chance to do much car stuff in a long time, so it's fun for him to finally be able to practice his hobby.

Just another cute picture of James behind the wheel. He really seemed to get the hang of things quick. We didn't have to show him anything. We just sat him in the seat and he knew what to do.

Jazz Shout Out!

2008-05-15T10:56:00.004-06:00

I'm going to deviate from my usual format for a moment here and vent. First, I want to send a big shout out to my Utah Jazz. Yes, they lost in LA last night, but can you really blame them. I mean they struggled in the first quarter, but then seemed to kind of get things together and played up to the Lakers level, even, in my opinion, outplaying them for much of the second half. However, it seemed quite obvious to me that the omnipotent officiating crew had it in for my beloved Jazz.

Did it seem strange to anybody else that as soon we start really getting opportunities to start taking the lead, outrageous calls start coming from the officials. Not to mention the blatant fouls on the Lakers that seemed to slip by. In my opinion, the NBA wants to protect their precious MVP. I mean, he is the MVP, so wouldn't it be a shame if he didn't win a championship this year? NO! If the Lakers don't earn a win, they shouldn't be given preferential treatment to make sure they get it, no matter who they have playing on their team. All I'm asking for is a little fairness here. I've watched the Jazz for years and I'm tired of them getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the calls. They're an incredibly talented team and I think they could really do great things if the officials quit betting on games and put their prejudices aside. So, they're not the most popular team out there. We don't have a Kobe Bryant or a LeBron James, but don't we deserve just as much of a chance as any other team out there?

Ok! All that being said, I still believe in my Jazz. Every article I've read completely discounts the possibility of a game 7. Come on, show a little faith. The Jazz have too much pride to let the Lakers take a game 6 in the ESA. And I think the Lakers should be very worried about a game 7. Yes, it's in the Staples Center, but why can't they win? Stranger things have happened in the playoffs. Game 5 proves to me that the Jazz can outplay the Lakers in the Staples Center. It's just a matter of whether or not they can outplay them enough to overcome the preferential treatment that Kobe and the rest of the team receive from the officials.

For those of you who are still reading, thanks for letting me vent. I hope you all tune in tomorrow night at 8:30 on KJZZ to watch the Jazz stomp on the Lakers. GO JAZZ!!

There Can Only Be One: Derek Fisher and Deron Williams

2008-05-15T10:56:00.001-06:00

I love this commercial!

Baby Bryton!

2008-05-09T09:55:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday, little Bryton finally came into the world. A big congrats to Reed and Megan. It was a race to see who's birthday he would be born on. I was betting it would be mine, but he came a little slower than we thought (and much slower than Megan would have liked). So, in the end, Marissa was the winner. Lucky her. We were able to visit at a rare moment when his eyes were open. Isn't he so cute. It's easy to forget how little brand new babies are when I have this huge kid crawling all over the house. It's so fun to just hold a baby who will lay still and not try to go somewhere every second.

This is the closest we let James get. He thought the baby was pretty cool, but we thought it best to keep them apart. James has a new fascination with noses, ears, hair, and anything else he can pull so it looks like Bryton will be off limits until he has gotten well past this stage.

I love being an aunt. It's so fun to be able to hold cute babies and do fun stuff with nieces and nephews and then let their parents do the dirty stuff. I have my own dirty diapers to deal with.

Here's the birthday girl with the brand new birthday boy.

Birthdays, Flowers, and Spring!!

2008-05-06T11:48:00.005-06:00

It's May!! That means it's Spring. I know it has actually been Spring for a while now, but now it actually feels like it. I am so excited! My family has four birthdays in May (as of 4:00 this morning, the count is up to 5) so on Sunday we held a big birthday party for everyone. Hans and I were among the birthday kids. My birthday was yesterday and Hans' is on the 25th. Here's Hans with one of his favorite birthday desserts, homemade cheesecake. Hmm, that doesn't look like enough candles. Between the four birthdays, we would have needed 89 candles, so it's probably a good thing we scaled things down a little.

James was being a stinker for the entire party, so he had to sit on my lap the whole time. He sure thought those candles were fascinating though.

Here's James with another birthday girl. Marissa is turning the big 2-0. Happy Birthday today, Marissa!!

James loves playing with his aunt Katie. This is one of his favorite things to do with her. He kind of looks like a monkey, huh?

Yesterday, I planted flowers!!! I got a few pots for my birthday and a bunch of flowers from my mother-in-law. I stayed out way past daylight to get them planted while Hans sat and looked on. He wants nothing to do with anything that involves flowers. James thought the flowers were pretty cool, but he definitely likes the dirt better. I think he prefers the taste.

Shopping!

2008-04-29T11:16:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we went shopping with James' cousins. He did great considering the long day and nap deprivation. We found some cute outfits for the boys to wear in their pictures tomorrow. Oh boy! That's going to be a blast. It was so nice to spend some time outside with this beautiful weather we finally get to enjoy.

James sat on the horse with a little help from Grandma. It took a minute for him to feel comfortable, but he got the hang of it.

I had a hard time getting both boys to look at the camera at the same time. This is the best we were able to get. Hudson wasn't exactly smiling. I think he was too busy trying to get the elephant to go somewhere.
Next was the truck. James got the hang of this one really quick. He loved rocking back and forth and trying to grab the steering wheel. He loves his big trucks just like his dad.

2008-04-22T07:22:00.001-06:00

Ok, I have officially started a blog. I know it's supposed to be from me and Hans, but he will probably never have an interest in looking at this, let alone posting. So, you just get me.

This last week has been eventful. The day James turned nine months old, he got his first stitches. It was just two little ones and it wasn't a big deal, but as a mom, it was very traumatic for me. I probably cried over it more than he did. I can't believe that I have never had stitches in my life and already, my nine month old baby has had them. I promise I'm a good mom, I just have a trouble maker on my hands. He is definitely his father's son. If you look really close in this picture, you can see his stitches on the side of his head.

Last week, we went to Moab. We did some hiking, four-wheeling, swimming, and enjoyed some good old chuckwagon cooking. James loved his new carrier and Hans loved carrying him, kind of.

That's Hans and James way down underneath the arch. I stayed back to take the picture and was nervous as could be watching them wander around all those steep cliffs.

James fell asleep on the way back. It was so pitiful.

James' cousin Kaden took this picture at the Bar M Chuckwagon dinner. Oh my, that was some good cookin'. This was about five minutes before James threw up his entire dinner all over the table and all over himself. Such is the life of having little ones I guess.