Jeff Loves Julie...and vice versa!

September

2010-09-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

So many wonderful memories for our family! We started out with a windy ferry ride ( we never tire of these) while catching up with some dear friends from our last ward. Thanks for planning a whole summer’s worth of get-togethers, Natalie!

What is it about kids and dancing in the wind?

Lunch on the beach with Leah.

Kindergarten. Ethan (and I) have been looking forward to kindergarten for a long time (me, a very long time). We moved to a great school district and Ethan has a fabulous teacher, Mrs. Cumins – I’m so impressed by her; she has such a sweet manner with the kids. Two other boys from our ward are in Ethan’s class. The only one not happy about the new deal is Sienna. When Ethan gets on the bus everyday, she says with a frown, “I miss my E-fan.” Too cute.

9/8/2010 - First day of school. No separation anxiety for him!

I let him ride the kindergarten bus to school – he loves the bus.

Waiting at the bus stop.

Julie’s Birthday

I know a lot of people find it annoying when a certain person (okay, me) is always bragging about their spouse. But really, when you are married to someone like Jeff, how can you not do just a little bragging here and there? Seriously, Jeff is a wonderful man. Every birthday has been wonderful since being married to Jeff and this birthday was no different.

We went to downtown Seattle and went on a cruise around Lake Union on an old-time paddle boat (the only operating one this side of the Mississippi River). What made the cruise even better is that my bargain hunting man got us tickets for super cheap, the kids were free and the weather was amazing!

Snuggling with daddy

The house boats on Lake Union

Ethan and Sienna can never get enough of Daddy (neither can I)

We went under a draw bridge (this was Ethan’s “excited face”)

Near the end of the cruise, there was a show with old-time dancing and songs. Sienna, never one to be shy, joined along.

We finished the evening at Pike’s Place for dinner and flowers then swung by Trophy cupcakes for dessert (Jeff also got a great deal on 1 dozen cupcakes- thanks handsome!)

Sienna’s Triple Chocolate Cupcake. Why did I waste it on a 3 year old? I’m claiming that one next year.

Summer Wrap-Up

2010-09-14T21:30:00.001-07:00

Its been such a fun summer for our family! We’ve kept Ethan busy with swimming, soccer, gymnastics, tee-ball, preschool and Taekwondo. You might be thinking, “Sheesh, lady! Don’t you know you are not supposed to over-schedule your kids?” Well, any of you who know Ethan know that you can’t over-schedule this kid. He’s a busy little guy with boundless energy. When we weren’t in class, we were at parks, beaches, going on bike rides and ferry rides. We had so much fun and I’m so grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend with my fabulous kids!

Sienna –our sweet, but rough and tumble little girl!

Clayton has such a happy, peaceful disposition. If you make eye contact with him, he’ll give you a big toothless grin and start kicking his legs. Melts my heart.

4th of July and California trip

2010-08-13T23:07:00.001-07:00

So we have a little catching up to do… We’ve been so busy I’ve slacked on blogging, but better late than never!

In spite of the damp weather, we hade a wonderful 4th. We had a few activities for the kids, and they were surprisingly well behaved that day (sigh).

We did a giant American flag with chalk on our patio and talked about its symbolism.

We had a yummy BBQ

Chocolate covered strawberries…yum!

Red, white and blue popsicles

Firecracker desserts, which lead us to…

Our trip to California

The family reunion for Jeff’s side of the family was canceled this year, but Jeff had already scheduled the time off. We started brain storming and decided to see my family in California. We’ve been talking about it for years, but had been putting it off because it is a ton of work to travel with kids! Three kids 5 and under on an airplane or in a car? Yikes! We found some decently priced tickets and a deal on admission for Disneyland and we were off! It was so wonderful to see my grandparents again and to let the kids meet their great-grandparents.

It reminds me of those Visa commercials:

Airline tickets:$$$

Rental car:$$

Food:$$

These pictures: Priceless!

That’s three and a half month old Clayton grasping 96 year old Grandpa Dietrich’s hand.

Priceless.

Grandpa later said it was the highlight of his year. That made it all worth it.

And of course, we visited Disneyland and California Adventure too!

Balboa Beach

These are just to show off Jeff’s photography skills. I’m proud of my man!

More from June

2010-07-11T23:30:00.001-07:00

Sienna’s 1st haircut! She handled it like a champ! Then again I did take her to “Fun Kuts,” where they get to sit in a airplane, pony or racecar chair while playing with toys – that makes it a bit easier! Ethan got his haircut too – handsome little dude. Tee-tee, the hairstylist, is a mom of one of Ethan’s preschool friends and has two active boys of her own. She was fantastic with the kids.

Teetee added some sparkles to the new doo and Sienna was examining the ones that got on her hand. Good job honey bunny –I’m proud of you!

The wall we built in the master bedroom to add a 4th bedroom.

Monday, June 14th was Flag Day, so for FHE that night we made an angel food cake with berries on top and taught the kids about the symbolism of the US flag. Did I ever mention I could eat my weight in angel food cake?

Tee-Ball!

Getting bored in the outfield

Our proudest moments:

1. Ethan hitting the ball from a pitch and running immediately to 3rd base.

2. Ethan on second base – instead of running to third, he chased after the ball when his teammate hit a homerun.

Of course, it’s all okay, because it’s tee-ball! Where are the snacks?

Sunday afternoon naps: Daddy, Sienna and Doggie

Later!

Baby Clayton Pics

2010-06-30T17:11:00.001-07:00

Thanks for the reminder, Fern! From my past few blog posts you wouldn’t know we just had a baby! Here are a few pics of our easy going little guy!

The Month of June

2010-06-29T22:24:00.001-07:00

June has flown by for us. I must say, I do feel a little miffed since we haven’t had much summer weather yet. We’ve been doing lots of indoor stuff while waiting for summer to finally arrive.

One of my favorite books when I was a kid was The Penguin Who Hated the Cold. Sounds appropriate given the weather, right?

Well, we had some fun with the book and we made in igloo out of an apple, peanut butter and marshmallows. Bad weather certainly inspires creativity!

This year for Ethan’s birthday we went to the Rainforest Cafe!

Sienna was a little nervous with all the sights and sounds of the rainforest, but Ethan (who’s always been a wild little monkey) was right at home.

We came home that night to a homemade Lego cake. The Lego pegs were frosted marshmallows cut in half. Unfortunately, the cake did not pass this Lego lover’s test. He was pretty confused by it and had a hard time accepting this was a “Lego” cake. Ugh. Once he dug into it though, he was pretty happy.

A little decorating bit…

When we moved in, the inset area above the stairs was the same shade of brown as the rest of the wall. We lightened it up a bit by painting it a lighter shade (here, we were deciding between two colors).

A sweet and design savvy friend of mine, Melanie, had this on her wall, which I have always admired.

So, I copied her idea and Jeff and I came up with this:

Of course, we’ll eventually put pictures of our own family in those frames, but those details can wait for another time :)

The other day Sienna was going to the bathroom and began calling for me to come. She sounded pretty irritated. The problem was this guy:

He was sitting on the bathroom floor and was giving her the creeps. She made me remove him so she could have her privacy. Funny girl.

So, Jeff and I adore our children, but let’s admit – they are a little wacky. In March I found myself sitting in urgent care because Ethan stuck a pea in his ear and we couldn’t get it out. Such circumstances have led us to lose our sanity. One night during FHE of all things, we had an epiphany. Check out the similarity:

We are proud parents indeed.

Recent Events

2010-06-09T23:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the recent happenings in the Carlsen household (mostly a great excuse for me to brag about my husband and kids – but isn’t that what blogs are about, right?)

Jeff switched the light fixture in the kitchen (a really ugly, outdated one to two lovely pennant lights. Thanks, Jeff! Did I mention he did it with two very “helpful” young children? Jeff is amazing at multitasking and very patient (and loves being a dad).

On Memorial Day, we drove to downtown Seattle and saw Jeff’s new office building, Pike’s Place Market and a few other downtown attractions.

Climbing on the pig at Pike’s Place

In front of the Seattle Art Museum

We finished up our tour at the Memory Wall, a monument to the fallen soldiers from WWI to the present. The kids were obviously a little too young to understand the need to be reverent, but it was worth a try. I’m so grateful for our freedoms and more grateful for those faithful soldiers who bravely stood between the evil and the innocent on my behalf. Two quotes for Memorial Day:

"Only two people have ever offered to die for you. One was Jesus Christ and the other is the American GI. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom."

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13)

Our garden – thanks, Mom, Dad and Jeff! It’s doing really well!

Baby Blessing

2010-05-23T22:27:00.001-07:00

On May 2nd, we had Clayton’s baby blessing! We were also grateful that so many members of our family came to the event. It was such a touching experience. I am so thankful that the priesthood of God (the power to act, bless and serve in His name) is here on the earth. We love having Clayton a part of our family. We couldn’t imagine life without him.

Still Catching Up

2010-05-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

Here are a few random pictures that describe the happenings in the Carlsen household…enjoy!

Yes, I know a picture of Sienna on the potty isn’t what you were expecting, but we had to document the 13 pairs of panties. At first, encouraging the switch to underwear was difficult at best, requiring the use of candies, chocolate, etc. Now, she has obviously made the switch and now enthusiastically wears not one pair, but as many as she can find. I love toddler logic.

We are the proud owners of a lawnmower! If you’ve ever heard us describe our house, you’ve heard us talk about our yard; we love it! I’m sure the thrill of yard work will wear off soon, but right now we are still enjoying it! Isn’t Jeff so handsome?

I love this picture of our little rascal – is he up to something?

Washing the floor – I love kids at this age. Everything is fun; especially when you are wearing Daddy’s shoes.

Love this little girl’s pig tails!

Jeff got the kids ready all by himself and snapped a photo just before church. Thanks, Jeff!

So when my sweet mother came out help with the baby, she did endless dishes, laundry, cleaning, organizing, unpacking, reading to kids, potty training, shopping, being my therapist, and meal preparation. Did I mention she also put in a garden? She even allowed the grandkids to help? Of course, This tripled the amount of time it took to complete the task, but what’s a loving grandma to do?

While working in the yard on a rainy evening, we saw a rainbow! It was a little chilly, so Sienna requested Grandpa hold her in his jacket. Grandparents are the best!

Why sleep in a crib when you can take a nap on Grandma?

Here is a man who loves being a Dad! Jeff is such an involved parent. He will play with the kids for hours, but is still a good, consistent disciplinarian. The kids love him and it’s not hard to see why.

Ahrrrrrrrr!

2010-05-14T21:44:00.001-07:00

So Ethan went to a pirate themed birthday party a few weeks ago, and I caught a few pictures of the little shindig. I love children's birthday parties. Now matter what is planned they all show up excited and have a great time. I dressed Ethan up in his best pirate attire and he stormed the vessel!

It takes a brave man to hold a piñata that a bunch 4yr olds are swinging at.

More baby pics

2010-05-11T21:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I’ve had my hands a little full the past few weeks, but here are a few pictures of the newest addition.

Introducing… Clayton James Carlsen

2010-04-10T18:14:00.001-07:00

In the wee hours of March 30th, 2010, Clayton made his big debut into the world. He came quickly; here is the time line -

2am: Julie wakes up with contractions

2:30am: We leave the house for the hospital

2:50am: Arrive at the hospital in record time

3:25am: Dr. Morel comes in the room; I’m told it’s too late for anesthesia – which I wasn’t thrilled about.

3:39am:Clayton born! 8lbs 1 oz, 20 3/4" long. Dr. Morel invited Jeff to don gloves and help deliver the baby. He guided Jeff’s hands as they maneuvered the head and shoulders out. What an unforgettable experience for a dad!

I actually did more yelling and screaming than Clayton did. Afterwards, I apologized to the doctor and nurses and assured them that I was generally more pleasant to be around.

Enough with the story; enjoy a few pictures of our little guy.

Carlsen Family Christmas

2010-01-23T22:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas this year was wonderful. We bought a real tree, trimmed it with ribbon, lights, ornaments, read Christmas stories, ate yummy treats, and had lots of short scripture studies that helped Ethan (and the rest of us as well) learn about how Christ’s life and sacrifice is the reason for the season.

On Christmas Eve, Ethan and Sienna both got new pairs of snuggly warm pajamas (the zip-up kind with feet – too cute!)

The Christmas Eve story this year was a book entitled, “Beyond Bethlehem” which told of the events in Bethlehem surrounding Christ’s birth, but also covered the events in America as well.

Christmas Morning!

Ethan is really good at indentifying letters and recognizing some words, so he helped distribute the presents this year. Good Job, Ethan!

Ethan and his fire truck. The two have been inseparable ever since. Wish we could say the same thing about Ethan and his clothes.

The bracelet Jeff gave me – good job, Jeff!

Ethan drawing a “guy” on his new AquaDoodle pad. Only$7!

We spent the rest of the day with Pete, Tasha and their kids and had Christmas dinner with them. We love spending time with their family; Ethan and Sienna are entertained for hours by their cousins! Whew! Thank you!

Didn’t quite make the Christmas card

2010-01-23T21:24:00.001-08:00

Not that I planned on doing Christmas cards this year anyway, but if I did, this would not be on it. Ethan loves Santa; no problems with Santa. Grandparents and Santa (in that order) are the providers of all good gifts.

Sienna and Santa? Not so much. The blurry mess in the background is me wrestling Sienna while attempting to get close to Santa.

Unfortunately, this is a picture and not a video. If it were a video, you would have witnessed a pregnant mommy wrangling a toddler while trying to smile a “everything- is-just-fine-smile.” I’m sure it would have provided more entertainment, but the picture will have to do.

Jeff’s Birthday (that was over a month ago…)

2010-01-23T21:06:00.001-08:00

Oops! I’ll skip the excuses and apology and cut the chase. My darling Jeff turned 32 on Dec 11th! We made lasagna, Caesar salad and cheesecake!

Although we got him a speedlight sb-600 for a gift (it’s a camera attachment), Ethan was very insistent that what Daddy really needed was a monster truck. Ethan talked about it for days. So, here it is. We also sent daddy on a treasure hunt with clues hidden around the house for bags of treats. Ethan loved the anticipation of daddy looking for hidden treasure, but Sienna uncovered several of the hiding places before Dad even had a chance to look! It was so much fun and the least we could to for our hero Daddy who provides such a wonderful life for us.

For my Prego Friends…

2009-12-15T16:11:00.001-08:00

I’m hoping this kind of post won’t embarrass my husband too much, but it’s a freebee, so who can resist that? Thanks to my friend, Mikael, for posting this on her blog!

I ordered one of these cute nursing covers for FREE (only paid $8.95 for shipping). Click HERE and use the promo code Christmas.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2009-12-07T19:43:00.001-08:00

Nope not the holidays..it’s when my parents come! I get projects done, go shopping by myself, sleep in, my home is always clean, laundry folded, dishes done and kids happy…yes, it’s pretty great.

She loves being like brother!

Piggyback rides with Grandpa!

Grandparents are the best!

Still Catching Up…

2009-12-07T17:45:00.001-08:00

For our Halloween Family Home evening, we made candied apples, carved our pumpkin (which ended up looking a little more frightening than festive) and read Alma 32 - which gives the analogy of faith being like a seed (since we had an abundance of pumpkin seeds). Don’t think the kids really remembered more than the candied apples, but it’s always worth the try:)

At Trunk or Treat!

Sienna was a ladybug and Ethan was a fireman this year. Let me correct that – Ethan wears his fireman costume at least 3 times a week. We got our money’s worth out of that costume!

Being pregnant, I was a pumpkin. Jeff was a …well, he wore a rastifari hat, gold chains, dark glasses and goofy teeth – not too many people recognized him – so it was a good costume!

Seriously, this is a big deal

2009-11-30T22:55:00.001-08:00

Sienna has grown enough hair for pigtails! Have you ever seen anything so darling? I didn’t know that I could ever be so happy over such delicate, wispy pigtails.

Preschool Field Trip to the Farm!

2009-11-30T22:45:00.001-08:00

The Washington State Farm that is, in Snohomish, Wa. It is a great farm – we come here every year as a family tradition. The farm has tire swings, kid construction sites, bales of hay to jump from, John Deere tricycles, hay bale maze with slides, a petting zoo, wagon rides, fresh apple cider and donuts, kettle corn, pumpkins… We had so much fun! In Ethan’s preschool class are four other kids from our ward. It was rainy earlier in the day, so Ethan wore his prized fireman raincoat – that makes any day exciting.

This tire swing was cut and shaped in to a horse.

Ethan with his best bud on the wagon ride.

Ethan’s preschool class!

There’s my handsome guy!

The duck races – more exciting than you think!

A Little Catching Up to Do

2009-11-30T21:43:00.001-08:00

Just so you don’t think I’ve entirely forgotten about the blog, I thought I might post a few of our recent (or not so recent) events.

First, here is one of our nightly events. I’m so grateful to have a wonderful husband who is such an involved dad.

Jeff loves being a dad.

He reads to the kids every night. He is an engaging story-teller. They have such an elaborate bedtime routine which includes bath-time fun, “wee” - a crazy ride where Jeff wraps them up in their bath towel and swings them around. It beats any roller coaster, let me tell ya! Book reading, made-up stories (like the adventures of peanut butter monkey floating down the chocolate river), tickles and snuggle time. Wow – it’s exhausting just writing about it. No wonder they whine and cry when Jeff is working and mom has to put them to bed.

My birthday – so it was a while ago, but while I’m bragging about Jeff and no one is here to stop me, I’ll share how Jeff made my 31st birthday unforgettable!

It began the night before when Jeff told me he had scheduled a vacation day for my birthday – so I could have a day off! That alone would make any mommy’s birthday. But wait; it gets better. I woke up to a yummy gourmet omelet breakfast. After dropping Ethan off at preschool, Jeff drove me to a surprise destination - a salon, where I had my first pedicure that also included a foot scrub, soak and massage. We went home for lunch, picked up Ethan and drove to downtown Seattle to to go shopping at the Nordstrom flagship store. On the way back, we picked up some cupcakes at Trophy Cupcakes (a gourmet cupcake shop) and dinner at a Thai restaurant – my favorite!

As a perfect surprise, Jeff bought me a new wallet – something I desperately needed, but didn’t have the time to think about. I can honestly say it was the most perfect day, thanks to my wonderful husband and kids. Thanks, family!

Autumn Recipe

2009-10-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a while since we've done a decent post, but between morning sickness (which lasts ALL DAY) and selling our condo, we've been pretty busy. I just had to share one of my favorite fall recipes. We had it tonight and it renewed my love for the delectable butternut squash!

Butternut Squash Bisque

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

1 butternut squash

3 cups vegetable stock

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup milk or evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Slice squash in half and place flat side down on pan with tin foil. Add a little water. Roast squash for 35 minutes at 375° F.

2. Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in the butter and oil under tender.

3. Mix the carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable stock, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender.

4. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the milk. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm.

The Simple Life...

2009-08-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

On August 7th we visited the South 47 Farm in Redmond, Wa to get a taste of the simple life we've been missing out on while living in the city. It's a u-pick farm with tractor rides, a petting zoo, crafts and a bean pole maze (the smaller version of a corn maze). We had so much fun! It wore the kids out too!

Ethan feeding the pigmy goat.

Sienna feeding the alpacas.

The tractor ride. Ethan loved it, Sienna cried and tried to get out the whole time.

Out in the field picking squash - Sienna examining the yellow squash.

Ethan found it more efficient to uproot the plant while picking the squash.

Ethan exploring the bean pole maze.

The bees on the sunflowers - such a different reaction between boys and girls. Sienna giggles while Ethan yells to scare them away. In case you were wondering, bees are not scared away by yelling at them.

Sienna loved the sunflowers.

Such helpful children. Ethan and Sienna collecting little orange flags that help remind visitors to stay out of the corn. Yes, I did put them back:)

Sienna turns 2!

2009-08-30T21:55:00.001-07:00

On August 3rd, our little angel turned two! The night before, Ethan helped me make an ice cream cake - perfect for the hot summer weather!

The cake was super easy...thanks to the ice cream bars!

My parents sent Sienna a little teddy bear for her birthday - which she instantly loved! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Ethan and Sienna reading books in Ethan's room. Ethan has really been a delightful 4 yr old, and a pretty great big brother.

Ethan's Growing Up!

2009-08-22T22:22:00.001-07:00

On August 3rd, Ethan wanted to make a robot costume. So Ethan and I put our creative juices to work and made the best robot costume we could with materials around the house. During the process, Ethan was pretty excited. He put it on and began to run around, making robot noises. When he stopped and furrowed his brow, I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I don't look very cool." I had to laugh because (well, he was right) this was one of the first times he had shown some awareness of social norms. I guess the days of running up and down the grocery store isles in his Superman pj's are coming to a close, but I'm excited that my little guy is growing up!

Diamond Lake -finally!

2009-08-09T17:02:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun at Jeff's family reunion at Diamond Lake at Newport, Washington! Spending time with family that we hadn't seen in a while was so wonderful. The time away from all the responsibilities of daily life was so refreshing! Thanks Mom and Dad Carlsen for organizing it.

Our first day was cold and rainy; thank goodness for the Wii!

Jeff and Riley on the Sea-Doo

Julie in the kayak - so relaxing!

Enjoying some time in the sun and the coveted Capri-Sun

Jeff and Sienna on the wave runner - it was a short, slow, put-put ride, but a ride, none the less!

A sunset visit from the geese

Ahhh, Family Home Evening: what better way to get a bunch of kids to be reverent than to put the "answers" in balloons and have the kids pop them! May not be very reverent, but it was fun.

My favorite part of the evening was when Ethan said the opening prayer and thanked Heavenly Father that Riley was there to play with them. Ethan had so much fun playing with Riley and still talks about him. Riley, thanks for being such a great cousin! Brenna, you spent so much time playing with the little girls too, pulling them around in the bike trailer and keeping them happy! You are both great and we're so happy we are in the same family!

Jeff's photography skills -nice!

Jeff's wake-boarding skills- nice!

My wake-boarding skills - not so nice.

My tubing skill were better

Jeff and Ethan on the Sea-doo! Ethan is one lucky kid to have Jeff for a Dad; Jeff is lucky too...

Sienna trying to give Amilie a hug. Notice the fear in Amilie's eyes.

The hug

Jeff and Sienna on a boat ride!

Happy Birthday, Zoe!

Sienna loved the lake.

On the last day she got used to the idea of the life jacket - finally!

Ian and Ethan playing

Snuggling

The Columbia River on the drive home

The End!

Forest Park Animal Farm

2009-08-02T22:33:00.001-07:00

On July 10th we went to an animal farm that was next to a water park. Between the two, everyone had a blast, but Sienna especially loved the baby goats. Lucky for me, the park also included a special anti-bacterial hand-washing stand for little kids.

Sienna feeding the goat wood chips. I'm sure the goat loved it.

Sienna trying to ride the goat.

After careful observation of goat behavior, Sienna quickly decided she was not about to be at the bottom of the goat pecking order. This is actually a picture of Sienna head-butting a goat. I'm not kidding. It was pretty quick and she hit the goat rather hard. I laughed in amazement but was a little unsure whether to be proud of her or maybe take it as a hint that we should go (since I don't want her head-butting other kids).

No hard feelings. They resolved their differences and became friends.

I love to See the Temple...

2009-07-11T19:51:00.001-07:00

On July 5th, after church we decided to go to the Seattle Temple and walk around the beautiful, landscaped grounds. We've had a couple of Family Home Evenings about the temple recently. We have pictures of the temple in Ethan's and Sienna's rooms and hope they will have a goal of attending the temple when they are older.

As usual, taking pictures of young children with a severe case of the wiggles (it happens when you've been in the car for 20+ minutes)can produce some pretty funny pictures.

I thought taking a picture of the kids in front of the temple hugging each other would be so cute and touching. When I asked Sienna to give Ethan a big hug, this is what they did. Wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but kind of close, I guess.

After we saw this picture, we realized this shirt was a little small.

After begging the kids to stand next to each other and smile, this was the best we could get. They look thrilled, don't they?

"Lead me, guide, walk beside me..."

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-10T16:32:00.001-07:00

On Friday, July 3rd we spent a day visiting beaches and playing in the sand! Our first stop was Mukilteo beach near the lighthouse.

Next we ran up to Kayak Point, which is a beach between Camano Island and the mainland. The water is very smooth, making it an ideal place for water sports. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed our time on the beach.

This is Seinna's "camera smile," believe it or not.

On the 4th, we drove to Puyallup to spend the day with the Horsley's. Ethan loves visiting the cousins and really looks up to them. He is in heaven playing with so many fun boys. Here, Ethan is learning the art of bo staff fighting - very important for a boy to know.

All tuckered out after a night of fireworks!

Becoming Friends

2009-07-10T16:05:00.001-07:00

For the most part, my first job as a mother is to keep Ethan and Sienna separated at all times. If I don't dutifully attend to this top priority, sibling squabbles immediately erupt. However, the other day (7.2.09) these two little rascals called a truce and snuggled together on the couch while watching a little television. It didn't last long, but I had to capture this moment so I could savor it forever, especially during the rough times.

Little Squeaker

2009-07-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, in my completely unbiased opinion, Sienna is quite a little cutie. She's our muffin-scruffin, honey-pie, and as Ethan will sometimes call her, "fettie-pie" (that's toddlerese for sweetie-pie).

Fathers and Sons Camp-Out

2009-07-10T15:41:00.001-07:00

On June 26th and 27th, our ward had the annual Fathers and Sons Camp-Out! Jeff and Ethan had do much fun camping with the guys. Some of the other sisters in the ward got together that evening for a special "Girls Night Out" and we also went out for lunch the next day!

Taking a nice Sunday afternoon nap the next day - I love these guys!

Everett Aquasox Baseball Game

2009-07-07T21:52:00.001-07:00

On June 24th, we went to a minor league baseball game between the Everett Aquasox and the Spokane Indians. Taking two young children to a baseball game was quite an adventure filled with chasing, entertaining, rationing long licorice ropes, and more chasing. Fortunately, on that night the stadium hosted a "family night" with giant inflatables for the kids to jump in. This was especially useful for us since our kids didn't last more than two innings.

Chocolate Pudding

2009-07-07T20:37:00.001-07:00

I made some homemade chocolate pudding the other night when Jeff was at an Elders Quorum meeting. Good thing I did it before bath-time.

Soccer Class

2009-07-06T20:44:00.001-07:00

We recently finished a soccer class through Mountlake Terrace Parks and Recreation. He had so much fun! You can imagine how delighted I was to hear him say, "I'm tired!" after class! By the end of the session, his soccer skills surpassed mine (which isn't saying much).

His soccer coach was very patient and did an extraordinary job of teaching 4-years-olds soccer skills (i.e. herding cats).

Ethan's first goal in a real scrimmage!

Another great kick! Didn't quite make contact with the ball this time, but those details will come later.

This is a classic Ethan face.

Sienna liked to dribble the ball off the field.

All pictures were taken on 6/11/2009.

Ethan turned 4!

2009-06-28T16:05:00.001-07:00

On June 3rd, Ethan turned 4! We threw a racecar-themed party for him. It was the first time we had thrown him a birthday party, so it was an adventure for us all. While I was preparing all the party details, I began to feel a little overwhelmed, so my ever "saving the day" husband rescued me and took the day off of work to help with the party. Thanks, Jeff!

After serving lunch to the kids and parents, we made our own license plates out of foam cut-out letters and string.

After everyone had their own license plate to wear, we all pretended to be racecars and play "Red Light-Green Light." Now, playing this game with a bunch of 3 and 4-year-olds really just turns into a mass mob of kids running to the checkered finish line no matter how many times you say "red light" after they start running. It was pretty cute.

Next was the racecar piñata with the Lightening McQueen baseball bat.

For the birthday cupcakes, we did chocolate cupcakes with white frosting, orange sprinkles, Peachy-Oh's (for tires) and toothpicks with checkered flags!

Of course, the presents. We coached Ethan beforehand about always saying "thank you" and not making weird faces while opening presents. Obviously, he did pretty well.

He wasn't letting go of either of these presents.

We love you, Ethan! Happy Birthday!

Memorial Day

2009-06-20T17:45:00.001-07:00

So on Memorial Day we hiked Snoqualmie Falls! It was a beautiful and peaceful drive (Sienna slept both ways and Ethan slept on the way back). The hike down was easy and the cool mist from the waterfall was so refreshing.

We have a high-quality Kelty-Kids hiking back-pack. We bought it used for a bargain and have been delighted to have it. Notice in the above picture Sienna is on my hip, not in the backpack. She couldn't stand it. So, I found myself with a cumbersome backpack strapped to me while carrying my daughter on my hip. Backpack, anyone?

Although Ethan did well on the hike down, he decided he was too tired to hike back up. Ethan loved the backpack when he was younger and begged to ride in it again. Sienna determined she had enough of Mom on the way down and wanted Dad on the way up.

So my wonderful, strong, handsome, never complaining husband carried both kids (65lb) back up the mountain! Here is a man who loves being a Dad and is willing sacrifice to make his family happy. Jeff, I love you and have so much respect for you! Happy Fathers' Day!

A little late, but really funny

2009-06-17T23:04:00.001-07:00

I found this on Lisa's blog - thanks Lisa! A little late for Mother's Day, but remember, "I'm not a woman anymore, I'm a mom."

Armed Forces Day - 5.16.2009

2009-06-12T22:16:00.001-07:00

Yes, we're still doing some catching up on our blogging...

So, a few weeks ago we ran over to Bremerton for the Armed Forces Day festivities. Of course, the ferry ride is always one of our favorite parts of the trip. Who doesn't love a ferry ride? We can't seem to get enough of the wind, the marine life (okay, mostly seagulls), the amazing views, weaving around all the little islands in the sound, the photo-taking opportunities...

Next we went to the parade with all the motorcycles, tanks, military vehicles and soldiers. Several of the venues provided free lunch (woo-hoo!) and then we visited a military museum.

If you ever visit Bremerton, one place to go is the waterfront park next to the ferry dock. The park had amazing fountains that sprayed water sporadically, which kept the kids always ready and watching for when the next big burst of cold water!

Carlsen Family Photo Shoot

2009-06-07T20:15:00.001-07:00

On April 26th, a friend in our ward took some pictures of our family on a nice spring Sunday here in Seattle. He's a really talented photographer, so we really appreciated his time (and that he did it for free!). We really enjoyed the candid shots that captured the love in our family.

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:56:00.001-07:00

I am honored and grateful to be an American. Thanks, Dad, Grandpa Dietrich, Grandpa Mardis, Grandpa McCann and the late Grandpa Carlsen for serving our country in the military in the worst of conditions, in lands far away from home and family to protect our liberty at home.

The following story humbles me and bring tears to my eyes. It inspires me yet chastises me at the same time. I'm grateful for the example of true American heroes (not athletes or even most politicians - I'm talking real heroes). I want to instill this kind of love of country that you'll read below in my children and grandchildren.

From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, USN, (Ret) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:

"As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.

Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967.

Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country-and our military-provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.

Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag.

He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to pledge allegiance to our flag and our country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, this is Jeff...I just wanted to post one of my favorite photos of Julie from our trip the other day to the Mill Creek Nature Preserve...Julie, you're a beautiful woman, and I'm so happy you're mine!

Baby Bubble Bath!

2009-05-10T14:04:00.001-07:00

What could be better that a giggly little baby in a bubble bath? Okay, maybe a sleeping baby, but bath time comes pretty close.

Nature Preserve

2009-05-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

One Saturday night (4.25.09) we visited the Mill Creek Nature Preserve and walked along a trail that follows a river with the kids in hopes of wearing them out before bedtime. Playing on a jungle gym and walking on the mile long trail did wear them out, but this happened earlier than we had anticipated. Jeff and I finished the outing carrying two very tired bugs back up the trail to our car - which left us more exhausted than than the kids. Isn't that how parenting always seems to work?

This is Ethan's new favorite shirt. He had another shirt with writing on it which read, "My Dad is the Man." Since this shirt has writing as well, Ethan concluded that this shirt also read the same thing. He was so proud of it it hurt me to break it to him what the shirt really read. He got over it quickly and now proudly announces, "Dees letters say, 'I Dig Dirt!"

Gas Works Park

2009-05-04T22:51:00.001-07:00

On 4.18.09 we visited Gas Works Park a the north tip of Lake Union. The park was originally a plant that converted coal into gas. Once natural gas was imported, the plant became obsolete so the city acquired it and converted it into a park. There is a beautiful hill which is perfect for kite flying and wearing out toddlers who have a tad too much energy.

Exploring the machinery.

View of Seattle at dusk

We saw a beaver up close.

This is Sienna's "camera smile."

On the top if the hill with the sundial.

Snuggling with a warm daddy

The Bug Jar

2009-05-04T22:13:00.001-07:00

So when my mom was visiting, she brought a a little bug jar for Ethan. It's a plastic jar small holes for ventilation and and magnifying glass on the top. Ethan loves studying bugs; what little boy doesn't? This was a perfect gift for my budding entomologist. However...I soon realized that I had to keep a better eye on Ethan than I had previously when I saw this frightful seen:

Bug on the loose and Ethan having even more fun than before when he saw my reaction. Ahh, the wonderful world of little boys.

Racquetball with a 3-yr-old

2009-05-04T21:53:00.001-07:00

So way back on 3.7.09 (sorry, I have some catching up to do) Jeff took Ethan on a daddy-son outing. Jeff took the opportunity to introduce Ethan to the fine sport of racquetball. Upon first entering the court, Ethan was pretty concerned about being in a confined space, so Jeff and Ethan went in and out of the court several times until Ethan felt a bit more comfortable. As you can probably tell, Ethan warmed up to the idea and had a great time. Jeff had a great time too - I'm so blessed to have a husband who loves being a dad.

Gymnastics Class

2009-03-16T22:19:00.001-07:00

Since the beginning of January, Ethan has been in a gymnastics class for 3-year-olds. It's really cute to watch. It helps burn off some (certainly not all - I only wish) of his excess energy. Anyway, here are some pictures of our budding gymnast.

Through the foam pit

Over the bridge

The balance beam - whoo-hoo! On a side note, I love hearing the random conversations that Ethan has with his gymnastics teacher. The other day he HAD to tell her about the new Superman outfit he got from my mom (which includes a cape, of course). He said, "A nice grandma came to my house and gave it to me."

The rope swing - his favorite.

Wintertime Fun

2009-03-11T22:38:00.001-07:00

Seattle has gotten it's fair share of snow this year and we've really enjoyed it. Sledding, snowmen and shoveling snow on massive parking lots. Wait, did I read that right? Well, here's the story. One Saturday morning we got a call from the Bishop. Now, answering a phone call from the bishop on a Saturday morning is pretty risky. That's why it's always a good idea to have caller ID and answer with a cough and a raspy voice.

Okay, not really...all joking aside, it turned out to be a pretty fun morning when the Bishop showed up with his bobcat and let Ethan help him clear the parking lot. Ethan had a blast, although after the first couple of minutes his hat slipped over his eyes. He was so bundled up with an over-sized hat and mittens he couldn't adjust his hat to see. I don't know how much he saw after that, but we got some great pictures.

Seriously funny blog

2009-03-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Jack Handy humor + LDS culture = really funny blog. Especially his post about parables...
http://www.myregisblog.com/

Daddy and Sienna - Sick Day

2009-03-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sienna and I (it's me, Jeff) had a sick day today (mostly Sienna though), so we stayed home from church. I caught some very precious moments on video as we were playing with a spinning top on the kitchen table. Enjoy!

Hmmm....Roasted Vegetables

2009-01-11T21:04:00.001-08:00

So this recipe does take some time in chopping the veggies, but it is so worth it. Also, don't substitute dried herbs for the fresh ones. They just shrivel up and burn, leaving a yucky flavor.

Roasted Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ready In: 55 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

1 small zucchini squash, cubed

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed

10 baby carrots, cubed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes.

3. In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.

4. Put the root vegetables (potatoes & carrots) in one bowl & the more delicate vegetables (peppers & zucchini) in another bowl, then I divided the oil/vinegar/herb mixture between the two bowls. I put the root vegetables in the oven first & let them roast for 30 minutes before adding the other vegetables at the last 10 or 15 minutes. That way they stay bright colored & didn't get mushy.

Gingerbread House

2009-01-03T22:00:00.001-08:00

So this time we wised up and did the messy activity before bath time. So, here is Ethan decorating the gingerbread house.

Sienna isn't quite old enough to help with this one, so I decorated her with some of the icing. She didn't protest.

However, being the mean mommy that I am, I didn't giver her all of the frosting. Here is the "protesting" face.

Why I Don't Get Anything Done

2009-01-03T21:27:00.001-08:00

For those of you who wonder why I don't get anything done and you think to yourself, "Julie must watch a lot of TV", or "She must just sit around the house eating treats all day". Well, here's why. You see, I have a 3ft tall tornado for a son. I'm amazed at what he can get into if I selfishly try to go to the bathroom or brush my teeth.

The paper shredder. After emptying out the shredder and putting the "shreddings"in a bag near the garage to be taken out ASAP, I was negligent for a moment and Ethan decided they would be an excellent playground for his construction trucks and trains. Creative little rascal, isn't he?

What did moms ever do before vacuums?

Jeff turns 31!

2008-12-21T22:15:00.001-08:00

Since Jeff has a December birthday, I did a snowflake theme cake. The snowflakes are melted white chocolate. My favorite was seeing Jeff's surprised and delighted face.

A little out of order, but we had potatoes and pot roast for Jeff's birthday dinner. Sienna really liked the potatoes.

In honor of Jeff, I had a list of 31 things you may or may not know about my muffin-scruffin.

1. He is fabulously handsome.

2. He loves being a dad.

3. When he comes home from work, instead of wanting wind down time for himself, he immediately gives me a break from mommy chores. He scoops up the kids and plays with them while I sneak away for time to myself.

4. For the first 3 months after Ethan was born I was getting up at night to nurse Ethan and help him go back to sleep (every 2 hours). Jeff got up with me and sat next me just to keep me company.

5. He gives the best foot rubs.

6. He gives the best head scratches.

7. He builds snowmen every year with Ethan.

8. The other night, Ethan was up crying with an ear infection all night. I think they were finally able to sleep from 6:30 am to 9am. Jeff held him in his arms the whole night while I slept on and off. Jeff's back ached, but it was the only way to comfort Ethan and help our son sleep.

9. Jeff was once an ice cream man and drove a 3-wheeled ice cream truck.

10. He is an excellent marksman.

11. Jeff has great snow-driving skills.

12. After a big snow-storm hit Seattle. Every time Jeff passes someone who is stuck, he stops to offer help.

13. He swoons me by playing his saxophone.

14. The only way he can practice his saxophone is by letting the kids jump around and dance around him. They enjoy throwing bananas and Cheerios into the horn.

15.He loves doing secret service. When we were living in Utah in an apartment on campus, our cars were under a layer of snow and ice during winter. He would not only brush off the snow and chip off the ice on our own car, but our neighbors' as well. Then sneak away and make me promise not to tell.

16. Jeff loves fireworks. A little too much.

17. When proposed to me, he took me to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, reenacted our first date, read a list of 100 things he loved about me. He proposed; I said yes!

18. He lets me cut his hair, even though he often hears, "oops" and "uh-oh" frequently.

19. Ethan was never motivated to potty-train until Dad was home for a few weeks. Attention and time with Dad was way better than all the toys and candy I had previously tried to bribe him with.

20. Jeff once stood between me and an angry, charging buffalo at Yellowstone National Park. If you want the full story, just ask.

21. Jeff is really humble. He'll be embarrassed when he reads these.

22. Jeff's a really good gospel teacher (he thinks he's average, but I know better). Jeff taught a lesson once during ward conference, when two members of the stake presidency were present. Jeff did a great job. He was humble and really just let the gospel teach itself. The Spirit was strong. Afterwards, one stake presidency member leaned over to the other and said, "That's how we want our teachers to teach!"

22. Jeff can eat a whole pumpkin pie in two days.

23. Jeff is very complimentary of my cooking.

24. Jeff treats his mother well and loves her dearly.

25. Jeff loves and respects his dad.

26. Jeff is very patriotic and loves his country. Not always so crazy about some of the politicians, but loves our freedoms.

27. My first time snowboarding didn't go so well. After falling down for the 15th time, I sat on the edge of the run and cried. Jeff sat next to me and held me for a while until I felt like getting up and trying again.

28. Jeff is very honest.

29. Jeff is a great kisser.

30. My pregnancies have been pretty rough. Whenever I've been complaining, he always tells me how much he appreciates what I'm going through so he can be a dad.

31. Jeff loves the Lord and the gospel. He does everything he can to ensure that we can be a forever family.

Christmas Cookies and Tree Trimming

2008-12-21T21:16:00.001-08:00

So for Family Home Evening, we decided to do Christmas cookies. Sounds like a good idea on the surface, but there are two underling problems a more seasoned parent would immediately notice. First, lots of sugar just before bedtime. Second, what were we thinking doing baths before cookie decorating? Anyway, we will be smarter next year. Aside from that, we did have a lot of sugary, sticky, colorful fun as a family.

On a side note, these are Ethan's favorite pajamas. It is often hard to get him to take them off just so I can wash them. I've had to convince him that even Superman has to slip into his "Clark Kents" occasionally. I know that one day I will miss having a 3-ft tall superman darting around the house with a cape waving behind him. I soak it up while I can.

Sienna figured out a game called "Oops! I dropped my pacifier in the frosting - guess I have to lick it off."

Ethan decorating the Christmas tree. Whenever I start something new, my first question is "How do I do this?" I research, read, look at pictures at what others have done... I love how children just do whatever comes to their mind. We let Ethan do the garland and this is how it turned out. We could have fixed it, but we had more fun watching Ethan express his creativity though garland styling.

Thanksgiving Trip to Spokane

2008-12-21T20:49:00.001-08:00

We ran over to Spokane for Thanksgiving and got to see family! Although I enjoy spending time with Jeff's side of the family just because I enjoy visiting everyone, but now I love see our kids interact.

Cousins Sienna and Maya - they look so much alike!

Video games with Grandpa and cousins!

The Turkey Piñata

2008-12-17T20:01:00.001-08:00

So it seems like an odd Thanksgiving tradition and one PETA might not approve of, but we had a lot of fun anyway. Most of the time when it comes to traditions, I start them and never really carry them forward to the following years. I think this one will stick, though. Candy, baseball bat, aggression -yep, all the makings of a wonderful family tradition.

Happy Days Are Here Again

2008-12-16T23:04:00.001-08:00

My mom and dad came for a short visit. Okay, it was two weeks, but any visit is my opinion is too short. My dad does all sorts of home projects that Jeff and I never get around to doing. My mom and dad love spending time with the kids doing activities, and when the kids are otherwise entertained, they are doing dishes and cleaning my neglected home. During this glorious time, I sleep in, take naps, go on real dates with Jeff and go shopping by myself! Did I mention sleeping?

Ethan is getting to the age where any pictures of him smiling normally is a rarity. However, these photos do capture his blossoming "entertainer" personality.

Sweet Sienna

2008-12-16T22:46:00.001-08:00

I just had to post this cute picture of my darling bunny pie. We are proud to announce she has found her belly button, ears and nose. She really likes finding my belly button too. My favorite, though, is that she loves to give hugs. Ethan is a kisser, she's a hugger. Either way, I am one happy mommy.

Halloween Pictures

2008-12-16T22:34:00.001-08:00

Again, a little late, but here they are. Ta Da!

Jeff the dodgeball player

Ethan the racecar driver - he was totally "green." His tank ran for hours on sucrose and high fructose corn syrup.

Our little flower loved that pumpkin and worked so hard to pick it up!

All the Halloween cheer knocked our little flower out! Snuggling with papa.

A friend in our ward threw a Halloween party after the official "Trunk or Treat" had ended. Mostly I wanted to post this picture because I was so proud that Ethan went to the refreshment table and amidst all the treats, he took a (drum roll please...) a cauliflower! I was so proud!

The Pumpkin Patch (okay, okay, better late than never)

2008-12-15T22:18:00.001-08:00

On October 18th, we went to the Washington State Pumpkin Patch in Marysville, WA. The owners sculpted a giant corn maze the shape of Washington State, complete with replicas of the Space Needle, ferries, the Peace Arch (on the American-Canadian Border) and the major freeways (complete with construction and closures, of course).

Although it was tempting to leave Ethan in the corn maze for a couple of hours, we decided to just do the hay ride, barn maze, pumkin patch, petting zoo, rope swings, donuts and apple cider.

The petting zoo had a special toddler area where the kids could hold animals. We were so impressed how tenderly Ethan held this little kitten! We were also glad he's not old enough to want to bring it home.

Boys and tractors. Inseparable.

What can I say, I have a darling little boy.

Better than a tire swing - a horse tire swing.

This experience we had in the hay barn documented in the following photos made Jeff and I seriously consider moving to a farm, buying a barn, stuffing it full of hay and turning Ethan loose. It reminded me of the visa credit card commercials.

Camera: $600

Admission to farm: $15

Pictures of joyful, care-free childhood : Priceless

The hay ride. Ethan looks scared in this picture, but he was actually munching on Kettle Corn. Hmmm.

Ethan is a picky little guy. Here, he was on the search for the perfect pumpkin.

Found it!

Jeff's trip to San Fran

2008-11-11T22:23:00.001-08:00

Jeff recently went to San Francisco to visit a few jazz alleys, photograph some of the gorgeous views and a little training for work (but who wants to hear about that?). Here are two of the pictures he took of the views.

2008-11-11T22:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay...

2008-11-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

Well, on Sept 25th, I turned the big 30. Jeff snapped this picture moments before the children dove into the cake. Jeff was a wonderful husband and bought a delicious cake and a pair of excerise shoes (he guessed the size and everything - they fit perfectly!) Jeff surprised me with a Cinderella -themed party. I loved Cinderella as a kid. Of course, this year, unlike my 6th birthday party, I actually have my Prince Charming (but don't worry, he didn't dress up or anything).

Meal Time Manners - 8/26/2008

2008-09-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

If any of our friends are wondering why we haven't had them over for dinner recently...here's why. We are still working on meal-time manners. Usually Jeff and I barely have a chance to sit down. Sienna will not stay in her high chair (she prefers to sit on the tray) and loves to test the law of gravity (yep, still works) by throwing her food. Ethan loves to wipe food in his hair (why dirty a napkin?) and climb on the table (why let Sienna get all the attention?). Dinner time can be quite a law enforcement exercise for Jeff and I (but it burns calories, right?)

That's a cucumber seed on her nose.

Sitting on her dinner.

All By Myself - 9/14/2008

2008-09-26T22:08:00.001-07:00

Ethan is always extraordinarily proud when he gets dressed all by himself. He usually hops around acorner and exclaims, "ta da!" Here he is, all ready for church: shirt, tie (inside his shirt)and of course, "pikey hair" (a.k.a. spikey hair). We're proud of you too, Ethan!

Richmond Beach 8/30/2008

2008-09-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

So we recently discovered Richmond Beach in Shoreline. It was quiet and beautiful. We even let Sienna crawl around and experience the texture of sand for the first time - she loved it.

Ethan found some burnt wood in a fire pit and decorated himself like a warrior with the ashes - ahhh...little boys.

Evergreen State Fair - 8/23/2008

2008-08-25T17:26:00.001-07:00

We went to the Evergreen State fair and had a lot of fun as a family. We also discovered how sneaky fairs are at weaseling money out of you. First the admission, then the overpriced food, then the rides require tickets, go buy the tickets, etc...argh.

Anyway, Ethan had a great time on his first roller coaster rides. Several of the rides required an adult, so Jeff and I, eager to relive our childhood, went with him.

His expression says it all.

Yea for the tractors! This ride was free!

One of the fun things about fairs is seeing the all farm animals: cows, goats, sheep, enormous pigs, zebra, reindeer, geese, turkeys (they really do say "gobble, gobble"). We witnessed a piglet race, as well as a cow milking contest. Having logged 2 1/2 years as a nursing mother I can empathize with those cows.

Sienna's First Birthday!

2008-08-25T16:59:00.001-07:00

First birthdays aren't so much for the child as they are for the parents. Hooray for surviving the first year! Anyway, Sienna had fun tearing apart a cupcake.

Mmmmm....sticky fingers.

Time for a bath!

Seafair 8/2/2008

2008-08-25T16:46:00.001-07:00

We went to a park on Mercer Island to watch the Blue Angles. The Blue Angels are absolutely incredible. The skills, abilities and discipline those pilots have are inspiring. When watching the Blue Angels you can't help but feel patriotic: gratitude for the men and women who volunteer to serve and protect our country as well as amazement at the ingenuity in the design of such aircraft.

Ethan enjoyed playing at the park and discovered some statues of children playing.

Riding the dog statue.

He thought the statue of the little girl was pretty cute. Ethan's not intimidated by taller women.

Becoming Friends

2008-08-25T16:32:00.001-07:00

Ethan is finally beginning to warm up to the idea of having a little sister. We're sure to give him generous praise whenever he is nice to her. It's sweet to see him share something with her. Here he is sharing his sandwich with her.

The other day I made brownies. I was in the middle cutting them when I had to leave the room for a minute. When I came back, I large amount of the brownies was gone. Searching for the culprit, I found two little partners in crime! Ethan and Sienna were hovering over the missing brownies secretly munching. I thought it was actually really cute that Ethan decided to share (or he realized he could reduce the amount of punishment he faced by including an innocent little baby in the crime).

She loves her Jump n' Go (thus, I love it too).

Ward Camp Out 7/25/2008

2008-08-25T16:18:00.001-07:00

We ran up to Cascade Park with our ward for on evening of visiting with our friends and a dessert pot-luck. Ethan and Sienna loved playing in the tent. Ethan especially loved the barrel swing and throwing rocks in the river. Given our sleepless vacation in Canada, I took Sienna home that night while Ethan got his first taste of camping with Dad. Sienna and I got a delightful night's sleep back at home, while Jeff and Ethan...well...

Hi folks -- Jeff here...This is my cue to write, as I lived this portion of the camping trip first hand:

As awesome as Ethan thought the tent was during the day, that enthusiasm was short lived by the time we had to crawl inside to sleep. We each began with a sleeping bag, and several quilts beneath us for comfort. However, Ethan could not get comfortable, and so he woke up every 10 minutes or so crying. This went on until about 2am, at which point, he finally blurted out (in his near sleep), "I can't sleep on ROCKS!!"

I interpreted this to mean he wasn't a big fan of the hard ground, but I was proud knowing that I was preparing him to be a man...ok, I know he's only 3. So, I decided to man up, and I re-arranged our tent. This entailed stacking both sleeping bags on top of one another with all the blankets underneath...all but one that is. Ethan slept nicely after this as I took his old spot on the ground with the one remaining blanket. As I laid down, I found that big rock he was complaining about. However, due to lack of sleep, I was able to adapt nicely and ignore the lump.

The next day Ethan and I went down the river in rafts with a couple dozen other church members. This was a calm and lazy river ride. The raft that Ethan (yes, he wore his lifejacket) and I were in was a massive survival raft -- about the size of a trampoline. Not kidding. When we came to rocks poking up out of the water, this thing just rolled right over them with very little in the way of bumps. There were about 8 or 9 other people on it. The biggest issue though was that it had a few small holes that continued to leak throughout the trip. Someone solved this by bring along a large hand pump. I'm really glad I had Ethan to hold onto, because the guy holding the pump got a workout. It turned out to be a very fun experience with no troubles...aside from having to constantly inflate the thing.

OK, that's my version...back to Julie....

Ethan's Soccer Class

2008-08-25T15:52:00.001-07:00

If you've read a few of my posts by now, you probably noticed that my main goal every day is to find an outlet for Ethan's energy. A good way to describe him would be in engineering terms - all thrust and no vector. That sums it up quite nicely. Every day we either go to a park, play group, class - anything. If I don't, I find myself in trouble.

The parent involved class is in Edmonds in a park right next to the beach. It was so much fun for Ethan, Sienna and myself!

It wasn't long before Ethan's soccer skills surpassed mine (which isn't really saying much).

Victoria and Vancouver, Canada Trip

2008-08-25T00:00:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, Jeff and I took the kids on an exotic, international vacation. That's right, Canada. We had to practice our "eh?", "soory" and "round -a-boot" to fit in with the locals there.

The 2-hour ferry ride weaving through the San Juan Islands was, honestly, one of my favorite parts. The views of the islands and the Puget Sound are absolutely beautiful.

7/16/2008

Okay, so at this point I'm just showing off Jeff's great photography skills, but we saw some really beautiful views!

After arriving on Vancouver Island, we stopped off at Butchart Gardens.

While visiting the Italian Gardens, I had the best gelato I have ever had. Honestly, I would go back to Butchart Gardens, pay the over-priced admission just to eat that gelato again. It was incredible. We even got Ethan his own because we didn't want to share ours. I didn't really think he could eat the whole thing, but he amazed us and he did. His stomach can't be that big. When he asked him if we could switch with him, just to taste his, he was hesitant and determined he would still get his due portion of gelato.

That night we stayed in a 4-star Westin resort just north of Victoria. I love credit cards with hotel points! It had beautiful rooms, a salt water pool with a salt water hot tub. It was fabulous. Jeff and I were in heaven - we were pretty proud about staying there and not paying anything near the full rate until...Sienna decided she didn't want to sleep that night. Jeff and I took shifts and I think we each got about 2 hours of sleep. Ah, vacations with young kids. Always full of surprises.

7/17/2008 (exhausted)

Running around downtown Victoria. We found a cool mosiac dolphin. The buildings in the background are the parliament buildings.

When you first see this statue, one would initially think that it's the Canadian version of a cowgirl. But then, you walk by and something really creepy happens. The statue moves.

Turns out, it was actually a lady dressed in really heavy clothing and a lot of make-up to look exactly like a statue (she must get pretty hot in there).

We also went to the Undersea Gardens, which is a museum,underwater. Pretty dark down there, so we didn't take any pictures, but we did see some fascinating sea life, including a giant octopus.

We also visited the parliament buildings. I loved their historical significance and architecture.

We then ferried over to the mainland and stayed at another 4 star Westin in Vancouver. That night Sienna slept a little better, but not by much.

7/19/2008 (even more exhausted)

We began the day by visiting Grainville Island, a huge market with a fabulous international flare. It was like Pike's Place Market, but 10 times the size.

Sienna snuggling (good thing she's so cute).

Chasing pigeons could keep Ethan busy for hours. I love pigeons for that reason alone.

We took a mini cruise of False Creek which goes right up into the heart of Vancouver.

We happened to be the only people on the cruise, so we got a personal tour. The girl driving asked if Ethan wanted to drive the boat. She didn't have children and didn't know Ethan (otherwise I'm sure she would have never made such an offer) but we took her up on it (against our better judgement) and let Ethan (gulp) drive the boat. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and somehow his bath-time toys just don't measure up any more.

Our next stop was Stanley Park - breathtaking views, train-ride and a free (thank you, thank you) water park.

Jeff was playing with the shutter speed on this one and the water spray looked pretty cool.

Ethan is a really social little guy and makes friends wherever he goes. This little kid and Ethan were fast friends and ran around together (a.k.a wore each other out) while we parents happily rested on a near by bench.

Back home in the USA!

Ketchup!

2008-08-05T22:35:00.001-07:00

So we've obviously gotten a little behind in our blogging. Jeff has had some time off in between jobs and I've been enjoying having him around too much to sit down and blog - but here's what we've been up to:

4th of July Trip to Spokane:

We had a delicious family BBQ on the 4th, followed by a fireworks show in a park. The next day we spent at the Carlsen home just spending time with family.

Ethan and Grandma Carlsen working in the backyard. You can see that Ethan takes safety very seriously. He's wearing those safety goggles on his chin.

One of the highlights of the day was cutting down a tree. Sienna and I carefully supervised the event. Sienna also loves to crawl up me (mostly using my hair) and then hang on for dear life. I'm surprised I have any left.

Here's a photo of the little darling flashing that unforgettable toothy grin.

Later, we all jumped in the pool. Sienna wasn't to sure about how she felt in the pool, but she loved being in Daddy's arms. I think Jeff enjoyed the snuggle time with Sienna too.

Home Project!

Being new homeowners, home projects are still really exciting to us. Since we love watching HGTV and home flipping shows, we never run out of ideas (and trouble) we can get ourselves into. The latest...painting our deck. It was originally a yucky peach-salmon color with mildew spots

and my capable, strong, handsome, creative (sorry, I'm getting side-tracked here) husband painted it a nice deep taupe color. It has a softer texture as well.

I've been tagged!

2008-07-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

My lovely sister-in-law tagged me, so here goes...

3 joys -
1. Hearing Ethan and Sienna's laughter. I know this is a given for any parent, but I tickle them just so I can hear it. I also catch it on our video camera whenever I can. When my kids get older, I still want to be able to remember their laughter.

2. I recently got a sewing machine - it's so much fun. I sewed a quilt for Ethan, modified a shirt for me (to make it modest - Mom, aren't you proud?), and am in the process of sewing some drapes.

3. My husband - He's perfect. I'm grateful for his affection, thoughtfulness, sense of humor, and moral courage and...kisses.

3 Fears -
1. Failure as a parent

2. Having a messy, disorganized house. I stay up late every night cleaning and organizing. It's one way I regain my sanity.

3. Spiders. Ethan put one in his mouth a few weeks ago and I flipped out. Ahh, little boys exploring the world.

3 goals -
1. I would love to go back to school and get a master's degree.

2. Go on a mission with Jeff.

3. Eat my weight in double-stuffed oreos, okay, just kidding, but I do want to have a garden.

3 obsessions -
1. Listening to Dr. Laura in the car. I always learn something from her.

2. Recipes - I could read recipes for hours.

3. Figuring out how things work. If I don't understand how something works (especially in regards to science) it bothers me until I am able to sit down, read about it and figure it out.

3 surprising facts-
1. I beg Jeff to scratch my head and brush my hair.

2. I love to vacuum and do laundry. I know it sounds weird, but after years of stinky college apartment complex laundromats and vacuums that didn't work, I love doing laundry and vacuuming!

3. I ate 8 Krispy Kreme donuts in less than 24 hours and I don't feel bad about it.

Good-bye E&Y!!!

2008-06-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Although we're grateful for the experience and all that Jeff has learned at E&Y, we are ready to jump ship! Working 70+ hour weeks, working until 2am to 3am repeatedly, working through weekend after weekend, unbelievable pressure and stress on Jeff has taken its toll. Jeff has taken a job offer with Nordstrom doing SEC reporting. Get this - it will be (for the most part) an 8am-5pm job!!!!!! I'm in heaven! He can take the bus, so no more $250+/month in parking fees! Although this job will have it's own challenges, we are so grateful for this blessing.

Now the question is, how should Jeff leave his job? Please take our poll and leave any other suggestions.

1. Hire a group of actors to come to the EY office dressed as swashbuckling pirates and raid the office, shouting "Arrrrrr!" to everyone.

2. Send out fliers to all the mothers in Ethan's nursery class announcing that EY is hosting a "Bring Your Toddler to Work Day". The children will come armed with crayons, glue sticks, and sticky peanut butter sandwiches. They'd color on walls, mess up stacks of paper and leave everything... well, sticky.

3. Jeff announces that he's taken a job as a cookie accountant for the local girl scout troop. He comes to the office with his new girl scout uniform, complete with an accounting merit badge on his sash. He'll also spend the rest of the day assuring the staff that they too can have a "sweet" job someday.

Mom Haircut

2008-06-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

Tired of ponytails, headbands, children pulling on my hair, finding baby food in my hair, I lopped off my locks and got a mom haircut - just below my chin. Now let's just hope I don't wind up in "mom jeans."

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-29T21:15:00.001-07:00

Father's Day nap. My two favorite guys snoozing in their white shirts after church.

This was the treat Jeff requested for Fathers Day. It's a really great, light dessert - perfect for summer entertaining. It's a souped up cake mix and a yummy fresh raspberry topping. Here's the recipe:

Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 18 cupcakes

1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
1 1/3 cups water
3 large eggs whites
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (6-ounce) containers fresh raspberries, cut in half or 1 (16-ounce) container fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for dusting

Line 18 muffin cups with muffin papers.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, water, egg whites, melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a large bowl for 2 minutes, or until the batter is well blended. Using about 1/3 cup of batter for each cupcake, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake the cupcakes until they are very pale golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely on a cooling rack.

Using a fork, coarsely mash 1 1/2 containers of raspberries in a medium bowl. Beat the cream and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in a large bowl until firm peaks form. Fold the mashed raspberries into the whipped cream.

Top the scrumptious cupcakes with the delicious topping and serve to hungry hubby!

Alki Beach

2008-06-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

We visited Alki Beach and it was beautiful! Here we are with the mini Statue of Liberty. I would also like to note that Ethan was actually standing still in this picture - that doesn't happen very often.

Before going, I checked the tide charts to make sure we would be there at low tide. Low tide is so much more fascinating because more sea life is exposed. I have no idea what these things are, but they looked pretty interesting.

See the Space Needle and downtown Seattle in the background!

Here is another proud parenting moment. Usually, when we go to the beach, Ethan eats sand with his hands. This time, Ethan found a plastic spoon in the sand and began eating sand with a spoon. All of my nagging about good manners at dinner time has certainly paid off.

Ethan was delighted with all of his little feathered friends.

I just thought this was a cool picture that Jeff took of a seagull swooping in for a piece of bread. We finished off the afternoon with some fish and chips at a local restaurant and headed home for nap-time (for all of us!).

Ethan's Third Birthday

2008-06-15T22:58:00.001-07:00

For Ethan's 3rd Birthday we went to the (drumroll, please...) the Rainforest Cafe. It was amazing. The restaurant was decorated like a (well, you probably guessed by now) a rain forest with apes that beat their chests, trumpeting elephants, giant bugs and a fountain, to name a few.

The servers sang a birthday song for our little dude and brought him a free ice cream sundae. Ethan was delighted to have people singing and clapping for him. Obviously, the expression on my face was my joy over seeing a free dessert on our table.

This was my first (and perhaps only) attempt at cake decorating. The nice thing about cake decorating is that you can really enjoy your successes as well as failures, because, well.... it's cake, no matter what it looks like. I don't think I'm ready to do a wedding cake quite yet (unless someone wants to get married at a Mariners game and then throw the cakes at each other - hey, there's an idea).

Ethan blowing out the candle! I'll spare you the rest of the pictures. Things got pretty messy after this.

Edmonds Waterfront Festival

2008-06-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Jeff finally sneaked past a weekend without having to work (I hope none of his managers read this and find out)! I began Saturday early by running the Edmonds 5k race (and quickly remembered why I'm not an avid runner). We then spent the day at the Edmonds Waterfront Festival. Ethan had never been to a festival like this before and we knew he would love it.

One of the best parts of parenting is rediscovering the world with your kids. We got to enjoy yummy festival treats as well as a giant super-slide. The first picture shows the size of the slide. In the second picture, I zoomed in on their faces showing Ethan's expression of anticipation and apprehension (notice Ethan clutching onto Dad's hand).

What would a festival like this be without a pony ride? Ethan got to ride on the smallest pony and clearly loved it.

Northwest Trek

2008-06-01T23:11:00.001-07:00

Northwest Trek is a really interesting nature preserve. We went on a hour long tram ride through beautiful scenery and saw all sorts of wildlife: elks, buffalo, big horned sheep and deer - some of which were pretty close. Ethan loved seeing all the animals. Sienna wasn't too terribly interested, but she did charm several people sitting next to us on the tram.

Mother's Day

2008-06-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

My Mom was here for Mother's Day! It was the first time we've been together for Mother's Day in 12 years! I have to say, my mom is absolutely wonderful. When she comes to visit, my kitchen is always clean, I don't think I do any laundry, and while I peacefully nap, my mom scours the bathroom while keeping both kids happy. She is amazing.

By the way, Jeff is still the most wonderful husband after 5 1/2 wonderful years of blissful marriage. Marrying Jeff has honestly been the best (and easiest) decision I have ever made. He is ambitious, hard-working, considerate, thoughtful, loving and oh-so handsome - let's not forget that one.

Salsbury Beach

2008-06-01T20:56:00.001-07:00

So, I recently discovered a new park which I think is a must see if you have kids and want a quick day trip. My Mom was visiting and I wanted to show her some of beautiful western Washington. Salsbury Beach. Take the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry, then drive to the west side of the Kitsap Peninsula, and just before Hood Canal Bridge, there is the love Salsbury Beach. Of course getting there with the ferry and driving through historic Port Gamble is all part of the fun. Ethan loves ferry rides (what kid doesn't?). He loves flexing his arms and making manly shouting noises into the wind and running all over the boat. Ahh, little boys.

There was a great play structure with a beach close by filled with sea shells. I don't think I've ever seen so many sea shells in my life! Ethan had fun watching all the big truck going across the Hood Canal Bridge. Sienna had her first experience in a swing, which she seemed to be okay with (she might have enjoyed it more if I not had the camera in her face the whole time. She also enjoyed doing pull-ups on a bar (with a little help) and of course, tasting the metal bar (shhh... don't tell Grandma).

This picture, was toward the end of our little outing, Sienna had her mind on one thing and one thing only (in case you can't tell from the picture) ... MILK!!!!!! Ethan, in his usual form of running all over the place, fell and skinned his little knee and was a bit upset about it.

Later at home, he zonked out on the couch. Perhaps other mothers can relate, I fall in love with my children all over again when I see them sleeping. Anyway, it was so much fun having my mom around and getting away for a day!

Sienna vs. Baby Photographer, Round 1

2008-05-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

As if I couldn't take enough pictures of Sienna myself, I thought I'd take her to a professional photographer to get some more cute baby photos. We went to Sears Portrait, and what do you know, her pictures came out absolutely darling. The biggest challenge was getting her to stay within the camera frame. As soon as we set her down, she was moving, crawling, bouncing, removing hats... you get the picture. Hey Tasha and Talia, recognize the dress and hat? It was a baby shower gift from you! Thank you!

Anyway, I've been blessed with two very active children, which was why Jeff and I bought a dSLR camera. We have to be that quick before they are out of the field of view! Here are a few of the darling pictures of our budding track star.

By the way, Sienna began babbling today! It's music to my ears.

Something that is not quite music to my ears, but still very cute none the less, Ethan has entered the age of saying things that really (and I mean really) embarrass us. The other day he proudly proclaimed to the nursery workers at church, "I fart just like my Dad!" I guess Jeff and I have no more secrets.

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home...

2008-05-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our little squeaker during her favorite part of the day - when Daddy comes home! As you can see, she has two little bottom teeth and a happy, happy disposition. She is all smiles, all the time!

The story on Ethan - on Sunday morning, Ethan was running around, avoiding getting dressed (and anything else we wanted him to do) and briefly visited me in the bathroom while I was getting ready. As I left to go get dressed, he locked the door behind me. By the time I was able to unlock the door, he had discovered my water resistant eyeliner and done some creative body art on himself (mostly his chest and legs). Since we needed to leave for church, I just got him dressed and off we went, but not before I took a picture of Ethan proudly showing off his artwork. In case you are wondering, it did take a couple of baths to completely wash it off.

Woah...April's gone.

2008-04-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hey (this is Jeff)! What happened to April? It's been a month since our last post. I'll take the blame though -- I've been working some crazy hours (I know what you're thinking, and no, it had nothing to do with taxes -- I'm not that kind of accountant -- I audit financial statements), which means Julie had mommy duty day in day out with hardly a break. There were a few days in there where I left for work in the morning before anyone woke up, and didn't get back home until the kids were asleep. Not fun. Tonight I got home at around 8:30, which was in time to help Ethan get the wiggles out before going to bed.

He's growing up quickly! Since I missed the month of April, he sat down with me tonight before bed and basically read me a book from start to finish without actually knowing how to read. It's fun to hear him talk. And, Sienna! What a little doll -- she's crawling around so quickly now.

Julie is awesome too! I couldn't have married a better woman. I was getting busy-season hair -- that's what happens to my head when I don't have time to get it cut for 3 months (I also get busy season toenails). Ethan was getting busy-season hair too, so Julie gave us both a nice trimming recently, and we're a handsome daddy and son again.

Daddy's boy

2008-03-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

It's no secret in our house that Ethan's a Daddy's boy. I caught a picture of him waiting at the top of the stairs for Daddy to come home.

Ethan also loves to 'help' (I'm using that term very loosely) Daddy with any projects around the house. So here is our little man with his "Bob the Builder" tool belt and diaper, helping Dad and Grandpa Mardis on a home project.

When my parents come to spend time with us, it's a working vacation for them and a relaxing vacation for me! Notice in this picture I'm not holding a child! I wish they were closer, but I think I would wear them out! I love their company while Ethan and Sienna love Grandma and Grandpa playing with them. Before they came, I told Ethan that Grandma and Grandpa were coming in an airplane to see him. Now, to Ethan, every airplane up in the sky has Grandma and Grandpa in it.

Buster, Bud, Little Buddy...

2008-03-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

Buster is a nickname that definitely suits our little guy. Behind that winning smile, he's usually scheming some great plan which involves pushing a chair over to the kitchen counter, climbing up to the cabinets, and making some wild concoction on the counter all under the guise of "I'm cooking wif Mom" (except the fact that I'm not in the room). Or perhaps he's unscrewing the tops of the Costco shampoo bottles and then throwing the bottles down the stairs and watching with glee each bounce shoot more shampoo onto the walls and carpet. You get the picture. These usually happen when I do something selfish like go to the bathroom, or help Sienna fall asleep. But as the other mothers understand, I still absolutely adore my little guy. Somehow in my (sleep-deprived) mind this is evidence of how smart and clever he is. By the way, I also get all the hugs and kisses a mommy could ever want.

Lady Bug, Sweet Pea, Little Lady...

2008-03-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Some of the nicknames that I'm sure will embarrass her in later years. Sienna is such a tender and happy little gal. Now that she's crawling, pulling herself up, and climbing up the stairs, there's no stopping her. She's fast and fearless. Ethan is still the lovable little rascal he's always been. He's beginning to relish the role of 'big brother'. When she cries, I'll often hear him say, "It okay, feetheart, it okay..." He'll also call her "feetie-pie." Then again, he also tries to ride her like a horse when she's crawling around - which she's not too fond of.
What can I say, I'm a proud mommy who adores her kids. I love to take pictures of them; they grow up so fast. I'm so glad I get to cherish every moment of their childhood.

Brenna's Baptism

2008-03-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

We are thankful to our family for being so organized to have Brenna's baptism and confirmation, Riley's Aaronic Priesthood ordination (and passing the Sacrament for the first time) as well as Amelie's and Maya's baby blessings all in one weekend. All are events we wouldn't want to miss, but driving over to Spokane that many times would sure wear us out! We are so happy for all of you. These pictures are from Brenna's baptism. Also, I would like to publicly thank Pete, for helping me to keep Ethan under control during the baptism. Ethan generally ignores me, but listens well to 'big guys'.

Par-tay!

2008-03-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

So we've been to a few little toddler parties recently - which are always a blast. I enjoy visiting with other moms while giving Ethan a chance to get out and practice his caveman-like social skills.The first two pictures are from a community Easter Egg Hunt that also had giant inflatable toys. Jeff and I have come to love anything that helps Ethan wear out all his energy. Do they sell giant gerbil wheels for toddlers? Anyway, here are a few pics.

At this birthday party for a nursery friend, one of the main events was an Elmo Pinata. A few of the kids were hesitant at first to hit Elmo; they stood around looking confused. Ethan warmed up to the idea quickly, though, and gave a few good blows to the good ol' Sesame Street friend. He even fled the scene, and came back with a garden stake and attempted to spear Elmo. That's my boy.

The Fire Station

2008-02-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

For a friend's birthday party, Ethan got to take a tour of a fire station and of, course, a fire engine. The firemen who gave the tour were probably a little more used to giving tours to school aged children, not two-year-olds who try to lick the tires and push buttons. Ethan loved climbing in a real fire truck. While we were there, an emergency call came in and we saw the firemen put on their gear, hop on the fire truck and take off, sirens and all. When I took the group picture, I said, "Smile!" The funny part was, Ethan was so excited about wearing a fireman hat and standing next to a fireman, Ethan couldn't take his eyes off him and just smiled at him - up close! The fireman obviously thought it was pretty funny, so when I snapped the next picture, he was looking at Ethan smiling at me. Finally I got everyone to look at me in the third picture. Incidentally, we didn't get to see firemen slide down a fire pole; they didn't have one. If they did, I'm sure all of the moms would have asked if we could slide down it.

Space Needle Pictures

2008-02-17T22:56:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I met on 02/02/02, so every year, we do something fun on Feb 2nd. This year, we went to the Space Needle and afterwards had lunch at a Greek restaurant. Ethan had a lot of fun at the "pace needle" and continues to talk about it. I had plenty of warm snuggle time with Sienna in the carrier.

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

2008-02-17T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well, here's the explanation in less than 1,000 words. We had already taken quite a few pictures and Sienna was getting squirmy. Ethan already sat through two hours of our LDS Stake Conference, and wanted to expend all of his couped up energy. Jeff had been chasing him around trying to get him to be still for only a few seconds to take a picture, but Ethan has having way too much fun throwing rocks. Jeff finally caught him, and the camera took the picture, Ethan still clutching his rock and Jeff looking somewhat frustrated. Well, another realistic family photo.

Sienna's Photoshoot

2008-01-20T00:50:00.000-08:00

So, I realized the past three posts are only pictures of Ethan - we do take pictures of Sienna too - we promise! Here are a few of our little angel.

This picture made Jeff and I laugh because we first thought it was a perfect picture until we saw Sienna's scrunched up face and a big blob of spit running down my arm. Well, it was realistic anyway.

She is such a dream of a baby. She is so content and has such a peaceful, happy disposition. She is such a blessing in our family. I can't seem to get enough of her. I can't even seem to get frustrated with her, even when she wakes up in the middle of the night (which she often does). I'm just so happy to hold her in my arms and just love her. I look at Ethan and realize how fast these kids grow up and I just want to soak up Sienna's time as a baby and enjoy them while they are here.
This is a picture of Ethan singing "I am a Child of God" to Sienna - she is obviously enjoying big brother's attention.

Peaches? Not so much.

Ethan goes GQ

2008-01-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

One Sunday morning, Ethan was dressed up and acting strangely cooperative, so we took a few pictures of our handsome little dude. By the way, yes, that is gift wrapping ribbon around his neck. He really wanted to wear a tie (just like daddy) and that was the best we could do. He seemed to like it, although in case you're wondering, we didn't let him wear it to church.

Incidentally, he's become quite a little flirt. I think he enjoys my calling with the YW more than I do. Every week he's surrounded by a bunch of teenage girls who shower him with hugs, kisses and candy. He recently kissed a little 3 year old girl in our ward right on the lips.

Bubble Bath

2008-01-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

What kid doesn't love a bubble bath? Ethan's no exception. Here are a few snap shots from Ethan's fun in the suds.