Living Penrose Style

Tracina's 26!!!

2012-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to YOU!

January 3rd. Adam made me some yummy oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast and then he rinsed the carpets one more time after cleaning them the night before (I really wanted this done and I am so grateful to him for doing it.) Adam had to work so we decided to go out for lunch together instead of dinner since we did not know when he'd be getting off of work. I'd been craving Red Robin for a while and Adam had never been there before so that's where we went. I got a free burger with my reward card since it's my birthday and even some yummy ice cream afterward (SCORE!) I love getting things free. Love that place.

When Adam got home from work we ate Taquitos (my homemade recipe...LOVE) and then he surprised me with the most delicious german chocolate cake.

I opened my presents and I got a black pea coat from Adam which clearly I could not put on with this giant belly. Adam's mom got me this cute apron. Her card read that she was reading a book and it said in there something like, "if a woman puts on her best apron and then when her husband comes home from work if the house is a disaster it won't matter." She said it's worth a try and I all for that. Adam and his mom went in a pressure canner for me also. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE....I cannot wait for chicken to go on sale again:)

After we put the kids to bed, I whipped out the kindle and Adam whipped out the fingernail polish. It was so nice to relax, get my toenails painted, and read some Hunger Games with my man. It was a great day! P.S. I felt the love from my facebook pals this day; made me feel super special

New Year's with the Chase's

2012-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

My family came down and visited us December 28th-Jan 1st. It was nice to have them come since we hadn't seen them in a long time. My brother and sisters stayed the nights at our house; mom and dad at Ida and Jay's. We had lots of fun playing games, going swimming at the Wash. Rec. Center, watching movies (The Help), talking in our sleep (Tyler), playing Laser Tag, visiting the Temple Rock Quarry, and celebrating the new year!

Adam took the kids on a little hike to the Temple Rock Quarry where they got the stone for the St. George Temple. I decided to stay home and relax because of being advised not to exercise or push myself too much. They all had a good time and the weather was great!

New Year's Eve 2011

Partying it up with some bubbly and games! You can never go wrong with a good game of MadGab.

Mmmmm...

The Grand and Great-Grandparents relaxing after eating some serious heart-burn related food. Gotta love lil' smokies.

Party's over, time to sleep (yeah right!)

The party ended after a nice smooch with the hubby at the stroke of midnight. We were all famished and the Chase's were up and on the road 3 hours later. We loved having them come.

I'm Back!

2012-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

A New Year Resolution of mine is to update my blog for 2012 so that I can print a book at the end of the year. It might be slow-going but here goes nothing.

Findlay Reunion 2010

2010-07-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

July 9th, 2010
Findlay Reunion in Paris, ID

A birds-eye view of the happy campers. This is only half of the tents that were actually there. So much fun, Relaxing and catching up.

My sister Marquesas, Nephew Tytan, and Diesl chillaxin' on the swing.

My cousin Christin's little Julie, Addy, and my cousin Naomi's son Carson (here all the way from Florida.) He is 2 weeks older than Addison and they are 2 months older than Julie. You wouldn't guess that though. Julie looks older than both of them.

So cute, all 3 of them! Fun to get them together.

Diesl, Marquesas, Clarissa, and Addy having fun at the Chases's
I definitely need to take more pics next time.

Family Pics 2010

2010-07-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Family Pictures at the Penrose Reunion

Our Family pics were taken by Dani Christensen, a friend from high school and a good friend of Holly's (Adam's bro's wife). She did an awesome job.

Diesl did not want to smile on command but we got some good ones anyways.

The whole Penrose clan
Here are some pics Adam and I took ourselves. We are definitely NOT professionals at all, we just wanted a few extras.

Diesl loves his daddy so much. He'd go crazy without him.
Here's a little scenario:
Diesl is staring off into the distance while eating his lunch.

Me: "Diesl are you happy?"

Diesl: "Y.......Nooo" as his quick smile turns to a frown and he tucks his chin into his chest

Me: "I'm sorry, why not?"

Diesl: "I miss my daddy!" (just like that)

Our Diesl Bug.

Now he's happy and acting silly.

Such a great daddy!

This one I totally caught Diesl and his cousin Mal off guard but I think it's cute

Thanks again to Dani!

2010 Penrose Family Reunion and Lagoon!

2010-07-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

The Great Penrose Reunion was held at Snowbird Ski Resort this year, July 5-8. It is so beautiful up there in the summer and there is lots to do. We had fun going on hikes, swimming, bbq-ing, playing in the arcade/game room (it got a little competitive while playing air hockey; pucks flying everywhere), sharing talents, and catching up on each others lives. We had a BLAST and can't wait for the next reunion.

The last day of the reunion, we decided to go to...
LAGOON

Diesl's first ride was with Adam on the airplanes. BIG MiStAkE! Adam was done for after this ride. Both he and Diesl looked like they were going to vomit while on it but Diesl was still up for more rides. Adam....well, not so much.

Pretty much all the kids rides consisted of constent circular motions but I actually did ok. I really wanted Diesl to have a good time so I'm glad that was the case.

After a while, we decided that the train ride sounded nice. It was so hot and humid this day, I about died (and yes we do live in St. George where temps. reach 116 in the summer, but the mixture of heat and humidity that day just about did me in) Diesl liked seeing the animals and as for the rest of us, we just liked being able to SIT DOWN!

Diesl and his cousin Cade, enjoyed their last ride together in the old Ford. (p.s. we don't know the Lagoon employee waving in our sons picture but o well)

This was our only stroller we had cuz we didn't want to pay the ridiculous $ to rent one. Even with a kinked neck and uncomfortable looking sleep positon, Addison still took her regular naps and even kept hold of her bink in the process. Talented, I know!
Diesl Loved, Loved, Loved Lagoon and we are so glad cuz that's what we were going for. Grandpa P took him on one of the haunted mansion rides and he didn't love it but at least he didn't come out crying. Adam and I did get to go on one ride together before leaving and it was....WICKED!

Fourth of July 2010

2010-07-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
LET FREEDOM RING!
and ISN"T SHE SO CUTE!?

Waiting Patiently for the Fireworks while goofing around.

Mesmerized by all the Action, Kids, and Noise!

Adam had to work on the 3rd and we were hoping he'd get off in time for us to do hot dogs on the grill and then watch fireworks. Well he did get off in time for fireworks but I ended up having to do the hot dogs on the stove. Oh well. Diesl wasn't scared of the fireworks this year but he didn't care for them too much either. He kept telling us, "It's time to go!" When we got home we decided to just go to bed instead of doing our own fireworks and Diesl was totally okay with the idea. Funny kid!

We took video of Addison in a total daze with a couple blades of grass. Adam said that she kept tickling herself but I couldn't get it on tape. Don't you ever wonder what babies are thinking sometimes?

First Camping Trip 2010

2010-06-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

This was Addison's first camping experience and she did Awesome (especially considering how cold it was.) We cannot wait til our next adventure! p.s. next time anyone comes to see us, we can take you here to get away from insane HEAT stroke

6 months

2010-06-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Our little girl's stats at her 6 month check-up:
WT: 16 lbs. 11 oz. (56%)
HT: 26 1/2 in. (71%)
Head: 17 1/4 in. (84%)
Her doc says that he wants her to start eating baby food and to have her eat as much as she wants. Her weight is kind of on the decline so we need to chunk her up a bit.

Sitting up big and tall. She's growing up too fast!

Insists on sitting up in the bathtub now.

Loves drinking water from a cup

First baby food besides cereal, CARROTS YuM!

When she is tired or bored, Addison lays her head on her own shoulder and she'll just sit like that for a while. Or maybe she does it because it's tiring holding up such a big noggin.

Just tried a bite of baby food meats. BLUHHH! Clearly disgusted.

Chillaxin' with Diesl on his bean bag.

Well the baby food has seemed to be a hit with Addison. She loves rice cereal (which Diesl hated) so hopefully she can put on some pounds. She could eat a whole container of Puffs in one if we let her. They have sure been a lifesaver for Adam at church while in his classes. Addison still pivots on her belly in complete circles and she also scoots backwards REALLY good! Now it's time to work on that forward motion. We'll see what happens.
Love this girl.

Family Night BOWLING!

2010-06-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to bowl. This was Diesl's first time actually bowling for himself. He lasted maybe 3 bowls and then he was done. It was pretty much a waste of $6 on his part but he enjoyed pretending to play the arcade games while Adam and I bowled.

Showing me his cool bowling shoes.

It took about ten minutes for his ball to reach the pins and still managed to knock down most of them.

The final scores. Adam was so proud of his score; said he's never bowled that good before. He sure kicked my behind.

Brian Regan Live!

2010-05-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Adam, Addison, and I went to Tuacahn and saw Brian Regan Live. It was awesome! Addison did pretty good until about the last 20 min. It made me feel a little better that there were other babies making noise too but still. One of the last acts he did was about a motorcycle ride but I can't find it anywhere to show it to you.
While waiting forever in our car to get out of the parking lot, I let Addison sit up front with me for a while. Every little thing we did, she would start laughing like crazy (Probably cuz she heard so much of it.) I got some video of her but she was mostly done laughing by then.

5 months!

2010-05-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Addison continues to bring great joy in our home. She is sitting up on her own, pivoting on her belly in complete circles, and watching her brother's every move. She is so happy and has been laughing and squealing (really loud) more and more.

Wakey Wakey

Trying out her new shades! Very Styln'

So peaceful

Love going on walks

Trying out the new Bumbo. It was a yard sale find for $7 w/the tray. Steal! Her legs have gotten stuck since day one when trying to get her out. She's got some serious thunder thighs. Adam is not impressed with my find. He calls it the "Dumbo"

My sister and her family stopped by for a minute on their way home from Cali. It was so good to see them and especially let Emma and Addy see each other. Emma is 1 month older than Addy but by the picture is looks like their about 6 months apart. Emma is such a chunk! I love it. It is amazing how different they look from one another but they are so cute in their own way. I hope they become good buddies.

The Best Job Ever!

2010-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Being A MOM!

Reading at bedtime has been a fun routine for us. We've been reading like this since Addy was teeny tiny. It was okay then cuz she didn't move or make noise. Now she jibber-jabbers and rolls towards Diesl and pokes his eyes and pulls his hair while reading books. Diesl says "Stop Sister, I trying to read." It amazing me how patient he is with her even while she's bugging him to death.

We have way too much fun before bedtime. You may have noticed from previous posts that my children are most always near naked. I have figured out that most of my picture taking is near bedtime or right after naps. (Yes, I put my children down for naps in their skibbies. It's just too dang hot down here and frankly if I could do it, I WOULD!)

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

What a great day! My sweet husband got me this beautiful bouquet of flowers and Diesl made me the cute Diesl-Flower in nursery. My mom and Adam also went in together on a dress for me that I wanted really bad. Thanks so much! I love you (;
I am grateful for the mother's in my life for all that they do: My mom, my mother-in-law, my grandma's. They are all so special to my family and I in their own way.

This little critter decided to wish me a Happy Mother's Day also. We don't know how he got in but he was promptly put OUT! I screamed and jumped on the couch after walking inches away from the little guy.

Little Projects

2010-05-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Adam's brother-in-law stopped by on his way home to Colorado Springs from California. He brought us these BEAUTIFUL strawberries. (The best I've ever had!) He said they were freshly picked. I was able to make some yummy low-sugar freezer jam and freeze some in baggies for smoothies. We also ate a whole bunch of fresh ones on our cereal. I could live in California just for their fresh produce. I love fruit!

I have been needing a bow holder for Addy's bows so they aren't stuffed in a bag. I had this craft in my garage sale pile to be sold. Instead, with leftover fabric from my nursing cover that my mom made me and some spare ribbon, I made THIS! It will fill up too fast I think. I'm pretty sure this is not all of her bows ;) Hey, a girl can't have too many bows, right?

Diesl's 3

2010-05-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Our Diesl Bug!
I can't believe I have a 3 year old.

He got to open a couple presents on his Birthday May 3rd and then we saved the rest for his party.

May 5th, we had a Birthday party for Diesl at an awesome park. Guests were: Eugene and my grandma, my Aunt Shauna, my cousin Kalani and her boys Cole and Luke, my friend Lisa and her son Daniel (Diesl's friend since infancy)

It was great weather and the boys had a great time in the water and on the playground. Adam filled up some water balloons and the boys had a riot. They didn't quite get the concept of a 'Water Balloon Fight' until there were 3 balloons left. They were a little disappointed. (p.s. there was a creepy girl taking the boys pics during all of this and even getting right up in their faces. weird.)

Addison not too sure about this.

We ate some yummy food (Grandma's BBQ, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Pasta Salad, Cantaloupe, and Cherry Limeade to drink.) Diesl's cake did not look like this when first put together. The sun and heat destroyed it. But hey, doesn't the road in radiator springs get destroyed by Macqueen and that statue. I now say that this was the effect I was going for with the road OK! (p.s. this is the 2nd year in a row that Diesl has not been able to blow out candles due to wind. Good thing Adam and I let him have at it on our birthdays)

I decided to make his invitations and party favors this year. They turned out really cute. I made one party favor box and then Adam did the rest. That was very sweet of him and they turned out great! I filled the boxes with Cars fruit snacks and a balloon was supposed to be tied at the top but it didn't happen. Oh well.

A few things Diesl does or says that stand out to me:

1. He calls everyone "Buddy" It doesn't matter if you're young or old, boy or girl, he calls you buddy from the second he meets or sees you.

2. He calls a hamburger "Hangumer" no matter how hard we try it always come out this way.
3. He calls banana bread "Ganana Bread" He will say "Ba" and then "Nana" and then I have him say it fast and it always comes out ganana.
4. He counts 1-10 perfectly and even goes into the teens sometimes. (Thanks Sesame Street)

5. He knows the alphabet and all of their sounds.
6. When he talks to Adam or I, he gets mixed up sometimes and calls Adam "Mom" and me "Dad" but lately he's been catching himself and calls Adam "MOD" and me "DAM" People are gonna think we're teaching him bad words.
7. He LOVES pretend play. We can play with our hand shadows on the wall for hours. He came up to me one day and pointing at himself saying "Daddy" I finally caught on and said "Oh hi daddy how are you?" In a deep manly voice he said "Good. I gonna go to work. Bye!" Too cute. He does this kind of stuff all the time.
8. Addison was crying on the floor one day while I was putting laundry away and Diesl gently went over to her and gave her a toy and then put her binkie in her mouth. I was observing this out of the corning of my eye. It just made my heart swell.
9. Addison pulls his hair all the time and he just sits there until I remove her death grip. He doesn't even get mad at her. She has also started grabbing at things he is playing with and he looks at her like 'are you really doing this?' I don't think he knows that she is going to get bigger and stronger and bug him to death. I just hope he stays as sweet as he is to her now.

10. He does a cute shoulder shrug now when he is embarrassed or has nothing to say when asked a question. Don't know where he got this.

11. He insists on being independent ALL the time. He undresses and dresses himself from head to toe and does many other things on his own like going to the bathroom without even telling us (except when he wants us to come and see what just came out of him. gross, i know!)
12. He's very polite and good to say 'Please', 'Thank You', and 'Sorry'
13. He's always been a great eater. Sometimes I will give him a cookie and he doesn't want half of it. He loves veggies and even eats brussel sprouts, asparagus, and spinach.
3 Year Stats:
WT: 35.71 lbs. (85%)
HT: 37.99 in. (65%)

Diesl is such a great friend. He would be buddies with anyone who will let him. There is so much more and I will probably add more as days go on. Don't get me wrong, he is still 3 and we all know what 3 year olds are made of but I want to remember these tender moments and want him to know how much we love him and his cute personality. He's growing up way too fast.

Kite Festival!

2010-04-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

The Annual Kite Festival down here is pretty fun I must say. Mostly because it is free to get in and fly your kite. Diesl was so excited to fly his kite but got bored very quickly so then he got to go on the train ride like he did last year. He had a blast! I went to take him off after the first time and he refused so Adam just paid another $1 for him to go again. He was reluctant to even get off the second time. It was starting to get dark so we decided to find something to eat and wait for fireworks. In the meantime, there was a singing group entertaining our ears. The firework show was Addison's first. She was a little worried at first but ended up neither loving it or hating it. It turned out to be a wonderful family outing!

Easter, Conferance, and Chase family Spring Break...All in one!

2010-04-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

Easter was great this year, especially for Diesl. He got to go on 3 different Easter egg hunts. It was so fun to watch him. My fam, the Chase's came down for their spring break and stayed the whole week Sun-Sat. My parents stayed at my step-dad's sister's house and my brother and sisters stayed with us. It was a great week. Sun we watched general conf. which was amazing and then dyed eggs and had an egg hunt in our unsightly backyard. After afternoon conf., we all ate dinner together at Ida's house. My grandma and Eugene came also. It was great food (Ham, potatoes, rolls, grandma's pretzel salad, YUM!) Oh and I forgot the amazing array of dessert options. Ida is an amazing host and cooks spectacular food. She fed us almost every night that my fam was here and I couldn't thank her enough. We all had fun going on a Hike, swimming, visiting, and yard selling Sat morning. We can't wait til they come see us again (and our finished backyard:)

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4 months old!

2010-04-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

Addison is such a delight. She was 16 weeks on March 24 and at her 4 month check up she weighed: 14 lbs. 2 oz. (51%) and
height: 25.6 in. (85%)
Doctor said to start feeding her rice cereal (which she loves!) since her weight is curving down on the charts and then at six months we should start veggies because right now the breastmilk is what she needs the most of. Doc says that her daddy is going to have to keep a good eye on her cuz she so darn cute. He asked if he could take her home since he has no daughters. He loves to pinch her chubby cheeks and so do I.

She loves to ride like a big girl in the stroller when we go on walks to the park. She is sitting up pretty well but occasionally falls over.

Loving her first food. She insisted on holding her own spoon towards the end. This girl knows what she wants:)

Sitting in the jumperoo. The manual says for 5 months+ but she holds herself up so well that I decided to give it a try. She LOVES it!!! She was a little short so I put one of Adam's textbooks under her feet but I am not kidding you that 2 or 3 days later I was able to remove the book and then a week after that I had to move the whole thing up a notch. She grew that fast!?! (p.s. I did a lot of research to find a good jumper and this one had awesome reviews. I must agree that this thing rocks and I got it for an amazing deal on Craigslist.)

She resembles so much of her daddy, don't ya think? Addison loves to grab her feet and play with them and eat them. Makes for an easy diaper change:) She also focuses real close on her fingers and sometimes even goes cross-eyed.

Sitting on the couch before bath. She loves to be independent...yikes. And look at that drool; she has recently started teething and I have to change her shirts like 4 times a day. She can't bring her feet to her mouth all that well while sitting up so she's gonna bring her mouth to her feet.

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this girl. It is so amazing to see the differences in the personalities she and Diesl have but yet we love them both the same and even more each day.

Adam turns 26!

2010-03-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Adam's birthday was fun except that he had school all morning that involved a big presentation and he had to go to work. I made him his favorite, french toast, for breakfast and then he was off.
When he got home, we went and picked up food from Durango's (which we think is better than Bajio or Cafe Rio.) He opened his gifts and ate ice cream cake.
We hope he had a great birthday and we want him to know that we LOVE him very very much!
LoVe,
Trey, Diesl, & Addison

San Diego!

2010-03-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Adam's brother Brian and his wife Holly invited us to go to San Diego with them over their Spring break. Adam's Spring break was the week before so we could only go for a few days if we went. Things worked out with Adam's school and work so we planned the trip for March 16, 17, 18. Brian, Holly, and Blake showed up Fri. 12 that night. Sat. morning we went yard selling. Later, we went to Tai Pan (which it was so windy by then, the doors of Tai Pan broke) and then had pizza that night, played Ticket to Ride and sang Happy Birthday to Brian and ate Monkey Bread...YUM. After we all went to Sacrament meeting Sunday, Brian and Holly left for Cali.
We left for Cali. Tues. 16 afternoon and arrived sometime between 8 or 9 pm. Addison screamed the last 1/2 hr. of driving and that is it but it was a rough 1/2 hr. Brian and Holly got a great deal on the hotel stay which was awesome! Thanks again.
Wed. we went to Sea World and had a blast. After, we ate at In 'N Out (which is way better then the one here for some reason.)
Thurs. morning we headed to the San Diego Temple to do some sealings and watch each others kids. Adam and I went to go first but had some troubles with our recommends. We had just got them renewed but had no time to meet with our stake pres. before this trip so our Bishop told us to show them our old one too and that should work for now. Well, it didn't and they could not get a hold of our bishop on the phone. I will admit that I was pretty darn upset. But at least we got to enjoy the beautiful Temple grounds and spend time with Blake (Holly and Brian's son.) Later we went to La Jolla beach. I had never been to a Cali. beach before. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I wasn't so upset about not being able to go in the Temple and it was also a bit cold and really windy. That didn't stop Adam and Diesl from jumping right in. We headed home that afternoon and made safe and sound at 1 am:)

All in all it was a GREAT trip and we are so glad we went and got to spend some quality time with the Penrose's and have loads of FUN at the same time.

Potty Trained...................YES!

2010-03-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Diesl is officially potty trained!!!

I had made previous attempts since he was two and it just wasn't happening. He would go for a day and then refuse the next. I had heard that kids can sometimes regress when a new baby comes home so I decided to wait until after Addison was born. Well, am I ever glad I did.
He was showing signs of readiness by going potty before baths and every time he'd wet in his diaper, he would stop and look down at himself (like he knew he just went pee.)
On the morning of Feb. 24 we took him in to the bathroom and told him that he is going to wear big boy underwear now and he can't poop or pee on Lightning McQueen cuz he'll be sad. Needless to say, the first two days were filled with multiple changing of underwear. I felt like popping a diaper back on the kid but everyone said "Don't do it!"
Well after one week I must say that he is OFFICIALLY trained. He has not woke up from a nap wet at all and only 2 times has he woke up from a long nights sleep wet.
I am so glad I waited until he was ready. It turned out to be such a smooth process. For REAL!

2 FUNNY things said by the little man during training:
1. He was playing in our room when all of the sudden I could see his start to pee. He looked down, sincerely and apologetically said, "Mom, it spilled." ('It' meaning his you know what)
2. The first few days I had to schedule his potty breaks to get him used to going. He got so sick of it after a while. He sat on the toilet and looked up at me and said, "I can't mom, it's broken."

I love my Diesl!

Tender moments with my sweet son!

2010-03-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

So I have been writing down all of the cute things Diesl has said to Addison and said to me about Addison. He is so sweet! Here is a list of these tender moments with Diesl:
1. I was at my grandma's house and Adam needed to be picked up from work so she offered to watch Addison while Diesl and I went to get him. When I started backing out of the driveway he says, in a very concerned voice, "Where's baby?"
I told him, "We're coming back after we pick up daddy."
Still a little concerned but more relieved, he says, "Oooooooookay."
Upon returning to my grandma's house, I set Addison in her carseat and continued to do some other things. Diesl took it upon himself to begin buckling her up. He said, "Come on baby, let's go!"
2. Every time Diesl wants to hold Addison he says in a demanding voice, "Let me hold 'It'!" (since then, we've been working really hard on recognizing the difference between boy/girl, he/she, and his/hers.)
3. Sometimes when Diesl is holding Addison he says softly and sweet, "I love you baby (or sister)!" then he gives her a kiss on the head and says, "You're a good 'BOY'!"
4. Diesl's phrases when Addison is sad:
*What's wrong, baby?"
*It's okay, baby!"
Then he turns to Adam or I and says, "She's sad."
5. When Addison is in her swing, Diesl will go and push her in it and talk to her. She just smiles. I can't wait for the day when he makes her laugh (I hope it's soon!)

Diesl amazes me each day. I learn so much from this boy. I wish I could be so loving, forgiving, and kind as he is. Don't get me wrong, he is 2 and we all know what comes with being 2 but I do love him so much.

When Addison I having tummy time, Diesl drops whatever he's doing and comes and plays with us.

Diesl likes to take Addison around on horsey rides. This is what he loves Adam and I to do for him too.

12 weeks!

2010-02-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

Addison is 12 weeks old and cute as ever. She loves to squeal with delight when we play with her, she plays with her hands a lot and chews and sucks on them (even when she's not hungry.) She likes to play with her toys and even tries to grab and grip them. Addison loves tummy time (which is awesome cuz Diesl hated it!) She's very active and likes to sit upright and watch what's going on around her. She sleeps through the night about 7-8 hrs. and still takes 3-4 good naps a day. And the most amazing thing she's done recently is......

ROLLING OVER! YAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!

Tummy time

Blessing Day!

2010-02-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

Addison Jeanne Penrose

Was given a name and blessing by her daddy...

On February 14, 2010

Addison was an angel on her blessing day. Adam gave the most beautiful blessing and thanks to S.I.L. Holly we got every bit of it on paper (thanks Holly!) I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man who honors his priesthood and gets to give such special blessings to our children. I love him.

And thank you to those in the circle (we're missing ad's brother jake in the pic.)

And a BIG thank you to family who were there to support us especially those who traveled long distance. We Love You All!

What a great way to celebrate Valentine's day.

Valentine's Weekend Up North!

2010-02-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

We went to Artic Circle in Preston and ate lunch on Sat. 13th with Sholly's family and my mom and the kids. They had a fun little play area that Diesl really enjoyed. He loved seeing his cousins, Riley and Ashlyn and also his aunt Marquesas. (p.s. I think I like Artic circle; the halibut isn't half bad and they gave out little icecream cones at the end of our meal for FREE! Now that's what I'm talkin about)

After lunch, we all headed over to Sholly's to let Diesl play in the snow with the kids. He had a BLAST! This was the first time he's gone sledding and played in snow. He was in heaven. Steve pulled them around with the 4-wheeler; so fun. Adam buried Riley in the snow and I think he actually liked it. BRRRR!!! for me. I came inside after a while and got some shots of Addison and her CuTe cousin Emma. They are 1 month apart (by the size of Emma, you would never guess it. What a chunk! :)

At my mom's house, Addison grabbed onto this balloon on her own and just held it for a while. She was quite entertained.

This is Diesl's Valentine's Day card for friend's and family this year. I just took a pic of him with his arm out and then cut little slits and then stuck a sucker in there.

Addison 8 weeks!

2010-01-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

8 WEEKS

Weight: 11 lb. 5.5 oz. (64th Percentile)

Length: 23.5 in. (90th Percentile)

Addison is such a wonderful baby. She hardly ever cries and when she does, it's not very loud. At two weeks old she started sleeping 4-5 hrs. in the night. I was a little freaked out that I always had to wake her up. Doc. says nothing to be worried about; I am just LUCKY! Addison doesn't love to eat like Diesl did (he was every 2-3 hrs. all day and night.) She can go anywhere from 3-4 hrs. without eating. She's gaining right amount of weight so I am not worried; just a little sad cuz I love chunky babies (like Diesl was.) She now sleeps about 5-6 hrs. at night and that's fine by me.

Addison loves to coo, sing, and smile like crazy. Most of all, she loves to watch every move her big brother makes.

We love this girl to pieces. I am so lucky!

Randomness!

2010-01-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

My brother Brian and his family came and stayed overnight on their way to Disneyland January 16th. It was really nice to see them. It had been a while. Prego Robin looked great; doesn't hardly even show ( I am jealous!)

The boys had fun taking a drink all at the same time. Pizza and soda...a wonderful combination.

Diesl loved his ringpop from grandma Penrose. Check out those messy hands. Note to self: Set Diesl outside with one next time to save myself from a sticky nightmare.

Sadly, my son is quite interested in decorating himself with his sister's bows. Should I be concerned?

Adam decide to tackle the garage since we haven't been able to park in there since we bought the place (almost one year ago.) We bought some storage shelves from Lowe's and now we can finally park in there. I have a HUGE pile of stuff for a yard sale I am having and with it Adam created this great tee-pee for Diesl out of Bamboo sticks and curtains. Entertainment for hours...YES!

The Tuesday after my brother came down, Diesl burnt his hand.....on the cooktop! YIKES. He was helping me make some mac 'n cheese and when I went to drain the noodles he saw that the burner was a firery red color, got mesmerized like a moth to light, and then came the sizzle. Immediately I put his hand in the sink with cold water. I didn't think it was too bad but took him to the Doc. I felt so bad for him. I have never heard him cry so hard and not only did he burn his hand, we also found out that he had a double ear infection. I felt like someone should've stamped "BAD MOM" right on my forehead. We had to wrap his hand twice a day until it healed. Guaranteed he'll never do that again.

Diesl fights to take naps sometimes and this is how I found him asleep once...sitting up.

Enjoying tummy time! How sweet.

Diesl having fun shavin' that peach fuzz with his dad. He loves to do EVERYTHING Adam does. (p.s. it's just a toy razor)

MMMMM.....Gotta love those cheeks. Addison at 10 weeks. She's going to have beautiful blue eyes. Love her to pieces!

Princess Addison:)

2010-01-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

5 weeks

This is the very first pic we ever got of her smiling!

She always has to have one arm out of the blanket when she's bundled or she get really upset.

Can you see the small dimple in her right cheek.

I'm glad I got this shot even though it's fuzzy. It's so hard to take a pic while holding her at the same time. She usually smiles with her eyes squinted, mouth wide open, and tongue sticking out.

6 weeks

Getting ready for bathtime. Big smiles!

First time in the big tub. Her legs are starting to chunk up a bit. LOVE IT!

7 weeks

Getting so big. Isn't she adorable?

He loves her so much and that makes me incredibly HAPPY! p.s. her cute outfit from Aunt Erin says "I love HUGS!"

Christmas '09

2009-12-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2 Weeks!

2009-12-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

At Addison's 1st Doc appointment after being born she weighed 7lbs. 7oz. and the Doc. said he likes to see babies back at their birthweight by 2 weeks. (She was born at 7lbs. 12oz. so I thought for sure she could gain 5oz. in a week.)

RESULTS

12/8/09

Weight: 8lbs. 2oz. She gained 11oz. in 1 week.

Height: She grew 1/2in. since she was born. Now at 20.5in. long

Everytime I take pics of Addison, Diesl comes running up to me wanting me to take his picture too (which is so not like him.) But he always pulls these silly faces while saying "smile" over and over and over again. Man I love this kid. He cracks me up.

Lately I've been catching Diesl reading to Addison. I just LOVE it! He gets embarrassed when I come to get a picture but I just love what a good brother he is. Addison sure is lucky to have him as a brother.

I could never explain the amount of love I feel for these two blessings in my life.

Visitors

2009-12-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

My mom and little sis came down for a week. Marquesas was a lifesaver cuz Diesl needed someone to play with. We went to the park, played in the leaves (which ALL fell in one day), and played games. It was nice to have them here. I am grateful for all they did to help us out.

One week old!

2009-12-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

We just can't get enough of our little girl. She is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time during the day. Can't quite figure out who she looks like yet, can you?

Our Princess has Arrived!

2009-11-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

The hospital called me at 7:30 am and said come on in. After eating breakfast and loading everything up, we left for the hosital and got there at 8 am. It was a beautiful morning and I look ready as ever to have a baby.

I decided to go el natural with this one and was doing great. I could handle the pain and was really excited. I just wasn't dialating like they wanted me to. The nurse told me at 5:30 pm that I was a good 6 cm almost 7 cm dialated and I was really frustrated but she encouraged me to keep going the natural route. The Doctor showed up at 6:15 to check on me and said that I was only dialated to a 5. URGGHHHH! I right then and there decided to have him break my water and get this baby out. I guess I had so much amniotic fluid and that is why I was not progressing very fast. Around 7 pm I opted for an epidural so that my body could relax and do its thing. The nurse checked me at 7:45 pm and said I was ready to push. I had dialted 4-5 cm in 45 min. The doctor got there at 8:07 pm, had me start pushing and 8:09 and she came at 8:11pm. 2 Pushes and 2 Minutes and she was here. I have since decided that a quick delivery is way better than saying I did it 'Naturally'.

Addison Jeanne Penrose

Born: November 24, 2009

8:11 pm

Weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 in. Long

Our little angel!

Let's go home!

I stayed overnight in the hospital by myself so that Adam could be home with Diesl. It was actually a really good night for me and the baby. I am glad Adam didn't have to sleep on the uncomfortable guest bed. We left around 4:45 pm to come home on the 25th. I wasn't even in the hospital for a full day but I couldn't take the uncomfortable hospital bed any longer and I couldn't wait to see Diesl. My wonderful grandma watched Diesl for us and I am ever so grateful that.

Adam's parents showed up the night we got home. They stayed for the holiday weekend and helped out SOOOO Much. We got spoiled with a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and they really helped out by doing lots of fun things with Diesl. We sure love them and appreciate ALL that they did.

This is Addison's first bath at home. She does NOT like to be cold. She enjoyed looking at herself in the mirror. It was cute. I love watching Adam with his baby girl. He is so tender and sweet. I think she's already got him wrapped around her finger.

Daddy/Daugther Nap time. So Sweet!

Diesl's first time holding Addison. He was so excited! He loves to watch her face and her expressions. He has been such a good boy. I feel truley blessed. He loves his baby sister and I can't wait to watch them grow together.

Oh how we LOVE our sweet baby Addison!

Thanks for everyone's love and support they show to us.

37 Weeks!

2009-11-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today's appointment went great again, thankfully! I am still gaining normal weight. Doc says that if he were a woman, he would want a pregnancy just like mine. (I wonder how many women he's said that to.)
The baby's heartbeat is still perfect and I now measure big, AGAIN! So it's still looking like she'll be big. I guess we'll see.
I am 2 cm dialated and 65% effaced and her head is down. Not too much progress but I didn't start dialating until 28 weeks with Diesl so I am fine with where I am at.

Well it's Official. I have scheduled with Labor and Delivery to be induced on November 24, 2009. (That is if she doesn't come on her own before then, which I am 99% sure she won't.) I wasn't sure that I wanted to be induced this time around but Doc says my body is ready and the baby seems to be also.
THAT'S ONLY 12 DAYS AWAY! AAAAHHHH! I AM FREAKING OUT NOW!!!

36 weeks!

2009-11-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

I had my 36 week check-up today and everything was GREAT! (except for the fact that I was only dialated to a "1" and 50% effaced.)
Her heartbeat is solid; says she's a happy baby. My abdomen now measures right on target so maybe she wont be so large after all. I am gaining the right amount of weight which is awesome because I gained more than I should've with Diesl.
I am just getting more and more anxious to see our little girl and see if she is going to look like her big brother.
We've got a big boy bed on order for Diesl, just moved his carseat behind the driver's seat so the baby's will fit, and pretty much have everything crossed off my list to buy. (Adam says there's always something more I need to buy; which is probably true, unfortunately.)
Now we WAIT...........and WAIT..............and WAIT.......
Doc says I can still choose to be induced a week early or wait it out but I am pretty sure she will come late like Diesl if I do so November 24th may be the date, we'll see.

hAlLoWeEn FuN!

2009-11-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

TRUNK or TREAT!

On Friday our ward did their annual trunk-or-treat as well as a chili cook-off. This was the first trunk-or-treat I have ever been to and it was interesting; actually, let's say not well organized.

First off, I must tell you that I have come to realize that Diesl is not the type of kid that you can wake up from his nap and tell him all the fun things he's about to take part in, and expect him to be excited. He's complete opposite. He did not want to go. He kept telling me he was tired but I had to be on time because I was bringing chili. My grandma came over and helped me make her famous, yummy, and wonderful chili while Diesl was SUPPOSED to be napping. He climbed out of his be 4 times before finally falling asleep 1 hr. after he normally does. Talk about stress!

So, the first pic you see of Pirate Diesl is a very serious one. No kid could ever pull a good pirate face like that if you asked him to. He was not a happy pirate at first.

Then after some good chili and corn bread, he began to perk up. He gets along so well with his little girl friend from nursery, Bella. It is so cute to hear their conversations sometimes. One week at church, Bella was wearing a new dress with polka dots. She said to Diesl, "Look at my pretty dress" Diesl walked up real close and pointed at the dress saying "Cool, circles!"

CARVING PUMPKINS!

Friday night Adam and I began carving pumpkins after putting Diesl to bed. We wanted him to be able to do it with us but it was after 10 pm when we got started. We didn't get to bed until 1 am. It was all worth it. Adam and I got to spend some time alone together and we got to do what we love to do every year for Halloween, carve pumpkins. Mine is on the left and Adams is on the right. He is awesome at tiny detailed work and always does an amazing job.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT!

On Halloween day it was beautiful weather so we spent a lot of time outside. Adam worked in the morning and then that night we went to my grandma's house to have more chili and watch the Utes play football. Diesl was so moody that we decided not to take him around the neigborhood trick-or-treating. He had enough candy anyways from the night before.

GOOD TIMES!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!!

2009-10-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2006

This day, I married my best friend.

For our anniversary we decided to do dinner and a movie since my wonderful grandma offered to watch Diesl. Right before leaving to go eat Adam told me that I would need to dress warmer. I kept thinking why are you telling a pregnant woman with a portable heater attached to her, to dress warm for a movie? Well, Adam surprised me by taking me to Tuacahn and seeing "Thriller." I have been wanting to see it for a while so I was WAY excited! It was amazing. Anyone who is down here next year at Halloween time will definitely be coming with us. It was a little chilly but with the help of hot chocolate, my portable heater, and my handsome husband, I survived.

Thanks for 3 great years of marriage Adam. I sure love you and am grateful for all that you do. You're amazing!

35 Weeks

2009-10-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

These pics are horrible, I know. I don't like the way I look at this point of pregnancy but oh well. I did this to show you how I am carrying this baby different than with Diesl. I am carrying way low and clear out there this time (bottom pic). With Diesl I carried high and gained weight everywhere (top pic). I feel a lot more pain in my hips than I did with Diesl.

p.s. please don't mind my messy office and remember that doctors don't recommend boating at 35 weeks.

Going to school with dad!????

2009-10-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Diesl LOVES his dad and loves every minute he gets to spend with him. On this particular morning, Diesl decided he was going to school too. As Adam was getting ready, Diesl climbed into his bookbag and wouldn't budge. He was so upset when his dad took him out and left without him. Poor little guy. I am just not as fun as his dad unfortunately.

Baby Update

2009-10-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

This is for weeks 32 and 34. Everything continues to go smooth at the doctors office. I am gaining the right amount of weight and she is still measuring 2 cm big. Doc says that I am his "Star Pupil" (where's my gold star?) My blood pressure is not going up like it did when I was prego with Diesl at this point, it's still really low: 92/48. And of course, I am HUGE as ever. Why do I make big babies? It's so exhausting!

GOOD NEWS!!!

2009-10-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Late lastnight Adam checked his email and guess what?

He's been accepted into the Nursing program!!!

YAY-WHOO!!!

I think I almost shook him to death out of excitement. He is way excited but really nervous. It is going to be hard work but I know he can do it. So it looks like we'll be in Saint George for 3 or 4 more years and then we'll go where ever he gets accepted into an Anesthestist program. I am so proud of him.

GOOD LUCK AD!!!

Family and Conference Weekend

2009-10-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

My family came down over the weekend to bring stuff down for my grandma and because it was UEA up there. They got here Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday. Diesl had a blast playing with his aunts and uncle.

Satuday morning we got up early and headed to Zions National Park. Clarissa, Tyler, and Marquesas had never been before and my parents hadn't been in a long time. Adam and I hadn't been up for a couple of years so we were excited.

Waiting for the shuttle to take us up to the park. It was a little chilly but a perfect day for hiking.

Riding the shuttle in Zions to our first hike, "Emerald Pools."

On our way to the pools, we saw some deer. They were maybe 6 ft. off the trail (obviously used to human folk.) They looked kinda sickly.

Stopping along the way to take some pics of the beautiful red rock cliffs.

First Stop: Lower "Emerald Pool" There is a waterfall that comes from the Middle Pool and falls into the Lower one.

On our way up to the Middle Pool.

Taking a breather on our way down from the Middle Pool

Another shot in front of the red rock

After eating lunch at Zion's lodge, we headed to our last stop, "Weeping Rock." We decided to ride the bus the rest of the way up the Canyon just to look at the beautiful scenery. We saw rock climbers on this HUGE straight up and down cliff and people on Angel's Landing (SCARY!) Diesl fell asleep on the bus. We were all pretty much exhausted. People were looking at me like what in the heck are you doing here. It was quite humerous.

On Saturday night, while the men were at Priesthood session, the girls (and Diesl) went to Ladies Night at the Boulevard where Adam works. They had a whole bunch of booths set up so you could sample things and also buy things. There was a photography company taking pics for free so we got this silly picture. We had fun getting jewelery and hair accessories. We ate dinner and then stayed to see if we won any of the big prizes. Of course, we didn't but oh well.

Later that night when the guys got back, we ate skookies and relaxed. It was A LOT of walking for one day.

Sunday, after the first session of Conference, my family headed home. We took them to feed the ducks on their way out. It was super windy but fun.

During the second session of Conference, I went in to check on Diesl during his nap. This is SERIOUSLY how I found him. OUCH! He woke up with a bloody nose. Hmmmmm...I wonder why?

Swiss Days

2009-09-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual Santa Clara Swiss days parade. My friend Lisa (I babysit her son Daniel) asked if we wanted to come and sit by them at the parade. We hadn't taken Diesl to any parades this year so we decided to go.

Diesl with his hand over his heart as the Flag goes by. It was too cute! And a profile shot of my HUGE 30 week belly.

Getting candy with mom.

Diesl loves tractors! He was just staring at it forever. He also loves motorcycles and they were right behing the tractor.

Diesl taking candy from the mascot. He definitely would not go any closer than and arms length to get his candy.

He could not stop grinning and giggling as these dancing girls went by.

Waiting with dad for more of the good stuff, CANDY!!!

A funfilled day together as a family:)

Baby Update!

2009-09-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today I am exactly 30 weeks along and feeling huge as ever. Doctors appointment went great! I only measure 2 cm. big now. Doc says that my amniotic fluid level is slowly going down.

Scenerio of my 30 week appointment:

Me: I am sitting on the exam table waiting forever for the doc (like always) wondering how big I am going to measure.

Doc walks in and says "Hi Trucina" (I spelled my name wrong on purpose cuz that's how he pronounces it every time). He sits down, looks at me and continues to say "WOW! You look like you're full term."

Me: (Thinking) Well there goes every bit of self-esteem I had left (which wasn't much to begin with cuz I already know that I am HUGE!)

He then proceeds to talk about my ultrasound and how she has been measuring big. He says, "Oh yeah, I remember now, she has a big head. That's right."

Me: (Thinking) you are a mean doc

He says, "Well, I am still planning on starting you a week early because she's going to be a big baby and because SHE HAS A BIG HEAD!" ha, ha, ha.

Me: (Thinking) Oooooh I am so ready to be done being pregnant but stop talking about my baby's head like it's some funny joke.

So I am pretty sure that he mentioned her big head like 4 or 5 times. I might just slap him if he talks like that again next time. I'll keep ya posted

Baby Update!

2009-09-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well ultrasound #2 turned out better than I expected. I tend to think about all of the horrible things that could be wrong but we are happy to say that she is doing great! I have been measuring really big and the doc said it could be 1 of 3 things:
1. I could have alot of amniotic fluid (which doc says there is no explanation for)
2. The baby could be sitting high
3. The baby is just plain BIG
The outcome:
Normal amniotic fluid level is 10-20?(some form of measurement, I don't exactly know) and I have 19.5. So my fluid level is on the higher end of normal but still, normal.
Her head measured: 3 weeks big
Her stomach measured: 2 weeks big
Her Femur measured: 1 week big
They take an average of the measurements and she measures 1 1/2 weeks big which they said it perfectly fine. The x-ray tech said that babies go through sparatic growth spurts. One week the legs can grow, the next week, the head.

All in all the conclusion is: She has a slightly large head (which she gets from her dad) and she is just going to be a CHUNKY MONKEY baby. Doc says he is going to be starting me one week early as of right now.

P.S. the ultasound showed that she has hair. YAY!!! Diesl was bald so I am way excited.

Quick Trip!

2009-09-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Diesl and I drove up on the 11th spend a couple days with my fam. Diesl LOVES playing with his aunt Marquesas! We went to a fundraiser Carnival that night for a little girl in their ward who has leukemia. Diesl had fun on the bounce house, riding on a train, doing the ring toss, getting his face painted, and playing with his cousin Ashlyn.

You can't go to Grandpa and Grandma's without a tractor ride. He loves it!

Watching a movie in the clubhouse:)

Diesl and I right before heading back home. It's like he's thinking "Stop mom, you're embarrassing me!" He better not start that yet (or ever)

Baby Update!

2009-09-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

I am 28 weeks along and this appointment everything was great again! I only gained 2 pounds in 4 weeks and her heartbeat was perfect. The doc measured me again and of course I measured HUGE! I am suppose to measure 27-28 cm and I measured a whopping 32-33cm. He told me that for my size, I look like I should be 34 weeks along. OUCH!!! That hurt. Doc had me schedule an ultrasound just to make sure everything is okay and to see if I just have a big baby. I feel everything is okay but am a little nervous. I will keep you posted. The ultrasound is on the 16th.

Random Pictures

2009-09-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

We like to go on walks at the Red Hills Slides (a fav. camping area) cause it is a bit cooler there. This time we came Diesl wanted to climb on the red rocks and found a perfect little cubby hole.

One Sunday I made a Roast and as I was bringing it to the table I was warning Diesl not to touch the crockpot cause it was hot. I set the hot pads aside and he grabbed them and told us his drink was hot. Funny lil guy!

Diesl and his olive manicure. Now you see 'em..................

Now you don't!

Adam bought Diesl this bubble machine and he loved it, especially when Adam put it up on our planter shelf. They were everywhere.

Baby Update!

2009-08-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today I had a normal every 4 week check-up. Everything is going great! I'm 24 weeks along and I'm not gaining too much weight and her heartbeat is perfect. For those of you who know the routine of these appointments, you know that the doc measures the size of your uterus with a tape measure to make sure the baby is the appropriate size. This time I was suppose to measure 23-24 cm. The doc starts a measurin' and then his eyes get huge. I measured 27-28 cm. So pretty much, SHE's a GIANT little girl. He's not concerned except that he's told me that he will be starting me a week early. Let's see how the next appointment goes. Maybe it was just a growth spurt.

Summer Fun!

2009-08-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

We decided to take one last trip up north before having the baby and it sure was fun! We drove up Wednesday night (Aug 5th) and stayed with Adam's parents at Snowbird ski resort. The hotel was amazing; some of the most beautiful views. It is always so hard to imagine snow all over the place at ski resorts in the summer time. There was a river that you could hear anytime and the weather was perfect. The next day we rode the aerial tram up to the 11,000 ft. summit of Hidden Peak. Can I just say WOW! Then Diesl played in a bounce house for a while before doing the Alpine Slide with his dad. He loved it (and of course threw a fit getting off.) I would suggest even going up for a day if anyone gets bored during summer time. There was a mechanical bull, zip lining, rock climbing, bungy trampoline, hiking, and much more. Anyways, we wish we could've stayed longer but Adam had an eye appointment we had to get to in Logan.

Diesl didn't want to get his picture taken on the peak. He got tired of us trying so this is what he did:)

After Adam's eye appointment we headed up to the annual Bear Lake condos to spend a few days with my family, both immediate and extended. I have been going up there since as long as I can remember and it never gets old.

Diesl painting a ceramic car with his aunt Marquesas. He mostly had fun mixing all the colors on the plate together with his paintbrush. The resort has lots of fun craft things for kids.

Diesl doing a few pull-ups and his FAVORITE thing to do, SwInG!

Walking with my brother and sisters to the beach. Just a little too chilly for me to touch that water. Diesl could've dove right in if Adam wasn't with him.

Despite the cold, we decided to head to the beach once again and build a sand castle. It ended up being way fun for everyone.

Fun in the hot tub after a cold night on the beach. Someone put bubbles in the jets and they went crazy. These are pics of when the bubbles died down a bit.

And of course, you can't be in Bear Lake without some nintendo device. This year, the WII.

On Sunday, we drove back to Smithfield to Adam's parents house. We later went and saw my sister and her kids for a little while. Diesl had fun playing with his cousins and seeing their animals.

All fun came to an end as we headed back to Saint George monday morning.

Half way there!

2009-07-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

Man it is so nice to say that I am done with my first half of being pregnant. Unfortunately the second half is what takes FOREEEVVVEEEERRRR! Walking around St. George in 110 degree weather with a heat pack attached to my stomach is not working very well for me right now. I will endure to the end cuz I can't wait to see my little gIrL.

We Cannot Wait To See Everyone Again. We Had A Blast!!!

2009-07-09T10:28:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We're Seeing Pink!!!

2009-07-08T10:01:00.001-07:00

Well to all of those who don't know, we're having a baby! Yes, I know it's a little late to annouce but we just told our family over Fourth of July weekend. We wanted to know what we were having before telling anyone. We couldn't be more thrilled to know that we are having a baby GIRL!!! Everything is going great; she's healthy and moving like crazy. The ultrasound pics didn't turn out well because she was facing my back so sorry (she looks kinda like an alien). The 2nd pic is her little feet.

2009-06-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

Clarissa, my lil sis, sent me this link in an email. If any of you have heard the song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, which I am sure the majority of you have, then you need to watch this music video. John Schmidt does and AMAZING piano cello piece of that song. John Schmidt also has lots of other amazing pieces that rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3d6SFcDys

It's Been A Looooooooooooooonnnnggg Time!!!

2009-06-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well Life has been extra crazy for us lately and I am sure most of you know why, but if not, I will give you a short summary. Adam and I became official homeowners on March 18, 2009 (SCARY!!!) The house had been vacant for 7 months and needed quite a bit of overhaul. The cleaning began the day we received the keys. Adam's parents came down on the 19th and his dad fixed our sprinkler system (& also got spooked by some black widows and roaches. eek!) Adam's mom helped so much by cleaning, watching Diesl, and doing a little shopping with me. We appreciate all that they did for us and so much more. And the most crazy part is that the day we were suppose to move-in, March 29, I stepped (literally) into my worst nightmare, AN INCH OF WATER- E V E R Y W H E R E!!! I rushed to the sound of a Yellowstone geyser. The Toilet! After shutting the valve off, the only other thing I could think to do was pick as much as I could off the floor; like a laptop, boxes of kitchen stuff (even soaked cereal boxes.) I had no phone to call Adam, who was at our apartment loading a trailer, so I had to go to our neighbors house (who's INTERESTING) and asked to use her phone. I called Adam and picked him up, crying the whole way. My wonderful grandma and her husband Eugene came that day and helped mop up as much as we could and then offered their house as a place to stay since we needed to be out of our apartment by the 31st. What a relief to have such amazing, loving, and caring family. We stayed there until Easter weekend (almost 2 weeks) til my wonderful family came down and helped us move in (somewhat) and we got to have some fun with them.

So we're alive and well and that's how our new house story began. Things are coming along, not as fast as we would like, but we can't complain. We have been blessed to have this house and to be learning and growing together as a little family.

I will be posting before and after pics of the whole house when we're done so be patient.

*This is the first pic I have taken of the house and it happened to be on the day Adam cut down a nasty tree that was on right side of our house. So sorry. P.S. We will be landscaping eventually so I will do a before and after shot*

*So much cleaning and wonderful help from Ad's parents*

ADAM'S BIRTHDAY

*Adam had his 25th birthday on March 30th. As soon as he walked into the house, Eugene, grandma, and I shot confetti at him. It was quite fun but I don't think it startled him like I wanted it to. My grandma made her yummy poppyseed cake for him. Thanks grandma*

EASTER AND MY FAMILY

*My family came down for their spring break which was Easter weekend. They helped us out a lot by moving some things into the house from the garage. Friday afternoon, while Ad was at work, the rest of us went to Wayne and Steph's family condo and swam. Diesl had a blast jumping into the pool and splashing like crazy. He's always been my little water baby. When we got back from swimming, our house had flooded again. Same toilet, same problem except this time insurance wouldn't cover it. We had to cut out sheetrock just obove the baseboards and it was like cutting through butter, just soaked wet. My dad and brother helped out a lot. I am actually sad my family had to go through all that with us but I am so very glad and grateful for their help ( and for the help of my cousin Konae and her husband Chris, who actually discovered the flood with my little brother and sister and wet vacuumed most of it up by the time I got there. ) On Saturday, we hopped our fence and flew kites in the field behind our house. There is a middle school and an elementary school directly behind us with big open ground. Easter Sunday was fun. The kids did an egg hunt in our backyard and enjoyed their yummy treats (except for Diesl who ended up going to Instacare with his dad because he threw up in the night and then threw up in the doc's office. Come to find out, he had an ear infection. Poor kid*

KITE FESTIVAL

*On Saturday, April 18th, Diesl and I went to the "Kite Festival." (Ad was working) They do this festival every year and anyone can come and fly their kite. There's usually hundreds of kites in the sky at one time. It was hot but Diesl had a blast doing the bounce houses and blowup slides. They also had tons of other activities and games for kids of all ages. In the first video, Diesl wanted to go down the slide all by himself so I decied I would let him try. The landing was real rough; I felt bad. Adam thinks the video is hilarious so maybe you will too. The next two videos are of Diesl on a makeshift train that he LOVED. I couldn't see my camera screen very well so I didn't get Diesl very well in the 3rd video but you can hear him saying "BYE!" the whole time. I went with him a second time cuz I was tired of standing. We had fun!

MY BABY'S 2

*Diesl turned 2 on May 3rd. His birthday landed on a Sunday so we did a birthday dinner at my grandma's house. It was delicious. On Monday, we threw a Birthday party at an amazing park with a couple of Diesl's friends. It was quite windy, we couldn't light the candles. He also had his 2 year appointment that day and luckily didn't need any shots. Yay! He weighs 30 lbs. He sure is a brute. I had so much fun making his cake. Ad's mom gave me a cake kit for my birthday so I tried it out. It's reusable cupcake cups that you shape together to make what you would like. Well Diesl is a freak for cars so he enjoyed it. He loved all of his gifts and especially the ones from his grandmas and grandpas*

RANDOM PICS

*It's so fun to wake up some mornings and see hot air balloons right above our house. Diesl is so fascinated by the giant balloons. Diesl's first summer trip to the splashpad. He loves it when people splash him like crazy. Diesl in his bed for the first time in our new house. We decided to try no rails and he did good for a while except one night Ad went in there cuz he was crying and Diesl was in the middle of the room but his blankets were against a wall. He doesn't try to get out of the crib so we just put the rails back up for now*

THE JORGENSEN'S VISIT

*My sister Sholly and her family stopped by on May 11 and spent the night while on their way to Vegas. Diesl had so much fun playing with his cousins. He hardly ever gets to see them. Diesl got a pool for his birthday so we filled it up and the kids had a blast. After playing in the pool, we went to a place called Jumpn' Jaks and released some energy. This place is just chuck full of huge blow up slides and bounce houses. They had fun but it wore them out quick. We are so glad they came to visit us.

PLAYIN' IN THE DIRT/SAND

*We haven't fixed up the backyard yet so there are patches of dirt where the grass is dead. Diesl has claimed this spot as his sandbox and I guess it works for now until we can get a real one for him. He throws sand up and it get in his eyes so then he rubs his eyes with hands and makes a mess of his face. He looks so cute though. In the 2nd pic can you find my flipflops?*

*A regular day of watching Daniel. They spend a good hour playing and eat popsicles. Diesl's starting to dive head first into the upper pool. YIKES*

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

*Our good friends Deven and Kirstin came to St. George for the weekend and we all went camping. Adam, Diesl, and I camped Friday night and Saturday night but our friends camped the whole weekend and left Tuesday morning. Diesl had tons of fun chasing lizards, frogs, and mostly hanging out with Deven. He couldn't get enough of that guy. On Monday night, all of us went out to eat and then mini golfing. It was real windy but we had fun goofing around and re-putting as many times as we wanted. Diesl enjoyed golfing with his dad.

2009-06-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

FYI: I POSTED A HILARIOUS CLIP FROM "THE OFFICE" AT THE BOTTOM OF MY BLOG. IT'S PRETTY FUN. p.s. sorry about the language in some parts. it does bleep it out but still; sorry

Fun at Home Depot?!?

2009-03-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Lisa (I babysit her son Daniel) asked if Diesl and I wanted to go to Home Depot on Saturday and do a fun project. Diesl enjoyed helping hammer nails; Unfortunately, he like to hammer many other things too. So after thinking maybe this wasn't such a good idea, it got worse. Lisa and I both hammered together some pieces backward and had to tear it apart and fix it. Aside from all of this it ended up being really fun and we look forward to going again next month (I will make sure Adam comes though.) Diesl wore his apron for the majority of the day. Doesn't he look so dang cute? The final product was this racecar track. Just lift the little piece of wood and away they go.

Days of Our Lives

2009-02-27T10:12:00.000-08:00

Diesl coloring with markers. After noticing all of his crayons had the tops nawed off, I decided to try something different. The good thing about crayons was that they didn't show up on skin. Oh well! The box of markers says washable but in reality they're washable AFTER 2 DAYS!!! He looked so cute anyways.

Diesl loves to paint. This time he actually kept it mostly on the paper. He's getting so big. Crazy how fast he's learning and doing new things.

Diesl and Daniel eating doughnuts. I make them eat crumbly stuff out on the deck otherwise I have to vacuum 10 times a day. Luckily it's been beautiful weather lately.

Yesterday I took the boys up to a pond above our house to feed the ducks. They look like 2 little old men relaxing, don't they? Diesl enjoyed chasing the ducks like crazy. I brought bread for the ducks but I think the boys were sneaking in bites behind my back. And the evidence proves so on Diesl's face.

FAMILY PICS 2009

2009-02-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

2009-02-14T20:16:00.001-08:00

Today was a fun day full of love, yummy treats, & spending time with family. We visited grandma & grandpa Stucki & then went to the Pizza Factory to eat as a family.
(F.Y.I. while looking at smilebox postcard, click on the little pics to see it in the large square.)
(P.S. It makes some nice LOVELY music, so turn up the volume:)

Make a Smilebox postcard

More Random Pics

2009-02-05T13:35:00.001-08:00

Diesl and Daniel are buds so I thought I would take some snapshots of them. They are so silly and so much fun (the majority of the time; we all have our moments.)

Crazy Kids!!!

Random Pics

2009-02-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Diesl likes to open the oven drawer and play until he can't get out so then he gives me this face. The boy I tend, Daniel, had a b-day party last weekend so Diesl and him were outside playing when we heard a door shut. I went out and saw Daniel but not Diesl. All of the sudden Diesl pokes his head through the doggy door with a giant grin. Come to find out though, Daniel had shut him in the garage and this was his only way out. He was fine until his big belly got stuck and then he got embarrassed and wouldn't look at the camera. Diesl goes straight to his toys when he wakes up. I think I have an "evil kanevil" on my hands.

Diesl and his Daddy grilln' burgers together.

While I was cleaning up after lunch today, Diesl and Daniel decided to raid my pen cup and write all over their hands. I think they new they did something wrong cuz they did not want to smile AT ALL!!!

Catching up!

2009-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

Diesl and his ring-pop reading a book. Check out those disasterous fingers. Almost every page was stuck together.

He fought and fought to stay awake but ended up falling asleep...like this.

Everyone having fun with Addison's tummy time.

This kid wants to do everything his dad does. p.s. he prefers to use the real cream, not the kid foam stuff.

We (I mean Adam) finally cleaned up the garage enough to park and get some stuff off the ground. I have a huge pile of stuff I am storing to do a garage sale this spring. With a couple of curtains and bamboo sticks......Bada bing, bada boom...A TEE PEE

Addison's things are starting to appeal to him more than his own stuff. Should I be worried?

23 Already?

2009-01-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

One year older and wiser too; Happy Birthday.....to ME!!! Well I may be older but I can't exactly say that I am any wiser. I will have to work on that. My birthday was on Saturday (3rd) and my grandma and Eugene invited us over for dinner. It is always nice to spend time with them so that just made my birthday extra special. Adam had to work that morning so we headed over after he got home. I honestly wasn't expecting a cake because Adam had been gone all day so it was a big surprise when he pulled a cake out of the cupboard and my grandma's (I guess he dropped it by on his way home from work so that I wouldn't know.) For my birthday, Adam got me a gift certificate to get my teeth professionally whitened. Hmmmmm......was he trying to tell me something??? J/K. I have wanted to get this done for a long time so I am way excited. Thanks for everyone's birthday wishes!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas at the Penrose casa was a blast. Christmas Eve we heard the story behind the Candycane and then read in the scriptures of Christ's birth. We enjoyed spending time with Adam's parents and Brian and Holly (Adam's brother and his wife.) It was so much fun watching Diesl open presents on Christmas morning. He would open one present and not want to open any others because he wasn't finished playing with the first one. Thanks to Sid and Kevan for the wonderful gifts to each of us.

Diesl was excited about the plethora of gifts and his new bike, but then quickly got embarrassed. Silly little dude!

Later on Christmas day, we drove up to see my side of the family. Diesl once again got spoiled with fun gifts. My parents gave Adam and I a headstart on our food storage, along with a recipe book. We sure needed and appreciate that. My family received what seems to be "the gift of the season", a Wii. We had so much fun playing; it seriously was a workout. Here Adam is playing tennis against my little brother Tyler. Nice backhand Ad:)

As many of you know, it snow all of Christmas day and into the night. This is what we woke up to. I must say, it was a spectacular sight. Adam, his dad, and his brother shoveled for about 3 - 4 hrs. to clear it all up. On Saturday, Adam's brother Jake came over and they got the 4-wheeler out. After trompling the snow and digging up some grass, Adam put on a hardhat and jumped on a tube behind the wheeler. Jake took off and I wondered if I was ever going to see them again.................ALIVE!

Reason's why I LOVED this Christmas:

1. Diesl was older and was actually interested in toys, not just the wrapping paper and boxes. 2. Must I say, THE SNOW!!!!!!! 3. We were able to spend quality time with the both sides of our family. 4. Oh, did I mention the beautiful snow. I was able to see it, enjoy it, and then leave it. 5. And I saved the best for last. I am grateful for my GIFT. I am grateful to my Savior for giving me the best gift anyone could ever receive and that is the gift of eternal life.

I speak for my beautiful little family by saying thank you to ALL of our family members on both sides. We want you to know that nothing you do for us gets underlooked. We give thanks each and every day for ALL of you and what you have done for us. We would not be where we are today without you.

WE LOVE YOU!!!

'Tis the Season

2008-12-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

One of Santa's Helpers came to visit at our Ward Christmas party. Diesl enjoyed seeing him.........from a distance.

Adam's work gives out free pics with Santa at Christmas time so I have taken him since Diesl was born. Look closely and you will notice that his facial expression didn't change AT ALL from last year to this years!!!

Washington City set up a huge Christmas tree this year at the park. It was pretty neat.

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

2008-12-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

We received our cute little tree from some friends for our 1st Christmas as a married couple. We have not changed a single thing since we got it. Diesl enjoyed putting up the star (mostly because it delayed his bedtime) but he didn't want to let go; he wanted to play with it.

Playing at the Park the middle of December

2008-12-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day here in Saint George, Utah. With the weather being 60 degrees, I decided to get Diesl and I out of the house, to take advantage of this day. Diesl LOOOOOVES the park. The swing and slides are his all time favorites. At this particular park, there is a big kid area and a little kid one. Of course, I can't get him to stay in his appropriate zone cuz he thinks he's 4ft tall and 4 years old, so I sit and bite my nails as he climbs 7 or 8 ft tall play areas. We had so much fun; neither of us wanted to leave. I captured some cute shots of him and a silly video on the slide. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

This year was the Penrose year for Thanksgiving. It was really relaxing and nice to be with family. The food was amazing, thanks to those who prepared the yummy dishes.

Adam's dad decided to sneak off without anybody looking and take a nap. This was not going to fly so Adam and his brothers and brother in-law carried him out of bed and drug him into the kitchen. I am not sure how he felt about that but it was funny anyway.

While waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be done, everyone (well those not slaving away in the kitchen, that is) went outside and enjoyed riding around on the 4-wheeler, picking up apples(& getting paid), and playing a nice game of football. All the grandkids are on the 4-wheeler with Uncle Tom except for Malachi and Baby Cole. We sure missed them:(

Diesl, Brooke, and Grandpa doing a doggy pile. Adam and his dad doing awesome with a game of Jenga(I think they're going for a guiness record next time. ha, ha) Liesel and Morgan dressed Diesl up and I am not sure he was loving it, but they looked cute anyways.

Thanksgiving night we went to my family's house and spent time visiting, eating pie, and looking at Black Friday ads. This is me with my cute nephew Tytan. I may be getting a little baby hungry (I just want to eat him all up!!!)

We drove home on Sunday and decided to stop and see the lights at Temple square. As always, it was beautiful. What an amazing building and even more amazing that we get to be so close to one and continue much needed work upon this earth. There is a new nativity right in front of the Temple on the water and it is awesome. The pic here doesn't show it very well so you will have to see it for yourself. You just have to be satisfied with pics when you ask a complete stranger to take them for you.

On Friday night, I went with the girls in my family and saw TWILIGHT. I could watch it over and over and over and over again. The next movie needs to come out like hmmmmm..... RIGHT NOW! The books will always be better though. Has anyone ever thought how they are going to make Bella look prettier when she becomes a vampire? Because quite frankly, she is already pretty. I wonder how they will make Jacob look older everyday like he did in the book or Renessme; she grew rapid fast???

Happy Late Halloween

2008-12-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Trey's Pumpkin on the Left (it is vomiting, just in case you can't tell:) Ad's on the Right (he always picks the hardest ones and does an amazing job; the pic doesn't give these justice)

Diesl and his daddy went outside to play in the leaves. As you can see, he had a BLAST!!! (no leaves to play in down here is Saint George:(

We drove up to Smithfield and stayed with G & G Penrose for Halloween this year; it was really fun! Usually it is freezing that day but this year all I needed was a light jacket. Diesl was a little skunk (SOOO Cute!!!) Grandma and Grandpa took him around to Trick or Treat. Although the concept of this task was far from Diesl's abilities, he still had fun. Every time someone would open their door, he would walk right in. Silly "Lil Stinker"

On Saturday, we drove up to G & G Chase's and celebrated my little sister's 7th Birthday. We also enjoyed spending time together visting and having fun. Diesl and his little cousin Tytan had fun with Grandpa riding on the tractor. My brother Wayne captured this amazing shot of them in their cute costumes.

Doggy Sitting

2008-11-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Adam's brother Jake and his family stayed overnight while traveling to Disneyland. We were able to watch their dog Max for about 5 days while they were gone. It was so much fun to see Diesl with the dog (just a tiny little black fluff ball.) Despite the torture the dog got from him at times, we all had a great time. I think we need a dog (great distraction for Diesl when Mom needs to get things done around the house:) Diesl thought it was so silly to have the dog wear his hat but then quickly wanted it back so I hurried and snapped some pics. Jake picked the dog up while Diesl was napping and when he woke up he was yelling for the dog like two days straight. Good times!

JUST FOR KICKS!!!

2008-11-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, Diesl was playing on a skateboard and hit a wall. His face slid across the grip tape (sandpaper) OUCH!!!

Eating blueberry pancakes and a blueberry stuck to his tooth. He looked like such a hillbilly, I had to get a shot of it.

Diesl's newest thing is standing on EVERYTHING. He got himself on top of this bowl and then started crying cuz he couldn't get off. He climbs up on the toilet to play in the sink, he climbs on the kitchen chairs and then on the table, and he stands on basically anything that looks like it should'NT be stood on.

Diesl and Daniel playing with the pots and pans. They were standing on and off of these and wearing them as hats. Man, how would it be to be a kid again!?

We had a primary activity right before Halloween and I am the secretary so I was involved in some of the fun. I volunteered to do face-painting (mind you, I have never done it before)! A girl in primary that helps out with Diesl a lot painted a ghost on him. He turned his head right while she was doing the mouth. O well!

We have always wanted a BBQ but have never been able to afford it. While I was out garaging, I found this one for $7. It was maybe used once. Later we found out that it is a $90 grill. WOOO-HOOO! Here we are grilling for the first time, just a couple weekends ago. (Grilled chicken coron bleu, YUM!)

2008-10-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

For diaper rashes I put on Cornstarch and I didn't think Diesl knew how to get into it. As Adam was changing Diesl's diaper this morning, he turned to wrap the diaper up and throw it away and when he turned back Diesl had gotten in the box and grabbed a handful. He wasn't very happy cuz it got up his nose a bit. I've always got to be on my toes with him.

I watch a little boy Daniel (far right) now who is just a couple months older than Diesl. It has been really fun cuz I only watch him for about 4-5 hrs. and they play very well together. On Wednesdays, Jaysen (far left) and Diesl get together for a playdate. Jaysen and Diesl are 1 week apart and they also get along well also. This day was at our house. They are enjoying a nice little snack.

Diesl LOVES playing with his daddy and this day his daddy decided to load his shirt up with blocks. I'm sure it wasn't very comfortable but he looked like a little football player and he enjoyed the attention. We just can't get enough of Diesl. We love him to death!

Go REAL Salt Lake!

2008-10-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

A Big Thanks to our friends, Kirstin and Deven, who had some spare tickets to the REAL Salt Lake soccer game and invited us to come up and see them play. Adam has really wanted to go to one for a long time. It was a lot of fun! Before the game, we ate at "The Pie." mmmmmm..... was it ever so good. Diesl was enjoying staying up past his bedtime, eating chocolate-covered raisins, and being mesmerized by all of the bright lights. We knew he watched the game somewhat because he kept on saying "ball" over and over. Unfortunately, REAL lost.

Our friends also invited some of our other friends, Jesse and Amanda. It was so nice to see everyone again. Both couples just moved away from Saint George a while back.

Kirstin and Deven offered us to stay over at their place that night. The next morning, we went to Deven's parents house to see all the animals there. There were cows, chickens, roosters, pigs, goats, horses, a dog, and a cat. Diesl had so much fun, especially since he knows what sounds most of the animals make.

Mexican Riviera Cruise!!!

2008-10-04T10:48:00.001-07:00

Adam and I never really got a honeymoon so we saved our pennies and booked a cruise. We Left for L.A. on August 17, 2008. It took about 6 hours to get there (really not that bad cuz it takes that same amount of time to get up north)
I wouldn't want to live in L.A. "Holy Pollution"The Ship was Awesome. We enjoyed time at the pool, playing shuffle board, and doing the rock-climbing wall (f.y.i. we met Bill Gephart's (("Get Gephart")) son at the wall; small world.)

Our First port of call was Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. So Beautiful! We rode in a glass-bottom boat around the tip of Baja Sur, California where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. The Captain of the little boat freaked us out cuz he kept getting so close to the rocks (like by the seals, which stink BAD!) He dropped us off on what's called 'Lover's Beach' to play for a while. We also went into the city and ate some fish tacos (YUM!)

Our next port of call was Mazatlan, Mexico. We went on a tour of 'Old Mazatlan' and it was really interesting to see how they live and lived there. Unfortunately, we were unable to see 'New Mazatlan' due to time constraints. On a funny note, on the van ride to the beginning of our tour, we noticed that the speedomotor was clearly not working and the driver was going quite fast. He turned down a narrow street and soon were driving head on with another vehicle. After barely getting by, I looked back at the signs and realized we drove the wrong way down a one way street. Our tour guide told us at the start that in Mexico, "We are 'Mexican Survivors', not 'Pedestrians' when it comes to crossing streets, so be careful!" There is so much exciting history here and we are glad we did this. The Cathedral there was exquisite. Right in the center of the loud, busy town, it lay; and yet, it was still so peaceful.

Our last port of call was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This was our favorite stop. It is pure jungle and absolutely breathtaking! We weren't quite sure if the parrot was going to do us harm, but we made it okay through a few snapshots. Here in Puerto we decided to do an 'Extreme Outdoor Adventure' excursion. Boy am I glad we did. We started off by riding in motorized raft things to an area (middle pic.) Then we rode in some heavy duty Mercedes brand trucks that took us way up into the jungle. After we arrived, we hopped on some mules (freaky!! for me cuz I have never rode a horse by myself, let alone some random mule) and they took us to the top of the Sierra Madres. From the top, we did some zip lines (sooo fun!!) and repelled down a couple waterfalls, until we got back down to the bottom. Now, I am absolutely frightened of heights so I give myself a huge pat on the back for conquering this. We had so much fun that I would recommend it to anyone.

We made it back to L.A. on August 24th. The last couple of days on ship were bitter-sweet cuz we didn't want to leave but we were more excited to see Diesl. We missed him so bad! We are just so grateful that he was safe with my Mom and fam, Sholly, and Adam's Mom. Diesl is worth every $dollar$ we had to pay in roaming charges (outrageous bill) since I called soooo much to check on him.

Camping At Red Cliffs Slides

2008-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday Adam called & said he was going to be getting off early from work. We decided, on a whim, to go camping. I had one hour to get everything ready to go, but I did it and we headed to Red Cliffs Slides campground before it got dark. Diesl had a ball! He felt so free to run around & do what he pleased (although I think a fell quite a bit.) That night was unpleasant for Adam & I. We forgot Diesl's port-a-crib so he slept on the mattress with us (BIG MISTAKE!!!) Now I know why I had him sleep in his own bed at 3 months old; we didn't get an ounce of sleep with him rustling around ALL night. On top of that, we didn't expect it to be as cold as it was at night (well, cold for us 65degrees.) In the morning it was beautiful and we had a scrumptious pancake and eggs breakfast. We headed off on our hike to the Slides. Now a little 411: When it rains, the water runs down this canyon and it falls into 3 different pools along the way (really cool!!!) There is one spot where the water has carved a "Slide" into one of the pools so you can sit at the top and slide into the pool (Adam has done it before but I haven't; he says it is way fun.) Unfortunately we have not had rain in a while so the pools are super low (you can see in some pics where the water should be) and there is not a speck of water flowing down the canyon. Oh well, it was still fun. There was a spot we stopped with some sand & Diesl went crazy. It felt so good cuz it was cold. Anywho, it is PERFECT weather right now to get some camping in!!!

Our Blog

2008-09-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well I finally did it; I created our blog. It's nothing special right now. I guess I don't really know what I am doing yet and we happen to have the slowest internet on this earth, I swear. Anyone with cheap, fast internet, please let me know.