Monkey Maxfield's

Happy 2nd Birthday Nathan

2012-01-14T15:47:00.006-07:00

Today Nathan turns two! I can hardly believe it. It just seems like yesterday that he turned 1 and maybe a couple of months since he was born. Even though time has gone by extremely fast and I feel like he were just born I can't imagine life without him. He is such a happy guy and so much a little boy that sometimes, I don't know what to do with him. Having had two girls first it is fun to see the differences between them. Here are some things that Nathan does/likes:

-He enjoys play with pots, pans, and anything to do with cooking
-He is a talking machine
-He likes the colors yellow, blue, and green
-Curious George is his favorite TV show
-Nemo is his movie of choice
-Lately he has become a picky eater and doesn't want to eat most meals, just snacks
-Loves dressing up and playing with his sisters
-Loves doughnuts
-He is very ticklish
-Will fall a sleep on you (my other two usually never did)
-Enjoys taking long baths
-Doesn't like when his head gets wet (in the rain or when his Papa gets it wet)
-Loves being read to
-His favorite food is tacos meat (no shell)

Nathan on his birth day. Look how tiny!

Nathan on his 1st Birthday.

Mr. Nathan now at 2 years old. Loving his little kitchen he got for his birthday.

He has definitely grown this year and I can't wait to watch and experience as he grows some more. Happy 2nd Birthday buddy boy. I sure do love you!

Christmas morning

2011-12-27T16:23:00.002-07:00

Here is a little video J put together from our Christmas morning. Enjoy!

Pictures, pictures all you get are pictures

2011-12-14T20:54:00.014-07:00

It has been too long since I last posted so I thought that I would at least post some pictures. Enjoy!

Amber wanted her hair braided one night so that she could have it curly the next day. She loved it and wanted a picture so we could remember how it looked.

My 3 turkeys. We made these hand turkeys for Thanksgiving and the girls decided to they wanted to turn them into headbands.

Elle all beaded out. I didn't know that I was raising a hippy but it sure looks like it!

Nathan wanted to see what he looked like with his turkey headband on so we went in the bathroom and then he was having a great time checking himself out in the mirror. He even gave himself a kiss!

Snow fun. We have had a couple of snow storms and the kids always want to go out ASAP and play in it. It is still so new and exciting to them.

These are pictures from the nativity event that they do every year here. They collect everyones nativities (big and small) and put them up in the Stake center for anyone and everyone to come and see. They also have costumes and a set so you can dress up and have your picture taken. It was fun and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. You can see all of them here. We are pictures 6-11 on page 1.

Goodbye, Hello, and Halloween

2011-10-21T15:36:00.008-06:00

I am so far behind that I thought I would do somewhat of a picture catch up. Starting with saying goodbye to our awesome neighbors the Adam's.

Here is Elle, Amber, and Abby giving each other goodbye hugs.

Elle and Isaac snuggling up on the couch.

Abby and Amber

The whole crew (almost): Elle, Isaac, Nathan, Abby and Amber

It was hard to say goodbye to a lot of people in St. George and move away from all that we knew and were used to. I must say that St. George had become my home even though I complained about it a lot (especially in the summer). It was home and I had really felt comfortable there. I think it takes hindsight to see it though. I will miss all my great friends that I had made there not to mention J's parents and his brother & family. But now we are on to a new adventure and trying to make Moscow, Idaho our new home. It sure will be hard to find friends to fill the shoes of those we left behind, but we are trying to get settled and find some. One thing that will be nice in our new area is that they actually have seasons! So I decided to capture some to share.

Autumn leaves

Elle and Amber throwing leaves.

Playing in the leaves with the neighbors.

Nathan playing in the leaves

There has been lots that I am behind on so instead of promising to catch up I am going to link to J's accounts of the things we have been up to. There was a Harvest Party, a trip to Spokane, a visit to the local farmers market, and a trip to Coeur d' Alene.

Now to Halloween stuff.

Kitty cat Elle ready for her preschool party.

Amber's finished pumpkin

Elle's pumpkin

Nathan's pumpkin (he helped a little).

Elle kitty, dragon Nathan, and witch Amber

Elle and Amber striking a pose

The only picture I could get of Nathan

Amber and Elle decorating pictures at a Halloween party.

I love how Nathan (the dragon) is trying to get the knights sword.

Happy girls!

Moving

2011-09-16T16:35:00.005-06:00

Come October 8-9 we will be on our way to Moscow, Idaho!

Here are the only pictures that we took of Moscow (out the car window) as we were leaving (we were there for only 24 hours).

It is going to be a big change but I know that we will be just fine. I think I am still in denial because I haven't started packing yet. I am sure it will be a lot more work than I think it will be (like last time). It is just hard to do much because we still need the stuff because we use it (and I am still trying to find a place for us to moving into). So if you see us around town looking like this you will understand why:

(J's edit: why do I let Christina take photos of me?)

I don't know why I let Amber take my picture, especially when she asks me to make silly faces.

On to the next adventure. One awesome thing is that we will be closer (2 hours away vs. 14 hours) to the Salmon River and the rafting that comes along with it. It will be hard to say goodbye to St. George and all the friends I have made over the last 11 years but there is still email, cell phones, blogs, and Facebook to help me keep in touch. It doesn't feel right to do an entry without sharing some pictures of the kids so here you go.

What else would this purse be for!?

Nathan in J's glasses looking all smart and sophisticated.

Happy smily Elle.

Amber striking a pose for me.

Washington Fair

2011-09-02T15:48:00.008-06:00

We went to the Washington County Fair again this year. It was our 3rd year going and I must say that I still think they should do it all indoors or at a different time of year (even though I know why need to do it in August). It was HOT. We don't go to for the rides at night - my kids don't even know that there are rides - we go in the day for the petting zoo, booths, and fair entries. My girls always look forward to it though. There is always so sort of ride or something that they get to do along with seeing all the animals that gets them excited (not to mention their friend Taylee was coming). This year it was the "walk on water" attraction. They had a blast and so did I watching them. I do wish I could have tried it myself but maybe another time.

The cute but very hot calf. I felt bad for him cooking in the sun.

Amber was the brave one that wanted to pet him.

Amber in her hamster ball.

Elle giving it a try.

This was Nathan's favorite part of the fair.

The food court with the giant panda.

The girls enjoying a yogurt we brought along for a snack. If you look close you can see that they have their face painted.

We also got to have our picture taken at the fair by yellowpix it was kinda fun and it was free. They printed off a copy and gave it to me. Here is the link if you want to check it out.

10 Years

2011-08-27T08:00:00.003-06:00

I don't know how it is possible, but J and I have been married for 10 years and one month now (July 27). J and I were able to escape our little ones and spend a week away. We headed up north to Heber and used my parents' house as a bed and breakfast. We did lots of things that we had wanted to do. It was so much fun and the time went by so fast. Here is what we did (I will be linking to videos or posts that J put together of our trip as well) :

Friday, July 22:

We left in the afternoon and made our way up to Heber.

Saturday, July 23:

We got up pretty early and went on a hot air balloon ride in Park City. It was a lot of fun and as the pilot kept telling us what an adventure we were having. The rest of the day we relaxed, took a nap, and watched Harry Potter 7 part 1 for the first time.

Sunday, July 24:

This was more of a family day. Being Sunday we didn't want to be struck down for doing things we shouldn't. So we attended church with my Dad and got to listen to my brother Jim and his wife Crystal speak. After that we headed up to my sister's (Bonnie) house for Kruz's baby blessing. That evening we went over to Jim's house to roast pineapple over his fire pit.

Monday, July 25:

We got up and went to Deer Creek to kayak. It was a nice quiet morning on the lake and we got to see lots of fish jumping. Later that afternoon we floated down the Provo River in a kayak. That evening we had a BBQ with my family and did some fireworks to celebrate the 24th.

Tuesday, July 26:

We made the trek to Antelope Island to do some more kayaking. When we got there is was so quiet—no one was there. We thought it was odd and we soon discovered why it was so deserted. It WAS NASTY! The water was so briny and there were bugs swarming everywhere. Not to mention all the scary spiders that were EVERYWHERE. We almost didn't even get on the water but decided since we had come we had better give it a try. We didn't last too long (the water was like syrup) and then headed out of there. The rest of the day we rested and then went to Harry Potter 7 part 2 that evening.

Wednesday, July 27:

Our actual anniversary. We decided to go biking around Deer Creek reservoir on a trail called Provo/Jordan River Parkway. It was a nice ride with pretty views. We even got to see the Heber Creeper come by (the trail is just above the train tracks). After our ride and lunch we went kayaking again, this time at Jordanelle State Park Rock Cliff. We didn't get much time in because bad weather was moving and it got windy. After a quick trip to Kamas to say goodbye to Bonnie and Kruz, we got cleaned up and headed up to Daniel Summit to have dinner at the lodge. It was really nice and quiet up there and we got to see all the pretty flowers that were in bloom.

Thursday, July 28

After taking advantage of sleeping in one more time we packed up to head home. It was a very quick trip—or so it seemed to us.

While we were away, J's parents (Max and Mary) had our children. They had some adventures too. They played a couple of days and then the air conditioner went out at our rental house. It took a couple of day to get that fixed because it of course happened on the 24th holiday. The kids didn't seem to mind the sleepovers they had a grandma and grandpa's house, though. It made them feel like they were on vacation too. Thank you so much for watching our children so we could get away!

Elle's 1st Day of Preschool

2011-08-24T13:47:00.007-06:00

Today was Elle's official day of preschool at Lil' Dude Ranch. Monday I went with her for an orientation day and she thought that she was going to get be have school too. She was a little sad to leave after 45 minutes of talking with the parents. So today she was so so excited and had a hard time waiting for it to be time to go, especially after Amber got on the bus. I had planned on going a little early so that I could get a couple of pictures of her in her classroom and with her teacher. Then as we were about half way there I realized that I had put my camera down so I could get Nathan's shoes on and hadn't picked it back up again! So we turned around and hauled back to get it. So after leaving early we ended up being late. I was able to get a picture of her with her teacher quick before I left. She said that she had a great day and loved it.

Elle on Monday all ready to go to preschool even though it was for orientation.

Elle and Amber both set to go on Monday.

Elle with her teacher Miss Melissa today.

Elle showing off her star she made in preschool.

Elle: See it spells my name E L L E.

Happy girl!

Mom's Graduation

2011-08-23T14:01:00.002-06:00

My Mom has been going to school for almost as long as I can remember. Taking a little at a time while we were in school and then doing more once we were off on our own. She worked so hard on very class and I don't think she ever got anything below a A- (maybe in math). After all her hard work she is finally done (hopefully for good for my dad's sake). She graduated with her Family Nurse Practitioner degree on August 12th. I was able to sneak up* to BYU in Provo and be there to support her in all her hard work. You are awesome Mom! I love you. Here is a little video I put together of her graduation.

*made possible by J staying home with the kids.

Amber goes to Kindergarten

2011-08-22T19:57:00.004-06:00

I am in shock that this day has come. Amber is in Kindergarten! She has been counting down the days all summer long but it seemed to sneak up on us so fast. I thought that I was going to be okay with her going to Kindergarten because she has done preschool for a couple of years. Then I got home and thought about it and I got a little teary eyed because I couldn't believe that she has gotten so big. She is in real school now! How on earth did it happen so fast? I am sure I will be crying again tomorrow morning when I put her on the bus to school for the first time (I took her this morning). She is so grown up but in my head she is still my little Amber.

Amber on the other hand didn't have any problems just taking off the second we got in the Kindergarten play yard. When she got home from school I asked her what she did and of course like any little kid, all she really remembered was that they got TWO recesses today. When I asked her what else she did she said she couldn't remember. I was able to get a little bit more out of her asking specific questions (did you learn your class rules? did you get to know anyones name?...) but that is all she really wanted to tell me. Here are some pictures from her first day.

Dressed and ready to go.

Amber with her new teacher Mrs. Jones.

Amber lined up with her classmates (can you tell it is red day!?)

She made it home. She got to ride the bus for the first time.

July recap

2011-08-17T14:16:00.008-06:00

So I don't know what has happened to the summer but it is nearing it's end. We have been doing quite a bit and I haven't said a think about it on here. So I am going to give you the highlights of July (mostly) via pictures.

We got together with the Picklesimer's again to celebrate the 4th. It is fun getting together and talking while the kids play together. Amber was even brave enough to do a sparkler this year (or maybe it was more like I was willing to let her try this year). Elle was just happy to watch and Nathan was a big chicken and I had to take him inside because he was just crying.

The girls did two sessions of swimming lessons this summer and loved every minute of it. They would have been there for every session if I would have let them. I was surprised how much they learned and how great BareFoot Gymnastics is for swimming.

Living in the heat the best thing to do in the summer is go swimming - which we did a couple of times. The girls were like fish the whole time while Nathan wasn't as interested. He thought it was too loud for his taste. He still had fun but it took some time for him to warm up to the idea.

We decided to take the family to Sand Hollow Reservoir one morning. It was fun and Nathan has decided riding in the canoe is much better than being stuck on shore the entire time. There for a while he had the whole think to himself.
We had a fun time outside on the slip and slide with friends. In 100+ degree weather what else is there to do!?
I finally took Nathan's binky away and he had a hard time going to sleep for the first two weeks so I thought he needed to be done with his morning nap. Boy was I wrong because then this would happen - in the car, on the couch, in his high chair. He has re-adjusted and is doing great sans binky.

Amber and Elle took a dance class this summer (June and July) and loved it. They liked that they got to go at different times and I enjoyed it because then they had a break away from each other. It was fun to watch what they had learned at a performance they had at the end.

There you have it. Most of what we did in July (I will do a separate post for my 10 anniversary trip with J).

Big Boy Nathan

2011-06-20T13:53:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how big Nathan has gotten in the last couple of months. He will be 18 months in a couple of weeks! He is such a fun and funny little guy. He can communicate very well, which is nice because then I can figure out what he wants - therefore less crying and whining. He is definitely a boy and loves to make big messes and growl and climb and get messy…. It is so fun seeing the differences between the girls and him.

He and Elle have a lot of fun playing together. She is really good with him and is his second mom.

I had to take his picture when he was wearing this ensemble because his shirts says "born cool"

He still like to have me hold him and will come up and whine and pull on my leg until I pick him up.

I am sure someday when I show these to his girlfriend(s) he is not going to be too happy.

This is Nathan with his pal puppy that he takes with him almost everywhere. He gets such a big smile on his face when he sees it.

He love to climb and sit where everyone else is

He loves chasing his sisters around and playing with them

He like to put the girls' shoes, socks, clothes, and dress up on

He still is a good little snuggler so that is nice

He gets himself into all sorts of strange situations

I sure love this little guy. He always keeps me smilin' or pulling out my hair.

Sisters

2011-05-27T16:15:00.005-06:00

Amber and Elle have a love/hate relationship, as I recall that was how my sister and I used to be as kids as well. I remember my mom getting frustrated with us and would have to have us go play alone so we could get a break from each other. I know feel my mother's pain. It is wonderful the days that they are playing well with each other and look like this:

But then there are days when they are just so mean and fight with each other that they make me crazy! Those are the days that I pretty much have to separate them for my own sanity. Amber's face pretty much tells you that this is a hate day:

I just hope that their relationship turns out how Bonnie and mine has. We are great friends and talk at least a couple of times a week (if not daily). We totally get each other and think alike so it is so nice to have her to talk to be we just 'get' each other.

Here are a couple of other pictures of my cute little people and the different things that they have been up to.

All sitting with Grandma Virginia

Couldn't leave Grandpa out.

Dress up with there cousin Natalie that got to sleep over. It was the girls first sleep over at our house. They had lots of fun and were sad that she had to go home.

Elle on the picnic blanket after we had lunch out on the grass.

Amber relaxing on the blanket

Playing in the kid house

They have spent hours and hours playing on this thing - loving that!

Dress up when we were in Heber a couple of weeks ago for Bonnie's baby shower.

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-23T14:09:00.006-06:00

Amber graduated (if you would really call it that) from preschool on May 18. As you can tell by the jackets it was a very cold day for St. George. Everyone was squeezed inside a tiny gazebo at the Vernon Worthen Park so as not to be out in the wind and on and off again ran. She was excited to sing all the songs for me but wasn't too excited to have to say goodbye to all her little friends and her teacher Ms. Kami. She has a lot of experiences at preschool most of them good. She was always excited to go to preschool and cried when she was sick and couldn't go. I can't believe that she will be going to kindergarten in a couple of months!? It makes me a little sad that that part is over and now she will be heading to an elementary school.

This is all the kids from her school only half of them are from her class. Amber is on the right side in the pink jacket.

When I grow up…

2011-04-15T13:42:00.004-06:00

This morning on our way home from picking up Amber from preschool, we had a great talk about what Amber and Elle wanted to be when they grow up.

Amber wants to be a ice cream maker.
Elle wants to be a garbage woman.

I already knew about Amber's future career plans from when she was the spotlight at her preschool on her birthday. Elle's, on the other hand, surprised me because she has never said what she wanted to be before. Elle and Amber have always been interested in watching the garbage man every week since they were little. They would hear him coming and run to the window to watch until he was far out of sight. They will also point out garbage trucks whenever they see them around town. (Nathan will cry whenever he hears it and it is close by. I have to hold him or he just freaks out.)

It was funny because after Elle said she wanted to be a garbage man I tried to tell her that it wasn't something she really wanted to do. Amber immediately came back with, "But Mom—you always said we could be whatever we want when we grow up." So then I had to pull my foot out of my mouth and say that they indeed could be whatever they wanted to be. Even a garbage man.

I can't lie though—I really hope that they both change their minds and want to do other thing when they grow up. (Though I really don't want them to grow up, either.)

Happy 3rd Birthday Elle

2011-03-31T07:00:00.004-06:00

I just can't believe that my sweet little girl is already three. I know that I said the same thing about Amber turning five but still it just doesn't seem right. J and I keep saying that it is so weird that she is turning three already but at the same time it is hard to believe that she is only three. She seems bigger and acts older. A lot of people are surprised that Elle is so good and can sit and listen and pay attention so well for being so young (says the proud yet bragging mama!).

She is a sweet older sister to Nathan. She is always taking care of him: bringing him his burp cloth when he gets sad or bringing him his drink when she is getting a drink for herself. She is a very caring sister. She does well being the little sister too. Amber is always being the boss and most days Elle plays along really well. She is willing to play the part of the prince so Amber can be the princess. When Amber wants to play with something Elle has she will normally give it up. Elle has always been a little snuggler and thank goodness she still is. I love it when she crawls up in my lap and just wants to sit with me or when there is a movie on and I am doing other things she will come and find me just to see me and help out if she can. We sure do love this little three year old. Happy Birthday little monkey.

Happenings

2011-03-15T15:03:00.011-06:00

Elle has been out of a diaper (mostly) for about a month now! It has been great not having to change two little people. She hasn't had many accidents (knock on wood) and just goes when she needs too (I still ask every once in a while just to check). We are still having some trouble with going #2. I don't know what to do. I have tried bribery, common sense, training a doll, and whatever else I can think of. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would really like to have her completely potty trained.

I am so excited that spring is here! We have been spending a lot of time outside playing, going on picnics, playing at parks, going canoeing, going on walks, and feeding the ducks. All the kids want to be outside. Nathan has started finding his shoes and holding them up and whining until you put them on and take him outside. It is really going to be hard on them when it gets hot. Here are a couple of pictures of some of the things we have been up to, as well as a video from the visit to a friends farm. You can check out J's take on things here.

Love Nathan's face in this one. He wasn't feeling well and wasn't happy to be here.

Sick Nathan's only time in the canoe was when it was on the grass being cleaned out.

All 3 of them are on iPods (2 on touch's and 1 on an iPhone)

Look at these cute kids. I sure do love them.

This little piggy, nerds, and steps

2011-03-08T14:43:00.007-07:00

So today Amber was doing 'this little piggy' to Nathan's little toes and she has a little different version than I do. It goes something like this:

Starting with big toe:
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had pizza,
This little piggy went to primary,
and this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home.

It cracked me up. She doesn't like roast beef so she changed it to pizza and I guess she didn't want any little piggies to have none so they got to go to primary instead.

Here is a fun video of Elle eating nerds

Nathan is starting to try and walk here and there. Here is a silly picture of him in Mr. Potato Head glasses and a video of him taking a few steps.

Happy Birthday Amber

2011-02-16T07:00:00.004-07:00

I just can't believe that my firstborn is already five. It makes me feel old. She is growing so fast and is too smart for her own good. I swear that she is more like a 15-16 year old an a 5 year old. She keeps me on my toes, that's for sure. She really is a great helper around the house and keeps me laughing. She has a big chunk of my heart. I love you Amber. Happy Birthday, babes.

Here is a picture from every month this last year. The first is from her birthday last year and the last is from about 2 weeks ago. It is so fun to see her grow right in front of our eyes. It's amazing how much she has grown and changed in just a year. Enjoy.

Looking back

2011-02-07T10:25:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been looking at my three little people and am almost stunned how fast they are growing. It doesn't seem at all possible that Amber is almost five. I was looking at pictures with her the other day during nap time of her when she was a newborn. Wasn't it just yesterday!? Then we looked at some of Elle as well.

Shortly after that Nathan woke up from his nap and I looked at him and couldn't believe how big he looked (probably because we had just looked at tiny baby pictures). Wasn't he supposed to be my baby still? After looking at him, he really isn't really a baby anymore, he is growing up too. It got me thinking about him as a newborn and all the months till now and how it just was all too fast.

Then I came back to the present and looked around and decided I need to stop trying to live in the past and enjoy the present. It seems like I have been spending too much time lately either thinking about the past or wishing time away. When I sat and thought about all the time during the week I am just hoping for it to be this day or this time so we can do whatever it is kinda sad. I am wishing time away and then looking back wishing I could have it back. Does that make sense? Anyway I am really going to try and work on enjoying the present and making fun memories instead of wishing time away or trying to go back in time. My kids will keep growing regardless of what frame of mind I am in. It already seems to be going too fast and so I better make the memories now so I can look back on them someday when they are all grown up and think of all the fun things we did. Here is to hoping time slows down and that I can enjoy all of it. Here are some pictures of the little people that I so love and adore.

Dress up fun

Jazz hands

Nathan hard at work

Amber and her little friend Jagger at Creative Minds

Nathan's new favorite pass time

Big girl in papa's hat

tummy craves and camera fun

2011-01-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I walked in on Elle sitting on the bar stool grunting and growling. I couldn't see what she was doing from my angle so I ask her what she is doing. She shows me her candy that she is working very hard at getting opened, which explains all the grunting and growling. I told her that we aren't having candy right now and to put it down so we can have it after lunch. Then she tells me, "But my tummy wants this." I couldn't help myself, I busted up laughing. She didn't want it—her tummy did. I think I am going to use that excuse when I want some goodie or treat that I really shouldn't eat. I will just have to eat it because it is what my tummy wants.

If you look close you can see the corner where she was nibbling away.

Here are a couple of pictures that I took of Elle the other day because she wanted her picture taken. I didn't ask for poses this is just what she wanted to do one right after the other.

Amber has been interested in taking pictures with the camera. The other day during nap time (she doesn't nap anymore) she was taking lots and lots of pictures of anything and everything. Toward the end of her picture taking she decided to try and take some of herself. Here is what she got.

This one cracked me up.

Nathan 1st Birthday

2011-01-14T07:45:00.010-07:00

I just can't believe that my baby boy is already 1. This year has come and gone way too fast. I am not ready for him to be so big. Here are a few of the things he is doing right now.

he waves goodbye
blows kisses
gives open mouth kisses
crawls speedy fast
gets into everything
says: papa, mama, cracker, this
loves to find his sisters and get into their stuff
loves to eat shoes
walk along things and walks with chairs or whatever he can
follows me everywhere and whines at my leg until I pick him up
claps
screeches loud when he wants something (we are trying to break him of this)
climbs on whatever he can

He is definitely a lot busier than either of the girls were at his age. He is like a tornado of destruction some days, and it always surprises me how quickly he can do it. He doesn't sit around and enjoy the mess that he has created but moves on to cause more. We sure do love him though. Here is a picture for every month (except the first two are from the day he was born and the last two are from today).

Snow

2011-01-05T15:24:00.008-07:00

On Monday it snowed a couple of inches here. It was a bit of a surprise and since we don't get snow that often we all bundled up in what we had to go play in it.

Amber and Elle dressed and ready to go play.

Happy sisters playing in the snow.

Amber

Elle showing me the snow.

Nathan really didn't know what to do except sit there. He wasn't too excited about his first snow. I think he didn't know what to do with the mittens on his hands. He did try to taste it a few minutes later. To see his reaction check out the video below.

Amber's preschool pictures

2010-12-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here are Amber's preschool pictures. It scares me how big she looks. Where did my little girl go!?

She insisted on wearing a dress and with her hair down (she thinks this is how she looks "the most beautiful - like a princess").

I really wished that they had tucked her hair behind her ears.

This is my favorite of the three because she isn't using her fake smile.

Her class. This picture makes her look short because she is standing in-between the two tallest kids in her class.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T10:57:00.009-06:00

This Halloween was so much fun. Amber and Elle pretty much did their own pumpkins. They designed them, cleaned them, and carved them. Nathan, on the other hand, was more interested in tasting the pumpkins and trying to get into as much trouble as he could.

On Friday Amber had a preschool party and later that day we all headed over to the library for a party. It was a bit crazy at the library and I forgot to take any pictures but the girls had fun.

The girls became expert trick or treaters and would have kept it up all night if we would have let them. Here are some pictures and a little video of our Halloween fun.

Nathan crawls

2010-10-21T09:34:00.001-06:00

Nathan finally decided that he was ready to crawl. He has been doing it for about a week now. Here is a video of the first couple of times.

3 little monkeys

2010-10-10T15:27:00.003-06:00

One monkey costume, three different monkeys. We are sure getting our money's worth out of that costume.

Can you guess who's who?

Happy Birthday J

2010-10-08T15:02:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Honey.

Circus and Dress up

2010-09-30T22:55:00.011-06:00

Last weekend we went up to Heber so that we could go to the circus. It was a really quick trip, but it was lots of fun. I know that I was completely fascinated and amazed at what people can do. The girls seemed to enjoy it. Nathan did great for most of it and gave up right about when the elephants came out towards the end. I was a little bummed I missed them because that was one of the main things I wanted to see. Oh well, I guess that just means I will have to go again someday.

Here are a few pictures from our time at the "greatest show on earth."

Today we had a fun lax day at home. We didn't go anywhere. It was really nice and I just had fun with the kids. I didn't worry about the mess we were making or the house work I should be doing—it was just a great fun day. I think I really need to have more of these. The kids were all happy and so was I. Maybe I just need to hire a maid/cook and then we could do this everyday. In my dreams. Here are some pictures of us just having fun.

Kids

2010-09-20T22:09:00.000-06:00

Here is what we have been up to as of late:

WE MOVED. That was a big pain in the tuckus. I thought it wouldn't be so bad because we had already gone through a lot of our stuff and put the extras in a storage unit. Boy was I wrong. I guess now I know how much stuff we have and that it is a pain and it does take a LOT OF WORK. Anyway, we are starting to adjust and feel more comfortable, but there are still a lot of boxes to unpack that we will eventually need. I am trying to do as Mary says, "One day at a time." As for the little people they have been loving the fact that we now have a backyard to play in and spend lots of time outside on their bikes or just playing. It is so nice.

Amber started preschool on the 8th. Of course that was moving day. So she left our old house and after spending time at Grandma Mary's after school came home and slept at our new rental house. She is loving school and wishes she could go everyday. Lately she has been wanting to help clean so I have been giving her little jobs to do around the house. She has really been helpful cleaning and being a great big sister. Sometime I forget that she is only 4; there are times she acts much older—or at least I think so. Here are some pictures from her first day (and some other fun photos).

Elle has been growing up so fast in the last couple of months, I swear. She looks so big and has started trying to do most things by herself. She has really wanted to start wearing panties but I wanted to wait until we were all moved and settled before starting that (Caralee, I am ready for you—just kidding). It is so funny that I keep thinking she is too small to be wanting to do everything but Amber was the same age. She has always just seemed smaller to me and I don't know why.

Elle has also started taking a dance class. Amber is always getting to do all sorts of things so I thought it was time to let Elle do something, too. She really enjoys it and has a good time. Here are a couple pictures of Elle.

Nathan is just too big already. I look at him and can't believe that he is already 8 months old. He is a little stubborn when it comes to wanting to crawl. He would just rather you carry him around everywhere. He is finally starting to scoot along a little and is getting up on his knees so I don't think it will be too much longer. He is a little eating machine. He wants to eat everything and anything pretty much. But you wouldn't know it to look at him because he is still as skinny as always. I have decided that my kids just like to have me worried. He is still very long though so maybe that makes up for it just a little. J gave him a buzz cut last week and I think he looks so darn handsome with his short hair. Here are a couple of pictures of Nathan to catch you up.

Um…wow.

2010-09-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

I found a three or four year old cellphone the other day while cleaning up. And what did I find on it? A gem of an audio memo that J made for me way back when. It's of such quality—such fidelity—that I had to share. But first I had to find the perfect photo from that era to compliment the audio production. How'd I do? And don't you think J missed his true calling in life?

August Fun

2010-09-03T14:09:00.010-06:00

Yes, we are still alive and going going going. I can't believe how fast August came and went. We has some fun adventures and vacations. Here are a couple pictures to catch you up.

Nathan's growing so fast. Here he is with his long and crazy hair.

The girls love to play with their little brother now that they can interact more with each other.

Amber spending some time on the floor with Nathan.

We went to the Washington County Fair again. Here is a picture of Elle with an orange cat on her face that the FFA group did after we went through the petting farm.

Amber with a red cat on her face.

The girls playing on the cars at the fair while Junetta was looking at all the quilts and crafts.

I was able to go to my 10 year high school reunion in Heber—yep, I am old. I don't think I will go again. It just worked out that we were heading up there anyway because we were going river rafting.

The girls at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.

Another picture of the falls.

The girls checking out the Provo River.

Here begin the pictures from our river rafting trip with J's mom, dad, and sister. Nathan came along but spent all of his time at the rental house that we stayed in this year (which was awesome, btw). Amber and Elle had a great week playing with my parents in Heber. Sorry, I don't have any picture of all the fun they had with their cousins swimming, gardening, and going for rides in the mountains. They both were sad to leave Heber and wanted us to leave them there. But back to the river trip: we had 4 great nights and 3 awesome days in Riggins, Idaho. It has been 4 years since we have been—Amber was just 5 months old when we went with my family. It was so fun to go again and it went by way too fast. I hope we don't wait that long till next time we visit.

Mary all geared up on the first day in her color coordinating river clothes.

Nathan giving Grandma Mary a reassuring squeeze that everything was going to be fine and even fun.

Four of the Maxfield clan together on their first adventures on the Salmon River. Nathan and I had to shuttle the car and trailer back and headed back to the rental house and relax for the day.

There weren't any bathtubs and the rental house so Nathan enjoyed sink baths. He was really awesome on the trip except in the car—he hates riding in the car.

Me putting on my my sunscreen. Apparently it made my face look nice and white. I didn't know this until we had lunch at the house and I saw how white I really was. I didn't use that sunscreen again the rest of the trip.

Me riding the bull going through Time Zone rapid.

J, Junetta, and me at Fiddle Creek.

Riverguide J in his action seat. Junetta just checking out the scenery.

Well there you have it. The rest of the month was spend being sick (the girls picked something up in Heber then shared with Nathan and I) and trying to figure out if we where going to be moving or not and trying to find a place to move to. Now we know that we are moving so here is to hoping the place we want to move into works out.

Elle's future career?

2010-07-18T21:32:00.002-06:00

Nathan's half birthday

2010-07-14T22:11:00.007-06:00

Today my little boy is 6 months old. I don't know how it happened so fast but it has. He went for this:

to this:

in a blink of an eye. I must say he sure is a fun little guy to have around and he brightens my day everyday. I love you little man - happy half birthday.

Faux Hawk

2010-06-30T19:24:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like Nathan's first haircut didn't last too terribly long.

Rock on, little man.

As of late

2010-06-22T23:11:00.008-06:00

Here is what we have been up to as of late:

Lounging and sleeping:

Getting a trim:

Spending time with family:

Playing a little dress-up:

and taking swim lessons:

Howdy, y'all!

2010-05-21T07:28:00.003-06:00

Nathan's first haircut

2010-05-10T16:21:00.000-06:00

Nathan has had crazy hair since he was born; lots of hair in the back and on the sides but very little on the top.

Since birth, his hair on the top started coming in lighter while the sides and back started falling out. But there were some hairs on the top and sides that just kept growing longer and longer—almost allowing him to have a comb over if we really wanted.

See the fluffy side hairs.

See his roosters tail (here he is with little Sophie the last time they were photographed together they were inside).

Just a silly one that I decided to throw in.

J and I have talked about doing something about it for weeks (if not months). Today I just decided to go for it so I cut the really long ones to keep and then buzzed the rest.

It doesn't look like much, but there really was quite a bit.

And here's the end result.

Amber and Elle wanted to be in on the action.

As you can see, compared to his newborn pictures his hair is a lot lighter—even I was surprised looking back how dark it was when he was born. He looks like a big boy now, which I am excited about but also a little sad about because it is happening too fast.

Happy

2010-05-06T14:41:00.003-06:00

Juli has tagged me to list ten things that make me happy and pass it on to some bloggers that make me happy. These aren't in any order or ranking.

1. Running. I know this may sound strange to a lot of you but I really am happy when I am running; letting my mind wonder, think through my life or problems, or just singing away to the tunes on my Touch.

2. Taking naps with J. They don't happen as often as they used to bk (before kids) but when they do I am in heaven. Just cuddling and sleeping the day away can be so nice. Sometimes I pay for it that night, when I can't sleep but it is always worth it.

3. Daisies. They are my favorite flower. I like the plain ones the best but pretty much any kind make me happy.

4. Seeing my kids happy. Whether it be just as they are playing around the house or when they get to do something new or that they love to do. When they are happy it rubs off to me. I think the saying "If mama aint happy aint nobody happy" should also apply to kids and babies.

5. Spending time with family and friends. It is always so fun to catch up with family and friends and to reminisce.

6. Finding a new outfit that really makes you look good. I know that this is really girlie of me and usually I wouldn't consider myself much of a girlie girl but I really like how I feel when I think I look good. Does that make sense?

7. Finding a good deal. I get this from my mother. I remember when I was a teenager her showing off her latest good deal find when it wasn't usually anything that we needed at the time. She would brag what a awesome deal that it was. Now I find myself doing the same. I try to make sure that it is something that we need (usually clothes for the kids - even if they can't wear it for another year or two) but sometimes I just can't help myself.

8. The occasional Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke. I don't have them very often (due to pregnancies and nursing) so when I do it makes me happy and I really enjoy them. The only way that I will have the Dr. Pepper is out of a can - out of a bottle just won't do.

9. Cuddling with my kids. I love when my little ones will climb up in my lap and cuddle with me. Elle is the best at this. I feel bad because she is always wanting me to hold her and too often I have other people or chores demanding my time.

10. Me time. I know that this is selfish but sometimes it is so nice just to have time to myself. Sometimes my patience and nerves start to dwindle and I need to escape for a little me time fix. I have been know to go out shopping (it is amazing how much more looking and trying on clothes you can do by yourself) or go get a pedicure to refresh my nerves and calm me down so that I don't loose my mind.

So that was way too easy and there are more that come to mind but I guess I am done. I would like to tag Lauren and Amanda - if you want to that is. It does make you happy when you try to think of all the things that make you happy.

April catch up

2010-04-27T14:39:00.008-06:00

I can't believe this month is almost over! It seems like it just started. Since I haven't been on top of keeping up-to-date on here I thought I would just do a catch up entry. Here we go.

Easter was fun this year. It is so much fun having two girls that get excited about it. We had 2 egg hunts. One with Amber's little class and the other with our neighbors, the Picklesimers, who graciously invited us to their family Easter lunch. The Easter Bunny came and then the girls got to color eggs. Then it was off to some other friends for Easter dinner. It was loads of fun.

On the 7th my brother John drove down for the day with his family so we could all play. It was lots of fun. We spend most of the afternoon at the park (that is where Elle got her sunburn) enjoying the sun - maybe a little too much.
J got all crazy and cut all his hair off. It was a surprise to me when he walked in the door. Here is a video to see the transformation. If you want to read his take on it go here.

I turned 28 on the 13th. I still can't believe I am this old. Where does the time go!? I got spoiled by family and friends with $, gift cards, and goodies. J got my bike fixed for me after it has been baking away in the sun for years. And I ate an entire Village Inn Banana Cream Pie (over 4 days - but still not good). Amber and Elle sang and wished me a happy birthday at least a dozen times if not more so it was a great birthday. Thanks everyone.
There have been lots of time spend outside enjoying the weather before it gets too hot. We have been to the park, had picnics, went swimming, gone on walks, flown kites, and just played and laid in the grass. This is what we have been doing the majority of our free time.

Elle and Amber blowing their bubble whistles

Nathan looking up at the trees

Silly sisters loving on each other

Nathan trying on his new shades

Elle on her favorite park toy

Amber swinging away.

Yesterday we took our new canoe out for its maiden voyage. The girls really had a great time and can't wait to go again.

Amber's first ride in the caneo

Elle waiting for another turn

The girls out with J/Papa.

As you can see Nathan has been growing like a weed. He is a happy little guy most of the time.

Sunscreen and Whatnot

2010-04-08T14:44:00.008-06:00

So I guess it takes Elle looking like this:

to remind me that it is Spring in St. George, which means we (me included - poor Elle gets her fair skin from me) can't go out without sunscreen on. You would have thought that after how bad I felt last year

I would have remembered to lather her up. I think I am going to start a summer bag that I take with me when we are leaving the house. In it will be: hats, sunscreen, and water bottles. I would love it it were cool enough here to just leave it in the car but I am sure if I did things would explode. Here are a couple of other pictures to enjoy. Now we are headed back outside to enjoy the weather while we can.

Amber being a Y

Don't you love my hair

Little mommies

Big girl hair

Big boy

Nathan in his Easter outfit

Amber in her one of her Easter dresses

Elle in one of her Easter dresses

Happy boy

Happy girl

Pictures of Elle

2010-04-02T09:34:00.004-06:00

As promised here are some of my favorite pictures of Elle. It is always so hard just to pick a few so sorry there are so many. I even tried to cut them down. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Elle

2010-03-31T20:14:00.001-06:00

Today at 11:55 AM Elle turned 2! She has been telling people that she is 2 for a couple of weeks now because I was trying to help her practice holding up two fingers so it is good that it is official now. She also has been telling people that her birthday is "way up in the sky" because we have been telling her since Amber's birthday that her birthday is "coming up."

Here are a few things about Elle. I will get up some of my favorite pictures of Elle ASAP (I was working on it today and kinda crashed the computer so when things are up and running again I will post them.) Happy Birthday my baby girl!

She is almost always happy with a smile on her face
She is brave and will try pretty much anything
She is a great snuggler
She is good at making people laugh
Her favorite color lately is orange—she wants everything to be orange
She loves babies and will take at least one baby with her everywhere
She loves playing pretend with Amber
She easily adjusts to whatever is going on
She loves to dance
She is the messiest eater who loves to dip in various sauces
She likes to do things herself
She doesn't like when you try to call her anything but her name; she will correct you, sometimes very sternly, that her name is Elle.

Tall boy

2010-03-16T14:20:00.006-06:00

Yesterday Nathan had his two month appointment and wow has he grown. For those interested here are the specs:

Weight: 11 lb 5 oz. (42%)
Height: 24 1/4 inches (93%)
Head Circumference: 15.75 (44%)

As you can see he is still growing longer and longer. I knew that he was long but to think that he is already 2 feet tall is crazy to me. He is doing so well and has been a pretty easy baby for the most part. Here are a few new pictures of him.

Nathan in his summer hat.

Look at those cheeks and his double chin.

Elle, Nathan, and Amber (I didn't tell them to do this they just did it themselves—what love).

Nathan's Blessing Day

2010-03-09T14:04:00.005-07:00

On Sunday we blessed Nathan. It was a nice and simple get together with just family and friends because it happened to be Stake Conference, which we didn't know when we picked the date so family could arrange schedules and purchase airline tickets. J gave Nathan a special blessing and after we headed over to the bank for some brunch. We had a great time visiting and eating. Thank you everyone who made the trip and thanks to Mary for making some really yummy food. Here are a few pictures from the day and also a fun video of Nathan smiling for Grandpa Ben.

Nathan all ready to go.

The three silly monkeys all dressed up.

Nathan, me, and J.

My little man and me.

The Maxfield family
Top row: Kelli, Jed, Mary, Max, J, me, and Junetta
Bottom row: Amber, Drew, Elle, and Nathan

The Giles family
Elle, Ben, Virginia, J, Nathan, me, Amber, and Bonnie

Isn't he just so stinkin' cute!?

Princess Amber

2010-03-04T09:30:00.004-07:00

"My heart tells me I am a princess."
This is what Amber told me the other day while we were driving in the car.

It seems to have started early.

She knew it and you can see it in her eyes.

Even while visiting in a far away land she was sure to show that she was a princess.

Her casual princess attire.

Even when she was dressing up she dressed up like another princess (Aurora).

She even has tried being a princess fairy.

Regardless she has always been a princess and now we know why - her heart was telling her she was.

3 silly monkeys

2010-03-01T13:10:00.009-07:00

Here are some pictures of what we having been up to the last couple of weeks.

Elle and Amber have been having fun playing with each other

Elle eating one of Amber's birthday cupcakes

Amber with her birthday cupcake.

Elle is my little cleaner - she will just get decide something is dirty and will start cleaning. That is going to be awesome here in a few years.

Big guy Nathan

Flash shock face (He looks this way after I have taken a picture with the flash on).

Look at that hairline - oh dear, I think he may look like that again years down the road.

Amber getting ready to open her birthday loot.

Sweet little sleeper.

Amber at Jumpin Jacks.

Silly monkey boy.

2 silly monkeys with Grandma Mary.

Disgusted face.

In this picture Nathan reminds me of my brother Jim.

Cross-eyed boy.

Silly monkey Elle.

Oh and by the way Nathan has been smiling for the last week or so but we haven't been able to capture it yet. He is also starting to 'talk' to us. All in all he is still a mellow little guy, with occasional grumpy times.

Happy 4th Birthday Amber

2010-02-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today at 6:06am Amber turned four. It doesn't seem possible that she is already four years old but sure enough she is. I can't imagine life without her and I wouldn't (most days) trade her for another child. Since today is Amber's day here are some interesting things about her.

her favorite colors are purple, pink, and white
she is a very picky eater and only eats around eight different things (not counting candy)
she loves going to her joy school
she loves to read books
she is always pretending
sometimes she inexplicably talks with a southern drawl
she wants to be "big like momma" so she can do grown up things
she is very stubborn
she likes structure and to know what is going to happen next
lately she loves to ask TONS of questions
she thinks she is the boss
she is a very loving big sister to Elle and Nathan
she is my helper

Here are some of my favorite pictures of her from the last four years.

Nerd

2010-02-11T16:48:00.002-07:00

Today Amber and Elle were sharing some Nerds that Amber had gotten for Valentine's Day when all of the sudden Elle kept blowing her nose. I asked her what she was doing and she kept saying "aaawwww stuck." Finally I then looked up her nose and she had gotten a Nerd in it! I had her blow her nose and sure enough a Nerd came out - a big one. After I couldn't help but laugh so hard that I was crying. I am not sure how she got it up her nose but I don't think she will be doing that again anytime soon - or at least I hope not.

New

2010-02-09T14:55:00.003-07:00

"He is new so we just want to play with him."

This is what Amber told me this morning when I asked her to give Nathan a little space after she had been loving on him for a while. So does this mean when he isn't 'new' anymore that she and Elle aren't going to want to play with him anymore? I guess only time will tell. It just made me laugh so I thought I would share.

Amber Quote

2010-02-06T13:43:00.002-07:00

This is a conversation that took place a couple of days ago as I was taking Amber to play at a friends house.

Me: Amber are you hungry?
Amber: No, I am good.
Me: Are you sure?
Amber: Yeah and if my stomach growls I will tell it "not now belly" because I am playing at Sabra and Taylee's house and I can't eat right now.
Me: You could take something from the diaper bag with you so if you get hungry you will have it.
Amber: No, I don't want to eat in front of Taylee, that is not nice.

When she got home from playing she ate a lot. But I guess she didn't complain and actually when Sabra (Taylee's mom) asked if they (Amber and Taylee) wanted some Mac and Cheese they said no because they were having too much fun playing.

More pictures

2010-02-03T14:44:00.006-07:00

I can't believe that it has almost been 3 weeks since Nathan was born - the time just keeps flying by. Someday I will have more time to keep you all updated on what is going on but for now pictures will just have to suffice because that is all I have time for. Enjoy.

Aunt Bonnie visiting.

Grandma Virginia with all the kids.

Grandpa Ben holding Nathan.

Grandma Mary with Nathan.

Amber with her little brother.

Elle with baby Nathan.

Cupcake Princess Amber
Lady bug Elle.
Nathan
Sly Nathan
Nathan content
Handsome boy getting big too fast.

First week with Nathan

2010-01-24T22:28:00.006-07:00

I keep meaning to do a post about Nathan's birth but haven't gotten around to it yet so for now here are a few cute pictures of him.

He is so snugly.

This picture just makes me smile. Isn't he so stinkin' cute!?

So peaceful.

First day photos

2010-01-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

First day photos can be found here. Enjoy.

…and he's here!

2010-01-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

The first (of many) pictures, and the other details you women want to know, are over at NathanMaxfield.com. Momma and baby are doing great.

2010-01-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

8:15 and the water has been broken. The lady is still smiling. That is all.

Start your engines

2010-01-14T07:46:00.001-07:00

All hooked up and happy (for now).

The strategy board (for posterity's sake).

The IV that almost wasn't; it took an expert and some jiggery pokery to get that in. They almost sent us home because those veins were a'hidin'.

Induction Morning

2010-01-14T06:31:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to head in to the hospital (at an unheard of hour) for Induction Morning.

Stay tuned…

Christmas

2009-12-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas came and went in a flash this year, so I will catch you up with pictures.

On Christmas Eve Amber and Elle made some cookies for Santa.

Elle thought that she had better taste the frosting — you know, just to make sure it tasted good for Santa.

Then Amber thought she ought to give it a try as well.

Just another little taste.

Amber was keeping her focus.

Elle on the other hand had given up on her cookie and was just shoveling in the frosting.

Amber was beginning to taste a little more often.

Cookie? What cookie? Who needs it when there is frosting!? As you can see they enjoyed themselves and the frosting.

Elle on Christmas morning, pretending to lick the sucker ornament as we waited for Papa and Amber to wake up.

Amber with her new baby — one of her favorite presents.

Elle with her favorite present — it hasn't left her side yet.

Amber with all her loot after everything was opened.

Elle with all her loot.

As you can see they were spoiled, and we still are trying to find places for all of it to go. It was fun to watch them get excited about Christmas and to start some family traditions, but I am now done with Christmas and ready for the new year. I hope you all had a good Christmas; thanks to everyone for the yummy goodies and gifts.

Random Stuff

2009-12-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

So here is a picture post of just random things that we have been doing of late.

Amber wearing a Santa hat as we decorated the Christmas tree.

Elle also wearing a Santa hat while decorating. (If you want to see how they looked last year with Santa hats click here. I just love Elle's face.)

Amber 'dressin up like moma when she goes to church.' Don't you love how one of my maternity shirts looks like a dress on her.

Just a cute picture of Elle that I thought I would throw in.

Amber decorating our third gingerbread house (see first and second) at J's work Christmas party.
Finished gingerbread house. Amber had a great time decorating it this year. I think more went on the house than in her mouth this year. Elle on the other hand only wanted the candy that was already on the house so she spent her time with Papa.

Elle with a snowball - that is right it actually snowed in St. George. It only lasted for about 2-3 hours but we took advantage of it while it was on the ground.

Our teeny tiny snowman.

Amber out in the snow.

One month left

2009-12-14T21:20:00.001-07:00

It is official: I have one month left until my due date. I am not sure if I'm quite ready for Studly to be here, but I am working on it. It seems like the days just keep ticking away so fast—I keep meaning to get all sorts of things done and then the day is over and I didn't get to any of it. Really, I have done a few things, but need to make a list so maybe I will be better about getting to everything.

It has not been a hard/bad pregnancy but it has definitely been different carrying a boy rather than a girl. I always thought that when people said girls were carried high and boys were low that they just old wives tales, but now I totally believe it. Studly is so low compared to the girls; both girls had a hoot kicking me in the ribs all the time, but so far I have not been kicked in the ribs by Studly (keep your fingers crossed for me).

He is so low (and I swear he's sideways) that he kicks my bladder and at my arms more than anything. It was really eyeopening when Lauren, my best friend from high school, came and we had pictures taken together. She is having a girl and is six weeks behind me. In the picture (below) you can see how much higher she is carrying Sophie than me carrying Studly. Just to make sure it wasn't all in my head I found pictures of me when I was pregnant with Amber and Elle to compare to. You tell me if you can see the difference.

Lauren and me on Dec. 5

Me the morning I was going in to be induced with Elle.

Me about a week before Amber was born.

Sweet sisters

2009-12-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

It has been fun watching Amber and Elle grow up together. It really does remind me of my sister and I. There were times that we loved each other and would do everything together and then there were the days that all we did was fight fight fight. I remember how mean we could be with each other and how during those times it seemed like our only mission was to make the others life miserable. Then, it was amazing how fast we could flip gears and then love each other again. As we got older things changed and we didn't really do a lot with each other because we had friends and school things that kept us busy. Now that school is past us both and life has settled down (kind of) we now are friends again. We talk to each other a couple of times a week and just seem to understand each other. It kind of reminds me of our happy easy time when we were kids.

My sister Bonnie and I after a race in March. Not the best picture but sadly I don't have many of us together since I am normally the picture taker and we live a couple hundred miles away from each other.

I am really having a great time watching Amber and Elle go through this. I must admit that when they aren't getting along and they just want to fight over everything it makes me crazy. I guess I can't expect them to get along all the time, especially considering they are so young (Amber about 4 and Elle about 2). I hope that they are able to have the same easy relationship I had/have with my sister and that they will remember how important they are to each other in this life. Brothers are great too (Amber and Elle will get to experience that to very soon) but I am really glad that I have a sister. Here are a couple of pictures of sweet sister moments from the last couple of weeks.

Squished in a chair playing.

Giving hugs.
Playing in/on the bookshelf.

December already

2009-12-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

How is it December already, it seems like it was just Halloween!? Thanksgiving seemed like a blur being with family and all. We went up to Heber for Thanksgiving this year, a first for J and I. We normally just do our own but seeing as we can't be traveling around Christmas, due to baby boy Maxfield's pending arrival, Thanksgiving with family is what we did. It was fun to see everyone and catch up. Now on to preparing for Christmas and more family visits. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

What love this girl has to give.

She looks so sweet doesn't she?

Playing dress-up at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Snuggling with Grandpa Ben.

Grandma Virginia and Amber.

This one is blurry but funny none the less.

Strawberry Short Cake Elle.

Elle and Amber playing with dress-up hats.

What Elle thought of Thanksgiving lunch.

Just cute.

Elle with her babies. The monkey baby on the left, a Heber resident, only left her side when she was sleeping at night - she loved loved that thing.

Amber's latest picture of papa.

I think Elle is surprised it is December already too.

A sweet sister moment.

More spectacle!

2009-11-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone, Amber wanted a chance to sport her papa's glasses, too.

I think black is her color (which worries me quite a bit).

Halloween - Part 2

2009-11-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a couple of fun pictures from Halloween and the video of Amber carving her pumpkin. I just loved all her funny faces as she was gutting her pumpkin. Check it out and see what I mean.

Amber and Elle painting pumpkins at a Halloween party.

Elle and Amber getting ready to go trick or treating and somehow they managed to already have candy in their mouths.

Ladybug Elle.

Princess Aurora Amber.

Halloween - Part 1

2009-11-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

It was so fun watching both the girls enjoy Halloween this year. Elle mostly enjoyed it, but she wasn't too excited about gutting her pumpkin. Want to see what I mean? Watch and learn.

Clip of Amber's carving coming soon.

Beards all around

2009-10-30T14:37:00.000-06:00

J's sister, Auntie Nettie, sent us (Amber, Elle, me) some fun beards to surprise J with. We thought that today would be a good day because it is the day before Halloween. We got a warm welcome of laughs and chuckles on our way into J's office. Here you go Nettie—the bearded family.

Amber, Elle, and me after we put our beards on in the bathroom (I had to get a picture just in case the girls wouldn't keep them on).

All of us together.

I think we pull it off rather well, don't you think!?

A little of this, a little of that

2009-10-27T14:28:00.000-06:00

This month, like this entire year, has flown by. Here are a couple of pictures showing some of our activities.

Amber showing off her ER bracelet after falling and hitting her head (on a hard tile floor at a friends) and passing out for a few seconds. After being looked over and warranting no test she was happy to be home.

This is how Amber had dressed herself while I was in the shower. Nice look don't you think?

Elle decided that drawing on paper with the marker was too boring so she started drawing on her face. Maybe she thought it would be a good chapstick substitute.

Amber with her classmates wearing hats and helmets on H day.

Elle and Amber in their paint shirts getting ready to get to work.

Thanks Costco for the boxes that proved to be hours of entertainment for the girls (sitting on, climbing in, painting, stacking...).

Elle after a few minutes of painting - she seems to like to get stuff on her face.

She also really like to stick her tongue out lately (there are at least 5 other pictures of her while she was painting that her tongue was out).

Amber focusing on her painting job.

Upcoming trouble

2009-10-13T14:37:00.000-06:00

I will let the pictures speak for themselves about what upcoming trouble I see in our future.

Amber getting a picture with Fireman Jordan

Amber's joy school class
(Emilee, Taylee, Isaac, Kylie, Amber, Sam, and Jordan)

What a spectacle!

2009-10-11T11:08:00.000-06:00

They sure look cuter on Elle than they do on J. :)

Happy Birthday

2009-10-08T08:32:00.000-06:00

Today is J's birthday. Happy Birthday honey, I only wish we could get you what Amber wanted to.

Conversation with Amber a couple of weeks ago:

Me: Amber, Papa's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. What do you think we should get him?

Amber: Uh, I think we should get him a new car. His is getting a little beat up and it is kinda small.

Me: Well, I am sure he would love a new car, but I don't think we can get him that for his birthday this year.

Amber: Maybe when baby brother comes he can get a new car for his birthday

Happy Birthday Honey honey. I love you and I hope you have a great day.

Wha?!

2009-10-05T19:22:00.000-06:00

Use the music from this:

When looking at this:

…and you'll get a pretty good idea about what I see in my head.

Mad Princess!

2009-10-04T09:23:00.000-06:00

Amber wanted to get dressed up like a princess this morning. And just what does Princess Amber look like?

There's a certain practicality about her princess-ness that I appreciate. Shortly thereafter, she had morphed into Mad Scientist Amber.

I think I prefer the latter.

Pictures of late

2009-09-29T14:02:00.000-06:00

I thought that I had better take a minute and share some of the pictures of the last couple of weeks. We haven't been up to much really, just the usual, but here are some pictures anyway.

Amber resting in a big box. How is it that kids can spend hours — yes hours — playing with a box?! It was fine with me; I used the time to clean up around the house. But I was surprised how long it kept them (mainly Amber) entertained.

Elle trying to lay down in the diaper box like Amber.

Amber pretending to sleep.

Amber excited about being on the swing after a long wait for a turn.

Elle having fun swinging — so much that she cried when she had to get off so others could have a turn.

Amber ready to go to her Joy class.

Elle: who needs a spoon when you have a hand?

Elle loving her yogurt. Now I know why I buy them in the tube.

Elle looking so big with her hair back in a ponytail.

Pretty girls.

Elle one afternoon after her nap (she had her hair half pulled up before sleeping).
Amber all princess'd out with her little buddy Ella.Elle giving the hat a try.

Me as a princess cowgirl (as Amber says).

Bret Michaels, move on over.

Papa portrait

2009-09-16T14:55:00.000-06:00

So for the last week or so Amber has been trying her skills at drawing instead of just coloring or scribbling. I don't know how it exactly came about but she has been drawing pictures of J (her papa). The first time that I saw one of her portraits of him I just couldn't help but laugh. They turn out a little different every time but for the most part this is how they look:

J/Papa portrait

Amber in showing off her work of art.

This is only his face, mind you, but I think she has some talent don't you? This one doesn't have as much facial hair as most of the others that she has drawn (on her doodler) but I thought that I had better get some pictures to share and to remember by. Is is just me or does this one kind of look like an otter (the others have looked more like jelly beans)?

August catch up

2009-08-26T15:25:00.000-06:00

So it has been such a busy month and I am in shock that it is almost over. I am so far behind that I am not sure where to start. I guess the easiest thing would be to start with the beginning and work my way to now. Alright here we go. Sorry in advance for how long it is. :)

Cannon Beach, Oregon Trip August 6-10: I was able to get away from this heat, my family (I really do love them but it is always nice to have a little break), house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, church duties... to spend some time with a couple of girl friends from high school. There were four of us all together: Lauren Ludlow Cox, Jill Klein Smith, Talese Baxter, and me. It was so much fun and we laughed and stayed up late talking every night. It was so easy to get right back in with them that it didn't even feel like it had been 9 years ago that we had graduated. We were lucky enough to get to stay at Lauren's parents beach house, which brought back a lot of memories for me because I had been there with Lauren and her family every summer that we were in high school and J and I had also stayed there on our honeymoon. Our days were busy and we didn't feel like there was enough time to do all the stuff that we wanted but it was the best. We pretty much ate out every meal and took our time getting ready and didn't have to worry about anyone but ourselves. Some fun things we did were: tour at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (lots of sampling and ice cream), visiting the Goonies house, visiting the school where Kindergarten Cop was filmed, visiting with some sea lions, going to the Astoria Column shopping and more shopping, walking on the beach, and just hanging out. We decided that it is something that we are going to try and do every year on a smaller scale (not so far away for most of them). We hope that more of our friends will be able to come if it is not as big and expensive of a thing. Here are a few pictures (if you want to see more head over to Jill's blog) :

Me, Jill, Talese, and Lauren with Haystack Rock in the background.

Talese, Lauren, and Jill

Me, Jill, and Talese in front of the Goonies house

Me, Jill, and Talese hanging out at the beach house.

Me in front to the biggest daisies (my favorite flower) I have ever seen.

A pretty ocean sunset.

There is a short catch up on that. Well I was home for almost a week before we headed up to Heber to visit with my family while J went kayaking with his father in Washington state. Inbetween the trips I had my ultrasound and as you saw a couple of weeks ago, we are having a little boy. I was pretty sure that it was a boy but still am having a hard time imagining our home with a little boy. It will be fun but definitely a change. Amber was not so sure she liked the idea that is was a boy. This is what she said when we told her:

Me: Amber we got to go and see the baby in my tummy and guess what it is a baby brother.

Amber: I don't want a brother I want another sister.
Me: Well, we are going to have a baby boy so you get a brother. Now you will have one of each, a sister and a brother.
Amber: Maybe we will just have to wait and see.

I thought about scanning the ultrasound pictures of our little man but decided that he didn't need his junk all over the internet. So you will just have to wait and see him when he makes his appearance in January. We also went to the Washington County Fair to see all the animals and exhibits. It was really hot but the girls seemed to enjoy it none the less. Here are a few picture from that:

Amber holding a chick.

Amber petting a goat.

Farmer Amber and Farmer Elle

Watch out here they come.

You can see the excitement on her face.

You can almost see Amber's face in there

They had trick performing bears but I thought that this bear had the right idea of what to do in his down time.

Heber Trip August 16-23:
J and his father, Max, left on their trip to Washington state on Saturday the 15 but Mary, J's mother, and I didn't leave to head up to Heber and Logan/Ogden until Sunday morning. We got to Heber and unloaded all our stuff and Mary took off to go and spend the week visiting family and friends in Logan and Ogden while I stayed with my parents in Heber. We had a very fun filled week. We went to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum with most of my family, swimming at the Kamas Rec Center with my mom, spent lots of time with cousins (Zach, Natalie, and Wyatt), went on trips to Salt Lake and Park City to shop for baby boy clothes, went for a picnic up in the mountains, and went to the Hoogle Zoo. As luck would have it while I was up north my roommates from Dixie were getting together for a little reunion and I was able to see all of them as well. As you can see there really wasn't a dull moment, some crazy ones but that is to be expected with two small children that aren't getting there regular naps and beauty sleep at night. We had so much fun. J and Max did make it home from there adventures, where I think they had a good time, and we headed home Sunday with J. Here are a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Zach, Elle, and Amber checking things out.

Elle's favorite part was bringing me all the dinosaurs in the play room.

Natalie, Amber, and Zach playing in the sand and looking for dinosaurs.

Zach, Natalie, Amber, and Elle catching a ride.

Amber riding Bonnie's bear (stuffed).

My mom, Virginia, with baby Wyatt.

Elle and Amber taking a look around the mountains.

Jim, my brother, with baby Wyatt.

Amber and me on our hike.

Zoo transportation.

Elle and me riding the carousel.

Amber riding the elephant.

Elle, Bonnie and me riding the train (can you tell Elle is roasting).

Dixie College roommate reunion
Back row: Stephanie, Lisa, and Tara
Front row: Shannon, me, and Carrie

*sorry that this is so long I just knew if I tried to do them separately that I never would.

Postscript

2009-08-13T22:54:00.000-06:00

PS: it's a fetus with boy-bits enabled. I'm sure we'll have to pay extra.

Church

2009-08-09T15:50:00.000-06:00

I had a bunch of inquiries today as to why I didn't take the opportunity to play the quasi-single dad card and stay home from church (let alone stay the whole three hours). To those that are curious, I have but a simple answer for you: nursery.

Yeah, we had to get cleaned up and into our church clothes, but that just gave us something to do. And giving me something to do with these little people beats the pants off of them just hanging off my leg and pestering me because they're hungry/bored/tired/etc. Having that two hour break (even if one of those hours was spent with bratty 14/15 year-olds) where other adults were in charge of their physical/spiritual well-being? Totally worth it.

Uh, and of course we went to church today because we wanted to learn more about churchy things. Doy.

Proof that they're so cute that even their father couldn't mess them up.

Swimming and future careers

2009-08-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

I'll try my best to set the scene wherein I made another dad glad he had a male offspring:

I'm at the pool with Amber and Elle. Elle and I are out of the pool getting her dried off. Amber, still in the water, calls to me, "Papa, look at my new trick!" all excited like. What's her new trick? She's got her legs wrapped around the pool's railing and she's spinning around it. Yes — my three year-old daughter is essentially pole dancing and thinks it's the greatest thing ever.

To her joyful announcement I can only respond: "Well, that doesn't bode well for my future."

Here's where the other dad comes in: he hears my response, looks to Amber to see what elicited such a retort, makes eye-contact with me, looks over at his small boy, and smirks a smirk that can only translate as "sucks to be that guy in 10 years!"

For my part, I'm glad I could make another father appreciate his child just a tad more.
_________________________

Tangentially, here's a quick video of Amber's first days of swimming lessons from July. As a dad (who goes and hides at work all day), I often miss these kinds of events in my childrens' lives so I'm grateful Christina thinks to take some video for me to see and share.

Not to be outdone

2009-08-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

Not to be outdone by her sister, Amber also awoke this morning inquiring, if not much more casually, about the whereabouts of her dear mother. When I told her mama was still in Oregon, Amber quite resolutely pronounced:

"She sure is taking a long time, huh?"

Magic

2009-08-07T09:51:00.000-06:00

This morning, Elle invented a new way to find mama when she's not in the house (or state, for that matter). After toddling around all the rooms of the house saying "Mama? Mama?" and satisfying herself that mama was in fact not in any of her usual hiding spots, Elle sat down with me on the couch and uttered the following: "Mama? Ta-dah!"

Poor dear — me thinks she thought the pronouncement of the magical declaration would pop her dear mama out of some hat right there in her own living room.

Poor substitute

2009-08-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

Howdy all — J here again. As has become my tradition when Christina goes out of town sans children (she's hanging in Oregon with some buddies), I'm taking over this blog for a few days to post all sorts of random stuff. Random stuff like this video of Elle showcasing her mad dancing skillz:

And before I forget in the whirlwind that is semi-single parenting, I'd just like to give a huge shoutout to Grandma Mary and Grandpa Max. They're watching the girls during the daytime hours and letting me run off and hide at work. Thanks!

Eight's great

2009-07-27T14:25:00.000-06:00

So today J and I have been married for 8 whole years (warning: this entry may be a little mushy and contain what others may see as too much information so read at your own risk) . It just seems like yesterday I was compiling pictures for our 7th anniversary. The time just keeps speeding up every year and I wish it would slow down a little. I am so lucky to have been able to spend these years with J. It doesn't seem possible that it has been this long, to me anyway, maybe he would say differently. We have shared a lot of fun memories together and I can't wait to share more. Here are eight reasons (I am sure I will leave very important ones out) why the last eight years have been great.

1. You always know how to make me laugh. I have a couple picture that I would love to show in regards to this but I would be in so much trouble that it isn't worth it.

2. We have gotten to experience a lot of new/first time things together (after wedding activities, cars, first apartments, our home, become parents, raising kids...)

3. Before we had kids, those quiet 5 years that we went and did so many fun things. I can't wait to be able to do some of them again together (hike, bike, rock climb, camping, weekend get aways, traveling...)

4. How special you make me feel and how loved that I am. You are always telling me how pretty I am or how smart or... and there has not been a day that we have been married (that I can think of) that you haven't told me that you love me.

5. Knowing that you are always there for me. I know that I can tell you anything and that (may say that I am crazy) you will listen and talk me through it.

6. That we know each other so well that we can complete each others sentences. That you are able to understand me even when I talk in Christina speak. And that we sometimes say or think the exact same thing all the time.

7. That we have such a healthy active relationship in the bedroom (sorry I warned you). You always now how to take care of me. I could say much more but I would embarrass myself and you readers (all 2 of you).

8. Having you as the papa to our children. Amber and Elle just love you and it is so fun to watch you with them. They both have you wrapped around their little fingers.

I loves you my honey honey and thank you for the beautiful flowers.

Happy Happy Anniversary song from "So I Married An Axe Murderer" (one of our favorites). Enjoy;)

More Summer Activities

2009-07-13T14:45:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures showing what we have been up to the last week or so.

Amber starting taking swimming lessons

She has learned to float on her back

One of her favorite things is to use the pink kicking boards

This is when one of her teachers gave in and let her use one again

Elle enjoying a fruit leather while Amber swims

We went to Jumpin Jacks for the first time and Elle wasn't sure about it in the beginning

Amber helped Elle see that it was too much fun to miss out on

She even started trying going up the big slides by herself - she would have if she were a little longer

Amber made a new friend Haylee

I didn't see much of Amber after she met Haylee

So poor Elle got stuck with me the rest of the time

Tara and me just chatting as the kids played

On Saturday we decided to go to the pool and show Papa (hiding behind the camera of course) all the fun new things Amber was learning at swimming lessons

Heber Pictures

2009-06-30T15:00:00.001-06:00

We had a great time in Heber last week. We got to watch Bonnie run, play with family and friends, see and ride the horses, ride the four wheeler, and whatever else came up. Enjoy the pictures.

Attention attention

2009-06-25T14:57:00.001-06:00

We have an announcement to make:

There will be another monkey around here at Monkey Maxfield's come January 15th (or somewhere in that ballpark). Stay tuned for more updates in the future. That is all.