To Grandmother's house we go...

For Thanksgiving we had every intention of celebrating in Chicago with our little family of four. Evan knew that I wasn't exactly fond of the idea of my entire family being together (minus us) but reminded me of the whopping 1000 miles separating us from them. I think it's fair to say he underestimated the lengths (literally) my mom and I were willing to go to make this holiday happen. Fast forward to Thanksgiving time and my mom flying to Chicago (thanks Mom!), just to help me drive me and my two children for two solid days down to Texas. Bless you, Mother. Along with the coloring books and DVD player things weren't as bad as I'd anticipated, except for one very dark hour that ended with my mother climbing into the little backseat to separate my two screaming, fighting boys. Lucky for me, I was driving. Here's Colt smiling on the first day of driving. Not so sure that the smiles were abounding on Day 2 (all of my pics are from camera phones, excuse the blurriness).

Some playtime after all the driving. Spent some time in downtown Austin enjoying the parks, the gorgeous weather, a cute little train, and of course some Tex-Mex food.
The boys playing their little hearts out at Nana's house. Cade, who had been rebelling against naps for quite some time, wore himself out at Nana's and started napping again. What's better is he decided he liked it so much he's kept it up for me at home!
A few weeks before Thanksgiving my sister Ashley proposed that we run a Turkey Trot in downtown Austin on Thanksgiving morning. She was convinced that running those five miles before the big feast would make us feel energized and overall better about ourselves when we dug into the turkey and pies. I was convinced that it would make us feel you know...sore...while we dug into our turkey and pies. Never one to turn down some sister bonding though, I told Ash to count me in, even though I'm pretty sure the last time I'd run five miles was...have I ever run five miles? Like I thought, my sisters took off like the conditioned runners they are and I ran in the back with the walkers. I did remember to bring along my secret weapon aka my personal trainer, Evan. The man did everything. Held my iPOD, switched my songs, turned the volume up, grabbed my water, told the walkers I was "Coming through!" when I actually managed to pass one. He's the only reason I didn't jump into one of the many strollers I ran next to. I think in this next picture my sisters look happy because they feel so energized. I'm happy because I didn't die (picture courtesy of my secret weapon).
Cade got an ear infection in the middle of all of the festivities. Lucky for us we had Dr. Rencher in the house (or as Evan calls him, Log Doc) who checked him out and prescribed the much needed antibiotics. Logan was awesome with grouchy, tired Cade and Colt told me he's decided his new pediatrician will be Uncle Logan. I'm all for it if it weren't for the whole travel time thing.
The big meal. A little blurry but you get the drift.
Colt all alone at the kids' table. Cade was taking one of the aforementioned naps as was Gavin. I think it's safe to say that Colt ate half the turkey single-handedly, not to mention an entire can of cranberry sauce. I've decided that Evan's going to have to get a second job so we can afford to feed this boy when he's a teenager.
Evan got to join me on the two day drive back where all of us were experiencing bouts of grumpiness. Probably because we were racing back for Evan to take a final the Monday after Thanksgiving and with every mile we drove it felt like it got about 20 degrees colder. We're home "enjoying" the negative degree weather and waiting till May when it's safe to step outside again.

The Halloween Post

Here's the Halloween recap just in time for Thanksgiving. Oh how I wish I loved Halloween more, but after soaking up the whole turkey/pie/football thing today (and prepping for black Friday in the wee hours of tomorrow) I've determined if it weren't for the kids I really could do without it. Even stealing the kids' candy didn't hold quite the same charm for me this year - only one Twix in the whole bunch. Sigh. But we soldiered through it and here's the documentation that yes kids, there really is a Halloween.

Evan was bound and determined that he make the costumes this year. Another Sigh. I loved that he wanted to but really, where was he going to find the time? Never one to step on my husband's dreams and aspirations I verified with him 426 times that with everything else he had stacked on his plate, the costumes would be ready come October 31st. Here's Colt ready for his Preschool Parade and completely thrilled with his Daddy's handiwork. I was pretty doubtful of my abilities of attaching the claws and getting the makeup just right so Evan met me on his lunch break in front of the preschool to perfect Wolverine. What a Dad.
Fast forward a few days and Cade's tranformer costume is still sitting in the garage unfinished. While we gallivanted around in downtown Chicago my saint of a mother hit up most every store in our area looking for a costume in Cade's size. There were none to be found. Who knew those things really did sell out? Can't we procrastinators catch a break? I left for our church's Halloween party since I was helping with it and wished Evan best wishes and good luck with Cade's costume. When I finally ran into them at the party Cade was happy as could be. Recognize the Batman costume from say...two years ago? Oh and need a cape Cade? Here's a pillowcase.

Last but not least we celebrated the actual day with some church, handing out candy, and our spooky feast. Remember when I decided to get creative last year for our Halloween dinner? Well this year I decided to go all out ... and make the exact same thing. I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of creative. At least this mama tried right?

Now onto the real holidays (just kidding all you Halloween lovers out there). Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and ate at least as much as I did. I'm thankful for elastic waistbands.

Ditch the Kids 2010

It's no secret that I've been somewhat...well...downright whiny lately about Evan's busy schedule and our lack of time together. I might or might not have mentioned to Evan that we haven't had an honest to goodness real date for 5 maybe 6 years (I've been known to exaggerate in dire circumstances). I've dropped hints, handed him the sitter's number, written an essay with bullet points describing why I need a night out to no avail. So imagine my surprise when, after picking my mom up from the airport on Friday, Evan was home. In the middle of the day. A workday. In the midst of my confusion (are you okay? did you lose your job? did someone DIE?) at him being home, Evan officially declared the next 24 hours as "Ditch the Kids 2010." I quickly packed a bag, left my kids in the very capable hands of my mom, and hopped the train into downtown Chicago (with Evan of course).

-We walked the streets of Chicago where I overcame my fear of being shot (big cities tend to do this to me - too much America's Most Wanted).

-We ate dinner at the cutest Italian restaurant where the food was terrible, just absolutely awful. First bad Italian experience I've had since moving to Chicagoland. This restaurant could seriously use a visit from Chef Gordon Ramsey & Kitchen Nightmares, Top Chef, Chef Boyardee, somebody.

-We headed to the theater to see The Lion King. First Broadway show I've ever seen and it was amazing.
-Stayed at a gorgeous hotel. Thank you Priceline for making it possible for us to stay here as opposed to the Motel 6.
Such a fun, spontaneous night on the town which made me realize two things. One - my husband really does listen when I talk! Two - I missed the kids that we ditched. A big thank you to my mom for making our date night happen. And Evan, you earned big time brownie points.

Some Family Fun

Today we took the time for a much needed family day. With Evan back in school, busy with deadlines at work, and church campouts (do 12 year olds really need to go on a campout every month?), I'm logging some serious hours by myself at night with my 9x13 pan of brownies and remote control. It's gotten to the point where I feel like I need to introduce myself to the hubby when he walks in the door on Friday night (I know for a fact that I have a lot of friends out there who can relate). So Evan and I had what I like to call a little "discussion" where, let's be honest, some tears were shed (mine, not Evan's) which resulted in us scheduling some family fun. Ignoring the lawn that needed to be mowed and Evan's huge pile of homework, we headed out to the farmlands of Illinois and seriously the cutest pumpkin patch you've ever seen. Better yet I remembered to charge the camera and bring it.

We started out with the wagon ride, conquered a straw maze, and headed to the petting zoo. At this point I was so in love with the farm country and cute animals, I was completely convinced that I was meant to be a farmer. Well, maybe not a farmer, but definitely a farmer's wife. That is until I actually smelled the petting zoo and determined that life in surburbia isn't so bad. Colt was noticeably nervous with the animals. He proceeded to tell us that he just loves animals as long as they aren't bigger than him. Hmmm...that narrowed it down a bit seeing as how every animal except the bunny was bigger than him. After some serious coaxing (and Evan forcibly holding his hand), here's Colt feeding the sheep. That's as close as we could get him to the poor animal and I'm pretty sure the sheep's neck will never be the same.

Cade was bound and determined to feed this goat who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Wouldn't even give him the simple courtesy of eye contact.

Ahh much better. The sheep will help you out Cade.
Oh my gosh, I could not get enough of these baby cows! They are seriously the cutest things! I'm pretty sure I took more pictures of them than my own kids. And I'm having some serious guilt over how much I like beef. I don't think I'll ever be the same.
Cade could not get enough of this bunny whom he aptly named "Superbunny." I mean look at that thing - he's huge! Cade looks like he's terrorizing the bunny as opposed to petting him. Poor Superbunny.
Next it was onto the pony rides. We were told that Cade's pony was named Commanche but if you asked Cade, his name was "Pretty Pony." Doesn't quite pack the same masculine punch, does it?
Colt may have been scared of the sheep but he was a natural on the pony. We might have a cowboy in training on our hands.
Picking out our pumpkins.
Such a well spent few hours of our Saturday and I'm currently campaigning to make this a yearly tradition.

Summer Recap

Summer is no longer in full swing - here in Chicago it's actually over - but I'm back with the post I promised a whopping three months ago. Better late than never right? We had a summer full of fun and travel and more travel and this mama needing a seriously long nap. But push come to shove the kids had the best time of their little lives and here I am to document it (courtesy of all the other picture takers - thanks Gwen, Ash, and Rach!)

While we were in LA we of course took a trip to the beach. Evan, being the Californian that he is, would set up a tent and live on the beach if I weren't so against ... well, the idea of living in a tent. He and the boys spent the day in the sand and surf (the kids actually were pretty wimpy in the actual surf since it's so dang cold) and I stayed far away from the water and its great white sharks. It was Cade's turn to get buried in the sand and here he is waving at the camera since it scared him to think of having his hands buried. Me and my claustrophobic self don't blame him.

After all our playing, it was onto the main event, Evan's sister Julia's wedding. She got married in the LA temple so six years later, Evan and I got to go back to the place where it all began for us. Notice my sunburned legs that seriously match my shirt. It hurts just thinking about it.

Waiting for the bride and groom to arrive.
Evan's fam. Oh and I know that I'm looking taller than the hubby but I swear I'm standing on the step above him.
Celebrating my 29th - one year and counting till the big one.
Colt and his BFF cousin Anna. Is it just me or has Colt never looked happier?
A few days after coming home from California, the kids and I took off to spend the majority of July in Texas. The kids loved getting spoiled by Nana (case in point - the train ride below) and getting donuts with Papa. My kids could not get enough of baby Gavin. They refuse to say his name without the "baby" in front of it. Wonder how Gavin's gonna feel about that when they're all teenagers.
We also got in our annual trip to Sea World, thanks to awesome Aunt Valerie.
After Texas, it was off to Wisconsin to see my friend Rach and stay at her family's cabin. I had yummy food and a good friend to talk to. The boys had frogs, dirt, and a Spiderman life jacket. It was a win/win situation for everyone.
Whew - I think that's it for the Big Summer '10. We're back to real life, Colt started preschool (is he really going to kindergarten next year?), and I'm trying to remember how to cook and clean my house. Now onto my favorite season of the year and its apple/pumpkin desserts in all their glory.

Catching Up

Summer is in full swing and I thought I'd update on what we've been up to so far...you know...before the snow starts. We've been having a ton of fun, traveling like crazy, and I'm one exhausted mama. I think that once upon a time I used to be able to stay up past 10 pm and not feel it, but those days are so 10 years ago. First up was a girls weekend in Austin for FOUR whole days by myself. My sister Ash recently abandoned me out here in the midwest and moved to Texas. I was having some serious issues/withdrawals/tantrums thinking about being here in Chicago while they got to be so close together, so my parents took pity and flew me down. I guess there are some perks to being the only one not in driving distance. This was the first time since I had a child over 4 years ago that I flew by myself. Alone. Who knew that you could get through security that quick? Or that you could get through a flight without having a drink spilled on you or peanuts stuck to your face? Thanks a ton Mom and Dad for the priceless experience! Here are all of us girls after a weekend of chick flicks, massages, 2 (okay maybe 3) dozen donuts, shopping, and lots of time spent chatting and laughing. Don't I look relaxed? (I stole the pic from your blog Valerie - hope that's okay!) Next up was a trip to California. Evan's sister got married at the end of June and we figured as long as we were flying all four of us out there (it physically pains me that we have to buy Cade a ticket now too) we might as well make a vacation out of it too. I have to mention that I tried my best to remember everything but when you're packing for three, some things slip through the cracks. When we showed up in LA, I had 2 sets of fully charged batteries but NO camera. Thanks to everyone who did take pictures and let me have copies! So here we are at Disneyland at the end of the day. Evan might have choked as we paid to get in, but it's the happiest place on earth and we were going to make memories darn it! So we pushed the kids till 10:30 pm and only had to survive 2 (okay maybe 3) of Cade's award winning tantrums. Memories were made (good ones too!) so mission accomplished.

Colt on a ride. Funny that the picture we got was of the carousel because this boy was fearless and went on everything.

Cade on a ride. He wasn't quite as fearless.

One tuckered out two year old.

We also checked out a cute little family farm that had animals to feed, tractors to ride, and haystacks to climb. Cade was trying to keep up with Colt and his cousin all week. Here he is working hard to catch up. Almost there...

Made it!

We kept having to remind Colt that the carrots he's holding were for the animals. The boy is a rabbit and the poor donkeys were getting the shaft.

I'm not caught up yet but the kiddos are begging for dinner and once they've decided they're hungry, there's no changing their minds. I wonder where they learned that from? Until next time (or next month...who am I kidding?)

When Dad's in Charge

And he takes you on your very first Father/Son Campout with the rest of the dads and their boys from church...
You end up, after getting ready for the morning, looking like this (and yes, those are pajamas doubling as pants).

Then Dad takes you on a cool hike, dressed in your very best camouflage sweatsuit, and teaches you how to blend completely into your surroundings.

I think someone forgot to mention to Cade that he doesn't exactly blend in.

Ps - kudos to Evan for taking both kiddos with him on the campout. He was understandably nervous that while helping one out, the other might jump into the fire or something. Everyone came home unscathed, dirty, and completely exhausted. I, on the other hand, felt ridiculously rested.

Birthday Boy

As of two days ago, my baby is officially two and truthfully, he's not a baby. He's a full fledged toddler and right on cue has started acting like a two year old, complete with Academy Award worthy tantrums and the declaring of his independence. I'm pretty sure that I hear, "I do it" about 3,258 times a day. It seems we're right on schedule. So how to celebrate his big day? My goal was to say "no" as little as possible. To let him try it on his own even if it meant waiting three hours for him to buckle his carseat or put his own shoes on or bathe himself... and losing my mind in the process. Cade also determined the menu for the day, starting with pancakes.

After uploading his birthday pictures, I realized that every one of them was of him in his seat at the kitchen table eating or about to eat. Pretty accurate for how I think birthdays should be celebrated.

Ready for cake. Colt had a hard time at the beginning of the day realizing that it was not his birthday being recognized, but perked right up once he realized he got quite a few of the birthday benefits.

Does this cake look familiar? Let's rewind two or so years to Colt's 2nd birthday. What can I say? I order cakes with the best of 'em.

I love this little man something fierce. This second time around I've remembered how much I love this stage. The part where they really start talking and telling you how they see the world. I asked Cade what he wanted for dinner and he said rice. I asked him what else and he answered water. What? After a little more conversation he settled on a burger from "Cheeseburger King" (as it's known around here). I love how he makes me laugh and will still snuggle with me before a nap or sometimes, for no reason at all. I'm more than grateful that we were blessed to have Cade come to our family.

Here's a couple of videos from the birthday festivities (mostly for the grandmas/aunts out there but for anyone else who cares to look too). On the first video, check out Cade singing to himself and Evan's sweet "zoom in" skills. The second video is Colt's take on the whole birthday thing.

The Rundown

I'm back with a recap of the last couple of months. Spring is here, we're moved into our house (hallelujah for my house!), and I'm ready to get back to blogging so here goes.

- Mom and Sis (and Logan too) were in town to help with the big move. It was a huge help to have them here. I talked my mom into staying a good 10 days which, considering Evan went out of town for work, had finals, and I had the stomach flu, was priceless. Have I mentioned that I love being in a house again? I have loved the space, especially the backyard that I can send (and sometimes force) the kids into when I start reaching my crazy mom status. I'm not alone here in noting this change since Colt recently told me, "You are such a nice mommy again." Hmmm. Suffice it to say, this was a good move for everyone.

- Evan's parents and sister Jen, home from a mission to St. Louis, came into town and got right to work painting. I can always count on some sort of project getting done while they're here. Not to mention that Jen watched my kids the whole day Evan's mom and I were painting. Her help was heaven sent, since not once did I have my kids near wet paint.

- Chanel and family came to visit! Seriously felt like the good ole days in Castle Rock with her right down the street. Except that she was in my house instead! We got to talk for hours without the phone plastered to my ear. Made me miss her so much when she left but she was nice enough to leave her love of Trader Joe's with me. I'm pretty sure that their salsa has changed my life.

- Family vacation to Nauvoo - a town just four hours away from us that has a lot of meaningful and significant church historical sites. This was the first time that we took off on a trip with just our little family in tow and we loved it! Besides, you know, the whining, crying, tantrums, etc. And what's more, I took pictures and everything.

When we drove in, this sweet elderly sister missionary told us that Nauvoo was the best bargain for miles around which was music to Frugal Evan's ears. She was right too since the church has so many free things for kids/families to do. We started off with a wagon ride around Nauvoo. Cade was prepared with every blanket we had brought/he could possible carry. You can never be too prepared I guess.

Can you tell who was the hot commodity during the weekend? The boys had the best seats in the house, right behind the huge horses. I'm proud of Evan here, since he has admitted to having a slight fear of "large livestock." I'm loving that grin on Colt's face - can we say mischievous?

There is a family center in Nauvoo where you can learn how the pioneers made candles, bread, wool, etc. Here's Colt posing as he helps make rope. Or really, watches his dad help.

Our dinner Saturday night. Little did we know that everything in town closes at 7 pm. Sharp. I was what you might call grumpy when we had to make do with what the gas station had to offer. I think I need to start taking pictures of these boys more often. Getting them to look at the camera is a Herculean effort.

What would a family trip be without an excursion down to the hotel pool? Especially when you've got a dad willing to give rides around it.

Colt was not exactly happy with us when pool time was over.

All of us in front of the gorgeous Nauvoo temple. Evan and I took turns watching the kids so each of us could go. All in all, I would say the trip was a success. Evan and I both loved learning more about the early church pioneers who had lived there. Granted the kids weren't as into the tours, especially since Evan and I said, "SHHHH!" or "Don't touch!" or "I mean it!" about a bazillion times. We got smart by the end and started taking turns going on the tours and reporting back about what we'd learned. It was amazing to feel of the spirit of Nauvoo and learn about the sacrifice and dedication of those early saints. On the car ride home (with both kids comatose in the back), Evan and I both commented on how strengthened we felt by the example of those pioneers. Kind of puts my complaining about our gas station dinner in perspective doesn't it?

-Last but not least, my sister Ashley came to visit this past week. This was her last visit out here since she's leaving me all alone in the Midwest and moving to Texas in May. We played with the kids, went to the children's museum and like usual, ate. Though I will say that since Ashley is on a healthy eating kick, eating together was not the same. After all the broccoli and sugar free snacks, I am seriously ready for a cheeseburger and fries. And a milkshake too - a big one.