Carleton, Robyn, Apollo & Annie

Heaven is Here-Welcome Parks!!!!!

2012-01-22T18:59:00.001-08:00

Our big boy Parks Joshua Copa came January 17th at 5:50 in the morning weighing 10 pounds 3 oz. I had been at the hospital from 11:30-4:30 the day before with consistent 4-5 min. contractions but since I came in dilated to a 2 and didn't progress, I had to go home where I continued to have contractions. We went back in to the hospital at 3:30 am. I was dilated to a 5 or 6 so they let me stay. I felt like I needed to push before getting the epidural. They didn't have a chance to run my epidural fluids, just gave me the test shot in the back. I was supposed to have antibiotics pumped before too but...NO TIME!! They were rushing to find a doctor because he came so so fast. The anesthesiologist said he didn't know if the epidural would work because Parks was too low. It was very painful. He came out with a blue face, swelling, and some marks, but we are so glad he came here healthy. When I held him on my chest for the first time he cocked his head to look up at me when I spoke to him. He looked over at Carleton when he spoke to him.

Apollo and Annie made little bean bags a couple months ago and gave them to Parks when they met him. Parks "gave" Apollo and Annie each a Lego set so they could have some attention too.

When Parks was in my tummy he was pretty chill during the day but every time I woke up in the night, I could feel him moving. During his first day he was super sleepy but he came alive...awake at 9:30 that night. Carleton talked about holding him and he would just look around. At 7:00 that morning, he was back to being sleepy.

We didn't know if he would fit the outfit we picked for him to come home because it looked big, but it did.

Home at last.

We spent the night at the hospital after the kids' visit. Annie thought Parks would be home. My parents heard Annie and Apollo waking up that morning in their bunk beds and in Annie's cute little voice, she said "Let's go see Parks" and ran into our room. They were sooooo excited when we arrived home that night and couldn't stop touching their little brother. Mom and Dad had some balloons and the sign on the door. Thanks to Mom and Dad for being here and taking care of the kids.

That night the kids wanted to rock Parks to sleep. They filled his cradle with animals and blankets and sang to him. Apollo even gave him his "Chugnut" (bed-time buddy) to sleep with.

So cute. Parks will look at the kids when they talk to him. He has stopped crying when Apollo and Annie sing to him. Parks is a very chill baby. He loves to be close to us at night. He's a sleepy gus and doesn't cry much.

First bath.

He calmed right down when we ran warm water over his head. Apollo and Annie always liked water too.

Piper meet Parks.

2012-01-16T19:03:00.001-08:00

Parks is coming soon...we think.

As I write this, I am having painful contraction after another. Carleton and I have spent the day at the hospital with consistent contractions four minutes apart. I came in dilated to a 2 and because I didn't dilate more, I got sent home, the hour and a half walk at the hospital didn't help.

I took these pictures after doing a step class this morning. I've been hoping working out would put me into labor. We're probably going back tonight so we're crossing our fingers;)

We made these signs. Apollo's idea was the "I love you Parks." Annie and Apollo designed cars for the poster and drew pictures for him. We decorated Parks' room yesterday (sooooo cute-can't wait to post pics!) and put this sign on his door. We're are all looking forward to meet him!

Gymnastics. Annie is in her same mommy and me class. I love doing this with her. Apollo has his own class with 5 out of the 6 kids being boys. He takes it with Apollo and Donny. Apollo and Annie love their class.

The kids have loved pushing each other around on this thing lately.

The kids worked for a long time designing cars. Awesome gift, Carol!

Our house has had a complete make over. I can't wait to take before and after pictures.

2012-01-09T21:02:00.001-08:00

My whole family joined us for Christmas this year. We packed in a lot of fun events. Even though Heidi's fam has been gone for awhile, Apollo said he was thankful for cousins in our Gratefuls tonight. Here's what we've been up to: surfing, a visit from Santa, Beek's place, Riverside Vintage Hotel, Projects, Shopping, Rock Climbing, Christmas lights, Racquet ball, House deco, The Beach, Bike Rides, and Working out.

Christmas Eve. Mike has been such a great help. He picked out an awesome grill for Carleton and held it for me until Christmas.

Annie was afraid of Santa but kept creeping closer to him.

Grandma Skenandore always had Santa come every year to visit the family Christmas Eve. It was fun to carry on tradition.

Christmas morning.

Marshal and Annie were good buddies. He was the tough guy with the babe on the back of his motorcycle.

Beek's Place. We went for a beautiful drive in the mountains to see some ruins. Apollo says he likes to "discover new thing."

Happy Birthday Marshal.

New Year's Eve. Casino in the house.

We love our Carol.

Projects. Thanks for all the help!

Outdoor World.

At Home.

All Day project.

At the Beach.

Apollo and Annie rode their bikes on the beach. Apollo loved to ride his bike in the waves. So cute-he had a constant perma grin.

Out in the water with Justin and Jordan.

View from above. My tummy is getting so big.

Poor Annie. I always cut Annie's hair but this time I wanted to take her somewhere to get a cute trim so she would have cute pics with Parks when he comes. Carleton thought he would do me a favor the other day and cut it himself. Oh my. She's all forehead. They didn't have bang extensions at the hair salon:(

Merry Christmas.

2012-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Marshal.

New Year's Eve. Casino in the house.

We love our Carol.

Projects. Thanks for all the help!

Outdoor World.

At Home.

All Day project.

At the Beach.

Apollo and Annie rode their bikes on the beach. Apollo loved to ride his bike in the waves. So cute-he had a constant perma grin.

Out in the water with Justin and Jordan.

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-14T20:33:00.001-08:00

We are so excited for Christmas in our new home. We found a beautiful tree and have been attending some fun Christmas events. It's coming so quickly. I felt funny getting ready for Christmas around Halloween time and I would have started earlier knowing all that we wanted to do. We've been trying to work on the house so it looks good when family comes. Maybe I'm nesting-I don't know, but I have a need to organize the whole entire house. We've been buying containers galore to organize it all.

Carleton's a good sport. The kids love scarves-so we all wore them out the other night...including Carleton.

Santa train. A beautifully lit train came and the kids gave an unwrapped toy for it to take to boys and girls. Apollo wasn't so sure about giving the cool planes away until he found out he got a free ice cream certificate. Annie went right up to a fireman and gave her toy.

Tom's Farms.

The kids love decorating. They have their own tree this year using a free fake tree we got. They made a lot of the ornaments. We picked out this fresh tree that turned out beautiful. It takes up our whole toy room.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T20:01:00.001-08:00

Annie just woke up from her nap before sitting down to her second Thanksgiving dinner.

The kids were awesome travelers!!! Apollo played with this Lego set for 2-3 hours in the car. A plastic container (from Taco Bell) and a Lego mat to stick things to worked well.

Thanksgiving number 1. Kimberly hosted seven out of eight of Carleton's bros and sisters (including his parents) and their families. So great to connect with everyone. The kids liked their presents they received in Grandma's game.

Thanksgiving number 2. We spent it at Mom and Dad's cabin in Idaho. The snow looked so pretty on the trees and ground. Very festive.

Apollo said he would rather live somewhere that has snow.

Love this picture!! Grandpa read to Annie and Annie "read" to Grandpa.

My parents and Heidi and Josh picked out and cut down their own tree this year.

The kids had a blast in the snow.

Carleton pulled kids on the sled tied to the back of the 4-wheeler.

My little guy is kissing Katie's little girl.

You only see Annie in this pic because Apollo was too nervous-Annie is too.

Signs of Winter.

2011-11-22T11:07:00.001-08:00

My mom and dad texted me a couple pictures of all the snow they're getting. Mom said she was snowed in and couldn't make it to church last Sunday. Well, we are surrounded by beautiful lawns, flowers, and great weather. I did find a sign of changing seasons and snapped some pics as the kids biked around the neighborhood. Love the berries in this first pic-green and red.

Shannon and I had a great day at Disneyland with the kiddos. The guys joined us later after work.

Here's our little Darth Vaders in Small World:)

It looks beautiful all decorated for Christmas.

The rolly ferris wheel.

Paper airplanes. We are all loving preschool.

Annie and Apollo helped me make cookies to celebrate Breaking Dawn.

We frosted the black cookies with red frosting. I asked Apollo which cookie he wanted and he said "I want a heart because I love Annie." Annie wanted a heart because Apollo had one.

I've been freezing everything lately. We froze our extra dough for another day.

Decorating for Christmas. We love our new decorations-decorating a house is so much more fun than a tiny apartment.

I made these stockings out of old sweaters. I'll post more about how I did it on my creative blog.

Carol threw me an amazing shower. She always goes above and beyond. Thanks Joanie for all you did too! Suzana's house looked so pretty.

We had some friends over after the Breaking Dawn movie to celebrate the wedding of Bella and Edward.

Christie and Tyler brought "dog food". Very very yummy Muddy Buddies. You can google chex muddy buddies if you want a really yummy treat. They looked so cute and looked like they were dressed up for a real wedding.

Mike and Jennifer brought bleeding cupcakes (they looked awesome inside). Mike sported a mustache and looked like Charlie in his flannel shirt.

Preparing for Parks. Parks Joshua Copa.

2011-11-13T09:50:00.001-08:00

Carleton chose our little guy's name. We love the outdoors and adventure. He thought of Parks Bonifay, one of the world's best wakeboarders, who also holds the world record for the youngest person to water ski (six months old). Joshua is after Carleton's best friend Josh Balling (fun that he's my sister's husband). When we told Heidi and Josh that we were naming our little guy after him, Heidi told Josh "you have to be a better man now.":) Josh is positive, loves life and lives it to the fullest, is strong in his faith, is kind to others, is an adventurer, is friendly, is ambitious, and draws other people to him. Parks Joshua has a great example in his uncle.

I love this quote below. I feel so blessed every day to be married to someone whom I greatly adore. We know the heartache of not having children, so to add a third, we just feel so so so thankful. My cup runneth over.

Every night for our thankfuls Annie says "I'm thankful for the baby" without fail. Apollo put his hand on my tummy and got to feel Parks kick him a bunch. I think he kicks all night long-might be a long few nights when he arrives! I stayed awake the other night decorating his room in my mind. It will be a future scientist room with some test tubes and beakers as decorations. My photographer, Suzana, found this picture and I thought it would be cute to take pictures of him with anatomy, chemistry, and physics books. It would be fun to find some vintage ones. I heard once that Frank Lloyd Wright's mother put buildings in his room when he was a baby and he became the famous architect. Do I want Parks to be a scientist? Not necessarily. Do I hope he is curious, a problem solver, and a seeker of knowledge? Yes.

I found these tree pictures and thought this would be a great idea for a mobile, using molecules instead.

I would love this vintage set of molecules! They were sold out on etsy.

I printed these vintage ABCs off on cardstock to hang in his room. They are adorable.

Like these bold room colors. Blue, dark gray, and accents of a greenish yellow. A lot of pics from this post are on my PINTEREST boards if you want to make or copy anything.

Couldn't resist these fun finds at Old Navy for Parks.

We will bring him home in this.

I'm going to make him a t-shirt hat like this.

I'm going to order him a couple hats off Etsy for some cute newborn pictures.

He will be blessed and given a name in this.

Little Ann and her duct taped mittens. Time to lose the nighttime thumb.

Happy Halloween. People asked me how I got her to sit so long. She would have sat their all night if we were painting and putting makeup on her face. She loved it. She's so tiny, little cutie in her witch costume-she stole the show.

Skating in the house.

So fun to see Cameron and Sloane's family. Annie talked about Avery for days.

Decorating Ornaments. You can check my other blog for ideas on ornaments kids can make.

Annie and Apollo entered a Halloween coloring contest at Albertsons. Annie took a minute to slap on some colors and Apollo, meticulous as ever, colored a rainbow haunted house. It was amazing. I told the kids Albertsons would call if they win. When we went back, we saw them hanging up. Apollo said, "Annie won't get a call because she just scribbled." I got a call Nov. 1 for the parents of Annie Copa. She had won her age division (the youngest age I saw was 6 hanging up). I went to tell Annie and in an excited voice, Apollo asked if he had won too. Annie didn't care either way if she won or not. Apollo was devastated-I held the sad guy for awhile. She got a cool bag of goodies. We let Apollo pick out a "prize" too. Annie was more interested in the cereal Apollo picked out than her bag. Funny.

Meals for a month. Katie and I chopped veggies and organized a month's worth of crock pot meals from a website Suzana found. I'll post it on the other blog if they turn out yummy.

Jam session. Apollo got a guitar for his birthday and had to set it where Carleton put his. It was so so cute to watch. Annie loves to hear "Annie's Song" by John Denver. Both kids love Dad. Apollo woke her up from a nap earlier today and she cried and cried for Daddy. It didn't matter that Apollo told her I was here. Annie is spoiled all weekend with lots of Daddy time. Mondays are an adjustment for her. I think I'm fun but I guess not as fun as Dad.

Enjoying our coop preschool. As I showed the kids a YouTube video of Indians dancing at a Pow wow, I thought of my Grandma Annie. She was Sioux Indian and remembers the Battle of Wounded Knee. Annie was named after her-my little Indian Warrior.

Happiest place on earth.

Epic Ride

2011-10-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Carleton has been planning this trip on the San Juan Trail with his buddies for a long time. If you look closely at the pic below, you can see the trail they went up. He's a happy dad and husband when he gets to play.

Pumpkin Patch

Cavity. I told him I could be with him the whole time but because of the gas Apollo would get, I had to leave. Apollo was sad until they gave him the laughing gas. He came out of the chair super happy, chipper, and loopy. He had to get a shot too. In the car a few days later we were talking to the kids about not eating too much candy because they'll have to go back to the dentist and get their cavities filled. The whole idea backfired on us. Apollo said, "I don't care if I have to go back. I don't care. I liked getting that bump (cavity filling) in my mouth."

Tea Party.

Letter D this week with Annie.

About every week, the kids choose a meal out of a "Kids meals made Healthy" book. Apollo chose cornbread and tomato soup (straws are great for this for kids) and Annie chose salsa and chips.

This is what I woke up to this morning-yummy breakfast, happy kids. Couldn't get the greatest pic but it was delish. Whole-wheat waffles, cheese, egg, and sausage. A breakfast sandwich. Thanks Carleton!

When the student becomes the teacher. Apollo and Annie are eating some "trunk or treat" candy right now. Apollo told Annie, "You don't have to eat fast. Just eat it slow and enjoy it." Where have I heard that before.

Annie really misses Carleton when he goes to work. She calls him and says..."I miss you so much...Come home...I miss you so lot." I want to cry and say the same thing. Carleton's been so busy with the yard and other things, I miss him too.

What are we doing for Halloween? After taking the kids trick-or-treating, Carleton and I are going to light the fireplace, drink hot chocolate, and read some Edgar Allan Poe.

Happy Birthday Apollo! Big 4

2011-10-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have been decorating shirts for Christmas. Apollo wanted to make his own. Turned out cute.

Preschool field trip to the petting zoo.

Apollo's Birthday Bash.

Seth dressed up like Marlon. Beautiful fam.

Apollo's b-day gift. Last night during gratefuls he said he was thankful for his presents. I know these pics are hard on the eyes. Apollo likes to pick his own outfits and run out to surprise me (Annie does the same thing). Today he was so happy that he could get his socks on by himself.

Even though Annie has her own double bed, she and Apollo sleep in Apollo's new bunkbeds. They love it. We can hear them laughing and talking in bed. Apollo passes out first and Annie rolls around until she falls asleep.

New skates.

I have been making (and freezing) cakes, cookies, and cupcakes for weeks preparing for Apollo's party. He has been receiving gifts from others and packages in the mail. Annie kept bringing up how she would have a party too. The other day in the car, after Apollo received a package, she said "Annie's present?" many times, even after I explained it was Apollo's. She later said, "I don't want Apollo's party" and that she wanted Annie's party. So, we got her some skates too.

Annie and I worked on letter C this week. Poor girl had a rough week-we were up all night with her throwing up. One time after Carleton had helped her barf and get settled, she said "Sweet Dreams Daddy."

These pictures are for Heidi and Ken and others who wanted to see how the grass is doing.

Apollo and Annie are very good play buddies. Yesterday they were playing with cars and talking to each other like they were the cars. With cars facing each other, Annie's "car" said to Apollo's "car", "Thanks for being my friend." Imagine this with Annie's sweet high little voice.

Carleton's highlight of the week: Fun seeing Apollo so happy at soccer.
Robyn's: Staying up late (after a barf night with Annie and throwing Apollo's b-day bash) singing with Carleton as he played the guitar.

Go Team Elephants!

2011-10-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

We've had fun with some Halloween projects at our house. I'm posting on my growmegrowyou blog today about some of the projects we've been working on if you want to check it out. Ann always likes joining in the preschool fun-this week's theme was Halloween.

Apollo's last game is tomorrow. Apollo and another kid head-butted last game so he came out for a while. He had fun playing with his buddy Deacon. Apollo got in and scored goals (even if one was for the other team) and worked hard.

Here's Carleton very late last night after being up since 5:30 am when he finally finished laying the grass. It looks so so beautiful! He got on the scale last night and lost 8 pounds in one day. He has been working like crazy every night for weeks. We are so thankful for all who helped.

Carleton and I were invited by our Muslim neighbors to go to their open Mosque today. They had booths and friendly people to explain things. Carleton and I like learning and were glad for the opportunity. I was surprised to learn that they look at Jesus Christ as a prophet and messenger and they believe that he will come again in a final judgement. One man talked about how 99.9% of Muslims are peaceful but sometimes the actions of a few can give them a bad rap. I talked about our religion and how some people judge us as well, just because of some sects of people that do not belong to our church. I also got to learn about how highly they regard women and why they wear what they wear. Cool experience. It reminds me of the quote from Maya Angelou, "We are more alike than we are unalike."

Home Beautiful...on its way!

2011-10-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Carleton vs. the lawn (really just weeds).

Dollar Store. Annie and Apollo have been saving their money from doing their jobs. Annie got a chair and loves it. We watched Apollo on his bike (he loved the attention). Every time he went by we had a new way to cheer for him.

Love her little shoes. She picked them out at Old Navy for $1.95-already a savy shopper.

Our living room is full of Christmas crafts. Apollo wanted to paint his shirt-he did a cute job. This has been his quiet time fun.

We've been making our own almond butter. So yummy and healthy. I think I might make our own peanut butter from here on out.

Carleton has been spending the last many nights after work prepping the yard for the sod we'll be putting in. Thanks Marlon for all your help!!!! They used a machine to get all the weeds skimmed off and now need to till the dirt. It's rocky and full of weeds-I don't think a blade of grass could be seen. We have really enjoyed working on our house. Many projects.

Just for fun: Annie was sitting at the table by herself and nonchalantly put her hand on her belly and said, "the baby's kicking".
Not so funny: Apollo pointed to a kid next to him and said "that's a boy/girl." I whispered to him that he was a boy but just had long hair.

Highlights of the week
Carleton: shoveling dirt with the kids
Apollo: going to church
Annie: shoveling with Daddy
Robyn: Girl's night out. Pedicures, good food and conversation, and full body massage (only 15 bucks!) with very good friends. I'm a new person. Thanks Girls!

Welcome Halloween

2011-10-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

We love Halloween and even decorated the house early last week. We started quite awhile ago with Christmas projects. Apollo has started making ornaments, Annie's gifts are mostly bought, stockings are being made, Carleton and I bought some Christmas decorations, and I have a craft table in my living room full of gifts I'm working on. This is a fun time of year. With all that's going on, it makes the wait to meet baby easier.

While Apollo is away at preschool, Annie and I have started playing school and she loves it! We're doing a letter of the week including learning games and fun activities. This week, along with our learning activities, we're going to "bike" for letter B.

We have this bowl on our kitchen floor. Annie's spider is growing and Apollo's dinosaur is hatching. There are funny little projects and kid things all around the house (like any house with kiddos). I walked by the bowl and was saddened for a minute thinking that some day my house won't be full of kids and kid things. I felt better thinking, that I'll always be a mother, and some day a grandma etc. even after I die...I'll always be a mom. I love being a mother and feel great joy every day teaching, playing, laughing, being an example, reading, and planning fun things to do or ways to be a better mom. Maybe I'm being a pregnant sappy mom, but I'm a happy mom. I'm really enjoying this stage of my life.

Annie and Apollo have been bike riding a lot this week (even in the house for awhile). We just got Annie a big girl bike not to long ago and she's a pro now and can do it all by herself (even getting off it to turn the bike around to come back to the house). She is very independent with everything. She proved to be pretty coordinated in what she does, including gymnastics. I was thinking this week about how the kids are potty-trained, can buckle themselves in the car (besides the bottom buckle for Annie), can dress themselves...so I think it's time for a new one to start up everything again. We are all getting so excited to meet our little baby. He is already very much loved.

We watched general conference this weekend (where the leaders of our church speak to the world twice a year). Apollo colored each leader as they spoke.

Elder Cook talked about loved ones passing away and how people are saddened by missed opportunities or talents that cannot be shared. He quoted 1 Corinthians 2:9 "...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." I know that my mom is sad that my sister, Amberly is missing out on all the wonderful things my family does and that she is not a part of right now. Elder Cook's talk gave me comfort as he talked about the great joy that will one day come. I believe she is in a place of beauty, love, and light and I know it will be a great day when we can be with her. I have been inspired by so many messages this week and want to put some things into action.

What we're up to

2011-09-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Carleton: Mountain bikes twice a week, plays racquetball once a week, rock climbs once a week, and works out at the gym all before the rest of the family wakes up. He showers at LA Fitness and then is off to work. We still see him at the same time every day even with his commute. He's been working hard on the yard and is ready to put a lawn in. He has been kind enough to paint furniture for me since I can't until the baby comes.

Robyn: I started teaching piano lessons to three cute kiddos and play for primary kids in church. I work out at the gym while the kids go to Kid's Club-but have had to quit running-doesn't feel so great anymore. I'm still working on projects for Ignited, my teacher training company and hope to get out and do some trainings after the baby comes. Always crafting and thinking of ways to be a better mom. Lately, I've been thinking of ways to streamline my life so I can spend time doing things I really love.

Apollo: Is loving preschool and his buddies. He loves learning-super sponge and is an artist. He can play with Legos or Melty Beads forever. Always our dare devil and loves to be goofy and laugh. He's in soccer right now. He's a great reader. I love the way he treats Annie so kindly (most of the time) and is such a good good boy. I really enjoy his company. He had plans to be a bat for Halloween...until he saw the Lightning McQueen costume.

Annie: Loves gymnastics and does a really good job-she's pretty coordinated. We have enjoyed cooking, playing, reading, and sewing together. She is thriving with some alone time but also really enjoys preschool when the coop is at our house. She get right in and does everything with the big kids. Annie will hug and kiss me and ask "do you like my huges...do you like my kisses." She is full of energy and never stops (like Dad). She has a great sense of humor. She loves books, playing Go Fish, playing Legos, and laughing with Apollo. Both kids enjoy their bikes.

Baby Boy: Moving more and more. He is adored by his siblings. Annie loves to hug and talk to him.

Highlight of the week: We checked out a Chinese book last week where a little boy was taught "how are you?" in Chinese. Apollo and Annie loved bowing and saying "ni hao ma". We went out for Chinese last night and the kids loved doing it for anyone who would listen. Our waiter and hostess loved it.

The kids have been sewing bean bags. I had my sewing machine out making Christmas stockings.

Apollo got dressed up and asked if I wanted to take a picture.

Irvine Park Field Trip

The Train.

Bounce House.

There was a little haunted house. The kids were intrigued (and a little scared) by the sound detection witch and would yell "Boo."

Celebrating Annie

2011-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

This week Annie went on a camp out with Carleton, joined Apollo for preschool, and had her first gymnastics class.

Reunion of some of my favorite people. We all met and worked together doing SuperCamps.

Good luck Michelle and Steve in Australia!

We're doing a coop preschool for Apollo this year. He loves it! Annie joined us when I had it here. She did everything with us and was so into everything. I'm going to be going through a letter of the week with her starting next week, including fun activities. She really enjoys the alone time with mom when Apollo's gone. We love cooking and doing activities together.

Apollo made these all by himself without a pattern!! They're perfectly symmetrical. He works on his "Melty Beads" and other activities like workbooks, Legos, cars, or coloring while Annie takes her naps.

Apollo and Deacon at the water park.

Apollo's first soccer class. Carleton said Apollo and Deacon were joined at the hip for the first practice. Thanks Shannon for the pics.

Annie has been looking forward to camping with Daddy for days. Every night in our "thankfuls" she says she's thankful "baby's gonna walk." I talked to her a long time ago about how we could take the baby out and show him things like the trees. But, the night before the camp out she said, "I'm thankful baby...I'm gonna ride my bike (they took it camping) and go camping with Daddy."

She came home with her crafts in hand, so excited to show me what she had made at the campout.

Annie LOVES LOVES her gymnastics class. Her favorite was the trampoline.

One of my highlights this week was celebrating Carol's birthday. We ate breakfast and crafted (this is what my dreams are made of-I could craft every day with these girls). They are some of the cutest girls and I felt energized just being around them (and having Carol help me with my Christmas stockings-muchas gracias).

Annie and Apollo love Carol. She spoils them. I slept in this morning and came down to a fort Carleton helped the kids build. The kids have been playing with their new castle and race track.

On the way to church today Apollo asked, "How did that baby get in your tummy?" They say things that crack me up every day. I'm a very lucky and happy mom.

It's a BOY!!!

2011-09-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

We could not be more excited!! This baby came as a big surprise! Annie loves to hug my tummy and talk to the baby. She says she will hold him, sing to him,...and "paint his red toenails." She says she is going to have a baby too. They go gaga over babies. They love to talk to, kiss, and feed the little ones that come over. This baby will be treated like royalty.

To tell Apollo and Annie we're having a boy, Carleton bought cinnamon rolls. He had the kids close their eyes while we sprinkled blue sprinkles. They were both so excited. Carleton showed the kids all our ultrasound pics. Apollo had said that girls are "much cuter" but both were very excited to hear it was going to be a boy. Annie was right.

We took our Christmas pictures early this year so I wouldn't look too bloated for the pictures. Suzana did an amazing amazing job (let me know if you're looking for a great photographer).

Annie and Carleton have the same eyes. She really loves her Daddy.

Donny and Apollo are "squeaking chipmunks"? here. Suzana said Apollo was very precise about getting Donny's undies on just right.

Annie and Apollo are the best little buddies. I try to catch them at their sillies. The berreted hair is Apollo's work. he thinks it looks pretty when he does Annie's hair.

We love to cook together. I caught Donny and Apollo holding hands as we walked around the Spectrum-good buddies.

Apollo's best pal, Donny, took him out for a special birthday day (for Donny's birthday). They look like little gangstas here.

They got to go on a train ride.

They ended with slip n slide and cake. What a day for both boys!! They've been friends since they were little tykes.

Happy Birthday Grant! Apollo misses his buddy Grant and talks about him. He thought he would be going to preschool again with him this year and Annie thought he would be in her gymnastics class.

Kimberly and Suzana planned a fun lunch for me for my birthday. I am lucky to have great pals. I am also lucky to have the Vitamix from the Copas and Carleton. I could go on about my love for that machine-grinds wheat-makes amazing smoothies and icees.

Fourth of July Weekend with the Harps, Avalos, and Copa parents. We had a fun day out on the lake.

Climbing around at Rock City.

July 4th parade.

Murder Mystery in Maui.

We are always working on projects around here.

Here's Carleton's biggest fans. We took these pics at Carleton's last bike race.

The kids love Brian and Aileen. They will make such amazing parents!

LAKE POWELL. Annie is a Grandpa's girl. She adores both her Grandpas. She even chose to go to Ken over me. Annie loved loved swimming and going down the slide with Dad. Even though she loves playing legos and cars with Apollo, she also loves shoes and getting her nails painted. She can be very independent-we went to a pool party and she took off in the pool alone and swam by herself on her first day of trying it by herself (with her puffy suit, that can be pretty tipsy). She was swimming like a champion for all of Powell.

Annie's first time skiing!

We had incredible water-flat most of the time. Since I'm pregnant, you won't be seeing any pictures of me upside down-could just blog Carleton:)

Apollo skiing.

Apollo's first time wake boarding with Dad. He had a huge smile and said he wasn't afraid but loved it.

Apollo has Carleton's love for adventure. He ran and jumped off this cliff.

The kids had a great time with Jacob and Eli. I always have a great time with Cameo and wished she lived closer (Papua New Guinea is too far!). Super fun to hear about her life there.

Trip to Idaho to visit my parents. Justin came down from school too. This moose would visit my parents' cabin often to get a drink. Other moose came by too. Apollo was pushing Annie on the swing (I took these from inside the house so the kids wouldn't see me)-so sweet. This was just before they were bitten by yellow jackets.

Apollo fishing with Grandpa. He remembered every detail of their first fishing trip together and was looking forward to this trip for a long time.

I asked Apollo what his favorite part about our trip to Idaho was and he said "playing with Justin." He is so so good with the kids. He let Apollo drive the 4-wheeler and when we came home one time we found this bench "slide" he made for the kids.

Mom made a house out of a couple big boxes. Justin added on a million more, including a second story and a light they could turn on and off. The kids had fun coloring the whole thing.

Justin and Carleton went off a huge rope swing into freezing water. Apollo even got in and swam for awhile. When Carleton first dipped him in he screeched "NICE!".

Fun with Grandma. They loved going around on this trailer.

Yellowstone. Hotpots and a buffalo.

Fun with Grandpa.

I

I checked in on Annie after bedtime and she had all these little animals around her and she was reading to them.

Playing dressup.

Apollo's first day of preschool this year. He was very excited.

"First day of Gymnastics"-we thought. We took Annie to a gymnastics class and I have never seen a kid so excited. They opened the gates and she flew in and started jumping on the equipment. We found out we came a week too early so we took a crying and very broken hearted little girl out.

Oh Apollo

2011-08-02T20:04:00.001-07:00

At Costco yesterday, we had just passed a guy when Apollo pointed and yelled, "That guy's just staring." I told him it wasn't nice to say and he said, "well, he isn't doing anything." The guy was just staring off in space maybe waiting for someone?? I thought that was bad until we walked by a shorter yet larger women that struggled walking. Apollo yelled, "What's that fat lady doing?"

Tonight we were playing Legos as a family and he said to me, "You were funny before but you're not funny now." I asked why I'm not funny anymore and he said, "you stopped being funny." I asked who was funnier, Mommy or Daddy. He replied, "Mommy." -guess that's not saying much for Carleton:)

June

2011-07-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun filled summer.

So fun to hang out with the Tanner fam. We've been friends since before kiddos and a bunch of us couples lived in condos-lots of great memories. Catherine was pregnant when we took our trip through Europe.

Apollo aka Lady Killer.

.

Slip n Slide.

Kimberly took us to the coolest water park.

2011-06-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

A lot of fun adventures I need to catch up on:

Heidi and Josh visited us in Tustin before and after their family cruise.

We stopped at Heidi's house before Moab and visited some friends and family-including the Tanner's. We're looking forward to their visit here.

Had a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Aren't they so cute! They are my favorite.

Ballings. Heidi and I love to check out the DIs (thrift store). We always find cool furniture we can restore. You should see her amazing house!! It is beautiful. She has a great eye for decorating and you can't believe what she can do with her pieces! She has a huge garage and has a bunch of projects in it right now (a lot of mine I need to pick up)-she was laughing that it looked like a hoarder garage.

I found Grace and Apollo doing a "workout" in Heidi's home gym.

Annual Moab trip. We celebrated Easter there.

Crazy. This year we went to a red neck rally (I don't know what it was called). But they had this rock that was way hard for good jeeps to get up and they had random trucks and other contraptions trying to get up. It was so fun to watch.

Riding in this buggy might have been Apollo's highlight.

Eve and We came out for a fun visit-beach, Suzie cakes...doesn't get better.

Getting used to our new home.

The kids and I love to cook together. Apollo and I made bean brownies the other day (I actually liked them). So fun to have counter space .

The kids have had fun playing with buddies.

Carleton couldn't even wait to take his work clothes off before trying out his new hedge cutter that came in the mail.

Carleton has worked a lot on the back yard. There is a little path at the top for the kids to play.

Apollo always requests Black Eyed Peas...always gets them in the dancing mode.

Warming up after trying out the new pool (a little one from Walmart).

The fridge delivery guy let us keep the fridge box. The kids made a little "home" and put their things in it and played forever in their the first few days we were here.

The kids love our neighbor's dogs, Max and Molly and say hi often. They had been running around in the sprinklers.

Rock Climbing. We went rock climbing over memorial day weekend with the Harps and Warners. The kids had fun playing all day together.

A hike close to home. The kids went in for a little dip.

More Hiding Spaces

2011-05-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

More Hiding Spaces. This is one of the things Apollo's most excited about. Carleton likes the three car garage, I think the laundry chute is cool, and Annie likes the backyard. Anytime someone would talk about the house, she would talk about the backyard. When we found out we got accepted on our offer, Annie jumped around the room saying "new house, new house" she was so excited. We are very happy to be here.

I wanted to make a list of things I won't miss about our apartment so I can look back on it and not take our house for granted:
-2 bedrooms and one bathroom. It gets complicated when we had people visiting or when we babysat and put the kids to bed-we were very creative.
-Laundry. We spent tons of time walking back and forth. Apollo said Marshal gave him some coins and he told me he was saving them to use for the washing machine. He didn't understand when I said we wouldn't need them anymore.
-No yard. There was a drive around our whole complex and I had to keep close eye on the kids if they ever played outside so they wouldn't get run over.
-Space. The living room was our toy room, craft room, laundry folding room, etc. Even a little mess made everything look chaotic. My family has stored some things for Annie's room and a piano my great grandma gave me when she was young.
-Decorating?? Didn't happen.

I took some pics before moving of 5 kids sleeping in two bedrooms while we played games to remember the good ol days.

Yes, I also feel blessed to have lived in our apartments since we've been in CA too. I tuned out that love of decorating part of my brain for awhile. I really had a chance to really be with and be with my kids-we were always literally close together. I know now that I can be happy anywhere. I was truly happy there with great friends, a great church group, neighbors, and beautiful surroundings and weather. We made the most of it.

Two days after we moved in, I ran a red light, hit a truck, which in turn hit a car. Lawyers are involved. All three cars had to be towed...very big mess. Realized I need to slow my life down. Big mess. We had tons of sprinkler probs-had the guys fix it...and the next day had a lake outside our house. They came back to fix it and the water was shut off in the house when they left. We didn't have hot water for awhile and now we do:) We have been busy on the phones with insurance people, gas people, pest control, and Carleton has been fixing up a lot of stuff himself. Even in the midst of this, we have been having a lot of fun. Carleton doesn't mind the commute-he gets up at 5am to meet his biking buddies, play racquetball, or workout at the gym, and is home earlier or at the same time as before! For the first few days, the kids didn't ever want to leave the house. They loved running around and playing together. We're excited about some of the updates we can do in the house.

Thank you to Suzana and Kimberly for all your help unpacking!! and Krista, Carol, Heidi, Ken, and everyone that helped us to get here.

A little catch up. Carleton, Heidi, and I ran a half marathon in Vegas.

Vegas buffet...who's hungry?

Big Bear ski weekend. Little cottage with a hot tub, great weather, good slopes, fun trip.

Carleton did a killer mountain bike race called Vision Quest. He biked 50+ miles and climbed 11,000 feet in elevation. The kids and I made a sign for him to cheer him in.

Fun with Buddies.

Happy Birthday Aileen. Beautiful Hike.

Apollo likes to organize his toys-his projects.

Last time with our little preschool troop together. Aren't they the cutest! What a magical year.

Annie Turns Two!

2011-03-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Our baby Annie is growing up! She still gives us reminders that she is little when she says "wrap up baby" (talking about herself) and says "Rock a Baby" and wants us to rock her as we sing Rock a Bye Baby with her. We had a fun party. Of course Carol outdid herself again by making a beautiful cake just for Annie.

She also made 30 personal cakes for each person with several layers of frosting and cake-beautiful and yummy. On the outside she tied a flower and a wooden spoon-they were beautiful enough for a wedding!

Annie:
-loves her big brother. Apollo is her best friend and playmate. She does what ever crazy thing he does-stuffing stuffed animals up their shirts, jumping on the bed, running around, etc. In Apollo's prayer the other day at lunch he let Heavenly Father know that "Annie does what I do".
-the nursery leader at church says she's so great-is always cleaning up and is happy
-I can't remember our family without her. She brings fun, joy, and a sweetness to our family.
-Her favorite song is "Rock a Baby" and "Slippery Fish"-also likes "Popcorn Popping".
-She says "Hold You" when she wants us to hold her
-She's been potty trained for awhile. The other day Apollo and Annie were pooping together in the bathroom on different potties (Annie has a tiny one) and Apollo was telling her that our poop is food and you can see it in the poop. When I walked in, he said "We're just talking". They looked so cute in there.
-Annie loves kissies whether they be butterfly, Eskimo, or right on the lips-loves them all
-She has a sweet high little voice that always goes up as if she were asking a question. Like when we say, "Annie, do you need to go potty" she'll say "go?...potty?".
-She's a morning person. She jumps up and says "Good Morning" in the sweetest happiest voice every morning. She's ready for the day (just like dad and unlike Apollo and Mom)
-She loves shoes, coloring, makeup, to "take a bath"-she'll float around in the tub, dance parties (loves music), and books.
-She loves flowers and has to touch or smell all of them as we walk by.
-For the last couple of days, she says "yep" to everything (replacing yea)
-A couple days ago Apollo said he had a secret to tell me and whispered "Annie is the most important sister." There is a lot of Annie love in this house.
-Her little personality is really coming out as she makes us laugh.
-In the car, we were taking turns doing what ever we wanted (sing a song, play a game, etc.). She says "My turn" or "Annie's turn" when it's her turn. On her turn she wanted to play a game. She said "I spy something". Mom-"Is it in the car?" An-"Yep" Mom-"Is it a person?" An-"Yep" Ap-"Is it me" An-"No" Mom-"Is it Mommy?" An-"Yep". She wanted to play the same game on the next turn and figured out she had spied a tree. It's fun that she can start to play games with us.

When Carleton is busy or gone, I pick up sleeping Annie out of her bed and bring her into mine to snuggle with her. As I snuggled with her the other night, I prayed to feel Heavenly Father's love (I guess I sometimes feel like I could always be doing more, be more spiritual and just wanted some reassurance) and my answer was asleep in my arms. He has shown me His love by sending me baby Annie. I look at her and think how pretty she is-her pretty lips, big brown eyes, perfect skin, light hair, kissable cheeks, and little body. She is little for her age and is so much smaller than Apollo and we always say how tiny she is. I think that's why she is still a baby to us.

Creative marries Follow Through

2011-01-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Katie, was on Wipeout the other night so I went over to watch the first airing with her and some friends (you can see it on Hulu-the Musical Snow Wipeout). She did great.

Here's how we brought in the new year with friends.

First Curlers.

First time making pb and js.

Testing out our new lunchboxes (I bought one for everyone for Christmas). We went on a beautiful hike after our picnic. Thank you CA for a warm and adventurous winter.

Annie really likes hers.

Here's how I found this happy little couple the other day sharing a seat - had to snap a photo.

The new addition to our family. Carleton has had it reset...twice...and still has to go in for surgery tomorrow to get pins drilled into his hand. He'll have a cast for about three weeks. He's becoming a pro at using his left hand.

Creative married Follow Through. My mind is always full of fun things to try and do and Carleton makes it happen.

Annie at her best...and most happy. She's got her heels on. We're happy to say everyone in the family is now potty trained.

Catch Up

2011-01-06T22:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!! I love a new year and a fresh start. We just erased (we used dry erase markers from last year) and wrote our new resolutions for the new year. One of ours is for me to get smaller and for Carleton to get bigger so we've been measuring ourselves every week, hitting the gym, and training for our triathlon and half marathon.

So, we are a little behind in blogging so, this will be from Halloween to Christmas. It's been a whirlwind with all the flying, driving, and visiting family.

Halloween. I've always loved Halloween. My mom is an artist and would paint our faces amazingly scary. I would dress up for my high school students and would plan a special class just for Halloween (I went overboard but I and the students loved it). Now I love to make the kids' costumes. This year I spray painted and made jewelry for Annie and me. Made sandals for the boys out of brown tights and duct tape and made their wrist bands out of toilet paper rolls and clear gems.

Knott's Berry Farm. Here's Apollo with his buddy, Ethan. We had a very fun day. We enjoy swapping kiddos with them too.

Missing Donny. Apollo has dearly missed his friend Donny (they moved 20 miles away). He's glad to see him at least once a week during preschool and more when we swap. I love when Donny comes over-Apollo lights up and they have so much fun together.

They said something about being pregnant here.

Fun at Home. We laughed so hard the other day giving each other horsey rides. Some of them were two at a time (Annie in front and Apollo on back) as we would gallop through the house.

Typical Annie. She looooooooooooves books! She "reads" them now in her little gibberish. We clean up the books multiple times a day.

We met Carleton at a park the other day for lunch. On the way out, Apollo found a lime floating in the fountain. He took it home with him. For fun, we bought a bunch more at the grocery store so he could surprise dad with our homemade lime juice. He could not have been more excited. I love being a mom and doing creative little things throughout the day.

Thanksgiving. Apollo loves playing with his cousins.

We painted Indian vests and head bands to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Maddy keeps all the kids entertained (what I wouldn't give to have her here as my Mother's helper). In this pic she's having Gracy share something Maddy had her "class" make. Maddy will be a great teacher some day. Grace and Apollo were funny singing on the piano together (I have video but not a pic of it).

Perfect match. Annie loves to be read to and Maddy likes to read.

Here we are in our cool new Christmas jammies in a cool pose.

Apollo and Mom are good buddies. They had a good time with his play dough.

Retirement Celebration. I flew with the kids for Thanksgiving and Carleton joined us in NM later. My dad had a retirement dinner in the middle of December so we flew out again to celebrate. Afterward, we flew to the Copas for Christmas and joined up with Carleton there. I really enjoy flying with the kids, especially because Apollo loves planes so much.

Beautiful girls. I LOVE these pics of Ann with Grandma. Grandma has always been so good about playing with the kids. I'm going to have to frame this second pic. My grandparents have been great supports in my life. I have incredible memories of them all growing up, college years, and a weekly letter on my mission. I am very lucky to have them as great friends.

First snowman. Jordan is so good with the kids and helped them make their first snowman. It's funny how much bigger Apollo is than Annie. She goes to his chest. I love when they hug each other at our house. He really is her protector. He tells me that at kid's club (at the gym) he follows her around. Apollo is so good to Ann.

Retirement Dinner. It was very special to have Grandma/pa Skenandore come and support Dad. There were people from all over the country at the dinner. We are very proud of Dad and for all he has done to help Indian children become better readers and better educated. Cool story. Almost thirty years ago my grandma and grandpa saw three eagles above them and he Grandpa said to Grandma "I wish one of those eagles would let one of their feathers down for me." Just as he finished saying that, a feather came circling down and landed in very tall grass. They had their little dog, Mittens (shorter than the grass) go in to find the feather. He came back with that feather. Grandpa Skenandore has kept that feather all this time through every move. Unbeknownst to him, Grandma got that feather to my dad and he had someone bead it. The feather is very symbolic and special to Native Americans (it is also legal for Native Americans to have eagle feathers). When a feather is returned to its owner it is Indian culture to have a special ceremony. It was a beautiful site to see Grandpa with a beautiful rug around his shoulders (from Stan) and Dad's arm around him as they honored him. A group played the drums and sang an Indian chant. Grandma could not have been more proud with tears in her eyes. I hope to always remember the way she looked at Grandpa as he came back to his seat. The whole room was standing and honoring such a special man. Love my Grandparents!

Happy Harley Days. Happy Retirement. That night was very special. We got to hear people tell stories and speak about my dad. We got to here him speak too. A very and special night-I'm sure one that we will treasure forever.
Annie is Dad's little buddy.

Carleton took his young men climbing.

Christmas at the Copas. Cameron and Sloane's family joined us before they went on their cruise.

The kids played so well together. Ethan took care of Apollo at the fun zone. Avery was so cute with Annie and read books to her a lot. It was funny sometimes, Avery would be reading to Annie, while Annie was reading her own book in her gibberish and they were both happy and content to do so.
We didn't touch Ann's hair for this pic. She woke up this cute.

Christmas Day. Carleton had this cool idea to wrap the doors like presents so the kids could run through them to get to their presents Christmas morning. Annie got confused or something and started crying.

Annie's popular with the grandpas. A cool thing this year was Apollo reading who the presents were to and helping Grandpa Ken pass them out.

We bought Apollo a headband because he likes Annie's.

We wish you a merry Christmas!

2010-12-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Carleton has a shirt that says "Born to Climb - Forced to Work" - this is true for him. This statement could also include mountain biking, wakeboarding, racquetball, and running. He is actually enjoying work and has been very busy there. Carleton loves his kids and they adore him.

I (Robyn) have had a very fun and fulfilling year being a purposeful full-time mom. I feel very lucky for all the time I get to play with Apollo and Annie. My little preschool kiddos are darling and I am enjoying teaching again and planning lessons - I've even started my own teacher training company. As always, I'm looking forward to crafting and creating.

Apollo loves preschool, Annie, snuggling, learning, dance parties, and books - he's learning how to read now. We celebrated Apollo as a family this year and all dressed up as Greek gods/goddesses. Apollo got to say he was "Apollo" for Halloween this year - fun!

Annie adores Apollo and loves, loves, loves, books. We always find her in the book cupboard surrounded by piles of books she's gone through. She has found her voice, and her vocabulary is multiplying daily. She loves flowers, bunnies, and has an eye for beauty. She loves shoes and girly things and is always walking around with someone else's shoes on. She loves makeup, tight hugs, and being told that she's pretty.

Magnetic Alphabet

2010-11-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

My mom made this magnetic alphabet with matching pictures for each letter for Apollo's birthday. He loves it. We put the alphabet in order and then he puts the pictures next to the letters. Next, we'll have him spell out simple words. This is great for little ones to just start recognizing pictures or letters and for readers too. They're great for road trips because they stick and stay in place. My mom is selling them at a Christmas boutique over the Thanksgiving weekend. If anyone wants one, let me know and I can pick one up for you or she can mail it to you. They are $32 for the set and if you just want to use your own pan (for the magnets to stick on) you can just get the magnets for $25.

According to Carleton

2010-11-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

Carleton here - It's been a great few weeks since the last post - I got to have surgery again! Much easier recovery this time as only one side was needing the mesh patch - Robyn says I'm a bionic man now :) My only problem is that I'm off exercise for 4 weeks - I'm dying to ride!

This post is a potpourri of fun stuff:

Apollo got to go to his best buddy's new house for his first sleepover - they were happy digging in the yard and doing whatever, didn't matter - they always have fun together.

Annie and Apollo got dressed up for Tuesday music makers before Halloween...a cuter pirate and witch (I think?) there's never been.

Here's a picture from earlier this summer - Apollo on the skiboard at Bear Lake. He got out and water skied at 2 years old - how cool is that!

More from Apollo's 3rd Birthday Party - he loved having his cousins in town, and Carol's cakes were a huge hit - looked amazing and tasted good to boot. Gracy celebrated her 4th birthday at the same time.

Maddy can't help but be awesome with kids - here she is reading a fun Halloween story to the partygoers.

Carol took all the kids while the cousins were here and made play-dough with them - she's a whiz with kids...Maddy remembered when Carol babysat last year, and Maddy was hoping that she would get to see Carol again - wish was granted. Just shows how cool Carol is! We parents had a great night out while the kids were in good hands.

Messing around at the beach - Robyn and Heidi have the coolest husbands in the world.

When Josh and Heidi came out a few weeks ago it was one of my favorite vacations ever - we mountain biked, climbed, and wakeboarded all in one week, as well as went to the beach, went to a Jack Johnson concert, had a birthday party for the kids - awesome trip.

Josh ripping it up on the slalom ski - check the nice rooster tail as well as how low to the water he is - very talented.

I landed a couple more back rolls on the wakeboard - it was a great day on the lake - flat water and great company - thanks to my parents for having us out!

Heidi took this while we were out climbing at Ortega Falls - I couldn't resist putting it here - such a cutie!

Apollo's BFF

2010-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Apollo and Donny are kindred spirits. I have never seen better buddies, especially so young. They talk about each other constantly when they're apart. They played together almost every day until he and his family moved to Corona a couple of weeks ago. Suzana said Donny has a pretend Apollo that he plays with and said, "Mommy, Apollo's chasing me". I got an email from Suzana saying "Today Donny had imaginary Apollo over again. he said Apollo was wearing a firefighter hat just like him "You see Mommy?" I wanted to cry."

The other day we met Suzana and the kids at the park, and when Apollo saw Donny, he gave him a hug. When they went by there later, Donny said, "That's where Apollo gave me a hug."

Donny is part of many conversations during the day. He misses his buddy. He's excited for his first sleep over this week at his house. He's happy that he still sees Donny during preschool. Last wee during music time they grabbed each others songs and twirled around together.

Here are some memories I have of the two: both being sensitive at the park when others would take toys or whatever when they were younger, peeing together-they love to pee together (we've had to stop them in the middle of a soccer park, middle of a birthday party)-they would hold it forever and we could get them to go after being potty trained if they went together-they are in my church nursery together and Marlon (his dad and a primary leader) said they do everything together-play cars etc. the whole time-they would have to sit right by each other, they copy each other (even when they don't understand what the other said-they still try to copy each other and it comes out funny sometimes), them jumping on the couch during his 2nd birthday party, having to be quiet because their "BooTwos" were sleeping, filling ears with chocolate...I could go on and on.

Suzana did an amazing job with these photos. She has a great eye. Enjoy the engagement-like photos:)

a

ith

Happy Birthday Apollo

2010-10-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

3 Years Old!!

We love being with Apollo every day and are really enjoying this fun age. Here's what we know so far about our little man:
-He said today to Annie, "you're my best friend, you're my best friend." He and Annie play really we together and she adores her big brother.
-I asked him just now who his best friend is and without hesitation said "Big Donny". He loves Donny and talks about him all the time. I have never seen such cute buddies.
-Carleton said "he is very polite, always saying please and thank you"
-He's happy
-Very Helpful
-Loves bike riding and adores Dad. He loves anything his dad does-working with tools etc.
-He knows and recognizes all his upper and lower case letters and recognizes their sounds. I think he's ready to start reading
-Loves chapter books. We've read Charlotte's Web, Treasure Island, and we've read 11 Magic Tree House Books
-Loves to snuggle
-Makes us laugh
-Carleton said, "He is a genius, linguistically gifted, very good at expressing himself for his age"
-Loves preschool-the learning and the friends part
-Loves to sing
-Likes to hear stories but also tells us stories (they're funny)
-Likes to make up songs and likes us to make up songs to sing to him
-We play lots of games-the question game (we take turns asking each other questions), I spy, Jenga,Candy Land, etc.
-Says funny things all day long-I try to record them but if I did all of them, I would be writing all day long
-likes puzzles, cars
-we tried taking off his training wheels a couple months ago but isn't quite ready-has fun on his scooter
-Funny, great memory
-We have tons of dance parties, sometimes on beds, the trampoline, or just around-he's so cute when he's dancing around
-very thoughtful-always telling me and Annie we're pretty or what we're wearing is pretty and that Carleton is handsome. Today he held me tight after I went out in the rain and told me he was warming me up.
-He's not high maintenance in the car or in general. We really enjoy his company and love being around him. We feel incredibly blessed to have him as our son.
-He has a really long attention span
-Likes art-likes to paint wooden cars and glue them together, to paint anything

Interview with Apollo:

What are your favorite things? Making cookies, playing and reading books, going to bed (since when??), making play dough out of scary things, playing toys, playing doctor, playing cars, looking at that picture that Grandma painted for me, snuggling with a dog when you're going to sleep and everybody's not talking but Annie is (this happened this morning)

What is your favorite thing to eat? Cheese and dinner and a sandwich, (he just pointed up at our Halloween stuff and said, "those are gorgeous")

What do you like about preschool? I want to play with toys, it's really impressed for me

Favorite Song? ABCs

Favorite thing to do with Daddy? Ride Bikes

Favorite thing to do with mommy? I like to play trucks with her

Favorite thing to do with Annie? Play with her when she plays with toys

Favorite thing to do with Donny? I like to play at his house

Does anything scare you? No. There are no monsters. Just people that give us candy (he must be thinking about Trick-or Treating).

Moab with the boys

2010-10-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Carleton here - last weekend I went to Moab with Brad and Seth to introduce them to the greatest trails on earth. We didn't get out of LA until 7 or so on Thursday, so it was a long night...we slept for two hours at a rest stop in the mountains above Richfield. Brad and Seth both loved Moab, and I rode harder and better than I ever have in my life, especially on the last trail of the trip, the Hazard County to Porcupine trails. I'd never done the top half of the trail, and it was SO amazing...you're going to love it, Josh. It was the best ride of my life and I can't wait to do it again.

P.S. I just bought Robyn a bike yesterday, so now she'll be ready to roll and I'm sure she'll be doing the big hit jumps in just a few weeks.

Big flat landing jump on lower Porcupine. I hit a little too much on the front tire, but the bike is kind, so no problem.

Start of Slickrock, still the most famous mountain biking trail in the world.

One of many viewpoints on Amasa Back - just a great trail.

One of the jumps on Sovereign.

One of the views on Upper Porcupine - we rode along a cliff for several miles, sometimes just a few feet from the edge as we went down...so fun.

Little Buddies

2010-10-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Annie and Apollo are becoming such cute little friends. Annie adores him and follows him everywhere, but she knows how to push his buttons by taking off with his things or wearing his shoes. He says things like, "you said that really well" or "you look pretty, Ann", and he calls her "sweetie". He is very, very sweet to her. I love how they are so close in age and get to experience the world together.

I came out to this scene the other day. Apollo asking Annie to find things on each page and Annie pointing them out.

Annie's trying to get to the books further back in the cupboard. She and Apollo are obsessed with books. Annie can sit forever by herself and look through book after book many times a day. They are both bringing me new books to read.

They dumped out all the toys and rode in their train I think it was.

Here we made a cave with the laundry I just washed to hide from the dinosaurs. We read, took a fake nap, sang songs, told stories (Apollo tells cute little stories)-all in our dark cave by candlelight.

I feel very blessed to spend each day with the little people I enjoy most.

On the road again...

2010-09-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

We have been traveling a lot lately. We've spent days here and there in the car trying to fit everything in and the kids were great sports. We hiked the Tetons, played at my parent's cabin, celebrated Great Grandpa's and Grandma's 60th wedding anniversary, and went to our annual Peach Days parade. Carleton went to a scouting camp out this past weekend and has a Moab trip planned with his friends for this coming weekend. Now if I had my way, I would love to go on a two week cruise just with Carleton to catch our breath. I miss him when he's gone.

The Cabin. We rode 4-wheelers, the boys played in the new game room, and the kids had fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Annie is Grandpa's girl and Apollo was Grandma's buddy.

We went on a pretty walk/drive to Hidden Lake.

Annie loved her bracelet. It's fun to watch the differences between Apollo and Annie as they grow up. She's a girlie girl and loves her bracelets and will stand there all day looking pretty if someone keeps telling her how pretty her dress is. She looooves flowers and has to stop at every flower every time we take a walk. Today the nursery leader said she had to stop at every flower on their little walk.

Tetons. We had an amazing hike up the Tetons. We went from 7,000 feet to 11,000 feet in elevation. So beautiful and fun to do it with the fam.

60th Anniversary. Before the festivities the kids had fun watching the parade and collecting candy.

Grandpa and Apollo stayed outside by themselves just chatting for quite awhile. It was so darling.

BFFs. They love each other. They chat on the phone and have the same interests. When I go to Heidi's house, they always hang out while we watch the kids and vice versa. I don't see Carleton much when we go to the Ballings (I have to say I have a lot of fun and love the time I have with Heid). Josh and Carleton went on an amazing bike ride and a multipitch climb (4 pitches).

Apollo was in heaven playing with Kirk and Jodi's boys. Check out this awesome parking lot they made!

Potty Girl. She peed last week on the toilet and pooped on it the next. I rush her in every time I see her going and she loves to sit on her tiny pot anytime someone in the family goes.

Hot tubbin' at Heidi's.

Celebrety News

2010-08-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

My darling friend, Jill, is going to be on Dating in the Dark tomorrow (Monday, Aug. 30th) so watch. She's having a party at her house starting with dessert in the dark. We met working for SuperCamp. She's turned me on to meditating, good food, and inspiring me overall to be better.

During preschool, Annie goes over to Katie's house-Annie is in good hands. I had to keep the email Katie sent about her her first day:
Today went really well and Annie is a joy to watch. She never fussed or cried and always remember to say please. What a sweet and kind little girl you have. Annie was so kind to Anna. When Anna was a little fussy, due to sleepiness, Annie offered Anna her BUNNY to make her feel better. Annie also made me laugh. She found three links that were linked together and put her hands through the two end ones. Then she walked around the house like she was handcuffed. Silly girl. I hope that your first day went well and that both you and the kids had fun. Thank you for letting me spend some time with your sweet Annie.

We've been swimming a couple days this week-perfect weather. Apollo's always up for hanging out with his best buddies.

Apollo's in love. We watched baby Anna on Friday and Apollo wanted to hold and talk to her all night.

The kids have been having a lot of fun with the Anthony's. Apollo yelled out "It's a Party!" the last two times they were here while jumping on the trampoline and having fun.

Good to be Home

2010-08-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed our family and vacation and are glad to be home too.

Here's what each of us are up to:

Carleton: Enjoyed his first week in his new role at Balboa and has kept super busy. He is up very early mountain biking, running, playing racquetball, and is out at other times with his church role working with the young men. Carleton just bought and sold a beautiful bike for me. He bought it for me when I was in NM and when I got home and tried it my knees his the handle bars so he's on the lookout again.

Robyn: Back to working out with the girls and kids and has started running again-feels soooo good. Carleton and I will be running a 10k next month and will be doing a triathlon in April. I started a preschool with Apollo and his buddies and looooove it! It feels so good to prepare, plan, and do a lesson again with such cute kiddos. It's a lot to keep up with but very happy to do it. I have some amazing plans with my Dad and my company that I'll explain more about later. Mom, Heidi, and I are crafting to get ready for our Christmas boutique over Thanksgiving.

Apollo: He is enjoying the Magic Tree House book series , riding his bike, playing outside, starting preschool, and saying cute things all the time. He is a total joy to be around. He has a great zest for life. We played the Question game the other day (we just ask each other questions) and when I asked him what makes him sad he said "Going to bed." He loves dance parties and Lincoln Logs. I just asked him what his favorite thing to do just now and he answered "I like to eat apples, they're my favorite" (he's eating apples right now). A good example of Apollo-always very present and having fun in the moment.

Annie: She goes over to my friend, Katie's house to play with Anna during preschool. I'm so glad she gets to be the older girl for once. She always tells us stories (we wish we knew what she was saying) and pulls my head back to look at her with both hands if I turn away. She sits on her little potty while I go on the other potty. Now we just need to move to the next step-doing it without clothes and a diaper on. She loves dancing and babies.

Fist day of preschool.

Our hike yesterday to Holy Jim Falls.

Fun Travels

2010-08-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

We just got back from visiting my parents in Albuquerque for two weeks and spent another week with Carleton's family in Bear Lake.

Flight to NM. Here we were playing a game seeing how many flight workers would wave at us. Apollo was giddy getting on the plane and was super excited when the pilot came out of the cockpit and said to him "Hey, Gimme five!." He retold that story a couple times.

After the plane tried to land and couldn't, the pilot told us we would try again but that there was bad weather (we finally landed on the third try). Everyone on the plane was quiet and a little nervous after the announcement and then I hear Apollo very loudly saying "Are you KIDDING me?" Everyone around laughs and because he knew he was funny so he said it a million more times-not so funny.

Playing in the yard. Apollo and Annie had a blast with the rocks and water (ooohhhh for a yard!).

Monkeys at the zoo.

Oo oo ee ee.

Annie held out as long as she could.

Fun with Uncle Jord.

I had to laugh as Jord really fixed the bike and Apollo took random tools and twisted them around on different parts of the bike. At least he looked the part.

Chimayo with Mom. We went to a very old church that has some "healing dirt" that I heard magically replenishes itself. I put some in a gum container for the next time I get sick. Maybe I should give Annie a teaspoon of it since she has a little cold-hehe.

Cactus juice-yummy. We ate at a delish restaurant by the church.

After Chimayo, we went to Santa Fe to look at the galleries.

Vintage Goodies. Mom and I went around to different thrift stores looking for some cool finds. I'm working on a craft project where I need old earrings. I found a couple cool old purses (one for Annie), some books (I like to scan the retro pictures for different things), and Apollo had fun because I would let him pick out some toys. In one of the shops a girl showed us her puppies next door. The kids loved them.

Shop til you drop.

Harley ride with Dad. Soooo fun.

Bear Lake

James did some magic tricks for the kids.

Crafts with the girls.

4 wheelers. We took some fun trails around the mountains.

Hot tub. Sometimes it was standing room only.

Annie likes her grandpas.

Cool cave. We went on a tour through a cave in Bear Lake that was so open and long-very beautiful.

Firsts.

Apollo went skiing. I have more pics from this weekend on other cameras so I'll post them later. So fun to watch such a tiny guy out there. He got a little nervous out there but because everyone cheered and was so happy, he has a good memory of it.

Annie is so cute when she tries to express herself. Over the trip, she started grabbing my face with both hands to turn my head back when I would look at Apollo or someone else. Then, she would continue telling (babbling) her story.

Apollo starts his first day of school on Thursday. I'll be starting a preschool with Apollo and four of his buddies. I've worked really hard on preparing some fun things for the kids. I've gone overboard with everything but I love to do it.

Edward + Jacob = Good Movie

2010-07-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grant! Hangin' out on his big day.

Party time.

Kimberly threw me a birthday with my workout group. How lucky am I to spend some time eating yummy food with girls I love...while our kids played.

Finally saw Eclipse. So good. Glad to see amount of kissing went up-hehehe. We had some Eclipse inspired goodies and I made some shirts. Carleton's said "Edward Sucks"-get it vampires suck (I'm only explaining because I didn't get the double meaning). Mine said "bitten" on the front and "my husband is hotter than Edward" on the back. Don's is the green one on the bottom. Kimberly's read "Edward's baby" with an arrow pointing down to her pregnant belly.

Sweet Land of Liberty

2010-07-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

We had a fun fourth celebrating at Carleton's parents' house near San Francisco with the Avalos and Harp families.

Before we left, Apollo's playgroup celebrated Halley's 3rd birthday.

Did some wake boarding.

Annie loved "driving" the boat.

Saw the San Francisco sights.

Always glad to be home too. Kids are giving Carleton the tickle torture.

I celebrated my birthday yesterday and had the opportunity to think about how grateful I am. I'm also looking forward to a fun year-training for a triathlon, among other things. I have been super thankful for all the help through this hard time. I have realized that everyone is unique with different talents and gifts and these have helped me feel peace, hope, and joy. I am thankful for friends that have gone through miscarriages that have given me great insights and for those that have not that have helped or were just there for me. I was given a blessing that friends would help through the struggle and at that time I thought I was pregnant and wondered what that meant. Now I know and I am thankful.

The Crash(es)

2010-06-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

We went rollerblading yesterday and had quite the scare. Carleton took the kids in the stroller on top of a hill. I had gone down (not much of a thrill seeker on my blades) to the bottom to watch them come down. Carleton told me later he didn't go to the top until Apollo had asked to go all the way. I watched them all roll down the hill together until the stroller took a sharp turn tipping over-it went down the side of a hill but luckily was stopped by a bush (a prickly one). Carleton stopped as fast as he could then went back up the hill. It was a horrible thing to watch from the bottom and it took a minute for me to get to them and I was hoping to hear 2 cries and was thankful when I did. Carleton said later that it was the worst day of his life feeling in that moment like he had just killed his kids (surprising to hear from Carleton because he's always super chill and positive). Luckily they just had some scrapes-some pretty good ones. Carleton pulled Apollo out from under the bush and Annie had been buckled in the stroller.

We got going again on flat ground and the same thing happens again!! The stroller all of the sudden took a sharp turn to the left and tipped over on the asphalt this time. Annie added a good bump to the head. The wheel lock had been adjusted to the far left so when we got going fast enough, it went to that position. We took it off the lock and thankfully made it home without a third flip. I bet the kids are looking forward to their stroller ride tomorrow morning.

Ecclesiastes chp. 3 ...a time to break down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn. A time to lose; and a time to keep. I do have two beautiful children and a very happy life but we were excited about the new addition to our family and had sacrificed a lot to bring it here. This loss has been hard to go through and it has been a crushing few days for me. In the morning, I feel like a truck has run over me and it's hard to get going. At times I have been overwhelmed by sadness and I am thankful for the hours that I have had to grieve, for friends that have watched the kids, for Carleton's flexible boss, and for conversations with family and friends. It was especially hard the morning after finding out and then Carleton leaving for work. I dropped the kids off and could barely make it home. I called Mom because I could think of no other way to get control of myself. She was probably worried about me. My mom is very understanding and Dad called back with some good advice.

Even though this has been an excruciating week, it has also been a week of blessings. At my church, I am the music leader for primary and nursery. I was overcome with the beautiful faces of my nursery kids as they were singing. I have been so thankful for the kind words of friends and family that have really pulled me through. I am so thankful for Carleton. He just lets me cry on him when I need to at random times and always says just the right thing.

Goodbye Little One

2010-06-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had an ultrasound this morning and couldn't even see the baby. The doctor told me to stop all my medications. Apollo and Annie came to the ultrasound and when Apollo saw me crying said "it's ok...do you want to play with my bulldozer?" and handed it to me. I was so blessed to be with my husband that I adore more than I can say and my two kids that bring me incredible joy. The doctors hope the baby will pass on its own and if it doesn't, I'll go back in a couple of weeks for them to do it.

I feel a great love from my Heavenly Father right now. I know he has a plan for our little family that will make us very happy. I wish I could call each family member and friend to tell you "in person" so you don't hear it from a blog but my heart is sad today and many know that I'm waiting on ultrasound results from today.

We are a family prone to joy and my hope is that we come out of this stronger, more empathetic, and more thankful for all that we have. Because of the ultrasound last week and some miscarriage symptoms, I feel that we have had a little preparation. One night, as I laid by Carleton, I thought about what would happen if we lost the baby (or future baby) and I saw planning fun dates with Carleton and other things. We talked today about some fun plans now that I'm not pregnant. I'll get my roller blades back out and get back to running again. It's been hard not working out. I am very very blessed with good parents, siblings, friends, and extended family.

Magnum Opus

2010-06-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day. This has been a roller coaster of a week. We went to LA for our first ultrasound and the doc could not detect the heart beat and was concerned because he should be able to see it. I took a blood test and my pregnancy hormone numbers look great. Some other hormone numbers were down so I took another blood test on Fri in LA. Other numbers were down so now along with other meds I'm taking, Carleton now gives me nightly injections. Not a small needle and feels like peanut butter going in (it's hard for Carleton to get the liquid in). I won't go into it but I've had two nights showing symptoms of a miscarriage. We have another ultrasound on Wed. Weekly meds run from 360-500 bucks a week, blood tests are done often and range from 100-190 bucks each, ultrasound 200 bucks. We are hoping that the emotions, time, and money will be worth it. Carleton said he's done forever with fertility treatments. We have a beautiful family as is. On one of the worst nights, I looked at Apollo and Annie sleeping before going to bed (like every night) and thought what a miracle that I have two beautiful and healthy babies. I snuggled in with Carleton for bed and knew down the road that everything would be ok. Carleton is my rock-my best friend. This week was nightmarish but doable because of him. He took care of the kids because I couldn't be on my feet. He is so positive and peaceful.

Carleton took the kids out for...of course burgers.

As Carleton was taking the kids to a party, I grabbed some white tights and cut one end and wrapped it around Ann's head. I thought she looked cute.

Here's what Apollo, Annie, I made Dad today.

Apollo and I just finished Charlotte's Web this week. When referring to the egg sac Charlotte made she said it was her magnum opus- her "great work." I thought of Apollo and Annie and thought they too are my magnum opus. I am not a spider fan but what a tearjerker the book was for me this week.

Happy Dad's day to my dad. Apollo's middle name is Kevin after him. He always has good advice for me and has been a great support this week. We both have a great love for education, learning, and life. We are alike in a lot of ways and I look up to him in a lot of ways. I am thankful for his insights and for our friendship.

Getting Organized

2010-06-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Thinking of adding a little one to to our two bedroom apartment has given us the organizing bug. We're hoping we will be in our own home before too long. We're gutting and cleaning everything out. I still haven't finished Apollo's baby book so Carleton did a fabulous job of making our garage into a storage/scrap booking room. I feel like half the battle is getting the stuff out and putting it away when working on any crafting thing. This way, I can leave it out and work on it for a half hour or so after the kids go to bed.

All Aboard. Suzana went out of her way for Donny and it showed by the big smile on his face.

I think Donny's face is so funny here. Check out the amazing cake!

Another fun party for Maia.

Apollo was singing this the other day and I was glad to catch him on camera. He loves to sing "Jinger Bells".

I worked on these hair clips this week at January's house. I love our weekly crafting get-togethers. I'm actually finishing stuff I start. I'll post how to do them this week on my other blog.

Back to Basics

2010-06-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone for all your comments, phone calls, and prayers. The morning before getting the pregnancy results from the blood test, I was looking at some blogs. The kids were right behind me when I heard Apollo "It's okay if I get my hands dirty" -this is what we say to him because he always wants his hands perfectly clean at meal time. There was mascara and liquid all-day (really it stays on for two days) lipstick all over Apollo, Annie, and the carpet. All the mascara brushes were in the lipstick containers and vice-versa. Later after music makers, I was trying to find the car keys, juggle all the stuff in my arms, and was talking to a friend in the parking lot. I couldn't see Annie and I looked under the car and saw two little feet and pulled a dirty Annie from under the car. I was so emotional that day and was really hoping for positive results, I thought this is a yucky day-and it's going to end with yucky results. We got the call at 6:30 and we still feel like we are floating on clouds. I went in to tell Apollo "I'm going to have a baby" and he said "I love your baby." When I asked if he would have a baby sister or brother, he said "a sister."

I love everything about babies-cuddling, kissing, singing to them, nursing, being along with them in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping, their smell, talking to them...everything. To celebrate I got this.

and this.

Back to Basics. I'm extremely tired and was with the first two in the first trimester. We live a simple life around here, but I really could not be happier. I can't lift the stroller and for awhile couldn't even lift Annie (I still have to be careful). I really have just been enjoying the kids. Apollo says the coolest and funniest things and I love watching Annie's loving but spunky personality develop (her newest thing is saying "all aboard!") Now that Annie is walking she has to lean over and touch each flower (even if it's super tiny)-she reminds me of my mom and her love for flowers and beauty. I feel lucky to be here for such precious moments. Our favorite time is still when Carleton comes home.

Beaching for Memorial Day.

Boy Blue. As a little guy, Apollo would play with this puzzle game but would only play over and over with the blue ones. We looked over the other day and were reminded our blue lover-just like Dad.

Kiddos after church.

Annie wearing one of my baby dresses. We all crash every Sunday. Since I'm in the primary the whole time, Daddy and Annie get to hang out for two hours just the two of them. Carleton told me today how much he loves that time.

Carleton found The BEST cookie recipe...wow. I'll post it on my other blog this week.

In Vitro...

2010-06-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

Worked! Robyn is pregnant!

Annie the Cruiser

2010-05-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

During the day, we're usually out on our bikes, jogging with the kids in the stroller, playing at the park, working out at the park-playing outside. Since I've had to lay low and not push the kids in the stroller, our activities have changed. I've tried to keep up with all of Annie's "exploring". She's into everything. She started walking on her own this week.

We are still loving quiet time. a chance for Apollo to look at books on his own (or play quietly) and for him to see that we like reading.

We read some books or sing songs right before bed. Apollo has skipped a couple naps this week (he stays in his room for a couple of hours but sometimes finds too much to play with to sleep).

A hornet flew into our house and I trapped it under the window. The kids loved watching it.

I finished Apollo's bookshelf. Good thing I took a pic before Apollo and Annie started reading their books. I talked to Apollo about cleaning his room so the other day he had been playing with toys and put them all on his bookshelf. He told me he was cleaning up his bedroom.

We take our pregnancy test on Tues. I have never been happier. We have so much fun in our little family-I would love for another little person to join in our joy. The meds I'm on make me pretty emotional and I'm ready to know either way...just want to know, to move on if I need to.

Heaven is Near

2010-05-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Carleton and I took this before celebrating our 8th anniversary. Our other anniversary celebrations have included a weekend trip to an island, kayaking, riding on a float plane, dancing on a yacht etc. Carleton has always planned fun surprises. We laid low this time until we know more. We ate at a delish Argentine restaurant. I thank Heavenly Father every day for him. These eight years have been the best of my life and it unbelievably gets better and better. I think he's so handsome and looks more handsome each year.

Heaven is near. I feel the line is blurred between heaven and earth when Apollo and Annie were born. I have had that same feeling these last two weeks. I don't know if we will have an addition to our family but we feel that God has a plan for our family. We have felt extra thankful for Apollo and Annie. Thank you for your prayers. The first time we did in vitro it didn't work even with 3 fresh, almost perfect embryos with the nurse commenting "I don't see embryos this good." The next time we got Apollo but the 3 embryos they took out survived the initial thaw but never replicated so we had to take out three more, and with those we got one Apollo. This time we just had two left and we didn't know if they would even come out of freezing. Thankfully both came out of freezing and replicated nicely. The doctor rolled in our embryos last Tuesday as we said "Hi kids." It was a beautiful experience to see them through a microscope. It's always nice when your husband can be there at the conception of your kids:)

Good Advice. I was just thinking this week that I've gotten some good advice this week.

-EVERY DAY: Let your child feel welcome and loved from the instant he or she walks into a room. "Smile When You See Them" and leave no doubt that, at that moment, your child is the most important person in your world. -Tom Sturges Raising Amazing Children

-Follow up with logical consequences. Avoid trying to "reason" with your child, such as asking him, "How would you like it if he threw the ball at you?" Toddlers don't possess the cognitive maturity to be able to imagine themselves in another child's place or to change their behavior based on verbal reasoning. But they can understand consequences. -Baby Center

-My mind is always going a million miles a minute. I find it hard to focus even during prayer. My friend Jill said she is the same way and that meditation helps. I can see a change in her-more peaceful. I'm going to one of her meditation classes this week.

-My friend Angela said that she always lets her kids play when they are playing because the bond between her kids is a more important relationship that them with her. They love each other and play well together. I loved hearing this. I am always thinking, have I given them enough athletic time, enough learning time today but when Apollo and Annie are playing together, I will now feel good about giving them the important bonding time together.

-Be present in your life. For the last year, I have been starting a teacher training company. I always think...if moms and teachers had the tools, they and their kids would be so much happier and I'm so excited to share what I've learned. But, after a phone conversation with one of my partners, I said my little lunch time prayer over the food and was reminded of the importance of being present in my own life.

This week.
I was singing in the car... "I love..." and Apollo finished "to snuggle."

Annie is naming body parts on herself and us...nose, mouth, eyes, and ears.

I had a captive audience (Apollo and Annie) giggling at lunch. I thought in that moment-no wonder I love being a mom. My kids think I'm the funniest, prettiest (I asked Apollo if he thought I was pretty and he said yes), and coolest person (until dad gets home).

At dinner yesterday, we all took turns seeing if we could make the others laugh.

Apollo said he was going to work and got on Annie's little bus. He shoved his bear under his shirt and said he was going to have a baby. Afterward, he pulled up his shirt to nurse him. The funniest was his face of almost boredom waiting for his bear to finish. I haven't nursed Annie for months but maybe this comes from one of our library books that talks about a new baby.

When mad, I say to Apollo "don't smile..." and he laughs. Mom did this to me when I was little.