Private 01/17/2011
I know, I know, private blogs are kind of a pain, but I totally understand why people do it. Now it's our turn to go private since we have some news that we don't want just anyone to know. That means we're headed over to Blogger since this website makes you pay to go private, so not happening! Please leave me a comment or send me an email through our "Contact Us" page. Even if you've been blog stalking, I'd love to invite you, chances are I've been blog stalking you as well! 17 Comments Handy Daddy & 4 Weeks 12/16/2010
Disney may have Handy Manny, but we have our very own Handy Daddy. When we first moved here we attempted our first furniture refurbish. Even with electric sanders and a paint gun this was a pain in the rear, but turned out quite wonderfully. Please note the lovely pictures of deceased pioneers and Indians glued to the doors...so fun to remove. Before After It's not this bright red in real life, I swear!  Next, Andy decided to try his hand at building furniture, which I wanted nothing to do with being nine months pregnant and insisting that it was much easier to sit down and order from the internet. The changing table/dresser that he built for Kate turned out great, but not without a lot of frustration and MULTIPLE trips to Home Depot. Day 1 Finished product I can't believe that our little Kate is four weeks old tomorrow! My how time flies when you're sleep-deprived and measure time by the last time the baby was fed. Like father like daughter  One of our unsuccessful attempts at getting a cute Christmas pic...what is going on with that flower?  I had never bought any outfit because I thought the bum was cute...until now.  Oh!  Hey yo, check out this crazy hair I've got going on.  She's Here 11/28/2010
We are thrilled to announce that joined our little family in November. She came in at a whopping 6 lbs. 4 oz. and is 20 inches long. Sorry for the delay in posting, but between my family in town, a toddler and a newborn I haven't really had the time. At 2:00 am on Friday morning I began my contractions, exactly the same time I did with Spencer. I knew that it would be awhile since my first one took 36 hours to show himself, so I went about my day like normal, but Andy was able to take the day off so that was nice. We went shopping and ran errands since my contractions weren't consistent or too strong. Finally that night they started getting stronger and closer together, but still not enough to head to the hospital. My parents and brother showed up at 9:00 pm after having driven all day from Utah and all of a sudden the contractions were getting closer and closer. It was super convenient to have some babysitters, so Andy, my mom and I could head to the hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital is 40 minutes away and the entire drive my contractions started coming every 2-3 minutes. I have never felt anything so incredibly painful in my life! I started hyperventilating from the pain and telling Andy I wanted to die. Luckily, I have a very calm husband who coached me through each one. We got into the hospital and while Andy was checking us in all of the nurses kept looking at me concerned, so I knew I was in trouble. I begged the triage nurse for an epidural and by the time I was able to get on the bed and be checked she informed me that I was dilated to a 10 and would be having this baby in 5 minutes. WHAT?! It's not that I'm anti-natural, I'm just pro-no pain. Andy got all excited and said, "Okay team, let's go!". I was rushed into the delivery room where everyone was furiously setting up and hoping that my doctor would show up in time, which she did. Once they were ready they told me to push and out she came on the first one. Let's just say that as painful as pushing was, it was nothing compared to the contractions leading up to it. All of you second time moms out there, stick close to the hospital! I am planning on taking a tent and camping out on the hospital grounds for the next kiddo the instant I feel a contraction. A big thanks to my family for being here, it worked out so perfectly and Spencer loved being with his Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Mark. Spencer loves holding "his" baby, so hopefully the love continues once he realizes she really is permanent. So far our little one is a champion sleeper and eater, can't ask for much more at this point, except maybe that her best sleeping wasn't during the day!     Thanksgiving Day      Halloween and the Bump 11/04/2010
Well, we're at less than three weeks until D-Day. I am definitely feeling more uncomfortable this time around, but I'm doing as much as I can before I have two kiddos...I do not like the odds of being outnumbered during the day! Stuffing my face with cotton candy at a Halloween party, what a loving husband to capture the moment.  Our brave little fire fighter. He loved everything about Halloween this year...candy and costumes are awesome!   Andy looks pretty good in a mullet...if only the Navy would allow it he could start growing those luscious locks of his own.  The Big 2 and Goodbye Summer 09/28/2010
Our little man is officially two four weeks ago! Our pictures got in a fight with the blog, but we've made up now. He's been saying he's two for about six months now thanks to Daddy, so it's nice to actually be that age. The day was pretty low key with opening his presents and then having his friend Aslynn over for cake and ice cream. He got a set of fire trucks, fire boats, fire helicopters, you get the idea, that he still loves; Horton the Who, which we watch about once daily, a bouncy/rocking horse, books, and a hand-me-down potty from his cousin that sings and lights up, it's pretty sweet. Oh yeah, Aslynn fell victim to the cactus that evening (Andy and I were at odds about whether it should be torn out or not) and needless to say it is now in the landfill, I finally won!     We figured we would end the summer travel season with a final trip to San Diego last weekend. Sea World offers free passes for military families to go once a year, so we took advantage of that and spent the day relishing the fact that we hadn't spent $59 each to get in! Spencer loved everything about it, except the rides that he went on. He was always willing to get on, but once that ride started up he was all done, aren't we good parents for making him go? I only got "before" pics of the rides :). The next day we spent the morning in Old Town and visited the LDS Mormon Battalion Visitor Center. It was really cool and we learned a lot about them, I even have a relative that served as a captain that I was able to learn more about. Spencer loved panning for gold and pumping water. If you're ever in the area I would highly suggest you make it a stop. Of course, we had to spend one last afternoon at the beach on Coronado to soak up the last rays of summer...oh wait, did I mention that it's still in the upper 90's here...I'm dying!        Here is my latest prego picture. I decided taking it in front of a distortion mirror would make me feel better...it did :).  Summer Fun 08/27/2010
I am the biggest slacker when it comes to blogging (and most everything else since I've been pregnant). Here is a very condensed summary of the fun we've had this summer! *Please note that the California locations are all a shameless plug of fun things to do if you come to visit us! Hanging out with Olson cousins and Shelly the Turtle in Phoenix   Spending the day with our friends the McConkie's at Capistrano Beach. Sadly, I don't have a picture of all of us...     We spent the 4th of July with the Olson clan in St. George. Lots of swimming, eating and playing with our cousins...Spencer was in heaven.     Even though Palm Springs is the hottest place ever in the summer, you can ride a tram and be in the cool mountain air. We loved hiking around, it felt like Utah to me. Now, if only we hadn't been trapped up there for hours while they tried to fix the tram, good times!     Andy's sister and her kiddos came out to visit, so we took them to Big Bear Mountain, which is another escape from the heat with a huge lake and lots of hiking. Next, we hit the beach, but this time went to Sunset Beach. We had a great time!       Andy's BFF Dustin got married in Michigan this month, so off we went. It was a very fun/fancy wedding, not especially great for a toddler, but we survived. Our table at the dinner was filled with Dustin's nieces, nephews and Spencer; we were the only kids table, sweet! Our kiddo hit the dance floor hard during the reception, so he was a little pooped to say the least. After the festivities we went to visit our old church ward and friends from Ann Arbor. It was so fun to see them, but sadly we weren't able to see everyone we wanted, there just wasn't enough time, so I'm sorry if we missed you!      This week Andy and his friend Bill had a one-day training in San Diego, so we headed down there with both families to spend the day at the beach. While the boys spent all day in a non-air conditioned building, we drove onto Coronado Island and spent the day at the Navy Base's private beach...it was beautiful! I have never seen such amazing sand and scenery. The building in the pic below is the Hotel del Coronado (ignore the random people). This is also one of the few belly pics I will be posting, so I'm hoping that the scenery will distract you from my size :). Spencer loved the beach, but he was into the sand so much that the kiddo was waddling from chaffing the last two hours...all in the name of fun!       Phew! I'm finally caught up, sorry for the gargantuan post for those that made it to the end :). Amateur Photographer 08/05/2010
I don't know how our little man does it, but somehow he's managed to grab our camera, turn it on and take impressive amounts of pictures, turn it off and put it back without us ever knowing. Enjoy the highlights from his photographic endeavors from two sessions that went undetected until I was uploading pictures...             Round Two 07/15/2010
 Guess Who's Coming this Fall?The Cactus Won the Battle, but Not the War 07/08/2010
Only in the middle of the desert would you have to watch out for cacti while playing in your front yard. Spencer's first run in with a cactus was touching it a few months ago and learning the hard way not to again. Well, two nights ago we were playing outside and in the rush to chase after a ball, Spencer didn't see the cactus in his way and fell right on it...awesome. We rushed inside to start removing them and realized that there were probably a thousand tiny needles in his left leg, arm and hand. After painstakingly removing them one by one for about a half hour with tweezers we relied on the good old internet for an easier (little less painful) solution. Pay attention! If your child or yourself ever falls into a cactus, pour Elmer's glue over the needles, wait to dry and then peel off. It worked perfectly on his little hands because the needles were a smaller version, but his poor little leg was another story. Let's just say that it took two hours, fruit snacks, ice cream, Tylenol and Disney's Cars to get through it. Our poor little guy was shaking it hurt so bad. We got pictures of the glue smearing and his sweaty little face inbetween pulling, neither one of them really do the trauma justice. Just as a side note, I hope none of you are cacti lovers because that stupid plant is being ripped out this weekend...guess I should let Andy know :). Have I mentioned that I love the desert?!    Dancing Machine 05/20/2010
Tonight there was a band playing on the TV. The little man came alive and this is what happened next. Enjoy! |  AuthorsAndy is a reader, dreamer, believer, and baker. He is currently tending to Heather's needs and desires. She spends a good portion of her time tending to the wants and whims of Spencer and doesn't have time for much else. 
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