The DelHoyo Family

he speaks

2012-01-27T14:15:00.001-05:00

some major haps

2012-01-13T14:34:00.001-05:00

I need a post to sum up some of the major happenings (some are even from our trip to Utah.)

1. We were able to make a trip up to Bountiful so Beckham could meet his great grandparents, cousin Cade and Jenna, and aunt Michelle.

We had a very nice, albeit short, visit.

2. Asher is now binky free. It happened during our trip to Utah. One day I was so fed up that I just took his binky and threw it in the garbage in front of him. There was massive crying and hysterics but after about 3 days of some pretty intense bedtimes we haven't looked back. Phew! I was worried he would go to kindergarten with that thing in his mouth.

3. Sadly, I think naps are gone now too. He was down to only sleeping for about an hour anyway, but I have pretty much given up since nap time was turning into screaming/yelling and crying time. It just wasn't worth it anymore.

4. We bought a new car! Finally! I no longer have to shove me two littles in the back seat of my teeny tiny car. A family car at last! I love it and couldn't be happier.

5. Beckham will be 9 months old on Tuesday. He had his check up this week. He weighs in at 18 lbs 12 oz (23%) and 28 inches long (78%). He is a long and slender little boy. He is a serious eater. He would eat and eat if I let him. He only stops eating once I stop feeding him. He is super active and follows his big brother everywhere. If they can survive each other I think they will end up best buds!

our christmas vacation so far

2011-12-28T18:32:00.003-05:00

I think this is going to be a long post so bear with me.

We have been in Utah for the last week or so and have been having the best time. Our trip started out eventful. I hate when a trip does. I had checked our seats the night before to make sure nothing had changed and we still had three seats together on our long 4 hour flight west. We did. When we got to the airport, we no longer did. Our gate agent was less then helpful and seriously couldn't have cared less that we were separated on our flight. His big help to us was to ask passengers to switch with us once we got on the plane. Thanks gate agent, I'm pretty sure I couldn't have come up with that on our own. Since Quinn has quite a few followers on Twitter, I told him to tweet about it once we got through security. I have heard stories of people with substantial followings getting good results when they tweet about problems they have with a company. I kid you not, 5 minutes after he tweeted we had a customer service agent with Delta asking for our confirmation number to help us out. We made our short flight to our connection city and by the time we landed our problem had been solved. 3 seats together. Many other passengers were not so lucky. There were a lot of angry passengers at the gate. Who knew Twitter would save our trip?

We arrived safe and sound and spent the next day close to home so the kids could recuperate from a day without naps. Next up, I was able to help my mom and Dana host a bridal shower for Jiao, my cousin's fiancee. See here for more details. It was so much fun.

Cameron, Ashley and baby Liam flew in next and now everyone in the family was together. We all got to go see A Christmas Carol and really get in the Christmas spirit.

The adult tree

The kid tree

Christmas adorableness

My cousin Mackenzie was nice enough to host 45 Arnett's at her house for a Christmas Eve celebration.

The kids table.

Stacey, Sydnee and Ashley

Baby Ty's first Christmas Eve

Mark, Mallory and Sydnee

Beckham and Mark

Nativity fun

Asher was a wiseman with an offering of potato chips that he munched on during the Nativity.

Beckham visited with Santa. Asher saw Santa's three times this year and I still haven't managed to get a picture of them together.

After the party we returned home to open our Christmas Eve present, jammies of course.

Here is my dad with all three of his grandsons born this year and interestingly enough all three of them bear part of his name.

Larry Dee Arnett

babies left to right: Liam Dee Arnett

Ty Larry Arnett

Beckham Arnett DelHoyo

Christmas morning the adults were up even before the kids to shower and dress so we could make it to church on time. We had to wake the kids up around 7 am so they could have time to see all the goodies that Santa had brought them, then it was off to church. Our whole family was able to attend church together.

A pre-church candy cane.

Beckham loved what Santa brought him

Everyone

All the grandkids

Our family photo

Asher modeling Mallory's shoes.

Christmas Beckham

Asher loving the Dora book from Mark and Mal Pal.

All of Jaxson's BYU football dreams came true.

Is it Christmas without crying?

Stacey's new car dreams came true too!

Later that day we had a delicious prime rib dinner and stuffed ourselves until we couldn't move.

The day after Christmas we were able to attend Jantzen and Jiao's wedding. I always love a wedding and can't help but cry. And who doesn't love a love story that brings two people together from other sides of the world.

mini Christmas

2011-12-17T14:41:00.001-05:00

We had a mini-Christmas last night. We opened all of our gifts from the DelHoyo side of the family. I wanted to give the kids a few days to enjoy the gifts before we left for Utah.

Beckham's first Christmas gift.

What was inside. He loves it (if he can ever get it away from Asher)

Asher couldn't wait to tear into them.

Modeling the contents.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited he was for these. He went to bed kicking and screaming for the trucks. This morning we heard him outside our bedroom door playing with them. It was 6:30 am.

A few morning shots of the kids.

Quinn and I got these from his parents. They were requested for Quinn. At first, I thought he was crazy, but they are delightful. I haven't taken them off yet. Every one needs a pair.

We also received a beautiful antique looking photo of the SLC temple from the Lances. It is just gorgeous and I can't wait to find a place for it in our home.

Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa DelHoyo and the Lances for all of the wonderful gifts!

the sickness

2011-12-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

Quinn is sick. Really Sick. I've never seen him like this before. He has pretty much been like the picture below for the last 4 days.

He is running a pretty high temperature pretty much constantly. He has a horrible cough and terrible body aches. I've asked him several time if he wanted to go to the doctor. Each time he would say he was fine. I finally convinced him to go to Urgent Care this morning. I'm so glad I did. The Dr. said he had an infection in his ear/throat and eye. She said he was a day or two away from full blown pneumonia. She gave him some heavy duty antibiotics and told him to stay hydrated. He is going to stay home from work again tomorrow and hopefully 24 hours after antibiotics he will finally be feeling better!

train ride to santa

2011-12-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

Even though Quinn is down and out sick, he rallied and we headed out to Durham last night for a train ride to Santa.

Quinn and Asher enjoyed corn dogs and I had a delicious funnel cake. Beckham enjoyed his corn puffs!

Asher is showing off his loot. I'm a sucker, what can I say? He made out with a toy train and a rudolph light stick.

Getting ready for the train.

Family photo. The train took off and then you stop half way where Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause are there. They go around and say hi to everyone and hand out coloring books. Asher was a little shy with Santa but loved it nonetheless. Then on the train ride back Rudolph made an appearance dashing through the woods. All the kids loved it.

Asher and I ended the night with a trip to the ER. He and I were playing around and he fell on our brick hearth. Luckily, the Dr. decided that permabond would work fine instead of a couple of stitches. We watched a lot of Yo Gabba Gabba and got lots of stickers while we waited. Asher was brave and this morning it doesn't even look that bad.

thanksgiving weekend

2011-11-29T10:16:00.000-05:00

I realize now I am horrible at remembering to take pictures. I pledge to do better this Christmas holiday so Beckham can have a properly documented 1st Christmas. You know you are bad when you have to raid your SIL's blog for pics (thanks Cara!)

We spent Thanksgiving up in Virginia. We had a great time feasting and enjoying family. Here are the few pics I have of the weekend.

Asher loved spending time with his cousins.

We even got to celebrate Grandpa's birthday

More cousin time.

Many, many hours playing the Gears of War board game

Gratuitous Beckham pictures

Tractor rides with cousins and Grandpa.

And lastly a fantastic video of Asher "playing" Just Dance with Alexa and Jacqueline. I can't get enough of the adorableness.

my froggies

2011-11-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

Prepare for overload on adorable froggies. I couldn't help myself!

6 months

2011-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone? Has it really been six months? How did we go from this

to this...

We took Beckham for his check up this week. He passed with flying colors.

He weighed in at 17 pounds and 2 ounces (42%) and he is not quite 29 inches long (97%). He is one long and slender kid. He got 4 shots and ran a fever for a day and a half. I was not a fan. Asher never had any sort of effects from any of his shots so this was new to me.

Beckham crawls and moves like a maniac. He learned to crawl before he could sit up. He is always a man on the move. As you can tell from the picture above he loves to tussle which is good because so does Asher. Beckham is definitely going to grow up to be one tough kid.

He still wakes up once a night usually around 4 or 5 am. We are trying to put an end to this asap and have been having some success. He loves eating solid baby food. He is such a happy child and an absolute joy to have in our home. We love him so much!

a child prodigy

2011-10-21T09:48:00.002-04:00

The video quality is terrible, but it was too cute not to share.

some pics of the boys

2011-10-17T17:02:00.001-04:00

I have pictures of the boys that I've been meaning to post. So here we go. Enjoy!

A while back we got out the jump-a-roo for Beckham. Asher couldn't resist it and had to give it another go.

I love bath time photos. These boys are just too adorable.

Two weekends ago we went to a farm for a Fall Festival party for Quinn's work. It was a lot of fun.

Asher loved the corn box.

So did Quinn. He made many corn angels.

Beckham kept me company in his stroller.

I did manage to get Asher to stand still for a second to snap a picture with me.

Asher loved running around in the pumpkin patch and came away with a great pumpkin.

Today Asher helped me make our very own Haunted House. He loved it. Especially when he could sneak a candy in his mouth. He was so proud of the house when we got it all finished.

first baby food

2011-10-07T14:08:00.000-04:00

Beckham is growing up so fast. He had his first baby food the other day and loved it! Check it out. I also have video of him crawling that is coming soon!

famous

2011-09-12T22:27:00.001-04:00

Check out Quinn's (very) brief moment of fame on American Chopper tonight!

gold

2011-08-22T22:01:00.001-04:00

Gears of War 3 went gold last week. For those of you not in the gaming industry (which is pretty much everyone) that means the game is finished, has passed all certification and has been released for manufacturing.

This past Friday we attended Quinn's first (of what we hope is many) Gold party. The company rented out a place called Sparians. Think nightclub meets bowling alley. We had so much fun. I beat Quinn at bowling, again! There was good food, good music and good friends. The company brought in a digital photo booth for everyone to mess around with. Here are a few of our highlights.

(Pat, Pete and Quinn all worked together in Texas and now work together here in NC)

We had to pull ourselves away from the fun around 2 am because we knew we would have kids waking up in 5 hours. I haven't been up that late in years and man, I really felt it the next day. Totally worth it! I'm so proud of Quinn and how hard he has worked. I can't wait to see his name in the credits when the game is released on September 20th!

In other news, check this out:

http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/gears-of-war-3-match-streamed-live-from-raleigh

My very own Quinn will be doing the commentating on some Major League Gaming (yes, there is such a thing) matches this Friday night! You know you want to watch!

my grandpa

2011-08-18T14:17:00.000-04:00

My Grandpa Jerry passed away this morning. It was not sudden or unexpected. He went into the hospital two weeks ago for an infection and things went from bad to worse. A few days ago they moved him to the hospice floor of the hospital and said he could pass any day. When my phone rang early this morning I knew that is what my Dad was calling to tell me.

I am grateful for my Grandpa. He is a very generous man. He has helped me many times. He helped me move to New York and most recently he loaned Quinn and I the money we needed to close on our house. He has done much for me in my life. He has taken our entire family on some truly amazing vacations and provided us with life long memories.

Just a few weeks ago, they had an 80th birthday bash for him. My sister Mallory talks about it here. I'm glad they all got to have one last party before his passing.

We love you and miss you Grandpa!

for the grandmas

2011-08-12T12:22:00.000-04:00

Probably only Beckham's grandmas and maybe a couple of aunts will enjoy this, but here it is nonetheless. Beckham had rolled over once or twice before but he really mastered it last night. Here is a video of his genius.

Ta Da!

all grown up

2011-07-21T10:35:00.000-04:00

Asher has been going to day camp this week. It's three days a week for 4 hours. He is loving it and so is his mommy. I was nervous how he would do since he has never really done anything like this. Day 1 he was a little hesitant but I was able to sneak out without a fuss. He came away from the first day raving about the bounce house. Day 2 he walked right into the classroom. Today he asked if it was time to go from the moment he got up and then proceeded to drag me into the classroom once we got there. I think he likes it. He goes again next week.

We snapped this pic this morning on our way out. He loves taking his own backpack and lunch every day.

He is just too cute here for words. How I love my little man!

two month update

2011-07-15T20:17:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week we took Beckham to his two month check up. He did great.

Here are his stats:

Weight: 13 lbs 15 oz 70%
Height: 25.5 inches 95%

As you can see he is one long boy. 3-6 mos clothes are getting to tight for him through the crotch, especially with a full diaper :) Beckham is a very calm and good baby. He has slept pretty much through the night since birth. If he does wake up it is around 4-6 am and he goes right back to sleep. He has decided recently that he doesn't like to be cuddled to sleep. As soon as you swaddle him, if you try to hold him close, he just squirms and squirms but he will calm right down as soon as you put him in the crib. So yeah, he pretty much puts himself to sleep. Basically he has sleep trained himself. It's very nice although I wasn't quite ready to give up the rocking to sleep yet but oh well.

Here is a cute photo of him while Quinn was playing with him tonight.

In other news, the boys got Quinn a grill for Father's Day. Tonight we grilled pizza and then had grilled bananas with Nutella for dessert. Delicious. Asher just ate the Nutella as you can tell by the pictures below but he loved every second of it.

baseball

2011-07-10T08:25:00.000-04:00

This was Asher's and Beckham's first Durham Bulls baseball game. We only made it 3 1/2 innings before we got rained out. But luckily that was enough time to eat yummy stadium food which is the whole point of going to a game.

read this

2011-06-29T16:16:00.001-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the very things this article addresses. I'm a member of a parent's group on FB where people post questions, comments, etc...on rearing children. I'll admit, I often laugh and even mock some of the stuff they talk about on there. I often think to myself that they are making parenting way too hard...you know...elimination communication, lotus birthing (look them up), etc...Stuff I don't really relate to. The other day an interesting conversation emerged about someone whose tom-boy 4.5 year old daughter was invited to a princess party and how the mom was totally freaked out by this prospect. Again, I mostly rolled my eyes at this discussion, but it did get me thinking.

Then there is this little gem of an article which has been circulating all over FB and the blogosphere. Don't even get me started. And for the record, I think he is a boy.

Finally, this article was posted on the FB parenting group and I really enjoyed it and I think it raises many valid points concerning the way we talk to girls in our society. I remember that nothing annoyed me more then when I would come home for vacation from college and the only thing people would ask me is if I was dating someone. No asking me what I was studying, about my internship in DC, about my work/job, nothing along those lines at all. I hated it. I often felt like everyone else (and let's be honest I'm talking about people in the ward I grew up in) thought my college experience would be a complete failure if I didn't leave it married...never mind the world class education I received. OK, I might be going off on a bit of a tangent but you get the idea. Thoughts?

grateful

2011-06-21T20:15:00.000-04:00

I remember when before I was married how much I would love to spend time with my niece Sadie and my nephews Joseph and Jax (this isn't to say I no longer enjoy spending time with time with them because I do). I would love reading stories with them, having sleepovers, making cakes, etc... Every time I would have one of them on my lap I remember thinking how much I couldn't wait to have one of my very own. Tonight, as I was holding Beckham, Asher came and worked his way onto my lap for some cuddle time. I was overcome with gratitude for my two little boys. I am truly blessed.

And believe me, I needed this moment as lately I'm usually thinking to myself "What in the world made me think I could do this?"

happy father's day

2011-06-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband who is an amazing father to our two boys!

(ps this is what they were all suppose to look like on Beckham's blessing day...well, sort of I didn't put the suit on Beckham today, but you can still get the gist...aren't the matching ties adorable?)

smiles

2011-06-16T12:28:00.000-04:00

family pictures

2011-06-14T16:15:00.000-04:00

Our professional family pictures are up for viewing. Check them out here. I might be biased but I think they are amazing!

best. vacation. ever.

2011-06-13T14:36:00.002-04:00

This was my back yard for the last week.

My parents rented a house right on the beach for our family vacation/reunion. Thanks mom and dad! We had an amazing time. We ate delicious food from crepes to tapas. We spent mornings, afternoons and evenings on the beach. We flew kites, played in the sand, ate ice pops and double stuff oreos and generally had the time of our lives.

Here are a ton of pics for your viewing pleasure. The pics are all Mal's and Ryan's. I had my camera out for about an hour before I put it away never to look at it again because why take pics when others (with better cameras) will take them for you?

Joe and Marshall doing some yoga on the beach

Jax working on a 500 dollar fine for playing on the dunes

Mark teaching Sadie the art of the skim board

I think this is the only pic of Quinn and me together.

The elevator in the house was a hit with the kids but they were only allowed to ride it with an adult.

Ryan was the official driver of the party van (15 passenger van that we rented).

Fun with bows

For some reason Stacey doesn't want to be photographed with Quinn

Ice pops my fav was the coconut sesame ginger. Delish.

A random birthday party for everyone.

Marshall face

And stay tuned for our family pictures on the beach but here are a few candids from the photo session.

blessing day

2011-06-02T13:58:00.000-04:00

We had decided to head up to Virginia for Memorial Day weekend to bless Beckham while Quinn's brother Miles was in town from LA. Then last week Quinn got really busy at work. He had to work late on Friday and needed to go in on Monday as well. So we canceled. About 5 minutes later we decided to throw caution to the wind and go anyway. We left early Saturday morning to catch a flight up. No problems. Quinn and Asher sat in coach...Beckham and I were in first class. Heaven! Once we landed that is when things started going to hell. Beckham had a total freak out and was screaming so loud. I've never seen him like that. We finally made it to luggage after a serious hike (I'm not a fan of the layout of Dulles..why can't every airport be like DFW?). We saw our car seats right away but no suitcase. Quinn and I started searching. Picture me with screaming baby attached via baby bjorn. We looked and looked but saw nothing. A lady saw me looking and I showed her my bag claim ticket. That is when I noticed that it did not have our name on it and that the claim ticket was for a flight to Chicago. So right away I understood what had happened. Obviously, our suitcase was mis-tagged and was sent to Chicago by mistake. Notice how easy it is to come to that conclusion (this ease at which the conclusion is made comes into play later). I stood in lost baggage line with about 4 people in front of me all the while Beckham screamed and screamed. Quinn and Asher headed out front to find Cara (our ride) and install the car seats. Finally I couldn't take it anymore since everyone was just looking at me so I headed out to the car as well. Cara took Asher, Beckham and me home while Quinn went back to the lost luggage counter. Beckham finally calmed down and we made it home. Maybe 20 minutes later Quinn called and someone went to pick him up.

Now the chaos begins. First, let me state that I realize the airlines deal with thousands of bags a day and probably hundreds of lost bags, but seriously people, it shouldn't be this hard. The guy at the counter gave Quinn the impression that we wouldn't get our bag until Sunday at the earliest. Now mind you we were in town for 2 1/2 days and our bag was packed with Beckham's blessing outfit, Asher and Quinn's brand new suits for the occasion as well as my cutest post-partum church outfit. So I was really hoping they would get it back to us late Saturday night. It couldn't be that hard right, we knew what flight it was on? That flight hadn't even landed when we discovered the bag was mis-tagged. So I called back later that afternoon and talked to someone on the phone, it was like they hadn't even heard the part about Chicago. All that info about the flight, the name on the bag claim, etc...was no where to be found in the file. So I gave them as much info as I could since they had taken that claim ticket from us at the airport. Later that night Quinn and Miles decided to go back down to the airport to check on it again. Once again, it was like it was the first they had heard of it. But they left the airport feeling like they had made progress and that we would probably get our bags the next day. Miles even put in another phone call later that night and was told that the bag had been located in Chicago. So first thing Sunday morning (still holding out hope that we would get our bags before church) I called for a status update. I was told on the phone that our bag had been scanned in Dulles this morning. I told Quinn this so he and his dad when to the airport to find it. It was not there. They talked to a lady who once again acted like this Chicago info was news to her. She called Chicago and located our bag that was in unclaimed baggage. No one had ever been looking for it. She said it would be on the next flight out and arriving at 4 that day. Well, that was too late for the blessing. I cried (I have to say, I'm proud that I only cried once). Around 5 o'clock that evening Quinn went to the airport to get the bag. Guess what? Yup, not there. It didn't make that flight! It will be there at 9 pm. One more trip back to the airport and we finally get our luggage around 10:30 Sunday night. Just in time for our return trip at 8 am on Monday. Ridiculous.

In the midst of all this chaos, Beckham was given a name and a blessing by his father. That was what was really important. It was a very sweet blessing and a special day for our family. We owe a big thanks to all our extended family who clothed us. Both of my sister-in-laws Cara and Linnea gave me a church outfit. Linnea even went out and bought a cardigan for me to wear. Quinn's brother Jason loaned him a suit. Cara dressed Asher and let Beckham wear the blessing outfit all of her boys have worn. It really was a fantastic day. I don't have any pictures of my own but I'm depending on my bro-in-law Jason for the shots he took. I just don't have them yet. In the meantime, here is one that Cara took.

brothers

2011-05-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

double 3s

2011-05-17T12:40:00.001-04:00

Friday was my birthday. I'm 33. How did I get this old? We celebrated by going to dinner and then coming home to the most delicious cake I have ever had that Quinn ordered from a local bakery. I enjoyed celebrating my birthday with my little family.

a visit from grandma

2011-05-17T12:28:00.000-04:00

Grandma left yesterday. We miss her terribly. While she was here she catered to Asher's every whim and he loved every minute of it (so did I since it freed me up to be with Beckham without having to worry about Asher getting into trouble somewhere in the house). She did all my dishes and cleaned up around the house and in general was great company. Oh, and did I mention she did yard work too? My house have never looked so good. The visit was all around delightful.

our attempt at a mother's day memory

2011-05-09T10:47:00.000-04:00

Of course I forgot to take the picture before church hence our ragged appearance and Beckham's crying...but a Mother's Day memory nonetheless.

per Mallory's request

2011-05-01T17:14:00.000-04:00

Mallory asked for more pictures. So here are two pictures just for her.

This first picture is pretty much what Beckham does all day. Sleep. He is a fantastic sleeper. He slept from 11 pm to 5 am last night and had Asher not had a crying spell at 1 am it would have been pure heaven.

The second picture is for comparison with his big brother. See this post for what I mean.

happy easter!

2011-04-24T08:55:00.000-04:00

We started the day with a breakfast of hash browns, bacon, orange rolls (pillsbury...that is about all I'm up for right now) and juice. Then Asher and Beckham got a peak at what the Easter Bunny left them and Asher once again had so much fun finding all of the hidden eggs.

I bought adorable matching ties for all three men/boys in the family for Easter but with Beckham's late arrival Stake Conference is not in the plans for us today. I think I'll save them for Beckham's blessing day.

so far

2011-04-23T14:12:00.001-04:00

My mom left us this morning. I want to thank her for giving up three weeks of her life to spend with us. The first part we spent having fun by going to lunch, shopping, playing with Asher, going for walks trying to get me to go into labor, etc... She made us dinner, cleaned our house, and so much more. Then she took care of Asher while we were in the hospital. Thanks mom for everything you did for us. We couldn't have done it without you. We love you and miss you already. Luckily we get to see you again in 7 weeks!

We came home from the hospital on Tuesday morning. Asher was excited to see us and triple excited to see the baby. He loves Beckham...probably a little too much. He is constantly wanting to be with him and hold him and squeeze him, etc...

Asher has actually had a little bit of a tough time adjusting to the new baby in the house. His fits and crying spells have increased exponentially. So Thursday afternoon we decided to have a little Easter Egg Hunt for Asher. He moved so quickly from egg to egg that I had a hard time getting a good picture. But he loved it and was absolutely delighted every time he found an egg.

Beckham has been a great baby so far (knock on wood). He sleeps in the crib and pretty much sleeps all night except for when we feed. I've even had to wake him up a few times to feed him. He is just so sweet and we love him and feel so blessed to have him in our home.

And here are a few random pics just because.

he is here...finally

2011-04-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

Beckham Arnett DelHoyo was (finally!!!) born last night Sunday, April 17, 2011. He was one big boy weighing in at 8 lbs 13 oz (I blame the extra week) and was 21.5 inches long.

It was a fast and hard delivery but its over now so all is forgiven.

Enjoy the pics!

chopsticks

2011-04-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

We went to lunch today at a Japanese/Thai restaurant. Asher shared my yaki-soba noodles with me. I put some on a plate cut them up and handed him a fork. He wanted nothing to do with the fork. He used chopsticks instead. He was a pro.

He ate almost his entire plate this way. I was so proud!!

On the way home we stopped at CVS where a woman predicted I was going to have the baby today. I hope she is right.

marshall face

2011-04-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

My nephew Marshall has a famous face that he always makes. It looks like this:

We've been skype-ing with Marshall a lot this week and Asher has been perfecting his very own Marshall face. All we have to do is say Marshall face and Asher busts this face out:

i wish

2011-04-15T11:41:00.001-04:00

Oh how I wish my baby was 5 days old like it says in the widget to the right. But alas, my body hates me and apparently doesn't know how to go into labor.

Thank goodness my mom has been here waiting patiently with me to help keep distracted and play with Asher as much as possible. Unfortunately, I have no pics since my camera is in the hospital bag so I don't forget it...which is something I definitely would do.

I was at the OB again yesterday for a stress test for the baby. Everything is good. My midwife said the baby is just so high, so she recommends that I sit on an exercise/birthing ball as much as possible to open up my pelvis to help the baby drop and hopefully get things started on their own. The only real problem is I have to fight Asher for the ball. He is always trying to push me off of it so he can play with it.

Hopefully something will happen this weekend, if not I go in at 8 am on Monday morning to be induced again.

In other news, my brother and sister-in-law Cameron and Ashley found out they are having a boy yesterday. I'm excited that my baby boy will have at least one matching boy cousin (and possibly two if my other SIL Heather gets her wish)!

march birthday celebrations

2011-03-25T12:24:00.000-04:00

My camera cord has arrived. Enjoy pics from the birthdays we have been celebrating at our house lately.

Quinn finally turned 30 years old.

Asher blew out Quinn's candles too! He just can't help himself.

This is Asher and Daddy on Asher's birthday morning all dressed up and ready for church. They are very handsome.

Even though I'm huge, I can't resist posting this picture. He is just so adorably handsome.

Enjoying the m&ms off the cake.

Loving his new airplanes.

This has nothing to do with birthdays but is a cute shot of Asher helping his daddy rake leaves in our yard. And yes, we rake leaves in the spring. So what!?

Happy Birthday Asher!

2011-03-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

stay tuned

2011-03-19T21:11:00.000-04:00

I do plan on resuming blogging, in particular, I want to blog about Quinn's bday (last Saturday) and Asher's bday (tomorrow), however, I have lost my usb cord to the camera and can't upload pics. Don't worry, I've ordered another one and it should be here next week.

If you are really lucky I may even back-blog about the holidays but no promises.

the game industry

2011-03-15T21:19:00.001-04:00

A video for anyone who has ever wondered what it is Quinn does for a living...

five seconds from a nervous breakdown

2010-12-10T18:46:00.001-05:00

I have lots to blog about...like our trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving or Quinn's company holiday party or Asher's bout with the croup which kept us indoors and exhausted for five days but I can't bring myself to do any of it since I feel like I am constantly five seconds from a nervous breakdown.

Suddenly Asher has become so defiant. Just the most casual mention of the word "no" sends him into all sorts of hysterics. I just feel like I deal with tantrum after tantrum all day long. Today we had a serious power struggle over lunch and in the end I'm pretty sure he won as he ended up eating lunch on my lap instead of in the high chair. Oh, well, I'll try again tomorrow. I also feel like he has reached a whole new level of destruction not to mention the fact that I'm on Death Watch 2010 as he now pulls a chair to wherever he wants to get to, be it the stove, the knives, etc.. And have I mentioned how many times he has tumbled from these stools yet he is still not deterred??? And to top it all off all I can think of is that in about 4 months I get to add a newborn into the mix. Look for me sometime soon in a mental hospital near you.

family week

2010-11-20T13:04:00.002-05:00

This morning was the start of what Quinn and I are calling family week. He has all of next week off, yay! And we are so excited to be able to spend all of that time together doing fun family things. And to make it even more exciting we are headed to Virginia tomorrow to spend time with even more family. We can't wait!

it's a...

2010-11-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

Healthy and weighing in at 10 ounces. Everything is looking good for April!

fun friday

2010-10-30T20:27:00.000-04:00

Asher and I went with a big group Friday morning to children's animal park called Noah's Landing. Asher was able to feed donkeys, llamas, a zebra, and a yak. He loved it. He just giggled every time they took a carrot from his hand. It was very hands on and he got to pet an alligator, a fox, a pig and an opossum (gross!). He wasn't afraid at all. I didn't get very many pictures because it was pretty chaotic with all the kids but he had a great time.

After the zoo, we raced home for a nap before all the Halloween festivities. I got him dressed in his costume and could hardly stand it. Isn't he the cutest Dracula you have ever seen?

We headed off to Quinn's office for our first Halloween party of the night.

Asher was a hit. It didn't take him long before he caught on to trick-or-treating. After about three offices he was all business.

He moved quickly from office to office.

He did stop long enough to take a picture with me.

After the candy there was a nice party of pizza and Halloween goodies.

Asher got to go down the slide with Daddy.

I left the red-eye in on purpose because I think it makes him look more vampire-ish.

After the work party, we headed out to the ward party. We made it just as they were finishing up the chili cook-off dinner. We had fun going room to room for the carnival. At one point, Asher was just in the middle of the cake walk dancing to the music. Then outside for Trunk-or-Treating. No pictures, but Asher was all business again. After both events, he had quite a haul of candy.

It was so much fun to see him enjoy Halloween this year. I know next year will be even better!!

state fair

2010-10-21T16:56:00.000-04:00

Quinn took the day off of work today and we headed out to the State Fair. Our first stop was the petting zoo. Asher screamed with delight at the animals but wouldn't pet them.

We had fun walking around and checking out all of the food. Seriously, you could spend forever at the fair just eating. Everything looked so delish. We played a few games. Quinn missed.

I didn't.

Finally, it was time to eat. Asher started with a corn dog.

I stuck with a lemonade and sweet potato fries. Quinn had the Krispy Kreme burger which is exactly like it sounds.

Can you imagine the calories?

Asher got his hammering on in a toddler section.

He also got his driving on.

We checked out the livestock. Saw tons of cows, pigs, poultry, etc...We saw a lot of prize winning produce, sampled delicious cheese and BBQ sauces and just generally had fun doing fair stuff. Then it was time for dessert.

Asher really enjoyed his ice cream. Quinn and I shared a funnel cake.

To end the day we took Asher on the carousel. At first he seemed to like it but about half way through he wanted off. All in all it was a great day at the fair.

our trip to utah

2010-10-17T21:51:00.000-04:00

Asher and I had the most relaxing and delightful time for two and a half weeks while we were in Utah. I was too busy relaxing to blog but did manage to take a few pictures...not many...but some.

We arrived on the Monday after Malllory's birthday. My parents took us all out to dinner. I was too exhausted from traveling that day to take any pictures. But the food was delish and the company was great!

That same week we were able to go to Jaxson's last soccer game. Again no pics but Asher loved it. He cheered his little heart out and tried several times to run onto the field and start playing himself. We were also lucky to see Jaxson score three goals in that game!

That weekend, Ryan, Dana and the kiddies came down for the weekend. Asher discovered Jaxson's truck in the garage and would not stop until he could get in it. He spent a lot of time in that truck while we were there. He loved it.

We were also able to go to Jaxson's school carnival. It was a lot of fun.

Asher loved his balloon.

The next week, Asher and I met Ashley and Holden for Singing Time and Brunch. Quinn and Kurt are convinced that Asher and Holden will be best friends so it was good to get them together.

Unfortunately, this is the best I could do getting them both on camera.

Asher and Jax played so well together. They loved being together.

Asher and I were also able to go to lunch with Elise and Madeline. I had yet to meet Madeline and she is a cutie as you can tell from the picture.

We also had a mini Chambery reunion dinner while I was in town. It was so great to see so many old friends. Both Quinn and I miss our days in Chambery and all of our great friends we made while living there.

(Reid, Angie, Lorena, Mike, Jordan, Mike, Lindsay, Asher)

(Deanna, Beverly, Brooke, Kim, Kaelyn, Collette, James, Chris, Kyle)

Chambery 2.0 (Bailey, Rachael, Macy and Asher)

We were also fortunate to be in town for Stacey's birthday. Asher loved all the candles. Happy Birthday Sister!

I also was able to have lunch with several other great friends including Kim, Cami and Kristen. I also had a lovely dinner with two of my favorite people Kim and Lindsay. Thank you to everyone who made time to see us while we were there. Thanks to my parents for letting me stay with them and not have to cook or clean and who took care of Asher when I was exhausted. I'm still having baby sickness but it is getting better every day. All in all, it was a great trip and just what I needed.

Our flight home was full of tantrums, canceled flights, flying west before heading east, etc...long and torturous. But we finally made it. We were greeted at the airport with flowers and a giant Thomas the Train balloon. Asher was psyched out of his mind to see his Daddy again. So was I!

18 months of love

2010-09-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

Asher turned 18 months on Monday. He had his check-up the same day. He is one healthy growing boy.

He weighed in at 27 lbs and 6 oz and is 33 1/2 inches tall. He jumped up from the 50th percentile at his 15 month check-up to the 75/80th percentile. Needless to say he has had a bit of a growing spurt.

I just love this little boy. He has brought so much love and joy to our home. I often talk with Quinn about how amazed I am how he consumes almost all my waking thoughts. I'm constantly thinking about where he is, what he is doing, does he need a diaper change, is he hungry, etc...even when he is asleep he still is always in the back of my mind. I have no idea what I use to think about before I became his mother.

Asher still doesn't say too many words but I know he will get there someday. Right now his favorite things to say are "uh-oh" and "hot."

He is a climber. I've learned this the hard way when I've found him on top of our table with some sort of dangerous contraption in his hand.

I love when he crawls right into my lap and wants to sit with me while I watch TV or cruise the internet.

Asher loves Mickey Mouse. He is his best friend and takes him everywhere with him. He often tries to feed him, give him a drink, or change his diaper.

Asher and Quinn play non-stop on the weekends. If you ever call our house on the weekends, you can always hear them tussling in the background. They both love it. Asher loves to be chased and always starts running whenever Quinn walks towards him. They have a great time together.

Asher pretty much is just a bundle of joy and love and we can't imagine life without him!!

2010-09-17T18:17:00.000-04:00

I went to another OB appointment today. Had another ultrasound. It's crazy how fast the baby has grown since the last one a few weeks ago. The last one (I'm going to refer to the baby as he so I don't have to say it) he was just a blob on the screen. Today he had arms, legs and looked like a baby. He was moving around a ton. I also heard the heart beat. I got really excited! It feels more real now.

In other news, I was reading online the other night about someone who sucked on sour patch kids to help with nausea. Anything citrus and sour really seems to work for me so I took note of this, plus, they are delicious. Anyway, I've been thinking about it non-stop for three days. So finally today, Asher and I stopped off at Walgreens and picked up a few packs of sour patch kids. I'm excited to try it out.

a relaxing saturday

2010-09-12T17:02:00.000-04:00

We decided to go to the beach yesterday. Quinn hadn't had the opportunity to go this summer so we thought we would give it one last shot while it was still warm. We had the best time. It's a little over a two hour drive from our house. So we left around 8 am and were on the beach by 10:30. It was overcast pretty much the whole time we were there but we didn't mind. The water and the ocean breeze were both warm.

Quinn and Asher played in the sand.

Asher was so content in his little hole Quinn dug for him. He loved just sitting in it playing with the sand.

They played and had fun in the water too. Asher was a little more timid this trip then the last one but he still had a good time.

The beach was practically empty. I loved it. I spent most of the time on the blanket resting and listening to the waves and soaking in the ocean breeze.

Today is the day Quinn has been waiting for since January. The return of NY Giants football.

We bought Asher's shirt last year. They are adorable.

And don't worry, I have one too. Yes, we are THAT family...I'm almost embarrassed.

update on ww

2010-09-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

Many people have asked me for an update on Weight Watchers. I've tried to pretty much just avoid answering the questions for as long as possible, but that can only go on for so long.

The truth is, it isn't going so well. I hit a little bit of a snag. About a week after I started I found out about this:

I'm pregnant! So I have been losing some weight and not the way I wanted to. Vomiting is not my idea of dieting. But I'm on Zofran now and the sickness is under control. I still get sick but it is much more manageable and I spend next to no time with my face in the toilet so that is a good thing.

My due date is around April 11th and we are very excited. Asher loves babies. He loves to just get in their face and smother them with love so I think he will be a great big brother.

So weight watchers is on a brief hiatus, but believe me I plan on starting up as soon as possible post-baby and I'll still have my same goal weight just a lot more to lose!

boston

2010-08-30T16:27:00.000-04:00

Scroll down for previous post on Newport, RI.

We drove back into Boston for a quick day of sightseeing. We stayed in the Back Bay area of Boston at the Sheraton. By the time we got to the hotel it was lunch time. We refueled and then walked around the Prudential Center for a bit before check in time. Once we checked in, Asher had a blast playing by the windows and checking out our view of Boston.

We did have a pretty great view of Boston. Since we only had a few hours we decided to take the famous Boston Duck Tour to see what we could see.

Asher was ready.

So was Quinn.

Its not a great tour for taking pictures since you are pretty much driving the whole time but you got a great feel for what Boston has to offer and what to do next time you have a few days to spend there.

Asher was very lovey dovey on the tour.

This was on the Charles river looking back towards where our hotel is. Boston is a gorgeous city that I feel in love with. I can't wait to go back and spend some more time there.

Faneuil Hall

After the tour we walked back over to Copley Square to check out Trinity Church

Quinn loved these sconces on the facade of The Boston Public Library.

Asher was immediately drawn to this fountain.

He of course had to get in. He got soaked. We headed back to the hotel to change his clothes and rest a bit before dinner. The concierge recommend a great little restaurant Charley's on Newbury Street. We enjoyed walking around that evening and seeing all that Boston had to offer.

Then we got ready for bed. We had a mostly peaceful nights sleep. We woke up very early to catch a flight back to Raleigh.

One of my favorite pictures of the weekend...this is Asher trying to wake up this morning. He is just so cute!!!

newport, ri

2010-08-30T16:16:00.000-04:00

We left for Newport, RI via Boston early Friday morning. It was a gorgeous flight. You fly along the eastern seaboard the whole time and Boston is a gorgeous city to fly into. We grabbed our rental car and headed off on our hour drive to our hotel. By the time we got to the hotel we were starving and as luck would have it there was a Chili's in the hotel parking lot. Even though it breaks one of my cardinal rules to eat a national chain restaurant when visiting a new place, we did it anyway and it was worth it. After lunch, we checked in and tried to get Asher to nap knowing we had a long night of wedding rehearsal and dinner ahead of us. No such luck. So we dressed for the rehearsal and headed into town.

I can not say enough about what an absolutely gorgeous place Newport, RI is. The rehearsal (and wedding) were at the Trinity Church built in 1726.

Asher and Quinn really enjoyed walking through the church cemetery and checking out all the very cool headstones.

After the rehearsal we had some time to kill before dinner and we drove through charming Newport.

We headed out to the cliff walk to check out the view.

We saw many of the famous Newport mansions, including this one The Breakers. Stunning and huge!

More views from the cliff walk.

After taking in the amazing scenery, we headed back into town for a rehearsal dinner at The White Horse Tavern. For some reason I didn't take a picture but the building was quite charming. It was originally built in 1673 and they have really tried to keep it true to that time period. All of the rooms were small and just like how you would imagine it to be back then. It was a fun day and around 11 pm we finally headed back to the hotel for some sleep.

The next morning we headed back into Newport. We spent some time down by the harbor checking out all the boats.

Then we walked to the end of a pier where you could buy lobster and other fresh seafood.

You can't really tell from the picture but the lobster at the very top was HUGE. I bet it was easily 10 lbs+ and almost two feet long.

This was a cute restaurant I saw that was built circa 1780. We saw many of these types of buildings. We strolled through the streets and visited tons of cute shops. Once we were worn out we headed for lunch.

Lobster rolls. Delish! So so good. Then we headed back to the hotel so Asher could nap. It didn't work out very well. Quinn ended up putting him in the car and just driving him around for an hour and a half so he would sleep. We needed him well rested for the wedding. It was finally wedding time. We got dressed and headed to the church.

Asher was a ring bearer and he here is pictured with his flower girl Isabella. I spent most of the time just trying to keep him happy before his big moment. I don't have any pictures of him walking down the aisle so that will have to wait for the professional photographer. By all accounts, he was perfect and adorable. I think he did stop about half way down and the matron of honor had to hold his hand and coax him a bit.

The inside of the church.

Still trying to keep him happy.

This is a picture of the pew that George Washington would sit in when he would visit the church.

After the wedding we headed over to the sight of the reception at one of Newport's mansions, The Rosecliff. It was spectacular and my pictures do not do it justice.

This is the view from the back terrace with Asher running off towards the water. Asher only stayed for cocktail hour then he was whisked off to a babysitter.

He spent the evening on a lovely boat in the Newport harbor with this adorable girl named Sloan. We raced back to the reception just in time for the introduction of the happy couple.

Ben and Ashley Harris

The ballroom.

Ashley had commissioned an artist to paint the scene of the evening. I loved watching him work all night. We had a delicious dinner of roasted lamb and had fun dancing.

Here I am with my good friend Ashley the lovely bride.

We had a fabulous time at the wedding but we are old fogies so we ducked out around 11:30 pm headed back to the boat to pick up Asher and then back to the hotel for some sleep.

Stay tuned for pics from our day in Boston.

trips

2010-08-25T23:09:00.000-04:00

A week ago Monday Asher and I headed up to Northern Virginia for a little getaway. Asher had a great time playing with all his cousins and his Grandpa and Grandma. We drove back on Friday and Grandma joined us. She stayed for a few days and we had more fun playing and relaxing. I think Asher needs therapy now for his separation anxiety from Grandma having to go back home. We head out again early Friday morning for a wedding weekend in Newport, RI and a day of sightseeing in Boston. I can't wait! Hopefully, I'll have pictures if I can remember to bring a charged camera with a memory card in it. I've had a few problems with that my last couple of trips.

cute picture

2010-08-13T18:08:00.001-04:00

I've been cleaning out my Inbox and came across this picture that Stacey snapped earlier this summer. I just had to share it.

I just love cousin love!

day 4

2010-08-09T14:51:00.000-04:00

So far so good. The one thing I like about WW is that it allows me to be flexible with what I eat. I need to know that after a long day if I'm exhausted I can run out to Arby's for an 8 point roast beef sandwich. It's really a life saver.

I've exercised three times since Friday. My goal is to alternate between a Jillian Michaels 30 day shred routine and a YogaWorks routine. I've decided to do this because if I did Jillian Michaels everyday I would have to wash my hair everyday and that does not excite me. Plus the yoga routine kicked my trash and I've always been super inflexible so it couldn't hurt to work on that as well. The best part of working out for me is seeing Asher try to do it with me. He will stand right next to me and do squats with me or during a boxing sequence he starts flailing his arms. It is adorable.

I've been a bit hungry but I know that will get better with time. The one thing I've really learned is how much mindless snacking I do during the day. I'll weigh myself on Friday morning and hopefully will see some results.

putting it all out there

2010-08-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

I've debated about doing this but I've decided I can use any help I can get. So here it is. Ever since I stopped nursing Asher I've gained weight by just looking at food. Let's just say I'm almost up to my delivery weight. How depressing is that? So starting today I'm getting serious about this. I've started and stopped several times over the last few months so I'm looking for some accountability and figured my friends and family in the blogosphere can give it to me.

So here is the deal. Once a week I'll post about my progress good or bad. If for some reason more then a week goes by...call me out on it. I need your help!

Here are my goals...I'm giving myself 12 weeks to lose 23 pounds... baby weight part deux.. .I plan to do this by diet and exercise. I joined weight watchers online and my goal is to work out 4 times a week. Totally feasible.

I'll post every Monday on my progress. So stay tuned to hear how the first few days have been!

crazy busy

2010-07-20T14:56:00.000-04:00

Things have been busy around here. So busy that I never even finished blogging about the 4th up in Virginia. Now so much has happened since that I feel overwhelmed in blogging.

So instead I'll just post some of my favorite pics from the past couple of weeks.

How adorable is my little niece Chloe...I just love this pic

This was our first attempt and making Asher's garden stone, we had to do take two the next day

The fam

Take two, I am happy with the way it turned out

I don't think this one needs an explanation

Chloe and Asher had fun with the hose and Grandpa

My boys

How adorable is this pic? I love how he is looking at his Aunt Cara

Quinn got crazy with the fireworks!

Danny, Stacey and Jax came for a few days to visit as well. We had a blast at the beach. I was going to post post pics of the beach but Stacey just informed me she left her USB adapter in Cleveland...but let me just say Asher was fearless. He loved the ocean. He would run straight at the waves with no fear at all. He loved jumping the waves and playing in the sand. I can't wait to take him back. In other news, Quinn and I spent Saturday at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg with some friends. And had a great time. So fun to be a kid again and ride roller coasters.

mt. vernon

2010-07-08T09:17:00.000-04:00

We drove up to northern Virginia on Friday night. Saturday morning Vicky, Quinn, Asher and I headed out to Mt. Vernon to see how General George Washington lived. It was beautiful.

Of course we only got one shot with my camera before it died, so the cell phone pics will have to do. I really need to do better about making sure my battery is charged and I have my sd card before I take of on vacation.

Here we are in front of the mansion.

There was about a 45 minute wait to get inside the mansion, while we waited Asher and Grandma came up with a new drinking method. They poured water into his tray and he drank out of it like it was a trough.

Quinn, Vicky and Asher by a tree that GW planted. I believe it was some sort of poplar.

After the long wait and about to begin the tour.

Asher lasted about five minutes on the tour before Grandma offered to take him outside and let him roam free on the lawn of Mt.Vernon. Isn't the view of the Potomac to die for? I would love to have that view from my back porch.

After we toured the house we visited President Washington's tomb. I loved this tour. He was truly a great man who played such a vital role in our nation's formation.

quinn's trip to e3

2010-06-19T21:05:00.003-04:00

This past week Quinn had the opportunity to attend E3 which is the biggest baddest trade show in the gaming world. It was held in downtown LA at the convention center.

After flying in on Monday and checking in at the hotel, he headed straight to the convention center to check out the massive set up that was going on.

Quinn had an up close encounter with the new Ferrari GT 458 Italia

He was also able to meet "Issac Clarke" the lead protagonist from one of his fave games Dead Space.

Tuesday afternoon, Quinn worked the Bulletstorm booth helping demo the game. Here he (with his boss) is in his awesome Dead Echo Squadron jumpsuit. The game racked up a lot of awards and was a huge hit at E3.

One example of the craziness of E3 is the actual lucha libre ring on the show floor to promote a wrestling game.

Here is a pic of a fake North Korean army at the show to promote another new game called Homefront.

Tuesday night Quinn spent at The J Lounge for the Bulletstorm party. Quinn was assigned to demo the game at the bar because he doesn't drink.

Here is a pic of Keenan Thompson (from SNL and formerly All That on Nickelodeon) checking out the game.

Wednesday night was the Gears of War 3 party at The Edison.

The venue is an old power plant.

Here are the MS peeps setting up demo stations for the party.

Quinn got to meet Ice-T who plays a character in the game. The picture is a bit out of focus and I blame his wife Coco who took the picture :)

A pic with Lester "Rasta" Speight who voices "Gus" in the Gears franchise.

This pic is Thursday night at another party. It is Quinn with the absinthe fairy who as I'm sure you can deduce went around handing out absinthe.

Quinn was also able to meet up with some old Guildhall peeps while at E3. Here he is with Jordan and Chetan.

It was a fun, hectic and successful week for Quinn and his company. An extremely sleep deprived Quinn arrived home late last night and Asher and I were both very excited to see him again!

ohio continued

2010-06-18T20:50:00.001-04:00

We spent Thursday at EnterTrainment Junction.

It's a train themed mini amusement park. They have the worlds largest train display which was surprisingly cool.

They had a few little train rides for the kids. Asher and Jax loved them.

They spent a lot of time in the play area as well.

Later that night Stacey and I got our fondant on. A lady out there has been teaching Stacey how do make her own and we spent some time decorating cupcakes.

Asher and I left bright and early this morning. We had such a great time visiting Danny, Stacey and Jax. Thanks guys!! Thanks to the traffic we encountered around Durham it turned into an eleven hour drive. The last hour and a half it really started to get to me. I couldn't wait to be home. Now I'm just waiting for Quinn to get back from LA. He should be here within the hour. Stay tuned for pics from his trip!

ohio

2010-06-16T22:11:00.000-04:00

Asher and I arrived in Cincinnati around 4 pm on Monday. It ended up being about a nine and a half hour drive. We only stopped once for lunch. Asher was surprisingly good on the drive. He probably only slept about 90 minutes of the drive and the rest just played in his car seat. He is a great kid.

Tuesday we headed out to the zoo. If you look closely in the picture below you can see an alligator. For some reason, Asher just laughed and laughed every time he looked at the alligators.

We rode the train around the zoo. The kids loved it.

We spent time in the petting zoo. Asher was not the least bit afraid.

In fact, he even got a little too friendly with this goat and gave its fur a good yank and ended up scaring the goat.

I highly recommend the Cincinnati Zoo. It was super kid friendly and they had workers everywhere with snakes, lizards, birds, etc...for the kids to touch and interact with.

Today we spent a leisurely day at home and the pool.

Asher was exhausted after the pool. Stacey and I ran to the store and Asher passed out on Uncle Danny.

The fun continues tomorrow.

we're off

2010-06-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

First thing in the morning Quinn is heading to Los Angeles to attend his first E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). Since he was going to be gone all week anyway, Asher and I thought it would be a good time to head out on our own. So tomorrow morning we are off on a little road trip of our own to Cincinnati to visit Danny, Stacey and Jaxson (who are there for part of the summer). I think all three of us are in for an exciting week!

like father like son

2010-06-10T22:09:00.001-04:00

Asher gets his love of spaghetti from his Daddy.

Disneyland

2010-05-25T21:23:00.001-04:00

Finally I've gotten around to posting this. Bear with me, there are a lot of pictures.

It started the night before when we all met up at Steph and Jake's time share for a little pre-Disney BBQ. We also celebrated my birthday...you can never have too many celebrations right??

On Monday we woke up bright and early with much excitement. I told the kids the first one to get up would get to ride first with me. Only Jax seemed to care about this.

My mom bought all the kids matching Mickey shirts with their names on them to wear. Asher was very excited to get the show on the road. Side note: as of yesterday if you ask him where Mickey Mouse is he will point to the Mickey on his shirt.

Dumbo was our first ride. Asher didn't really enjoy us going up high very much.

He warmed up on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

He rode Peter Pan with Grandpa and Grandma

After tons of fun in Fantasyland it was time for lunch. We made a quick pit-stop at Pirates where Asher fell asleep. He must have really loved the darkness of the ride because he passed right out.

Thanks to my sister-in-law Ashley and her hook-ups we were able to get reservations for lunch at Club 33. It's a member's only restaurant in New Orleans Square. I had Filet Mignon for lunch...isn't that what most people eat for lunch at Disneyland?? It was delish. Quinn's dish came with a side of black truffled mac n cheese which Asher really enjoyed.

After lunch we headed over to California Adventure. I had never been there so I was super excited. Our favorite ride ended up being over there. Quinn and I loved Toy Story Midway Mania. Another highlight was getting to sit by Sadie on the Tower of Terror.

At some point Asher took a nap.

Let me just say, this kid was an angel pretty much the entire time. He is a great little traveler and loved all the excitement of Disneyland.

The next day I think we woke up with slightly less enthusiasm and sore legs and feet. We used our free passes thanks to the Give a Day Get a Day. The kids were able to meet many characters..I think by the time it was all over they had met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Peter Pan, Belle, Mulan, Tiana, Tinkerbelle, Silvermist, Jedis, Darth Vader, Darth Maul etc...

We had lunch at the Blue Bayou which was delish as always.

Followed up with a little Jungle Cruise where I saw my first of two vomiting incidents at Disneyland.

We spent that afternoon in Toon Town.

Cameron took a bit of a nap.

Asher had fun playing in the fountain with Grandma.

We left exhausted but having had the best time. Everyone left at varying times the next day to their respective homes. It was a whirlwind trip but so much fun!!!

trip to so cal

2010-05-20T21:18:00.000-04:00

Today we are recovering from a fantastic but exhausting trip to southern California and Disneyland. We left Friday night at 7 pm EDT. We arrived at Heather's (SIL) around 5 am EDT. Asher actually did quite well on the late flight. We slept in and spent a leisurely morning with Heather and the kids. Heather told us about this fantastic foot massage place down the street and since she volunteered to watch Asher off Quinn and I went. It was amazing! So nice and so relaxing. Afterward we met everyone for lunch.

Then we headed out to the pool.

That night Heather made me some delicious coconut cupcakes and we celebrated my birthday.

Asher was obsessed with Miley and followed her everywhere. They were so cute together.

Thanks to Heather for the pics, unfortunately I forgot my memory card in the computer at home!

We left Sunday around noon and met some of my friends from college. We had our own mini 10 year reunion. Where has the time gone?

Asher and Wendi (my roommate freshman year)

Quinn, Wendi, me, Fred and Joey

After lunch we drove up to Griffith Observatory. I have never been up there and I loved it. Beautiful views. I would love to go back and spend a lot more time there some day.

Melissa, Joey, Quinn, Me and Asher

Have I mentioned that Asher is obsessed with strollers? He loves pushing them around and could do it for hours and he throws massive fits when we take the stroller away from him.

Stay tuned for the next post all about Disneyland!

part II: an amazing week

2010-05-12T21:42:00.001-04:00

After the plantation we at a great little dive restaurant called Bowens Island Restaurant. Delish! Right on the water. Ate at a table on the dock. Watched the sunset...saw dolphins...amazing!

The restaurant

Discarded oyster shells

The next day we drove into downtown Charleston and took a carriage ride tour of the city. We saw amazing homes, beautiful gardens, churches galore and learned lots about the rich history of Charleston.

After our tour we spent the afternoon strolling King Street and mostly window shopping. After that we drove out to the beach.

Asher did not love the waves splashing on his feet. We are going to have to work on that. We had a nice dinner at home that night.

Monday morning we said goodbye and drove up to Myrtle Beach to check it out. If you are a fan of mini golf then Myrtle Beach is the place for you. I think we saw at least 15 courses just driving down the main drag.

After Myrtle Beach we headed north to Wilmington, NC and Wrightsville Beach, NC ...we made a pit stop at the USS North Carolina.

Then we headed back home. We stopped at a stawberry farm on the way home to pick up some more deliciousness.

Tuesday we headed to lunch at The Pit (famous for bbq). Once again Asher demonstrated his love for hushpuppies and for Kim.

After lunch we drove out to Duke University to tour the chapel followed by more shopping.

Kim left us today and we were sad to see her go but the excitement continues as we leave on Friday to California to visit the California DelHoyo's, friends from college and then meet up with most of my family at Disneyland!!!

an amazing week

2010-05-12T18:18:00.002-04:00

Warning: Lots and lots of pictures!

One of my besties Kim visited us the last week. We had the BEST time! I think we literally ate our way through the South. I mean we are talking fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, collard greens, Cheerwine, fried okra, black eyed peas, carolina bbq, fried fresh seafood, mac and cheese, banana pudding and the list could go on and on.

She arrived late Wednesday night. We spent Thursday shopping and catching up. Thursday night Quinn and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with a fun dinner with Kim and Asher at Lucky 32

.
Friday Kim, Asher and I went to the Farmer's Market and had a delicious lunch and shopped and admired all the amazing food at the Farmer's Market.

Did I mention Asher loves hushpuppies?

We also visited the Temple and then rewarded ourselves with a New Orleans style snoball...think shaved ice with a huge scoop of homemade ice cream in the middle.

Saturday morning we woke up early and Kim, Asher and I headed out for Charleston, SC. I have to go on record right now and say if you ever have an opportunity to visit this place you MUST go...I'm talking run don't walk. It was so beautiful and amazing.

Right when you cross the border from North to South Carolina is this placed call South of the Border. It is a sight to be seen.

Let's just say it is like being in Tijuana.

We arrived in Charleston where Kim's sister Melanie and her fiance Ben were our hosts! After resting and a quick lunch we headed to Magnolia Gardens and Plantation. This place was so gorgeous. I have about a hundred pictures but that would take way too long to upload.

We toured the main gardens, the house and the swamp gardens which were like nothing I've ever seen before.

My computer is starting to freak out so I'll have to post the rest later tonight. Stay tuned....

visitors

2010-05-02T17:34:00.001-04:00

Quinn's parents came down this weekend for a fun visit. They arrived Friday evening with Asher patiently waiting for them. We chatted and had dinner. It didn't take long for Asher to warm up. Later that evening I got to open an early birthday gift. Asher helped me of course.

I got some beautiful serving dishes.

Saturday morning we woke up and went strawberry picking at a nearby farm. I thought it would take forever but in about 15 minutes we had two big buckets full of the most delicious strawberries. I put half in the freezer and need to figure out a way to use the other half. I can't wait to go back for more later on in the season.

We stopped by an Amish furniture stand on hour way home and Grandma and Grandpa got Asher his own little chair for our front porch.

We came home so Asher could take a nap. Later that afternoon we drove around and looked at different housing developments, checked out Quinn's office and went for a walk along a lake.

Then we went and had Thai food for dinner.

Asher had his first curry and loved it!

After dinner we went out to a homemade ice cream place on this country road called Sunni Skys. Quinn and Grandpa tried their Cold Sweat. It is made from some of the hottest known peppers and extracts. Unfortunately Asher had a bit of an accident so Grandma and I were outside with him while they tried it. But they both said it was quite an experience. They also have a flavor called Exit Wound which is 3 times hotter and you have to sign a waiver to even try.

Today we had a lazy Sunday. Although Asher did get in some good walking time with Grandpa!

Thanks for coming...we miss you already!

no phone zone

2010-04-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

I know many people have mixed feelings about Oprah, but I watched her show about driving while on the phone and texting so I would be scared straight from doing it (talking that is...not texting...I would never ever do that). Anyway, what I took away from the show was that talking on your cell phone and driving is the equivalent of driving while being legally drunk and texting is like being twice the legal limit.
Anywho, in honor of her National No-Phone Zone Day (tomorrow April 30th) I'm doing my part to spread the word. Check it out here.

a new way to spend our saturdays

2010-04-24T11:52:00.001-04:00

We finally gave in and became like the rest of our neighbors and are now the proud owners of our own riding lawn mower. We broke it out this morning for a slightly overdue mow. Asher and I watched from the deck as Quinn tried it out. Here are a couple of shots of it in action.

father and son

2010-04-23T12:52:00.001-04:00

Asher's first word is "dada." It's the only real word he says right now with meaning. He is usually in his high chair eating dinner when Quinn gets home from work and he spies him immediately at the window in the door and shouts "Dada!" and is beyond thrilled when he comes home.

Last night was Boy's Night In as I was at Activity Days at the church. When I got home, I asked Quinn if they had fun. He said they chased each other all over the house and had a great time. This morning I woke up with a wicked headache and thanks to Quinn's flexible schedule he stayed until about 10 o'clock and took care of Asher why I tried to sleep it off. I'm glad he did because I was treated to what it must have been like last night. They were both on the floor, Asher running/crawling for his life while Quinn acted like some sort of wild animal. Asher screeched, laughed and squealed with pure delight. I swear he was laughing within an inch of his life...like if he laughed one bit harder his body would just give out. I love that Asher loves his Daddy so much!

what quinn is working on

2010-04-13T09:25:00.000-04:00

This aired last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Check it out.

happy wives

2010-04-06T20:41:00.000-04:00

A friend posted this link on FB today. Check it out.

mallory + mark

2010-04-03T22:55:00.000-04:00

Mark and Mallory were married a week ago today. It was such a beautiful day.

Mal-pal was a gorgeous bride. They were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

Quinn and Asher waiting for the couple to make their grand entrance.

Happy and married.

They had a gorgeous reception at Le Chateau in Provo. My mom and sisters did a fabulous job putting the whole thing together.

The candy buffet

The guest book table

The atrium featuring the many poms that we poufed the night before.

The ancestor table featuring pics of the couple, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents.

left to right: Mark's mom and grandmother's wedding dress (they wore the same one), my grandma's dress, my mom's wedding dress

The cake made by my amazing Aunt Candy, Stacey and Sydnee.

Asher and I chillin

Quinn and I having fun on the dance floor.

Jo and Asher having fun walking around the venue.

Sadie getting down on the dance floor.

All in all it was a fantastic day. Congratulations Mark and Mallory! We love you guys and are so happy for you!

allergic

2010-04-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

We have been in Utah since Thursday night for my sister Mallory's wedding...a separate post on that to follow...right before we left Asher had his one year well check where the Dr. told me he had a little ear infection. Asher was put on amoxicillin. Fast forward a week. Asher started having a fever on Monday night...two days later he got a rash...Today the rash was pretty hideous so I finally took him to Instacare. Turns out the little guy is most likely allergic to penicillin. Luckily the rash doesn't seem to be bothering him that bad. The doctor also thinks the fever is separate from the rash. Anyway, through it all Asher is still just as happy as ever (thank goodness!).

asher's first birthday

2010-03-21T18:46:00.000-04:00

We had the best weekend. Friday night after work we drove up to Virginia to celebrate Asher's first birthday. Asher had so much fun.

Here he is bright and early on his birthday morn.

We decided to get his very first haircut on his birthday. Just in time too. 4 people in the last two weeks had called him a girl.

Those are the before shots.

His first sucker helped him stay still (for the most part).

The after picture.

Daddy and the birthday boy.

His cake survived the journey up from North Carolina. Also, it was my first attempt with fondant and I think it turned out ok for a complete novice. Thanks to the cake master my Aunt Candy who consulted!

Mom and the birthday boy.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

Not quite sure what to do...

He figured it out.

He received many great presents from everyone!

Asher and Chloe had a great time playing together. Chloe showed him the ropes including the fun that is Grandma's spice cabinet.

After Asher's party we celebrated Cara and Quinn's birthday. I don't have any pictures of that because my camera died, but Cara captured it perfectly on her blog. Check it out here.

Thank you everyone for helping make Asher's first birthday so special!

go go go

2010-03-18T12:27:00.000-04:00

There are moments (like this very second) where I feel like I gave birth to the energizer bunny. Asher is non-stop. There are very few still moments with him. One comes first thing in the morning. After we get him out of the crib he will lay with us in bed and drink his bottle. I love this time. As soon as the milk is gone the moment is over. He usually will throw the bottle at his Dad's face to signify he is done and then play time begins. It rarely stops. Getting a diaper and clothes on him is a exercise in distraction. From the moment I put him on the floor to diaper him up he is off and the chase is on. I'm usually exhausted by the time he is finally dressed. And to make matters worse he seems to be resisting his morning nap with all his might. I read in my sleep book bible (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) that 17% of 12 month olds have dropped their morning nap. I fear we are going to be part of this statistic. It really wouldn't be so bad except that will mean that I no longer have his morning nap as a time to bathe and dress myself. I still haven't come up with a good solution to this problem.

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-12T20:55:00.002-05:00

My wonderful husband turned 29 years old today. One more year and I will no longer be the lone adult in their thirties in our family. Quinn needed to work late tonight so we celebrated early this morning (hence why I did not pose in any pictures).

Asher was super excited.

Asher also got in some good unwrapping practice for his big day next week!

Happy Birthday Quinn! Asher and I love you!

first "hike"

2010-03-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

We took Asher on his first "hike" on Saturday. Ok, it was really more of a nature walk in a park but he loved it nonetheless. We were going to go for a walk with him in his stroller but then we found this trail and decided to explore.

He spent most of his time on his Dad's shoulders.

In other mischevious Asher news on Sunday he was bound and determined to retrieve the measuring cups from the top level of the dishwasher, but he couldn't reach. Then he figured out that he could stand on the door of the dishwasher and everything was suddenly within reach.

He was pretty proud of himself.

all grown up

2010-03-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this post? I remember being so excited when I bought that little suit. Dana had told me that it was so hard to find good church clothes for boys so that if I ever came upon a great deal to snatch it up even if it is too big because eventually they will grow into. So I've had that suit since October 2008 when I was 5 months along and he finally wore it to church yesterday.

Isn't he so handsome? I can't believe how fast time has gone by and that he can wear it I can't believe he is turning 1 this month.

I just smiled everytime I looked at him with his little suit coat on crawling on the floor at church yesterday.

primping and mess making

2010-02-22T16:04:00.000-05:00

I've talked about Asher's obsession with my hair brush before. It has reached a new level. He now goes to find and it and brushes his own hair with it. It is adorable.

These were taken first thing this morning hence the bed head.

In other news, I'm still feeling under the weather. So this afternoon, I just let Asher loose while I tried to stay awake on the couch while watching Persuasion.

(notice the scene right before Louisa stupidly falls in Lyme)

He made a huge mess and I have no intentions of cleaning it up anytime soon.

my valentines

2010-02-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to have two Valentines this year. Aren't they handsome?

I love them both very much!

Asher has been sick since Thursday. This is the first time he has ever really been sick and it broke my heart. He is on the mend now. Last night he finally slept peacefully. The last few nights we could hear him moaning and tossing and turning all night long. Now he just has the remnants of a cough and a runny nose but is back to his jovial self.

Because he was sick, Asher and I were pretty much homebound since Friday. I had intentions of doing my shopping for Valentines Day on Friday but never got around to it. So Saturday I asked Quinn to go out and pick up a little stuffed animal so we could give it to Asher. You know those $1.99 stuffed animals you can pick up at Wal-Mart or Walgreens? Well, instead Quinn came back with a bear as big as Asher.

Asher loves it! He plays with it and wrestles with it and thinks it is the best thing ever.

private

2010-02-08T14:23:00.001-05:00

We were private for a few days. Sorry for the confusion it caused some people. A link to our blog was posted on a gaming forum discussing Quinn's former company. I went private until traffic on the thread died down. I think all is well now.

a new toy for Asher

2010-02-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

We all went to the grocery store today to stock up for the week. While I was busy getting milk, Quinn found a SunnyD display and found an empty box. He promptly put Asher in the box. He then proceeded to carry him around the entire store while still in the box. He joked to everyone who commented on it that there was a great deal on babies on aisle 7. He even put him on the conveyor belt at the checkout stand. The cashier played along and said she couldn't ring him up because he is priceless.

The box is now a new toy and Asher had tons of fun playing in it at home.

sophisticated palate

2010-02-05T18:23:00.001-05:00

Turns out Asher has a pretty sophisticated palate. I will try foods with him thinking there is no way he will like them and he does. He begs for anything I am eating. Often times I give him a taste thinking he will dislike it and this will stop him from whining, but usually he just wants more.

For instance, just now I was feeding him some dinner of sweet potatoes, green beans and crackers and I was munching on some dried cranberries. He soon became disinterested in his food and wanted mine. So I put one on his tray thinking he would promptly spit it out given its tartness. Not so. He begged for more. He ate a big handful of them before I finally put a stop to it.

Another example happened last week when I made some roasted winter vegetables consisting of brussel sprouts, parsnips and potatoes for our dinner. I didn't offer any initially to Asher because I thought he wouldn't like them. I was very wrong. He begged to have some and then promptly devoured every last brussel sprout I put on his tray (and that was a lot).

But if you think Asher is a food snob, he is not. He also knows how to keep it real. Just today he had his first meal of Easy Mac. A true rite of passage for all children.

snowed (iced) in

2010-01-31T09:45:00.000-05:00

We haven't left our house since Friday evening. We have had a pretty big storm here and they say the roads are terrible. We have enjoyed spending most of the time in our pjs and just playing with Asher. This morning (since church was cancelled) we bundled up Asher and took him outside to enjoy his first North Carolina snow storm.

notice Quinn's feet, after snow then sleet plus really cold temps the snow is frozen solid and you can pretty much walk right on top of it

incommunicado

2010-01-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

Our cell phones have suffered a set of unfortunate setbacks and alas we are without any sort of phone in our house. First, I left Quinn's phone in the Cincinnati airport a couple of weeks ago. That is what happens when you have a 5 hour layover. You lose track of things and somewhere along the lines I must have set his cell phone down somewhere and not picked it back up. Someone did find it and called my phone to tell me they had it and asked for our address, but alas we never actually got it back.

We had not been to the cell phone store yet to get a new one because, let's face it, going to that store is torturous and I think on some level we were hoping for a miracle.

Then yesterday, my cell phone finally succumbed to Asher's slobber. I know I shouldn't let him play with the phone but he just whines for it and eventually I give in. So it bit the dust yesterday. The screen went black. It resurrected for a brief moment yesterday before it died again. So now we have no phones. No way of talking to anyone. Well, except for IM, Facebook, email, and Skype of course. But that is it.

Hopefully we will go get new phones this weekend. This will also mean we will probably have to get local numbers now. I hate having to switch numbers. Such a pain.

10 months!

2010-01-20T14:31:00.001-05:00

Asher is 10 months old today!! He is getting so big. We went to the doctor last week and his stats are as follows:

Weight: 20 lbs 1 oz (45%)
Height: 28 1/2 inches (60%)

He loves food. He can eat and eat. He had spaghetti for the first time the other night and LOVED it just like his dad. He has also tried filet mignon (we ate at The Outback when we had 5 hours to kill in the Cincinnati airport) and loves that too just like his mom! He will still eat baby food but also loves table food. He loves crackers, string cheese, gold fish, graham crackers. He loves loves loves yogurt. If he just sees you get it out of the fridge he goes into total freak out mode. He has finally mastered the sippy cup, which I am very excited about and since he HATES formula our pediatrician gave us the go ahead for introducing whole milk to him in the next month.

This picture was taken while he was enjoying a delicious birthday lunch of crackers, cheese, and pears and blueberries!

He is getting his top teeth in right now and this makes him very tired. He has started taken three naps a day. Obviously I don't mind this little development at all. He is really the greatest little sleeper now (hallelujah!) He goes down around 7:30 and we don't here a peep from him until around 7 am.

He is still extremely fun-loving and happy all the time. He just loves to laugh and play.

He has the layout of the house down now and just crawls wherever he wants.

His favorite toy is his high chair. He crawls to it, pulls himself up and then basically uses it as a walker and scoots it all over the kitchen/dining area. He can do this for hours and often does while I'm busy in the kitchen making dinner.

He has a fascination with brushes. He crawls to my bathroom drawer and pulls out my brush and just loves to play with it. My powder brush is also a favorite of his. He even knows where his brush is and gets it out all the time to play with it.

His balance is getting better but he still doesn't really let go while standing but I think this will happen soon.

Yesterday we tried swings for the first time at the park and they didn't go over so well. We will have to work on that one.

He is handsome as ever and we could not love him anymore then we already do!

ringing in the new year

2010-01-07T10:37:00.001-05:00

2009 brought our family many blessings...a new baby, a new job, a new state and a new home. We were very blessed and are excited to see what 2010 will bring us. Hopefully a little less change then last year!

Asher had a great time ringing in the New Year (well, until about 8 pm anyway)

The rest of us kept partying until about 12:05

christmas morning

2010-01-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

Sorry for so many posts in a row but I'm trying to catch up.

The kids woke up around 7 am...ok, I think actually Quinn and I woke up and then we woke up the kids but either way we all got up around 7 to see what Santa had brought. He did not dissapoint.

Asher was happy with his gifts from Santa.

But also kept a look out to see if anyone else had something better.

The babes enjoyed playing together

We had a lovely breakfast of a sausage breakfast strata and monkey bread and waited for Cameron and Ashley to arrive (they flew in that morning).

Once they arrived we opened presents. We started with the kid tree first.

Marshall was surrounded with many gifts but luckily Mallory was there to help him.

Asher enjoyed opening gifts as well.

After we took care of the kids we migrated over the the adult tree.

I got Quinn a new wedding band since his old one doesn't fit, but he didn't like it so we exchanged it the next day for one he did like.

I loved my new Uggs from Quinn and they are coming in very handy right now during this extremely cold time in NC.

Asher was loving all the boxes and paper...a child's playland.

christmas eve 2009

2010-01-05T14:40:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous Christmas Eve this year. I loved being able to share it with Asher even though he secretly had no idea what was going on. It was still great to watch him enjoy all the splendor for the first time.

We went to my aunt & uncle's for an Arnett Christmas Eve. There was family, food and fun.

Asher was an impromtu angel in the nativity and tried desperately to escape.

He also didn't enjoy the visit from Santa very much as well.

Santa predicted that Mallory would get some bling for Christmas and he was right!

After the Arnett's we headed back up to my parents and were joined by the Brijs's to open up some Christmas jammies from Grandma.

Stacey helped Asher with his.

Doesn't he look cute (also a tiny bit scared...not sure why)?

All the grandkids with grandma and grandpa loving their pj's.

And Quinn looking handsome on Christmas Eve.

meeting the greats

2010-01-05T14:13:00.001-05:00

Asher had the opportunity to meet most of his great-grandparents while we were in Utah. He was a hit!

Asher with Grandpa Jerry

Asher with Grandma Phylis

Asher with Grandma Fry

Asher with Grandpa Fry

take three?

2010-01-01T17:56:00.000-05:00

We are still in Utah. We had initally planned on heading back on the 29th but then Mallory got engaged (more on that later) and I wanted to see her and do a little wedding shopping/planning and Quinn wanted to meet Mark (her fiance) so we decided to extend until the 1st since Quinn didn't have to be back to work until Monday.

So bright and early this morning we headed up to the airport. We took off. About 20+ minutes into the flight the Captain told us we lost an engine and we were heading back. We landed just fine, just with a few fire trucks to greet us. Then the ordeal of getting rebooked started. They rescheduled the flight for later that afternoon but for us that was too late, there was no way we could make a connection in Cincinnati that day. Saturday was booked too. So we are here until Sunday but without luggage--which will probably make it to Raleigh tomorrow. Thankfully we have family here. We called my Dad and he was nice enough to trek back up to the airport to pick us up.

We have had a wonderful vacation (more on that later as well) here and are glad we get to spend a couple more days here.

christmas time

2009-12-07T14:15:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to really feel like Christmas around here.

unpacked

2009-12-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

We just unpacked the absolute last box that was in our house from moving. Yes, it took us 2 months but we finally finished. We still don't have anything hanging on the walls...baby steps. I think I'll tackle that after Christmas. Our guest bed was also delivered this week so we are officially soliciting guests now. Please come visit.You have a brand new queen size bed waiting for you.

In other news, I'm getting very excited for my trip out to Utah. Only a week and a half left until Asher and I leave. I can't wait to see everyone. I haven't been to Utah in over a year. I know we are going to have such a great time!

lots of pictures from Thanksgiving weekend

2009-12-01T12:38:00.002-05:00

We went up to Quinn's parent's house in Virginia for Thanksgiving weekend. We drove up after work on Wednesday night.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and Grandpa Airplane's birthday. We had a delicious birthday breakfast and then set to work on making a Thanksgiving dinner.

I think it turned out great!

Asher napped through dinner but joined us later to celebrate Grandpa's birthday.

Friday morning Quinn wanted Asher to bathe in Grandma's deluxe bathtub. So he did. He loved it!

Then we headed into D.C. for a trip to the Newsuem. It was a very cool museum and I highly recommend it!

Here is Asher in front of some of the Berlin Wall.

There was a cool terrace with great views of the city.

They have a 9/11 exhibit that is very interesting. One part of the exhibit is all the front pages of various newspapers from the day after.

My personal favorite was from the San Franscisco Examiner.

(sorry it is out of focus)

They also had part of the radio tower from the north tower.

Saturday we took a trip to the mall and I was able to get some H&M shopping in. That night we met some old friends of Quinn Nick & Stephanie and Todd & Kelsey for dinner. We got to meet Nick & Stephanie's new daughter which is always fun. But being an idiot I forgot to bring my camera.

Sunday morning we woke up leisurely. Asher learned to play the piano from Grandma.

Then we packed up the car and headed home. It was a great weekend!

sick boys

2009-11-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

I have had two sick boys for the last few days. Asher seems to be on the mend. Quinn seems to be getting worse. The best part about it is that every time Quinn blows his nose, Asher cries. Quinn will even go to the other room, but it still freaks Asher out and he starts crying.

Quinn has also spent his time at home teaching Asher how to climb stairs. He has picked it up very quickly and is now a semi-pro at climbing the stairs. The good news is that I haven't seem him crawl to the stairs yet, so I think he only thinks they exist if his Dad puts him on them.

We leave tomorrow evening for Virginia for Asher's first Thanksgiving. I'm excited for time with family and some good food!

standing tall

2009-11-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

This is Asher's new trick.

He is so over crawling. All he wants to do is be standing every second of every day. Pretty much as soon as I put him on the floor he crawls to either me or the couch, pulls himself up and then proceeds to slobber all over me or the couch. Good times.

He also loves taking a shower.

And he loves his new high chair. Yes, we finally had to get him one since he became the Bumbo escape artist.

family history

2009-11-03T15:34:00.001-05:00

Our Sunday School lesson this week was on seeking out your ancestors and doing your part towards your family history. It got me thinking that I should start making my parents tell us stories from their past. Perhaps I may just even get a digital recorder and pester them a bit when I'm back in Utah this winter. I know my Dad will be on board since he is currently obsessed with scanning every last picture we have and creating a digital copy so that we can all have a DVD with all the family photos.

But it also got me thinking about displaying my family tree and wouldn't you know what I saw on Design*Sponge today. They had a link to a very cool site that makes modern genealogy displays, check it out HERE. I'm thinking I would love this one

or this one