TANDREXLY

presleys room.

2012-01-23T17:51:00.001-08:00

welcome to presleys room.

have you heard people say, "do it before the baby comes or else it won't get done.." well, i should have listened. i've held off on sharing because it isn't finished (art & shelf hung), but i saw a baby room recently that inspired me to share my own- so here it is. as soon as i found out {she} was officially a girl- all i could think was {pink}. but after i calmed myself down- i had a better idea of what i wanted. i had a budget- of not that much- i did her entire room for under $500. this is exactly what i imagined it to look like. i wanted something clean and airy- not frilly or over the top. we used our previous crib. the first thing i got was my bedding. i wanted something plain and simple because i wanted to add color throughout the room with chair and dresser and i didn't want it to clash. i found a pottery barn white pique set on craigslist for $35.00. her sheet is from dwell studio. i then got the rocker, it was a another purchase from cl and i loved it. i knew i couldn't do the walls pink- it would have been an overkill. so i loved the idea of painting the walls gray, at one point i think we had 9 different shades of gray. but we ended up going with the most perfect one from sherwin williams.(i'll have to go check the can for the name).

i love sitting in her room- it makes me happy. i love to look around at every piece and know that i put my special touch on it and made it what it now is.

it's hard to get a whole room view.

so this is the best i could do-

the shading was so bad- i had to lighten it.

owl pillow from my sister. {p} pillow made by me.

presley loves to play in her crib. she is having a "tea party" with her animals. haha

(she loves her american girl doll from grandma kathy.)

i found my pottery barn glider on craigslist for $200

i got the pink covers at pbk's huge floor model sale for a total of $30.00!! it was meant to be.

above the lamp are the brackets for a white shelf.

and then all the fun stuff that goes on that.

also, i need to get some knobs for my lovely $8 di find.. maybe anthro or hobby lobby. i keep forgetting.

i found the mirror @ homegoods, spray painted it glossy white- $50

i sewed her bunting with left over fabric from the room- $3

i made the cornice above her window. we had left over lumber, i bought the padding @ joanns and the fabric off etsy- $15

i have started to embroider my lamp shade..

{you're the apple (iron-on) of my eye}. my idea.

cute little bear bank from goodwill- $1

my kids love to read books.

pillow on her chair is from this etsy shop- $30

the most lovely embroidered piece i've seen. $18 at the hancock antique mall baby. i love its colors, how old and unperfect it is and most of all its message- one of the best things i could teach my daughter is to be a true friend and to love and appreciate those around her.

her chandelier was a baby gift from grandma kathy. we love it.

it adds something special to her room.

i looked all over for a old dresser. i couldn't find

anything under $100. i knew from previous luck that if i was patient- i would find something. a few weeks later we pulled up to a garage sale in the community by ours and this beauty was sitting there for $5.00. i seriously started to open the car door before tanner even had the car stopped. i almost fainted. i could instantly imagine it all fixed up. i see things- remember the playhouse?

well, after lots of work to make it beautiful... knobs, paint, repair some parts- it cost me around $60- but i think it turned out perfect. exactly what i wanted. and i will always have a fun little story to tell presley.

all my frames that still need to go up.

some gifts, most of them are thrift store finds.

and yes, i cross stitched that cute lil' elle.

love those chubby legs, and that hair.

and those kisses, and those head bumps.

oh how miss those sweet sweet newborn days.. i find myself asking a lot lately.. isn't it time to have another one yet? i love my newborn babies- there is nothing in this life that will compare to loving a sweet new baby.

Presley is 10 months:

2012-01-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

Presley is 10 months old.. and i just can't get enough of her these days. she's the sweetest thing- inside and out. she has her very own personality- and it is very strong. she knows what she likes and what she doesn't.

P's top ten:

1. she loves to eat. anything. she eats table food a lot.

i still breast feed her every 2 hrs. yes people, every 2 hours!

2. she crawls and stands at everything. loves to crawl on the floor with maddex.

3. she likes to sing in her microphone- literally. she will pick it up and make the loudest noises in it.

4. she takes 3 naps a day. and still sleeps amazing at night.

5. she has 6 teeth.

6. she gets her feelings hurt very easily. and pouts.

7. she is famous for her {faces} she gives people. she's very animated.

8. she likes to blow kisses and give them to her babies.

9. she loves her babies very much. they are her favorite toy.

10. she is a momma girl.. but nothing excites her more than when daddy walks in the door from being gone all day.

pink eye

2012-01-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

just lovely. the kids got pink eye after we got home from out trip back east.

presley was a little funny looking. i had to take a lot of pictures.

2thousand12: here we go

2012-01-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

2011 was busy and amazing... but after seeing my sister get some awesome blog books for christmas i feel like i need to be better at this. so here we go... just one of my many goals for the new year.. blog more.

we will do a recap of our year..

december:

maddex went bowling for the 1st time

we took a trip back east for 2 weeks

november:

family photos. maddex (3.5) presley (9 months)

landry and brandy got married- november 19th!

october:

maddex's 1st halloween party

presley- aerobics instructor 8 months

september:

grammy came to visit for a whole month! we miss her.

august:

we went to the heap reunion in arizona

july:

went to san diego for a week with tanners family. so fun.

june:

maddex turned 3! he had a pool party and then we went to cars 2! it came out on his birthday.

went to north carolina.. aka: OBX with my family for a week. love it there..

such an amazing trip- cant wait to go back.

may:

presley was blessed- may 1st, 2011

april:

easter!

march:

presley mabel was born- 16th @ 12:00pm 7lbs. 1oz.

february:

marley gray was born- 24th (my sisters baby- they live back east)

january:

it snows in vegas!

appendicitis...

2011-07-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

tanner's emergency surgery.

tanner took maddex to see kung fu panda. during the movie he started to have stomach pain. maddex wasn't that into the movie so they headed home. when he walked in he said he thought he might be getting sick. he went and laid down- and then i went to bed also. he woke me up around 1am and asked me to call my mom (she's a nurse). i should have known then... tanner never complains about anything so he was really sick.

me: "but she's still sleeping... i'll call her in the morning.."

i warmed him up my rice pack to put on his stomach (last thing we ever should have done.. who knew?) i got the ipad and laid in bed to see what could be making him so sick. i fell back asleep and he continued to be so sick. he then woke me back up at 5:30 in a lot of pain. another time i should have known he was extremely sick. i went to the store to get medicine and gatorade. i called my dad.. and he said go to the hospital. uh, duh? why didn't i think of that.

i went home and told tanner and he didn't fight me... hmmm. that is weird. so we went and on our way there- he was like, "this is stupid, i shouldn't be going". well, it is long so i'm gonna cut it off short... tanner had appendicitis. we went to the er around 8am and tanner went in for emergency surgery around 12pm. the dr. said he was able to get it out before it has ruptured. thank goodness. i was biting my nails... because this was all on a tuesday and we were getting ready to fly back east for summer vacation on thursday. the dr. knew of our trip and said it was up to tanner if he thought he could handle the trip. he was a good sport and sucked it up so we could all go. (thanks babe, love you). tanner was sore and in some pain at the beginning of the trip but it got better as time went on.

photo taken: June 1st, 2011

pool time.

2011-07-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Presley's 1st time to the pool. She didn't actually get in... the water was colder than I thought it was going to be. but she was all dressed and ready to swim. :)

seriously... the cutest thing ever. i just about die every time i see a baby swimsuit!

photos taken: May 28th, 2011

my lil' golfer

2011-07-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

i know these pictures stink (taken with phone) but it was maddex's 1st time mini golfing and i had to document it. i got an awesome deal with a groupon so we took him and he loved it. maddex already kinda knows what he is doing since he plays golf at grandmas house all the time. we went late at night so we got glow in the dark balls.. it was cool. he cried when we left because he wanted to stay. i hadn't been mini golfing since college so it was a lot of fun even for me.

whoa madd. watch yourself.

Photos taken: May 27th, 2011

3rd annual NICU party

2011-07-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

This was Maddex's 3rd year attending the NICU Reunion Party. We look forward to it... seeing the Dr.'s, eating lots of sweets, and jumping till we are too tired to jump anymore. Maddex loves it! He was very excited when he saw Mickey Mouse. We thought it was a lot colder outside than it really was.. that is why Presley is all bundled up like it's winter. Plus, I wanted a reason to wear this adorable jacket anyways. ha

Photos taken: May 1st, 2011

crazy kids.

2011-07-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

maddex and john paul are kind of crazy when they get together. they are best buds.

pres

2011-07-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Pres..

Photo taken: May 25th, 2011

madd cut.

2011-07-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

madd got a sweet new haircut & i'm lovin' it.

photo taken: May 25th, 2011

P & GG Anna

2011-07-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

I love this photo of Great-Grandma Anna with Presley.

photo taken: April 17th, 2011

random.

2011-07-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

presley and marley chat on a daily occasion... what would we do without ichat? how would they know each other?

maddex is such a "player" these days. i've waited for the day that he would start playing by himself. he has always wanted me to do everything with him. once the baby came- i guess he realized he could play by himself. (below) this is something maddex has come up with on his own- i love how he put the shoes under the track, for "bumps" he told me... haha. and the next picture is just how fast maddex can destroy the living room. he is obsessed with taking the cushions off the couch. then again, i would too if i were him... he usually ends up taking a handful of change to his piggy bank. :)

photos taken: May 18th, 2011

tivoli village

2011-07-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

Tivoli Village.

i took the kids one saturday morning while tanner was working. i love the farmers market with live music playing.. you feel like you are not in vegas. they have a fun park area and splash pad for kids. maddex was all about it. it was also their grand opening for the yogurt place. it's pretty much the coolest place ever.

maddex makes some crazy faces... he loves to make people laugh and is quite the entertainer. i can't look at these w/o laughing hard.

photos taken: May 22nd, 2011

P's 2 months.

2011-07-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Presley: 2 months old

i can't get enough of her. she is just adorable. she loves her momma. she sleeps through the night waking up only to eat. she wears gowns to bed and leggings when she's out. she rocks the hair clips and her bracelet everywhere we go. she doesn't like when i eat veggie burgers (the one thing that makes her sick). she has my eyes. her hair is growing, and not falling out yet.

photos taken: May 12th, 2011

what day is today... today is mother's day...

2011-07-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

i loove mother's day. i love my mom and kathy. i love my grammy hendershot and grandma crouse, and tanners grandma's.. anna and ammie. i love being a mom. love the home-made cards. love a clean house when i wake up. love breakfast!

we went with brad and kathy to the aria for crepes. they were so yummy- we devoured them before i could even take a photo! i'm not convinced they are the "best" though- because kathy makes some pretty dang good crepes! our favorite (kathy and i's) is the strawberry, banana, and nutella... mmmm.

happy mom's day.

photos taken: May 9th, 2011

reading...

2011-07-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

maddex loves to read books. he likes to read them before he goes to bed... it helps him chill out. once night when i saw them all three of them in the bed reading- it was just too cute. maddex really loved having presley by him, and you could tell presley was totally digging the book. ;) haha

going green? not so much...

2011-07-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Presley's 1st day in cloth diapers... what? i know what you are thinking? that i've completely lost it.. or maybe you're wondering is she a tree hugger? are they poor? that is just gross. ewww... who would want to do that? lol. it's ok if you are thinking any of those things... because i have once thought all the same things before. 1st off- yes, it is gross, I am not a fan of washing them out... but there is no way around that. It does save $$ and P. has liked them (i use the hemp organic liners- p's never had a rash) What made me decided to go cloth? Well, I decided to check into it and liked what I was reading so I got all the stuff to start. I thought you never know until you try. I have to admit though- I haven't used them as much as I said I was going to. I only use them when I am home- when I am on the go I use regular diapers. It is hard to tell how much longer I will use them- because it seems like I am always on the go. I have loved gDiapers... I think they are great. I mean come on- who else has on a hot pink diaper at the park?

i love the photo on the bottom right - maddex running a truck

into presleys head. typical

Presley's Baby Blessing...

2011-07-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

Presley was blessed on May 2nd, 2011. Her blessing day was just beautiful. Tanner gave her the most lovely blessing. It is so special. Every time I read over it, it gives me chills and makes me happy. I wanted to share it but he would rather me not. (cory actually recorded it on his phone- so i typed it up to hang in her room) As a mom, there isn't anything much better than watching your handsome husband dressed in suit and tie give your beautiful child a blessing. The spirit is strong. We are so blessed to have Presley in our family. She is very much loved.

We went all out before, but this time around we wanted to keep it simple. After the blessing we had a lunch with the Grandparents and siblings. It was a great day.

P's in the tub...

2011-07-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Presley's 1st big girl bath.

I was nervous about this because I knew Maddex would want to get in and he is such a slammer... especially when it comes to playing in water. He did really well with her though- he didn't splash her and he helped me pour the water over her. He was anxious for her to get out so he could get more water in the tub. She loves the water, and could stay in there way longer than I let her. She kicks and splashes her arms and feet all around. I love it when her hair gets wet... it turns into a curly fro. no joke.

photos taken: may 1st, 2011

Monster Jam World Finals 2011

2011-07-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

If you know Maddex at all, you know he loves.. with all his heart... MONSTER TRUCKS. This was probably better than any birthday party, christmas morning, or disneyland vacation possible. I wasn't able to go with him this year because Presley was just a week old. Tanner, Grandma, Grandpa and Crew all went with him instead. Tanner took him hours before the event just so he could see the monster truck parade, and walk around all the trucks. I'm sure he was in "hog heaven". I called about every hour to make sure he was still doing ok. They got a home a little after 11 pm (we thought he would fall asleep on the way home) and he was soo excited to tell me all about. He started playing with his monster trucks and we couldn't get him to bed. Tanner bought him a "yearbook" of all the trucks and he still to this day looks at it.

photos taken: March 26, 2011

his eyes.

2011-07-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

maddex has the prettiest green eyes. i looooove them.

EASTER

2011-07-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

EASTER 2011.

Presley's 1st Easter.

We woke up and searched for our baskets. Maddex's was in the bathtub upstairs and Presley's was in her crib. Maddex was so excited when he found his basket- he instantly ripped out the monster trucks while screaming. After eating a lot of candy we all got ready for church. I put on Maddex's shirt at the very last second before we walked out the door and specifically told him not to eat ANY chocolate after I put on his church shirt... to make a long story short.. we were late to church because I was scrubbing the chocolate out of his shirt (the shirt i blew $$ on at gap- just because it was the perfect must have shirt for easter). It was Presley's 1st Sunday, not to forget EASTER and I wanted to be ON TIME... for once just once, but no- that did not happen. Oh well, I'm over it- can't you tell? haha

getting the kids together for a picture is kind of impossible at this age...

please tell me it gets better.

Thanks Aunt Sona for P's dress-

She was so "proper" haha

easter festivities:

2011-07-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

easter is always lots of fun around here. this year we took maddex to bass pro shops to see the easter bunny. (on the way home he said the easter bunny was scary. haha) they also had an egg hunt there that was perfect for him... he loved that. we did an egg hunt on evening for maddex and john paul and also one at aunt zans house.

photos taken: april 18th, 2011

the kids.

2011-07-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

the kids are getting so big. presley is almost 4 weeks and maddex is a little over 2.5 years old. maddex is loving presley and likes to "play" with her.

my mother in law makes p. these adorable headbands..

iphone fun.

2011-07-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

iphone fun. i got a new app on tanners phone and the kids and i were having some fun.

taken: april 3rd, 2011

2 weeks old.

2011-03-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

my little p.

she's growing everyday- already 2 weeks old.

she's the best little baby. i am blessed to have her.

she melts my heart. i can't live a day without her.

today.

tanner's office sent us an adorable gift basket yesterday-

with a bib that says her name. i love it.

they also had us a really nice shower. thanks everyone!

hanging in her crib.

love these booties.

big muscles.

her first dr. appt

went great- she gained 5 oz. in 1 week.

her weight at one week old was 7.6

looking all stylish for her dr. :)

presley loves to be bundled tight.

she is such a great sleeper.. she wakes up every 3 hours to eat, i changer her diaper and she goes right back to sleep.

i love her so much.

beauty.

2011-03-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

i'm so in love with her.

6 days old

first bath...

2011-03-24T09:07:00.001-07:00

presley loves to be bundled, snuggled, and wrapped up tight. she isn't a fan of being 'exposed' so when it came to giving her a bath- i thought it was going to be a disaster, but it wasn't at all- i don't even think she cried. she is the best baby.

don't you just love those wet curls.

-she loves to have her hands up around her face like that-

lol. ah, her sweet little 'boy cut'

She's arrived...

2011-03-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce our new bundle of joy...

{Presley Mabel Peterson}

Born on March 16th, 2011 @ 12 p.m.

She weighted in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 19 inches long.

The day started off with a 2 a.m. induction. I went in at 2 cm and 80% effaced. They started my pitocin and it wasn't long until I was at 3 cm. Once at 3 cm- they let me get my epidural and then it was a piece of cake from then on, seriously. I was eating popsicles, playing on my ipad, and taking naps. After hours of being at a 3, the nurse checked me and I was at 6. A half hour later I told my mom, I feel a lot of pressure- like... the baby is going to come out. She went and got a nurse, she checked- and I was at a 9. Whoa, Tanner had just went to the cafeteria and my doctor wasn't there yet! Mom called tanner (he thought she might be joking because the same thing happened to my sister several weeks before) and said to come asap! The nurse called my doctor- he rushed over.. and 3 pushes later- she was here! I am not bragging- but I kind of am... I could go through labor anyday. :) Enough of that gross stuff- on to the baby. We are so in love with her, and can't imagine our life without her. I still can't believe she is here. I am constantly looking at her and am amazed at how beautiful she is. She has the most gorgeous head of brown hair, the sweetest little lips, and the longest toes. When I was a little girl- I played with baby dolls all the time and it has been a dream of mine to have my own real doll baby... to dress up in dresses and put bows in her hair. Well, she's here and perfect. She's a tiny dream baby. (she is quite different from Maddex when he was a baby- he had several little things going on that required a lot of work and time- we like to just say he was a tad high maintenance. ha) I am so in love with all of her hair. I wanted a baby with hair so bad. As I was about to have her I asked the nurse if she had hair, and she said as sure as could be, "nope, she doesn't".. but when she came out- she had a whole head of it. :) From the second I saw her, she looked like Maddex to me.. they share the same eyes and lips. Speaking of, Maddex loves her.. He loves to hold her, and kiss her. He is truly a sweetheart with her, and likes to help out by getting her binky and blanket.

Life right now seems to be perfect. I still can't believe I have two children- I layed in bed the other night with Maddex to my right and Presley to my left... and just thought to myself- This is what life is all about, I am the luckiest girl in the world.

We truly couldn't ask for anything more at this point.

Here is a look at her "birth day":

fixing my hair at 6 cm. ha

{my lips turned red after eating a popsicle and i had no idea.

i later said to tanner, oh my gosh- what if you would have gotten me a purple one- it would have ruined all my photos. he said he thought about that when picking it out- and that is why he chose red. yah, yah.}

presley's middle name is after my grandma mabel.

she stayed in the room for presleys birth- and i later found out it was her 1st time ever being in a room for a birth.

she's so special to me.

he's already wrapped.

tanner is so in love with presley- i love his face in this photo

lol. i know i know people. it's not her size- it's for an older baby- but i was really excited to see her in a bow. :)

i love this photo, and didn't know it was taken until i was going through all of them... two of tanner's favorite things...

march madness- and presley.

tanner already had tickets and a flight- just incase she came sooner- but instead of going we watched games a lot while in the hospital.

grandma kathy kept maddex while we were in the hospital. it was my first time ever leaving him- but i did great. ha. i wasn't too worried about him (other than night).

thanks kathy.

all bundled up and going home.

shower me...

2011-03-11T16:48:00.001-08:00

my baby shower... it's a girl.

my awesome sister-in-law Michelle, and my amazing mother-in-law Kathy put together the cutest baby shower. michelle was so thoughtful when doing the decorations. she did everything just to my liking :) and kathy went beyond with the food.. making sure i was stocked with my favorite Sammy's shrimp salad, tomato w/ mozzarella cheese slices, and nothing bundt cake. we have such a great group of friends and family... we are so lucky. having a girl is very exciting. i've loved every little bit of preparing for her... and appreciate everyone helping us get ready for her by spoiling her with lots of pink and frills. i can't wait for her to arrive- to try all her new dresses on her, have baby lotions smelling up the house, and wrap her up in all her cuddly blankets.

thank you everyone that came or sent something. we love you.

michelle and i

sarah and i... both having girls

all my pregnant people...

sarah (may-girl), annalise (june-boy), nicole (june-girl), me (march-girl), and sarah (june-girl)

sporting the bump :)

lots of bows. thanks ellise

maybe the best gift ever...

cleaning gift certificates :)

she's the best. i love her.

9 months... (6 days from delivering)

kathy and i.

thanks for everything kathy.

i'm craving...

2011-03-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

my only craving: sonic ice.

in the past 2 months...

we've went through 4 bags.

the dentist says it is bad for my teeth.. oh well.

i believe it is though- my left bottom teeth ache.

i still can't stop. it's worth it.

after looking at this picture, i'm totally going to have

to get myself a cup of it.

welcome baby marley.

2011-03-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

the last thing i wanted was to miss was shauna having her baby.

bright and early in the morning my time.

i called about every 20-30 min. saying, "what's happening... "

mom would say, "um... well, not to much"...

i was dying not being there- i felt like i was missing out big time. so we got on ichat..

{as i tear up..} this picture to most people means nothing... it looks blurry and dirty... but to me- it's the greatest picture. to be 3000 miles from my family.. and be able to see my sister while she is in labor is the coolest thing ever.

not to long after this... i got a call from my mom saying, "she's here!!" and a baby screaming in the background. what a memory.

i went from feeling really far away- to feeling like i didn't miss a thing. a day i will never forget... that is for sure.

my pregnancy...

2011-03-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

well, i think it's safe to say... i'm a little behind. but instead of trying to catch up with everything i missed- i'm just going to start off with where i'm at... and that is 9 months pregnant. this pregnancy has been a blast, i've really enjoyed it, and feel great... JUST KIDDING! i have to admit- i'm not a belly lover, and i feel like the last thing my body does is glow. it takes everything i have to get through 9 months of feeling so sick, big, uncomfortable, and swollen- but i did it. i can't believe we are about to welcome our new bundle next week... we are so excited and can't wait to see her.

{here are a few pictures of me throughout my pregnancy... we started taking side shots at 20 weeks- because that is when the bump started to become visable, at least to us..}

20 weeks

21 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

27 weeks

32 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

37 weeks

pumpkin patch.

2010-11-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

pumpkin patch. october 2010

we had taken maddex to the pumpkin patch many times. we decided the third time to invite john pauls family. the boys (including tanner) had a ton of fun.. they are just so cute together.

carving pumpkins

2010-11-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

i'm severely behind...

carving pumpkins at justin and michelles. october 2010

justin and michelle bought the biggest pumpkins ever grown...

therefore they had to break out the saw.

fibbers.

2010-10-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

i was out front talking with john paul's mom when the boys asked if they could go inside and play. i said yes... and they ran in the house. about five minutes later i walked in to find a quiet house and realized they were in the backyard. i noticed right when i saw maddex from the playroom he had something all over his face... i instantly knew what had happened, and for some reason.. all i could do was laugh.

me: maddex! what's all over your face?

madd: nufin...(while shake his head back and forth)

jp: we didn't eat anything.

me: did you get in my cupcakes??

madd: nope.

me: you didn't... hmm. sure looks like it. jp, what's on your face?

it went on and on... i ran in and grabbed the camera-

when tanner got home... i told him the boys were in big trouble- to go look at them in the playhouse- he was all worried, like what did they do now. as soon as tanner saw them we all started laughing again. the funniest thing is that they wouldn't admit to doing it- and yet it was all over their faces.

the halloween plates i made for the neighbors.

i mean, how could you get mad at these two.. ha

seriously...

2010-10-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

i think i've died and gone to heaven...

i must have these:

clothes...

2010-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

it's been hard not to buy everything the last couple of months... but i did go here a couple of weeks ago and they had the best deals on their summer stuff... so i had to get this stuff:

these in turquoise..

this i just had to have... the buttons sold it for me.

this is several solids...

things i love:

i'm kind of loving these stripes right now.

It's a...

2010-10-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

The day was finally here... to find out the gender of baby #2. I could hardly sleep the night before- every other dream was boy and then girl. I woke up singing... "what day is today... today is gender day ". I was so happy and nervous. We had a late appt. so the day was long. On the drive there we talked about having a boy... and then how fun it would be to have a girl.

I could barely sit still in the chair while waiting. It was bad... I was so nervous for some reason- I leaned over to tanner and said, "I feel like I'm about to sing in front of 1000 people." If you know me, you know sometimes I tend to get really excited about things. She started the ultrasound, and we couldn't tell the foot from the head... then all of a sudden she stopped and took a picture of what was on the screen. I immediately thought she saw something and I blurted out... "It's a boy..." and she said, "Nope, It's a girl!" She explained how we could tell and then from then on she kept saying... "her foot, or that is her arm... " It was music to my ears, I cried right then. I couldn't hold back my excitement. I tried not to expect one specific thing, unlike the first time around. Tanner was very excited also... he has said many times he'd love to have a little girl around the house... so it was good news for both of us. Maddex has said from the very day we told him we were pregnant, "I'm a have a baby sister." If anyone would even ask him about being a big brother- he would for sure tell them, it was a baby girl and he was gonna have a sister. Everyone thinks I've brainwashed him but I really didn't- I strongly believe he knew something we didn't.

After the ultrasound- it was back to the waiting room... to wait for my appt. with the Dr. I was told I had some time to wait so I hurried outside to call my family. Shauna, Mom, Grandma, Dad, and Mustin were the first to know... (we wanted to tell Brad and Kathy in person so they had to wait until around 6:30 to find out... not nice huh?). When I got out of my appt. after 6 we went straight to their house. Actually we had to make a quick stop so I could buy a pink dress that I fell in love with earlier in the week. :)

We dressed up a baby that Maddex had in pink clothing, wrapped it in a blanket and placed it in the middle of the room. When they opened it- I don't know if anyone was expecting a girl- but they sure were surprised. It was so fun- we just kind of sat around talking about it. Kathy never had any daughters- and then I had Maddex- so we've never got to shop for a little girl together... watch out stores!

We then told everyone else... mostly by text b/c we wanted to celebrate with each other. We went out to eat and then got yogurt.

THANKS everyone for the Congrats.. We love you all so much!

i had to add this picture- just so you could see M's funny face...

is it really his intention to ruin almost every picture we take?

firstlook 2010

2010-10-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

unlv firstlook 2010.

go rebs. we were there to witness the first practice of the season and man was it exciting... well actually i didn't really watch the game.. i was more focused on maddex, taking pictures, and holding baby drew and by the time i was done- it was already over. some in-n-out before is tradition- the hales joined us. on our way to the practice we both (two separate cars) got tickets... for not making a complete stop on red before turning right. really- is there nothing else they have to do in this crappy city. anyways.

maddex looked stinkin' cuter than ever... in his grass stained grey skinnies and vans. and to point out the obvious... yes, his shirt is too small- we have yet to get one for this season.

maddex is obsessed with 'hey reb' and follows him with his eyes all over the court.

it was a really fun night w/ fun friends.

baby drew and i. (ellise's baby)

24.

2010-10-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to me. thanks to everyone that sent cards, packages, texts or called... i appreciated it all. we celebrated for several days- that's how i like to do it. we went to dinner with brad and kathy & justin and michelle the evening before my birthday... all i wanted was to go somewhere that i could get a good blta. ha. (blt with avocado and mayo) hmmm. that sounds good right now. since i couldn't fly home my parents sent me a package instead. thanks guys. tanner surprised me with a day/night in st. george. it was exactly what i needed. for years i've wanted to go to st. george and go shopping at a bunch of home consignment/decorating stores. i loved all the shops we went to and found some great finds... so it was a great trip.

that night... tanner took me out to eat at a brazilian grill in st. george- which was very fitting since that is my favorite type of restaurant. i'm a meat lover. we then went and walked around the temple while eating a caramel apple from rocky mountain chocolates. also my fav. yum.

i was sad not to go home and visit my family- like in the past for my birthdays... but we made the most of staying here. it ended up being a great day... it was my best birthday yet. thanks boys.

ate lunch here: and got a great blt.

one of my new favorite temples.

touchdown ravens.

2010-10-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

football season has started in our house. grandma kathy bought maddex this adorable ravens jersey. we aren't big into wearing jerseys other than to a game- so it only comes out for game day.

go ravens.

not a milk man.

2010-10-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

one day uncle crew left some milk here. maddex started to drink it... i grabbed the camera and had to take a picture of what was happening. you may be wondering what the big deal was- well, maddex has never drank 'milk' (other than mine)... he gags when it hits his lips. i've never pushed it though. i can't say i really mind- he eats soo much food, and i make sure he gets dairy in other ways. i thought he was going to really like chocolate milk but after a few sips on this- he hasn't wanted one since.

oh well, i have to admit- i don't like the idea of giving a kid 10 sippies of milk a day anyways... i think it is ridiculous. so it works out.

happy birthday kathy... late.

2010-10-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

my mother-in-law, kathy's surprise birthday party. it was hard to tell if it would work considering about 25 women were coming... but everyone kept quiet and it was quite the surprise! i was extremely worried i was going to be sick the whole night but i turned out i felt really good. we started off the night at brio grill (with some of the best filet yet) and then boarded a party bus after... it was so fun! we partied here and there on the strip and then headed to the classic lv sign. the night ended at midnight, slightly past my bed-time... i was exhausted. my mother-in-law is a very thoughtful person, and will go out of her way to show her friends and family that she loves them- so it was nice to be part of this for her.

this was one of my favorite parts. brad made a video for kathy of pictures and videos- and he put on a video of the boys when they were little singing happy birthday to her. cory is soo funny in the video- everyone was laughing soo hard- like tears hard..

so many weirdos on the strip- including us.

what a fun night... let's do it again.

on the search...

2010-10-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

so. we are looking for a new couch.. simple as that. not really... finding something that i like is near impossible. i don't like furniture stores, matching sets, or micro-fiber. i also don't like leather unless it has a really worn/anthropologie look to it. i have a budget- so i have to get a good deal. i like craigslist- but not for a couch- unless i am re-upholstering. i just don't want anything that has ever been in a home with smoke, pets- shed or no shed, or the fact that you never know what has really happened on that couch and then i lay my head on it- kind of scares me.

most days i want a sectional- and then some days i want a really eclectic look, with several different matching colored couches. i think in the end- unless we find something else we like- we have pretty much decided we are "sectional people".

so in the midst of my dilemma... i was blog stalking when i came across this sectional! i am in love people!... this is the couch that i want.. (i think- gosh i'm so indecisive.) i would take those chairs too... that yellow is my favorite color right now.

anyways- i'm getting off track... i emailed this lady that i dont even know from orange county (i can't even remember how i got to her blog) and asked her where in the world she got this lovely grey velvet couch- but she has never gotten back with me. i'm going crazy- i have been on every website i can think of that might have this couch, and can't find it.

i need your help- does anyone know where she got this couch?

woody.. and buzz.

2010-09-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

hi. my name is woody but you can call me call me maddex. i like to wear my hat around and pretend i am a real cowboy. right now, my favorite thing to do is: play with my toys in the dishwasher. my mom says it is called a "sink" but i like to call it a dishwasher. grandma debbie gave me this really cool stool im standing on- i like to hide my toys inside of it.

this is my look when i though i was in trouble... (up)

this is my "cheese" when i saw the camera and knew it was all good... (down)

we couldn't find woody for a couple days after this. my mom said she thinks he became real and ran away after the torture in the "dishwasher"

i like to sing really loud in my woody hat. :)

thanks mom & dad.

2010-09-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

my mom and dad are always encouraging (nagging) me to keep a food storage. so about a year ago i went to walmart and picked up a flimsy 4 tear plastic shelf. it was sad... it held near nothing. so- when my dad came into town, and i heard he was building justin some storage shelves, i told him about my storage isssues. he took a look at my coat closet and wrote down some measurements... but we never decided on anything. the next morning mom and dad showed up bright and early with new storage shelves.. already built. my dad is the best.. he went to lowes as soon as they opened- got all the supplies, built it at justins house- loaded it up in the car and hauled it over. i was so excited!

my dad cares so much about us kids- and he is always so good at showing us.

the next day my mom and dad were leaving- when they came over to say goodbye... i noticed them unloaded a car full of grocery bags- they had a TON of food/house supplies (all my favorites) for me to fill up my new shelves!

it's those kinds of things that mean the most.

thanks mom and dad. i think you guys are the greatest- near or far.

our playhouse:

2010-09-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

the story of our playhouse. i've had lots of requests to post the playhouse already. i have to admit i've been putting it off b/c i knew it was going to be a long post. it is simple though...

BEFORE:

i saw this beauty on craigslist for $75. i saw the potential instantly- tanner was a little skeptical but trusted me- so we got it!

(i wasn't even looking for a playhouse but when i saw it- i fell in love- i called at 8 am right after she posted it)

AFTER:

And with a little work... made it look like this.

(actually i lied- it was a lot of work..)

THE PROCESS:

- pick up. this was a huge part of the process- and i regret not taking the camera. while tanner was at work... i talked my awesome big brother :) into going with me to get it/ take it apart. what we thought was going to be a piece of cake- wasn't but we had a fun time together- and i will never forget it.

-scrapping wallpaper, sanding. not knowing where to start- we went with the inside and worked our way out.

as you can see maddex looks younger- we bought this back in march.

-priming, painting. we went with Glidden 'barely jade' on the exterior, and Glidden 'white on white' for the trim and inside.

-assembly. it was very exciting. i wouldn't really say i didn't do anything- i was more like the foreman. :)

-finally... it's done for now. and i'm totally in love with it. it is the cottage i've dreamed of having... only in a smaller/kid way. :) it is 8ft x 4ft and 6.5ft at the highest pt. maddex loves to play in it when friends come over. i would never say it is officially done... we still want to add a cottage style half swing open door, and maybe some blinds.

this playhouse is special to us... it will forever go with us wherever we are.

trouble.

2010-09-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

maddex and john paul are best buds. john paul is our next door neighbor and loves to come over and play. they do everything together... they are either in the front yard playing sports, playroom playing cars, riding their jd tractors together, or cooking up something in the playhouse. we took j.p. to get ice-cream with us last night and maddex couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. this is officially his First Best Friend.

i knew they went in the playroom, but couldn't see them- when i went in to check.. i found them playing action figures under the high chair.

john pauls mom mentioned he wanted to be buzz lightyear for halloween.. i found this costume.. just his size in mint condition at a ys for $5. he wouldn't take it off all night.. he was soo happy- he kept saying thank you.

playing cars.

we love board games... maddex already does too.

summer randoms...

2010-09-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

a lot has happened this summer... i have tried to update as we go but here are just some random pics from the summer:

m's big brother photoshoot:

maddex is very excited about becoming a big brother. he will be a great one too.

starting to potty train:

we aren't going full speed yet- i think he needs time to get "familiar" with the potty.. plus- he's hit or miss anyways. sometimes he says he needs to go and sometimes he doesn't bother telling me until after the fact. he has started taking his diaper off a lot lately. i think i'll give it a few more months... and then we will try it.

unlce justin's birthday:

justin was starting to get a sunburn from all "26" candles-

so he blew them out... before we sang to him.

we were all like... really? did you just do that? even maddex was like, what?

being pregnant:

i am 11 weeks this week... woo-hoo.

maddex always... "i'm funny mom... right?"

happy birthday bro.

2010-08-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (tomorrow) to my... too cool for his haircut BROTHER!

{ i almost died when i saw this picture... for many different reason. most of all- justin's hair... second- my teeth.. and lastly- i could just imagine the attitude shauna was having. i was showing the picture to tanner and he said, "who's that..." pointing to shauna. he was serious. lol

really though, i'm going to ask what everyone wants to know... mom- who cut justins hair? }

please feel free to click on it and make it bigger- it makes it all the better.

Heap Camping Trip 2010

2010-08-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

We recently went camping in Arizona for the Heap Family Reunion (kathy's mothers family). It was Maddex and I's first time- and practically Tanners since he hadn't been in so long. Maddex was very excited to stay in our tent- he thought it was really cool. We had a such a fun time with everyone- it is the side of Tanners family that we don't get to see to often- but when we do we love it. Friday was such a pretty day- and then it pretty much rained most of the time after that- but we didn't mind. We were lucky enough for it to stop so we could enjoy some awesome bonfires. The food was amazing- {i am still thinking about those burro things}. We also went fishing- Tanner was excited even though there were no fish- he was just dying to use his new pole. Gosh- I love him... I've always loved him just how he was- but I love that he is so open to my style of living- and it isn't because I've pushed him to be- it is because he loves it... He has become such an outdoorsy (not a word- i know) guy.

We are here (camping) because of these two wonderful people that we love very much...

Thanks Ammie & Papa for all you did to make it such a fun experience.

maddex is all geared up for what is below...

i videotaped him so i wasn't able to snap any pictures of him

Jayda...

Maddex.. he loved this swing made by Papa.

Playing in our tent while it poured rain...

our fishing outing... {so sexy}

maddex wishing he had brinley's boots

he got one... jk

fishing with dada

we stopped by *ROUTE 66* {ya know, mater and lighting mcqueen} on the way home

what a fun trip... until we go back.

San Diego 2010

2010-07-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

our vacation to san diego was amazing as usual. we love the beach. we would jump at the chance to live at the beach. maddex is like no kid you've ever seen a the beach. he just lays in the sand and plays with cars, he runs out into the ocean and says he wants to go out far- he loves it. he makes it such a fun trip. we had such a great time relaxing... at least i did. tanner worked a lot in the mornings- but still got to enjoy a good bit. tanners favorite part was probably grilling almost every night- they have the best seaside market with great fresh meat. we don't get to spend much time with tanners "married" cousins- but every year at the beach we go out for dinner and catch up- i love that.

ah, i could go on-- but then it drags- so here it is:

Our Beautiful Peterson Family (missing Landry)

The Root Beer Tasting Contest

looking for sand crabs.

Grandma Anna & Grandpa Grant with their Great Grandkids

(Maddex, Briggs, Peter, and Alina... Drew was missing)

Maddex loves Alina...

He always says he wants a baby sister... :)

in my dreams.. literally.

2010-07-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

someday... when i am putting up houses all over the map, i will for sure have one on balboa island. :) it won't be a mansion, those aren't my style- instead- it will be a 2 bedroom light blue cottage bungalow with lots and lots of character. ah, i can see it now. when i saw this months issue i fell in love with the featured home- it is everything i'd imagined already.

until then... i'll be dreamin'...

p.s. i got the issue after i had been there-

if i were there- i would have totally stalked this house.

i checked the average selling cost of BI real estate: 3.85 million...

Balboa Bay Resort

2010-07-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

tanner had a client give him a one nights stay at the balboa bay resort. it was gorgeous- the nicest place we have ever stayed by ourselves (& maddex). our stay included a sweet paid for breakfast- not a continental like we are used to. tanner got hooked up with a $100 breakfast credit- so there was no skimpin'... i ordered the filet :) it was pretty spiffy... (word).

i could get used to that living... :)

(we didn't get many pictures... )

4th parade.

2010-07-21T09:37:00.001-07:00

i almost forgot the parade we went to saturday morning. maddex loved it, bella didn't. his favorite part- the motorcycles! i really love this holiday- it brings a lot of fun! the rest of the day we went swimming at grandmas and then our bbq with the neighbors.

mom- seriously- stop taking pictures!

4th of July

2010-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

we love this day- many reasons why. celebrate our country, and maddies birthday. this is also the day maddex came home from the hospital- which we all will never forget. we walked to the park by our house (along with 1,000 other people) and watched the fireworks. it is a fun tradition now. justin had to work- but michelle and bella made the trip.

i thought my "peace" was very appropriate for this picture.

i made dog food before we went... tanners favorite.

july 4th bbq...

2010-07-21T08:31:00.001-07:00

for the 3rd of july... we had a bbq with our neighbors in our cul de sac. we have some neighbors that are straight from louisiana and man does that guy know how to smoke a chicken. it was some great fun- with lots of yummy desserts (michelle made an amazing snicker salad)... and a ton of fireworks (provided by our other neighbor). we have became such good friends with all of our neighbors... we kind of feel like a big family- and that's a nice feeling.

my first flag cake- it was pretty much delicious.

michelle and i also made the cupcakes above.

yes- he has one in each hand.

we got out the jumper for the boys-

they were loving it until the sprinklers came on.

yummy.

2010-07-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

go buy this candle. it is the best smelling candle, if you like honeydew. i rarely find a candle that gives off a really good smell- but this one does. i bought it at marshalls for like 5 bucks. go- fast- and buy it!

a little something..

2010-07-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

HAPPY late BIRTHDAY post HUN! tanners birthday was the day after i flew in from back east so while i was there- i picked him up a "little" something. i didn't want to give it away so soon- i sent him on a scavenger hunt- he got several small things before he opened the "big" gift. he was quite thrilled... i love seeing him happy like this.

this baby ruger has some kick.- don't let the size fool ya.

love you honey- hope you had a great b-day.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY MADDEX...

2010-07-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

oh no, maddex is two! it has already hit- about 2 weeks before he turned two i began to realize why they are called "the terrible two's". just recently we started calling him "madditude"- it fits. all jokes aside though:

maddex is really a sweetheart. he loves to give his mommy kisses but not many others. he is shy- and doesn't like to be laughed at- even if it is in a good way. his favorite tv show is funniest home videos. he has never watched a movie before- he is way to active. he loves water and has started to swim on his own. he loves suprises. he also loves powdered donuts. he gives the browl scowl way too much. he still wakes up in the night screaming. he can drive a john deere like no other 2 year old. maddex is the smartest little boy- he knows exactly what he wants- and won't stop screaming until he gets it. :)

he had a great birthday party... thanks to everyone that helped, came or called. we love you all.

made by me...

making the cake

maddex and ty played so well- it was fun for him to have someone

to play with all morning on his b-day.

brody and maddie sent maddex a package- he got a john deere hat!

thanks guys!

going to the party:

bella (mustins dog) and maddex- practically best friends.

sorry girls... he is soo taken.

i picked her out for him... her name is kota.

that look is probably like... "um, what it he cake supposed to be again?"

ok so it was a digger- i know, sad looking digger! it looked so cute when i made it- but by the time we got to the party it was bad looking... im not sure 106 degrees was the best for it.

(if you want to see the cute version- go to jessica krause on my side blog- her's is amazing)

maddex's was in a real mood by the time we got to the cake...

everyone wanted to get pictures with him- but he so was not having that.

lol. maddex and my mom.

maddex got a john deere tractor from grandma kathy and grandpa brad.

he loves it- thanks so much guys! i'll post video/pics of him riding soon.

maddex loves his scooter and rides it around our island all day long.

thanks mom and dad for not only the scooter but flying all this way for m's birthday-

it meant a lot to have you here!

thanks also to all my family who came in from utah and pa...

we had such a great time with everyone. thanks for all your help also. you guys rock.

maddex turns two!

2010-07-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

his big day starts from the minute he wakes up...

m's birthday breakfast...

tomboy...

2010-07-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

it's a toss up- but i think from my trip- this is my most favorite picture... not because i look stunning or anything- but because it is truly me. i didn't wear this shirt on purpose- but i think it makes the picture that much better. there is something you must know... i have a hard time changing other kids, i cringe at snotty noses, and i gag at the sight of throw up- but ask me to hook you a worm... and i can do that. i love all things girly, but when i get back east- i become a total tomboy.

maddex has it down.

beautiful sight...

2010-07-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

about 10 miles from my house there is a lookout that you can go to where from one spot- you can see three different states (pa, md, and wv) i had never been there before- im so glad uncle joe talked us into driving there. it was the most beautiful sight- i can't wait to take tanner there next time...

country living...

2010-07-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

maddex and i flew home for a couple of weeks at the end of may. i didn't want to pay for maddex starting the end of june- and i wanted to be home for memorial day- so it worked out. the only thing was- tanner couldn't come... but he was great- and sacrificed to stay.

on the way to the airport- i was all giddy with excitement and nerves (ihateflying). we were almost there when out of nowhere- maddex starts throwing up... he vomited 3 times everywhere on the plane... and then every night for about 7 days of our trip. other than that- we had a great time. we spent lots of time with family- my cousin came down with her two little girls for a visit. maddex was sick most of the time- but he was still great for me. he's my best buddy.

when i look at the outside of these homes- i see the inside.

i can visualize exactly what i'd do to them.

(i sat on that porch swing 3/4 of my trip..)

maddex was terrified- but i threw him on it and about 15 seconds later-

he was in heaven. he still talks about pappy mowing the grass.

we call him... "dramaddex"... and "madditude" for a reason.

he's on the verge...

is he not the most beautiful thing ever?

eatin' off the cherry tree...

brinlee and maddex

yah- you read that right- there

is a diner by my house called- "road kill cafe"

my cousin kenton has a peacock... im not a huge bird fan..

if you can't tell by my face.

you have to know me to love this picture... :)

miss you gram.

i'm depo...

2010-06-29T15:31:00.001-07:00

i'm so sad today... i've been teary all day. i feel like i've lost my best friend... well- i sort of did. we have had the joy of having my grandma spend the last three weeks with us, and today she flew back home. it all started when i flew back east at the end of may- i talked my grandma into flying back with us until after maddex's birthday. my grandma is so special to me, so to have her here- i just loved every minute of it. a couple nights before she left- tanner said to me, "your grandma could live with us and i wouldn't mind at all.." me either. maddex and grandma had a weird relationship... some days he loved her and wanted to play all day with her and other days... well he still loved her but he didn't want to play with her ;) his new famous saying is... "stop that grandma.." he would wake up in the morning and want to go wake her up.obviously he doesn't understand but when we said she was going to get on the big airplane and go to her house he said, "no.. grandma stay home."

we miss you grandma... come back and see us soon.

we love you grandma...

Trip to HB...

2010-05-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

(taken with iphone)

we enjoyed a nice relaxing weekend in huntington beach, ca. justin and michelle went with us and we had so much fun. thanks to jana and leroy for letting us stay at the most amazing beach house ever. we layed out, ate out (sanchos i miss you), had a bonfire on the beach, took a long bike ride on the coast, went to church, biked for donuts in the a.m, and even did some shopping (michelle and i convinced the boys to drop us off at ikea for a "pit-stop" on the way home- we only had a bit but could have stayed for hours..and hours.). biking in hb is one of my favorite things ever- we loved it so much that when we got home we got some biking stuff and have been riding. i get sad when i leave, actually more like depressed for a few day- i am such a beach life type of person.

as we were packing to leave maddex strolled his suitcase outside and stood at the curb- it totally reminded me of the day i got upset with my family- packed my bag and went to the bottom of the driveway- (mom said good luck- considering about 2 cars a day drove past our house) ha.
i whooped justin in tennis.. :)
maddex loves riding bikes... he is obsessed. he would ride from morning to night if he could. the other day he chose riding bikes over ice-cream... that is when you know he is in love.

*tanner picked him up a bike the other day and he has been riding it non-stop (more like sitting on it and trying to move)... he loves it. he tries so hard to turn the pedals- he is starting to get it. it is in the -pimp my bike- shop right now- :) but when its done we'll post pics*

i only took a few pics... but michelle took a million so look her her blog.

a fun visit...

2010-04-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

we had a nice little visit from my cousin danielle and her family. i hadn't seen her in a while so it was so nice.. but not near long enough. maddex had so much fun playing with bryce (3) and dallin (1). their stay wasn't too long so we tried to fit all we could in. when they got here friday evening- i watched the boys while danielle and steven went out. maddex loved having bath buddies- although after a couple of minutes of all the splashing- he wasn't sure it was such a great idea.

michelle and justin invited us all over for breakfast. the boys had fun playing in the backyard, and going on 4-wheeler rides with uncle justin.

we were in the backyard playing when i heard the ice-cream truck coming down the street. we ran as fast as we could and caught him just in time. maddex and bryce were so excited... bryce picked sponge-bob, and maddex got a puppy dog. all of "big kids" splurged too... we dropped 11.00 bucks (in change).

bryce was such a sweetheart- he just couldn't decide.

us girls- doing what girls do...

watching the kids, reading magazines, and catching up.

we had bryce a "mini" cake for his upcoming 3rd birthday

happy birthday bud.

more...

2010-04-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

i found a few pictures from easter at justin and michelle's house... i didn't get many because the camera failed on me- but here's a few.

i don't know what is going on in this picture... but i love m's face.

easter.

2010-04-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

happy easter. lol.

the easter bunny was good to us this year... we are still eating easter candy. and proud to say- we are not still cleaning up that annoying easter grass. maddex got to sit with the easter bunny- and it didn't phase him one bit. prior to the big day- he loved to play with the easter eggs throughout the house. we did our egg dying the day of... i know, i was tired by that time.. but i just couldn't stand the thought of not dying eggs on easter. my mom was always so good at all that when i was a kid- she made the holiday traditions so important to us. maddex was way into finding his basket... he looked all over in the backyard before he found it in the "spare tire" we have laying around. ha. it was also a special day because we got to listen to our great prophet speak to us... and then we went to dinner at justin and michelles.

*thanks to everyone that sent a basket... not only did maddex get to open our easter basket but he also got one from our neighbor, grandma kathy, grandma debbie and aunt michelle (my camera died before i got any pictures of m. with aunt michelle).

we had a great easter. hope you did too.

m. looking for his basket

he started running before i could get in front of him

he grabbed this out and wanted us to open it right away

i would post a picture of me finding mine- but lets just say- it wasn't a good angle. ;)

maddex opening grandma kathys basket:

he was so excited.. don't you love his face. he kept kissing the chick on the front of the box.

opening grandma debbies basket:

this was the first easter basket maddex got so he didn't quite understand why he was allowed to eat so much candy at once, but he wasnt stopping. he was shoveling the jelly beans in so fast. he couldn't even talk or hardly chew he had so many in his mouth.

grandma and pappy dave were there to see it all.

our 1st MONSTER JAM:

2010-04-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

brad and kathy got us tickets for MONSTER JAM WORLD FINALS!! maddex has had a serious obsession with monster trucks since he was about 15 months old. so grandma knew he would LOVE this... how cool. maddex was in heaven. he loves "big trucks"- he was constantly entertained. our seats were awesome... thanks to tanners uncle leroy who had a great hook-up. we went with a group about 30. we all tailgated before in the parking lot- and it was so much fun. we had a great time at our first MONSTER JAM... whoo... every time i say it i just want to scream it.. and be kind of (trashy). we were livin' it up- that is our kind of fun.

p.s. the camera crew came over and taped us for a while.. we were so excited. we came home and tivo'd it for the day it was supposed to be on. we were watching it the other night- well we werent really watching it- it was on while we were doing things around the house... i looked up and there i was on the tv... i just started screaming... lol.

this picture cracks me up. maddex sure does love his grandpa brad...

oh and that hat brad- takes you to a whole new level... ;)

for like weeks after... maddex would out of nowhere say- big truck, wheel, crash. in that order- and then go back to playing. i think almost every truck lost a wheel at some point in the night.

i can't wait until next years MONSTER JAM WORLD FINALS!!

{maddex}

2010-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

maddex is pure genius. he talks all day long... and everyone says he speaks well for his age. his new favorite thing is to say his name... which i think is a pretty hard name to say- for a 1 year old. :) but he does it very well.

ca livin'...

2010-03-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

while tanner was off in oklahoma at march madness..(which i'll be posting pictures soon).. maddex and i enjoyed a nice little trip to huntington beach, ca with kathy and crew. i didn't get any pictures- i'm not a big fan of getting the camera around sand, but i did capture a few videos.

while there we spent time with clark, kendall and the fam.(their family was on spring break)jana, leroy and fam.(they have the most amazing beach house there) and they took us to spend a day at 'emerald bay'.. a place most of us only dream of. we had a great trip- with lots of fun memories. thanks.

love green.

2010-03-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

HAPPY St. Patricks DAY!

we went to a parade on saturday and it was lots of fun.

i loved the bag pipes of all.

super scary

maddex waved to everybody... i love the lady on the bike

kid again.

2010-03-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

maddex and i have so much fun together. i love how he brings out the "kid" in me. we are constantly laughing in our home because of him. have i mentioned lately that i love him.

happy.

2010-03-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

i love these.

they are bowls.

i love that they make a flower.

i am ready for spring.

i have lovely tulips on my counter.

it is 70 today, &

i am wearing flip-flops.

i'm happy to be here.

welcome spring time... almost.

just nappy..

2010-03-01T12:02:00.001-08:00

what? seriously... is this really what it has come down to? i can't help but be disappointed with this seasons bachelor... so i know he hasn't picked vienna "sausage".. yet- but the fact that she is even in the running- ugh. i remember the very first night- when i saw her walking on the street with her dog- i laughed and said, "she's gone". i thought it was very obvious to everyone. wrong. ugh, vienna you are so gross to me... i can't even believe i am putting a picture of you on my blog. although i love how it makes you look prego... and shows off your nappy hair, and don't make me bring up your eyes.. weird.

im usually not one to talk about tv shows... i simply dont care enough. but come on- if she wins, i'm done! w/ "the bachelor".

i'm still strong for ali.. and tenley

(breathe) ok. im done.

cheese...

2010-02-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

i was taking pictures of maddex today, and he went over and got his play camera. the pictures were just too cute to not show...

don't you just love his new "bowl-cut" ha

taking a picture of himself... smart.

almost...

2010-02-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

finally. our playroom is almost done, it was dying to be organized. we still have a few more things to do- so i can't show an "after" just yet, but i can tease you with a few pictures of what is in the room. :)

20 months...

2010-02-22T14:07:00.001-08:00

In a few days maddex will be 20 months. he is my little buddy. we do everything together. he makes me happy and i never want to leave him.. so i don't. he has quite the vocabulary- and often says a new word/phrase out of nowhere. last night it was, "i can't see". maddex loves nursery but refuses to go by himself- and that is ok for now. i can't be upset- i never leave him and he isn't used to it. he is quite the character- and loves to make daddy and i laugh. don't count on seeing it though- maddex is a hard nut to crack... once you are in his space for a while- he will start to let loose. he loves his aunt michelle "shell" and grandpa brad... those are the two people he "talks about" right now. i was on the phone today and i said justins name... maddex must have heard me in the playroom and he yelled, "shell!!" his favorite songs are, "popcorn popping" and "wheels on the bus". he loves to be read to. he loves to take baths in momma's tub... it is just a big pool to him. he gets about 10 trucks, candle sticks, decor rocks, shampoo bottles, cups, and everything else he can reach in their with him... and he's in hog heaven. he doesn't like to say sorry... or share... we are working on it. he has such an amazing throwing arm for his age. maddex is still such a good listener, and is so obedient. he gets so out of control excited, but is so mellow at the same time. my favorite thing that maddex does right now... is folds his arms when we pray. when he hears the word prayer, he folds his arms so fast. the last couple days he started closing his eyes.. which is priceless. he squints so hard it, he has one eye open and one shut half the time. it doesn't matter if the prayer is 3 min. or 3 seconds- he is always so reverent and won't unfold his arms until he hears AMEN... and then he claps. the missionaries were over the other night- and he sat there with his arms folded during the whole lesson... it is so funny to see it- even during the lesson they cracked up every time they looked at him. maddex is a momma's boy- he will fall down, not even hit his arm... cry like he's dying... come to me, hold up his arm.. i kiss it.. and instantly he's fine. i love it. i love this age... and i love him.

i love him.

maddex got so serious when he saw a loud truck go by...

a parent's dream...

2010-02-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

childs' play. we found this place by our house- and we love it. as soon as we walked in and saw the basketball court- we knew it was going to be a hit! our first visit lasted 3 hours. it is a great place for maddex to start learning how to play with other kids and it has a really nice "parents area" - with couches, a food bar, wi/fi, plasmas, and mac computers. i mean come-on.. this is a parents dream. :) i mean, why didn't i think of this. it is great for a place like lv, where it gets too hot to play outside. it is super safe and keeps kids busy forever. they have a ton of classes to offer... oh and did i mention... an adorable kids hair salon, toy boutique and photo studio? if you haven't been there- you really need to check it out. we bought maddex a membership and have been there everyday since. he really loves it.

maddex loves this bear... it is bigger than life.

this is pretty awesome... i don't know how it's done but it is a "movement wall"

maddex always goes down slides on his stomach, we have to flip him over and force him down on his butt.i know, cruel.