Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Happy New Year!

So I have a bunch of random pictures that I wanted to put on here of the kids.  I guess I should do a little update on everyone too.

Nate- He finally passed his BOC (Board of Certification) Exam!  He found out the day after his birthday.  I guess 4th time was a charm.  Now he is an official certified Athletic Trainer.  For those of you who don't know what that is let me explain.  You know how when you watch a sporting event and a player gets hurt a guy runs out on the field to look at them.....that is the athletic trainer.  He hasn't found a job yet but it is the middle of the school year.  A lot of jobs should be opening up come springtime.  For now he is still working graveyards at the group home for troubled teenage boys. 

Nancy- I started working part-time at Kohls and am really enjoying it.  Getting a break from the kids and having some adult conversation every once and a while is nice.  I like the people I work with too which is a bonus.  Due to my job, I have to work some Sundays so I just recently got released from working in the nursery at church.  I had been there almost 2 years so I was ok with being released.  I am still really into reading and am always looking for another book to read.  I am trying to stay sane with having 2 toddlers but most days it's not too bad.

Rob (3)- He started preschool this year and is loving it.  He qualified for the preschool through early intervention, where he was getting his speech therapy from.  Well, he is doing so well in class that this week they are going to move him into the public preschool and see how he does.  He will go for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon instead of 1 1/2 in the morning.  He is still really into trains and cars.  He has gotten into Mickey Mouse also but only on DVD since we don't have cable.  His favorite movie at the moment in Polar Express.  We watch it all the time.  He likes to walk around yelling "tickets, tickets" and "all aboard".  He also finds "tickets" around the house.  He also loves legos.  Not the big duplo ones but the regular little ones.  His speech has gotten a lot better especially since we got rid of the binky during the day.  We haven't started potty training yet.  He won't even sit on the potty with his clothes on.  The doctor said it was ok to wait so I am not too worried about it.  He loves to play with his sister and calls her Boo.  He started going to Sunbeams this year at church and he is still not quite too sure about it.  He misses nursery and always asks to go there instead but he stays in his class.  He likes to strip down to his diaper every day.  He usually waits until the evening to do it.  I have no idea why he likes to do this, but he thinks it's funny.  I am constantly amazing at the things he does and says.

Bella (2)- She is our little fireball.  She definitely acts her age and gender.  She can be big drama at times, but she also can be the cutest little thing ever.  She has started to talk a lot more.  After not wanting her binky unless she was tired, now she wants it all the time.  She calls it "mine."  If she is walking around screaming/ saying "mine" then we know she wants her binky.  She wanted to be like her brother, so now they both sleep in the queen size bed in their room.  Rob sleeps at the top of the bed and Bella at the foot.  They don't really move around all that much so they don't bug each other.  We took down Bella's crib but left up Rob's toddler bed just in case.  She is always wanting to be like her big brother.  They play so well together and have so much fun.  She is kind of lost when he goes to school and now that she is without him in nursery.  Her hair is still really curly and has the red tint to it.  She LOVES her baby dolls.  She has about 9 of them now and knows every one of them.  She likes to have them naked but also likes to have us dress them up for her.  She loves to hold them right up to her face and she "talks" to them.  It is so cute.  Everywhere we go, a baby (or 2) has to go with us.  She, like her brother, likes to get naked too, although she likes to take it a step further and take her diaper off too.  She does some pretty funny and cute things. 

I think that is pretty much all of the updates for us.  I'm sure there is probably something I forgot but oh well.  We are looking forward to having my parents come for a visit at the beginning of Feb.  We are also way excited to go back to Chicago for Peter's wedding and a family reunion.  We didn't get cards sent out this year due to the fact that I worked sooooo much so this is kind of our card.  We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is having a great new year.

Rob as a pirate

Cute pirate Bella

Such a cute pirate

Arrrrrr

1st Day of Preschool

Cheese
Bella doing the dishes

Rob wanted a picture with mommy

Wearing daddy's shoes

My naked children

She was running from me

They wanted to play with their camping chairs
Rob lined up his cars one night from the kitchen all the way into G&G's room.  This is the start.
Going from kitchen to family room
Keep going
Behind the loveseat
Down the hall
Almost there
The end of the line of cars
The beginning of the line of pillows
Bella likes to be in the pantry

She helps herself to cereal all the time

Bella got this skirt from her Uncle Peter and Aunt Grace for Christmas and Rob wanted to wear it.

She wanted me to take a picture of her

Playing with her skirt

Rob tickling Bella

She thought it was fun

They love to play with and wear grandma's shoes
Rob got mad when I left one day

He fell asleep right there

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Family Pictures

A good friend that Nate went to high school went is getting into photography so she said she would take some family pictures for us.  Of course the day we planned on ended up being really nasty weather so we didn't get all the pictures done that we wanted to.  Here are some of the ones we did get done though.  Enjoy!

Best family picture

I thought this one was cute

Cute family

He has the cutest smile

She loves her daddy

Cheeseball

Love the black & white on this one

Bring The Noise!!!

Because of my wonderful brother who gave us tickets, Nate, Rob, and I were able to go to a Jazz game in December.  A few weeks before the game I happened to meet Deron Williams (D-Will) pastor while at work.  He came in a few times and we got to talking.  I mentioned how D-Will is Nate's favorite player.  One thing led to another and he invited us to the shoot-around before the game.  This ended up being part of Nate's Christmas gift from me.  He got to sit on the Jazz bench and watch some players warm up.  He also got to meet them and get autographs including D-Will, Raja Bell, Coach Sloan, former Jazz player Jeff Hornacek, Al Jefferson, Jeremy Evans, Mehmet Okur, Gordon Hayward, and Ron Boone the Jazz announcer.  Nate just loved it.  It was so cool.  They even gave us a new basketball with the new colors.  Rob was really good during it too and just stayed with me on the 3rd row.  Then of course we went to our seats and watched the game.  They won, YAY!  Rob thought it was all so exciting.  He really got into the game and was yelling "Go Jazz Go" and "Defense" like all the people around us.  It's funny because every time a commercial comes on the TV for the Jazz he tells us he needs to go there again.  Luckily, because of that wonderful brother of mine again, we are going to take him to one in Feb.  We feel very blessed and lucky that we had the opportunity to be at the shoot around and meet some players.   Needless to say, we Love the Jazz.
Us at another Jazz game

Coach Sloan

Meeting D-Will

Signing Nate's Hat

Signing Rob's T-Shirt (The other guy in the picture is his pastor that made this happen)

Al Jefferson

Signing Rob's T-Shirt

Rob thought it was cool

Gordon Hayward

Jeff Hornacek

Us on the court

Christmas!

Since no one was going to be in Chicago for Christmas, we stayed in Utah.  Rob was soooooo excited for Christmas.  He would ask us everyday if it was Christmas yet.  He loved opening presents and was excited for Santa to come.  He even opened Bella's presents because she didn't care about opening them.  She just wanted to play with her new toys.  We went over to Nate's sister, Shannon's, house for dinner and just hung out.  We also made gingerbread houses and a train.  Rob loved it.  It was a nice low key relaxing Christmas.  I didn't really feel all that much like Christmas because there was no snow and it was kind of warm.  I really missed my family and the big celebration we have but look forward to it this coming year.  Rob loved his presents, as did Bella.  He got a train table from us (thanks to KSL classifieds) and a train set from Santa.  Bella got baby stuff for her babies and games.  They both got a kitchen from my parents which they LOVE.  Right after they opened it Rob said "I need to cook mommy.  Open it so I can cook."  It was cute.  It was fun to finally have one kid old enough to be really into Christmas.  Next year should be even more fun with Bella being older and being around all the cousins.  Oh, I also started working at Kohls at the end of October and worked A TON over the holidays.  I worked full time hours and was gone a lot, but it was nice to get out of the house.  Now I am back to working only a couple days a week which is a lot nicer.  I worked there in High School so I kind of knew what it was like.  I enjoy working there and like the people I work with.  I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Gifts from Santa

Bella got a baby in her stocking and she LOVES it

Trains
Baby diapers

Hamm from Toy Story

Dolly from Toy Story

Toy Story bowling set

Thomas Matching game

He is just so cute

Doll clothes

Rob's new (used) train table

Their new kitchen (don't you love the look on his face?)
Nate playing with our niece's new nerf guns
 
Bella wanted in on the action


They had so much fun

Rob playing with Emma's Buzz
Starting the train

Helping decorate

Bella wanted to help too

Rob with his finished gingerbread train

Rob with his favorite Uncle Andy.
Rob with the kitchen

Bella with the kitchen

Rob with his new train table and new (on the left) and old train sets
For her birthday Bella got a Dolly and Me dress set.  She loves it.