Utah Visit '09

Since my days of having just two kids are about expired, I decided to pack up the kids and head to see my family in Utah. The kids were SO excited to go see all their cousins and grandparents - and even more so because they got to ride on the airplane to get there.

One of Morgan's favorite things to do was read books with her Grandpa. They spend some time everyday doing this together.

We tried out a new place called Kangaroo Zoo. If you live in Utah and have smaller kids, you need to check this place out. I'm thinking it's in the Woods Cross Area off of Redwood Road... Anyway - the kids had a blast and spend an entire afternoon bouncing and sliding all over the place.

They had tons of cousin time...

And I got a lot of sibling time. It was so fun to see my sisters and brothers. Here are my siblings (less one brother)... Next to me is my twin Brooke, and across from us is Mindy in the back, Mike in the middle, and Brenda in front. We had to go get some greasy food at Training Table... Ultimate dipping sauce with cheese fries - YUM!

We also made the rounds and saw some of my friends while we were there. Here are my kids playing with the little ones of my two childhood friends, Sunny and Kelli. All four of the moms there are expecting another baby. It was so fun to see the girls I grew up with being such great moms.

I also got to see some of my Ohio friends who have moved back to Utah. Here are Nina and Jessica.... I constantly wish they still lived in Ohio, but at least they live somewhere I visit. It was fun to see them. We made the kids take our picture...It turned out centered :)

These kids were all newborn babies together and now they are so big!

One thing I wish we had in Ohio is an Artic Circle... My kids love their tiny little kiddie cones. We got a couple of those while we were there.

Utah winters are the best. We had lots of snow while we were there, but it was sunny and warm at the same time. Most days we didn't even wear coats. Morgan's favorite part of the trip was when Grandpa took her sledding.

Both my kids were a little scared of the sled at first and decided to try the first run on their bottoms...

They soon learned the sled is much faster and a ton more fun!

Since my family never sees the kids on their birthdays, my mom threw them both a birthday party. We celebrated 4 birthdays at Chuck e Cheeses. There were 25 of us running around pumping coins into the machines - there were tickets everywhere. The kids LOVED it.

They got some fun new toys.

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a fun un-birthday party!

Morgan had a special bond with her cousin Katie while we were there. They were inseparable and said they wished they were sisters. Katie even spent her own babysitting money to buy Morgan a new doll. Morgan opened it and said, "I want to name her Katie!". It was really sweet.

One last lunch with the cousins before getting on the airplane to come home.

If it wasn't for missing daddy so much, it would have been a perfect vacation!

The flame for an old love rekindled

I have a corner in my house that I've really never known what to do with. In 2007 I found this chair to go there...

The kids loved the chair... Maybe too much. Miles peed in the chair one time and I wasn't ever able to wash it all out to my satisfaction. Needless to say the chair ended up in the basement and hasn't been seen for some time. This made Mike happy because he hates papasans and think they look cheap. I on the other hand love to cuddle up in it with a book, so I never really cared that it looked cheap. It's comfy and that's all I care about.
Well, last week I was walking through Pier1 and saw this papasan cushion. I had to have it.

That cushion was all we needed to bring our old friend back to life. And I'm SO glad we did. Yesterday we got to watch our friends new baby. This is Sam Nadauld - the best baby ever - and as you can see pretty dang cute too! He's just a couple weeks old and the kids love to hold him. Since my kids are too young to hold a baby alone, you have to sit next to them and make sure they don't drop him.... That is until I put them in the papasan...

Morgan sat in this chair for over an hour with the little guy. The shape of the chair is perfect for toddlers holding babies.

Even Miles got to hold the baby all by himself. I didn't think it was possible, but this chair has made me even more excited for our baby to come. I can't wait for my kids to cuddle up with their new baby brother. In all, Sam spent 2 entire hours in the chair being held by one of my kids. I never would have thought they could sit and hold a baby that long.

Mike and I watched them from the kitchen while we worked on projects. It was awesome!

We finally changed out the tiny, ugly chandelier above our kitchen table with this new one. My man is really stepping up in the handy man dept!

A man of his word...

I am a little weird... Those close to me know this already, but in case you didn't know, now you do.
For example, when we discussed having a third baby one of the reasons I didn't want to just yet was because our shower was disgusting... Not just a little dirty - totally disgusting. How could we even think to bring a new baby into our home with mold lurking in the shower. It wasn't in the kids bathroom, but still... It was mold that wouldn't go away - not even when I cleaned it with the cleaner that recommends wearing gloves and a face mask. I told Mike if we were to have another baby, the shower would have to go. He agreed. And lucky for me he's a man of his word.

Here is the before and after shots...

All it took was some elbow grease and a friend with all the knowledge and tools needed to get the job done.

There were a couple snags along the way... Who really notices the ceiling anyway??

Mike pretending to know what he's doing...

Chase actually knowing what he's doing...
Mike even used the word "amazing" a few times when he would talk about Chase after he left. Not in front of him of course - guys don't do that...

I really appreciate all you guys did. I have the best husband in the world! Now all we need is a little paint and a baby may enter our premises. I'm mold free and feeling good!

An eye for an eye.... Actually an "I" for a "Y"

For 3 years now I've had a question pestering me at the back of my mind... Did I spell my son's name the way I wanted? When he was born, we couldn't decide between Myles or Miles. When the time came to fill out his paperwork, we just picked Myles. We really liked it... at the time... I still don't mind the spelling of Myles... Mike and I have however decided that our little guy should really be a Miles. It suits him better. Don't ask me why, it just does.


So today I spent some time at the Franklin County Probate Court and changed my sons name officially from Myles to Miles. Well, the paperwork is filed and the fees are paid, I just need to appear before a judge to wrap things up... Yes, it was a little bit of a hassle for one letter, but at least that stupid, nagging, pestering question will be gone. And since my 3 year old doesn't know how to spell his name yet, he probably won't mind.
So don't get confused when I start referring to my child as Miles. It is now who he is.

So now I present to you my son...... MILES.... It just fits.