The Alleman Adventures

January So Far

2012-01-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

We kinda skipped Christmas on the blog. We'll see if we can do a retro-post later, once we retrieve the photos from the portable hard drive. So, moving on to January, here is a recap of the first few weeks of 2012.

We spent New Year's with Tyler and Kacey and their beautiful little Leah. It was loads of fun, and I think Leah got a taste of having a big sister who can't keep her hands off her (Beth). She handled the attention like a pro, though, as did Kacey and Tyler.

Here are the cousins, Leah and Robert. All together now, everybody say, Awwww!

Eric's front teeth have been loose for two weeks. One was dangling by a thread, but a strong thread. It got very crooked and skewed. Take a gander:

Yay! It finally popped out.

Naturally Eric placed the tooth under his pillow . . . and that darned tooth fairy didn't show! For school the next day, Eric wrote her a stern reprimand and placed it under his pillow. The next morning, he woke to a dollar and a sucker and a heartfelt note from the tooth fairy apologizing for the delay.

Sam, Mary, and Maggie visited as well. Robert loved talking to Uncle Sam. I had some cute pics of Maggie and Robert together, but they were only in their diapers, so we thought the Internet might not be the best place to post them.

White Christmas, bah! This winter's been dry as a bone until recently. We got our first snowfall a few weeks back. Ryan took the kids out and they pirated most of the snow in the front yard (and the surrounding yards) to build a snowman.

Here is Beth enjoying Papa's chair and reading to herself.

On some of the nicer days we were able to go to the park. Robert is a great sport about being all strapped in.

"Help me! Help meeee!"

Beth is also developing her own fashion sense. She never wears pants when a dress is available. And the more colors, the better. Outfits like these are the norm. I think it was Coren who said she wished kids could wear a sign with this disclaimer:

"I dressed myself. Mom had nothing to do with it."

It's been a crazy, busy few weeks. But rest assured, we're handling it with quiet dignity.

Ever wonder how you keep Eric busy for an hour? Here's what you do . . .

Just a note.

2011-12-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

This will be really quick, but when Ryan gets home I'll try to tell more about our last few weeks. Till then, here is a quick clip.

Love and Logic for Chickens

2011-11-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Eric said something hilarious this morning. But first, some nuance:

*The kids’ favorite movie the last few weeks has been Chicken Run, where a group of chickens escape from a chicken farm by building a plane—a “crate” as they call it.

*Also bear in mind—Ryan is a hopeless tease.

This morning over breakfast, Ryan was teasing Beth, calling her “Muffin” and “Baby Maybe.” So Eric goes into protective older brother mode and tells Ryan he needs to stop or Eric’s going to get his crate and fly so close he’ll bonk Ryan’s head with the wing. Of course this only goads Ryan on—“What if I called her my sweet potato? How about Beth-bug?”

Then Eric levels the ultimatum: “You choose—the wing or the wheels.”

He explains that Ryan could either get clocked by the crate’s wing or ground under its landing gear. It was so funny to hear him using Love and Logic right back at us. (“Would you like to leave the park now or in five minutes?”) Ryan chuckles and says he’d prefer neither. “I’ll take a pillow. A soft, fluffy pillow. Like a marshmallow.”

Eric wasn’t having any of it. “Okay," he says, "you get the propeller.”

Ryan just stares at him incredulously and then bursts out laughing. “You’re one morbid kid!”

Once Upon A Halloween

2011-11-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Halloween came and went especially quick here. With the baby and all, it felt like it kind of sprung on us. In fact, we hadn't even gotten to downloading the pictures off the camera until we talked to Grandma Alleman tonight and she asked to see the kids' costume. This one's for you, Mom.

Here is Robert at one month.

Here are the kids ready to go trunk-or-treating the Saturday before Halloween. Eric would not be dissuaded from wearing Thomas again, but not having to whip together another costume for him sure made things easier on me. And Beth is not just any pirate. She's a pirate princess!

Behold!

Yo-ho! Hands off me treasure!

This was taken just before we headed out Monday night. Ryan is so in his element here.

Eric in his element.

If you can believe this, the picture was taken before he had any candy.

I was not motivated to dress Robert up, so we made do with a super cute teddy-bear hat a good friend made for him. Is this picture disturbing to anyone else?
Ryan here.

Halloween did kind of sneak up on us. I usually try to write a little something, but with the baby and all, I just never got around to it. So come Halloween Day, I went on a writing website I frequent with some friends and proposed doing a Halloween Bulwer-Lytton.

If you've been hanging around this blog long, you know the Bulwer-Lytton is the Dark And Stormy Night contest, where the goal is "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels."

Here are a few of my favorites. Feel free to add more in the comments if you feel so inclined.

1). Of all the lycanthropic breeds, I had to be bitten by a were-Chihuahua.

2). After years of therapy, both emotional and physical, the troll felt ready to confront the Billy Goats Gruff about that fateful day.

3). "I know you're undead and all," Sophie cooed to Tyrone, tracing his bicep, "but I always go for the bad boys," to which he responded--somewhat awkwardly, due to half his jaw dangling by a few strings of cartilage--"Grawww?" which, roughly translated, means: "How fortunate it is that I dowsed myself in body glitter."

4). The witch drew one wart-rimmed, ragged, grimy fingernail across Barbara's creamy skin, and then said, "Let me tell you about the MaryKay products available for your skin type, darlin'."

5). Now the Hunchback of Notre Dame, he had class--alas, the Hunchback of Hot Topic never got invited to the same parties, and vowed revenge.

6). Russell never realized the problems dentures posed until he became a zombie; off he shuffled into the night in search of a good denture cream, and then braaaaains . . .

7). Gretchen puzzled at the bad rap step-mothers got as she paid the hitman.

8). In frustration, dread Cthullu destroyed another city, desperately searching for his missing teddy bear.

9). Gregory watched in horror as the small lump traveled up his torso and into his left arm, only for a gray head to pop out and announce, "I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque!"

10). Dracula, waiting atop the chilly and foreboding Empire State Building, began to despair that his date for dinner, Teri Fayed (on whom he intended to dine), would not be meeting him--not knowing that she'd been struck down by a taxi cab in her rush to meet him, and that now she languished in a hospital two miles away, losing all that precious blood he so yearned for.

Hope you all had a spooky Halloween! On to the holidays!

Our Tricker-Treat Baby is Here!

2011-10-27T14:16:00.001-07:00

Ryan here--and so is Baby Robert Stuart!

Just prior to his arrival, I snapped a rare photo of Cassie in her last stages of pregnancy. Also pictured is Beth, posing oh-so-preciously with a baby doll stuffed up her shirt.

Good morning, angels!

Here's the proud papa with a five-minute-old Baby Robbie.

We were very blessed to have Cassie's folks, as well as Mary and Sam, here to help us witht the delivery and as we transitioned from two kids to two kids and a barbarian. To you gladiator-souls who sacrificed so much to be here for us--we salute you!

Here's Grandma Clines (Lela) with the barbarian.

And as for Beth: Beth kisses the baby. Beth sings to the baby. She hugs, pats, pokes, and generally smothers him. We've started calling her the mini-mommy.

And Eric's an old hand at this by now. He's so gentle with the baby and reads to him on occasion. Although he asked me once: "What happens if he doesn't like trains?"

Here's a nice side profile of Robert at a few days old.

Mary made the blessing outfit, and it turned out great. The tie is made from the same material from the quilt Grandma Alleman made for him.

Tell me he doesn't look dapper!

Here's a shot with Cassie before the blessing.

And one with yours truly.

And here is our up-to-date family photo, taken by Mary post-blessing.

While Cassie and I ran back and forth to the hospital, Grandpa Clines (Papa) heroically kept the kids occupied by carving pumpkins with them.

Here they are by the light of day . . .

But by night . . .

Here they are pictured with our two little goblins.

It's been a roller coaster ride of emotions and changes for us, but we are so grateful for the ride! Happy Halloween, everyone!

I know . . .

2011-10-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

. . . it's been a while since our last update. But we've been a little preoccupied. With THIS!

Ta da!

Behold Robert Stuart, our latest addition. He's a robust, healthy little boy, avid eater, late-night opera star, erstwhile foe to diaper-changes everywhere, and the tiny center of our existence for the past few weeks.

All together now: Awwww!

Not to worry. More pictures soon to follow. But first, a message from our sponsor . . .

The Many Faces of Beth

2011-09-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

What do you do with a daughter who loves to have her picture taken? Who loves to make people laugh by being outrageous? You dedicate a post to her! We love you Beth!

Today we took the kids to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned. Before we left, we asked Beth if she was ready for the dentist to count her teeth. Beth's response: "Only if he's not STINKY or anything!"

Eric went to a superhero-themed birthday party and they handed out the neatest hand-made superhero capes for all the kids. Beth was as thrilled about it as Eric. Luckily he's a good sport and lets her have turns with it whenever she wants.

Our Super Hero!The next few are all from bowling on Eric's birthday.

Coy and cute.

Some of her many faces, all seen on a daily basis. She's like the seven dwarfs in one: happy, sweetie, pouty, moody, sassy, grumpy, and bossy.

I don't know where to start with this one. I really don't. So add your own caption.

This is her explanation for her getup:

"You had a Birthday! Shout Hurray!"

2011-09-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is so late. We've had family in town for the past three weeks and thoroughly enjoyed having them. We'll feature highlights from the visits in the next few posts. But today we're focusing on our Eric!

Eric started out his birthday with a combination of family traditions. For the birthday breakfast, the Allemans usually put a candle in a waffle. My dad likes Captain Crunch for his birthday breakfast. Put them together and . . .

Here's the Birthday Boy. Crunch Berries rule!

Ryan took off half the day so we could all go bowling up on campus. I won't share our pitiful scores with you. But the kids had a blast.

Eric showing off his "slipping shoes."

The kid's lounging on Ryan after a long-fought game (which I WON!)

Eric's Birthday cake. Guess who was headlining. (The writing on the cake was supposed to be red, not pink. I do the best I can.)

Eric's not a cake-and-ice-cream kid. Here's what was left of his plate. I don't take it personally (at least not this year).

Here are the cupcakes from his friend party. If you notice, there are mini-trains made from marshmallows and chocolate chips on EACH AND EVERY train. The things we do to make birthdays special for our kids.

Here are Eric's friends eating said cupcakes with helpings of ice cream.

Cue the Birthday song! We love you, Eric!

A Tale of Two Fourths

2011-07-31T08:58:00.001-07:00

Ryan here.

In Utah, you get two holidays to shoot off fireworks. There's the Fourth of July, of course, and then Pioneer Day on the twenty-fourth.

For the Fourth, the Allemans invited us up to Walsburg. It's a property located halfway up the canyon to Heber. It has a barn outfitted with a kitchen, beds, basketball court, ping pong table--you get the idea. Outside, you've got a playground, play houses, a pond with a zip line and paddle boats.

Here are the playhouses. They look so real!

But in summertime, the best part about Walsburg is the immense slip n' slide.

Eric really took to the slide. The first few times he rode on my lap, and then he insisted he could go it alone.

Needless to say, everyone had a blast. And after we got home, Beth got hold of an American flag and did this cute little dance:

On Pioneer Day, we usually head over to Uncle Dutch's place in Springville. He has a large property with a playground, sandbox, and a penned-off menagerie. There are black swans, goats, pigs, chickens, but mixed in are several animals you don't usually see in Utah: llamas, emus, a wallaby, a gazelle, and sometimes reindeer.

Here's Beth with the baby antelope:

The wallaby was really friendly . . .

But these seedy-looking turkeys kept following us around the yard.

Maybe someone mentioned Thanksgiving?

Not to worry. We made it out of there safe, and we were able to stick around to watch the fireworks. All in all, it was great couple of days.

Star Valley Trip

2011-07-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

We're trying to catch up on posts, and I feel like we might actually succeed! Like the kids said, we made it up to Star Valley last month. We initially planned on going Memorial Day weekend, but we all got sick, so we delayed the trip till June.

Here's Eric, Beth and me on the porch swing out at Great Grandma's. It was beautiful up in the valley and made us all want to go up more often.

We were able to visit both my Grandfathers' graves. Here is Grandpa Clines.

And here is Grandpa Fluckiger.

Eric liked all the flowers in the graveyards.

We had a great afternoon playing over at my Aunt Margie's house. During the visit a little girl came down and held my hand. It took me a minute to realize it was a bewigged Beth!

Everything was so green up there. Here is a view from Grandma's field. The kids loved playing outside and feeding my Uncle Val's horse. (Well, Eric loved it. Beth tried it once and the hid from the horse the rest of the time.)
Eric and Beth both loved playing outside. We went down to the lower field to see the calves and their mothers. Kudos to Uncle Sam for cleaning up Eric's sandal after Eric discovered a fresh cow-pie.

The kids also loved getting to know their Great Grandma Clines.

Eric also thought that her old washing machine was fun. "Can we make ours shake like that?"

Thanks for letting us visit, Grandma. We love and miss you!

Ryan's Birthday

2011-07-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

I know this is so late. But as I seem to say all the time now, "better late than never." We had a great birthday with Ryan this year. It was made even better with Zach and Alison here. I'm so grateful to have this man as my eternal companion. He is my greatest blessing. Thank you, Ryan.

Here we are at breakfast.

Here is the birthday boy.

"We're smiling so you'll give us cake."

The kids were overjoyed to see Zach and Alison again.

Beth still calls Zach her missing brother.

This is a very short video just for Zach and Alison. I don't know if you guys remember this, but here is a small clip of the "accidents happen" dance Eric did just after you got here. Miss you.

Ruby Valley

2011-07-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Back in May we were able to go see Sam, Mary and baby Maggie. It was a quick trip, but lots of fun. The kids' favorite spot was a big pile of dirt out back. Not a bad backyard if you ask me. (You can see Ryan enjoying the outdoors by reading.)
Beth liked Sam's roping practice thing. I know it has a name but it escapes me right now.
We also went out to visit the Hot Pots. They are sulfur springs that are a "topical manifestation of geothermal activity." In other words, this is where boiling water finds its way to the surface. Very cool--or hot, I guess.
Here is a video of the Hot Pots.

The real reason for the trip was Maggie's blessing. She looked amazing in a dress Mary made by hand. It was wonderful to be there. I'm grateful we are so close. Here is the star of the day.Family photo.

Easter

2011-06-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

So now we get around to Easter. Here are the kids after a frantic egg hunt on Sunday morning. (Because of Beth's frantic and competitive nature she did get more eggs than Eric.)

Here they are proudly showing what they found.
"Beth, would you like to share some eggs with me?" I think the look is all the answer I need. (Even if she did share later.)

Here she is ready for church in her new Easter dress, making kissy faces.

Eric and Beth ready for Church.

Later we were able to go to Great Grandpa and Grandma Alleman's for the annual egg hunt. They had hundreds of eggs and the kids loved it.

The eggs were a nice compliment to their beautiful yard.

If you can see her face, she was totally outraged that it was out of her reach. I mean, what were we thinking?!
We were also really grateful that my Dad could be with us. I'm thankful for a day to think about the Resurrection. It's a special opportunity to pass the wonder of that miraculous event on to our kids. It was a great day.

It's A BOY!!!

2011-05-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

So we went in to get the baby checked out today. He looks healthy and very active. VERY ACTIVE! Oh, yes, I did say boy! Beth is a little disappointed because she wanted a baby girl to share her room. Eric is happy, and thinks we should name the baby "Gordon" from the Island of Sodor. (He picked Gordon after I told him there was no way we would call the baby Thomas.) Here is a profile shot.
Here is a shot of him stretching. You can see his feet braced against one side, and although it is hard to see in this picture, his hands are above his head pushing against the other side. (the dot of stuff you see above him is the cord.) This could get painful as he keeps growing.
We are all happy and healthy and ready this kid to get here. (I'm ready for Beth to stop trying to tickle the baby through my stomach.)

Beth's First Hair Cut

2011-05-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it took me forever but I finally did it. Beth got her first hair cut last week. We cut about three and a half inches off the back but only about a quarter of an inch off the sides. Just to even things out.

Before

After

Dang, who said she could grow up?

Odds and Ends

2011-05-10T14:47:00.001-07:00

I am waaaaay behind on our posts, so I'll be playing catch-up over the next few weeks.

After we told the kids Mommy had a baby in her tummy, Beth insisted she had to have a baby, too. Hey, if I could pull off being that huge and that cute, I'd be happy!
Mom and Dad Alleman came up around conference time. We didn't get many pictures but here are two of my favorites. Grandpa reading Eric a story...

. . . and Grandma cuddling with Eric.

For Easter (more on that in a later post) we gave the kids Tangled. They LOVE it! Both kids get really emotionally involved in movies. At the reunion scene, Eric turned to me and said, "I think I'm going to cry!" He's such a sensitive little guy.

And here is Beth being herself. What more can I say?

Welcome to the World, Maggie!

2011-04-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

After a mad midnight dash from Nevada, Mary gave birth to an adorable baby girl. Maggie is here! Ta-da! She was very kind to her mother by having a small head.

Beth was overjoyed. She insisted she was a "big girl" and should get to hold the baby. I don't think she could smile any bigger.

Of course, Ryan's smile was pretty big too.

Eric was VERY careful.

"Mommy, can we keep her?" or "When is OUR baby coming out?" were common questions this week.

We loved having the new Mommy and Daddy and baby stay with us, along with my Mom and Dad. You guys are welcome anytime!

Beth's B-Day

2011-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is a smooooch late. But you know my motto: "Better late than never." (Either that or, "You gonna eat that?")

We have a little girl who is now three years old. (Actually, she acts like a turbulent teenager trapped in the body of a three-year-old. Honestly, her mood swings could give you whiplash!)

I was not really up to a party this year, so we invited some good friends over for a small get together. We had the long balloons you use to make balloon animals, but I only know how to make swords. So we gave every kid a weapon and let them go at it.

This is Eric, Rory, and Alex dueling it out. They loved it!

Here are the four Musketeers. What a dangerous bunch! Be on the lookout . . .

This next one is really fuzzy, but if you can make it out, Beth is waiting at the table for cake and ice cream. All we had to do was mention ice cream and she glued herself to the table. Notice she's wearing the much-coveted Birthday Hat.
Here is a better picture of Beth right after she blew out the candles. You may notice there are more than three candles on the cake. That's because we left the cake and extra candles alone in the kitchen with Eric. As he explained it to us, "More is always better!"
This is one of Beth's favorite gifts. Rory and Alex gave her a Play-Doh cupcake set. She adores it.
Later we had a little family party where she opened gifts from grandparents and such. We even had a visit from Great Grandpa and Grandma Alleman. They brought art baskets full of paper, colored pencils, crayons and all kinds of fun stuff for the kids. It was a really fun, busy day. Thank you to all who called or came by to help us celebrate our one-of-a-kind Beth.

Number Three!

2011-03-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

We are expecting baby number three! Estimated delivery time is in October. Right now both kids are voting for a boy. (This changes often, in Beth’s case.) I think Ryan and I would like a boy just because, between Beth and me, we already have enough estrogen in the family.

Boy or girl, we are very grateful and excited—excited to get past the first trimester! Morning sickness, blah! Eric has started asking me, “Mommy, why do you keep throwing up? It’s gross.” How can I argue with that?

Here is a nearly indistinguishable first picture of our little one.

Apple Tea

2011-03-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

My kids are so sweet. I have been getting over a little stomach bug and have been down the last few days. Today Eric and Beth were having a tea party upstairs (with imaginary tea because giving them water makes too much of a mess). Well, they felt sorry that mommy couldn’t play, too, so they took the apples they were eating, chewed them up, spit them out in a little tea cup, and brought me some “apple tea” to make me feel better. I am so loved.

How It Should Have Ended

2011-02-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ryan here.

I thought you all might get a kick out of these videos I found. They're quick animated parodies of movies. Here are a few of my favorites.

How It Should Have Ended: Twilight

"Check out my bazillion ab muscles."

For all my fellow comic book addicts out there, HISHE: Iron Man

"Taaank missile!"

And last but not least, HISHE goes old school: The Empire Strikes Back

"More like the most POWERFUL dad ever!"

Have a fun week!

Our Creative Eric

2011-02-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

I know that posting this soon after our last post is very out-of-character for us, but this was too funny NOT to tell.

Last night, after putting the kids to bed, Ryan and I watched a little TV while waiting for them to fall asleep. We heard a little knock on the door. Eric poked his head in and asked if he could talk to us.

We muted the TV and he climbed up between us on the bed. He started: “You see… I just… well, why don’t I stay here and guard the TV while you guys go look for my blanket? It has to be around the house somewhere, maybe in the basement. You just keep looking.”

Ryan and I just laughed. While I snuggled Eric, Ryan checked Eric’s bedroom and found the blanket tucked securely deep down in the bed.

Nice try, Eric. You get an 'A' for effort.

The Christmas Post That Almost Wasn't

2011-02-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Ryan here.

Sorry for not posting sooner. It's been a hectic month. But I'm here to report we had a wonderful Christmas.

Here are Eric and Beth sitting with Santa at our ward Christmas party. Beth's still wrapping her head around the whole "Santa" deal. She wouldn't let go of my hand the whole time.

When we woke up on Christmas Eve morning, Santa had left us an early Christmas present: tickets to the Heber Creeper's North Pole Express!

Needless to say, the munchkins rejoiced.

Here they are posing with a train at the Heber station. It was a beautiful day for a train ride, clear and cold.

Here's Eric next to the coach we rode in. The crew all dressed like elves and entertained us with juggling, jokes, and chatting about Santa and the North Pole.

Beth mugged for the camera.

Eric was REALLY excited.

After a half-hour ride up the canyon to the North Pole, Mrs. Claus warmed up the crowd by handing out recipes for Santa's favorite cookies. Then Santa showed up and gave the kids spinning tops. We almost had a Polar Express ending when Eric dropped his top and we couldn't find it. Luckily, one of the elves ran after Santa and got us another one.

We all had a fun time. Thanks to all the good people on the Heber Creeper for helping us make some magical Christmas memories.

When we got home, we quickly whipped up some Christmas sugar cookies for Santa.

Each of the kids decorated a cookie for the big guy and we left them out next to our fireplace.

We read the Christmas story and sang carols, and in between we tracked Santa on NORAD's online site.

On Christmas morning we did our lineup.

We all got spoiled. The kids got pillow pets.

Zach and Alison visited over the holiday. Here they are reading a book Eric and Beth put together for Mommy. Notice how Zach would be hard pressed to extricate himself from Eric's Kung Fu grip.

Zach and Alison also brought presents with them from Grandma and Grandpa Alleman--a baby cradle for Beth (I think her expression speaks for itself):

. . . and a cool castle for Eric.

Later on we got Grandma and Grandpa Clines' gift--a beautiful rotating bookshelf.

Here are a few miscellaneous photos of the kids just having a grand ole Christmas time.

Eric loves his sister.

And the demented photo for this post. Eric built this LEGO construct around Christmas time. He excitedly told us it was Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang, "but with GUNS!"

I think we can safely blame both sides of the gene pool for this particular innovation.

"Take THAT, Baron Bomburst!"

Merry Christmas to all!

The Paleontology Museum

2010-12-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

We went to the BYU paleontology museum a few weeks ago for a field trip. Eric loved every minute and would have stayed for hours. Beth, on the other hand, would not be in a single picture because: "Dinosaurs are yucky and mean and we need to cut their heads off." I'm not sure where she learned to "cut their heads off," but I'm relatively sure Eric had something to do with it.

Here is Eric with a small T-rex.

He thought the giant crocodile head was the coolest ever. They said that a head this size belonged to a beast up to 22 feet long. No thank you!

"Mom, if I waved my arms fast enough could I fly too?"

I had to get a picture of this rack for my dad. It came from an ancient Irish Elk with a spread of nearly 10 feet!

Eric was duly impressed.

It was a really fun day. I think we may have to do it again some time.
Because I had to post something about Beth, here is a new face she is trying out on us. Appropriately called her fierce face.

Thanksgiving? Is that the one before Christmas?

2010-11-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

Ryan here.

Christmas came early to the Alleman house. Most of Provo shut down Tuesday, bracing for a blizzard. It hit Salt Lake pretty bad, but we barely got a 1/4 inch of snow. So I had half of Tuesday and all of Wednesday off. The kids voted we put up the Christmas tree early, and Cassie and I didn't put up too much of a fuss.

Here's a video of Eric fetching the branches to our artificial tree for me. He was so jazzed, singing Christmas music to himself the whole time.

And the finished tree, sans star.

Here we are for Thanksgiving dinner. We later visited grandparents in Orem and Springville, but we enjoyed having a quiet little family dinner together. And this way we got leftovers.
"Sweetie, put the camera down and let's eat!"

Beth's practicing her eye-rolls for when she becomes a teenager and knows everything. She's getting a little too good at it. I think Cassie's coaching her.

We asked each kid what they were grateful for. Here's Eric.

He'd just watched Disney's Prep & Landing earlier that day, about elves who prep houses before Santa arrives. If you haven't seen it, it's a cute show.

Here's Beth's contribution.

We hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for, and now we have Christmas to look forward to.

Better Late Than Never

2010-11-23T20:32:00.001-08:00

I decided that because we are starting another holiday, I should post the pictures from the last one. So, hopefully, better late than never.

Here is our group before our ward Halloween party. We have Ryan as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, Eric as Thomas and driver, (Yeah, I know that last one was a huge surprise for everyone) and our cute little pirate. My mom sent us the most beautiful princess dress for Beth to wear, but she wouldn't hear of it. To quote her, "I'm a pirate, not a princess!"
And she loved being a pirate. Here are a few shots of her "acting" like a pirate. (You might want to note that she had to have a pink-handled sword.)
Sorry this one is a little blurry, but she was showing me her tough face and I had to post it.
Here is our very happy engineer. He was so excited and helpful, what a joy to be around him.
Here are our pumpkins this year. Because the kids weren't allowed to handle the knife, I let them pick the faces from some online photos. These are the ones they chose.
Here we are on Saturday the 30th, ready for trick or treating. It was so cold out! A great big storm blew in with rain and terrible winds. We were out for under an hour and everyone was ready to come home. You can also see that we were able to talk Beth into being a Tiger for this one night. (The costume was a little warmer then the pirate.)
They loved knocking on doors and talking to people. Once Eric impatiently opened the door and walked right in. We apologized profusely to the people inside, who were heading to the door when he barged in. Afterward, we had a long talk with Eric about privacy and appropriateness. "But I knocked!" he kept telling us. It was a really fun Halloween.

2010 National Champion!

2010-10-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month my mom became the new national champion in her age group of 50 to 54! My mom is amazing and I look up to her so much. Thanks, Mom, for showing me what you can accomplish when you put your mind and heart in it.
Mom is in the middle. (Don't mess with me, my mom can bench press you!)

October Update

2010-10-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Things have been good around here this month. Eric and Beth love school and are keeping me really busy. We went to a production of "The Reluctant Dragon" for a field trip and both kids did great. Beth still insists that the dragon was a "bad guy" though.

The weather has turned a little colder and we got the kids some warm clothes. Here is a picture of the them before church.

Here they are wishing Alison a happy birthday.

Beth and I.

Our charming Ryan.

For those who remember a few posts ago: Eric seems to be allergic to mosquito bites. He got one on the ear and it quickly looked like this. It was standing out off his head at a weird angle. We took him to the doctor to see if this is something to be concerned about, but all the doctor said was that it looked like a staph infection and to put some cream on it.
I knew that if I posted all the pictures I wanted to, this would be an annoyingly long post. So here are a few collages of the kids. Ladies first, here is Beth. The one with the purple face was her version of finger-painting. I was at the kitchen sink helping Eric wash his hands and she pulled this.
We started taking pictures of Eric on Sunday and he pulled out the GQ poses.

Family Pictures

2010-10-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few family pictures we took when Zach and Alison were visiting a few weeks ago.

Visits and Bear Lake

2010-09-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

Mary and Sam have a time-share up at Bear Lake and generously offered to let us join them up there for the Labor Day weekend. My mom and dad joined us on their way to the Viking Man Triathlon in Idaho (Mom is the race director). We had a WONDERFUL time together playing games, going to the beach, swimming in the pool, and enjoying each others' company. A big THANK YOU to Sam and Mary for the invite.

Here's a mish-mash of pictures of our time at Bear Lake, and from Mom and Dad's visit the following week.

Here is Beth with Dad's hat. The kids loved reading stories with Papa and Lela before bedtime. Here's Dad reading scriptures with them.

Here's Lela's rendition of The Three Little Pigs.

Eric loved using Papa as a TV-watching perch. Dad was a good sport.

This was the deck of the condo up at Bear Lake. The kids loved eating out in the sun wearing their shades.

Puddle-jumping Beth. This is at the tennis courts at the resort, across from the restaurant that looked like a lighthouse. It was a really snazzy place.

Sleeping on Papa was a favorite pastime for the kids.

This is a beautiful pic of Ryan and me. And Bear Lake, of course.

Beth loved Papa's style of playing.

We had a fun time, and it was great to see everyone. Hey, Mary and Sam--how about next year? Same time, same place? Huh? Huh? Please? What do you say?

Correction

2010-09-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have had a few comments on Beth's "black eye." I'm sorry if the last post was misleading. Beth was playing with the vacuum attachments and got dirt off of them in a circle around her eye and mouth. She is well and whole.

Quick Post

2010-09-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Beth and Eric were playing with the vacuum attachments and Beth ended up like this.
A few weeks ago Eric was sitting at the table doing some letter practice and started singing. I went and got the camera so you could all see this.

"If you're happy and you know it write a 'K'."

Here is the world's biggest mosquito bite. Eric has a gift for milking these things for all they're worth, but I was really worried for a while because he said it didn't itch and I didn't know what this huge bump was. It was about three and a half inches in diameter and stood up off his leg almost three-quarters of an inch.

Graduation

2010-09-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to post the graduation pictures... better late than never, right? Ryan worked so hard to get to this point and we could not have made it without so much support and help from our family. Thank you so very much!

Here is the first picture after crossing the stage.Ryan graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts, creative writing. YOU GO, SWEETHEART!! The kids were thrilled with the whole thing. Here is a pic of them with Ryan.
Eric and Beth fought over wearing Daddy's "silly hat."

Here's one with Dad and Mom Alleman and beautiful Megan.

Our family.

There was a point where Eric was just done with the whole thing.

We are so grateful that we have a husband and daddy who works his rear end off to provide and take care of us. Congratulations, Daddy! WE LOVE YOU!

Overload

2010-09-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Because I have not been fulfilling my responsibilities as "poster of pictures for Grandparents," I will attempt to rectify this by overloading you with pictures and video clips. So this post is for the whole month of August.

We had some fun evenings with the kids "playing ball." This would consist of rolling the ball back and forth (we don't throw it in the house anymore because Beth has one heck of an arm) until Beth runs and tackles Ryan. Then Eric does his best to pull her off of him the whole time they are all laughing hysterically.

Here is Eric.Beth mid-tackle.

Here is a video clip of the process.

This month Ryan graduated with a Master of Fine Arts. We had some of his family come up. It was too bad that the day before they got here I took the kids to the pool. We had a lot of fun, but Eric and I came away with a nasty sunburn.

Here is Eric the morning after being comforted in his misery. Doesn't he look bright and perky?
Beth had a great time pestering Grandpa over and over again. Here is a video clip of one of her favorite things to do with him.

Before the graduation (oh, by the way, graduation pictures will follow) we went to campus to feed the ducks. Here is Aunt Megan and the kids on our way out the door.
We all had a great time watching Eric ping the ducks in the head with his bread and Beth giving them only every other bite. "One for them, one for me, one for them..." We don't feed the ducks moldy bread anymore because of this habit.
There were some very cute baby ducks.
And of course no trip to BYU is complete without a dip in the packing peanuts at Daddy's work. This functions like a play-pin when we visit Daddy.
I didn't finish all the pictures from August but this is a step in the right direction. The last one I will post is one of the kids before Church on Sunday. Beth vacillates between worshipful adoration for her brother and attempting to make his head explode in sheer frustration. While sometimes loud, it is fun to watch.
Till next time...

Finger Painting

2010-08-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

The kids are ready to paint.

With careful consideration, Beth deposits an artistic blob of paint and begins… Oh, wait, this is just finger painting.

"I wonder if this will be worth money some day?"
"I just love the feel of it squishing through my fingers."
The Beth happy-painting-dance.

Beth and the Big Girl Bed

2010-08-01T11:42:00.001-07:00

So we made the big bed change. Not because we wanted too, but because the kids broke one of the legs of the crib. My Uncle Mike and Aunt Judy offered us a full size bed that they no longer needed. (Thanks so much you guys!) It has been fun (note sarcasm here) getting Beth to stay in her new bed, but things are going alright.

After Ryan and I put them down one night, we were sitting in our room talking. We heard some noise downstairs and found Beth reclined on the couch, with the TV on and her feet up. She had somehow slipped by us and was making herself comfortable.

"Good-bye crib."

The big girl in the big bed.

Here is what she says.

The Ruby Valley Adventure

2010-08-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

We had a good time going and seeing Sam and Mary in July. We were able to stay in their new home and it is BEAUTIFUL!!! I still stagger at the thought of how much work went in to making that happen.

The day before we took off Eric started feeling a little sick. So we took him to the doctor and got some antibiotics, just in case. But it didn't stop him from running a 103.4 temperature the first day of our trip. Beth hit 103.3 on the second day, and Ryan and I felt cruddy the last day.

In spite of that we all had a blast, and Eric was in seventh heaven! He loved the dirt, the dog, the cows, and going outside. He loved the wrap-around deck and popping in and out of all the doors. Here he is with Mary down by the barn.
He showed no fear of the cows and wanted to get as close as possible. Beth on the other hand wanted to be held whenever there was an animal around.

"Look, a camera!"

I think everything would have been alright if it wasn't for the car breaking down in the middle of the Nevada desert on the way home. We had a broken serpentine belt. (I wonder if I should vent about how we spent all day at the mechanic the day before we left on our trip getting a new belt put on! Maybe later.)

There isn't suppose to be any cell phone reception out there, but we were very blessed. Reception was spotty but we were able to reach Sam and Mary and our roadside assistance. Mary and Sam came and got me and the kids while Ryan waited for the tow truck. The kids and I were only out there for about one and a half hours, Ryan was there for over three. Then it took another couple hours to get the car fixed. (Thank goodness the work was under warranty.) This is where we broke down.
Once we were on the road again we hit traffic just past SLC in the wake of a really bad accident. So in the end, a four and a half hour drive took over 11 hours. Beth was very tired and unhappy for most of it, but the kids fell asleep just before we hit the traffic. What a blessing! Mommy's sanity was just about gone at this point.
It was so great to see Sam and Mary and some of the beautiful sights around where they live. (Sorry for the lack of pictures. That's what happens when I have sick kids.) I'm excited to go back once the memories of the drive home have faded. We love you Sam and Mary!

Eric Had a Brithday

2010-08-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Five? Who said he could turn five? We had a great birthday with Eric this year. Here he is showing where we live on the amazing blanket Grandma Alleman made for him.
I think his favorite toy from this year was his very own "Woody" doll. Oops! I mean, action figure. He takes him and Buzz Lightyear to bed with him, and hauled them everywhere for a week afterward. (Just don't ask him what he thought of Toy Story 3.)
He asked for the same cake that he had last year but with a different train on top. Even though he only took about two bites before he wanted to go play again. He is still not that big into cake and ice cream.
I don't believe Beth saw a problem with Eric leaving the table and was willing to eat all of her cake and Eric's too.
We were not able to have a party this year with kids Eric's age, but were very grateful for Zach and Alison. We miss you guys!!!
"Hey Dude"

We love our Eric and are daily grateful that he is in our family.

Pictures

2010-07-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Beth's impression of a Dove commercial.
Our forever happy boy. He really is such a mellow kid. If there is teasing going on 10 to 1 it's Beth bugging him and not the other way around. He is also very sensitive. We went to see Toy Story 3 the other day and at the part with the fire (I won't go into detail in case someone reading this hasn't seen it yet) he yelled, "You have to save me!!!" and started screaming. Even days after I ask him if he liked it and he says, "No, it was very scary."
Check out that goose egg! Note also that she is smiling. She is one tough little girl. She loves having scraped knees so she can show them to people. It's nice that when she does cry after falling down I know that it really hurts.
We have been finding them like this more and more often. They sometimes play for hours before falling off to sleep.
This is after having braids in her hair all day. When it's like this she likes to twirl and bounce to feel it move

I Am So Way Behind

2010-06-13T20:15:00.001-07:00

I really need to do better putting stuff up here. (If I had a dollar for every time I said that about letters, email, journal... ) Anyway! Here are a few pics of the kids and some small updates.
Why chew one bite at a time when you can fit 4 on one fork? Such a lady.
For Memorial Day we hiked Battle Creek Canyon with Zach and Alison. It was a relatively short hike, good for the kids, and we learned Eric isn't too fond of snakes. We had the chance to see a little garter snake on the way down and he bolted down the trail, yelling: "Time to go! Time to go! This way!"

At the falls.

Eric and Beth have been working on earning some new toys with my mom and dad. They have to practice being reverent during the week, and then they have to get a special Sunday sticker from their primary teachers IF they're reverent at church.

Now for the mysteries. Beth does these things, and I have no idea where they come from. I promise, I didn't teach her to pray on the potty (although sometimes it couldn't hurt, right?). If you can't make it out, she's saying: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Mommy-Daddy, Lela-Papa, Grandpa-Grandma, Mommy-Daddies. Amen"

Mystery #2: Here she is "strutting her stuff." Really! I mean, where does she get this?

We Call Him...

2010-06-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

...Master Ryan!!!!!

Ryan Had a Birthday!

2010-06-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

"You've had a birthday, shout hooray!" Oh boy, primary is starting to rub off.

We had a very busy, very fun birthday. It was kinda stressful with Ryan finishing up his thesis and turning it into his committee. We did find time to go see Iron Man 2 on his birthday, and then we came home and ate a special dinner along with cake and ice cream. During the dinner/cake prep we had the treat of helping my cousin get ready for Senior Ball.
Here is my wonderful birthday boy. What a great man he is. I am more thankful for him every year of our marriage.
I didn't have a clue what to do for his cake this year. I was able to get the sheet cake baked that morning and only had about 30 minutes to decorate it. This is what we ended up with. Fits Ryan, doesn't it?
We had fun opening presents too. I say "we" because Ryan did not get to open a single gift alone. I tried to tell him that he could, but the kids were so excited he let them help.
It was a great (busy) day. We are very thankful for our husband and daddy.

A Longer Then Usual Post.

2010-05-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

I catch myself saying: "Beth, leave your brother alone!" or "Beth, stop teasing your brother!" more and more. It's not that she's always the instigator, but most of the time she is.

Maybe this is happening more often because Beth is cutting her upper molars. Yep! They've finally decided to grace us with their presence and they put Beth in the best mood. The molars are almost all the way through the gums and we're just waiting for them to advance.

All in all, teething this time around wasn't as bad at Beth's first batch. This time, when she is in pain she says, "Owie!" and point to where we needed to apply the Ora-gel. Not too bad.

A fun story from last week: We've been covering the First Vision story in our scripture study, and on the drive to church on Sunday, Eric pipes up from the back : "I can't go to this church."

Ryan and I respond with the obvious, "Why not?"

"Because all the churches are wrong."

We immediately knew we'd failed to properly explain certain parts of the First Vision. "Not this one," I said. "This is the one Joseph Smith brought back for Jesus Christ."

Imagine my surprise when he fires back with, "No, if Joseph Smith made it then it's Joseph Smith's church."

"When we get to church," I said, "let's go look on the outside of the building and see whose name is on it."

He agreed and after we claimed a pew (you have to get there early), I took him outside and around to the front of the building to the chapel's sign. I had him sound out the words, and when he got to "of Jesus Christ" he was so excited that he ran into the chapel, yelling to Ryan, "This is the right church, Dad! This is Jesus' church!"

So we've been working on being clearer when we recount the First Vision story to him, and we make sure to go on and explain the Restoration as well.

We had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. It started with the kids getting up around six AM (which is becoming a habit with them) and refusing to go back to bed. We convinced them to play in the toy room off and on until a little after seven. Then Eric overheard Ryan asking me about breakfast in bed. He yelled, "I'll get it!" and took off with Beth at his heels. Ryan and I just looked at each other. The kids promptly returned with a large container of plastic food and proceeded to "feed" it to us one piece at a time. I wish I had taken some pictures.

About this time Eric started asking Ryan about when Mommy could open her presents. I guess Ryan had shown Eric one of them, and Ryan quickly realized that if we didn't open them soon Eric might blab the surprise. We had fun opening the gifts, and of course the kids helped (like we could have stopped them). Then we went down to enjoy a French toast breakfast before gearing up for Sunday.

The kids and I walked to church, and on the way Beth fell and skinned both her knees. She didn't cry but let out one outraged scream and then kept running after Eric. (Thankfully only a little blood got on her dress.) At church I was called and sustained as the new Primary President. What a Mother's Day gift! Then after church, before I was set apart, we tried to send the kids home with Zach and Alison. In her eagerness to get to them, Beth fell and re-skinned both knees. Being so close to nap time, she dissolved into tears and melted into a puddle of Beth goo.

After all the excitement, we went home to have a wonderful "low-fat" dinner (note sarcasm) with Zach and Alison. We had a wonderful time and we are REALLY going to miss them when they move away.

So there is our "short" family update.

Little late for Christmas...

2010-05-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

...but better late than never.

Ryan here.

I've been meaning to put together some Christmas videos since . . . well, Christmas. But I've been sprinting to the end of my thesis and didn't have time. Yesterday I finished my writing early and sat down and was in an odd mood.

The first video is a traditional Christmas montage. You might see some familiar faces.

This is what came out of my odd mood. Make sure you turn up the speakers for this one.

(Cassie here: I just love my husband's morbid genius!)

This Week

2010-04-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we let Beth dress herself. She has . . . unique taste. Here's an example. She prefers her boots because she can put them on by herself, and she's liking skirts more and more. In this picture she's measuring how tall she is.

This is a cute one of Eric with a wood project I'm working on. We told Beth that Grandma and Grandpa were coming to visit. When she was done jumping around in circles with excitement she ran to the window and started calling for them. (See video below.) We're excited to see Grandpa, Grandma, Jason, Ellen, Gavin, Kacey and Tyler this weekend. Travel safe, everyone.

Here's what happens when Ryan gets a hold of the camera. He calls it "cinema verite," Eric calls it the "Running Video."

Random Fun

2010-04-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

The weather finally turned nice out. While it didn't last more then a few days, it was wonderful! This was a picnic we had out back. Of course, the umbrella was not enough to keep Beth from getting a terrible sunburn on her cheeks.

It did take me almost 20 minutes to convince her that she didn't need her coat.

Mary and Sam were out to visit this weekend and drove this beast in. The kids were thrilled with the "big red truck." We had a great weekend and were very sorry to see them go.

Eric has enjoyed getting letters in the mail from his pen-pals. (This is one way we encourage him to practice reading and writing.) I know this picture is out of focus but it was too fun not to post.
Eric's new guardian angel poster. He loves it!
I found him like this today. Why he needs to perch on the couch like that just to watch an hour glass run out is beyond me. Maybe I should get him out more.

Tonight when we had family night Eric started doing what he calls his "stretches." I don't know where he gets it from, but he was having fun.

And of course anything Eric does, Beth does too.

We also had Natalie and Laura with us over the weekend while Natalie prepared for her national exam--which she aced! Congrats, Natalie! I'm just sorry we forgot to break out the camera while they were here.

Easter

2010-04-07T11:20:00.001-07:00

Because we did not have church on Easter morning we dressed up the week before. Eric liked looking handsome and Beth was all smiles and kept saying how pretty she was.

I asked Eric to give me his GQ pose.

Ryan asked Beth to look cute and this is what she did.

Then a week later on Easter, between Conference sessions, we had a small egg hunt at home. Beth loved the candy in the eggs but Eric tried some and then asked for raisins to be put in his. Eric and Beth also got their own picture Book of Mormon. Since then, Eric has LOVED reading the stories of the scriptures. His favorite right now is when Nephi builds the ship.

Both kids were thrilled with the chocolate bunnies. Eric took one bite and spent the rest of the time trying to put it back together.

Beth waisted no time with her bunny and somehow managed to eat the middle of the stomach first.
This is a random picture that has nothing to do with Easter but I really like it so I thought I would share. Zach and Alison came over last week and Eric and Zach were dressed alike. Very fun.

Beth showing off her Easter Dress.

Eric's turn.

Easter Fun, Muppet Style

2010-04-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ryan here.

For all the Muppet fans out there, I discovered these new videos circulating on Youtube and thought I'd spread the good news.

(Don't watch if you have a problem seeing cute little bunnies getting what they deserve).

And here's a little something from Christmas:

And Halloween:

For classical music lovers:

And for Queen fans:

Just Because

2010-03-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

If you ask Beth who is cute, she now answers, "Me!"

This is Beth's reaction when you tell her something. You can say, "It's time for bed," and she does this.

We love our tall boy.

Musicals!

2010-03-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ryan here.

So the kids have been really into musicals lately. Beth's favorite is Annie. Every time Eric suggests turning on a Thomas the Tank Engine show, she vehemently counters with: "No, Annie!"

At night it's the same thing. We usually sing a song before we tuck the tykes in and Eric invariably wants "Thomas and His Friends" and Beth always asks for "Tomorrow". So we switch off every night, or we sing two songs.

Although I must admit Eric likes joining in when we sing "Tomorrow":

Beth isn't too bad either:

(In case you can't tell, she's singing, "Tomorrow, I love you, today").

Needless to say, it's fun to see the kids pursuing their interests, and particularly to watch Beth develop her own favorites.

Speaking of tucking in, one night we were putting Eric to bed and he told us repeatedly that he was scared of Diesel Ten, a villainous engine from the Thomas movie. Eric begged us to do something to keep Diesel Ten from "getting him."

Cassie suggested using her "mommy voice" on the naughty engine, and proceeded to shout at Diesel Ten, telling him to beat it (I can't imagine what the neighbors thought). When she turned back to Eric and asked, "Is that good?" He replied, "No, I think you need to use a bat and beat him up."

Birthday Girl

2010-03-07T20:58:00.000-08:00

Who told Beth she could turn two? I sure didn't! Although, it was a very fun day and she played the part of the birthday girl very well. This was her face when she came downstairs in the morning and saw the balloons and decorations. She is wearing the traditional birthday hat.

She loved talking on the phone with so many of you. Thank you to all those who called to wish her a happy birthday. She loves chatting on the phone anyway, and to get phone calls specifically for her really made her day.
This is the first birthday when Eric has felt some jealousy for his sister. It was a little hard on him that Beth got so much attention and gifts. When it came time to open presents we asked him to hand them to her. He enjoyed being the one to pick the next present, sort of like an unofficial MC. This is Beth "patiently" waiting for the next one.

One of her favorite gifts was a popper from Lela and Papa. (Note the video below to observe how possessive she is of it.) She was thrilled when she saw it.

Another favorite was a beautiful Easter dress from Grandma and Grandpa. (Grandma's got great taste!) Beth is getting to be quite the twirler.

And what would a two-year-old's party be without the obligatory baby doll? We were sitting in the family room just letting the kids enjoy the new toys and I offhandedly asked if anyone was ready for cake. Beth immediately dropped everything and ran. We found her waiting on us at the table. We did cup cakes this year instead of cake. When it came time to decorate them I wasn't sure what to do. Ryan suggested we write out "happy birthday" and this is what resulted.When Ryan pulled out the matches to light the candles Beth was speechless (for once in her life). Yes she held the opened-mouth pose the whole time he was lighting them. It was all Eric could do not to blow out the candles himself. Beth liked the cupcakes and was thrilled with the ice cream. She didn't get too messy but was proud of what she did spread on herself.It was a great day, and it made Ryan and me so much more aware of how thankful we are for Beth. She is tenacious and full of life and fun. She always has a smile for everyone. What a wonder she is.

Not So Little

2010-03-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

I had a disturbing realization. These two are not so little any more. I was not ready for this to happen. Before you know it, they'll be really old! (How is it that I never seem to age but they do? Please, no wise cracks.)

Beth now insists on her independence: dressing, feeding, helping, wiping, you name it. She has the greatest personality. She matches what you offer, her mark for mark. If you yell, she yells right back. If you're calm, she's calm. What an incredible mirror.
She continues to have a wonderful smile and engaging personality. She is sweet, especially with her brother (except when she's tormenting him). She can turn on the tears as well as her smile at will. We love having her with us.

A few Eric-isms:

1). Eric and I were heading down to make breakfast and discussing what we should have. I suggested muffins and he asked what needed to go in them. I started to list off flour, eggs, milk... and so on. He thought for a minute and said, “We don’t need any eggs… just chocolate chips.”

2). Last month we went up to Ikea with my sister Mary and Uncle Sam. On the way home we stopped for a snack from McDonald's. Eric and Beth were eating chicken nuggets in the back seat when Eric pipes up, "Hey! Wait! I think there's chicken in here!"

3). Eric is our sweet and sensitive boy. He is loving and kind and excited about life. He still loves his trains but will play for hours with just about anything. He craves dirt. Maybe it really is built into little boys. When the weather is nice I put him out back with a bucketful of potting soil and it keeps him busy for hours. Because the weather is less friendly right now we compromise by playing at the kitchen table with a cookie sheet full of dried beans. He loves it! And we love our Eric!

Colors

2010-03-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

I know this is upside down but it shows highlights of Beth's recent artistic endeavors. When she gets her hands on any coloring supplies (crayons, markers, pens), the first thing she goes for is her tummy. Then, depending on her mood, she may go for: coloring books (if we're lucky), any nearby books, walls, floor, etc. She's not too picky. The world is her canvas. And she's usually very proud of her work and brings it to me for inspection as soon as the damage is done.

Because I'm in Primary, I got to attend the Blue and Gold Banquet this year. For the centerpiece, we had people from the ward bake cakes. In keeping with the banquet's color scheme, I did a blue and gold cake. Ta-daa!
Just as I was finished and taking a picture, Eric walked into the kitchen and saw the cake. His expression is priceless. I couldn't have planned it any better.

This was the finished product. I really like Scouts and look forward to when Eric can participate.

Poor Sad Couches and Giggles

2010-02-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to announce the passing of our new couches from our lives and living room. It was a quick moment of bliss, but we're resigned to our loss, and with some counseling and help from friends and family we hope to recover.

(Explanation: We were called last week and informed that the couch we had on order was no longer being made. To make up for the mistake of selling us something that was not possible to get, they let us take the loveseat back. Sad but true.)

On the bright side, Eric and Beth found this video on YouTube to be very funny. The giggles are enough to brighten any day.

Here's what he was laughing at:

Quick Update

2010-02-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

We have found that the park is really fun all year round. We went on Monday (see pictures) and also last week when it was covered in snow. While the kids had fun on Monday they both asked if the snow could please come back. Lucky for them that's in the forecast.

We are so happy... our little couch has grown up! Here you can see the before and after.

We found a great sale where we got the new couches we have been saving for. (Thank goodness for big sales!)We have the love seat at home now and will get the full size couch in the next week or so.

Eric and I have also been having fun "playing" with letters and numbers. As long as you can get him in the mood, he is really good at it.

Impossible Feat Conquered!

2010-01-29T08:09:00.001-08:00

I believed this to be impossible. I didn’t think it would ever be achievable. But it has happened and I have done it! (Before you think I’m getting conceited, I am being just a little melodramatic.)

BEHOLD THE BRAID!!!! (and the cuteness that is Beth).

View from the back.
Video clip of said braid.

Having a girl is very satisfying on many levels.

Small Update: Crowns, Ice Cream, and Puppets

2010-01-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

Eric and Beth have a friend that introduced the movie Snow White to them for the first time. We had a girl in the house that truly "gets" the princess thing. So of course we made crowns and capes for everyone.

Beth really got into it.
We realized something the other day. Eric has never had an ice cream cone! So we took the only logical action. He was thrilled with his first taste but didn't get very far. You see, Eric has never been one to eat lots of sweets. He ate most of the top part and that was enough for him.

Beth on the other had suffers from no such inhibitions. She eats every bit of ice cream within reach.

For Christmas this year one of the best things the kids got was a bunch of puppets. We have been doing puppet shows from behind the couch almost daily. Here is a little clip from Eric's first show.

A Long Overdue Christmas Post...

2010-01-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

... That is way too long! But really, how am I supposed to cut it down anymore? I only choose a few out of the almost 300 pictures I took while we were in Texas. Considering that we were there for two and a half weeks and saw Kacey's wedding, Christmas with both sides of the family, and numerous extended family, I think I did pretty good.

Our time in Texas started with both the kids being sick and rather shy. This is Beth playing hard to get with Papa.
Only a few days into the visit we had Kacey and Tyler's wedding. It was really beautiful. The time at the temple went great but at the reception Eric fell and skidded his face across the carpet for a "half time show." He was okay but got a fat lip and some rug burn. I got sick just before the reception so I don't have many pictures, but here are a few I have.

The boys "jumping for joy."Kacey, the beautiful bride, with all the sisters and sisters-in-law.
Eric always takes time to smell the roses, or flowers in this case.

Eric and Beth.

Because Eric was not feeling well, he fell asleep all over the place. Poor little guy.

On Christmas Eve we met up with the Jones' (My dad's little sister and her family) and with Gordon's family for a fun dinner. Here is Leslie, Aunt Carol, Mary, and Sam.

I was trying to get a picture with my Grandma Clines, but Ryan wanted to put in his two cents. Grandma came all the way from Wyoming and it was great to see her.

Here are the oldest Jones girls. (Miss you Natalie!)

Here are two of the cutest kids I have ever seen. Beth and Oscar really liked each other. I wonder if I should get into the kissing cousins story? No? Okay.

We spent Christmas morning and most of the day with the Alleman side of the family.

Beth and Grandma.

Beth really got into opening her presents.

"Thank you Grandpa!"

I loved that prior to opening the Wii, the family broke into the "Wee-wee" song.

It was also hilarious while opening gifts Eric got bored, stood in the middle of the room, ripped his PJ's off, swung them around a few times and took off running in his Thomas The Tank underwear. I promise, this behavior was nothing he learned at home!

Here is Eric as "Joseph" and Ryan as one of the Shepherd's for the Alleman family Christmas pageant.

Here is a little clip of the show.

That night we exchanged gifts with the some of the Clines side. I think this picture of Sam and Mary is just great! We gave Mary a fun chick-flick and I LOVE their reactions!

During the Clines gift exchange all the nephews decided to attack Uncle Sam. A real "you're part of the family" gesture.

Eric got a pack of "just-for-kid" tools from Papa but started to hammer and sawing everything in the house. So Dad took him out to the garage for some bonding time and to make him some stuff he could use his new tools on.

We also spent time at the park near my parents house while Mary and I were running our first 8K race. Both of us broke our personal records, thanks to our incredible trainer! You're the best Mom!

A few days later we went to Uncle Gordon and Aunt Coren's house to have a outdoor "heated" pool party for Josh's birthday. I wish I had more pictures but this is the only one.

The rest of our time was spent with one family member or another.

Beth loved playing with Lela's glasses. No wonder they were always smudged.

We had a great time eating lunch with Chris and Darlene and then dinner with Jeremy and Laura. (I will say nothing about dual dictatorships.) It was fun to see the kids playing together and having fun.

My dad also scored some tickets to the Cotton Bowl for Ryan and his brothers. Uncle KC also went with them, but I don't have him on film. They went to the new Cowboys stadium. The screen you see at the top is 70 yards (210 feet) long! (It would be a really bad day if that fell while you were underneath.) - I know, random observation.

Now I know where I get my portion control from. Thanks Dad!
At least as grandparents and parents we always have help to eat our food. Just look at our cute little vulture.

It was a wonderful, busy, crazy, sick, fun, vacation. Thank you to our families for opening up your homes and lives to us. We miss you all!

Random Christmas-ness

2009-12-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is just a post of lots of pictures and a few movie clips.

I came home from shopping a while ago and Beth quickly grabbed my purse, gloves and hat. Ta-da!

Do ya like? Eric was very concerned that because we didn't have a fire place, Santa would not be able to get in the house. This was our solution.
At our ward Christmas party we had Santa come to visit. This is Eric waiting in line. No, I don't think he can get any closer to the kid in front of him.
When he met Santa, Eric was totally: overcome...
... and over-joyed...
... and speechless!
It was fun.

Of course, he cried for almost an hour that night. He insisted that he was on the "naughty list." You see, Santa had come to town and not stopped at our house. He was completely distraught! I think we were able to convince him, at last, that this was just a quick visit for Santa and not the actual Christmas visit.

This is a little clip of the kids and Ryan playing with their favorite Christmas ornament.

This clip is Eric showing what he has learned from our nightly stories. This is one of his favorite.

First Snow

2009-12-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

I realized today that it really doesn't take that long to post a few pictures. Sorry it's been so long between posts.

Here are a few pictures of our first big snow fall. Beth was thrilled until she took one step into the snow and face planted. She was very "un-trusting" of all the white stuff for about 10 minutes after that, but soon her curiosity won out.

Eric needed no reintroduction and wasted no time. He loves the snow and would live outside if we let him.

"Ryan, you had better NOT if you know what's good for you!"We finally got a Christmas wreath. Ta-da!

If you look close under the tree you can see one of my favorite presents and one of Eric's favorite spots to play.Waiting for Daddy to come home.

Love of anything Christmas.

By the way...

2009-12-04T09:08:00.001-08:00

...the dress is for Ryan's sister's wedding in December.

The Dress is DONE

2009-12-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

I didn't know if this day would come, but it has. Oh, happy day! The dress is done.

Ruby Valley and WAY Too Much Cold

2009-11-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we drove out to see Mary and Sam out in beautiful Ruby Valley, NV. Mary had the perfect picture on her blog to describe the valley where she lives. Home sweet home.

I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me that if it was supposed to snow here in Provo we would also be getting some cold weather in Nevada. Duh, I know. We had plans to ride horses and tractors, to see the cows and play with their puppy Alice. But when the snow hit the first night it killed all my plans. Actually, I wasn’t totally opposed to the snow; it was the temperature of 2º that I had issues with. Yes, it got down to two degrees in the night and only a little better during the day.

Well, we still had a great visit, we just spent more time inside then planned. But it worked because Sam and Mary have a Wii. Here is Ryan not wanting to be interrupted from his game. Beth and Eric also loved playing with the Wii. Beth was entranced on many occasions. However, despite the fun of video games, the highlight of the trip for Eric was Alice. He absolutely adores her! He would have slept next to her if we had let him. While Beth gets thrilled out of her mind looking at pictures of dogs, or seeing them from a distance, she is so scared of them in real life. She did warm up to the point where she would touch Alice, but it was never a "comfortable" relationship.

I'm grateful for Sam and Mary opening up their home to be overrun with kids and guests. We had a great time, thanks guys!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick recap of our Halloween this year. Beth was a very cute tiger.
Eric was going to go as Thomas but at the last minute decided to be a pirate. Luckily we had all the stuff we needed to make the change. He enjoyed the increased freedom of movement that this costume offered over Thomas.
This is Eric and Beth being cute. They were rubbing noses with each other but stopped by the time we got the camera out. So I asked them if they could touch noses again. They looked at each other and did this...

Beth was taken aback when some people opened the door. Eric would get so excited that he would say, "trick-or-treating" to everyone. It was very cute and when he finished up with, "thank you and happy Halloween," he gave everyone a smile.

Eric was thrilled with the quantity of candy and Beth liked to chew on the chocolate bars while still in the wrapper. It was a great year.

And a BIG thanks to Sam and Mary who came down from Nevada to spend Halloween with us. Sam stayed behind to hand out candy, and Mary came along and snapped these cute pictures. Thanks you guys!

Ryan's Note: Now that we're through with Halloween, I thought I'd list my top five Halloween flicks. Not necessarily the scariest movies, just the ones I enjoy the most.

#5: Ghostbusters. Classic, funny, quotable, old special effects that still look cool, and--of course--it's got Slimer!

#4: Ernest Scared Stupid. Endearingly dumb, with tremendous sentimental value. And also highly quotable.

"Hey booger-lips! How about a bumper sandwich!"

"Mee-akk?"

#3: Anything from Alfred Hitchcock. Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window, Rope, Vertigo.

#2: Arsenic and Old Lace. Two words: Cary Grant. (Did you know his real name was Archibald Leach?) This movie has him, Priscilla Lane, Peter Lorre, the two aunts, poisoning, a towering homicidal maniac, and dead bodies stowed in every nook and cranny. Hilarious LOL moments.

And . . .

(Drum roll!)

#1: Garfield's Halloween Adventure. I know this is a TV special and not a movie, but it's tops in my book. Funny and frightening for all ages. It captures the sheer candy-avarice and ghoulish delight of the holiday. If you remember this from the eighties, you know what I'm talking about.

"Candy, candy, candy, candy . . . !"

Now it's your turn. What are your top five?

Getting Ready for Halloween

2009-10-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Harvest Festival this last week and we all had a great time. Eric went as Thomas (I know, big surprise). He also wanted a mustache because Beth had face paint on, so why shouldn't he? While he was super excited to be Thomas, he refused to keep the costume on once we were at the party.
Beth was a Tiger. We have a great hat/mask thing but she refused to wear it. She also insisted on carrying this frilly basket as here trick-or-treat bucket. She carried it like a purse most of the night. Our little princess.

They were both a little tired, but once we got there and they got suckers, happiness was quick to follow. She is willing to share, if you're brave enough.

A little clip of them on the drive over.

DEADMAN 2009

2009-10-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have to start by saying that my great weekend away was possible thanks to my wonderful husband. He stayed home with the kids all weekend so I could head to Wyoming with the Clines' side of the family for our annual hunting trip. Mary and Sam were great to pick me up so we could make the trip together. It was a long day of driving, a great day up the mountain, and another long day of driving home -- equalling a wonderful, well-spent weekend.

I found out that our family has been hunting on Deadman mountain up the Grays River range since 1951. I have to thank them for picking one of the most beautiful spots on this earth. After the long drive, Sam, Mary and I made it to camp a little after 11:30pm, we quickly rolled out our beds and got what little sleep we could before taking off at 5:30am. We spent most the day tip-toeing around places like this.

But when you get to the top you're rewarded with a view that truly takes your breath away.

Here is our group up at Mac's tree, (you can't see Mary and Sam because they're taking well-earned naps).

Honestly, can you think of a better place to sleep? What a view!

This is a view from just above camp.

Check out the new door Dad put together for the cook tent.

This was the sunrise the next morning. Totally amazing!

For breakfast we tried bringing donuts up. They were dry and gross, but we found that a little toasting over the campfire made them almost edible.

Mary was cute and practical when she thought up the idea to "toast" her breakfast. It was great to spend the time with my sister. I don't get to see her as often as I would like. Love you, Mary!

This is my cousin Ty. He and his wife Jackie were great to drive me from Heber all the way to Provo. Ryan was supposed to pick me up, but found he had a flat tire and a flat spare. After dropping me off, Ty and Jacki then had to drive another 3 hours home. Thanks so much!

This was the smallest camp we have had in a long time. We missed many of you who couldn't make it. Hopefully next year. It was wonderful to see Dad. He is one of the most generous and giving people I know. I love you, Daddy.

The worst part. Saying goodbye.

This is a view of Virgina Peak just below camp on the way home.

I miss it terribly, but also missed Ryan and the kids. It was hard to be apart for that long.

Eric-isms

2009-10-08T10:48:00.001-07:00

Conversation between Eric and Mommy waiting at a red light while driving to BYU:

Eric: Excuse me, Mommy. Can we please hit that car?

Mommy: What? You want to hit the car?

Eric: Yes please, that one. (Points to the car in front of us.)

Mommy: No we can’t hit that car! That would cause lots of problems.

Eric: I like problems.

Mommy: No, we can’t hit that car.

(Eric lapses into sullen silence. We proceed through the now green light and brake for another red one).

Eric: Excuse me, Mommy. Can we hit that car? (Indicates the car now in front of us)

Thank the heavens for little boys who fill our lives with laughter and love. Keep 'em coming Eric.

Weekend Conference Visits

2009-10-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

We sure had a crowd over Conference weekend! Dad, Mom, Megan, Kacey, Tyler stayed with us and Jason, Ellen, and Gavin crashed at Zach and Alison's. We kept very busy. Dad had tickets to the different sessions, and we had Kacey's bridal shower Friday night, which was wonderful. Thanks to everyone who helped.

Eric and Beth loved having Gavin here. They both love babies, and Gavin--despite being almost nine months younger than Beth--is nearly as big as her, so they were able to play with him more. I heard Eric saying things like, "Oh, how cute!" and, "Stop drooling, Gavin!" Poor Gavin had a cold and was teething, but he was a good sport.

The cousins. Can you tell they're related?

Beth quickly took to her Grandparents and liked to touch Grandpa's finger. (No, not pull it, just touch.)

Beth phone home.By the end of the weekend she was following him around and they were fast friends.

She also liked cuddling with Grandma and especially like reading stories with her.

Kacey was very patient while Eric helped her apply her makeup. I'm sorry that I didn't get any pictures with future Uncle Tyler, but Eric remembers him. He's prayed for him the last two nights in a row.

As always, Beth loves playing with Zach and Alison.

Eric is still asking for Aunt Megan and wants to play with her.

Everyone has now been gone for a few days and things are just starting to get back to normal. The kids love seeing their Grandpa and Grandma. (How can they not when the grandparents' motto is: "My grandkids aren't spoiled! They don't get anything they don't point at first!"?). Thank you everyone for the memorable weekend, and please come again soon!

Thank You, Guardian Angels

2009-09-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am very, very thankful for guardian angels. I also realize and am thankful for all the times Eric and Beth are kept from harm even when I'm oblivious to the danger.

After tucking the kids into bed, Ryan and I went downstairs to clean the kitchen. A while later, we heard choking and Eric crying, and we raced up the stairs. Turns out Eric had removed a bolt from the standing fan in his room, swallowed it, choked, and threw it up along with some of dinner. He's fine, but it shook him up pretty bad. I thought he was past the "put-everything-in-my-mouth" stage, but I stand corrected.

I know I can't intercept every threat to my kids. That's why I'm so grateful for those guardian angels who tend their charges so diligently.

Behold, my reasons for being a "hover-mother."

We bought new winter pajamas for the kiddos. It's still pretty warm out, but we're supposed to get a major cold front through tonight. We're going from mid-80's to the 50's. The kids love'em, especially Eric. He wears his on and off throughout the day.

Eric at School

2009-09-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

This last week at preschool all the kids were asked to bring in a picture of their family and tell the rest of the class about them. This is a little video of Eric during his "presentation."

You really did do a great job Eric, we love you!

Odd Man Out

2009-09-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I have noticed that most of my friends have girls. We never thought much of this because Eric loves his friends and they always have so much fun together. But we had an interesting experience this last week when Eric was invited over to his friend Alex’s birthday party. It was a costume party and we had a WONDERFUL time. There were 10 other kids there and it was beautiful. REALLY beautiful. I mean pink and purple and frilly beautiful.

You see, Alex is short for Alexandra, and she had a princess-themed party. And her mom told me: “What is a princess party without Prince Eric?”

Eric was all over the dress up part and insisted on going as a pirate. So behold: Eric the Pirate Prince . . . . . . totally at home in the princess world. You can see the beautiful birthday girl in blue just left of center in the picture and Eric on the far left.

Thank you so much for the invitation and the wonderful party, Nikki. Eric is still talking about it and asking daily to have another party with the girls.

“Avast me pretties! Another piece of cake to this rum-swilling bilge-rat or I’ll gully the lot of ya!”

Sunday Update

2009-09-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Eric has been so considerate lately. He not only insists that I fix breakfast for Thomas in the morning but has to include his trains when he watches movies.

Beth cuddling with Dad.

Beth is 18 Months!

2009-09-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

When I took her in for her check up today the doctor said, "She really does look older then 18 months." She has climbed up the charts to the 86th% at 33 and 1/2 inches tall and a whopping 15th% at 21.8 pounds.

She acts more like a teenager than a 1 and 1/2 year old. She is great at flirting and loves it when people smile at her. And while she doesn't cry much, she does yell a lot. She also has a bubble of space and heaven forbid you cross it before she's ready. She is on a growth spurt right now and that means getting up at 2 or 3 in the morning so hungry she can't sleep. Normally I am all for letting her put herself back to sleep but when she's growing like this she'll yell pitifully until she's fed.

She LOVES to tease her brother and it drives him up the wall; and when he does the same thing to her she just laughs. I am starting to believe that she in an unstoppable force of nature. Behold our Beth! This is her one morning when I failed to get her down from the table when she first asked. She proceeded to rub yogurt all over her body and hair. You can also see the little topknot we put her hair in when she eats.

This is her playing peek-a-boo around the treadmill with Aunt Alison while watching the BYU-OU football game (Go Cougars!).

And this last one is a video of her talking and running around, just being Beth. We are so thankful for our little girl.

Last Update for August

2009-09-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Beth dancing with her blanket as a head-dress.

Eric playing with the stapler and some paper.
The kids still have to eat their suckers at the table. Eric would be fine getting down but Beth...
... drools like a St. Bernard on a hot day when she eats one.

You know it's time to get new shoes when the only ones that fit are sneakers. At least Heavenly Father doesn't mind poor fashion at church.

I sometime wonder if I should say "thank you" to Ryan for playing with the kids OR "knock it off" when he teaches Eric how to make Beth walk the plank.

I love to see how happy the kids are playing with Daddy. It just makes their day.

It's been awhile.

2009-08-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

So Beth has been getting more and more personality and using more of her charms. Like, of course, her eyes and vocal cords. Where have I seen this look before. . . ?

Oh, yeah. Here. Eric has been exploring other sleeping arrangements. I mean, why sleep in a bed when there is so much open space on the floor?
Ryan has found a way to keep the kids quiet. At least it muffles the noise.

All in all we are doing good. Ryan has been home sick for the last two days and I have enjoyed having more time with him. Beth is trying out more words and will imitate almost anything. She is also cutting one of her last 2 teeth. (Yes, this is the same tooth she has been cutting for the last 18 months or so. Did you note the sarcasm?) Eric is still enthralled with Thomas and has started to play upstairs and close the gate so Beth can't mess up his tracks. I have a new calling as first counselor in the primary that, truthfully, scares me. This is my first time back in primary since I was 12, but so far so good. I feel more blessed everyday.

Falling, Speaking, and Praying

2009-08-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Beth fell down the stairs on Tuesday. She had a red cheek for two days but other than that she’s fine. It could have been worse but when she started to fall she cried out and we all came running. Ryan and I were too far away to help but Eric rushed in and keep her from hitting the tile. What a great big brother.

This is a clip of Beth practicing her talking. She likes the words that end in "y".

"Say hello to my little friend." This three inch long praying mantis has been hanging out in our back yard for the last few days. He is the same color as a dried leaf.

For lack of a better title, we will call this... Whatever.

2009-08-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Beth will eat ketchup on everything and anything. Really, anything. Carrots, cheese, radishes, marshmallows, you name it.

Eric likes to put straws together to make one long straw. He is up to 4 or 5 now.
Corn on the cob. Beth does a great job getting most of the corn off. No food will survive!!
Food is good. Getting him to eat anything is good.
A new Sunday dress.
A new enjoyment. Pirates.

Alleman Invasion

2009-07-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Alleman invasion over the last few weeks. I posted just a few pictures of the visit that I thought you all might enjoy.

This is what the fridge looks like at the beginning of the visit. After they left we cleaned out the fridge and it was pitifully bare.

P.S. (Yes, we have 2 fridges right now.)

This was Megan taking a little nap on the first Sunday. We're glad she feels so relaxed and at home here.

Uncle Jason and Beth spending some time together. She really took to him.
Grandpa and Beth.

Grandma and Beth at the bowling alley where we had a lot of fun. Eric took second with a score of 102.

Kacey and Megan. We went wedding dress shopping and found a fantastic dress for Kacey. But because this is an open site and Tyler might wander on to it, I can't post any pictures. But Kacey you look amazing in that dress!

Beth in a box.

Eric showing me his "Junior Fire-Fighter" badge. We were over at the park one morning when we were joined by a HUGE fire truck, (the fireman driving the truck came over and gave stickers to all the kids watching), an ambulance, and no less then 6 police cars. It was the local Search and Rescue team trying out a new grappling gun. It is used to get a rope across a river that's too wide to throw across. They got it up to about 450 feet before we left for home. It was great fun for us to watch.

During the visit we went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house. It was beautiful! The sun was full on us in this picture so we all had to squint.

Dad and Mom crashed out on Zach and Alison's couch. We kept so busy that whenever they sat still for more than 5 minutes they fell asleep.

It was a great 2 weeks!

Onions

2009-07-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Our Beth really will eat anything. On top of eating things like radishes and liking them, she started eating a raw onion today. The first bite was a little... shocking.

But that did not stop her from eating several more bites.
Here is a little clip of her chomping down.