The Wilson's

We love Pop Tarts!!

2012-02-12T10:09:00.004-06:00

My kiddos love to eat pop tarts for breakfast. Honestly, I'm kinda lazy in the morning and they are just such and easy breakfast. My mom is horrified by this and sometimes I am too. She would make us breakfast every morning before school. I hope that when my kids start school I do a little better at breakfast. Until then, it's pop tarts or dry cereal with a cup of milk.

So I saw instructions for making pop tarts on Pintrest and I know that I had to give it a go. Here's the link if you want to try your own: pop tarts

The yummy filling.

Make sure they are sealed extra tight!!

Already to bake.

Lots of sprinkles please!!

Eat up!!

Izzy had the awesome idea to use a store bought pop tart as a pattern for our pop tarts. But we decided we like them to be smaller. We also decided next time we would try raspberry jam and that the pie crust needed to be rolled a little thinner. We had a super fun time!!

Re-inspired, Again

2012-02-05T16:10:00.003-06:00

I was visiting with a running buddy the other day and I realized something: I miss blogging. Not that many people read/comment on my blog, but I like having an organized record of the Wilson family happenings to look back on and enjoy. I feel like Facebook has taken the place of blogging about my life because it's so convenient. But blogging is different than Facebook. I know I'm not the best or most interesting blogger but I need to be recommitted for me.

So having said that, here we are in San Antonio. We miss Tennessee all the time. Our house (which we still own), our friends, having family close, and even the weather that I've known to complain plenty about, all became such a huge part of our lives. I'm sure that I miss it more than Justin. But maybe not. We have somewhat settled into our rental home here. I'm really enjoying our ward and have found kindred spirits in it, something I'm truly grateful for. Izzy and Wes have adjusted well but still miss TN, especially Izzy.

I've learned to not complain about 70 degree weather whenever it happens. Even if it is Christmas or February. I think this is the first winter in my entire life that I have not seen a snowflake. That is a little sad. But on the upside I've enjoyed the greenway right by our house and taking the kids to the park.

At the Alamo

Our favorite place on the trail.

Playing at the park in JANUARY!!

What I've been up to!

2011-06-12T18:57:00.003-05:00

So somewhere between the deep cleaning of our home (it goes on the market this week), preparing for an upcoming sprint triathlon (two weekends away), and basically being a single parent (Justin's fellowship requires really long hours), I managed to be involved in this lovely utube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4HhnybyC5g&feature=channel_video_title

I think that the editor does and amazing job and Jessi is super talented. I hope you get the chance to enjoy it like I do!!

KItties Galore!!

2011-06-07T17:20:00.005-05:00

We left the garage door open for about ten minutes one day and came home to this:

Six little kittens who lost their mittens + two mommy cats just chilling in the garage.

Justin was all about keeping one of these little cuties. I was NOT!!

The owners were not available to come get them. Eventually all the neighborhood kids helped me take them home.

Izzy - Unplugged!

2011-05-22T19:23:00.003-05:00

I've been super proud of Izzy lately and I really don't want to forget the moments she's creating. She is growing up way too fast!

1. Isabella finally conquered her fear of riding on a bike (with training wheels). She was very slow at first but then couldn't wait to ride her bike every day. That was like a month ago. She has barely ridden it since. Any suggestions?

2. Looking so beautiful at Easter, but with a very silly face.
3. Has decided to become a beautician and practices on Wes. Her favorite tools are a spray bottle and LOTS of barrettes.
4. Completed her first year of preschool with a smile on her face. Mrs. Sherrie was such a great teacher and she loved playing with her friend Seth. I admit I was having a hard time keeping it together when I dropped her off for the last time.
5. Everything is either the "very best day" or the "worst day ever" when it comes to my four-year-old. Standing outside in the drizzling rain looking at the rainbows made this the "best day ever."
6. A creative little mind built this castle with various blocks and other toys. She was very proud of her accomplishment.
7. First time on a horse makes for a very exciting adventure. I can't get over how cute she looks.

It All Adds Up!

2011-03-26T14:57:00.004-05:00

Blooming Tress + Bike Rides + Using the Jogging Stroller + Playing at the Park + 75 degrees one day, 40 degrees the next + Playing in Mud Puddles + Picking Flowers + Picnics + Flip Flops + Short-Sleeve Tees and Shorts + Lower Gas/Electric Bills + Kids Smelling Like Outdoors + Longer Days + Happy Smiles =

Spring!!!

Summer, please take your time in arriving.

Time out for Women

2011-03-26T14:37:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago my dear mother came to town. Amy drove up from Georgia and my sis-in-law, Bonnie came down from Ohio so we could all go together. I admit I was a little big skeptical about attending this event but in the end I really did enjoy it. The speakers were very uplifting. It left me wanting to be a better mom and wife and not complain so much.

My mom stayed for five days. I never get my mom all to myself, so it was very nice. Izzy and Wesley absolutely loved it! Grandma chased them around the house, played ponies, and of course showered them with gifts. We love you Grandma Bennett!

LOVE!

2011-03-06T07:43:00.003-06:00

How can you not love these sweet little faces?!? When all is said and done, no matter how crazy, whinny, or uncooperative my kiddos can be, I'm so grateful that I have them. It only takes a smile or hug or sweet, "I love you so much in my heart," and I'm completely in love all over again. I'm so grateful that I have my Izzy-bizzy-baby girl and my Wes-a-wes-a-wes!

My Guy!

2011-01-30T20:29:00.005-06:00

Words cannot describe the love and adoration I have for this little guy. Even when he is whinny, won't stay in bed, and pees on me, it just takes a little smile, a glance from those big browns, and a sweet kiss. That's it, I'm done. I don't even try to be angry. He is just growing up way too fast.

Check out these sexy legs!

Sometimes, this is how I find Wesley sleeping. He cracks me up!

Wesley's 2-year-old birthday celebration involved a few friends and family, some cake pops, and of course presents. He was so excited about turning two. Whenever anyone sang happy birthday, he sang along and just grinned from ear to ear. I coached him to say, "I'm two" whenever anyone asked.

Putting together his tool bench with Daddy!

Snowy Days

2011-01-30T10:38:00.006-06:00

I'm truly a Idaho girl at heart. The weather in Tennessee has always been challenging for me to appreciate. Hot humid summers, cold snowless winters, just not my cup of tea. For the first time since I have lived here, we had a beautiful snowfall at Christmas. Since then we have had a few pretty good storms. I still shake my head that school gets canceled for so little of snow, but I have been able to enjoy the cold a little bit more with my kiddos this year. I'm thinking of investing in snow clothes for next winter and possibly a sled. Just thinking.

Here are some pictures of our adventures. I'm sad to report that our sledding venture was not photographed at all. I'm a terrible mother. We went sledding with two of our neighbors to the perfect spot. Not too long, not too short. I admit to being a little nervous for Wes and even more nervous for Izzy since she tends to be a bit of a wimp. But my worries were in vain. They absolutely loved it and couldn't get enough. By the end, Wesley insisted on walking up the hill himself and pulling the sled behind him. Someday I'm taking my kids to the sand dunes!

We built this snowman the day after it snowed. When the snow was already melting. It lasted about half the day in the sun. He was cute while he was here.

Izzy has been dying to make a snow angel. It's all she ever talks about when it snows. So happy we finally got around to it.

Fall! Finally!!!

2010-10-24T16:24:00.007-05:00

We had extended summer weather this year. Every day I look at the forecast in anticipation of seeing those highs dip into the 70s. It seems to have taken forever, but we are finally getting some decent weather. We have been spending hours at the park, walking on the greenway, and playing outside. My housework has been suffering because I'm trying to soak up every single minute of the delicious autumn goodness while I can. Housework can wait.

Here is a quick run down of our October:

Sidewalk chalk for HOURS!

I ran in two 5K races this month with my friend, Brooke. Our times improved by almost a minute for one run to the next. Izzy also participated in her first race ever (a 1K). So proud of her for finishing. Can I just say, best running weather ever!!!

Getting ready for Halloween by decorating our annual Haunted House.

We went to Honeysuckle Farm on Saturday. So fun to spend time together as a family. We enjoyed all the activities and came home completely covered in dirt.

How do I get on the other side of this fence?

The corn maze. Do we look lost or what?

Hay Ride

The Corn Popper

Picking Pumpkins from the Patch

FOUR!!

2010-10-15T18:59:00.001-05:00

Four years ago we moved to the small town of White House, TN. Four years ago, Justin began his training in anesthesia. Four years ago my bestest little friend in the world was born. I never have to worry about finding anyone to play barbies, ponies, or princess cards with, because I have my Isabella Dawn!!

She wanted an Ariel Birthday this year.

Present #1: A beta fish named Tinker Bell

Present #2: Flowers from Dad

Present #3-?: All this stuff, most of which is wrapping. She had a great time.

10/10/10

2010-10-10T15:56:00.002-05:00

I know this is a little late, but I'm going to manufacture the date so it LOOKS as though it was posted on time. I can't drop the ball now. We only have two more years of this. So with no further interruptions, I present to you the number 10 (thanks to Wikipedia for making this message possible):

Ten is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2 and 5.
Ten is the sum of the four first numbers (1 + 2 + 3 + 4), of the square of the two first odd numbers and also of the first four factorials (0! + 1! + 2! + 3!)
A polygon with ten sides is a decagon,
en is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. The reason for the choice of ten is assumed to be that humans have ten fingers (digits).
The Roman numeral for ten is X (which looks like two V's [the Roman numeral for 5] put together); it is thought that the V for five is derived from an open hand (five digits displayed).
The atomic number of neon.
The number of spacetime dimensions in some superstring theories.
The Ten Commandments of Exodus 20:2-13 and Deuteronomy 5:6-17 are considered a cornerstone of Judaism and Christianity.
People traditionally tithed one-tenth of their produce. The practice of tithing is still common in Christian churches today, though it is disputed in some circles as to whether or not it is required of Christians.
There are said to be Ten Lost Tribes of Israel (those other than Judah and Benjamin)
The Bible records 10 generations between Adam and Noah, and 10 generations between Noah and Abraham
There are ten cents in a U.S. or Canadian dime, itself one tenth of a dollar. The word was shortened from decime.
The denomination of U.S. paper money bearing a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, America's first Secretary of the Treasury.
In ten-pin bowling 10 pins are arranged in a triangular pattern and there are 10 frames per game.
In American Football, 10 is the number of yards the offense must advance to maintain possession in four downs.
In Basketball, 10 feet is the height of the goals. Also the number of players on the court (5 on each team).
The title of quite a few albums, including recordings by Pearl Jam and LL Cool J.
The number of violin sonatas composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
A collection of ten items (most often ten years) is called a decade.
A decapod crustacean has ten limbs.
Something that scores perfectly is "a perfect ten". A person who is attractive and physically flawless is often said to be "a ten", from the idea of ranking that person's appearance and sex-appeal on a 1-to-10 scale.
Counting from one to ten before speaking is often done in order to cool one's temper.
In astrology, Capricorn is the 10th astrological sign of the Zodiac.
The designation of United States Interstate 10, a freeway that runs from California to Florida.

Some of my own favorites for the number 10: the easiest multiplication tables to learn, always loved the song Ten Little Indians, so proud when Izzy learned to count to 10 without skipping any numbers, running a 10 minute mile is equivalent to running 6 miles per hour (my goal for the 1/2 marathon back in April).

That’s all I have. Let me know if you think of any more!

Our Traveling Summer Extravaganza

2010-08-31T14:26:00.005-05:00

So, you know when you get so far behind on blogging that you don't really want to blog, but you know you have to and you better just sit down and get it done or you'll never be able to blog again? Well, I finally got off my lazy bum and got it done. Hurray!! The following posts include a small fraction of the pictures from my own personal camera. I plan on acquiring more great picts from my family. I hope that you enjoy what I have!

Many moons ago, Amy and I decided to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Amy's van packed with her four children and my two children (all under the age of 8) traveled across the U.S. (well to Utah and Idaho) and back. My parents traveled out with us, which was soooo nice. One the way back, just us. We definitely had a memorable trip. I don't know that I slept more than four hours a night and being perpetually tired makes two sisters at two a.m. too silly. It was hard to be away from Justin for so long, but I'm glad I made the effort to survive for three weeks away from home. Thanks Measers, for the great trip and AMAZING memories!

For your browsing pleasure, I have divided this trip into several posts. Please view as many as you like, and feel free to comment. Happy reading!

The Wonderful World of OZ

2010-08-31T14:07:00.005-05:00

To anyone who has driven across Kansas, this would look like a familiar site:

It goes on FOR-E-VER!!! At first we're like, "Oh wow, look at the open space! It's so wonderful to see the whole sky from horizon to horizon." After while we're like, "Oh man, more open space. How long do these endless plains last? Will we ever see a mountain?"

To combat our open-space blues, we made and unscheduled detour at an Oz museum. It was a very fun little place in a very teeny-tiny little town. The town park was a small plot of grass with a bench (bug Amy if you want to see pictures). Their collection of Oz memorabilia was very extensive and quite impressive. If I wasn't chasing around an 18 month old, I may have been able to enjoy it more.

Preston, Maddy, Amy, Garret, Izzy, and Mom at the entrance.

Izzy, Garrett, and Jackson with the lovable Tin Man.

Amy and I proclaiming ourselves joint rulers of the Emerald City.

When we got back in the car we still had pry 100 more hours of this:

MY FAMILY!!!!!

2010-08-31T13:41:00.006-05:00

Oh my goodness it was great to be with my parents and see all my siblings. I wish I would've pulled out my camera more. I'm relying on my mom and sister for more pictures of our time together.

The first half of our stay in Utah, I was the only one staying at my parents house. It's was great getting my mom all to myself. I did get to spend lots of time with Aubrey and her sweet little Ari, Amber and her two boys, and Daniel and Ally. Our main goal each day was to purchase some shaved ice with cream drizzled on top. YUM! I don't know why I did not take any pictures of this. I must have been too busy stuffing my face.

It's the second year in a row that all my siblings were able to congregate in one area. I feel so blessed that this happened. I love them all so much!!!

Relaxing (or belaxing as Izzy would say) at the pool.

Amy and Garrett

Ally and Wes

Amber and Jordan

Arianna

Me and my dude

My Grandpa and Grandma Shimer came down from Idaho for Aubrey and Steve's sealing and to see all of us. I was so happy to play some games and spend some time with them.

Grandma and Izzy

Grandpa and Izzy

With some of their great-grand children

Utah State Hey Aggies All the Way!

2010-08-26T15:57:00.006-05:00

Daniel and Ally joined me and the kids for an afternoon galavant to Logan, UT. So nice to be back in the place I called home for 4 1/2 years. I really experienced some of the best memories in this place. If I could go back to any time in my life I would pick my years in Logan.

The Beautiful Logan Temple

The "A" where you become a true Aggie.

Around Campus

Old Farm, Apartment Q-2. Need I say more?

Hangin' with the Hardens

2010-08-26T13:10:00.008-05:00

We had so much fun with Justin's sister Amanda and her two boys, Alex and Benjamin. We were able to play at their house a few different days. We also spent one morning at this place called The Treehouse. My kiddos loved their cousins and Aunt Amanda!

Aunt Amanda and Wes watching the dog, Charlie.

Izzy and Benjamin are only a few weeks apart. I really love this little guy!

Alex was super helpful with Wes, always looking out for him.

We made the kids dress up like colonial times in the "oval office."

Grandpa Ole brought this super fun water slide over to Amanda's.

The kids enjoyed the creative cupcakes Amanda made.

Wes loving on his Grandpa Ole.

Way to Go, Idaho!!

2010-08-24T15:07:00.006-05:00

This was the absolute best part of our entire trip for me. All of my cousins on the Bennett side were able to meet up past Driggs and camp for two nights. My mom and I went up a few days early so we could visit St. Anthony. I ate a pizza bomb from Big J's, went to Horsey Park, and visited some old friends still living on 4th North. It brought back all sorts of memories from my childhood.

Camping was just perfect. We did get some rain the first night up but the kids loved it. Thanks to all the great cooks, we ate some excellent dutch oven food. And, oh man, our hike up Table Rock, was, well words cannot express how much I loved it. Yes it was long and hard and I was sore, but being cold on the top of that mountain was totally woth it. I had forgotten how beautiful the view was from the top. Very grateful to all those who made this trip possible!!

Already for the seven hours of hiking coming up.

Dad and his little bro, Steve.

I love my sis Amber, she ran with me down the mountain!

Everyone made it too the top!

This is my cousin Chris's daughter. I loved her bouquet of wild flowers.

Izzy loved the wild flowers too. Indian Paintbrush was all over the place.

Brooke, Keaton, and Beau setting up their tent.

The Caddy's in Pine, Arizona

2010-08-24T14:29:00.005-05:00

When Amy and I set out on this adventure we knew we wanted to see the Caddy's. They are some of our favorite cousins ever. We planned a few extra days to stop and hang out! Deon had this fabulous idea that we meet them at their rustic cabin in Pine. It was seriously the nicest cabin I've ever seen. The food was fantastic and the weather even better!

Wes loved the three dogs running around. Where the dogs went, he went.

He also loved playing in the dogs' water bowl.

Lisa and Deon

Betsy and Sara. LOVE these girls!

The whole gang. We were able to see all the Caddy kids except Debra.

Garrett and Wesley didn't make the group picture. They had both crawled up in their car seats and gone to sleep. I think they were ready to be home.

Driving Mishaps

2010-08-24T14:00:00.001-05:00

I don't know what it was, but each day we had to drive I swear we would end up getting to our destination like four hours later than the GPS told us in the morning. There were times I blame the GPS (like dad's little side roads on the way out) or times when getting all six kids out of the car, to the bathroom and back in the car took an entire hour. But we had a few other major setbacks, especially on the way home.

In southern Utah Amy got pulled over for speeding down a windy road where the speed limit was 65. The cop claimed we were going 78. Amy and I and the resume button on her cruise control all know she was going 69ish. He didn't even cut her a break for having such a clean driving record. He did knock her speed down to 74 and hand us a ticket. Plus he set us back another half hour.

Later on in the evening, our friend G. (short for GPS), took us up and down a road and we could not figure out where to turn. We finally did it the old fashioned way and stopped at a gas station. By the time we were back on route we hit what we thought was construction. It was actually a really bad accident with at least one person body bagged on the side of the road. Hour and half later, we were on the way again.

After leaving Arizona, we made our way to New Mexico. We were planning on stopping around 6:00, eating dinner, and sleeping in a hotel. Turns out the hotel we had Bryce reserve for us was a few more hours down the road. I'm pretty sure we didn't make it until close to midnight.

The next day Oklahoma City was a relatively short distance. I was getting so excited because we were all on time to our stop for the night. Then, BAM!! half hour away from our destination we get a flat tire. We pulled off on the side of I-40 hoping that someone would stop. No one did. Amy and I dumped everything out of the back of her van to get the spare tire out. Problem was, we couldn't get off the flat tire. We were both too wimpy.

My disgruntled look because no one stopped to help us.

Amy even tried jumping on the crow bar to get the blasted tire off.

Amy's friend, Janson, saved our lives from the boiling temperatures on the side of the highway.

Mostly though, I can't complain about the driving. Our kids were very good. Thank goodness for the dvd player, McDonald's play place, and a very laid back sister!

Fantastic Friends!!!

2010-08-24T13:56:00.006-05:00

Our long journey included reuniting with some great friends!

Two of my favorite girls in the whole world. Tiffany and Jensa both looking fabulous. So sad the rest of our roomies couldn't make it. It was amazing how fast those three hours went by.

I met Valerie and her kids at a swim park in Ogden. She is an amazing mom and a friend I can always chat with forever.

Spent an afternoon at Janette's House in Rexburg. Alesha came with her kids. It's been way too long and I really think we need to get the whole crew together again soon.

Holly and Janson are friends of Amy's from dental school. They took awesome care of house! Janson saved our lives by searching for a new tire to our previously flattened one. Loved spending a night with their cute little girls!

Joey and Katie are more friends from dental school. They graciously provided us dinner and let us relax for a few hours. It was Katies's birthday so we also had some yummy cake. We were only three and a half hours from Nashville so we decided to let the kids sleep and made it home at 2 a.m.

2010-06-29T07:18:00.002-05:00

I competed in my first triathlon ever last Saturday. Though it was incredibly hot, I really loved participating. I was so nervous for the 400 yard swim. I am not a swimmer and I've only been swimming for a month. Turns out that was my favorite part.

I did learn a few lessons I'm willing to share with anyone looking forward to competing in their own triathlon.

1. Don't leave your timing chip at home. It causes panic and last minute running around when you realize it's missing.

2. You really should have a road bike. A mountain bike will work, but a 60 year-old women might fly by you like you're standing still.

3. Make sure you have someone dressed up like a cheerleader (preferably your 3 year-old daughter) cheering you on to do well on the last leg of your run.

4. Train with a really good friend who has done several triathlons before you so she can give you really good tips especially when it comes to swimming.

5. If you can avoid it, pick a triathlon that doesn't occur on a day when the high is in the 90s.

I really did love training and participating for this race. I'm not giving up running races, but I do plan on more triathlons. I love that I accomplished something for me. I sure wasn't fast and have tons of room for improvement, but it was awesome!

Me, running in the distance. You can see Iz in her cheerleader outfit.

Zoomed in a little.

Thanks for the motivation Becca! (yeah, her baby is only 7 months old, she ROCKS!)

My favorite cheerleader!

Our Daddy the Doctor!!!

2010-06-20T17:10:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. It's kind of ironic that it's Father's Day and my dad is stuck in and airport all day. Meanwhile my husband is working what should be an easy 24 hour shift at the VA, but is in the OR. Both of these wonderful men show they are dedicated to their professions. I honestly don't know what I would do without them.

Last night Justin graduated from residency!!! He official finishes the end of this month, but Vanderbilt held a dinner and ceremony last night. It is crazy to think that four years ago we moved to this little town. I'm so proud of how hard Justin has worked during this time. I have never personally seen him at work, but I know he is a dedicated physician who completely cares about his patients. I can testify to the long hours he puts in and the recurring instances where he has stayed late to help out a colleague or completely finish an important case. He has saved lives and had a positive impact on his patients and their families. Just has sacrificed so much to pursue his dream. Despite minimal sleep, sometimes going days without seeing his kids, and raising his blood pressure, he has endured. Even when he is at home, he rarely takes a break. He is always reading journals and text books to make sure he stays up-to-date with his studying. I am so pleased to call Dr. Justin W. Wilson my husband!

When you graduate from residency, you are given a chair. Wes enjoyed playing in it this morning. That cheesy smile with closed eyes was totally on purpose.

Pre-Summer Days

2010-06-13T15:54:00.005-05:00

Wes thinks it's too hot to wear anything at all.

Yes, we have not reached the first day of summer yet, but if you live in Tennessee we have been experiencing summer-like conditions for several weeks now. In fact by now it is almost unbearable. We have been able to do a few fun things despite the muggy weather.

Back when we could stand being outside for longer then 2 minutes we were able to attend the annual White House Carnival. This year Wes joined Izzy on some of the rides.

The kids and I took a little trip down to Georgia to hang out with Amy for a few days. Here are a few pictures of the kids with the cousins they love to play with. It was a crazy few days, but we had so much fun playing and swimming.

Outfits not even planned...well maybe a little.

The other day we went to a local park that holds events for kids every Friday during the summer. This past Friday the big crowd pleaser was "Touch-a-Truck." It's actually really fun. Different "truck" drivers bring in their vehicles for the kids to climb on and touch. Unfortunately the weather was terrible. Our playgroup was there for about 10 minutes before we decided that it would be impossible to stay long if we didn't want to pass out from the humidity. We climbed through a couple of big attractions then headed to a nice indoor, air conditioned McDonald's play place. Unfortunately I think every mother at the park eventually had the same brilliant idea.

Stay tuned for a post all about the sprint triathlon I'm registered to participate in...

Aaauuuggghhhh!

2010-05-11T16:33:00.008-05:00

So it's obviously been awhile since I posted on our blog. I attribute this to one major reason: we switched from a PC to a Mac. (On a side note, my second smaller reason is that I was spending lots of my free time helping my mom with her college calculus class over the phone. Thank goodness she passed.) For two months I think the only thing I used the computer for was to check my email and use the Internet. Isabella has found a much better use, playing various games. Now that we are not at risk of getting viruses, Izzy was granted use of the computer. I too often use it as a tool of occupying her time. Anyway, the other day I finally consented to trying out iMovie and iPhoto. I had 300 photos that needed a place to go and my old photo editing software is not compatible with the mac without spending further money. I gave in to Justin's suggestion and familiarized myself with iPhoto. It takes a little getting used to, but I think I'm really going to love it. In another huge break-through, I also made a document on Pages, mac's word processor. Little by little I'm learning to appreciate our mac. I may never go back.

So here is a bit of and update filled with illustrations.

Justin hit the big 30 in March. We just had a small celebration, but did manage a date a few days later.

Izzy is getting so big and independent. Sometimes I wish she would just stop. Yes the crying and selfishness are a little overbearing and yes she can be a stinker, but she knows how to turn on the charm and be a little sweetie. I dread the day I have to worry about boys, driving, make-up, etc.

My little dude is learning from his big sister. He is sure to cry and scream when Iz tries to take things away or touch him. He knows to run if he has something he is positive I wouldn't approve of him touching. Wes is my little love bug. Especially when he is sleepy.

We buzzed Wesley's hair the other day. It made me so sad. He looks too grown-up.

My brother, Ben and his family were able to drive down from Ohio for Easter. My parents, unbeknown to them flew out for a few days too. Amy and family stopped by for a day on the way to their spring break destination. So fun to have family here!

Wesley absolutely adored his grandpa and followed him all over the house.

My wonderful mother with my niece Bree.

Finally, Justin had last week off. We performed various tasks around the house like cleaning out the garage, washing cars, and planting flowers. We did take a break from the work and hit the zoo one day. We were a little concerned that the zoo might be closed from all the insane flooding in the Nashville area, but it was up and running.

Hope to catch up with everyone's blogs soon!

Dance Magic Dance

2010-02-01T15:16:00.003-06:00

Here is my star! He makes me laugh every time. It's a few minutes long for grandparents sake.

Snow = Christmas

2010-01-31T18:37:00.003-06:00

Isabella: "Yay!! It's snowing!! Now we can get those Christmas things out! Yay!!!"

I wish it were that simple.

We were thrilled about our 4 inches of snow and couldn't wait to get all bundled up to head out for 10 minutes of making snow angels and foot prints. I wish I had a sled or something. I honestly don't if know if you can buy one here. It still astounds me how the world shuts down when it snows. Church was canceled today and school is canceled for tomorrow. Oh it's not snowing any more, it's just that the pavement isn't showing or something. I'm sure they have their reasons though. I'm thankful they want to keep everyone safe.

Poor Wes. I really thought that he needed a "first snow" experience. However the only 12 month snow clothing we have is extra-sparkly pink. I hope he doesn't dislike me for this picture one day. He still looks like a little boy to me. :)

My Wonderful One-Year-Old

2010-01-14T13:50:00.008-06:00

I love little one-year-olds!!! It's so easy to forget that merely one year ago Wes was incapable of climbing up and down stairs, feeding himself, babbling non stop, crawling, figuring out how all the toys work, nearly walking, and all the hundreds of other things one year-olds are capable of. Although he has his moments, I love my dude so much! The joy and delight he brings to my life is so unique and unmatched by any other. Whenever I see his smiling face coming towards me as fast as his little legs can crawl, I can't help but scoop him up for a slobbery kiss. If I had it my way, I would forget my other responsibilities and make it my goal to get him to laugh all day long. Thank goodness he has Isabella to help me out.

We celebrated numero uno a few days early while Grandma Wilson was still here. It was like Christmas all over again. He loved every present. He was a little crabby and after cake went straight to bed (after a nice cleansing bath).

Snow

2010-01-14T13:34:00.004-06:00

It never snows enough for me in Tennessee, but we did have a few days of snowfall and we at least had to attempt to enjoy it. It was too stinking cold to stay out for long. I can't wait for Isabella to play in some "real" snow.

Vacation

2010-01-14T12:49:00.007-06:00

It was so nice for Justin to finally get some days off work. He had 2 1/2 weeks off and we certainly kept busy.

First we went to a Charlie Brown Christmas in Ice at Opryland with two of Justin's cousins. It's amazing what these sculptors do with ice. Izzy kept saying, "it's cold" and shaking her whole body.

Next off to the Carter's in Georgia for New Year's. Madison stayed up until midnight with us playing Boggle and doing some karaoke. Early the next morning the men got up to see if they could get a deer. They didn't have much luck, but a guy in their group shot two deer, so we inherited a half a deer. Amy and I were able to get out one morning for some much needed sister time. Bryce and Justin braved Walmart with all six kids. Izzy and Maddy got matching Webkinz. Man I love having these guys close.

After we were home for a few days unpacking and cleaning, Justin's late Christmas present arrived. I'm so proud of myself for keeping this a secret for so long. Justin didn't even have a clue that I arranged for his BFF, Steve to come out for a few days. It was great having him here. He was super cute with our kids. As you can tell from this picture:

Justin's Mom also came out for a week long visit. It's always nice having Grandma around. The kids absolutely loved playing with her. Unfortunately I failed to snap any picts of Grandma. Shame on me.

Christmas Time Has Come (and Gone)

2010-01-14T12:11:00.004-06:00

Christmas morning in the Wilson home was filled with joy! We had to wait for Daddy to get home, but once he made it, our fun-filled and relaxing day could begin. The kiddos loved their presents from Santa Claus. I didn't take pictures of present opening, but here are some Christmasy pictures:

I never thought I would love matching so much.

Our Christmas Morning pjs.

I made all of us matching pj pants. They turned out pretty dang cute!

My Lazy Excuse of a Christmas Card

2010-01-06T10:39:00.001-06:00

We had a really wonderful Christmas. I hope everyone else did too. When Justin goes back to work I will try to throw on some cute pictures of the kids. Happy Holidays (a little late) to everyone!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

November has come and gone...

2009-12-08T07:46:00.002-06:00

We have been very busy and also forgetful. I failed to bring my camera with me anywhere. So silly of me. I just wanted to make note of the events so I wouldn't forget.

Early in the month of November we traveled up to Dayton, OH to visit my brother Ben and family and help out a little. His wife, Bonnie had recently had surgery. We needed a good excuse to get up and visit anyway. Justin, of course couldn't make it. We had a great time hanging out and playing with cousins. Wes stepped it up a notch while visiting and went from scooting on his belly to crawling on all fours.

We came home to regroup before we headed south to Amy and Bryce's for Thanksgiving. My parents were able to come out and Ben and Bonnie also drove down. Justin, of course, couldn't make it. Although I didn't have a camera, my mom took over two hundred pictures. It's nice to know that I may some day get some of them. It was soooooo nice to be around my family. I really do love living in the south (hot summers aside), but it is unfortunate we don't live close to Grandma and Grandpa. We ate up every minute of it.

It's nice to be home now. We missed our daddy like crazy. We are all decorated for the holiday season and settling in for the wonderful busyness of this time of year. That is until our next road trip...

October Update

2009-11-01T22:09:00.002-06:00

Sorry about all the new posts. It's been a busy month. I just wanted to make sure I posted all of these events. Happy Holidays!

5K Pumpkin Run

2009-11-01T22:00:00.004-06:00

I've been wanting to participate in this 5K since I moved to White House. So on the morning of October 3rd, I went and registered. It's been a loooong time since I ran a race and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wish I could report a time, but something happened to the timers and they didn't have accurate time. I did run the whole way and probably finished somewhere in the middle. My favorite part: my cute family cheering for me and the start and finish.

Longer Out than In

2009-11-01T21:43:00.003-06:00

Wesley is Nine Months Old!!

Wow this guy is getting tricky! In a matter of a few days he has learned to go from laying to sitting to pulling up and cruising and climbing stairs. It amazes me how quick babies change. I can't even begin to express how I love this little man and his seven (almost eight) little teeth. His smile and laugh light up my life. I am completely enthralled when he is trying to figure out something new.

He claps his hands, waves hi, and holds his hands up over his head if you say, "Wes is so big." I can't get enough.

Sats are as follows:

Weight - 20 lbs (about the 50th percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (about the 90th percentile)

My Three-Year-Old

2009-11-01T21:08:00.004-06:00

It's so hard to believe my little baby girl is getting so big. She is so full of new discoveries and learning so much. Izzy loves to pretend to be someone or something else. Wes and I must play along. Her favorite characters are princesses, ponies, some sort of baby animal, and Dora. I think she is only Izzy 20% of the day. Heaven forbid I call her Izzy when she is pretending to be someone else.

Newborn

One

Two

Three

We had a My Little Pony celebration for her birthday. She had a few little friends come over and we painted some ponies and ate pony food. She received some fun gifts. Mostly they all just played. Little girls are so cute together.

Justin's grandparents came over later that evening for cake and ice cream. My favorite part of her entire birthday was this:

As soon as we sang to her, she stuck her face in the icing and went to town. I have no idea what made her do this, but it cracked me up.

By Car or By Plane

2009-11-01T20:51:00.004-06:00

Justin had a Anesthesia convention in New Orleans from the 17th to the 20th. I wasn't so excited about being home without him so we dropped him off at the airport and I drove to Amy's in Georgia. It was seriously the best visit. We played with the kids and relaxed together. Bryce stayed with all the sleeping kids one evening so Amy and I could go clothes shopping together. It was the best!! I LOVE shopping with my sis. Here's a few picts of the cute cousins playing together:

Halloween Festivities

2009-11-01T20:20:00.001-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM MY LITTLE MONSTER!!

We started celebrating Halloween last weekend at our AWESOME ward Trunk or Treat. For the past two years a family in our ward has hosted this event. This year they had a bean bag toss, pop the balloons with a dart, potato sack race, three-legged race, hay ride, haunted trail, Halloween tattoos, pumpkin painting, a huge bonfire with hot dogs and marshmallows to roast, and chili cook off. It was so well planned and super fun. There were some really great costumes and really good soup.

I'm pleased to say that our family won the "best family costumes" award. We were dressed up as Captain Hook, Wendy, Tinker Bell, and a Lost Boy.

The next day Izzy and I headed to the 3rd annual haunted house decorating party. Justin and Wes couldn't make it.

We all got sick this past week, so we didn't carve pumpkins until Halloween day (sorry no pictures). Isabella did love trick-or-treating and loved being Tinker Bell. She was so proud of the "pixie dust" in her hair.

Lost River Cave

2009-09-30T21:13:00.007-05:00

Justin had one of his rare weeks off last week. However it was only like five days because a seminar he needed to attend happen to fall on his days off and he also picked up a moonlighting shift. So between that and all the blasted rain, we didn't do much of anything.

We decided to attempt a visit to the great state of Kentucky and this place my friend told me about, The Lost River Cave. I planned everything oh so carefully, packing lunch and working around naps, only to find when we got there that the water level was too high and they weren't doing cave tours.

So we did something Justin and I only dreamed of as kids. We bought a bag of dirt and panned for rocks and fossils. It was loads of fun! I honestly think Justin was more excited than Izzy. When we got home they worked together to identify all their jewels.

Isabella's exploding imagination has her being a new favorite character every day. This day she was Dora. That is why she is wearing the back-pack.

My dude!

Even though, we couldn't go in the cave, we were able to hike down to the cave and look in. This area is beautiful.

We also hiked through the mud to see a few butterflies flying around a butterfly house.

Our other big accomplishment of the week? We got our family picture taken (Izzy is 7 months in the last one we had done.)

2009-09-17T19:21:00.002-05:00

Izzy just saw this picture in an ad on the computer. This was our conversation:

Izzy: Mom, you want that car?

Me: Not really, why do you want to it?

Izzy: When I get bigger, bigger, bigger and I can drive.

Me: Really? Go tell your dad.

Yeah that's a little scary. Don't worry, this camaro comes in at just under $31,000. A really great choice for a teenager, don't you think?

Give Me A "C"

2009-09-15T19:24:00.004-05:00

C - for camping, that is.

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but in the almost six years Just and I have been married, we have never been camping together. It's a little odd considering we both enjoy it so much. Well, enough is enough and we took advantage of the two days off Justin had over Labor day and headed out. We were joined by the Carter's (thanks guys for the good times).

We ended up at a little family camp ground in the general direction of Georgia so Amy and Bryce wouldn't have to drive as far when the headed home. We pretty much got rained out for dinner and couldn't light a fire. We ate at Zaxby's. We were able to start a nice fire and roast some marshmallows. Except for Wes scooting all over the tent, we slept pretty well. And then it rained some more. We packed up our tents pretty quickly and Bryce cooked us breakfast under the hood of his car. We ate lunch at McDonald's. I think Izzy might be a little surprised when we actually go camping to find it doens't generally involve eating out.

We especially enjoyed our little canoeing excursion and playing red-rover with our cousins.

Amy took more pictures on her camera. Maybe she will post them on her blog.

09/09/09

2009-09-09T14:00:00.001-05:00

Nine is the atomic number of fluorine.

It is 3 times 3 and hence the third square number.

Nine is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1 and 3.

Nine is the highest single-digit number in the decimal system.

A polygon with nine sides is called a nonagon or enneagon.

A group of nine of anything is called an ennead.

In base 10 a number is evenly divisible by nine if and only if its digital root is 9. That is, if you multiply nine by any natural number, and repeatedly add the digits of the answer until it is just one digit, you will end up with nine:

2 × 9 = 18 (1 + 8 = 9)
9 × 9 = 81 (8 + 1 = 9)
121 × 9 = 1089 (1 + 0 + 8 + 9 = 18; 1 + 8 = 9)
578329 × 9 = 5204961 (5 + 2 + 0 + 4 + 9 + 6 + 1 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9))

Important Buddhist rituals usually involve nine monks.

Ramadan, the month of fasting and prayer, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

The car number of the 1988 NASCAR Nextel Cup championship-winning team, when Bill Elliott won the title. He used this number again from 2001 to 2003. Kasey Kahne has driven the 9 car since 2004. (that's for you Becca)

The number of innings in a regulation, non-tied game of baseball.

The San Francisco 49ers are sometimes referred to as the "niners".

Nine Lives Cat Food got its name from the legend that a cat has nine lives.

In classical music the curse of the ninth refers to the superstition that a composer who writes a ninth symphony will die soon. Beethoven, who left his Tenth Symphony unfinished, is regarded by the superstition as the first victim of the curse. Among nineteenth-century Viennese composers, neither Franz Schubert nor Anton Bruckner finished nine symphonies. Gustav Mahler attempted to avoid the curse by naming the work after his Eighth symphony Das Lied von der Erde He then wrote a complete Ninth Symphony, yet his Tenth was unfinished at his death.

In music theory a ninth is the ninth note of a musical scale or the interval between the first note and the ninth.

Bands with the number nine in their name include Sound Tribe Sector 9, Nine, Stroke 9, Nine Days, Nine Inch Nails, Nine Black Alps and Alice Nine.

The Beatles released a song called "Revolution 9" which appears on The White Album (more properly known as The Beatles); its principal vocal feature is a voice repeating, "Number nine...number nine...number nine..." John Lennon, the primary composer of "Revolution 9", also released a solo recording entitled "#9 Dream. Also, George Harrison released a solo recording and a song both called "Cloud Nine"".

"Love Potion No. 9 originally performed by The Clovers in 1955. Love Potion No. 9 was a 1992 movie starring Sandra Bullock and Tate Donovan.

In the American western folk ballad Oh My Darling, Clementine, Clementine's 'shoes were number nine.'

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (sometimes abbreviated DS9), is a science fiction television series rooted in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe.

Nine justices sit on the United States Supreme Court.

The word "K-9" pronounces the same as canine and is used in many U.S. police departments to denote the police dog unit.

Someone dressed "to the nines" is dressed up as much as they can be.

Ninth Avenue is a major avenue in Manhattan.

In Middle Earth, there are nine rings of power given to men, and consequently, nine ringwraiths.

The nine muses in Greek mythology are Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (erotic poetry), Euterpe (lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (song), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy).

Anything else you want to add about the number nine?

My Jogging Buddies

2009-08-26T20:21:00.006-05:00

Izzy - She is the best partner. She notices all the birds and hears all the crickets and is sure to tell me about everything she sees. If only she would forgo the practice of asking what every single one of her fruit snacks is shaped like, especially when we are going up a hill.

Wes - You couldn't ask for a better partner. He pretty much chills in his chair. His main goal is to get on Isabella's nerves by touching her and trying to steel her fruit snacks.

My double jogging stroller - For those of you who don't know, my exercise of choice is getting out for a jog. It has been increasingly hard to do since Wes was born. I'm super excited about this recent purchase. As the weather cools off, I'm hoping to do a lot more jogging.

P.S. I know it looks like my kids are dressed for colder weather. The outside thermometer said it was 60 degrees and for some reason that seemed "cold" to me. I dressed up Wes and then Izzy thought she needed her jogging clothes. Don't worry, Isabella's jogging outfit is a My Little Pony one. The ponies name is Pinkie Pie in case you didn't know.

Utah Peeps

2009-08-09T19:43:00.011-05:00

We were able to visit with lots of people on our trip to Utah (I know we've been home nearly a month). I so wish I had pictures of everyone. If you are listed without a picture, sorry.

First it was great to see so much of my extended family at the weddings and Bennett reunion.

Grandma and Grandpa Shimer, Aunt Bobby and Jennica, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Nelda, Aunt Kim and kids were all there from my mom's side. Thanks so much for carrying Aubrey's wedding on while we were all so sick. It had been way too long since I had seen some of you. It was short, but great.

From my dad's side, Uncle Wade and Aunt Jana and all their kids+spouses and grand kids (loved hanging out with you guys), Uncle Steve and Aunt Karla and all their kids, Deon and Lisa (so glad that you came up from AZ, so sad:( your kids didn't), Uncle Dee and kids, Aunt Norma. What a great time! Loved our game of Nertz that we attempted to play.

All the Bennett Cousins at Aubrey's wedding

We were able to spend some time with Justin's family.

Sis, Amanda. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to play hostess.

Nephew, Alex. He was so cute with Wes.

Nephew, Benjamin. I seriously wanted to bring this guy home with me. He is so stinkin' cute.

Justin's Grandpa and Grandma Wilson.
We also got to hang out with Justin's dad + girlfriend one evening. He set up this big bounce house for the kids and they made us dinner. It was great. We were able to go with Justin's mom and Lynn and see the Hill Air Force Base Museum. Thanks for the great idea Joann!

I really wish I had a picture, but I was able to go out to dinner with my former rommies, Tiffany and Emily. We had some great years together at Utah State. It was so fun seeing you guys and meeting your kids even though dinner was a little crazy. I love seeing you fulfill your role as mothers. I can't wait to see you again (Jensa, next time you better be there).

Finally, here are a few pictures of my family. Time went by way too quick while we were there. It always does when we get together. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Dad really wanted a picture with his "identical" grandsons.

My sis Amber and hubby Brian with Wes. Thanks Mamers for letting us stay at your house and watching my kids! I love you!

6 Months

2009-08-01T13:23:00.003-05:00

I'm a little behind on posting, but I think it's important to acknowledge an important landmark in Wesley's life.

While we were in Utah, Wes hit 6 months old. His doctor's appointment was last week and here are the stats:

Height: 28 3/4 inches long (above the 95th percentile)

Weight: 18lbs 5 oz (about the 50th percentile)

In other news, Wes is a pro at rolling both directions, scooting in circles on his belly, and can sit up pretty well (although I still don't trust him alone). He has two little bottom teeth, and loves fruit. As for sleeping, I've resigned myself to the fact that he wakes up hungry somewhere between 2-4 a.m. I just feed him and then he usually goes back to sleep until 7:00. Other than that, he is the best kid anyone could ask for. I'm so crazy about him! He has a great way of distracting me from the world when he is awake. I love when he smiles and laughs at Izzy and me.

Two Weddings later...

2009-07-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

I'm really disappointed because my memory card malfunctioned on my trip to Utah, so I didn't get many pictures. I'm counting on family and friends for some. We had an action packed trip, but I'm going to break up my posts.

I really need to tell the story of the Bennett Flu Epidemic. It all started Friday, July 10th, the day of Daniel and Ally's wedding. On the way to the temple I started feeling so sick and my sis, Amy said she wasn't feeling so hot. As the temple ceremony progressed I started eye-balling the door wondering if it would be terrible for me to run out and puke if I had to. Well, I made it through the ceremony and picture taking, got back to my parents house and puked for the next twelve hours. I felt terrible. I did not make it to the reception that night. My family got Izzy ready and took her with them.

Well, after pictures were taken, Isabella puked all over my sister. So, I'm laying in the floor in agony, trying to get up the energy to take care of my baby and my brother-in-law brings me a sick little girl dressed in a adult dress that is draped on her and tied up somehow. I started to try to get her changed and both of us to bed, but I had no energy. I seriously was praying that someone would come home and help me out. Someone came alright. My two sick sisters. Over the next few days, nearly everyone in my family was infected with this terrible flu bug. A few people went to the emergency room, it was so bad.

Aubrey and Steve were married on Saturday and they both got sick the night before. I think Steve puked all night. They could barely stand at their own wedding. The whole next week the phone was flooded with calls of others who had gotten sick. I pretty sure the Bennett flu was spread across the United States. Sorry if you got it.

Look who has a tooth! and Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T18:17:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready to head to Utah, so this is all I have time for. Enjoy!

Five days of Cousins

2009-06-18T19:19:00.006-05:00

Last Wednesday my sis-in-law, Bonnie, drove down with her three kids from Ohio. She picked me and the two kiddos up and we headed down to Monroe, GA to Amy's beautiful new home. That means there were nine children (seven and under), three mommies, two big wolf spiders in the window, one daddy and a partridge in a pear tree chillin' for five days. It was pretty crazy, but we had such a great time and the cousins all played together so well. Thanks Measers for opening up your home to everyone and being a great hostess and feeding everyone. Can't wait to go to Utah with you!

I don't usually like to do slide shows, but I took a ton of picts and Grandparents want to see them all. Enjoy!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Carnival!

2009-06-04T20:14:00.004-05:00

One of the greatest things about living in a small town, are the annual festivities. We have noticed the small carnival sponsored by the chamber of commerce before, but we never went. This year we thought Izzy would enjoy the smaller rides.

The rides were pretty rickety and none of the workers spoke English. It surprised me that Izzy didn't flip out when they picked her up and plopped her down in a ride. Most of the time she was the only one on the ride so they just let her keep on going around and around.

She may not have a joyous expression on her face, rest assured that she was anxious to get on the next ride. She talked about the carnival and the roller coaster for days.

Izzy's looking pretty nervous about this "roller coaster." Justin couldn't go with her because of the height restrictions. After the first turn she was holding on for dear life. I was a little nervous until both of her feet were safely on the ground. Even though she looks terrified, she did have a good experience and I think that she will be a roller coaster rider some day.

What about Wes? He was a pretty happy guy chillin' in his stroller, eating the straps.

Hair Cut

2009-05-27T16:17:00.004-05:00

This is my brother, Daniel and his cute fiance, Ally. They are getting married July 10th in the Bountiful Temple. We were able to meet her about three weeks ago. There are a lot of things about Ally that were so impressive to me. We were really grateful for her ability to cut hair.

Izzy has NEVER had a hair cut. I've been kind of waiting for her hair to grow in from her pulling it out phase. I also thought she would be horrible to take somewhere. She does not like when other people touch her and can be very uncooperative. Luckily Izzy fell in love with Ally at first site and was all about getting her hair cut. She was super good and sat still on the stool. We mostly just evened everything out. Nothing too drastic. Thanks a ton Ally!

I've been wanting to chop off my hair for some time now, but it is so hard to find a hairstylist you love. I took advantage of Ally's super skills.

Before:

After (not the best pic, but that's what I get for taking it myself):

4 Months Old

2009-05-23T09:50:00.006-05:00

Here's our big guy

And here is his sis at four months. Funny how they both had their four month picture taken in the same place.

Stats:

Height: 27.5 inches (above the 95th percentile)

Weight: 15 lbs 10 oz (between 50th - 75th percentile)

Wes really is a happy baby. He is sleeping much better now that I'm not eating dairy. Not to say that he doesn't have a bad night here and there, but it's tons easier to put him back to sleep. He LOVES playing with toys and reaching for everything. He is super good at distracting me from things I need to get done because he will laugh and play and talk. I'm in love with my guy.

No Milk For You

2009-05-12T20:38:00.005-05:00

A little less than a month ago Wes had a few diapers with blood in his stool. To make a long story short, his doctor suggested I go dairy free and see if that helped. Turns out that he probably has a difficult time digesting the proteins in dairy products. He is sleeping so much better and no longer screaming in pain every night. Every once-in-awhile he still wakes up screaming with gas pain. I figure he has a sensitive stomach and it is probably something I ate. I'm super careful with dairy, so I here is the big question for you all:

Are there foods you ate that your baby was sensitive to?

I'm hoping to avoid all the bad foods so I can maximize my sleep at night. I'm really not ready to be done breast feeding and his doctor said things usually get better around six months. I'm trying to hold our until then.

Let me tell you, it really stinks not eating dairy. Our play group went to a Purity dairy factory last week and they had all this really yummy free ice cream. Yeah, I couldn't eat any. I'm okay with it.

It's all worth it though for this cute face.

Grandma Wilson

2009-05-08T17:05:00.003-05:00

Justin has some aunts from Canada visiting his grandmother who lives about 20 minutes away from us. So his mom was able to come out for about a week and visit. Coincidentally Justin also had that week off. We were able to spend some quality time with his mom. Izzy and Wes loved having her out. Thanks for coming Grandma!

At the Car Wash

2009-04-26T16:37:00.003-05:00

This one is my favorite.

And here is a cute one of Wes getting out of the bath.

Joining the Easter Party

2009-04-17T21:49:00.005-05:00

So everybody else has an Easter post. Even though it's belated, here is mine for histories sake. We did the church Easter hunt and then our own little one Easter morning. Isabella was really good at finding all the eggs. We talked to her about how Jesus was resurrected, but I'm pretty sure she didn't understand. She sure can say resurrection though. Someday she will understand.

This is a bunny mask we made at the primary Easter activity.

Three Months Old

2009-04-16T10:06:00.003-05:00

Our cute little man is getting so big! We are reallly crazy about him. He really is a content little guy as soon as you feed him. If only he would learn to sleep a little better...

Blessing and Cousins

2009-04-06T19:59:00.005-05:00

Isabella had a really great time getting to know her cousins. Jackson is six months younger than her and they really hit it off. Izzy was a little possessive of her toys, but when they got past that, they were really cute together. Izzy also really loved running through the house trying to get away from 4 year-old Preston and into Maddy's protective arms.

I really have to give a huge shout out to my sister, Amy. I was able to be reminded of the reasons why I look up to her as a mother. I am amazed at the patience she has with her children and the way she finds every opportunity to teach them. She is so good at setting aside other things to spend one-on-one quality time with each of them. Her discipline is consistent and her kids respond so well. Ame, I want you to know that you are my inspiration and I strive to be like the great mother you are!
Last of all, the reason for a few days of fun with our cousins was the blessing of our handsome little man. Justin did a really great job and it makes me so grateful that he is able to exercise the power of the priesthood. He is such a great example to his family. He grandparents and aunt and uncle and cousins were able to attend the blessing and come over afterwards to hang out. We really enjoyed ourselves. It always nice to have an excuse to get family together. I wish I would've taken more pictures that day, but it was pretty crazy. I did manage these two.

Identical Cousins?

2009-04-03T09:49:00.005-05:00

My sister, Amy, was here for Wesley's blessing this past weekend. Her little boy, Garrett, is about a month older then Wesley. He is such a cutie! Here are some pictures of them together.

What do you think?

We went to the zoo (picts to come) and I was holding both boys for a second and everyone walking by kept saying things like, "You've got your hands full." and "Look at those cute twins." I was happy to pass on the news that they were cousins.

Happy B-Day Justin!

2009-03-24T15:47:00.004-05:00

There are several of you that we know from medical school who are now doing residencies (or almost done) so you can all relate. Justin works so hard for not so much and he puts in some crazy hours. Yesterday he went to work at 5:30 a.m and got home at 1:30 a.m. the next morning since he was on call. The good news is that he didn't have to work on his birthday. Hurray!! That's why he is in bed when Izzy is singing to him.

I asked Izzy about a week ago what she wanted to get Justin for his birth-day. She said, "Sweetie Belle" which is a My Little Pony. She also thought he needed a My Little Pony cake. Justin of course went along with it.It's always difficult to buy the perfect gift for Justin. So I made him this card with a little help from Wes and Izzy. I thought it turned out really cute.We really love our daddy and we are so grateful he works so hard and loves us so much! Happy 29th Just!

It's That Time Again

2009-03-19T08:19:00.003-05:00

Did you fill out your bracket yet? The MADNESS starts today!

2009 Bracket

Utah State! Hey! Aggies all the way! (I'm not saying they are going to go far, I'm just saying I like to see my Alma Marter playing in the big tournament.)

Two Months

2009-03-15T20:39:00.003-05:00

Wesley is two months old! Izzy turned to me the other day and said, "Baby brother is so cute." I had to agree. I included Izzy's two month picture so everyone can compare. Do you think they look alike?

Daddy's Little Girl

2009-03-06T14:50:00.005-06:00

Justin has been putting in some long hours this very long rotation (pediatric anesthesia) and when he's home, he has been reading a ton to prepare for an exam he takes tomorrow.

Last night he got home after 7:30 p.m. and I had just put Izzy to bed. I was trying to keep her up to see her daddy, but she said she was ready to go to sleep. Justin was pretty sad not to see her, so he went into her room to tell her goodnight.

He said that he walked in and she got the biggest grin on her face. He knelt by her bed and she puckered up for a kiss. They than had this conversation.

Justin: "I miss you Izzy."

Iz: "I miss you too, Daddy."

Justin: "I love you Izzy."

Iz: "I love you too, Daddy."

Justin: "I know I've been busy, but we will play Saturday, Okay?"

Iz: "Okay Daddy."

When he told me their conversation, I nearly started crying it was so sweet. I think Justin was a little teary-eyed too. It's so great knowing a kid loves you more than anything else is the whole world. I love that Justin is the rock star of Izzy's world! Don't worry, I'm a rock star in her world too, probably bigger than Justin. :)

I Swear They Plan It...

2009-03-01T19:11:00.005-06:00

Wes: I'll be up around 1:00 a.m. to nurse and have a really wet diaper that leaks so my jammies need to be changed. I'll cry a lot.

Iz: Great! That means I will get up at 2:00 a.m. and say that I have to go potty. Meanwhile I will make a really big deal about wanting to sleep in mommy's bed and cry a lot.

Wes: Okay, I will get up at 4:00 to eat. Then around 5:00 I will get restless and cry a lot because I have gas pain and need to burp.

Iz: Okay I will get up at 5:30 and insist on a cup of milk and watching a show. I'll be up for good by then. If necessary, I will cry a lot.

My Valentines

2009-02-16T13:58:00.005-06:00

This is my hard-working Valentine. Justin works so hard to provide for our family. He is a great dad, and a caring husband. For Valentine's day he went to the store and got some yummy crackers, cheese, and chocolates and prepared a little platter for us. We drank some sparkling cider and enjoyed a few quiet moments without the kids. Then we were both so tired that we went to bed at 9:30.

This is my one month old Valentine. I think he's about ready to bust out the smiles.

Isabella is my silliest Valentine. We made some yummy cookies together. We had a lot of fun. I hope you had a happy heart day too!

Sunday Planning

2009-02-08T15:44:00.006-06:00

Justin is working a 24 hour (7 a.m. today - 7 a.m. tomorrow) shift today. I admit the thought of getting up and getting two kids ready for 9:00 a.m. church by myself did not sound like fun. Then I thought, we might as well try it. I bathed Izzy last night and took a shower myself also. That meant this morning's check list was as follows:

Nurse Wes
Eat Breakfast
Feed Izzy
Get myself ready (hair, make-up, find an outfit that doesn't make me look too chubby)
Get Izzy ready (dress, hair, potty)
Bath and dress Wes
Pack diaper bag
Pack Izzy's bag
Load up Kids and bags (three, including my YW's bag, I really need a bigger bag)

Izzy got up around 6:30 so that basically meant I had two hours to get everything done. I hoped that we had enough of a buffer in case of any unplanned events.

I would say things went pretty smooth. We were all ready to go and I looked at the clock, 8:10. Holy Cow!! I was so impressed that I had 20 minutes to spare. Hence the cute picts. Enjoy!

What a cute dude! His hair looks kind of red. It doesn't look red in real life (sorry Dad).

Izzy in her "Princess" Dress My attempt at getting a picture of them together.

Izzy's Baby Brother

2009-01-21T20:46:00.011-06:00

Izzy wasn't sure about baby Wes at first, but now she is super cute. She is very willing to share her toys and wants to play blocks and animals with him. She even offered her little Cinderella figure to him, which is a very big deal. I don't even get to play with Cinderella.

The first thing she does when she wakes up is look for baby brother and is very concerned if he is not where she can see him. Izzy doesn't show a lot of interest in holding him, but does ask to carry him every so often. She is very concerned when Wes cries and likes to try to give him his paci.

Overall Izzy is a cute big sister and very proud of her baby brother.

Thought I would throw this picture in just because Wes is just so dang cute!

Welcome Baby Wesley

2009-01-17T21:09:00.007-06:00

Justin Wesley Wilson Jr. arrived Wednesday, January 14th at 11:49 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21 inches long. We are so happy to have him here.

Thanks to all our friends and family for their support in welcoming Wesley to our home.

Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures we have of our new little man so far:

Here I am, right before heading to the hospital. Izzy was very unsure about her baby brother

It's Izzy's Turn

2009-01-09T15:39:00.004-06:00

I was taking some pictures the other day and Izzy thought we needed more pictures of her. She was very specific about what I took pictures of.

Back

Fingers

"Another Fingers"

Toes

"Another Toes"

P.S. My due date is Thursday. I'm really ready to have this baby.

My Nesting Projects

2008-12-30T21:50:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to keep busy getting ready for Christmas and Baby Boy (probably to be named Wesley) Wilson hoping that time will fly (it hasn't). I don't consider myself a crafty person by any means. I do like to try to make things and I feel a sense of accomplishment for my creations. It just seems like I'm ultimately a little disappointed because I can't make anything perfect. At that point I just tell myself to move on and accept something homemade for what it is. All the imperfections add character.

Here is a small sample of what I've been doing to keep busy:

Christmas tins for Justin's family that live in the area.

A quiet book for Izzy. These are my favorite pages. Much thanks to Devrie and Megan for all their help!

This is Izzy's favorite page

Quilt/bumper pads/burp clothes for Baby Boy Wilson.

I also made a hooded towel for the newly born Garrett Carter and fleece blankets that fold into pillows for my nephews in Utah. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't.

It's been lots of fun to create. Our next big project is painting the baby's room and getting it all ready!

Our Merry Christmas

2008-12-27T13:12:00.004-06:00

Justin has had a pretty rough schedule this past month. I'm really feeling his long hours and Izzy misses him a lot. Luckily today is his last shift and then he has a few weeks off to get ready for this baby.

Anyway, Justin had a 24 hour shift on Christmas, so we celebrated the day before. Despite us all having colds, we had a great time. Izzy really stole the show. I know this video clip is pretty long. Mostly it's for grandparents and family who don't get to see her very often. But I haven't put a video of her on our blog for a long time, so the rest of you might enjoy hearing her talk too. I promise I won't be offended if you don't watch the whole thing. I, however, make a lovely Christmas morning appearance about half way through in a big fat sweater and glasses. Justin also shows his great talent of playing Cinderella with Izzy. You won't want to miss it!

Welcome Baby Carter!

2008-12-22T19:51:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to my sister, Amy and her husband Bryce!

They welcomed a new baby Garrett Mont Carter into their family on Thursday, December 18th. Both mother and baby are doing well.

Only about three more weeks until my turn. Hurray!

"There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays"

2008-12-11T20:32:00.007-06:00

It's probably because I'm big and prego and I can't go anywhere right now, but I'm really homesick to be at my parents home or in Idaho, or somewhere with snow for the Holidays. I almost cry every time I hear Christmas songs about being home and with family. I'm sure that part of it is the hormones, but I really miss the traditions that became a part of my life growing up.

It does help that Izzy is super excited for Christmas. She never tires of pointing out the Christmas lights, Christmast trees, and big blow up Santa Clauses around town. She was so excited when we decorated our tree. I think she wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to turn it on herself. I really can't wait until she sees what Santa brings her. That will honestly be the best gift I get this Christmas.

Putting the angel high on top of the tree.

Izzy had a special spot for all the Christmas balls.

Isabella was looking out the window tonight and said, "Mommy, the sky is pink." Sure enough it was pink. She also told me it was yellow and orange. It's been a while since I enjoyed a sunset, so I took a picture.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T17:25:00.004-06:00

I hope all of you had a great turkey day. My day turned out really nice despite the fact that the turkey took a little longer to cook (about an hour, yeah I was nervous). We did Thanksgiving at our house. We were hoping that the Bryce and Amy could come, but Amy understandably didn't feel up to the drive (she is eight months pregnant). We planned on dinner with the Hansens (family of four) and Justin's grandparents at first. Then our friends the Kerns (another family of four) ended up coming to town last second and came over to eat. Our friend, Scott, joined us because his family was out of town and he had to stay and work. All in all we had nine adults and five kids. Not too shabby. We had a ton of food, so everything worked out well.

Case, the baby of the group at 16 months. Poor guy, we only have girly bibs at our house currently.

Let the feast begin!
Justin and Ethan are good buddies.

Becca H. and I trying to time everything just right. Do you love my 33 weeks prego belly?

When the magic button wasn't popping out of the turkey, we inserted my fancy meat thermometer. It made us so happy every time we saw the temperature go up a degree.

These are some really cute picts of Izzy that Becca K. took today when she came to visit me for awhile. I'm hoping she will convince her husband that she needs to move back so we can hang out all the time. Anyway, I thought the pictures were super cute. Plus it showcases what I do all day with Isabella. Yeah, she loves her Ponies and her Rocket. Mostly it's all about playing Ponies.

Two Months!?!?!

2008-11-16T14:00:00.004-06:00

I am now to two week appointments. Sometimes I can't believe how fast time flies and I still have so much to do, but then other times I think ugh, I still have two more months of being pregnant? I don't understand how my mom did this six times.

Luckily I'm feeling a little bit more prepared. I made a quilt and bumper pads this week (pictures to come). Some of my sweet friends gave me a baby shower, so now at least this little boy won't have to be naked after he's born and he will have some diapers.

My biggest worries about Baby Boy Wilson is that he doesn't have a name yet and we aren't positive about how to paint his room. I guess that is not that bad.

This is kind of a lame post. Sorry.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T05:21:00.005-05:00

Izzy dressing up early in Daddy's hat.

We really had a great time enjoying this spooky day. Isabella has been sure to point out all the pumpkins and ghosts to me every time we drive down the road.

Our celebrating started last weekend with our ward "Trunk or Treat" most of which Izzy slept through. She was really excited when she woke up and then we started to get candy in her pumpkin.

Our next activity was decorating haunted gingerbread houses. Izzy was a little grumpy at first, but really started to get into the decorating. I didn't take any pictures that night, but this is how our house turned out.

Next, CARVING PUMPKINS! This is one of my favorite things about Halloween. Justin really loves it too. Izzy loves to help (sometimes a little too much) and enjoyed scooping the seeds out of her little pumpkin.

Finally, the BIG night itself. I admit that because Izzy tends to be a little leery of strangers, I thought she would be nervous to go door to door. Turns out that candy is HUGE motivator. She said "Trick or Treat", "Thank You", and "Happy Halloween" at every house. We walked around our block and she raked in the candy. Who could resist giving this princess a handful of candy?

Funny Name Tag

2008-10-25T21:16:00.003-05:00

I saw this on a few blogs (Danielle and Natalie) and it really cracked me up. I had to try it out. I hope you do too.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Penny Subaru

2. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR'S NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Scrapbooking Rainy Tour

3. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip

4. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) A-Wil

5. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Turtle

6. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Dawn Provo

7. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Wilab

8. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Purple Water

9. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) George Mont

10. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Heavenly M&M

11. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Jean Randall

12. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Whitaker Wilmington

13. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Autumn Lily

14. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Raspberry Sweaterie

15. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Oatmeal Apple

Big Balloons

2008-10-19T19:10:00.003-05:00

The other morning we were upstairs watching Mickey Mouse Club House and Isabella started shouting, "Balloon, Balloon!" I didn't think much of it, but then I glanced out our window. Two hot air balloons were coming up out of the trees and heading straight for our house. We ran and put our shoes on and ran outside. Izzy kept yelling, "Hi balloon!," up towards the sky. They floated right over us and you could hear the people inside saying hi back. We watched them until they were out of sight.

I am so grateful to have the spontaneous delight of a child in my home. It is so fun to discover the amazing world through her eyes. I love the she gets excited to see a bus or a pumpkin and that she tells me every single time. I am thankful for the opportunity to share her world every day!

Hold on Tight, Cause Here We Gooooo...

2008-10-13T08:21:00.005-05:00

We celebrated Isabella's 2nd birthday this weekend. Her actual birthday is Wednesday, but was easier to do the whole celebration on Saturday.

Izzy really loves Little Einstiens. We are sure to watch it every day. I was determined to make her a "Rocket" Cake for her b-day. I did a search on the internet and discovered it was doable, even with my non-cake decorating skills. It turned out really cute and Izzy knew who it was right away. Yeah, I'm really, really proud of it.

Summer's Over??

2008-10-02T14:59:00.008-05:00

Our weather has been so nice this week! It's much drier and the high today is suppose to be 72 degrees or something like that. I love the fall! I love waking up to a house that's 68 degrees and the fact that my air conditioner doesn't turn on. Don't worry, it's suppose get back into the 80's again this weekend. Yeah, I'm a little disappointed.

Anyway, here are a few picts left over from Izzy this summer. They are a little old (pre-potty training), but very cute. On a side note, Izzy is doing great with her potty training. We did have one accident last night, but that was the first one all week. We went shopping today and she went potty in the restroom twice! I'm so proud of her. She is still in diapers for sleeping. I'm just not ready to deal with that yet, but other than that she is doing great.

Watering the plants and daddy's tree. She loves pointing up to the sky.

Playing with sidewalk chalk has become one of our favorite out door activities. She like to keep all the colors for herself

Excuse My Potty Mouth

2008-09-21T21:02:00.003-05:00

So I have been really bad at reading others blogs and updating my own this month. Really I have only one explanation: POTTY TRAINING!

Every book and article I read said to wait to potty train until your child is older and exhibits so many "signs" that she is ready. Well, Izzy is almost two and showed some of the signs. But I just really, really wanted to get a jump on potty training so I wouldn't have to worry about it when I'm super pregnant or when our baby comes. My sister, Amy, is the one who inspired me to go ahead. So on September 1st we put Izzy in panties. I was pretty patient the first few days. I got especially excited, when after three days, she seemed to get it and she was telling me when she had to go potty.

I feel like now she has reverted from that. The only time she tells me she needs to go potty is when she needs to poop. As a result, I spend the day trying to anticipate when she needs to pee and cleaning up pee-pee messes when I'm too late. I'm mostly okay with this, but it's starting to get very frustrating. I've tried various forms of positive and negative reinforcement, but it just doesn't seem to work. Please, please let me know if you have any ideas!! I'm so willing to try anything at this point. I definitely don't want to quit because she has come so far, but I can't live around her pee schedule forever. Thanks in advance to those of you who comment with your great mothering tips!

One plus of potty training is watching Izzy run around in panties all day. Her bum is so stinking cute, I can't even stand it. Am I exploiting my daughter if I put this picture on my blog?

Tag, You're IT

2008-09-07T20:18:00.003-05:00

So I'm pretty sure I've read this tag on nearly ever one's blog, but I've never actually done it. At least I don't think I have...I was tagged two times, so I figured, why not!

These are the rules: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged.

Joys....

1. Going to bed early with Justin home.
2. Hearing the sound of Izzy going pee pee in the potty and seeing the big grin on her face cause she is so proud. (Yeah, we are starting to potty train.)
3. Hearing Isabella say I love you and blow me kisses when she goes to bed.

Fears....

1. Anyone who knows me and has lived with me knows that I can't handle spiders in my house.
2. Justin actually having to use one of his several guns because someone has broken into our house in the middle of the night.
3. I'll never be able to eat cold cereal again. I can never eat it the first trimester, but it still makes me nauseated.

Obsessions/Collections....

1. I love to scrapbook cute pictures and if I collect anything it is my scrapbooks. I'm very proud of being scrap booked to date. (my website in case you care--there are really cute new products: www.mycmsite.com/sites/abbywilson)
2. Right now I'm obsessed with thinking of and looking at toys for Izzy for her upcoming birthday and Christmas. I'm so excited to celebrate holidays with her this year.
3. I play this stupid game called Peggle and Spider Solitaire on the computer every day. Yeah, I need to quit.

Surprising facts.....

1. I never thought I would be like this, but I talk on the phone A LOT!! I feel like I can't clean my house without calling a sister or my mom. Thank goodness for unlimited long distance!
2. I can be pretty dang moody when I'm pregnant. Fortunately I having a very loving husband.
3. I don't believe in going outside when it's hot and humid unless it's absolutely necessary. Justin even has to get the mail because I won't go out to get it.

I tag my sister, Amy, my sister-in-law, Amanda, and anyone else who has never completed this tag but has a great desire to.

A Family Vacation...Finally!

2008-08-31T18:07:00.006-05:00

We haven't been anywhere as a family for a really long time. We would always talk about going somewhere on one of Justin's weeks off, but it just never worked out. Well, Justin had this past week off and I really wanted to go somewhere. He picked up an extra moonlighting shift so a vacation would be feasible.

We went to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga and we had a great time! Izzy loved the touching pools, the butterflies, all the fish and the sharks. She was really good the whole time. The aquarium was super impressive. It was especially nice that it was not crowed at all because school started.

Isabella playing in the touching pool.

This is where you dry your hands off when you're done.

Looking at butterflies.

That's me, trapped in a shark cage.

Daddy and Daughter in front of the HUGE aquarium.

They had a couple displays where you could crawl under and climb up into the aquarium. Izzy thought that was pretty fun. Especially when we saw the Nemo fishies.

After the aquarium we drove down to my sister's in Athens, GA. We stayed for three days and nights. I loved seeing the Carter's. It's nice that they are a little closer than they used to be. The Carter's we so hospitable and very fun to hang out with. Amy and I are both pregnant with boys about three weeks apart (her actual due date is December 25!), so one afternoon we went shopping for maternity clothes. It was nice to leave the kids and it was seriously the most fun I've had shopping in a long time. The boys went and shot guns afterward. We really appreciated the time together.

I'm really grateful to have such a great sister whose kids I love to death. Isabella had so much fun with her cousins. I know that she can't wait to see them again.

We're Having A...

2008-08-21T20:31:00.004-05:00

...Baby and its a BOY!!

I've been meaning to post the fact that we are having a baby for awhile because it's really not a secret at all, but I wanted to get a picture of my belly and then I knew we were having an ultra sound today, so I figured that I might as well do it all at once. Our due date is January 15, so that puts me at 19 weeks. Almost half way there!

Me with a little bump. I'm definitely bigger now than I was with Izzy.

Baby boy was very cooperative at the appointment today and was not shy at showing his stuff off. When it came to taking a picture of his face, he kept burrowing into the side and turning away. We finally got a few good shots. Justin and I were both very impressed with the 3-D picts. We didn't have those with Izzy.

I'm really excited to know that we are having a boy. I admit I was kind of hoping for a girl because we are so girly at our house, but I really love little boys. I think they are hilarious and so much fun. Justin is excited to have a son to mess around with. Izzy is lots of fun, but sometimes she's a wimp and kind of moody.

On the drive home I couldn't stop thinking about boy names, boy toys, boy decorations, boy, boy boy...I think I will have to switch my brain. Overall, I'm just grateful to be blessed with a healthy baby.

He has a cute little profile.

3-D images.

All curled up. I'm hoping he will be a cuddler.

Crazy EIGHTS!

2008-08-08T11:46:00.003-05:00

Happy 08/08/08! Not only should you be excited that the Olympics start today, but you are also about ready to read some possibly entertaining facts about the number 8! Thanks A LOT wikipedia.com! Let me know your favorites or if you think of something else that refers to the number 8.

8 is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, and 4. Eight is a power of two, being 2^3, or two cubed and is the first number of the form p^3.
The number 8 is a Fibonacci number, being 3 plus 5. The next Fibonacci number is 13.
A polygon with eight sides is an octagon.
A figure 8 is the common name of a geometric shape, often used in the context of sports, such as skating.
As of 2006, in our solar system, eight of the bodies orbiting the Sun are considered to be planets.
The atomic number of oxygen.
There are eight known B vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism.
All spiders, and more generally all arachnids, have eight legs. An octopus has eight tentacles. (Most of you know my love of spiders...)
In the human adult dentition there are 8 teeth in each quadrant. The 8th tooth is the so called the wisdom tooth. (that's for you Bryce)
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that humans are responsible for their actions by the age of 8. Before that age, children lack sufficient knowledge to commit sin and are therefore exempt from judgment for their actions.
The number of Beatitudes. (And President Hinckley's "B's")
In Astrology, Scorpio is the 8th astrological sign of the Zodiac .
An octave, the interval between two notes with the same letter name (where one has double the frequency of the other), is so called because there are eight notes on a western scale between the two, including the notes themselves .
"Eight maids a-milking" is the gift on the eighth day of Christmas in the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
The 8-track cartridge is a musical recording format .
"Eight Days a Week" is a #1 single for the music group The Beatles.
Eight ball billiards is played with 15 balls; the black ball numbered 8 being the middle and most important one. Magic 8 Ball is a randomized process of predicting the future or answering various questions, packaged to resemble this ball and often sold as a fortune-telling device.
A byte is eight bits.
A figure eight is a type of knot frequently used by climbers.
In liquid measurement (US customary units), there are 8 fluid ounces in a cup, 8 pints in a gallon, and 8 tablespoons in a gill .
There are 8 furlongs in a mile.
There are eight vegetables in V8 juice.
"Section 8" is common U.S. slang for "crazy", based on the U.S. military's Section 8 discharge for mentally unfit personnel. (Think Klinger on M*A*S*H*)
Eight babies delivered in one birth are called octuplets. The first set of eight surviving babies, the Chukwu octuplets, were born in 1998.
October was the eighth month in the Roman calendar; currently August is the eighth month .
8 is one of The Numbers - 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 - featured in Lost.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Summer

2008-08-03T18:02:00.005-05:00

Yeah for swimming and getting a tan (don't worry, I wear ample amounts of sunscreen thanks to Justin caring about me so much).

Boo for humidity.

Yeah for Popsicles.

Boo for not being able to step outside without having to take another shower.

Yeah for blowing bubbles.

Boo for being stuck inside all day because it's so hot and humid that my couch ends up looking like this (although it is kind of funny).

Yeah for watermelon.

Boo for it being too humid to run outside and push a stroller without become seriously dehydrated and feel like you are about ready to pass out. Plus you can hardly breath because the air is so thick.

Last but not least, yeah for air conditioning and fans!!

We really have had an okay summer, but this week the humidity is out of control!! I don't think I will ever be used to it, no matter how long I live in the south. I really, really despise it. I can't wait for the cooler, drier air to come in so I can get outside and play with Izzy and go jogging or biking again.

Silly Izzy

2008-07-16T17:34:00.007-05:00

There are two things that Izzy has been doing lately that have been cracking me up.

#1 She loves trying to put on shirts. I will go to get her out of her room when she is done sleeping and she'll have like three shirts pulled over her head. She pulls them out of her laundry basket and her drawers. What a funny girl!

#2 I don't know why, but Izzy loves sleeping on the floor. One day I was on the computer and she went downstairs. It had a been a few minutes and I hadn't heard any noise. I went downstairs to see what was going on and found her in my bedroom sleeping amidst my piles of dirty laundry.

She will also get up and play or something when it's time to go to bed. Then when she is ready to sleep, she moves her pillow and blankets to the ground. When we in to check on her before we head to bed, there she is, sleeping on the floor. I guess she is ready to go camping.

Purple Toes

2008-07-16T17:22:00.002-05:00

I painted Isabella's toenails for the first time today. She was a little hesitant at first, but then when she saw her pretty toes she was very excited. She keeps looking at them and saying, "purple, purple." They are kind of a silver purple, but it is hard to tell.

After I was done, she wanted to hold the bottle of nail polish. I thought there was no way that she could get it open since I struggle half the time. I turned my back for a second and next thing I know, Izzy is trying to paint her fingernails. Luckily I caught her before any damage was done besides a few drops on my carpet. She is much stronger than I realize. She must work out in secret.

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-07T07:36:00.005-05:00

The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday. I love the parades, cookouts, family time, and fireworks. I love the reminder that the United States allows us freedoms that are so rare in this world. Even when I think about being on a budget and no being able to do everything I want to do, I stop and look around and realize that I have clothes even if they aren't the most expensive, I will never starve, and I have an air conditioned roof over my head. I have a husband who works so hard to support us so I can stay home with Isabella. I am so thankful that I live in the "Land of the free and the home of the brave."

We had a great July 4th. Justin actually had the day off, so we did a little shopping and chilled at home. Justin's grandparents came over and took us out to eat at the Cracker Barrel and then joined us for some fireworks. We got rained out a little bit, but managed to light some fireworks off between cloud bursts.

White House did some bigger fireworks at 9:00 so Izzy had a late night. Luckily she loved watching the fireworks. She kept saying, "More, more." After about 20 minutes of watching the big show I asked her is she wanted more and she said, "All done." Poor girl, she was super tired and went right to bed. We were able to walk up the street to watch the fireworks. It was so nice to not be stuck in a car for an hour afterwards. Even though the show was small, I still loved it. Fireworks completely mesmerize me. I seriously could watch them all night.

Long Time, No Blog

2008-07-03T07:27:00.002-05:00

Okay, Okay, I've been a huge blogging slacker. But I really had the craziest June. See my next few posts if you don't believe me. Now that things have calmed down and my house is in order, I promise you I have some great posts coming up.

Some Updates on the Bennett Clan

2008-07-03T07:11:00.004-05:00

There are a lot of you who know the members of my family and those of you who don't have heard me talk about them before I'm sure. This posting is a quick (I hope) update on what my family is up to. I feel like there have been a lot of changes in my family and I enjoy knowing what your families are up to, so I hope you don't mind. If this gets too long and boring, feel free to skip it.

Ben and Bonnie are still living in California and had a recent addition to their family of four. Congrats to the Bennett's! In Bonnie's own words, here is the quick story of the birth of Emily:

"This will be old info for some of you, but I wanted to let everyone know that Emily Darci Bennett was born June 14th at 6:05 PM. She weighed 6 lb. 4 oz. and was 20 inches long. She came 5 days late, just like her older siblings, but nothing else really went according to plan. Emily was all wrapped up in her cord so she had to be delivered by C-section. 3 days in, she got to take a helicopter ride down to Cedars-Sinae Hospital where she hung out in the NICU for a few more days. She had some respiratory problems that had to be checked out, but she was eventually given a mostly clean bill of health, with the assurance that she'll grow out of the minor problems she has. :) We're happy to have our little girl home. The kids love her and always want to be holding her. Emily's eating and sleeping well, just trying to bulk up a bit. :)"

Amy and Bryce deserve a huge pat on the back. Bryce finished with dental school in Baltimore in May. In June they moved to Athens, GA (only 5 - 6 hours from me instead of 10-12) where Bryce got a new job. My parents flew out to help them move and I drove down with Izzy to see everyone for a few days. Amy and Bryce went on a cruise for a week and left their kids with Grandma and me (see my next post).

Amber and Brian continue to live in South Weber minutes away from my parents. They are enjoying their two boys Logan and Jordan.

Daniel tried his hand at selling home security systems in Philly this summer and found that the business didn't suit him. He moved home last week and found a job really quickly. He will be attending U of U in the fall for the second year.

Aubrey moved to CA for a month working in a pest control office, but that didn't work out, so she moved home also. She does have a job for the summer and I believe will be attending Weber in the fall (I seriously can not get either of them to realize the greatness of USU).

My parents are staying super busy this summer. My dad is working for Power School this summer and is flying all over the place. My mom will be gone from home about a month by the time she returns after her adventures. She flew to Baltimore, drove to GA, and drove to TN with me. She left from Nashville to go to Texas where she is reffing at the Junior Nationals Volleyball tournament for a week. Afterwards she will meet my dad at Ben and Bonnie's for the baby blessing. Then she gets to go home.

Well, that's my update. Questions...? Comments...?

1 + 3 = 4

2008-07-03T07:00:00.005-05:00

That's the number of kids I had at my house for a week (June 19 - June 26). Thank goodness I had my mom here to help me out. I loved having Madison (age 6), Preston (almost 4), and Jackson (14 months) here. It was great to reconnect with them and get to know them better. Yes, my house was a little more chaotic then I like and certainly not at the cleanliness level I enjoy. But the kids were very well behaved for the most part and very fun. It took Isabella awhile to get used to all the craziness. Once she did, she loved having her cousins here and missed them when they left.

We were able to do several fun activities throughout the week. Here are some of the fun pictures:

Playing Around at my House

Preston

Jackson

Jackson and Madison

Playing at the Greenway after a two mile Stroll

Grandma and Maddy are the best of friends

Izzy loves to smell flowers

Preston and Maddy showing us some tricks

This next group of pictures is from some fountains by a new out door shopping mall. We went to the movies and then played afterwords.

After the Carter's left Friday morning, I packed up to go on a camp out with four young women for a stake youth activity. I really wanted to go, but I was pretty wiped out from the week. I had a great time with the girls despite getting only two hours of sleep on Friday night. A big, fat, huge thanks to Becca for meeting Justin (he unfortunately got called into work) at 7:00 a.m. to pick up Izzy and keep her all day long so I could go!

That's it! Now you are all caught up on the month of June.

Growing Up

2008-06-02T19:51:00.004-05:00

Isabella has gone through some major changes this past month. She is no longer a baby, but becoming a little girl. It's kind of exciting but a little sad. If you are a parent, you know what I mean. I am so proud of all the things Izzy is learning and all that she can do.

These are the really big steps she has taken towards becoming a big girl:

1. Sleeping in a toddler bed. She loves the freedom of getting in and out of bed. I always find her with books and stuffed animals piled on her bed in the morning (notice she is still wearing socks).

2. We are all done with the paci!! It was so much easier that I thought. We actually just lost all of them and so I couldn't give it to her. She asked for it a few times, but then she didn't care. Yay!!

3. We finally moved from the high chair to a booster seat. Izzy loves sitting at the table with mom and dad. She helps me wipe up the table after she's eating. What can I say? I trained her well!

This last picture isn't really a big girl step, I just think it's hilarious that she built this tall tower on top of a canister of empty protein powder.