The Seareal Life

Seare Family Update January 2012

2012-01-20T12:33:00.001-08:00

Steve:
Is caffeine free!
Trying to run/walk with a bum knee
Working
A little more health conscience
Loving the Jazz
Dancin it up to Just Dance 3 on the wii

Angie
Back to running!
Contemplating another marathon
Working
Figuring out the new IMac
Figuring out photoshop C5
Desperately trying to catch up on the blog
Also dancin it up to Just Dance 3 on the wii

Owen
Growing tall
Wants to play with his friends every single day
Loves chasing and teasing his brother
Iron is his current obsession
Shares well with his brother
Loving preschool
Also dancin it up...

Miles
Not saying a whole lot
But clearly says ball, daddy, Mama, Hi
Is obsessed with balls, if we go ANYWHERE and he sees a ball, he freaks out, and if he can't have it, melt down ensues.
Loves imitating his brother
Is always hungry. If he sees food, he wants it
Has about 5 blankies with tags and wants them all at once
Frequently shakes his head no
Loves baths, would take several a day if allowed
Also loves dancin to the wii...it is our latest family obsession. Hopefully it lasts!

Miles Starts Nursery

2012-01-15T22:04:00.001-08:00

We got a phone call earlier this week from a lady in our ward saying Miles would be starting nursery this week and she was his teacher. We were pleasantly surprised since he won't be 18 months for a couple of weeks. Let's face it, church and a rambunctious toddler is not the funnest 3 hours of our week, but now it's 1 hour 10 minutes followed by the remaining time actually listening and learning (well for Steve, I teach, so I can't have Miles in class). Miles' first day went swimmingly! There were several criers and Miles just looked at them like "Why are you crying?" I set Miles down with a toy and went to teach my class. When I checked on him he was happily drinking from his sippy. When Steve checked on him, he was giving high-fives and showing his belly to his teachers. He was so happy when Steve got him after church. I love my silly, happy boy!

Grandpa Art Turns 50!

2011-10-17T23:58:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my dad's 50th with pizza, brownies and ice cream. My boys just adore their grandpa. My dad is kind, helpful, handy, patient, loving and funny. We love you!

A Getaway

2011-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

We got invited to spend a weekend in St. George with a few other couples, our really good friends, and have a fun getaway. Steve and I headed down a little early and went to the temple, had dinner at Cafe Rio and spent the night with our good friends the Mehls, who also let us crash that night. In return, I took pictures of their sweet little lady Peyton the next morning. Friday morning I dropped Steve off at the golf course to join the guys of the group at around 8:30 and besides a quick 5 minutes around lunch time, I didn't see him again until midnight. I think they had a fun time living it up. Us girls layed by the pool at the hotel, went to lunch, went shopping at TJMAXX (a St. George must), checked into the sweet rental house Linds was so kind to hook us all up with, layed by the pool at the house for a while, went to see Footloose, ate at Pizza Factory express, came back to the house and watched yet, another movie! Saturday we did little shopping and lots of laying by the pool and swimming laps for Casi and I. That night we had a bbq to celebrate Sage's birthday and hung out and watched a lame BYU game or something of the sort. It was a fun weekend with friends and a nice getaway without kids. Sometimes a break like that is definitely in order! AND thank you to my mom and aunt who took great care of our kids, walking to the park everyday, walking to McDonalds, and pulling our weeds in the backyard! It is always nice knowing your kids are in great hands.

Miles

2011-10-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Cowboy Day

2011-09-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Ms. Kathy's preschool is that EVERY month there is a fun party to look forward to. In fear of being a "party hog" I signed up for 3 or 4 parties, unfortunately, cowboy day was not one. But they had the whole month to learn about deserts, cactus, colors and letters that are somewhat related to cowboys. For the party they got to get all dressed up and made their own stick ponies. He had a lot of fun and it was sure fun for me to see him all dressed up. These pictures were taken pre-party, he took the bandana off by the time we got to school. He came up with all of theses poses for me. He was digging himself as a cowboy.

Surprise! Grandpa Scott Turns 60!!

2011-09-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Scott turned the big 60! My mother in law Cyndee threw him a surprise party with all of the family and some of his close friends and co-workers. (One thing I love about my in-laws, they are still friends, and still get together with their friends from their South High days...isn't that cool to hear? I know this will be the case with all of our wonderful friends we have now;)) Anyway, to get him to show up to Grandma Bethie's clubhouse, which is his mother-in-law, Matt invited him golfing and then said he had to pick up some Mary Kay for his wife, because grandma sells it. When they arrived, the jig was up, being all of our cars were out front, along with a banner and balloons. It was an open house, so people were coming and going all night. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces like old neighbors and old bosses. Cyndee kept it low key, and it was a perfect fun night! Happy Birthday!

California Vacation Part 3: Disneyland!

2011-09-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Disneyland! The great thing about going to California in September is the crowds are not so crazy....on the beach, shopping, or Disneyland. I think we went on a Tuesday. The weather was perfect! 80 degrees! There were actually a lot of people, but the lines were pretty quick to go through, which is a must with a rambunctious 13 month old! We started by loading up on sunscreen and buying Owen the coolest pair of gloves ever...Mickey Gloves. He thought he was pretty cool. Steve and I took turns riding the big rides with Owen, YAY, he can ride pretty much all of them! Miles spent a lot of time in his stroller when not in line or on a ride. I felt bad, and we would let him wonder around here and there, but he was so mobile and not afraid of anything, so this guy had to be contained. Owen went on Splash Mountain and loved it...they got soaked. Owen's favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear. Miles favorite part of the day was the very end...he was cranky and tired, but when the parade started, he was going NUTS! His hands were waving all over and he was so excited. We managed to have both boys fall asleep at the same time in the stroller, that made for a peaceful little break. We did a little shopping and a had a snack...the chile and lime corn on the cob was something I'd really been wanting to try. Sadly, it disappointed. I will make my own and bet its 100xs better. I think around 4:00 I was thinking, man, this day has flown, and also, man, I am exhausted. Good news for us, in September, Disney closes at 8:00.

California Vacation Part 2: The Beach

2011-09-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

As per tradition, the Seare family rented several condo's in Oceanside, CA. We love Oceanside. It has all the charm of SoCal without large crowds and major touristy attractions. We shared a condo with Steve's brother Matt, Julianne and Estee. Owen and Estee had some bonding time and all of the kids got along really well.

This is improvising when a high chair isn't available for a crazy 13 month old.
Jules brought her Ipad and the kids had a good laugh playing with the photobooth:
Here we are headed up the pier to Ruby's Diner. It is a must when you go to Oceanside. Also, milkshakes are a requirement with your dinner.

Here is Avery and Owen in the jogger. Avery REALLY wanted a ride. I don't blame her. I wish someone would wheel me around so I can relax and enjoy the scenery.
Something about the California air makes me want to get the day going and started with a walk along the ocean. Here we are on the Oceanside Pier.

Miles was all tuckered out after our walk.
This is the view from our condo...can't really complain!
The Harbor Fish'n'Chips are a favorite of ours for sure! The fish are HUGE! Matt, Jules, Estee and our family ate there a couple times and here is Owen and Estee comparing size...
The majority of our vacation is spent on the beach. We eat, lounge and play ALL day on the beach. I love it.

Here is Matt getting ready to have Estee catch some waves.
Maya caught a good one!
And she knows it!
Avery laugh/crying. Hilarious.
Another tradition...searching for sand crabs. Brad collected pretty much an entire bucket full and the kids loved it. Especially Miles. He wanted to eat them.
Steve, Brad and his cousins Blake and Ryan.

Steve headed out with Owen...
to catch his very first wave!
He did awesome! Unfortunately, his landing resulted in a slight crash and he wouldn't dare try again. I had one goal for this trip: get Owen to catch a wave. Mission Accomplished!
Miles was the bleach blonde babe. Mostly eating, trying to swim in the ocean and running all over the place.
Maya:
Estee:
Avery:

Just eating rocks. No big deal.
This is Estee and Avery with Steve's Uncle Jeff. The kids love him and he was so great to oblige the girls when they wanted to go jump in the ocean.
The sandman. He would get covered in sand. It was my worst nightmare trying to get this kid sand free in the shower.
As you can see, the beach is covered in these rocks. Not our typical nor preferable conditions for the beach. And it was a bit chilly. So Brad decided one day to take advantage of the high tide and rent a fishing pole. He caught a small shark! I didn't get to see it because I was in the condo while Miles was napping, and by the time I got out there he had sent it back...what a bummer. But it was awesome because all sorts of people came talking to Brad like he was an expert at ocean fishing.

California Vacation Part 1: Road Trip!

2011-09-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

Our trip started Thursday morning. Steve got off work early, we got the car all packed up, picked Owen up from pre-school and headed directly for the freeway. The drive to Las Vegas was not fantastic with Miles crying for a large part of the way, but that just comes with the territory. Our first destination was Las Vegas. We stayed at the Orleans, and just so you know, for 30.00 it is really nice, clean accommodations, although, not on the strip. Before meeting up with everybody for dinner, we decided to check out the strip a little. We ran into BUMBLEBEE. Owen thought it was pretty cool. He asked him, "Where is Optimus Prime?" and Bumblebee's reply, "Oh, he's at McDonalds." Ha! I love this business they have going. When we left, Owen assured me it wasn't really Bumblebee.

And we saw Woody, but only from a distance.
We met up with the family that was in Las Vegas (Brad, Amy and kids would be meeting us the next day) at Margaritaville, a Seare Family favorite. As much as I despise country music, I really like Margaritaville's atmosphere...always a party! Here is Connie, GG, Cyndee, and Miles.

At dinner the people on stilts came around and made balloon hats for Estee and Matt.
Owen got one too, plus a sword and laser gun!

Right when Jules and Estee left for the bathroom, some dude really wanted to take our picture. Here we all are: Matt, GG, Blake, Emily, Connie, Jeff, Scott, Cyndee, Steve, Owen, Miles and I.
After dinner we headed to Caesars Palace for one reason, really. H&M! It was a successful trip for kids clothes. The kids loved the aquarium.
That evening proved to be a challenge. I was not a wise mommy and didn't pack a blanket with a tag for our vacation, something newly discovered that is Miles' soothing tool. We improvised with a washcloth from the hotel room. Ha!
The next morning we met up at McDonald's for breakfast and headed back on the road, our next destination, Dana Point, California. Here is a little glimpse of how we traveled. It is amazing how 2 kids really add up to a lot of luggage. From here on out, Miles traveled much better. I think he was just so tired from lack of sleep in the hotel.
We took a pit stop in Barstow to check out the new outlets and we rented this beauty. It was cheap and convenient, being our car was packed to the brim, but it was very similar to driving an actual bus, at least in my mind. The boys loved it though!
We arrived to Dana Point, another Seare Family Favorite, and were sure excited to see the ocean. I love the ocean! We rested for a bit in our room, the boys loved playing on the balcony and Owen loved that across the way were Grandma and Gramps' room and GG's. We took a little walk around the harbor got a small lunch, then rested some more.
For dinner we met up with everyone for El Torito (another Seare Family Favorite) for some delish Mexican food.
After dinner, GG treated the whole family to ice cream from the "Poop Deck" as GG accidentally called it. We prefer the Scoop Deck. Avery, Estee, and Owen enjoying more ice cream than they could handle.
Saturday morning we got up and headed to Proud Mary's, yet ANOTHER Seare Family Favorite, for breakfast. The Utes were playing USC that day, so we were all decked out in our U gear.
After breakfast we ran into all of these ponies! There was some charity with all these ponies and they were all dressed so cutely and the kids loved it. This pony had a monkey riding on him.

And this one had an awesome braid and cool sneakers. Owen gave her a big hug.
After breakfast we headed to Carlsbad for some shopping and Part 2 of our vacation begins!

Dialogues of a 3 year old, part 6

2011-09-14T12:14:00.001-07:00

We went to Disneyland. While there, we purchased a bigger buzz lightyear that has spinning lights, and then a miniature one that came with a toy story set. On our way home from Disney, Owen said, "I love you dad."
Steve said, "I love you, too, Bud." Owen said, "Buzz is talking to his dad."
That really made us laugh. I often catch owen saying, "but dad!" While playing with his "guys."

Owen Starts Preschool!

2011-09-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is old enough to be going to preschool! We have been anticipating this for quite some time, and with great reason. Owen is bright, social, independent and ready to learn! Owen started going to Miss Kathy and has so far really enjoyed it. The first day of school went just as expected...not a problem. I walked him down to his class and when I said good-bye he said, "I'm not going to cry." And cry he didn't! I may have gotten a little teary. I miss my little guy when he is away, but time really flies for those two hours. On his first day he was asked to bring something to show and tell. He originally chose his big blue batman. By the time we arrived to school he changed his mind to his McDonalds Superman. Miss Kathy had totes made for all of the kids, so on his first day he came home with his new tote and a ding dong and paper that said, "Preschool is a 'piece of cake!' " I must agree, so far! Way to go Owen!

Bear Lake: Round 2

2011-09-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

My side of the family got to talking about how fun it would be to go camping. We do this every year. "Yeah, it would be so fun! We should do it..." And nothing ever happens. Well, this year, we made it happen. We set a weekend aside and I suggested Bear Lake, because I am familiar with camping there and it is only 2.5 hours max from Salt Lake. Pretty much everybody got off early on Friday afternoon and we arrived there by around 5:30. We chose the busiest time of year to go...Raspberry Days. So anywhere you could reserve a site had been booked since spring. We took our chances and ended up camping at Cisco Beach. There was PLENTY of space available, and plenty reason why...NO running water, NO flushing toilets, NO showers, rocky campsites and no sandy beach...the water was SO HIGH this year, we were basically camping on the shore. We still went knowing this would probably happen, and it worked out just great! Once we got there and got all of our tents set up we headed to Le Beau's: a Bear Lake MUST. We didn't go to Bear Lake for the Raspberry days, but we still benefited by consuming FRESH raspberry milkshakes. Believe me, it makes a HUGE difference. SO GOOD.

Owen and Jassy so excited to be camping together.
Thank heavens for aunties! Miles fell asleep like this both nights with Auntie Abby.
The setup: unfortunately we had to squeeze the 3 of us on an airmattress because we lost the cap on the other one. Owen is a wild sleeper, so its a little difficult to not get kicked in the face when you sleep with him. We brought the dvd player and he fell asleep to Megamind both nights.
Saturday we headed to Rendezvous Beach so that the kids could play in some sand. We also rented a wave runner for a few hours.

This marks Pedro's first vacation EVER. We are terrible dog owners. He was thrilled to be with us. My mom and her sisters are all dog lovers, so he was getting lots of attention, treats and walks. I think he enjoyed himself.
We did some casual family shots at sunset. The Seare Family:
The Miera's:
Owen and Jassy, best friends. These two love each other and fight with each other like husband and wife. Hilarious.
The Williams Family:
The Kastner boys:
Owen and Jassy with my Uncle, Jose.
The Corona's and their granddaughter:
Kika and her boys:

Miles' Birthday Bash

2011-08-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

We decided to embrace the summer birthday and reserve a pavillion at the Umbria Splash pad in Herriman. We had a great turn out and lots of fun.

Unfortunately, it was pretty windy, which meant no flame on the candle. Oh well, still pretty cute. I made lots of cupcakes, but Mile's got his very own bundt with blue frosting. I'm pretty sure he liked it.

He was so cute with EVERY gift he opened he would clap. He loved it.
The only actual splashing that Miles did...from a distance. He is still a little young to really love the splash pad, but the other kids seemed to like it.

Pictured: Dad, mom and Miles.

Miles turns 1!

2011-08-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

On Miles' birthday the boys and I anxiously waited for Steve to come home from work so we could get to celebrating. We took the boys to Steve's parent's pool and had a great time. We had the pool all to ourselves, so it was extra fun.
Here is the adorable birthday boy. Lovin the water.
Little Mogely. Ever since he started taking steps, this is the way he has been crawling. It's a funny maneuver.

GG came by and joined us, along with Scott and Cyndee at the pool.
Owen was getting brave and jumping in to be caught.
I love this picture because it shows just how chubby his cheeks are from behind.

After swimming we headed to Scott and Cyndee's for pizza and a birthday cookie. We through his actual party later that week, so I didn't want to spoil the cake. The cookie was just as good.

GG is infamous for her crisp dollar bills...or in this case crisp 5 and 10. Miles was actually really excited. I think it made GG really happy.
After all of that we headed home to open all of his presents from us. Among other gifts, we gave him this little Buzz Lightyear rider. It has taken about a month for him to figure it out, but he loves it now!

Seare reunion

2011-08-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

On the 24th of July we had a big Seare family reunion. When Steve and I first got married, he had an Uncle and Aunt, and 3 cousins and their families in Arizona...all Seare's. Since then, all of them but one cousin has moved back to Utah, but sadly, we don't see them any more often than we did before. Steve's cousin Shannon hosted and we had a great time. Of course, Owen was loving on all the girl cousins...namely Abby and Sophie.

Taylor and Suzie were in town from Arizona and it was great to see them and their cute kids. Owen was thrilled to play with Ian and Colton. Owen was loving that there was ANOTHER Ian (see Bear Lake post). There is a total female domination in the Seare family. It is crazy.

Three brothers Seare: Mike, Jeff, and Scott

Here is GG (great grandma Seare) with all of the Great Grandchildren. 15 girls, 6 boys. Missing were 5 girls and 3 boys.

Jassy Turns 3!

2011-08-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jassy turned 3 in July. She had a "Princess Party" and it included EVERYTHING! She had a bounce house, a pinata, pony rides, and a delicious spread of Mexican food...her tita is THE BEST cook!

Owen really got into character with the pinata...Ironman, of course!

Her Tito, my uncle, got her a Pony. She could not stop giggling. She was so excited. and Adorable.

and of course, Miles got lots of love from his aunties.

Golfing with the Hubs

2011-08-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

For father's day this year, among other things, I told Steve I'd take him golfing. I picked the golf course, and the one I chose was Mountain Dell. I've been golfing a handful of times and once I had been there and had a good experience, so I thought it was a good choice. Oh, and it's beautiful! It was a little hot and really sunny...being JULY, but we had a good time. Sorry no pics of me to prove I was there, but if you ask the guy we were partnered with, he'll tell you, I sure was. I apologized to him when we were done. I'm pretty sure I would be most men's nightmare...really terrible. We had lunch at the clubhouse before and Steve said, "I'm just going to say one thing...Pace of Play." Luckily, my husband is really patient, but he will certainly stick to his golf etiquette. I'm glad we went and look forward to golfing with him again next year. Ha!

July's playgroups

2011-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

My neighbor Leslie is really great and planned two playgroups a week throughout the whole summer. It was a lot for us and we were not able to make every single activity, but the ones we did go to were super fun! We went to Liberty Park and let the kids play in the Seven Canyons water park and then headed to the playground for a picnic and more playing, of course.

My neighbor Heidi has a big backyard and she planned one of our activities in her yard. She set up an obstacle course for all the kids to run through a few times. It was awesome, and funny. There were SO MANY kids, but it was so fun!

They had to run up this hill, through the sprinklers, roll down the hill, weave through the chairs, crawl under the table run around the house and come back and do it again. They all had a lot of fun.

WJ carnival

2011-08-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July weekend was jam packed with lots of fun! We kicked it off with a trip to the West Jordan Carnival. This was my first time going since I was about 17. I have now realized that these carnivals are all the same and just travel from city to city. Same rides, same food stands, same creepy people. Gotta love it. Owen was a little hesitant to ride on anything, but he was very excited to get his popcorn!

The rides took some warming up, but once he got the hang of it, he wanted to ride this shooter airplane over and over. 6 or more times to be exact.

He even rode the roller coaster with his daddy.

It was such a nice summer night. The fun really started, though, when Owen's friend Dane got there. They were SO EXCITED to see each other and even more excited to ride together. Pretty cute. Owen got this sword and was in heaven...obviously.

Miles thought the sword was pretty awesome, too.

I think he's growin up

2011-08-29T23:32:00.001-07:00

I took the boys swimming at Grandma Cyndee's with their cousins Avery and Maya. Initially, I got in withboth boys and their floaties. Owen was prerty nervous for me to be too far away, even with water wings and a tube. Miles could only take the pool for so long, so I had to get out. I told Owen to either stay on the steps or hang on the edge if he was still nervous. Before I knew it he was comfortably hopping in and out and floating in the deep end all on his own. It's little moments like these that make me a proud mommy. Wow, he is growing up.

Miscellaneous Monday: Costco Carts

2011-08-29T23:31:00.001-07:00

Another great thing that came with Miles being able to sit up...sitting in a shopping cart! It's the little things that make all the difference. I love taking the boys to Costco and having them sit side by side. They thoroughly enjoy each other and Miles thinks Owen is hilarious.

Miscellaneous Monday: Miles loves his reflection

2011-08-15T11:14:00.001-07:00

Steve's parents have this huge mirror in their entryway. Miles loves it and loves to play peek-a-boo with himself. It's pretty adorable.
Pics taken 3.25.2011

Miscellaneous Monday: Miles is following in his big brother's footsteps

2011-08-01T11:42:00.001-07:00

Yay for Blogger getting an app that let's me blog from my phone!! I'm going to try to get randomly caught up with all of my phone pics....there are LOTS.

Owen has quite the obsession with Batman, bad guys, and other super heros.
It did not take long for Miles to pick up the fact that these are toys to be coveted. If Owen saw this, he'd probably take the toys away from him, but he happened to be napping this day. It was really cute how he hit the guys together, like he knew exactly how to play.

Photos taken 3.24.2011

Dialogues of a 3 yr old Part 5

2011-08-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Owen is obsessed with listening to music on my phone. He was listening to Lady Gaga's Telephone and he said, "Why's that girl mean?"
Me: I don't know
Owen: Why she doesn't want to talk anymore?

He picks up on EVERYTHING. I guess Lady Gaga is mean, and has bad manners.

Miles' Birth Story

2011-07-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

1 year ago today, our sweet baby boy was born! I can't believe just how fast time flies. Bare with me as I relive the day he was born...

(as written in my journal 7/27/2010)

I woke up around 5:30 am with contractions. They were pretty close together, so Steve and I got our things together, packed Pedro and headed to the hospital. Owen had been (and still was) in Bear Lake with his Grandpa Scott and Grandma Cyndee. We couldn't go because I was due anyday (although my actual due date was rthe 24th.) We got admitted when we got to the hospital because I was dilated to a 4 and about 80% efaced. Dr. Barton was the doctor on call. Dr. Terry was in St. George, but flying in soon. I was a little nervous that he wouldn't be the one to deliver me. Well, labor progresses pretty slowly. Eventually, Dr. Barton broke my water and they started me on pitocen by the time I was finally to a 10, Dr. Terry was there! The day was pretty restful with just Steve and I mostly, then my mom and aunt Chayo and Uncle Chemon were there a little bit, too. I was able to take a couple of naps and drink juice throughout the day because of the epidural. When it became time to push, when Dr. Terry got there basically, things went pretty quick, I thought. Dr. Barton and Dr. Terry both delivered my baby-I thought it was impressive how they worked together. Dr. Terry was having me push and he kept saying, "It's going to be a tight squeeze." They were about to use the vaccuum to get him out (after having cut me, I believe) But Miles made it out with me pushing and Dr. Barton pushing down on my uterus. When he came out, Dr. Terry said, "Whoa! That's a big boy!" I held my beautiful Miles, and yes, he was a big boy! But I was in complete shock when they weighed him and he was 9 pounds 2 ounces! I am still surprised something so big came out of me! He looks a lot like Owen did, but chubbier, obviously. He has a big round face and really broad chubby shoulders and arms. He's got a double chin and fat on the back of his neck. I can't help but laugh-it is so cute and so funny. He even has cleavage! He was born at 5:34 pm on 7/25/2010.

Happy Happy Birthday to a sweet, loving, snuggling, energetic baby boy! We love you Miles!

Miles loves...

2011-07-20T17:45:00.001-07:00

His mommy (and daddy, but let's face it, he's a momma's boy)
Standing
Sleeping
Sucking on his fingers
Tickling his face with his blankie
Sneeking up the stairs
His big brother

Laughing

Clapping

Eating...everything!

Music

Taking steps

Talking jibberish

Sneaking out of seatbelts...in his highchair, stroller, shopping carts. We call him Houdini.

Playing with cars and trucks

Putting everything in his mouth

Getting into whatever he isn't supposed to.

Looking out the window

Water...drinking it, that is.

Bear Lake 2011

2011-07-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. The Hanson family reunion in Bear Lake. We go every year in July, with the exception of last year, because it landed on the week that Miles was due. We were bummed to miss out, so this year we were super excited to go. We love it there!
Here are the highlights:
1. Owen slept awesome everynight. We brought the portable DVD player and turned on a show and within 10 minutes he was out. He also snores louder than his uncles and grandpa.
2. Owen is such a social butterfly. I know this sounds bad, but he didn't want to hang with Steve and I at the beach. He much more preferred Steve's cousins Ian, Breanne, Tess, Izzy, Aubrey, and Cece. They were all so doting and attentive, I don't blame him. Breanne watched Iron Man with Owen just about everynight on her computer. Ian took Owen on a Kayak ride. Izzy, Tess and Aubrey gave Owen loads of candy. (We packed NONE. Miracle right?) Owen literally made the rounds from canopy to canopy (there 80+ people, so lots of canopies) and was playing with everyone. It makes me happy that he is not shy.
3. I Kayaked for my first time and gave a try at paddleboarding. The kayak is way fun and I could see myself doing that more often. The paddleboarding was on a windsurfing board and on some really choppy water. It was tricky getting my balance.
4. Breakfast. This is my favorite part of Bear Lake. Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns. YUM!
5. Miles face planting into the air mattress because he was that tired. Our first night there was a little rough. His but was in the air and his legs were bent all funny. He was exhausted, poor guy.
6. Miles sleeping 10 hours the 2nd night we were there. Awesome. I layed him in the portacrip and he was out until 7:15 the next day. GLORIOUS!
7. Friendship bracelets. I saw an adorable tutorial on Dear Lizzy and decided that would be a fun easy craft for my nieces, and Owen, but lets be honest, he wasn't interested.
8. Steve took Owen and cousin Luke, who is just a little older than O for a ride on the wave runner. Owen had fun, but he said, "I wasn't fun on the runner." I think he thought it was too fast. He had lots of fun chasing Luke around Brian's yard.

Low Lights:
1. Miles refused to go to sleep the first night. He wasn't even fussy, he just was laughing, clapping, slap happy. Hard to be mad a an adorable happy baby, though. Finally, Steve took him in the car and just layed him in the carseat to sleep for 4 hours. Not awesome.
2. The day we got there we set up the tents first thing. While I watched the kids, Steve, his dad and mom spent 3 hours setting up 4 tents. When they were finally done, we went to dinner at Le Beau's. When we returned a storm had come by and collapsed 3 of the 4 tents and left a nice puddle on my air mattress. Nice. I looked at it and turned around and pretended not to even see it. I left Steve to deal. I just couldn't.
3. The WIND! Luckily, the nights were very calm and allowed us to sleep, but around 12 or so the wind would pick up everyday and IT WAS SO WINDY! Kind of annoying.
4. I dropped my phone on the cement and the face shattered. Great.

Thankfully the highlights outweighs the bad and we just love Bear Lake. Can't wait for next year!

Dialogues of a 3 year old Part 4

2011-07-19T13:49:00.001-07:00

Lots of random things O has been saying...

"I'm not going to be mean to Miles today. I won't take away my toys from him. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't." (Picture funny smirk and shrugging shoulders)

"When I grow big I'm going to be a daddy, and then Miles will have 2 daddies."

I have always explained to O that Miles drinks milk from my body. So Owen calls them "bodies." He told me, "when I get big I'm going to have bodies and then I will feed miles, too."

I'll be back soon

2011-07-06T10:30:00.001-07:00

Today, Owen left for his first camping trip with his Grandpa Art and Grandma Lorri. While they do have my trust and confidence, I get anxious with him gone. I was like this last year when we sent him to Bear Lake with Grandpa Scott and Grandma Cyndee. I am worst case scenario kind of girl. And it doesn't help that all of my favorite shows put the worse case scenarios in my head (criminal minds, the mentalist, 48 hours mystery, etc). But I know he will have a blast. He will laugh, run, get dirty, go fishing, and make great memories. When I was saying bye he assured me, "I'll be back Soo."
Now my dilemma is filling my time. It is amazing what one gets accomplished with only one child and when that child is just a baby (he naps 3x a day!). So I'm hoping to catch up on my work, clean out Owen's closet, and hopefully spice up Owen's room a little bit, too. We shall see...

Are they racing in my ears?

2011-07-01T00:54:00.001-07:00

Have you seen Gnomeo and Juliet? Adorable. I love this movie for a lot of reasons, I won't go into them, but the biggest is the soundtrack. Classic Elton John (with a new song or 2 that I'm not crazy about). I love old school Elton.

Well, Owen loves it too! He makes me play "the Gnomeo song" a trillion times a day, he even knows how to find it on my phone all by himself. This particular song is actually called
"Saturday Night's alright For Fighting," and it plays while Gnomeo is racing his lawnmower against a mean guy. The first couple times we watched he would run around the house like he was racing. Pretty cute and funny how he would get excited.
Tonight after my run I came in with my headphones. We put then in his ears and turned on his song. His face lit up and he said, " are they racing in my ears?" He then asked me if I listened to his songs. I said, yes. He said, "That's ok, you can listen to my songs." He's even good at sharing music! AND he literally thinks everything is his. Today he told me I couldn't pee in HIS bathroom.
And I should mention that this kid loves music. He sings along with a lot of songs on the radio. Sometimes this is cute and funny, like when he sings, " it was not your fault, but mine. It was your heart on the line...this time, didn't I my dear? Didn't I my dear?" Or "I'm only gonna break break your break break your heart." Other times it is a reminder of how careful I need to be when listening to just any station on the radio, like when he kept singing, "I never wanna die! I never wanna die!" Or "I like it like it, come on, come on!" He picks up on everything!

Bees Game

2011-06-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to watch the Bees play. We took Steve's dad along and it was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful summer night. Pretty warm, but luckily we were on the first base side so we had our backs to the sun until we were shaded completely. Miles really enjoyed himself, too. He loves being outside. In fact he was so restless we had to leave our seats and go spend some time on the grass so he could just crawl around. Grandpa treated Owen to a huge ice cream cone. So huge in fact that he gave up on it and Grandpa ended up finishing it.

One funny thing. On our way home I was sitting in back with the boys. I asked Owen if he was tired. He said "Yeah, I've had a long day." I think it is so funny when they say things that make them sound like a grown up.

Summer so far...

2011-06-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Finally it feels like summer! We have certainly been enjoying it.

We had fun in the sun at Abbie's house. The kids played in the sprinklers and slip'n'slide, although my kid was not included. That is, he did not play in those because he thinks he hates water.

So, instead he played with Deacon on this trike, and the balls, and anything else BUT water. I get a little worried because I have so many fun memories of playing in the sprinklers in the summertime, and I think he won't have these. One Sunday night we came home and the sprinklers came on. Owen got the idea to run through the sprinklers then. Steve said, no it's bed time. But I said, OH NO! If he is willing, heck I am going through the sprinklers with him. And we did! It was fun and funny...9 or so at night. But little by little we are going to make him love it.

We celebrated my aunt's birthday on a beautiful summer evening. I also was eaten alive by
mosquitos. Everytime I get bit on the ankle the swell up. It is awful. On the plus side, we love bbq's at my aunts house. Her yard is huge and the kids love playing in the fountain.

We also celebrated my nieces Gracie's and Kit's birthday at bouncing off the walls. Owen took a little warming up, but after Gramps took him down the slide a couple times he was feeling right at home. Sweet Maya was helping him to stand in line and wait his turn. Steve took a turn on the slide with Miles, and I think he was more scared than Miles.

Gracie chose a "Hello Kitty" party. Owen has no clue who or what that is. We told him what it was and he kept calling it his "Hello" ring.

We got to be guests for a day with some friends at Lifetime. Miles loved splashing in the shallow end, and of course, Owen didn't:(. Either way, fun in the sun was had.

Later that day Dane came over. He really wanted to run in the sprinklers. So I set it up along with the picnic table and umbrella. Dane was having the time of his life jumping over the sprinklers. Owen loved playing "bad guys" in the shade. Miles was just happy to be outside.

A day or two out of each week Steve has to be at the church for meetings in the evening, so when the weather permits, we will walk over and stop by to say hi. There is a "New to us" playground on the way, so that is also something to look forward to.

Longest post ever? Probably....Phew!

The day Steve broke his nose

2011-06-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

This post actually has nothing to do about Steve's nose, but it really happened on this day. He broke his nose playing flag football. Only Steve.
Steve was invited to play in a golf tournament with some coworkers at the homestead, so we made an overnight trip of it. We started with dinner at Loco Lizard. THE BOMB. I had ceviche and fish tacos. So delicious. Owen took this picture of me.

After dinner we headed to Main Street Park City. It was a beautiful night.
That night happened to be some big event for the entire Main Street, something like the world's largest dining table or something like that. It was so cool to see. Every restaurant took it outside and set up tables and things right in the middle of the street. A lot went all out to create ambiance and atmosphere. If only we hadn't just eaten at Loco Lizard...
One of my favorites, a makeshift pergola out of aspens. So pretty.
This was a bar/lounge that had set up an area, keeping it intimate with this trio who happened to be playing Lady Gaga. I love that kind of stuff.
The reason we were on main street was to head to the Sky Lodge. The people who put on the tournament rent the penthouse and throw a big party/poker tournament. We popped in for just a bit. Here is Steve chatting with his coworkers Bob and John.
View from the penthouse. There were 4 or more live bands all down Main Street. You would think they would interfere with eachother, but they didn't.
Owen and Miles Loved splashing in the hottub. There were kids there, but like 10 and older. Owen kept asking, where are the kids?
We brought my mom along because one of the people in charge of the tournament is actually a Doctor she works with in the ER. Small world.

Of course, Owen loved the live music and was dancing like a lunatic.
That night was rough to say the least. Miles would not go to sleep and SCREAMED if we laid him in the portacrib. Since my mom was in the hotel with us, Steve, Miles and I left around 3 or 4 and went to the golf course where Steve was playing the tournament. Miles fell asleep on the way and we slept in the car until Steve had to go. Miles and I went back to the hotel where he slept for another half hour or so. NIGHTMARE.

My mom and I packed up, checked out and headed to Park Silly, which is like a farmers market for Park City on Main Street. It was a fun time. Owen got a balloon laser gun, an artist gave him a free book mark and he got a shave ice. He was loving it.

Miles in an adorable hat I was too cheap to buy. Lets face it, he wont keep it on.

Blake and Emily get MARRIED!

2011-06-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

In June Steve's cousin Blake got married. We first met Emily last fall in California when we went to the beach and got to know her a little bit. I must say, we loved her from the start! She is such a fun girl and a great match for Blake. Steve and Blake are only 6 months apart. They grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same schools and hung out with the same friends. I guess you could say they are close cousins:). We were thrilled to celebrate Blake settling down and finding a girl as great as Emily. They got married in an intimate ceremony in Emigration Canyon and the following week they had a "Party" rather than a formal reception. They had Joe Morley's cater, along with music and dancing. We had a fun night with the whole family!

This is Grandma Seare. She beams with pride for her grandchildren.
For the most part, it was the kids loving the dancing. Owen was no exception.
The kid has some crazy moves.

These girls were cracking me up. They were dancing away and doing lifts together. Pretty good for ages 4 and 6!

The boys hanging with Grandma Cyndee

Farm Country

2011-06-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to farm country back in mid-June. Although, its not really a trip, since it is in Lehi, Thanksgiving Point, that is. I had never been and I loved it! I have to say, one of the best parts of being a mom is experiencing things for the first time with your child. Owen loved it. We went with the neighborhood playgroup and had a great time.
Pictured: Jordan, Logan, Landon, Owen and Will.
The day we were there was "dairy day" and Meadow Gold was there with several different stations: some were games, like knock over the milk cans, race around the tree, and then they had booths for homemade butter and ice cream. The ice cream was SO GOOD!

Owen went on his first ever pony ride! At first he was not going to go, so I was just going to hold Mile's on the pony, but last minute Owen got the courage and decided if his buddies could do it, so could he. He loved it, he was saying "Yeehaw!" He was beaming!

There is actually a lot to do there. When I initially heard of this place I thought, "a petting zoo. That will entertain us for a good half hour." I think we were there for 2 hours and probably could have stayed longer. There is an indoor space (air conditioned) that O loved playing with tractors, tunnels, and other cool stuff.

Miles spent most of our visit chilling in the stroller and snacking. We took a wagon ride pulled by clydesdale horses, but I didn't take any photos then. That was the only time I was actually holding Miles, and I really needed all hands on deck. We sat in the very front and Miles held onto the bars and was loving it and talking to the driver.

Here is one Clydesdale. I don't remember his name, but he stuck his head out of his pen and was nuzzling me. I am not necessarily an animal "Lover" but I think horses are amazing creatures. This horse was no exception. He kept moving his head, like to say scratch me little more here, now here...

One of those days

2011-06-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining and we had lots to do! We ran errands. We bought vegetable starters. We planted them in my mom's backyard. Owen helped me fill the holes with water. Miles loved playing in the exersaucer outside. I dropped off treats to my visiting teaching girls. We went and took pictures of my nieces at Daybreak Lake. We came home and I mowed the lawn. I was feeling all warm and fuzzy because Steve was spending his Friday night helping the neighbors lay sod. Owen and I watered all the bushes and flowers. Miles was taking an extra long nap due to all of the earlier activities. The day felt especially colorful and perfect. The night ended with Owen and Steve "camping out" in a tent in Owen's room. I was writing the easiest talk I have ever written on "baptism." I am beaming. It was a good day.

Dialogues of a 3 Year Old, Part 3

2011-06-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

I was editing of a session of a couple of senior girls on my computer. We went downtown and shot in some alleys with graffiti. Owen saw a picture of the girl standing in front of a wall with a huge bear's face growling.
Owen: What's that monster doing?
Me: That's a bear, he's growling. It's not a real bear, its a painting of a bear.
Owen: Who painted that wall?
Me: Oh, I don't know. Some man.
O: Maybe the foolish man did.

Someone had quite the fascination with the foolish man and the wise man.

I got a new dress! I brought it home and tried it on. It was just me and Owen, so he had to help me zip it up. When I stood up to check it out in front of the mirror Owen asked me, "Are you going to spin around?"

Me: You have beautiful eyes.
Owen: I'm not a girl!

Steve: You are a studmuffin.
Owen: Don't say that! That is a bad word.
(a few days later)
Steve was harrassing Owen or something...
Owen: Stupid dad! You studmuffin!
(for the record, I do NOT condone the use of Stupid, but for the sake of this I had to keep in context)

I want to go to there:

2011-05-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I am in desperate need of a vacation! I am counting down the days to Bear Lake this summer and then California in the fall Woohooooooooooooooooo! When I get antsy for a getaway I think about all the awesome places I want to see in person.

1. Salvation Mountain
I just recently heard about this man made attraction. Think sculpture on a super duper large scale...more like installation to the umpteenth level. I've got to see this place. I am fascinated. It makes me think of the movie Toys. Unreal. Image via

2. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Steve would say I am a nerd, so my plan is to brainwash my boys (shouldn't be TOO hard because, duh, it's awesome) and then we will HAVE to go there. The boys would LOVE it. Or I would. This place looks awesome. Image via

3. The Grand Tetons
I'm not a huge camper, would like to be, but for me, its a little too hard with kids. When I see images of this place I want to see it in person. My favorite images of the Grand Tetons are those by Ansel Adams, such as this:

Thank you for indulging me my daydream....

Zoo Day!

2011-05-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

On probably the only actual spring day in April, we went to the Zoo. It was fun to get out and let Owen explore with his cousins in tow. Here is Owen and his best gorilla face, and how he measures up. When we were looking at the gorilla down by the glass there were a lot of kids tapping on the window. As we walked away the gorilla went NUTS! It started pounding on the windows and running back and forth. I never even knew that could happen. It was a little bit exciting (otherwise I think the zoo is a little bit lame). Luckily Owen didn't really catch the commotion, but there was a mom and her little girl in there and the little girl could not be consoled. I felt really bad for her.

Owen and Jassy: the quintessential best frenemies. They love to play, but love to fight. On a different occasion we were visiting my aunt and I told Owen it was time to go. Jassy kept holding his hand and he kept saying, "but I have to go!" while pulling his hand away. And her reply was, "But your my best friend!" Ha. I love those kids. And I love that they were holding hands at the zoo. Adorable.

Owen, Jassy and Hadley. Loving the lion.

Do you love that I went to the zoo and have not one picture of any animals? Ha. Kinda funny, just not my style. I did get some with the giraffe, but they didn't make the cut.

Shhh....It's a Surprise!

2011-05-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

We celebrated 50 years of my mom's life! I started planning in March for her birthday in May. I decided a surprise was definitely in order. I had in my mind an idea for what I wanted to do, so little by little I got it all together. I wanted to keep it colorful, fun and summery, so I avoided the black/grey/silver cliches. My aunts were a big help with most of the food: Chile Colorado (my mom's favorite, and one of mine), chile con queso, Abby's rice: I don't know what this dish is technically called, but it is the bomb. Rice mixed with sour cream and corn topped with chiles and cheese. DELISH. Chips, salsa, quac, and lets not forget my mom's other fave: WINE. haha. I was left with desserts and punch. I had invited the family of course, but also a lot of friends and co-workers. Unfortunately, not many could make it, but we had a good handful. Also, this was in the middle of May. My aunt has an awesome backyard and I was so excited to do it outside, but of course, it was raining. Either way it was fun. My mom is really awesome. She is always giving of her time and talents. She is an awesome "Kika" to my boys, and they adore her. She is fun and active and fun to be around. If anyone deserves a celebration, it is her. For her gift I made her a book, which I will have to post pictures of later, but it was a fun project for me. I little by little got learn about my mother's child hood, teen years and into adulthood. Some things I learned: my mom's grandmother, brother, and father all died in the same year (1970) My mother lived in a convent for a while. My mom was a daddy's girl, possibly the favorite (shhh). My mom moved to the States kind of on a whim. She had come to visit her sister and decided not to go home. One of her fist jobs was selling encyclopedias, and (so she says) everyone was jealous of her. Ha! That really made me laugh. My grandma traded their home with someone in the city (after my grandpa had passed away). She changed her mind and was able to trade back.

I think she may have been tipped off in the end, but oh well, it was fun!

A Picnic in the Park

2011-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

A Night Away With the Hubs

2011-05-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

We spent a night away "Just Because" at the Waldorf Astoria. Steve told me not to plan anything on this day a loooong time ago. Shortly after that he told me why...we were staying here! He cannot keep surprises:) There was no specific reason, but it was great to get out with out children and sleep in a little and relax. We checked in to the classy establishment, dropped off our stuff and headed to dinner at Robert Redford's "Zoom." We love to try new restaurants and we love to eat GOOD whenever we get the chance. This was no exception. It was all delicious, but the most memorable item I ate was "Broccolini." Ever heard of it? It looked like a hybrid of broccoli and asparagus. Cooked to perfection and delicious. The restaurant had a very rustic feel and there was this awesome blues guitar player/singer performing. I love it when there is music at dinner. When we got back to the hotel, the drapes were all drawn, our sheets were pulled back, and our slipper were out and ready for us to slip on. Also, a chocolate was left along with the next day's weather. How lovely!
We love hotels, and I'm really glad we got to experience this one. On top of it all, we were greeted with fresh baked cookies and a personal letter from Steve's friend that upgraded our room. How thoughtful!

Easter Part 4

2011-04-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

I came from a family where Easter was pretty low key, although I remember my Grandma and Grandpa Henseler giving me pretty awesome Easter baskets, but in my home, not such a big deal. I still have the same sentiments. I love Easter and the time to reflect on all things "new" and what it really means to be thankful for my Savior. That being said, Easter morning is not a big deal for the kids. Call me crazy, but the whole idea that its almost like Christmas just ain't my thing. So the boys got some casual summer clothes and sand buckets. They searched for eggs with jelly beans. Owen loved it, he cracked all the eggs open into the sand bucket. Mile's eggs, however, were not filled with anything, but he loved playing with the plastic eggs. And yes, both of my boys are in Christmas pajamas. Maybe it is like Christmas after all...

Easter Part 3: Mom and Owen Dying Eggs

2011-04-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a wait til the last minute kind of gal...so Saturday afternoon was when we dyed eggs. Things like this are hard for me because I get anxiety over messes. I don't like spilled dye, stained clothes, etc, etc. But I knew it had to be done. Owen was really good and would whisper "Gently" as he put the eggs into the cups. He loved coloring the eggs and even more loved egg salad sandwiches.

Easter part 2: Breakfast and Kites with the Hansons

2011-04-29T00:13:00.001-07:00

Another fun tradition, every year the Saturday before Easter is breakfast and Kites with Great Grandma Hanson (or Grandma Bethie as we call her). We had a delicious breakfast...fruit, eggs, sausage, pancakes, hashbrowns...for 60+ people? It was pretty warm in grandma's house. Then the kids get to hunt for REAL eggs (boiled and dyed of course) and then they turn them in for money and candy eggs. Then we headed down to the park for kite flying, which eventually turns into playing in the playground. It was really fun and we appreciate grandma keeping up this fun tradition.

Estee, Vince, Jules, Owen and Kaycee:
one more of Owen: we laugh when he puts this hat on, he looks like a little elf.

Steve, Miles, Matt and Greg's face.

Kit, once again being adorable. She was pointing up at a kite. She is proficient in "Baby Signing Time" I think that means "what's that?" Or maybe it's just pointing...

This is hilarious. It looks like Owen is standing in awe of his kite flying so high. Not so. He is PISSED because his dad took off running with his kite. He doesn't quite get that that is how a kite becomes airborne.Grandma Bethie and the Boys. We really appreciate all her work and sure love her!
FUN FACT: Growing up, Steve's mom got a kite every year in her Easter basket. This was how her parents kept the tradition going.

Easter Part 1: Seare family Easter egg hunt

2011-04-29T00:08:00.001-07:00

We had a multi-part Easter, starting a week before the actual day. Grandma Cyndee and Grandpa Scott had an Easter egg hunt for the kids since it was our week ON (we alternate Sunday dinners with them). They are equal opportunity grandparents. Each kid has 6 eggs (except the babies) and they are color coded, or themed. Owen got the basketball eggs and Miles got Elmo. They go all out every Easter and are sure to give plenty of candy, money, fun toys and my favorite, swimsuits. I appreciate a practical gift, and just in time!

Kit and Miles: aren't they so cute? Just 7 weeks apart!

Gracie and her prize:
Parker: the older he gets, the more like a Seare he really looks...

Maya and her cute glasses:
Kit: one of my favorite babies to photograph. Those eyes are unreal. She is a doll.
Miles: I love him through and through.

Owen and his basket and spiderman surprise:

Estee, Avery, and Kaycee. These ladies are 6 months within eachother. They were jumping on grandma's tramp (about 3 ft wide, 1 foot off the ground and a screen all the way around). I had to trick them to take a picture. I would let them bounce then I would say, "1, 2, 3, FREEZE!" It worked like a charm.

The faces of the Cutest Baby EVER

2011-04-28T23:49:00.001-07:00

I can't get enough of this BABY! It is so fun to see his little personality develop. I could squeeze him all day long, if he let me...

Then and Now: Steve's mission reunion

2011-04-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

(above: Steve and President and Sister Martino the day he arrived in the mission home)

(above: Steve and Elder Martino)
We had the opportunity to attend Steve's mission reunion. We hadn't been to one in a really long time. Elder Martino (Steve's mission president) was in town from Guatemala and was going to be speaking for the reunion. I felt that was definitely worth going to. I really love Pres. Martino and his wife. Great people. So we went and we saw lots of old familiar faces and had a good time, actually. Ha. I kind of hate mission reunions...
So 10 years ago this year Steve left the MTC and headed to Maracaibo Venezuela. FUN FACT: the heaviest Steve has ever been was while on the mission working in the mission office. The skinniest Steve has ever been was right at the end of his mission and right when he got home. Poor guy, his digestive system has never been the same...if your husband went to South America, perhaps you know what I mean? TMI? Ha.(above: Steve and Helgeson 2001)(above: Steve and Helgeson 2011)
It was really fun to catch up with mission comps that I have met before, particularly Helgeson and his wife, whom I met RIGHT when Steve and I first started dating...he and his wife were also dating at the time. He is hilarious and I can totally see why he and Steve got along so well. (they lived together in the MTC for 2 months) FUN FACT: Helgeson's best friend growing up is Ben Banford, who married one of my best friends. Small world.
Elder Rose. FUN FACT: I went to Dixie with Elder Rose. He lived behind me with a bunch of our friends and what a small world that he came home 6 months before Steve and lived behind me? Great to see him.

**Bakers, you were missed!

Tradition

2011-04-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I am slightly fearful of loosing some traditions. For instance, Spanish is the primary language of my family, but my generation and the generation after is lessening the amount Spanish spoken and also the amount learned. A really big tradition in my family is cooking. I have some of the best cooks in my family. Serious. And the funny thing is, all the things they cook are in their head. Once I asked my Abuelita to teach me to make homemade tortillas...the recipe went something like: 4 handfuls of flower. 1 handful of lard. 1 pinch of salt. a little bit of water. They just know how much of whatever, but there are no such things as "cookbooks" in my mom's family. I've been wanting to make some tamales for a while, so I talked to my aunt Abby, and we made it happen. I can't tell you the recipe, but here is the gist:
soak corn husks. Deseed and boil about a trillion dried red chili peppers. blend with oregano, onion and garlic. Sift through fine sifter to keep out seeds and skin. Buy the maza from a Mexican store. Mix with lard and oregano. Cook shoulder of pork, shred. mix pork with blended sauce. spread Maza mixture onto corn husks, spread a fair amount of pork and sauce onto maza. Fold, wrap in parchment paper for less mess. Layer it all into a big pot with water in the bottom (do not let tamales touch the water) steam for about an hour. Eat the most mind blowing tamales ever.
Sadly, pretty much no one in my generation cooks (I can't speak for the ones in Mexico, maybe they do) but us ladies here might be doomed. I am trying though. I made me first batch of Chile Verde the very next day...it was a success!

My aunt said "plan on about 4 or 5 hours." What she should have said..."plan on 8" It was a long day, but well worth it. I asked my aunt, did you just make these so often you remember by heart? She said whenever Abuelita Margarita (my great grandmother) would come into town she would make Rosita tamales. My question was what makes Rosita so special to get her own batch of tamales, she is my mom's cousin, and apparently she was the spoiled one. I hope Rosita doesn't read this or else I just started a family feud. Really. But ANYWAY every time she came into town she enlisted my aunts to help her make the tamales. Things don't quite happen like that anymore...being that everyone basically lives in the same town around here:)

Inspiration/Interpretation

2011-04-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

People! I started a project and finished it! AMAZING. Steve went out of town a couple of weeks ago and for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to make a skirt. I had a pretty simple idea and thought I would whip it out in a couple hours. No Problem. WRONG! I worked on it for an entire day and hated it and decided to start over. I decided I didn't want a zipper, then decided I had to have a zipper, and well 2.5 weeks later I finally finished it. And wore it. And it has not yet frayed or come apart at the seems. I may never wash it. We will see.
I have been seeing lots of skirts like the ones pictured above from this lovely store, anthropologie. I love the high waist, the gathered at the waist, full skirt, and I love a big bow to top it off. I can't say this is the last skirt I will ever make, BUT if I ever have to sew a zipper onto an article of clothing I might rather die. This picture is actually not the greatest...looks like it could lay a little better and the bow is a little smashed, but Steve couldn't be bothered to take more than one picture on Master's Sunday. Ugh.

10 things about me.

2011-04-07T23:45:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a little project recently. It's about my mom and I've been asking her some questions here and there. Mostly about her childhood and her younger years. I've been thinking a lot lately how "once upon a time," my mom was my age. She was once a mother to a 3 year old. I don't really know that person then, just the person she is now. Weird to think about, really. So I got to thinking, I'd like my children to know about me as a young mom with young children. This is partly why I blog. So they will look back and know what life was like...you know EVERY little detail:) and maybe get an idea of what their parents did for them so when they are 16 year old ingrates they might think twice....just kidding! Ha!

so here is 10 things about me today. it could change tomorrow.
1. I enjoy taking on sewing projects, but I hate that it consumes my life while I am working on them.
2. I've been really loving Mumford and Sons on Pandora. Have you heard them? A little folksy, but really good.
3. I have not ran once since running the St. George Marathon in 2009. I am certainly getting the itch. It's time to start. Who's with me? SLC Marathon 2012? Ogden 2012?
4. I am currently on my 2nd run of Sex and the City reruns in about a 3 month span. I'm just getting to the good part...you know where things are going great with Carrie and Aiden, but Big starts popping up. Oh man, seriously, best season. I love watching this show because for some reason it reminds me of one of my favorite vacations...Steve took me to San Francisco for our 1 year anniversary. What a sweetie.
5. Photography is ALWAYS on my mind. How I want to take new pictures, where I could take new pictures, who I could take new pictures of, what I could take new pictures of.
6. I make a to do list on a daily basis, and rarely refer to that list. Not sure why I do that.
7. I am a primary teacher and I really love it. I love the kids in my class and I love the age (7 turning 8). A couple of weeks ago I was asking the kids what we might be tempted to do, and no joke, one kid said MURDER. Oh man, gotta love em.
8. I love to read. Lately, I have a harder time making time, but when I finish a good book I feel really happy inside. And accomplished.
9. My house is rarely entirely clean. I've tried doing it all in one day, breaking it up through the week, but it just doesn't happen for me. HELP. How do you tidy people do it?
10. I love to make my kids laugh. This is often done through lipsincing, dancing and silly faces. Their laughs are priceless.

So tell me 10 things about you today.

Firefighter Buhler

2011-04-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago we went to dinner with some of Steve's Highschool buddies and their wives...we kind of lost touch for a while. BUT, we got caught up and Steve's friend Jason informed us he was a firefighter at station #5 and that we could bring Owen by any time. A couple of weeks ago we decided to take him up on his offer. When we first arrived, Owen was quite grumpy.

We put him in the front seat of the Fire Engine and he said "I don't want to be a fireman"

I got him to quickly snap out of it by telling him to shoot me with the hose. He thought that was fun.

Here is firefighter Buhler helping Owen handle an Axe.

This helmet was really heavy and kept weighing down Owen's head.

Owen, always a goofball.

We got the full tour and then some. Owen loved it and still asks about "Jasy" everytime we see a firetruck. The boys were sent home with firehelmets, stickers and lots of tattoos. Thanks Jason!

Mom, Are you ready to rock?

2011-04-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

...is what Owen asked me last week when he got his guitar out. He loves it, he might just be my musical child!

Two Teeth!

2011-04-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Around the middle of February Miles finally had his two bottom teeth popping through, but they are really starting to show now!

Miscellaneous Wednesday: some brotherly love

2011-04-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Just love these boys and their brotherly dynamic.

Happy Birthday Stock!

2011-04-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Owen's friend Stockton's Birthday in late March. I'm determined to be a thorough blogger this year, so bare with me as I do some catching up:). Anyway, Cas had a small playdate and the kids had cupcakes. Well, the adults had 2 or 3 also. I love that:
A. I'm still in good contact with my best friends from school, both highschool and college
B. We are pretty much all in the same boat...kids all near the same age (mostly boys, too!)
C. Our kids are growing up to be such close friends.

Here is the birthday boy:
The only way Owen knows how to eat a cupcake: eat the frosting off the top and then MAYBE take a bite or two out of the cake. This kid loves straight up sugar. Anything frosted in our house doesn't last very long...So it doesn't happen all that often.

Miscellaneous Monday: Boys in the Bath

2011-03-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

It was so great when Miles was officially sitting up and the two boys could bath together! Two birds, one stone. They love splashing together.

Overheard Dialogues of a 3 year old, pt 2

2011-03-25T23:32:00.001-07:00

(Owen was playing with his shark fruit snacks)
Owen (concerned): This shark has no friends.
Me: Oh, I'm sorry. That is sad.
Owen: I ate his friends.

haha. I don't know if that comes out as funny as it was, but I was laughing out loud.

Neighborhood Playgroup

2011-03-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

Some moms and kids in my neighborhood have been getting together about once a week for playdates. There are SO many boys in the neighborhood. In our playgroup there are 14 or more boys if everyone is there. That is a lot. But fun for Owen. One of the mom's is super organized AND used to teach preschool, so she has come up with a schedule and lots of fun activities.
This week we got together and had a little "cooking" lesson. They made snakes out of bisquick with whipped cream, strawberries, bananas, and m&m's. I enjoyed it. Then another mom had the boys help make slime. The batch didn't turn out, but the boys thought it was fun dumping glue in a bowl and mixing in the color.

For Valentine's day the boys each got a box and got to decorate it with stickers and markers. Then we sat in a circle and passed out Valentine's. I miss that about school. Owen was so excited to hand out his Iron Man valentines. He picked those out all on his own. I was trying to get him to pick toy story, but he wouldn't have it.

A couple of weeks ago someone brought a roll of butcher paper and we traced the kids' bodies and let them color and decorate it as desired. Owen colored the hair you see and glued on a few squares that he had cut out. He wasn't super interested, but I thought it was a really cute idea. Maybe when he's older he will be into it more.

It has been nice doing this. Owen gets to know the boys better each time we go and I get to know my neighbors better, too!

Goofy Hat

2011-03-15T19:55:00.001-07:00

Owen loves this hat and calls it his Goofy hat. I believe the reasoning for that is because it gives him ears similar to Goofy's. Last week we went for a walk to the park (because we finally COULD!). This pic was multitasking at its finest...holding Owen's hand, pushing a stroller, walking, ALL while taking this picture. (excuse the focus, I didn't say I was good at multitasking.)

Rocket Man

2011-03-15T19:47:00.001-07:00

Typical Utah spring weather...sunny one day, snowing that night and the next day snow on the ground. Obviously didn't phase Owen. He loves his rocket and loves coasting down our driveaway.

Overheard dialogs of a 3 yr Old pt 1

2011-03-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

(while playing with his batmans)
I am going to change your bum
Don't change my bum! STOP! STOP!
(singing) change your bum, change your bum baby
HEY! I don't wear diapers. STOP! I'm not baby!
Your in jail. Your in the crib jail.

I love this kid's mind. For the record, I never tell Miles he is in jail.

Pinatas Make Me Happy

2011-03-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

We were lucky and got to celebrate my cousin's (as in my Mom's youngest sister's child) 4th birthday. Being an only child, I'm just glad Owen has kids his age on my side of the family!
Anyway, it was fun had by all and great turnout as far as cousins go! Pictured above is Nico himself. A handsome boy he is. My aunt decided to start with the pinata, since it was getting dark and cold. I love a pinata. I wish I was a kid again: Hit something so hard candy comes out of it? YES PLEASE.
Jassy giving her best shot
Owen, blindfolded, holding his bag, whilst hitting the pinata
The birthday boy!
Jassy and her pinata hat.
Owen and his.
Miles, always a pleasure and loving all the attention from his aunties.
Our attempt at getting all the kids together. I love how Owen is such a goofball lately. Everytime I take his picture, it is a goofy face. Must be the boy in him.
Miles, looking like ironman, going for the ironman cake.
Happy 4 years to one energetic little man.

Blog Name

2011-03-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

in my adventures as a professional blog stalker I have come to realize that I don't have a cool, funny, whitty, or even up to date "Blog Name." In fact it is currently titled Steve*Angie*Owen. There has been one more person for nearly 8 months. Oops. So I got to thinking, what should I name my blog? I thought of some ideas, some funny, some dumb, some kind of negative and whiny, and some simple but fun ones. I decided to show you some of those ideas....except any debby downer ones. I am by no means a perfect mom living in bliss with my ANGEL children while we float around on clouds, BUT I have decided that I will focus on the positive and be thankful for the blessing that is mommyhood. So here are a few ideas, What do you think? I think I've made my decision, but before I reveal it, I would love to hear some thoughts? suggestions? do I even have more than 4 people viewing my blog?
I think I'm funny. What I don't understand is how some bloggers come up with the craziest names of fruits and vegetables with linen and whatever...The closest I could get would be bruised brown banana. Actually, that fits our family perfect. There. I found a name. Just kidding. Comments, please.

Spring is in the Air

2011-03-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

I love Spring! I felt like a bear coming out of hibernation. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. I seized the opportunity and we went outside. Owen pedaled his trike no problem.
Concentrate:

Miles was even happy to get some fresh air.

I love these boots, but not near as much as Owen. They were the best birthday gift from his Kika. So glad we have them!

A little inspiration

2011-02-28T23:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we need reminders to be happy and feel blessed. I have decided I would like to surround myself with more inspiring quotes, thoughts and words. I am no graphic designer, but I sure wish I was! Please feel free to save this and print it paste it whatever. Or if you think I need a degree in graphic design, fine.

My latest project

2011-02-27T23:04:00.001-08:00

I am a strugglefest. I love a scrapbook. Have you seen the adorable trends now a days? There are some really awesome ideas out there. I have been wanting to do an ABC book for a really long time, ever since I saw this post. Then I saw it in person and I knew it had to be done. Here is my problem. In my heart I want to be a scrapper and do all the cute awesome things scrappers do, but I just don't work that way. I can't keep up with the changing trends and then my ocd doesn't love to look back and see some ugly page I made 2 years ago, so then I just want to change it. And then I don't take/have the time to do it. So I decided this is the year I will conquer this book for OWEN. You can imagine that kid has a shiz load of pictures from his first year...it is difficult to narrow it down to 26 letters x 2 page layouts. So I have debated on the digital scrapbooking vs. paper. Paper might always win, (ooh but then there is the outdated thing again) but there are a lot of things I don't love about digital. Here I am rambling and rambling and the whole point is I am amazed I finished 1 page. Thats right 1. 51 more to go...What are you digital scrapbookers going to for ideas? I've been to the shabby princess (pictured above is mostly from their "Happy Go Lucky" kit, which is a FREE download, thank you verry much) But I struggle for digital to not look cheesy trying to look like paper.

Did I make any sense at all? Check back and see how the rest of the alphabet turns out. Hey the best part about digital is once Miles is 1 I can simply swap out Owens pics and print again!

*oh and please note, I most likely will not come up with any adorable rhyme like Brooke. This is already far enough.

A Cutie and a Quilt

2011-02-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

I have meaning to post this for quite some time. Having your second baby doesn't pose such the large task list of projects (although painting and getting a whole other room is a pretty big project). But since my second was a boy I had most everything I needed. 2010 became the year I really got into sewing (that being said, I am not a great sewer, but I LOVE it). So among a few sewing projects I came acrossed a couple of quilt tutorials that I thought I might tight to tackle. Only one actually got conquered, but I am happy about it. I found this tutorial and fell in love. I am not exactly one for quilts...they might make me think BLEH...and might give me a headache. But this one was modern, fun and best of all, looked pretty easy. I knew I wanted something for my boys to play on and make lots of memories together. So, ladies and gentleman, my first REAL quilt....
by no means am I a pro quilter, but I feel good having accomplished this. Next on my list a hand stitched quilt. Serious.

Last Sunday

2011-02-27T08:33:00.001-08:00

Was a marker of 2 milestones. 1st up...Owen gave his first talk in Primary. I still can't believe he is a Sunbeam! He has done wonderful in Primary and his teachers say he is getting better at actually sitting in his chair. When he gave his talk he was not hesitant or shy one bit. He sat up in front of everyone without even thinking he might be embarrassed or shy. When it came time to give his talk he walked right up to the stand and grabbed the microphone and had his whole first line memorized, "I know the scriptures are true." He then repeated everything I told him perfectly. We are really proud of him and his confidence. We know he will continue to shine as a sunbeam. We love you Owen.

Next in Line: Miles sat up and is officially sitting up all on his own, and I'm pretty sure it all started Sunday when we got home from church. He just had to one up Owen:) He is crawling really well and now sits up all on his own and plays wonderfully. What a cutie.

WE'RE BACK!

2011-02-21T11:27:00.001-08:00

Ridiculous. I know. 6 months since I last posted? REALLY? I was tempted to just delete this blog and pretend it never happened. Buuuuut, I decided I would give it another try. Perhaps this is my year to be the best blogger I can be. Or not. I won't catch you up on EVERYTHING since last I posted, but a quick update on us...

OWEN:

turned 3. Might be in the middle of the terrible 3's. Still has a sweet side. Asks WAY too many questions. Started PRIMARY in January and loves his teachers GLEB and ASHLYN. Is actuallly retaining some of the things he learns in primary. Got a big boy hair cut. Loves his friends and cousins, asks to see them DAILY. Hides from his dad EVERY DAY when he gets home from work. Adores his baby brother and loves to give him snacks and water. Has become obsessed with: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Iron Man. Favorite foods include: cheerios, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit. If you ask him his favorite sports, they are: Golf and Baseball (gee has he been coached much?). Loves Katy Perry's FIREWORK song...sings it all day and asks me to sing it while we dance. Was tearing up this weekend while watching "Curious George" the movie, because the man in the yellow hat sent George back to the jungle. seriously cute.

MILES:

is coming up on 7 months! Crawling and Sitting up on his own. Smiles nonstop. Loves the sound of his voice. Loves being sang to. Loves his big brother and thinks he is hilarious. Sleeps 12+ hours at night. Is eating and loving solid foods. Sucks two fingers, no thumb. Is a busy body reaching for anything and everthing in sight. Puts everything in his mouth. Gets cuter by the minute. Loves doing rasperries, or just sticking out his tongue for that matter. Loves Pedro.

ANGIE & STEVE:

Business as usual...Steve is working hard for the money at Uinta, while I am working hard for the money at home:) Steve has golfed way more than you should in the months of January and February. Business for me is picking up and hopefully continues to do so with the warming up just around the corner...right? I'm still in book club and loving it...last month's read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was a good read. This month A vintage affair. I'll let you know on that one. I'm also working on the 3rd book of the Hunger games inbetween books. I like the series. definitely better than some vampire series I heard of.

So, heres to blogging 2011 like its EVERYBODY'S business.

Golf Already?

2011-02-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Its the middle of February and they are already at it. I don't think Owen is quite ready for Junior Golf Acadamy, or any sports for that matter, but it makes me smile to see Owen fist pump and say "YES" when he hits the ball. It also makes me happy to see he's learning from his daddy.

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

We rung in the new year in an original kind of way this year. On New Year's Eve Steve got the great idea that we would build a mantle. "It'll take what, a couple hours?" When Steve comes up with an idea like this I have to run with it, even if I'm not in the mood to undergo a project. It is just so unlike him to want to do something like that. SO around 2 we made it to Lowe's. I had sketched out and measured what I wanted and how much wood. Let it be known, I was the brains behind this project. Thanks to the Sawyers for their inspiration (basically this is a rip-off of their mantle.) Owen was super excited to help us out...he was able to use his "Handy Manny" tools. He loved using his screw driver and hammer. No, the project didn't take 2 hours. It took more than I even kept track of. We had the mantle mounted and assembled on the wall by about 11:50 p.m. Just in time to watch the ball drop. Owen was such a trooper, he lasted almost until midnight.

New Year's day consisted of calking and painting. We were proud of ourselves for A. starting and finishing a project and B. making a pretty decent mantle...It has yet to come off the wall!

love love love

2010-08-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

I will treasure these forever.

So Squishy...

2010-08-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

On July 25 we welcomed this bundle of cuteness into this world.

Miles Arthur Seare...came in at 9lbs 2oz...yes we were a little surprised at the size! We are loving every minute of having a new baby in the house. Even Owen is loving on his baby brother. More pics to come!

some pics

2010-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Before baby #2 gets here, I wanted to be sure to get some pics of Owen at 2 1/2. We went up to Millcreek for a fire...hotdogs, marshmallows and such...and did these before the fun got started. I got some good shots, but I swear the hardest kid to photograph is my own. Oh well, it was fun and made for a good memory:).

thanks Owen, for the frown.

Mark my words, Owen will grow up to walk just like his dad, who walks just like his dad, who probably walks like his dad. Just saying.

A memory

2010-06-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

I have about a handful of pictures of me pregnant when I was expecting Owen, I didn't really see much purpose for the weekly picture to track my growth...all I remember is I gained A LOT of weight. The picture situation is going about the same this time around, or maybe even worse. I still have no regret/desire about the weekly picture, but I thought I should remember this picture. I am 34 weeks along in this photo. I had just eaten some very delicious shrimp tacos at Cafe Rio in St. George. I was there with 5 of my closest and dearest friends (there are 2 or us missing). We had a weekend getaway and had a blast. Our fun consisted of swimming in an awesome pool, staying up way too late every night, 1-2 naps per day, shopping, and eating lots of delicious food: In'n'Out, Pizza Factory (twice), Lion House rolls, delicious raspberry vanilla cupcakes (can you say bomb.com?), rice crispy treats, coldstone, and water from the gas station...as in from tap but in their cups (hahaha). I think this post went in a couple directions, but either way...I'm glad I had this girls getaway before baby #2 comes and life changes quite drastically! Love you ladies!

Welcome Baby Kit!

2010-06-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here she is...isn't she a beauty? Here are the reasons I am so excited she is here...

It gave me a good excuse to make these...

and these, and I will be giving them a try for baby Miles on the way as well.

Because who doesn't love a new baby? Because it means it is that much closer to the time Miles will be here. Because it gives me a little baby girl to craft for and use as a model. and because I love to see how Owen's mind is turning when it comes to Baby Kit. Today he asked me what happened to Katrina's tummy? I thought wow! He noticed. I told him Baby Kit came out of Katrina's tummy. He then lifted my shirt and said he wanted Baby Kit to come out:). Yesterday I asked him if he wanted to feel Miles kick, he said "I kick!" and proceeded to attempt to karate kick me in the belly. Kinda funny.

A Birthday Party

2010-06-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

In early may, we got to celebrate Owen's friend, Deacon's birthday! Soph did a great job with a red "cars" theme. We had a great time having fun in the sun and watching the kids play, although, Owen didn't play much. He kept to himself for the the most part eating his carrot sticks and playing drums on his shoes with those carrot sticks.

the Birthday Boy
the adorable and DELICOUS spread. Soph had bags to fill with lots of fun treats. You better believe I filled a bag just for me. Owen doesn't need candy anyway.

Here is a better view...Sophia always outdoes herself with a theme! It was so cute with all the jars of candy.

I made this little cutout for a photo-op for all the kids...some loved it, some hated it, and then there was Owen that could care less either way apparently...

Owen was thrilled to get TWO popsicles! At Sophia's house anything goes! He was dancing and loving it. Thanks Soph for a great party and Happy Birthday Deacon!

Owen version 2.50

2010-06-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

somethings about my 2.5 year old...

*he loves fruits and vegetables, as well as candy, popsicles, crackers and fruit snacks

*he loves his daddy. He gets really sad when he has to leave for work or church (it is one or the other everytime)

*he loves all of his friends. He gets so excited to see them and it is always motivation for him to take a bath and get dressed. He says "I look nice"

*he still carries around his posse, but it has grown, and some others are more favored than others...Teddy is still #1, then mickey mouse that he took over from my aunt that is probably about 20 years old, then elmo, then a blue monkey he calls manny, an elephant he calls ellie, and there are probably 5+ but lets not get crazy naming them all. It is a battle to A. get him to go to sleep with just a select 3 or 4 or B. get him to leave the house/car with just a couple. He insists that they ALL come. I have really learned what it means to "choose your battles"

*he loves to feed the ducks. On my mom's birthday we went and fed the ducks at Murray park. The next day he brought me the whole loaf of bread saying he wanted bread. I gave him a slice although I thought it odd to snack on just bread, he tore it into little pieces and threw them to Pedro and ate some himself.

*he loves his helmet and elbow/knee pads. He will wear his helmet all day in the house, driving around in the car, etc, etc. He wore his pads most of the evening tonight and would intentionally make himself fall (on carpet) and then promptly say "I ok".

*he says "whats this?" and "Whats that?"

*it seems that he is potty training himself, with a little effort from me. he takes off his diaper everytime he pees and lets me know he has a wet diaper. hmmm.

*he is bossy. We listen to "his" songs in the car. We are generally not allowed to sing or dance along. He will yell at us "no sing!" or he will yell at me TO sing. sheesh.

*he is becoming more and more independent. He says "I do it myself" or "I try it"

*I think he has selective hearing when it comes to baby brother on the way. We ask him, who's in mommy's belly? Where's he going to sleep(which once he told Steve outside)? Whats baby's name? But he will not even acknowledge you for the most part.

*we watched superman a while back and it really left an impact on him. For one, he kept asking "what happened to chupaman?" (he fell in the water, but he got better, because he is superman) and for another, he is now obsessed with his hooded towels, because he thinks and says "I am chupaman"

and a couple recent stories I cannot forget...

One Sunday Owen was feeling a little under the weather and was just sitting on my lap and snuggling during Sacrament meeting. I could feel the baby moving at the same time and I just felt overwhelmed with love. I know Miles will love his big brother and look up to him so much and I know Owen will be such an awesome loving brother. I feel so blessed to be a mother...of 2 almost!

The other day Steve and I were lying in bed and Owen was not yet awake. Pretty soon I heard some movement and in comes Owen...bedhead and pajamas with a huge grin and my slurpee from the night before. He was delighted to have his "juice." All we could do was laugh because it was really adorable. And then I promptly took it away. Sorry, its just not the way to start off your morning little boy.

I love this kid more and more everyday. I still see the sweet little face I did when he was brand new, but now with more character, personality and charm. He is such a joy.

The Dresser...before and after

2010-04-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

I still have lots of projects...some further along than others, but this one has actually been finished for over a month and a half! I'm just too lazy to post, basically. More to come!

Happy Easter.

2010-04-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Owen is pretty good for me he will "mile" or what we call smile, but only for a limited time. This is about as good as it gets at age 2. Happy Easter!

Has spring sprung?

2010-03-10T13:07:00.001-08:00

Owen and his awesome new wagon he got for Christmas.

A pregnant sillhouette. *you may or may not know...yes we are expecting another boy in July*

I have to make an appearance on this blog every once in a while, right...and what better than a very uneasy self portrait...

We took advantage of the warm weather and went for a walk...well I walked and Owen rode in his wagon. He directed me which way to go, and would tell me "top" to go up a hill. I was pretty tired after that. I don't want to be to presumptious to say that spring has sprung, but it is starting to feel like it. I hope so!

Bucket Head

2010-03-10T13:02:00.001-08:00

Owen is at the hilarious stage that if he can't see you, then you must not see him. He often poses the question "where Owen go?" One night we looked over and he just had a bucket on his head. not sure where he got the idea, but pretty funny in my book. Love him.

I don't want to wake him, but...

2010-02-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

this can't be comfortable...is the blood draining from his legs? And I'm working right next to him on my desk and he has one stinky diaper. I think I will wait it out.

This is what Owen is like at 2

2010-02-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

[I give up. What December and January brought for us was great, but I will never ever be caught up if I try to go back, and so I won't. January was really mello. We took a little trip to SG which was fun but I could have used some HI. owell. Owen and I have been having fun hanging out at home and bumming around. I have been working on lots of different projects..one of which I will be posting before and afters really soon...get excited. I have taken random shots here and there of Owen just being Owen here at home...so here are my unedited pics...if I edit that just makes it longer until I post...so for now they will have to do!]

whenever he sees/wears glasses he must remember the one time he saw Stockton wearing them because he says..."like Stockton"

our sweet little Zombie.

He loves cookies! If I bake anything in the Oven, he says "cookies"

trying out the new wagon...taking teddy for a spin.

This is what Owen is like now a days...

*he has a posse...teddy, elmo, other teddy and the other teddy and we have just added manny the monkey. He trucks them all over the house and often insists on taking them with us out of the house (grammas, store, whereever)

*shouts "Ang" if he feels mom doesn't cutting it.

*says "ready be nice" when I say things like "no more candy," "no more chocolate milk," "no you cannot have captn crunch for dinner" Because he must be in trouble if I am saying no? I try to explain...you are being nice, but you are done...

*he is doing great in a toddler bed. He has been in since around October and initially I would sit in his room (not lay with him, I couldn't bring myself to start that habbit) until he fell asleep. We have made lots of progress since then...we go through our bedtime routine (stories, prayers, songs) and now I can give him a kiss and a squeeze, say goodnight and leave the door open and he is asleep like that.

*he is singing along with a lot of songs...I mean his nighttime songs twinkle twinkle little star, I am a child of God and he has been picking up on his nursery songs we listen to in the car...goofy nursery rhymes and stuff. It is really cute to hear him sing and I get a little sentimental to think he is learning stuff!

*he loves to be a helper...I've been working on a few projects here at home and he likes to bring "mommys tools" and "glubs" and tries to do heavy lifting.

*he loves his "frens" and cousins. He will go through and name them all...and he really loves "Joelf". Ha I love her, too.

*When I make something for breakfast, lunch or dinner, he likes to give me the run down "cook it firs" he will say and then he will say "HAH" (you know, hot) and then "NOH HAH anymore" We are working on the "t" sound as in papa SCOTT not papa CAH

Owen is 2!

2010-01-25T18:03:00.001-08:00

Owen is 2! I can't even believe it when I think about it. On his actual birthday we got up and I made pancakes and FINALLY put to use the plate I made when Owen he was about 5 months old. We had a lot of celebrations with family and friends...and Owen became a pro at blowing out candles and singing "happy birthday to you..." We had a playdate with a bunch Owen's buddies and did a little airplane theme (I taught myself how to make airplane balloons...now hiring for birthday parties, pool parties, weddings, showers, etc.). He greeted all his friends with such excitement it was so fun to see. I had to post the last picture because I thought it was so funny/cute. His friend/future wife Ella gave him a football. When everybody left he layed down for some quiet time and instead of his usual teddy/elmo/other teddy he snuggled with his new football. hilarious. 2 is so fun...he can pretty much verbalize anything he wants and is getting to have such a sense of humor...

Last night Steve was fake sleeping and Owen was trying to creep up on him and put his BIG TOE on Steve's eyelid. Steve couldn't even stay fake asleep it was so funny. Where did he even get this idea? I love this kid!

Thinking warm thoughts....

2010-01-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

January is great...business slows down a little and I can work on more personal things and catch up! We went to California in September with Steve's family. We go every other year and I LOVE IT...I need to move there. I was just going through these and thought I would post a few. Unfortunately our trip was cut short this year. These pics are from our last day and we certainly made the most of it! It was really fun to see Owen have so much fun with his cousins and the ocean.

In honor of 6 years of marriage...

2009-12-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post 6 pics from our wedding. It was so long ago, that it was all shot in film, so I scanned these in.

the mob waiting outside...

I remember it was a warm day in December...I swear it was 53 degrees that day.

I love that smile

I heard that its good luck when someone steps on your dress...so far so good!
Our reception was such a fun time had by all. There was music and dancing and homemade mexican food. which I did not get one bite of.

and the cake!

Love you steve...here is to 6 more years!

Just a little note

2009-12-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

I am ridiculously behind on my blogging, so behind that I am already planning to be better...later. HA!

The real reason for this post is because I feel like I should make an anouncement...if you are friends with my friend Casi....you need to check out her new blog. I am that excited to see her blog again. :)

www.heartsinspireus.blogspot.com

so check it out!

I am thankful for these things, and so much more!

2009-11-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

Aunts. I have the best aunts that jump at the opportunity to watch Owen
Boys...love raising a boy that loves boy things...cars, trucks and copters. Also he thinks farts are hilarious. BOYS.
Cousins my cousins are like my sisters. I love them.
Dads...mine, steve's and Owen's
Eggs...really. I eat eggs and toast at least 3 times a week.
Friends. I am thankful for ALL of them
Gospel. I'm thankful for the guidance it gives me and my family.
Hands. I love working with my hands...mostly crafting it up latelyI
Jogging stroller, although lately it hasn't gotten much use I'm thankful to have it! It has come in very handy.
Kitchen aid mixer. I'm thankful this makes my baking from scratch a breeze!
Legs. I remember training for the marathon and thinking how fortunate I am to have the use of my legs. How often are simple things like body parts taken for granted.
Mother...thankful to be one and that Steve and I both have great mothers that do a lot for us.
Night time. When Owen is in bed I can get caught up on work and my dvr distraction free.
Owen. He makes EVERYTHING more enjoyable.
Prayers. I know they are answered
Quiet time. I'm an only child and really appreciate silence and alone time
Reading. I love book club and all the fun books we read!
Steve. My husband is a hard working man. He is a wonderful husband and father. He is a friend to everyone he meets and he's my best friend.
TV...I am thankful for all the shows that keep me good'n'lazy. 30 rock, Dexter, the office and the soup are a few of my faves!
U
Vacations. I love time away from reality. Especially if that means Hawaii.
Work. I'm thankful we both have work and are able to provide for our family
X
Y
Z

That was the best I could do... Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for you because you take the time to read my blog.

Hoo! Hoo!

2009-10-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

*Yes, I think I'm clever:)*

yeah, he's handsome.

2009-10-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

That was a doozy

2009-10-05T11:53:00.001-07:00

WOW. Where to start? On saturday I ran in the St. George Marathon for my 2nd time. I got up nice and early. Not really nervous but just contemplating the task ahead of me. I rode up with Steve's cousins...Becky, Esther and Phil. We then met up with their cousins Burke and Joanie. I'm glad that I had them there to get me laughing and just to have someone I know! Phil and I decided we were shooting for the same time, so we started out together...we were shooting for "9's" (that is 9 minute miles). The race started out super dark and super cold. At the starting line they have many bonfires as well as hot chocolate, but once you start its up to you to get warm. I think it was around mile 3 that I started asking myself...is this really what I want to do? (they have shuttles and they are mighty tempting).

this is me at mile 6...feeling really good actually and pretty sure I have another 20 in me.

Here is my running buddy Phil...we would get ahead of each other here and there, but always found each other eventually. We actually finished 21 seconds apart.

Coming into Veyo...this little town where I think probably every resident came out along with the high school band to cheer us on. I love the locals!

After mile 7 is when things got really rough. This is the beginning of about a 5 mile incline. This was probably the worst of it. But they were tough! I was very proud of myself NEVER stopping to walk.
same hill, better light, and further up.

almost to the top of that hill...click to enlarge to see the trail of all the people...I think they said it was about 5200 runners that day.

coming into Snow Canyon...about mile 15. I love the beautiful redrock. I stopped once and that was at mile 13 (.1) to stretch. My legs were getting nice and tight. But I think it gave me a burst of energy! I was feeling so good by mile 16...where Steve and My mom were supposed to meet me, but I beat them!

I think this was around 17 or 18. I heard some guy talking "ok, we are coming up on a hill, take it nice and easy, no need to do anything fancy here." I was thinking WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS? I turned around to see that he was the 4:00 pacer. oh. that's who he thinks he is. an elite runner showing people how to run a marathon. duh.

the good news is...he never passed me and most of the time before that I thought he was ahead of me!

a helicopter...there were a few flying by us, and I took a picture because it made me think of Owen. He loves them.

After mile 16 it was pretty much ALL downhill, and I think why this explains why I have been unable to walk faster than my 2 year old for 3 days now. At about mile 23 my feet were killing...I thought for sure there would be blood (turns out no blood just really humungous blisters on the balls of my feet). At mile 24 I caught up to Phil, who I hadn't seen since about mile 20. At mile 25 there were people with soaking wet cold washcloths...GLORIOUS (and I remember that being just as wonderful last time,too).

I was dead by this point and really hoping I wasn't going to vomit. I turned a corner and saw the finish line! It was about a couple tenths of a mile. I was looking carefully for my family (didn't want to miss them AGAIN) and they were RIGHT at the finish line. So they were all there cheering me on and got to see me cross. I was so happy to see them, although last time I started hyperventalating. Luckily that didn't happen. I really wanted to get a picture of the finish line, but I was in no picture taking mood.

I finished at 3:58:08. I started to grab everything in sight...a popsicle, grapes, melons, wash cloths...but where the heck was the water? I found that to be really odd...there were 2 really long lines...one for soda and another for water. I thought that was so strange. I just ran 26.2 miles and now I have to wait in line for water? weird.

No picture of me at the finish line, but I may acquire one later...

Me and my #1 fans. Love my boys!

And here I am with my big shiny medal. Thank Heavens it is over. Til next time!

summer snapshots....part 6

2009-10-01T11:52:00.001-07:00

Ridiculous, I know, but I have LOTS of catching up to do....

This is how our 4th of July went...

I got up nice and early to run 9 miles. My family put on a yardsale and undoubtedly had lots of fun laughing, visiting, and eating. Went to a barbeque at The Seare's and Owen consumed ice cream sandwich, wrestled with his daddy, consumed popsicle, and chilled naked for a lot of the evening.

I miss you summer.

**if anything seemed a little off in the last post, you can thank my husband. He thinks he's funny**

When life gives you zucchinis...

2009-09-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Make Zucchini Bread!
3 c flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon (the best part)
2 c sugar
4 c shredded zucchini
4 eggs
1 1/2 c oil
1/2 c nuts
20 cups of love...because you have to love what you make. so...don't forget this ingredient

place all dry ingredients in bowl. Make a well in cener and add other ingredients. stir until dampened. bake at 350 for 1 hour.

in the past 3 weeks I have tried a couple recipes and this one is my favorite. I love that it makes my house smell like cinnamon, therefore, fall.
My mom and aunts keep giving me these humongous zucchinis, and I keep eating them! What else do I do with them you ask? Well...

I slice them, salt and pepper them and sautee them in olive oil and then sprinkle with cheese (a mexican cheese similar to mozzerella)
I cut them up and add them to my spagetti sauce
I cut them up and add them to chicken stir fry
when I am feeling really lazy and I don't have much in the cupboards, I cut them up, steam them and add to top ramen (for me) or mac'n'cheese (for me and Owen). This way I don't feel like a complete failure. HA!