Why I haven't posted in so long.....

I've been sewing. Matthew and I decided to get a new sewing machine. Yes, Matthew can sew very straight lines. Anyway, I've been super happy with it and have been busy making a couple of Christmas projects. I've wanted to post about it for a while, but one was a gift, and I was scared that McKinley would see it before Christmas. 

Completed Reagan's stocking. I love the way it turned out. I had to make two. The first swatch of fabric I made, I cut two side "a" pieces out. When I tried to lay it out to sew altogether, it didn't work. I'm debating making the second one for McKinley. But then I'd  have to make another one for Gavin that was a closer match to Jamison's. From left to right, McKinley's, Gavin's (not made by me), Jamison's, and Reagan's (made by me).

Below you see McKinley's finished skirt! I'm totally happy with how it turned out. I've shown it to everyone who comes in my house. Its the first time I've ever made a skirt. Gotta love tutorials online.

My machine does some fancy decorative stitches. I used this one for the bottom hem.

I love these little stars/flowers/whatever they are. It makes it look like a lace pattern. Used it for the top hem. Absolutely loved the effect!

On a side note.....It finally snowed enough to stick. Matthew took the kids out after work tonight. This is a matthew snow angel and a Jamison snow angel.

And backtracking.....Jamison's birthday cake. Everything I do looks pastel. Oh well.....at least he had decorated a cake.

This was his big birthday present. We call Reagan "Reaganzilla" as she wrecks the track. Its hard to get out and set it up all during nap time. We might look into getting a table for it when we buy a house....someday......

As with Gavin's birthday.....I used the recipe from President Monson's mom. Turned out just as yummy. This time I did 3 layers, which means more whipped cream! Yum! Jamison chose the colors. He helped me mix them and everything. He was super excited about it.

Below you see 3 very manly men sleeping on this full size bed. Gotta love bedtime. Another picture for Matthew's book. Glad he made an appearance. I was sleeping on there as well, but woke up before he did. I was crammed in next to Jamison.

Above and below you see some fun, family Christmas activity. I liked the village idea. All the kids got to decorate their own little building. They ate most of the candy. And the frosting was not super easy to work with. It was fun anyway. If Reagan had been in the pic above.....I would have made Christmas cards out of it. Alas, she was napping.

Well, that's about it. We made a trip to Utah for Christmas. It is so fun to spend time down there and see my kids play with all their cousins. They are all growing up so fast. It makes me sad. But they are all beautiful children and I love them!
I hope you all had a merry Christmas season. It was surreal here. Christmas eve was spent driving home from Utah and then staying up holding the puke bucket for Jamison. Lovely!! He didn't seem too bad off Christmas morning. I try very hard to help my kids remember why we celebrate Christmas. I'm so grateful to the Savior. And to his sweet mother, Mary. Watching "the nativity" with my kids, watching the look on the face of Mary as she stares into the stable where she was suppose to have a baby. What a woman! I can't even imagine that. So glad Jesus was born into this world. I look forward to His coming again. May God bless all of you. Feel free to stop by if you are ever traveling through Pocatello.

Eventful Week

Wow! It has been quite the week around here. I'll give you the quick rundown. 

Jamison turned the big "3".

Baby Reagan started walking and sprouted her two bottom teeth. Think "Sharptooth!!!!" from Land Before Time (yeah its been awhile).

Last but not least, I passed the Professional Engineer exam! What a relief! After 5 years of school and 4 years of work experience, I took the test in October and received results on Thursday. I was a little nervous because the morning session was a little rough on me. But the second four hours went fine. I will get my number and order my stamp before Christmas but it probably won't be arrive until after the new year. Exciting!

That's all for me. We'll have to post some pictures of Jamison's birthday and a video of Reagan walking.There are some on the camera but I don't want to upload them because I am ready for bed. Adios muchachos.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Matthew here.

I have been thinking for a while of assembling a modest collection of pictures of our kids with a specific theme. This theme is 'Kids Sleeping Weird'. Photo opportunities come quite frequently if you look for them. Sometimes our camera will spend a week upstairs just so we can be ready. You have to be quick because sometimes they move by the time you can run downstairs and get the camera. Sometimes kids need a nap on the go, or in the car, or at home in their comfy beds. It's just amazing sometimes! We get a kick out of it. Enjoy a quick preview!

steelhead fishing

I'll let Matthew post his own post about the actual trip. This is just what he brought home. My niece and nephew in salt lake wanted to see the fish. Here you go, Tyler and Breanna!

Halloween-i've been waiting for this!!

So, this year I'm proud to say that our kids stuck to a theme. We tried for ninja turtles, but couldn't find an outfit for Jamison. So, we opted for Mario Brothers!! McKinley got dubbed "princess peach" even though her dress isn't the same. And for Reagan....Toadstool! I'm so proud of any project I manage to complete, but this little gem turned out way cuter than I could have hoped for. Here you go....(sorry, I don't know what's going on with the text here.)

 The boys and Mcki's costumes are store bought. Luckily, Jamison's favorite color is green, so he has no problem being Luigi. In fact, he insists. Don't you remember as a kid, always wanting to be Mario cause he got to go first? I do. Mcki reused her dress from last year. She was a good sport about it. I made Reagan's hat and vest. The rest of the outfit is just normal clothes. I fell in love with her instantly!! She is the cutest toad ever! 

 And this scary picture below is what i've been waiting for. Ever since I've cut my hair short, I've wanted to stick it up. This is the best I got. I just got it cut again the day before halloween. Its a little shorter than last time....not super fond of the length......but this almost turned out normal.......well, normal for the 80's!!! Pulled out some old jewelry from high school, and wabam! I worked that night, had to explain to patients that I really didn't do my hair like this normally.

 McKinley had crazy hair day at school.....the day before Halloween. Anyhoo, I actually got up and did something for her.  I think it turned out really fun. They are sparkly pipe cleaners, braided into her hair. Then I attached each one to the bottom of another on to create all the little hoops. She liked it! Luckily, she doesn't have very thick hair, so it didn't take a lot of time.










 So, besides Halloween, Matthew went and took his Professional Engineering test. He has to wait till December to get the results. It is a super grueling test, 8 hours long. Glad I don't have to take it. He says he may have scraped a pass. It'll mean a raise at work, but he'll still being doing basically the same thing. We are glad its over with.
Happy holidays to everyone!
  

Its been a while

So, I tried to post a few weeks ago, but I was trying to upload videos and it didn't ever work. Getting on the computer and getting anything done is near impossible during the day. We've been crazy busy lately at night.
This is an official catch up post......with lots of pictures.

McKinley started second grade. She is loving it and has a great teacher. She spends all her time playing with friends and setting up play dates without asking me. Its rather irritating. It would be okay if they lived within walking or bike riding distance, but some of her friends live far enough away that we have to coordinate with parents. Its pretty sad when I have to call the mom back to find out what our children have planned without our knowledge!! Sadly, I don't think I have a picture of her on her first day. I'll have to take a belated first day pic. 

Reagan had her 6 month check up. She weighs in at a whoppin' 13 lbs 10 oz and is 25.25 inches long. Puts her in the 7% in weight and 24% in height. She is a super small little thing, but never stops moving! She crawled at 5 1/2 months. That is earlier than any of my other children. She is the smallest of all my kids as well. She thinks she's pretty tricky when she pulls herself to standing in her crib. She loves her brothers and sister and loves to laugh at them. She likes to eat baby food and doesn't like to nurse. Keep movin, Ray! We love you.  

She is always up on one leg like this. Then she bounces.

I love this little face!

Matthew turned 30!! Thank goodness I have a friend who makes "service treats"! She made Matthew's cake as we were camping and not home till evening. Thanks, Christy!! Happy Birthday Matthew!

Yes, we really put 30 candles on there. Most of them blew out before i got to him. It was too windy.

Here are some pics from our camping trip over labor day. It was super fun. The location is just south of Pocatello in McCammon. I really liked the area.

Cool little creek running through the campsite.

Awesome boat uncle Garrett made for Gavin. Uncles are way cooler than parents!

I hope these two stay close friends! They are so cute together!

This hammock provided lots of fun for the kids. McKinley could turn upside down in it. I have a pic somewhere, but couldn't find it.

Jamison fell off a swing set at our friend's house and hit his elbow. No big break, but too much fluid on the elbow to see if there is a crack. He's been wearing the brace for 10 days now. A second x ray a week after the event still showed too much fluid. So one more week of brace and another follow up x ray. I really like the pediatrician here. He is very skilled with little children. Jamison is super cranky, which we interpret as pain, but otherwise has handled everything very well. A little ibuprofen goes a long way!

Gavin turned 5!!! What? How is he 5? We got him a new bike for his birthday. He was less than enthusiastic in his first response. Oh well, he likes it and is having a good time riding it. His favorite present was given to him by his friend. Its a little basketball hoop that hangs inside on a door. He loves it! He wanted a green cake. It turned out a little girly looking, but he didn't complain. I made it from scratch from a recipe that was published in "the Friend" magazine. Apparently President Monson's mom made this cake when he was a kid. It was yummy. Even McKinley and our neighbor girl ate it, and neither of them like cake! Thanks President Monson, for sharing the recipe with us! I did use cool whip for frosting instead of chocolate frosting.

 As for me, I've been trying not to drown in housework. We've bottle peaches and green beans recently. Froze corn. I am extremely pleased with our corn harvest this year. Our beans and carrots did well. Zucchini has been plentiful. Tomatos have not done so well. We have 6 plants, but only 2 have many tomatos on them. They are heirloom plants. I don't know if that is why, but they blossom, but no fruit. The blossoms just dry up and fall off. Maybe it was too hot. Who knows? 

That's it. Life has been a bit crazy for us lately. Oh, I forgot to mention I'm playing rec league soccer with a bunch of people at the hospital. I'll have to have Matthew take a picture. Its fun. Between soccer, scouts for Matthew, work for me, and life in general, our nights are awfully full. We've been blessed though. So much to be grateful for.
Until next time!

New Hair

My sister wants to see what my new hair cut looks like. I got it cut a while back to chin length. Neither Matthew or I liked it. I took in a picture of Meg Ryan back in the 90's. This is what I got back.

These are both taken with my phone, so not the best pics. Its a pretty low maintenance haircut. I wash it, apply mousse and some hair texture stuff and let it dry. Sometimes it looks really good, and sometimes I don't like it. Matthew likes it better cause it looks like I try to do my hair. I can't just pull it up in a pony tail.
It doesn't look like Meg Ryan to me. But I think my hair is just too thick. 

 

Here we have a cute little pic of Reagan. McKinley applied the big skirt. Reagan can officially crawl. Actually she started crawling about a week ago. She's pretty good now. And she can finally sit up. She started crawling before she sat up. That is usually reversed. She doesn't have any problems sitting though. (no falling over or anything like that) Silly little girl. Hopefully she crawls for a long time and puts off walking. She still weighs in under 13 lbs. Well, she might be over now, but at 5 months, she was 12 lbs 12 oz. Tiny little squirt.

Boys: Noise covered in dirt

Our friends have a saying on their wall that kind of makes me laugh. "Boys: Noise covered in dirt." It seems that our boys prefer their dirt moist. Very moist. Like mud! 

Perhaps you remember from a while ago (click here June 2009) the following picture of Gavin sporting a handsome mud goatee when he was 2-ish. We blew this picture up big and hung it with one of McKinley when she was 2 in their room.

Apparently he thought Jamison has come of age and needs to know firsthand the joys of playing in mud. What better way to teach than to do? Gardens make excellent mud patches.

We'll blow one of these up big and hang it on the wall so we have a happy smiley Jamison at age 2 forever. We may have to hang their pictures in our bedroom so that when they are teens and all mopey and grumpy, we can remember how cute they once were....