Cute Kids

Don't you think Vivienne looks a little like Yoda in the family picture?

Lesson Learned

Last night we learned that if you forgetfully leave a bowl of popcorn on the floor, a toddler might find it and stick three popcorn kernels up his nose.

Just a thought.

Nursery

We are excited to say that Jamison loves his nursery class in our new ward. We were worried since he had some freak outs in our old ward after we were released as the nursery leaders. But lo and behold, he had a great time on Sunday. He even drew a picture for me.


I am 100% positive that Jamison did not draw this. Nor did he say he was thankful for mommy, unless the nursery leader has some gift of language for understanding him. All the same, I love seeing it on the fridge everyday.

Today, Jamison was playing in his room while I was making his lunch. I must have taken a long time because when I checked on him, this is what I found:

Together Again

Well, I'm not sure how to sum up the last few weeks. We've survived and are still in one piece. We drove down on the 16th and didn't get our internet or phones working until yesterday. When I was finally able to call my parents, my Dad said "it was like when the Apollo 13 capsule emerged from the reentry blackout and everybody starts to cheer and hug. We can hear Liz and Walker and Jamison again! Hurray! Hurray! They're alive!"

We've been welcomed with open arms from our family in Salt Lake. Between us we have over 75 relatives in Salt Lake (yes, I counted everyone).

We are renting a home in Millcreek that is 1 minute away from our favorite restaurants: Cafe Rio and Barbacoa. Walker is still loving his job and I am still loving being home with the kids. We are mostly unpacked and organized (Walker, good man that he is, unpacked most of the boxes before I came) and are finally getting settled.

Jamison fell in love with an ugly orange tupperware that belonged to my parents. He wore it all the time -- in the bath, in bed, in the car. My parents graciously gave it to him before we left, but I am thinking about mailing it back to them. It sure is ugly.

Vivienne is still our little dainty girl, but definitely has a good set of lungs. She is smiling occasionally and is sort of getting on a schedule. Although the last 4 nights we have been up until 2:00am with her. I guess that's her new schedule.

We've enjoyed Thanksgiving week and are very grateful for our many blessings... most of all for being able to be together as a family again.

Blessing Day

A thoughtful pose

We had the opportunity of blessing Vivienne in Boise on November 16th. It was our last day in our beloved Bergeson Ward. We had the blessing, then hopped in the car and drove to Salt Lake City. I am grateful we were able to say some last goodbyes to our dear friends, which of course just added to the emotions of the day.

Here are some not so very good pictures of us:

The picture made me laugh... a lot. This is pretty much a bad picture of everyone. Don't ask me what Vivienne is doing. And yes, that is marker on Jamison's forehead and a tupperware hat on his head.

I think Vivienne likes being pushed by Jamison.

Ode to Dr. Klomp

Here's what I know about the man:

He was married and had a few kids. His wife got cancer. For six months she stayed in the U of U hospital and he drove down to be with her every weekend. A while after she passed away, he married again. He had two more kids. They are in elementary now, while the older set are grown up. He has grandchildren the same age as his younger kids. He was a Stake President. He is now our Stake Patriarch. He is always on call... always. He is old. He had no plans of retiring (so he says). He jogs to the hospital from his home. He has a glass eye. He learns Chinese for fun. He calls me "Miss Lizzy." He always tells me he is proud of me.

As odd as it may sound, I will truly miss my doctor.


As a side note, when Walker and I were discussing baby names, Walker asked what Dr. Klomp's first name was.

"Robert," I said.

Walker replied, "Well, if it's a boy, let's name him that with the middle name of Red."

You figure it out.

Welcome to Crazy Town

I think I have officially gone crazy. This last week, we found a nice family to rent our home. We feel good about the renting situation and decided to go for it. The only bad thing is that they need to move in ASAP, so that means we had to kick into high gear to get moved out. Walker came up from Utah with his parents on Friday, we packed up every last thing we own (in 1.5 days!) and he is now driving the big moving truck back down to Utah. I am staying at my parents for two weeks, while I wait for my doctor's appointment, and while Walker finds a place for us in Salt Lake. Then our little family can finally be together again. Yahoo! I am ready to put an end to this chapter of our lives!

Jamison has handled everything very well. He is now used to Walker coming and going for weekends, and is familiar with driving to the airport. He has become more clingy the last couple months, and I think it will be a relief when things finally settle down. And sorry we didn't get any Halloween pictures. Jamison absolutely refused to put on his cute monkey costume. I mean, he was kicking and screaming on the floor. Maybe next year.

Vivienne (AKA Miss Piggy) continues to grow and grow and grow. She still has her days and nights mixed up, which makes for a very tired mommy. We also had a visit from the dreaded mastitis fairy (commiserate with me, Mitzi) this last week. Why does it seem like everything happens at once?

A huge thank you to all who helped us pack and load our stuff. And an especially big thank you to my mother who has lived with me for the last 2.5 months and is now letting us live in her house.

And now I'm going to go take a nap while the kiddies are both asleep. Miracles upon miracles!

The Adventure Continues

Here I am, back at the single parenting again. Walker left for Utah on Monday and I am still in Boise with a toddler, and now a newborn. My mom has truly been an angel in helping me out. Who knew that getting up in the middle of the night could be so fun? She deserves the title "The Baby Whisperer." Who knew that she could calm the baby in two seconds flat?

Jamison is now 21 months, and for the most part, loves life. Fortunately we haven't had a repeat of the bundt pan episode (I hid it, much to his dismay), but he did manage to get his fingers stuck in a door yesterday. His book of the week is "The Cat in the Hat" and he loves hiding in closets.

Vivienne is becoming quite the charmer. She seems very aware of what is going on around her and needs to be where all the action is. At her doctor's appointment yesterday, we discovered she had gained 12 ounces in one week. That's my girl!

Jamison's stylin' hair after a nap.

He gives me this look a lot.

Farmer Jamison

While cleaning out our garden this week, Walker was surprised to find these carrots. We didn't have much luck with our garden this year (it was ignored after Walker left for Utah) and these carrots were a nice surprise.

Our little cowboy.


Jamison somehow got this bundt pan stuck on his head. He couldn't get it off and started panicking. Walker had to force it off, leaving a bruise on Jamison's forehead. Five minutes later he wanted to do it again.


Our little sweet pea.

Family Portrait

Shortly before this picture was taken, Jamison gave Vivienne a friendly smack in the face. We are in a for good time.

Perfect

Viva la Vivienne

1:18 p.m.

6 lbs 14 oz

20 in

name: Vivienne

disposition: irresistibly sweet

hair: brown peach fuzz

Lizzy did a fantastic superwoman job today!  Hurray.  We'll throw up some more pics tomorrow when the lighting is good.

Ready or not, here we come

Tomorrow morning we are checking into the hospital at 6:00am to be induced. I am nervous, but excited to finally have this baby. My doctor is optimistic that it will be quick (at least quicker than last time) and he thinks the baby is about 7 1/2 lbs. He was one ounce off with his guess of Jamison's weight, so we'll see how close he is on this one.

We've had a fun weekend having Walker home. Jamison sure misses his Daddy when he's gone. They've had lots of fun playing in the dirt in the backyard (although Jamison got a talking-to for hitting Daddy in the head with a little shovel) and wrestling in the living room.

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

Wednesdays are no fun anymore, Daddy. Mommy doesn't sit outside with me to watch the garbage men. Hurry home so we can do boy stuff again!

Posted by Jamison

Updates

I apologize for the blogs being few and far between. There has not been much to update on and life has been busy as always.

Walker is still in Utah working away at the new job. He is enjoying it and has seen some success with his project. Yahoo!

Jamison has been sick this last week. Poor little boy just sat on the couch with a fever for a couple days. We got him on some antibiotics, which has done wonders, and my happy boy is slowly coming back. He has discovered the world of movies and loves "The Jungle Book" and "Curious George." Oh, and did I mention that he's obsessed with Muppets? He continues to stack his books in piles and make neat little rows of things around the house. And hats... he loves hats.

I'm continuing to get bigger (is that possible?) and am counting down the days. After experiencing life as a single parent, I have new appreciation for those who do it full time. And I am fortunate that my mother can help out so much. It has definitely been an eye-opening experience and I am very excited for Walker to come home this Friday!

Proof Jamison Was Here

What NOT To Say To a Pregnant Woman

1. "You look like you're about to pop!"
2. "Are you due any day now?" (Asked when the pregnant lady still has 6 weeks left.)
3. "You have a big pumpkin up your shirt."
4. "You're fat!"
5. "You look a LOT better with this pregnancy."

These have all been said to me within the last two weeks. And how should I respond? I usually just do the old smile and nod routine. In my defense, my doctor is still encouraging me to eat as much as I want whenever I want, because he's still not satisfied with my weight gain. So there :)

Baby Update

At our doctor's appointment two weeks ago, Walker and I told the doctor about our moving situation. He said it was no big deal, and that we'll just pick a date to induce so that we can be sure Walker will be there. So, at my appointment yesterday, we set a date. We'll go into the hospital bright and early on October 8th to start the induction. Which means I'll have the baby a week earlier than the original due date. Boy oh boy, am I excited to not have to play the guessing game this time around. And I won't need to bounce on the exercise ball, drink raspberry leaf tea, or eat spicy food at PF Chang's (all of which were done with Jamison's birth).

Only 5 weeks from today. The countdown is on!

First Haircut

Jamison has needed a haircut for a while. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But after looking at the scraggly mess after naps, I just had to do it. I was a little worried about doing it by myself, but fortunately, any Muppets movie keeps him well entertained. He didn't even notice what I was doing. Here are the before, during, and after pictures.

Changes

Change is inevitable. But sometimes it jumps out at us when we least expect it.

Walker left yesterday to start his new job in Salt Lake City. And I am left in Boise to take care of a 19 month old crazy boy while being 8 months pregnant.

After working through all the different scenarios, we decided this was the best one. I will stay in Boise for the baby's birth, after which we will pack up and move on down.

This will most definitely be a hard 2 months, but I am grateful for the support of neighbors, friends, family, and the ward. Keep those meals coming!

I won't lie and say we're happy and excited about the move. We are perfectly content in Boise and in our house. But we won't fight against what we're supposed to do.

For me, one of the best parts of the move is that I won't have to get a new Utah driver's license. Yes, after living in Boise for 2 years, I still don't have my Idaho driver's license. Don't ask, long story.

Heart

Liz and I have set some blogging rules for ourselves, in order to minimize the kitschy-ness and promote the entertain-ability of our family blog. We know there are thousands of others out there, clammoring for your attention just like ours -- so we thank you for visiting, and want you to be glad you stopped by for a visit.

The rules run as follows. There will be no lol's and no pictures of our dinners. Words will be properly spelled and as grammatically correct as the sanity of the day allows. Stick with brevity in word...and picture. Dignity, always dignity. And so forth...

I guess they're more like guidelines, really, since certain rare situations merit their breaking. Tonight will be one such time.

We thank Andrades of Boise for going the extra culinary mile the other night. Yes, here is a picture of our dinner. How could so much love between a pair of burritos go blogless. We heart Andrades; and we heart each other.

(Heart is now going on the forbidden list.)

It's Official

We're moving to Salt Lake City, Utah.

More details to come...

Look-Alikes

Many people have commented that Jamison looks like Liz's dad.
What do you think?

3 Years

Happy Anniversary to us!

Our Mud Boy

What Jamison looks like on an average summer day:

Spudman 2008

Walker participated in his second triathlon last Saturday. He did the Burley Spudman race five years ago, right after his mission. The weather was wonderful, the drive was short, and Walker did a great job!

Before the race:

After the race:

RLS Update

I loathe bananas. Walker, on the other hand, loves them. I give all my banana flavored Runts to him. He wishes all Runts were banana flavored. Jamison also loves them. He eats one for breakfast everyday. My point? After trying a lot of tips and suggestions on how to beat RLS, I have found only one thing that helps: eating a banana every evening. Something about the potassium. I hate it, but it works. Why oh why?

Wednesday

Wednesday is definitely Jamison's favorite day. It's the day the garbageman comes! He sits in his favorite chair by the front door and waits patiently. Sometimes they'll even honk the horn for him.

Swimming

We've finally started to take advantage of our neighborhood pool. Jamison was sick for a bit, but now we're going full force. Today he figured out how to putter around by kicking his little croc-clad feet.

Here's our cute froggy (with a sly look):

Swimming makes for tired boys:

Our Little Helper

I looked out the window to see what the boys were up to.
This is what I saw:

Every gardener needs a mickey hat.

Curly

Jamison has this great curl on the back of his head. We can't bring ourselves to cut it.

Favorite Things Swap

I love getting fun packages in the mail. Who doesn't? I was excited when I got Rachel's package containing some of her favorites things -- which are all Italian. Included were these things: a cute apron, pasta, pasta sauce, chocolates, an Italian cooking magazine, and an Italian mix CD. The sauce was Bertolli tomato and olives, and it was really good. Thanks for the fun stuff, Rachel!

Pregnancy Woes

Have you heard of Restless Legs Syndrome?

Description: If you've started feeling an uncontrollable urge to move around in bed to relieve crawling, tingling, or burning sensations deep inside your legs, you most likely have restless legs syndrome (RLS). Some researchers estimate that up to 20 percent of pregnant women develop this problem during the last few months of pregnancy, though others believe it's much less common than that.

You'll usually notice symptoms when you're at rest, especially right before you fall asleep or when sitting still for long periods, such as at the movies or during long car rides. Most of the time, you'll feel it in your legs, but some women experience it in their arms as well.

Moving your limbs brings immediate relief, but unfortunately, it's only temporary. As soon as you sit or lie down, the sensations return. Your restless legs may even be waking you up once you're asleep.


Well, it's back again for me.

Although my pregnancies aren't that easy, I feel bad complaining when I hear of ladies who are violently sick for the entire 9 months. Or the poor ladies on bed rest. Or the poor ladies who have infertility problems.

So, first off, I am very grateful to be pregnant and for having the opportunity to have kids. With that aside, I don't like being sick for the majority of the 9 months (yes, that's still going on) and I absolutely HATE having Restless Legs Syndrome.

Scene: Exhausted after a day with the little naughty bunny, Jamison. (He's not really that naughty, but some days he can be very trying.) Get in bed, am almost asleep, when BAM!, it hits. Feel the need to move my legs or they start twitching and burning like crazy. Switch positions. This works until my body completely relaxes and then BAM! it hits again. Roll over again, which is becoming difficult now. Throw covers off. Now have a shivering body, with red hot legs. Try putting covers over top part of body and sticking legs over side of bed. Doesn't work. Try getting out of bed and walking around. Doesn't work.

Nothing works! I did this for 2.5 hours last night. I think I finally just fell asleep out of pure exhaustion and frustration. Then I wake up at 6am with the same thing. Ah, misery.

I have no clue how I got through this with the last pregnancy, or how I'm going to get through this with this pregnancy. But, I am glad that it only lasts during the pregnancy. And at least it will help prepare my body for the exhaustion of getting up with a newborn every 3 hours at night. I guess that is the one plus of this situation!

Slowly Learning

Slowly but surely, Jamison is learning how to eat with a fork. In the meantime, we're having a lot of fun watching him.

Simple Pleasures

Here are three things that are simple pleasures to me:

Bath & Body Works Mentha Lip Shine

Want minty fresh lips? You can get these in any shade and in lots of different flavors.

Bing Cherry Chocolates from Harry and Davids
These are the best. You can get them in most any flavor, but the cherries are my favorite. I love splurging on these. And since Walker isn't partial to them, I get them all to myself!


Anne Taintor Products
These have to be the funniest things ever. My sisters and I love these products and laugh and laugh over them. Check out Anne Taintor's website for more.