Merry Christmas

From our family to yours

Snow Babies

No One Told Me...

...that being a mother led to black eyes.

Caused by Jamison throwing his head back in my face.
Beware moving two year old heads.

Enjoying Fall

This was our first year at the annual Kasteler Halloween Phamily Phest

Jamison = Norbert the dragon
Walker = Hagrid
Liz = Hogwarts Professor
Vivienne = Harriet Potter

J Update

Jamison

Age: 2.75 years old

Disposition: "me no good boy, me happy boy"

Loves: animals, puzzles, zoos, merry-go-rounds


Hates: bedtime, being told what to do, when Vivienne gets his toys

Favorite food: cheese, noodles, cookies


Favorite activity: puzzles, naming animals, swinging, movies, coloring


Goals: going to bed on time (never happens)

V Update

Vivienne

Age: 12 months

Disposition: happy, giggly, wiggly

Loves: eating, Michael Buble, moving, destroying

Hates: being confined in silly contraptions, Jamison bugging her,
not being able to reach what she wants


Favorite food: anything and everything

Favorite activity: playing with Jamison's toys, especially puzzles

Goals: walking (so close)

Happy Birthday Baby!

Vivienne turned 1!

Winner!

Jamison drew a name out of his hat (he loves hats) and...

Congratulations to Mitzi for winning the birthday giveaway!

Birthday Giveaway

What better way to enter the blogging world again than with a giveaway?

I haven't officially celebrated my birthday for two years. Don't ask, it's painful. This year I decided to get back into the birthday swing of things and am taking a note from Heather.

Write a comment (just write your name, it is as simple as that!) and on October 3rd, I will draw a number. The lucky winner will get a nice goody package from me in the mail.

4 Years

Happy Anniversary to us!

Happy Father's Day

The other night Walker went shopping for a Father's Day gift for his dad.

This is what he came back with:


Seriously?

Walker claims this is the best gift ever.

"When you're working out in the garage and you get dirty, just grab one of these!"


I guess it's a guy thing.

Confession

Is it wrong that I actually enjoyed having my wisdom teeth out? Other people watched my children for 2 days. I was able to relax in bed all day, something I haven't done in 2.5 years. Thanks, wisdom teeth! Oh, and thanks to the people who watched my children!

Me and My Gal

Wheeler Farm

Walker and I each spent many summers visiting Wheeler Farm.
And the kids loved it just as much as we used to.

I have a feeling we will be going a lot this summer.

Twinners

Looking through old photos, I found one of Jamison at 7 months,
in the exact same position as Vivienne (in the previous post).

They look like siblings to me.

Standing Up Already?

Surprise!
This is what I found when Vivienne woke up this morning:

And We Are Coming Back Live...

...in 5, 4, 3, 2...

Be Back Soon...

We are experiencing blogger's block. Please be patient as we work on this problem.

Boise

Here we are enjoying our week of relaxation in Boise.


We miss you, Daddy.

6 Months

Vivienne is 6 months old today!

She is the cutest.

A rolling-over machine.

Pro at grabbing anything and shoving it in her mouth.

Loves her rice cereal.

Sleeps through the night. 8pm to 8am.

Loves cuddling with her daddy.

Such a happy baby and a joy!

Coco Sailore

My talented cousin now has a shop on Etsy. If you've never looked at Etsy, check it out now.

And I mean now.


Cocosailore has the cutest shirts. I bought Felicity and Jamison.

And have my eye on a couple more.


They really are the cutest. And at good prices. What more could you ask for?



Jamison has a fear of short-sleeved shirts right now.
So we might have to wait a bit before he'll actually wear his shirt.

And I apologize for the lame-o pictures. Not quite the photographer...

More Proof Jamison Was Here

California

This past weekend Walker and I were able to visit California. We were brave and left the kids behind. I sure missed them. But it was nice to sleep in and have some alone time. Don't judge.

We left late Thursday night. On the plane, Walker got to chat with the VP of Maxim (not the magazine). That was a little thrill for him.

We arrived in San Jose about 11:00pm. With the help of our trusty GPS, in our rented car, we were able to make it to the hotel before midnight, despite having to re-work our route due to accidents. Cindy, the GPS, made our trip more enjoyable on the whole. There was no need for maps or dealing with getting lost. Amazing!

Walker was in meetings on Friday so I got to lay in bed and do... wait for it... absolutely nothing! I even had breakfast in bed by myself! Our hotel, Cypress Hotel, was really nice. I especially loved the polka dot and animal print theme. I'm serious.

That evening we visited Stanford University. Gorgeous campus. My favorite part was seeing two old professors, with beards and pipes, arguing. Classic.

On Saturday we drove up to San Francisco. We got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, ate lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, and had dessert at Ghirardelli's.

We had a fun trip. But the best was coming back to our sweet little kiddies. They're the cutest! Thanks to the Fords and Christina for watching them!

Research

Last month I took Jamison to the doctor for his 2 year check up. After waiting over 30 minutes (torture!) the doc declared Jamison healthy and happy. Then he proceeded to tell me about a research lab they're doing for a meningitis vaccine and would we like more information? Sure. Three research technicians then entered the room. After going over everything, I decided to go for it. First, apparently this vaccine is going to become a standard for kids (so Jamison would have to get it sometime anyway). Second, we get paid for it. All we would have to do is read and sign a bunch of papers, get Jamison's blood drawn, give him the shot, record his temperature for a week, then come back in a month and get his blood drawn again. So I signed his name away.

2.5 hours, 6 suckers, 1 cup of water thrown at a nurse, and countless tears later, we were done. Whew. I sure regretted my decision. Poor kid.

Yesterday Walker took Jamison to have his blood taken for the second time. They were in and out in less than 10 minutes. Coming home, Jamison walked through the door with a big smile and showed me his sucker. And (almost) all my mom guilt washed away.

Walker gave me the check from the doc, but it's still sitting on the counter. We both feel guilty about using Jamison's blood money. So it's going to go towards his diapers. And maybe he'll get a toy out of it, too.

P.S. The nice research man called me yesterday and after many phone calls, we figured out that Jamison missed one of his regular shots at 18 months. So the poor little guy has to go in again. Maybe he'll get 2 toys out of that money.

And I can't write a post without adding a picture of Vivienne. Cutie pie!

A Child's Version of American Gothic

Where's Waldo?

I checked on Jamison during his nap and found this disaster.
Can you find the sleeping boy?

I eat these cheeks every day.

2 Years Already?

Jamison turned 2!

The cake is supposed to look "furry" (coconut icing) with dog paw prints, before they fell off.
Jamison just liked the candy.
And I'm trying to prevent him from burning himself.

We celebrated with pizza, cake, toy trains, animals, and cars.
Could life get any better?

5 days old

Jamison is spunky, fearless, and funny.
He loves dogs, cats, elephants, coloring, wrestling with Daddy, puzzles, hide and seek, organizing, and movies.

4 months old

Jamison definitely makes our home a happier place.
We are so glad to have him!

1 year old

Entering Blogland Again

I have been meaning to post new pictures and stories for a while. Every time I try, either my mind goes blank or a baby starts crying/whining. Story of my life.

So, thanks to Heather for kicking me into gear. Here we go again...

Christmas was great. We flew up to Boise on Christmas Day and surprised my Mom, who thought we were staying in Utah for the holidays. Her face, as she answered the door, was priceless. This was the only time the entire Marshall side was together, so my Dad arranged for a family portrait session. Do not attempt that with a 2 month baby and a toddler. Chaos ensues. But overall, the holiday was fun and the kids were troopers on the airplane.

Jamison is still our happy kid who loves to destroy things. I think that's his mission in life. Recently he watched a movie where Gene Kelly tap dances on a table. He loved it and clapped every time the dance was over. We thought it was really cute until he started dancing on our kitchen table. When we vetoed that, he moved on to his little red craft table (see above picture).

Jamison is my little cookie maker/helper. Or in other words, he likes eating the dough. He is also good at helping me unload the dishwasher and doing the laundry. It takes me three times as long to get it done, but as long as he's happy, I'm happy!


Vivienne has turned into such a smiley baby. This picture doesn't do her justice. I'll admit we were worried when she cried for the first month and a half of her life, but she has really turned around. She also is sleeping through the night. I mean, from 10:00pm to 8:00am, with few interruptions. Heaven! She is still as bald as a billiard ball, which I think is cute. What I don't think is cute is strangers asking if she's a boy or girl when she's wearing pink clothes with bows and frills, while wrapped in a pink blanket.


Our family goal for this year is to get our food storage and emergency kits in order. I found a great website that sends e-mails every two weeks to help you accomplish these goals. This is something I've been intimidated by, but am excited to take it one step at a time and to work together as a family on it.

Another goal I have is to blog more frequently. I'm sure I've said that before. But this time I'm putting Heather in charge of keeping me in line!