Happy Halloween!

Our kids for Halloween:

Lily as Cinderella


Miles as ZombieBaby. (He was going to be a pumpkin until he had a four-day fever.)

We have an announcement...

We are pleased to announce the birth of...
five new kittens! We recently adopted a stray cat from a neighbor. After we had her for a week or so, we realized she was pregnant. Last night while Matt was at Conference, she went in to labor and after much hard work, gave birth to five cute little babies. If you or someone you know is looking for a kitty, let us know!

Should we call him Smiles?

This was Miles' first official, caught on camera, smile.


Now he smiles all the time! (Well, as long as people are paying attention to him.)

I'm not sure I like it...

Maybe...


Maybe not...


Yeah, I do!


*Thanks for letting us borrow your Bumbo seat, Aunt Angie!

Giant S'mores

Have you seen these marshmallows?






We didn't have a campfire, but we do have a gas stove.


The back of the bag called for a full bar of chocolate and two full graham crackers. We just used half. That white spot is the middle of the marshmallow that came out.


Make sure you have lots of wet wipes to clean up after!

We tried...

Green Jello with Carrots

Have you seen this website? They have lots of fun file folders and games. I have ordered a few I can draw books and they are great to keep the kids busy during quiet times (ie. church). You should check them out!

We bought a house!

So, two weeks before Miles was born, our landlord told us that they were going to put our townhome up for sale. Well, we thought it was a good time to look for a place of our own and take advantage of the tax credit for first time homebuyers. Long, long story short, we ended up buying a fixer-upper short sale property. It was the first place we put a bid on and I didn't see it in the daylight until after we made an offer. Luckily, it had "good bones." We have been working on it since the end of April (almost everyday and with lots of help from Matt's family). We moved in over Memorial Day weekend and although there is still lots to be done, we are loving the space and having a place of our own. Here are some before shots:



The front room:


The kitchen


The master:


Lily's room:


Miles' room:


The basement:


The family room in the basement:


Close up of the nasty carpet:


The craft room:


The "yellow room":


After pics to come...

Four months

Where has the time gone? Our baby is four months! He definitely loves smiling, snuggling, swaddling, sleeping, and his big sister. He has a great laugh and loves to "talk." He loves being around people and is loved by many. Here are a couple of pics from today:
Don't you love those eyes?!?

Oh, yeah, I got a haircut. And you can see the cupboards in our NEW KITCHEN that still need doors!

Miles at six weeks

This little guy is 6 weeks old. Unfortunately, that also means I am now back to work full-time. It is hard leaving him, but it makes it easier knowing he is at home with his daddy and his big sister.

Already in his short life, he has been to California,


avoided getting pinched on St. Patty's Day,


been to the zoo,


met his only living great-grandparent,


been to a play (he's not actually in this picture, because I was holding him and taking the picture),


dyed Easter eggs,


been a good snuggler,


gained a lot of weight, lost a lot of hair, slept 4 hours in a row, and brought a lot fun into our home. He has not smiled yet, but he has laughed in his sleep, so we know he can do it. We love this boy!

In case you should meet a mountain lion...

It's great being a big sister

She looks so proud and happy to have baby brother Miles snuggling with her...

Our Cottage Built for Four

The family:

Jumpin' Jacks (and kids)

Last weekend, Matt's sister and her husband were out of town, so Grandma and Auntie had the three girls and Tevin, and they invited us to a local bouncing place with them. Obviously, I wasn't in any condition to jump, but it was fun to watch the kids. Lily was really nervous at first, but watching all her cousins be so fearless, she soon was getting into the fun. Auntie and Grandma jumped too! Here are some pictures:

Tevy and Auntie


Emmy in between bounces

Maddie sliding down


Climbing up the ladder


Getting tired


Grandma and Bryn


Lily and Maddie (Maddie kept trying to be a good big cousin and help Lily, but, of course, Lily had do it by herself!


Matt and Emmy


Belly shots of the non-jumpers


Everyone had a lot of fun (and got really tired out). Lily is already planning another trip!

37 weeks and 2 days

Here is the obligatory belly shot. Don't laugh.