Ryan and Dani's Little Hubbub

Funny Sayings

2009-05-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of funny things the boys have said in the last few weeks.

Spencer (upon hearing that we were going to the movies):
"Dad, can I get one of those 'flushy' things?" - (flushies = slushies)

Let's just hope that "flushies" are nothing like swirlies!

Dallan (upon walking outside from church to the car in 100+ degree heat):
"Mommy, somebody doing fire."

Carson (when being asked to say doggy):
"[[grunt]]" - yeah, Carson doesn't say much!

Our Trip to HOLLAND (sort of)

2009-05-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

(****Sorry there are lots of pictures but we might not ever make it back to HOLLAND!)

This was the funnest part of our Iowa State trip. Ryan has always complained (maybe whined) that I have never let him go to Holland with me, so now he can never say it again! While we were in Iowa we went to a town called Pella. It is an old Dutch settlement in the middle of Iowa (of all places)! It was so fun. All the store fronts in Pella have to be decorated with a Dutch theme. Even the Walmart had a Dutch looking storefront (my Aunt Ellie would be so exited, when they come over that is one of their favorited places). So here is how the trip went.....

It was so pretty. They had the largest working windmill in North America (go figure), so of course we took the tour.

Ryan was very impressed! After our windmill tour we went to the museum where we saw the wooden shoe making process (kind of boring:))

LOOK!! We even took pictures together trying on wooden shoes (don't mind the fact that I am 14 years old and in the REAL Holland).

It was so pretty. We missed the Tulip festival by 2 weeks. We also went to a Dutch bakery to get lunch and of course got some Stroop Waffles to take home to my parents.

What a handsome dutchman!

Graduation Day!!!!!

2009-05-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you that may not know, Ryan has been taking Distance Education classes (online classes) through Iowa State University since Fall 2004. He always took the summer off so as not to get too burned out. And now, finally, he is done. He received his master's degree in information assurance.
His classes were taught by a wide range of teachers including the stuttering Chinese man,

the near-monotone,

and the nice lady with a lisp.

To complete his degree, we flew to Iowa for his in-person oral examination.

In typical Ryan style, he was working on the presentation right up until the time he gave it. The presentation went well and the graduate committee decided that Ryan passed! It was definitely time to hit up the Iowa State bookstore and show our Cyclone pride.

We enjoyed the ISU campus and the scenery.

Due to some remodeling, the Computer Engineering faculty offices were located in the Nuclear Engineering Lab building, where a nuclear reactor had been decommissioned within that last few years.

Here is a picture from the back entrance. They certainly spare no expenses for computer geeks.

So, finally...the five year journey is over. Gone are the late-nighters and all-nighters. Gone are the days of taking the kids out and about so that daddy can study. As we look back at the long and arduous (Ryan hepled me come up with that word!) journey, we sure are glad that we are looking at it from this end!

GO CYCLONES!!

2009-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Of course, before we left Iowa State we had to get all the gear to remind us of our Cyclone Pride! The boys were so excited for their football jerseys. We went the Sunday we got home to my family's to Sunday dinner. It was pretty funny, because we were acting like this is how we normally dress. When we went to my sister's to see Mady's new cast, Jesse said the funniest thing. He just looked at us and said, "It looks like Iowa State just threw up on you!"- Yes, Yes it did!!

Summer is here...

2009-05-12T12:58:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately this picture doesn't do it justice, but we learned the hard way a couple of weeks ago that the temperatures are soaring! Poor Dallan went outside to play and it had been so nice outside the week before that I forgot to tell him to put his shoes on before going outside. It was a really hot day, and before I knew it Spencer came running in saying Dallan burnt his feet. Apparently he went into the sand (without shoes) and it was so hot it burnt his little feet. (another reason besides the nasty cats to get rid of the sand-free sand anyone?). They blistered immediately and his right foot was just one huge blister! He couldn't walk for about a day but they healed nicely- always remember lavender oil on burns ladies :). And last but not least don't forget to PUT YOUR SHOES ON!!

Carson's Surgery

2009-05-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Last month was kind of crazy! The day after we got home from Iowa (post coming soon), Carson went in for his surgery. He had a hernia repaired in his abdomen that was causing his testicle not to descend (I am sure he is going to love that I typed this for everyone to always remember!). It was probably the longest 45 minutes of my life but I am happy to say that everything went well and he is recovering fabulously. They had to take him away crying because we were not allowed in the operating room. We went into the recovery area when they brought him out of anesthesia. He looked very peaceful and was excited to see us, and very thirsty- he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after 6 pm the day before- his surgery wasn't until 12pm :(. He was definitely a trooper. When we got home, it was so funny because his legs were still numb, like an epidural, and he was trying to roll around on the couch and looked like a little fish- sad but funny. Anyway, all is well and we have our post OP appointment this week to give him the go ahead for normal activity. Carson, you are an amazing little guy!

Monster in the Living Room

2009-04-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

For the longest time, Spencer has been scared of the "Monster in the Living Room." He always says that it is by the window. Finally, after I asked him to explain it a little more, I got it...

There IS a monster in the living room!

What's a Visor For?

2009-03-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Last night, while visiting Grandpa and Grandma Bodine, Grandpa Bodine took Spencer and Dallan for a ride in his car. He was fiddling with the visor, and Spencer asked him what it was. Grandpa explained that it was a visor. Spencer's face lit up and he exclaimed, "Oh, I know what that's for, you pull it down to pick your zits and moles." Needless to say, when Grandpa told Dani this story she was mortified. Now that I think about it, I'm sure this post isn't going to help much.

Nursery BITES!

2009-03-22T16:49:00.001-07:00

Poor Dallan. This is the second time someone has bit him in nursery. The first one was a little girl and was a more "petite" bite. It must be those yummy looking cheeks. I would bite them too!

Happy Birthday Carson!

2009-03-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Carson is finally ONE! I cant believe it has been a whole year already. He is growing up so fast and starting to develop a really fun little personality. I took him for his check up and of course he is off their charts for his height. His head was pretty high on the charts as well but hey, how else are you going to store such an intelligent brain!!

12 month stats:
Weight: 25 lbs.
Length: 32"
Head: 19"

We had a little party with family. He was not at all interested in opening up gifts (Dallan was in heaven though). He did find a balloon that he played with most of the night and loved it! I am so thankful that I have Carson! I know he is going to be such a good kid. Most of all I am thankful for his patience. I know they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease and I find most of the time we have two very squeaky older wheels that get taken care of first, with Carson patiently waiting. I love you Carson and cant wait to see all your new developments this year!!

This is us singing Happy Birthday to Carson. It is quite long, sorry- if I only new how to cut parts out!

What is wrong with me!!

2009-03-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

If anyone has the magic fingers I think they need to share with me. I can do a lot things but one thing I cant do is make bread! Every time I try I get more and more upset about it. After talking with a number of people about it including Jenyce (who makes the most wonderful homemade bread you have ever eaten) I decided the temp. of my water wasn't right, so Ryan bought me a thermometer. So now that I had all the "tools" I decided to try again. What is the deal! This is what my bread looks like every time. I hope that I do not have to provide bread for people in the days to come because it tasted even worse than it looked! (if only it had fabric in it, then I could figure it out!) The funniest part is I was on the phone with my mom and she said "what is that noise, are you sawing something?" No mom, I was cutting my bread. YUM YUM......

The New Housekeeper

2009-03-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had asked the boys to go clean their bedrooms. About a half an hour later Spencer came running out of the hall and told me that he not only cleaned his room he also cleaned Carson's room. I was so impressed and decided to treat them to ice cream because they were so obedient. Later that night we were looking for the baby's diapers and this is what we found! Spencer had taken everything in the baby's room and hid it behind the chair. I guess I can't complain, he tried, right!! (even if it was only to get his ice cream!)

Babysitting Co-op

2009-03-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

Every other week we swap babysitting with another couple in our ward. I am not sure how long it will last because I think my three boys are enough to make them never join another co-op! So every other week we watch their little girl who is the cutest thing ever. She is so good and Dallan and her get along so well! It is fun to have another girl in the house even if it is for a short time! This last week Spencer had a "drive in" at school and he had to make a transportation vehicle to watch a movie in. He loved it so much we thought we would have a drive in at co-0p. The kids loved it. I did an excellent job on Chloe's car if I do say so myself!

Pudding Glasses

2009-03-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

When I got home from work the other night, Ryan and the boys had made glasses completely out of the pudding container boxes. Good imagination Ryan, that is why they love their "Daddy days"!!

Two months later!

2009-03-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

I found some of the pictures of when we went up to Utah in January. Nikki watched Carson and I took Spencer and Dallan with my mom to visit my brother and sister-in-law that live in Provo while my mom went to some meetings. I think we were only there for a total of 36 hours, but we played a lot. (and drove a lot!) The boys finally saw the snow!!

Outside Josh and Sabrina's house (boy were they cold!)

At one point in the sledding trip we sent them down in the wrong direction straight toward a "jump" and they flew 5 feet in the air. I was certain someone was going to break their neck. Thank goodness everyone was ok, a little bruised, but ok!

Dallan wore this thing around a day. It was so funny. He thought he was the scariest monster ever!

Current Economy's Impact On Our Kids

2009-03-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

We hear all the time about how bad the economy is and the measures that people are taking to tighten up and try to save money wherever possible. In our family, we have tried to cut back and eliminate some unnecessary expenditures and to just be more thrifty in general. Just imagine the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction I felt when I noticed that our kids were willing to do their part. Yesterday, as we were getting dinner ready, I noticed that I had not heard from Dallan in a while. As most know, with Dallan, that can be some cause for alarm. I seemed to have remembered him mentioning that he needed to go potty. Fearing the worst, I found him sitting happily on the toilet. I inquired what was taking him so long and if he had done "Number 2". Dallan isn't at the age where he is able to properly cleanup after he finishes, so usually he will call for us when he is done. I was a little relieved that he was still on the toilet and I went over and sat next to him on the side of the tub to wait for him to finish. As I sat there, I noticed that his bottom had poo squished on it, as if he had gone in his pull-up. I also noticed that the roll of toilet paper had been rolled back up and had a little brown smudge on the top piece. I asked him if he had gone in his pull-up. He said that he hadn't. I then asked him what had happened. He said that some poop had gotten on the toilet seat, but he assured me that he had wiped it off. Now, being suspicious, I began unwinding the rewound toilet paper. After three or four feet, I found the evidence that Dallan had indeed cleaned off the toilet seat. Apparently he must have unwound some of the toilet paper and, without tearing if off, used it to wipe off the toilet seat. At that point, just like anybody else looking to do their part in this tough economy, he simply rolled the toilet paper back up onto the roll. If it wasn't for the smudge on the last piece, I never would have checked it. Children sure know how to make their parents proud.

(Not actual roll!)

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-27T14:49:00.001-08:00

Spencer had his birthday party on January 17. We were just going to have a family party with some close friends, but I was then informed by Spencer that he wanted to have an all boy party!(Does that already happen at 4?) Then I started thinking about it and all the kids and cousins I was going to invite were girls, so we compromised with letting him invite the boys from his class. Yes, that is 10 kids in all! It was fun and Spencer had the time of his life. He wanted to have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party which is funny because he has never seen it but we made Ninja Turtles masks and had a good time.
*Mental Note: 2 hours was way too long to occupy 10-4 year olds!!

Blowing out candles

Spencer and all of his friends. Dallan is the man, he likes to sit by the women!:)

This little guy was hilarious! He wouldn't take off his mask the whole time!

Poor Ethan...Pooped from all the fun!

Walking!

2009-01-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to posting this but Carson has been walking now for about 3 weeks! He officially took his first "real" steps when he was exactly 10 months old. He still isn't a very good public performer (when Grandma Smith was here a couple of weeks ago, I couldnt get him to walk for the life of me)! He walks everywhere now but is still a little wobbly. On another note, it is kind of funny how much of a fit thrower he is. If you do something he doesn't like he will throw this massive tantrum. I know I am going to be pulling my hair out in a year but for now we just laugh because it is hilarious!

My latest project

2009-01-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

So when I get an idea in my head I cant stop thinking about it. It sounds crazy, but sometimes I even dream about it (I know, I have issues). Well this was the latest, a little girl's dress. I finally had to sit down and do it to get it out of my head. Too bad I don't have a little girl to try it on, for now Dallan will have to do (don't worry Ryan saved him) . Or maybe I will just live through Cheramie (one of her triplets are going to be a girl-yea!) I am sure there will be more ideas in the future, but for now my mind is at ease!

Christmas Day

2009-01-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

I have to say that Santa was very good to us this year. Spencer was so excited that he woke up at 4:30 am. We tried to get him to go back to sleep but he wouldn't until he saw if Santa brought him his Scooter. Then he went back to sleep until about 7:30 (We had to wake Dallan up!) The first thing they did was run to the fireplace to see if Santa left them any cookies! Too bad Santa didn't know he was supposed to leave some cookies- bad Santa! It was a rainy and cold, cold day. The boys got a new trampoline, among other things, but they couldn't jump on it because it was raining. But they have had every other day to make up for it and are loving it. Ryan did so good on his gift giving, I have to give him props! Santa gave Ryan a new bike. I got a new printer, and the family got a new TV for mom and dad's room, yea! This is the boys playing with their Lightening McQueen race track after breakfast.

Opening Presents...

Carson got a new play table and a bath seat...

Dallan got a new tool set. Unfortunately it was broke within the first five minutes of playing with it so we told him Santa said we could return it to Toys R US and he got a new scooter instead (which is what he really wanted. He kept looking around and thought Santa forgot it!)...
Spencer on his new Scooter...

We got them a game called Horton Hears a Who and the boys love it. It is pretty funny to play too!

The boys playing in the rain with the scooter and Dallan's new umbrella..

Christmas Eve

2009-01-03T11:21:00.001-08:00

It has definitely been a crazy December. Ryan's sister Stefani got married to Guy on the 18. So we spent the weekend before Christmas in Central with Ryan's family. My parents were in Idaho so we had our own Christmas Eve party at our house. We made green chili burros with the fixins (not as good as Grandma Smith's Mexican fiesta, but you do what you can!) Nikki and Jesse and the kids came over as well as Lindsay and John. After dinner we acted out the nativity. I was so cute! This is Joseph and Mary's entrance on the Donkey(thanks to Aunt Lindsay).

This is everyone. Special thanks to aunt Britni for half of our costumes...the towels worked great. And who knew that my ugly Princess Leia costume would work so beautifully for our lovely angel (I am all about a flexible wardrobe!).

After dinner the kids sat around the table and cut out cookies to make for Santa. It was a lot of fun to see how excited the kids were. I think the boys were the perfect age. This is them in their new Christmas Pajamas ready to go to bed!

Future Hairdresser

2009-01-03T10:29:00.001-08:00

I just had to post about this because it was so funny! The other day Dallan got into Ryan's hair stuff and was so proud of himself that he did his own hair. This picture didn't do justice on how much he used (unfortunately the stuff is not cheap)! Ryan said it was all he could do not to yell because it was everywhere. Good thing mom wasn't home!

Carson at 9 months!

2009-01-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Weight: 21lbs. 7oz.
Length: 30" !!

What I love about Carson at 9 months.....

Carson is at such a fun age for all of us right now. The boys are loving to interact with him. Carson will come up to Dallan and start grabbing him (and kind of being mean) and I know I shouldn't say this but it is so funny. Maybe in a small way Dallan has met his match! If he wasn't so scared he would be walking right now. He cruises everywhere and will let go of the couch to play with a toy and just stand there for 10 seconds but when we try to get him to walk he just sits down. I love his blue eyes. He is so loving and cuddly. He is definitely starting to get scared of strangers or anyone else holding him. He eats like a football player. I swear he eats more than the boys! A cute story about Carson is how much he loves sitting on Dallan's bed to read books at night before bed. He gets so excited. He has to watch the other boys lay in there bed and say goodnight and then he will go straight to bed. If he doesn't do that first, he will cry and cry in his crib. In a way, I think he feels left out not being in the Cowboy room :)!

Where have we been??

2008-11-10T08:18:00.001-08:00

It is boutique time so I have been neglecting my blog, and neglecting reading all of your blogs! Every year I tell myself (and Ryan) that I am not going to do any boutiques, and every year I end up doing what feels like a hundred. But I can't complain because it is my own fault. I have so many fun, new things this year I just couln't pass them up. Plus it is nice to earn some extra money for Christmas! This is pretty much what my front room looks like all the time-the rest of my house is probably worse but we won't take pictures of that! I am just amazed that my boys know not to touch any of it. So besides eating lots of Taco Bell and quite a messy house the next few posts are what we have been up to.....Ah, the price we pay for boutique season!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

The boys were so excited for Halloween. For Family Night we went and picked out pumpkins and then carved them. They were a little hesitant to get their hands dirty at first but after a while they were really into it.

This is the boys at Spencer, school Halloween Carnival. It was soooo hot. It was at 1:00 in the afternoon and they had to wear there costumes (which were made for 60 degree weather), but they didn't seem to mind and just kept stuffing themselves with all kinds of treats.

Dallan Picking out his pumpkin to color.

The boys wanted to be Stars Wars this year. Which is kind of a funny story because they hadn't even seen it before. Dallan has been obsessed with Chewbacca for a while though (Spencer and Dallan really wanted to name the baby that!) When the costume came in the mail I have never seen him so excited. He striped down and put it on immediately.

So, This is the family. Isn't baby Yoda cute! I think this was the most unflattering Halloween costume I have ever worn, probably because I made my outfit (no, I will not be taking orders for ugly Princess Leia dresses). Spencer was Obi Wan Kanobi. After Halloween we decided the only reason they wanted to be Star Wars was because they realized they got to play with the Light Sabers (smart kids!!)

Looking over all the goods!

Grandpa Chewy.....I think it looked really good on him!

What the boys are up to....

2008-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Spencer had a field trip with his preschool to the Farm. He was in heaven. It was fun to see how he interacted with other kids. He wanted to hold every animal he could!

Aunt Niki went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and Mady brought the boys back Buzz Lightyear toys. She told them all about the rides and the boys were in awe. They still keep asking me when they get to go to Disneyland. It is hard to explain to them "not for a while". Of course they think it is just down the street and free!!

This is kind of a funny. Last month I was trying to prepare my Relief Society lesson and I couldn't do it at night because Ryan was using the computer for school. The boys were, of course, being wild and crazy and I couldn't concentrate so I turned on Bob the Builder and plugged in their head phones. It worked like a charm. I got a good 20 minutes of peace and quiet!

Almost walking!

2008-11-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

So, I think the last time I posted about Carson he was almost crawling. Well, crazy as it sounds now he is almost walking. I cant believe how fast he is growing up. He is probably just trying to keep up with his brothers! I remember the other boys didn't crawl until about 9 or 10 months and didn't walk until 12 or13 months. Needless to say I am not quite ready for all this mobility!!
Carson also got his two bottom teeth last month. Every time I try to take a picture he shuts his mouth-so maybe next time. He also started to wave the other night. We were putting the boys to sleep and after he read books with them we said bye bye and he totally waved. He is getting so big!

Carson's favorite place to "hide".

Carson is cruising around everything! His favorite are the chairs in the kitchen. He will walk while pushing them. Good thing we have all that tile!

This is hilarious! I always find him sucking on this little rubber duckie. Apparently he thinks it is a Binky.

Playing House

2008-10-07T12:52:00.001-07:00

So I am sitting here on the computer and I hear the boys in the living room. Spencer is telling Dallan, "Come on, lets play house!" Dallan said "Okay I be Mary", and Spencer said "Yeah and I'll be Matt". So they totally played for about 30 minutes pretending to be Matt and Mary. I guess they really love you guys. Apparently you are what playing house is all about! It was so cute I had to write it down to remember it. (FYI- Matt and Mary are their Aunt and Uncle)

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-21T13:36:00.001-07:00

6 years ago.....

Our Wedding Day
Ryan is so hot...and little too!!

I cant even believe that we have been married now for 6 years. And we have three kids. I thought I was done after Spencer, so good thing we kept going. Ryan did the neatest thing for me. I had to work on Friday and at about 2:00pm he came to my work with a dozen roses and said "come on lets go!" I was really confused because I was booked that afternoon. Little did I know that they were fake appointments and he planned everything with my bosses. He arranged for my sister Nikki to take the kids for the night and he took me to the Hyatt in Scottsdale! We went on a gondola ride while the man sang beautiful music, went to the movies, and to dinner and the best part is that we got to sleep in the morning. Neither of us can remember the last time we actually slept all night and didn't have to get up at 6:00 am! We only slept in till 7:30 and then couldn't sleep any more-I guess are bodies are conditioned (but I had dreams of sleeping in till noon!). The next day we had Nikki bring the kids and we played and swam at the pool all afternoon. It was the best anniversary ever. Ryan you did so good! I will never forget it.

Fun Pics

2008-09-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of things that happened in the last couple of weeks.....

We went to Central over Labor Day and had lots of fun! The boys got to ride one of Grandpa Smith's Horses.

Later in the evening we went to Red Knolls and had a BBQ. Matt brought his rapelling stuff which was really fun. I was definitely too chicken to try but the boys climbed all the way to the top to watch!
FHE Fun

Spencer and Dallan in the suits Grandpa Bodine got them in Florida. They love them, and so do I. They are soooo cute!
Spencer did this puzzle all by himself. He was so proud of himself he even asked me if he could sleep on it.
This is the funniest picture ever! We went to check on the boys one night before we went to bed and we found Dallan sleeping like this, with his doggy animal between his legs. We couldn't stop laughing. The funny thing is we find him like this quite a bit!

Carson at 6 months!

2008-09-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

6 Month Stats

Weight: 18.5 lbs

Length: 28.5 Inches

Wow, Carson is growing so fast. He is so fun to be with. He is always smiling and happy. He started eating solids over the past month and loves everything you feed to him. His favorite thing right now is little bitter biscuits, he thinks he is in heaven! He sits up on his own like a pro and will play by himself for an hour! I still can't believe it but he is pretty close to crawling. He is the sweetest little guy. This is a little video of him about 3 weeks ago. (Yes, it is long but I couldn't figure out how to make it shorter, I will work on that!)

Poo Panda!

2008-09-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

We wanted to do something fun this weekend so we told the boys we could go see Kung Fu Panda. They have been asking to see it for forever but we have been holding off because my Summer Fun at the Movies experience was not very good. Dallan would sit for the first thirty seconds then want to run around everywhere. The funny thing about it was that Dallan can't say Kung Fu, so he usually says Poo Poo. So all day he was so excited to see Poo Poo Panda. It was so funny! He actually sat through the whole movie, which is a first! He thought it was pretty scary though. About 10 minutes into it I look over and his little lip was trembling and he was whispering "turn it off mommy", but he still didn't want to leave. We are hoping it doesn't give him nightmares. Too bad Poo Poo Panda was not all he thought it would be!!

NEW YORK!

2008-08-27T07:46:00.001-07:00

What can I say? I just spent an awesome, but very short weekend in New York City! The salon that I work at sent me and another girl to the Bumble and Bumble University (Bb is a product line we carry) to learn a new treatment line we are bringing to the salon. We stayed at the Hudson right by Columbus circle and Central Park. We were in class most of the day but still had time to do lots of shopping and have some really funny experiences in China Town and in lots of cabs! It was really humid (my face felt like it was getting a constant steam facial),so waiting for the Subway was like torture, especially because it was on a weekend schedule. I don't ever remember it being so humid or smelly in the Subways when I lived there before, but after about a day we said heck with the Subway we'll just take a cab!(too bad we couldn't get on Cash Cab, it would have been a lot cheaper!)

This is the view from the Bb U Salon. Can you imagine the view while you are getting your hair done-amazing!

This was in Central Park where we had the funniest little bike guy ride us around (aah, the joys of vacationing and actually having some money), it was so relaxing.

Times Square

View of Ground Zero. This was so sad. I haven't been back to New York since 9-11, it was still a very almost reverent scene.
This was our morning view from our hotel room- so beautiful!

Some of our fabulous buys, (yes those are giraffe purses all for $25!). Of course, I had to stop at H &M!
The night before we left we went down to Serendipity and waited for about an hour for some amazing Frozen Hot Chocolate!

I have to say thank you so much to Ryan for taking such good care of the boys! He really is just unbelievable sometimes and I appreciate him letting me do this.

Case of the traveling baby!

2008-08-26T10:56:00.001-07:00

Carson is getting so big! The other day I put him on the ground under his little play gym and went into the kitchen. I came back like 3 minutes later and he was all the way over by the puzzles! He can't really scoot yet so it is still a mystery how he got there. I guess I am going to have to start watching what is on the WHOLE floor. He could be crawling sooner than I think. Baby-proofing here I come!!!

First Day of School

2008-08-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Spencer started preschool last week. He was so excited and has been asking me all summer when school started. He is in a new preschool this year with no one he knows. I not sure if that will be good or bad, we'll see! The first day of school he woke up at 5:45 am and immediately got dressed and started asking us to take him right now! Poor Dallan was just certain that he got to start school too. He got his back pack on and had me take pictures and everything. We kept telling him that he is going to drop Spencer off and when we got to school Spencer's teacher Ms. Rebbecah told all the kids to play in the back yard until everyone arrived and Dallan said, "Okay" and started walking right in! I ended up taking him to Aunt Kiki's to play at her "school". He seemed pretty pacified with that!

Picture Day!

2008-08-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

These pictures are a funny story,looking back (not so funny at the time!) They were actually Carson's 3 month pictures but I have been so busy lately I haven't had time to blog so here goes... I wanted the boys to get their first pictures taken together so we scheduled a Friday when Ryan was off work to take them. Our first set of pictures the boys were so good and they listened to the lady , but when we looked at the pictures Carson had spit up and you could see this big thing of spit up on his shirt. So I decided to reschedule for the next week and thought I could do it by myself because the boys were so good the first time (boy was I wrong!). Spencer and Dallan were pretty much out of control and wouldn't listen to the lady or me. Every time the lady asked Dallan to look at her he would turn his head anyway from the camera, ahhh! it was making me so mad. Then at some point one of them (if not both of them) hit Carson on the head and he started crying and pretty much wouldn't calm down so then when it was time for his pictures he was screaming hysterically (while the boys were throwing balls at the camera might I add). I'm sure the lady thought they were all the most unruly boys she has ever seen. Anyone that has spent anytime with Carson knows how calm he is and never really cries so I guess it is funny, but not quite fitting, that he is so mad in his three month pictures. Better luck next time -there might not be a next time:)) The most annoying part of it all was as soon as we got in the car Spencer and Dallan asked if we could go get treats because they were so good, can you believe the nerve!!

Carson at 4 months

2008-07-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Carson just had his 4 month check up a couple of weeks ago and I cant believe how big he is getting. In fact they didn't even have a percentage for how tall he is!

Weight: 16lbs 3oz
Length: 27 inches long!

What I love about Carson at this age:

He is the happiest baby ever! He is always smiling and laughing.
He is such a cuddle bug. After I feed him in the early morning he nuzzles his head in my neck and goes back to sleep-so cute.
He is so strong, and a very good roller-At least one direction ;)
I love the spirit he brings into our home. The boys love to talk and play with him, I think he might be our little peacemaker!

4th of July in IDAHO

2008-07-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

For the Fourth of July we decided to make the daring 16 hour trip with the kids to Idaho! I have to brag for a minute to say they did so good! We left on Friday at about 8:00pm and got all the way to Nephi, Utah without the boys waking up. Before we left I went to Joann and got a bunch of little crafts for the boys to do and some craft trays to put over their seats which made eating go especially well. About every 30 minutes we would do a new craft and we got all the way to Pocatello without even getting them out of the car. We would have kept going but by that point everytime I mentioned a craft they would say, "No more craft mommy!" Hence, we let them get out and run!

We had an overhead DVD installed in the Tahoe before we left. (The best investment we have ever made!)

Once we actually got to the cabin we had such a great time. The boys loved going to see Grandpa Young and being able to play outside all the time. And of course we cant forget the four wheeling. Spencer would sleep on them if he could!

Carson and Grandpa's favorite thing to do-Sleep!

The boys were so excited to ride the horses. We went to Harriman State Park one day and they let them ride the horses for a little while. Spencer was in heaven trotting along. Dallan on the other hand was a big talker until it came time to get on the horse, then he cried that he didn't want to go. He finally got on with Grandma, but would not turn around!

On the Fourth my Dad put on the amazing Bodine fireworks spectacular. And I mean spectacular! We all loved it-especially all the neighbors.

Anyway, we had a great time going to Yellowstone, four wheeling, enjoying the outdoors, and escaping the heat. There are so many pictures so we put them in a slide show. Thanks a bunch Grandpa!

Adventures in Hair!

2008-07-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I went back to work a couple of weeks ago. It is so much fun. It has been over 2 years since I have worked in a salon and I have really missed it. I must say that it is fabulous to get dressed up and talk to adults during the day for a change! Not that I don't love trying to communicate with a 2 and 3 year old! But anyway I just wanted to thank Ryan for supporting me in this because by default he becomes Mr. Mom every Tuesday night and the Fridays he has off. And he does a great job with the boys, he is such a hard worker and is becoming a really good multi-tasker!!

My little helper

2008-06-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dallan has like "super spidey senses" when it comes to unloading the dishwasher. As soon as I open it he flies in out of nowhere saying "me help mommy". For a while I was annoyed and would try to do as much as I could as fast as I could before he came, then I decided instead of fighting a losing battle I would give him a job. Now he is officially in charge of the silverware. Suprisingly, he does a really good job and gets all the utensils in the right places. Needless to say I am very thankful for my little helper!

Taking Turns w/ Carson

2008-06-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Spencer and Dallan love to hold Carson. They would sit all day with him if I let them. It is fun to see how much they love him. Dallan looks like he is getting a little smashed!

Growing Fast

2008-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

I still cant believe how fast Carson is growing. Just last week he started grabbing for things. He is still a little rusty, but watch out for your earrings!

Fun with cousins

2008-06-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we had all of Ryan's family in town for Tanner's (Brad's little boy) baby blessing. Spencer was carefully examining Dathon. Every time we go to Grandma Bodine's she lays the boys out on her ottoman and plays doctor with them, so they were so excited when Dallan got a doctor set for his birthday. And they have been using it everyday since!

Bath time on Saturday night to get ready for Sunday. I have to say, that water was pretty dirty!!(Dallan,Dathon, Blake, and Spencer)
Carson and Tanner, future best buds!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

2008-06-04T08:17:00.001-07:00

Dallan was so excited for his birthday to come. All week we would ask him what was coming up and he would say,"Happy birthday to me!" or "My happy birthday!" At night when we would ask him what song he wanted us to sing before bed, oh yes, we had to sing Happy Birthday. I can't believe he is already two. He is growing up so fast and talking so well. I hope his birthday was everything he thought it would be!

Grandma Bodine with Dallan, Mady, and Vincent
Grandma Smith was in town and got a special invitation, too!
Dallan and his cousins got to play slip and slide and swim in the little pool. They had lots of fun.

Present time....

Guitar Hero

2008-06-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Clint and Farrah Albright came over with their kids to hang out. They have two kids around the same age as Spencer and Dallan which makes getting together fun and loud :)).
Clint brought Guitar Hero. It was so much fun. Ryan thinks he has bragging rights as the ultimate winner, but if you ask Clint I am sure he would disagree!
Our little soon to be rocker...
I guess it was video game weekend because the next day we borrowed a little old school Nintendo from my sister. The boys loved it, especially Duck Hunt. I am sad to admit when they went to sleep we stayed up till midnight playing Super Mario Brothers. It reminded me of the good old days when I was like 8 years old!! (and I had sore thumbs afterwards)

Memorial Day

2008-06-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day we went to Jess and Brad's for a little BBQ. The boys were so excited to go swimming.
Spencer is swimming so good this summer. He has no fear.

This was Carson's first time in the pool. I don't think he quite knew what to think!

the BIG BOY bed

2008-05-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

So we are finally transitioning Dallan into his "Big Boy" bed in Spencer's room. I was trying to wait a little longer because I cherish my 1-4pm nap time everyday. Yes, all three of them nap for about three hours all at the same time (well, when all the stars align, of course). And, all this just changed as soon as Dallan went into Spencer's room. We also informed Dallan that binkies do not transfer from the crib to the big boy bed (yes, he still has a binki at night!). So, the first night he told us he didn't want the binki and wanted to sleep with Spencer. He was so exited he stayed up laughing and giggling, then finally fell asleep only to wake up at 1 am crying saying "need it mommy, need it mommy" and pointing to his mouth. I was trying to be strong but after about fifteen minutes of crying, and remembering I had to be up in a couple more hours to feed the baby, I gave in!! Now Dallan is in the "Big Boy" bed, with the binki (I decided I need to pick my battles and this is one I don't really want to take on right now)! To make a long story short, nap times are becoming increasingly short, making mom increasingly more short and it is now 9:00pm and they are both still talking to each other in their room. Ahh, the joys of parenthood, I dont know how our parents did it!!!!

My new bike!

2008-05-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day I got a new bike. Spencer and Dallan were so excited. They got to help pick it out. Too bad it is only getting hotter outside.

Graduation Day

2008-05-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Spencer graduated from Preschool. He was forth* in his class. He is such a smart kid. (There is only four in his class:))

*Brad brought this to my attention. As you can see I was not fourth in my class!!

Our BIG little guy

2008-05-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Now that everything has died down a little bit after the baby blessing, hopefully I will be more consistent in my posts! Carson is getting huge! He just had his 2 month check up and he weighed in at over 14 lbs. He is in the 95% for height and weight! He just started giggling yesterday too. He is such a good little boy, we are so blessed to have him in our home!

OUR BLOG!!

2008-05-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Finally! I feel like I am in the "in" crowd now! We thought we would define for everybody what Hubbub is as our first post:

hubbub
n : loud confused noise from many sources [syn: uproar, brouhaha,
katzenjammer]

It is kind of what we feel like our life is like right now so we thought it would be very appropriate.